#it's not summer for me i just miss summertime as always | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bratbarzal · 7 days ago

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Let It Happen (LH43) 1/2

Pairing: Luke Hughes x Fem!Reader

WC: 17k

If you're ready, all I mean is we could go, I've never craved someone's attention as much as yours.

General Warnings: an almost unbearable amount of sarcasm and snark, even more idiotic shenanigans, many affectionate empty threats of murder/violence, fluff, mentions of golf 🤢, cursing and I'm pretty sure that's it for this half

A/N: in line with the general consensus lmao this has been split, part two will be posted as soon as it's finished (lol) but it's best read as one whole fic, it isn't a multi-part situation really!! it was originally supposed to be my submission for the eras tour fic challenge (hence the graphic I'm too attached to to change) but took a different direction to the song I was given, and I missed the deadline, and I pretty much listened to the secret of us exclusively while writing this whole thing. also dropping an overwhelmingly summery fic in december might actually be my brand. keep your eyes peeled for a christmas fic in july.

very special shoutout to shea @sleepretreat I made a random comment one day that luke gives seth cohen energy, and she fanned that flame like a full time job. ily shea!! I hope this lives up to any expectations and I owe a lot to your instigating!!

AS ALWAYS!!! never proofread!! I'll probably get around to it when the thought of a spelling mistake keeps me awake at night. and also!! please let me know what you think I am like a teeny tiny little plant that can only thrive under the constant shower of validation and you don't want me to wither and die do you? (I’m kidding) (I’m not)

You kind of, sort of, think you might hate summer.

You haven’t always felt this way, though. Growing up, it had always been your favourite time of the year.

No school? Check.

Going on vacation, sometimes multiple, all expenses covered by your parents? Double check.

Getting to do all the cool things you don’t have time for in the school year with all your friends? Concerts, festivals, beach days, bonfires on the evenings. Check, check and check again.

But 4 years ago, your whole world as you knew it was torn apart, and summers have never been the same, since.

A season that was once filled with light and companionship, never ending plans and joviality, became darker - isolated, getting yourself out of the house even if everyone else was busy, driving just to drive and making the best of your own company.

School ended up becoming your escape, especially since you had started college - your studies and the chaos of Greek life distracting you from the calamitous state of your home life, making new friends that became like family and sticking to them like glue, where possible, clingy and possessive to the point of ruin, almost - and so the lack of it in the summers now actually sends you into some sort of warped spiral.

It’s manageable in the winter and spring, the breaks no longer than a few weeks at a time, but going home for summer is somewhat of a nightmare.

It’s hard to go back, hard to ignore the mess your mind has become when it’s just you and your mother - or, you, your mother and whatever bottle of pinot she’s 3 glasses deep into at any given time of the day - and you’re sat in a house that’s a cold reminder of the warmth that once filled it.

But when Ellie - your best friend since moving to college, the girl who took the sister part of sorority sister to the next level at all possible opportunities over the years - found out you’d put your name down to be the caretaker for your sorority house instead of going home, she had put her foot down on your summertime sadness session.

Which is how you end up moving into her family home - spending the first few weeks integrating yourself into their routine while trying to grip desperately onto some form of your own - trying not to get too used to the feeling of such a big family when you know it won’t be forever.

You braid her little sister’s hair everyday, kick a soccer ball around with her little brother when he needs someone to stand in goal, wash the dishes with her mom, talk sports with her dad, and before long, you blend like a chameleon into their dynamic.

You pick up a summer job at the country club to cling back onto your independence. Your commute provides the solitude and quiet you‘ve grown accustomed to in the years before, a bus journey through town with headphones on, watching the scenery and admiring the greenery until you get to work, donning your navy blue polo and tucking your little notepad into your hip apron as you serve tables at the clubhouse restaurant and bar.

It’s a much needed escape from Ellie, if you’re honest.

You love that girl with all your heart, appreciate her housing you more than you’ll ever be able to say, but if you have to hear her sit and mope about how hopelessly in love she is with Jack Hughes for even a second longer, you’re going to vomit. Or scream. Or both.

Jack and Ellie grew up together - their families close, Ellie’s dad best friends with Jack’s uncle, or something - and she’s been into him since he had teeth missing - a point she loves to hammer home when it comes to you always listing that as one of his (many, if it’s up to you) cons. Considering his job, and the fact he already lost one, not too long ago, a toothless boyfriend seems like a massive ick, if you’re honest.

But Ellie is beyond reason when it comes to him. She worships the ground he walks on - talks about him non-stop, messages him every day, regales you with stories you, awfully, but realistically, couldn’t care less about - and it’s the only real problem about living with her.

Even beyond the summer, you two had shared a room your first two years in college, still live in the same house - and it’s a year round problem.

But being unable to escape, having your days tied to close to hers, and knowing that it’s bound to be worse with proximity, Jack back in Michigan for the summer, himself, she’s starting to drive you up the wall.

It wouldn’t bother you if you had never met Jack, but the two of you don’t exactly get along. He’s rude, and self-absorbed, and had looked down on you the first time he ever laid eyes on you, and you really shouldn’t let it get to you, but you do - the thought that your best friend is in love with an asshole, and that she won’t let you hear the end of it.

Won’t stop whining about how he’ll never feel the same, or that she can’t handle another summer of biting her tongue, of being around him, feeling the way she does, and not being able to do anything about it.

She deserves better.

Ellie has a heart of gold, and she deserves someone who handles it with care. If Jack Hughes doesn’t like her back, that’s his loss - but you’re kind of getting sick of telling her that.

Getting through a whole summer of it is going to be hard, you think, but it’s better than the alternative. Better than being entirely alone. So you put on a brave face, use work as your escape in the same way you usually do with school, and avoid blowing your top for as long as you can, suffering through the late nights and heart to hearts where Jack is the sole topic of discussion, and bask in the good stuff.

In the chaos of her siblings, in the closeness of her family, and the way they’ve welcomed you with open arms.

This summer could be okay, you’ve just got to give it a chance.

Luke Hughes loves summer.

He loves being back home in Michigan, spending his days out on the lake, or making the trip out to parade around Ann Arbor, catching up with all his college buddies, making the rounds at all the UMich sporting events he now gets a VIP pass to thanks to his last name.

The routine of it all is familiar, and warming, and it restores a sense of normality that playing in the NHL for the past year has so brutally ripped from him, already.

He had enjoyed starting his summer overseas - making the team for the world championships and competing beyond the abysmal end to his rookie season - had enjoyed the time away from his brothers, if he’s honest. Quinn and the Canucks making it a few rounds into the playoffs, and Jack back home recovering from getting surgery on his shoulder - and it’s the latter he needed the reprieve from.

He does love living with his brother.

Jack looks after him in ways he’ll never really be able to make it up to him for. He always has, Quinn has too, but ever since Luke got drafted to the Devils, Jack has helped him adjust to the chaos of his career without much fuss or hardship.

And he really is grateful for that.

But, God, can he be annoying.

Especially when it comes to his infatuation with his best friend, Ellie.

Jack and Ellie have always been close - despite the fact she’s Luke’s age - and grew up thick as thieves, spending summers together, especially when the family moved to Michigan, and Ellie’s family were just on the other side of town.

He’s always been obsessed with her, even if it hasn’t always been love - but these last few years have been different. Like a switch flipped in his head when Jack saw what Ellie was like when he came to visit Luke in his freshman year of college.

A version of Ellie that was no longer just his - no longer exclusive to their summer bubble, and lived in a world beyond lounging by the lake and hanging out with the Hughes family.

A version of Ellie who liked partying, liked schmoozing and charming everybody she came into contact with, liked being the centre of everyone else’s attention, not just Jack’s.

And it’s that version of Ellie that has driven Luke’s brother crazy, which has, in turn, started to drive Luke crazy. He talks about her non-stop, and it was those much needed weeks away in Czechia that almost had Luke forgetting just how stupid his brother has gotten about the whole thing.

Until he came home to Michigan, and Jack, in all the commotion with his shoulder, with ending his season early and starting his summer off alone, has worked himself into such a stupor about the whole thing that merely a week into his return, he has driven Luke up the wall.

He’s grumpy, all the time - which leads to him being snarky, all the time. He huffs and puffs around the house so much Luke is starting to think he might need an inhaler, and he really can’t take any more.

Not when he’s making such a show of his irritation, stomping around with heavy feet and slamming doors that don’t need to be shut in the first place.

“What crawled up your ass and died there?” Luke frowns as he follows Jack into the kitchen upon his return from therapy, holding out for the doors he swings open with a little too much vigour so that they don’t swing back into his brother’s slinged-shoulder. “I thought the physio is going alright?”

“It is,” Jack huffs, storming over to the fridge and yanking it open, the jars and bottles in the door clanking together in a way that makes Luke cringe. “I’m fine.”

“Tell that to all the hinges you’re testing the limits of.”

“Don’t start with me, Luke, I’m not in the mood.”

“You just said you’re fine.” Luke rolls his eyes as he starts to scroll through his group chat with his friends from college, trying to check who said they might be free today to get him out of this vicious circle.

“It’s nothing.”

“Clearly not.” It’s interactions like this that confirm to Luke just how annoying Jack has become - because what reason does he have to be so evasive? Luke is handing him the opportunity to air out his grievances on a silver platter, and he’s rather slam cupboards and create creases in his forehead from frowning 24/7.

“Fine, it’s Ellie.”

Luke wishes he never bothered asking, although he has been wondering why he’s been seeing way less of her already this summer. He had figured Ellie was away with family until he saw her at the gas station the other night - had watched from the car as Jack had what seemed like a heated conversation by the entrance.

“She’s refusing to hang out with me.”

“Has she said why?” Luke asks, although he doesn’t really care. He’s just asking to get it out of the way in the hopes that Jack talking about it might lighten the load, might make his own life a little easier.

It’s the bitter muttering of your name that captures Luke’s full attention, his neck audibly cracking at the speed in which his head shoots up, no longer caring what could possibly be going on with the boys in the group chat.

“She isn’t going back to whatever fiery hell pit it is that she comes from for the summer, and she’s staying with Ellie’s family, therefore Ellie isn’t staying with us.”

Luke hasn’t heard your name in a while. Not since he left college last year, not since he got caught up in the whirlwind life in the NHL, when a schoolboy crush on a girl he interacted with once in his entire college career became the least of his worries.

But one utterance of it has his spine straightening, just like it would have done just over a year ago.

You’re in Michigan. You’re at Ellie’s, on the other side of town. You’re barely two degrees of separation from him.

“Why can’t Ellie bring her here?” Luke asks, throat dry and voice breaking so subtly that he hopes Jack doesn’t notice. That could be fun. Would make up for the hell his brother has been putting him through since he got here.

Maybe a little glorious sunshine might finally get you to notice his existence. He wouldn’t mind third wheeling Jack and Ellie if you were there, too. It would give him the perfect opportunity to prove he’s worthy of your attention - too shy and too scared to do so, back in college, but he’s different, now. Confident, almost. More sure of himself.

“She hates me.” Jack huffs, “Last time we met she was giving me the stink eye all night.”

And of course it would be his brother to ruin his plans, yet again. You’ll probably hate him, too - a hatred so strong for Jack that it seeps through his entire bloodline, because Luke of all people knows he can be annoying like that.

“Trust me, she probably doesn’t care enough to hate you,” Luke scoffs, not realising the spool of information he’s just given Jack to unravel.

“You know her?”

“We had a class together. I know of her.”

Not the truth, but not exactly a lie.

Luke knows a lot about you. It’s borderline creepy, the observations he can still remember, even after so long.

He knows you like only like coffee if it’s iced, had seen you with too many clear plastic cups to count, had watched plump lips chewing at straws by the time you had finished the drink. He had even, one time, tried to zoom in on a picture of your order printed on the side in one of his many states of delusion where he had been trying to build himself up to ask you out.

He knows you can hold your own in an argument, had watched you debate with the best of them in your business comms class, has watched you shoot down most guys that approach you with a sharp tongue and even sharper wit, and has watched you take down a frat guy or two, usually in defence of your sorority sisters - who Luke noticed you’re the most protective of.

He knows you match your perfume to the colour of your outfit, had notice you smelled citrusy like lemons in yellow, floral like roses in pink, sweet like candy in purple, and clean like fresh cotton in blue.

He knows the pieces of hair that frame your face curl when wet from the rain. Knows you used to volunteer at the pool on the weekends it was open to the kids of the community, would teach them how to swim. He knows you listen to Taylor Swift and has heard you humming just about every song of hers he knows.

But he doesn’t really know you - not on the level Jack is assuming, when his eyes widen and hope flashes across his crystal irises.

“You know how I’m your favourite brother?”

“No,”

“And I let you live with me all year?”

“My name’s on the lease.”

“Maybe you could talk to her for me?”

Luke sighs, shoulders heavy and eyes rolling practically to the back of his head. “I already told you, I don’t really know her like that.”

“C’mon, you could at least try! I’m dying here, Luke! She’s hogging all of Ellie’s time, and she won’t give me the time of day if I try!”

If only Jack knew how much time you’d ever given Luke, he wouldn’t be asking him such an absurd request.

You’re so out of his league, it isn’t even funny. He probably couldn’t convince you to light a candle in a power cut, much less to give his annoying brother a shot to prove himself.

“You’re wasting your time, Jack,” Luke responds, “I’m gonna meet Dylan at the club. No, you can’t come.”

And by the time Luke makes it out to his car, he’s relieved to have ditched that conversation, entirely. He knows what’s waiting when he gets home, what his brother is going to be like for the next few months to come, but a temporary relief is all he needs.

He had already been planning on getting a few late morning holes in at the club, and meeting up with Dylan had been a white lie, needing some alone time away from Jack’s incessant whining to think about how he was going to survive the summer - and seeing you on your break, perched on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard by the clubhouse bar, basking in the sun and talking with your co-worker, he feels like he might have just struck gold.

Since when do you work here?

He supposes since you decided to spend your summer with Ellie’s family - it only makes sense. Ellie doesn’t live too far from the club - not as close as the lake house, but closer than Ann Arbor, at least. She’d worked in the club shop last summer, even when Jack insisted he’d pay for whatever she needed while she was staying with them - had said it was nice to pass the time with something else while they all went off doing whatever - and he assumes you’re doing the same.

It’s the first time he’s seen you in a while, outside of coming across your pictures on his Instagram feed occasionally, or the flash of your figure in Ellie’s stories.

He had thought that, after the year he’s had, he’d be over schoolboy crushes like this - would be over the way his breath catches just at the sight of you, over the way the hairs on the back of his neck prick up and stand to attention, over the way his throat goes dry as he watches your eyes crinkle from afar, watches your lips curve up into a heart-stopping grin.

But it’s like he’s picked up straight from where he left off at the end of his college career, pining after you from afar with hearts in his eyes and feet that start to shuffle at just the thought of approaching you.

If he’s going to do this, though, he needs to be clever about it, he thinks.

Approaching you on your break, limited to the amount of time he can use to put his point across, wasting yours, doesn’t seem like something that will work.

Which is how he finds himself bypassing you completely and walking straight into the bar, offering a friendly nod to the guy stood at the front of house, and letting him point him toward the right section to be served in.

It isn’t long before you’re in front of him, sidling up to his booth, and he had almost forgotten how pretty you are up close. Hair clipped up with loose strands framing your face, chewing at your plump bottom lip as you scribble on your notepad to get your pen to work. And your honeyed voice settling deep in the pit of his stomach, warmth spreading throughout as you introduce yourself, like he has no clue who you are, and tell him you’ll be his server, “What can I get for you?”

“Five minutes of your time?”

The Luke that spent his college years obsessing over you might have stuttered - his voice might have broke, squeaked or choked in your presence - but while his throat does feel a little dry, he’s able to maintain his cool now, even when you look up from your scribblings to meet his eye. Maybe he can do this. Maybe he has matured.

His heart might jump in his chest, his mouth might tingle, his spine might stiffen, but he holds your gaze, hoping if you see a reflection of confidence that you might give him the time of day.

He’s seen you interact with guys before, has familiarised himself with the ten-foot walls you have in place, has seen others fold and try find a long way around, but he thinks that maybe matching your energy is the way to break through.

Who doesn’t love a shortcut?

Your eyes narrow back at him as pouted lips form around a response, looking him up and down before tilting your head, and coming back with, “I all of a sudden feel the need to inform you we do have security here,” you point the tip of your pen to the entrance, where he was greeted on the way in. “I meant a drink.”

“Water’s fine,” his gaze flickers to the movement of your wrist as you click the other side of your pen, not even writing it down. “Maybe with a side of conversation?”

“I’ll go get your water,” you offer a smile, and the insincerity of it does little to cool his bravado, even if you head off with mutterings of why do I always get the creeps?

He watches you as you make your way over to the bar, not creep-like whatsoever, and he channels the nerves that sneak up on him, now that you’re distanced, through fiddling with his fingers on the table, pinching at the tips of them when you glance back over your shoulder, probably telling the girl behind the bar just how lucky you were to once again get the weirdo in your section.

It surprises him how little he cares, possessing more of your attention now than he ever has before, and if he could tell the Luke from two years ago, who spent every shared Principles of Marketing class ritualistically watching you chew on the end of your pen, that he’d be able to make eye contact without dribbling and breaking out into full body sweats, he’d have lost his mind.

He embodies a strange level of dislocated arrogance that manifests itself in his body language, sinking into the booth with arms outstretched across the back, a dangerous smirk teasing the corner of his mouth when you return, placing a pitcher of water down on the table and a glass with ice.

“I’m Luke,” he tells you, placing a hand on his chest and doing his best to ignore the thudding he feels beneath it. “Hughes. Jack’s brother,” and when you look back over to him with a raised brow, he adds, “Ellie’s Jack.”

“And who’s Ellie?” You ask with a tilt of your head, your voice dripping in teasing sarcasm.

“Funny,” he quips, biting back the urge to call you what he actually means. He can hardly call you cute, you’d probably pour that water straight over him. “I went to UMich, we had a couple classes together.”

Your eyes narrow again, and he knows it’s an intimidation tactic, a way to make him feel smaller than he’s acting, shrinking him down to a version of himself you can stamp your authority on, but he finds himself being resilient for once, carrying on like he isn’t affected.

He is. Massively, in fact. Just not in the way you probably want. Your indifference drives him in a way that presses into his spine, an inner voice pleading, notice me, I’m breaking through!

“Bauman’s class, Business Comms, you sat in the second row, I sat in the third, you dropped your pencil one time and I-,”

“I know who you are.”

So he’s been yapping on at you for no reason? Fantastic.

He can’t let his momentum slip, though, so he forces the corners of his lips into a victorious smile, and counters, “So you know I’m not a creep.”

“You literally memorised my seat in a class from 2 years ago, so…”

“I have a good memory,” he’s quick to defend, fighting the urge to let his eyes linger on your pouted lips.

“Right,” you roll your eyes, “What is it you want, again?”

“I came to talk about Jack and Ellie.” He nods to the other side of the booth, and has to roll his shoulders so that his chest doesn’t inflate with misplaced hubris when you shuffle into the seat with a huff, discarding your notepad to the side as you level him with another raised brow.

“What about ‘em?”

“About how they’re hopelessly in love with each other and doing nothing about it.”

“You got hopeless right. What’s that got to do with us?”

Us. Oh, he likes that.

“I’m thinking they need a little shove in the right direction. And maybe we could be the shovers.”

You presses your lips together in faux-apology, a lopsided, patronising, adorable frown taking over your expression. “No can do, I don’t shove, I’m a pacifist.”

“A nudge, then?”

He isn’t giving up easy, no matter how much sarcasm you try to throw his way. You wouldn’t have sat down if there wasn’t something about this situation that irks you, too.

If Ellie is being only half as annoying as Jack is, he knows that you’re having a bad time of it. And you’re supposed to spending her summer with her - it can’t be easy, having your friend constantly pining over someone and refusing to do anything about it, if anything, making it your problem.

“Are you here to eat or annoy me?”

“Both,” he smiles, “I just figured a problem shared is a problem solved, and all.”

“How profound.”

“C’mon, you sat down, you at least agree they’re into each other, and I know you’re staying with her this year, so I know you’ve been getting the same grief I have.”

“I’ve been on my feet 4 hours, I wouldn’t look too deep into me sitting down.”

“Jack’s been moping around about her for years, I can’t listen to it anymore, he’s all, she’ll never like me back, this, and, I’ll never find a girl like her, that,” he whines, imitating his brother’s voice in the most annoying, high pitched tone he can muster, “I can’t take one more breakdown of her snap stories, especially not if it’s all summer if she’s not gonna be staying over, I’m gonna lose my mind.”

“How supportive,” the sarcasm in your bite does little to hide the beginnings of your smile, your glare softening into what he hopes is the start of some sort of bond, a shared feeling of exasperation. Finding your footfall in common grounds.

“It’s relentless, we can’t go a single conversation anymore without him bringing her up,” he sighs, slumping into his seat, finally giving in to all the ways this is starting to grate on him. “I don’t get why neither of them do anything.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, too, relenting a little. “She talks about him so much it kind of makes me nauseous.”

“How supportive,” he mimics, nerve endings set alight when your eyes meet his over the table, and narrow in a different way, almost appreciative, almost respectable.

“Can it, Hughes,” you scoff, “Me even entertaining this conversation right now is support enough, I’ve had it in my ear for months about how she doesn’t know how she’ll make it through another summer.”

“That’s what I’m saying. If we can get them together this summer, then we’re both better off. No more whining or crying or earaches for either of us.”

“I’d hope you didn’t make your way out here with the mere promise of no more earaches, Luke.” He tries not to preen at the way you say his name. “What’s in it for me?”

“You and Ellie can stay at our lake house.” He suggests, straightening up before he leans onto the table, elbows extending so that he can rest on them, “It’s closer to the club than her family’s place, it’s gotta be better than having her siblings running around you all the time, I can even drive you to work when I’m free, if you want?”

You blink at him slowly, as if to say, and? “So I can stay at your glorified frat house, and you can be my chauffeur?” You ask with an unimpressed raise of your brow, before letting out a humourless scoff of, “What more could a girl want to do with her summer?

“What do you want?” He asks, leaning further forward.

“To go back to work and not worry about strange guys propositioning me, funnily enough.”

Luke laughs, a deep, breathy laugh that rises from the depths of his chest and comes alive in an almost-bark, and he doesn’t miss the way your eyes flicker to his mouth when it comes out.

This is fun.

There’s no way he’s letting you leave this table without agreeing - just the thought of one more singular interaction keeping him on his toes.

“Why don’t we make it interesting, then?”

“It’s about time you tried.” The quiver of your lip tells him everything he needs to know - and that’s without the entertained glint in your eye that accompanies it. You’re enjoying this, just as much.

“We could make a competition out of it.”

“A competition?” You ask, with a curious tilt of your head.

There it is, he thinks. Interest: piqued. He practically has you in the palm of his hand. Who would ever have thought, the way to a sorority girl’s heart would be a friendly little wager?

“Whoever actually gets them together, wins.”

It’s all he can think of in the moment - petulant and part-planned, but it seems to be enough.

“Wins what?” You lean onto your elbows, your gaze levelling his as he mirrors your positioning, having to slouch a little further forward in his seat to meet your pretty eyes.

“Whatever you want.” He doesn’t intend it to come out as low as it does, doesn’t realise how close the two of you have gotten over the table, but he sees the flicker of something cross your features as your head tilts again, eyes still locked on his as yours begin to narrow, still just as pretty even when they’re glaring at him.

“It’s what you want that concerns me.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head over it,” he jibes, watching the way your lips part in preparation of another witty comeback. “What do you say?” He asks, not giving you the chance, seeing the way it makes your skin crawl that you weren’t quick enough, for once. “Are you in?”

You heave out a sigh, shoulders slumping - a tell-tale sign that you’re about to acquiesce - and Luke starts to feel his chest puff out in victory. This feels like a shut-out. It feels like the best performance of his life.

“You’re gonna make me regret this, aren’t you?”

“Oh definitely,” he smirks, eyes tracking you as you lean back into the booth, retreating from him in defeat, a hand running through your hair as he promises, “You’ll warm up to me soon enough, though.”

“I can’t see that happening.”

“I can,” he shrugs, leaning back too. “I’ve been told I’m inevitable.”

Luke can remember, like it was yesterday, the first time he ever saw you.

Freshman year, the week he moved into his dorm at Michigan, Jack had sent him across campus to check in on how Ellie was getting on. He had arrived with some extravagant gift basket in tow, plastic wrapped, a giant blue bow tied around the top and an assortment of snacks inside, and was left knocking for at least five minutes before you showed up.

“Please tell me you’re not another stripper-gram.”

If his throat hadn’t gone so dry all of a sudden, he thinks he would have had more wits about him to have questioned the use of another - a concept that had stuck in his head for weeks until he caught wind of a story of pledges for Pike being sent around campus and forced to lure girls to their house through way of humiliating song.

But God, you were pretty.

Siren eyes narrowed toward him, glossy lips pouted pensively, long lashes blinking impatiently as you awaited some kind of response that didn’t come in the form of an open, drooling mouth.

“I’m Luke.”

“Right.” You had sighed, pretty eyes rolling at him. “You’re blocking my door."

“Oh, I’m-,” he stuttered, immediately stepping to the side for you to come forward and insert your key into the lock. “Does Ellie live here?” He asked, confusion etched into his features as he watched you swing the door open, turning in your place to look him over again.

“Depends who’s asking.”

“I’m Luke.”

“So you’ve said.”

“I know her.”

“Clearly.”

“This is her basket.”

“Does she need to sign for it?”

“No, I-,”

“I’ll make sure she gets it, thanks, Lu!”

And when you had taken the basket from his hands, he had been too distracted by the way your skin brushed against his to properly respond, or worry if you had called him that as a nickname or had already forgotten his name, entirely.

He then spent days thinking about you, looking for you - at parties, in the campus coffee shop, online, despite not knowing your name - trying to commit to memory the way your eyes had sparkled when looking his way, until his first Business Communications class.

He had been a little early, first week nerves playing out and his constant craving for positive validation coming to the forefront, and was watching the door waiting for the professor to arrive. He had been slouched in his seat, chin in the palm of his hand, foot tapping rhythmically against the floor, and he had almost given himself whiplash when you walked in.

He learned your name from there, learned a lot just from watching you in that class, but never really captured your attention.

And if the Luke that has been driving you to work every few days, who has been living with you for the past two weeks - who sits around the same dining table, laughs at the same jokes cracked when you’re all lounging around the house, sits out under the same sun, drinks from the same carton of orange juice in the morning - could tell the Luke that sat pining after you all that time, all the little ways in which he’s captured your attention lately, he’d probably have an aneurysm.

When you and Ellie moved in, Luke had been the only one allowed to touch your stuff - and there’s a part of him that knows it was mainly because you enjoyed watching him work like a packhorse, hauling your cases up the stairs and dropping them in front of you with a huff, but there’s a larger, more delusional part that thinks you preferred him to the others, maybe even trusted him.

He’s taking credit for how quick you’ve adapted to the dynamic of the house, too. Of all the different faces coming in and out - Quinn’s friends, Jack’s friends, his friends, sometimes even his parents. If you’re around, you’re pleasant. You abide by house rules, some of them stupid, but set by the brothers so long ago that they just work now - like no phones outside of your rooms so that you can be more present. You insert yourself comfortably into conversations, you form your own relationships with everyone - you and Quinn trade book recommendations, you and Jack bicker while Ellie mediates. You do your fare share of chores - laundry, dishes, cooking, even.

And he’s so caught up in just sharing space, just being around you, even, that for those first couple weeks, he forgets why you even agreed to be there in the first place.

At least, he forgets the incentive part - because he watches mindlessly as you interfere in Jack and Ellie’s dynamic, without a care in the world for the fact that it means he’s losing.

He watches you push one of them out of the way to claim whatever seat at the table or in the car forces them to sit beside each other. He watches you taunt Jack to just the right point where Ellie interferes, coos at him protectively and he melts into her affections. He watches you agree to plans he knows you wouldn’t in a million years follow along with, just to get them together - and all he can do is admire how easy you make it seem.

He admires when you come out wakeboarding with the group, when you let him fasten you into a vest and don’t flinch when his fingertips brush against bare skin. Watches you bite your tongue over the fact you just got your hair blow dried - a fact you have no problems relaying back to him when he drives you to work the next day, and you’re muttering in his passenger seat about lake water giving you frizz - just so you’re not dampening the mood.

And when you agree to tag along to the golf course on your day off, despite the fact it’s so close to work if could be considered triggering, and you stick by Luke’s side so that Ellie can feign some sort of incompetence until Jack takes it upon himself to correct her form.

You stand by Luke’s side, the two of you watching with mirrored expressions of almost-disgust as Jack wraps his arms around Ellie’s body, and send a shiver down his spine when you lean in for only him to hear as you say, “I’d ask if you’ve put any more thought into what you want out of our bet, but I so have this in the bag.”

The bet.

Luke hasn’t thought about it since that day in the restaurant, if he’s honest, but he had known what he wanted then.

He’s hardly going to tell you, now, though.

If he’s ever going to take you out on a date, he doesn’t really want to force your hand - not that he has a chance, he’s fallen so behind with this Jack and Ellie thing that it isn’t even funny.

He needs to up his game, if only for the fact that you’ll no doubt catch on to his lack of efforts, soon.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” he taunts, because it’s what he does best, “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“And how long do you plan on keeping them up there?” You call him out so easily, tilting your head when his eyes meet yours, mischief highlighted by the sunshine that speckles in your irises.

“Maybe I’m luring you into a false sense of security,” he shrugs, “Maybe I’m letting you do all the heavy lifting so I can swoop in when those weak arms get tired.” He pokes at your side, basking in the way you scowl like you pertain any sort of threat to him.

He has you figured out, by now.

“I didn’t have you pegged as being lazy, Hughes.”

“You spend a lot of time thinking about me, huh?”

“You wish,” you scoff, shoving when he dares to get too close, and it’s when Luke is biting back a full-blown grin that Ellie comes back over.

“This sun is crazy, I think I left the sunscreen in the locker room and Jack’s nose is going all red, would you come back with me?”

You smile sweetly at your best friend and agree, only glaring at Luke over Ellie’s shoulder when she’s distracted with saying her brief, temporary goodbyes to Jack, and once you’ve turned and made your way over to the cart, he lets his eyes linger on your figure as you retreat.

The soft sway of your ponytail, the expanse of smooth skin along your legs, he’s completely hypnotised, and he needs to pull himself together, he thinks.

He tries to regain focus as he and Jack work their way through the next couple of holes, caddying their clubs around without the cart, and chatting mindlessly until Jack sighs heavily, like he’s been waiting to bring something up.

“I want to take Ellie out on the boat tomorrow,” He states as Luke tees up, resting on his club as he squints against the sun to watch his little brother, “Just the two of us, so we can talk about stuff.”

“Sounds riveting,” the disinterest in Luke’s tone is amplified by the lack of attention he’s giving overall, looking out across the green and trying to measure his swing before he takes it. “Have fun.”

“I was thinking I’d need your help for it to work.”

“I’m not being your boat-butler again,” Luke scoffs, mind immediately going to all the times their parents would make Jack take Luke out with him and his friends, and all the times he was made to wait on his older brother hand and foot to make up for crashing his hang-outs.

“I’m not asking you to tag along,” Jack scoffs, “You third-wheeling would be the ultimate buzz-kill. I thought you could be of use elsewhere.”

“You’re making whatever it is sound so fun.”

Luke takes his swing, driving the ball and watching it soar to his desired point with a hand shielding his eyes from the sun. Jack watches too, stepping to Luke’s side to measure how far from his own ball it lands.

“Nice,” he mutters appreciatively as the two of them load their clubs into their stand bags. “I need you to keep Regina George busy, distract her or something, she’s stuck to Ellie like glue, it’s beyond annoying.”

If only he knew, Luke thinks, a worry in the back of his mind about how his brother owes more to you than he even realises.

“You worried she’s gonna make her see sense?”

Jack swats at his arm and rolls his eyes.

“I’m worried she’s gonna ruin the good vibes like she usually does and I won’t be able to bite my tongue from saying something and looking like the asshole.”

Distracting you isn’t the worst thing he could be doing with his time, Luke thinks. It’s not like he has to go all out, you’ll no doubt be hanging out around the house and the two of you can hang together. All he has to do is keep you off your phone. Shouldn’t be too hard. You’ve adapted pretty well to mimicking the guys when it comes to staying off theirs.

It ticks off the box of trying to fight for a scrap of your attention. With no one else around, you’ll have no choice but to entertain his company.

And it puts him in front of your little race - lending a helping hand to Jack’s plans to talk to Ellie is surely the same as getting them together. It’s all falling so perfectly into his lap. He isn’t being lazy.

But he can’t let Jack know that, so he heaves out a sigh and offers a slow shake of his head for dramatic effect. “Fine,” he groans, “But you owe me. Big time.”

You’re starting to find it harder and harder to pretend like you don’t want to be at the Lake House.

If you’re being honest, you don’t entirely know why you’re even trying to keep up pretences, but using your disinterest as armour has become like second nature over the years, and you’re hardly going to stop now.

Even if there are already so many little things about being there that are starting to wear you down.

Quiet, early mornings, for one - birds chirping just outside your open window, sun rays pouring in through sheer curtains that flow in the slight breeze, that light feeling that blows through your chest when you’re sat out on the deck behind the house with a fresh cup of coffee, looking out over the still lake and basking in the peace of it all.

And even when it’s not so peaceful, when the kitchen is full of bodies swerving around each other to try and throw together some sort of breakfast spread - pastries and fruit, bacon and eggs, various boxes of cereal on the counter. Quinn had even made a whole batch of pancakes one morning, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t come down every day since hoping to see him donning that same frilly apron that Cole had draped around his waist and working his magic with a pan.

You’ve never really been a part of such a full house. You had been an only child for so long - and by the time your parents split, and it was just you and your mom, on the days she wasn’t already at work when you got up - and were so ingrained in your own routine in the morning that you think you might actually need the chaos to function better. The rush of bodies, the arguments over who drank the last of the juice, the bickering over who’s turn it is to do the next grocery run - it’s a kind of entertainment you haven’t been privy to in a long time.

Being kind of disconnected from everything else isn’t as bad as you thought it would be, either. You’re not attached to your phone, checking socials to see what everyone else is doing, to see if your dad has sent any messages yet this summer, and you find yourself connecting a little more with the people around you and leaving your family stress on the back burner. You’re more focused on what’s in front of you, and your relationships with other people. With Ellie, with some of the guys in the house, with your friends at work, even.

And it’s nice to be closer to work too. You don’t have to rush around trying to make the bus - Luke has been keeping his word and driving you to the club most days, and where he can’t, either somebody else has offered, or you’ve just ridden one of the bikes in the garage that the boys said were free to use - the helmet hair is an easy fix when you have access to the locker rooms.

It’s an adjustment, for sure, getting used to being in a full house. Especially this one - with a constant revolving door of faces, friends of the brothers switching out week by week to come and stay, departing just as you’ve started getting to know them with a promise of dropping by again soon.

So far, you’re almost at double-digits for the names you’ve had to memorise. Some of them you were already familiar with, guys from Michigan who you already knew or knew of, but others were more Jack or Quinn’s friends that you’d never had the pleasure of meeting before now.

Cole Caufield being one of them.

He had arrived a couple of days after you and Ellie moved yourselves in, closer to Jack than the other two brothers, you had noticed, and was going to be staying longer than any of the other visitors - having his own designated room in the house, similar to you girls.

You like Cole - he’s good fun, can take a joke unlike his supposed best friend, and has the kind of smile that almost gives you a buzz whenever it’s flashed your way. Your first few interactions with him were seemingly pleasant, despite Jack constantly in his ear with a hardened glare pointed your way and no doubt unsavoury words uttered. Cole would just shrug him off, laugh, meet your eyes and drop a wink your way - a gesture you’d usually squirm and cringe at, but Cole kind of pulls it off.

He joins in when you chirp Luke, too - which, if your honest, is your main source of entertainment since arriving, so your interactions with him grow day by day.

You haven’t really spent any one-on-one time with Cole yet, though. You were hoping to, before he left to visit home for the weekend - for no other reason than to get the scoop on something you’d happened upon at work last week - and had planned on asking him to hang out on your day off. But with Cole now gone for a few days, Jack and Ellie off doing god knows what, Quinn and Luke working out wherever, you have no choice but to spend your free Sunday lounging around the house, trying to find something to suppress your growing boredom.

You start with your nails, painting them a summery orangey-red and doing your toes to match, then do your laundry, abiding by house rules that you rotate the loads between the machines, and fold out whoever’s clothes were last in the dryer and place them in the hamper on the side.

You’re hoping you haven’t had to fold Jack’s underwear but you decide to live in blissful ignorance - trying to identify the load based on the rest of the clothing in there is impossible when they all share, so it kind of works in your favour.

You FaceTime your mom for almost an hour, getting an update on what she’s been up to with work, and giving her updates on how your summer is going, trying to focus on your time at the club and Ellie so she doesn’t worry too much again that you’re spending your summer in a house filled with boys.

And by the time Luke and Quinn come back from their workout, you’re in the lounge, 50 pages deep into a book you really couldn’t care less about, but there’s something in you that refuses to beg one of them for company, so you suffer in silence.

Even when Luke does join you, throwing himself down onto the opposite side of the couch you’re occupying and pushing your feet off his side like it’s his sole purpose just to annoy you.

“I was comfortable there, asshat,” you frown, lifting your feet back into their previous position and using one to give him a light kick to his thigh.

“Yeah, well, I hardly want your feet all up in my business while I’m trying to relax,” he sighs, sinking into the cushions with hands clasped behind his head, biceps flexing and tightening the arms of his t-shirt in a way that momentarily catches your eye. You’re thankful for his closed eyes, chewing at the inside of your cheek as you divert your attention back to the mundane words on the pages in front of you.

“And yet here you are when there are 2 other couches.”

“Yeah, well, I know how much you like to be near me.”

You try to ignore him, pulling your feet a little closer to your body and focusing back on the book, but it’s hard when Luke has such a presence. You feel the little looks he keeps sending your way like a physical touch, and the couch shifts with every slight movement he makes, so when he constantly shuffles, you start to think he wants your attention.

Of course he wants your attention. This is Luke Hughes.

“Are you just sitting down here to annoy me?”

He lights up, like he’s just been waiting for you to ask, and shuffles in his seat to face you, fully, bouncing in place like a puppy being teased with a tennis ball.

“I’m actually trying to distract you, if you must know.”

“Bold of you to assume you have enough of my attention to be distracting in the first place,” you scoff, trying not to react to the way he smirks in your peripheral, the words in front of you all blurring together. If you were actually focused on them, you’d have lost your place, already.

“I think you pay more attention to me than you’d like to admit.”

“That’s some ego you’ve got on you, Hughes,” you narrow your eyes as you look above the edge of your book, “Is that what you spend that big NHL paycheque on, charisma classes? How to flirt for dummies?”

“Oh, is that what we’re doing? Flirting?”

Damn. You walked yourself right into that one.

Sometimes biting back at Luke comes like second nature, words first, thoughts after - and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t like it that way. It’s easy, the back and forth, and you can’t really think of an instance with him where you’ve sat in a lingering, awkward silence. You’ve really grown to hate silence, lately.

“You wish.”

“You think I’m charismatic,” he teases in a sing-song voice, knocking at your knee and wiggling his eyebrows when you glare at him.

“I think you’re an idiot.”

“You’re not gonna ask what I’m distracting you from?”

“I don’t really care,” you lie, eyes darting back down and diverting the attention he so desperately craves away from him.

“Jack wanted to take Ellie out on the boat.” He says, ignoring your attempts to ignore him - pushing your buttons like a full time job. Like an operator for your last nerve.

“Good for her.”

“Alone.”

“No shit.”

“To ask her out.”

“Whoop-de-doo.”

“Whoop-de-,” Luke straightens up, like a whack-a-mole with his head positioning itself over the top of your book, and you kind of wish you had one of those soft mallets right about now. It would be so satisfying to bonk at his head, you think. “What do you mean, whoop-de-doo, is this not what you agreed to be here for? To get them together?”

You scoff, flicking to the next page of the book in feigned disinterest. “He isn’t asking her out today.”

This is the exact something you had wanted to talk to Cole about - whispers in the staff lounge at work earlier in the week doing the rounds would imply otherwise, but your main source is kind of a gossip, and you’re not entirely sure of their reliability, despite the few degrees of separation to the subject at hand.

Mutterings of Jack and Cole and their little country club connections.

You can hardly ask Luke of all people if his brother is as much of a man-whore as everyone is making out. Cole was a safe bet - he’d probably just tell you straight up what they’re up to, wear his pride like a shining gold medal. He’s upfront about his promiscuity, at least. Luke is more protective. Of himself, of his family, you’re not entirely sure. There haven’t been as many whispers about him.

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Because he’s a spineless idiot,” you retort, eyes flicking up momentarily to take in his furrowed brow. “No offence,” comes out of nowhere, and you surprise yourself with the instinct to lessen the blow of your words for the first time in forever.

“None taken, he’s only my flesh and blood,” Luke huffs, “You’re just jealous I’m winning our bet.”

“Sure,” you drawl, eyes widening to emphasise the sarcasm as you make a point of angling your head to the next page, like you’ve taken a single word in for the past five minutes. “He’s been talking to one of the girls from work. There’s no way he’s doing that and asking Ellie out, unless he’s completely brain dead.”

And when you look back at Luke, that furrowed brow has shifted into a full blown frown, pouted lips and eyes cast down as if he’s trying to figure everything out in his head.

It’s probably the pout that has you cushioning your words, once more.

“Again, no offence, I doubt it’s in your DNA.”

“How do you know?”

“I’m no bio student but I don’t think there’s a genetic marker for being a fuckboy.”

“No, about him talking to one of the girls at the club. He didn’t tell me that.”

Why does he have to sound like that? Let down and unsure, quieter than you think you’ve ever heard him. It’s like the tone he carries goes straight to your fingers, clasping the book closed without marking your page - because what business do you have carrying on that charade?

“Do you guys tell each other everything?” You ask as you throw the book until it lands on the coffee table with a gentle thud, shuffling until you’re sat against the arm of the couch with knees bent in front of you, giving him your undivided attention and feeling guilty that it might not be enough.

“I thought we did,” he scratches at the back of his head, nervously, “He literally told me yesterday he was taking her out to talk about stuff, why would he make a point of asking me to keep you busy if he’s not serious about asking her out?”

“You don’t want to hear my answer to a question about your brother not being serious.”

“Who’s the girl?” He asks, ignoring your comment despite the slight ghost of a smile you see flash into the corner of his mouth.

“Jessica, she works at the pro shop, apparently they’ve been texting all summer.”

You know for a fact that since you’ve started paying attention, you’ve seen Jack on his phone a lot for a guy who chirps you for your own screen-time, and who has enforced the house rule of no phones outside your room like a prison guard yells out no touching at visitation. So it sort of checks out. You’ve tried to sneak a peak, but he’s protective of his stuff like a yappy little dog with attachment issues at the best of times, so you haven’t really put too much effort into it.

“There were a few people talking about it in the lounge at work the other day,” you shrug, “One of the girls talking about it is Jess’ best friend, so not exactly from the horse’s mouth, but I don’t think she’d be spreading lies about her friend around like that.”

“Can you find out?”

“You ask that like I haven’t been trying.” That gets a full smile, a small chuckle that lifts his shoulder, even, “I was gonna grill Caufield about it but he’s gone. But I know you guys have plans when he gets back tomorrow, so if you want to take Cole I’ll hack away at the grape vine at the club?”

“Does this mean we’re teammates?”

“No. It absolutely does not.”

Hacking away at the grapevine is really a lot more like plucking absentmindedly at an overgrown patch of grass when it comes to workplace gossip.

By the end of your shift, you’re leaving the club with a fist clutched full of loose blades, fingers stained green from the amount of information people were willing to ‘fess up.

Liam who works behind the bar had overheard a conversation where Jack had mentioned Jessica, but could only give you useless tidbits, like how he had to stop by the shop for a new putter, and Jess had been the one to ring him up.

Hardly incriminating, but you had a feeling it would be a small piece of a way larger puzzle. That, and guys are notoriously useless at gossiping, there’s definitely more to that story than Liam could even comprehend in his tiny man brain.

Cassidy who works at the front desk had seen Jack and Jess talking in the main lobby last week, definitely flirting, she had said - with hair flips and giggles galore - and way too familiar to be new.

Much better.

Paola who has the alternative shifts in the pro shop was more than willing to take up ten minutes of your time ranting how Jess’ work is never fully done when it comes to a handover, and she spends half her time on her phone. Kiran, who works the bev cart every Monday, said Jack is always one of the most charming in their golfing group, so it’s no surprise if he is exchanging texts with girls from the club.

You get dirt from most corners of the place, and it leads you all the way back to your station, to reservations set for the restaurant, where tonight’s list - unfortunately a shift you’re not set to work, although you very much question the serendipity of that - has Jack’s name down at 7pm. A table for 2 in the back corner, shielded from prying eyes and intimate.

And if it weren’t for the fact you’ve already worked a full shift, you would consider staying just to get the full scoop.

You know Ellie isn’t going to be the one sat across from him, she’s been sending you pictures all day of her various hauls for her quiet night in. New paints and pencils, a sketchpad, some candles - she has all intentions of working on her watercolour technique.

So it has to be for him and Jessica.

Imagine his face, you think, picturing wide, panicked eyes as you roam up to his table to take his order. He’d actually crap his pants.

But, it’s another set of eyes that you picture when you start to enjoy the scheming a little too much. The sad, teary eyes of your best friend, when she finds out the guy she’s been hung up on for half her life, who she has all but convinced herself isn’t interested, and is - absurdly - ‘far too good’ for her - yeah, right - is dating other girls while taking her out on not-so-platonic boat dates only the day before. A boat date that she had come back to your room, flung herself onto her belly on the bed, and kicked her feet as she gushed all about it.

So you make your way back to the house after a long day, and resign yourself to the fact that you’re going to have to, yet again, get all your information on Jack’s date second hand.

You primed Cara, your colleague in the restaurant, to keep an eye out, and she promised to send updates on her breaks, and you have been holed up in yours and Ellie’s shared bedroom trying to keep her busy when there is a persistent knock at the door, and a mop of soft, curly brown hair pokes in before his eyes meet yours.

“Hey, Luke!” Ellie chimes, cheery and all too blissfully unaware of the potentially horrific circumstances you’ve stumbled upon. “You need to borrow my conditioner again?”

You scoff from your position on the bed, watching a slight pink hue flush up Luke’s neck.

“What? No,” he denies, running a hand through his hair and seemingly frowning a little at the way it feels. “I’m going to the store, wondered if either of you needed anything?”

“Nah, thanks, we’re good,” Ellie smiles, attention diverting straight back to where she’s drawing in her sketchbook, missing the way Luke widens his eyes and tilts his head as if to encourage you to take him up on his offer.

“Can I come with?” You shuffle from your position on the bed, swinging your legs out from beneath you and over the side as Ellie looks back at you.

“Sorry, I didn’t realise you wanted something.”

“Someone’s got to show the poor guy what’s what on the haircare aisle, El.”

And you’re thankful that Ellie has settled herself in for the evening already by 6:45, showered, pyjamas on, otherwise she might have tried to tag along, too, just for something to do.

You swipe her phone before she can notice and hide it under your pillow before you leave, thinking it might reduce the risk of her getting bored and texting Jack, or, worse, checking his location.

A trip out gives you the chance for you and Luke to debrief each other on your findings of the day - or, as it turns out, just you, because Luke Hughes might be the worst information-gatherer on planet Earth.

Finding his life’s niche in hockey is fortunate, because he definitely wouldn’t cut it as an investigator.

“He just said he didn’t know anything,” Luke shrugs of his earlier encounter with Cole, and you try not to gape at him in disbelief as he fiddles with the screen in his BMW, scrolling through the interface in search of the nearest store.

You swat his hand away with a scoff, typing in a destination, “And you believed him?”

“Was I not supposed to?”

“You’re about as useless as a chocolate teapot, Hughes. What is it with guys and gossip, are you all really that dumb?”

“That’s the address for the club,” he points out, ignoring your jibe as he starts driving.

“Well done, you can read.”

“Why?”

“Because, thankfully, one of us is a good detective.” You snark, “Jack’s there.”

“So?”

“He’s on a date.”

“No he isn’t,” Luke frowns, attention momentarily taken from the road as he looks over at you. “I’ve been with him all afternoon, he would have told me if he had a date, tonight.”

“Oh yeah? Where’d he say he was going when he left, earlier?”

He hadn’t been home when you got back from work, but that had been around an hour ago. You figured if he was sneaky enough to book into the restaurant when you’re not working, he’d have his wits about him to avoid you, entirely. Whenever the two of you cross paths, you can’t help but try get on his last nerve, and he’s hardly going to want to start his evening in a foul mood.

“To get his hair cut.”

Jesus Christ, you think, he’s so lucky he’s cute.

“You’re so clueless. He’s at the lounge with Jessica, the girl I told you about yesterday.”

“And what are we supposed to do about that?”

“We’re gonna supervise. And maybe interfere, if necessary.”

You don’t really have a plan, but it seems like the right thing to at least get a look in as to what the hell Jack thinks he’s doing, especially if you’re going to carry on with this whole plan of getting him and Ellie together. If he’s seriously entertaining other girls while making out to Luke that he only has eyes for Ellie, your plans might have to change. You’re not sure if Luke will be on board with the new path you’re willing to take, but you’ll be happy to kill his brother on your own.

“Interfere?” Luke’s eyes are wide, but he keeps them on the road, fingers flexing against the wheel. “I just came out for chips to make nachos, not play spies!”

“Cara’s working tonight, she said she’d keep an eye on them for me. I bet if I cover her hosting shift on Friday she’d sabotage their date. We’d just have to sit back and watch.”

“Oh,” Luke’s brows furrow, as if it’s taking any consideration at all to mess with his brother. “You really are an evil genius.”

You try not to think too hard about who’s been spewing that rhetoric already in his ear, and instead you smile when he casts his eyes your way, proud and pleased.

“Thank you.”

It takes another 15 minutes to get to the club, considering Luke’s best Driving Miss Daisy impression, so their date is already underway by the time Cara is ushering you to a booth in the far corner, where you can see Jack’s table, but he shouldn’t be able to see yours, and agreeing to play along.

“Can I get you guys any drinks?” She asks as she hands over two menus, and you’re too interested in trying to gauge the vibe at the other table while Luke looks over his.

“Two diet cokes, shaved ice, no lemon,” he says, and you can’t help but frown at the way the specificity of that order rolls so easily off his tongue. That’s your order.

“Any food?”

“Could we just get some nachos, please?” You ask, sliding your menu across the table without even looking, not wanting to give Luke too much of a chance to peruse his own out of fear you’ll be here all night. “And extra picante on the side.”

“Extra guac, too,” Luke adds as Cara scribbles the instructions on her notepad, “And some of those chicken tenders, and extra ranch. And maybe some fries. Yeah, chilli fries. And breadsticks.”

You level him with a glare, already proven right in your decision not to give him too much time to think about what he wanted. He’ll order every appetiser on the menu, if given half the chance.

“Thanks, Cara, that’s everything.”

“Sure thing, should be around fifteen minutes. They only just ordered,” she points her pen back to Jack’s table, where Jess is leaning onto the table and Jack is leaning back in his seat - heavy on the distance but even heavier on the eye contact. That little shit.

“Does he have any allergies?” You lean onto your own table to ask Luke, quirking a brow up when his eyes darken in response, mischief swirling in his emerald irises.

“Absolutely not,” Cara interjects, “I’m doing this so you cover my job, not make me lose it.”

“Let me guess, he ordered the steak, medium-rare?” Luke asks, and she nods, hesitantly. “Char it.”

“Won’t he complain?”

“He’ll just grumble to himself about how tough it is. It’ll put him in a bad mood. That’s what we want, right?”

“Yeah,” you confirm, nodding your head to ease Cara’s worries despite what you really want is for Chef Michael to poison the cut, entirely. If Jack Hughes wants to play with your best friend’s heart, you’ll play with his gut. But you can settle for burnt meat. Luke can work some sort of magic with that, you think, convincing Jack of all people that any first date that resulted in him coming home all sour-puss and sulky should never result in a second. “Bad mood. Bingo.”

“Fine,” Cara grumbles, “But if he even thinks about asking for a manager, you’re covering my next 3 Fridays.”

She storms off to the kitchen, and you and Luke simultaneously sink into your seats, attention immediately diverted back to the table in the opposite corner of the room.

“We should have kept the menus,” Luke mutters from across the booth, “Could have hidden behind them.”

“What are we, children?” You snark, “You can’t think of any more creative ways to stay hidden?”

“I heard PDA makes people pretty uncomfortable,” he leans onto the table, dropping you a wink when you glance over out of the side of your eye, “We should make out to throw everyone off the scent.”

“In your dreams, Hughes.”

Luke sort of envies the charm you hold over people.

The way you can convince people to do your bidding with a mere flutter of your eyelashes or a flash of pearly teeth and a glimmer in your irises.

He has trouble, sometimes, skirting around his honesty or hiding his intentions - and he knows that’s not a bad thing, knows that being clear and truthful is an admirable trait, if anything - but the way you persuade others to bend to your whim with intricate white lies based on observations you’ve made or intel you’ve gathered is a praiseworthy level of genius.

It had taken such minimal effort for you to get Cara on side, to convince her that being a little clumsy is hardly grounds for her termination, and spilling a little of Jack’s drink close to the edge of the table - close enough that it drips onto his pants and Luke can see the steams of frustration exuding from his brother’s skin from all the way on the other side of the restaurant - or bumping her hip on the edge of their table every time she passes are really just harmless irritations, not likely to cause actual complaint.

You had used the mere tone of your voice to convince Liam from behind the bar to squeeze a little lime in Jack’s water, knowing just from observing him back at the house that he hates the taste, face curling in disgust at even the slightest hint of it, and Luke had watched your eyes gleam in delight every time Jack took a sip of his drink and tried not to spit it back out, seeking much needed reprieve to swallow down the world’s toughest steak cut.

You’d even worked your magic on him, pouting your lips when the food had arrived at the table, and he had initially declined to share his chicken tenders with you - your grumblings at him ordering enough to feed the five thousand fresh in his memory, but so easily wiped away by the soft, sad look in your eyes, and your whining of, “But I didn’t realise how hungry I’d get. Plotting and scheming is hard work, Luke.”

You ended up eating half, but he could hardly complain - you were doing the heavy lifting out of the two of you.

He was sitting back and enjoying the show - enjoying your company, if he’s honest. Enjoying the way his gangly limbs would sometimes knock into yours under the table, enjoying the way he kept getting little nuggets of information out of you while you were distracted, sipping at your coke and making little comments about yourself, about your life, without even realising you’re doing it.

And an unplanned, pseudo date ends up being the first time he thinks he’s had a glimpse at the real you.

The you who knows more about hockey than you’ve ever let on before, who comes back to his stories with contextual questions about the game, even has references to a few games of his back at Michigan, and keeps the conversation flowing despite your feigned disinterest, and a constant gaze cast his brother’s way.

That would usually drive him crazy.

He’s experienced it so often that he has come to expect it, people only entertaining his company to acquire the attention of his brothers, but that’s not what you’re doing. Not really.

You pay more attention to Luke than you’d ever let on.

You ask him about his time in Ostrava at the beginning of summer, even though he’s only mentioned being overseas once while you’ve been staying with him - an offhanded comment from Quinn at breakfast that you must have taken on. Ask him about all the food he tried while out there, when he mentions he doesn’t like picante, and you use it as a springboard to talk about what sort of spices he does like, or if he’s the type to try things or stick to what he knows.

You ask him about being the youngest sibling, and it stems from an offhanded comment Luke had grumbled about always being the last to be clued in on stuff, about how Jack had probably confided in Quinn about his extracurricular activities at the club, and didn’t trust him enough to let him in on the fact he’s going out on dates. You ask if he usually figures things out himself before he’s told them, if that’s what makes him so good at observing and analysing stuff, and he hadn’t ever realised he was particularly good at those things before you brought it up. But then you reference a day in class one time, where he had picked up on something in a textbook that you never would have figured out in a million years, and his heart leaps at the praise you don’t even realise you’re giving him.

You sandwich your perceptions in your usual snark, but he doesn’t miss the slight curve of your lips anymore when he bites straight back, knowing now that there is some part of you that feels the nip of his teeth, that acknowledges his existence beyond him being a speck of inconvenience in your peripheral.

And he gets a little carried away in that acknowledgement - stops paying attention himself to what is happening on the other side of the room and tries to focus on what’s in front of him; the girl he pined after his entire college career, sat sharing nachos and pretending not to know him at a level you so clearly do.

You must get carried away, too, because neither of you notice Jack’s date wrapping up until Luke catches him hand his card over to Cara.

He’s lost count of how long the two of you have been at the club, now - way longer than it takes to get chips from the store, that’s for sure - and all he does know is that if Jack catches either of you two here, after a night of mishaps, bad food, spilled drinks and Cara’s incessant clumsiness, he’ll know who’s to blame.

“We better get out of here before he sees us,” Luke sighs, not entirely wanting to wrap up his time with you but knowing he doesn’t really have a choice.

“I’ve just got to pick something up before we head back,” you reply, edging out of the booth at the same time Luke does, “I’ll meet you out front just give me two minutes?”

“Be quick,” he tells you before you scurry off, and he flags down Cara, who tells him you already put your bill on your worker tab. He tells her to switch it to his, and that he’ll drop by tomorrow to pay it off, promising to leave her a good tip for her stellar services for the evening.

He waits where you asked him to, making sure to stick to the side of the entryway where he can duck for cover if his brother makes an appearance - but you show up first, skipping out from the staff lounge with a bag of tortilla chips in hand.

“Let’s go, Lukey boy!” He follows you out like a puppy on a leash, all the way to where his car is parked, almost bumping into you when you stop and turn without warning, stretching your hand out to him. “Give me your keys.”

“Are you crazy?” He snorts, “You’re not driving my car!”

“I know a shortcut!” You reason, stepping forward and making a grabby motion with your fingers, “We gotta beat Jack home, I just paid another server $20 to spill a whole drink on him before he leaves and he’s gonna be pissed. I want to see the meltdown back at the house and you drive like a nun!”

Luke doesn’t know why he gives in so easy - it could be the proximity, the way you’re so close you have to look up at him, eyes twinkling softly under the moonlight, voice carrying over to him like a siren song, or it could just be because he’s weak - but he hands his keys over with a roll of his eyes and climbs into the passenger side, sliding the seat back with a huff to accommodate his long legs and watching as you adjust the driver’s side, cringing at the way he’s gonna have to figure out exactly how he had it before.

You drive like a maniac, to the point where Luke has to screw his eyes shut as you use some back road, can hear the squelch of mud beneath his tires and squirms at the thought of having to take it to the car wash, tomorrow.

But you make it back to the lake house much quicker than if he were driving, he’ll give you that. So quick that you feel comfortable enough to turn to him once you’ve pulled up, in no rush to unbuckle and get out to get inside before Jack gets home.

“Just so we’re clear, this is a point under my name. You’re not claiming tonight as a win.”

Luke chuckles, turning in his seat to face you, features illuminated by the dim overhead light that turns on when the engine switches off and a slight flush of exhilaration to your cheeks. There’s no pretending you haven’t enjoyed yourself, not tonight. “But the steak thing was my idea?”

“If it weren’t for me, you’d be sat watching baseball and thinking he was getting a 3 hour haircut, you can’t seriously be trying to steal this from me, I thought you athletes had integrity!”

“You’re really keeping score?”

“You’re not?”

If Luke’s honest, he hasn’t really thought about your whole wager all night. He’s been too wrapped up in the idea that his brother had lied to him. Twice. And now his whole plan for the two of you all summer has potentially been messed up. But hearing you mention it, hearing you talk about it like it hasn’t been flushed down the toilet by his brother’s idiocy sparks something in him - excitement, anticipation. He doesn’t want to let this go.

“I actually think we made a good team back there,” he shrugs, eyes meeting yours to gauge your reaction to the thought of doing this together.

“You’re only saying that ‘cause you’re gonna lose,” you retort, eyes sparkling with those same sentiments he had just felt.

“Probably,” he acquiesces, “Also ‘cause you kind of scare me a little after tonight, last thing I wanna do is go up against you when you have the power to turn half the country club against me.”

You smirk, and his eyes are drawn to the plush curve of your lips, watching them as they form around the softly spoken words, “God forbid you can’t go a round of golf without your caddy breaking down.”

“Exactly.” He mutters back, glad to see your gaze is still zeroed in on him when he meets it again. He can feel the thump thump thump of his pulse in his ears, and takes a deep breath before proposing, “Partners?”

He cocks a brow and holds his pinky out over the centre console, and you eye the digit, sceptically, narrowing your eyes into a glare before raising them to meet his. “Fine,” you grumble, then hook your little finger through his and tighten it to shake, a slight yelp of surprise filling the car when he tugs, your lax arm giving way until your knuckle touches his lips and he kisses it.

“Ew,” you whine, snatching your finger back as he fills the space himself with a hearty chuckle, wiping it on his hoody in disgust. “That’s gross!”

“No take backs,” he smiles, victorious, with his chest puffed out, primed for you to swat at with the flex of your hand, and the two of you are only pulled out of the moment by the sound of tyres pulling up on the gravel behind you, both of you stumbling to unbuckle yourselves and climb out of the car.

Jack is exiting his own vehicle behind, and stomps down the driveway, shouldering past you until he realises who he has passed, turning back and looking at you with suspicion cast across his features.

“Where have you twobeen?” Jack asks, glancing a curious eye between the two of you before meeting Luke’s gaze, levelling him with an inquisitive glare.

“We went to the store for chips,” Luke holds the bag up, the crinkle loud enough for Jack to hear, and he feels an insurgence rising within him, spurred on by the way his brother is looking at him like he’s the one who should be ashamed of his actions. “Nice haircut.”

Jack runs a hand through his hair, surprise crossing his features in a brief flash at the call out, like he had never even expected Luke to notice his hair looks no different to the last time he saw him mere hours ago, like he would never even need to question his alibi.

“Oh, yeah, I got the day wrong. Went out for dinner instead.”

“On your own?” You ask from beside him, your presence giving Luke the kind of back up he very much needs right now, a new target for Jack’s narrowed eyes that takes the heat off of him a little, lessens the burden of lying to his brother - despite Jack being the one who started it, it doesn’t make Luke feel any less bad, doesn’t quell the need to word vomit and admit to all the ludicrous things he had done to ruin Jack’s night. “You end up having a little accident there, bud?”

Luke tries not to outwardly laugh as his attention is diverted to the wet patch that still soaks up the front of Jack’s pants, lips quivering as he presses them together, oblivious to the steam pouring out of his brother’s ears as he immediately gets riled up.

“One of your esteemed colleagues at the club apparently lacks hand eye co-ordination. Plus, some of us like our own company,” Jack scoffs, “Some of us can go an evening without the need to annoy anybody else.”

“It’s not news to me that you’re in love with yourself, dude,” you retort back, entirely unbothered by his jibes. “Bet you’ve got all sorts of riveting thoughts swirling around that ginormous head of yours, must keep you busy for hours on end.”

“At least I have thoughts, at least I’m not some airheaded-,”

“Hey,” Luke’s tone is authoritative when he calls out, stern and demanding, “Cut it out, Jack.”

“She started it!”

“She asked you a question,” Luke frowns, disappointed with how quick his brother had taken to escalating the situation, all in an attempt to deflect the attention from his own deception. He knows you don’t need him to protect you from Jack’s sharp tongue, knows you can very much defend yourself, but he needs to vent his frustrations, somehow, without causing a bust up on the driveway. “You could have just give her a straight answer without biting her head off.”

He feels like you’re a little closer, all of a sudden, and he doesn’t know it’s the slight brush of your arm against his or if it’s something else, something less tangible - but it warms him, all the same. Steadies the static thump of his heart in his chest at the thought of starting an argument with his brother out of nowhere.

“Whatever,” Jack rolls his eyes, “I’m going to bed.”

And as Jack turns, Luke sees your lips part, ready to send him off with the last word until a large hand clamps itself over your mouth, and your wide eyes meet his over the sides of his fingers.

He’s not sure why he did it, why he all of a sudden feels comfortable enough to cross the boundaries of purposeful touch, but he doesn’t entirely regret it.

Plush lips press mid-word against his palm, and your skin is soft, cheeks warming ever so slightly beneath his hand.

“You gotta let him go, there’s no use fighting with him tonight, it’s better to drag it out. Didn’t think I’d have to teach you about the beauty of the long game,” he says, voice low as he watches his brother retreat to the house, waiting until he’s safe inside to retract his hand. “Not like this, anyway.”

“Your brother’s an asshole,” you grumble, “Full offence.”

“No arguments from me,” Luke concedes, holding his hands as if surrendering to the fact, himself. “What are you gonna tell Ellie?”

“Nothing.” You sigh, stepping a little down the drive and toward the house before turning back to him. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, partner.”

There have only been a handful of times in your life you’ve ever been thankful for work coinciding with huge plans, but when the group had decided that they wanted to go see Zach Bryan play Ford Field, you had thanked your lucky stars you had been put down to work a full shift at the restaurant and wouldn’t be able to go.

Not only for the fact that he isn’t really your thing, but for the fact that you’re finally getting a full evening to yourself.

So far, in your time at the house, most evenings have been spent with everyone else - group dinners, game nights, movie nights, even a couple of girls nights with just you and Ellie scattered in there, but nothing on your own, yet.

You can’t wait. And with an empty house, you have a full pamper night planned. You’ve been stocking up odd bits on your trips to the store over the past couple of weeks - sheet masks, aromatherapy candles, you’ve even picked up some flower petals from the spa at the club, in the hopes that you might even treat yourself to a relaxing soak in the bathtub. You can play whatever music you want, make whatever food you want, sit wherever you want in the house, out on the deck, overlooking the lake with a book in hand and no chirpy voices in your ear all night.

You can’t wait.

The only downside is not having a ride home, but you haven’t finished too late. The sun will still be up for a couple of hours, and a walk in the simmering heat back to the house doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world.

Your feet carry you with ease down the back roads, and you even make the journey without your headphones on, taking in the scenery, the blissful peace of your surroundings, so lost in the tranquility of it all that the sight of Luke washing his car on the drive when you get home dampens your mood as quick as a torrential downpour of rain, flash floods coursing through your evening and wrecking your plans entirely.

“What the hell are you doing?” You can’t help the bite in your tone as you approach, sneakers crunching against the gravel as Luke pauses the hose, looks over at you with the sun in his eyes, and you have to remind yourself he’s just ruined the one night you have for yourself before you get distracted by the fact that he’s shirtless.

“Washing my car?” he calls back, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in Detroit right now?”

Luke shrugs, and you have to will your eyeballs not to move any lower than his neck to watch his shoulders lift and drop, lest you get too caught up in the broad expanse of his chest and do something ridiculous like drool.

“Wasn’t feeling it.”

“You weren’t feeling a concert you guys haven’t shut up about for weeks, but you were feeling washing your car?”

He’s dead. When he’s finished with his car and he retreats to his room, you’re gonna smother him with a pillow and discard of his body in the lake. You’re not even gonna let him shower, first. That’s what the lake’s for.

He’s crapping all over your plans because he wasn’t feeling it?

“It needs cleaning,” he shrugs again, and you swear you’re gonna jump in and run him over with the damn thing, “In fact, you really should be helping me.”

There’s a small part of you that feels like the thoughts of violence are worryingly aggressive, but then a larger part of you realises he must have a death wish.

“How’d you get to that conclusion?”

“You’re the one who drove us through a swamp,” he scoffs, a pointed hand flung toward the body of his car, where the sides are lined with a thick layer of dried dirt from the other night, “You get it dirty, you clean it up.”

“As much as I would absolutely love to fulfil your pervy car wash fantasy, I have much better things I could be doing with my time.”

Or you did, until Luke rained all over your parade of solitude.

“Like what?”

“Literally anything but this.” You gesture at the show he’s putting on. The suds dripping from the roof of the car, the hose in his hand, the buckets scattered around the perimeter. “I need to shower, I just walked from the club and I-,”

A death wish might actually be an understatement.

Luke wants you to murder him in the most gruesome, horrific way you could possibly muster - he has to, because there’s no other explanation for why he’d turn the hose on, point it straight at you, and drench the front of you, entirely.

You can feel the fabric of your t-shirt dampening and sticking to your chest, and you scrunch your eyes shut to stop droplets of water slipping into them, thankful that when they open again, his own are looking back at you, and not any lower.

You’d really have a reason to kill him, then.

“You did not just do that.” You growl, glaring back at him with a clenched jaw as the fucker beams back at you, pressing the trigger once more in a short burst that fires straight at your chest, again.

“What, that?”

“You’re so dead.”

You drop your bag and launch for him, aiming to take the hose from his grip, but he fires it again out of sheer panic, the water spouting out from between your splayed fingers, cold and pressured, and it soaks the both of you, raining down as you grapple for the head and Luke remains unrelenting.

There are squeals and yelps called out into the misty air between the two of you, and you get to a point you can’t tell what sounds are coming from who, but you manage to wrestle the hose from his grip and point it straight at him as he jets away with a laugh that rumbles straight from his belly.

It’s the kind of laugh that elicits another, and you don’t realise until he’s circling back to you that the laughter is coming from you - giggling, even, as the two of you engage in a water fight like misbehaving children - and it isn’t long until all aggressive thoughts wash away with the suds that slip to the gravel, forgetting why you were even annoyed in the first place.

It shouldn’t be as fun as it is, but after the long day at work, and the tiring walk back, letting your guard down and engaging it a little mindless chaos seems to wake you up a little.

Your childish game gets Luke what he wanted, anyway, the two of you working together to clean his car when you realise he’s only running in front of all the parts that actually need hosing off and relying on you having bad aim to get the job done, and you figure getting your hands a little dirty is harmless when you’re already soaked through and in dire need of a shower.

And your pamper-plans of a bubble bath and self-care don’t entirely come to fruition, but Luke promises to make up for his petulance by ordering pizza and sticking a movie on, so you bite your tongue to refrain from voicing your initial complaints, and decide to just go with the flow, for once - he hasn’t exactly led you astray, yet.

You take a little longer in the shower than normal, with no one around to complain about hogging the bathroom or worry about them barging in unannounced, and you suppose that’s a small victory - one little luxury you get to cling to as you bask in the steam, letting all the tension slip from your aching muscles after being on your feet all day.

And once you’re out, hair dried just enough with a towel that it isn’t going to drip or soak your t-shirt, and you’re dressed in your pyjamas, you make your way downstairs, where Luke has already set up a plethora of snacks in the living room.

Nachos, popcorn, candy and drinks scattered across the coffee table as he relaxes on the couch, hair extra curly after his shower and an old Michigan t-shirt stretched tight across his now much-broader chest.

“Thought I’d wait for you to pick a movie,” he chimes up from where he’s sat, gesturing with a lazy point to the wall of blu-rays beside the TV.

“Did Netflix never make it to the Hughes household?” You scoff in disbelief as you take them all in properly for the first time. You’d seen them in your peripheral when you’d been hanging out down here, before, but actually looking at them up close, reading all the titles, seeing the sheer volume of how many there are, it kind of surprises you.

“We can look on Netflix if you want. They always take stuff off, though.”

You know. All your favourite movies get taken off of streaming, and you only ever find out about it when you’re really in the mood to watch them. As soon as you realise the wall is alphabetised, you know exactly where to look.

“That’s alright,” you shrug, stepping to the side as you track backwards, through M, L, K and J. “You guys are pretty analogue, I’ve noticed.”

“What do you mean?”

“The board games, the DVDs, the whole no phones around the house thing.”

“No phones around the house is common courtesy,” he chuckles, “But I guess we’re a little weird about the other stuff.”

“It’s pretty cool,” you shrug, spotting the DVD you want and sliding it out to assess the case. “It’s old school. Probably better for the brain. My little brothers can’t really function without an iPad and they’re 5, it’s freaky, like they’re haunted by the capitalist ghost of Steve Jobs or something.”

“I didn’t know you had brothers,” Luke frowns where you almost expect him to laugh, and you spin on your heel to face him. He has this look about him like he should have known that - like the two of you have ever conversed in anything other than sarcastic quips and scrunched up faces, or whatever attempts at flirting have been on his part.

“Technically they’re half brothers,” you shrug, “They live out in Philly with my dad and step mom, I don’t really get to see them much.”

“Didn’t know you were from Philly, either.”

“I’m not, my dad moved out there when him and my mom got divorced.”

It’s not something you really love talking about.

The few times you’ve tried, you’ve been shot down, patronising tones scoffing at how your biggest trauma is the separation of your parents, as if your whole world didn’t crumble down with the demise of their relationship, the demise of life as you knew and very dearly loved it.

“You don’t see him even in the summer?”

“Him and his family are on vacation in Europe for 6 weeks. England, France, Spain, Germany, the boys are into soccer so they’ll be out there until the Euros.”

You don’t miss the way Luke’s face scrunches at how you call them his family, and you’re not sure you’re ready for him to start pitying you, so you throw the DVD case toward him before you can second guess your choice.

Interstellar.

You hope he doesn’t pick up on why it might be one of your favourites. Especially not considering the topic of the conversation at hand. Something about the crippling regret Cooper has for leaving Murph behind plucks harmoniously at some unidentifiable strings deep within you, but you’re hardly about to admit that to Luke, of all people.

“I love this movie,” he smiles, almost surprised, as if he expected you to throw The Notebook his way. Maybe next time - he’d probably love that movie, too, if he gave it a chance.

“Me too. I love space movies.”

“Like Space Jam?” He asks as he pushes himself up, going toward the TV to set up the movie with the DVD in one hand and the remote control in the other.

“No, like movies about Space,” you say, throwing yourself down onto the same couch he just vacated and tucking your feet beneath you to get comfortable. “Although I guess Space Jam would technically fit into that bracket.”

“I didn’t realise that was a genre,” he chuckles.

“Not the scary ones, though, I don’t wanna be freaked out by space.”

“Is that like a thing? You just like any movie set in space?”

“I like anything about space, period. Movies, documentaries, books. Thinking about it makes me feel really insignificant.”

“Insignificant? Is that not a bad thing?” He asks as he makes his way back, settling into his side and angling his body toward yours.

“Do you ever think about how big the universe is, Hughes? It’s humongous! If I ever feel anxious or panicky I think about just how big it is and how I’m not even a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things. If I’m so tiny, how big can my problems actually be?”

“I guess that makes sense,” he seems to mull it over in his head, the thought of him even considering it and not making you feel stupid warms your chest - makes you forget just how much of yourself you’ve shared with him in the last couple of minutes alone, makes you worry less that you’re sharing too much. “I think I might be the opposite, though. Probably the youngest brother in me, I only feel better if I feel bigger.”

You think that might be why he’s always trying to one up you - sassy comments and inappropriate jokes galore. Not that you mind any of it, not really.

“What about you? What movies do you like?”

“You’re gonna be so shocked.”

“Sports movies?”

“Look at you, knowing me like the back of your hand.” He coos, nudging at your knee with his hand. “I’ll watch anything, though. We should take it in turns, whenever it’s just us,” he says like the thought of spending time alone with you has only just crossed his mind. “Picking a movie to show each other.”

You think there’s a lot of yourself in the media you consume. The movies you watch, the music you listen to, and sharing those things with Luke feels like giving him the only other key to a high security vault. It’s something you’ve avoided so far - letting him play his songs in the car, avoiding making any sort of pick in the group movie nights. It’s daunting, and it’s a lot of pressure, and so you don’t know why you agree with so much ease - a shrug, and a casual muttering of, “Sure, why not?”

The pieces of your dynamic slowly start to slot together, and you start to realise why you’ve been entertaining his company so often, lately. Why your mood so quickly de-escalated itself, earlier. Why you’ve found yourself curled up on the same couch as him, instead of literally anywhere else in the house, doing anything other than this. Why you’re so quick to agree to letting him access all these unseen parts of you.

And why you think he might be able to read your mind, after he asks, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Only if I get to ask one back.”

“What were you gonna do tonight, if you were on your own?”

Thank God, you think, your heart jumping at the thought of anything else he could have asked.

“I was gonna do a sheet mask and steal the bottle of wine Quinn stashed behind the laundry detergent.” You admit with a nonchalant shrug, the plans you had been looking forward to all day seeming mundane in comparison to this. “Why’d you stay behind? You love Zach Bryan.”

“I love sheet masks and stolen wine, too.”

Your lips curve up before you get the chance to huff at his non-answer, and you feel your throat go a little dry at the way his curve, too - the way his green eyes darken when they meet yours, and you feel like he’s looking straight through you.

It’s around half way through the movie that you realise how much you’re enjoying yourself - when you look over at Luke, and the light from the screen is still bouncing off the sticky white sheet plastered to his face, only just able to make out his round eyes through the little slit in the fabric.

You sip at your wine to hide your smile, and turn your attention back to the TV until Luke nudges at your feet with his, and your eyes meet over the tops of your bent knees.

“You tell anyone I did this, I’ll never speak to you again.”

Your laugh ripples through every inch of your upper body, rumbling up from your belly and manifesting itself in shaking shoulders, your smile wide and your sheet mask slipping out of place. “You can’t threaten me with a good time, Hughes.”

You spend the rest of the night trying not to think about how there might just be a tiny door in your heart, eking it’s way open for him to squeeze his gangly limbs into.

another a/n: I don't want to put a timeframe on when the next part will be posted bc as soon as I do that, my brain will revolt and it won't happen, but I'd love to know your thoughts in the meantime!!! I have a lot of the rest actually written, and what I don't have written, I have drafted, so it shouldn't be too long but!!! like I said no timeframe!! I've had a lot of fun with this dynamic, and hearing any opinions would mean a lot to me!!

this was my first time writing reader insert if you saw any instances of she/her where they shouldn't be, no you didn’t. I tried as best as I could to avoid using Y/N because it takes me out of it I don’t even remember if I put it anywhere but sometimes it's hard to get around I did my best ok!!!

#luke hughes #luke hughes x reader #luke hughes imagine #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction #luke hughes fluff #my hearts going pitter patter pitter patter like I could throw up #need to post this before I fall asleep lmao #*writing

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onlyangel4 · 4 months ago

Note

Hi can i request an smau with just met to love at first sight (maybe summertime fling) with lando based on Wherever u r by umi and V 🥹 happy ending!!

wherever u r. ln4. smau.

lando norris x actress!reader

lando always thought that love at first sight was some cliche created by the movies, something not applicable with real life. but then he met you

faceclaim: madelyn cline

y/ninsta posted a story

written: emergency leg shave in a hotel sink before going out in monaco that i definitely do not belong at, wish me luck.

y/bff replied to your story: i can't believe you are going to an event alone, your confidence baffles me

y/ninsta: if it makes you feel better i said yes when i was drunk and now that i'm stone cold sober i am shitting my pants

y/ninsta posted a story

written: two hours later and i am ready

y/nsightings posted a story

written: y/n spotted outside a club in monaco, there is a massive celebrity event there tonight she told a fan that her plus one dropped out last minute so she is attending alone and is shitting herself, sounds like our y/n

f1updates

liked by user1, user2, user3 and 54,683 others

f1updates: lando, charles and alex, daniel and heidi have all been spotted outside the same club in monaco. there is an exclusive invite only event taking place. several celebrities have already been spotted entering the club including zendaya, yn l/n, tate mcrae and the kid laroi

view all 7,293 comments

user1: i would sell a kidney to get inside that club

user2: omg this is the event y/n was shaving her legs for

user3: she is so real for that if i knew that i was going to be in a room with f1 drivers i would shave EVERYTHING

user4: the summer break just started and they are already meeting up at a party they are all obsessed with each other

y/nupdates posted a story

written: y/n spotted leaving the monaco party with an unknown man

y/nfan

liked by user5, user6, user7 and 34,855 others

y/nfan: guys! so my boyfriend does a lot of work behind the scenes in film and tv so we got invited to this event in monaco. and i spotted y/n standing at the back of the party not really interracting with anyone because she didn't know anyone so i went up to her told her that i was a massive fan and she spent a lot of the night with us. we were dancing and watching lando norris' dj set when he saw her and goes "holy shit that is y/n y/ln shit you are hotter in person" and when his dj set was done he ran off the stage and over to us and we were about to take a selfie so i got this gem. honestly the best night ever.

view all 592 comments

user7: could that be who y/n was spotted leaving with

user5: omg that is such a lando thing to do

user6: i would not be mad at this couple

landonorris posted a private story

charlesleclerc replied to your story: alex is so mad that she didn't get the chance to meet y/n last night and you guys are just hanging

landonorris: man we are not just hanging, she is like actually perfect

charlesleclerc: oh dear are you what the kids call down bad

landonorris: i will forever hate alex for teaching you that

mclaren: so if you fancied inviting your new "friend" to the dutch gp no one would be mad, especially if she wanted to take part in media day

landonorris: you never miss a trick admin, i'll talk to her

y/ninsta posted a story

written: beach day

y/ninsta

liked by landonorris, sabrinacarpenter, alexandrasaintmleux and 1,384,735 others

y/ninsta: monaco trip dump

view all 23,452 comments

sabrinacarpenter: can't wait for you to be back in la

y/ninsta: girl i have so much shit to tell you

alexandrasaintmleux: meeting you was a dream come true, can't wait until we get to hang out again

y/ninsta: love you so much, will have to visit again soon

landonorris: i made the cut !

y/ninsta: that night was too memorable to not include

user8: y/n what do you mean

user9: lando norris wtf is this crossover episode

user10: didn't she go on holiday alone, who took all these pictures

y/ninsta posted a story

written: first time on a private jet wtf never flying commercial ever again

landonorris posted a story

written: and we arrived, so ready for the next part of the season

charlesleclerc replied to your story: if "we" is who i think it is alex is going to lose her mind

landonorris: tell alex her job is to make sure y/n doesn't get lost in the paddock

f1celebs posted a story

written: actress y/n y/ln has arrived for media day here in the netherlands

y/ninsta posted a story

written: exciting things coming

mclaren posted a story tagging landonorris and y/ninsta

written: lando took actress y/n y/ln on a hot lap, click the link here to watch the whole thing

landonorris

liked by y/ninsta, alexandrasaintmleux, mclaren and 1,453,621 others

tagged: y/ninsta

landonorris: bring your girlfriend to work day

view all 78,934 comments

y/ninsta: i think you mean "almost kill your girlfriend at work day"

landonorris: babe i was actually going slow

alexandrasaintmleux: no you brought MY girlfriend to work

landonorris: well no...

mclaren: next time we will put y/n behind the wheel

y/ninsta: omg really !

landonorris: that is an awful ideal

user10: he has just beaten the norizz allegations by pulling one of the hottest women in hollywood omg way to prove us wrong

∘•···············•∘ʚ ♡ ɞ∘•················•∘

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sugusearrings · 1 year ago

Text

( ' summertime sadness ' ) oh my god, i feel it in the air telephone wires above are sizzlin' like a snare honey, i'm on fire, i feel it everywhere nothing scares me anymore. kiss me hard before you go summertime sadness i just wanted you to know, that, baby, you the best.

— summary: it's been a hard summer for suguru geto to adjust and deal with his emotions. while his best friend satoru gojo has been on a lot of solo missions lately, he's been spending a lot of time with you (fem!reader). — genre: smut ending with fluff — playing: summertime sadness by lana del rey — note(s): this is my first writing smut in a real long time. it won't be my last but i'm sorry if it wasn't spicy enough. i'm kind of rusty i sorry :( hints of virginity lost but not necessarily. — word count: 3k

— warnings: vaginal sex, fingering, oral sex (female receiving ), missionary, doggy, mating press, cumshot, squirting, and finger sucking

Maybe it was the heat wave.

Maybe it was the curse he digested not too long ago.

But Suguru was throwing up more than he usually does.

His eyes closed tightly as he felt everything come rushing out of his mouth to pour into the toilet bowl. Even when there was nothing left in his stomach to puke, his body kept going.

But you were behind him holding onto his dark silky locks so they wouldn’t get in the way or inside of the murky water. Despite him being in the middle of throwing up his insides, he was embarrassed to do this in front of you.

“It’s okay, Sugu..” you reassured him like you knew what he was thinking of. You rubbed his back gently with your free hand. His eyes glanced over his shoulder to you, he saw the small smile on your lips. He looked over back to the toilet seeing everything he’s eaten today. Maybe even yesterday too.

When he was finished, you reached over to flush it down. You went to get him a bottle of water while he washed his face. His face was flushed and hot. His throat was aching along with his stomach feeling hollow.

After drying it away with the spare wash cloth you had just for him, he took his extra toothbrush you bought him. As he brushed his teeth his amethyst color hues stared back at him. The lack of sleep was catching up to him. His dark circles were so noticeable these days. He knew you must have noticed them too. But you didn’t say anything, you have some of your own if you didn’t cover yours with makeup.

Your dorm had the biggest windows and nobody knew exactly why. But it came handy when it was the summer. Winter not so much. Suguru sat on the windowsill with the window wide open. There was barely a breeze and when there was one, it was a warm one.

He had a cigarette in the middle of his lips. It was quiet today. Satoru must still be away on his mission. He wasn’t exactly sure where Shoko was. So that just left you and him. It’s been like that for the past few weeks.

He could hear your gentle voice singing softly as you showered. As much as you whined about the brutal cold, you hated the warm weather. You didn’t like to sweat. Suguru couldn’t blame you for that. The smoke slowly blew out of Suguru’s thin lips as he just zoned out.

“Shoko’s bad habit is rubbing off on you.”

His eyes averted to you once he heard your voice. You wore an oversized shirt (his shirt that went missing a week ago) with nothing but your nude panties underneath. When you stretched the shirt rode up exposing the fabric that barely covered your rear. He couldn’t help but to stare. The amount of time you two spent together comfortability was formed. There was times you would change clothes in front of him and he would do the same. You never caught him staring but that’s because he knew how not to get caught.

“You see a flaw in Shoko?” Suguru teased you then took another pull. You smiled to yourself, placing your dirty uniform in the hamper.

“Cigarettes don't have a better taste, y’know?” You reminded him. He knew you were concerned about his health. You were always concerned about him. Suguru was hard to read for others but when it came to you. It was like you saw what he was thinking like it was written on his forehead. Suguru swore you had some kind of unique curse technique but you just reassured him you’re very observant. He still doesn’t believe that till this day.

“You don’t know what those curses taste like.”

Suguru put out the cigarette then flicked it away. He took his bottle of water.

“True but I could tell they’re bitter.”

You sat down on the edge of your bed. Your hair was still damp from the shower reaching past your shoulders now. He noticed how fast it was growing. He also noticed the dark circles of your own now. It wasn’t as dark as his but close enough. You looked so much younger without the makeup. He didn’t mind either but you not wearing makeup might be his favorite.

“What gave you that clue?”

He tilted his head to the side with a sly smirk. You both chuckled at the same time. A comfortable silence came afterwards. The breeze was cool now thanks to your shower. You glanced down at your bare feet.

“So they don’t come in different flavors?”

“Why the sudden interest in this again?”

Suguru never really recalled you or anyone really asking him about the taste. You shrugged your shoulders crossing your legs over the other. His eyes sneaked down to look at your bare legs. He could tell without even touching them they were so smooth. He quickly looked back up at you before you noticed.

“I’m just asking, Sug. I just wish,” you let out a soft sigh, “I just wish I knew how to consume them so you wouldn’t have too.”

A light blush crept on Suguru’s cheeks.

“Name…even if you could, I wouldn’t let you.” He smiled. “But thank you.”

“Anytime.” You smiled back. You laid back on the bed and closed your eyes. The heat started to slowly kick in. By the end of the night you knew you were going to take another shower.

“I bet your flavor is sweet.”

Suguru’s honey-like voice broke your thoughts. Your body shot up, feeling your eyes widened. Then you looked across to your friend who hasn’t moved from his spot. You blinked a few times before clearing your throat.

“H-huh?”

“You’ve been eating a lot of fruit lately. Especially cherries.” He told you nonchalantly with a shrug. You bit down on your bottom lip feeling the blood rush to your cheeks. You thought about the times you would eat your cherries after training because you would get hungry. You didn’t want a big meal to sit in your stomach plus cherries were in season.

Suguru would watch you bite down into the dark red fruit being careful not to bite into the seed. You would suck the remains on the seed before you placed them back into your container not wanting to throw them onto the ground. Your lips would a faint red after eating them all.

“T-they’re my favorite.” You mumbled shyly shifting a bit in your seat now. Suguru chuckled lightly.

“Am I making you nervous, name?”

“N-No!” You quickly answered. He let out a laugh, you haven’t heard him laugh like that in weeks. You didn't realize how much you missed the sound of his beautiful laughter.

“You’re lying.”

“Am not.”

“You think you’re the only one who can be observant?” He countered. You part your lips but close them making a thin line. He smirked knowing he used your own words against you.

Sure Suguru would flirt with you but so would Satoru. It didn’t mean anything, right?

But Suguru didn’t speak to Shoko like that and Satoru was just a natural flirt. You slowly shook your head. Suguru stood up from the windowsill. “You’re right, name. Cigarettes don’t taste any better. But I don’t have anything to replace it”

He was walking towards you now. Your breathing picked up but couldn’t be heard. His cat-like eyes stared at you like you were his prey caught in the corner. “I am very convinced you can help me with that.” He stood in front of you. You bit down on your bottom lip.

“H-how can I do that?” You asked nervously. Suguru smiled at your curiosity.

“Easy,” he sat down next to you to move your hair behind your ear to lean close, “let me taste you.” he whispered in a husky tone. You stiffened up with your face completely flushed and it wasn’t because of the heat. You both just stared at each other for a few moments.

Maybe it was the heat wave or the curse he just ate

Or maybe he was tired of hiding these urges he had whenever you would come around.

The way your skirt would flow when you would run or jump to block attacks. The way you stared up at him with your doe eyes. The way you would brush against him so close he could smell your perfume you would spray on the side of your neck.

But Suguru needed to taste you.

Suguru was down on his knees in front of the edge of the bed. Your leg was draped on his shoulders. Your panties were already on the floor completely forgotten. His eyes were half closed not wanting to miss the pleasure on your face as his tongue swirled inside your gummy walls. His tongue would creep and twirl around your swollen clit. You did your best to keep your moans down, not wanting to be loud. But Suguru was making it so hard.

"F…uck…S-ugu…mmf!” You muffled underneath your hand to contain your volume. Your toes curled behind his shoulders. Suguru wasn’t shy to make any noise. You could hear his tongue moving against your wet core. Whenever you tried to squirm, he would use his hands that were placed on your thigh to give you a tight squeeze as a warning.

He pulled his mouth away and replaced them with his two forefingers. He dragged them slowly up and down your wet slit.

“Just like I said, sweet.” His sultry voice spoke to you. You looked down to meet his gaze. His lips glistened from your wetness and his saliva. He had a smirk. He saw you try to shy away breaking the eye contact you two were sharing. He found it so cute.

“Don’t act all shy now, pretty girl. We’re only getting started.” He slowly pushed his two fingers at once. You could feel the pressure of your wells stretching for his long thick fingers. “You’re so tight, baby.” He groaned, pressing his tongue back inside of you. He was always good at mulit-tasking.

Suguru felt himself feeling a natural high. Maybe it was the heat that spiked this feeling but he was sure it was your pussy. The leftover taste of the curse completely washed away by your juices overflowing his taste buds. Your clit was throbbing against his thumb. You started to feel your lower abdomen tightening now.

“S-Suguru! Please!” You cried out reaching down to grab some of his dark hair. He made loud slurping and sucking sounds. He moaned against you to give vibrations like a tease. He pushed your thighs open as wide as they can be. He glanced up then back down at your pretty puffy lips. He pumped his fingers in and out at a fast pace. Your legs began to fidget.

“Are you going to cum, my pretty girl?” He taunted you. You nodded your head feeling your hips move on their own against his fingers.

“S-so…so bad I-I wanna cum.”

“What’s stopping you?” he smiled.

That’s when you finally lost it and gave in. You loosened your lower body into the pressure. Suguru flattened his tongue feeling a gush of your juices coming down. He moaned how much it was and how sweet it tasted. He didn’t want to waste not one drop. Even on his fingers he sucked down on them. He turned to you laying on your back, trying to gain composure. Your lower body was exposed but you still had his shirt on. He felt the warm breeze brushed against the back of his neck.

He forgot about the window that was still open.

“Take it off.”

He told you as he went back to close the window then pulled the curtains. As much as he didn’t care, he didn’t want someone to see the way you make those cute faces when you receive pleasure. That’s for his eyes only. You slowly sat up feeling your legs stiff and weak. The room was dark now the curtain was closed. He looked over at you still with his shirt on. “You really don’t like to listen do you, hm?”

“I-I -”

He walked back over to you. He started to pull the bottom of the shirt over your body. Your arms automatically rose to help him remove the last bit of clothing you had left. It wasn’t too dark in your room. He could still see your breasts bounce back into place on your chest. He smiled.

“Such a pretty girl.” he purred. He removed his regular white shirt along with his loose joggers. You swallowed and moved to the middle of the bed. Your eyes gazed down at him slipping out of his boxers. He sprung free and you nearly choked. You couldn’t get over how he was just perfect everywhere.

His cock just thick and long. He had a few perfect veins, one vein going up to his tip that was already leaking of pre-cum. Suguru noticed you staring and chuckled lightly.

“We’ll make it fit, pretty girl. I promise.”

“H-how?” You blurted out leaning back on the few pillows you had on your bed.

“I have some kind of experience.” His larger frame hovered over you. You raised your bright brow.

“Oh?”

“Mhm.”

It shouldn’t have bothered you but it was more of a bit of this new found jealousy. This new feeling. Or maybe you always felt like this and just repressed it. Like that one time you overheard Suguru speaking with Mei Mei. Of course she was flirting with him but he also flirted back. You felt some kind of tightening in your chest. You gave him a whole silent treatment for the rest of the day. He was so clueless why you did. He did apologize.

Suguru could see your puzzled face. He leaned down to press his lips against your own. Your stupid thoughts were pushed to the side once the kiss began to heat up. His tongue claimed dominance you knew you couldn’t fight for. You could taste yourself on his lips and tongue. You moaned into his mouth as your tongues massaged against each other.

He aligned himself a bit since he was so much taller than you.

“There’ll be some discomfort.” He mumbled against your lips. You rolled your eyes as you pulled away to scoff.

“I’ve been stabbed and thrown out of a building how many times?”

“Not many because Satoru and I were always there to -”

“Suguru.” You cut him off with a glare. He laughed and gave you another kiss.

He dragged his tip up and down your slit. You let out a shaky breath already making a mess just with that alone. Suguru took note and smirked. “I didn’t even do anything and you’re already a wet mess, pretty girl.” He purred.

“S-shut up and fuck me…” you breathed out. He was amused how eager you were starting to become.

“Hmm…you could say it a lot nicer, name.”

“Suguru I swear I –”

He pushed his tip against you. You gasped then your doe eyes widened. You gazed up at him. He studied your face before pushing further. A strong pressure was being pressed against you. Suguru sucked in a harsh breath. “I need you to relax, name. Be a good girl for me.”

It was like his voice put you under a spell.

You nodded slowly and tried your best to ease your body. He kissed along your neck and shoulder. You felt his hair brushing against your heated cheek. You bit your lip trying to contain a moan from coming out. He nibbled down on your collar bone then began to suck down on it. After he was done he went to breasts and sucked down on your nipple. His tongue swirled around it slowly with his eyes staring up at you.

After a few moments, Suguru pushed the tip inside of you. Another shaky breath escaped your lips.

“You’re doing a good job, baby. Just like that…” he whispered into the crook of your neck. It didn’t take long till he was able to push more of his thick grith inside of your tight core. You felt a sharp discomfort like Suguru warned you. He stood still so your tight warms could adjust for his cock. “You’re okay baby?” You mumbled a mhm and gave him a nod.

This definitely wasn’t like being stabbed or thrown out of a building.

He strokes your cheek and admires your facial features. You were used to him staring at you but not too closely. You tried your best not to break eye contact. But even in the slight darkness, he could see how your cheeks darken. You look beautiful as ever to him.

“Y-you can move, Sugu…” you whispered.

“Are you sure?”

You nod. He gave you another kiss then he began to thrust his hips slowly. The slight discomfort came back but the pleasure started to mask over the pain. You began to pant heavily when Suguru picked up his pace. You were moaning and whining with the movement of your hips trying to follow his rhythm. The jolt of pleasure shooting up your spine.

Since the curtains were closed the room’s temperature began to rise. A light form of sweat formed on your forehead making your hair press against it. Suguru could feel a thin layer of sweat on his back.

“Mmm…fuck…this pussy is so good to me.” He moaned into your ear. His moan alone made you become a sloppier mess. He was able to push deeper inside of your gummy walls. Your walls expand for his cock hitting your spot over and over.

“Suguru…a-ahhh..”

He rolled his hips then began to pound into you. Your nails raked down his lower back then clung into your skin feeling your back being pressed into the mattress. The headboard was banging into the wall behind it. Thankfully you’re not next to anyone.

“Suguru!” You screamed out. Suguru smirked. Sure he didn’t want to get caught but hearing you yell his name out, he was willing to take the risk.

“Squeeze me, name. That’s it. Good girl. Your pretty pussy is hugging my cock so tight.”

“I-I…y-you…Sugu” You couldn’t even form a sentence being a rambling mess at this point. Cock drunk for the first time. Your vision was blurry with tears of pleasure but you could see Suguru’s beautiful face flushed. Your hand reached behind to hold onto the headboard. But he snatched it away and laced your fingers together.

“You’re mine, you hear me, name? All mine.” He breathed into your neck before he licked up your pulse. You nodded rapidly.

“A-all yours, Sugu…” you babbled, feeling his lips leave kisses on your chest down to your neck again. He loved to hear you become so vulnerable to him. "Forgot how to use your words, pretty girl? I thought you were a smart girl." He chuckled pushing your thighs to your chest and your legs against the headboard. You held your breath feeling him slide deeper you swore you could feel him in your guts. "Well look at that, you're completely stuff with me now." His eyes stared down watching your pussy engulfing him whole. He could see himself twitch inside of her. "S-Sugu...p-please..." you whined just aching for him. His eyes moved to your face. He smirked seeing how desperate you were for him. Your eyes barely open and cheeks darkening from the temperature of the room. He started to pound into you feeling every inch of him in this new position. "F-Fuck! Ngh!" You cried out not able to move with him pressing your thighs down on your chest with his board chest against your legs. He was heavily panting onto your face. He pressed his forehead against yours then leaned in for a kiss. It was a sloppy kiss but it made it easier for him to just go as deep as he wanted. You both could hear how wet you were with the loud sounds your pussy made with each time he pounded into you.

He suddenly pulled out of you completely.

You backed away from the kiss, confused and whiny.

“Suguru..” you whined out in the dark.

“Don’t be a brat now, princess,” he chuckled, then moved your body so you can be lying on your stomach, “I think you can handle me like this now, hm?”

His voice was so taunting and sexy at the same time. He could have made you do whatever he wanted. You nodded your head.

“Y-yes! Please just…need your cock back inside of me.”

Your hips moved eagerly. He reached over to grab a pillow and lifted your lower body to put your pillow underneath you.

“Arch your back…such a good girl. Look at you taking orders now.” He placed his hand on the fat of your ass. He lifted it up to see your swollen puffy folds, dripping to your inner thighs. He smiled admiring you. “I can’t believe you were hiding this from me. I’ll remember that for punishment later on.”

Your eyes widen and a faint blush crept on your cheeks.

“Geto…”

“Oh. You’re addressing me like that?”

He placed a smack on your ass cheek. You whined and buried your face back into the pillow, closing your eyes tightly. He squeezed and massaged the fat of your ass before he greeted your slit with his tongue again. Your lips part to let out a faint moan, moving your hips back to him.

Suguru removed his tongue to replace it with his cock. He pushed back into you hearing a small wince for you. He started to slam his hips into your ass. Your walls clench around him, squeezing him tighter than before. One hand tightened on your hip then the other was placed on the back of your neck and squeezed. Your face being pushed into the pillow.

“Fuuuuuck. Name, n-name….”

You nearly came just hearing the way he moaned your name. Suguru felt his cock throbbing. You were babbling, slight drool coming from the corner of your mouth. Tears from the corner of your eyes going down your flushed cheeks. You came for the third time before Suguru gave you one last harsh thrust and release his warm load into you.

Your heavy panting and breathing matched with his. He slowly pulled out watching his load leaking out of you now. He took two of his fingers and coated them with it. He brought them to your lips.

“Suck.”

You lazily leaned over to place your mouth over his fingers and do what you were told. When you finished, he moved your hair out of your face. He leaned down to kiss you and your shoulder over the marks he left.

He wondered how noticeable they were going to be. Suguru got up and went to get your wash cloth then came back to clean you up. After placing the washcloth in the hamper, he laid next to you in the stuffy room rubbing your back. You couldn’t keep your eyes open and went to sleep instantly. He chuckled, kissing your lips then got up to shower.

Suguru felt better after the cool shower he had. He placed your blanket over your naked body as you snored quietly. He grabbed his stolen shirt that was thrown onto the floor and put it on.

He walked over to the window to open the curtain half way. He was greeted by the cool breeze.

He sat on the windowsill and went to light another cigarette but he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Hey! Name! Have you seen Suguru? He hasn’t been answering my calls or texts!” Satoru’s voice was heard behind the door as he kept knocking.

Suguru gazed over to you then got up to answer the door. He opened the door enough for him to see Suguru but not enough to see you. Satoru was surprised Suguru answered the door. His eyes were slightly larger but a grin formed on his lips.

“Speak of the devil himself.”

“Didn’t expect you back so soon, Satoru.” Suguru smiled back. Satoru scoffed at his best friend .

“Only the weak would struggle with that kind of mission. Speaking of, where’s name?”

Suguru made a mental note of how often Satoru would come to your room. Alone.

“She’s asleep. The heat made her a bit fatigued.” He answered. Satoru nodded.

“It is fucking hot today.” He began to unbutton a few buttons on his uniform shirt. That’s when his eyes lowered down to Suguru.

“Hey! Suguru, you found your shirt! Where was it?”

“Name stole it.”

Suguru smiled softly. A smile he hasn't had in weeks.

2K notes · View notes

ghost-proofbaby · 6 months ago

Note

i don't know if anyone else does this, but for summertime sweetness can i have a strawberry midsummer's night with taking a cold shower with eddie munson to cool down from the heat? those just hit different in th esummer

oh i absolutely do this, and so would eddie <3 sorry this got a bit long

cold showers

warnings: some brief mentions of st canon towards the end, but... eddie lives, obviously. this would be set around summer of '87. also, brief mention of steve harrington's parents being shitty (one line literally)

wc: 1.6k+

come enjoy a sweet summer treat with me <3

You and Eddie had had plenty of bad ideas together. 99% of the time, whenever the two of you had been within vicinity of each other, chaos would follow. Things that wouldn’t go to plan, ideas that had been wonderful on paper but terrible in execution – over the years, most of the time, you two had had your fair share of mistakes.

But this? This was not a mistake.

You’d almost thought it had been for a brief second when he’d first turned on the shower. Wisps of steam had momentarily snaked their way out of the drain as the first pelting of water had swirled down it, the mirror had begun to get a foggy image, and the warm moisture in the air had begun to mingle with the sweat on the back of your neck. You almost thought his previously genius idea had fallen through. You almost thought the entire cool-down solution had been a bust.

And then, the steam had vanished. The mirror cleared. All the humidity of your own creation lightened, and you realized your boyfriend was, in fact, a genius.

“Oh,” he practically moans as the two of you step into the tub, tilting his head back as it begins to soak his curls, “Oh, yeah. This was a great fucking idea.”

You roll your eyes as you give him a gentle shove, trying to make it where at least some of the water might hit you, “Yeah, yeah. Bask in all your glory without hogging all the water.”

The heatwave had been intense. It was always intense, though, every summer in Hawkins. An unforgiving sun, drowning heat that sent both of your hair into frizzy messes, overcrowded pools. It’s never like the movies – there are no lake days with friends without complaints, and beer will always run warm within minutes of pulling it from the ice chest.

One thing that had never changed, and had always served as a saving grace for the most miserable months of the year, was Eddie. Eddie, and all the unique ways the two of you would try to come up with just to survive till fall.

As kids, it was cheap sprinkler sets bought at the Melvald’s. Soaking the technical front yard of the Munson trailer with luke-warm water as the two of you got caked in mud. Neither of you had ever really cared, thirteen year olds returning to a youthful oblivion just to spray each other with a hose and make ridiculous games out of jumping over the sprinkler attachments. Water balloon fights that had carried on well into your teens, eventually becoming so intense that there had been a time where both you and Eddie ended up bruised and battered on the Munson couch, getting lectured sternly by an exhausted Wayne Munson. You’re too old not to know better, Wayne had said to Eddie as he’d taken a look at the knot on the back of your shoulder that year.

Eddie had felt bad enough before Wayne’s involvement, but he’d almost resembled a kicked puppy at that specifically scornful retort.

Things had slowly changed the last few summers, though. You had changed, Eddie had changed, the entire dynamic had changed. Suddenly, after one little dare to kiss one another, ice cream dates had become a solution. ‘Tanning’ had become an excuse to see Eddie stare at you for far too long than any friend should, and plenty of nights ended with lathering each other up in aloe as your hands wandered farther than any friendly touches would.

And then there had been Steve Harrington’s pool. God, you missed Harrington’s pool.

You almost mentally curse your newest friend for having taken a family vacation that was lasting half the summer, denying the entire group of what had been the staple solution last summer, but he was probably more miserable than all of you combined based on what you knew of his parents.

“You can’t even deny how smart this was, sweetheart,” your best-friend-turned-boyfriend laughs, formally turning and offering you a proper place beneath the stream of water. As the cool water beats down on your warmed summer skin, you can’t even find it within you to be annoyed anymore, “Go ahead, say it – Eddie’s a goddamn genius.”

Your eyes flutter shut as you decide to lean your face into the sweet reprieve, not caring how your eyes stung just a little, “I am not inflating your ego right now, Munson. Fuck off.”

“You wound me.”

“You’ll live.”

The pipes had clearly been cleared of all stagnant and heated water, and for the first time in two months, you almost shivered from the cold.

When you finally stop letting the water splash across your cheeks, you open your eyes to find Eddie simply staring. Wide grin, sparkling eyes. It ignites all the nostalgia you should get from those summer nights the movies portray, a lifetime of good memories and better company right before you.

“Have we ever even showered together before?” you ask randomly, already reaching for the shampoo on the small shelf behind Eddie before he has the chance to answer.

You hadn’t. Neither of you owned a bathroom that seemed big enough, practically, to attempt this. But desperate times had called for desperate measures.

“Taken a cold shower together?” he scrunches his nose, hand flying out to cut through the water. Some splashes on your lips, and he goes wide-eyed, as if trying to appear innocent enough that you won’t react. It works. “Nah. Usually, it was me by my lonesome, and you sitting out there in the living room in the shortest shorts known to man-”

“Those pajamas were not that short.”

“They were!” you finally retaliate and splash some of the water at him, making both of you giggle, “They really fuckin’ were. Been over here killin’ me since summer of ‘78, baby.”

Twelve years old, new to town and petrified. You can still perfectly envision a younger version of you approaching a younger Eddie sporting a buzzcut, nerves choking you up as you stuttered through a question if he wanted to hang out. And you can still picture doe-eyes looking at you, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting to become the latest punchline.

The shoe never dropped. Instead, a friendship bloomed. Instead, the start of something refreshing had started, for both of you.

Before you pop the top of the shampoo, you take a moment to look over Eddie’s nude torso. Recalling the first time you’d seen him shirtless as he’d answered the door unexpectedly for you after a movie night with girls you thought were your friends had fallen catastrophically through. The first time he’d been comfortable enough to take off his shirt around you during all your summer shenanigans, grabbing you by the waist and launching the two of you into the pool together. The first time he’d try to play you at your own game with the half-naked tanning plots, coming out in only swim trunks and with his own towel, gas station sunglasses perched on his nose to hide his lingering gaze as he’d situated himself beside you on your porch.

You’d both been playing a losing game that day. You may have embarrassed yourself by tracing over the deep Vs in his hips blatantly, but his glasses hadn’t hidden the way he’d been trying to memorize all your own curves and dips.

What holds your stare now are all the jagged lines that trace his sides. Pink and fleshy skin that has long since healed, following from his hip up his neck. A memory of a time that cuts you deeper than any summer. Scars of a time you wish you could erase from your history, just last spring.

Maybe summer wasn’t your least favorite season. Maybe it was spring, because you’d almost lost everything in the spring. You’d almost lost Eddie.

“Shut up and turn around,” you smile, shaking your head at all the memories, reminding yourself that you didn’t lose him. He was here, and he was taking a cold shower with you, and that was what mattered most. “Might as well wash your hair while we're here.”

Might as well. As if you wouldn’t thank the Universe for every time you had the privilege, as if you wouldn’t wash his hair a thousand times if he asked you for it. You’d do anything he asked of you. For the boy who had cheated death, and still found his way back home to you after it was all said and done.

A thousand cold showers. A thousand summers. A thousand moments. You’ll take whatever you can get now – you’ve learned your lesson about taking time with Eddie for granted.

“You’re gonna wash my hair?” he lights up a bit, shuffling his feet as he readies to face his back to you, “I suppose I’ll allow it. Who could say no to a little pampering?”

You grab him by his shoulders, keeping up a faux show of annoyance, “You, apparently. Turn around before I change my mind.”

There would never be any changing your mind.

He doesn’t call your bluff, though. He turns, just as you request, and lets you get to work. There’s no real rush, anyways. You may not take moments for granted anymore, but for now, the two of you had your own little infinity under the stream of a cold shower.

You both go quiet, and you almost quietly pray to whoever may be listening that the moment really can last forever. Just you, just your boy, and all the suds of the shampoo lathered into his curls and between your fingers. Small hums of approval and the occasional peck of your lips against his bare skin as the most silent of I love yous.

Yeah. The cold shower was an excellent idea.

#summertime sweetness #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fluff #stranger things #ghost's stories

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misguidedasgardian · 7 months ago

Text

I need to...

Enjoy my Summer II, part I

MASTERLIST

Summary: You meet your friends in the God’s Eye

Pairings: Cregan Stark x Fem!Reader

Warnings: cursing, in some countries they are minors drinking alcohol, fluff, mentions of smut, smut, fun timessss, might miss some warnings

Wordcount: 3,6 k

Notes: SORRY FOR THE DELAY! This had to be my favourite chapter ever and I wanted to take my time and even so, I will split this in two parts, because otherwise I was going to take longer and the thing was going to be huge jeje, anyways, love you all!

After a long train ride, you finally arrived at the Harrenhal station, were you were certain the boys were waiting for you

And there they were, as soon as you went up the escalators. They look as good as always, even better, you’d think, and you knew, by their faces, they were appreciating your summer glow

As soon as you saw Cregan with a wide smile and a bouquet of flowers in his hands, you dropped your bag and jumped into his arms.

As Sara did the same to Jace

It’s been only two weeks, and it felt like a lifetime.

You really had been spoilt by being so close to your boyfriend, him having an apartment to himself, you being living in the dorms, anyways

He smelt so good, you even rubbed your face on his neck making him chuckle

“I missed you”, you murmured

“And I missed you”, he whispered back, you released him only to lock your lips with his, and he kissed you back, hungrily

“Alright enough with the PDA, people are looking”, he said with a beautiful smile, you grabbed your things and they had theirs.

“Ready for the God’s Eye?”, asked Jace giving you a tight hug

“Can’t wait!”, you cheered excitedly

It was going to be just like when you were little, only better, because you were all grown up, you were here with your boyfriend, and you could drink alcohol like uncle Daemon could and made him all giggly at nights

“Alright, we parked the car in Jace’s house, as soon as we cross to the Island, we are on our own”, muttered Cregan, the train station was almost in the same building as the port, so you only walked towards the right gate to take the ferry across the Lake

The God’s Eye was one, if not THE greatest lake in the entire country, and at some point, the hottest spot for vacations before Dorne opened itself to tourism, a great way to escape the heat, to have fun, refresh…

But the coolest part was in the Isle of Faces, it was a whole village that activated itself in the summertime, it had two small towns within it, one on the North Side, and another in the South… Daemon Targaryen… Jace’s very young great uncle… had a cabin near the North Town.

But… it was not like you remember when you were children

The first holiday after summer break starts, the celebration of the union of all the Kingdoms brought into one, the Targaryen-Strongs would invite you all to the cabin in the Isle of Faces, to spend the holidays having icicles, having fun on the lake, and Daemon pulling you in his boat as you clinged onto an inflatable banana for dear life

But is not as you remembered

This thing looked abandoned

And it probably was

“This is how horror movies start”, you pointed out, as you took your sunglasses and accommodated them in the top of your head.

“Well, Daemon didn’t quite returned after that last summer…”, muttered Jace, “he told me it only needed some grass to be trimmed”

You thought that cleaning and clearing this out was going to be so fun, you really like remodels

“As long as we have all the tools to do this”, you murmured

Jace opened the door all excited, and yes, it was dusty, but it was exactly like you remembered it, maybe… smaller, well, you had grown up

The house was huge, Daemon had inherited it from their parents, they built it with the knowledge of his eleven brothers and sisters and their families.

It wasn’t fancy, but it was big and comfortable, it was a summer house, ten bedrooms, two of them on the first floor, the rest upstairs, but one huge space for livingroom and dinning room, and a huge kitchen, an open balcony where you can see the second floor and some of the doors to the rooms

The colour of the walls was red, the living room had a huge fireplace, that Daemon let you cook smores in to the twins, Jace and you

All beautiful fun memories

Cregan could see it in your face, the excitement

“Alrightttttt what rooms are you going to take?”, asked Jace

“Uh! Can I take Rhaenyra’s room?”, you asked, “it has the nicest view”, you looked at Cregan who was looking back at you

“Can I take that room too?”, he asked Jake, but looking at you

“Yes, and we will take the master room”, teased Jace, and you thanked that they were in the opposite sides of the house

“Alright, I say we take possession of our quarters for the Summer, and then, we begin cleaning this mess”, you proposed, and the plan was accepted.

It was… a mess

Cregan closed the door when he entered the room behind you, you turned around, raising an eyebrow at him. He grabbed you softly, sticking your body to his, smirking

“I missed you”, you giggled, hugging him tightly by the waist

“Missed you too”, you said happily

“Can I show you how much?”, he teased, you shook your head

“Not now, our friends are waiting”, you reminded him softly, he growled, kissing you in the corner of your mouth

“Tonight then”

“Obviously”, you said matter of factly, he released you after kissing you softly, you were so happy to have him again

After leaving your things in your room and cleaning around in there, removing the dust, and checking for creepy crawlers, you went back to the main house, because the same treatment needed to be done to the entire house. Jace fired up a speaker they brought from Winterfell, put on some good songs, Sara found the cleaning products in the kitchen under the sink, and after battling with a few spiders, you started working

“You are to sweet for meeee”, singed Jace as he was sweeping the floor below

“I’d rather take my whiskey neeeattttt”, you and Sara singed from above, in the second floor as you were dusting the wooden railings

Cregan moved the furniture around, for Jace to sweep underneath, and tried to get rid of the dust for him over the furniture too

You later held up the light for Jace to turn on the generator in a small creepy house in the backyard, and cleaned the solar panels to be able to have light all day long and night too, everything was working great. The house lit up like a Christmas tree just in time for sunset.

But Jace, and a little bit of you, still had an ace up your sleeve, and walked towards the garage, there were many things in there, all sorts of tools, gardening supplies, and…

“Aha!”, exclaimed Jace, triumphantly, he grabbed the end of the old sheet and with one long movement, he revealed what was underneath, the Myth, the legend…

Daemon Targaryen’s Easter Jeep Safari, a classic, older than Jace and you

“Fuck yeah!”, you admired

“Cregan had an oldie like this one that he fixed all by himself, tomorrow he could help me with it”, he said, “and we’ll have wheels for the summer!”

“Love it”, you said triumphantly

You came back into the house to see Sara and Cregan had returned from grocery shopping.

“I have great news!”, said Cregan happily, “I got a job opportunity”

“Really?”, you asked, amazed, “where?”

“Actually, for all of us, but we’ll have to see it tomorrow”, he said, and he seemed so happy and excited it rub off of you too

“Great!”, said Jace, “tomorrow we will check it out!”

“The guy told me to go there afternoon”

“So in the morning we jump to do the gardening”, you offered

You had tacos and beer for dinner. And then, came the good part, your private meeting with Cregan. You felt like a little girl, all giggly, like you were doing something you were not supposed to, while you went up the stairs with him to “go to bed”.

“I missed you”, Cregan purred in your ear as soon as the door closed, you hugged his arms that hugged you

“I missed you too”, you said, he kissed you in your weak spot, right under your ear at the start of your jaw. You turned around to kiss him properly, he hugged you tightly, he hugged you back. Oh you had missed him so much. You undress each other carefully, enjoying every second of it, he smelled so good. You were greedy, touching him everywhere you could lay your hands on.

“Do you wanna…?”

“Shut up”, you giggled pushing him into the bed playfully, his smile was wide, as he let you guide him, only wearing his underpants, you were only wearing your underwear. You straddled his hips, leaning in and kissing him

His hands roamed your body.

You took your time, you kissed him from his mouth to his jaw, to his neck, feeling a bit frisky, his big hands were on your hips.

“I realise something”, you whispered, dropping kisses on his chest, “while I was away from you”

“What was that?”, he asked, in between groans, you looked down at him, with such love in your eyes that is was’t necessary to put it into words

“Oh”, he said, pleased, “you too right?”, you giggled

“What?”, you asked back

“I love you too”, he said, with a wide smile, you gasped, smiling back, he leaned up and grabbed you, putting you under him so quickly. It was his turn to kiss you, lick you, bit you a bit. It had only been ten days, and you had missed him so much, really missed him. He took off the two pieces of clothing left. HIs mouth on your breasts felt so, so nice. When there was no other inch of kiss for you both to kiss of each other, he finally thrusted inside of you, you both moaned wantonly.

You really, really, had missed him. The way he felt inside of you was something else, out of this world. It was a hell of a reunion.

You woke up cuddled with Cregan, he smiled when you opened your eyes, he was so handsome.

“Good morning”, he whispered, you smiled back

“Mornin’”, you whispered back, he leaned in and kissed you, just a peck on the lips, “Its my turn to make breakfast”, you say lazily, getting up of bed, Cregan tried to grab you, playfully, but you sneaked away just in time between giggles

You met Sara in the kitchen, that had been sanitised the day before so you could eat here and not get grayscale. You made some of everything, waffles, scrambled eggs, juice, coffee, all of it. You were so excited, to start a new day, you decided it was best to dedicate the whole week to get everything in order.

The boys started the heavy machinery to clear the front yard and backyards, that included a small tractor to mow the grass. You spent the entire morning cleaning up the front and backyard, you were so lucky there were four of you, with friends, a good speaker playing good music, the house was in fighting shape by lunch, at least, no snake was going to be able to hide on the grass to bite you.

“I have a meeting with the guy that is going to rent me his palace to work”, muttered Cregan

“I think we can take Caraxes”, said Jacaerys, Cregan and Sara looked at you weirdly

“Daemon’s car”, you said with a smile

“Your family names their cars?”, asked Cregan

“Family tradition”, Jacaerys said with a wide smile, “but we have to be very careful with the car, it’s Daemon’s”

“Of course man, you drive it”, assured Cregan

“I just gotta say, I really appreciate what we are doing here”, said Jace, “for the very first time Daemon is treating me like an adult, my family too, and he was truly impressed with all the pictures I had been sending him”, he said happily

“And he is going to be even more amazed!”, you said, “once we finished up here”

You jump start the car with a battery charger that was in the garage, and it turns up pretty quickly. And the four of you got inside it, to pump gas on the near north town and then take the street that went away from the city centre, but still near, a small road that went by the edge of the lake, until you could see a small cabin

“This is the address”, says Cregan, looking extremely excited. You all jumped out of the car. There was a dock, you could see Harrenhal from here, but the beautiful lake in between. You could see boats around too. But as you looked at the cabin, well, you were not impressed.

“Well.. you are the one that said that you wanted “some job that I got on my own”, Jace mocked, as you four looked at the rundown cabin… cabin was such a nice word this thing was… something else

A shack?

“I can feel the grayscale entering my pores”, you said lowly

“Now now, don’t be brats!”, Sara said, “with a bit of paint, and some lovin’...”

“And a flamethrower”, said Jace

“...This could really be something”, she continued

As she said it, the wooden canoe hanging from the side dropped to the ground comically, making all of you jump

“Why?”, you asked Cregan

“The man was willing to rent it for very little if we promised to improve it!”, he explained simply

Cregan walked towards the door, knocked and entered. You waited, he needed to talk to the owner

It wasn’t even a minute before an old man that smelled like fish bait danced out of the rundown cabin, cheering and happy dancing

“Poor suckers!”, he laughed, as he danced away from there

Cregan followed with a set of keys in his hands

“It’s ours for the summer”, he said with a wide smile, he was so excited you just looked at Jace and you both nodded, silently compromising in getting involved with this

“What’s the verdict, designer?”, asked Cregan as you entered slowly and carefully, like you were walking on eggs

“Well…”, it was a lot of wood, a counter, broken shelves, it extended towards the back, where there was supposed to be kayaks and other water sport equipments, but they were very old and some of them broken, there was a small second floor, but the rails to the first were broken, but it was a nice space.

And you saw the small dock outside. You could tell it had potential, you could tell that a few years back with everything painted and all, it was nice.

You looked back at Cregan and he was looking at you expectantly

“We’ll need 4 buckets of paint, a sander, a thousand sandpapers, a couple of pieces of wood to cover some mistakes, ropes, wood filler, nails, a hammer,... but I think… this place truly can be something”, you said, and Cregan smiled warmly at you

“Alright you heard her! Let’s get some stuff!”, said Sara happily. And you went trough town and back tot he house

“Alright let’s get this party started”, said Cregan decisively, putting a blank drawing block page over the table. “We’ll buy second hand kayaks and waterboards, and rent them, the town is packed, we can make a profit”, he declared his master plan

“Alright”, you said happily, “we have a cost on the materials”, you said scribbling down once you saw them at the local store.

“We have the cost of the inversion”, said Cregan, scribbling down some more, “I think we can make a profit”

“Alright, let’s get to work”, sentenced Jacaerys.

And you did, for the rest of the week, you spent your mornings fixing the shack, you started by fixing the wood, then painting. You and Cregan actually turned the second floor into a cute corner where you could nap, hang out or even cuddle, you installed an amazing rope hammock where you could lay and chill. You fixed the downstairs stands, and after you painted the walls you installed hooks to hang the kayaks the boys purchased.

You filled it up with things the neighbours had given you.

It took you seven complete days to finish cleaning, sanding, repairing, painting, and putting order in the shack and its surroundings. But the ending? It was so worth it. The best part is that the shack had a small beach by the dock. There was an old safeguard post there that you cleaned and fixed too, and when everybody that passed by saw that it was fixed, people started hanging around. You cleaned and put the kayaks on display. And for inauguration day, there were actually people coming to see what the fuss was all about.

“I’m tired of sanding”, you whined, with a beer in hand

“I’m tired of painting”, said Sara, with still painting on her cheek

“I’m tired of trimming grass”, moaned Jace

“I’m tired of fixing that wood, and the deck”, said Cregan

“But it’s over now!”, you had installed fairy lights outside, and the summer night was beautiful, the water was so instilled, you could hear cicadas in the small woods nearby. Even though at day, there was a lot of heat, at night, it simmered, letting you enjoy the warm weather.

You set up a place to make a bonfire, you put out lawn chairs, and a cooler with beers, and you finally could relax, you toasted for your week’s hard work, and for what it was turning out to be, a great summer.

“Alright so tomorrow we open the Shack”, said Cregan

“There was already people asking about it”, said Sara

“Well, we did spread the word”, said Jace

“Kayak and water sports supplies rental”, you whispered with a smile.

“For the Shack!”, said Cregan, raising his beer

“For the Shack!”, you sang in unison.

The very next day you wore matching shirts and jean shorts for the opening, you were minding the cashier, while Cregan showed the kids and their parents the kayaks for rental. Sara and Jace were outside watching the people on the lake and also helping the people inside. It was a great first day. Where you realised you could also sell fishing accessories, as it was great in the area and the guy that minded the store before sold it.

Another week went by, you were working on shifts but still the schedule was pretty flexible, so you always had time to hang by the lake, and you were having a great time. It got better because you knew Ben was coming, and also you believed that Baela and Rhaena, it was going to be great, even better.

Today, it was the boy’s turn to mind the shack, while you and Sara bathed in the sun on the docs, it was a weekday, so it was fairly calm day

“Sara…”, you whined, laying down at the dock, “I’m so fucking horny”

“Me too”, she sighed, accommodating her sunglasses, “it's the summer”, she said

“How does that make any sense? it's hot as fuck! we are sweaty… uncomfortable”, you muttered, rolling over to sunbathe on your other side

“Yes but in the animal Kingdom, if we were animals and mate now, our pups would be born in Spring and have more time to grow before having to face the harsh winter, you see? we are in mating season”, you looked at her in wonder

“That actually makes sense”, you tried, and you both laughed

“It does, doesn't it?” she mocked back.

The town where you were working and spending the summer was beautiful, it was less than 10,000 habitants, but now in the summer it is more populated. You loved walking by the town’s square, you loved the local stores and the people were so nice. You could actually walk, -although it was a long one- to the house, and you were enjoying the town too much. You liked the house, and now you have come to love the Shack.

Cregan was smiling at you as you walked towards the market, today you were going to light up the grill at the house, throw some veggies and some cuts, have some beers.

You were setting up the girl, and sent Daemon a picture of the four of you, all smiley faces. You had cleaned up the house, the garden, a bit of the garage. Jace had been so happy, and Daemon seemed too, he seemed pleased.

You felt so happy in the little kingdom you had created.

That;s why your stomach turned when you heard an engine nearing the house, two cars. You shared concerned looks because the house was pretty isolated, you wondered who it could be. You were in the backyard and the driveway was on the front.It wasn’t until you heard the car doors and you heard voices that you were truly concerned

Jacaerys froze, like really froze

“Oh no”, he muttered, you all looked at him

“What?”, you asked quickly

“I didn’t think they’d mean it”

“What? Who?”, you heard people walking around the house and towards the back

“I heard that there’s a party around here!”, was that? No

Aegon showed up, raising both his arms, he had drinks on them, following him closely there was a group of five other people. The four of you truly looked concerned, but not as much as you, when you saw none other than Aemond himself showing up to the reunion

“What are you doing here?”, asked Jace

“Well, it's our summer home too, isn’t it Nephew?”, mocked Aegon. And your small kingdom was in jeopardy of conquest.

taglist!

@mxtokko @princesssterek @thefandomimagines @iamavailablesstuff @misspascalpunk @sweethoneyblossom1 @ipostwhtifeel @lunamoonbby @ahristata @watercolorskyy @yazzzmints @n4tforlife @littleshadow17 @alexa4040 @speedyballoonpainter @hc-geralt-23 @rayrayredpanda @eralen @yentroucnagol @valeskafics @iloveallmyboys @schadenfreude-and-sarcasm @ttkttt @aleemendoza2425-blog @drwstarkeyy @casualfansoul @urmomsgirlfriend1 @bruher @@toms-cherry-trees @happinessinthebeing @warmness0ul @jennifer0305 @missusnora @a-beaverhausen @snowtargaryen @qu44nbl4ck @juhdoche

#misguidedneed #cregan stark #cregan stark x y/n #cregan stark x you #cregan stark x oc #cregan stark x reader #jacaerys velaryon #jacaerys strong #sara snow #house of the dragon fanfiction #house of the dragon au #hbo house of the dragon #house of the dragon

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guiltyasdave · 7 months ago

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happy sunday and also happy pride! 🫶🏻

this week’s rec list has a lot of fics that were written for @iamasaddie’s kinky writing challenge, which is already the gift that keeps on giving haha <3

as always, if you read any of these please give the writers some love by reblogging or commenting!

for a list of all my recs ever, go here :)

i'll organize the fics by character and add emojis to indicate the contents a little. still, please look at the tags/warnings and decide for yourself if something might not be for you.

💘= fluff • ❤️‍🔥= smut • 🤍= angst • 🖤= dark

📖= oneshot • 📚= series

clint

good by @burntheedges (❤️‍🔥)🤍📖

dave york

this godforsaken mess by @agentmarcuspike ❤️‍🔥📖

to die for by @toomanystoriessolittletime 🤍📖 (featuring john wick) (in other words, sedate me)

thirsty by @pedrosarmsling ❤️‍🔥📖

mindfuck by @whatsnewalycat ❤️‍🔥🖤📖

ezra

more by @ezrasbirdie ❤️‍🔥📖

tongue tied by @chaotic-mystery ❤️‍🔥📖

frankie morales

on call by @luxurychristmaspudding 💘❤️‍🔥🤍📚

heat lightning by @chronically-ghosted 🤍📖

do me yourself by @undercoverpena 💘❤️‍🔥🤍📚

spell out miss you against my skin by @undercoverpena ❤️‍🔥📖

catch and release by @nothoughtsjustmeds 💘❤️‍🔥🤍📖

jack daniels

in our ivory tower by @freelancearsonist ❤️‍🔥📖

private eyes by @syd-djarin ❤️‍🔥📖

javi gutierrez

rebirth by @perotovar 💘📖

javier peña

meet me in the city where we won’t sleep by @undercoverpena 💘🤍📖

three’s a crowd by @amanitacowboy ❤️‍🔥🤍📖

joel miller

hands on your knees by @northernbluess 💘❤️‍🔥📖

like a wildfire by @northernbluess 💘❤️‍🔥📚

born of confusion and quiet collusion by @atticrissfinch ❤️‍🔥🤍📖

when his eyes open by @undercoverpena 💘🤍📖

dress up joel by @covetyou 💘❤️‍🔥🤍📚

papi chulo by @yxtkiwiyxt 💘❤️‍🔥📖

nicest thing by @schnarfer 💘❤️‍🔥🤍📚

just one by @endlessthxxghts ❤️‍🔥📖

swallow by @aurorawritestoescape ❤️‍🔥📖

handsy by @ovaryacted ❤️‍🔥📖

homecoming by @ovaryacted 💘📖

little girl with a big mouth by @missredherring ❤️‍🔥📖

oh, summer nights by @ozarkthedog ❤️‍🔥📖

lucien flores

trust is binding by @pedgito ❤️‍🔥📖

dripping red by @frenchiereading ❤️‍🔥📖

marcus pike

fevered flames by @joelalorian 💘❤️‍🔥📖

max phillips

addicted by @aurorawritestoescape ❤️‍🔥🤍🖤📖

mr. ben

summertime sadness by @katiexpunk ❤️‍🔥🖤📖

pero tovar

i’ll do anything you say (if you say it with your hands) by @hellfire-state-of-mind ❤️‍🔥📖

ted garcia

voice kink by @djarinmuse ❤️‍🔥📖

tess servopoulos

exit music by @hier--soir 🤍📖

tim rockford

the detective by @milla-frenchy ❤️‍🔥🖤📖

my own writing

nothing lasts forever - dbf!dave york x f!reader 💘❤️‍🔥🤍📚

strawberry sugar - modern!oberyn martell x f!reader 💘❤️‍🔥📖

in other news — i hit 1.5k followers today and i can’t express how grateful i am for each and every one of you! 🫶🏻 i’m thinking about maybe doing a writing challenge as a celebration, please let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in or if there’s something else that you’d like to see!

much love 🫶🏻

#pedro pascal fanfiction #joel miller #javier peña #frankie morales #max phillips #dave york #ezra prospect #jack daniels #javi gutierrez #lucien flores #marcus pike #mr ben snl #pero tovar #ted garcia #tess servopoulos #tim rockford #oberyn martell #janas recs #weekly fic recs

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kenposting · 1 year ago

Text

New Guy Part 2! Ah!!!

Summary: Ken invites you over for dinner at his house - something you were greatly looking forward to! Until you noticed something was on his mind.

WC: 4.2k

AN: literally so many people asked me to write more and i just wanted to cry wtf .......... i just feel so silly like i just like him!!! and u guys like him too gosh i luv u guys!!!!!! wtf!!!

Read Part 1 here: New Guy

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀⋆˚✿˖°⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

Ken was off today and you really, really missed him. For some reason. He brought a sort of light to the diner that was just not there before he arrived. Sure, he made zero fucking sense 90% of the time, but he didn’t take himself too seriously, and that was incredibly refreshing.

The girls you worked with snickered behind him often, though, and you did pick up on his face whenever he saw them laugh at a question he had or an encouraging comment he’d make. He really was trying his best, but it seemed no one took that into consideration.

Perhaps that’s why he asked you to come over after your shift today. You never laughed at him, you always answered his questions no matter how simple they were, and you actually spoke to him like you respected him. Because you do!

It was an odd feeling to keep looking up at the clock. You didn’t have class since it was now Summertime (and neither did he, as important as studying Beach was to him) and, upon realizing Summer meant a break from college, he very hurriedly asked if that meant he could “take you out sometime – but, you know, only if you wanted to, I mean, I don’t want to make you feel pressured or anything…”

He was so cute for whatever reason and you found yourself unable to let that go – it’s like he wasn’t real; like he hadn’t been tainted by the rest of the world. He cried – literally cried – the last time you were late for a shift because he thought something bad had happened to you. You promised you’d make it up to him however he wanted and all he could think of was asking you to teach him how to ride a bike. You didn’t know why he was like… that… and you didn’t worry yourself trying to figure it out.

The directions he gave you to his apartment were drawn in crayon on the back of a paper placemat from work. He made sure to include a tiny house and tiny diner and lots of arrows. He knew the way well, too; as if he had recited it to himself lots of times. Maybe he was scared to forget where he lived. Now that you thought about it, he never drove, only ever walked, and he did say he was new to town when you met him a few months back.

His house was tiny and sweet, only six short blocks from where the two of you worked. You could tell he took great care tending to it, even just by observing the front yard. It was blocked off by a metal gate and seemed to be an older home, simple and freshly painted eggshell white. He had planted flowers around the outside beside the front step before the small patch of grass began.

You couldn’t see it, obviously, but he had been pacing around inside for half an hour, nervous about seeing you. And you seeing him. Did he look okay? Was his house okay? He was just beside himself, which didn’t go away at all when he heard a gentle knock at the door.

“Hey, Ken!”

He stood meekly in front of you as you opened the door, nervously folding and wringing his hands together, scared to do or say something that would make a bad impression. He was nearly hiding behind the door. This was silly since you worked with him almost every day (and hung out with him almost every evening). You noticed a shift over the last few weeks – like his bubbly demeanor had subsided a little. It was probably your coworkers getting to him.

“Thanks for having me over. I like it so far!”

He smiled sheepishly and looked at the ground, a blush arising on his cheeks as he seemed to regain a little bit of himself at your presence.

“Thanks! I’ll show you the rest of my mo–”

He stopped himself, brows furrowed, like he was going to say something out of habit, but remembered something and decided against it.

“My house, but it will probably only take, like, five seconds. It’s pretty small.”

He stepped aside, holding the door open for you (something ‘gentlemanly’ he had learned from observing other couples at the diner – he was proud he noticed this). You saw his hands shaking, but you appreciated the confident gesture anyways.

You stepped in beside him as he closed the door behind you, taking in the scenery. His house was… definitely… something.

“My friend Gloria helped me find it and even paid for the deposit so I could live here and work! I paid her back, of course.”

He was confident in his home, it came across in his tone of voice. He had surely made it his own. It was loud as hell. The walls were a bright pink color, but somehow it kind of worked.

“They helped me paint it too! Gloria and her groom-husband and their daughter.”

Brushing past his bizarre choice of words (but what’s new, it’s Ken), you surprisingly felt relief within yourself at hearing she was married. You hadn’t realized you were holding your breath on that one.

Your eyes glanced around the place, taking in all of the little things that were so… him. It was like a frat house, but way nicer; cozier. He had shelving all around with little trinkets carefully placed everywhere, some of horses, some of small glass fish, and even some of tiny people. He had put so much thought into these scenes of humans just having fun, one shelf showing a scene of a bunch of friends playing beach volleyball and another showing guys in all black posed in various dance positions playing rock-paper-scissors.

“Ken, this is so sweet. Did you make all this yourself?”

He looked aside and blushed, shrugging off the compliment.

The adjacent wall had framed photos of people dressed in what you assumed to be Halloween costumes. A scene of a fierce man in a gold tracksuit posed next to a blonde girl with a sparkly dress on, the framed photo sitting proudly next to a shot of a group of girls (and one boy) in a mock supreme court dressed in all pink jumpsuits.

He opened his mouth to tell you about the people in the picture, but you watched as he teared up just thinking about them. It must’ve been a sensitive subject, so you thought it better to not ask.

Above his (ridiculously messy) desk were tacked drawings on the wall. Crayon drawings. You saw him making them on his breaks. There were little doodles of horses, and some of people having fun at the beach, but mainly horses. You sensed a theme.

“This section is for all the things people gave me when I came to the real world.”

His voice was trembling a bit, like he missed them very dearly. Ignoring the ‘real world’ thing, you looked where he was gesturing to see a whole lot of unique and incredibly thoughtful gifts. A tiny disco ball, a small pink model car, a gag book called “Backflips for Dummies” where ‘dummies’ had been crossed out with marker and replaced with a handwritten ‘Ken’, a baby blue record player with matching pink headphones, a seashell, a tiny model campfire, a collection of various headbands, a pink first aid kit – it was just endless. He was clearly so very loved by these people.

“And all of my furniture was made for me by carpenter Barbie!”

The Barbie thing was ever-present in his descriptions of home. It didn’t bother you, really, but it was just… getting old. You knew it was just some bit, assuming he was calling his ex-girlfriends Barbies since his name was Ken. A classic joke, sure, but he had beaten it to death at this point.

“Jeez, Ken, how many girls have you dated?”

You were careful to come off playfully, never wanting to risk hurting his feelings. You got it, really. He was so sweet and charming, but it felt weird to hear about Carpenter Barbie and Lawyer Barbie – even Stereotypical Barbie. It wasn’t like him at all. His entire personality glowed with respect for everyone he's ever met, so why was he reducing his past loves to just their job title?

“Oh… No, I haven’t ever… dated anyone before. Their names really were all Barbie, their careers were just how we’d all tell the difference when we were talking about them. I know things are different here. Even you – you’re not named Barbie.”

You blinked at him. He knew you didn’t believe him, and it showed on his face, like he wanted so badly to just take your hand and introduce you to everyone. His genuineness was hard to pass over, but seriously? All of them were named Barbie? It didn’t make sense. And you supposed it didn’t have to. What did it matter – he lived here now, didn’t he?

“It’s okay, Ken. Maybe I can meet them one day.”

His ears pricked at that, stuffing that idea aside for later. It was Summertime, after all. Doesn’t everyone go on vacation for Summer?

“Mmhm, I can take you!”

It was like he was trying not to fist-pump. He was always so animated. It was one of the very first things you noticed about him. “Anyways… I made dinner. I figured you’d be hungry after working so hard.”

He stepped into his (tiny) dining area and for the first time, you got a good look at him. His house was kind of a lot – so much so that it had sort of overshadowed him, but as he stood there, the golden evening light from the window washing over him, you wondered how it had taken you so long to notice.

He stood tall in the archway, wearing a gray pullover sweater, one you’d get at a university (but it had the Barbie logo embroidered on it). Light jeans were cuffed enough to show off his socks. He had swapped the usual white crew-style for patterned ones with little jellyfish all over them. His face was glowing in front of you and you felt yourself just wanting to leap towards him. He looked so cozy and soft and kind and handsome and –

“I’m not sure what you like with it so I just kind of made everything…”

You looked over his shoulder to see a rather extensive display of food. Still simple, though, nothing too extravagant, but it was clear he had put a lot of thought into everything.

Most of his dishes were plastic (and heart-shaped) but you found that rather charming. He had made the same lunch your mom had made growing up, the one you had told him about just days before when he asked you what you’d be doing right now if you could be anywhere in the world.

“Probably back home, but I’ve got rent to pay so I can’t travel for the Summer if it's longer than a day trip.”

You remembered him looking so sad, like he was going to cry. The two of you were taking your lunch breaks together, as you did most days. You snacked while he drew horses with crayons on a napkin. He said he wasn’t hungry and that his head was hurting (probably because of the alcohol he’d ordered for the first time on your study date the night before). His cheek was squished, resting on his fist as he scribbled away, very focused.

“What would you do at home?”

“Have lunch with my mom at the kitchen table, soup and sandwiches. All the best things always happen at the kitchen table.”

His face furrowed and scrunched as he put his whole heart into his drawing. His tongue even poked out a few times before he proudly showed it off to you.

“My art teacher wants to put these in the gallery this weekend! She told me that my drawings perfectly capture the nostalgia of childhood, but I don’t know what those words mean.”

You looked at him now, standing in front of you in his tiny little house, having prepared all of this just for you, remembering and holding on to everything you had passively told him. It was nearly maddening how kind he was – like you were just waiting for the other shoe to drop at any moment. There had to be a catch. There was no way this guy was real.

He pulled a (baby blue) chair out, allowing you to sit first. You thanked him for putting all this work in, but he shrugged it off like it was nothing. It was like he was created just to serve the people around him. Even the girls at work that were mean to him – he’d pick up their shifts the second they didn’t feel like coming in and he spoke so highly of them, noting how they’d helped him to get the hang of his job. If only you could figure out this whole Barbie real-world thing, maybe you’d understand him a little better, but right now it all just seemed a little ridiculous – both the stories of his hometown and his chivalrous behavior. There was no way he was real. You’d pinch yourself to see if you’re dreaming, but that didn’t work the last twenty times, so really there’s no point.

Seriously, though. What was his deal? You liked him so much – it just snuck up on you. You weren’t looking to be with anyone but you just couldn’t figure him out, and maybe you didn’t want to. Every guy you’d known had some bizarre at the least or toxic at the worst trait that came up eventually and you so desperately wanted him to be different. Now was as good a time as any to get it over with, rip the bandaid off, and be free of this false hope.

“Hey, Ken…”

“Hmm?”

His mouth was full but he looked up at you immediately with a great intensity, like he was so concerned to make sure you were alright. His eyelashes fluttered as he blinked at you, waiting (literally) on the edge of his seat. The seats were too small for him. He kind of towered over most of the things in his house, actually. It was like this was a little dollhouse and he had barely begun to outgrow it.

“What’s with all of the Barbie and Ken stuff?”

He just looked at you, confused at your question.

You sighed.

“I mean, you always say Barbies and Kens instead of just saying women and men. And you always talk about how this… place, this world, is different from your own. I really like you and I’m really trying to understand it but I just don’t get it.”

He blinked at you, brows furrowing as he nearly choked on his food and tried to gather some sort of answer that wouldn’t further confuse you.

“You… you like me?”

You realized what you had said just moments before. It came as a shock to the both of you. You did like him. You liked him so much it was starting to annoy you, actually.

You nodded, frustrated, like you were searching for some sort of explanation that wouldn’t further confuse him.

“I do, I like you a lot. I think about you all the time, you’re so silly I just love being around you, you’re ridiculously handsome it’s actually absurd, you’re so good at your job and so kind and you try so hard in school, I love your drawings, I love eating lunch with you, I just love… you. All of you”

You watched as his lip quivered. He had been trying to hold it in all evening but he just couldn't anymore.

“You like me?!”

He bit down on the inside of his lip to stop the shaking.

“I like you! And I’ve been wanting to tell you for so long but I’ve just never felt this way and… And I just feel like I never know what I’m doing. This place is so different than back home and I always want to take some initiative to show you how I feel but I’m just scared I’m going to bother you and that didn’t work back home and it’s so weird having my own house and–”

He sighed, looking up at you.

“This world – this place is so hard to live in.”

You watched the look on his face. It’s the same face he makes when things get a little too overwhelming. You had seen it before, most recently after he walked right in to a sliding glass door, despreately trying to convince you that they just don’t have those where he’s from. Some things like that are just hard for him.

You nodded, placing a hand on his.

“This place is hard to live in. I’ve felt that way my whole life. Like I don’t really fit anywhere and everyone around me knows what they’re doing except me.”

He nodded so desperately, like you were the first person to ever really understand him.

“But… Ken, if this place is so hard to live in, why did you come here? And why did you stay?”

“I came here to figure out why I did what I did.”

There it was. He answered so quickly, like he had been waiting to tell you this since he met you. You knew it was coming sooner or later. There was no way he was as kind as he seemed, and he was about to tell you about some insane or horrible or creepy or despiciable thing he did to some poor girl before skipping town to ‘find himself’. You’d heard it all before.

“I really liked this girl back home and she didn’t feel the same way. Not even like she didn’t like me, she just… it was like I was a bother to her, and I was. I waited for her to show up everywhere I’d go and I just wanted her to like me too, but not even romantically. Just like me, as a person, respect me, acknowledge me, validate me, reject me even. She didn’t even do that, she just…”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. Your jaw tightened, waiting to hear him say something he couldn’t ever take back.

“Anyways… I didn’t mind that she didn’t like me, truly. I just hadn’t ever really thought about it before. Like we were meant to be together, but not in a good way – like it was planned and I couldn’t escape it. It was Barbie and Ken, there was no Just Ken.”

Again, as bizarre as this whole Barbie and Ken thing was, his tone of voice was incredibly convincing.

“But there is just Ken. I am Ken – and that’s it, that's good, but I didn’t know what that meant or who I was without spending my days just pining for her. After all that she came here to the real world and I wanted to as well. I didn’t come for her, I came for me. And I stayed for you.”

He was crying now, tears slowly falling from his eyes, like he had been waiting for ages to find the words to explain all of this.

“I mean… I came here to study. The first time I visited I learned about Patriarchy–”

“The patriarchy.”

“Right, the patriarchy, and I felt respected and seen, but I didn’t really get it. I tried to figure it out, I really did, but I couldn’t even do beach here and I kept getting arrested and I just... I just felt worse and worse so I…”

His lower lip was really shaking now, like he had done something unforgivable.

“I came home without Barbie and I let her get kidnapped by Mattel and I told all the Kens about what I saw and… and–”

He was holding back actual sobs.

“And I turned her dream house into a mojo dojo casa house for Kens only and I made Barbieland into Kendom Land Land of the Men and I made her listen to me play the guitar for, like, ever and ever and I just feel so bad about it all.”

He took a shaky breath in, still clearly upset about everything.

“But she was so nice to me about it when we finally talked. And then she came here, so I did too. I signed up for school so I could figure out why I did that and how to help other people realize what they’re feeling before they do something like that too. I know it was wrong and really mean, but I can also see that I was sad and I just liked her and I felt invisible and I didn’t even have a house.”

He didn’t even have a house?

“But now I do have a house! And I love learning about Beach and horses but what I really want is to do everything I can to help other people understand why this system doesn’t work, no matter who’s in charge. It didn’t work in Barbieland and it surely doesn’t work here either. It’s all ridiculous and it benefits no one, including those in power. It’s not fair, to guys or girls, to you, even. You can’t even go home during Summer because they barely pay you as much as they pay me just because you’re a girl, and I just started! You trained me! It’s absurd!”

None of this was making any sense logically, but emotionally, all of it tracked. You felt the same way. You came here to understand the unhealthy behaviors in yourself and to try to help fix the system any way you could.

“I love my house so much. I’m doing everything I can to figure out how I did something so crazy to all of the Barbies, but I won’t let it make me cynical or cold or mean anymore. I love being alive and even though people make fun of me for crying or blushing too much or asking stupid questions, I love being alive. I know it’s silly, but I love it, I love all of it. Every time you compliment me or help me with something or show me something new I just feel like I’m gonna explode. I don’t understand it, but I never even felt this way about Barbie – I don’t even know if I liked her, really, I think I was just programmed to act like it. I love seeing the older people that come in to work, they love each other so much and I just… I want that. That’s real and I want something real. I want more than a long-term long-distance low-commitment casual girlfriend bride-wife – I want what I see every day here. Like my friend Gloria and her groom-husband and everyone we see at work and at school. You know how people come into the diner every day – literally every day! – just to eat together? And hold hands? And look at each other for so long and just talk and laugh? I have no idea what that’s like, but I want to know so bad. I want to have that. And I want you to have that – even if it’s not with me! Even if you don’t feel the same way, you deserve a good groom-husband more than anyone I’ve ever met, it's absurd that no one is taking care of you!”

He sighed, closing his eyes.

“Sorry, what I’m, trying to say is, I just… I don’t understand it but all I want to do is spend time with you. I tried to ask some people at school what to do about... this feeling but their answers were so mean, like you were an object I was entitled to just take for myself. I tried to ask our coworkers but they told me you wouldn’t like me anyways and I believed them. I just… I don’t want to be... patriarchal about it and I have no idea what I’m doing.”

A quiet fell over the place. You watched as little dust bunnies glittered around him. He had soup on his shirt.

“Ken, I… I don’t know what to say.”

You smiled, letting out a gentle laugh. He laughed too. You had been holding your breath at everything he was saying, a blush creeping over your ears. He was blushing too, mostly at himself for going off a little, but also at you. He could stare at you for hours. Most days he’s telling himself not to, straining his eyes away from you at work. His heart just ached when you spoke so kindly to customers or your coworkers or him. Gosh, when you spoke to him. He just melted every time, turning away from you as quickly as possible so you wouldn’t see him fall apart, just bashful.

“I think you know exactly what you’re doing. And you’re damn good at it, too. If you’d asked me I’d say you’re the most experienced human I know.”

Relief was painted on his face, a sense of calm falling over the two of you like a gentle, quiet snowfall. You really were the only one that understood him, but moreover, he was the only one that understood you.

“I don’t know what I’m doing either, Ken. I don’t think anyone does. Everyone is just pretending, I promise. I watch the way those same couples spend their days just… existing together. It’s like they don’t have a care in the world when they’re next to each other and I feel that way when I’m with you. I also don’t know what I’m doing, but I can learn. We can learn. We can figure it out. And I don’t really understand the Barbies or Kens or Real World stuff you’re talking about most days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show me.”

He looked so simple, sat right in front of you, and you watched as he smiled – like all of a sudden he wasn’t so confused anymore.

“Do you know how to roller-blade?”

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀⋆˚✿˖°⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

#ken #<3 #kenergy #barbie #ken x reader #just ken

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dumblilb · 1 year ago

Text

SUMMERTIME SADNESS

Jeremiah Fisher x Fem!Reader

(Summary: ~ Think I'll miss you forever. Like the stars miss the sun in the morning sky ~

No place in the world ever felt more like home to Y/n Rowe than Cousins beach. Sure it was a beautiful place, but it was more to do with the people. Her and her mother spent every summer since she was brought home with the Fishers and the Conklins. It was her favorite time of year.

But this year felt different. Everything felt more intense. She was finally comfortable in her skin. And that meant maybe, just maybe, Jeremiah Fisher might actually notice her.)

(Warnings: none for this chapter besides some underage drinking and insecure thoughts)

(Words: 4074)

* ・゚☆ 。・ * ・゚★ 。・ * ・゚☆ * ・゚☆ 。

Chapter 1:

I loved cousins beach. Maybe even more than home. But then again it never feels quite like home without the fishers and the conklins. Me and my mother have been staying with them at cousins beach since before I could remember. It was my favorite part of the year. It suck’s being so far from your best friends. So the months between June and august we have to make the most of it. Me and belly would call sporadically throughout the school year but the weeks leading up to cousins whe faced times every single night. Planning outfits and talking about what we would do all summer.

And well, the fisher boys. It was painfully obvious how much belly liked Conrad. I remember the day I squeezed the information out of her. Literally. We were in her room two summers ago and it was late. We had been messing around playing dress up in some clothes I stole from my mom when I bring it up.

“Belly I swear I know who you like.”

“No you don’t.” She says looking in the floor length mirror giggling.

“Yes I do.” I say jumping to her shoulders with a hug. She squealed

As we fell to the bed.

“Who then?” She laughs squinting her eyes.

“CONRA-“ I say loudly before she puts her hands over my mouth.

“STOP! Be quiet.” She whispers eyeing the door hoping the boy didn’t her me from down the hall.

“I knew it.” I say muffled from under her fingers. I wrap my arms around her squeezing her in a big hug causing her to let my mouth go.

“That’s so cute! I knew it!” I smile. She just rolls her eyes with a big blush across her cheeks.

“Fine, fine. I like conrad. But you can’t tell anyone.” She said looking me dead in the eyes.

“Pinky promise.” I grin softly.

“Pinky promise.” She says wrapping hers around mine.

“Plus I promise not to tell anyone you like Jeremiah.” She giggles causing a loud gasp to leave my lips.

Sitting in the car on the way to cousins always brings up memories like that. Maybe it’s the nerves that get built up to see him. Would he notice me that way this summer? Did he look better than the year before? It always clouded my mind on the road there. But then we would hit this place in the road where you could smell the sea so strong it would all fade away. And the excitement would flow back in.

We finally pull up to the house and I see Jeremiah and a soaking wet belly run out the door.

“Y/n!” Belly yells jumping into my arms. Getting me slightly wet in the process.

“Hi bells.” I muse with a wide smile.

“I missed the belly flop didn’t I?” I laugh and Jeremiah chuckles walking up to us.

“Oh yeah you did. But this time she got Conrad back.” He says and belly moves to the side letting him get a hug in.

“Missed you n/n.” He says squeezing me tight spinning us around.

“I missed you too Jere.” I say letting go. The feeling on his hands moving themselves from my waist to his sides making my cheeks heat up. Belly just smiles knowingly and then they both greet my mom, helping her with her bags. I start to get mine out when Susannah, Laurel, Steven, and Conrad walk outside.

“My beautiful girl. Look at you!” Susannah smiles as she walks up to me pilling me up in a warm hug. Sometimes the only thing in the world that can make me feel better is a hug from Susannah. She has this was of making you believe everything will be okay.

“I missed you so much.” I say holding her tight.

“My turn, my turn!” Laurel says and Susannah lets her get a hug.

“Ugh I’m so excited to be here with you guys.” I say and she pulls away fixing my hair.

“It’s so good to see you.” She smiles and they both turn to my mom. They all smile and embrace each other. It makes me wonder if us kids will be like them when we’re older. But I’m brought out of thought when I feel a hand aggressively messing up my hair.

“Hi Steven.” I say rolling my eyes.

“You know I’m gonna get pay back for last summer right.” He says with a glare that doesn’t reach the giant smile on his lips.

“Oh yeah I bet.” I smirk. Every summer me and Steven have a little prank war. Last year me and belly stole all of his clothes while he was in the shower and dumped them in the pool. The moms made us do laundry for a week after. But it was worth it.

He goes to say hi to my mom and Conrad comes up.

“You got taller.” He smiles.

“You didn’t.” I say smiling back causing him to laugh.

“Yeah yeah okay, I’m gonna got say hi to the nicer Rowe, before I’m all Rowe-ed out for the day.” He jokes and belly comes up to me.

“Let’s get your bags inside. I wanna get you all unpacked so we can hang out.” She says dragging me to the trunk of the car. We grab everything and head up to my room.

The light blue patterned wallpaper brings this sensation of calm everyone I walk in. It feels serene. My room back home is covered in posters, but here, here was a clean slate for my mind to breathe in every year.

Belly puts my bags on the bed and I open them up starting to unpack my clothes her putting away my makeup stuff.

“God I love all your makeup stuff it’s so pretty. I need to get better at it before I can go all out like this.” She smiles as I put a few shirts in the drawer.

“I’ll teach you don’t worry. Plus you’re so beautiful already makeup for you should just be fun.” I remark. She looks up at me with a blush.

“You’re just saying that.” She scoffs.

“No I’m serious bells. You’ve always had beauty don’t get me wrong, but you had a glow up this year.” I reassure and her smile grows.

“Well you’ve gotten more beautiful too. You just seem so comfortable in your skin this summer.” She says back. Nudging me with her hip.

I just thank her. She was half right. I definitely feel more confident in my self. But I’ll always feel insecure in this town. All the pretty girls on the beach will never fail to make me self conscious about what should be my so called ‘bikini body’. Or not being able to wear makeup to the beach when I’m having a breakout. But I’ve learned to ignore those thoughts as well as I can.

I’m a year older than belly. And I always feel like I have to hide those thoughts from her. Be a good example. She doesn’t need to find insecurities in herself because I’m complaining about mine.

“Hey let’s go to my room real quick I want to change out of these wet clothes.” She giggles pulling me out of thought.

“Oh yeah duh, let’s go.” I smile. “I wanna pick out your outfit though.” I smirk and she sighs.

“You’re so extra about this stuff.” She complains and I just laugh.

“I got a passion for fashion, what can I say.”

“Did you just quote bratz.” She giggles as I go through her drawers.

“And what if I did.” I smirk.

“You’re so-“ she starts to say when the door slams open.

“Hello ladies.” Jeremiah says jumping on belly’s bed.

“She could have been changing you dork.” I say throwing a pillow at him.

“You guys always lock the door when you change. I know you.” He says throwing the pillow.

“But anyways both of you do need to change. I’ve been waiting all day to go to the beach with you guys.”

“I- uh, told my mom me and y/n would go to whale of a tale.” She says and Jeremiah grabs junior mint making a sad face.”

“Please come swimming with me.” He says in this stupid baby voice.

“-I think she can go by herself.” Belly says and me and Jere share a big smile.

“YAY!” He exclaims getting up off the bed. He grabs my wrist pulling me to my room. Before I can say he shuts the door with me in it.

“Both of you go change!” He says and runs downstairs.

I pull out a bathing suit and head downstairs with my towel meeting Jere and belling in the back.

“Ready?” I ask and he turns to me. God his eyes were blue. They had a tack for making me forget what I was thinking about when I started speaking to him. They both say yes and we start walking but the whole walk all I could think of was how he got tanner this summer. And his hair looked fluffier than last. He had gotten taller too. He had to look down a little to make eye contacts. Which made my heart flutter.

“Hey. Did you know my dad's coming up for the Fourth?” Says belly making us look at her.

“Cool.” Jeremiah smiles.

“Yeah that’s great.” I say doing the same.

“Don't you think it's weird?” She asks.

“Not really. I love your dad.” Jere adds.

“Yeah, but they've only been divorced for, like, a year and a half.” She sighs.

“Well, that's what's so cool about your mom, you know? She just doesn't give a shit.” He says.

“Exactly. She doesn't give a sh¡t because she's the one who wanted the divorce in the first place.” She continues.

“Forever grateful I’m adopted. I never have to deal with men. It sounds exhausting.” I giggle and they both join in.

“I think if you don't want to be married, you just shouldn't be married.” Jere says and I nod.

“It’s better for everyone involved.”

“Well, tell that to my grandma. She basically collapsed when my mom told her. Did you know my dad has a new girlfriend already?” She chuckles.

“Well, what about your mom? Is she dating anybody?” Jere asks.

“No. Oh, and he has a beard now.” She laughs.

“Oh yeah?” I say.

“Your dad has a beard?” Jere says with a confused face.

“Yeah. He thinks it makes him look cool.” She sighs.

“Well, does it?” I ask.

“Kind of.” She snorts.

“I've waited all year for this.” I say loudly as we get to the water.

“You want to race?” Jere asks us.

“No, no, I can't, you...” belly starts to say then runs towards the water leaving us behind.

“Oh that is just not fair.” I say and start running too.

“Oh, come on. Wait up!” Jere yells and chases us. He quickly catches up to me grabbing me and spinning me around.

“If I can’t be first I’ll be second.” He smiles. “SORRY N/N” he continues and bolts for the water. I just kinda stand there for a second in a daze. The heat from his body goes just as quickly as it came leaving me in shock. I’ve always had a crush on the younger fisher brother. But for some reasons this year it felt stronger. Maybe it’s because I finally feel pretty enough in my own skin. Maybe he’ll notice me.

Jeremiah fisher is the biggest flirt in cousins. He’s had multiple summer flings for the past few years. But I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to be someone he forgets about in the fall. And maybe being friends is the only way that can happen. But a girl can dream.

We all head back to the house for dinner. Getting changed into dry clothes and seated at the table.

“Steven, I swear to God, if you look at that phone one more time, I'm putting it in the screen basket.” Laurel says scolding her oldest child.

“It's just, we want to see your beautiful faces. Can dinner be a screen-free zone? You know, like the olden days.” Susannah smiles with a small chuckle at her own joke.

“Steven.” Laurel repeats. Jeremiah takes his phone from his hands and throws it into the basket.

“Dude, are you kidding me?” Steven exclaims.

“Boom! Nailed it.” Jere says flexing.

“Okay, okay, okay, we get it, you've been working out.” Steven complains.

“Oh, you're just jealous because Jere has a better body than you.” I say nonchalant but quickly look up to see Jere looking at me with a pleasantly surprised look on his face.

“Thank you n/n. You’re pretty bodacious yourself.” He says quoting ‘bill and teds excellent adventure.’ I made him watch it with me last year and he hasn’t stopped sending me stupid texts quoting it since. I just roll my eyes with a small smile, saying thank you.

“Uh, no, actually, it's all about the lean look now. Otherwise, you can't wear tailored suits.” Steven defends.

“Sure, sure.” Belly says.

“Tailored suits.” Conrad laughs.

“When are you leaving for training camp, man?” Steven asks him.

“Uh, he quit football.” Jere says.

“Wh... Wait, really? You quit?” Steven asks.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Are you kidding me, man? I'd-I'd kill to play college ball.” Steven continues.

“He can always change his mind.” Susannah butts in.

“I'm not gonna change my mind. I was just gonna sit on the bench all season anyways.” Conrad says getting annoyed.

“Well, if you're not playing football anymore, what are you gonna do all summer?” Belly asks.

“Oh, dude, you can work at the club. with me and Jere.” Steven says.

“Yeah. I'm not gonna work at the club.” Conrad scoffs.

“Wait, you guys are working this summer?” I ask.

“Yeah, I'm lifeguarding, and Steven's working at the snack shop.” Jere says doing a lil hand shake with Steven.

“Oh, Belly, Y/n, I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you.” Susannah says taking out two white invitations.

“So, this is why you had to stop by the country club.” My mom says. And Laurel shakes her head.

“I wrangled Belly and y/n an invitation to be a debutante.” Susannah exclaims.

“Is that the thing where the girls wear white dresses and curtsy?” Belly asks.

“It's when a girl comes of age and is presented to society. I-I know it sounds silly, but I swear it's fun. Girls come from all over New England to Cousins just to be a part of it. You'll make so many new friends.” Susannah defends.

“I cannot believe you are still holding on to this archaic dream.” My mom laughs.

“No, it used to be about finding a husband, but now it's about networking. They teach you leadership skills, like how to market yourself, and it benefits charity. It's, um, like a bat mitzvah.” Susannah continues.

“It is not like a bat mitzvah. There is nothing religious about a debutante ball.” Laurel scoffs.

“The whole deb scene is bullshit. It's for sheep.” Conrad says.

“No, it's not. It's when a girl has a coming out, it's a formal recognition she's reached maturity.” Susannah continues.

“Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. Mature?” Steven says surprised.

“Yes.”

“Belly and Y/n?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“A-a couple months ago you had a cat funeral. You made us all wear black.” Steven exclaims flabbergasted.

“Shut up, Steven. I saw you crying in your room.” Belly recoils.

“Wait, Mochi died? Dang. I'm sorry, Bells.” Jere says a sympathetic expression taking his features.

“Girls. Don't you want to get all dressed up?” Susannah asks hopeful.

“It's just not Belly's kind of thing. She's our feral little alley cat.” Laurel says. My mom already knows I’ll say yes. I like dressing up. Meeting new people isn’t my favorite thing but if it’s with belly I’ll do it.

Belly looks to me and I smile softly causing her to do the same and look back to Susannah.

“I'll think about it.” She says.

“She'll think about it.” Says Susannah to Laurel happily.

We finish up dinner and I head up to my room. After a few minutes I hear a knock at my door. Jere cracks it open and I invite him in.

“Hey, there’s a bonfire tonight. I already asked your mom and she said you could go. Get dressed.” He says flopping down on my bed next to me.

“What my pajamas aren’t bonfire ready enough for you.” I say turning to him.

“They are, but I know you. Go pick out a cute little outfit. And let’s go.” He says booping my nose and walking out of my room.

Sometimes I hate how right he is.

I pick out a dress and put on my leather jacket. It gets cold at the beach during the night. I slide on my shoes and head to the door to the back yard.

“Ooo y/n give us a twirl.” Jeremiah says with a smile as I walk up and I laugh doing a small 360 for him and Steven.

“Okay let’s go!” Steven says and we walk out the back door.

“First bonfire of the summer!” jere says loudly.

“All right, we're totally taking my car. You're not driving.” Jere says pointing to steven.

“Come on, man, we're leaving. You ready?” Steven says to Conrad who is sitting at the edge of the pool talking to belly.

“Can I come, too?” She asks.

“Uh, no. The moms are getting everything set up for your movie night.” Steven says.

“See you. Let's go, slowpoke. Have fun with the moms!” Jere says.

“Hey why can’t belly come?” I ask but the boys start walking away.

“Come on y/n.” They say not stopping.

“I’m sorry. I’ll take you out a different night. Just us girls.” I say to belly heading to the car.

We get to the bonfire and I thought I would be hanging out with them but they all dispersed and left me alone. Steven is flirting with this girl and Conrad is already making out with someone. Jere has a group of like four people fawning over his attention. I’m not a big drinker so I just kinda chill by the fire. Till I decide to go walk closer to the water. I needed to get the sight of Jeremiah flirting with other people out of my head.

I loved the ocean. Well. To be honest I loved the shore. The part of the water that you can still see your feet in when you look down.

The first time I realized I liked Jeremiah we were sitting on the shore. We were 12 and we sat covered in wet sand digging for sand crabs. He had found one and told me to put my hands out. He put it and a small pile of sand onto my palms and put his forehead to mine to block the sun. We sat there and watched it dig around. Legs crisscross and knees together. His eyes met mine for a second and he had the biggest smile of his face. That was the first moment I understood what people meant when they said they got butterflies in their stomachs.

I shook the memory out of my head and started walking back to the bonfire. It was getting too cold. When I got there though I saw belly. And she was talking with some guy. They looked cute together so I just left them alone. Till I hear Conrad fighting with some guy.

“What's your problem, man?”

“It's one beer. It's a party. Relax.”

“No, give me my beer back. I paid for this.”

“Stop, stop. You're drunk. Just give him the beer.” The girl Conrad was with says.

“Maybe you should listen to your lady.”

“Stop. You're drunk.”

“No. I'm fine. I'm fine. Give me the beer back.” Conrad argues.

“You guys, you guys, you guys.” Belly says walking up to them just as it’s about to get physical. She gets elbowed in the face by the guy Conrad was arguing with.

“Belly.” Conrad says concerned.

“Guys. What the hell.” I say running to help belly up.

“What the fսck is wrong with you?” Conrad says to the guy.

“Are you okay?” Jere says coming up to belly.

“Come on, big man, come on.“ the guy says still egging Conrad on.

“Quit being a dick.” I yell at the guy.

“COPS!” Some kid yells and lights start flashing. We all run to the jeep and climb in. I look around and notice I dropped my phone.

“Fuck I lost my phone I’ll be right back.” I say.

“I’ll help you look.” Jere says.

We trace back our steps and find it.

“Shit this thing is gonna be full of sand for weeks.” I complain and he laughs.

“It’ll be fine don’t worry about it- hey is that Steven?” He asks and we look over.

“Steven hurry up!” I yell and he runs over.

“Sorry I was saying goodbye.”

“Oooh Steven got a girlfriend-“ I start to say goofing around with him till we get to the jeep and see the cops talking to belly and Conrad. Fuck.

We get escorted home and Laurel takes care of it.

“Officers, thank you. It won't happen again, I can promise you that much.”she says.

“Tell Mr. Fisher the chief wants to set up a tee time when he gets back in town.” The officer says.

“Absolutely. Sorry again for all the trouble. Have a good night, Officers.” Laurel says and shuts the door turning to us with disappointed look.

“How could you guys be so irresponsible?”

“Mom, it wasn't a big deal. All right?” Belly says.

“Seriously. The cops were just looking to break up the bonfire.” Steven says.

“Not a big deal? Yes. I would say getting picked up by the cops for underage drinking is a pretty big deal, Steven.” She says letting out a scoff.

“Were-were you guys, you guys smoking tonight?” Conrad asks and my jaw drops. Why is he being such a douchebag.

“What? Keep your voice down. Susannah and Kate are asleep on the couch.” Laurel says panicked.

“Well, I wasn't yelling.” He continues.

“Well, you-you-you were.”

“Just so you know, Laurel, I-I didn't drink tonight. I was the DD, I swear.” Jere reassured her. But she doesn’t care.

“You're the oldest. What the hell's gotten into you?” She says to Conrad.

“And when did you leave the house without telling anybody? And what in the world are you wearing?” She says looking to belly.

“It's Taylor's. And why am I the only one who's not allowed to go out?” She asks.

“It's not that you're not allowed, it's that you should have told us you were going. How did you even get there?” Laur says concerned.

“I walked.”

“Jesus. You know better than to walk that far down the beach alone late at night.”

“Can you stop treating me like a kid?” Belly pleads.

“If you want to be treated like an adult, you need to act like one.”

“Then maybe you guys should, too.” Conrad says digging himself in deeper.

“What does that mean? I hope you realize this night could have ended a lot differently if your family wasn't your family.” She says to the boys.

“We're sorry, Laur.” I say.

“Just... go to bed, guys.” She says sighing and we all walk upstairs.

Im about to get ready for bed when I feel arms wrap around me from the back.

“Jere go to bed.” I say shaking my head.

“Im so happy you’re here.” He says letting go and I smile.

“Why.”

“Cause me and you are doing another movie night soon.” He says.

“Oh yeah?” I questions.

“Yeah and it’s my turn to pick.” He says. “Be prepared to be stollen from belly one of these nights.” He continues and leaves the room only to crack the door open one last time.

“Good night n/n.”

“Good night Jere.” I say and he shuts the door.

I get ready for bed and climb under the covers. As I’m falling asleep all I can think about is his arms wrapped around me.

This summer was going to be great.

#jeremiah fisher #jeremiah fisher x reader #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp #tsitp season 1 #tsitp x you #tsitp x reader #tsitp jeremiah #belly conklin #conrad fisher #susannah fisher #laurel park #steven conklin

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grapejuicestyless · 1 year ago

Note

can you do a conrad fic based off the song i know you by faye webster?? angst to fluff? love youuuuu

I Know You.

Conrad Fisher x fem!reader

flangst

summery: As the years went on, it became more apparent to Conrad of his and Y/n’s two year age gap. As he spends his last summer before college in a downward spiral. His mother, his father. But most important, the inevitable end of summer. Where he will go off to college and she will stay in high school.

Summer was always my favorite time of the year. The sand between your toes, the sunshine warming your scalp. Even in the sweltering heat, the summer temperatures only made the cool ocean water more desirable. More than that, it was the season of Conrad Fisher.

We’d met when I was only seven. He was nine, back when his hair was still shorter and his glasses weren’t collecting dust on his bedside table, but instead sat clean on the bridge of his nose. My parents had decided to finally buy the small beach house that had been on the market for almost a year. It was always my mom’s dream to live down by the water, so my father had been saving for it just so maybe one day, they could retire by the water, like the old couples do in the cheesy movies. The house that they bought that day sat neatly beside the Fishers beach house. Nothing but a wooden fence to separate the two backyards and a line of bushes in the front.

The first summer down, it was cold. Already, I had kicked and cried about leaving my friends for so long. Both new and old, all with the fear that they would leave and find better friends in my absence. Now, on top of my already distaste of the distance from our home, the sky was gloomy and the temperature refused to surpass the high sixties. It rained almost everyday, and when it wasn’t raining, it was about to.

It stayed that way for a week, the same week I spent inside, curled up in my room and looking out the window anxiously. I wanted to swim, at least. I wanted to run in the grass and I wanted to do everything my mother promised. I missed my friends and I missed my bed. Summer wasn’t summer to me.

Then, one morning, the sun came out. The cold front moved out and an intense heat suddenly took over. The mid eighties seemed like a dream. I could feel the sweat on the back of my neck sticking to my hair. My shirt sleeves were rolled up and my cheeks were burned. I spent the whole morning running around and playing pretend. I didn’t need anything in that moment but the surrounding joys of the summertime weather that had finally came. I was so caught up in this that I didn’t see the football go hurling over the fence.

“Hey!” His voice was much higher pitched then, he was just a boy. But it still scared me. It was loud, sudden. It made me jump. When I turned to face where the sound came from, he looked apologetic, but he never apologized. He was gripping onto the fence so hard, it was obvious he was either on his tip toes or not touching the ground at all.

I stared at him like an idiot, stuck in place, piecing together the context clues. I understood now that he was my neighbor. I waved shyly then, not wanting to be rude, and he waved back, still gripping the edge of the fence with one hand.

“I lost my ball, could you throw it over?” I was suddenly aware of the brown football by my foot. He pointed at it until I looked.

Slowly, I picked it up to show him. For some reason I felt nervous, unsure. He nodded, his smile never fading. Even then he had the kindest eyes, the warmest smile.

“I don’t know how.” I confessed. I knew how to paint, I could ride a bike. I was a quick runner and I could out-spell anyone in my second grade class. But I never learned how to throw a football. My dad had never taken the time to toss a ball around with me like he had once promised my mother to do. So, I never bothered to learn either.

“What?” He questioned.

“I don’t know how.” I repeated, unmoving.

“You don’t know how to throw a football?” He laughed, but he wasn’t making fun of me. It was almost like he couldn’t believe someone could lack such a skill!

“Thats what I said.” I held it with both hands, looking at the lacing while I spun in around in my palms.

“I can teach you!” He said, a little too enthusiastically.

“What?” I questioned him this time.

“I can teach you! I play football, let me teach you!” He persisted, adjusting himself on the fence so he could hang there for longer.

When I didn’t move he continued to beg. He begged and begged until finally I walked over the the gate that resided between the sides of our homes. It was rusted and hard to open, but it budged eventually and once I was over, I could see him fully.

He wore a blue baseball tee and athletic shorts. His glasses were fogging up from the heat and his hair was collecting sweat along his hairline.

That day, we didn’t leave the confinements of that yard until his mom, that I now know as Susannah, called for him to come inside for dinner. When he begged both his mom and I to stay for dinner, neither of us put up any fight. He called dibs to sit at the end of the table so he could sit beside me, and when dinner was served he gathered my plate for me so I wouldn’t feel awkward.

That night, he and Belly, who I met at dinner because she was to my right side, and who was also my age, begged again to let me stay over for the night. Susannah was unsure, not wanting to worry my parents too much. The next morning, he was knocking on my front door bright and early. He claimed we still had more to learn, but we spent the entire day down by the beach with his surf board and buckets for sandcastles. Suddenly, with Conrad beside me, I didn’t mind being so far from home anymore. Summer became summer.

Kicking the sand as I went, my footsteps left a trail of divots on the beach, marking where we had already been. The sun was just peaking over the horizon now. The air hadn’t gathered the usual summer humidity levels yet. It was the perfect time to be down here. Yet, today the waves were flat and the tide was too far out to really enjoy it. Regardless, Conrad and I always came down. No matter what.

It was one of the many traditions we’d gathered over the years. The yearly made up games became calming walks. The burning passion and competitiveness between us still burned, but in other ways. Our early morning enthusiasm never dimmed, it simply shinned for something else.

It was silent between us, but not awkward. Usually during this time we would talk about everything we missed. Though we practically slept in the same bed each night during the summer, his home in Boston and my families apartment in New York was much too far apart for us to constantly be together.

We would talk about school, our dreams, our friends and family. We still did all of that, but I couldn’t help but notice how he spoke less and less of his friends and more and more about us, Brown, and his mom.

Part of me worried for him, honestly. He called me just a few months ago. He had decided to quit football. I was shocked. How had Conrad, a boy with more passion for the sport than anyone I knew, somehow lost all the burning desire for it? Not only that, but it was that passion that brought us together in the first place. It was foolish to have been so caught up on the news, it was inevitable that we would’ve met. But part of me wondered if it would have been the same. I couldn’t help but wonder if his sudden disappearance from his clubs and sports made him drift away from them.

I still remember the call, when he told me everything. His deepest secrets, the ones that he kept from his own blood. When I laid down my concerns for him, how blandly he had stated it. I needed to know if there was something that happened. Something had to have happened. Conrad brushed it off then, he told me he had grown up and grew out of it. I knew that was a lie. He was just raving about it last summer. How excited he was to be back on the field. He described the the Friday night lights as the closest feeling to the summer sun he would ever be in the colder months. Something had happened.

So, when the line went silent, I reminded him of how he could run circles around anyone he wanted, but not me.

“Conrad,” I had started, “I know you.” And he knew what I meant. It was like I was watching him crumble beneath my fingers, even if I couldn’t see his face. He told me about his fathers infidelity, his mothers resistance towards freeing herself from their relationship. More than that, now that he was a senior, the reality of moving away for school was a looming storm cloud scaring him. But he never mentioned the loss of his friends.

“Hows Brett and Johnny?” I asked, suddenly aware that the farther we got down the beach, the less we had to say. We already covered it all over the phone, too eager to wait this year. It felt wrong, so I dug in the one blind spot this year.

“Oh…uh, I don’t really talk to them anymore.” He said is so casually, scratching at the back of his head. I expected to be partly right, but not right on the money. I stopped in my tracks, confused.

“What? No! Brett and Johnny?” Drifting away from childhood best friends is inevitable in most cases. The interests you share as children develop into passions and mature hobbies that often differ from one another. You are led down another path, but the kind smile they give you in the hallway during passing period reminds you how close you once were. You chat in the classes you have together and you catch up every so often.

“Yeah.” He took a deep breath like he was going to continue, but he didn’t. He stopped himself, he never stopped himself. Especially when it came to Brett and Johnny. His pals, his buddies!

He used to talk my ear off about them every summer! Begged Susannah to let them come with him. He told me of everything they did during the school year and he taught me their schoolyard games and we made the same stupid bets. It was a boyish love, I was so sure they would be the ones to stick together.

“I’m sorry.” I felt like it was my fault, somehow. When I connected the dots, his fathers affairs, his mothers giving heart, his brothers attitudes, his never ending stresses, I was left with a scribble of nothing. Just lines that resemble something that should mean something, but don’t. His friends wouldn’t leave him for something so small. I was missing something. I knew it.

He stopped himself, he was tense. He couldn’t even look at me. I wanted to slap it in his face that I knew something was missing, something bigger. I knew him. But the look in his eyes he hid almost completely behind his gentle gaze warned me not to push. If I unsurfaced it, he might not survive. So I let him hold back, just this once. I hope the squint in my eyes assured him I still, couldn’t have circles ran around me. I could simply read the room.

The longer summer progressed, the quieter Conrad got. It wasn’t just his friends that lacked in conversation. It was everything. He walked beside me more often than not with his head down and his hands in his pockets. He never talked about school, or his mom. He never asked about me anymore, what we should do. He lacked any ability to care, it seemed.

His eyebrows are forever furrowed. That kind smile replaced with an empty expression. During the day he was uninterested in every way. He never participated, never cared enough to even try. Yet, when night rolls around and I slip in through the window, I’m his again. He doesn’t really speak like he used to. We don’t laugh hardly enough. But he reaches his arms out just the same, and welcomes me into his bed. And when he thinks I’m asleep, I catch him pulling me in just a little bit harder than before.

I can’t help but wonder where it really started. I think back on it, and the first signs were all there. So small it was hard to know if it was really him changing or if he was just growing. Quitting football, losing his friends. Losing his father, in some sense.

But every time I try I always see that same look in his eyes. The one warning me not to push. The one that forced me to listen.

It wasn’t like he was being cold towards me. But there was an obvious difference in our nature. Shorter walks, longer wake ups. He was tired, and now so was I. But not of him, never of him.

“Conrad?” I asked in the silence. His room was darker now that he had ditched his nightlight all those years ago. The moon didn’t quite illuminate it the same as the glowing yellow did. I felt his body next to mine, his arms hovering over my body. His breathing was steady and his body unmoving other than the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

“I wish you would tell me what’s going on with you. I just want to help.” I sighed, under my breath. It was so quiet, even the waves in the distance seemed louder. I spoke this way just incase he was awake, in case he was lying. I never really knew anymore. He might as well have been sleepwalking these past few weeks.

When a silent pause passed, I understood there would be no response. He wouldn’t open up, and there would be no resolve. Conrad was and will always be my best friend. He’ll come around, I knew it. He had to. I doubt myself just a little when I remember his resistant look and unwavering attitude. I begin to think that it’s me. I have lost that special spot in Conrad that made him feel like he could always be as vulnerable as he wanted with me. I am not enough. I begin to think the day he comes back to me will never come, and he will be off to college with his new life and forget all about the girl who learned how to find his favorite constellations by heart just so they could point and laugh all summer about how they drifted quickly across the sky.

“Conrad!” I called out. My feet his the sand harshly. The uneven surface sinking quicker the harder my feet hit only slowed me down. My outstretched arms would never be enough.

He was already up the steep hill. Nearly crossing through the hedges and over the fence to his backyard. He was a storm. Untamed and wild. His fists clenched, not from anger but frustration. The sound of the bonfire faded into the distance, and my lungs were hot and sticky with smoke and the salt air.

“Conrad, stop!” I yelled again, straddling the fence clumsily. With an extra hop I barely cleared it having no time to gain any composure when splitting it.

Finally, the speed of my legs compared to his long strides balanced, and my hand was close enough to grab at him. He didn’t spin, but I could see the bruises on his knuckles and the radiating heat from his clothes. He was hot, worked up too. I just needed to see him, finally pry him open.

“Conrad, whats going on with you?” I begged for him to tell me. I wasn’t at all disgusted with him, I held no judgement. But it would’ve been so much easier to defend him if I had a reason.

“Go home, Y/n.” He was angry, his hands pushing back his hair so much, I thought he might rip it out.

“We used to talk about things, remember that? When we could talk about everything? Why shut me out? Why now!” I expected some sort of sympathy. Anything that would explain his distance and let me back in.

“Go home, Y/n.” His voice was steady, but strict. When he shook his arm, my hand came off so quick it slapped against my thigh. It hurt but I would never tell him. Make myself look more immature than I felt already. Just a dumb girl trying to understand his complex feelings.

Maybe he didn’t expect me to actually do what he said. He didn’t see that I would actually turn on my heals and head for home. He let out a choked breath, and just barely over the gentle breeze I could hear him sniffling.

My parents were out of town until Tuesday. I was so excited for this weekend. I could barely wait for tonight. The first Friday for just us in months. I bought his favorite cookies. I rented our favorite movies, threw our favorite blankets in the dryer.

I sit in my bed thinking about this, about how I did so much for him all summer. Stayed with him, stayed true. Held him like an oath. What was I beginning to become to him? Nothing more than his other friends, it became clear.

“Y/n!” Knuckles hit my window, followed by the soft calling of my name. It was persistent, I was ready to yell at Jeremiah to go home.

The window was Conrad and I’s sacred space, in many ways. When we were younger, my parents were stricter. Too scared to let a boy so immature into my room. So each night, Conrad would climb the railing on the back deck until he was high enough to crawl up the garage roof. It was lower than the rest of the house, and ended just outside my window. He would tap very softly until I would turn on my light and rush over. We’d talk and talk and talk until our parents realized it would be safer to just let us be.

Now, Jeremiah came knocking more than Conrad. Always wanting to sneak out with Belly or Steven. Conrad slept in his bed, and if I didn’t come, he wouldn’t come retrieve me.

But, after all these weeks, there he was. Hair a mess and puffy eyes. He was sitting just outside my window like a dog with a bird at my door. Waiting for some praise.

“Con?” It was pathetic how quickly I unlatched the handle that kept the window stuck shut. So quick to let him in again.

His limbs were long and clumsy clanking through the small window frame. It took longer the more he grew. It was a harder fit. He was breathing heavily, hand on his chest, balled up in a fist. He looked bewildered, panicked.

From the uneven breathing and the rapid pace, along with the paleness growing more and more in his usually rather tanned skin, I knew it was more than fatigue.

“Conrad, hey, Conrad.” I knew him, deep down. Even if distant behavior couldn’t get rid of what I already knew. He could never erase us, or my ability to know him so well.

“Just talk, say anything. I just want…need to hear your voice, please.” He rushed, voice raised but not yet shouting fully. I knew he liked to be talked down from these attacks, he used to have some when he was growing up. I never really knew what to say, though. No matter how well I knew him, it felt different.

“About what?” I asked, my hands guiding him to my bed. The blue stripped sheets wrinkled under our weight, the white duvet tossed lazily at the foot of my bed.

“Anything. The beach.” He blurted out, eyes wide and staring back into mine. I couldn’t help but notice how the moon made them look even more blue. Just as deep and swimming in color. My hands were shaky, and my mind was racing. Suddenly, I was speaking.

“I think I like July the best.” I breathed, trying to remain calm. I let my hand slide off his shoulder and into his lap. My palm that rested on his thigh flipped only to show that he could take it if he wished to. I wouldn’t mind.

“June is great too. I like catching up with you, finally seeing you again. But the sand is the warmest in July. I love being able to know that. I love being able to walk next to you with my hands in my pockets one second and being thrown over your shoulder the next. I love when you race into the water in your nice clothes. How we swear to our parents we won’t do it again and we do. I love our traditions, I love that no matter how old we get we still do them. I love how you teach me everything you love so I can love it too. I love that nobody really knows about them but us.” I feel his hand now. His steady fingers intertwine with mine. His breathing has slowed juristically and his eyes have sunk back into the usual droopy state. But the moon still shines in his eyes the same, they still swim with color. I am still sitting next to Conrad.

“Talk to me.” I whisper in the silence. He squeezes my hand three times.

“What if things are never the same?” He won’t look at me, thats when I realize just how serious he is.

“What do you mean?” My thumb rubs against the back of his hand. His skin is warm and soft. I want to kiss it, make it better. Know him fully again.

“I’m already losing my mom, what if I lose you too?” And suddenly I know him. I see how his mothers obvious illness is affecting him, even if she won’t admit she’s sick again. He had to have known, which meant I did too. I can see how his father’s infidelity makes him blind with rage, and I see how anxiety eats away at his insides until he is nothing more than a once occupied space. Over his family, over me.

We both know he is leaving soon. Only going farther away from me. He’ll be in college and I will be a senior. Its in our nature to see the world differently as we grow. I see him thinking about Johnny and Brett. Wondering if we’ll have the same fate.

“You know me.” I remind him, then. I squeeze his hands three times, I remind him how much I love him. I’m afraid I’ll never stop. “And I’ll never forget you.” My hand leaves his to brush the hair out of his face. I let my palm rest against his wet cheek selfishly.

“How can you be certain?” His weight rested in the palm of my hand, skin being molded under the soft motion of my thumb against his cheek.

I paused, biting my tongue. I knew the answer, but I couldn’t find the words right away.

“When we’re old and have to leave the earth, I’ll still remember all I’ve learned. From you.” I felt him smile. His eyes scrunched up delicately, knocking the stray tears away from his eyes. They pooled around my hand. I let them lay. Still.

“I love you, always know that.” I reassured him, my gaze locked in his eyes. Stuck.

“I love you too. And I know, I know you.” Summer would always be summer as long as I had Conrad, and I knew he felt the same.

I knew him like no other. It was a scary reality, trusting someone with something so delicate, so special. But when that anxiety takes over I get to remind myself that its only Conrad. The boy who tossed a football over the fence and taught me how to be a kid.

I wonder if he threw it over on purpose.

#tsitp conrad #conrad x reader #conrad fisher angst #conrad fisher #conrad fisher fluff #conrad fisher x you #conrad fisher x y/n #conrad x you #conrad fisher x reader #conrad #team conrad

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kaplerrr · 2 years ago

Text

Summertime Fondness

John "Captain" Price x wife!reader

Platonic wife!reader and Simon Riley.

Reader is from another country (implied), enormous amount of fluff, John is the sweetest man ever, you and John act like an old couple, this fic is basically a "found family" trope for Simon, John is a plant dad and Simon is a bookworm, John calling Simon "son" shouldn't make me feel the way I feel but here I am, totally self indulgent

Summary: You and John invited Simon to your house on a summer day and everyone is nice and happy.

_____________________________________

Your eyes fluttered open. Sitting lazily, you stretch. Making your bones crack loudly.

"Sounds like you gettin' old, love" Turning your attention to your husband, eyes still closed, lying on his stomach and wearing a little smile on his tired face, you laugh and slap his back playfully.

"Speak for yourself, old bear !" you bite back before gracelessly letting you fall on his back, ignoring his muffled protest, and hug him tightly.

"How did my beloved sleep ?" You ask, peppering soft kisses on his nape and shoulders.

You hear him sigh happily and close your eyes to fully enjoy his body warmth. He moves you as he lays on his back before hugging you close to his chest. He kisses your forehead before answering "Always peaceful when I'm with you."

You smile and kiss his jaw. You close your eyes and are lulled by his breathing and steady heartbeat, enjoying the attack of tender kisses on your head.

You enjoy the comfortable silence for a while before sighing heavily "John, we have to get up."

"Five more minutes ?"

"We can't John, you know that" you say almost regretfully. "Simon will arrive soon enough."

With a last kiss on his lips, you get up as you already miss his soft embrace. "Coffee ?" You ask, rising your voice slightly as you make your way to the kitchen.

At the beginning of your relationship, you had teased him about his lack of appreciation for tea. You are a disgrace to your country, you had said with an over exaggerated gasp, making him scoff.

You feel your husband hugging you from behind. "I'll take care of breakfast angel, go get ready."

"Thanks love" you say as you kiss his hand. Before gathering some clothes and heading to the bathroom.

You had asked your husband to invite his friends to your house. You've already met the whole squad (and you swore to yourself to never again reunite Johnny and Kyle together in your living room, they were chaotic together) and, if you were being honest, you had grown attached to all of them. Kyle could kill for the food you made and Johnny was just too happy to have someone that could tease and prank his captain, survive and tell the story. They were like family now and you wanted to spend time with your family.

Unfortunately, Kyle and Johnny were unable to come.

What about Simon ?

He did like you, you knew that. You saw this cold man warm up to you step by step.

You once noticed he was fond of an iced tea with peaches (or any fruit according to the right season) and a dash of honey you were making. He never asked for it but you would make it every time he would come to your house for some reason and he would greatly appreciate your efforts, thanking you quietly.

But Simon was alone most of the time and he wasn't one to complain. He would sometimes refuse an invitation. You could understand the need to be alone from time to time, but you were worried he was too lonely for his own good. The both of you would talk about some book you read or that he wanted to read, you would lend him the book saying "now you'll have a reason to come back" with a pleased grin.

You knew he appreciated the effort of making him feel welcome to your house, your home. He was always awkward the first hour, as if he was visiting for the first time. John and you didn't pay attention as you would casually include him in your talking or playful arguing.

"What about taupe ?" You said as you were looking at the blank wall

"Taupe ? No, no let's keep it simple, grey."

"John, that wall is awfully dull, we can't make it just "grey", love."

"Yes we can !"

"No, besides taupe would make the plants look so good !"

"My plants are already good looking, thank you very much." he said with in mock offence, making you laugh.

"Alright, Simon, what do you think ?"

And just like that he would relax and join the conversation. He wasn't that much into talking but would absolutely listen everything, which was actually really useful when he was "picking a side" to your quarrels.

You were glad he accepted this time. The weather was great, you had decided to eat outside. The garden was quite big, enough space for a table and for gardening. You were so surprised when you found out John's appeal to gardening but it made you love him even more.

"If you ever say anything about it to Johnny or Kyle, I'm leaving you." He said in a grumpy tone, cheeks slightly pink as he listened your gleeful laugh caused by his confession.

"Oh my, we don't want that, do we ?" You calmed your giggles before wrapping your arms around his neck "I love how resourceful you are, I'm not losing you now." You said kissing the corner of his eye. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Enjoying each other embrace, you didn't talk for a few minutes.

Until...

"Does that mean I can tell Simon ?" You teased.

"Oh God, don't you dare."

You took a quick shower, determined to set everything before your guest's arrival. You found John on the couch, sipping hid drink and reading some news paper. Your mug was on the coffee table, waiting for you.

"Mrs Price, you look ravishing today." He said as he handed you the cup.

"You're not so bad yourself, Husband of mine." You giggled, kissing his cheek.

____________________

Honestly you were quite proud of yourselves as you eyed the several salad bowls on the counter.

"We did it !" You say smugly, looking at your stunning husband.

"We're a good team" he agreed, kissing you quickly "now I'm gonna take a shower and we're making dessert, how does that sound?"

"Sounds perfect." You nod, smiling widely.

You washed a few bowls and kitchen utensils you were going to use for dessert when a ring at the door interrupted you. You rush to the door.

"Simon, hey !" You greet, surprised. "You're early."

He nods "I can come back later ?" Not knowing if he was one hundred percent serious, you quickly dismissed the question.

"Don't be silly and make yourself at home, will you ?" You gesture him to get in, taking a few steps back.

You put a hand on his arm, beaming "Welcome home, Si." He smiled, muttering a quiet and polite "thank you". You noticed he was holding flowers. You look at him with curiosity, eyebrow rising slowly. He sways bashfully and gives them to you, explaining that he got them before coming to your house and got a new bottle of whisky for John.

"Thank you, they're lovely. I'm gonna put them in a vase! John's taking a shower he should be done in a few minutes. Get yourself comfortable, dear." You instructed making your way to the kitchen, Simon following you.

He glanced at the counter "That's a lotta food."

"And we haven't made dessert yet."

"What are you doing?"

"A dessert from my childhood, I haven't eaten it in years, since I've settled in London. I thought it would be a good idea to make it today."

"Can I help you ?"

You instructed him to wash his hands and explained the recipe. Explaining what to do with each ingredient. You rambled about some anecdotes of you and your family, telling him how your mother used to cook, how she would tell you that she added a "special ingredient" to her dishes and that she would always refuse to tell you what it was. Simon didn't talk, he nodded to show that he was listening but he was more focused on your movements he was clumsily trying to replicate, which made you laugh.

"Well, that kitchen is a bit crowded, isn't it?" John said, leaning against the doorframe. Face relaxed, smiling softly.

"Simon, nice to see you, son." John said shaking his hand firmly. Both men nodding at each other

"What a distinguished gentleman like yourself is doing in my kitchen ?" You joked as you planted a loud kiss on his beard.

"I believed I had a mission about helping someone making dessert ?"

"You know what they say- you snooze, you lose." You shrugged unapologetically.

"And what should I do to help?"

Your smile widened and you lend him a sponge "the table outside needs a little cleaning and then I might need someone brave enough to taste our dessert, hmm ?"

"Lucky for you, it's my job to be brave." He chuckled and made his way outside. Turning your attention back to Simon, you simply add "Let's continue, yeah ?"

_________

The next few hours were delightful. After lunch you asked if they would like to play some board games, which they agreed. You strictly prohibited Uno or any similar type of games since you've had witnessed your husband lose his sanity over that diabolical game, something you wish to never see ever again.

After a few games you stoped and while you were busying yourself with a book and a glass of tea, the boys were chatting, drinking the wishky Simon had brought, the alcohol making him speak more than usual. As you were enjoying the sun on your skin, you looked at the two men sitting a few metre away from you, seeing your husband laughing and Simon's smirk, you knew the latter must have said a bad joke.

A warm feeling made you giddy as you realised how much you loved John. You loved his laugh, his grunts, his attitude, his gruffness, his tenderness, his protectiveness. More often than not he was stubborn, sometimes he was tough. Yet you couldn't have dreamt of a better husband, of a better man to love.

Your gaze drifted to the younger man and you briefly wondered if you should give him sunscreen. Simon was so pale, you couldn't help but worry he would burn if he stayed for too long exposed to the sun. You didn't know much about him, you had once realised. At the beginning you knew he was working with your husband and that he was a loner. Now you knew better, you were learning to read him, as much as he would let you. You appreciated him, he was John's friend, he was your friend, he was family. You'll give him time, you weren't in a rush.

You didn't need his past to appreciate the man he was today.

The sun had almost disappeared when Simon rose, announcing he was going to leave.

You quickly eyed John who nodded at you "You can stay for the night if you want, you know we have a spare room." You said matter-of-factly.

"No thank you, I'm gonna head back. But I appreciate it." He said with a hint of a smile.

You nodded and directed him to the kitchen. You took some tupperware and filled them the leftovers food from lunch.

"Here, you're gonna bring some at home." You said, giving him the boxes. When he opened his mouth to refuse, you shushed him.

"You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings, right ?" You teased and smiled warmly when you saw him shake his head vigorously. "Then shut up and take the food."

He sighed as you laughed in victory.

A few minutes later, he was at the door, thanking you and John profusely.

"You'll always be welcome here, Si." You smiled and waved at him.

"See you soon, Simon" John said, patting his shoulder.

As you watched him leave and closed the door, you looked John's in the eyes, always in complete awe at the deep cerulean blue colour. You wrapped your arms around his neck and planted a quick peck on his lips.

"Have I ever told you I love you ?"

_______________________________

Omg I can't believe I'm done with this fic I'm so happy :>

#omg yes #john price #john price x reader #john price x you #john price x y/n #cod john price #mw2 2022 #simon ghost riley x you #ghost mw2 #simon riley #simon ghost x reader #ghost is a cinnamon roll #captain john price #captain john price x you #captain john price x reader

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jnocks · 26 days ago

Text

A Chance

Summary: Summertime what a wonderful time for everybody, could be that a love blossoms through the rays of sunlight… In other words once she saw you, she just had to shoot her shot no matter what it took.

Pairing: Billie Eilish x Fem!reader

Warnings: None, I don’t think

A\N: HII, this is my first fic, it is based off of “The Notebook”. I am a little nervous to post but I thought why not. Soooo with that being said I will post more on here but only for shits and giggles!

Love— JB💗

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The summer breeze felt euphoric against your skin. Summer had finally arrived which excited everyone. You especially, since you were able to get away from all your school work and the stress that it brought all together. You always visited your hometown for summer and the holidays so it was no doubt that you were extremely excited to go back to the place you loved most. You were extremely known back home, practically everyone knew who you were. After all, you were the brain and beauty of the town.

As soon as you set foot in your childhood home you were welcomed by all your friends and family that missed you dearly. Happy that you were back your friend suggested you guys hit the carnival and have some fun. You agreed, and now here you were in the cutest dress you could find, looking at all the attractions and rides, excitement bubbling in your stomach.

Little did you know someone was watching you from afar, mesmerized by the beauty and grace that you held.

An annoyed “Hellooo earth to Billie” snapped Billie out of whatever trance you had her in. Though not completely as she still glanced your way multiple times seeming as though she could not stop herself.

“Huh, oh sorry, we’re you saying something?” She said sort of mumbling her words as she couldn’t care less what her friend was talking about. Probably talking to her about some bullshit party with cheap alcohol.

“Yes I was saying something, I was telling Finneas about how we should have him….” The words went into one ear and went out the other. “ Who is that?” Billie completely cut her off “ Who is who?” “Her” “ That’s Y/n L/n, prettiest girl in town, loads of money. Everyone knows her she’s like the talk of the town every time she comes to visit” “ Talk of the town huh” Billie mumbled to herself her friend caught it though “ what” “uh nothing I’ll catch up with you in a bit I’m gonna go grab a hot dog or something” Billie hurried out as she saw you and your group of friends walking out of the bumper cart file.

“That’s totally unfair you both teamed up on me, I was like a helpless puppy” Exclaimed your friend Robert, who you knew had a tiny crush on you. “Oh shut up Rob, just admit you suck at every game we play” retorted Allie, your best friend since you guys were 5, while she went to hold Noah’s hand that was around her shoulder. “Allie stop don’t be mean” you feigned playfully laughing at the interaction. You guys were currently walking aimlessly laughing and teasing each other.

Out of nowhere a figure stood right in front of you guys, prompting you guys to stop laughing. “Do you wanna dance with me?” asked the girl infront of you, she looked around at the group you were with before reverting her gaze back to you. She was cute, with her long black hair and ocean eyes. She was wearing a baggy white shirt, baggy jeans and a tie lay loose around her neck. “No.” You retorted bluntly “ No?” She replied looking a little defeated but still determined to get through to you. “Why not?” She questioned, eyes filling with a look of warmth and yearning “Because I don’t want to” You spoke softly looking away from her gaze for a second. Noah spoke up behind you, Allie by his side “ Billie she’s with us”.

“Y/n wanna ride the Ferris wheel?” Robert spoke directly to you excluding Billie while you put an arm on his shoulder saying you’d love to. Robert brushed passed Billie with you on his side while Noah and Allie followed behind. Billie stood there for a couple seconds before turning around to look at where you had gone with a smug smile on her face, licking her lips.

You parted from Robert and Allie took his place hooking arms with you “Billie Eilish” she spoke “ What? ” you questioned “ Works at the studio with her brother Finneas” “Oh” “ Did you see she was standing like 2 inches away from my face!?” You whispered, eyebrows furrowing “ Yea I saw, that’s Billie though” “ You know I’m surprised she even came over I think she likes you” You shrugged whatever had happened back there with Billie off, furrowing your brows. Sure she was cute but you were only here to spend time with your friends and family not wander off on some summer fling.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶ ➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶ ➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Billie stared as you and Robert sat laughing and chatting on the Ferris wheel, her face full of determination and longing. She wanted to have you, no, she needed to have you. You were so pretty, from the way your hair swayed to the way you smiled and showed off your pearly whites. Billie knew she would treat you right, treat you better than anybody would.

Without any hesitation Billie jogged up the ramp to the Ferris wheel and jumped onto the booth you and Rob were sitting in, landing right on top of both of you guys. “ Hey you can’t do that Billie !!” “I’ll pay you when I get down Tommy!” Billie shouted back to man in charge of moving the wheel. You shouted and exclaimed out of surprise “ Get off of me, what are you doing!?” Billie maneuvered herself so that she was sat right in the middle of the both of you. “ Man do you mind, what’s your problem!?” Shouted Rob clearly fed up with Billie after the act she pulled earlier. However, Billie payed no mind keeping her gaze on you as she turned she introduced herself “ I’m Billie Eilish” she said sticking her hand out “ So!?” You replied “ So it’s really nice to meet you” Annoyed Rob asked “ Y/n who is this girl?” “I don’t know, Billie Eilish” you retorted in annoyance as if it wasn’t obvious who this was. “I would really like to take you out.” Billie spoke locking eyes with you. “Friend do you mind!?” Shouted Rob as he wanted Billie out.

“Hey only two people in the chair Billie!” Tommy yelled up as he stopped the whole wheel.

“ Okay alright okay” Billie got up frustrated and jumped gripping unto the bars infront of the booth. She was now dangling many feet up in the air. “Get down Billie you’re gonna kill yourself!”

“Billie cut it out!” Shouted both Noah and Allie. Billie ignored their cries and focused solely on you. “Now will you go out with me?” She asked practically begging you with her eyes to say yes.

“What. No” You huffed out in disbelief, this was too much, whoever this Billie person was, was crazy to dangle several feet up in the air for 1 date with you. “No?” She repeated, a look of hurt passed Billie’s face. “No” you repeated more harshly this time “Why not?” She questioned sadness in her voice. She needed you and she was gonna have you no matter what. You were the prettiest girl she had ever seen and she wasn’t gonna let you go without trying. “I don’t know, because I don’t want to” you explained annoyance lacing your tone. Billie glanced down before glancing back up at you “Okay well then you leave me no choice” With that she lets one hand go and is now holding on with the other. You yell in fear.

“I’m not kidding Billie stop fooling around” Grab the bar Billie this isn’t funny” Allie and Noah both yell. “ Not until she says yes” Billie gasps as it is taking all her will power to hold on. “ God damn my hands slipping” Billie sighs her brows furrow as she looks down and then back up at you. “ I’m gonna ask you one last time, will you… or will you not go out with me?” She yearns for you, just one chance she begs with her eyes and you can see it.

“Aw honey go out with her” Noah yells from under. “ Fine fine okay I’ll go out with you” you hurriedly agree. “No don’t do me any favors” Billie gasps and her arm starts to strain and hurt. “No no I want to” you rush out “ What!?” Rob looks at you in disbelief. “Say it” she gasps out, voice shaky “ I want to go out with you!” You yell quietly

Billie looks at you and mumbles “say it again” she licks her lips, brows furrowing again, arms starting to tire and slip. “ I want to go out with you!!!” You yell out so that she can come down and not hurt herself.

As soon as she heard your yell Billie smiles smugly at you, eyes full of warmth and happiness. “Alright alright we’ll go out” she teases.

She puts both hands on the bar and looks at you with a look that makes your stomach flutter. She looks at you like you’re the only person there is. The only person for her and hopefully sooner rather than later you see that she is the only person for you as well.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ -

#Billie #Billie Eilish #Eilish #Billiexfemreader #Fluff #BillieFanfic #Billiexyou #billie x reader #Billie fluff #Billiefic #Billieoneshot #Billie x yn

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skepsiss · 8 months ago

Note

For Steddie prompts -- I'm always a fan of older Steve and Eddie, like them in the 90's and still pining type of nonsense

That or them as camp councilors, for Summertime for us Northern Hemispherers ♥️✨

Pining in the 90s.... hmmm, as in they're not together yet? I'm going to take this in a rather AU way, hope you like it! Ooops, it's almost 2,000 words.... but whatever. (Anyone can send me a prompt! Please do) --

Eddie hoisted his guitar up his shoulder, grunting as he picking up his duffle and staggered away from the bus. It was a mild summer day, and he was pleased he had gotten in early to camp, even if he missed getting the extra sleep.

Eddie wasn't exactly 'a morning person,' but mornings came with their perks as Eddie took in the familiar sight of Camp Callingwood. He had never frequented the camp as a kid, but he had started as a seasonal camp counsellor in the late 80s as a last-ditch effort to not be homeless for the summer. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life because he had met some of the best people in the world. It was 'one of those perks' and Eddie couldn't help but look around to try and catch a glimpse of the guy he was looking for.

Like a sunbeam on a cloudy day, Eddie caught sight of Steve Harrington making his way down the dirt path toward the bus drop-off. He was talking to a younger woman who was also wearing the counsellor uniform, but Eddie didn't waste time waving Steve over. It took a beat, but Steve smiled wide when he saw Eddie.

"Hey!" Steve called over before saying something quickly to the young woman and then trotting up to Eddie. "Hey, man. I wasn't sure if you'd be coming around this summer."

"Wouldn't miss it," Eddie said cheerfully, letting Steve grab his duffle bag so they could start walking toward the cabins.

"No big break yet then, huh?" Steve asked, saying a few quick hellos to the other counsellors that had just been dropped off.

"You seen my name in the tabloids?" Eddie joked, only feeling a small pinch of embarrassment over Steve's comment. He hadn't made it big despite how much he talked up his music. He knew he was good, but there wasn't always an agent who could see that in the music biz. Still, he was nearly 26 now, and without a break soon, he feared he wouldn't make it at all.

"I guess not," Steve laughed, talking easily with Eddie along the quiet forest path. "Definitely would have taken notice to seeing you. You still selling songs?"

"Yeah, doing pretty good there," Eddie admitted, shyly glancing at Steve as he tried to gauge his attitude toward all of this.

Eddie was doing well in the 'selling songs' department; he could churn out hits for anyone, but it wasn't the music he wanted to play. It sucked that metal didn't seem to be in fashion right now, but no part of him wanted to change his whole personality to fit what was 'popular.'

"Wrote one for Whitney Houston recently," Eddie proclaimed, feeling a bit proud of that sell.

"No shit?" Steve asked, sounding surprised before he bumped his shoulder into Eddie's. "Good for you, man. Cool."

Eddie smiled stupidly, liking the roughness and how boyishly charming it was. When he had first gotten to Camp Callingwood all those years ago, Steve had already been a seasoned veteran at the game. From what Eddie knew, he ran the site year-round now, and maintained the grounds during the off-season too. Eddie was only a temp, but Steve seemed so pleased to see him every year. And every year… Eddie always tentatively sussed out whether or not Steve was still single.

"Any interesting changes?" Eddie asked, glancing at Steve from under his lashes, trying to keep things casual. "No… well, I got a dog," Steve smiled, opening the door to Eddie's cabin for him. "Pepper--she's great company during the winter. It can get pretty lonely up here by yourself."

"New dog, but no lady?" Eddie joked lightly, hoping the answer was no.

"No, no lady," Steve laughed, dropping Eddie's bag on the bunk bed. "They tend not to be great company in the winter when they have to rough it--in my experience."

Eddie laughed lightly, unable to hold back the little bloom of heat in his chest. Steve really was 'one of those perks' and Eddie could hardly wait for camping season to begin so he could sign up as a counsellor again. He liked the kids, and he had fun teaching everyone how to play the guitar, or hosting the 'in-door activities' for the kids that didn't quite fit in with the others, but the real reason he kept coming back was Steve. He wished it wasn't just a temporary thing, but he chickened out asking for more every year he was here.

"Don't get too comfortable," Steve offered, swaying and leaning on the pole of the bunk bed, looking casual as could be. "We've got a lot of kids these first few weeks so I might need to move you into the big house. You don't mind dogs, right?"

The big house was Steve's permanent residence, and it was a proper home rather than the bunk rooms the counsellors and kids usually slept in.

"No--yeah, dogs are fine," Eddie said quickly, "wouldn't mind meeting Pepper though--if you're not up to anything else right now?"

"Sure, I'll see if I can find her. She's probably running around somewhere. She's a bear dog, you know? Well, not for like attacking bears or whatever, but she does a good job of keeping them away," Steve explained, motioning for Eddie to follow him.

Eddie put his guitar down on the bed and followed Steve out, not sure if he knew what Steve meant by 'bear-dog.'

Almost as soon as they got outside Steve was yelling Pepper's name and whistling as he walked toward the mess hall.

"Did you get some new tattoos?" Steve asked as they continued to walk around the camp. Other counsellors were moving about and setting things up or settling into their cabins, the site a hive of activity.

"Yeah, one on my arm and one on my thigh," Eddie said, twisting to show off his new ink. That was another thing he liked about Steve: he didn't seem bothered at all that Eddie had tattoos, even though they were still considered quite scandalous to most employers.

"One more too on my chest, but I'll save that one for later," Eddie joked lightly, pleased to be asked about his ink.

"Later for sure," Steve retorted with a smile, and Eddie blinked at him as he tried to decipher what he meant by that. Later how?

Eddie didn't get the chance to dwell on that thought though as Steve hollered Pepper's name again and Eddie watched as a large white mass bounded toward them through the trees.

"There she is," Steve said pleasantly, crouching down to greet the dog.

Pepper was a Great Pyrenees and far too big for Steve to be crouching down for.

She bounded into him and turned happily, letting Steve rough her up with pets and scratches. He was cooing and making pleasant sounds of affection at her as she wagged her tall and rubbed her head under his chin.

"She's still a puppy, only a little over one year old," Steve explained as he stood back up and Pepper turned her attention to Eddie.

"She's big," Eddie said, a little surprised by the dog's size as she bumped into his hip, looking for attention. He gave her a few good scratches, unable to stop himself from smiling.

"She's friendly--might try and sleep with you," Steve joked lightly, motioning for Pepper to sit.

She obeyed quickly and Eddie grinned as he watched her pant happily, looking for more commands.

"So this is her first summer with the kids?" Eddie asked, crouching down like Steve had before and scratching and rubbing Pepper's neck.

"Yeah, well, in this amount. We get some winter scouts and groups like that, so she has been around kids and she's great with them, but she'll probably be excited to have so many people to spoil her."

Eddie laughed, charmed by how in love Steve was with his dog. If Steve was still single, and he was pouring all of his affection in to a dog… Eddie couldn't see why shooting his shot would hurt. He had backed off every year since he met Steve, but he was feeling determined to at least confirm that Steve wasn't interested in him. They were pals, and sometimes they wrote to one another during the year, but Eddie really wasn't sure how receptive Steve was to the whole… queer thing. He did know that they'd had queer kids at camp before, and Steve had always been gentle and accepting of them, so his attitude couldn't be all negative.

"Let's go grab your keys," Steve said suddenly, and Eddie stood up to follow him. "I'll just give you a master this year, easier that way. It opens all the bunk houses and the utility rooms--and the big house. Easier than trying to sort out all the rings."

Eddie nodded, feeling a small flush creep up his cheeks. It felt rather intimate to be given a key to Steve's house, even if it technically was part of camp property.

Steve handed him the kitschy keychain and Eddie quickly added it to his own keyring.

"Don't lose it," Steve said, sounding only moderately strict. "I only have three of those. You and me are the only ones that'll have them, I don't want to hand out the spare."

"Oh," Eddie frowned, glancing up at Steve. "Are you sure you want to give it to me?"

"Yeah, I trust you, man. Plus, I don't mind you letting yourself in whenever," Steve grinned, walking over to his desk and rooting around the papers there.

Eddie pinched his brow in with confusion, not sure how to react to that. What did he mean by 'letting yourself in whenever'? It sounded so off-handed, but Eddie had no clue if he was supposed to take that seriously or… flirtatiously.

Steve had always been friendly, but this felt like it went a bit beyond friendly.

Eddie swallowed lightly, mustering the courage to speak as Steve turned back around with a clipboard in his hand.

"I could move my stuff into your place now, if you want," Eddie asked, idly picking his nail polish. "Easier than having to do it later. Just… make it my spot for the summer."

It was Steve's turn to stare as they stood there quietly for a beat, before Steve seemed to shake himself from his astonishment.

"Yeah! For sure---that's cool, let's do that," Steve agreed quickly, smiling again but not making a move toward the door.

"You want to show me the room I'll be staying in?" Eddie asked, feeling his confidence grow a bit.

"Yes--yeah," Steve waffled, sounding pleased but a bit surprised for some reason. "Follow me."

Eddie chewed his lip lightly and looped his arms behind his back as he followed Steve out of the cabin. He wasn't certain, but Steve had seemed sort of… flustered by the prospect of them actually sharing a living space. The idea of that encouraged Eddie, and he grinned privately to himself as he thought about retiring for the evening with Steve in his little cabin in the woods. It felt… romantic and it really did set Eddie up to succeed.

Eddie was going to make this summer the summer he asked Steve on a date. He wasn't going to chicken out again.

#my_writing #eddie munson #steddie #steve harrington #stranger things #steddie fic #mini ask fics

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kyojurosprettygirl · 1 year ago

Note

Hi hi hello! May I request a fluffy Genya x fem!reader?

Something like he got injured during a mission and she gos to visit him at the butterfly estate to surprise with slices of watermelon to cheer him up! ((Cuz you know that’s his favorite!)) maybe even gentle kisses on his fresh new scars? Idk just anything sweet and fluffy! I’ll be happy either way!^^✨

a/n: HOW CUUUUTEEEE!!! im such a sucker for Genya content (>_<) i love ur idea and i hope you enjoy reading this. this is inspired by summertime sadness since, watermelons r a summer fruit, no? (UvU) Also, tumblr deleted the post so i had to copy and paste, but i don't know if it chipped some things off. LET ME KNOW!

late is better than never .

Genya Shinazugawa x Fem! Reader

as the sun slowly crept its way into view, Genya had realized then he had once again missed one of my your dates. he holds as many wounds as he can with his one useful arm tighter and winces, cursing himself for doing this to you. he stands for a moment, thinking how he could make it up to you.

you gasp as you gently wrapped your arms around genya's and pulled him toward you, leaning your head onto his shoulder. "Genya look!" you point ahead. "huh?" he looks curiously to where your pointing and immediately sees what your seeing, you both look at each other and smile big, running towards the watermelon stand. the old couple running the stand knowingly look at each other and laugh, standing up and readying themselves to greet you and genya. they quickly thought of how they were once young and in love, you and genya easily making them reminisce their teenage love. once you were standing infront of the couple, you excitedly spoke to them, any anxiety leaving your body. "I hadn't realized they were in season!" you smiled wide, the old lady nodded at you, her smile never leaving her face. "well they are, my dear! would you and your boyfriend like a slice? on the house!" you gasped and held your cheeks, disregarding the boyfriend comment. "your serious?" she nods and pushes the tray toward you. you gently grab the prettiest slice and push it towards genyas face. "say ah" genyas ears turn red and he opens his mouth, allowing you to feed him. he also disregards the boyfriend comment. his eyes widen and any nervousness he had before had completely left him, the slice tasted amazing. he gently grabs the slice from your hands and feeds it to you, and your eyes widen back at him. he laughs at yours and his expression, "it's the best isn't it?" he says, and you nod. "the best i've ever had!"'you eat more of the slice, "we should get an entire melon! no, let's get three! two for you and i to share and one to share with the others!" as you and genya speak of the melon, the old couple look fondly at the scene. "she reminds me of you my dear," the old man says, she snickers and looks at her husband, "and he reminds me of you, always behind me waiting for me to speak for you." they share a laugh, and as you reach into your pocket, genya steps infront of you and looks at the old couple, "how much for the entire stand" you gasp and grab his arm, "genya!" the old lady laughs and the old man widens his eyes, "are you serious?" the man says, genya scratches his neck. "well, not really." he looks to the side, and takes out as many coins as he has, "but i'll take as much as i can get." before the couple says something you take some of your coins out as well, placing them down with genyas, before he can say something you move your hands to form a 'shut your mouth' motion and look at the couple, "this will get us more right?" you and genya left with two woven baskets full of melons, each one holding 7, leaving the old couple with two melons left to sell. he wouldn't let you carry even one melon to make the load easier. "let's do this again" genya says, smiling at you, you nod and smile big, "we should! i had a lot of fun today" he shyly looks away and grabs your hand, "how about next week?"

it's the third week he's said that.

"-r arm." genya snaps out of his thoughts and looks next to him, it's Tanjiro. "huh?" genya says, looking at Tanjiro will his full attention. tanjiro smiles, a warm aura oozing out of him, trying to calm down after the hard fight. "i was saying if i could bandage your arm" genya looks over at his arm as tanjiro points, his blood is practically decorating the floor. but before he could answer a sharp pain hits his rib. his vision gets blurry as his breathing becomes labored and he begins to pass out, your shadowy figure filtering his vision just before he closes his eyes.

he wakes up in one of the rooms in the butterfly estate, it's about noon and the comfort he feels pisses him off. he shouldn't be there, he should be apologizing to you, again. he looks to his side, the action hurting, and he sees Tanjiro speaking to some of the girls in the butterfly estate. "is y/n going to be here?" Tanjiro said, already aware of genyas affections towards you. one of the butterfly girls nod, "y/n should be coming soon, she mentioned she had slept late when she came by in the morning so we sent her back home to rest a little longer. Aoi sent someone to get her." guilt begins to eat at his heart, you had waited for him the entire night, regardless of the fact that you had promised to help the girls clean in the morning, "i see," tanjiro says, looking at genya. he jumps at seeing his eyes open, "your awake!" he smiles, "what a relief," tanjiro says. genya nods and closes his eyes, sighing, "what a relief," he says back. he opens his eyes and sits up, one of the girls quickly rushing to his side, "slowly genya! your ribs are still broken, you have to take it easy." he grumbles, rolling his eyes. he sits up fully and looks around the room, "can i be alone for a moment." he pauses, "please." and they all nod, leaving him be. "Aoi is almost done with the food, so you should be getting your lunch soon." one of the girls says, smiling before he closes the door. he looks over himself and noticed many fresh scares adorning his flesh, and he can't decide wether to love or hate them. they look and feel ugly, but he feels a little stronger than before, a familiar feeling of weakness creeping up his chest. he won't amount to sanemi, ever, and these scars make him feel ugly, not strong like they usually do.

Aoi hands you the plate of food, warning you that it's hot and to be careful. you quickly brush her off and thank her as you barge into genyas room. as he prepares to cuss out the person who came in against his wishes, he calms down as he sees you and looks away. he can feel his throat get tight and his eyes gloss over. you exhale in relief but your movement remain frantic, excitedly running to him. you close the door and rush to put his food on the table next to him, placing the box you held behind you and straddling his legs carefully. you grab his face and make him look at you, and since he can't bring himself to push you away, he just holds onto your wrists tightly for support. your hair is messy and not done in its usual style as your eye bags remain prominent and your face is puffy, a telltale sign that you had just woken up. he looks at your lips and sees they're still a tad bit glossy, not allowing himself to continue to look at them. it feels like a punishment, but the feeling dies out as he looks at your cheeks and nose. your cheeks a tinged with pink, and your nose is still sun burnt from the time you'd gone to the markets together. your hands are warm against his cold skin, and he leans into your touch. you smile wide in disbelief and a few tears roll down your face. he moves his hands to wipe them as they come down , his brows furrowing. "no no no, don't cry, please.." his throat is tighter than ever and he swallows every word he was thinking of saying, he wants to cry with you. you close your eyes and hug him softly, a great contrast to your usual bone crushing one's, and feel all around him. his hand gently makes its way up to your head, and he cradled it, digging his fingers into your hair. "just-" you choke out, "you're alive. your physically here, oh my god." you pull away, although hesitantly, and take him in. he was wearing a loose patient shirt, and it gave a full view of his arms and neck. you rested your fingers on the buttons of it, and looked at him. your eyes met his, 'can i?' he nods, his eyes speak for him, 'you can do whatever you desire.'

you unbutton it he lets you see his upper body freely. you can see many fresh wounds, some bandaged and some are already scarred, his demon powers you think. he shrinks into himself as you gaze and you nod no, "you're beautiful, genya." you exhale, and push him down slowly in a means to not irritate his wounds. "i was worried sick," you cry, he continues to wipe every tear that makes its way to your chin, "when Aoi woke me up, and told me what happened, i wanted to scream," you hold his hand and lean in, "i was so pissed-" you choke, "why didn't she tell me right away? why did she wait until you were stable to tell me, i mean-" you breathe in, "what if something had happened during your treatment, and i had spent my time sleeping through it," you shake your head. "i would never forgive myself, im supposed to be with you through it all, through every second ." he nods at you, "but i'm okay." he says, and you laugh. "you're okay, yes." you sniffle as you smile but frown soon after, "they were surprised you survived. a lot of blood loss, i saw all the bloody rags outside.. i felt my heart drop to my stomach genya." he can only imagine how he'd feel if he was in your place. "im just glad the news i got of you was that you were expected wake up, and not your time of death." he takes a hand off your face and holds your hand. he hasn't smiled at all, and his gaze is distant. you move your head, and kiss his palm gently. he blushes and as his lips part in shock he shuts it when you lean into his chest. you take a second to hear his heartbeat and when you feel it's enough you kiss the spot. he debates on holding his breath or not. you slowly get up and trace the new scars, kissing them when your finger meets the end. and you do this all over his chest, stomach and arms. "i don't know how you do it," you softly say. "all these," you kiss the biggest scar, "and you still remain standing. Tanjiro told me how long you held out, i really don't think i'd ever be able to do it." you grab his arm with the most wounds and sob, "they make you look so tough," you giggle as you squeeze his bicep after noticing the muscle flex when you grabbed it, "gyomei fed you well, didn't he" he blushes and exhales a small laugh. mainly out of disbelief. you kiss all over his arm gently, and begin to give him butterfly kisses up to his neck. you begin to position yourself comfortably and rest your head in the crook of his neck to continue to give him butterfly kisses. you place your hand on his heart and he places his hand over it, not wanting you to take it off. he wraps his arm over your shoulder and pushes you closer into him as he kisses your head, letting it linger for a second more.

you both lay there for a moment before you suddenly gasp. "Genya your food!" you push yourself up too fast for his liking. you grab his food

and set everything up as you help him sit up. before you can feed anything to him he grabs your hand. "i need to apologize." he whispers, and you lean your head in confusion. "what do you mean?" you say,

"last night," he pauses, " i left you waiting." your mouth forms an 'o. "you're here now, aren't you? you were only a few hours away from me, if i had waited just a li-" he clamps his hand over your mouth, shaking his head no "you shouldn't have needed to wait, y/n" he is serious, and you know he feels guilty, he isn't being playful with you like he usually is. he takes his hand off your face "i would wait forever for you." you whisper. he silently winces and his chest tightens. "you're only a day late genya.. your here with me. better than never right?" he nods. "i forgive you, genya, but i promsie you i do not mind." you begin to grab the utensils to feed him, "were slayers, and you're a higher rank, i knew what i signed up for. it's okay." you feed him a piece of his food, and he realizes that it's true. he had nothing to worry about, your understanding nature quickly eased his worries, why was he so worried. "i forgive you, because i know you'd never do it intentionally." he nods again. "you're my happiness genya." you smile at him. "oh! one more thing." you reach behind you and the box you had, watermelon slices overtaking his vision. you smiled wide, " cut some melon up for you!" he hugs you tight, albeit suddenly, and when he pulls away he kisses you. it was a lingering kiss when he pulled away, and he takes you in, the sun rays peeking in from the blinds making you look even more beautiful than before. "i love you, and i've been wanting to tell you for a while now." he blushes and you follow in suit, " love you too.." and you hug him again, knocking the wind out of him, "oh sorry sorry! i forgot.." you say. he waves his hand 'it's okay' and you both share a laugh.

that night, you and him had danced under the moonlight right outside of the estate. not that he knew how, but he wanted to spend the night with you in any way possible, eager to be close to you. it was a sight that had made shinobu smile fondly at you both, thinking of how he could bring it up to gyomei when he sees him again. you had worn the clothing he bought you, and he spend the entire night telling you what you missed, ready to listen to what he had missed from you. it was late, but neither of you needed to wake up early the day after.

funfact! every time watermelons are in season, the old couple awaits yours and genyas return. when the summer you and genya hadn't shown up came, they had a hard time closing for the night, telling themselves you and genya had simply moved.

right before closing, Sanemi came over and bought their entire stand, cutting and giving the watermelon out with Giyuu to the village kids.

they had intially mistakened him for Genya, asking where you were, and Sanemi had to sadly explain that you and genya were no longer alive.

Since then, the couple gave flowers to Sanemi for him to place on yours and his graves, until one summer their stand was never put up.

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multiplefandomwritings · 2 years ago

Text

Yellow

pairing: Mick Schumacher x reader

warnings: none really

summary: yellow is the color of sunflowers, sunshine, lemons, joy and happiness and of all the things Mick associates with you.

notes: the schumacher accident never happened in this one. feel free to leave comments and/or feedback. likes and reblogs are always appreciated! also, feel free to send in requests! this one shot is part of the "love in different colors" series. also, the poem in the beginning was written by me.

disclaimer: english is not my first language, so please excuse any mistakes 😊

word count: 4.8k

Wildflowers

Need

Sun

Wildflowers

Need

Water

You

Are

Sun

Shining

The

Wildflowers

Your

Love

Their

Water

They

Are

Blooming

Rapidly

Growing

Fast

And

Beautiful

2007

He runs as fast as his little legs can carry him. It is summertime, and he is barefoot. He doesn’t need shoes where he is going, you live down the street from his home. He believes he hears his mother’s voice scolding him, but he does not care. He knows that she isn’t serious. He laughs and he hears his mother laughing before he runs through the little garden door and onto the sidewalk.

Only a couple more houses. He greets the neighbors, who only see his fair colored hair running by. They know exactly where he is off too. He comes to a halt in front of your house, which is a lot smaller than his. He looks at the beautiful yellow sunflowers growing in front of the property. He has to put his head back to admire the flower heads because the stems excel his little body. He catches his breath and skips onto the walk that leads to your front door. Jumping up the stairs, he is about to ring the bell when the door is ripped open, and you hurl your body at Mick.

Few minutes later you sit on the swings of the playground close by. “And we went to the beach almost every day, Mick! The sand was almost white, not yellow at all, like I always imagined. Mama bought me a yellow dress and it is so pretty, I must show you next time, I will wear it on the first day of school!” You always talk that much, and even more when you are excited like you are right now. Mick doesn’t mind. He can spend all day listen to you, every day.

Two weeks later, when school starts again, Mick picks you up to walk together. You walk out of the door; the sunflowers are still blooming, and you wear the yellow dress. And somehow this day changes everything for him, he just doesn’t know it yet. It is in this moment that Mick thinks for the first time that he might loves you. It is innocent, it is playful and still so very, very real. After school, when you are still wearing the yellow dress and he waits for you outside the school so that the two of you can walk together, he decides to be brave. When you skip down the stairs of the school building, he smiles at you, you smile back. One of your milk teeth is missing, but it makes your smile just more adorable.

Micks heart beats fast in his chest when your little hand grabs his. On the way home you stop by one of the many fields surrounding your hometown and he picks a yellow dandelion for you. “You know, one day I am going to marry you!”, he says, and you take the flower from his hand and put it behind your ear. “You better!”, you answer him and stand on your tippy toes to blow just the hint of a kiss on his cheek. Then you laugh loud and free and start to run towards home. Mick laughs and he follows you.

2013

Six years later, Mick is still your best friends. You don’t see each other than much anymore because he goes karting a lot now. He is on track almost every day. Sometimes you tag alone, sitting on the bleachers, doing your homework, and watching him racing by. Today is one of these days. It is late spring, the sunshine starts to warm up with every day passing, and you look forward to the summer, because Mick usually has more time then. It is too warm to go carting, and you would have his undivided attention once again. You wear a yellow sweatshirt, and you wave at Mick when he steps out of his cart.

He smiles, waves back and comes over to you. “Hey”, you greet him with a wide smile. “Hey back”, he says and sits down next to you. He pulls you in a short side hug. “You really missed something today at school”, you tell him, “Lukas asked Susanne to be his girlfriend!” “No way!”, Mick exclaims, more excited by your excitement. He doesn’t really care about what happens at school. Life is very different for the two of you nowadays, while you go to school, meet your friends after and on the weekends, he is always busy. Some days he doesn’t show up at school at all. You don’t like these days. School is better with your best friend.

You are just teenagers now, but it doesn’t feel like that. You still play with barbies, and Mick is too busy to go around in circles in a little car and adolescence hasn’t quite reached the two of you yet. Some of your friends start to date, if you can really call it that, but that is still a bit weird to you and Mick. For other people it is not, and they start to ask if you are a couple, and both of you always say no. Sometimes Mick wishes that you would say yes but that would mean that he would have to kiss you and he thinks that is gross.

“Mick? You are not listening!”, you accuse him. He utters a quite apology. “What were you thinking about?”, you ask, and he becomes bright red. He doesn’t know what to answer you, and he is grateful when his father waves the two of you over. You get up first, the conversation quickly forgotten when Michael tells the two of you that you would go and get ice cream.

You cheer, your arms wrapping around the neck of his father. Mick wishes that was him in that moment. You climb into the car and Mick gets in as well, and you are already talking again, this time telling Michael about your day at school. At the ice cream place, you get lemon ice cream in a cone, like always. It is your favorite; you always tell Mick that. Like he would ever forget. You happily hold your cone in your hand, your tongue licking up the yellow delicacy. Mick watches you closely and for a moment a thought comes to his mind. Maybe kissing wouldn’t be as gross if it was you and if you just ate lemon ice cream, because you would taste like lemons and his ears turn red just a tiny bit.

2016

You are as kind as summer, that much Mick knows. The sunshine that hits his face right now reminds him of the glow of your soul. He is really happy with his life right now, but he is even happier when he gets to spend time with you. He is excited for next year because he would finally start in Formula Three and it is a new chapter. The both of you are older now, proper teenagers now, awkward and shy and there is a little shift in your friendship. It is in lingering touches and testing the waters yet none of you makes the first step, because this friendship you have is worth more than anything else. Also, Mick is older now and he doesn’t think kissing is gross anymore. But he finds out that most of the time when he kisses a girl – which is rare, you know, since he is usually surrounded by boys – he thinks about lemon ice cream and how you would taste.

You still talk a lot, like you always used to do, and it is reassuring to Mick, because even though is life is fast and exciting, it shows him at some things stay the same. It is the comforting notion of consistency that he associates with you. Generally, you haven’t changed that much, Mick thinks as he observes you while you are talking. You are more grown now, obviously, but while his face breaks out with pimples every once in a while, yours seems to be graced by the absence of puberty acne. Or maybe he just never looked closely enough, so he decides to do that now. You shave your legs now; he realizes and for a moment he asks himself whether that is because of a boy. But, he tells himself, you would tell him if you have a crush on someone.

Then, on the other hand, he isn’t really there anymore. He makes an effort to see you though, he likes to tell himself. But mostly the two of you hang out these days when your parents meet up and you tag along. Just like today, when your father had cooked saffron risotto and you had lemon ice cream for dessert. The two of you sit on the old swings of a long-abandoned playground and sway back and forth just a bit. You look more beautiful now, Mick realizes as he continues to watch you, more grown-up. “You never really listen anymore!”, you complain, and he is ripped from his thought. “Even when you are here, you are never really here!”, you accuse before you get up and stomp through the grass and the dandelions towards the house. Micks wants to tell you that he wasn’t thinking about racing but that he was thinking about you, but he doesn’t know how to, so he rather doesn’t say anything. Instead, he walks back to the house as well and pays the tall sunflowers next to garden gate no attention.

2017

He hasn’t seen you for a while. He is just so busy with racing, that he rarely comes over anymore. It makes him sad. You still text, but it became rather occasionally. You have your friends in your hometown, you are settled in school. He doesn’t want to take that away from you by pushing his non-existing presence on you. Truth is, he misses you. He misses your friendship. You are still friends, obviously, and he knows that he can call you and you will pick up and listen to him no matter what. But you don’t call him for this kind of stuff anymore. You are not best friends anymore, friends more for the fact that you had grown up together rather than anything else.

But today he wants to change that. He wants to reconnect with you, breath life back into the relationship that is slowly fading away. He is back home for two or three weeks, so he decides to just go over to your house like he used to. Suddenly he feels like he is 6 or 8 or 12 again. He opens the familiar garden door and slips though. The sunflowers stand as tall as ever, but he doesn’t need to look up anymore. Your parents’ car is not there, so he assumes that you are home alone. He rings the doorbell, but nothing happens. No one comes, and he is about to leave, when he hears you calling from upstairs. “I will be right there!” He hears you run down the steps. And then you rip open the door. You wear a yellow summer dress, and your cheeks are flustered. “Mick!”, you exclaim, “What are you doing here?”

You seem happy to see him, but it is not like it used to be. You don’t move in for a hug, you don’t grin widely. A small smile graces your face. “Hey”, Mick scratches the back of his head, “I was back in town, so I wanted to check in and see how you are doing.” You are about to answer when you get interrupted by another person emerging from behind. “Oh hey, babe. Mick was just coming by to say hi”, you smile up to the guy standing behind you. An arm snakes around your waste. “Hey Mick, I am Felix. Y/n has told me a lot about you!”, he extends his hand and Mick takes it to shake it. “Do you want to come in? We have some freshly made lemonade”, you ask him, but he shakes his head.

He forces a wry grin on his face. “No, thank you. I just remember that I need to help my mum with something. But you two have a good day!” Felix waves him goodbye and disappears into the house. Mick turns around and when he is almost through the garden door, he hears you calling after him. “It was nice seeing you again, Mick.” He smiles at you, and this time it is sincere. “You, too.” He leaves your property and returns home.

He doesn’t know exactly why it pained him to see you with another guy. It was not like what you had was exclusive. If he was honest with himself, there was nothing between you at all. All he can think about is that you must taste like lemon when Felix kisses you because you made lemonade, and he finds that this isn’t really fair.

2019

It is a warm summer day, the sun shining. You cover your eyes with your hands, looking up into the sky. You smile. It is a beautiful day. You laugh when a finger pokes in your side. “Mick, stop!”, you laugh and stick your tongue out at the boy next to you. Both of you have found your way home for the summer break, and despite not having seen each other for a while, it feels just like 2008, 2012, 2015, all over again.

You didn’t really talk to each other for a few years when Mick was always away and busy and your lives were really different. You were teenagers, and it felt impossible to bring your different lives in harmony, so you separated paths for a while, both you doing your own thing. You outgrew your teenager years at some point, however. Mick still remembers the day you reached out to him again, a delicate try to revive a friendship that had been lost between the passing years. He was so happy when you called him that evening when he laid under the yellow light of just another hotel somewhere. The pillows were bright yellow, so bright they almost hurt his eyes. You call and he almost tells you. “I thought of you when I entered the room because the pillows are yellow and so are you to me”, but he doesn’t. He is just happy to hear your voice and he listens to you talking, and he spends hours on the phone with you.

Now, you are laying on the grass by the local lake. Dandelions sprouts, poking out in between the green patches of the meadow, and you want to stay here forever. You lay on your towel; you feel like you are surrounded by a yellow ocean of flowers. The skin of your arms tingles – you forgot to use sunscreen. Possibly you would have a little sunburn later, but you couldn’t care less. Micks’ blonde hair is almost golden in the sun, you are blinded when you look at it. You feel hot. You don’t know whether it is the sun or something else. You decide not to think about it for now.

The blonde boy next to you wears a yellow cap. “Yellow is not your color!”, you tease, and he mocks offense. Then he laughs and puts the cap on your head. You smile and stick your tongue out. “Yellow is very much your color, though!”, he says so casually the compliment almost escapes your grasp. Then you realize and a little blush forms on your cheeks. You turn away from him, embarrassed by the effect he has on you.

“Let’s go for a swim”, you say to change the topic and get up. You are wearing a white bathing suit that has sunflowers all over it. You take of the cap and throw it on your towel, where it almost disappears because your towel is yellow as well. For a moment you think about that, the fact that yellow seemed to have seeped into the relationship Mick and you have had for all these years.

Mick agrees, and you both make your way to the water. The coolness of the lake water is a welcome relief from the heat of the sun. You splash around, laughing and joking with each other, like nothing has changed since you were little kids. The years of barely talking are long forgotten. As you swim, you can't help but steal glances at Mick. He has always been handsome, but something about him has changed since the last time you saw him. Maybe it's the way he carries himself, or maybe it's just that you're seeing him in a new light now that you're older. After a while, you both swim back to shore and lay back down on your towels. You feel the warmth of the sun drying your skin and the coolness of the grass beneath you. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, enjoying the peaceful moment.

You must have fallen asleep, and you are awakened by something tickling you on your back. Slowly, you open your eyes. You spot Micks body next to you, and the close proximity makes your breath hitch in your throat for a moment. “Don’t move”, Mick whispers and you do as he says. When he is done with whatever he was doing, he grabs your yellow polaroid camera from besides you and stands up. You can hear the shutter click two times and then Mick sits down next to you. He wipes something off your back. His gentle touches give you goosebumps on your arms and leave you feeling warm inside your chest.

“All done”, he says a few seconds later and you sit up. Around you, you can spot the yellow dandelions laying on your towel. “What did you do?”, you ask with suspicion in your voice. “I created art!”, he says and holds on of the polaroid pictures in your peripheral vision. You can only steal a quick glance before he tugs it away under the cap, shielding from the sun and giving it time to develop. “Whatever you say!”, you say, and he looks at you intensely for a moment. It freaks you out a bit, so you stick out your tongue at him and he laughs. He turns away and looks over at the other side of the lake where a handful of people surround the little hut that sold ice cream and fries and everything you needed for a day by the lake. “Ice cream?”, he asks you and you nod. “Lemon?”, you nod again and want to get up, but he gently pushes you down on the towel. “My treat”, he says and before you can argue he gets up and disappears.

When Mick returns, he is already fighting for his dear life. The ice cream is melting and dripping everywhere, and you cannot help but chuckle a little bit. Mick throws you a playful glance and you lose it when his eyes cream falls, just beside his towel. “Shit!”, mutters Mick and sits down. He hands you the ice cream, looking a bit like a puppy. “We can share”, you offer and hold the cone out to him. He takes a big lick and both of you have to laugh.

2020

You arrive in Sakhir on a Wednesday and Mick personally picks you up at the airport. He is nervous, he doesn’t really know why, but he maybe because this race could be the one that decides about his championship. Or maybe he is nervous because he is picking you up and he again hasn’t seen you for a few months and he missed you so much.

You step out of the airport in sweatpants and a pale yellow shirt and Mick thinks you might be the most gorgeous person he has ever seen. You look confused, a bit lost, until you see him. Your face lights up and Micks heart drops when he realizes that you are so excited that you are running towards him. Before you reach him, you drop your suitcase and jump into his arms. He catches you; he holds you close, and he takes in your scent – you smell like lemons and sunflowers and happiness. You smell like yellow, and Mick cannot remember that he has ever smelled something more delicious before.

He lets go of you eventually and takes your suitcase and your backpack from you, whatever he can to help you out. He brings you to his rental car, which weirdly enough is an ugly yellow and he holds the door open for you. He drives you to the hotel while you excitedly tell him about your flight and what movies you watched and what your favorite song is at the moment. You also tell him stories he already heard because you call almost every day, but he doesn’t mind.

Sometimes, when he makes a comment or throws in a joke, you laugh and place a hand on his bicep he swears he melts like the lemon ice he shared with you last summer by the lake. You arrive by the hotel, and he again carries your stuff up to your shared room. It is big, bigger than any hotel room you had ever stayed in and the first thing you do is to step out onto the balcony into the warm sun and close your eyes. Mick joins you soon after, and as the sun is starting to go under, a golden husk is painting your face in a shining yellow. You look like the sun, Mick thinks, and you feel like he it too, he thinks when you look at him and smile.

A bit later, you meet with the Schumacher’s for dinner in a place close by. It is the perfect mix of a restaurant and a bar, looking almost like some American diner. You order burger and fries, and lemonade and Mick steals a sip. You complain, playfully and take a sip of his beer as retaliation. Life is good right now, it is happy and joyful and yellow, Mick thinks. His family knows you, and while you talk Mick cannot help himself but watch. The two of you sit so close, squeezed into the booth. Your hand lays next to your thighs, and Mick can almost touch it. He forgets about that fact for a moment when you talk to him, and he is pulled into a conversation about your childhood memories. He takes a sip from his beer and lets his hand fall on the bench. It touches yours for a second, and he doesn’t know what to do. Does he pull away? But then you link your pinky with his like some kind of promise and Mick leaves his hand there, tied to you by your pinkies and the longing in his heart.

You walk away with Gina next to you, over to the little stage to find the perfect karaoke song and Mick cannot help but watch after you. He is enchanted by you, and he wonders how you haven’t realized yet. When he finally tears his eyes away from you and that yellow summer dress, his parents grin at him. “So, what is going on between you and her?”, his father asks her, and Mick shakes his head. “She is still my best friend, dad. That’s never changed.” “Yes”, his mother says, “The only thing that changed are your feelings for her, am I right?” Mick doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t know what to say. He knows that his mother is right, but he doesn’t know what to say to his dad. He doesn’t know what, if there is anything between the two of you, but he hopes there is. He looks up and your eyes are on him, and you smile and for a moment he is almost sure that there is something and he breaks out in a silly smile. His parents exchange a look and intertwine their fingers with one another.

Mick wins Formula Two on a bright, sunny Sunday in Sakhir. But you outshine the sun on this day, he thinks. Your smile is so bright Mick is sure your cheeks will hurt by the hand of the day. His right ear hurts a bit because you yelled into it, but he doesn’t mind. Winning Formula Two feels even better than winning Formula Three, especially because you are there this time. The occasion calls for celebration, everyone knows that. The team somehow manages to find a location where all of you fit. They buy drinks and snacks, and it is not something professional, but Mick think it is perfect the way it is. It is perfect because you are here, and you are laughing, and dancing and Mick could just spend the entire night watching you.

He is the star of the show, of today, but he feels like that should be you. He has won because you have inspired him to do better every single day since 2019, if he is honest maybe since the day, he met you for the first time. He talks to his dad and his mum and some other people when he sees that you are leaving for the balcony of the venue, so he excuses himself. His mother and his father are exchanging a knowing glance but spare him with a comment. He makes his way through the crowd, needing longer than he anticipates because people stop him to congratulate him. Eventually, he is able to join you on the otherwise empty balcony.

He just watches your back for a moment, and how the yellow dress you are wearing once again is gently swaying in the wind. He wants to go and talk to you, but the view is too pretty to pass up on. “Are you just going to stand there and watch me like a creep, or are you going to come here and give me a hug?” He laughs, slight embarrassment peeking through in the sound. When he walks over to you, he doesn’t need to see your face to know the wide grin you are currently wearing on your lips. He steps closer you and wraps his arms around your hips from behind. It is different than the other hugs you have shared all your life, it is more intimate, more real somehow. His heart is beating fast in his chest, and he is almost sure that you can feel it.

You place your hand on his arms, relaxing against his chest, snuggling impossible closer. “Are you enjoying your party, my champion?”, you say, and your words give him goosebumps – the good kind. My champion. He never wants you to call him anything else again if he is being honest. “Hm”, he hums in agreement, chin resting on your shoulder, “Even more because you are here.” The words he speaks are not above a whisper, because he is a bit afraid to say them out loud. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world, Mick. Since I first met you, I knew that you were destined for great things.”

Mick cannot help but laugh, and you turn around in his embrace. His arms are still around your waist, your arms are now behind his neck. He is close to you, has he ever been this close to you before? His laughter dies down, but he still grins from ear to ear. “I think the first time we met, we were like two years old, and you hit me on the head with a shovel.” You scoff, but Mick knows it is all playful. “I don’t remember that, but I am sure you deserved that”, you grin up at him, “Anyway, that feels like a lifetime ago.”

“Because it is”, Mick says and rubs gentle circles on the fabric above your hipbones, “But most of my best memories are with you. Like that summer last year? I don’t think I have ever felt better than during that time with you.” You smile up at him, and Mick feels like you are impossibly closer now. “Do you remember? When we were eight?”, you ask him, your voice barely above a whisper, “You gave me a dandelion and you said that you will marry me one day, and to be honest… I always hoped that you wouldn’t break that promise.” Mick smiles, and it is soft. He looks down into your eyes and you take his breath away. “One day, I will keep true to that promise”, he says.

He kisses you now, and as he does, he realizes something. Firstly, you really do taste like lemons. And like sunshine and happiness and much, much more. Secondly, he realizes that in a world of billions of people, a life full of thousands who he almost definitely hadn’t met yet, you were his one person, and he was going to make sure that counted for something.

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