#its from when they made chat give the chords to wonderwall and he just played the random ones julia pulled out of chat

[iheardyourprayer]

Jacob Drawfee, not immune 😔

[heywritersblock]

thinking about you | L.H.

a story about the ups and downs of loving your best friend

i only wanna give you love i only wanna sing your sound i don't wanna give this up i don't wanna let you down

~3300 words

(edit: part 2 is up!)

you won't see me crying crying over you

it’s the beginning of summer where the warmth of the sun still lingers during the sunset like a soft blanket around you; comforting but not smothering. you’re all gathered on the patio in ashton’s garden on cushioned benches and chairs around a huge table filled with empty plates, snacks and drinks. you’ve all been there for a few hours now and it’s such a good feeling to be surrounded by all of your friends - your four best friends, some less close friends and some that you’d just met tonight. your eyes keep travelling across the table to the gorgeous boy with flowing blonde curls pushed back behind his ears. he’s got sunglasses on still because of the golden reflection of the sun, and the glow of its last rays highlight him around this busy table. he’s chatting animatedly to someone you’ve just met tonight, a guy from the studio full of tattoos and a cigarette constantly lit in his hand. luke’s talking and talking to him, ignoring his other friends to keep the attention of this man. you can see that he’s being self deprecating and you scoff quietly as you hear him say he’d like to get better at playing guitar and roll your eyes behind your shades as this other guy leaps at the chance to gush about how incredible he is. luke’s body language changes; he’s always liked a little reassurance but usually it was from you. it made your heart warm to know just how many people thought so highly of him. you tune out of the conversations occurring around you as you watch the boy opposite you in awe. you only snap back into the conversation as you hear your name and feel a swift elbow nudge from ash at your left side. “what was that, sorry? zoned out for a sec then,” you mutter, embarrassed that you were nearly caught admiring luke. guffaws of laughter sound from the group around you and you see luke and the new guy glance at each other, then luke repeats: “no worries. just telling the guys about how i tried teaching you guitar once - an absolute nightmare!” the group laughs again and you smile at the memory. “took me hours to teach her the chords! we had to name them different creatures so she’d remember them!” he laughs. “hey! it’s not my fault that you’re such a shitty teacher!” you tease, “i mean - who teaches a beginner how to do chord transitions and progressions before they even know how to play one? i only wanted to know how to play bloody wonderwall!” the group howls with laughter at the two of you’s playful bickering that continues back and forth. the ease between the two of you makes you smile and feel warm on the inside and you take another sip of the bottle in your hand. “nah guys, seriously, it was even worse when i made her sit on my lap! it was like a switch had been flipped in her brain. honestly - it was like she couldn’t even hear what i was saying. ‘do the bear claw now, y/n. helloooo?’ she couldn’t even look at me, she was so-” he continues, oblivious to the change in reception from the rest of the group, only focused on the loud laugh of the guy to his side. the rest of the group are uncomfortable, but no more so than you. your real grin has long since faded and you’re trying to hold a fake smile but you feel the tears begin to prick at your eyes. he’s not noticed how his words are affecting you or the pity looks from the other around the table. if they so clearly know how you feel about him from this story he’s telling, why is he so oblivious? refusing to cry in front of others – especially in front of him – you excuse yourself quickly from the table with the feeble excuse of, “just going to grab another drink – anyone want anything?” and you’re endlessly grateful to your friends for shaking their heads and smiling uncomfortably but warmly at you.

you make your escape into the kitchen where you place down your empty bottle and grip onto the edge of the huge island in the centre with your back to the group outside. your tears begin to fall silently down your cheeks and you bravely try to hold in the cries threatening to sound. you feel an arm rest reassuringly around your shoulders and pull you into a warm, solid side. you know for certain at that moment that it’s calum and your shoulders shake with the power of the sobs racking your body. he sighs, pulling you in even tighter and resting his head on top of yours. when you get a hold of yourself, you pull yourself back, embarrassed, and refuse to look at calum. he sighs again and pulls you into the downstairs bathroom, closing the door behind you both. you stand in front of the mirror and wipe the tracks of tears from your cheeks as cal leans against the door watching you. quietly, almost a whisper, calum says, “he has no idea, you know.” you scoff. “seriously, he’s fuckin’ stupid but he has no idea. you have to tell him, y/n.” you sniff and shake your head slightly, taking a deep breath and lifting your head up, trying to shake this lapse that you’d had. “i mean, i’d tell him if I didn’t think you’d cut off my balls when you found out,” he laughs, trying to lighten the mood. you smile and turn to him, hugging him as a silent thank you. you take one last look in the mirror before turning back to the door and reaching for the handle. “you good?” cal asks sceptically. “of course, why wouldn’t i be?” you open the door and rejoin the party.

and you don't see me falling even baby when I'm falling for two

it’s a tuesday night, warm and humid outside even though the sun has long since gone down. luckily, the ac is turned on high in luke’s modern home and you feel an icy blast cover your skin as you fetch trays of drinks and snacks into his living room ready for a long overdue movie night with your four best friends. the bickering continues as you each settle on the large, comfortable couches waiting for luke to return from the bathroom. “nah, there’s no way i’m sitting through that again!” michael states, already munching on the overflowing popcorn bowl. “ash was a weepy mess after it; it took hours for him to calm down! i’m not doing it again!” “ok so dear john is out. what about the holiday?” cal tries to reason with the group, clearly desperate to actually watch a movie tonight. “you heathen! you can’t watch the greatest holiday movie of all time in june. what is wrong with you? honestly i can’t believe you’d even suggest su-“ the squabbling continues between the four of you, dismissing each other’s suggestions and fighting for your own choice with hilarious passion that wasn’t really necessary. 

luke enters the room with a groan, causing you all to look at him stood in the doorway. “really guys? every movie night? fucking hell,” he says, whispering the last part under his breath and shaking his head fondly as he looks over the room in front of him. 

you and michael are each stood up facing each other over the coffee table, your arguments getting a little too impassioned to remain seated. calum’s seated to the left of you both on a large, plush chair with his legs swung over the arm, a cushion behind his back and one cuddled into his stomach. ash is laid out on the right side of the large couch placed in front of the TV, legs draped over the part of the sofa that michael was previously inhabiting. the smaller sofa, on an angle to the tv was behind you and where luke was currently making his way to.

  calum chuckles and points at luke, “ok, here we have neutral territory. we can’t decide between four excellent choices so you need to pick,” he grins.

luke stands like a deer caught in headlights as his four best friends turn to stare at him with pleading eyes. he laughs, claps his hands together and nods.

“sweet! so the choices are –“ mikey begins, but he’s interrupted by luke.

“which one does y/n want? i choose that one,” he states non-chalantly, stealing some of michael’s disregarded popcorn as the boys make overdramatic threats - first about quitting the band, and then about kicking luke out. 

you’re still celebrating and gloating in your victory in the centre of the room as everyone starts to settle back down, admitting defeat. you grin at luke to say thanks as he lays out on the only couch remaining. 

after setting up the movie, you move to sit on the floor with your back to ash’s couch when luke catches your hand and tugs hard, causing you to tumble on top of him with little grace. 

he shushes you quickly when you try to make a fuss as the movie starts and he shuffles you both around so you’re cuddled on your side into his chest, your back against the back of the couch. 

heart beating quickly, you whisper up to him, “hey, thanks for siding with me,” and he cuddles you tighter. 

you try to calm yourself down to enjoy the movie and you’re kind of proud of how well you’re doing until you feel a light kiss pressed to the top of your head. you still completely and focus – try to focus, try so so hard – on the beginning of the movie playing. 

you don’t stand a chance and your heart melts into your body as the boy you’re so endlessly but secretly in love with whispers close to your ear, “between you and those guys? i’d side with you every time. every time.” 

you close your eyes, wondering what you’ve done to deserve this beautiful boy with a heart of gold to be laid with you like this and your heart aches with want and frustration. you’re pretty sure he can feel how warm your cheeks are, or how fast your heart is pounding or how clammy your hands pressed against his stomach are but he turns his head back to the tv, thumb stroking up and down your arm. 

how can he not see?

sometimes it's hard to see you're not watching me when i want you to

it’s a friday in your birthday month and you’re finally out celebrating with all of your best friends. of course, you’d had festivities with family and your other friends around your birthday but you’d delayed your real celebrations until your best friends were finally home. 

your girlfriends had all gathered at your house to get ready together, pre game and get the party spirit going. you were so excited to have all of your friends in one place, and more so, to see luke again after such a long time of the boys being away. the time away had given you chance to make a game plan; show him what he’s missing. 

you slipped on the outfit that you felt the most confident, most sexy in, put on your heels, grabbed your purse and glanced at yourself in the mirror before you friends screamed at you again from the uber. you took a deep breath, nodded at your reflection, trying to instil some confidence, and slammed the door behind you. 

as you pulled up to the bar, your stomach was fluttering with the thought of the evening to come. all you needed to do was to get his attention, make him see how good you looked and then grab your other friend antoni (who was totally the mastermind of the plan) to make him as jealous as you could. 

you climbed out of the uber and into the bar, laughing loudly at the entrance you and your friends were making. you hear your name called from the bar and you notice ash waving you over. you manoeuvre your way through the crowd quickly, not able to wait any longer to be reunited with your friends. echoes of hi’s and happy birthdays are yelled at you and as you’re embraced by ash first, then cal, then mikey and finally luke. 

you breathe in deep as you were finally in the arms of the boy you loved as he squeezes you tight, telling you how much he missed you and how you deserved the best birthday in the world. 

you giggle and pull back slightly to look at him and he grins cheekily at you before slamming his hand on the and ordering shots for “the best fuckin’ birthday girl in the world!” 

your friends cheer and you laugh loudly, downing your drink to the whooping of your friends. the music begins to pound and your friends grab at your arms to get you to come and dance.

just before you depart for the dance floor, luke’s hand grips into to yours. “hey, i mean it – you really are the best birthday girl. i hope you have the best night ever.” he gushes, eyes sweeping up and down, cheeky grin firmly in place when his eyes meet yours again. “you look fucking amazing.” your heart swells and heat glows in your stomach as you wink and turn towards the dance floor. 

your plan is in effect. you let the beat and the constant flow of drinks take you away and you’re having the time of your life. antoni sidles up behind you and you giggle as he shimmies along your back and your hips settle into the rhythm of each other. you focus on the feel on his hands on your hips, pushing away the thought of them being someone else’s – someone’s who’s hands are larger, rougher and connected to the boy you’re in love with – and move your whole body in the sexiest way you know how. 

purposely not looking across to where luke was stood at the bar, you turn your head to raise your eyebrow at antoni behind you. he winks and, knowing your thought process exactly, he looks over the top of your head subtly towards the bar. your eyes stay connected to his face and your stomach drops as his face falls. he plasters a smile back onto his face but the pity reflects like an ocean in his eyes. 

you’ve stopped dancing completely now and you spin your head to see what’s made him act this way despite your gut telling you that you don’t want to see this, to look away, to save yourself the heart break. 

there he is – at the bar still – but facing away from you this time. his entire attention is laying on the gorgeous girl in front of him, flirtatiously touching his arm and giggling at the terrible jokes you can imagine he’s telling her. 

despite being away from each other for weeks on end, despite it being your birthday celebration, his attention has been captured by someone else. your heart falls through your chest as he leans in, whispers in her ear and then guides her out of the bar without looking back. 

you plaster a smile onto your face, turn to grab antoni’s hand and pull him back to the dancefloor. the love of your life might not want to be here but his bandmates and the rest of your friends who love you do. 

you push down the familiar heartbreak and dance until you can’t remember why you feel so sad anymore.

and don't you know i'm dying just to spend a little more time with you

three months. that’s the last time you saw the boys face to face, in real life, could feel their warm bodies pressed against yours in a tight hug. in some respects, your everyday life is easier without them – him – around. it’s easier to distract yourself, easier to ignore the dull ache, easier to kid yourself that you’re not in love with your best friend. still, you couldn’t ignore the longing for them that you feel each time they’re away for a long stretch of time. you’re on your way home from work when your phone rings. 

you almost miss the call because you can’t quite locate your phone at the bottom of your large purse but you catch it just in time. your heart swells at the picture on the screen. “hey!” “you’re like the only person i know who doesn’t walk around with their phone constantly in their hand, y’know. i love that about you,” luke’s voice sweetly greets you. “you miss real life if you’re constantly looking at your phone. speaking of missing things…” you tease. he giggles. “actually, that’s why i’m calling. we’ve got the chance to come home a little earlier. some screw up with production on the last few dates so we’ve postponed for a week,” he explains. you make a little noise of disappointment in the back of your throat for them – you miss them like crazy but you know they wouldn’t be pleased about this. “so, um, the boys were wondering about some sort of guys trip – maybe an island somewhere – y’know, just to de-stress. then straight back to tour after,” you felt the familiar feeling of disappointment rising and you tried your hardest to push it back down. “how’d you feel about it?” struggling to put on your usual enthusiasm, you reply, “sure, whatever. see you when you’re back then,” and then move to hang up the phone. your patience had run thin. you can’t believe that after all of the time away, he was voluntarily wanting to spend more time away from you. your heart was preparing itself to shatter when his confused voice echoed deeply in the phone. “wait – wait. what’s up?” he asks genuinely. “i thought you’d be well up for a beach trip. y’know, laze about, eat our body weight in delicious food. you work hard, i thought you’d jump at the chance? look if you don’t want to go ju-“ you cut him off. “what the fuck are you talking about?” he’s confused again. “what? i mean we want – well, i want – you to come on vacation. i miss you. this is the only week i’ll be able to see you for another few months. i’m dying to see yo-“ you cut him off again. “you said guys trip,” you state blankly. he laughs softly, “you know you always count in those. there’s these two bungalows at this place mikey’s found. i thought maybe we could share one. look, y/n, i miss you like crazy and i’ve been told i’ve been pretty fuckin’ oblivious these past few months. i’ve spent the past year being miserable and i’m hoping – please -  that if you come on this trip we can talk. really talk and hopefully – yeah, sorry i’m rambling. please. please come.” your heart is soaring through your body and you struggle to respond. “y/n?” laughter punches out of you, broken heart resealing, mending, glowing. “ok. ok!” he sighs a quiet celebration, full of hope, and joins in with your laughter. “but please tell calum if your revelation is anything to do with him, he’d better run when i get there.” you leave the phone call with the swell of love glowing inside you and the promise of friendship and more waiting for you.

i only wanna give you love i only wanna sing your sound i don't wanna give this up i don't wanna let you down

song inspiration: thinking about you - jessie ware

hi please never let a boy make you feel this way you are independent and powerful and strong and you should tell him where to go if he does

[jiveammunition]

Reaper76Week - Day 5 - Here Comes the Sun (G)

Title: Here Comes the Sun Pairing: Reaper76 Rating: General Tags: Fluff, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Police Summary:

Before he even has a moment to register what he's saying and put a stop to it, his mouth drops a bomb that takes the both of them by surprise.  

“I can play guitar. If you're okay with it, I can fill in. I'm off Tuesday.”

Day 5 of Reaper76Week - “Over the Airwaves”

Also on AO3 here: Here Comes the Sun

Gabriel catches Jack looking utterly despondent one morning, brows furrowed and a very uncharacteristic frown on his face. He's staring at his phone, and whatever seems to have upset him must be serious, given how Jack doesn't even seem to notice he had a new customer.

“Why the long face?” Gabriel asks as he lets the door swing quiet shut behind him.

“Oh!” Jack gasps, visibly startled by Gabriel's sudden presence in the store. He hastily straightens up off from where he's leaning over the counter and tries to put on a smile. “Good Morning, Gabriel.”

It's only been a few months, but it's long enough to know the differences in Jack's expressions. Jack is giving him a fake, customer service smile, and that doesn't sit well at all with him. Gabriel frowns.

“Did something happen?” he asks again. Daily routine moves his body to fetch a set of tongs and a tray, and Gabriel catches himself unconsciously browsing the shelves for his breakfast as he continues to talk with Jack.

“You could say that, yeah,” Jack sighs. The fake smile drops off his face and he looks down at his phone with a gloomy expression on his face before putting it away. He finishes organizing the tray of macarons that had previously sat temporarily forgotten in front of him and sets it in its proper place inside the refrigerated display case.

“Wanna tell me about it?” Gabriel goes with a western omelette breakfast quiche — which he convinced Jack to start making after being scolded for choosing a croissant for 4 days in a row just to spite Jack after he realized Jack was intentionally hiding his favorite sour cream and chives scones from him — this morning, and hands the tray and tongs over.

Jack shrugs noncommittally at first, as he pops the quiche into the small toaster oven beside the coffee machine, and it's only after he gets Gabriel's coffee that he actually answers.

“So you know how I have Family Fundays now?”

Gabriel nods, eyes briefly glancing over to the corner of the bakery near the cafe area where a low stage is located — made significantly less conspicuous by the standing baskets of baguettes and other easily-moved displays of baked goods — and recalling the chalkboard sign outside advertising story hours and other family-friendly entertainment on Tuesday nights at the bakery.

“Well, I originally had my buddy Lúcio scheduled to come in and do a puppet show, but-” Jack began, taking the now-warmed and toasted quiche from the oven.

“Wait,  the Lúcio? That really famous DJ?” Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up. The implication that Jack knows someone so famous — and had him do something so local and small, to boot — surprised him so much he had to stop and recount his coins before handing it over to Jack.

“Yeah, that Lúcio. He and I have been friends for almost 10 years now. We met on the internet,” Jack replied, tone nonchalant as if he were talking about something so mundane as the weather. “Anyway, he said he was gonna be in town Tuesday, offered to come visit me and do a puppet show for the kids. But something came up so now he can't make it, and I don't have anything lined up to replace him.”

A dispirited sigh falls from Jack's lips as he hands Gabriel back his change in bills and slides the tray of coffee, quiche, and the scone he didn't order but knows better than to protest about. And damn if the sadness on Jack's face didn't tug at Gabriel's heartstrings.

Before he even has a moment to register what he's saying and put a stop to it, his mouth drops a bomb that takes the both of them by surprise.

“I can play guitar. If you're okay with it, I can fill in. I'm off Tuesday.”

“Really?!” The way Jack's face lights up immediately drives the nail into the proverbial coffin. Even if there had been a chance for Gabriel to take his words back, there was no possible way on earth for him to do it now. He couldn't bear to make Jack upset again.

“Yeah, I mean, I'm a little rusty, but so long as you don't ask me to play something too difficult or something like  Wonderwall , it should be okay.”

“Oh man, that'd be great! You're a lifesaver, Gabriel! Thank you so much!” Jack's smile beams so brightly that Gabriel can feel his insides melting from how warm he feels.

“Yeah, no problem,” he replies coolly.

Except, there is a problem. Two problems. Two very big problems that come to mind the second he sits down in the cafe area. He tries not to scream when he bites into the quiche — partially from the realization, and partially from his own stupidity at not letting the very very hot pastry cool down a little first.

“Jesse, I'm gonna need my guitar back,” Gabriel says as he approaches Jesse’s desk.

“Huh?” Jesse looks up at him as if he'd grown two heads. “Boss, you sold it to me, remember? ‘Less you plan on giving my money back…”

“Okay, let me rephrase,” Gabriel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Will you let me borrow my-  your  guitar? I need for about a week and I'll give it right back.”

Still looking at him with a raised eyebrow, Jesse replies, “Yeah, sure. I'll bring it in tomorrow.”

“Thanks. I owe you,” Gabriel replies. He tries to get away before Jesse decides to ask any questions, but only makes it two steps before Jesse speaks up again.

“Whacha needin’ it for anyway? Planning on serenading someone with it?” he laughs.

Gabriel frowns. “No. Jack's act for Tuesday night bailed on him, and I offered to help him out.”

"By playing guitar?” There's a beat of silence before the confused expression on Jesse's face changes to one of revelation. “Jack, as in the bakery owner, Jack? Boy howdy, boss, you really  are  planning on serenading him! How romanti-”

Before Jesse even has a chance to finish that word, Gabriel lifts the hat off of Jesse's head and jams it into his face. “I'm not serenading anyone. I'm just helping him out of a tight spot. Got it?”

Jesse nods his head in affirmation from beneath the hat, giving a thumbs up and a muffled, “Gotcha, boss.”

With that taken care of, Gabriel goes to Ana's office, taking a deep breath before stepping inside.

“Ana, I need Tuesday off,” Gabriel says, clasping his together in a way that can't be misinterpreted as anything but begging, “I'll take traffic duty for a week and babysit Fareeha for a weekend if you let me have it off.  Please .”

Ana raises an eyebrow, clearly curious as to why Gabriel would make such a sudden request. Rather than ask, however, she merely replies with, “Make it two weekends and you've got Tuesday off.”

“Yes! Thank you!” Gabriel fights the urge to pump his fist happily as he walks back out of the office.

He later realizes, when he looks at the calendar stuck to the front of his fridge at home, why exactly it was so easy to get Ana agree to let him have the day off.

...he was already scheduled to have off that day. He hadn't been lying when he told Jack he had the day off, but self-doubt and his own paranoia had landed him with traffic duty and two weekends of babysitting.

Oh well.

Sure enough, Jesse makes good on his word, and Gabriel spends the next several days practicing on his old acoustic guitar to prepare and reacquaint himself with the hobby he had dedicated so many years of his teenage life to.

The notes, the chords, hand positions and movements come back to him just as naturally as a duck takes to swimming. When he sits down in the chair on the tiny stage inside of Jack's Bakery, he finds his nerves as steady and as calm as ever. Countless eyes and smiling faces look up at him, waiting eagerly for his song to start, but only one pair of stormy blues really matter to Gabriel.

Briefly, he locks gazes with Jack, who’s watching him from behind the counter, smiling fondly at him, and he feels his heart skip a beat at the brief moment of eye contact. Jack gives an encouraging nod at him, and Gabriel takes a deep breath before smiling back at the children's faces in the front row and strums his first note.

“ Little darling, it's been a long, cold, lonely winter… ” he begins to sing.

For the next few hours, Gabriel sings a mix of oldies but goodies, and some of the newer songs that the children were familiar with and could sing along to. Inwardly, he thanked Fareeha for indirectly enlightening him on current music, as the smiles on the numerous faces in the bakery brought a happiness and excitement he hadn't felt in years since he stopped playing the guitar.

Occasionally, movement will catch the corner of his eye and he spots Jack going about his business in the bakery. Sometimes Jack moves to the beat of the music, sometimes he dances along with an over-excited child whose parents are too immersed in Gabriel’s song to help expend the extra energy, and sometimes — the thing Gabriel loves seeing him do the most — Jack will quietly sing along when he thinks everyone is too busy watching Gabriel to notice.

But Gabriel notices, perhaps a bit too much, and each and every time he spots Jack around the store, he feels the rhythm of his heart stutter just a little bit faster.

Gabriel's performance ends around 8 o’clock, when the families all start heading home for bedtime. Some of them stop by on their way out to chat and thank Gabriel for his wonderful performance, others express their gratitude for the things Gabriel has helped them with while on-duty. Nevertheless, the smiles on their faces speak well enough about Gabriel's performance that he almost feels like picking up the guitar again.

“That was really wonderful,” Jack comments as he tosses away a few lingering bits of trash from the floor and flips the sign on the door from Open to Closed. “Thank you again for helping me out, I really appreciate it.”

The warm smile on Jack's face sparks a heat in the tips of Gabriel's ears and he tries to keep his voice as level as possible when he replies with, “Ah, it was nothing. I had fun and I'm glad I could help.” He slings the guitar to his back and out of the way so he can help rearrange the chairs to how they should look, but only manages to orient two before Jack stops him.

“No, I really do mean it.  Thank you ,” he smiles as he fetches something from behind the register and walks back over to Gabriel. “Here, as thanks.”

Gabriel can already tell from sight alone what it is Jack plans on giving him, and he immediately holds up a hand to refuse the envelope and the check inside it. “Nope. You don't need to thank me.  Seriously ,” he he repeats, “I was happy to do it.”

“But I need to pay you back somehow. You did me a favor, and it wouldn't feel right paying you with stuff I sometimes give you for free anyway,” Jack protests, frowning.

“You don't have to pay me back anything, Jack.”

“But-!”

Knowing Jack isn't likely to give up, Gabriel thinks for a moment before he comes up with a solution.

“Okay, fine. I know how you can pay me back,” he says, smirking.

“How?”

‘ By going on a date with me ,’ his heart wants him to say.

“Sing along with me next time.”