#last time i bowled was at one of my cousins birthday parties. so. way too long ago.

[skeletalheartattack]

what sport did you like the best in wii sports?

!!! BOWLING BABEY !!!

[spideyhexx]

the cookout; b.b. + s. l.

pairing; bucky barnes + sylvie laufeydottir + female!reader

a/n: umm thank @vineridden for talking to me about this and our shared love of Sylvie and Bucky. I couldn't help myself. Pls reblog/comment/give feedback!

masterlist

summary: Sylvie picks up on you and Bucky thirsting over each other and decides to do something about it...and perhaps involve herself.

NSFW 18+ Minors DNI please!!!

WARNINGS: mom's best friend!sylvie. college aged reader and bucky. dirty talk. threesome. grinding. spitting. soft dom!sylvie. some sub!bucky. some dom!reader. oral (female receiving). fingering. unprotected sex. facial. handjob. spanking. kind of edging. some voyeurism. use of the word "whore"

word count: 4.3k (oops)

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Sizzling grills, water splashing, and the loud chatter erupts from your backyard.

Well, more specifically, your parent’s backyard. It’s not uncommon for them to throw huge cookouts, but this one was big. It’s an anniversary, welcome home, birthday, all the major events tied into one.

You didn’t mind these parties, but part of you wished you could just skip it and stay locked away in your room all day.

It was all good and fun, but the amount of people your parent’s would invite could become quite overwhelming.

One of the only good parts was Bucky. You hadn’t seen him in a couple months, due to the two of you attending different colleges, but that never stopped your frequent texts.

He lived in the house next door, your whole lives spent just a few paces away.

Getting through these parties together almost felt like a tradition. But this time, there was something different in the air.

You did not expect to be hit with a wave of awe as you watched Bucky greet your parents. He was always handsome and perhaps not physically seeing him for a bit made him look better, but shit was he gorgeous. His tight t-shirt was hiding nothing, making the muscles he worked hard on strain more prominently.

And you internally rolled your eyes at his swim trunks that had a cat pattern on them. Seems as though he still loved silly designs.

Your breath catches when he spots you, a grin spreading across his face as he jogs over.

“Flower! God, I’ve missed you,” Bucky says, pulling you right in for a hug. You want to tell him you missed hearing that nickname, but decide against it.

“Missed you too, Buck! Are you ready for a long night?” Bucky smirks at your statement.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” you clarify and Bucky still has the smirk on his face. His hands have not left your waist and you wonder if he could tell how much of an effect it has on you.

“I know, just teasin’. Did you hear Sylvie is coming?”

There’s the other good part about these cookouts. Sylvie, a friend of your mom’s.

It was only recently you started to develop a crush on her. With her witty comebacks and smooth accent, it was hard not to.

You might’ve drunkenly admitted your crush on her to Bucky during a late night phone call and he has not forgotten. I

t was easy for you to confess this crush, but somehow not the one you had begun to develop on Bucky himself. You felt a little ashamed that you have been developing feelings for your mother’s best friend, but nothing would ever happen, right?

Bucky tilts his head and pinches your waist.

“You’re already gettin’ lost in your thoughts thinkin’ about her!”

“Oh stop, you think she’s hot too,” you tease, your voice a tinge too loud and Bucky shushes you, putting a finger on your lips.

He did think she was hot.

Bucky revealed his crush on Sylvie as well when you first talked to him about it.

Since then, the two of you joked about it pretty often, but now was your first time seeing her since you’ve acknowledged the little (maybe big) crush.

“Hey Bucky!” One of your cousin’s calls out to him and he looks back at them, before turning to you.

“I’ll see you in the pool?” He questions and you nod, watching as he runs off to talk to more people.

He trips in his flip flops and you burst out laughing, not being able to contain it. Bucky whips his head to look at you and flips you off.

You take one last look at how good his back looks in his shirt before migrating to the lounge chairs, hoping there’s a free one.

That is when you spot Sylvie, laid back in one of the chairs, a drink in her hand.

You take a deep breath before approaching the seat next to her. She smiles widely when she notices you.

“Gonna give me a hug, flower?”

Sylvie beamed, placing her drink down to pull you in for a hug.

Flower.

You could not decide if it sounded better coming from Sylvie or Bucky. Relishing in Sylvie’s hug, you have to stop yourself from pouting when she pulls away just a bit too soon.

“How’re your studies going? I know you were practically jumping to get away from here?” She asks, settling back into her chair.

“School’s good, it feels nice to be around so many new people but, I’ve missed being home if I’m being honest,” you say and she nods in understanding.

“I know I’ve missed seeing you around, flower.”

A heat rushes across your face and you’re happy it’s hot enough outside to keep a facade up. You turn your head away from her, fearing you would end up lost in her eyes.

What you did not expect was for your eyes to lock onto the sight of Bucky taking his shirt off. It’s as though he meant to take it off in slow motion as he carefully lifts it over his head and throws it onto a chair. He puts one foot in the pool and retracts it.

You can vaguely hear him yelling about it being cold.

Bucky sits at the edge of the pool, letting his legs get used to the temperature.

He runs a hand through his hair, making it messier than it already is. Sylvie clears her throat and you turn to her.

“He is an attractive man, isn’t he?”

Her question catches you off guard for a moment, but nonetheless, you answer.

“Yeah, he is.”

A slight weight falls off your chest at admitting it, but how could you not?

Sylvie smirks, “Don’t look now, but he’s checking you out.”

You go to look anyway and sure enough, he’s gazing at you. Bucky turns his attention to a bowl of chips once he notices you caught him.

“You two are so adorable,” Sylvie says.

“Are we?”

She scoffs and leans in closer to you, almost whispering.

“Very much. You’re taking turns checking each other out.”

You laugh and look back at Bucky, who’s decided to lay back in a chair, his legs spread just enough for you to squeeze your thighs together.

“You should go over to him and sit on his lap,” Sylvie mused, chuckling at your shocked expression.

“What?! No, no I can’t do that Sylvie!”

“Why not? He was looking at your bum and now he’s rubbing his thigh, glancing at you like he’s waiting for you to take a seat.” You ponder her words for a moment.

Yes, sitting on Bucky’s lap sounded like a great idea, but you were a tad nervous.

“And I could tell you want him, honey. Do you know what eye fucking in? That’s what you’re doing.”

The fact that Sylvie could see so clearly through your lust filled eyes also managed to send sparks around your body.

“If he rejects you, you can sit in my lap. Now go, flower!”

Well, you couldn’t say no to that. Standing up, you adjust your swimsuit, then walk over to Bucky.

You run through what you should say once you’re by him, but you can’t decide on what would be best.

Too many thoughts are running through your head. Sylvie offering her lap. Her words about sitting in Bucky’s lap and the way his hands look even better against his thighs as you get closer.

“y/n,” he addresses.

“Can I..um, can I sit with you?”

Bucky raises his brow for a moment, but nods and pats a spot on the chair next to him.

“No, I mean, on you. On your lap,” you say and Bucky’s heart skips a beat.

“Sure you can, flower” he says cooly and he immediately wraps his arms around your waist as you settle against his chest, on his lap.

His hands feel warm against your skin, yet send a shiver up your spine. You allow yourself to lay your head on his shoulder, shifting around in his arms to get more comfortable.

“Careful,” Bucky mumbles, clearing his throat. It doesn’t take long to realize you shouldn’t squirm too much.

But you want to. You catch Sylvie’s eye and she smiles at you, raising her drink and then sipping from it.

“Did you have a good talk with her?” Bucky asks.

“Mmhm. She told me to sit here,” you confess, wanting to know his reaction.

He’s quiet for a moment before replying “Mischievous, huh?”

“Like always, but didn’t expect her to...help with this...I suppose.”

“I’m happy she did,” Bucky says, pressing a short kiss on your cheek.

You sit with Bucky for a bit, zoning out and trying to memorize the feeling of his hands splayed across your stomach.

How when he speaks, you can feel his breath hit the side of your face and his voice drops to a lower volume when he only wants to speak to you.

Being so caught up in your thoughts once more, you can’t help but squirm a bit, his arms tightening around you.

“You’re gonna cause a problem,” Bucky tells you, a slight smile playing on his lips. You push back against him and he contains a groan.

“Seems as though I already caused a problem.”

He chuckles and sighs deeply as you wiggle against him, reveling in how hard he’s gotten from your movements.

“We should go inside,” he mutters and you turn slightly to look at him.

“And do what?”

You feign innocence, but the smirk on your face tells Bucky you know exactly what you’re doing to him.

“Do I have to say it?”

You nod at him excitedly and he gently pushes your head to the side so he could lean his lips against your ear.

“I want to go inside so you could properly touch my cock, since you’ve had so much fun the past twenty minutes grinding against it.”

His words send a shudder through your body and you take one last glance at him before standing up. Bucky follows suit, placing a hand on your hip and keeping you close to his body to perhaps hide his rather big hard problem.

You lead him through the house to your bedroom. You don’t notice how fast you’re walking until Bucky pulls at your wrist and gently pushes you against the wall in the hallway.

“Slow down, flower,” he starts, bringing your hands up to his shoulders. He dips his head down to nudge your nose against his.

“Are you sure?”

You nod and Bucky, with a tinge of hesitance, presses his lips on yours. At first, the kiss is simple.

Bucky’s fingers rub against your sides gingerly and he’s taking his time to feel your mouth on his for the first time. You pull away first, your lips lingering on his own.

You catch your breath, not even realizing how fast your heart was beating. So many feelings are rushing through you, but the main urge coursing around is the one to smash his lips back onto you.

One of your hands drifts up to the back of his head to encourage his mouth back onto yours in a searing kiss.

His actions are a little more desperate as he nips at your top lip and presses his body closer to you. The strain in his swimsuit is undeniable and you whimper as you feel him pushing himself against your thigh. Bucky grunts and you trail your lips to his jaw.

Someone clears their throat and you and Bucky jump apart. Sylvie stands a couple feet away leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest and a playful smirk decorating her face.

“Don’t stop on my account,” she teases, gesturing for the two of you to continue. You look at Bucky and he’s already got his eyes back on you.

“I’m fine with it...if you are too,” he mutters, his lips brushing yours as he speaks.

“It’s okay,” you reply, kissing him once more.

Heat pools in your belly knowing that Sylvie is watching you make out with Bucky.

“Tug at his hair, flower,” she murmurs and without hesitation you pull at Bucky’s hair, a soft noise escaping his mouth at the sensation.

“Little harder this time.”

You follow her instructions again, tugging hard, causing Bucky to buck his hips against you.

“See? He liked that,” Sylvie comments.

“Why don’t we go to y/n’s room? For more privacy.”

The fact that there’s a party right outside has completely glossed over your mind.

The strong desire to have this moment with not just Bucky, but Sylvie as well was enough to lead Bucky into your room, Sylvie following behind. She closes the door and locks it. She takes a seat in your desk chair.

“Continue...with what you were doing.” Her voice, firm yet soft must’ve been turning both you and Bucky on.

His cock looked like it was suffering from his shorts, while you could feel how soaked you’ve gotten since you first sat on Bucky’s lap.

Bucky sat on the edge of the bed and patted his thigh.

You straddle him, gasping at the feeling of his hard cock right by where you needed him. Bucky kissed your neck, sucking softly around to find what spots made you weak.

“I bet she likes it right under her ear, Barnes.”

He quickly moved his lips to the spot and sure enough, it made you whimper. You shift in his lap, slightly grinding against him.

His hands fall to your ass, rubbing the skin and pushing you forward to continue grinding.

“Now, flower, look at his lips. What do they look like?”

Sylvie asked and Bucky pulled his head from your neck. You hold his jaw in your hand and gaze across his lips.

“Wet. Redder than usual.”

Sylvie hums as a response.

“Do you think those lips would feel good on your clit?”

You gasp at her words and Bucky smirks.

“I know they would,” Bucky remarks and Sylvie tsks at him.

“I’m not talking to you, Barnes. Be quiet.”

That wipes the smirk off of his face, but does not stop you from smiling.

“They would feel good.”

You answer, and Sylvie hums again.

“You wanna make them more wet? Spit on his lips. Don’t open your mouth, Barnes. You don’t deserve her spit in your mouth right now.”

Bucky groans and you swallow hard, suddenly a little nervous.

Sylvie seems to sense this and you feel her presence behind you. Her hands slide up your arms to your shoulders and she leans her lips close to your ear.

“It’s okay, flower. You’re already doing so good. I know you want to see Buck become a mess, so do it when you’re ready.”

Her praise really does things for you. You grip Bucky’s jaw tighter, his eyes blown out as he looks up at you.

You gather saliva in your mouth and spit directly onto his lips. He has a hard time keeping them closed, but he does it.

“Smear it against his lips now,” Sylvie says, still standing behind you. Using your thumb, you rub your spit onto his lips. Bucky takes a deep breath, probably trying to control himself.

“Do it again.”

You go through the motions once more, but as you smear the wetness across Bucky’s lips, he can’t help himself anymore. He takes your thumb into his mouth and sucks on it lightly.

You pull your thumb away from him and he whimpers.

“He didn’t listen. What are you going to do about it flower? Slap him? That would be sexy.”

“He would like it though, so not a punishment,” you say and Sylvie smiles.

“Hm you’re learning, honey.”

Sylvie places a kiss on your shoulder, the first time her lips have touched your skin so far.

“He does want to cum. He’s pressing so hard against me.”

Sylvie nods, “then we’ll edge him. He needs to put those pretty lips on you first anyways, right Barnes?”

“Yeah, right,” he stumbles out after clearing his throat.

“Switch spots and take the swimsuit off, flower” Sylvie commands.

You hop off of Bucky’s lap, slowly slipping off the bathing suit. You felt the stares of Bucky and Sylvie bore into your body, but Sylvie’s soft smile made you feel more comfortable.

You sit at the edge of the bed. Sylvie leans close so she could whisper only to you.

“Tell him to kneel,” she says. Your brow raises at her and she nods. Looking back at Bucky, you spread your legs, noticing how a blush is coating his cheeks.

“Kneel,” you say, not as confident as you would have hoped, but it still affects Bucky.

You could almost see how it made his cock twitch. Bucky drops to his knees, moving in between your legs.

“No touching,” Sylvie tells him and continues “only use your mouth. Make her cum.”

You rest one hand on Bucky’s head, close to tugging at it again when he immediately places his lips on your cunt. His tongue rolls through your folds as if he’s testing what feels good.

“Pull on his hair, flower. Use his mouth to get off.”

Bucky moans against you as you tug at his hair, pushing his face closer to your pussy. His tongue flicks at your entrance, his nose bumping against your clit. You slowly start to move your hips, using his face, just how Sylvie told you.

“That’s it, flower. Fuck he’s really into your cunt,” Sylvie says, sitting next to you on the bed. She was right, even though you were moving against Bucky’s mouth, he was devouring you.

Wrapping his lips around your clit, sucking harshly, moaning whenever you gasped out his name.

“She’s close, Barnes.” Sylvie did not need to say it, but hearing it made you moan louder.

“That’s a bit too loud, honey,” she mumbles before turning your head and crashing her lips onto yours in a messy kiss.

The kiss combined with Bucky’s mouth sent you over the edge, your body exploding in pleasure. Sylvie pulls away and runs her thumb over your lip.

“Such a good girl. That felt good?”

You nod, not trusting your voice. Sylvie smiles, leaning in to kiss your cheek, then the other. She trails wet kisses back to your lips and licks into your mouth.

“Am I going to get something now?”

You pull away from the kiss to look at Bucky, still on his knees, his cock still frustratingly hard.

“Don’t give us an attitude, Barnes. You’ll get your turn when we feel like it. Go sit on the chair,” Sylvie motions to the desk chair and Bucky begrudgingly takes a seat.

Even though he looks a little annoyed, he’s truly loving this. Loving that you were finally getting to do things with Sylvie...loving that he was making you feel good...and now...loving to watch.

“Can he touch himself?”

You ask, as if reading his mind.

“Your choice, flower.”

“Beg for it, Bucky.” Sylvie is surprised at your tone, but she smirks, looking expectantly at him.

“Let me touch myself, please. ‘M achin.”

His voice breaks a little and you can’t tell if he did it on purpose or not, but it does send a jolt of pleasure throughout your body.

“Go ahead.”

“But don’t cum,” Sylvie warns and she rids herself of her shorts and underwear. Bucky follows suit, taking his trunks off and grasping his cock in his hand.

“Do you want to touch me, honey?”

You nod and she points to the ground. Settling between her legs, your lips ghost over her clit. You look up at her.

“Spit on my cunt,” she says.

Bucky groans behind you and you have an urge to look at him.

You let your spit dribble onto her pussy, maintaining eye contact with her. It’s just now that you remember how insane this was, how bad it may be, but it’s felt so good.

Using your fingers, you spread the wetness on her cunt, smiling to yourself at the little noises she’s trying to keep hushed.

You prod one finger at her entrance, then slowly ease it in, locking your lips onto her clit. You suck lightly at first, trying to build up her release.

“You see how good she is at this, Barnes? Bet you want her lips on your cock, hm?”

You can’t see exactly how he responds, but you do catch a hurried curse under his breath and a wet slick of him stroking his cock.

You add another finger, Sylvie’s thighs squeeze against your head.

You curl them in sync with the sucking on her clit until she’s moaning your name and riding out her high. She bends down to kiss you, groaning at the taste of herself.

“Please let me fuck her,” Bucky whines and you both turn to look at him. He’s completely naked and flushed, his cock resting against his abdomen.

“Seems like he learned his manners,” Sylvie whispers to you, making you giggle.

“How do you want her, Barnes?”

Bucky contemplates, then stands up. He helps you up from the ground.

“Want her from behind,” he says, a low rasp in his voice.

“Do you want that, flower?”

You smile and jump on the bed, positioning yourself on your hands and knees.

You wiggle your ass a bit at him and Sylvie playfully smacks it, causing you to laugh.

“Still can’t cum until we say so,” Sylvie reminds him and then turns to you, “but you could cum whenever you want, honey.”

With that, Sylvie sits back at the desk chair to watch.

Bucky holds his cock by the base and rubs the tip up and down your cunt.

“You’re so fucking wet,” he growls, coating his dick in your wetness. You whine as he keeps teasing the tip at his entrance.

A few more strokes and Bucky pushes into you.

You both moan and Sylvie shushes the two of you.

“Please do remember there is a party going on,” she says and Bucky takes a moment to control himself.

The way you clench around him as he pushes himself into the hilt was enough to send him over the edge. But he held that back, focused on making you cum as quickly as possible.

He grips your hips as he steadily pulls out, then glides back in, creating a smooth rhythm. The sound of skin slapping and your short gasps fills the room.

“Spank her a little, Barnes. Not too hard though.”

Bucky does so, softly hitting your cheek and almost doubling over at how much you squeeze him when he does it again.

“Fuck, flower,” he grunts, picking up his pace.

You grip at the sheets beneath you and lower one hand to toy with your clit, still sensitive from when Bucky made you cum earlier.

“Talk dirty to her, I think she likes it,” Sylvie comments as Bucky leans down and swats your hand away to replace it with his own.

He rubs even faster circles on your clit.

“Can you feel how deep I am inside you? Bet you’ve been dreaming about this cock for a while yeah? Just like how you’ve dreamt of Sylvie.”

You whine at that, embarrassment threatening to flood in, but that’s quickly taken away when you hear Sylvie say “That’s cute, honey. I hope you dream of me more after this.”

Bucky pounds into you mercilessly, his fingers never letting up until you cry out his name a bit too loud.

He doesn’t seem to care and fucks you through your second orgasm, watching as you try to catch your breath.

“Help her to her knees, Buck.”

Bucky pulls out of you and you let out a small hiss at the emptiness. You’re tired, but you move quickly anyway, resting on your knees on the ground. Bucky’s cock was dripping with you and the little bit of precum that managed to escape.

Sylvie stands beside him, sliding her hand down his chest, then gripping his cock. Bucky throws his head back in a groan.

“Look at her, Barnes. She’s a little whore, isn’t she?”

Bucky moans, both at Sylvie’s words and the look you’re giving him.

“I think she wants your cum…” Sylvie trails off and looks at you.

It’s crazy how you feel like you know what she wants you to do...without her even saying it. You put your hands on Bucky’s thighs, feeling him tremble slightly.

Soon your mouth is open and you stick your tongue out, pleasantly waiting for him.

Sylvie jerks him off faster. What pushes him over the edge is your hand drifting up from his thigh to cup his balls.

His cum spills out of him, most of it landing on your tongue, but some onto your cheek as well.

“That’s a lot of cum for her, Barnes. Think she likes it?”

Bucky’s eyes struggle to stay open as he’s riding out his high, but he manages to watch as you swallow what was in your mouth. You wipe the rest of his cum off with your fingers and put them in your mouth, sucking them clean.

“Shit,” Bucky groans and you giggle.

You stand up and reach for your blanket, all of a sudden feeling a little cold completely naked. Bucky joins you on the bed.

“You didn’t really get to fuck anyone,” Bucky directs at Sylvie and she shrugs.

“We can’t spend too much time here. Besides, you both did well, I need to give you a reward next time.”

“Next time?”

You ask and she nods, smiling, leaning in close to you, her lips mere centimeters away.

“Of course, if that’s something you, or both of you want,” she mutters.

Sylvie is about to walk out of the door when Bucky says “I know flower here will definitely want more, you don’t even know how many times she’s told me about wanting to kiss you.”

“Bucky!”

You slap his arm and he cackles, laying back against your bed. Sylvie laughs too and sends you a wink before retreating.

Bucky’s gazing at you when you turn to him.

“What the fuck happened,” he jokes and you shake your head, snuggling onto his chest.

“Dreams came true?”

[saltymiraculer]

Ceremonial Kisses (Part 1 of 3)

Part 2

So I decided to try my hand at the “Marinette, the princess of China” trope and see how I did! Tell me what you think?

Also, the first chapter is going to be fluffy, the second chapter’ll have a sprinkling of salt, and the third chapter will be a mix of piles and piles of salt and some fluff. Be warned!

.

“I’ve got a big, big, big announcement for you today, class!“ Bustier chirped, clapping her hands to get their attention. “China’s princess will be coronated in a week and a half, the day she turns 18, as many of you know, and one class from the school will be selected to travel to China and watch the ceremony. Guess which class it was?“

“Uhhh…Mme. Mendeleiev’s!“

“Ooh, M. D’Argencourt’s? They’ve wanted that trip for weeks!“

“No, class, it’s ours! In three days, we’ll board the plane to Asia and have a few days to sightsee and explore, then attend the coronation on the second-to-last day!“

“Wow! Why our class?“ Kim asked.

Marinette knew exactly why. Marc had told her that the entire school was sick of Lila’s lies and wanted to enjoy the coronation without her butting in in the middle of the assembly to tell a ‘story’ about herself.

But she couldn’t just say that.

“You know, I actually know the princess,“ Lila said, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “But her identity is being kept a secret for now. That’s how we landed the trip!“

“Wow, Lila!“

“That’s amazing!“

“So cool of you.“

“They know that’s stupid, right?“ Alya stage-whispered, earning a glare from Lila’s new puppy–more commonly known as Kim. She shrugged. “I’m just tellin’ the truth!“

Alya, who was now her only other supporter next to Nino (and technically Adrien, but she’d discuss that later–it was very complicated), had decided to Google Lila’s name during a sleepover and found…some rather incriminating Facebook posts.

After that, she was 100% team Marinette and an amazing friend, along with Nino, who had decided that he needed a theme song. No one knew why.

But they loved him anyways!

So while Bustier was rattling off facts about Chinese emperors and kings and queens, Nino was showing them his latest idea to expose Lila.

“Okay,“ he started. “First, we go to China. Then we do our sightseeing and shit, and then. I did some research, and we can ask the princess questions if we’re with a national news channel. Alya’s blog counts. For real, we can talk to the princess of China. And we ask her if she knows Lila.“

“Brilliant plan, Nino. I wonder how the princess will react to a few teenagers in the middle of a crowd of famous people.“

Nino frowned. “The princess is only, like, 17. She’ll probably notice us, Als.”

“Oh, that reminds me, your birthday’s on the same day as the coronation, Marinette! Weird, isn’t it? That you and the princess have the same birthday?“ Alya asked, pulling out her phone and swiping through something.

“Huh, yeah. You’re right. Maybe we can invite her to my birthday party?“

“Ooh, the wiki page says she likes custard buns, and I’m not sure how they know that,“ Nino chuckled. “but make sure to stock up on those.“

“Noted,“ Marinette said drily as Bustier turned to them with a condemning look on her face. “Alya! I hope what you’re doing on that phone relates to the lesson!“

“China’s princess’s identity is being kept a secret because the last two were sent death threats, dangerous items, highly innapropriate items, and several other things that prompted them to not reveal the princess until it was necessary.“

“C-correct, Alya. Good job.“

“Nice!“ Marinette mouthed, high-fiving Alya, who flipped her phone around to reveal a website about the princess.

                                                           -🌸-

The final bell rang as several of the students cheered. One school day until the trip over, three more to go. Alya swung her bag over her shoulder and bumped Marinette’s elbow. “We goin’ to your place to hang out?”

“Yeah, my dad’s out anyways and mom closed the bakery for the afternoon. let’s go!“ Alya took Nino’s hand and walked the short distance to Marinette’s house. They entered and immediately felt something off.

Ah, there it was.

Sabine was leaning over the counter with a cup of very strong-smelling peppermint tea beside her. She was rubbing her temples and muttering to herself in rapid Mandarin.

“Maman? Are you alright?“ Marinette asked worriedly. Alya and Nino stood by the door–they had only seen her like this once before, when her cousin had been run over and killed.

“Yes, dear, everything’s okay, it’s just–there’s something I need to tell you.“

“Oh, no, did something happen to someone?“

“No, no, everyone’s just fine. I can’t not tell you without there being serious problems.“

“So what is it? What’s so important you had to close the bakery?“

“You’re the princess. China’s princess. The one nobody knows about.“

“I’m what?!“ Marinette screeched, grabbing at her hair. “I’m the heir to the throne of the most populated country in the world, and you waited until a week before the coronation to tell me?!“

“Holy shit.“ Alya and Nino said simultaneously. Sabine stared at them, likely just realizing they were there.

“Oh. They know now, too. Perfect, that’s just what we need, a reporter knowing who–“

“Maman! Alya wouldn’t tell a soul, I know she wouldn’t.“

Sabine turned to Alya. “I’m sorry, dear, I’m just stressed. With that trip to China in a few days and all that, we’ll have to close down the bakery for about a week.”

“And we never close down the bakery.“ Marinette finished, putting a steady hand on her mom’s shoulder. “But I know just the person to run it while we’re gone.“

As she was about to say who exactly would run the bakery, Nino backed into the door, wide-eyed.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. My best friend…holy shit.“

“Nino, I know this is a lot, but we’ll have to stay calm,“ Alya said, grabbing his hand. “So we don’t spill her secret. That’s top priority, all right? Don’t–tell–anyone.“

Nino sighed. “Sorry, babe. This…“ he turned to Marinette. “Do you have any cookies?“

Marinette grinned and led them into the kitchen. “Of course! Chocolate chunk or raspberry frosted?“

“Raspberry, all the way!“

“There’s the Nino I know!“

After a quick cookie interval, Marinette pushed her plate away and sighed. “Anyone up for an impromptu sleepover? You all left a bunch of your clothes here the last few times.”

“Marinette. If you know us, you will know our answers.“ Alya said solemnly.

“Hell yeah. Wanna go choose which terrible rom-com to watch this time?“

They ended up settling on The Kissing Booth, one of Marinette’s personal favorites (”To lighten the tension, you know?” Alya had said. “Although the tension in here probably weighs the same as an obese hippopotamus at this point.”) and made a bowl of caramel popcorn, with a tiny bag of sea-salt Skinny Pop for Nino.

“Sugar on popcorn is a crime, man. I ain’t touching that.“

“You’ve tried it once, Nino.“

“Yes, and I hated it. Is there anything else to be said?“

So they spent the next two hours in a blanket fort that was made almost entirely of throw pillows laughing over Elle and Noah and Lee being idiots, with a few highlights such as the iconic “Ninth grade skirt, eleventh grade body” scene, where Alya snorted and said “You know, Lila’s skipped so much school, might as well be ninth grade brain, eleventh grade work.”

“Too true,“ Nino agreed. “The other day, she called Chloe’s mom Aurora Bourgeois. That was a pretty major mess-up.”

“Shhh! Let’s just watch the movie!“ Marinette said, effectively quieting them down.

They watched the rest in silence with the usual laughs., ending up falling asleep halfway through the second movie, snuggled up on their respective couches. Marinette mother shook them awake the next morning, telling them to take showers and eat breakfast and get dressed and for god’s sake, Marinette, finish your homework.

“Crap, crap, crapcrapcrap! Nino, we’re going to be late if we don’t get ready fast!“ Alya shouted as Marinette ran up the stairs to change. “Can I use your shower, M?“

“Sure!“ was the muffled reply.

After about 10 minutes of running around and shoving waffles in their mouths, they grabbed their bags and ran off to school.

They burst through the door in the nick of time, the bell ringing just as they plunked down their things.

Bustier wasn’t there five minutes into the class, so they started talking.

“Marinette, you have to listen to Nino’s latest track, it’s–“ Just as she was about to describe Nino’s latest track, a bouncy-ball the size of a walrus snashed through the wall, nearly taking off Kim’s head.

There was a cackle from outside. “I am Gradack! You will all feel the same sorrow that I did!“

                                                          -🌸-

The fight was over relatively fast, and everything was calmed down and restored before their next class. Turns out Chat Noir didn’t show, so Marinette had to ask Alya for assistance.

In hindsight, she probably should have picked a better place to transform.

“Tikki, spots on!“ After she transformed, she was about to go to Fu to get one of the Miraculous, when she heard a strangled gasp.

“…shit.“

“My best friend is the princess of goddamn China and Ladybug? What the fuck?! Who are you? How did I not know? When did–“

“Alya, I know the feeling, but you can’t tell anyone. Got it?“

“Nino?“

“Well,“ Marinette paused to think. “Yeah, I guess. I trust him enough. Now, take this and transform!“ she tossed Alya the hexagonal box, and after a quick transformation, they ran off to defeat the saddened graduate of an akuma.

As she said, it was an easy fight.

They comforted the victim with four minutes (each) to spare, then ran back to the locker rooms to transform back.

                                                   Time Skip!

It was the morning of the flight to China, and she was ecstatic. Of course, she had to get up at 3:45 in the morning, but it was worth it–the flight took off at six in the morning, of course.

She could see the logic of wanting to arrive at 12:00, but she would’ve much preferred a red-eye.

Then she wouldn’t have had to stay up all night reading, because no way in hell would she just wake up at 3:45 in the morning.

The alarm would’ve had to go off for hours.

But back to the morning, she poured herself a sasquatch-sized mug of coffee, with about a gallon of cream and enough sugar to put an entire city of diabetics into shock, she started getting dressed.

Trudging around and haphazardly pulling out shirts, she finally decided on a simple red-and-orange flannel, a white t-shirt, and a pair of cropped jeans.

The she downed the rest of her coffee with an apathetic “Bottoms up!” and slapped her cheeks.

She grapped her suitcase and walked outside to where her mother was typing away on a laptop in the pitch-black night.

“Mom, why are you up?“

“Because I have to drive you to the airport, that’s why. And no alarm would be able to wake me up at 3 in the morning.“

“Preach. I’m ready to go, so can we get in the car now?“

After driving to the airport and saying goodbye to her mom, she walked into the airport and immediately saw the group of sleepy teens (and a certain disheveled teacher) leaning on their suitcases, trying not to fall asleep.

Nino and Marinette were already there, their eyelids drooping. The only person who looked properly awake was Sabrina, who was–inevitably–holding a saucer out to Chloé, who was sipping from a teacup.

Alya rolled her eyes and walked over to Marinette and Nino. “Who’re we missing?”

“Kim and Rose. They’re carpooling, so they should be here any minute.“

Just as Marinette had said, a few seconds later, Rose and Kim walked into the airport. Kim was still wearing pajama pants.

                                           Another Time Skip!

“Marinette.“ Alya groaned, shaking Marinette’s shoulders. “Marinette, wake up, we’re here.“

Marinette’s eyes fluttered open. “No. Five more minutes.”

“Everyone else is already off the plane!“

“Shit. Let’s go!“ Marinette said, jumping up, grabbing her purse (which she had recently learned concealed a kwami) and scrambling out the door.

Alya picked up the mini-backpack she now carried (which held Trixx, cookies, and some grape jelly) and followed her out the door.

Almost as soon as they stepped off the plane, they heard a loud wail.

“Great. She’s back on her bullshit.“

“I just can’t believe she would steal that, Lila! It’s so unlike her!“

“M-maybe, but there’s p-proof! Look!“

“Oh, great, what did we do this time?“ Alya asked exasperatedly. They watched as Lila held out the remains of–from what they could see from a meter away–a sketch of an orange mermaid gown with a black lace collar, ripped into quarters and laid out on the ground.

Marinette gasped beside her.

“That’s your dress, isn’t it?“

A small tear made its way down Marinette’s face. “It was going to be for you,” she said softly.

Alya threw her arms around Marinette and rubbed her shoulders. “It’s okay, sweetie. Once you’re princess, we’ll sue her for all she’s worth.”

Marinette detached herself from Alya and wiped her eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Alya.”

                                                         -🌸-

Nino stormed up to where Alya and Marinette were standing with a furious expression on his face.

“That fox,“ he seethed. “that bitchy little fox of a liar stole your drawing.“

Marinette chuckled wetly. “Yeah, we know.“

“Are you okay? I know how important they are to you.“

“I’m fine, Nino, and o–who the hell are you?“ A man in an oddly formal suit was standing next to her, holding out a small red envelope.

Marinette plucked the envelope from his fingers, opened it, and read the contents. She looked up and nodded at the suit-wearing guy.

“Good. In that case, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I’m going to need you to come with me.“ Alya and Nino immediately stepped in front of her in a protective shield.

“She’s not in trouble, is she?“

The strange man looked surprisingly amused. “Not at all–but you might want to come with us, too. You as well, headphone-boy.”

Nino put a hand on his chest and gasped in offense.

“Nino. He’s going to drive us to the palace. You’re coming, too, ya doof!“ Nino made a noise of realization and followed them out to where a black limousine was waiting.

They climbed in and drove off.

About five minutes into the drive, he moved his foot to the side, accidentally kicking a black box.

Just as he was preparing his final goodbyes, it sprung open, and inside was a junk food lover’s heaven.

“Dude.“

[pastpatientlywaitingforimagines]

Starlight | Spencer Reid x Reader Platonic

WC: 1410

A/N: This is for @wesleeporstudy who requested a Found Family!Hotch x Reader fic! I intended for this to be a drabble but I was having too much fun and got a little carried away... enjoy!

GALAXY MASTERLIST (not needed to understand the plot but there’s similar content here if you liked this fic!)

“Are you sure you can’t come with me?” Spencer didn’t have to clarify his question for you to know he felt better about speaking at conferences when you were there. You were standing toe to toe in front of your car at the airport parking lot, dropping him off for his flight. Everything about his body language showed hesitation, including the way he was clutching his go bag.

You felt bad, truly. You wanted to go with him, but you had an obligation in Virginia that you couldn’t reschedule. “I have some things I have to take care of here. You know I’d only miss one of your lectures for something extra important.”

The corners of Spencer’s lips turned down at your answer, though you both knew you were right, “and you still won’t tell me what it is?”

“If I did, you wouldn’t go to your conference. Don’t worry about it though. You’re going to knock the socks off of those criminology professors,” you reached up to brush a piece of lint off of his jacket lapel, “you should go before you miss your flight.”

“Actually, based on the number of departing flights today and the amount of foot traffic in the airport, it takes approximately 45 minutes to get through security at this time of day, and another ten to find the assigned gate. I could stand out here with you for another thirty minutes before I’m late enough to miss my flight.”

“Spencer,” you chided, “go get on your plane, I’ll be here when you get back. Do you want me to pick you up?”

Spencer nodded eagerly, “could you?”

“Of course. Now go!” You put your hands on his shoulders and turned him to face the entrance of the airport. You watched him walk through the sliding doors, then got back into your car. Spencer would be ok on his own, you reminded yourself as you drove to the nearest grocery store. You had to pick up a few more things before continuing on to your final destination, including a birthday cake and some sports themed napkins.

Hotch seemed relieved to see you when he opened his apartment door.

“Here, let me help you with that,” he offered, reaching out to take some of the many items you had managed to balance in your arms.

“Thanks, where’s the birthday boy?” you asked, following him inside. Before Hotch could answer, your legs were attacked in a hug from Jack.

“Hi (y/n),” he chirped, looking up at you with a toothy grin.

“Are you ready…” you asked him slowly, then quickly changed your tone, “for the best birthday party ever!?”

“YES!” Jack screamed, matching your excitement level.

“Oh phew,” you dramatized, wiping imaginary sweat off of your forehead, “can you help me and your dad put up some decorations? They should be in that blue bag over there.” Jack scrambled over to the bag, pulling out the various decor items you had purchased. He helped Hotch put up streamers and banners while you put out tablecloths and bowls of snacks. You also set up a gift table, putting the wrapped box you brought in the center.

Just as you finished setting up, the first of Jack’s friends started to arrive. You left talking to the kids’ parents up to Hotch, instead entertaining the herd of second graders with a game of Twister. After Twister you facilitated a game of freeze dance, then took a break for pizza, cake, and presents. You then produced a box of small Nerf guns, told an elaborate story about how you stole a priceless gem, and tasked the group of tiny FBI agents to hunt you down after giving you a thirty second head start.

“You’re very good at this,” Hotch tried to look nonchalant leaning against the counter as to not give away your hiding spot next to him. You adjusted your makeshift helmet, a colander that you had found in a cabinet, before answering in a whisper.

“My cousin has a whole crew of small children. I used to stay with them during school breaks,” you paused to peek over the countertop, quickly locating the kids strategizing in Jack’s room, “I’ve run my fair share of birthday parties, and done twice as much babysitting.”

“Well, thank you for taking time out of your weekend to help out here.”

“Anytime, Hotch, really. I’ve seen how stressed out you’ve been lately. Our job isn’t easy and I can’t even imagine how much harder it is while also being a single parent.” You had offered to help out with Jack’s birthday party after catching Hotch still in his office at 2 a.m. trying to plan it a few weeks ago. It was the least you could do after Hotch denied your request to take some of his paperwork instead. You glanced over the counter again, a foam bullet whizzing by your ear. “My position’s been compromised, gotta go!”

You dramatically rolled into the kitchen, firing back some more bullets before getting hit by the entire firing squad of eight year old assailants. Out of the corner of your eye you noticed Hotch laughing at your exaggerated performance. It made you happy seeing him smile, it wasn’t something you saw from your Unit Chief often.

“Ahhhhhhh you got me!! I still have one trick up my sleeve though… a partner! Super villain Hotchner, take the gem and my gun!” you slid the “gem” and your Nerf gun across the linoleum floor towards Hotch’s feet before pretending to die. Hotch picked up the items and ran towards his office, the kids chasing after him. You took the opportunity to eat a slice of pizza and drink some soda, effectively refueling yourself for the rest of the party.

You helped Hotch clean up after all of the kids went home. Jack attached himself to your legs once again right before you were about to leave.

“What do we say to (y/n) for helping out with your party?” Hotch asked his son.

“Thank you,” Jack recited, tightening his grip on you.

“You’re very welcome, my friend,” you ruffled his hair, “will you help out with my birthday party this year?” Jack’s eyes lit up and he immediately started spurting different party themes that you could have, which included trains, superheroes, and cowboys.

“Those are all very good ideas, we have a few months so we can think on it, ok?”

“Thanks again for your help, this wouldn’t have been successful without you,” Hotch handed you a tupperware of leftover cake.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, you’re the coolest Dad ever. Like I said though, anytime. Jack is like the little brother I never had, I would do anything for this kid.” You meant it, too. Jack was just as much a part of your found family as anyone else on the team.

“See you Monday, (y/n).”

“See you Monday, boss,” you repeated, finally heading out the door and to your car.

On Monday morning you found yourself back in the airport parking lot, sitting on the hood of your car eating the last of the leftover cake. When Spencer exited the building and spotted you, his pace quickened.

“How was your conference?” you asked, sliding off of your car and getting inside once he reached your vehicle.

“It went really well, there was a fantastic talk on the link between victimization and offending that you would have liked- wait, is that cake?” Spencer stopped mid-ramble when he noticed the dish in your hands.

“It sure is,” you turned to put the container in the backseat.

“Where did you get cake?”

“Jack’s birthday party,” you shrugged, starting the drive towards work.

“Jack’s birthday isn’t until next week though.”

“Brian Trevino’s birthday party is next weekend even though his birthday isn’t for another two weeks,” you explained. Spencer’s eyes narrowed as he thought about what you had just said.

“Who is Brian Trevino?” He finally asked.

“A kid in Jack’s class, that’s why Jack had to have his birthday party this weekend, because they would have invited the same kids.”

“I didn’t realize you were so invested in the drama of the second grade.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Spencer Reid.”

“Actually, I know most things about you.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Like the fact that you’ve had blue frosting on your face for the last five minutes.”

Galaxy Taglist: @kermitsaysgayrights @niallthedancingharry @shadyladyperfection @thatsonezesty13 @lexshead @ceeellewrites @howdycharlie @girlycakepops @fantastic-fans @canimarrypizzaornah @daisyflower138 @dyingrexx @taylormobley @bazzleslynn @tj-drinks-tea @willa-wonky @eddiesbifocals @itsafreakingtouque @tee-mbrown @reniescarlett

[starlightswitch]

The Missing Cousins Return

@flashfictionfridayofficial I don't remember the last time I wrote one this fast.

“How come we’ve never met any of these cousins before?” said Nathan.

“Well, none of them live here,” Mom explained, looking at him in the rearview mirror. “None of them even live in this state.”

“And they aren’t really our cousins,” Allie added, repeating something Mom had explained before that Nathan must not have been paying attention to. “Cousins would be if mom had brothers or sisters. These are our second cousins.”

“I know,” Nathan grumbled, “but we could still have met them.”

“Maybe they never came to this state before,” said Allie, looking at Mom to see if she agreed.

Instead, Mom hesitated and then said, “The family doesn’t get together a whole lot, and we were never able to join them before.”

“Why not?” said Nathan.

“Well–” said Mom, and this time she said it in a way Allie had heard before, the way she sometimes said it when she was talking to her parents or her friends and didn’t think the kids were listening. When she said it that way the next thing she usually said– if she wasn’t talking to Aunt Kait, who always said it for her– was that Clay thought it was stupid, or Clay didn’t like it, or Clay didn’t want her to do it.

Clay was Dad. Since Mom and Dad had gotten divorced, Allie had started hearing Mom say things like that about Dad.

Since Allie wasn’t supposed to know, she helped Mom. Maybe a little bit louder than she should have, she said, “We were probably busy.”

Grandma and Grandpa, who were having the party for their 60th birthdays, lived at the end of a long street in the middle of a line of houses around a big circle of road. Today there were cars parked almost all the way around the circle. Mom parked behind the last one. Grabbing the bowl of tortellini salad and spoon, she handed Allie and Nathan each a bottle of soda and told them to take it inside to the kitchen.

As they were stepping onto the porch, a voice yelled from over the gate. “Trish!”

Allie looked at Mom. Mom was standing completely still, looking like she might cry. "Tammy?"

“Trish and the kids are here!” The woman unlatched the gate and ran to hug Mom, even though she was still holding the bowl and spoon and couldn’t hug back. “Alyssa?” she said next, turning to Allie. “I haven’t seen you since you were a baby.”

Allie looked at Mom, but Mom was still trying hard not to cry. So Allie helped again. “This is my brother Nathan,” she said, the way Mom would have introduced her kids.

“I’m so glad I finally get to meet you.”

Nathan took a step back, looking at Mom too.

The woman reached for their bottles of soda. “I’ll take these to the kitchen. The kids are out back.”

Nathan refused to let go of his, but Allie handed hers over and went to let herself through the gate.

Chaos unfurled across the yard.

Three big boys and a littler boy were playing a game with what looked like Frisbees and garbage cans at the back of the yard. Two more boys and a girl were running around chasing a dog, or maybe the dog was chasing them. Three girls were under the tree, where it looked like one was teaching the others a cheerleading routine. Another three sat on the edge of the pool, kicking their feet as they talked. As Allie watched, a boy snuck up on them and swished his hands through the water, trying to splash them. The girls ganged up on him and splashed him back.

“Mom!” whined the boy.

“What do I always tell you?” said a woman, one of the many adults scattered in groups of chairs around the yard. “Don’t splash if you don’t want to be splashed.”

“But this isn’t our pool.”

“It’s still my rule.”

Allie grinned. That sounded like something her mom would say.

“Hi,” said a voice next to her.

Allie turned. “Hi.”

The girl who was now standing next to her looked about her age. “I’m Mara.”

“I’m Allie.”

“I know.”

“How do you know?” Was she supposed to know who everyone was?

“Because I did a family tree in school a while ago and Mom taught me the names of all the cousins. And I remember stuff like that.”

“Mom says we’re second cousins.”

“Yeah, I know we’re second cousins, but we always say cousins. ‘The cousins.’”

“How did you know what I looked like?”

“Because Uncle Bob sends pictures.”

It took Allie a minute to remember that Grandpa’s name was Bob. Weird to think about him being someone’s uncle.

“And Grandma knows I’m interested so she always shows them to me. Until today you and your brother were the only cousins I never met.”

Thinking about her brother's question and Mom not answering, Allie asked, “Do you know why?”

Mara was matter-of-fact. “I think it was something about your dad not liking your mom’s family.” After a glance behind her, she added, “I don’t know if I’m supposed to know that, but I’m pretty good at listening when grown-ups don’t know I am.”

“Me too.”

Mara grinned. “Want to go get drinks and see if anybody’s inside talking about anything interesting?”

“I know Tammy and my mom went in when we got here. Whoever Tammy is.”

“Tammy is my mom.”

“Oh.”

Quickly Mara added, “I’ll show you my family tree so you can figure everyone out.” She glanced toward the house. “Think our moms are inside talking?” she said with a sneaky-eyed expression.

Allie made the same expression right back. “Let’s find out.”

[assembledherethevolunteers]

Request 3

A/N: Well hi, everybody! I got this request just about a month ago from the amazing @phantoms-lynn! She said her birthday was coming up and I’m not sure if this is late or not, but I hope you had/have a great birthday and thank you for the request! I hope you all enjoy some birthdays!

Pairing: Freddie Mercury x Jim Hutton w/ daughter!reader

Summary: Some snapshots of your birthdays with your Papa (Freddie) and Dad (Jim)

Warnings: None really, fluff, suggested underage drinking

Taglist: @queenlover05 @theblossomknows (if you’d like to be added let me know!)

 You opened your eyes, slowly, giving yourself time to wake up. Even though you hadn’t been sleeping that much. You were too excited. You were more excited for this day than Christmas.

Because this day was just about you. And maybe that was selfish, and you knew that was wrong, but it was one of the few days that Papa took the whole day off and Daddy made your favorite foods for all three meals.

You saw that the sun was starting to come up but you know that you should wait until one of your fathers came and got you.

You laid in bed for a while until you couldn’t wait anymore (which in all honesty was maybe fifteen minutes). You got up and tried to sneak into your fathers’ rooms as quietly as possible. You saw both of them, still asleep.  You walked over to their bed and stood there for a moment before your Dad woke up.

“Y/N, what are you doing in here?”

“I got excited and couldn’t sleep,” you whispered to him.

He smiled at you and then sat up. “Well, I think it’s still a bit early for breakfast, so why don’t you come snuggle with me and Papa?”

You smiled and climbed into bed and actually fell back asleep for a little while. Until…

“Jim, dear, it seems we have a rather large bed bug.”

“We do, but it was cute, so I decided we should keep it.”

You giggled as your fathers turned over and started to cuddle with you, even though they talked over your head.

“Well, I supposed I agree with you. She is very cute,” your papa pulled you close and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I also think this might be a very special day for her, so I don’t think we should kick her out of bed. What do you think?”

“We don’t want to be rude hosts.”

You felt your dad kiss the very top of your head.

“How old are you now, little bed bug?” Your papa asked.

“Eight!”

“Eight? That can’t be right. I’m not old enough to have an eight-year-old bed bug.”

You wanted to keep the game up, but your stomach gave a growl.

“Daddy, can we have pancakes?”

Your dad told you that you could and the three of you got out of bed and down to the kitchen.

“Alright, Lovie, why don’t you help Dad and I’ll supervise,” your papa gave you a wide smile.

You liked his smile. You don’t know why he didn’t.

“Freddie, you wouldn’t know how to supervise a kitchen if your life depended on it.”

You laughed at your papa when he stuck his tongue out at your dad’s back when he grabbed the eggs from the refrigerator.

The three (okay, really two) of you got to work on the pancakes. You always loved cooking in the kitchen with your dad, and sometimes, like today, your papa would make up little songs as you did so.

“’And she mixed and she mixed in her little bowl. Making sure there was enough to make them full.’ You know, Romeo, I think I’m on to something,” your papa hummed to the cat.

You and your dad made breakfast, complete with pancakes, and then the three of you ate it together.

“So, what do you want to do for your birthday?”

“Can we go to the park? And then maybe we can get some ice cream!” You started bouncing up and down in your seat. There was a stand not far from the park that had the best ice cream.

“Well, that seems reasonable. But first,” your papa looked at your dad. “Jim, don’t you think we should do presents?”

The rest of the day was spent with your fathers. They took you to the park and even stopped for ice cream. The sun was starting to set when you were on your way home. You were pulling into the driveway at home, eating your ice cream, when you noticed that there were a lot of cars in the driveway.

“Why are all these cars here?”

You noticed your fathers smile at each other, but neither of them answered you. You were about to ask again when you saw balloons tied to the front of your door.

“Daddy? Papa?”

“Come on, Lovie, let’s get you inside.”

The three of you made your way to the front door. Your papa opened the front door and a shout of “SURPRISE!” made you jump.

Standing in the front room were your uncles, aunts, and grandparents. You gasped and ran right to your grandparents.

“Grandma! Grandpa! I’ve missed you!”

“Oh, we’ve missed you too, my darling,” your Grandma mumbled into your hair before pressing kisses all over the top of your head.

“Auntie Kash!”

Your aunt scooped you up in her arms and squeezed you tight.

“Happy birthday, you gorgeous girl.”

“Thank you!”

She let you down and you then ran to your uncles (that weren’t ACTUALLY your uncles, but you called them that anyway).

“Well hello there!” Your Uncle John picked you up and hugged you tight before spinning around with you, making you laugh. “Happy birthday, beautiful,” He gave you a kiss on the side of your head.

“Thank you, Uncle John,” you gave him a kiss on the cheek.

You gave similar greetings to your Uncle Brian and Uncle Roger before one of your cousins came up and the two of you ran off to play.

You got all kinds of presents, including a guitar from your Uncle Brian that was a smaller version of his Red Special. Your grandmother had baked your favorite cake. Your papa and uncles sang your favorite song of theirs.

That night, you started to drift off in your Uncle Roger’s lap. You heard your dad ask if you were ready to go to sleep. You shook your head, but the next thing you remembered, you were being tucked in.

“But Daaaaaddy,” you muttered at him halfheartedly.

“Sh, Princess, you need your rest.”

You hummed in protest, but were now too tired to actually argue. You felt your dad kiss you one more time before you finally succumbed to sleep.

It was one of your favorite birthdays so far.

Nine Years Later

“HAAAAAAPPY BIIIIIIIRTHDAY, DEAR Y/N!”

Your eyes cracked open to see your dad and papa holding a cupcake with a candle. You smiled, but still brought the blanket up to cover your head.

“Daaaaaad, Paaaaaaapa, it’s too early,” you whined at them.

“’Too early’? It’s nearly noon!” Your papa’s voice was nearly offended, as if sleeping so late was the worst thing you could’ve done. “And you call me dramatic.”

“You’re both dramatic,” your dad’s voice responded. You could hear the smile and the shake of his head.

“Blame my up bringing,” you said, still under the blanket.

“Oh gladly,” your dad replied. Your papa squeaked, but your dad kept talking. “But, you really do need to get up because your grandparents will be here for lunch in about an hour.”

You hummed, letting him know that you’d heard him.

“And if you don’t get up for that, we won’t have your party tonight, so those are your options,” your dad proclaimed nonchalantly before you heard him leave.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have your party,” you heard your papa whisper. “But you really do need to get up otherwise your dad will come back in here and yell. And you know he gets scary when he yells.”

You laughed to yourself because you’re pretty sure the last time you heard your dad yell it had been because one of the cats got out the front door.

You finally sat up and pulled the blanket away from your head, your papa still standing near your bed with the candle.

“Make a wish, Lovie.”

Later that night, you were getting ready for your party in your attached bathroom.

It was going to just be you and your friends. Your fathers were going to go out and not be home until one, which you were a little surprised about. They’d let you have parties before, sure, but they usually only gave you a couple hours.

You were especially excited because there was a guy from your French class, Tyler, that was invited. The two of you had been paired up for a little skit you had to preform for the class and since then the two of you had flirted every chance you got. You hoped tonight would be the push the two of you needed to take it a step further.

There was a knock at your bedroom door.

“Yes?” You called out.

“Y/N?”

You poked your head out and smiled at your fathers. They were dressed to go out, probably waiting on a car that was going to take them into the city.

“Well don’t you two look handsome?”

“Don’t we always?” Your papa spun around, giving you a grand bow when he faced you again.

“Of course you do.”

“Y/N, we’re about to get going so, do we need to go over the rules again?”

You were going to shake your head until you saw the look in your dad’s eye, meaning it wasn’t a suggestion.

“No drinking, nobody is to spend the night unless you’ve already approved of them, no drinking, no touching the good records, and…what’s the last one?” You joked.

“No. Drinking.”

So, Dad clearly wasn’t in the mood tonight.

“Jim, dear, I think she gets it,” your papa sent you a wink. “Besides, I’m fairly sure that Phoebe and I finished all the alcohol in the house ages ago.”

Your dad humphed, but didn’t look at your papa, just you.

“Y/N, I’m serious. We can’t let underage people drink here.”

You nodded, knowing how serious it could be if it got out that minors were being given alcohol at Freddie Mercury’s house, whether he was home or not.

“I know, Dad.”

Your dad and papa exchanged looks before they pulled pulled you into a hug.

“We know you do, Princess,” your dad kissed the top of your head. “Just make sure your friends do too.”

“Y/N,” your best friend hissed at you.

You were in the kitchen, refilling one of the bowls of food about two hours after your fathers had left and the party was in full swing. One of your friends was in charge of the music and had been doing a great job. You were pretty sure that everybody was having a good time.

“Hm?” You didn’t look at her, making sure you didn’t over fill the bowl.

“Tyler is looking for you!” She grabbed your arm and shook it, trying to make you realize what she was really saying.

It almost made you drop the bag.

“R…really? He’s looking for me?”

She nodded, her eyes widened to emphasize her point.

You put the bag down and straightened your outfit.

“How do I look?”

Your friend looked you over and then dug into her pocket, producing a tube of lip gloss.

You took it and swiped it on, popping your lips before looking at your friend again. “Good?”

She nodded before leading you back to the living room where the makeshift dance floor was. She pulled you until you were almost next to Tyler, but didn’t want to interrupt him since he looked in the middle of a conversation. Until he turned around.

“Hey! There’s the birthday girl,” Tyler smiled at you.

It made your heart melt.

“Hi, Tyler.”

“This is a great party,” he glanced around, before his eyes landed on you again. “Just wish I had some more time with…”

There was a sudden shift in the music. The songs most of the night had been fast and upbeat, keeping the party atmosphere. This song, however, was slow.

You and Tyler stared at each other for the opening bars.

“Y/N, would you like to dance?”

Inside, you were squealing. It made the butterflies in your stomach flip and twitch. All you could do is nod.

Tyler took you by the hand and got you closer to the small “dance floor”. He wrapped his arms around your waist and you wrapped yours around his neck. He pulled you closer and flashed another smile. You returned it.

“You know, I’ve uh…I’ve been meaning to tell you this,” Tyler cleared his throat, as if he was nervous.

You held your breath, waiting for him to continue.

“I uh…I just…I really like you, and I’d like to think that you like me too and that maybe we could try to maybe make it work or at least try and…fuck. Why is it suddenly so hard to talk to you?”

You giggled, but bit your lip so that Tyler didn’t think you were laughing at him. You just thought it was cute that he was this nervous. To just talk to YOU.

“Tyler?” You offered him a way out.

“...yeah?” He responded, still looking like he was waiting for a rejection.

“I’d really like to try.”

Tyler’s face lit up and you were couldn’t help but beam back.

“So, I got you a present, but you’ve got to close your eyes.”

You squinted, jokingly suspiciously, before you closed your eyes totally.

And then you felt Tyler’s lips on yours. It was a bit clumsy and awkward, but overall, not bad. You could feel your heart beat accelerate.

“Woo! Get it, Y/N!”

You’d forgotten you were in the middle of your living room with all your friends around. You quickly pulled away, but kept yourself close enough that you could feel Tyler’s breath on your cheek.

“Best birthday ever,” you whispered to him.

Three Years Later

You played with the hem of your shirt as you leaned against your wall, listening to your papa talk on the phone.

“...and your Uncle John finally snapped and killed your Uncle Brian.”

“Well, we knew it was only a matter of time.”

“Ah, so you are listening.”

“I am, Papa, I’m just tired,” you told him.

You weren’t lying. You had been going to school full time and working part time at a local coffee shop. You wanted to make your own money, regardless of the offers from your papa.

“Oh, Lovie. You’re working too hard. I think you need some time to relax.”

“I know, I do. Maybe soon I can come home and visit you and Dad.”

“We would love that, sweetheart. Whenever you can. We miss you. And so do your uncles and aunts.”

You smiled, knowing he was serious. You’d talked to your Uncle Brian just the day before about an Astronomy assignment that had turned into a nearly two hour conversation just to catch up. You had barely been home this year, trying to keep up on your studies.

“I know, Papa. My birthday is coming up, so maybe I can come home for that.”

“Please do. Now, tell me about this boy in your Major American Authors class.”

“Paaaapa,” you groaned. Hundreds of miles away and he could still make you blush about boys.

You then tried really hard to get time off for your birthday, but it just wasn’t possible. You couldn’t get anybody to take your shifts and you didn’t want to lose your job. You called your fathers so that you could tell them you wouldn’t make it home for your birthday, but you hoped that you’d be home in the coming weeks some time. Your parents were devastated, of course, but they understood.

You were lying in bed, not ready to get up just yet. Hey, it was your birthday. You should get to spend the whole day in bed. You stayed in bed as long as you could, but you soon had to get up.

You went to the bathroom before you heard your phone ringing in the other room. You quickly ran to grab it.

“Hello?”

“Y/N?”

“Hi, Mr. Walker.”

“Look, we won’t you need you in today. Don’t worry about your shift,” your boss told you.  

You were dumbfounded. Had you done something? Did you not have a job anymore?

“Um…why’s that, Mr. Walker?”

“We got you covered is all, we’ll see you on Friday.”

Well, that meant that you still had a job, which was good.

“Okay, thank you, Mr. Walker.”

“You’re welcome, dear. Happy birthday,” Mr. Walker ended the conversation with the hang up of the phone.

You pulled the phone away and stared at it, confused. Had you told him that your birthday was coming up? Maybe somebody that you had asked to cover told him and he’d taken pity on you.

You hung the phone up, deciding not to worry about it. You went back to bed for a little bit before you decided to get ready for the day.

Basically, you took a shower and threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt. You were relaxing with some music, trying to decide if you should get up and do some cleaning or studying when you heard a knock.

Your head whipped up because you weren’t really sure what who it could be. Maybe one of your friends from class had decided to show up and surprise you.

You stood up and opened the door, forgetting to check the peep hole.

You opened it to reveal...your fathers.

“Dad! Papa!” You threw yourself into their arms. You couldn’t help the tears that came to your eyes.

“Oof! Well, it’s good to see you too, darling,” your papa laughed and pressed a kiss to your head.

Your dad wrapped his arms around both of you.

“What are you two doing here?” You pulled away and looked them, wiping your eyes quickly.

“We had to see you on your birthday, Princess. And maybe we could go out to eat and you could show us around town a bit more.”

You beamed. “I’ll get changed.”

The rest of the day, you spent showing your dads around Glasgow. Yes, your parents had been there before and you’d shown them around a couple of times, but now you were more settled and you had your favorite spots. You even took them to the coffee shop you where you were working so you could introduce them to some of your coworkers.

You laughed and heard some stories that you hadn’t heard yet. Some were about your fathers, some were about your papa and your uncles, especially in the early days of the band.

After getting some lunch and ice cream, you all returned to your apartment. You decided to watch a movie and snuggled in with your dads, just like when you had been a kid.

You started to fall asleep with your head on your dad’s shoulder.

“I think you should get some sleep.”

“But Daaaaady…”

“Sh, Princess, you need your rest.”

You hummed, not quite arguing with him.

After some additional coaxing, your papa lead you to your room. He tucked you just like he used to when you were little.

“Good night, Lovie. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Papa.”

“We love you so so much.”

You grinned, even in your half asleep state. “Love you and Dad too.”

All in all, it was one of your favorite birthdays.

[seiya234]

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands, 1/?

oh hey look a new multi-chaptered fic. as always, I blame @marypsue.  Very important note! This particular chapter is rated R for some gentle descriptions of married middle aged people having sex in the woods. If you want to skip that, it is in the last third of the chapter and has mostly little to do with the plot. 

---

There are three ways this story begins: the short way, the medium way, and the long way.

—————————————

The short way was one day in the dying days of autumn, Stan got a call from Ford, who was on the Atlantic right now and headed towards New Jersey and

“Have the children ever been to New Jersey? To Glass Shard Beach?”

Stan adjusted the phone in the crook of his shoulder while he began to stir the bowl of Stancakes he was making, and coughed without covering his mouth.

“I think Mark took the twins when they were, fuck, six? The kids though? Never.”

“Well. I would love to see you.”

(In this universe do Stan and Ford share the ease and togetherness of other, more canon realms? No- their paths met for but a year or two before diverging again. But there was no anger, no bitterness, no sorrow in their parting, and a good relationship is still a good relationship.)

“Me too.” An idea hatched in Stan’s mind.

“When did you say you’d be in harbor again?”

---

“I have a proposition for you kiddo.”

“And I get frightened when you start using five dollar words old man.” Dipper laid down a three card book of jacks.

“Yeah yeah yeah. Look, this year’s been fucking trash right?”

Dipper thought about it. Then he thought about it again. The kids had turned 15....and then in the year following, Willow almost died, Henry became something Eldritch and Unknowable, Willow killed a grown woman, Henry was kidnapped, and they started teaching the kids how to drive.

Their 16th birthday party, while still having some of that patented Pines (mabel) Madness, was noticeably a little more subdued and scaled down than it probably would have been.

“Ford’s coming to Glass Shard right after Christmas, and since the kids don’t have to go back until middle of January, we were thinking-“

Stan laid down a run, a 4-5-6 of hearts off of Dipper’s 7-8-9. “Why don’t you and me take the kids to see Ford?”

Dipper’s brow furrowed. “You and me- what about Mabel and Henry?”

“I was thinking that maybe they’d like some time.” Stan raised an eyebrow. “Alone Dipper.”

Dipper raised his hands defensively. “Hey! I didn’t show up for their honeymoon or anything.”

“Yeah cookie for you. And when was the last time they had more than two days alone? Uninterrupted? By the kids or you?”

“Uh.” Dipper thought about it. Then he blushed. “Uh.” He drew a card.

“Exactly.” Stan laid down a book of aces, and discarded his last card, going out. “I’ll call Ford, you tell the kids.”

“What about Mabel and Henry?”

Stan snorted. “They said yes before I could finish.”

——————————————-

The long way this story begins is in 1866, when a callow and cruel young man with a trunk of grey clothes and a bloody saber inside landed in the newish state of Oregon to start a new life.

What is this young man’s name? I could tell you, but quite frankly he was a hateful piece of shit, so I’d rather not.

Here’s what you need to know about him.

He was the bosom friend of Nathaniel Northwest- they had fought side by side in the same regiment, and when the young man needed somewhere to run fast, it was Nathaniel who promised to smooth the way in return for working for him- he was strong, right? And Nathaniel knew he wasn’t adverse to rousting out some trash.

He was handsome. He towered over almost everyone in town, arms and legs draped with muscle, beautiful blonde hair, all of his teeth, and a smile that never reached his blue eyes.

And no one ever told him no. 

He was loved by girls who didn’t know better, and enjoyed by women who knew to keep him at arms’ length. He was offered many favors, and he took advantage of each and every one. 

A few times those favors ended with squalling, squealing piglets, red and angry and helpless. And the young poacher would take them from the homes of his cast off swains, promising to deliver the babe to a cousin’s farm the next county over, to a man running a tavern who needed the help, to a childless spinster he had heard about...

He took them to a pit he had in the forest, where he tossed them in and then covered them in dirt until the squealing stopped. 

Mayhap some one suspected. But he was handsome and the friend of the town founder.

And no one ever told him no. 

A fan of taking things out of season was our young man. In his hut he scalped the fur from foxes with dugs still full of milk and bear cubs that hadn’t even had the time to accumulate fat to use. The corpses of deer laid out back, the meat rotting on the corpse while the young man only desired the antlers for his home. The little corn he bothered to plant withered on the stalk, choked by weeds in an un-hoed field. 

It should go without saying of course that any pigs or cows or horses he found wandering, branded or not, soon became his cattle. For the Huntsman took what he pleased and did what he wanted. He ate and drank and killed and fucked 

And no one ever told him no. 

Until one day when he ran into the Corduroy girl in the woods. 

The men at the tavern told him to be wary of Etta Corduroy; she had a way of riling up their wives and giving them ideas. Nathaniel Northwest told him to be wary of Etta Corduroy; she had been talking with his loggers, giving them ideas. And his current swain told him to be wary of Etta Corduroy; for she spent far too much time alone in the woods.

(they called her a witch. and since this was gravity falls, they were right.)

But still when the young man saw her gathering mushrooms near his hut, he went to her. But still his hand strayed to her breasts when she rebuffed him. But still he grabbed her throat when she tried to scratch him, tried to run away.

Because no one ever told him no.

Not if they knew what was good for them. 

So it was to his great surprise that when Etta Corduroy managed to get a hand on his chest, and spat out some unknowable word, that the world itself told him no.

It felt like a horse kicked him in the chest. It felt like the blood in his veins suddenly turned into boiling steam. Every cut he had ever gotten on his skin suddenly opened up, every muscle in his body seized up going rock hard and rigid, and it was hard to breathe, it was hard to see, it was hard to do anything at all except to fall down on the ground and writhe in pain as Etta ran away. 

She ran away and she left him there. She left him there, bleeding and screaming and sobbing, covered in blood and spit, piss and tears, raining down from his body to feed the earth below him, the pit that he had tossed so many bodies in before. 

Perhaps in his final moments the cruel callow youth should have been scared. But what he was instead was incandescently angry, because these were his woods, his to do with what he wanted, his his HIS-

And no one, ever, ever, told him no.

It was as his breath was growing shallow, as a disconcerting amount of deer began to circle around him, that he noticed the bright yellow triangle floating above him.

“... what?”

“WHOOPSIE CHAMP! LOOKS LIKE THAT WITCH DID A NUMBER ON YOU!”

“that... that...that bitch.”

“PERSONALLY I THINK THERE’S BETTER THINGS TO DO WITH ORGANS THAN EXPLODE THEM BUT THAT’S NOT WHY I’M HERE.”

The Huntsman coughed up more blood. It launched up in the air before splattering all over his face.

“YEESH. GROSS. SO YEAH, CAN’T SAVE YOUR LIFE. BUT I CAN OFFER YOU SOMETHING EVEN BETTER!”

“What.... what would it cost me?”

“ONLY THE LOW LOW PRICE OF YOUR SOUL! BUT DON’T WORRY! AS LONG AS YOU D̀O ̡W͠H͝A͟T I̢ ͜ŚAY̢ , I’LL NEVER COME TO COLLECT!”

“What do you want?”

“I’VE GOT SOME BIG PLANS FOR THIS TOWN- NEVER YOU MIND WHAT- AND I COULD USE AN ENFORCER.”

“And-?”

“AND THESE WOODS WOULD BE YOURS BUCKO! YOURS TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO!”

No one ever told him no.

“Deal.”

--

Roadkill County, as it eventually became to be named, was always mostly forest. Even after a century and a half of logging, the forest remained, endured, survived.

But.

But there were always parts of the forest that were stripped bare.

There were parts of the forest where the Corduroys, noted by all and sundry to be the finest woodspeople in the state, refused to go.

There were parts of the forest where children would enter and never be seen again.

This is what Bill offered the Huntsman.

(for he was no longer the Callow Callous Youth, and he was certainly no longer Bruce Wilder)

The forest was the Huntsman’s to do with as he pleased, though he could only be corporeal during the light of the full moon-

(A CONVIENENT PLOT HOLE, I KNOW KID, BUT LOOK, YOU’RE DEAD, WORK WITH ME HERE)

But during that time he could hunt and do as he pleased. Meat could pass his lips, his arrows would hit true, and any person that crossed his path was his to toy and play with until they broke. 

And to help him do his bidding....and to amuse him when he was bored and intangible, the Huntsman was gifted with the souls of the pit, tiny mewling creatures finally turned to some purpose-

(SO THESE ARE YOUR BASIC LEVEL GHOULS POWERED BY FORSAKEN CHILDREN; I ADJUSTED THE SETTINGS SO YOU CAN PLAY WITH WHAT THEY CAN DO. SERIOUSLY, GO NUTS.)

-for they were his hounds in the hunt, they could harrow and harm his prey and in turn he had something he could hunt on the nights when the full moon was absent. 

There was only one hard rule, and that was he could never, ever leave the forest that surrounded Gravity Falls.

(”Why..?” His vision was fading but before whatever happened, he just... he just needed to know-

“YOU KNOW I DON’T NORMALLY ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR FREE,” the triangle said, twirling a cane that came out of nowhere. “BUT LETS JUST SAY THERE’S THINGS IN THIS FOREST THAT COULD INTERFERE WITH MY PLANS. AND I THINK YOU’LL DO SOME GOOD WORK HERE KID. JUST DO AS I SAY AND N̤̪̦̖̥͡ͅͅE͏͖̹̫̬V̬̼̼Ḛ̛̳͓R̯̥͕͖̬ ͉̝̼̟̮͢L͔̪E̝̳͔͟A̻̟͕̝̥̖͞V̶͈̗E̛̝.”

Well. It still seemed like he was coming out on top here.)

However, eventually the thrill of the chase paled, eventually rumors of his presence spread and both the human and non-human inhabitants of Gravity Falls learned to avoid the forest at the full moon. 

He turned to playing with his Beasts, growing crueler and crueler the more his boredom grew.

Yet despite his ennui, there was one other thing that kept the Huntsman in the forest, deal or no deal. For this is what the callous young man had found out after he had died.

There was no heaven.

There was no hell.

There was just life, endless, endless, endless rounds of life.

(some would marvel at the endless chances, endless possibilities for beauty and love and good food and song but we have already established that the callous young man was not that kind of person) 

However.

Within this cycle were also the times in between.

The times where potentially very very angry people would be waiting for you. 

So he waited, and hunted, and feasted, and waited.

And one day Bill was gone, and the deal was off, and that should have been it for the Huntsman but instead of dissipating he only felt himself grow more powerful. 

For the Huntsman had so long existed independent of Bill’s plans (indeed he never saw the triangle again), had established over a century of terror a reputation, that the knowledge of his story and the raw power of the Transcendence released some of the bonds on him and his Beasts. No longer were they bound by the light of the full moon. Though they still could not leave the forest, now his prey was limitless.

He had gotten perhaps a week or two of finally being able to live again when he was cornered by the Multibear. 

“I always wanted to fell you,” the Huntsman said, his Beasts snapping and slavering at his heels. 

The Multibear did not leap to his bait. “This is your warning Huntsman.”

“Warning?” The Huntsman lifted his arm, to show his newest acquisition, a coat of red caps, some still crusted with dried blood. “I am tireless. I am deathless. And you are my prey. What warning could you possibly give me?”

“I am warning you now; refrain from killing the sentient creatures of this forest, focus your sick attentions on the deer and rabbits.”

“Or else what?”

One of the Multibear’s heads smirked. “Surely, you are aware that a new demon arose in Bill’s place?”

The Huntsman rolled his eyes. “And what of it? He’s but a mere stripling. And he and his sister have never run into me, never heard of my story.”

“Have you considered that what Bill gave you, Alcor could take away?”

“That is just wishful thinking.”

The Multibear turned- turned! exposing his back!- away, with one head saying over his shoulder, “Look inside of yourself. Dwell. And you will find that it is the truth.”

The Huntsman paused. He stood still for a solid minute.

Then the blood drained from his face.

Okay. 

Okay, he could handle this. 

He just needed to wait until Alcor stopped living in Gravity Falls, moved out of that shack that the Mad Man built and the Con Man ran.

(the Con Man had once shot the cap off of his head as he had approached his shack. The Huntsman swore vengeance... he was just going to get to it. Eventually.)

The Huntsman waited. And waited. And waited.

For no one ever told him no. 

Until one day one of his Beasts brought him news of a deal it had overheard. 

A deal whereupon Alcor would be gone for two weeks, sworn by his power and blood to do so. 

The Huntsman, who was still obviously a colossal piece of shit, had unfortunately learned patience. And cunning. And dark magic.

He had a plan to make the forest truly his. A plan to make Gravity Falls his.

And from there well.

With his power, and the power he hoped to take, who knew where a bright, callous and callow youth could go from here? 

---

The medium way this story begins is on day three of the Super Awesome Second Honeymoon No Kid Vacation. 

Days one and two were scrubbing the house top to bottom. It was boring but the kids and Stan and Dipper were going to be gone for two weeks. Two! Weeks!!! Mabel thought it best to get the boring stuff out of the way first, to best optimize their time for smoochin, shenanigans, and sparkle spaghetti night.

So Henry lifted Mabel up so she could clean the gutters, and he mopped the whole house. She scrubbed the tubs and he fixed the basement door. They trimmed some tree limbs, changed the oil in the cars, put the zipline up for the winter, and all the other little things that needed doing but got lost in the hustle of raising three teenagers and running a small business and brokering peace amongst the gnome clans.

(Mabel could have asked for Dipper to do any or all of this for a price. And while some of it was a reluctance to rely on your magic brother for everything, more of it was just plain forgetting in the day to day of life.) 

But now the chores were done, and Mabel could spring her plan into action!

Step one!

“Heyyyyy Henry.... can you put this blindfold on please?”

Henry put down his newspaper-

(oof the things she loved most about him was his hands. They were almost comically oversized, even for a man as tall as him. Beautiful pianist fingers, a long, elegant palm, and between the two a truly astounding dexterity.)

-and asked, “How long will I have to have it on?”

Mabel thought about where step two was. “Uh, twenty five to thirty minutes while we walk?”

“Can we maybe put it on right before the surprise?”

Okay that was fair. And walking through the woods blindfolded was probably a bad idea? Yeah, it probably was.

“Okay!”

Step two! 

She had Henry kneel down so that she could actually put the blindfold on. She shivered as he was for once shorter than her, shivered as her hands tied the thick scarf around his eyes and her hips bumped into his back. Shivered as she helped him back up and took his hand. 

She could not wait for this.

Step three! 

Initially she was going to use their regular tent but Mabel was worried that if she had Henry kneel down it would give the game away so she had prepped a small pavilion tent instead, with the flap already open.

“Are we almost ready?” Henry asked.

“Mmmm hmmm,” Mabel answered, quickly taking off her sweater and skirt. She had spent a whole month crocheting lingerie for this. 

She was about to tell him to take off the blindfold, and then she paused.

She put back on her skirt, and instead took her husband into a gentle hug.

“You can take it off now.”

He took it off.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“This is just.... outside?”

Mabel grinned. “I’ve always wanted to.”

Her grin faltered. “If that’s... if that’s okay? 

There was a pause. And then Henry lifted her up, making her squeak like every time he did that. He brought his mouth to hers. And that was all the answer she needed.

Step four! 

What Mabel had dreamed about, from the moment her husband had become born again into someone new, someone not quite human, was this moment. She wanted him to pin her down with not only his arms (stronger, far stronger than they used to be) but with vines that sprang from the ground. She wanted to grab onto his antlers as she rode him into ecstasy. She wanted the earth to bloom around him, to trail her finger up and down his skin and see mushrooms bloom from her fingertips. 

What happened instead was that they had some very pleasant but very normal sex, except it was on the ground and the ground was kind of hard. 

She...

Well poop Mabel. Way to go and Mabel it up all over again. 

They both were still sweaty and panty, but Mabel reached out to begin putting her clothes back on; this... didn’t go quite like she expected. 

“Thank you honey. That was a lot of fun,” Mabel said, super casually and hopefully not betraying the turmoil roiling within her.

Henry smiled. “Of course.”

(he hoped that Mabel hadn’t noticed that the Woodsman had almost come out once or twice; it was being outside and he wanted to break free, to test his strength against hers, to grow new life in these woods and no-) 

They finished getting dressed and stepped out of the tent and

Mabel froze.

“Mabel?”

Inwardly, Mabel began to curse at herself for not bringing her bat. 

“Henry...” She looked around at the heavy fog around them both, sensed the deep knowledge that they were far from where she had led them, knew to her bone that the path home was concealed.

“I think I goofed.” 

[phykios]

honesty and promise me, part 4 [co-written with @darkmagyk] [read on ao3]

 July twelfth dawns like any other day, Annabeth wrapped up in Percy’s sheets. She’s spent significantly more nights in his bed than she’s spent in her own apartment over the last two months, but who could blame her? This bed is literally to die for. Therapeutic mattress for the fucking win.

 Percy, to her greatest confusion and chagrin, is a morning person. Well, actually, what he is is someone who runs on very little sleep for three weeks at a time, before crashing headfirst into his bed for thirteen hours. It is a decidedly unhealthy way to live, but it means that Annabeth is used to waking up alone. The nights where she gets to wake up with Percy are the nicer ones, sure, but his presence is suffused in every corner of the room, his smell wafting from every piece of sweaty clothing tossed haphazardly about the floor, so much so that she never feels like she is truly waking up alone.

 Gross? A little. But the smell is oddly sexy, too, especially after he’s just come home from a run, all wet and glistening and flushed, panting hard--

 Ahem.

 The point is, when Annabeth rolls out of bed in one of Percy’s shirts (the one that says “Do You Even Lift, Bro?” with an image of a male dancer raising his partner, courtesy of one Jason Grace) and stumbles into the kitchen for one of Percy’s patented brunch specials, it’s a pretty normal morning. What catches her off guard is the spread: eggs and bacon, obviously, with fruit and granola and yogurt, but also an enormous tray of delicious, flaky croissants, perfectly crescent shaped, with little bowls of every condiment imaginable, multiple flavors of jams and preserves and Nutellas.

 “Bounjour, mademoiselle!” Percy says cheerfully from the oven, perfectly accented, bending over to take out a tray. “Ça va bien?”

 “Um… bonjour…” She pokes a croissant experimentally, and is equally delighted and dismayed to find that it is just as flaky as advertised.

 “Take a seat, these ones just need to cool for a bit and then we can get started.”

 Spring in his step, he opens the refrigerator, taking out the most beautiful cake Annabeth has ever seen in her entire life. Perfectly round, paper white, with little blue borders piped around the edge, but it’s got Annabeth feeling like she’s just been doused in cold water. “How the hell did you know it was my birthday?”

 Immediately, she knows it was the exact wrong thing to say. His eyes go wide as the saucers on the table, mouth open in shock. “It’s your birthday?”

 Goddammit. “Um.”

 “Why didn’t you say anything?”

 Because birthdays were inherently a dumb concept? Because her father had to be reminded of her birthday more often than not? Because her mother had stopped sending her birthday cards after she turned thirteen, calling them a waste of money and resources? “I don’t know,” she shrugs, dipping her finger into the strawberry jam. “I guess I just didn’t think it was a big deal. Ooh, does this have rosemary in it?”

 “Annabeeeeth,” he whines, plopping the cake onto the kitchen island. “I can’t believe you! I love birthdays.”

 “Well,” she flounders, attempting to duck his sudden attention, “what were you originally celebrating? I don’t usually think of cake as a brunch option.”

 He raises an eyebrow, not at all impressed with her attempts to change the topic, but he answers dutifully, “Originally, we were celebrating me being one month cig-free--”

 “Percy!” Annabeth gasps, clapping her hands delightedly, and a little exaggeratedly. “That’s great!”

 “But,” he continues, “now we’re definitely celebrating your birthday instead.”

 “Oh, come on!”

 “Nuh uh,” he chides, grabbing his phone and beginning to type something, “I am asking Nico to pick you up a birthday card as we speak.”

 Oh. “Nico’s coming?”

 “Well, this is his apartment. Part of the deal is that I make him breakfast. I think he’s bringing his boyfriend.”

 “Is… anyone else coming?”

 “Just a couple of people, my friends Frank, Grover, Rachel… I invited Hazel and Thalia, too, but I think Hazel told me she was busy, and you know Thalia. If it’s not at a crappy dive bar then the odds of her showing up are virtually none.” Percy pauses in his text, fixing her with an odd look. “You really don’t want anyone to know, do you?”

 How easily he reads her is a little disconcerting, and also a thought that she just can’t handle right now. “I just don’t like people making a big deal out of it. You know, it’s just another day. I’d much rather celebrate you quitting.”

 He holds her gaze for a beat, before smiling, finishing typing out whatever he was doing on his phone. “Yes, I am officially quitting. Cigarettes are terrible for you, and I do not have the money to keep up the habit. So, I swear,” he holds up a hand, “No cigarettes, no weed, no vaping. Not that I ever vaped before.”

 “Oh, never?” Annabeth teases.

 “Not ever.” He leans in, grinning that devastating grin that is seriously detrimental to her health. “You could not pay me enough.”

 “Good.” She goes to meet him, pressing her mouth to his, sweetly and chastely, but swiftly turning deeper, almost against their higher brain functions, like they only exist to be here in this moment, lips against lips, tongue and tongue. She’s always hated the taste of cigarettes, she prefers edibles to blunts, and anyone who vapes is automatically dropped from her list of potential partners… but she’s never minded the taste of ash on Percy’s tongue. It was just another part of him, another facet of the whole sexy package.

 Now, though, she has the full taste of him, unfettered and unfiltered, his morning coffee and his morning breath. It is disgusting, but again, oddly thrilling. This is Percy, stripped down and divested of all the trappings of blue lipstick and tight pants. She wonders what he thinks when he sees her like this, messy haired, face and ears empty of metal, last night’s mascara smudged all around her eyes. Given the way that he deliberately threads her hair through his fingers, winding the frizzy curls around him, pulling her close enough that the pristine cake is in danger from some serious smushing, she thinks he likes it just as much.

 Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on which perspective, either Percy’s, Annabeth’s, Nico’s, or the cake’s, their little impromptu makeout session has cold water dumped on it before they can end up doing it on the kitchen island. The sound of someone unlocking the front door is almost comically loud, and they break apart, equally red and flushing.

 “Gross,” says Nico di Angelo. “No heterosexuality allowed in my kitchen.”

 “Take that back, you biphobic ass,” Percy says. “I have never been heterosexual in my life.”

 “I’m not biphobic, I just don’t want to see you getting it on on my marble countertops.”

 “Speak for yourself,” chimes in Will, setting down a grocery bag right on the spot which would have been ground zero. “Hi, Annabeth.”

 “Hey, Will.”

 “Nice of you to join us today,” he says, as though he doesn’t see her here all the time.

 She offers her assistance in cooking or setting up, knowing full well that she will be firmly rebuffed--domestics are not her strong suit, by any stretch of the imagination--and is sent away with an iced coffee that Will has so thoughtfully bought for her instead of the birthday card she was dreading.

 Soon after, the party is in full swing.

 Well, she uses the term party loosely. It is fairly intimate, even with Nico’s enormous apartment making everything smaller. They have assembled an odd amalgamation of people: “You already know Nico,” Percy says, indicating the goth prince next to, “and Will,” his boyfriend, the perpetually cheery med student, next to, “and this is Frank,” a large, physically imposing man with a shy smile, next to, “Rachel,” a red-headed girl who looked like she just walked out of a paint shower, all making space for, “and my buddy Grover,” the guy in crutches who had immediately dropped into the single, out-of-decor, but extremely comfortable-looking loveseat Nico had placed nearest to the bathroom. All told, they look like the brochure for a community college who really, really wants to publicize how diverse their student body is, but with a kind of natural chemistry and camaraderie that those kids on that brochure could only dream of. “Everyone, this is Annabeth.”

 They greet her, each giving a limp wave.

 Then Percy leaves to attend to his brunch spread, but not before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. She can feel all eyes on them, hot and burning.

 Silence.

 “So,” Annabeth says, as awkward as a freshman in an orientation mixer. “What’s up?”

 “Your hair is amazing,” says Rachel.

 Hers is crusted with paint, a deep red that turns pink against the orange in the light, a close cousin to Annabeth’s, which is in dire need of a touchup, curls thrown in disarray by Percy’s grasping fingers. “Thanks, I--”

 “So how do you two know each other?”

 Annabeth blinks. “Friend of Thalia’s,” she says. “You?”

 “Used to do ballet together,” Rachel says, brusque, efficient. “Frank, too.”

 Frank waves again.

 A beat passes.

 Annabeth looks to Grover, who watches, bemused. “You, too, I take it?”

 Another second. Then he laughs, weird, but hearty, a joyful bleat. “Oh, sure,” he says. “I’m a regular Baryshnikov.”

 She can almost feel the room relaxing, heaving a sigh after holding its breath.

 “Are you with NYCB, too?” she turns to Frank, shoving her hands in her pockets, fingers curling around the fabric there.

 Shaking his head, he swallows his orange juice. “I mostly do modern and hip hop, now, music videos and stuff.”

 Objectively, she knows that you don’t have to be skinny as a rake or bodybuilding champion to dance, but Frank is neither of these, a huge, sweet-faced guy with a healthy layer of fat around his face and torso--a strict counterpart to Percy, who could give the Belvedere Apollo a run for its money. “Have I seen you in anything?” Not that she really watches music videos, but she figures it’s the polite thing to ask.

 “Um, maybe,” he shrugs, embarrassed. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with some really big people.” Though he offers no further details.

 “Working on anything cool?” She asks, doing her best not to cajole.

 He nods. “Percy and I have a thing coming out probably in the next month or so, with--ah, well. Can’t say.”

 “Tease,” Rachel grumbles, tossing back her mimosa. “I’ve been trying to get the secret out of him for months.”

 Frank smiles, secretive and a little smug. “Sorry. You’ll find out along with everyone else.”

 “Do you work together a lot?” Annabeth asks. She had thought that Percy was strictly ballet--though, she supposes dancers do crossover work more often these days, if only for the money.

 “Not as much as we used to, sadly,” he replies. “We actually lived together in Paris for a few years while he was contracted with the opera before I decided to come back home. Vancouver,” he adds at her unspoken question.

 “Bit of a hike, from Vancouver to New York,” says Grover.

 Frank shrugs. “I was in town anyway, and I haven’t seen Percy in about a year.”

 Annabeth frowns, doing some mental math. If Frank hadn’t seen him in two years, then that meant… that Percy had been alone in Paris all that time. The man thrives off of friendship and social interaction; no wonder he was jonesing to come back to America.

 “Remind me again how long you two were together?” Rachel asks, red hair bouncing as she cocks her head. A jolt goes down Annabeth’s spine, appraising Frank in an entirely new light.

 “On and off for about two years,” says Frank, thoughtful. “But I just lived with him to save money. The rent in Paris sucks.”

 “And you were the best roommate I ever had,” Percy says, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “Clean, good cook, better kisser--”

 Frank shoves him away.

 “You’ve only ever had one other roommate, other than Nico or your mom,” Grover points out. “That one guy when you first moved overseas--Frodo? Fedora?”

 “Fyodor,” Percy corrects. “He was terrible. I didn’t know any Russian, he didn’t know any English, and our French wasn’t good enough to actually hash it out, so he just gave me a permanent cold shoulder.”

 “Kind of a low bar, don’t you think?”

 “And there was my roommate in Boston.”

 Sharply, she turns her head. “You lived in Boston?”

 “Yeah, for like a year. I told you I was with Boston Ballet for a little bit, didn’t I?”

 Pretty sure he didn’t. She almost opens her mouth to retort, to ask when and compare notes, to mention that she lived in Boston, too, before remembering who she is with, swallowing her words.

 “Fyodor hated you,” Frank hums, reentering the circle. He’d wandered away and returned with a croissant, dipped in chocolate.

 “Trust, me, the feeling was mutual.”

 “It must have been,” Frank says, “because I saw your new apartment after he kicked you out--that place made a shoebox look luxurious.”

 Something in Percy’s face almost falls when Frank says that. Annabeth is sure there is a story there.

 But Rachel laughs. “Annabeth, you have no idea. It was a      Chambre de bonne    ,” she says, exaggerating the accent, “which might sound super fancy and French and cool, but trust me, it wasn’t at all. It was this size.” She slaps the kitchen island, a little too hard, her third mimosa making her loose-limbed and loud. “When I visited for Thanksgiving that year      I     had to pay for the heating bill, because Percy basically refused.”

 “It was cozy,” Percy mutters, suddenly very preoccupied with the half a croissant on his plate.

 “It was not.” Rachel says. “It was sad and cold and small.”

 Nico looks interested, but not nearly as boisterous as Rachel or Frank, “Was that the place…”

 “Ye,” Percy cuts him off, “Yes it was.” He smiles, Stepford-strained. “But, then Frank came to town, and so did his grandmother’s money.” He slaps Frank on the back. “And I got a bathtub.”

 “I still can’t believe that a ballet dancer lived anywhere for two years without a place to soak,” Frank says, shuddering.

 “I can’t believe you waited until Frank got to Paris to get yourself a sugar daddy,” Grover quips. Percy throws a grape at him. Grover, to her immense surprise, manages to catch it in his mouth.

 Annabeth can’t really be impressed. This is the second time someone has brought up Percy and Frank having a history. Something hot and angry curls in her stomach. But Percy is laughing.

 Rachel laughs too. “Oh, he didn’t wait,” she says. “He had a bevy of sugar mommies for trips to Ibiza and Moscow and Beijing.”

 “It was Tokyo,” Percy says, “and they weren’t my Sugar Mamas.” He turns to Annabeth, sheepish, but not actually shameful. “They weren’t. Honestly.”

 “Uh huh.”

 “They were mostly Kym’s friends, and sometimes we’d go out when they were in town, and if we had fun, they’d invite me wherever they were going next. And if I didn’t have to work, I’d go with.”

 “I have heard rumors,” Will says, popping his head in, Nico attached to his hip, “of Percy Jackson, boy toy of the rich and famous of Europe. Is it true?”

 “Yes,” Grover and Rachel say at once.

 “Do you want to hear about that, Will?” Percy asks, “Or would you rather hear about the summer Nico came to stay with me and Frank before he started college, and slept with every single dancer in Europe except Frank?”

 Nico waves him off. “Only because you were already sleeping with him, cause he was your sugar daddy. Not like I needed the money.”

 “It wasn’t like that.” Frank says.

 “And now that we’ve aired all of my dirty laundry,” says Percy, “I need to borrow Annabeth for a second.” Gently, but with force, he tugs her arm, his other hand around her waist, directing her where to go like she’s one of his dance partners. Usually, she minds--a lot. She’s not about to let anyone, let alone a man, tell her where to go--but, you know, it’s Percy. Alone time with him is never a bad thing.

 He pulls her into the hallway, shoving his hand into his pocket. “What’s up?” she asks.

 “So.” Mouth open, he pauses for a moment, just… looking at her. His eyes are soft, warm like the first day of spring.

 “What?”

 “Uh, nothing,” he shakes himself a little, pulling his hand out. “Sorry, I just--I know you said you didn’t want anyone making a big deal out of your birthday…”

 Oh, no. She braces herself for the worst.

 Uncurling his fingers, he reveals his present for her.

 “It’s… a pin?”

 “Yeah,” he smiles. “Remember when I took my sister to the Met a few weeks ago? They were having that thing on Egyptian jewelry? Well, of course we had to stop in the gift shop, and I saw this and just--you know, thought of you.”

 It is a pin--one of those lapel pins that more often than not are added to a collection usually displayed on a backpack. This pin is a silhouette she recognizes instantly: the Parthenon, its columns and angles rendered in sterling silver, little grooves dug into the metal in an approximation of the fluting.

 “Wow,” she breathes. “Thank you.”

 “It was nothing.” His ears are pink. “Happy birthday.”

 And then he hugs her.

 After a moment, she hugs him back.

 It’s amazing how she can have had sex with someone so many times, but feel so awkward giving them a hug.

 “I didn’t, um, tell anyone else,” he says, pulling back. His hands linger on her shoulders, thumb tapping at the base of her neck. “But, I kept meaning to give this to you, so, you know, now was as good a time as any, yeah?”

 “I love it,” she says, honestly. Which surprises her. “Thank you.”

 She slips it into her own pocket, not even minding the sharp corners.

 When they return, Nico has already cut into the cake. “You were taking too long,” he snips.

 It really is delicious. Much, much later, Percy sends her home with a sweet, soft kiss, and one of the last remaining slices, rather than staying for dinner.

 Percy is the kind of boy who goes to his mother’s for dinner every week. She had been invited, but also threatened with the promise of another cake, and his ten year old sister, who would “love to make you a present.”

 It sounded nice, but Annabeth knew when she wasn’t really wanted, and so she demurred, citing a need for some solo downtime.

 She hasn’t heard from Thalia in, like, four days, which meant she had probably gotten a short-term gig. (“You’re lucky, she’s had Jason paying for her phone the whole time you’ve known her. Before that, she was almost impossible to get ahold of.”) Piper would take her out to dinner tomorrow, “just because.” But they would both know it wasn’t true.

 So, to refresh and relax after a long, harrowing day of socializing, Annabeth goes home.

 Or at least to her apartment.

 It doesn’t have a doorman, or the views, or the room, like Nico’s place. Nor does it have any of the people, the energy, the joy. Her furniture doesn’t fill it up. The most appetizing thing in her kitchen are the granola bars Percy had made the week before, or maybe the brownies he made four days ago. She sets her to-go bag of cake and croissants down next to them, a smorgasboard of Percy’s culinary prowess.

 Despite the long hours, her clothes still smell a little like last night’s bar, and her skin has a faint patina of dried sex sweat, and smudged makeup.

 She doesn’t want to start leaving things at Percy’s place--don’t want him to get the wrong idea--but she also occasionally needs to be able to touch up her eyeliner. She’s either going to have to find a bag that isn’t embarrassing to carry, or surreptitiously shove some eyeliner and lipstick next to the condoms in Percy’s nightstand next time they have a sleepover. Or raid Nico’s bathroom.

 Regardless, she needs a wash something bad.

 As she scrubs down, she does her best to focus on the lemon scent of her body wash, and not Percy’s perfect form, dripping with water. She tries to visualize her last trip to Sephora, not blowing him under the hot water.

 It doesn’t really work, so she gets herself clean and gets herself off and considers just spending the rest of the day naked, in case the mood strikes her again. But it's only 5PM, and she doesn’t have Percy to cook her some dinner tonight, so she sucks it up and puts on some pants.

 When she had visited Boston for work a couple of months back, Alex had insisted on taking her shopping, complaining that her sister and her friend Mallory didn’t understand Versace quite like Annabeth did, and that Blitz sucked all the fun out of fashion, anyway. Then, she had bullied Annabeth into buying a set of sweats, claiming it was because of the Grecian patterns, but probably because she thought Annabeth in that much purple would be funny.

 But eventually, she had wheedled, cajoled, and threatened Annabeth into buying a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. After deciding to forgo a bra, because that is just one more area she has always fallen short in, she shoves on a School of Architecture underneath them. The crimson clashes terribly with the lavender and seafoam, but she kind of likes it. Piper would call it “artfully nauseating,” or something.

 Besides, no one is going to see her but her delivery guy. And if someone did see her, someone like Thalia or Percy, well, the clashing colors would be the least of her worries.

 She is folded into her couch, wedged into the corner, very much      not     looking up Paris Ballet clips from the past few years, trying to spot Percy in the background, when there is a knock on her door.

 Not for the first time, she curses her lack of doorman--and then frowns. Who even knows where she lives?

 Piper and Leo? Magnus and Alex?

 Has she already ordered food and just forgotten?

 Is memory loss a side effect of a SK-II mask no one had warned her about?

 Tentatively, she creeps towards the door, opening it slowly. If this were a horror movie, the door would creak open, revealing the villain cast in the shadows of the hallway, holding his weapon of choice.

 She sighs.

 The man is only a few inches taller than her, and dressed impeccably in a t-shirt and jeans that probably cost half a year of her rent-- a big critique coming from her, since she wears a month of her own rent as sweats. His blond hair is impeccably combed, his tennis shoes impeccably white, and his smile the most charming thing you can find this side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

 “Happy birthday, girly,” he says, giving her an awkward, one-armed hug, trying to avoid getting any of her facemask on his shirt.

 “What are you doing here?”

 “It's your birthday,” he reminds her, holding up the bag. “I told you I’d stop by last week.”

 Had he? Maybe, and she’d just been too drunk or hung over to really process it. But maybe he’d also meant to, and then failed to follow through. Luke has a bit of a nasty habit of treating his intentions as the same as his actions. His intentions are good, usually, but it means that he often ignored the actual actions. Like how his intention was to support his mother in the best nursing home in the northeast, but his action was to work with Saturn, a very shady hedge fund, to facilitate it. Or how his intention was to have someone at a stuffy party to talk to, but his action was dressing up Annabeth as his arm candy because none of Piper’s models would call him back anymore. He hasn’t asked her to do that since, like, February though, thankfully.

 “Sorry,” Annabeth says. “I just… you know I don’t like my birthday.”

 He also has a bit of a habit of ignoring her distaste in a really blatant way.

 He’s a little like Percy that way, actually.

 She’d only ever told Luke about her birthday back in those embarrassing freshman days, when she’d thought he looked as good on paper as any Harvard MBA student possibly could, with a devastating smile to match. She’d been so convinced that he would be the right boyfriend that might finally get her mother’s approval, and she figured that her future husband should know her birthday.

 “Come in,” she says, reaching for the bag, but he shakes his head and brushes past her, dumping his black back on the coffee table. Graciously, he doesn’t look at her as he starts to empty out its contents, giving her an opportunity to dart back to her bathroom and peel off her facemask. Luke would forgive designer sweats, but they aren't at the “just chilling in a facemask” level of a relationship.

 When she returns, there is a small assembly line arranged on her coffee table: a stack of paper plates, a carton of Haagen Daas, forks and spoons, and a Milk Bar cake, all wrapped in its box.

 “Is Milk Bar still the ‘it’ thing?” she asks. “With locations all over the country, I figured it would be passé by now.”

 “I know it’s your favorite,” Luke says. “I don’t always have to choose the most popular thing.”

 Milk Bar had been her favorite, that is true, right up until she’d started fucking Percy Jackson, and eating his food.

 “Thanks,” she says, cutting herself a slice, and scooping herself some ice cream.

 “That’s all you’re going to get?” he asks, cutting himself a sliver.

 “I have had so much cake today,” she says. Milk Bar really isn’t as good as Percy's, but it reminds her of birthdays in high school, waiting for her mother to visit, sneaking out when she inevitably didn’t, convincing the local bad boy to buy her some alcohol. She eats it, eagerly.

 Luke’s jaw drops. “You had a birthday cake? By choice? On your birthday?”

 She shakes her head, swallowing. “No, I was at a party with some friends. They didn’t even know it was my birthday,” Until she had stupidly revealed it. Whatever. She just has to make sure he’s been excised from her life by this time next year. And maybe freeze some of his baked goods beforehand.

 Luke doesn’t let her go through with her evening plans, which consisted basically of watching      Legally Blonde     for the gazillionth time while she slurped down some pierogies, but he capitulates to      Roman Holiday    , helping her put away the leftover cake and ice cream. “Thanks,” she says, when the movie was done. “I’m glad you came over. “

 No one ever comes over. Thalia is her best friend, but Thalia would have questions about how she could afford the place, Piper never understood why she’d moved out here at all, and Percy… Percy was irrelevant. There is no reason for him to come here.

 “I always like to see my best girl.” He smiles at her, charming and rogueish.

 “If all those models you keep trying to date know that your best girl is an architect who lives in Brooklyn who you actually feed, that’s probably why they don’t want to date you back.”

 Luke laughs, leaning over and knocking his shoulder against her own. “None of those girls could hold a candle to you.”

 “God, you must be a terrible boyfriend.”

 “Probably,” he agrees, sitting up and stretching, before reaching back to the bag he brought the cake in. “After all, you are the one I bring all the nice presents. But I think I’m a pretty good friend.”

 He takes out a box, burnt orange, a black ribbon wrapped around it, because Luke is nothing if not predictable.

 Annabeth sighs internally, quietly reminding herself that money is how Luke shows his love. And that she is wearing Versace sweats.

 “Herm  é  s,” she says, pulling off the ribbon. “This box looks too small for a Birkin.”

 “Do you want a Birkin?” he asks. “I can get you a Birkin.”

 “I probably don’t need a Birkin,” she admits. Though maybe it would be nice to have one in her closet, if her mom ever calls her up for lunch again. She could show up with a Birkin and an eyebrow ring. Sweet revenge.

 Luke waves a hand. “It doesn't matter if you need one, just if you want one.”

 Inside the box is a scarf, the silk soft and smooth between her fingers, a pleasing gradient of oranges and reds and pinks and corals. When she unfolds it, laying it out before her, she finds a sharp, geometric design, columns stacked together like skyscrapers. Luke obviously had her in mind when he picked it out.

 “Thanks,” she says. It’s pretty--perfect for an ambitious young architect with two degrees from Harvard who had moved to New York City with an offer from one of the best architecture firms in the world. And Annabeth has no idea where she could possibly want or need to wear it.

 “Hey,” Luke says, suddenly soft, “don’t cry.”

 Shocked, she reaches her hand up to her face. It’s wet.

 Luke is probably the only person she will let herself cry in front of. She’d spent three years doing that in college. He’d seen her through heartbreak and hangovers, guiding her through it all like an aloof big brother.

 “I’m okay,” she hiccups, wiping her nose.

 He hands her a napkin.

 Annabeth blows her nose, wet and gross. “I’m sorry, I promise I’m alright.”

 “You sure?” He sounds sincere, but she catches him glancing down at his wrist.

 “Do you have a date?”

 “I…” At least he has the decency to look sheepish. “Just some guys at work. You can come, if you want.”

 It could be fun. Hanging out with Luke can be fun. Get a little lit, take a business bro home, screw his brains out, send him on his way. But there’s an unspoken dress code to these things, and Annabeth just doesn’t wear Louboutins anymore. And the idea of fucking a business bro just… doesn’t hold any appeal right now.

 “No thanks,” she nods, using the clean edge of the napkin to wipe her eyes. “I am going to watch      The Search For Elle Woods    , and you're going to strike out with some models, and everyone is going to be happy.”

 “You really are so mean to me.” Luke complains, as she walks him to the door, before giving her another hug. “You sure you’re going to be okay?”

 “I am.” She is different and new, but Luke is still her friend. She had survived. It would be okay.

 “Well, call me if you need something.” He kisses her cheek, sweetly, without any heat. Perfectly platonic. “I love you very much. Happy birthday.”

 “Thanks,” she says, “I’ll see you around.”

 “Always.” And he is gone.

 She folds the scarf, going to put it in the dresser in her room, shoving it among a handful of accessories, gathering dust. She realizes, with a start, that she’s left a week’s worth of clothes all over her room on the way to the shower, and, with a sigh of adulthood, and the knowledge that if she doesn’t follow the ADHD gods and pick them up now, they’ll be there for weeks, languishing on her floor and stinking up the place, she goes to at least move them into her hamper. She rifles through ripped jeans and band t-shirts and black socks as she goes, checking each for anything like discarded change or a bus pass she doesn’t want to wash.

 She shakes out the pants she’d worn out the night before, and therefore the entire day until she’d gotten home. There is a rather unfortunate stain on the knee that she can’t quite parse--ketchup? Chocolate?

 Then she reaches into the pockets, touching metal, and she suddenly remembers her other birthday present for the day.

 Pulling out the pin, she feels strange, hot in the face, funny in the belly, tossing the jeans haphazardly in with the dirty laundry. It's small and shiny, cheap metal for mass market production, and yet, she walks it over to the dresser, laying it down on the silk scarf like it's the diamond broach her aunt gave her for her sixteenth birthday.

 She really is beyond Hermès scarves now. But that pin? Well, you never really can get more Annabeth--the middle school know-it-all, teenage debutante, college perfectionist, New York yuppy, or barfly and punk princess--than one of the greatest architectural achievements in human history.

 She is still a little shocked by how much she loves it. How much it means to her that Percy saw that it was perfect for her.

 And like so many times when she is confronted with an emotion she doesn’t like, she slams the door closed, and goes and watches a favorite movie from high school.

 She does order dinner, eventually, setting out her meal in between texting Piper about brunch tomorrow. It's a whole thing, pretending that they’re not going out for her birthday, but eventually they agree on a time and a place, and she can eat her sausage and watch everyone practice the Bend and Snap in peace.  

 So she is very annoyed when her phone buzzes again.

 Maybe the reservation fell through. Or maybe she doesn’t want Annabeth to show up in ripped fishnets, even though that only happened once.

 Her stomach sinks when she checks her phone. It isn’t Piper.

Hello Dear, Happy Birthday. We miss you. Please call anytime. Love Dad, Mary, and the boys.  

 Below the text is a link, leading to a gift certificate for $200 to Sephora, which has Mary’s name written all over it. Aunt Natalie would have suggested Bergdorf Goodman.

 Her hand clenches, momentarily overcome with the urge to hurl her phone against the wall. But there is no one around, so there wouldn’t be any point to it.

 She stabs at a pierogi with a chopstick, and watches the girls dance on screen, humming along.

 She passes out on the couch after midnight.

 Her mother never called.

[surveysonfleek]

1584.

What’s the latest youtube channel you’ve discovered and binge-watched?   hmm during work i found this girl who does true crime style videos. it’s like a visual podcast. so i listened to a couple of those in the bg

What’s one thing that makes your shoulders hurt?   getting a massage and they apply too much pressure but my introvert ass is too shy to say anything lol

Does it snow where you live? no. it snows about 2 hours away but tbh there wasnt much news about it this year

Do you think your hair looks better long or short? long

Do you look best with or without bangs?   i kinda prefer no bangs but side bangs are ok too

What stereotype would you say you fit the most?   none

Do you enjoy editing photos on your phone? haha i cant say i enjoy it but sometimes its needed

What’s your favorite thing to do on your phone?   insta, tiktok, fb. social media i guess

Which season do you wish would last longer?   autumn! love autumn, perfect weather all around

Do you like the name Eliana?   its cute

Do you know anyone named Claire? Veronica? Cescily? Marcella? Miranda?   i have a cousin named veronica

Haw many outdoor birthday parties have you had?   i dont remember having an outdoor bday ever!

How much taller or shorter are you than your mom?   taller by a few inches

Who is your favorite sibling? i only have one sibling, so her!

Do you have neat handwriting? its not neat but its def not messy

Do you enjoy journaling?   haha no. i havent journaled since 2017 maybe

What is your most recent new favorite food you’ve discovered? not super new but i do love poke bowls now

Do you like sushi?   yes! love it

Have you ever tried seaweed? yup :)

How often do you wash your hair?   around three times a week

Do you have an actual pig-shaped piggy bank?   nope

Would you rather hike a mountain or dive into the sea?   omg none. dive into the sea if i really had to but only to snorkel Would you rather grow wings or a tail? lmao wings i guess

Which Barbie doll was your favorite? i had a lot as a kid and its so sad i dont remember any in particular! 

Do you prefer cheetah or zebra print? chevron or polka dots? paisleys or plaid? stripes or stars? cheetah, polka dots, paisleys and stripes

Do you like your natural hair color? yeah its fine

What is your natural hair color?   dark brown

Did you dream of becoming famous as a kid?   yes. that was like my life goal. howeverrrr, i had no creative talent. i couldnt sing, act, dance etc lmao. but i always wanted to be famous. this was way before social media was introduced though

What show did you want to be on? the saddle club lol

Have you ever been to a gynecologist? no but technically my doctor is one. they’re a gp but certified gyno if that makes sense

Do you use the Bitmoji app on your phone? i used to 

Do you get on facebook every day? yeah but nowhere near as often as i used to

What is your Instagram screenname? totally not sharing that here lol

Do you remember the very first episode of Spongebob when it first came out? nope

Did you watch the Kids Choice Awards when you were a kid?   no because i didnt have cable tv lol

What was your favorite girl group when you were growing up? spice girls, duh!

Would you ever consider naming a child after a family member?   nah, im starting fresh

List three names that sound similar to your name.   no List three spelling of your name that you are glad you don’t have. lol haha no

What were you almost named?   erica, so weird

Do you like your name?   yes :)

What are your top three favorite girl’s names? boy names? i dont know. i feel like this question comes up alot but i can never think of an answer. i need to start a note of it on my phone lol

What is something you always wanted to do that your parents never let you? get me a tickle me elmo

Do you have any symptoms of COVID-19 right now? nah, double vaxxed baby!

Have you made your own mask to help prevent the spread of the virus?   no but i wear them anyways

Do you know anyone who has the virus? not personally. actually i had a friend that got it but he lives in cali

What was the last grocery store you shopped at?   coles

What does your name mean? goddess of something

What countries have you visited? plenty. just too lazy to list them

Do you have any regrets? i do but i dont dwell on it

Do you ever wish you had someone to hug?   haha no, i can hug my fiance whenever

Do you ever sleep on your bedroom floor?   no

[forevercaroline]

Forbes chapter 1

This is a spin off of beautiful dirty rich another fic I have. I didn’t expect this first chapter to be so long but it is this is also an au. Tagging @misssophiachase, @caritobear, @crazychicke, @bearolle24, @infernal-panda, @walter-boswell428 , @karinanic, @austennerdita2533

Xxx

The forbes are the cousins of the Salvatore family one of the richest families in the world the mother’s side of the family. Where as they live in New York City the forbes reside in Bel Air California. They live in a beautiful fairy tale like gated estate with views of the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles.

Lexi Forbes wakes up in her big bedroom with white walls, a purple egg shaped chair in corner that has pillows on it, sun shining through her window above the window seat she has blankets and pillows on. After a shower in her en-suite bathroom she sits down at her vanity table and after she’s finished doing her hair which she has her long blonde hair wavy and flowing down her back and makeup which she keeps simple. She picks out a pair of teal skinny jeans a white tank top and a grey sweater with tan knee high stiletto boots and a white and tan purse. She has matched it with tan sunglasses and her rose gold diamond choker her mom gave her and a couple rings.

As she enters the breakfast room which is smaller then the dinning room. The breakfast room has double doors to go out to the front lawns. The quaint room is yellow, with flowers painted on the walls and fresh flowers in a vase on the table. Her mother designed their many homes.

She kisses her father on the cheek as she sits down next to him, Sabine a member of their staff at the mansion brings her a bowl of raspberries, strawberries and watermelon. “What are you doing today dad?”

Peter Hale Forbes has sharp cheek bones that would cut glass, his short but volumed brown hair is always styled. He always looks incredible and wears a lot of v necks. Today he has on a grey v neck and a pair of fitted jeans. Their wealth comes from his hotel’s but also the Forbes family comes from old money making 19 year old Lexi an heiress. “I’m going to check in on the hotels.”

As Lexi is bringing the last piece of fruit in the bowl a piece of watermelon to her mouth she asks, “Is your friend coming over today?”

Peter raises an eyebrow how does Lexi know about her he’s been so careful only bringing her around while Lexi was at school or out for a extended amount of time. He looks away from his breakfast of fruit; watermelon, blueberries, peaches and mango’s. “What friend are you referring too?”

Lexi pulls a orange cheetah print bra out of her purse. “The friend this belongs too, I know its not mine. The only other teenage girl here is Greta but since she’s in high school and works for us I doubt she’s helping her mom clean the mansion in cheetah print lingerie, nor any of the staff.”

Peter grabs the bra out of his daughters hand and puts it on the other side of him on the table. “Where did you find this?”

“Outside your suite couldn’t even wait till you got inside the first set of double doors. I didn’t find it Aiden did. He found it the day before we left for New York City and there was no time to bring it up then and when we got back they came with so now is the perfect time. That day I needed to finish packing and Aiden and Ethan came up with me, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and it was that.”

Peter closes his eyes and puts his head in his hands. He knew he had to have this conversation with her eventually but he didn’t think it would be this soon. “I miss your mom everyday, But I have to learn to move on. I have been seeing a women named Alexis she beautiful, eclectic, fun I enjoy her. “

“Dad mom’s been dead for almost five years I miss her too I don’t think mom would be mad at you for moving on. I’m glad you have someone.”

As Lexi gets up Peter adds. “I forgot to mention Alexis is a escort, I don’t pay her for her time it’s not like that. There is actual feeling on both sides.”

Lexi closes her eyes and bites her lip. She knew there was a woman but she never thought there was actual feelings which she knows is wrong of her. She remembers when her grandmother Cece’s new boyfriend who is only 11 years older then her showed up a couple weeks ago and Cece introduced everyone to him that took awhile to get over, some of the grandchildren are still not over it. “I hope to meet her one day.” She leaves a kiss on her dads cheek. “I’m going to school see you later.”

Xxx

Before Lexi can leave she has to go get her two best friends identical twins Aiden and Ethan who live in their guest house but Lexi knows they like to take a morning swim.

So coming into the backyard from the kitchen she goes down the stairs off the Balcony. There is a little sitting area at the top of a slope which has long steps and water cascading in between the two staircases at the bottom of the slope there is a fountain surrounded by statues of the four seasons in their own alcove. To the right there is a bush/pathway to the pool which has a glass bottom. The 75 foot size pool is in the middle with potted trees on the sides. A table off to the side with an umbrella and chairs surrounding it, on the other side of the pool there are lounge chairs. Behind the pool is the pool house/dome.

The pool house/dome is practically another house, Its three floors. Before her mom died they would have pool parties all the time. The pool house lounge level always had drunk happy party people coming in and out of it, teen and adults alike.

The first floor is a living area is simple from the plain white and brown stripes of the wallpaper to the tan furniture. Her mom always said nobody will be looking at the walls when they enter this place. The white French style windows letting in the morning light over the navy blue curved couch underneath it with the red, white and blue striped pillows. The cushions of the couch have been washed so many times the blue has faded.

On the opposite side of the room is a fully stocked circular bar. In the middle of the room there is a tan matching table and chairs that seats eight people. Off to the side there is a door to a kitchen. Opposite the kitchen there is a doorway to a full changing room with lockers, and a floor to ceiling mirror.

When you walk into the living area the smell of popcorn and chlorine fill the air popcorn from the home theater with concession stand upstairs and chlorine from the indoor pool downstairs it never bothers anyone since they are so busy doing other stuff.

Her heels echo through the enclosed spiral staircase as she descends down to the lower level and opens the glass door to come into the indoor pool/jacuzzi room. All the rooms in the lower level have glass doors except for the sauna which has a wooden almost bamboo like door.

Aiden and Ethan are identical they are both lean and muscular and are of medium stature not only do they look alike but they have the same short reddish brown haircut which the sides of their hair are shaved shorter then the top of their hair but only by inches. Ethan is slightly taller then Aiden. They are currently in the indoor pool seeing who can do more laps. They are to occupied in competing with each other that they don’t notice Lexi. The main house and the dome are the only two homes on the estate that have spiral staircases.

Lexi, Aiden and Ethan have been best friends since they were two. Their moms were friends and Lexi’s mom had invited the twins mom over one day and she brought her two year old twins and the three have been inseparable ever since.

“Get out of the pool time for school.”

Both twins say at the same time. “Aww but mom.”

All three laugh. “You know how we all laughed when Aiden found that bra and joked my dad had a hooker.

They nod as Ethan is climb himself up out of the pool and Aiden is floating on his back to the side to get out. “Well turns out not a joke my dads been seeing a hooker named Alexis but not in a sexual payment way. There’s feelings involved. I just don’t know how to feel.”

“Aww honey we’re there for you whatever you need.”

“Yeah hon you can always stay with us in the guest house.”

Lexi smiles at them they can always make her feel better. “Thanks guys.”

Xxx

Beautiful red haired insanely smart and very social 19 year old Lydia Martin is awoken by her phone ringing. As she slides a hand out from underneath the covers and cracks an eye open to read the text from her best friend Allison Argent “Where are you? You didn’t come home last night.”

She notices the time out of the corner of her eye and her eyes widen and she quickly sits up waking the guy in bed next to her.

“Oh my god is that time I have to go.”

Lydia scrambles around his bedroom looking for her clothes from last night. As she is zipping up her ankle booties she leans back and kisses the guy in bed on the lips. “Last night was fun see you later.”

The twenty four year old brunette watches as Lydia hurries out of his apartment.

Xxx

“I had an idea.”

Lexi cuts Aiden off. “Aiden I love you I really do you and Ethan are the brothers I never had but because of your idea’s the police know where we live.”

“True but hear me out.”

Lexi pulls up to a stop sign and looks to Ethan who has the apprehension look on his face too. They both turn to look at Aiden in the backseat of the hot pink lamborghini convertible Lexi got for an eighteenth birthday present before she was driving a black Ferrari. Lexi has a couple different luxury cars and all of them are different colors. “Ok Aiden what is your idea?”

“We throw a party at the end of the year one last bash before summer.”

“Way to go Aiden you finally had a good idea.” Ethan leans back and hits his brother in the leg. Which earns him Aiden sticking his tongue out at his brother and Ethan laughing.

As the stop light turns green Lexi asks. “And where would we be having this party, I doubt there are many abandoned warehouses in Bel Air and our home yes it’s gorgeous but there are not many open area’s for people to party besides the pool.”

Aiden looks up into the rear view mirror and Lexi notices him. “I know what your thinking and I doubt people would drive a little over an hour to Montecito for a party. Even if our home there would be big enough.”

“Its a black light party and the night club would be perfect for it.”

As Lexi is pulling into a her spot behind the Kappa Kappa Gamma house on sorority row at UCLA she tells them. “I’ll ask my dad for the keys no promises he said he’s going to be out today so I might have to steal them. I love that home but it doesn’t get used often which is a shame its very beautiful.”

“All your family homes are beautiful.”

“Why are we at Kappa?”

It’s to early for anyone to be coming in and out of the house. Lexi mainly lives at the Forbes estate but some nights she spends at the sorority house. She loves being a kappa and with her friends but with the good comes the bad. “I left some lip liner here and I was looking for it this morning. See you later in psych.”

Xxx

The Kappa house is styled like an old Tuscany villa. As she is coming down the hallway from the kitchen to the stairs the front door opens and Lydia quietly comes in wearing the clothes she had on yesterday a red floral mock mini dress and black heels

Both girls hear voices calling them. One from the living room and one from the stairs.

Isaac Lahey who is tall with a lean and muscular build and dirty blonde hair that is slightly curly, and large deep set blue eyes. He is sitting in the living room in kappa waiting for his friend Erica Reyes to finish getting ready so they can go to class when Lexi walks past. Isaac has only been in America for six months and since Erica introduced him to Lexi Forbes he has thought she was so beautiful.

“Lexi hi.”

Lexi turns towards the living room and smiles at him, “Isaac are you waiting for Erica? I have to go upstairs anyway I’ll see what’s taking so long.”

Allison Argent and Malia Tate has come down the stairs and noticed Lydia just coming home. “Lydia spill, your still wearing the same clothes from last night.”

“Lydia Martin smartest women in the house is doing the walk of shame I’m so proud of you.”

Lexi puts arm around lydia’s shoulders as Lydia tells her friends. “It’s not a walk of shame and if you must know I maybe seeing someone. That is all the information I’m giving now I have to change I have class in fifteen minutes.”

Lexi opens her door to see her roommate Erica Reyes who is tall, lean and beautiful with light blonde hair and large brown eyes putting on her signature cheetah print pumps. “Isaac is downstairs, is it just me or did he get hotter?”

Erica flips her light blonde hair out from underneath her black leather jacket. ‘It’s just you, maybe you should ask him out?”

Lexi looks at her through the mirror as she puts on her pink lip liner. “Maybe I will.”

Xxx

Later that morning Lexi sits between Aiden and Ethan in psychology. “I’m going to go back to the estate for lunch and see if my dads there and get the keys to the Montecito home.”

Lydia walks past them to her seat with Allison and Malia next to her Aiden leans forward and calls out to them. “Hi Lydia.”

Lydia looks back at them and raises an eyebrow. “The answer is still no.”

Lexi and Ethan laugh. Ever since Aiden met Lydia he has asked her out multiple times and every time she has rejected him. “What is that now 112?”

“No I think it’s closer to 174. We should of kept a tally.”

Aiden glares back at his best friend and twin brother. Erica walks past them and Lexi leans over and whispers in Aiden’s ear. “Since Lydia is never going to say yes, she came into Kappa this morning doing a walk of shame. Rumor has it she is having a fling with one of the campus security guards Jordan Parrish. Maybe ask Erica out you know she’s been a little down since Stiles left for Quantico.”

He raises an eyebrow as he looks at Erica laugh at something Boyd said.

A couple minutes into class the professor has not shown up, “ If the professor doesn’t show up we’re leaving.”

Ethan leans over to his brother. “If he doesn’t show up want to go for coffee.”

Aiden nods and they both look at Lexi.“Someone rushed us out of the house this morning before we could grab anything for breakfast.”

“Not my fault you decided to go for competition rounds this morning instead of your usual fifty.”

As everyone is getting up to leave a handsome guy in tan pants, and a long white sleeve shirt comes in. “I’m your new professor, your last professor has had a mental breakdown so I will be taking over my name is Derek Hale.”

Allison leans over to Lydia. “He’s cute.”

Lydia shrugs her shoulders.

Ethan leans over to Lexi, “He is cute.”

“I think his mom is my business professor. Plus don’t you think your hands full with Jackson and Danny.”

He runs a finger down her nose. “Don’t be jealous.”

She scrunches up her face at him.

Jackson who is sitting next to Danny a couple rows in front of them looks behind him and spots Ethan they share a smile.

Xxx

Lexi pulls her car into the car gallery she notices all her father’s cars are here so he hasn’t left yet. Off of the car gallery is the temperature controlled wine room and an elevator. The elevator takes her up to the bedrooms level of the mansion which is the second floor. Her dad has the biggest bedroom on the floor. On a daily basis only two of the eleven bedrooms get used.

Peter Forbes’ bedroom has two sets of double doors, the first set opens up to a little hallway with a private elevator that almost never gets used, and extra shelving. The second set of doors opens up into the bedroom across from double doors are three sets of double doors to go out to a balcony. The amount of natural light coming into the room makes the black silk sheets shine. Across from the bed is a marble two sided fireplace and tv. On each side of the marble is a black bench.

As Lexi’s perfectly painted purple sparkly nails wrap around the first set of door knobs her phone rings with one hand she reaches in her back pocket and grabs her phone while turning the knob. It’s a text from Isaac. ‘My next class is not for another two hours I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch or coffee.’

‘I’m not on campus right now but will be back soon I’d love to do lunch or coffee. I’ll text you when I get back.’

She is focused on her phone when she opens the second set of doors and walks into her fathers room. “Hey dad. The keys to the-“ Lexi finishes her text and puts her phone back in her pocket. “Oh my god.”

The black silk sheets are all messed up because her father is on top of a brunette very pretty woman who she assumes is Alexis and thrusting into her.

Lexi looks up to the ceiling. “Put some clothes on. I have a simple question, I’ll just wait downstairs.” As she is walking backwards she announces. “Nice to meet you Alexis.”

“Door.” As Peter is rolling off her and pulling the sheet over both of them.

Lexi nods but to late she hits the side with her back. “I’m ok.”

Xxx

Peter scrambles out of his bed and grabs his jeans. He finds his daughter in her room throwing clothes in a bag. “What are doing?”

“I can’t sleep here tonight, I also can’t get the image of you thrusting into that woman out of my head.”

“Her name is Alexis, and when I told you about her this morning you didn’t seem to have any problems and you were nice just now to her.”

Lexi turns back to her father who never did grab a shirt so he’s in fitted blue jeans and nothing else. “I was faking it. I had other things on my mind when you told me. Thankfully my business class is in the morning because there is no way I would of focused on that test after this. I’m tempted to skip my afternoon class I’m so traumatized but I have a coffee date and I drove Ethan and Aiden so I can’t.”

Peter rubs his forehead this family can be so dramatic. The whole family the whole Forbes/Salvatore family is one big rich dramatic family. “This is not how I wanted this to go. Also where are you going to sleep?”

“I’ll sleep at the sorority house or the guest house. What do you mean you never wanted it to go this way. How did you want this to go?”

Peter is leaning against the wall just inside her bedroom with his arms crossed and his toned physic on display. “Eventually I wanted to invite her over and have you two meet. Did you only have morning classes?’

Lexi is still in her big walk in closet where her clothes are sorted into sections of party clothes, tops, pants/skirts/shorts, dresses, sweaters/jackets. The back wall is just one big shoe rack with heels, wedges, boots. All her jewelry is in the glass top island in the middle of the closet. Her belts are hung up on each side of the shoe wall.

“No my next class is not till 1:30 I need the keys to the Montecito home we were thinking of throwing a end of the year beginning of the summer party.”

“We meaning Aiden?”

Lexi nods, “We meaning Aiden had the idea but after telling us Ethan and I thought it was a good idea. A black light party in the night club would be perfect. Think about it live band on the polo field black light party in the nightclub. Plus the home does not get used enough to this party would really show the home some love.”

“I don’t like that this was Aiden’s idea, let’s hope this does not end with the Montecito police being called. The keys are in my office. What is it about Alexis you do not like.”

She turns back to her dad she can’t believe this question she barely knows the woman. “Other then the fact that I hardly know her and then see her getting rammed by my dad. She looks a couple years older then me and our names are similar.”

“She’s twenty six almost twenty seven I didn’t even realize the name thing.”

Lexi picks up her bag and as she is leaving she notes. “Why is this a theme in this family Cece cougar is with Chris who is thirty, you and Alexis who twenty six and a half, and Uncle Sawyer who has had sex with a hooker too.... Maybe the same one.”

Lexi gets halfway down the stairs when Peter calls after her. “We are not done with this get back here.”

The blonde turns around on the white with black and brown fabric spiral staircase. Her father is coming down to meet her. The light is shining on them through the three windows on the side of the stairs and there is a chandelier hanging from the cathedral high ceiling of the white marble grand foyer showering the grand foyer in natural light.

“I’m not a cougar like Cece, Alexis and I there is a relationship there. You know not to bring up Uncle Sawyer. Plus for us to have the same woman he would have to stay in the same place for more then a few days.”

“He’s been in Europe for a while, can you blame him for not wanting to come to America his money was withheld from him and he was in that plane crash. Are you forgetting Alexis is a hooker she sleeps with men for money and makes them feel good about themselves while she does. I do not want you to get hurt when you realize this.”

While the two forbes are on the stairs having this conversation their staff is busing around the estate some are cleaning, some are making food but nobody wants to go into the foyer.

Peter puts a hand on his daughters upper arm it’s just been the two of them for almost five years. No matter how old Lexi is she is always going to care and want to protect her dads feelings. His wife and her mom’s death hit them both hard.

“She’s an escort she is not just playing me. I know what I’m doing.”

Lexi nods. “Why couldn’t you decide to sleep with the sorority house mom Melissa or anyone else.”

Peter laughs “You know us forbes we don’t fall for the boy or girl next door.”

“True Aunt Liz is dating a drug kingpin.”

“That wedding when it happens will be interesting.”

XXX

Erica, Lydia, Allison and Malia are walking Greek row back to the house when they see campus patrol officer Jordan Parrish, young twenty four brunette Parrish. “Good after noon ladies. Miss Martin I found this on the ground and was wondering if it was yours?”

Parrish holds out a gold bracelet that Lydia was wearing last night as she takes it they share a smile. Alison Erica and Malia are watching this and once Parrish walks past them all three girls look at the red head. “Oh my god you and Jordan Parrish.”

“ Scandalous.”

“He’s hot.”

Lydia puts a finger up to her lips “Will you please keep it down.” They are passing Kappa Kappa Theta who tries to compete with Kappa Kappa Gamma. They do not need the president of Theta Hayden Romeo knowing this piece of gossip to use against Lydia and Gamma.

Once they get past Theta Lydia keeping her voice down tells her friends “Yes I’ve been seeing Jordan Parrish. “

All three girls get a text from their house mother Melissa McCall. “House meeting 3’o’clock.”

Kira is in Japanese history when her phone vibrates.

Xxx

Peter runs a hand through his hair before he returns to his bedroom expecting to find Alexis waiting for him in bed but the bed is empty, he glances in his big walk in closet his side is full of clothes his wife’s side is empty. A year after her death Lexi and him mustered up the courage to clean out her side of the closet they sold of the clothes but kept most of it and is now in storage.

He finds Alexis in his big en-suite bathroom she is in his bathtub which is full of bubbles. He bends down next to her. “I’m sorry about that earlier.”

She smiles at him and cups his chin with her hand which is dripping water on the floor. “Usually it’s the wife that walks in this is the first time a daughter has walked in on me.”

“How would you like to meet her?”

Her eyes widen and she drops all flirtation. “Excuse me she just walked in on us and you want the three of us to have a sit down dinner family style.”

Peter lets out a sigh and reaches out to push back a piece of her brunette hair behind her ear. “Of course not but maybe a actual meeting where nobody is caught having sex.”

Alexis puts her hand on her chin on the side of the porcelain tub. “She is not going to accept me. I doubt she will even take me serious I’m an escort who is dating her father.”

Xxx

While driving back to campus Lexi is tapping her finger against the stirring wheel, her phone rings but she’s busy driving so she doesn’t answer. When she gets back to Campus and meets Isaac at one of the coffee carts and after they get their coffee’s they both get French vanilla Frappuccino’s.

They sit down and while Isaac is talking about how he loves California he misses London Lexi is tapping her finger against the cup. “Are you ok?”

His voice pulls her out the trance she was in while he was talking she didn’t mean for it to happen. “Huh... oh yeah just a lot on my mind and Ethan and Aiden have a class I can’t tell them.”

Isaac feels bad for the sad blonde in front of him he likes her and he wishes she would confine in him. “Maybe I can help.”

She smiles at him it’s sweet he is offering to help her. “ Thanks maybe another time I will take a hug if your offering.”

They stand up and Isaac wraps his arms around her and she snuggles her head into his neck and he can feel her breath of relief during their hug.

Xxx

As Peter is walking her to the door something has been bugging him since Lexi mentioned he knows she brought it up tp hurt him but he has to know. “By any chance have you ever been with a tall, attractive I guess, super annoying, egocentric, has nicknames for everyone, blonde shaggy hair, wears leather jackets or button up shirts, probably conned you out of some money guy named Sawyer?”

Alexis stops at the front door and thinks about it everyone before Peter was a one and done. Peter is the first where they come back to each other and she enjoys him. “I don’t think so why do you know a Sawyer?”

Peter smirks as he open the door but she doesn’t see. “No.”

Xxx

House meeting always take place in the living room. There is a very open living layout of the house. There is a fireplace which is not used often since California and two couches with a table between them. There are a few chairs in the room too, two in front of the windows and one on the other side of the room in the corner. Above the fireplace there a photo of everyone in the house in front of the house.Lexi and Erica are always next to each other during house meetings and usually leaning against the pillars on each side of the entrance of the living room. Allison and Lydia are sitting in the chairs in front of the windows and the other girls are filling into the room. When everyone is there house mom Melissa McCall who is a mom to all the young ladies in the house but also a trained nurse and helps out in the hospital part of the school. Her long brown curly hair is dangling over her shoulders as she addresses all the ladies.

“Friday night is movie night and our annual sisters retreat is coming up where do you girls want to go.”

“Vegas.” Malia looks down at Lydia since Malia is sitting on the arm of her chair. “We all know she wants to go to Vegas to gamble.” Lydia nods.

“Mexico.”

Melissa looks over at the two girls sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, “Not twenty one and let’s keep it in America.”

“Aspen.”

“Who knows how to ski or snowboard.”

Half of the girls raise their hands including Lexi, Erica, Allison, Lydia and Malia and her roommate Kira.

Erica leans over to Lexi and whispers. “I remember the last time we went to aspen us, the twins and your parents for winter break. We had so much fun.”

Lexi smiles at the memory then gets sad because that was their last winter with her mom. “We did have a lot of fun. My dad is thinking of selling the place since we haven’t been there in a while.”

“Aspen it is, Now does anyone have any homes in Aspen or are we staying in a hotel?”

Most of the girls look up at Lexi. Some of the girls are jealous that Lexi has so much money and can have anything she wants on the outside looking in her life looks perfect little do they know her life is more dramatic then perfect. Her life may not be as dramatic as her cousins in New York City but she still deals with dramatic moments.

Melissa notices the young ladies look at Lexi. She’s heard their snide comments about Lexi, Melissa is privy to all the gossip in the house. As house mother Melissa is to care for these ladies and she treats them like her children. She also has a son who goes to UCLA Scott when he drops by the house sometimes the younger ladies of the house go crazy and surround him.

“Meeting dismissed. Lexi can I speak with you for a moment.”

Erica and Lexi share a look they both know what Melissa wants to ask her.

Xxx

Peter’s black Shelby 1000 Cobra pulls up outside his hotel and the valet take the keys and park it while he goes in and and makes sure everything is still running smoothly.

Xxx

Aiden and Ethan have been waiting behind Kappa for Lexi for almost fifteen minutes when she comes out. “What was going on in there and why do you have a duffel bag in the backseat?”

“House meeting were going to Aspen and guess where everyone is staying if you guessed our home you are correct.”

Ethan and Aiden share a look of worry as the doors unlock and they get in. Sure they could of got in before the doors were unlocked its a convertible and there is no hood but they are respectful of the Forbes family.

Lexi pulls up to a stoplight on sunset strip and her fingers are tapping on the steering wheel. The light turns green and she does not drive Aiden who is in the backseat looks behind them at a car and before the car can honk he waves his hand for the car to go around them. Ethan leans over and puts a hand on Lexi’s shoulder. “Are you ok hon.”

That touch of familiarity brings her out of her haze, “Huh oh right um.” She goes to put the car in park and Ethan puts a hand over hers. “I don’t know what’s wrong but before we get into an accident or someone flips us off I’m driving.”

Lexi does get to pull the car off to the side so they are not in the road. Ethan gets in the driver seat while Lexi is in the passengers seat and Aiden slides over so he’s behind the passengers seat then behind the driver seat.

Aiden slides his hands on each of the head rest and massages Lexi’s shoulders while she puts her head on the headrest and closes her eyes. Ethan takes a breath and looks in the mirror at his brother and they nod at each other. They live at the forbes estate and Lexi’s calls them the brothers she never had but they never drive the Forbes cars and this is a custom Lamborghini.

Once they are back on the road and headed to Montecito. Aiden asks “What happened to you this afternoon? You were fine when we left psychology.”

Lexi leans forward and runs a hand through her long blonde hair. “I met her when I went home to get the keys.”

“Met her as in....”

“Yes well met is not the right word saw her today.”

Ethan still keeping his eyes on the highway asks. “Saw her, saw her where?”

Lexi turns towards him and raises an eyebrow. Both twins at the same time go. “Ewww.”

“Yeah can’t get it out of my head. Forgot to mention I’m sleeping in the guest house tonight its still to fresh to step on the bedroom floor.”

“Totally get it.”

“So what is she like?”

Lexi looks back at Aiden in the rear view mirror. “Seriously.”

He shrugs and she sighs “Young she’s twenty six and a half brunette hair and has long dangling feather earrings and tattoos I couldn’t see what tattoos I was busy averting my eyes from the image of my dad thrusting into her.”

Xxx

Once they are through the gate and up the long driveway leading to the courtyard of the house. Since they are not going to be here long they just park outside the home not in the garage.

As they enter the octagon shaped grand foyer with natural lighting streaming in from a skylight, glass chandelier hanging down from the ceiling. A pink couch against the wall below a painting opposite the front doors are there are stairs going into the main house. “I love being in a sorority, but with the exception of Erica, Lydia Allison, Malia and Kira everyone thinks I’m made of money and I can just throw money at every situation. News flash people just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I have to spent it on you and stop expecting me too, plus stop expecting me to give up our homes as a place for you to use. Our home in Aspen we might be putting up for sale so we might not have it anymore but everyone just expects me to give up our home to host retreats. So they can brag we have a Forbes in our sorority. I just wished they wanted me as a person and not as Forbes.”

Both Ethan and Aiden put an arm around her shoulders. “We love you as you not because your a Forbes.”

They go through the mansion and where other homes have basements this home has a nightclub, wine tasting room, wellness center, sports bar and movie theater. The nightclub has a dj booth, six area’s for seating including white chairs, sofa and tables. On the far side there are doors to go out to the pool but with the black shades down it darkens the room to make it have more of the club vibe.

While Aiden is looking around the room planning the party in his head Ethan and Lexi flop onto one of the white fluffy love seats. Lexi has her head back and her eyes closed. “You need a massage after the afternoon you’ve had.”

“The masseuse is not here.”

Ethan smiles as he stands and grabs her hands to pull her up. “You go to the wellness center and I’ll call her or him then we’ll leave, it will give you time to get a massage, Aiden enough time to check this area out and I’ll be in the find something to do. Maybe catch a movie.”

“You love living vicariously through my heiress life.”

Ethan goes to open his mouth but Aiden who is at the clear dj booth which when on changes colors answers. “Yeah but don’t lie you love your heiress life.”

Lexi shrugs her shoulders “Your right I do its a hard life but someone has to live it.”

They laugh as Ethan slides his arm through Lexi’s linking their arms by the elbow. “Now my dear you are coming with me and Aiden is calling a masseuse.”

At the end of hallway there is three steps then a door and inside the door is the wellness center. A little waiting room with chairs, and a water jug and a little fridge with cucumbers and lemons to make cucumber and lemon water. There is a little changing room with robes, next to the massage room with two massage tables always ready.

As they are waiting for the masseuse Lexi and Ethan are just sitting on the table’s Lexi has a robe on ready to go when the masseuse gets here.

“By summer I’m going to choose between Jackson and Danny. I know I can not keep stringing them along.”

“I choose Jackson only because yes you and Danny are cute together he’s a hot guy from Nebraska he doesn’t understand the luxury of our lives, I think he’s only seen the guest house but was still surprised by it. Meanwhile Jackson is from Malibu he understands our lifestyles better. Plus while you and Danny are adorable you and Jackson are hot.”

The doorbell echo’s through the empty long halls of the mansion.Lexi slides off the table to get it but Ethan stops her “I’ll get it.”

Ethan opens the door to a cute tall man with light blonde hair, hazel eyes and stubble on his chin and mustache. “Cute you’ll do, let me show you to the massage room.”

When they enter Ethan hops back on the other table while Lexi is laying on her stomach and leans up to look at the masseur.”mmmh.”

While he is getting everything ready Ethan and Lexi are continuing their conversation like there was no interruptions. “So I can either be adorable or hot?”

“What is Aiden’s thought?”

”Jackson.”

The masseur slides his hands down Lexi’s bare back and up her shoulders. “Your shoulders have new stress.”

“Very new.”

“I’m going to text Melissa instead of going to Aspen in march why not come here for the retreat this home has everything.”

The masseur hands move from the knots in her shoulders to her lower back and Ethan agrees. “Good idea, since your selling the Aspen house that home could be gone by march.”

“Considering where it is and how much it is I doubt someone will snatch it up quickly plus its not even on market yet.”

Ethan stands up and bends down to be face to face with her “Have fun I’m going to the theater.”

“This is a beautiful home you have here Miss-“

Lexi even though her head is through the hole on the table she smiles all she can see is his black jeans and black shoes. “Forbes, Lexi Forbes you can just call me Lexi if you want.”

“Oliver.” He moves his hands from her back to her leg and runs them down her legs massaging the tissue.

Lexi loves to get a massage it’s more then just a spa day activity for her, it’s a relaxation thing where her life is so hectic people always around but when she gets a massage it’s just her and the masseur or masseuse.

“You really do have a beautiful home Lexi.”

“Thank you its one of my favorites.”

Oliver has made her flip and has gone back to the shoulders. “Was that your boyfriend that let me in.”

Lexi lets out a little laugh. “No that is one of my best friends his twin is around here somewhere.”

Xxx

After her massage she walks Oliver out, “Hope to see you again.” He nods as he leaves.

After Lexi changes back into a pair of teal skinny jeans a white tank top and a grey sweater with tan knee high stiletto boots and a white and tan purse. She has matched it with tan sunglasses and her rose gold diamond choker her mom gave her and a couple rings. She finds Ethan in the soundproof movie theater. “What movie is this?”

“Couldn’t decide didn’t want to get invested only to be interrupted.”

“Ready to go home?”

Ethan puts an arm around her shoulders as they leave. “I’m driving?”

Lexi smiles she might have just created a Lamborghini monster letting Ethan drive. “I feel great after the massage my mind is clear the shock is wearing off. Oliver really knows his stuff.”

“Ohhh Oliver.”

Lexi shoves him as they enter the night club and find Aiden on one of the couches. “Shut up. Ready to go hon?”

Aiden nods as he joins his twin and best friend. “Coming here really was what was needed today.”

Xxx

Lexi pulls her car into the gallery and they take a golf cart to the guest house. The estate is so big that there are several golf carts around the estate. If they don’t want to walk or are tired they can just get on a golf cart.

Xxx

Jordan Parrish is having trouble putting his key in his door while he has one hand holding Lydia up and she has her legs around his waist and peppering his neck with kisses. After a couple more tries he does get the door open.

Lydia’s lips go from peppering his neck to attacking his lips.

Xxx

Romania:

Six foot shaggy blonde haired Sawyer Forbes he has stubble on his chin and mustache. His innocent face and his smooth talking gets him in and out of so many problems he’s got himself into over the years. He walks into the bar and spots a familiar brunette at the bar and smirks. “We just keep running into each other freckles you going to tell me your name this time.”

The brunette turns around and smirks up at him. “Hello Sawyer your place or mine.”

He downs a shot and smiles down at her. “We went to mine in London so your place here.”

She downs her shot before picking up her coat “Your place last time my place this time if this happens a third where will we go that time?”

“Depends on where we are.”

She flips her hair out from underneath her coat and looks back at him. “It’s Kate.”

He smirks and puts an arm out “Lead the way freckles.”

[missnxthingg]

Hi again!! If you’re still accepting requests can I have one with Peter? Maybe unrequited love in the start then Peter starts to date MJ. The reader decides to move on but Peter suddenly realized who he really loves? Thank you!!!

Summary: Peter and (Y/N) have been best friends since forever, but things changed when he started to go out with MJ.

A/N: So, I had a little chat with my fren anon and we discussed what to do with this one and I really loved the concept. Something similar to this happened to both of us, but it ended up much better than my story. 

Words: 7.7K

Pairing: Peter Parker x Best Friend!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, angst(and a little mention of sex).

masterlist | main blog | gif source | quarantine playlist | song title

CAMOUFLAGE

Peter was the best friend anyone could ever dream of having. You remember him being by your side since you two met in middle school when you were 12 and you had just moved from New Jersey to New York. He didn’t have many friends and you didn’t either, due to the fact that you were new in the city and didn’t know much people. He was just the nicest boy in the world and a very smart one, the kind of guy the teachers loved but wasn’t very appreciated by his colleagues.

You were different. You instantly knew you wanted to be friends with him when you saw him coming to school with a Star Wars t-shirt and a shy smiled on his face. And your friendship was the prettiest, it was like both of you were inseparable since day one. He introduced you to May and you introduced him to your parents. They didn’t mind having you hanging out all the time and that was what made you two inseparable.

“Hey, (Y/N). I was wondering if you wanted to get ice cream with me and my aunt after school.” He asked shyly during the break and that made you smile.

“Sure Pete, it will be fun!” 

You were 12, but you were sure of one thing. You were Peter’s first best friend and he was your first crush. God, that boy was cute as hell and you were overwhelmed by him and his friendship. You harboured small feelings for him through long years and it followed you to High School when you followed each other to Midtown High. Of course, in the beginning, you were sure it was just a small thing because you didn’t know many people, but High School came to prove you wrong. 

There you got to meet a lot of new people, starting with Ned, an addition to your little gang. And then, a lot of people were appearing, like Michelle Jones, Liz Allen, Flash Thompson, Betty Brant and many others that were always hanging out with them. It was a whole new thing and they were experiencing new things together.

“Pete, I have to tell you something.” You came excited to him during a party and he seemed excited too. “I just had my first kiss.”

“Me too!” He said and for a second, you weren’t excited anymore with the fact that Peter kissed someone else. You were sure your feelings went away when you got to High School, but clearly, it wasn’t. “Who was it?”

“Harry Osbourn. And yours?”

“Liz Allen! Isn’t that amazing? She’s hot and everything.”

“Yeah, it is.” You faked a smiled and he hugged you.

“But don’t worry, you’re still my favourite.”

Things between you and him didn’t change much you two, except for the fact that now you were into dating people, much more mature. Also, a little thing happened through the sophomore year. After getting bit by the spider, Peter got hot, like extremely hot and it wasn’t helping with your feelings. Neither was your proximity since you were the only one Peter trusted to tell you everything, even his new little secret. The years started to pass and you grew even closer as if it was somehow possible, but you weren’t complaining about it. Peter started to be more affective with you and you did too.

“Hey, beautiful.” He kissed the top of your head and sat next to you at your usual table in the cafeteria.

“Hey, Pete. What did you bring for lunch?”

“Strawberries, salty pretzels and mini carrots. You?”

“PB and J sandwichs. Wanna switch?” He nodded and gave you his lunch.

“Cute.” Betty sat down with Ned to have lunch with them and made the two friends blush.

“Kinda gross.” MJ said joining them.

“So, movie night, this Friday, my place.” Ned said, making MJ and Betty moan.

“God, can we do something else?” Betty asked.

“Movie nights are just an excuse for you nerds to either watch Star Wars or Harry Potter. We never watch anything else.” MJ said and Betty agreed.

“That’s not true, we watched Back to The Future last month.” Ned defended.

“I don’t want to spend my Friday night stuck in some apartment.”

“Well, we can go mini-golfing.” Peter suggested and everyone agreed.

“I’m not sure I can make it Friday. It’s my aunt’s birthday and we’re going to Long Island for the party. But don’t worry about me.”

“Uhm, that’s a bummer.” MJ said and everyone nodded.

“But hey, we’re still having our study date after school, right? Maybe you can sleepover and have a movie night, just the two of us.”

“Yeah, that would be nice.” You smiled at him and he nodded.

“God, just marry already.” Betty teased and everyone laughed.

“Very funny.” You rolled your eyes and finished your quick food.

“Come on, let me walk you to class.” He stood up and you followed him.

“Those two are so gonna end up together.” Ned said turning back to his food.

And that’s what you thought too, at least for a while. Peter was all caring and sweet with you, always finding a way to make you smile. Also, the small “dates” were a booster to their relationship. It made her fall in love with him even more.

“Popcorn and sweets.” Peter sat next to her on the couch, where she just finished organizing their school stuff after a long afternoon of studies. “Did you choose a movie?”

“Yes. And we’re watching Devil Wears Prada because I’m in the mood for this movie.”

“Okay, whatever you choose boss.” He cuddled next to her over a blanket and passed the popcorn bowl to her lap. You started the movie and leaned on Peter’s shoulder to get comfortable.

“I’m so glad we kept doing this over the years. It makes me really happy.”

“Me too.” He kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer to cuddle. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She smiled and her whole body shivered at the words.

That was just it. Peter was your everything and you tried to make him happy just as much as he makes you happy. You loved him with every inch of you and you were comfortable that way. Loving and being loved back was the best feeling in the world, except for maybe, your love towards Peter was a little different from the one he was giving you. He thought of you as a friend and every time you remembered it, your heart ached. But at that moment, it didn’t matter, you were comfortable as hell in his arms, watching one of your favourite movies and eating delicious snacks.

When Friday came, you very reluctantly followed your parents to Long Island for your aunts birthday, not without one last goodbye to your friends and a long hug from Peter. You wanted more than anything to go mini-golfing with your friends, but you still had a mother and you need to obey her.

“That’s a bummer.” Peter fixed your hair, pulling a stray behind your ear. “Wish you could come along.”

“It’s okay, Long Island will be fun! I love the suburbs and their barbecues, lazy people…”

“(Y/N), I’m your best friend, you don’t have to pretend you like the suburbs.”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be pretty bad.” You laughed along with him and gave him a tight hug. “Call me later?”

“Aren’t you gonna be busy coming back to the city?” He asked and she shrugged.

“At least text me.” He nodded and gave her a forehead kiss before leaving. “Have fun.”

“You too, babe.”

And Long Island was a bore. Even though you loved your family, they didn’t know how to throw a party and you spent most of the night drinking soda with your cousins playing shared, but wanting more than ever to be with your friends. You were bored, resting your body in an armchair and your mind just went to Peter a lot, like something was happening with him and you couldn’t settle without thinking about the boy.

Your parents decided to leave earlier because it was a long way back to the city and you were the only family that came using the train, which would be having the last one in less than fifteen minutes. You sat alone on the train, letting your parents sit together in another booth, and got busy with your phone and seeing some Instagram stories of your friends having fun together. You locked your phone and rested your head against the window, too tired and frustrated to do anything. Until someone texted you.

Pete: “Hey. Can you call me when you get home?”

(Y/N): “Sure, I’m almost getting home, hold on.”

And boy, if you could have avoided that conversation, you would. See, you didn’t know you were walking towards a conversation you didn’t know you didn’t want to have, but the first thing you did when your parents went to their room was sit in your fire escape and call Peter.

“Hey, sorry I took too long. Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s perfect! You won’t ever believe what happened today.” Peter sounded excited and even though you were happy he was happy, you started to feel a little bad because you weren’t there to see it. “Okay, you ready?”

“Just spill the beans, Pete.” You laughed before he said anything.

“I kissed MJ today.” Your laughter died instantly and your heart sank, your whole world crashed around you and you were pretty sure you felt a tear fall down. “And she agreed to go on a date with me. Isn’t that amazing?”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were into MJ. You never told me.” Her voice was weak and low, definitely not excited about what had just happened.

“I thought it was obvious. Anyway, I need some help to plan the perfect date and no one is better than you.”

“Okay. Uhm, I’m tired. Do you think we can talk about it later?” You tried not to make him notice you weren’t as excited as he was, or even that you were crying. But Peter knew you too good.

“Hey, are you okay? You don’t sound so good.”

“I’m feeling a little sick, just a cold. Don’t worry about it.”

“Of course I worry, you’re my best friend. And you were the one who literally stuck by my side the last time I was ill. Do you want me to swing to your place? Spider-Man can be there in a second.” He tried to say it with a cheerful voice and it actually made you smile a little because at least he worries about you.

“No, I’ll survive. But thank you for worrying.”

“I’ll swing by your apartment tomorrow, okay baby?”

“Okay. Oh and Pete… I’m happy for you, sorry if I didn’t sound so excited, my head is hurting a lot.” It took her a lot of guts to say it.

“Thank you. Take an aspirin and rest, okay? I love you, sleep well.”

“I love you too. Good night, Pete.”

“Good night, beautiful. Call me if you need anything, at any time.”

“I will, promise.”

That night you stood up, crying your heart out and mourning about what happened. You didn’t shut your eyes for the whole night and everything around her reminded her of Peter, including the pajama she was using for sleep for the last two nights, one of Peter’s science shirts. It was the most heartbreaking night of her life and she couldn’t believe that he actually chose someone else because deep down she always thought they would end up together.

When the morning came, Peter stopped by really early, finding you with a horrible appearance due to the fact that you didn’t sleep all night and really looked like you were sick. But Peter was always concerned about you, you were his best friend and he wanted to see you okay. So he made you breakfast and slipped inside your room after your mom letting him in, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Hey.” You whispered softly to see him next to you.

“Hey, sorry for being so early. I spent the whole night awake worrying about you.”

“That’s sweet.” You sat in your bed and he leaned in to give you a forehead kiss. “I didn’t sleep too. Feeling pretty awful.”

“I brought you breakfast. I had May making you waffles and I did some hot cocoa when I got here.”

“Thank you, you’re the best.” You gave him some space to lie down with you, which he did, pulling you into a hug. “Hey, you got a date.”

“Yeah, I do. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about MJ earlier, but I’m really happy that I got to finally kiss her.”

“I’m happy for you.” Maybe if you kept saying it over and over, you would start believing it. 

“But I’m here to take care of you, so no talking about my dating life, even though I’m dying to ramble on about it.” He said with a big smile which made you chuckle softly.

“You can ramble on about it.” 

“I’m just so happy. I never thought a girl would like me that way. And last night was amazing, we had a lot of fun together and when we went to get some more soda, I asked if I could kiss her and she took the first step. Like, I haven’t kissed many girls but she was definitely the best one yet. And when she agreed to go out with me, it was the best feeling in the world.”

“I’m glad you got your date with the girl you like.” You smiled weakly and he smiled back. “I wish I could have the same as you guys have.”

“Hey, I’m sure you’ll find someone that will like you just as much as I like Michelle.” Ouch, that hurt.

“Uhm, I’m really tired.” You said finishing the breakfast and Peter lied in your bed.

“C’mere, I’ll help you sleep.” He pulled you to lie down with him and settled you into a comforting hug.

“Thank you for being here.”

“I’ve always been here and I’ll always be. Don’t you ever think that just because I started dating I will stoping teasing you. You’re still my first friend, my best friend.”

“I know you always will. I love you.”

“I love you too, now rest, we both need it.”

The next weeks were rough, watching Peter and MJ together wasn’t at all pleasant to you. Peter would now sit next to her instead of sitting next to you like he normally does. Also, he has been much more affectioned with her in public and it only got worst when they went out on their first date when Peter made sure she was now his girlfriend. You tried to be supportive, as much as it hurt you to do so, because he didn’t deserve this negativity over his new relationship, especially coming from his best friend.

“I have a girlfriend. It’s still hard to believe it.” Peter said during chem class and since you were lab partners, you couldn’t avoid him, like you were trying to do in real life. “I mean, I’m Peter Parker. I’m a nerdy boy and someone actually likes it.”

“Pete, I don’t know why you’re surprised, you’re amazing.” You reassured him and he smiled softly.

“I don’t know, I think everyone gets surprised right? Doesn’t matter, I have an awesome girlfriend.” He smiled at her, sitting with Betty some tables ahead and she smiled back. “We need to find someone for you, so we can double date.”

“Peter, I’m fine. I don’t want a boyfriend right now, I just want to focus on my studies and get into Harvard by the end of the year.”

“But I want both of us going through this experience together. We always do everything together.”

“That’s not how things work, Pete.”

But he didn’t drop it and it would eventually pop into your conversations. At least he was still talking to you and acting the same around you, making it less hard to cooperate with your feelings. But when they started to get more serious, he started to change around you. Of course, he would always talk to you, but suddenly MJ came first. You understood it, after all, she’s his girlfriend and should be the person he trusts the most, but you missed your old friendship.

You haven’t had a movie night alone in ages and when the gang organized a movie night, you were the only one ending up alone since now you were the only single one in the gang. Also, Peter stopped swinging by your apartment to hang out or just to tell you he’s safe. He didn’t hug or kiss your cheek as often now, even when you were alone. But it was okay, you kept repeating to yourself it was okay, but it was getting even harder to believe. At least he would still talk to you.

“I’m worried about you feeling lonely.” He suddenly spoke during one of your rare moments alone, studying in the library. “I mean, everyone in the gang has a significant other and you’re still alone. I worry about that.”

“First, ouch. You don’t need to throw it in my face every time.” You said with a laughing tone, which made him laugh. “Second, I’m fine, really. I just… miss you a little. We haven’t hung out in ages.”

“What do you mean? We hang out all the time.”

“Yeah, but not alone like we used to do.” You fixed your hair to cover the red appearing in your ears.

“I’m really sorry, it’s just… I’ve been busy with… my internship. Also, trying to conceal that with my MJ time it’s been really hard.”

“It’s okay.”

“But I’ll make it up to you, soon. I promise.”

But he never did and eventually, you started to get angry about it, maybe a little bit cheated. You wanted to move on more than anything. It took a while but you did, leaving Peter and MJ alone to start having some fun around and maybe date some guys. And what better way to start it with Flash’s birthday party.

“I’m sorry (Y/N), but I think Ned and I are not coming to the party.” Betty said one day at the table when you asked if they would come to the party.

“Betty’s mom is taking us to Cape May this weekend.” Ned completed her sentence.

“Yeah, MJ and I can’t either. It’s our four-month anniversary, so I’m taking her out.” Peter said and you nodded, a little bummed that you were going alone to the party.

“Well, I’m going anyway.” You shrugged and Peter gave you a confused look, which you ignored and started to gather your things. “I’m gonna get going guys, see you later!”

You started our walk to your locker and Peter caught your pace after a couple of seconds. “Hey, are you sure about going to that party alone?”

“Yeah, why not? There’s plenty of people I know and I’ll have a good time.”

“I don’t know, (Y/N). I’m kinda worried, there’s gonna be alcohol and Flash lives in the suburbs, far away from your house.”

“I’ll probably crash with some of my cheerleader friends, don’t worry.”

“Of course I worry. I don’t know if you remember, but I’m still your best friend?”

“Are you? Really? Because I feel that for the last months you’re not really caring about me.”

“What do you mean?” He frowned and you took a deep breath.

“What I mean is that I’m being left out, at least I’m feeling like it, especially from you.” You let a small tear fall down from your face, but you quickly wiped it away. Peter was speechless and didn’t know what to say.

“(Y/N)...” 

“It’s okay Peter, I get that you’re too busy for me. Go save the world, I don’t care.” You started to walk away but he held you by the wrist.

“Please, can we talk?” He parted his lips and locked his eyes with yours.

“There’s nothing to talk about Peter. I already said it was okay and if you don’t mind letting me go, it’s hurting my wrist and I have to get to cheer practice.” He let go of your wrist and you turned around to walk away. He didn’t run after you this time.

You ended up really going to the party and it was amazing. You got to meet new people and dance all night long with your new cheerleading friends. Not actually worrying about anything was good and you even hooked up with a guy that night and it was really good. For the first time in forever, you didn’t think about Peter for even a second. Maybe this was finally you moving on. Peter, on the other hand, didn’t stop thinking about you for even a second that day, too worried about any bad thing happening to you or if your discussion meant that you weren’t friends anymore. Even MJ noticed something was off but didn’t comment because if he didn’t tell her, he clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

You were positive you were going to crash with your friend after the party, so time wasn’t an issue. It was already late and you were still doing shots with the girls in the kitchen. Your phone long-forgotten started to vibrate, a text from Peter.

Peter: “Hey, are you home already?”

You: “No. Why?”

Peter: “Can I take you home?”

You: “What about your date?”

Peter: “Already took her home. Please, let me come pick you up. I’m worried, something is not good.”

You: “I’m perfectly fine, Peter. I’m crashing at Stacie’s.”

Peter: “Please, I’m so worried about you.”

You: “Fine. I’ll be waiting inside the house.”

After that moment, the party practically ended for you and you weren’t as excited anymore. You sat down and waited for Peter to arrive and pick you up. The party was having its end and Peter stepped into the room looking beautiful as ever. Your drunk ass couldn’t take your eyes off him wearing nice clothes, maybe even new ones. He rushed to you sitting on the couch and sat next to you.

“Hey.” He said and you blinked slowly. “Come on, let me take you home. You look super drunk.”

“I’m fine.” You moaned and got up with a little help from him. He pulled you out of the party and you could see May’s car parked there. He didn’t swing there, but he took so little time to get there. “You were already driving here before I even told you it was okay, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” He admitted and you leaned against the car. “Look, I was worried okay? Even if you don’t believe me, I still care about you.”

“Well, that’s something I don’t believe anymore.” You involved yourself with your own arms to prevent 

“You’re shaking. Here.” He removed his denim jacket from his body and threw it around your back.

“Thank you.” You stopped debating and finally let him take care of you.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” He opened the door for you and you sat in the passenger seat right next to him. He started the car and drove in silence back to the city.

“Why did come all the way over here? Weren’t you supposed to be on a date?”

“I ended it earlier, saying I wasn’t feeling so good.”

“You’re an idiot.” You mumbled and he frowned. “You ditched your girlfriend to come after me, someone who didn’t want you to be here.”

“But I wanted to be here for you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my best friend, okay? You might not be mine anymore, but I am yours.”

“What the fuck? Now you’re making it feel like it’s my fault.”

“And it isn’t?”

“No! You might not notice this Peter, but our relationship changed after the day you started dating MJ. And I really try to be there and support you, but you completely shut me off your life. We never hang out anymore and we don’t talk about stuff anymore.”

“You don’t understand it, you have never had a boyfriend.”

“Well, I would never stop being friends with you if I got one.” He pulled the brakes and stopped the car.

“So we’re not friends anymore?” He asked now looking into your eyes, with his now full of tears.

“I guess we’re not.” Those were the hardest words you had ever said to him. He nodded and started to drive again in silence.

It took a while until you got back to the city and the silence made you fall asleep leaning against the window, with tears drying on your cheeks as you silently cried. You woke up feeling carried by strong arms, you slightly opened your eyes and saw Peter carrying you bridal style through your building, but the alcohol in your system couldn’t get you to stay awake, even though you noticed everything around you. He lied you in bed and removed your shoes before covering you up. He sat next to you and started to caress your face.

“I guess this is goodbye.” His voice cracked and you felt his hand shaking against your cheek. “It hurts to let you go, but I guess we don’t fit each other now. Just so you know, I will always be here for you, even if you don’t want to. We made a spit pact years ago that we would always be best friends and care for each other. Well, I’m willing to not break this pact, even though you don’t wanna talk to me. I love you, I hope this is just a phase.”

But it wasn’t just a phase. After that day you stopped hanging out with the gang. You didn’t know which excuse Peter gave them, but it worked and none of them even came to talk to you. So you just started hanging with the cheerleaders and started to make some new friends. Peter and MJ were closer than ever, anyone could notice it even from far away. But then again, all your mourning over their relationship was now over since you didn’t have contact with them anymore. Also, you met an amazing guy and you were hanging out a little and maybe it was going somewhere, but you didn’t know if you were going anywhere from that point, even though he was being really sweet to you all the time.

Peter did notice you were dating and quietly observed you having a good time with your guy from the corner. He wasn’t the jealous type and it never happened with MJ, but Peter didn’t know why he got so angry when he saw you with him, all smiley and comfy next to him. But he was obviously really discreet and got it all unnoticed by everyone him. Although, some people like May noticed that he was a little weird, but let it slip.

Eventually, things started to get a little hard on everyone since it was the end of senior year and everyone was freaking out about college and all that stuff. You were exhausted and working your ass off to get through your finals. One day you even fell asleep in your school clothes, over your notebooks with the window opened, letting cold October wind come inside your room. You only woke up when you felt warm hands on your back.

"Peter? What are you doing here? It's two in the morning."

"I saw the window opened and the lights on. We need to talk."

"Oh, so we're talking now."

"You were the one who said we weren't friends anymore."

"You said it too." You were raising your voice, but you stopped it because you realized it was two in the morning and Peter was wearing his Spider suit and if your parents woke up, they would freak out.

"I've been miserable, thinking what have I done to let you so upset to the point you didn't even wanna talk to me. But I never got an answer."

"Was it really that hard? You completely shut me off, you didn't hang out with me anymore, we didn't talk about anything and suddenly you even stopped saying hi to me with a hug." You let one tear fall down and you quickly wiped it off.

"You started to shut yourself and God, you were acting so weird around me, I was getting pissed. But I guess MJ was right and I've noticed it a long time now."

"What did she say?"

"That you were in love with me. And that I was oblivious. Of course, I didn't know that but she opened my eyes."

"Well, I wasn't and I'm not. So why don't you go back to your girlfriend and just leave me alone."

"MJ and I broke up tonight." You both fell into silence and you lowered your head. "She was going on about some things and I realized she was right all the time. She told me once that you liked me and that I was oblivious. And tonight she told me that I was also liked you, but didn't want to admit it."

"Well, she was wrong because I'm with Marvin now." You started and he sighed, looking outside the window.

"She was right. Maybe she wasn't right about your side, but she was right about mine. Since you started to go out with that guy, I got jealous, like crazy jealous. I can't shut you out of my mind even if I tried to and that's when I realized I like you more than just a friend."

"You broke my heart, Peter. Into a million little pieces and it's been so hard to put it back together. I can't be your rebound girl after spending months suffering alone and quietly because of you and MJ." You pointed to him and started to spill some more tears. "And I'm really happy with Marvin, like really happy."

"But does he makes you happier than I do? Do you love him more than you love me?" He asked and you stood there in silence.

"No." You simply respond and sit back in your bed. Peter kneeled in front of you and glued your forehead, slightly touching the tip of your noses.

"I know I fucked up, I shouldn't have cut you off and I was so oblivious and dumb that I need someone to harshly throw it in my face." He held your hands over your lap and licked his lips before continuing. "You never left my mind, for even one second. You're my best friend and I've said that a million times, but this one I really mean it. I love you, so much. And I miss you like hell."

"I love you too." She started to sob and he cleaned her face. "But I don't know about us, I feel like this is a mistake."

"Please, make this mistake. If I lose you tonight, I don't think I can ever come over from this." You moved away and sat far away from him, hugging your legs.

"You know the day you told me about MJ? I told you I was sick, but the truth was that I spent the whole night awake, mourning, crying. You? Well, you stood by my side taking care of me and I thought that things might not change at all. But they did and I felt so lonely without you, I can't even explain it."

"We only discover how important things are to you once you lose them. I learned that the hard way.”

“Well, that’s a bummer.” You shot, angrily.

“Do you wanna know what happened tonight? I was patrolling and MJ called me, saying she was waiting at the rooftop of her building. I went to meet her and she was… strangely quiet. We sat down and talked. She was upset because I was clearly jealous about you and… what’s his face.”

“Marvin.”

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes and settled on the edge of the bed, far away from you. You smiled with the corner of your mouth, he was jealous. “But she said she knew and she knew it before me, that I should come and get you because we are wasting our times pretending there’s nothing between us.”

“Yeah, we are.” You nodded and glanced down to your lap.

“She broke up with me to get me back to reality and to be honest, I’m so glad she did. She’s awesome, but I don’t love her, not that way. Being apart from you was... “ He took a deep breath before bursting into tears. “The worst experience in my entire life and I don’t ever wanna feel that again. I miss you so much. I love you so much." He crawled to you and stood really close, looking right into your eyes. You reached his face to caress his cheek and sobbed, lost in your own tears.

"I love you too." You pulled him into a hug and you too just stood there hugging quietly. You stained his suit with tears and held tightly on its fabric. “So much.”

“Please, be mine.” He kissed the top of your head after a long time without doing it and pulled you closer to sit on his lap. He buried his face on your hair and held onto you even more tightly.

“I can’t Peter. I need to think about this and I can’t simply be with you if I’m still with Marvin, I’m not a cheater. And I don’t know if my heart can survive coming back to you again.”

“I promise you, I’ll never break your heart, ever again. And I’m so sorry that I did, I was an idiot.”

“Still, we need to wait, at least let me think about it.”

“Can I at least sleep here? I promise I’ll be out early so your parents won’t find out.” He asked with pleading in his eyes. “Just like old times.”

“I don’t know, it feels wrong.” You fidget your fingers together and your hands started to sweat.

“I promise I won’t do anything. I’m just tired and I really miss you.” He held your hand and squeezed it gently. “If I go home, I won’t be able to sleep because I’ll be up all night thinking about you. Being here and knowing you’re okay right next to me might help.”

“Okay. Let me get some more blankets.” You got up and he removed his suit. You tossed him one of his shirts and he thanked with a nod. He lied in one side of your bed and you covered him. You lied next to him and turned your back to him to sleep, not even saying good night to him.

You fell into silence and both pretended they were asleep, but the truth was that neither of them could sleep like that, after having that kind of conversation, knowing the other was centimetres away from you and not even touching after a long time apart. Peter promised he wouldn’t do anything to disturb you, respecting your privacy, but he was dying to roll over to you and cuddle. You didn’t make the same promise and even though you were mad and that you thought it was wrong, you failed to fight the urge to roll over to him. You threw your arms around him and kissed his temple before adjusting yourself to him.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t be away from you for much longer.” You mumbled against his back and he rolled to face you, making you let go of him.

“Oh, thank God.” He pulled you closer and you buried your face on the crook of his neck. 

“Good night, Pete.” She said his nickname for the first time that night, which made him smile widely and for the first time throw his new nickname for you.

“Good night, baby girl.” 

You fell asleep in his arms but woke up alone in bed. It wasn’t hot like it was the previous night with having him sleeping next to you, which kind of sucked. You sat down in bed and looked around your room, a complete mess. Peter kept his promise to leave early and left a note next to you find when you wake up.

“Good morning, lovey. I didn't want to wake you up because you look so peaceful and beautiful, baby girl. Had the best night sleep in months, thank you for everything. See you in school and please don’t avoid me. Love, Pete. “

You smiled at the note, rubbing your eyes to come back to reality. You were tired, you slept late, but it was one of the best nights you had in months, just like Peter said. You were really happy but also really worried about what was gonna happen to your life now. You needed a little time to think but you couldn't avoid school. The text you got when you woke up wasn't helping your judgment at all.

Marvin: "Morning princess. Hope you slept well. I dreamed about you last night and it was amazing. Can't wait to see you today. X"

"Oh, shit." You cursed under breath and threw your body back in bed. "What am I gonna do?"

Get out of bed was hard today, you weren’t ready to face the world right now. To cheer you up a little bit, you took a quick shower and put on a dress that made you feel and look cute, but you were too lazy to get up and do something for yourself to eat. Maybe you could buy something at school or whatever. The school was normal, except that it wasn’t. The first person you ran across was Ned and Betty, sitting together in a bench, eating cookies. They waved at you and gave you a sympathetic smile, you did the same. They probably already knew about everything because it’s been months since Betty last smiled at you. She was feeling a little cheated that you stopped talking to all of them since she was your best girl friend. You kept walking through the halls to get to your locker and found Marvin waiting for you in your locker, holding his books in hand. You smiled shyly at him and approached your locker. He threw his arms around your waist and pulled you closer to give you a kiss.

“Hey, princess.” He mumbled against your lips. “How was your night?” He asked the one thing you wish he didn’t ask.

“It was okay. I had one of the best night of sleep in months actually. Kind of nice, because I was feeling tired.”

“I bet you dreamed about me.” He kissed her temple and she almost choked, but easily dropped the attention from her.

“Actually, it was a dreamless night.” Liar. You dreamt about Peter the whole night if you were being honest. But it wasn’t anything special, just you two talking in bed and eating sweets in your pajamas. Although it was so sweet.

“Oh, okay.” He got out of his way so you could get your things from your locker. “I gotta go meet the guys but I’ll see you later? We can grab something to eat.”

“Sure. I’ll see you after class.” He pecked her lips and walked away, not before blinking with one eye at her.  You groaned and breathed deeply. “I’m so fucked.”

“Talking alone again?” A girls voice asked from behind you and it was the last person you wanted to see.

“You know me, MJ. I’m always talking alone.” She chuckled and fixed her hair.

“I guess Peter talked to you last night.” She started and you nod, feeling guilty as hell. “I know you’re feeling guilty, but it’s okay. I won’t hate you because you end up with him. You’re meant to be and I respect that.”

“I’m so sorry MJ, I didn’t want you guys to break up. It got me surprised.”

“(Y/N), I was the one who broke up with him. Peter liked me, but he loves you. Deep down I always knew that I wasn’t supposed to be with him, but he always said that was bullshit. Yesterday, your boyfriend said some dirty thing near us and Peter got so angry and red. I knew I had to end things before he lost you forever to that guy.” She pointed Marvin walking down the hall with her head.

“I��m really happy with Marvin.”

“No, you’re not.” She smiled supportively. “Don’t keep denying your feelings because you feel bad. Stop wasting your time and just go get him.”

“MJ, I’m really sorry…” You started and she rested her hand on your shoulder and nodded.

“It’s okay, really.”

“I hope we can still be friends because I know how much it sucks to exit your group of friends.”

“I think I can do that.” She opened her arms and you hugged her. “No hard feelings.”

“No hard feelings.” You repeated and she simply left.

You needed to do what she told because, deep down, you knew it was the right thing to do. There were still a plenty of minutes left until you need to get to class, so you decided to hit the cafeteria and buy something to eat. It was practically empty, so you sat alone with a sandwich, your book and earphones at your usual table in the cafeteria, waiting for class without being bothered by anyone else. You were deeply buried in your own world until you feel someone rest their hand on your arm.

“Peter.” You mumbled and he shrugged.

“Hey.” He smiled softly. “Can I sit with you?”

“Sure.” You closed your book and he sat next to you, pulling the paper bag from his backpack.

“I bought some cookies and brownies from your favourite bakery, the one close to my apartment.”

“Thank you.” You smiled at him and got one cookie from the paper bag. “Uhm, I love these sonbitches.” 

“I know, that’s why I bought it for you.” You fell into silence while you were eating, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

“MJ talked to me today.” You started and he frowned. “She gave me her blessing.”

“So, you’re telling me you’re giving us a try?”

“I have to think about it. And I need to talk to Marvin before anything.” He nodded and glanced down to his lap. Your hands searched for his and you squeezed them gently, giving him some kind of comfort. “I don’t know what I’ll choose, but I just hope we could still be friends, no matter what happens.”

“If that’s the only way I get to be next to you, I’ll do anything.” You closed your eyes and felt him kiss your forehead like he always used to do. “I love you.” He got up from the table, leaving the paper bag behind.

“Pete.” You called him and he turned around before leaving the cafeteria. “Can we meet later? Delmar’s?”

“I’ll see you later.” He nodded before he left the room.

It was hard to concentrate during class and it was even harder to pretend nothing was wrong with Marvin. He still insisted to have his hands around your shoulder during the break. Peter had his jaw clenched and red years in anger, not taking his eyes off you, not being noticed by Ned and Betty, too busy in their own world. There was no sign of MJ around, maybe she was in the library avoiding Peter, it was all pretty recent. You shot an “I’m sorry” look at him and he nodded in understatement.

“I got to go to the bathroom.” You excuse yourself and left out of nowhere. Marvin noticed you weren’t okay and followed you.

“(Y/N), what’s wrong?” He said once he got to you. 

“Marvin, we need to talk.”

You two sat down and had a long talk about everything, beginning when you first met Peter until the part where you fell in love with him and he chose MJ, ending up at last night’s events. It took so long that you had to hide and ditch class to tell the whole story. Marvin was really gentle with you and he said some words that got you to decide what you were going to do.

“That was the craziest love story I’ve ever heard before.” He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “But also, I’ve always noticed how you loved Petter. And it’s okay, really. Not going to say I’m pleased that this is happening because I really like you. But you love that guy and you should go get him.”

So after class you asked Peter to meet you in Delmar’s earlier because you couldn’t wait much longer to talk to him. You walked to Delmar’s, taking your time to think about what you were going to say and millions of thoughts ran through your head, but they vanished once you met Peter right in front of Delmar’s when you arrived at the same time.

You were speechless and paralyzed, facing Peter who was doing the same, just standing there and looking at you. He smiled to see you and his whole body felt like it was burning to be next to you. Your lips parted and you sighed, starting to tremble. Until you got the guts and ran for his arms, meeting him halfway and glueing your lips once you touched. Peter held you by the waist and you pulled him down with a hand on the back of his head. It was the most desperate kiss in the world like it was something they needed to survive. Both smiled into the kiss and Peter started to twirl her around during it.

“I love you so much.” You said it before he did, one thing that had never heard before. Peter smiled like a fool and rubbed her cheeks with the tip of his thumb.

“I love you too.” He leaned down to give her another peck and stared at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. “Come on, let me get you somewhere nice.”

“What? I thought we were going to Delmar’s.”

“I want to get my favourite girl to a nicer place for our first date.” You grinned and he let an arm around your shoulder to start walking together through the streets of New York City. “Please don’t ever leave me again.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

…………………

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1. What is the colour of your hairbrush? My hairbrush is a sort of electric blue? Like on the dark side and slightly metallic, but still matte not shiny.

2. Name a food you never eat. I can’t think of any? I’m pretty open to trying new foods and being adventurous. I do have some food allergies (can’t eat fresh pitted fruit or apples, for example) but since the reaction is solved by cooking/processing, I can’t even say never. 

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? I live in Northern Canada. Too cold for sure. It’s okay, I like snuggling down under blankets.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Sleeping. :) I’m on holiday!

5. What’s your favourite candy bar? I don’t eat candy bars that often, but I do like the Lindt Dark Chocolate Sea Salt as a treat now and again. Oh, and Reece’s Peanut Butter cups, if that counts as a candy bar. Those are deadly.

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? I have! Not often, because I’m a) not big into sports and b) live in Northern Canada and we don’t have professional sports teams here. But I do like a live game now and again because the crowd energy is awesome. I’ve been to two NHL games, one CFL games with friends who are football fans (and very patient, explaining things to me because I had zero knowledge of the rules of football - Canadian or American - and when I lived in Edinburgh for a year, while doing my Masters, my BFF’s boyfriend (now husband) took us to see a rugby game.

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? "Thank you so much!” to the lady who held the door open for me as I went into my building with my laundry basket full of gifts, leftovers my sis-in-law kindly packed up, my skates and the sweater and pants I put over my tights so I could maybe not freeze while skating outside.

8. What is your favourite ice cream? I like a lot of different ice creams for a lot of different moods, but my favourite is vanilla just because it’s good plain but you can do so much with it, from putting berries or chocolate or sauces on it. I even have this little bottle of dark chocolate balsamic vinegar I bought that my cousin suggested I try on vanilla ice cream, and it is AMAZING.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Coffee. 

10. Do you like your wallet? Yes. If I didn’t, I’d get a different one. It’s nothing fancy, in fact I think I paid like $5 for it, but it holds my passport so I can pretend I can run away at any time.

11. What is the last thing you ate? Rice pudding for Christmas dessert last night. I made it, and it was awesome, though hard to eat because there was so much good food at Christmas dinner, we were all stuffed.

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? I did not. I think the only thing I bought last weekend was groceries and maybe books? I work at a bookstore part-time, I buy a lot of books.

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Maybe the Super Bowl but not this year’s, the one before? I went to a party at my BFF’s because her husband’s birthday is usually around then... I know I watched the J-Lo and Shakira halftime show, and maybe sort of glanced at the game itself? 

14. What is your favourite flavour of popcorn? I like butter and salt, or kettle corn.  Depends on the day.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? My godmother, wishing her a merry Christmas.

16. Ever been camping? Not in a long time, as I can no longer really sleep outside (even with a nice mattress). The birds sing way too early and I can’t sleep through it, plus now I get in my head about bears. I used to go camping quite a bit as a kid, though.

17. Do you take vitamins? Lately, I have been! It’s winter and I try to take them to give myself a boost. I’m terrible at remembering to buy them, though.

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? Not regularly. Faith is weird, and I often just don’t want to “people” by the weekend anyway. I still went this Christmas. (Our restrictions do allow some gathering, because we’re doing really well at keeping the Covid out of the territory, to be clear.) A little different this year - we wore masks, no singing, we had two services with limited numbers and spaces between “bubbles” of people, and instead of the candles we had little electric tea lights we didn’t have to burn out. But I like the ritual of Christmas and was glad to go.

19. Do you have a tan? Ha ha ha ha ha, no! 

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza? Depends on the day. I eat pizza more often, but I do really like Chinese.

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? No, I prefer to sip it. Maybe at the movie theatre, when we were going to the movie theatre, or when I get fast food, but I’m more of a “pour it over lots of ice and drink from a glass” type.

22. What colour socks do you usually wear? There’s no usually. I have all sorts of colours and wear them all.

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? NICE TRY OFFICER. 

24. What terrifies you? Burning alive. I have no idea why, but it is my worst fear.

25. Look to your left, what do you see? My coffee.

26. What chore do you hate most? I am a terrible housekeeper and I don’t really like any chores, but probably vacuuming is the worst. I have a grudge from that time I accidentally vacuumed up my favourite earring when I was 12 and it broke it.

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? I think of that time I went to Australia to visit my friend Alex, and how much I want to go and do that again. 

28. What’s your favourite soda? Coke or Coke Zero, I guess.

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Depends on the line. If I’m getting fast food, it’s whatever will get me out faster.

30. What’s your favourite number? 25

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? Technically the door holding lady, but before that, my parents driving me home from my brother’s.

32. Favourite meat? I like a good steak now and again, but I eat chicken most often. Honestly? Whatever meat my sister-in-law cooks should probably take the cake. She’s a phenomenal cook.

33. Last song you listened to? Coventry Carol, by PIQSIQ. Seriously, check it out, it’s gorgeously haunting and the traditional throat singing just enhances the whole effect. 

34. Last book you read? Reading has been hard during the pandemic. I’m definitely suffering from illectio as a result, and am hoping the holidays will help me get back, because I buy so many books I really should read. However, I did manage to read Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson all the way through. It was really fantastic.

35. Favourite day of the week? Saturday or Sunday. Whichever one I just get to veg.

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? Probably not.

37. How do you like your coffee? Black, regularly, as I buy stuff I enjoy that way. As a treat, a nice latte now and again, or even something like a Cinnamon Dolce Latte if I’m somewhere there’s a Starbucks or similar. But I’ve learned to really appreciate and enjoy black coffee.

38. Favourite pair of shoes? I like my little black flats, but have lots of fun shoes, including heels my ankles are too sad to wear now.

39. Time you normally get up? 7:02 on work days, around 9 if I can sleep in.

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunset. I’m not a morning person. Although right now our sunrise is like 10 am, so... I can see both.

41. How many blankets on your bed? Just one at the moment, my duvet is super cuddly and warm.

42. Describe your kitchen plates. I have off white with a thin navy blue ring on the outside edge, and then a white plate with this pattern of green, yellow, and aqua around the edge.

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment. Disastrously messy. I’ve got time off until January now, so will be picking away at cleaning up. I’m not the tidiest person and getting stuff ready for Christmas means I have some extra organizing I need to do now to put stuff away.

44. Do you have a favourite alcoholic drink? Prosecco.

45. Do you play cards? Sometimes! With my niece and nephew now and again if Uno counts, and I do play computer cribbage quite a bit.

46. What colour is your car? Red! My favourite colour.

47. Can you change a tyre? I’ve never had too, but I did help my dad switch out to my winter tires this year, so I think I could if I had to. I’m more inclined to pay someone to do it for me, though. 

48. Your favourite state or province? I haven’t been to all the States yet, but I did really love Seattle and New Orleans, so would love to go back to both Washington and Louisiana when it is safe again. I have also not been to all the Canadian provinces and territories (still gotta get to Newfoundland and Manitoba) BUT hands down, I love British Columbia SO MUCH. The Tofino/Ucluelet area is basically where my heart lives. 

49. Favourite job you’ve had? I like my part-time at the bookstore quite a bit, though my current day job is also lovely! I’d still rather be a multi-millionaire and just dabble, but unfortunately that’s not my lot in life. :)

tagging @dresupi, @typhoidmeri, @treaddelicately, @meghan84, @anassarhenisch, @yourboystookahellofabeating, @captain-janeway, with no obligation to do if they don’t want, and @YOU if you do want! Say I tagged you! I’d love to learn more about YOU! :D

[mydemimonde]

‘muse’ ch. 5 | matt (bbtl)

CHAPTER 5

“Tell him I’ll be there in a sec” her mother nodded and closed the door. Mia fixed her hair and looked at Nell, who was smirking.

“Don’t” Mia gave her a death glare and her sister gasped.

“I didn’t say anything!”

Mia headed downstairs and saw Matt leaning on the door frame. “Hey Matt” Mia’s heart jumped when he saw him smile widely at her. “What are you doing here?”

“I was worried. You left the party early last night, what happened?” he put his hands in his jeans’ pockets.

Hmm let’s see, Lyla is a complete asshole who treated my best friend like shit, your girlfriend behaved like an idiot with my sister, and then I walked into both of you making out almost naked that it broke my heart into million pieces…

“I was a little tired, that’s all” what a good liar. “My feet were hurting”

“Awww, poor baby” he seemed genuinely concerned. “Anyway, I hope you can walk with me to certain place…” he had a mischievous smile.

“Uhm, where?”

“Come with me, let’s go” he grabbed her hand and dragged her out.

“Wait, wait, where are we going?” Mia was confused.

“Patience, you’ll see” he then stopped in front of her, bending his knees just a little. “Hop on!”

“Are you going to piggyback me all the way to wherever you wanna take me? I don’t think you’ll make it…”

“C’mon, like the old times!” she gave in and hopped on his back. He placed his hands on the back of her knees, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The smell of cologne and shampoo invaded her nostrils, she was enjoying the proximity.

He started walking, gripping her knees tight to prevent her from falling on her back. “Did you like the party?”

She nodded. “Hmm, yes. I thought it was gonna be a small party…”

“Oh, it was”, she chuckled “Emma planned to invite every lad from here, but I told her no. My house’s not enormous”

“Matt, there were like 80 o 100 people”

He chuckled. “What, you counted?”

“I did actually, I stopped counting at 83 because I got tired” she joked and he laughed. Her stomach fluttered at the sound of him laughing.

After some minutes of walking, they arrived at destiny. She looked up at the big bright sign in front of her.

“What are we doing here?”

“Let’s go inside, c’mon!” she jumped and got on her feet, he took her hand and both entered the place. It was a jewelry store, one of the most expensive in Luton. She looked around in awe, rings, necklaces and bracelets filled the showcases.

Matt took her hand again and pointed at the necklaces. “Which one is prettier?” He’s… buying me a necklace? Her cheeks tinted a shade of pink at the thought.

“Uhm… what? I…” she examined the display cabinet. All of them were beautiful, the light made them sparkle. She pointed at the gold chain with a moon charm. “This one’s pretty”

He inspected it, narrowing his eyes. He smirked. “Yeah, this one’s nice” he turned to her. “Thank you for helping me, Emma’s birthday is in two days and I needed someone to help me pick the perfect gift for her”

WHAT?! The smile on her face vanished. “Oh… it’s for Emma…” it sounded like a whisper.

He nodded, then looked around for the cashier. A short haired woman saw them and approached. “Welcome, how can I help you?”

Mia felt a strong punch on her stomach. The cashier and Matt were having a conversation, one Mia couldn’t hear well because she was too focused on controlling her emotions. She wanted to punch something. Or someone. Matt specifically.

“Thank you very much” Matt payed for the necklace and thanked the cashier. On the way home, Mia heard Matt’s stories in Ibiza. How he met Emma, their first date, everything. She just smiled, pretending to be happy, and muttered a few “oh wow” or “that’s nice”.

“Matt, sorry but I have to go home now. Bye” she couldn’t listen to any more stories about the lovebirds. She ran to her house and left Matt with a dumfounded look.

Once inside her room, she grabbed her pillow, buried her face in it, and screamed with fury.

- - - - - - -

Mia’s eyes were fixed on her bowl of cereals, her dad was telling some anecdote of him and his colleagues at work, but she wasn’t paying attention. She was thinking about the necklace and how stupid she was for believing Matt would actually care enough for her to buy her a gift. An expensive one. Maybe it was time to forget about him, focus on school and getting enough high marks to get into a good college. She wouldn’t let a boy ruin her plans.

After breakfast Mia decided to go for a walk, alone. It would be good to clear her mind and relax. She always took long walks when she was feeling sad, angry or overwhelmed.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Matt approaching. Fuck, no. She started to walk a little faster.

“Mia, wait!” she stopped in her tracks and turned around. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, yes, why?” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, tapping one foot, hoping for this conversation to end soon.

“Are you sure? Yesterday after the mall, you left just like that” he sounded worried. “Are you angry at me?” there was sadness in his eyes. When they were children and had fights (stupid and childish fights over trivial things, by the way), he was the most hurt. He couldn’t bear the fact that his best friend was angry at him.

“No, everything’s good. I was just tired. And I had things to do” she smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her ears. Anyway, Matt’s face relaxed and the corners of his mouth slid upwards.

“Oh, that’s relieving. I thought you were mad at me. Where are you heading?”

“I was about to go for a walk. I need to clear my mind”

“Guys!” they turned to see Javed coming towards them. “Are you hanging out without me?”

“No, I was about to go for a walk when Matt interrupted me” Matt laughed at her joke, but she wasn’t actually joking.

Matt got a stupendous idea. “Let’s go to the park and get some ice-creams!” Mia mentally cursed but agreed to Matt’s plan.

The park was surprisingly empty, considering it was the last days of summer holidays. Mia ran to the purple swing she adored as a little girl. Javed laughed. “You’re not 8 anymore”

“I have an inner child, Javed Khan” she joked.

Matt sat on the bench. “J, did you come to the party? I think I saw you with Mia and Nell, but I really don’t remember…” his eyebrows furrowed and he looked up the sky, as if trying to recall the events of two nights ago.

“Maybe you don’t remember because you were drunk” Matt gasped at Mia’s comment.

“Hey, I wasn’t that drunk!”

“In fact, you were a little tipsy. I was there mate, Nellie as well. You hugged her and then Emma came too”

“Oh, now I remember! Have you met Lyla already? Emma’s cousin”

Javed nodded and smiled timidly “Sorry mate, but she’s not my type”

“What?!” Matt’s eyes widened, not believing his friend.

“She’s pretty, but… what did you say?” he turned to Mia.

“She’s a bimbo” she got off the swing and sat on the grass. “She saw Javed and she treated him like a servant”

Matt was surprised at the fact, and annoyed at Lyla’s behaviour towards his friend “Oh God, I’m so sorry J”

“It’s okay mate, it’s not your fault”

“And to think that I almost dated her…” revealed a very confused Matt, breaking the short silence.

“You what?”

“While in Ibiza with my mates, they set me up on a blind date with Lyla. Emma helped. But I met her before the date and we hit it off immediately” they started walking towards their neighbourhood.

“Wait, did I tell you how we met?” he didn’t allow their friends to respond because he already started telling the story. It was getting on Mia’s nerves.

The whole way home Matt talked about Emma. Just like the day before. Emma did this, Emma did that. Emma’s amazing, Emma’s funny. Emma, Emma, Emma. “Have I told you that she makes amazing shots? Her brother’s a bartender and he taught her how…”

“Yes, we get it, Emma’s fantastic” Mia’s tone of voice was cold and direct. She was tired of hearing Matt endless talks about her. Both boys turned to her, taken aback by her tone.

“Hey” Matt’s voice softened, “what’s going on?”

“You just keep talking about Emma, all the time. Emma this, Emma that, blah blah blah”

“But…” he was baffled. Javed was uncomfortable at the whole situation.

“I know you’re in love with her” saying those words made her feel like throwing up. “But, mate, seriously stop”

“What the hell!? She did nothing to you!”

“I know she didn’t, but hearing you talk about her 24/7 every time we’re together, it’s not fair, we should be hanging out like the old times, just the three of us, talking about all of our adventures” she took a deep breath. “But if you’re gonna act like a henpecked boyfriend… bye”

She turned around and went inside her house, leaving her friends with their mouths wide open, staring at the door.

- - - - - - -

tag list: @blueeyedheizer​

[gwentoryfics]

Hot for Teacher, Part 7.

Genre | College Student x College Professor Smut AU

Pairing | Reader x Hongseok x Hyunggu (Kino) x Wooseok

Words | 9.8k

Summary | You never realized how much one drunken night could color the rest of your college experience until you discover that the handsome stranger from your cousin’s wedding is also the new professor at your university.

Warnings | Swearing. Masturbation. Mentions of underage drinking. Uhhhh pining? Lol

Parts | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 5.5 • 6 • 7 • More Coming Soon

Note | WOW this update took forever, but I feel like this is a super special part of the fic and I hope you all enjoy. PLEASE let me know which of the boys you’re rooting for - I’m trying to make it difficult (can you tell) and I really want to see how you’re all feeling 😏😏 love you, peaches!

Wooseok plops onto Yuto’s couch, tucking his bowl of fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza rolls between his knees as he picks up his gaming controller.

“You know those things are terrible for you.” Yuto criticizes the snack choice as he resumes the video game, skillfully ducking around a corner to avoid being shot.

“Yeah but they’re fucking delicious, so suck my ass.” Wooseok patiently waits for the food to cool off, not ready for the inside of his mouth to get burnt to hell. “Stop stocking your fridge with pizza rolls if you don’t want me to eat them.”

Yuto shoots Wooseok’s avatar twice in the back and once in the head until he collapses. “I only do it because you’d complain about how I ‘never have anything good to eat.’”

“What the fuck, dude? Friendly fire!” 

“You literally stood right in front of me and blocked my sight. Make better decisions.”

Wooseok finally bites into his cheesy pepperoni pizza bite as he waits to respawn, and it’s lava on his tongue. With a hiss, he tries to cool his mouth. Eventually says, “Speaking of bad decisions…”

“What did you do this time?”

“Remember how you talked to me about _____…”

“Wooseok, you fucking idiot.” Yuto seethes. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“It was her idea! I literally apologized for, like, making out with her and fingering her and stuff. And she was just like, nah it’s cool, let’s be friends with benefits.” He pops another one in his mouth and it’s just as hot as the last one. “I wasn’t gonna say no to that, so we hooked up. Also I’m not supposed to tell you about it so keep your mouth shut.”

Yuto pauses the game again just so he can look Wooseok in the face and express his full disdain. “Friends with benefits? As in, no romantic feelings?”

“Right.”

“...So does she know that you like her?”

Wooseok frowns. Yeah, he thinks she’s hot as fuck and she’s super cool and fun to be around, but he’s not, like, in love with her or anything. “I’m not even in it that deep! It’s totally fine, and we’re just having fun. So what if I’ve got a little crush.”

“It’s not going to be just a crush if you keep sleeping with her.” 

“You know, at some point you need to stop parenting me and just let me do what I’m gonna do. Just trust my judgment for once and if I end up being wrong, that’s my problem to deal with.”

“If you’re wrong, then I have to listen to you whine and complain about your broken heart.” Yuto is unrelenting in his disapproval. “You know that she probably won’t reciprocate your feelings if she ever finds out.”

Against his better judgment, Wooseok accidentally holds out hope that she could. “We don’t even know that she won’t. It’s just a hunch that she might like Kino. I could be totally wrong about that.”

“And if she does like Kino?”

Wooseok chews his bottom lip, his brows pinching together. “Then it is what it is.”

“What is that?” Yuto points at Wooseok’s face. “What’s that look? Are you sad? Is this sadness?”

“Shut the fuck up, Yuto,” he grumbles. Yeah, he’d be fucking disappointed if she and Kino turned out to be a thing. But it’s not really up to him to decide who she likes.

Yuto eases up just a little, showing his soft spot for Wooseok. “I can’t let you walk into this mess. You have to stop this. Either quit it with the hook ups, or come clean about liking her.”

“But I-”

“No ‘buts.’ It has to stop. And what the fuck, Wooseok?” Yuto frowns. “You’re supposed to keep this all a secret, but you’re telling me anyway?”

“You know I can’t keep secrets. I just need you, my one and only confidante, to know about this shit. Although I don’t even know if I can call you that anymore,” Wooseok turns the blame to Yuto. “Now that I know you went and told _____ not to get involved with me because I might get hurt.”

Suddenly there’s a knock at Yuto’s door, and he groans, completely ignoring the issue Wooseok just brought up. “Do you think we can pretend I’m not home?”

Wooseok’s petty side comes out and he yells, “Who is it?”

Yuto elbows him. “What the fuck, dude?”

With a shrug, Wooseok defends himself. “You kind of deserved that.”

Through the door, a female speaks. “It’s Nailah, I just need to talk for a second.”

“Ooo, who’s Nailah?” Wooseok prods, a stupid grin on his face as he looks at Yuto.

Yuto tosses his head back, resigning himself to having to get up and socialize. “She lives across the hall with _____, coincidentally.” He makes his way to the door, and Wooseok follows him like a little puppy. 

“_____’s your neighbor? Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Why would I when I know you’re just gonna try some dumb shit?” He throws open the door, bluntly addressing their visitor. “Yes?”

Nailah seems unbothered by his rude greeting. “Hey, Yuto. I just wanted to extend an invitation. I’m throwing _____ a birthday party at my friend’s place on Saturday, and I figured it’d be cool if you came.” She hands him a hand-written invite. 

“_____’s birthday?” Wooseok chimes, inserting himself into the conversation. “Wait I think I know you.”

Nailah nods casually. “Yeah, we ran into each other before, I think. _____ brought me to that party that got busted at your place.”

“Oh shit, yeah.” Wooseok chuckles. “Was a good night ‘til it wasn’t.”

“How much trouble did you get in?” 

“It wasn’t awful. I just couldn’t do clubs for a few weeks and I had to write a paper about how I’m going to make more responsible decisions.”

Yuto crosses his arms over his chest. “Clearly that made an impact on you.”

“Shut up.” Wooseok nudges him before changing the subject in a way that doesn’t really change the subject. “Is _____ home?”

“Yeah, but- hey!” Nailah steps back as Wooseok pushes past her, taking all of two strides to reach her apartment door.

“_____!” He knocks on the door, rapping a quick rhythm. ��Open up!”

He turns back to Nailah. “Is the party a secret?”

“No, she-”

“_____! I wanna go to your birthday party!” Wooseok knocks again, and this time she opens the door.

She looks a little bewildered to see him, but she’s wearing a smile that’s just honest to God the cutest thing in the whole damn world. “Fine, you can come,” she laughs.

Wooseok tries not to be distracted by the memories of last night, but her messy hair is too much of a reminder. He pushes through the urge to come on to her, but only because he doesn’t wanna make a scene. “Were you not gonna invite me?”

“Of course I was. I was gonna bring your invitation to R&B Ensemble tomorrow.”

“Okay, good.” Wooseok leans against the doorframe, sliding a hand into his pocket in an attempt to look cool. “So your birthday’s Saturday?” 

“No, it’s Tuesday.”

“Cool, cool.” He keeps his face fixed in a relaxed expression and delivers a promise that he’s not quite sure how to fulfill. “Look forward to a bomb ass present.” 

“Dude, you don’t have to get me anyth-”

“Nope. We’re buds. You’re getting a present. Don’t you worry about that, short stuff.” He’s not at all subtle as he winks at her, and her eyes flash, a flirty grin on her face.

“Watch it,” she whispers, trying not to raise suspicion from Nailah and Yuto.

“It’s fine,” he speaks lowly, not concerned by their audience but still trying to keep a low profile for her sake. He knows he’s going to get a talking-to as soon as he returns to Yuto’s room, anyway. “You look hot today, by the way.”

Without missing a beat, she sasses, “When don’t I?”

“Good point.” He can’t hold back his laughter at her bold statement. “Alright, I’ll let you get back to doing whatever you were doing.”

“Okay,” she giggles. “See you tomorrow.”

He gives a two-finger salute as she closes the door, then turns back to Nailah. “Make sure I’m on the guest list. I’m RSVP-ing right the fuck now.”

“Great.” Nailah just stares at him with wide, questioning eyes. She’ll probably have some questions for _____ after this, but he’s trusting her to handle it however she wants.

Yuto’s got a flame of frustration in his gaze as he stares Wooseok down. “I’ll be there, too.”

And Nailah seems fully unsure of what to make of all of this. She looks between them both for a moment before heading back to her room. “Great. See you goons Saturday.”

Wooseok doesn’t fight the name-calling, and Yuto is far too focused on his idiot of a best friend to be bothered by the insult. He follows Wooseok back into the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Before you say anything,” Wooseok defends himself, “I just want to remind you how much I love parties. I heard there was a party and, like, my inner party monster just took over, and I had to make sure I was invited.”

“Quit the bullshit.” Yuto’s calm aura makes him even more intimidating. “What was all of that?”

Wooseok can’t help the sheepish grin that forms on his face as he tries to lighten the mood. “She seemed kind of into me, right?”

“Oh my God I’m going to beat some fucking sense into you.” Yuto threatens, but Wooseok knows it’s empty.

“Whatever.” Wooseok falls back onto the couch. “Are we playing or what?”

With a deep sigh, Yuto joins him. “Let’s do it.”

Hongseok’s favorite place to run is along the water. It’s so peaceful to watch the boats and hear the soft waves of the lake as it laps along the shore. Not to mention, the striking difference between the fluidity of the water next to the sharp, structured skyscrapers is a dichotomy that he finds profoundly intriguing.

Now that the temperatures are dropping, only the truly dedicated still run the lake trail. It’s windy and brisk, but Hongseok has always preferred running in cooler weather, anyway. Feels a little less like he could die of heat stroke.

The rock music coming through his headphones suddenly changes to his ringtone, and he slows to a gentle jog as he checks the phone strapped to his bicep. Hwitaek’s name appears on the screen, and he smiles as he swipes to answer.

“Hwitaek! Hey!” Hongseok falls into a walking pace to make it easier to talk. “Haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“I know! We’ve both been busy, I guess.” Hwitaek sounds glad that he answered.

“Right, how’s married life?” Now that he thinks about it, Hongseok’s not sure that he’s really talked to Hwitaek too much since the wedding. He headed back to the city before Hwitaek and Jiyoo returned from their honeymoon, so he had to say his goodbye at the reception. They’ve both kind of missed each other since.

“You know it’s really pretty weird, but in a good way. If that makes sense.” Hwitaek chuckles. “I feel like I know Jiyoo better than anybody, and it seemed like we were already so close that marriage wouldn’t really change much. But it really does make the whole relationship feel different. More official, you know.”

“A little slip of paper and a tax break can really do that much, huh.” 

“I know you’re skeptical, Hong, but love can be whatever you want it to be. Maybe for us it’s the ceremony, the certificate, the too-expensive dress, the whole nine yards. But you don’t have to avoid relationships just because that’s not the kind of love you want.”

“I’m not avoiding relationships,” Hongseok scoffs. “I’m just busy.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself to be able to sleep at night,” Hwitaek concedes.

Hongseok hates to admit it, but there is a seed of truth to what Hwitaek’s saying. He’s never been a fan of traditional love - it just feels ingenuine. Like everyone is following a script, just doing and saying the things they’re supposed to. He wants it to actually mean something when he does a gesture like planning a day together or giving a gift. He’s not going to buy flowers just because that’s what guys do. That’s not how he is.

With a sigh, Hongseok says, “If something happens eventually and I fall deeply in love with whomever it is, then fine. It happens. But I’m in no rush. It was nice enough for me to watch you do the whole marriage thing.”

“So when it does happen, I think you know that I’m expecting to be the best man,” Hwitaek says indignantly. “It’s only fair.”

“Would Jiyoo be okay sending you off to my bachelor party?” Hongseok laughs just imagining the fit she would throw. He was much more of a partier during their college days than Hwitaek was, and he’s positive Jiyoo would prefer for her adult husband to behave himself.

Hwitaek’s voice is noticeably softer as he says, “I’ll do what I want. I don’t need her approval.”

“Is she nearby? Is that why you said that so quietly?”

“Yes and yes. But you’re my best friend so I’ll make it work.”

“A true brother.” Hongseok smiles warmly as he pauses to stretch his legs. Damn, he misses hanging out with Hwitaek.

“So, actually the reason why I called…” Hwitaek smoothly changes the subject. “Um, just out of curiosity - maybe this is none of my business - have you been talking with Minseo at all?”

“Minseo?” The name doesn’t immediately ring a bell.

“Yeah, Jiyoo’s cousin. Kind of tall. Loud. Really nice teeth, though.”

Hongseok struggles to come up with a face to match the name. “I don’t think I know her.”

“Wait, I’ll send a picture. She was just over last night.” A moment later, “Okay, check your phone.”

He pulls the phone out of the case strapped to his arm and opens the message to find a somewhat familiar face resting on Jiyoo’s shoulder.

The face of the girl that convinced him to dance with _____ at the wedding.

She’s the only one who actually knows what happened that night.

Christ.

“I do recognize her.” Hongseok tries to keep his voice steady so as not to give away that he’s hiding a secret. “Why are you asking about her?”

“I was just wondering if something might be going on. Or if she might be pestering you. I don’t know, like I said she’s just kind of a big personality and I just wanted to make sure she’s not, I don’t know, trying to get with you or something.”

“Why would you think that?” Surely that’s incredibly far from the truth, and it strikes him as odd that Hwitaek would have that impression. 

“She just keeps asking about you. She wants to know what you were like in college, what your relationship history is like, whether you cook. Just really random stuff and I don’t know why she’d care unless she were into you.”

What Hwitaek doesn’t know is that the only possible reason why she’d be asking all of those questions is because she’s trying to share the information with _____. That’s it. That’s why.

Does that mean _____ has been trying to find out more about him? Has she tasked Minseo with a spy mission?

Hongseok rubs his temple, gripping his phone tightly. He really should tell Hwitaek what’s up, even if he doesn’t want to own up to what happened. Walking towards the water, he finds himself a place in the grass to sit. “She’s not asking for herself. She’s asking for _____.”

Hwitaek, the poor ignorant bastard, asks, “Why would she do that?”

Here it comes. With a single deep breath, he finally sets the truth free. “I slept with her after the reception.”

“With _____?” Hwitaek is audibly shocked. “You slept with Jiyoo’s cousin? At our wedding?”

“After the wedding, okay? Jeez. It’s not like we fucked while you were at the altar.” Hongseok defends himself. “I even made a point to say goodbye to you beforehand to officially end the night, so really the whole situation is completely removed from the ceremony.”

There’s a lot of noise coming over the phone, because Jiyoo very obviously heard Hwitaek say the whole you slept with Jiyoo’s cousin? thing. Hongseok’s head falls back in dread. That’s a whole can of worms he was not prepared to open.

“Just put me on speaker phone and I’ll explain.”

Immediately, Jiyoo’s voice responds. “You slept with _____? My baby cousin?”

Hwitaek jumps to his defense. “Don’t sound so disgusted! Hongseok’s not a bad guy!”

She retorts, “He had a one night stand with my sweet little _____. She’s not that kind of girl.”

“She certainly was that night.” The words come out of Hongseok’s mouth before he can stop them.

“HONGSEOK!” Jiyoo screeches.

He just frowns as he hears Hwitaek frantically try to calm Jiyoo down. “Buckle up, you guys, because the story’s not over.”

“Don’t tell me it happened more than once. Please.” Jiyoo’s voice is lined with an unspoken threat.

“It hasn’t, I swear.” Another sigh as he gears up for the last bit. “We haven’t done anything but talk. But you two should know that she’s one of my students.”

Jiyoo doesn’t say a word, which somehow makes it worse. Hwitaek speaks up instead. “I didn’t even realize that she went to your school.”

“Neither did I.” Hongseok rubs his eyes with the heels of his palms before returning his gaze to the water, shimmering in the bright sunlight. “I wouldn’t have touched her if I knew. But she and I had a conversation, and we agreed that nothing can happen between us again. The class is strictly business. Neither one of us wants to risk getting in trouble with the school for misconduct.”

Sassily, Jiyoo’s voice returns. “So he has a brain after all.”

“Sweetie, come on. Cut him some slack,” Hwitaek pleads. “Yeah, it wasn’t a great idea to sleep with her, but it happened and it’s over. There’s no use getting so worked up about it.”

Even with Hwitaek defending him, Hongseok can’t just sit there and take this. “Stop acting like I’m the villain and she’s some innocent victim. She’s capable of making her own choices. I didn’t force her into anything. It was fully consensual, and now we’re both handling the situation like mature adults.”

That may be a bit of a stretch. He’s done nothing but ridicule her for acting like a child since the semester started. But he’ll stick up for her if it means getting Jiyoo off their case.

“My apologies.” Jiyoo comes off much softer. “I need to take a moment to let this all sink in.”

Hongseok hears her leave the room, and then Hwitaek’s voice is much clearer as he turns off the speakerphone. “Don’t worry about her. She’ll settle down.”

Hongseok lets himself take a deep breath, feeling much safer now that he can talk with only his friend. “I just needed to tell you that. I think Minseo might be digging for more information about me to share with _____, because she knows what happened between us. And she knows that I’m _____’s professor.”

“Are you handling all of this okay? It sounds like a really tricky situation to be in.”

“It’s… hard. It’s really difficult. I’ve been really cold to her just to prevent anyone from thinking I might be biased in any way, but that’s just caused so much tension. And then she just does stuff sometimes that’s so cute…” His memory flashes back to the time she sang Aerosmith in his office, and then the song played in class and she started laughing. It was just so endearing. “Do you think I can stop being attracted to her? That would make everything so much easier.”

“I don’t think there’s a real answer for that, Hong. In my experience, you’re usually just attracted to the people you’re attracted to, and that’s that.” Hwitaek attempts to reassure him, but it’s useless. Especially when he follows up with the most problematic question he could’ve asked: “Do you have feelings for her?”

Hongseok pulls his knees in towards his chest, tucking his head down and effectively curling into a ball. He’s been trying so hard to avoid all of this and now he has no choice but to just confront whatever it is that’s been going on in his head and his heart. He’s felt attracted to her ever since he first laid eyes on her, but could it be anything more than that?

The night they spent together was nothing short of incredible, and he fondly remembers the way she so warmly looked up at him in the moments before he kissed her, the soft touch of her lips overwhelming his senses and driving his desire for more. 

Even though the nature of their relationship is obviously very different now, he still sees flickers of that warmth in her. He sees the way she absentmindedly bites her lip when she’s thinking, and the small taste he’s gotten of her ridiculous sense of humor makes him wonder just how great they could be together.

If only she were older.

If only she weren’t his student.

Hongseok can’t even pretend that he wouldn’t be interested in her if the circumstances were different. He knows that under different circumstances he would certainly try to date her, because he already tried the night they were together.

He gave her his phone number with the boutonniere. He gave her the opportunity to reach out and establish something more than just that one night, but she didn’t do it. That’s part of the reason why he was so frustrated to see her in class - it’s one thing that they slept together, but it’s entirely different to know that he expressed an interest in seeing her again and she rejected him.

And now he has to watch her work admirably hard in class once a week and pretend like it doesn’t make his chest ache.

Forever reticent, he seeks a way to keep his thoughts to himself. “Do I have to answer that question?”

“That response says a lot.” Hwitaek sighs. “It might feel better to just get it off your chest and say it out loud.”

“Nope. Saying it just makes it harder to ignore.” Hongseok peeks up from the crook of his elbow, finally starting to feel chilly now that he’s been sitting for so long. He stands and briefly stretches his quads, getting ready to continue his run.

Hwitaek tries to encourage him. “Well the most important thing in this situation is that you just get through the rest of the semester without acting on it. And then she won’t be around anymore, and you’ll be able to move past it.”

“You’re right. I just have to make it to the end of the semester.”

“And that’s not so far away, right? You’re probably about halfway by now.”

“Midterms were about two weeks ago, so yeah, we’re nearly there.” 

“See? You’ve got this.” Hwitaek sounds cheery as he motivates his best friend. “I’m rooting for you. I think it’ll all turn out fine. It’ll continue to be difficult for a little bit, but it’ll pass.”

Hongseok lets out a deep sigh, feeling some sense of relief for the first time in months. “I should have told you about this a long time ago. Thanks for looking out for me.”

It seems like Hwitaek is also a bit relieved after this conversation. “I’m glad that we got to talk.”

Hongseok smiles, returning to the path he had been running. “Go take care of Jiyoo, okay? And if you want, it’s okay to tell Minseo that you two know. I’ll leave that up to you. But don’t tell anyone else.”

No matter how hard he tries, Kino simply cannot stop thinking about Saturday night. Something about holding her hand completely captured his whole consciousness and he could think of nothing except the feeling of their fingers intertwined and his lips on her forehead.

He had probably gone too far by kissing her like that, but it just felt right, even though they’re only friends. He just feels so comfortable with her, and it’s easy for him to get wrapped up in the moment. She hasn’t seemed interested in anything more than friendship, especially after that whole dirty voicemail incident, but she also didn’t seem to be bothered by the kiss. If anything, he distinctly remembers the cute way she looked up at him right after he did it, like she was surprised but definitely not opposed. 

There’s only one way to find out for sure what she thinks… but he’s not ready to have that conversation yet.

As he waits in the lobby of her dorm building to walk with her to R&B Ensemble, he tries to at least clear his head. He has something important to ask her, and he doesn’t want it to accidentally come out awkward.

He stands there, trying not to pace, and he notices how much lighter he feels the second he spots her coming off of the elevator. She waves cheerfully when she sees him waiting there.

“Hey!” She greets him as she approaches. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Was trying to wrap up that aural skills homework.”

“You know it’s not due until Wednesday, there’s no rush on it,” he chuckles. She’s such a go-getter.

“Well yeah, but tomorrow’s my birthday and I don’t want it to be full of homework. So I’m knocking it out now.”

Kino sucks in a breath and bites his knuckle, grimacing. “Ah, I completely forgot about your birthday, shoot…” It’s a total lie, but he just wants to get her worked up.

She deflates a little, but it’s hardly noticeable. “That’s okay. I didn’t expect you to remember or anything. I probably only brought it up once.”

“_____, I’m teasing! Of course I remember!” Kino nudges her playfully. “You’re like, my closest friend. How could I forget?”

With a shy smile, she loops her arm in his, and they head out into the cold. “That’s right.”

“Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?” 

“Just class, actually. Nailah’s organizing a party for Saturday, though, and you have to come! I have your official invitation in my backpack. I’ll give it to you when we get to rehearsal.”

“I can totally be there Saturday.” Kino immediately agrees.

“Good. It’ll be a shitty birthday party if you’re not there.” She tugs on his arm, and it makes his cheeks grow warm.

He takes a deep breath now that it’s his turn to extend an invitation. “Okay, so if you don’t have any plans for tomorrow night, you should be able to come to the birthday dinner reservation I have for you and me downtown. Right?” He hates that he can’t keep eye contact, but he just can’t get himself to look at her while it feels like he’s asking her on a date.

But it’s not a date, exactly. It’s just a nice dinner. Between friends. For a birthday.

Totally regular stuff.

She scoffs. “Well I guess I have to if you made a reservation and everything.”

Kino pulls his scarf closer around his chin and jaw, trying to block out some of the cold wind. “I mean you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. Don’t feel like you don’t have a choice…”

“Kino, stop. I’d love to go to dinner with you. It better be a nice place, though. I’m a woman of taste.”

“Says the girl who downed a whole family size bag of salt and vinegar chips in one sitting.” Kino cringes at the memory. Even the smell of the chips made him shrivel up in disgust.

“Okay you’re the one with a suffering palate. Salt and vinegar chips are the bomb.”

“Gross.”

They spend the whole walk to class bickering about food tastes, and it’s a completely pointless conversation, but he’s fully invested because it feels meaningful when it’s her. 

When they enter the rehearsal room, they’re both full of smiles and laughter, but his smile fades when he locks eyes with Wooseok. The tall drummer is standing next to Yuto, and he seems less than thrilled to see Kino with _____. He looks a little disappointed, actually.

Kino gets himself set up with the other singers while she heads over to the rhythm section, and Wooseok’s expression changes as he playfully greets her, pulling her into a headlock and messing up her hair. She squirms and laughs, and Kino tries desperately to pretend like their interaction doesn’t bother him.

He stops paying attention until she comes up to him with a little envelope in her hand.

“Here,” she hands it to him. “That’s for Saturday. Wooseok and Yuto are coming, and so is my friend Shinhye. You’ve met her before.”

“Yeah I remember her.” Kino nods.

“And some of Nailah’s friends will be there too, since they’re hosting the party. We all thought it would be a good idea to have the party off campus, since there’ll be booze.” She grins impishly. “It’s gonna be fun.”

Kino laughs. “I bet. I’ll be there for sure.” 

“Awesome.” She squeezes his arm. “And honestly, I’m seriously looking forward to dinner tomorrow. It’s super sweet of you to make dinner plans.”

“No problem.” He tells himself to smile confidently so she doesn’t see how flustered he is. “Just make sure you’re wearing something nice and I’ll come get you around 5:45.”

“Sounds great.” With one last squeeze, she heads back to her part of the room.

This time when Kino catches Wooseok’s gaze, he doesn’t stop smiling.

It’s just another class. Just another Tuesday morning. That’s what Hongseok tells himself, anyway. But when she shows up, he immediately realizes that this is actually a very special Tuesday.

Shinhye’s trying to convince her of something, as they walk through the door, but she refuses. And then Shinhye turns to Hongseok.

“Professor Yang! It’s _____’s birthday today,” Shinhye announces as she holds up a piece of silky fabric with ‘Birthday Girl’ embroidered on it. “Can you tell her that she has to wear this sash for class?”

The birthday girl averts her eyes, clearly unwilling to participate in whatever Shinhye’s trying. As flatly as possible, he comes to her rescue with an incredibly practical excuse. “No birthday sashes. It’s a hazard around the power tools.”

A perfect smile breaks across her lips as she finally looks up at him. She holds his gaze for a moment, and it’s really a beat too long before she finally turns back to Shinhye. “See? Now put it away.”

The girls walk off to their spot in the back of the room, and he forces himself to focus on his computer to keep himself from looking back at her. There’s something especially magnetic about her today, but maybe it’s just because he knows that it’s her birthday.

When he has today’s workshop playlist set, he looks around the room and realizes that the birthday sash would have been the least concerning part of her clothing choices. The olive colored v-neck sweater she wears draws his gaze directly to her chest, and he knows today is going to be more challenging than usual.

He wishes he could just avoid her during class, but he needs to make sure all of his students get the help they need. Most of them don’t know anything about sawing, sanding, or the appropriate way to use wood glue, and he needs every kid in this class to leave the room with all of their fingers intact.

Inevitably, he makes his way back to her after weaving through the room and helping other students with their projects along the way. A few pieces of wood that will eventually become the body of her instrument lay on the table in front of her. He helps her select the right grit of sandpaper to sand down the edges of the pieces she finished cutting for the top and bottom of her dulcimer. The last big piece of her project build is to bend the side pieces into the hourglass shape she wants her instrument to have.

He had to bring in his bending iron just for her, since literally every other student wanted to do simple instruments with straight sides. It’s not a difficult process, but it’s a little tedious.

Hongseok picks up one of the side pieces and walks her over to the bending iron. “So the shape that you want is going to require three bends in the wooden piece. Here, here, and here.” With a pencil, he marks the two spots where the wood should curve out towards the top and bottom, and the spot in the middle where it should curve in. “You don’t have to be perfect with this, but work on getting the general shape.”

She just nods attentively. He tries desperately not to look at her for fear that he might accidentally look down her sweater. Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to do as he demonstrates how to use the iron.

With a wide, clean paint brush, he brushes water onto the first spot they’ll bend. “First, you want to make sure that the wood is wet before you bend it. The water turns to steam from the heat of the iron, and that’s what bends the fibers in the wood. You’ll have to reapply water pretty regularly to keep it from getting dry. Then you just rock the wood over the iron like this.” He shows her how to slowly work the wood. “The iron does get really hot, so keep your hands at a safe distance, and just apply a bit of pressure. Not too much, though, or you might crack the wood.”

“Got it.” She nods again, observing.

He takes a moment to get a bit of a bend started, and then hands the wood to her. “It’s going to take some time, so you just need to be patient. Rushing the process will just damage the wood.”

“Okay. I’ll be careful.”

Hongseok’s not sure why, but it almost sounds like she’s reassuring him that she’ll be okay. He wasn’t trying to come across as being protective, because he gives all of his students the same warnings whenever he shows them a new tool. But he just nods. “Give it a try.”

She steps up to the iron, wets the wood, and starts mimicking his rocking movements.

“Keep the edge of the wood parallel with the back of the iron, otherwise the bend is going to be crooked.”

She follows his instructions. “Like this?”

“Exactly. You can even use just a touch more pressure. If you don’t use enough, the wood won’t bend.” He resists the urge to reach over and show her, reminding himself that he needs to keep his distance.

“Just gotta find that happy medium,” she chuckles, and the lighthearted sound makes him smile. 

“That’s it.”

She presses down on the wood a little harder, and her form looks good. “How soon should I re-wet it?”

“You can give it a few minutes. So just do that until you’ve got a nice curve going for the lower body, and then you can do the waist and the upper body, in that order. You might not get to all of it today because you want to give the wood some time to cool between each bend.”

He loves sharing his craft with his students, but there’s something different about sharing it with her. It just feels so intimate to share such an important piece of his life with her in this setting, and her genuine interest in the subject only makes him want to share it with her more.

At the end of the day, he knows that it’s only because he’s slept with her. Every little interaction feels sexually and emotionally charged. She’s just so attractive in both looks and personality, and he’s drawn to her over and over again.

But he can’t let himself give in to whatever it is that he’s feeling for her. Hwitaek’s advice rings in his head and he reminds himself that he only needs to get through a few more weeks before the semester is over.

He can avoid the temptation for at least that long.

“Seriously, Kino, this place is amazing,” _____ gushes, taking the last big bite of her steak, savoring each chew and talking with her mouth full. “Jesus, this steak is fucking delicious.”

Kino covers his mouth as he laughs, trying to maintain some semblance of maturity. They’re at an incredibly fancy restaurant, after all - one that he’s certainly spending way too much money at, but it’s worth it for her - and he doesn’t want to make a scene when it’s clear that they’re just two dumb college kids trying to have an experience. 

“Maybe you should swallow first before you talk,” he comments.

“That’s what he said.” She doesn’t miss a beat, making it even harder for Kino to keep his composure.

“No,” Kino nudges her leg under the table with his foot, softly lecturing her. “Bad.”

“Kino, are you trying to play footsie with me?” She nudges him back, playfully teasing.

She’s been in particularly high spirits all night, and he’s trying to convince himself that it’s only because of her birthday. Everything has been borderline flirtatious since he picked her up from the dorms. 

“Stop it,” Kino gives her a warning look, but he’s still smiling. “You’re just asking for trouble.”

She smiles and takes a sip of her water. “I’m just having fun. Thank you for taking me out tonight, Kino. I’m having a blast.”

“I am, too.” He feels his cheeks unintentionally grow warm.

“Good! I’m gonna use the bathroom. I bet they’ve got bathroom attendants and everything in a place like this.” She gets up from the table and heads off to the bathroom, the skirt of her dress clinging to every curve as she walks and making Kino way more flustered than he should be. When he had told her to dress up, he hadn’t quite expected her to wear something so… hot.

It’s not a big deal, he sees dancers clad in tight clothing every day. But it’s her, and that makes it different.

While she’s gone, he flags down their waiter. “Excuse me, it’s my friend’s birthday today. Could we get a dessert?”

“We have a chocolate lava cake that she’d likely enjoy. We can even write a Happy Birthday message on the plate for you.”

“That sounds perfect! Thank you.”

As the waiter heads off with his special order, Kino notices _____’s phone on the table, lighting up as multiple messages come in. He’s not a snooper by any means, but when his eye catches Wooseok’s name as the sender, he can’t help but feel curious. She hasn’t said anything more to Kino about Wooseok since the night she came over drunk, but he never pried. He always figured that she’d share whatever she felt comfortable sharing.

The previews of the messages give away everything he needs to know, though - the number of eggplant and winky emojis that comes across is enough to make him feel embarrassed. That has to mean something’s happening between them, right?

A sense of dread suddenly sets in. Maybe this was all too much, and it’s going to come across like he’s romancing her when she’s already involved with somebody else. He doesn’t want to be that guy, if that’s already the case. Ordering that dessert was definitely too much… ah, he definitely shouldn’t have done that…

No, it’s fine. It’s just a cake, and it’s her birthday! He’s just being a good friend. That’s all. He’s just a good friend.

_____ reappears right in the middle of his internal debate. “I was right! There was a lady in there, and she squirted soap into my hands and then dried ‘em off with a cloth towel after I washed up.”

“Wow,” he breathed, forcing out a small chuckle. “That’s fancy.”

“Right?” She takes her seat, and the cake comes out shortly after. There’s no song because this restaurant is clearly too classy to have the waiters sing. But the joy on _____’s face is absolutely precious, and he’s glad that he ordered the cake after all.

“Kino! Did you do this when I was in the bathroom?” She surveys her plate in awe, with the beautiful chocolate sauce message and the strawberry slices atop the chocolate-drizzled lava cake. 

“Yeah. We can’t have a real birthday dinner without cake, can we?”

“Kino… This is so sweet…” She looks like she’s getting a little choked up, but she manages a smile. “You’re the best friend I could’ve asked for. Thank you so much for doing all of this for me.”

“You’re welcome, _____. Happy Birthday.” He smiles wide, pretending like his whole chest hadn’t painfully tightened at the word friend.

It’s fine. This is what he wants. He’s just her friend.

After they wrap up their meal and he pays the astronomic check - still worth it for his best friend, he reminds himself - they hop on the bus and head back towards their dorms.

“I’m actually coming to your building,” she announces as the bus pulls up to their stop. “Wooseok said he has a birthday present for me, so I’m going to stop by.”

“Ah, okay.” Kino tries to seem cool about it, but he just has to say something. “He’s seemed pretty flirty with you recently, don’t you think?”

“Wooseok?” She lets out a laugh and they step out onto the sidewalk, heading for the dorm building. “Nah, he’s just like that. He’s playful, you know?”

Kino hums. “Yeah, I guess he is.” He holds the door open for her, and they pile into the elevator together, each pressing buttons for their respective floors.

“Thanks again for tonight, I seriously had so much fun.” She pulls Kino into a tight hug that lasts just a bit longer than it probably should. But he holds her, completely willing to keep her there as long as she wants. When the door opens and she finally pulls away, she parts with the cutest smile. “Next time, don’t wait for a special occasion to get dinner with me.”

He lets himself smile, even though he’s fully aware that he’s filling with false hope. “Okay.”

Wooseok crosses his arms over his chest as he surveys his handiwork. He didn’t mean to make her gift so romantic. When he had considered what to do for her birthday, he thought to himself, you know what’s cool? Fuckin pillow forts. It was supposed to be something fun but like, there’s no way that she’ll see what he’s done and say wow, thanks for this pal, you’re really just a true friend, let me just casually suck your dick now.

Not that a blow job is expected. He just likes to think about it sometimes.

Anyway, he knows nothing sexual is gonna happen between them tonight unless she doesn’t care that his roommate is home. Wooseok had tried to get him to go somewhere else, but Minho was adamant that he was staying in and going to bed early, since his Wednesday 8am class regularly kicks his butt.

Briefly, he considers tearing it all down, but she’s going to be here any moment and he doesn’t want to be empty handed after promising her a cool gift. 

Hopefully she’ll like it and it won’t be weird.

Right on cue, there’s a knock at his apartment door, signaling her arrival. Wooseok ducks into the bathroom for just a moment to check his hair before giving himself a weird look in the mirror. Why is he concerned with looking good? He’s not, like, trying to impress her or anything. It’s just casual.

He pushes his hand through his hair once before deciding it’s fine, and he heads for the door. She looks super cute in her dress, her jacket hanging open to reveal the tight fabric clinging to her curves. It immediately makes him think of the time she showed up and handed him her panties - which he safely stored in his underwear drawer, because that just makes sense - and it nearly gets him hard on the spot. 

“Hey,” she glows as she smiles up at him.

“Is that dress comfortable?”

She raises an eyebrow suggestively. “Why, you want me to take it off?”

“I’d definitely never say no to that, but… just a sec. Cover your eyes.”

“...Okay.” She gives him a quizzical look before holding her hands up to her eyes. He guides her into the apartment and directs her into the bathroom.

“Just a sec.” He flicks on the light and closes the door.

She laughs from the other side. “What are you doing?”

“Just hang on!” Wooseok shouts as he dips into the bedroom, where Minho is diligently reading his history textbook. 

“She here?” Minho doesn’t look up.

Wooseok digs through his drawers, pulling out a clean t-shirt and some sweatpants. “Yeah. She hasn’t seen it yet, though.”

“Girls love that shit. She’s gonna fall head over heels for you as soon as you show her.” 

Wooseok’s heart pounds with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. He definitely likes the thought of her falling for him, but there’s also a good chance that this whole gift won’t go over well and she’ll feel like he’s trying to make a move on her, and then she’ll want to call the whole thing off. So he needs to make sure he frames it right. “I guess we’ll see.”

“Good luck, dude.”

“Thanks.”

He emerges from the room and opens the bathroom door just enough to hand the clothing in. “Put this on. You need to be comfy.”

She takes the clothes with a quiet giggle, and then opens the door a few minutes later. 

The way his heart jumps into his throat at the sight of her in his shirt is unreal.

His clothes are big on her, of course, since he’s basically a giant, and the way the fabric hangs on her frame is just the most adorable thing that he’s ever seen. He knows immediately that he made a mistake and she should’ve just kept the dress on.

Regardless, he swallows his heart and gives a thumbs-up. “Better?”

She nods with a cute smile. “Very comfy.”

“Good. Close your eyes again.”

“Whyyy?” 

“Because it’s a surprise, dipshit.”

As soon as she covers her eyes again, Wooseok pulls her into the living room and angles her to face his masterpiece. He doesn’t let his hands linger on her shoulders any longer than they have to.

“‘Kay. You can look now.”

He’s completely fixated on her as she drops her hands, anxious for her reaction. And when she sees what he’s done, she completely lights up.

“You made a blanket fort?” 

“It’s cool, right?” He tentatively asks.

“It’s awesome!” She laughs joyfully. “Can we go in?”

“Nah, we’re just gonna look at it from out here.”

She playfully smacks his chest before approaching the fort, lifting up the sheet to peek inside. “Wow, this is so much cooler than the ones my brother and I would make when we were kids.”

From the outside, it looks like just a couple of sheets draped over various pieces of furniture, but the inside is really where most of his effort went. The fort’s ceiling is lined with twinkling lights, and there are decorative pillows of all shapes and sizes lining the back and sides. Small fake candles are scattered throughout and a fresh bowl of popcorn sits next to his opened laptop.

“Wooseok…” She crawls inside, making herself at home. “This is seriously awesome. I can’t believe you did all of this.”

He follows her in, taking extra care not to bump any of the blankets or chairs out of place with his large frame. “I promised you a cool birthday gift, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did.” She looks up at him, and her sweet gaze is a little too much for him.

“So I thought maybe, like, a lowkey movie night would be fun? We can just relax and hang out and watch your favorite movie or something. Or we could pick something we haven��t seen. Your call, birthday girl.”

After a few minutes of browsing online, they eventually pick a movie to put on. It’s a crime thriller that he’s surprised she’s interested in, but she insisted that this is the one she wants. And then the movie starts, and they’re just sitting there side by side, and he’s internally debating whether he should put his arm around her. He knows the right choice is absolutely no, but it’s just so tempting to let her snuggle up next to him. 

Wooseok glances down at her to see where she’s at, and he notices that her little eyebrows are pushed together in concern.

“Hey, you alright?”

“Hm?” She looks up at him and throws on a smile. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m alright.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing. I just…” She scoots a little closer, curling her legs in towards her body and leaning against him. “It’s nothing.”

Is that the signal? Should he go for it? She’s trying to cuddle with him, right?

Wooseok feels hopelessly lost. This would be so much easier if he didn’t actually have some kind of feelings for her. Even though they both agreed that they’d come clean if any feelings ever cropped up, he just can’t convince himself that it’s a good idea to confess. If he says something, then they’ll stop hooking up, and she’ll probably feel weird about being his tutor and hanging out with him. He can suck it up and pretend like he doesn’t have feelings.

“Woo.” She shortens his name to get his attention. They lock eyes. “You know, you haven’t actually wished me a happy birthday yet.”

“I haven’t?”

She shakes her head minutely, her gaze not moving a centimeter. There’s something deep in her eyes, and he’s probably just reading into it all too much, but it feels like it did the first time he kissed her - like they’re connected and grounded and alive in this moment.

This time, he doesn’t ask for permission.

Wooseok kisses her slowly, as if she might break if he’s not careful. His eyes close as his lips connect with hers, and she’s soft and sweet as always. He fights off the urge to hold her hand, to cup her face. He just wants to kiss her, and that’s what he does.

It’s a long moment before he pulls away from her. She looks happy and he feels like at least for tonight, he’s done a good job.

“Happy Birthday, short stuff.”

Hongseok finishes off his bourbon and looks around, not really sure why he thought it would be a good idea to come back to Andy’s jazz club. He had planned on going to the bar across the street, thinking he might be able to find someone there who could serve as a distraction for the night. He had plenty of hookups when he was at university so he knows how that scene works. 

But as soon as he got there, curiosity got the best of him. It’s the Friday after _____’s birthday, which means she’s probably looking for a way to celebrate, right? And she’s snuck into Andy’s before, so why couldn’t she do it again?

Honestly, even if he found her there, he’s not sure if he’d tell her to go home or just be glad to cross paths again.

When he arrived, she was nowhere to be seen. He knows that’s for the best, since she's still not legally old enough to be here, and he shouldn’t be going out of his way to try to interact with her anyway.

The best he can do now is just look for a distraction as he had originally planned. 

Hongseok leaves his empty glass at the bar and approaches an attractive woman in a deep red dress. He smooth talks her. He lays it on thick, because he notices right away that she’s eating it all up. He asks her to dance, and she agrees.

The band tonight is great, and they play plenty of music that’s perfect for dancing. The smooth jazz makes for perfect slow dance music, and he clasps her hand in his, his other hand resting on her back and keeping her close. He murmurs everything she wants to hear, his lips brushing the cusp of her ear as he flirts. She’s like putty in his hands.

And when the moment’s right, his lips find hers. 

He kisses her like it means something, like he’s not just trying to avoid his problems. And she kisses him back, a delightful breath of fresh air.

Perhaps he can actually break free of _____’s spell.

It’s not long before their kiss becomes more than what is socially acceptable in public, and he suggests that they go back to his place. But she declines, claiming that she’s not that kind of woman, but leaves him with her phone number and a request to meet up for dinner next week.

Not exactly what he had hoped for, but he can't let himself be bothered by the fact that they both want different things. Still, he decides to keep her number, because she is quite beautiful. Who knows if anything will ever happen between them.

The pianist on stage starts a solo, effectively catching Hongseok's attention and driving his gaze to the front of the room. The melody is tender, full of longing, and for just a brief moment he thinks it might be _____ at the piano.

Of course it's not.

That's all the reason Hongseok needs to get the hell out of there.

When did he get in so deep? When did he become so crazy for this girl that he's hoping for any chance just to see her? He has no excuse for acting this way, but he can't help the fact that he's been completely enamored by her from the moment he first spoke to her at the wedding reception.

Hongseok returns to his apartment to settle in for the night, realizing that the only distraction he could possibly get for the night is his music. He lounges on his bed, plucking at the strings of one of his many acoustic guitars, his cat stretched out next to his leg.

His fingers move freely as he tries not to think about her, but is there really much harm in just getting lost in his thoughts?

He remembers the first time he saw her in his classroom, and how differently it hit him than the first time he saw her at the wedding. He remembers how dreadful it felt to see her sitting in the back, yet how thrilling it was to invite her into his hotel room. 

He remembers her anger, her joy, her ecstasy. She’s beautiful and fun and sexy and charming, entirely intoxicating. 

The memories of their night together visit him once again. He thinks about it far more often than he should, but he’s always told himself that he can at least savor the memory if he can’t let himself be with her again. 

As Hongseok lets himself relive that night in his mind, he sets his guitar to the side, his hardening length capturing his attention. His hand slides down the front of his sweatpants, tentatively stroking himself in search of some relief. 

The mental image of her naked body very quickly drives him wild. God what he wouldn’t give to be inside of her again, his hands massaging her round ass as he peppers kisses along her throat. He wants to hear her sighs of pleasure, wants to watch the way her lips part as each wave of her orgasm washes over her, her walls pulsing around his cock.

And the feeling of her tongue as it swirled around the head of his cock… he’d never get over it. 

It’s like she knew every single one of his buttons. Like she already had full and total control over his pleasure.

Hongseok breaks out of his fantasy just long enough to push his sweatpants down and grab the lube from his nightstand. His hand alone isn’t enough, doesn’t do justice to the incredible wetness of her.

He lets out a groan as he resumes his stroking, his cock twitching delightfully in his hand.

And, completely swept up in the heat of it all, he allows himself to imagine what would happen if he caved.

What if he told her how badly he wanted her, and she said the same? What if he invited her over, and she agreed without hesitation? What if he gave himself just one more chance to taste her, explore her, ruin her…

Love her?

Hongseok lets himself moan as he pumps harder, imagining his cock plunging into her, her nails digging into his back. He can practically hear her voice as it wraps around his name in the most seductive tone he’s ever heard, and all he wants is to give her everything she could ever ask of him. 

He wants to bite her skin, squeeze her curves, bury himself so deeply in her that he completely loses himself.

Hot ropes shoot from his cock onto his v-neck shirt as he thinks of nothing but her, and once his breathing returns to normal he finally realizes just how fucked he is.

It feels harmless, but he knows that fantasizing about her will only continue to chip away at his already weakening willpower, and eventually he’s going to end up doing something incredibly dumb.

After pulling off his dirty shirt and cleaning himself up, he returns to his bed, picking up his guitar once more. Unfortunately, not even his release is enough to get his mind off of her, so really he’s just back to square one.

He remembers how he played in his office for her, how she watched him in awe. He wonders if she feels music just as deeply as he does, if she feels the same connection to the melodies she plays and hears. 

She had asked if he could drum while he played, and his attempt had been mostly unsuccessful. He was sorely out of practice at the time, but he's been working on it since then.

He fingers a tune, taps his fingers on the face of the guitar, bumps his palm against the wood. If only she could hear him now, she'd surely be impressed.

And then - he has an idea.

The rest of his night is spent in the makeshift recording studio he's created inside of his closet with his best guitar, his microphone, and the desire to create something just for her.

Post Script | Thank you for reading! Please stay tuned for Part 8.

All Rights Reserved © gwentoryfics. No translations, reposting, and/or modifying of the material is allowed without my direct permission.

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

There’s More To Her #3

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Understanding

Akash Raizada was a far cry from his powerful, hot headed, and insanely talented cousin. However, Akash was just as unforgettable for his empathy and altruism .

No man would part with the only token of his beloved, yet Akash gladly parted from the dupatta, his prized possession, for Khushi. It was the one thing that had made the sweet woman smile on that horrid day.

No man would remain kind to their orphaned cousin who took his surname and attention from him. But Akash knew that Arnav had as much right on being a Raizada as he. That working under Arnav was not the same as being in his shadows - he was grateful for being mentored by one of Asia’s biggest fashion tycoons.  That Arnav, behind his masks of terror and anger, had been beaten brutally by life to become so.

Anjali might be Arnav’s biological sister, but to Akash Arnav was his brother - not cousin. He knew him better than anyone else.

Did he?

Shame was too small a word. And it was not due to what Arnav had said about the incident at Sheesh Mahal. It was the unsaid that occured after that. The events that Akash was too familiar with; the gossips of his brother letting Khushi fall a floor down, the forced photoshoot, the near accident at the parking lot, the guesthouse mishap.

Akash had doubted his brother’s sentiments for the woman he despised when he bolted off the house on that stormy night. He was not being heroic, he was making amends.

And Anjali, the sister he idolised, was not generous to offer Khushi a job. She was manipulative.

Akash took his spectacles from Payal and took a step back. He could not meet her eyes.

“I can’t say sorry for what my cousins have done. But I am sorry for everything, Payal ji.” He addressed her formally, as if they were back to being strangers - which was the truth. Today proved that neither knew their cousins - so knowing each other was out of the question.

“And I promise that I’ll never ask you to marry me.” He choked at the last word. Payal staggered, physically impacted by the implication of his words. How dare he write the future of their relationship? How dare he not attempt to change her thoughts?

“Please, it’s not a threat. My family has disrespected yours in every way but I want to respect you, by heeding to your request.” Payal knew she was doomed. Akash didn’t turn out to be the man she expected, he turned out to be better than she had ever imagined.

If he hadn’t listened to her, she would have wished he did. And now that he did, she wished he didn't. By accepting her refusal to marry him, he became the man she wanted to marry.

“Thank you.” She whispered, which meant I love you. Akash nodded and walked into the car, opening the car door for her.

Arnav and Khushi, mutely, followed their cousins into the car.

---

Payal sat by the temple, dusting the idol of Shiv Parvati over and over again. Khushi stood by the door, a big bowl in her hand. After fifteen minutes she gained enough courage to meet her sister.  

“Jiji, here’s your favorite gajar ka halwa!” Khushi sat by Payal and gave her a generous portion of the dessert.

“To anyone who says that a man’s way to his heart is through his stomach, he must have never seen a woman eat! What not have you forgiven me for this carrot dish! Remember when I spoiled your science project? Or when I stole all the chocolates you got for your birthday? Or to support Salman ji’s friend, Himesh ji,  I took you to watch Karzzzz?” Khushi and Payal winced at the memory of the film, it was the most traumatising experience of their lives. Payal could not trust Khushi for two years on film selections post ‘Karzzzz’.

They both burst into laughter recalling how Khushi followed Payal like a puppy, a bowl of gajar ka halwa always miraculously present until Payal relented.

Khushi took Payal’s hand, her smiles overwhelmed by her tears.

“Jiji, today, for the last time, forgive me-” Payal enveloped Khushi into a tight hug. This Khushi was the one Payal had known since forever.

“My sister would talk to me, try to understand me.” Payal broke their hug, wiped Khushi’s tears and handed her tissues before she could blow her nose in either of their dupattas.

“I do understand Jiji, but I don’t know why I thought you were being stubborn. I didn’t want to force you, I just wanted you to know how much Akash ji means to you… I thought you didn’t know how you felt.” Khushi confessed.

Payal kept their dessert bowls aside and held Khushi’s hands, “Khushi, a woman can accept, challenge or deny her feelings, but choosing either means she knows what those feelings are.”

In this turn of conversation about feelings, one can readily forgive Khushi for forgetting her sister’s feelings and remembering hers. To violently deny them though. Especially when a six feet tall, boorish, handsome man was in question.

“I was scared that you were hiding your happiness. That you were doing this for our sake.” Khushi mumbled.

“No Khushi, no matter how much I loved you all, I would never sacrifice my happiness for others. I need a man who can respect my decision.” And with a rue note, Payal realised that Akash had precisely done that.

“Good. Don’t ever sacrifice your happiness for others. It makes living difficult.” Payal would have thanked her sister, had she not noticed Khushi twisting her engagement ring.

For the second time of the day, Payal felt her blood run cold. Those words weren’t of a concerned sister, rather of a broken woman. In all the mess, Payal forgot that her sister was engaged, and to be married in a month if it went by Bua ji’s will.

Payal touched her shoulder. Khushi shook, pulled rudely out of her thoughts.

“Khushi-”

“Jiji, I’ll be back in an hour.” Khushi sprinted off. For a woman who was aware of a cheap metal key, she didn’t even bother when the single cut diamond engagement ring slipped off her finger and fell to the floor with a considerable clank.

Bua ji picked it up and yelled from the end of the hall. She waited until Khushi slowly slipped the ring. Shyam entered the hall and offered to help Khushi with it.

“No, it’s ok.” She forced the ring back and walked away, giving a polite nod to both Bua ji and Shyam.

“Aw, she’s still shy of you.” Madhumati gushed.

“It will all change after marriage Bua ji,” Shyam grinned.

An unsettling fear settled in the pit of Payal’s stomach. Khushi was far from shy,  and Shyam’s comment didn’t reflect his earlier unease and patience about marriage. How hadn’t she seen it before?

---

Arnav loved silence, unpredictability and accountability - but not when they were directed to him. Akash said nothing, asked nothing and kept firmly to his business on their way home. He behaved like Arnav, and in any other time or day he would be happy to see his brother aping his best qualities.

Except today. He wanted to talk, explain and be held answerable to the man who was more than a brother. One chance before he was judged, forever.

“Akash, what I did-” Arnav began.

“It’s not about that.” Akash interrupted, “I don’t need explanations Bhai. I know you, maybe not enough to understand your actions, but enough to defend your intentions.” His words humbled Arnav.  And he royally failed today to secure the happiness of the one person in his family who expected nothing from him.

He parked in the garage but remained in the car, “I’ll fix this mess.” Arnav promised.

“This is no mess.” Akash saw no reason to debate or blame his brother when he finally saw reason. The thirty minutes of silence gave him enough time to think about what went wrong in his relationship with Payal.

Relationship? Akash recalled all the times when he met Payal. There was attraction, respect, admiration, even love but not relationship.

“I’ll help you clear the misunderstanding.” Arnav offered, his eyes taking the sharp look which formed whenever a successful plan formulated in his head.

It was simple - he needed to go to the Guptas, convince them that they would ideally not find a better deal than that of a matrimonial alliance between Payal and Akash. If there were any doubts, he would guarantee that Akash would financially aid them as well. Akash loved Payal, Payal loved Akash - there was no need to waste further time.

In the society they lived, marriage solved everything. As Akash had said, there was no doubt about Payal’s place in his life - which said more than what Arnav could say for his fianceé.

Akash placed a hand on his shoulder, bringing him back from his thoughts.

“No Bhai, there’s no misunderstanding. Payal ji has said no, and that’s enough.”

“But you love her, you said you won’t regret bringing her in your life.” Arnav protested.  

“It’s a marriage, Bhai. A transaction based on mutual interest and possibility of profit for both the parties involved!” Akash got out of the car and slammed the door shut on Arnav’s face.

Counting to ten, he waited for Arnav to join him by the front door.

“Sorry,” Akash mumbled, fishing for keys in his pocket. Arnav gave him a half smile, his brother was forgiven even before he apologised. He rung the doorbell

“Bhai, Payal ji is not just the woman I love. If I’m bringing her to my life, I’m bringing her sister, her aunt, her parents, her values - everything! Tell me she won’t regret living as a Raizada.” Akash quieted as a flurry of footsteps approached the door.

In real life logic and example rarely followed each other in quick succession. To Arnav, Akash’s understanding felt all too sudden, and all too true. But when the door opened to a smiling Anjali, an unsmiling Nani and a confused Lavanya trying to understand the difference between different kinds of rice - Arnav finally understood the logic and the unfortunate example.

Lavanya Kashyap was a force to reckon with. The same could not be said for the to-be Mrs. Arnav Singh Raizada.

Akash has brushed away his discomfort with the modern-turns-sanskari program only because he believed his brother was a righteous, indestructible force who would let Lavanya become her old self once they were married. He had relied on the same shield to gain the courage to marry Payal.

“Do any of you have plans to enter Shantivan?” Anjali chuckled, clicking her fingers before Arnav and Akash. Once they sat in the lounge and had been served their favorite tea and coffee, Anjali attempted to dissipate the silence between the three of them.

“So how was your day?” She asked, preparing a plate of digestive biscuits.

“Di, I pay people to do that,” Arnav grumbled, taking the plate from her.

“I met Payal.” Akash said, keeping his cup of tea aside.

“I asked her to marry me.” Like a wise sister, Anjali kept quiet, not knowing how Arnav would react to the news of Akash and Payal. Like a wiser brother, Arnav nodded to his sister letting her know that he knew everything and did not have a problem. Breathing a sigh of relief, Anjali grabbed Akash’s hands, excitement spilling from her incessant chatter and smiles.

“Thank God Chote! First I thought I’ll have to manage you, then Mami!” She rolled her eyes at the mention of her aunt, “But then since you agree, I can involve you into the plan of getting our younger brother hitched as well!”

“Yes, and marriage means that she’ll be my wife. Her family will be like my own. Her sister, as my own.” Anjali nodded, her traditional instincts proud of Akash’s understanding of marriage.

Arnav loved Anjali too much to question what he had learnt from the Gupta sisters. Akash loved Payal too much to keep quiet.  

“Exactly, what did she say?” Anjali asked.

“What any woman would say to a man who’s sister blackmails hers for a menial job.” Anjali stood up, dropping his hands like hot coal. Arnav stood up as well, with all intention to stop Akash. Anjali had to have meant well.

“Khushi ji said she forgave me,” Anjali whispered, unable to look at Arnav.

“Her sister didn’t.” Akash got up and placed a hand on Anjali’s shoulder. It hurt him to see his brother protect Anjali from a scolding she deserved but he could not judge. Arnav and Anjali so often switched between playing each other’s parents that they probably didn’t even realise when they did it.

“Don’t worry Anjali di, it happens,” Akash smiled, “we forget that people have families. Have respect. Self respect. It happens when our clothes cost twice of someone’s ten months rent.” Akash stormed out of the house, leaving a sobbing Anjali and a stoic Arnav behind.

“Chote, I truly thought that-” Arnav shushed her, “It’s ok Di. I just wish that I was the only one who made such mistakes. Now Payal will never understand that Akash-” Arnav stopped. Payal would not understand, unless someone made the effort.

In a flash he picked up his car keys and phone.

“Chote-”

“Di, I’ll be back in an hour,” He stopped on his way and turned around to face his sister, “and Di, I’m not upset that you did whatever you could for my happiness.” Anjali sighed in relief and approached her brother but he raised his hand, gesturing her to be where she was.

“But, I told you that the contract was no longer legally enforceable. And you knew that I didn’t tell Khushi.”

---

Work is therapy. Akash wished that was true. The two hours he spent negotiating the launch of the winter collection only added to his headache.

A wise man once said that words, like arrows, cannot be taken back. Especially the ones said in anger. And Akash was wise, furious and had a choice of words simmering in him all afternoon in the office. Hence he declined every single phone call from Shantivan, Anjali di, and even Hari Prakash, until he switched off his phone.

Unfortunately now someone was at his office door. What can a man do to get one peaceful day!

“Sir, you have a visitor.”

“Rakesh, you know I don’t want any visitors.” Akash said.

“How about a friend?” Khushi Kumari Gupta, disrespecting all beautiful rules of privacy, entered the room and stared eye to eye with a shocked Akash.

“Khushi ji, what a pleasant surprise. Is Payal ji here? No… why should be? Khushi ji, I have decided to understand Payal ji’s no, so there is no yes in the no. You are my friend, but I won’t be convinced. You know how Payal ji is,” This was another case of verbal diarrhea.

Victim, Akash Raizada. Cause, first love and heartbreak syndrome. Previously seen in Khushi Kumari Gupta.

Khushi wondered if this is how she sounded to her family members throughout her life. That would explain her nicknames and her sister’s continuous worry of her health. Right now Akash would faint if not interrupted, as in the case of diarrheas, and her sister would have her head if she inadvertently caused the death of Akash Raizada.

Oh wait, even the Laad Governor would have her head, without any preliminaries, if anything happened to Akash. So, out of pure selfishness, Khushi had to act.

“... Payal ji was right. I had no idea Di had enforced the contract on you. Don’t worry I have understood Payal ji’s no. You do not, please, convince me otherwise-” Akash babbled.

“Stop! Hey Devi Maiyya, who told you I’m here to convince you?” Khushi asked. Akash violently colored and sat on his office chair, to stand up again, show Khushi the office guest chair and sit down back in his chair.

“Oh.”

“No means no. But now that you’ve understood her no,” Khushi began, “don’t you think it’s time you understood her?”

---

“Coming! Khushi if you knock once more-” Payal opened the main door and stopped. Last she remembered, Khushi was not six feet tall, wearing  a pompom free and colorless suit, with a beard and a permanent scowl on her forehead. Also, she was not a man.

“You’re not Khushi.”

“So I’m told,” Arnav said.

If there were any doubts on Payal being Khushi’s sister, her inconsequential observation, and the necessity to voice it, removed it. Seldom had Arnav been faced with female attention not directed towards them, especially when he was in their line of sight. But Payal had other plans, and other intentions, as she craned her neck to find the taller, spectacled Raizada.

And even more rarely, had Arnav been pleased by someone’s utter lack of interest and disappointment in his solo arrival.

“Akash is not here.” He informed her. Payal blinked at him in a way that he interpreted as I-was-not-searching-for-him-at-all. It reminded him of Khushi.

“Why are you here?” Payal asked.

“I need to speak with you.” Arnav answered.

“I don’t want to speak with you.”

“What the fu-”

“What?!” Payal glared, knowing well where the last word went.

“Future. Of yours and Akash. He loves you.”

“I have said no.”

“I’m not here to convince you. I’m just saying that - damn it - Payal, not everyone gets the chance to marry someone they love.” Arnav said, his words betraying his inner turmoil. It struck Payal, love, it’s what Khushi spoke about and believed in but her current situation deprived her of the one thing she ever wanted.

“Ok, meet me in Happy ji’s garage, five minutes.” Payal instructed.

“Why Happy’s - his name is happy? - garage?” His question was promptly answered with a loud ‘Hai Re Nandkisore’. Payal raised her eyebrows, gesturing a conversation between Bua ji and him. Arnav was intelligent, he chose his battles well.

“Right, Happy’s garage, in five.”

---

Next Chapter

A/N: Thank you for your great feedback/response. Be sure to stay safe, alert not anxious during this season! Take care

[sheeple]

The intern | 10: Birthday parties part II

GIFS NOT MINE. THIS IS ALL FICTION. Genre(s): intern!au / fluff / mild angst Group(s): NCT / Red Velvet Pairing(s): Moon Taeil x fem!reader Summary: The new Elysion Publishings intern is the youngest they ever had. It’s not a problem until she grabs the attention of the IT guy. Warning(s): Age-gap of five years [Masterlist] [Mini masterlist]

My phone rings as we ─ Johnny, Taeyong, Wendy, Taeil, and I ─ walk out of the office and I see it’s Mark. A smile spreads on my face as I answer my phone.

“Hey hey”, I say, my voice cheerful. The others look at me surprised at my sudden switch to English I always do with Mark.

“Yo. How’s you’re birthday going?”, he questions, a smile obvious in his voice.

“Meh”, I shrug, “it was okay. Got a lot of ‘happy birthday’-s.”

Johnny and Wendy look at me with weirdly and I mouth ‘Mark’. Wendy frowns and shakes her head, her eyes telling me to hang up.

“Do you wanna hang-out tonight? Eat pizza, play some videogames or watch a movie? Since it’s your birthday, you know”

I pout. “I’m sorry, my dude. I’m already going out with my friends and sing some karaoke.” I run a hand through my hair with a sigh.

Mark whines loudly. “But I wanted to hang out!” He shuffles around. I can only imagine him wildly throwing around his limps, just throwing a hissy fit in general.

“What if... you’re coming with us?”

“No!”, yells Wendy in protest. Oh right, I forgot they’re cousins.

Mark chuckles at the protest of his older cousin. “Sounds fun. Where y’all meeting up?”

I look at Johnny and he signs me to give my phone.”We’re going to Suyi’s Karaoke Bar before eating somewhere.” He hums and nods a couple of times before giving me back my phone.

“So I’ll see you there.” Mark’s voice sounds cheerful.

I say goodbye to him and end the call. As I pocket my phone, Wendy looks at me sourly.

“I can’t believe you invited him! I already see him like every other week.”

I roll my eyes. “If things worked out between him and me, you wouldn’t see him ‘like every other week’.” I make air-quotations as I say the last part.

“Wait, what?”, butts Taeil in with wide eyes. He pushes Taeyong away to rush next to me.

“Well...”, I trail off.

“She and Wendy’s cousin, Mark, went on a date a month or two ago”, interrupts Taeyong with a glare towards the eldest.

“Yeah!”, smirks Johnny. “Isn’t he the same age as you? Born in ‘99?”

I glare at the two boys, seeing right through their attempts to make Taeil jealous. And from the look of it; it’s kinda working. Taeil chews angrily on his bottom lip and he balls his hands in firsts.

I frown. He has nothing to be jealous of. Mark and I are just friends. It weirds me out thinking about being more than friends with him. My choice of ignoring the whole thing is the best choice I made. The conversation picks up again with Johnny and Wendy being idiots.

We soon arrive at the karaoke band and we see Mark leaning against his bike. I yell his name and rush towards Mark. He looks up from his phone and hugs me once I reach him. He spins me around and I laugh loudly.

“Look at you being an adult now.” He wipes away a fake, non-existing tear and I punch his shoulder.

“Don’t act as if you’re not two months older than her.” Wendy laughs in a teasing way with a grin.

We go into the karaoke bar and Taeyong walks up to the desk. He says that he has a reservation on the name of ‘Lee’ and the guy behind the desk nods as he types away.

He leads us towards some privet room and explains how everything works to us. From choosing the songs to calling assistance.

I hang up my coat on one of the hooks and let myself fall on the couch. Wendy drapes herself next to me and says her arm over my shoulder.

“You’re going to duet with me, no matter what”, she whispers in my ear and I nod with a giggle.

“Of course! With who else am I going to sing Truth Hurst?”

After singing our hearts out and duetting with almost everyone, we walk laughing out of the bar. 

“So, what’s next?”, questions Mark as he puts his hands in his pockets. 

“Well, we were going to eat somewhere...” I throw Wendy a pleasing look, Mark joining me.

“Fine! He can come. But I want no whining, no screaming, and definitely no flirting”, she says as if she’s talking to a toddler. 

Mark just smirks and throws an arm over her shoulder. “When did I ever do that, dear cousin?”

“Well...”, trails Wendy off and starts to list the times he was basically a child during past family gatherings.

As we walk, I see Taeil walking far in the back. “Are you okay?”, I question and start to walk next to him. 

“Hm? Oh, yes.” He smiles at me, but I’m not convinced. 

I grab his hand and pull him with me, so we’re closer to the group. “No sulking on my birthday, mister.” I swing our linked hands back and forth between us and hum some song that we sang earlier.

“Can I... can I ask a question?” Taeil licks his lips and looks at me. 

I nod with a slight smile. We start to walk a little slower so we’re out of hearing distance of the group.

“Do you like Mark?”, he asks bluntly with his face beet red. 

I chuckle softly under my breath. “Oh yeah! He is such a great friend. We connect really well since we’re only a couple months apart and we both speak English.”

“Not like that. Do you like-like him.” 

I stop and look Taeil in his eyes. “Are you asking me if I have romantic feelings for him?”

He nods and I scrunch my nose in disgust. “Ew gross! He’s more like a brother than anything else. Oh my god.” I shiver thinking about it.

A sigh of relief leaves Taeil’s lips and he squeezes my hand lightly. We pick our pace back up so nobody noticed we were gone for just a smidge.

“Ready to fill our stomachs!”, cheers Taeyong as he pushes the door open of the Korean BBQ place. We take a seat around a table fit for five people. 

A waiter comes and takes our orders. We order all different kinds of meats and side dishes. And of course, Soju.

I am placed between Johny and Taeil, with Taeyong seated between de cousins in front of me. 

“Wait, so, don’t tell me this is your first time eating k-bbq”, asks Wendy while throwing a shot of Soju behind. 

I shrug. “I never had the chance. Eating alone is never fun, so why would I go without anyone?”

“Except those three am ramen trips.” Mark gives me a knowing look and we giggle.

“Okay, something is going on with the both of you and you guys have to spill it”, muses Johnny with folded arms.

“It’s nothing, really. We just hung out a lot the past couple of weeks. (Y/n) is a very bad sleeper and I game until late, so we planned these late-night trips to the grocery store and ate ramen so neither of us has to go alone”, says Mark with a smile.

I giggle. “Yeah. We live in the same neighbourhood and the closed grocery store is only a five-minute walk. Two if you run.”

“Wait. Do you live in that new-build block? Four streets behind his?”, asks Wendy as she leans backwards, almost falling off her chair if it wasn’t for Taeyong.

“Yup. The apartments are surprisingly spacious for what the rent is. I think that’s why Mr. Kim placed me there.”

The group stops. “THE BOSS PAYS FOR YOUR HOUSING?!”

I flinch a bit. “I mean... yeah? I get paid less than the other interns because of that.”

“Now I really want to see your place”, hums Taeyong and the others agree. 

“I mean, we can stop by a grocery store after we’ve eaten and buy some food and drinks and hang out at my place.”

The group agrees as we stuff our faces with delicious food. I bite my lip. I just hope I cleaned my apartment enough.

With our arms filled with snacks and booze, we enter the lobby of my apartment complex.

“Good evening, Mrs Choi”, I greet the old lady that lives on the ground floor next to the staircase.

“Good evening, child. I see that you brought some friends”, she notes and I smile. 

“Yeah, we’re celebrating my birthday today. Sorry in advance if we’re making too much noise.” I bow slightly with a small smile.

Mrs Choi chuckles. “Go and be young, child.” She waves us off before entering her apartment. 

“Such a cute little lady”, says Johnny with a smile as we walk up the stairs. 

“She’s the sweetest. She helped me settle in and makes wonderful kimchi.” I fetch my keys out of my pocket and unlock the door.

“I don’t think I have enough slippers for all of us...”, I mumble, removing my shoes. I lead them into my apartment and place the food and drinks in my kitchen. 

“Just... seek a place around the living room. I’ll grab bowls and glasses for us.”

“I’ll help you!”, chirps Wendy as he follows me in the kitchen. She opens the fridge and a gasp leaves her lips. “Are you serious?! There’s only one thing in your fridge!” She grabs one of the ice tea packs from my fridge and I chuckle awkwardly as I scratch the back of my head.

“I told my mom that I missed my favourite brand of ice tea so she sent like twelve litres of it. She also sent my favourite type of candy.” I open up up a cabinet above me and shove the stacks and stacks of candy.

Wendy laughs loudly. “You’re a child.”