#like i hardly ever text them. we talk maybe every couple months. so like i guess i theoretically have support but its a bit abstract
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opens-up-4-nobody · 11 months ago
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#im still procrastinating so bear with me#ive just been thinking abt something. like the idea of a support system#bc as a 1st year grad student ppl around me r like: it must be hard being away from ur support system or ive left my support system when i#moved halfway across the country. and like i dont really feel that way bc idk the idea of a support system is sorta odd to me#like for me i guess it would just b my parents who i kno love me but im just so weirdly asocial that i never really talk to them#like i hardly ever text them. we talk maybe every couple months. so like i guess i theoretically have support but its a bit abstract#and like i have friends i guess but again im a bit weird and dont really feel connected to ppl so i dont feel that close to anyone#surface level friendships i guess. i dunno. i just feel weird not not having a support system but also having it b hollow#i guess i cant feel it more now. like i feel like getting diagnosed as bip0lar made my problems seem more realized to my parents#like i dunno i just assumed they knew i was doing awful most of the time but maybe that wasn't the case#its such a weird thing to b diagnosed with. like the conotations feel a lot heavier and i feel like im not supposed to talk abt it to ppl#bc theyll think im unreliable or something. like it wouldnt b that big a deal if i was just depressed but the sometimes buring out of my#skin makes me somehow scarier. and i still feel conflicted bc i do have a bip0lar mood profile but i have very very high impulse control#and even when im going high my mind is still super rational about it. which seems weird bc low impulse control is common with#the diagnosis. its also y i dont fit an 4dhd profile. not that it really matters. i fit the criteria enough to be on the bip0lar spectrum#its not like someone's gonna come yell at me for not being bip0lar enough. i just feel odd about it is all#still feels fake i guess. hard to imagine feeling any different to how i feel now. which is weirdly stable. so i guess the meds r working#sigh... ok enough i need to go to sleep at 7pm so i can get up at like 2 to finish reading a paper. for some reason my god forsaken brain#works better in the early morning rip#unrelated
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yangesstories · 2 months ago
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MY SON WENT MISSING 10-YEARS-AGO
My son went missing ten years ago. I woke up before my wife, only to find the our front door open. I panicked when I checked his bedroom and found he was not there. He was only five years old.
We searched for many months. We put out hundreds of missing persons posters. A picture of my son(Eric) on his 5th birthday, wearing a blue and white checkered shirt and a silver pendent around his neck.
My wife Chimweka was beyond devastated. She couldn’t sleep, and she barely ate. It got to a point where she was hardly functioning. “We will get through this,” I would say. "Do you think he's still out there?”
Chimweka only answered, “I’m not really sure anymore.”
I don’t know what hurt the most, the possibility that Eric was alive but forced to endure some unbearably awful situation, or the possibility that he was dead. I didn’t like to talk about it, I shut my wife down every time she brought it up. We all grieved in our own way.
Somehow, the hardship brought us even more closer. While this kind of loss would tear most married couples apart, it only made us stronger. It was the way she was there for me, the way she picked me up when I was down.
A few years later Chimweka found out she was pregnant a second time. She was nervous, feeling as if she had failed once. I reassured her that things would be alright this time. I couldn't afford her having parenting insecurities.
She gave birth to another son. We named him Ericsson, after his brother. As our son grew up, I noticed there were strange similarities between the two. They looked so much alike, that they even had the same birthmarks on their cheeks. When I had pulled out a few of Eric's old toys, it was like Ericsson recognized them. He even gave his brown teddy bear the same names that his brother had. They also liked the same foods and the same cartoons. We felt like we were blessed with a second chance.
Ericsson was closer to my wife than he was with me. I didn’t mind of course, it gave me more time to focus on my work to provide for them. I was present as a father, but I wasn’t really fond of ‘babysitting’ as I would call it. To be honest I think the similarities were too much for me. Maybe it was just too painful. I didn’t mind it though. I know it’s very selfish, but I liked the fact that our second son preferred to spend all of his time with my wife. Once I had even offered to take him to the play park, but he refused. He wanted my wife to go instead.
Yesterday something very alarming happened. I took Ericsson to the play park. It had a large play structure which he enjoyed, and was surrounded by a few bushes, which I enjoyed. I watched as he played the same way Eric did when I used to take him there.
He was headed down the slide when a notification on my phone distracted me. I pulled it out and saw it was a text from my wife. She was wondering what we were going to eat for supper. I replied her quickly, then returned my gaze to the play structure. To my shock, Ericsson was nowhere to be seen. I swear I had only taken my eyes off of him for a few second.
I frantically began to search for him. After running aimlessly through the bushes while calling his name, I finally found Ericsson. He was underneath a tree, and was digging up something.
I shouted as I rushed to him. He turned to look at me. His hands were covered in dirt, and he looked worried.
“What were you thinking coming out here?” I asked as I grabbed him by the shoulders, “Do you know how much you scared me, huh? You could have gotten yourself hurt, do you understand that?! Never run off like that ever again!”
He apologized. I hugged him and sighed in relief. “What are you doing out here anyways?” I questioned.
He pointed his little dirty index finger to the hole he had started to dig. I raised my eyebrows curiously, and walked over to the shallow pit in front of me. I told him not to play in the dirt.
“But daddy, I have to keep digging!” He exclaimed, “I have to show you something.”
“Show me what?”
“Daddy, just keep digging, you have to see for yourself. It’s a deep hole.”
I don’t know why, but I felt compelled, like I was under some obligation to listen. I found a dry stick, big and strong enough to use for digging. Ericsson did as he was told while I dug. He stayed nearby.
I dusted off the hard surface I had struck moments ago, only to find something that was an off checkered blue cloth. I dusted away the dirt, until I could make out what I was looking at. There— in front of me was a child-sized skull. Beside it, I saw something shining in the light. I picked it up to reveal it was a silver pendant, one from a set I had bought Eric on his 5th birthday.
“Wh— what the hell is this?” I stammered, “What the hell is this?!”
“It’s me daddy,” Ericsson started to say. “That’s where mommy left me after she put me to sleep."
[FOR MORE: https://www.facebook.com/100063471103975/posts/pfbid0388UgwknX57ZXsgSEb2zhuGwjvCHoYGto6ybqWoCah7tkJHXDEhUxFpQmv7cFdRSFl/?app=fbl]
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sodaliteskull · 1 month ago
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SCREAMING okay so finishing the SIoC stuff has been my main focus for the last couple months, and it's felt like I haven't gotten anywhere due to fluctuation in the story count department.
(lol that and it's been a rough couple of months, let me tell you!)
The bulk of this thing was written by me and two of my closest friends, and we would invent new stuff for this setting both off and online. The down side to that was that we would make in-story references to stuff that we only ever talked about IRL, so going in and actually adding those story beats/characters/events/places and whatnot had me writing whole new stories for the project, and at one point that ballooned the 150 story count up to 165!
I have managed to get that back down to the 150 I started the year with, and that's because there were a bunch of places where I was able to move or combine things together for narrative cohesion, but then it made me feel like I'd gotten nowhere since that number, ultimately, didn't change!
But I've been keeping track of wordcount milestones as I made edits, and in February I'd breached 500,000 words. In September? 900,000. So I HAVE gotten a lot done, even if the story count doesn't reflect that!
As it stands, out of 150 stories, I have 21 left to finish in some capacity. The majority of them, since they were written in a forum RP style, rather than a proper prose style, just need inciting events or closing remarks, on top of the edits to make it read like a story rather than just a chain text thread.
We were also just writing stand alone stories for this thing, and I have the outline for one that I never actually got around to starting, so I will be able to polish that off pretty quickly.
Then there's going to be one story that will have to be fully reconstructed. We were using a free forum for all this stuff, and 3 of our threads were deleted for "violating community guidelines" (I just got a list of things that went against the guidelines, but not which ones we were infracting upon). I tried reaching out to see if there was a way to restore these threads, but was told that was out of the question. So one thread, if there was a story in there, is completely lost to time. The second thread, I have the story that is the direct sequel to the events that happened in it, so I was able to make a prologue in the sequel explaining the pertinent events that were lost when the thread got removed.
But the last thread, I only just remember bits and pieces of details, and am still waiting to hear back from my co-writers to see if they remember more (or just so happened to maybe save a copy somewhere, which I am not going to hold out hope for). It's honestly a little fitting, because the Silent Island of Crow started as a forum coding project that was kept on our school server, and that was always purged at the end of the year, so this is hardly the first time that stuff written on or about the Island has been lost! And in those original cases, I did up diary entries from one of my characters in order to explain the missing events, so I am probably just going to do that here.
I'm going to see about finishing off one of the incomplete stories tonight, which will just leave me with 20 to go, and then so long as I stick to complete one story every two days, I'll have this whole thing finished off by the end of the year!
And then NEXT YEAR I can focus on getting these all in chronological order, because having dozens of stories all being written at the same time is not great for having a cohesive continuity!
(what I need to finish is under the cut, mostly for my own reference)
Stories To Finish
Woods of Fantasy p2 - editing, opening and ending needed, as well as a proper title (30,140 words atm)
The Return - just an edit pass (27,227 words atm)
Creepy!!! - edit, opening and proper title needed (15,421 words atm)
The Islanders Go To School... At HOGWARTS! - Serena started this one back in the day, so she's going to be finishing it. I'll do an edit pass when done (10,627 words atm)
And So The Adventure Begins…AGAIN! - editing, opening, ending, and title (10,619 words atm)
R-A-B! - editing, opening, ending, title (10,230 words atm)
Oooo, Weapons!! p2 - edit, opening, ending, title (10,019 words atm)
The mountains to the North p1 - edit, opening, ending, title (9437 words atm)
Hurrah! The end is nigh! p2 - edit, opening, ending, title (8129 words atm)
Lookie lookie p3 - edit, opening, ending, title (8103 words atm)
Viking Problems - edit, opening, ending (6595 words atm)
Island Movies p2 - edit, opening, ending, title (4680 words atm)
Rebooted - edit, finish last quarter[third?] (4370 words atm)
The Winds of Change - edit, finish last quarter[third?] (4174 words atm)
New Years Eve-il - edit, finish last quarter (3649 words atm)
To Marenkes! - edit, finish last half (3119 words atm)
Pimpin's That Easy - edit, add conclusion (3114 words atm)
The Birth of Hobo Island - edit, add last two thirds (1774 words atm)
The Adventures Of Celery And Kumikke - Add in some of their journeys, then washing up on Hobo Island and meeting Rey, then taking the Hell Hawk off to figure out the prophecy they got (984 words atm)
Birthday BASH - story lost, rewrite as diary entry using remembered details (0 words atm)
Reality Bites - use outline to write story (0 words total)
Edits/Continuity Fixes I Know About
Wounds - add in segment where Ivanova leaves and Yanna goes after her, add in where Aatrin and Kesper went during the Emperor's growth spurt (7502 words atm)
When The Lonely Light Of Morning Comes - fix segment where it says Kesper is immortal, as he isn't (10,962 words atm)
The Feast - Islanders know what Katear-Enech look like, and how they destroyed themselves, but this was discussed IRL rather than in-story, so I'll need to add an explanation in (18,213 words atm)
Spring Cleaning - Yanna mentions shedding her wings previously, which was definitely another IRL thing that we didn't properly write about, either add something in here, or insert it into an earlier story (24,775 words atm)
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ks-dreams-fantasies · 4 years ago
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You don’t want to miss dessert - Rio (Good Girls)
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Ok so let’s be honest, last night’s episode was just pure teasing, the hands, the smirks, the bedroom scene. God have mercy I’m about to bust 😂 The thought of Rio making you cum into his hands in his own family home while everyone is waiting outside is just 👅 Enjoy this one 😏
Warning : Smut
Word Count : 1.6k (Not proofread)
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Being in business with Rio was definitely a challenge for you. You’ve had your arguments over the past 2 years, them not always ending well. You had wanted out after 8 months, but he wouldn’t let you do that. He had threatened you for you to come back to work with him. The problem with your relationship, was that both of you always wanted to be right and have the upper hand. He loved that you were daring and confident, but he often needed to remind you who was boss.
You could say your relationship was complicated. It was only business related, even though the both of you had slept together a couple of times before, not making it a recuring thing. Three times, you had slept together three times since you had met him, each time better than the other. You would be lying if you said you weren’t drawn and attracted to Rio. Hell, even his name made you feel puddy. He wasn’t like anyone you’d ever hooked up with before. Maybe it was the fact that you never really met someone like him, which is normal cause Rio is unique.
People wouldn’t necessary imagine the both of you working and being together, but that’s why it made perfect sense. Neither your entourage nor the FBI would suspect you to be in business with a guy like him. By the look of it, you seem to live in two different worlds, but you were very much alike. You needed to be in control, just like him and you had a certain way to plan and do things, which matched his way to do business.
He thrusted you, and he had spoken to you about meeting important people, which you were nervous for. You didn’t want to imagine someone more dangerous and intimidating than him, but you tried to prepare yourself for the worse. You were supposed to meet later that day and he had texted you the address. Parts of you was always being skeptical about his next move, fearing something bad could happen to you, not that you had anything to hide.
Being on your way to meet him, you felt the palms your hands getting sweaty, wiping them off on the black dress you chose to wear. Just like Rio, dark colors were your go to, often wearing dresses and skirts to show your legs. You got out of the car, walking slowly towards the red door, knocking on it lightly.
“Hey mama” a deep throaty voice startled you, making you turn around to see your boss boarding a slight smirk on his face, eyeing you up and down.
You felt your cheeks getting warmer as he motioned for you to follow him through the backyard. You got nervous for a minute but once you passed the wooden door, you saw kids running around and the smell of grilled food making your mouth water calmed you down. He walked towards the table, putting his arms around an older lady’s shoulder, bringing her closer to him.
“This is my boss” he said, looking at her, then diverting his eyes towards yours quickly
“I’m just his grandmother” she said, chuckling lightly before looking back at you. “You must be (Y/N)”
“I am” you answered, nodding softly
“Well, both of you come take your seat, you arrived just in time for dinner” she said motioning her hands towards the table, where a few plates were already laid down. Rio pulled your chair as you sat down, mumbling a quick thank you, string at him as he took the seat next to you. You were getting slightly less nervous as all of you ate your delicious food while talking and laughing.
“So how do you know my uncle?” a 10-year-old kid asked you, taking a bite of his chicken.
“She’s just a work friend, bud” Rio answered for you
“What’s she do?” the kid asked again, looking at his uncle
“Um, she helps me out” he said looking at you “That right?” Rio smirked at you as you nodded
“That all?” the guy in front of him asked, stepping into the conversation, looking devilishly at the both of you. “Heard a lot about you (Y/N)” he continued as you felt Rio getting tense beside you.
“Um yeah, that’s all” you said slightly blushing, feeling Rio’s hand on your back, rubbing it slowly. He changed the subject, knowing his cousin was making you uncomfortable. You continued eating quietly as they all laughed and talked together. You could feel his hands on your back still, pushing back your chair before excusing yourself.
“I’m sorry, is there a bathroom I could use please?” You smiled slightly at Rio’s grandma, as she gave you direction. You made your way inside, finding the bathroom easily. You did what you had to do, and washed your hands looking at yourself in the mirror, reapplying your lip gloss. You could hear the sound of their laughter from where you were, making you sight lightly.
You got out, making your way through the hallway, passing a bedroom, which seemed to be his grandmother’s. You stopped by the door, seeing some picture frames placed neatly on a bookshelf, making you walked closer into the room to look closely at them. You picked a picture of a young Rio graduating into your hands and it made you wonder what he studied. You didn’t picture him as a big school person, so you were surprised to say the least. You jumped slightly as Rio’s husky voice, interrupted you.
“What are you doing?” he said, leaning against the door frame, looking at you, deeply.
“I don’t know, I just got curious” you shrugged your shoulders, watching his every moves. He moved closer to you, making you hold your breath, nervous and aroused. He made you weak in the knees and you could hardly speak without getting flustered. Even thought you were a confident woman, his body close to yours always had that effect on you, and he knew it. You turned towards the bookcase again, feeling his firm chest pressing against your back, as he picked up a smaller picture frame, the both of you looking at it.
“You find anything interesting?” he asked, his mouth next to your ear, sending down shivers down your spine. He put the frame back, his arms brushing yours lightly, making you turn around to face him. His eyes burned into yours, waiting for your answer. You licked your lips, looking at your fumbling hands before meeting his dark eyes again
“I don’t know” you said, feeling bold you dropped both of your hands on his chest, sliding them down until they could rest on the waistband of his pants “You tell me” you stated, before unbuckling his belt.
He stopped you, grabbing your wrist softly, making you look at him a blush creeping onto your cheeks. He shook his head slightly, putting your hand down and dragging his towards your thigh. His finger danced on your soft skin, goosebumps rising onto your body. He lifted your leg slowly, resting it on his waist. His face now in the crook of your neck, his hot breath fanning over throat, making you close your eyes, appreciating the moment. You felt his long fingers trail up to the side of your emerald, green lace panties, before making his way to your dripping core, spreading your juices, letting out a throaty groan.
The sound of him only making you wetter, his finger making its way into your warm tight flesh. A quiet moan erupted from your mouth as you grabbed his shoulder firmly, bringing him even closer to you. The room was silent, except for the sounds of his digits pumping in and out of you quickly. Your breathing was getting heavier, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip, trying to keep your moans to yourself. His thumb found his way to your clit, massaging it slowly, putting just enough pressure to make your body quiver.
He inserted another finger inside of your leaking fold, fastening his pace, making you clench around him. One of your hand traveled to his neck, digging your fingers into the back of it, as he let out a deep groan next to your ear.
“R-Rio” you mumbled quietly, clenching your eyes shut, feeling your climax approaching by the second.
“I know mama” he whispered “let it go” right when the words left his lips, you felt yourself relax into his embrace, as your orgasm took over you. He helped you ride it out, pumping his fingers slowly, before removing them from your inside. You faltered your dress as he moved towards the door.
“Hurry up, you don’t want to miss dessert” he said smirking before leaving you all flustered into his grandma’s bedroom. You waited a few minutes, before following behind him, joining the others around the table outside.
“Ahhh here she is. We wondered where you’ve been” Rio’s cousin exclaimed as you sat down. “Pie?” he handed you a plate, not waiting for your reply. You took it, placing it in front of you listening to the older lady speak. As you all finished your dessert, you saw Rio from the corner of your eyes, dig his finger into the whipped cream remaining on his plate, and popping them into his mouth sucking slowly on them. You could feel his eyes on you, and you could only imagine him smirking as his tongue lapped at his finger, the same fingers that were minutes ago buried into your tight pussy. Just the thought of him tasting the remaining of your hot fluid made you clench your thighs together, Rio not missing the sight of you getting flustered again.
“Mhh … I think this must be the best dessert I’ve ever tasted”
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Thanks for reading
Hope you liked it, let me know what you think
-K
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inkmemes · 3 years ago
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young  royals  (  2021  )  sentence  starters ↪  taken  from  netflix’s  swedish  ya  drama.  non-contextual  spoilers.  trigger  warning  for  mentions  of  sexual  activity,  drugs,  alcohol,  death,  implied  internalised  homophobia,  bullying.  alter  as  you  see  fit  ♡
“at least you can stay for a cup of coffee?”
“hey, wait up. did you sleep together?” 
“he's probably making out with someone. forget it.”
“i can't take it anymore.”
“what are you doing?”
“and he had to finish your sentence. what's going on? you like him.”
“every time you see your dad, you get all depressed.”
“you're still here, so obviously you must want something.”
“are you high? what the hell are you on?”
“does this make you horny?” 
“i like [town name], but i don't want to live here forever.”
“you can leave now. go home. i'm staying here for the weekend.”
“do you want chocolate?”
“how do you feel?” 
“it's kind of hard to tell them apart, you know.” 
“you're a worthless drunk.”
“you … you need to figure out what you want. and you can take all the time you need. and i respect that. but you have to do it by yourself. i don't want to be anyone's secret.”
“you have to stop pretending that you're not afraid.”
“that's the thing, i just don't want that.”
“it's something new. something fresh.”
“can we talk privately for a minute?” 
“and if anyone gives you a hard time, you know, just let me know, and i'll take care of it.” 
“you do know you don't need to hide?” 
“are you gonna let us in?”
“promise to let me know if there's anything i can do.”
“hey, we won't go blind from your moonshine, right?”
“i'm just getting a good vibe. that's all.”
“you're so fucking pathetic.”
“you realize that this will have consequences?”
“he's such a fucking idiot.”
“i wanted us to have a few minutes alone.”
“when you're young, love feels like the most important thing in the world.” 
“i really like you.”
“felt like i had to rescue you from that situation.”
“it got so damn hot in there, i thought i'd get some fresh air.”
“you are allowed your own opinions. it's cool.”
“i've seen the way you look at each other.”
“here, this one is a little big for me, but i think it'll look great on you.”
“do you think royal dick is different than regular?”
“you're the only one here i feel i can actually talk to.” 
“i haven't heard anything yet, but i'll tell you as soon as i do.”
“you can't just lie here jerking off.”
“i don't want to go to some fucking boarding school!”
“i've missed this place so much.”
“are you going to horror movie night on friday?”
“but i like you. and that is not fake.”
“you don't need to share everything.”
“we should go to a concert again sometime.”
“you're fucking crazy!”
“where have you been? i've been trying to reach you.”
“just don't use the school's wi-fi for porn surfing. could be embarrassing.”
“but no matter what, they can't dictate what you say.”
“sorry about last night.”
“i don't want to talk to you!”
“i don't wanna sound like an idiot.”
“i was thinking, would you like to have a sleepover at my place? because that's something friends do. it's going to be really cozy.”
“i think maybe we should forget about that.”
“you can't really see that it is you.”
“i mean, it could be anyone. it's so fucking stupid.”
“i don't want to say anything.” 
“now you're doing it again. you're trying to take care of me.” 
“i can take it, it's okay.”
“that's not true. i haven't spoken to my parents.”
“we haven't done anything wrong.”
“you're beautiful! you're so beautiful.”
“i'm gay, [name].”
“seriously? what the fuck is your problem?”
“you keep letting people piss on you!”
“i just assumed you didn't want special treatment.”
“keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
“so you thought you'd start spreading false rumours without having any proof?” 
“i just didn't want to lose you.”
“uh, there's pizza left if you want some.”
“everybody thinks you're perfect. you know that, right?”
“he's just been outed.”
“i'm going to fuck this up.”
“he bloody ruined my fucking life!”
“why are you sitting in your room sulking when you have a crush to hang out with?”
“hi. sorry, i was feeling a bit better. so i thought it was okay that i hung out with some friends.”
"everyone should be allowed to live as gay or straight or whatever they want.”
“i woke up in my own bed. that's always something.”
“could i just have one second? just one second alone, please?”
“i’m sorry. but it was, like, the only way.”
“i thought, everyone deserves a second chance.”
“i'm sorry about the mess. i wasn't expecting such distinguished company.”
“i just don't want you to be treated badly again.”
“oh, fuck.”
“you don't even… aren't you even gonna answer me?”
“i didn't know that one was supposed to sign up.”
“in real life, you don't pay to get ahead.”
“and what the fuck does your dad do?”
“let's try to have some table manners.”
“it's, like, really serious.”
“who the hell can live like this for three fucking years?”
“that's what happens when you buy the cheap ones.”
“i need your help with something. ”
“being a prince is not a punishment, but a privilege.”
“it's awesome to just chill out.”
“or maybe he lied about that too. what do i know?”
“you have to give people a chance.”
“you have to try to see it from my perspective.” 
“what the hell's this?”
“what happened to "we should forget about it"?”
“stop being so fucking stubborn and try to understand my situation.”
“sometimes it's better not to say everything.” 
“i was just bored.”
“have you ever had a boyfriend?”
“sometimes it's better to keep quiet.”
“can i get you some coffee?”
“nobody else cares about these things.”
“i lost track of time.”
“everybody does the same things and everybody knows everybody.”
“thanks for rescuing me yesterday.”
“remember when he came up to us the first week and was like, "what's up?"”
“i need you to delete all our texts.”
“i can't keep doing this anymore.”
“are you gonna let them go on with their bullshit?”
“i want to be with you.”
“here's a blanket, a pillow, and bed sheets. there you go.”
“okay, yeah. you don't seem to have grasped what i'm trying to say.”
“it's usually boring as hell.”
“he's been dealing to us for months.”
“i don't want to talk to him.”
“don't you wanna date [name] anymore?”
“i don't know why he's started texting me again. he knows i don't want anything to do with him.” 
“yeah, we had a shitload of drugs.”
“we could murder someone, and nobody would say a word.”
“she needs some fun.”
“he's just doing it to fuck with me.”
“it's such a weird question.”
“i just wanted to say hi. i don't believe we've met. ”
“but i still want us to be friends.”
“if i were to stay here… would you… like to keep me company? just you and me.”
“everything's, like, upside down now.”
“have you always lived here?”
“damn it. sorry. shit. i completely forgot.”
“i'm sure someone has a story to tell.”
“you've got to put yourself first. i mean, no matter what he thinks about it.”
“come on! you can't just sit there stuck in your room.”
“you can snuggle up in my safe arms if it gets scary.”
“i want to live a normal life.”
“let me have a look. you can hardly see it.”
“any other dick that's been sucked?”
“you just expect everything to be on your terms.”
“i want to know everything!”
“you don't have to go there. i'll take care of myself.”
“has anyone ever told you how pretty you are?” 
“i'll just stay in and go to bed early.”
“thanks for explaining the schedule.”
“i'd rather die.”
“i don't want you to be mad.”
“promise to tell me if something is wrong.”
“i can't be dressed like this if you're dressed like that.” 
“it's really complicated.”
“it feels like you don't care what people think about you, or if you have a lot of friends and stuff.” 
“nobody asked you to come. feel free to leave if you want.”
“well, nobody has ever, ever asked for this!” 
“there isn't so much to do around here.”
“you've become such a snob.”
“i know you're only trying to help me.” 
“do you like it here?”
“i don't wanna go in there. we're not even invited. fuck this.”
“don't you think it's weird [name] invited us to come?”
“if they hadn't been here, would you've, uh, made out with me?”
“so, you're an actual proper couple now?”
“you're thinking about someone else.”
“you're right. we're doing this together.”
“thanks… for nothing.”
“why are you even so obsessed with him?”
“i want you to hold me.”
“call me when you want to be picked up.”
“what the fuck do you care?” 
“i don't think we're a couple or anything. i don't know what it is.”
“you never asked me!”
“your focus should be on comforting me so that i can comfort him.” 
“it's not that hard. you have to be able to keep up appearances.”
“famous people make videos like that.”
“maybe somebody forgot to tell me, as usual.”
“just make a move on [name] and show him what you want.”
“you wanna stay a while and jam?”
“have you talked to your parents about it?”
“a diverse bunch of losers, who'll never amount to anything.”
“why can't i decide how the hell i want to live?”
“apparently, i'm the only one who doesn't know everybody.”
“i used to have straight a's on every test.”
“it will damage our reputation.”
“i'm fucking starving.”
“why is it called tax "evasion" but welfare "scam"? it's all right that rich people cheat, but when poor people do it, it's messed up. for rich people, it's not even called "welfare”, it's called "deduction."”
“what the fuck is rowing?”
“what the hell have you done, [name]?”
“good voice, man.”
“why can't i just have a relationship with him?”
“did you have fun last friday?”
“all the people are fake. they're made out of metal.”
what do you want me to say? i'm sorry!”
“is this some kind of prank?”
“i like you when you are yourself!”
“but you like him, don't you?”
“she shouldn't talk to you like that.”
“are you into him?”
“something's not right, i think we should head back to the road.”
“do you have trouble sleeping?”
“doesn't anyone care what i want?”
“just don't tell anyone that i've been here.”
“i was going to text you back, but…”
“your only mistake was that you hung out with the wrong kind of people.”
“i just wanted to help.”
“i know you'll use anything to get high or drunk.” 
“it's time to stop being so selfish.”
“i just want my fucking money.”
“you should've planned ahead. didn't you bring a sandwich?” 
“who the fuck wants to be normal anyway?”
“you fucking told me you were the one i could always come to!”
“i take it back.”
“i can see there's something going on.”
“i have to finish getting ready, so if you could please leave.”
“no one likes me when i'm myself.” 
“i hope you have a nice christmas.”
“i'm gonna do the wrong things, say the wrong things.”
“my mom is gonna kill me.”
“do you remember what you said to me last night?”
“i cannot be dragged into this.”
“i like you too.”
“you're no longer a part of my family.”
“it's well-suited for smaller people.”
“i assume that he thought that it would make him popular.”
“i didn't ask for this!”
“it's no problem. i like doing it.”
“it feels like i'm gonna throw up.”
“don't i get any breakfast?”
“whatever i do, i can't do anything right.”
“we haven't been to any party whatsoever.”
“did you get my texts?”
“i think it sounds romantic.”
“uh, wait, you have to come to the horror movie night on friday.”
“i liked what you said in there, [name].”
“okay, maybe he used to be a player, but love can actually change you.”
“it's nice to make an effort and dress up for dinner.” 
“i'm in a fucked-up situation and i'm trying to talk to you.” 
“you don't understand. i was gonna pay it.”
“you're not that kind of guy.”
“i was about to go outside and, um, do you wanna come with?”
“what about me?” 
“it was… okay, i guess.”
“can i sit with you?”
“you call this a scary movie?”
“i have a million things to take care of, i don't have time to talk to you.”
“have you lost it completely?”
“but i'm starving.”
“this past year has been difficult for me.”
“i don't get it. she's making it into such a big deal.”
“no, this won't work. just take it off, please.” 
“i'm not like that.”
“fuck you. it's not a crush.”
“then i know that i can't count on you.”
“can't you come see me in [town] sometime?”
“it's just that we can't be seen together.” 
“he was still sleeping when i walked in.”
“doesn't bother me at all. i've seen it. absolutely. 100%.”
“[name] is really getting on my nerves! seriously.”
“i want us to be friends again.”
“i thought you and [name] were friends.”
“make sure you check your dms. okay?”
“you think it's fun to fuck with people like me?”
“never spend money you don't have. okay?”
“you think i'm stupid?”
“this sucks.” 
“how nice to see some smiles.”
“this isn't just about me, but my entire family.”
“i'm going to marry her.”
“are you threatening me?”
“don't you realize the shit storm that follows if i come out?” 
“i don't want you to talking to her.”
“remember what we saw during movie night? when they sat next to each other?”
“i love you.”
“i just want to hang out with you.”
"there's no point in having a back-up if you never use it."
“pretend i'm saying something clever.”
“how's [name]? he must be totally devastated.”
“what do you think they think we're talking about?”
“everything is fake. everything in the world is fake.”
“[name] is dead.”
“it just wasn't what i thought it would be like.”
“since when did you start liking him for real?” 
“what a fucking douchebag. god!”
“what the hell are you saying? chill out!”
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nameless-shrimp · 4 years ago
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BREAKING UP WITH THEM.
Characters: Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki & Satoru Gojo
Type: Headcanons/Small one-shot | GN!Reader
Warnings: Heavy angst/slight mention of sexual content.
Shrimp Notes: I was just casually thinking of writing angst, hehe.
Yuji Itadori
He noticed that you were being distant for quite some time. The majority of the time, his classmates would see both of you close together, it was impossible to separate the both of you. Though, there came a time where you didn't bother to stick close to his side; the usual excuses of "I'm busy" would be thrown out there.
Everyone knew that Yuji had a partner, though it became a shock when you didn't come by the school every once in a while. You didn't have any cursed techniques, but that didn't stop Yuji from falling in love with you.
It was hard ignoring his text messages, but it was best that you'd tell him that you were occupied with your own studies and your own part-time job; it was hard for Yuji to not see you as often, but it was for the best.
You didn't want to break up with him. Truly you didn't. Though, the life of dating a jujutsu sorcerer was dangerous. Nonetheless, he was the vessel for a dangerous curse, and you didn't expect your long-term boyfriend to fall into this scary and risky path, and you were also dragged along with it.
The times when Sukuna would pop out during your dates with Yuji became frustrating, you only wanted to spend time with your boyfriend yet the curse that was within him had to keep teasing and messing with you. It was tiring.
"What?"
His words were barely audible as he stared at you, hands clutching onto the bouquet of flowers that he was hoping to give you since he hadn't seen you in a week (which felt like forever to him). You didn't know what else to say, and you only sighed, placing your hands on his cheeks. You loved him tremendously, it was hard to let him go; the life of a sorcerer was not for you, and you couldn't endanger yourself any longer with the life that he was going down in.
"I will always love you," you spoke, and you felt your bottom lip quiver. Three years of dating this boy will now end, and your heartstrings tugged at the thought. Maybe this wasn't the best decision for you, but you knew it was to guarantee your safety, and your unhappiness in the relationship was growing. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this."
"We can work this out," Yuji raised his voice, clearly desperate to hold onto you. "I'm sorry you feel this way but you know I'll protect you, right? I know that I can be too much sometimes but I want to stay!"
"I can't put myself through this, I can't," you explained. "It's too dangerous for me."
"I'll never let anything happen to you, you know that right?"
"I'm aware," you responded. "But it's best that we go our separate ways."
"I don't want this to happen, please."
"I'm sorry."
It was hard for Yuji to move past the breakup. Many times, he skipped his private lessons with Satoru, and he'd lay in his bed, listening to music that reminded him of you. It would end up with him crying or holding back tears while falling asleep for a couple of hours.
Nobara would try to drag him out of his room but it was pointless. She'd joke about how she'd carry her shopping bags this time, but it was no use to get him crawling out of his bed.
Megumi left trays of food near his door. Eventually, Megumi would barge in sometimes, telling Yuji to try to come to training every so often, but Yuji had difficulty getting out of the bed. Even Satoru would knock every so often and try to give some advice that relationships were tough, but losing you was tougher.
The fact that you weren't in Yuji's life anymore; you weren't there to hold him and to help him through his mental struggles, and that he'd do the same for you when you'd freak out over final exams or the moments when you called because your favorite character died; he missed those moments, he missed you, and you weren't planning on coming back.
Megumi Fushiguro
After finding out that he was a jujutsu sorcerer, the thought of it scared you, but you trusted Megumi with your life. You knew he was capable of handling his own, but when he'd come to see you with bruises and bandages all over his face, there'd be moments where you feared that you'd lose him due to the battles he was in.
While you'd be out on dates with him, he'd get stopped by Satoru with endless calls of a curse that he'd have to take care of. You knew Megumi had priorities, especially with the sorcerer he was, but it was frustrating; you wanted some time with your boyfriend, yet he'd have to leave you every so often to take care of some situations.
Megumi would hardly contact you since he was busy, so keeping in touch was fairly difficult. However, the one night when you cuddled with him in his bed, his arm on your shoulder as he pulled you into his chest, you felt empty and that the feelings you'd get when he'd do small affectionate gestures like this were vanishing.
For quite some time, you knew you were slowly losing feelings for him and that the relationship of a regular human and a jujutsu sorcerer was very difficult. It was hard to fall into the life of someone who was consistently endangering himself and now your life was sucked into that kind of path; you didn't want it. You just wanted a normal, happy life, but when there were a lot of injuries, battles, and dangerous fights, you couldn't find yourself being on that worrisome path.
When Megumi would text you, you'd find yourself responding in bland and hollow texts. You'd make up excuses to not attend any of the dates, such as exams coming up or that you needed to attend some club meetings (Megumi knew you though, he knew that you weren't engaging in so much activity since you always made time for him when he could barely try to squeeze in time for you).
He saw it coming, but he didn't expect it to hurt this much.
"I can't be with you anymore," you spoke, tears falling down your cheeks. Maybe this wasn't the right decision, something good can work out, but it had been months. There would be times where Megumi didn't talk to you for a week or more because you knew that his teacher, Satoru Gojo, would be assigning him these missions, and he'd be too tired to talk to you. The consistent neglecting, yet you couldn't blame him, he was busy and he was growing into a stronger sorcerer every day. "I can't do this."
"I don't want to lose you," he responded, not bothering to make eye contact. It seemed as if he was starting to become lost in his thoughts. "I'm sorry I haven't been the best boyfriend, I just... I never stopped thinking about you."
"I know, but..." your voice trailed off, and you fought back a sob. "It seems as if you aren't putting any more effort into us, and it has been so long; I know you're busy, but I can't keep up with this. The life you have is dangerous and—"
"Every time I'm out there, I think about you," Megumi explained, finally making eye contact with you. "I don't want to lose you. I really don't want that to happen. But—it seems like it is happening."
"I'm sorry, 'Gumi, but I don't think we can do this."
You really had to call him by that nickname. Within seconds, Megumi burst into tears and then hugged you tightly, you felt yourself crying as well and he held onto you as if this was the last time you'd ever see each other. He never found himself to be so desperate before, clinging onto you, and he rested his forehead on your shoulders, pleading inside that you'd change your mind. But he knew you; you had your mind set in stone, and although this hurt the both of you, it was for the best that you'd say your goodbyes.
"I'll never stop loving you," Megumi spoke, words barely audible as he let out a saddening sigh.
"I know," you responded.
Megumi didn't come in contact with a lot of his friends, even his older senpais worried for his sake since he didn't actively try during their training sessions. Satoru would take note of this and attempt to play around with the boy's thoughts, hoping Megumi would try to smile, though when did he ever with his sensei?
Satoru would purposefully avoid having Megumi go on missions, though at some point, Megumi should have been able to come out of his little shell at some point. However, Megumi would look at old photos of you two together, and then he struggled to avoid the memories from flooding in.
He didn't want to admit it but he'd try to stop himself from texting you, not to ask for you back, but he still worried about your well-being after you both said your goodbyes to each other.
Once Megumi began trying in his training sessions, it surprised everyone, even Satoru, but he was glad that his closest student was finally coming to an acceptance prior to your breakup with him. It took Megumi some time, but he was able to accept that you were no longer in his life; still, it would've been a lie if he said that he never thought about you.
Nobara Kugisaki
Knowing her, she'd always make time for you. Whenever she was free or even taking a break from training, she'd send you photos and text messages to keep that close connection. Although, you were losing that sense of touch, and you tried your hardest to stay close to her, but when she decided to move to Jujutsu Tech and be away from home where you both met, long-distance became difficult.
Most nights, it would just leave her falling asleep on calls or her talking about her shopping trips. You'd sit and listen, laying in your bed, wishing she was there next to you, but she was far away now, and you were no longer physically close to her.
The consistent responses of your text messages began to die down; your heart felt hollow, you wanted to talk about how you felt, and when you did, Nobara tended to brush it off, saying that it was because you weren't used to a long-distance relationship. Perhaps she was right, but that connection was slowly fading.
She'd talk about visiting you constantly; she said she'd try to be home for the weekend but it never happens. When you tried to talk about how you felt, she could only sigh and apologize, though it became a cycle. You became used to the false hope of her ever visiting you - it hurt you, but it wasn't her fault. Jujutsu sorcerer life wasn't easy.
You'd ignore her messages and only respond dryly, you'd make excuses that you couldn't attend the calls that you had a ton of homework, or that you weren't feeling good. She'd try to encourage the both of you to talk more, but it always led to her falling asleep from exhaustion, and the sight of bandages on her faces always made you feel so empty.
"I think we should break up," you spoke, words barely audible.
She stared at you, hands clutched on her blankets and it was hard for you to look at the webcam of your laptop. You knew that this choice had to be done; you were losing that spark in your relationship, and you tried to reignite it so many times, but it was difficult due to her life as a jujutsu sorcerer. You weren't as unique as she as in that aspect, she had abilities while you were a student and only worked as a part-time associate. You knew both of you had different paths, different desires, different places to go; one life was normal yet one was dangerous and filled with life-threatening risks.
"N-No," Nobara stuttered, quickly grasping onto her phone before it fell down into her sheets. You could hear her fighting back a sob immediately, and your heart broke at the thought of her crying. "I'm sorry, am I not trying hard enough? I promise I will call you more, next weekend, I will actually come home and—"
"No, stop," you interrupted, fighting back a cry. "I have talked about this. About us. But you're too busy with the curse fighting and stuff. You and I both know we are opposite people here."
"It doesn't mean it can't work out!" Nobara cried out loud.
You gritted your teeth, wanting this moment to be over and done with. So badly, you wanted to end the call right away, but you couldn't just leave the conclusion to be empty and lost. "It's hard being away from you," you explained. "Long-distance is hard; you don't try to keep up with me in calls."
"I try to talk to you as much as I can..." she retorted.
"I don't feel the same way as I used to, Nobara," you sighed.
She was crying; of course, she was. You wanted to hug her, but you knew that you couldn't let unhappiness consume you anymore. You wanted to move on from this, and you knew it was best that the both of you moved on, really.
"I'm sorry," you said, breaking the silence.
She didn't say anything in response for a moment, but then she softly spoke, "it's okay... I love you, I always will," and then you sighed, before wishing her goodbye and that you wished that she would always be safe wherever she was.
The phone screen went black after the call ended, and then you were left with an empty heart, though you knew you had made the right choice for yourself.
Nobara found herself snapping at her classmates every now and then when they tried to have her train, even if it was a simple jog around the track or when they asked her what kind of food she wanted to eat, she'd snap at them. Though, they understood why, and even Yuji would offer to pay for her food or take her out shopping (even hold her bags for her) but she'd refuse or avoid the offer.
She'd check her phone, hoping you'd contact her but no messages or any ring of a notification. She knew it was wrong, but she'd change her ringtone to a song that reminded her of you just so she could try to feel a little close to you.
When Nobara would break down crying out of nowhere, Maki could only try to persuade her to block your number so she could move on and Inumaki only provided a bunch of back rubs as a sign of comfort. However, Nobara wished you were the one comforting her.
She still kept photos of you two together; back at her home town and that big smile on your face kept her going. Eventually, she'd realize that you made the choice for the sake of yourself, but she still missed you endlessly. Needless to say, she was still planning to find you if she ever went back to where she grew up in.
Satoru Gojo
You were dating the strongest sorcerer and you knew that would lead to consequences. But when there would be weeks of him not contacting you due to his overseas travels, it became rather difficult to keep that connection with him. Sure, he'd text you that he loved you here and there, but Satoru was quite the busy man and you accepted that, but the connection you both had was fading out.
Satoru loved you unconditionally, always wanting to call you after he completed several missions and went through multiple lessons with his students, but he fell right to sleep once he hit the bed. It left you alone at night, you trusted him, but you were slowly fading out of the feelings you had for him.
There would be a few moments here and there where he'd say he would make it to your important events, but he wouldn't come. Your dinner with your parents, one of your anniversaries, your birthday, your graduation—he was too busy with his job and his lifestyle; you understood it, but you couldn't deny that it hurt you.
Usually, he'd surprise you when he'd come home, but he'd be exhausted to do a lot of other activity unless it was sex or a small bit of cuddling. You wanted a movie night or to go out for dinner, though he didn't have enough strength for that. Sleeping in bed together was most of what you got, and it became tiring and mentally draining to not receive so much of what you had hoped for.
You felt bad; Satoru provided a lot of gifts, affection, and he comforted you even during your darkest days, but there was something missing. You wanted to reignite the feelings you had for him, but it was slowly dying out; you were both different. You couldn't see any curses, yet he was able to, and he was risking his life every second of each day; both of your paths were different, and you couldn't deny that.
"You're breaking up with me, aren't you?"
He spoke first, and with that look on your face, he got the answer already. He hoped that you weren't serious but he knew you all too well. Satoru knew that this moment was coming, and he dreaded it; he tried to avoid it, but with who he was and what he does on a daily basis, his personal life got in the way of the relationship. No matter what, he did his best, and he knew that.
"I-I'm sorry," you choked out a cry before he came up to you and then hugged you tightly, and you started to rethink your decisions, but you knew this was for the best.
"I know," Satoru sighed, fighting back his tears. "I don't want you unhappy, it pains me to see you in so much pain."
"I wish you could do more," you cried.
He sighed again, deeply this time. "I'm sorry too. I am trying. I always have."
This was a hard conversation to have and so badly, you wanted it to be over, yet you didn't. You still loved him and he loved you. He held onto you tightly, he knew how your mind worked; once you made a decision, you were going to be sure of it, and Satoru knew that as a grown adult, you were capable of making your own decisions. Still, his heart continued to pain as each second passed by.
"I'll always love you," Satoru whispered.
"I will always love you," you responded.
And this was the last time that he'd ever say these words to you, or at least he would try to keep it that way.
Satoru sat on the bleachers most of the time while his students trained and he was lost in his own thoughts. He'd think about your whereabouts and he'd have an itchy feeling in his thoughts, wondering if you were in any danger since he always came to your rescue when a curse appeared and you weren't aware of it or even when someone made you uncomfortable at a store.
He'd look at his phone, occasionally texting you if you were doing alright and the conversation was either dry or you wouldn't respond. Part of him felt childish for thinking that you'd try talking to him again, but Satoru knew that it was best for him to avoid contact with you.
Some days, Satoru was more cheerful than ever, mostly because he tried to keep up that annoying persona of himself to make his students look at him like they wanted to punch him. At least that cheered him up the slightest. But when he was out and about, either assisting his students or exorcising a curse, he'd be reminded of the little things that you liked. If a car was your favorite color, he'd think of you, or the times that you said you loved a specific pastry, and just by eating it, he'd think of the memories he had with you.
Satoru didn't want to admit it, but he'd find himself crying every so often but he didn't sob too much. He knew that it was for the best to let you go and that you made the decision to leave. Perhaps he wasn't capable of a relationship for the lifestyle he had. Though whatever it may be, his heart still tugged at the thought of you, and he yearned for a hug whenever you came across his mind—a hug from you, of course.
230 notes · View notes
mcwriting · 3 years ago
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just say I Do
I have been super active lately which is vv weird for me but this has been in my drafts all summer and I thought now was a good time to post it since wedding season is coming to a close :)
Ship: Tom Holland x Reader
Word Count: 2945
Warnings: alcohol mention; slight angst with happy ending
§
She was a walking red flag from the moment she refused to laugh at your jokes.
Sure that sounds like a stupid reason, but more little "quirks," as Tom liked to call them, made themselves present the more he talked about Alaina.
He had been one of your best friends for years, but now he refused to listen.
"She doesn't trust us to hang out anymore?" you had asked incredulously.
"No, no. She's just insecure with the idea of us being alone together. That's all," he tried to reassure you. "I want to prove that I'm trustworthy."
Insecure
Code for "I don't trust you at all but I'm gonna keep using you for my benefit."
She had no reason not to trust him. You'd been in the friendzone for years and neither of you would ever cross a boundary. He was the most trustworthy person you knew.
After a couple weeks of his blatant ignorance of each red flag, you decided saving him from this relationship could never happen. You'd just have to let him drown in it.
So, you kept your mouth shut and ears open every time you hung out as he dumped all of her problems onto you. She'd turned him into her personal therapist and now you'd become his.
Regardless of how much you'd tried to extend an olive branch to her, she denied it every time, continually trying to push you away from her and, subsequently, Tom.
After months of this, yours and Tom's friendship eventually phased itself out.
Years of memories left in the dust .
You were almost happy, though. No more emotional trauma dumps every time you hung out with Tom. No more unnecessary hostility from Alaina. No more hiding your long-standing feelings.
You'd actually tried to tell him how you felt months earlier, but that got squashed when the "big news" he needed to tell you was that he had met someone. That "someone" being Alaina, of course.
You'd finally decompressed from all of the Tom drama when life decided to ramp up again as Harrison popped the all-important question to your female best friend, Rebecca.
The day after his proposal, she'd asked you to be maid of honor and you were quickly thrown into helping plan a wedding.
So you did your job: dress shopping, party planning, and shower throwing.
One unfortunate happenstance was that Tom was Harrison's best man, meaning that you had to see him again, especially within the month before the ceremony.
However, as the month moved forward, you and Tom had reconnected, your friendship much more lighthearted than how you'd left it previously. While Tom still talked about Alaina on occasion, he was no longer dumping everything onto you.
She still showed up to certain things, like a wedding shower and some parties, but you were mostly able to avoid her hostility and focus on Rebecca and Harrison.
Finally, after months and months of planning, the rehearsal dinner came, and you were almost hoping they'd just sign the papers that night and call it a wedding.
You were in the bridal suite touching up your lipstick as Rebecca and Harrison talked with the minister when Alaina appeared behind you, arms crossed.
"What's your angle, y/l/n?"
You furrowed your brows but didn't turn around, continuing to carefully apply the liquid lip as you just looked at her reflection.
"I don't know what you're talking about, sister. I'm just here to watch my best friend get married tomorrow."
"Don't play dumb. I know you're trying to get between me and Tom," she huffed.
"I can guarantee that's not what's going on here. We're friends again. That's all."
"You've been trying to squeeze your way into our relationship ever since it started. Forcing Tom to hang out with you alone, always texting him..."
You screwed the lipstick shut and stood up, whipping around to interrupt her.
"I'm sorry, what? I never forced him to do anything. He and I actually started communicating less once you two got together. You know, I knew you were insecure but I didn't think it was this bad."
"Well you've still been trying to pry us apart, even after your little friendship hiatus."
"Honey, I'm the reason he even asked you to make it official. He was too scared of committing, but I told him to pull the trigger and make you his girlfriend. Now I get that you have family trauma and the whole thing with your parents but-"
When she cut you off you knew you'd made a mistake. She wasn't supposed to know what all Tom had told you.
"You know what about me?"
You took in a sharp breath, unsure how to answer. An awkward pause fell between you.
"Everything. I know almost every damn thing about you. You were using Tom as a therapist and he took it to me. And I'm sorry about everything that's happened to you but I was almost glad when you forced me out of his life for a little bit because it meant I could finally deal with my own problems for once."
She continued to stare at you, stunned.
I- everything?" she breathed. You nodded, somber. "Why would he do that?"
"Dude. We were best friends for years. Told each other everything. Always went to each other to talk through the deep stuff. He didn't really know how to handle the stuff you were telling him. I wouldn't blame him for wanting to tell someone."
"But you know all this... stuff about me!"
"And those things aren't what shaped my opinion of you! Sure, it gave me some insight into your personality, but you can't let that stuff define you. You aren't going to get any real help dumping it all on your boyfriend, either."
"What are you trying to say, y/n?"
"I'm saying that him telling me everything shouldn't be the real problem here. The problem is that the whole relationship is toxic. Break up or don't, but you both need help. Tom isn't your therapist and if that's all you want him for then he shouldn't be your boyfriend. You both deserve better."
Each of you sat in that statement for a moment. After all of the frustration and anger, you'd chosen to channel it into something constructive.
Alaina had a look of defeat. You'd expected anger from her after everything.
"Yeah. Maybe we do. I just can't believe I couldn't trust him with the most important things in my life. Maybe I shouldn't have been trying to keep you apart all this time. I really should've been getting you together."
"What? No, Alaina don't say that-"
"Do you know where Tom is?"
"Come on don't do this right now-"
"Y/n just tell me where he is."
"I- You were the last one with him as far as I know. You came in here after I did."
In silence, she nodded and exited, leaving you alone again with a pit in your stomach.
You quickly tried to straighten yourself out, taking one last look in the mirror before you walked out and faked a smile.
"Oh! There you are! We're gonna get started on the rehearsal now!" Rebecca said as she caught you in the hall. "Just head outside and if you see Tom, tell him to come, too."
You did see him as you headed that way. His lips were pressed into a tight grimace as Alaina quietly talked to him near the building's entrance.
His eyes caught yours briefly and you gestured your head towards the alter, tapping your wrist. He gave a small nod of recognition and Alaina turned to see you in the distance, giving you a sad grin.
Tom started to tell her that he needed to go rehearse when she put a hand on his shoulder.
"Bye, Tom. Keep in mind what I told you," she said, leaning up to press a kiss on his cheek before walking off to her car, leaving for good.
You could tell he trying not to seem sad as he followed not far behind you to join everyone else.
When Rebecca returned, she was excitedly telling everyone the plan for walking down the aisle, deciding to pair bridesmaids with groomsmen as there was an equal number.
The pit in your stomach grew when you realized that meant you and Tom would be paired together.
The pairs lined up, you and Tom having to be last. You knew it would take a while when the flower girls took forever to walk the aisle and the first male/female pair couldn't figure out their cue.
Your arm was looped in Tom's but you had never felt so apart from him. Both of you were stiff, trying not to move too much.
"Alaina dumped me," he finally whispered, leaning over to tell you, as your heels brought you close to his height.
Your head stayed forward as your gaze fell to the ground.
"I figured as much. I tried to talk her out of it but... you know."
"Yeah."
There was another heavy silence.
"I'm really sorry, Tom," you started, but he cut you off.
"Don't. We just need to focus on Becca and Haz," he bit back, stone-faced.
You wanted to say something more, but you were cut off by Rebecca telling you your cue and getting you to walk the aisle in sync.
You couldn't look at Tom the rest of the night and hardly touched your dinner as your thoughts ran wild of how to make things up to him.
You couldn't tell Rebecca what happened. This was her time to shine, and you figured if Tom were to tell Harrison anything, it would just be that they'd broken up.
A couple speeches were made about the happy couple and finally it was over, all of you nervously ready for the real ceremony tomorrow.
You breathed a sigh of relief when you made it out without talking to Tom again.
The next morning, things ramped up as the bridal party got ready while sipping mimosas. Everything felt frantic because you felt the need to supervise and take stress off the bride.
It didn't help that you were still stressing over Tom.
You went into the bathroom to catch your breath, trying to maintain a positive facade.
When you stepped out, you found Rebecca looking beautiful as ever in front of you, but you quickly recognized the look on her face.
"Lets go to the balcony real quick. I feel like we need to talk."
You followed her out, both of your robes flowing in a soft breeze as the sun shone down happily. She handed you another mimosa as she leaned over the railing.
"Harrison told me about Tom. Said it was a pretty big deal."
You groaned, trying not to facepalm over your freshly done makeup.
"Becca we shouldn't be talking about this right now. We need to focus on your wedding-" you started, reaching for the door handle.
"Y/n. I want to talk about this. And I hear you're supposed to listen to the bride on her wedding day," she chuckled. You rolled your eyes and smirked.
"Fine. Yeah, they broke up. And it's all my fault and Tom's probably pissed at me but whatever. It's fine."
"From what I hear he's not as mad as he probably should be. It's been a long time coming, you were just the catalyst. Just think how much longer it would've taken for them to pull their heads outta their asses without you."
"He's not mad?"
"Doesn't sound like it. I think you guys need to talk about it, though."
You sighed.
"We will, eventually. We both agreed yesterday that we just need to focus on you two right now."
"You know that's gonna be hard, right? I mean, you're both gonna be stuck together from pictures up until after the ceremony."
"Yeah, yeah. I promise I won't ruin your wedding. Can't speak for Tom, though," you joked, holding your glass up towards hers.
"I'll take your word for it," she replied, clinking her own glass against yours.
§
The bride and groom weren't ones for superstition, so you took wedding photos before the ceremony to maximize lighting and time with the guests later.
You didn't talk to Tom at all, but neither of you could keep from making quick eye contact between shots.
Finally the time had came for guests to begin arriving and the big moment to actually come.
After some last minute touch ups, the wedding party greeted guests as the countdown began. Once things were in place, you all went back into the building to line up, ready to start.
Again, you and Tom were linked together, waiting in bated breath.
"Alaina told me something yesterday before she left," Tom whispered.
You hummed in response.
"Yeah. Said I never really loved her."
"What makes her think that?" you asked, trying to pay attention to those ahead of you in line as music started playing outside.
"She told me I probably loved you," he replied casually.
Your eyes widened as you turned to look at him in shock. Again you wanted to reply but Tom tugged your arm and started stepping forward.
"Oh, looks like it's our time to shine."
Your heart was beating out of your chest as you walked down the aisle, seeing familiar faces as a blush rose to your cheeks before you both separated at the alter, leaving an empty spot between you and Harrison.
You pretty much forgot all of the nervousness when you watched your beautiful best friend come down the aisle with her dad. Harrison was tearing up and you were fighting back your own.
The ceremony began and throughout it, you and Tom continued to look past the couple and steal glances of each other.
When the vows finally came, you actually were crying, pulling a hidden tissue from your bouquet to dab your eyes as you watched with a watery grin. They had written their own vows.
You still couldn't help but watch Tom, though, as the two professed their love in front of everyone.
When they finished, the minister was given the rings and the most important part came.
"Now, Harrison, do you take Rebecca to be your wife? Will you love and cherish her for the rest of your days?"
The groom said I do, but you could only see Tom mouthing the same words to you.
When Rebecca was asked the same thing, you couldn't help but mouth the same words, too.
With that came a kiss and the declaration of marriage, with each couple again pairing off to run down the aisle.
You didn't have time to talk to Tom though, as you were whisked away with the bridal party to have a glass of celebratory wine before dinner as you waited to enter the reception.
That dinner again went on without a hitch, with both you and Tom making pre-written speeches about the couple before the first dance.
Once the DJ turned up the music, everyone was out on the dance floor having a good time when he slowed it down again for couples to dance to.
You were prepared to walk off when a hand caught your arm.
It was Tom.
"Dance with me," he beckoned, and you couldn't bring yourself to say no.
You slow danced in silence, trying to figure out what to say as he twirled you around.
"So..." you started.
"Don't feel bad about Alaina," he immediately replied.
"But I'm the reason you broke up."
"No, I am. You were right that neither of us were handling things correctly. I should have never told you her personal business behind her back. I'm sorry for doing that to you, too."
You gave a lopsided grin.
"It's okay. I get why you did. I'm probably the best person you could've gone to anyways. I'm guessing you also apologized to her?"
"Yeah. I did last night but then I called her this morning and we talked it out. We should've broken up a long time ago. I wish I had listened to you back then."
You raised your brows.
"So you actually remember all the stuff I pointed out?"
"Just because I ignored it doesn't mean I didn't hear it. I was just too stupid and puppy-blind to see how much you actually cared."
You hummed as you wrapped both hands around his neck, stepping a little closer. He rubbed your back as he went to speak again.
"She was right, too. You are the one I really love. I meant it when I said 'I do.'"
"So I didn't just imagine that?"
"Just as much as I imagined you replying," he smirked. You smiled and bit your lip.
"I never wanted you to find out this way. I wanted to tell you the day you told me about her."
"It's probably for the best."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" You were confused at what he meant.
"Because now everyone we know can see firsthand that you're the one I love," he answered.
You were about to ask what that meant when he tipped up your chin, pressing a soft kiss to your lips as the song ended. When you pulled away people were moving around so that Rebecca could throw the bouquet.
"You know what?" she announced. "I think I just need to do this."
Everyone watched as she marched over and handed you the bouquet directly, causing cheers to ring out around you.
"Now you just gotta say I do!" she exclaimed.
You looked up at Tom and he smiled down at you.
"I did."
§
A/N: okay half of me hates this bc I can't imagine how obnoxious this would be if it happened in real life but also it's kinda 🥺
Lemme know how you feel! Wedding szn had me in my feels again this year so I couldn't resist. If you liked this I'd suggest checking out the objection because it's also got angsty wedding vibes oop
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pazumane-archive · 3 years ago
Text
Closing Time - Asahi x Reader
Characters: Asahi Azumane, female reader, original female character, small Taichi cameo
Relationships: Asahi Azumane x Reader
Genre: Fluff, hurt/comfort if you squint, SFW but 16+ please
Warnings: Alcohol, general drunken shenanigans, emetophobia (mentions of vomit), bad language
WC: 6.4k
Author’s Note: Hi everyone! This is a totally self-indulgent bedtime-scenario-type story because there is simply not enough Asahi/Reader content out there and I adore him. It’s also my first time writing in 2nd person, so PLEASE feel free to send me any feedback, please just be kind :) I really don’t like to use y/n, so I only used it a couple times towards the end when I wasn’t sure what else to do lol
The preview begins with the bolded text below and fic continues after the cut :)
Reblogs appreciated! <3
You weren’t planning on getting this drunk. But by the time it got to be about 11:30, you didn’t know what else to do. You had put so much effort and energy into making yourself look nice just for your date not to show up. Your roommate was out of town, so instead of going home and pouting, you figured you might as well have some fun while you were out. But you’ve never been good at exercising restraint, and the fact that you were alone wasn’t doing you any favors. But by closing time had rolled around, you could hardly see straight. You needed help, so you call upon an old friend.
“Do you have anybody you can call for a ride?” Kawanishi asks.
Kawanishi’s the bartender at this izakaya, and over the course of the night, you spent most of the time talking his ear off. He’s nice enough, and held pleasant conversation for the last few hours. He says he used to be a volleyball player, and had even played on the same team as a one of the guys on the Japan National Team. You forget to ask him which school he attended, but he probably was tired of talking to your drunk ass anyway, so you don’t bother asking. “Yeah,” you say, digging in your purse for your phone. “Are you sure? I can call a cab for you if you need it,” he offers. “Nah,” you say, hiccupping between words. “I’ll call somebody. Thank you though.” “No problem,” he says. “Just try to make it quick.” You scroll through your phone, trying to figure out who to call. Your roommate’s out of town visiting her parents, so she’s a no-go. You could call Kokomi. Honestly, she would deserve the 2AM phone call for setting you up on this failed blind date in the first place. Ever since you moved to Tokyo last month, she was constantly trying to set you up with somebody, whether it was a friend, a coworker, or some rando that she had met on the train. Unfortunately, all of them were jerks. And this one was the biggest jerk of all. You silently curse yourself for going along with her antics again.
“He’s great, you’ll love him!” “You said that about the last three guys you tried to set me up with, Kokomi.” “Please!! You’ll never know if you don’t even give him a chance.”
Well, you gave him a chance. And it ended up with you all alone, drunk as hell in an unfamiliar part of the city. You dial Kokomi’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail. “Bitch,” you mutter. You unlock your phone again and look through to find somebody that might be able to take you home. You scroll back to the top of your contact list, and your eyes settle on another name. He lives just a few blocks away, and knowing him, he’s probably awake working on something anyway. You click on his contact and wait for him to answer.
*
The exhaustion’s starting to get to him. It’s the weekend and he can afford to stay up an extra couple of hours to finish this design, but the combination of fatigue and frustration are taking over. He sets down his pencil and moves towards his bed, until his cell starts to buzz. He glances over at the clock on the wall. 1:49 AM.
Who could possibly be calling at this hour?
Asahi picks up his phone, surprised to see your name on the screen. His heart skips a beat in his chest, both from excitement and nervousness. Aside from his teammates, you’re one of the only people he bothered to keep in contact with after high school. The two of you had even met up a few times since you moved to the city, but he never would have expected you to call at this hour unless… unless something is wrong. “Hey you, what’s up?” He says, choking back a yawn. “Hiiiii Asahiiii!  I tried to call Kokomi but she didn’t answer her phone… could you come pick me up?” Your voice is thick and your words are almost unintelligible as you speak. It’s obvious that you’re far from sober. “Where are you?” Asahi asks, failing to mask the anxiety in his voice. “Are you okay? Are you safe?” “M’fine,” you slur. “But I…” Suddenly the call drops. Asahi calls you back in a panic, his heart racing as he waited for you to answer. You could be in danger and he’d be powerless to help you. He doesn’t even know where you are. “Hello?” A man’s voice comes through the speaker. “Who are you? Where is she?” Asahi asks frantically. “Relax, man. I’m just the bartender,” he says. “Look, your friend’s next to me, but she’s on the verge of passing out. Can you come get her before she pukes all over my bar? She’s at Zoetrope. You know where that is?” “Of course, I’m on my way now! I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Asahi says, grabbing his apartment keys and putting on a pair of shoes. He’s out the door almost immediately.
*
Kawanishi presses your phone back into your hands. Your head is spinning so fast that you struggle to keep your eyes open. “Is he coming?” you ask. “Yeah, he’s on the way,” Kawanishi says. “He’ll be here soon. Now do me a favor, don’t get this drunk the next time you come into my izakaya or I’ll have to kick you out.” “You’re kicking me out???” “Only if you start throwing up,” he says under his breath. “I’m not going to throw up!” you exclaim, suddenly becoming very aware of the churning in your stomach. You grumble, slumping over the bar. You squeeze your eyes shut, the spinning in your head only getting worse with every breath you take. You feel like you’re going to die, and honestly, between the embarrassment of being stood up and the wave of nausea coming over you, you’re ready to welcome that death with open arms. “Hey!” Kawanishi says, smacking the bar next to your head. “Your friend’s going to be here soon, don’t fall asleep or I’ll throw you out on the street myself.” “I’m sorry, Kawanishi-san.” You sit up slowly and cradle your head in your hands once more, trying to make the world stop spinning.
Please get here soon, Asahi.
*
Asahi sprints down the street as fast as he can towards the izakaya. He’s sure that he looks suspicious running down the street alone at night, but he doesn’t care. You’re in trouble, and he’s the only person that can help you. He finally makes it to the bar and hastily pulls the door open. You’re dressed beautifully, and your makeup and hair are exquisitely done. Unfortunately, the way you’re slumped over the bar makes it obvious that something’s wrong. He’s not sure what happened, but whatever it was, it must have been rough. The bartender gently helps you out of your seat, and Asahi can’t help but think that he looks very familiar. You straighten up and as soon as you make eye contact with Asahi, you perk up. “Asahi-san!” you exclaim, rushing towards him and almost falling over. You crush him in an unexpectedly tight hug. “Long time no see, big guy!” “I saw you three days ago,” he says under his breath. You continue babbling unintelligibly, and Asahi looks up at the bartender. “Did she close out her tab?” Asahi asks. “I took care of it already,” the bartender replies. “Please just make sure she gets home okay. She’s had a rough night.” “Yeah, of course,” Asahi says. “Thanks for helping her out.” “No problem.” Asahi peels your arms off him and starts to nudge you towards the door. Just before the two of you leave, Asahi stops and turns back to the bartender. “Have we met before?” he asks. “I played for Shiratorizawa. Didn’t think I’d see you again, Karasuno Samurai.” Asahi frowns slightly. He hasn’t heard that nickname high school, and it’s weird hearing it again now. “Right,” he says. “Well, thanks again. Have a good night.” Asahi leads you out of the bar and down the sidewalk. You hold tightly to his arm, stumbling over yourself. He braces you against his side, and you take this opportunity to tease him a little bit. “Do you like my outfit, Asahi-san?” you ask, pressing into his side. “Yeah, it’s really nice!” he answers nervously, turning his head to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks. He’s not lying – you look beautiful, both your top and your skirt accentuating your curves in all the right places. But it would be wrong to say anything more than that while you’re in this state. That wouldn’t be fair to either of you. He brusquely clears his throat and keeps walking as soon as the light signals that you can cross. “I dressed up extra nice tonight, but it didn’t even fucking matter,” you grumble, your voice breaking slightly. Asahi either doesn’t hear you, or does hear you and decides not to say anything. “I’m soooo glad you’re here,” you say, drawing out your words even longer than you were a minute ago. “I’m sorry, this is super embarrassing! I should’ve figured this out on my own.” “It’s okay,” Asahi says. “How long have you been in Tokyo again?” “A month? I think?” “Exactly,” he says. “You probably don’t know your way around that much. I’d feel terrible if I wasn’t able to help you find your way home.” “Meh,” you say. “I’ve had the worst night of my fucking life, so maybe it would be better if I passed out in a ditch somewhere.” “Do you want to talk about it?” Asahi asks. “No,” you answer quickly. “Okay.” You start blathering again and Asahi has to practically drag you down the street behind him. The station just past his apartment has a train that can drop you right by your building. He can just take a cab back after he gets you home. He considers inviting you stay the night at his place since it’s right there, but he’s afraid of being weird, so he doesn’t say anything. The two of you come to a stop at the train station… which is closed. “I’m sorry,” Asahi says remorsefully. “I guess the train stopped running at midnight. I’ll call you a cab.” He goes to pull his phone out of his pocket, but you grab his hand before he can. “Can I stay at your place tonight?” you ask sheepishly. “I… my roommate is out of town. And I’m really not doing good right now. I just really don’t want to be alone.” Despite how out of it you’ve been since he picked you up, Asahi sees nothing but complete sincerity in your eyes. Tonight must have been really rough. “Are you sure?” he asks. “I’ll just sleep on the couch- or a futon if you have one!” you say, nodding. “Okay.” Asahi turns back towards his apartment and you follow closely behind him, not letting go of his hand the entire time.
*
Asahi helps you across the threshold of his apartment and sits you down on a chair by the door. “Asahi-san, you’re so handsome with your hair down like that,” you say, reaching up to twirl a finger in his long chestnut tresses. “And you’re loopy,” Asahi mutters, disentangling your fingers from his hair. Once again, he finds himself hiding a blush. He’s not used to being showered with compliments, and he knows you wouldn’t be saying this stuff if you were sober. He kicks off his shoes and kneels down in front of you, helping you take yours off. “How are you feeling?” he asks you. “Can I get you some water or a some–” “Why didn’t you ask me out when we were in high school?” you ask suddenly. “I think I made it pretty obvious that I had a crush on you. It’s all I could think about when you were holding my hand back there.” “I – I, uh,” Asahi stammers. You burst out laughing, startling Asahi. It’s that same boisterous laugh you’ve had for as long as he could remember knowing you. You were always self-conscious about it in high school, but your laugh has always been one of Asahi’s favorite things about you. Despite the fact that it’s at his expense, he’s glad to see your mood improve. Asahi considers your question for a moment. He really liked you too back then, and everyone knew it. Suga and Daichi constantly teased him for it.
So why hadn’t he asked you out back then?
Well, for a number of reasons. He spent so much of his third year focused on volleyball that he didn’t have the mental or emotional capacity for much else. He hadn’t even planned on going back to school after graduation until Nishinoya helped convince him to pursue his passions. He felt directionless, and he didn’t want to burden anybody else with his indecision. But most importantly, he was scared you’d reject him. Suga was right. He really was a coward. He’d dated a few people since high school graduation, but none of them made him feel the way you did, and they didn’t treat him as well as you would have. Which begs the question – why hasn’t he asked you out since you moved to Tokyo? He pushes the thought to the back of his mind. This isn’t the kind of conversation to be having when you aren’t even able to form a coherent sentence. Asahi’s thoughts are interrupted by your hand on his shoulder and a loud hiccup. “I should wash my face. Can I wash my face?” “Sure,” Asahi says, helping you stand up. You stumble forward, but he catches you easily and pulls you back to your feet. He quietly leads you to the bathroom and sits you down on the edge of the bathtub. “I’m sorry,” you say. “I’m a mess.” “No, you’re not. Hold on a second,” he says, opening the drawer under the sink. He pulls out a small package of makeup wipes and takes one out. He kneels in front of you and begins wiping the makeup off your face. “I know they’re not great for your skin,” he says. “But it’s better than nothing, right?” “Why do you even have those?” you ask between hiccups. ��Do you wear makeup? I mean, it’s obviously fine if you do, but it doesn’t really seem like your thing.” “I don’t, but you never know when they’ll come in handy! I do work with a lot of makeup artists,” he says, somewhat defensively. You get the sense that he’s lying about something, but Asahi changes the subject before you can probe him any further. “So what were you doing there by yourself?” he asks. “It’s not safe to be alone so late at night.” Clearly this was the wrong thing to ask. All the negative emotions and thoughts you were having all even spring to the forefront of your mind, and you start to cry. Asahi starts apologizing profusely, but you wave him off. “It’s fine,” you sniffle, wiping a tear away from your cheek. “Kokomi was trying to set me up with one of her friends, but he never showed up.” Asahi sits back on his heels. Kokomi is another girl from Karasuno that ended up in Tokyo. She wasn’t in the same class as him, but he remembers how loud she always was in the hallways. Honestly, both of you were always loud, but you’ve always been much more considerate of others than Kokomi ever was. “Shit,” he mumbles. “That really sucks. I’m sorry.” “Yeah. It does suck.” Asahi grabs another wipe and asks you to close your eyes. You do as he says, and he lightly wipes off your eye makeup. He’s worked with enough models to recognize that you’re wearing false eyelashes, so he gently pulls those off too. You feel yourself start to wobble on the edge of the tub, so you grip his arm to steady yourself. “I’m sorry,” you whisper. “It’s okay,” he says. “You don’t need to keep apologizing to me.” “Do you think there’s something wrong with me?” you ask suddenly. “Wait, what?” “I just… this keeps happening to me. Everyone always says that it’s because they’re not the right person for me, but it’s starting to feel like there’s just something wrong with me instead,” you say, choking back a sob. “I know I just moved here, but I’m just so lonely. I hate feeling like I’m not good enough.” Asahi tenderly wipes a tear from your cheek and cups your face in both hands. “Hey, look at me. There is nothing wrong with you,” he says sincerely. “That guy is an idiot and a jerk. If he had any idea how extraordinary you are, he never would’ve done that to you.” You can’t bring yourself to look him in the eyes. You don’t feel like you deserve to be spoken to like this – with such genuine kindness and sincerity. Asahi makes you feel so good. So special. He always has. And he’s just so… tender, especially for somebody who looks as intimidating as he does. You wonder if those feelings from high school ever truly went away. You sit up straighter and try to smile at him, but your stomach flips unexpectedly and violently. “Asahi-san?” you ask, gripping his shoulder tightly. “Yeah?” he replies. “Toilet.” Asahi moves out of the way as fast as possible. You hunch over the rim and retch into the toilet bowl. Asahi quickly scoops up your hair and holds it behind your head as you throw up. “Please, just leave me,” you mutter. “I’m gonna fucking die here.” “I’m not going to leave you here and you’re not going to die,” Asahi says, gingerly picking up the last loose strands laying on your neck and holding them back with the rest of your hair. Your back tenses up again before you begin heaving once more. Asahi tucks his nose into the collar of his shirt, careful to make sure that he’s out of your field of vision. He wants to be there for you but he had a weak stomach himself and the sight and smell of somebody else’s vomit is something he knows he won’t be able to handle. You mumble weak apologies between hacks, but Asahi just ignores them and rubs your back gently. After what feels like an eternity, the churning in your stomach finally stops and you reach up towards the flush handle. The exhaustion in your body and heart finally begin to catch up with you, and your hand falls back to your side. “I got it. Do you think you’re done?” Asahi asks, coaxing you back up into a seated position. You nod, too tired to try to speak. Asahi quickly tugs his shirt back down from his face before you can see and closes the toilet lid. “I’m sorry,” you mumble. “Don’t be,” Asahi says, flushing the toilet. “I’m your friend. I want to help you. And I’ve already told you that you don’t need to apologize to me.” Asahi helps you sit on the top of the toilet and rises to his feet. “Don’t go anywhere,” he says, scurrying out of the room. Although your eyes are closed, you still feel your body swaying. More than anything, you just want to go to sleep. Asahi pads back into the room and presses a wooden cup into your hands. “Drink this,” he says, turning on the faucet. Even though drinking something is the last thing you want to be doing right now, you go ahead and lift the cup to your open mouth. Cold water passes your lips and washes away some of the disgusting taste in your mouth. It feels gross, but you force yourself to drink all of it. Asahi takes the cup from your hand and turns the faucet back off. You flinch at the feeling of a damp washcloth on your face. “It’s okay,” Asahi says gently, cradling your chin with his free hand and angling your face up. “Just cleaning you up a little.” You murmur in acknowledgement and Asahi continues to wipe your face down. You almost fall asleep sitting on his toilet, but he gently shakes you to keep you awake. “Stay with me for another minute,” he says softly. “You can go to sleep soon. You’re gonna be just fine. I promise.” His words and his voice are so sweet that you want to cry. A couple rogue tears drip from your eyes and onto his hands. “I’m sorry,” you say once more. Asahi sets the washcloth on the counter and starts to pull you to your feet. You struggle to stay on your feet, so instead, he carefully scoops you into his arms and carries you out the bathroom. You don’t care where you go, you just need to sleep. Asahi’s pretty certain you’re asleep by the time he deposits you on his mattress. Your chest rises and falls slowly as he pulls his duvet over you. He begins to make his way to the couch, but stops when he feels you grab his hand. “Please don’t go, Asahi-san,” you whisper. “Please.” You tug harder at his fingers and he knows he can’t refuse you. He ends up sitting on the edge of the bed holding your hand until you fall asleep.
*
As soon as your quiet snores permeate the silence, Asahi untangles his fingers from yours. He brushes a loose strand of hair out of your face and he can’t help but let his eyes linger on your sleeping face for just a moment. The moonlight trickling through the window illuminates your hair and casts a silvery glow on your skin. Despite the awful night you’ve had, you look absolutely radiant. He feels himself blushing again, but he takes some comfort in the fact that he doesn’t have to try and hide it this time. Not while you’re fast asleep in his bed. He’s far too scared to admit it, even to himself, but he’s fantasized about falling asleep next to you many times before. But in those fantasies you weren’t drunk and crying over another man. Asahi sighs, stands up, and moves over to the dresser as quietly as he can. After setting a few things out for you, he goes into the bathroom, gets ready for bed and heads to the couch for the night.
*
By the time you wake up in the morning, you feel like you’re going to die. You can’t remember what exactly happened the previous night. The last thing you remember clearly was talking to the bartender about high school volleyball, of all things. Your head’s pounding, and your stomach aches painfully, screaming at you to please eat something. You don’t open your eyes, fearing that it would somehow trigger another round of vomiting. Eventually, you force yourself into a seated position and open your eyes. The bedroom you’re in is small, but pretty well-decorated. It’s decently tidy. The only mess is a few crumpled up clothing designs discarded on the floor next to the trash bin.
Designs? Did that mean?
You’re at Asahi’s apartment. In his bed. Your eyes widen in panic.
  What happened last night?
You’re still wearing the clothes that you wore to the bar last night. And there’s no evidence of him ever being in bed with you. You reach over towards your phone, which has been graciously plugged in for you and set on the bedside table. That’s when you notice the note along with a sleeve of crackers and a glass of ginger ale.
Good morning!
There’s a set of clothes you can wear at the foot of the bed and a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. Feel free to take a shower if you want. Extra towels are underneath the sink. Please have something to eat and drink too. You’ll feel better if you do.
-Asahi
P.S. Please don’t feel bad. It’s okay.
You grab a few of the crackers from the bedside table and eat them, washing them down with the ginger ale.
Why does Asahi have to be so damn considerate? The whole situation is so embarrassing.
You contemplate just grabbing your phone and getting the hell out of his apartment, but you’re not going to pass up the opportunity to shower. You finish the last of the crackers, chug down the ginger ale, and grab the spare clothes at the end of the bed. You turn the doorknob as silently as you can and awkwardly creep down the hall towards the bathroom, stopping briefly to peek in the living room. Asahi’s fast asleep on the couch, clad only in pajama pants and a pair of fuzzy socks. His hair is down and messily splayed across the throw pillow he’s resting his head on. Quiet snores pass his lips. He looks cute. Your eyes trail from his face and down to his stomach. Despite quitting volleyball after high school, he seems to have mostly maintained his athletic form, except for a tiny little layer of pudge on his lower stomach. The corners of your lips twitch up into a smile, until that little voice in the back of your mind reminds you of your place.
Quit staring, you perv! You need to get out of here!
You hurriedly continue down the hallway and jump into the shower as soon as you get into the bathroom. You think that maybe if you clean up fast enough, you can get out of Asahi’s apartment before he wakes up. However, as soon as you step into the shower, all worries about rushing out disappear into the back of your mind. You bask in the hot water, the steam clearing your sinuses and relieving some of the pain in your head. You silently thank the gods that Asahi actually uses conditioner, and not just 3-in-1 like most of the other men you were previously…. acquainted with. Although, it makes sense to you that somebody with hair like Asahi’s would have a strict haircare routine. As you shower, fragmented memories of last night start to come back to you.
Being stood up at the bar. Calling Asahi for help. Puking your guts out in his bathroom. Him carrying you into his room and laying you down on his bed. Him staying by your side until you fell asleep. You wishing he would’ve crawled into bed with you and held you through the night… Wait, what was that last part?
As soon as you’re done rinsing the conditioner from your hair, you step out of the shower and swiftly towel off. You find the spare toothbrush Asahi mentioned, take it out of the packaging, and brush your teeth with his toothpaste. The dry, gross feeling in your mouth is quickly replaced with a minty fresh taste. You slip on the sweatpants and t-shirt that Asahi left for you and dry your hair. Thankfully, Asahi isn’t as huge as most people make him out to be, so while the clothes he left out are a bit big on you, you’re not drowning in them. You’ll just bring them back some other day. You start combing through your hair, and that’s when you hear it – the sound of somebody padding around in the apartment. Shit. Once the footsteps quiet down, you rush out of the bathroom and towards the front door. Asahi eyes you as you scoop up your shoes, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Good morning!” he says kindly. “How are you feeling?” “I’m so sorry Azumane-san, it won’t happen again!” you say as you throw open the door and rush into the hallway. “Hold on, wait up!” he says as you pull the door closed behind you. You run all the way to the stairs at the end of the hallway and go to call Kokomi for a ride home. That’s when you realize that your phone is still plugged into the wall in Asahi’s room. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. You turn around and trudge back towards his apartment. Before you can even knock, the door opens slowly. Asahi stands there in just his pajama pants, holding your phone out to you. “You shouldn’t leave without your phone,” he says. You thank him and take your phone, a blush creeping up your cheeks. You try not to stare at his bare chest, already feeling like a creep for ogling him while he was sleeping. “Your clothes are still in the bathroom, too,” he says. “I can go get them for you. Or I can just wash them and give them back to you another time if you want to leave.” “No, that’s okay,” you say, covering your flushing cheeks with the collar of his shirt. “I’ll get them. Can I come in?” “Of course.” Asahi steps out of your way and you head straight for the bathroom, avoiding looking in his eyes. Asahi never gets angry, and you know he wouldn’t be mad at you over something like this, but a lingering sense of shame still washes over you. You scoop up your clothes and leave the bathroom. As soon as you cross the threshold into the living room, the smell of coffee and frying fish washes over you. Asahi stands in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. In the time that you were in the bathroom, he put on a Black Jackals sweatshirt and threw his hair into a loose bun. “Do you want a cup of coffee?” he asks, smiling at you and pouring his own cup. “It’ll help with the hangover.” You stand there and ponder his offer for a moment. Sensing your hesitancy, Asahi suddenly turns back to the stove and mumbles something that you can’t quite make out. “What did you say?” you ask. Asahi rubs the back of his neck, a nervous habit he’s had since you were kids. “I don’t mean to pressure you to stay or anything! I just thought it might help for you to have something more than crackers and ginger ale.” “You’ve done plenty to help me since last night,” you say. “But I’ll take that coffee if the offer is still on the table.” “It is!” Asahi says a little too enthusiastically for his own good. You can’t help but smirk as you take your seat at the kitchen table. Asahi pours you a cup of coffee and slides you a bowl of the rice and fish he made. You thank him quietly and start to eat. He slides into the chair across from you and eats his own breakfast, eyeing you carefully. “What?” you ask after catching him staring. “Since when have you ever called me Azumane-san?” he asks. “I don’t know,” you mumble into your coffee mug. “I didn’t think we reverted back from first name basis,” he says. “I thought we knew each other better than that.” “I don’t know,” you say, a devilish smile crossing your face. “Care to explain why you actually had those makeup wipes in your bathroom drawer? I doubt your makeup artists are coming over to your apartment.” Now it’s Asahi’s turn to blush again. “My ex-girlfriend left them here,” he says. “Felt like a waste to just throw them out.” “Ex-girlfriend?!” you exclaim suddenly, startling Asahi and causing him to drop the wipe on the floor. “I didn’t know you were seeing somebody!” “Yeah,” he says, throwing the wipe in the trash and grabbing a fresh one. “We broke up a while before you moved to the city. She left a bunch of her stuff here and refused to come pick it up. I think she was just too embarrassed to see me again. I got rid of most of it a while ago, but I kept some of the more… uh, utilitarian things.” “I’m sorry,” you say sincerely. “Why did you break up?” Asahi feels a slight pang in his chest. He met his last girlfriend through his job. She was nice enough, and things seemed like they were going okay until he showed up at her apartment to surprise her for their 6 month anniversary, only to find another man in her bed. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” you say. “It’s fine. She cheated on me with some other guy,” he says, his expression darkening. “I think they’re engaged now.” “Shit,” you say. “What a bitch.” “Woah, settle down, it’s okay –” “No, it’s not,” you say firmly. “You deserve someone way better than that. Somebody that treats you with the love and respect that you deserve.” Asahi knows you’re right, but he doesn’t really want to press it. That whole mess had done a number on his mental health, and he really doesn’t want to burden you with his emotional baggage. He adjusts his glasses again and forces a smile. “You know, you should really take your own advice,” he says. You try to think back on what you had said to him last night. The details are fuzzy, but you remember crying. A lot. Instead of answering him, you shovel down the last of the rice and fish. “Thank you for the meal,” you say. Asahi smiles and nods at you before beginning to clear the dishes away. You stand up and stop him, insisting that you clean up yourself. As you finish drying the bowls, your phone buzzes. You check it, only to see a handful of missed texts from Kokomi.
Ono Kokomi [8:32} Hey!! Sorry I missed your call. How was he?  (°◡°♡) [9:14] That good?  (^.~)☆ [9:18] Or that bad?! (;;;*_*) [9:57] HELLO?? (ノಥ益ಥ)ノ [10:32] ARE YOU ALIVE?!?!?!  〣( ºΔº )〣
You roll your eyes and quickly type out your response.
Y/N [10:33] Yeah, no thanks to you. (¬_¬;)
Ono Kokomi [10:34] Was it really that bad?
Y/N [10:34] He didn’t even show up. (╥_╥) [10:34] Azumane picked me up at 2 AM because I was too drunk to go home alone. I stayed the night at his place. [10:34] Speaking of which, can you come pick me up? Not really in a state to take the train and I think you owe me one.
Ono Kokomi [10:35] (⊙_⊙) [10:35] Spill. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Y/N [10:36] There’s nothing to spill. I threw up in his bathroom and he slept on the couch. Can you just answer my question please? (҂` ロ ´)凸
Ono Kokomi [10:36] Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m on my way, lovebird. ( ̄ε ̄@)
“Everything okay?” Asahi asks. “Yeah,” you say, slipping your phone back into your pocket. “Kokomi’s going to come pick me up.” “Are you sure? I can take you if you want,” he offers. “Yeah, she’s already on her way,” you say, setting the bowl down and turning to face him. “Besides, you’ve done more than enough for me already over the last twelve hours.” You silently pick up your things and walk towards the door. Asahi rises from his chair and awkwardly clears his throat. “Do you have all your stuff?” You nod and smile. Before you open the door, you approach him and wrap your arms around his waist. He shyly hugs you back, hoping you can’t hear the rapid pounding in his chest. “Thank you, Asahi,” you whisper. “You’re amazing.” You let go first and leave his apartment quietly. As soon as the door closes, Asahi walks back into the living room and flops down on the couch. He covers his face with his hands and groans. This morning was almost too much for him – seeing you in his clothes, eating breakfast together, you hugging him before you left. It was all so painfully domestic, and he wishes it didn’t have to end. If only he wasn’t such a coward, he would’ve asked you to stay longer. He doesn’t know how long he lays there until he finally decides to get moving for the day and finish that piece he was working on when you called last night. He checks his phone and sees your name pop up on the screen.
Y/N [11:00] I’m home. Thanks again for babysitting me last night. Whatever did I do to deserve you as my guardian angel? ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊˚ [11:00] Or was that Noya-san? I forget. (^ω~)
Azumane Asahi [11:01] Lol. You’re welcome. And that was what we called Noya in our club days, but I don’t mind you calling me that too (* ^ ω ^)
Y/N [11:03] Let me make it up to you. [11:04] Come over for dinner tomorrow night?
Asahi almost drops his phone on his face. His fingers fumble as he types his response. He waits a moment before sending it, rereading it ten times to make sure he doesn’t come across as desperate.
Azumane Asahi [11:07] I’d love to. Do you want me to bring anything?
Y/N [11:08] That’s not necessary. I owe you a nice dinner. [11:09] You still like tonkotsu ramen?
Azumane Asahi [11:10] I do!
Y/N [11:11] It’s a date! See you tomorrow! (☞°ヮ°)☞ ☜(°ヮ°☜)
*
“You said nothing happened last night,” Kokomi says, staring over your shoulder at your phone. “Nothing happened, Kokomi. Now leave me alone,” you snap, tossing one of your throw pillows at her. She deftly catches it and plops down on the couch next to you. “Please,” she says, swatting you with the pillow. “The only reason you two haven’t gotten together is because you’re the densest people on the planet. I bet he’s flopped down on his couch right now thinking about how he doesn’t even want to wait that long to see you.” “Shut up,” you grumble. Kokomi’s phone rings and she quickly checks it. “Anyway, I have to go meet Kaito,” she says. “Got to go. Let me know how your date goes!” She waves and practically skips out the front door. You lay down and start making a shopping list for ingredients for tonkatsu ramen. As soon as you’re done, you set your phone down and cross your arms over your face.
“I bet he’s flopped down on his couch right now thinking about how he doesn’t even want to wait that long to see you.” No, Kokomi. That’s me.
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sparring-hyena · 3 years ago
Note
Ok i got a request . Remember how Chris Kait and James got those special 1 chapter episodes where they go on special dates. It would be cool to see Beccas. So its set after Book 3. Instead of going to the festival with the gang Mc decides to visit Becca first at her lakehouse and then they go to the festival just her and Becca. They ll share lots of sweet moments at the pool more fun at the concert and later on at home things can get a bit heated.
Becca reaches for her phone with the intent to scroll through her social feeds. really, she does. opening her messaging app is a reflex. opening the short text thread she has with Alex is just an accident. and typing out a hey, what’re you up to? is… a mistake? some kind of predetermined notion written into the fabric of reality?
whatever. it doesn’t matter what it is. no, what matters is that she does, send a text to Alex that is, and that she tosses her phone to the other side of couch as soon as she hits send, almost like it burns her hands.
she stares at her phone, waits for it to react to what she just did—maybe it’ll implode. she’s almost surprised when her phone buzzes a few minutes later. and she’ll never admit to just how fast she jumps forward to snatch it up.
it’s Alex. Alex responded. okay. cool cool cool.
my friends and i are on a road trip. we’ve just passed into California. you?
the you? twists itself into Becca’s mind. slips into every nook and cranny until it’s she can think and feel, and her heart is going ba-dum ba-dum and she definitely can’t just say oh, not much. just by myself at my dad’s lake house because he’s trying to buy my love now that my parents are getting divorced. except she does say that. word for word. it tumbles from her mind onto her phone and then she hits send and holds her breath in her throat as she waits for Alex’s response.
want some company then?
and what really surprised Becca is that she answers with yes.
-
in the days leading up to Alex’s arrival she cleans. not that there’s much to clean—the house is big, and she’s kept to one small part of it. she also rifles through her closet and decides, an hour before Alex is due to arrive, that she doesn’t have anything to wear. the clothes laying forgotten on her bed disagree, but she ignores that and feels the anxiety twist itself around her.
and then her phone buzzes and there’s a knock at the door. Alex is here. Alex is early.
shit.
she tosses on the first thing she can grab and runs her hands through her hair before darting down to the front door.
when Becca opens the door, Alex greets her with a warm smile that simultaneously calms and frightens. frightens, because how does her smile have such an effect on me. they stand awkwardly in the doorway until Alex clears her throat and asks, “did you wanna invite me in?”
“right.” Becca steps aside and motions Alex in.
Alex whistles as she looks around, still holding her bag in front of her. “nice place.”
Becca shrugs, because it is nice, stunning really, but the house doesn’t feel quite right—it never really has. it’s big and empty and somehow always manages to be cold even during summer.
“come on, i’ll show you around.”
-
it’s as they walk through the house that Becca realises she’s not quite sure what they are. they aren’t enemies, and now she wonders if they ever actually were. and they definitely aren’t dating. dating implies some level of commitment that Becca doubts she could ever really give. and then there would be intimacy and comfort and little inside jokes that they’d share quiet smiles over.
but that doesn’t matter anyway because she would never want to date Alex—never ever. dating Alex would be complicated and messy and she has a reputation and expectations that Alex doesn’t fit and—
“you doin’ alright there?”
“huh?” Becca shakes the thoughts away.
Alex tilts her head to the side and offers a small curious smile that manages to worm its way into Becca’s heart and find a place for itself amidst all the dark twisty tendrils that have been growing with each passing day.
“why are you looking at me like that?” Becca asks, her tone both defensive and amused.
“like what?”
“like you’re trying to read my mind.”
“i’m not, i just—” Alex sighs and Becca suddenly wonders what she’d been about to say. “you mentioned swimming?”
“swimming, right.” Becca knows a digression when she hears one, but she points to a room Alex can get changed in and says she’ll meet her downstairs.
-
Becca doesn’t actually swim. she sits on the edge of the dock beneath the dying afternoon sun and traces the water with her toes. Alex swims though, splashes around for a short while and tries to gently prod Becca in too. but Becca holds firm and insists that she’s more than happy on the dock.
Alex climbs out later, dripping water onto the dock and creating a small puddle that manages to spread and reach Becca’s leg. she pretends Alex dripping water on her irritates her and pretends to hate it when she flicks water at her.
Alex sits down beside her, and Becca thinks she’s waiting for her to break the silence that’s comfortably settled between them.
“do you wanna talk about it?” Alex finally asks.
Becca wonders which it they’re talking about—her parents’ divorce or the fact that some fundamental piece of their relationship or friendship or whatever they are, is changing. maybe it’s both. maybe it’s neither.
“thank you for visiting me,” she says instead. “i’m sure it pales in comparison to a road trip with your friends.”
“hardly.” Alex smiles and nudges Becca’s shoulder with her own. “we were all cramped in a van that doesn’t have working a/c. besides, i like hanging out with you, it’s…”
Becca raises her eyebrows, curious and nudging Alex on.
“easy.”
Becca laughs, like, full body laughs. never in her life has she been described as easy to be around.
“what’s so funny?”
“nothing, nothing.” Becca tries to suppress her laughter, but it doesn’t work.
“i was trying to be nice.” Alex makes a show of being hurt, even makes to leave, but the smile on her face tells a very different story.
“no, sorry.” Becca places her hand gently on Alex’s arm; wants her to believe the sincerity behind her words. “it was nice and i didn’t mean to laugh. i’ve just never been described as easy before, and with everything going on, i guess it’s been a while since something’s made me laugh.”
“oh.” Alex settles on the dock again and Becca’s hand remains on her arm. “are you talking with your parents much?”
Becca shrugs. “mom’s trying. i think we’re both just having a hard time adjusting to speaking to each other. it’s been good but strange.”
“and your dad?”
Becca barks out a laugh. “i think he’s just as clueless. only difference is he’s not making much of an effort. my sister and i were supposed to spend some time with him here over the summer. look how that turned out.”
“i’m sorry.”
“i don’t need pity—”
“i wasn’t pitying you.”
“i know, but it’s just…”
“just…?”
and Alex’s arm is suddenly very warm beneath Becca’s hand. warm and solid and grounding and— they’ve done this before. played this game where they share their insecurities and offer something dangerously close to companionship.
it won’t end well, she thinks, but her heart thumps along and tells her to indulge just this once. what’s one more time anyway?
“we shouldn’t,” Becca breathes, because one of them needs to say it.
“probably,” Alex agrees, but neither of them move to put some space between them.
“but we could.”
“definitely.”
“it would be” —amazing is the word she thinks— “fun,” is the word she says with a playful lilt to her voice that she hopes distracts from the longing want she can feel in her bones.
they’re closer now, faces no more than a couple inches apart, and the air around them feels stiff somehow, like the world around them took one massive breath and is now waiting for them to do something about the balloon of tension that’s been slowly inflating for months.
and then the balloon bursts, and there’s kissing and moaning and wandering hands and— oh god, Becca suddenly remembers why she wanted to do this again. it feels like electricity zapping up and down her body. it hurts and it heals, and she wonders if they’ll ever do this again—silently hopes that they will.
she pulls Alex closer, decides that it’s still not enough—some tiny part of her heart hums and says that it never will be—and moves to straddle her lap and thread her fingers through her hair.
“here?” Alex asks between frantic and hurried kisses.
Becca hums and urges Alex’s hands further down her body.
it happens quickly after that. the coil inside Becca tightens each time Alex moves her fingers and moans her name and nips at her neck and— it snaps. the coil snaps and its wonderful and horrible and Becca is suddenly acutely aware of the place Alex holds in her heart.
and that— it terrifies her, because for the first time in her life she has no idea how it will go.
-
they head back up to the house not long later, stumbling through the first floor and upstairs as they share laughs and kisses. and when they reach the foot of the bed, Becca pushes Alex back and is quick to return the favour.
-
Becca wakes early in the morning on her side and facing Alex who’s fast asleep and completely dead to the world. she takes this moment, this brief interlude, to consider her next move.
the last time they did this, she left as soon as she woke up. though leaving isn’t exactly an option right now, and Becca finds that even if it were, leaving is the last thing she wants to do.
she brings her hand to Alex’s face and brushes a loose piece of hair behind her ear. the gesture, though small, is enough to cause Alex to stir.
“hi,” Alex says, her voice heavy with sleep and eyes barely open.
“hi.”
“you were right,” she says, sporting a tired grin, “it was fun.”
Becca hums and shifts closer to Alex, tracing lazy patterns on her shoulder. “how long can you stay?”
“how long do you want me to stay?”
“i asked you first.”
“so?”
“humour me.”
their back-and-forth is light, airy. it’s how they usually talk. but there’s insecurity that hides beneath it all. insecurity that itches to be breathed into the world and soothed away.
“well, my friends and i were going to the aurora music festival tomorrow.”
“oh.”
“but maybe, if you wanted to, you could come with?”
“are you asking me to go with you?”
“i asked you first.”
Becca smacks Alex’s shoulder but can’t stop the smile on her face. “yes, i want to go.”
“good” —Alex leans in then, stops only when their lips are just about to touch— “because i really want you to come with me.”
“is that so?”
Alex hums and brings their lips together in a slow and easy kiss that Becca’s all too happy to get lost in.
“wait, hang on.” Alex pulls away, a suddenly serious expression on her face. “you didn’t tell me how long you wanted me to stay.”
forever is the word she thinks, but she just smiles and brings their lips together again, and she thinks that Alex might just understand.
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plaidbooks · 3 years ago
Text
Dark Secrets: New Beginnings
A/N: This is the first installment of the Vampire!Sonny x reader fic. This chapter is only setting the stage; next chapter will be more about the vampire aspect, I promise! This covers the Bookstore square in @adarafaelbarba​ moodboard bingo!
Tags: mentions of sex
Words: 2233
Taglist: @witches-unruly-heart​  @beccabarba​  @thatesqcrush​ @itsjustmyfantasyroom​ @permanentlydizzy​ @ben-c-group-therapy​  @infiniteoddball​ @glowingmess​ @whimsicallymad​ @lv7867​ @storiesofsvu​ @cycat4077​ @alwaysachorusgirl​  @glimmerglittergirl​ @joanofarkansass​ @caracalwithchips​ @berniesilvas​​  @reading--mermaid​  @averyhotchner​  @mrsrafaelbarba​ @detective-giggles​ @crowleysqueenofhell​ @dreamlover31​
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You spent hours on the computer compiling resources for your thesis. After years and years, you were finally getting your Ph. D in History…if you could just finish this damned thesis. List complete, you headed to the local bookstore; you always checked them first before going online, since they were cheaper.
You were intimately familiar with the bookstore; you went there often. And you had double and triple checked online that they had these books. You had a small basket, four books in it, while you looked for the fifth and final book you needed. But its spot on the shelf stood vacant; a perfect hole where it should be.
Shaking your head slightly, you started to search the shelves around it, in case someone didn’t put it back correctly. But you were coming up empty. And this was the book that you needed to buy here; the shop had it for $20, while online was a couple hundred.
“Looking for Making the Revolution: America, 1763-1791?” a voice asked from behind you.
You turned to find a pale, lanky, attractive man, his hair slicked back, his bright blue eyes watching you intently. He was sitting at a table, open book in his hand. Seeing the cover, you knew it was the book you needed.
“I am, yes. Were you intending to buy it?” you questioned, praying he said no.
The corner of his mouth twitched upwards. “I was debating it. Why, do you want it?”
“I do; I need it for my thesis. If you let me buy it, I promise to give it to you when I’m done, free of charge.” At this point, you were just desperate for that book.
His eyes seemed to bore into you as he thought about your proposal. Finally, he smiled, saying, “I think that’s a noble reason to buy this book. You’ve got yourself a deal.” He held the book out to you, and you gently took it from him.
“Thank you so, so much. You don’t know how much this helps me,” you said, placing the book in your basket.
He held a hand up. “No problem. There’s a lot of inaccuracies in that text, anyways.”
You blinked in surprise. “There are?”
“Oh yes. For one, it perpetuates the idea that Christopher Columbus came here to ‘escape tyranny’ in England, which is a load of crap, if I’m honest.”
You took a step closer to the strange man. “Do you have a source on that?”
He thought about it, chuckling to himself about something, before he answered. “Well, I am in the process of transcribing a manuscript from the man himself. But it hasn’t been published quite yet, so I doubt it’ll be of use to you for your thesis.”
“Wh—who are you?” you asked in awe.
He held a hand out for you to shake. “Dr. Dominick Carisi Jr., but you, my dear, may call me Sonny.”
Your eyes widened in shock, and you quickly shook his hand. “Dr. Carisi? Oh my god! I’ve been reading your work in class; I loved your thesis on slavery!” You had never seen a picture of him, had no idea he was so young; he was about your age. You had expected him to be an old man, at least in his 80s, not this attractive man in his early 40s at most.
He barked out a laugh. “You’ve really been reading my work? I’m flattered. I didn’t think anyone put stock in my texts.” While it was true he was a world renowned historian, his work was seen as highly controversial. He had a knack for citing manuscripts and journal entries, things that no one had discovered before he brought them to the limelight. But every authenticator had proven that the writings were from the time period. And that was enough for you.
“Please, sir, er, Doctor. Could I spend a day with you, pick your brain for my thesis? I’ll—I’ll buy the drinks and food, just…please?” you asked, suddenly embarrassed.
But Sonny’s smile grew. “I’d like that. But only if you call me Sonny. If you’re doing your thesis, then I assume you’re almost done with your doctorate?” You nodded, and he continued, “then in my eyes, we’re equals, and you don’t need to call me ‘Doctor’.”
Your heart beat a little faster when he called you equals. “Thank you so much Doc—Sonny. Does the coffeeshop next door work for you?”
“It does. And I’m free all week, whenever you need me.”
“How about tomorrow morning? I don’t have class until 3pm; I hope that’s enough time to chat.”
He gave you that heart melting smile once more. “Sounds good. See you tomorrow.” Then he took your hand and kissed it. As he walked away, your knees felt weak. You were infatuated within five minutes of talking to him.
 **********************
Sonny turned out to be an incredible source of information. Plus, he brought books that he thought would help you, letting you borrow what you needed. And, like yesterday, you found yourself completely enamored with him. He didn’t have a ring on, so you assumed him unmarried, but you didn’t know how to bring it up without being weird. Sure, you were close in age, but he was done with school, became a published historian, while you were still finishing up college. But he never talked down to you; on the contrary, he seemed highly interested in what you had to say.
Like before, you had been nervous—star-struck, really—when you met up with him. But as the hours ticked by, you found yourself more and more comfortable with him. He was highly intelligent, especially about history. You had found it hard to find someone who was as interested in history as you were, without sounding like a pretentious asshole. But Sonny checked all those boxes for you. You were just unsure if he felt the same.
“When is your thesis due? I feel like it’s still early in the academic year,” he asked.
You cleared your throat. “It is; I still have months and months to work on it. It’s due next year, but I want it to be perfect, you know?”
“I do, I do,” he agreed, nodding. “I hope you’re taking some time off, though, as well. Don’t let this paper take up your whole life; you should be out, appreciating everything this life has to give you. Don’t get stuck in the past.”
You looked at the table, letting his words soak in. It was like he had looked right through you; for the past month or so, you’ve been deep in your studies. You had friends, sure, but you hardly saw them. And you’d given up on dating until after you finished college, anyways. But maybe Sonny was on to something. You should seize the day, capture every moment in memories.
“Would you like to get dinner with me, Sonny?” you asked, trying to sound as confident as possible.
It was his turn to look surprised. “Oh, uh…sorry, you caught me off guard. In all my years, no one has ever asked me out; it’s usually the other way around.”
You chuckled. “You’re not much older than me,” you joked, and he smiled. “Maybe it’s time for something new. For both of us…that is, if you want?”
“I’d love to go to dinner with you,” he said, and your heart soared.
When it was getting close to 3, you bade him goodbye, and he told you he would be eagerly awaiting your dinner date. You felt your face heat at the words, and you swore your face never cooled off for the rest of the day.
*********************
That date with Doctor Carisi turned out to be the best decision of your life. You both felt the spark between you, and you said yes to a second date before he even finished asking. Now, it’s been ten months of loving bliss between you. You completed your thesis, got your doctorate, and Sonny couldn’t be more proud of you. And you learned that while he was a historian, he was also a detective. He said he wanted to help people now, by giving them both access to history material, and by putting absolute monsters away.
But there were little things with him, quirks, really. Though you’ve been to his place, and he yours, he never made a move to get you into bed. Sure, you’ve kissed—and sometimes this escalated to a full-blown make out session—but he didn’t seem interested in sex.
He also didn’t seem interested in moving in together…or a future at all, really. Whenever you tried to bring it up, he would just nod along with you, agreeing to whatever you said and adding on a lot of “one day’s”.
He had no family for you to meet, and yours didn’t live close. You noticed he also didn’t eat or drink much; he loved to make you dinner, and he would say that he snacked while cooking. And then, about once a month, he’d leave for 3-4 days, claiming he wanted to be alone to work on the manuscript.
You gave him as much space as he asked for, and though you still loved him dearly, you were starting to wonder if there was something wrong with you…or if it was just something he was having issues with.
“Hey Sonny?” you asked one day while snuggling on the couch at your place. “Are we okay?”
He glanced down at you. “As far as I know, yes? Why, something on your mind?”
“Well…I was just thinking about how we’ve been together almost a year and we still haven’t moved in together,” you tried.
He looked to the ceiling as he thought. “Wow, I guess it really has been that long now, hasn’t it? I feel like I just met you yesterday.”
“So, are we not connecting on a deeper level, then?” You sat up, turning to look at him.
His bright blue eyes found yours, and his expression softened. “That’s not what I meant; I’m sorry it came out like that. Time just…it moves so quickly is all. Look, I love you, I just—I don’t think I’m quite ready to make that jump yet. I’m sorry; I know this must be frustrating, but I promise you one day, I’ll…I’ll be ready.”
You nodded. “I love you too, I just….”
“What is it? You can tell me—”
“Why won’t you sleep with me?” you asked softly. His eyes widened, and you quickly added, “are—are you ace? It’s fine if you are, I understand, but I just…I feel like it’s something wrong with me, and I—”
He cupped your face in his hands, looking deeply in your eyes. “No, it’s nothing wrong with you, I promise. I’m just…I’m not ready—”
“I have urges, Sonny. And I love you, want to wait for you. But it’s been almost a year. I—I don’t believe a healthy relationship is built on sex, but well, it’d be nice to have every once in a while….”
He sighed, releasing your face. “It’s not that I don’t want to, because I do. I just want to be absolutely sure I’m ready. Call it shyness, or embarrassment, whatever you want. But I want to make sure that—that you’re the one for me, first, okay?”
You opened your mouth to respond when his phone rang. He gave you an apologetic look before answering with his stiff, “Carisi.” He mostly listened, making little noises of affirmation, before hanging up.
“I’m so, so sorry, doll. But the department needs me. I swear we’ll talk about this once I’m home, okay?” he promised, getting to his feet.
He grabbed his jacket, heading for the front door. “Sonny wait,” you called, and he stopped, looking back at you. You hurried over to him, looking up into those beautiful blues. “Be careful.”
He smiled softly. “I will be; promise.” He gave you a kiss, and then he was gone.
 ********************
You didn’t hear from Sonny again until the next morning, when he showed up on your front door, breakfast in hand. He apologized for leaving you last night during that important talk, but you brushed it off, telling him it was fine.
“That’s not all I have to apologize for,” he said, looking anywhere but at you. “I’m…going undercover. I’ll be gone for three months.”
Your face fell, and you put your fingers under his chin, tilting his face until he looked at you. “Three months?” you breathed.
“I’m sorry; I tried to decline, but the Lieutenant gave her orders. I leave in an hour.”
“Three months…” you said again, worry blossoming in your chest. This was the longest he’d be gone since you started dating.
He nodded. “I’ll text or call when I can, but don’t expect it; it may be too dangerous.”
You’d heard enough; you lifted onto your tiptoes, kissing him desperately. Your hands went to his hair, and you pulled him close, all your fear and trepidation in the kiss. He froze for only a moment before he was kissing you back, hands on your hips. He clutched you tightly enough that you gasped in pain, and he pulled away, releasing you.
“I’m sorry. I love you,” he muttered before turning to leave, but you had a suspicion that he wasn’t apologizing for leaving.
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spacedikut · 4 years ago
Text
(nearly) lost love ; spencer reid
pairing: spencer reid (criminal minds) x f!reader
summary: “hi idk if you’re taking requests but if you are i’d love to read something where the reader ends up getting hurt somehow (maybe by an unsub) and is in the hospital and spencer is super worried about her and maybe confesses his feelings for her bc he thought he was gonna lose her?? idk just something super fluffy with a little angst if you’re up for it” 2890 words
a/n: im gon na be honest idk how to write angst so i just went where the story took me????
masterlist
Spencer was proudly stood in front of his geological profile in the Austin precinct when the frantic call was made over the comms.
“Agent down! I repeat, Agent down! We need a medic!”
It was Morgan’s booming voice, firm and commanding, and Spencer first felt relief knowing at least Morgan was safe. But fear follows, prickling through his entire body when, oh no, someone on his team has been injured.
Morgan kept his comm connected. Spencer could hear all the chaos on the other end – he picked up that JJ was counting bodies, there was at least four medics requested, and, the most gut-wrenching for Spencer, was listening to Morgan repeat variations of, “Stay with me Y/N. Don’t close your eyes – listen to me, baby, stay with me, Y/N!”
You. You were the agent down.
You, who, less than two hours ago, laughed at your own joke so hard you couldn’t get it out. You, who made plans with him to go shopping for Halloween decorations that weekend (which Spencer was way too excited about, by the way). You.
You, who Spencer recently realised he’s in love with.
Why does he feel like this is his fault? He knows, logically, it isn’t – the obvious reason is because Spencer wasn’t there (which, a little voice in the back of his head says well maybe if you were there this wouldn’t have happened…) and it’s likely that this is entirely the ubsub’s fault. He attacked and you were the unlucky target.
But the history of Spencer’s love life shows there is a definite risk to being associated with him.
Is this the world’s way of telling him he shouldn’t love you? He shouldn’t tell you he loves you?
Was the big speech Derek gave him, the month they spent building Spencer’s confidence up, all for nothing? Because Spencer’s cursed?
This isn’t about you, Spencer, he thinks, angry at himself. God, you’re hurt, injuries still unknown, and he’s floundering because he’s convinced himself he’s cursed.
“Reid? You there?”
It’s Morgan, still talking through the comm, and it knocks Spencer out of his head. “Y-yeah, I’m here. Y/N? Is it Y/N? Is she okay?”
Morgan’s voice is calm and collected, as always, “Hey, kid, chill. She’s with a medic on the way to the hospital. You wanna-“
“I’ll meet you there.”
Spencer dashes out of the room.
+++
When he arrives, Hotch and JJ are waiting for him at the entrance. JJ expected Spencer to be worried, a little agitated, but she didn’t expect him to look so dishevelled and distressed. His hair, usually so well-kempt, sticks up in all directions. He abandoned his jacket and satchel at the station, obviously in a rush, and now his shoelace is untied and it’s giving JJ anxiety.
“Reid,” Hotch greets.
“How-“
“She’s fine, she’s okay,” JJ immediately says. Spencer has always said JJ knows exactly how to soothe him. “A nasty knock to the head, but she’s been taken care of and she’s resting now.”
Spencer’s whole body sighs in relief.
He sounds fragile when he asks, “Can I see her?”
JJ gives a small, bittersweet smile, then gestures for Spencer to follow her. He stays close, basically standing on her heels, the entire way to your room, where Emily is leaving.
He struts straight in, acknowledging no one, intent on seeing you and seeing you only.
You lie there, lifeless. All he can hear is the haunting sound of the heart monitor, combined with your chest minimally moving up and down being the only signs you’re alive. You’ve lost all your usual colour – Spencer recalls JJ mumbling something about you losing a lot of blood – and the whole sight makes his stomach lurch.
He walks in, and walks right back out.
Everyone shares looks of bewilderment. He did a complete 180, hardly sparing you a glance, and ran straight into the hospital’s bathroom where the team hears the distinct sound of retching.
Derek sighs and follows him. Their gazes meet: Spencer’s head barely lifting from the toilet bowl, Derek shutting and locking the bathroom door with pitying eyes.
“I’m sorry-“ Spencer starts.
“Don’t apologise. How you feeling?”
He groans in response, leaning against the wall. He begs himself to not think about all the germs and diseases that are probably infesting his body as they speak – his heart stings too much in his chest for that.
Spencer swallows the stone in his throat, grimacing at the remnants of bile, “Seeing her like that..”
“I know.”
“I never thought I’d see her like that. I’ve never wanted to see her like that and-and.. I couldn’t be there to protect her and help her-“
“None of this is your fault, Reid. It’s not your fault, or her fault, or anyone’s fault except the guy that did this. And he’s dead. And she’ll be fine. Please,” Derek warns, “Don’t guilt yourself into mayhem. I know you, and I know her, and all she wants is for you to be the first thing she sees when she wakes up. If not, or if she finds out you’re beating yourself up over this, she’ll kill you, man. With her bare hands.”
Derek’s smirking at the end of his speech because he’s right and Spencer knows it too. And Spencer can’t refrain from grinning a little at the thought of you, just gaining consciousness, and leaping from your bed to smack some sense into him.
You’re incredible. Which both pains him and makes him fall for you harder.
When Spencer rises and starts swirling his mouth out with water, Derek gives him a firm pat on the shoulder and leaves, Spencer not far behind.
This time, he won’t run out of the room like a weakling. Because it’s you and you need him to be there for you.
It’s what you’d do for him. And before that thought can go any further, he’s taking a deep breath and opening the door.
You’re still resting, looking exactly the same as when he first saw you, and his stomach jumps into his throat again – it pains him to see you like this.
But Penelope is leaning over you, fingers brushing your hair back with the trademarked tenderness that is Penelope Garcia. You’ve always called her your Fairy Godmother, your guardian angel, the true love of your life.
Maybe you’d rather see her when you first wake up.
So he stays back, lingering by the entrance of the room, until Rossi nudges him and he stumbles to the top of your bed. Right by your face, your oh-so-gorgeous but bruised face, and Spencer stares.
He can’t explain how glad he is that you’re okay. You’re here, a little beaten up, but he knows that in a couple days, maximum a week, you’ll be back in the bullpen with your quirks and nudges and warmth that is so you and he’ll never let anything come near you again.
(He knows he can’t actually do that. You wouldn’t let him. But he still thinks it, because he loves you and he’ll do anything for you)
The team silently agrees that Spencer will be the one to stay with you. At least until you wake up.
(Why? You might ask. Because you drunkenly told the girls that you’re convinced the closest thing to heaven on Earth would be waking up and Spencer Reid being the first thing you see every day. Ever since, they’ve committed themselves to trying to set you two up)
Spencer sleeps next to your bed, cramped in the uncomfortable and tiny chair, until about seven am. Then he recites some books in his head, just to pass the time. Then Penelope calls.
“I’m on my way with baked goods, Doctor. Would you like me to pick something up for you and the sleeping beauty?”
Spencer goes to decline, before looking at you, “I think Y/N would appreciate a burger. Maybe two.”
Garcia hums down the line, “You know, she’s always been full of good ideas. I’ll buy too many burgers then be on my way. Kisses!” Then hangs up.
In the meantime, Spencer scrolls through your conversation on his phone. He’d never been one for texting, or technology (notoriously), but you always send him things you think he’d like – maybe an article (he’s read every single one you’ve sent, even the one about the monkey using a frog to masturbate), a picture of a cute dog (this one looks like you, spence!!!!!!), and anything else that catches your eye.
For example, a comprehensive list of way too many “why did the chicken cross the road?” jokes.
They’re your kryptonite. Even after you explained the joke to Spencer, in depth, he still doesn’t quite understand the appeal. But you love them.
So he reads them to you.
He knows you can’t hear him. Being asleep is obviously very different to being in a coma, where people have claimed to be able to hear the people around them, but it passes the time and eases him a little. Cause he also knows that if you were awake you’d be chortling away, happy as can be. And that’s how you should always be.
Happy.
Spencer hopes he makes you happy.
Damn, he loves you.
Damn.
He has to tell you he loves you.
It feels like this need, this obligation – if he doesn’t tell you when you wake up then when will he tell you? The next time you’re injured?
The thought sends him reeling.
No matter the outcome, you need to know. He needs to tell you.
“Why did the rooster cross the road?” He reads aloud, “To cockadoodle dooo something.”
He’s cheesing at his screen, at the audacity and stupidity of these jokes. But they’re sweet, just like you, and they take everyone prisoner when it comes to making people smile.
“That was a good one.” You heh.
Your voice is croaky after not being used in hours, but it’s still the same dreamy voice Spencer loves to hear.
You’re awake. And already smiling, which is one hell of a win in Spencer’s book.
“Good morning.” He whispers.
“It’s morning?” You ask, moving your head slowly to see outside your window. “At least I got a full night’s sleep for once.”
“Should you really be joking in your condition?” Spencer teases, leaning to fluff your pillow when you wince.
You exhale deeply, “And what is my condition, exactly?”
“You look as sexy as ever, buttercup.”
Garcia’s grinning from the doorway, Derek the same from behind her, two bags of food in her hands.
You’re ecstatic when you say, “Penny!” Trying to hide the pain when she hugs you. You’re too happy to see her to turn down her love.
She dishes out the burgers and, as expected, you ask if there’s another in there for you. You chomp happily, despite the dull ache still present, chatting jovially with the three of them.
Penelope gets caught up in telling you about the most recent documentary she saw. When he notices, Derek nods towards the door, making Spencer furrow his eyebrows in confusion. What does he want?
Derek does it again and Spencer gets it. He lifts from his seat the same time Derek does, saying nothing until they’re out of the room and the door has shut behind them.
“I’m gonna make Penelope leave-“ Derek begins, and Spencer stutters.
“What? Why? Is everything okay?”
Derek chuckles at Spencer’s reaction, “Kid, everything’s fine. You just gotta tell her.”
Spencer doesn’t even try to pretend he doesn’t know what Derek’s referring to. He peeks through your door’s window, staring directly at you as you giggle at something Penelope says.
“Do I?” He ponders. “It could-“
“Nope. We’re not doing that “it could ruin everything” spiel. You’re an adult, she’s an adult, and adults don’t play around with feelings like this. Tell. Her.” Derek’s got both hands on Spencer’s shoulders, grip tightening and loosening sporadically as he talks. He looks like a football coach giving a pep talk before the big game, and Spencer feels invigorated.
“Alright.” Spencer nods once, “Let’s do this.”
“I will remove Penelope Garcia from the premises.”
They nod at eachother and move back into your room.
+++
When Penelope is pulled from your room by Derek, stumbling and muttering and stuttering, all you do is blink in confusion.
“What’s going on there?” You say, speaking out of the side of your mouth, as if you’re sharing a secret.
Spencer doesn’t answer. You turn to look at him, another question on your tongue, but the words die when you see his facial expression.
It’s so tender. So soft, and gentle, the littlest of smiles on his lips as his cheeks darken.
“If I tell you something really dramatic right now, do you think you could handle that?”
Your head tilts, brows furrowed, looking far too endearing with your bandaged head.
He clears his throat, “I just-just need to make sure it won’t overwhelm you.”
You don’t know what to expect, but you agree anyway. Is this why Derek and Penelope left?
“I vomited when I saw you in bed. In this bed. In hospital.” He begins.
“Oh, thanks, Spence,” You tease.
“No- no. Hear me out!” He gives a little laugh, hands coming up in defence. “I don’t have a script, and statistically, both men and women speak around sixteen-thousand words a day – I want these ones to be special. Because you’re special.”
You’re still visibly confused. You clasp your hands together in your lap, “I’m listening. You have my full attention.”
Having your full attention is terrifying and electrifying at the same time. Spencer wants you to know that.
“You make me feel things, you know.” He reveals, “Things I’ve only ever read about, fantasised about – you know… things.”
This is going terribly. For a man who’s read the dictionary more times than he cares to count (he does care to count – twenty two times), he is very much struggling to explain himself to you.
Deep breath. From the start.
“It’s alright, Spence,” You console, hand resting on his closed ones. “Take your time.”
He does. He takes a few more breaths. “I don’t know where to start so- so bear with me.”
“Always.”
Why do you have to make his heart race like that?
“What?”
Oh. He said that out loud.
Well. Might as well repeat it.
“I said,” Louder this time, “Why do you have to make my heart race like that?”
“I’m sorry?”
“No. No- I like it. I like you, that’s what I’m trying to say. Maybe not like since Derek told me we’re not in high school, kid,” He lowers his voice to impersonate Derek, “But the l word is scary, especially when I don’t know how you’re gonna react. But whatever you say, however you react, we’ll be okay. I know we will. I just need you to know how you make me feel and how-how good I think I’d treat you, I guess.”
It feels like your silence goes on forever. Then you quietly ask, “And how do I make you feel, Spence?”
“Like I’ve never felt before. I meant it when I said you make me feel things I’ve only read about – you’re so easy to love, you know that? Infuriatingly so. And you’re so open – I think that’s what drew me in at first. You knew nothing about Doctor Who, but you heard I was asking around for someone to go with me to that convention and you said you were available if I wanted you and I… I had to practice how to ask you in the mirror for three days straight. Of course I want you, Y/N. I think I always have.”
His voice is timid when he asks, afraid of what the answer might be.
“Do you think you want me too?”
“Are you crazy?!” You cry out.
The volume makes Spencer jump. Then he registers what you said and slumps, rejection seeping in.
“Spencer-“ You say, exasperated, “You’re the most incredible person I know. I tell you all the time cause I mean it.” You give a short laugh, “How could you even think that I wouldn’t feel the exact same? I’m kind of obsessed with you, Spence.”
The shock on his face melts into pure joy. Is this really happening? You..
“I want you an embarrassing amount, Spencer Reid. I always have and I always will.”
He doesn’t know what overcomes him, but he leaps forward and smashes your lips together. It’s messy and a little clunky, teeth hitting together and mouths unable to stop grinning, but it’s perfect. Everything you could’ve asked for in your first kiss with Spencer.
It’s perfect. He’s perfect.
And he thinks the exact same of you.
He pulls back, heart racing and entire body burning, strong hands cradling your head. It doesn’t take a profiler to realise the two of you, foreheads leaning against eachother, are the happiest you’ve been in a long time.
“You taste like burger.” Spencer breathes, soft and low.
You giggle. “You taste like coffee and burger.”
His lips quirk, raising an eyebrow, “You like it?”
You hum, rubbing your nose against his, “I like it a whole lot. I like you a whole lot.”
Spencer kisses you again.
And again.
“Glad to know we’re on the same page.”
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why-this-kolaveri-machi · 3 years ago
Text
whumptober day 10: crying
slightly more straightforward h/c this time!
summary: set after the ric grayson/joker war arc in nightwing. 
dick’s been missing for two months. jason finds him first, but it’s just the first step in finding how very, very lost dick really is.
warnings: SPOILERS for the aforementioned nightwing arcs. plentiful cursing. moderately graphic descriptions of injuries.
crying
The last time Jason received a family-wide SOS to help them rescue Dick, the guy was a twice-brainwashed mess whose brain was being pulled in opposite directions by the Court of Owls and the fucking Joker, and that was after said brain had been shattered by a fucking sniper’s bullet. (And a period of being left to fend for himself with a broken brain in between, but Jason doesn’t really like to think about that.) This time, he doesn’t know quite what to expect. He can’t imagine things have gotten even worse than the last go-around, but then again, Jason knows from personal experience that there’s no end to the list of ‘things that are worse than dying’.
Besides, the alert came from Babs. And, in quick succession, Tim, Bruce, Duke, and Cass. If nothing else, Jason is curious.
Dick disappeared from Bludhaven about two months ago. The reason the oh-so-precise Bats have the word ‘about’ in that statement is because nobody can really pinpoint the exact date it happened. Donna can recall dropping by his place ten weeks ago. Tim maybe exchanged a few emails or text messages a few weeks ago but didn’t really get alarmed about Dick not responding to his messages until the radio silence stretched for over a month. Bruce had his trackers on (that bastard) but Dick hates them and is known to destroy the ones he finds. And they can’t even really depend on reports of Nightwing sightings in the city because having his brain knocked around and pulled apart like taffy means Dick takes regular holidays from patrols if he’s not feeling particularly steady that day. (Look what being sensible and having a smidgeon of a sense of self-preservation got him.) And the CCTV in his apartment complex was shit, so. 
It’s almost like it was a planned thing, like he was kidnapped, but honestly it’s how things go and how they’ve gone for a very long time: they drift in their own worlds for long periods until an event brings them together, and then it’s back to being scattered across the country again (or sometimes the world, or sometimes the galaxy). Dick is more prone to this than most; he’s probably gone undercover more than any of them, and he’s lived the longest on his own as well. 
Even after the clusterfuck that was the last year and change, it’s nothing new. And if that isn’t the most fucking depressing thing that Jason’s had to think about today, it turns out that not only have the Family figured out where Dick is, but that Jason is the one that’s closest to his location. 
So here he is, shivering, on a particularly icy night on the Gotham docks, scoping out the warehouse where Dick’s supposed to be. It’s not very well-guarded, which either means there’s nothing in there and this is a massive waste of his time, or that it’s a trap and what’s waiting on the other side is a fucking bomb or something even worse. It’s not a great situation to be in either way, and Jason’s got half a mind to have Tim or even Bruce take over--but it’d take too long for them to get there and Jason’s never been fond of the idea of handing over to someone else anything that he could potentially do by himself.
Besides, like he said, he’s curious.
He crouches down at his vantage point overlooking the warehouse and presses the communicator in his ear. “Two guards in front but nothing else; the place is practically abandoned. Infrared picking up three people inside.” He shifts his weight from one foot to another, bracing, ready to spring. “I’m about to go in.”
Tim grunts. “I’ll be there in fifteen, give or take a couple.”
“Twenty,” Bruce says. Then: “Hood, you--” An uncharacteristic pause, and Jason can feel the sudden, uneasy chill across the entire comm channel. Bruce clears his throat. “Be careful. Assess the situation first. Don’t engage alone unless it’s an emergency.”
There’s a thanks for stating the obvious on the tip of Jason’s tongue, but something about the gravity of the situation, the mildest quaver in Bruce’s voice (he’s been missing for two months, god, two months) has him say, instead: “Roger that.”
Jason makes quick work of the guards in the front, leaving them in unconscious heaps on the ground before he creeps in. They’d hardly put up a fight, which just makes Jason’s stomach twist in anxious knots. The anxiety is made worse by the complete lack of resistance when he’s actually inside: there are only two huge, cavernous rooms, and one of them has two of the three people that he’d detected. They scatter as soon as they see him and Jason considers chasing, but now his nerves are stretched so taut that he thinks he’s going to vomit if he doesn’t see Dick now--
The night-vision on Jason’s helmet catches a figure sitting, slumped, in the corner of the room. A chain connects a manacle around its ankle to the wall, and another between the same wall and… a collar around its neck. Jason’s blood is already boiling before he steps closer and recognises the figure as Dick. His hair is long and shabby, having grown past his chin, curtaining his face. He’s shirtless but wearing ripped, stained jeans. His hands are cuffed in front of him, the thin metal biting into his wrists enough to leave his hands puffy and slightly purple from the lack of effective circulation. He looks considerably thinner--Jason can just about count the ribs under his skin--and every visible part of his torso is painted in bruises in various stages of healing. And--
--and he’s breathing.
Well, thank fuck. That’s a start.
Jason crouches in front of Dick and presses his comm again. “Found N. Little worse for wear, but alive and safe.”
He ignores the immediate clamour of questions from the others to focus on trying to get Dick awake. He brushes Dick’s hair aside and gently lifts his chin to have a look at his eyes. 
Dick smiles at him. “Hey.”
Jason is beset by an onslaught of emotion that’s part relief, part incredulity and part anger, so much so that he thinks he’s going to fucking burst with the pressure of it. Of course that would be the first thing out of Dick’s mouth--hey--like he’s meeting Jason for cocktails after work instead of being rescued after two months of captivity and torture! Well he can take that hey and shove it right up his fucking--
“Is there anything else here we need to worry about,” Jason says, busying himself with picking the locks on Dick’s manacles so that he doesn’t snap and say something he’ll regret.
Dick shakes his head. He’s got a shaggy beard going and he stinks of sweat and urine and filth, but there’s a sense of… togetherness to him, like he’d always known that Jason was going to show up at this exact minute and that had always been part of his plan. “They scattered as soon as they got word that you guys were coming,” he says, voice thin and raspy. “I guess not enough of them were curious to stick around to find out why so many capes would be coming for me.”
Jason pops the manacles and collar loose and goes to work on the cuffs. “So you weren’t taken as Nightwing.”
Dick sighs, then winces as the motion pulls on the gigantic bruise around his neck. “I wasn’t taken as Dick Grayson, either.”
The cuffs come off with a click. Jason stares at him. “So… what, you were just some poor mug they picked up off the streets to… torture for shits and giggles?”
Dick is silent for a moment. His eyes flick to a point behind Jason and back again. “They knew me as Ric.”
It takes a moment for the name to click in Jason’s brain, but he finally remembers that it was what Dick called himself during his brain-injured year in Bludhaven. “Why would Ric have enemies?” he says, without thinking.
There’s that smile on Dick’s face again, but this time it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Ric did have a life, Jason. And friends. And… enemies.” He begins to move, bare feet shifting against the floor and shifting his weight onto his hands as if he’s trying to figure out a way to stand up, but barely manages an inch of elevation before he runs out of energy, breathing heavily. “Ric--I used to fight. Street fights. Involved a lot more money and people than I remembered, and… apparently a lot of people felt betrayed when I just up and left the city one day. I’ve been fighting matches here almost every day.” A sudden, sharp grin. “I haven’t lost yet.”
Jason--stops. Utterly freezes, hands midway to helping Dick sit upright, because there’s something terribly, terribly wrong here. “Why didn’t you ever try to escape? And how--I mean, in the first place--”
How did you even get caught?
To Jason’s horror, tears start rolling down Dick’s face. His expression doesn’t really change, so Jason’s not sure that Dick’s even aware that he’s crying, but right now Jason is already halfway to being mortified. “I was on my way back from the gym,” Dick says finally, “and I think I--I blacked out. It happens sometimes.” Dick gives a wet laugh. “Talk about bad timing.”
“And--and what, you blacked out for two months?”
At this Dick’s face crumples, and suddenly Jason gets it: this is a man pushed and pushed to the end of his rope and beyond, utterly exhausted, past the point of caring who knows about it or why. “I guess…” Dick swallows. “I didn’t really see the difference. Between--between here and out there.”
Jason wants to scream, shake his shoulders--a shameful part of him even wants to hit Dick--and tell him that of course it was different outside of this stupid, dank warehouse: he has friends and family and a lifetime of experience to support him while he flies free. It’s ridiculous to even compare the two, and Jason is ready to put these words down to the effects of too much pain and too little food.
Except--
(plucked you right out of one life and stuffed you into another, didn’t they? treated you like a puppet without a past and a future, didn’t they? didn’t let you entertain the idea of a different life even for a minute, did they? punished you for straying, reminded you there was just too much at stake, and that those stakes were always, always bigger than you or your health or your happiness or your future--)
“Dick, I--” Jason really doesn’t know what to say. Tim says, “ETA five” in his ear while Bruce says, “Right behind you, Robin” and Jason knows, just knows, that this isn’t how they would want to see Dick, and more importantly, this isn’t how Dick would want them to see him.
He gathers Dick in his arms and presses him to his chest. Dick freezes for a second, surprised, then melts into his embrace. His shoulders shake, hands coming up to weakly grasp at Jason’s jacket. The sobs reach a crescendo quickly, a pathetic keening muffled into Jason’s chest, before tapering away and Dick is still, just… breathing. 
Jason breathes with him.
That’s how Tim and Bruce find them a couple of minutes later. Dick peels away and somehow musters the energy to reassure them. Bruce helps him up and carries him to the car while Jason follows; just as Dick’s lowered into the backseat his hand shoots out, grasping Jason’s arm in a silent plea. 
Jason gets in with him. Neither he nor Bruce say anything through the whole drive at the tears that continue to pour down Dick’s face, but Jason doesn’t let go of his hand for the whole ride.
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beetle-kid · 2 years ago
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07/30/22
I can’t get hopeful.
—————
As new opportunities arise, I can’t get hopeful because any new experience I have is one without her right here beside me. I know the time will come when we live together in love, but I am so worried that she will keep us from our future.
Listen, I am in love with someone who has a sensitive soul. I wish I could just protect her from the world, but I simply can’t (especially when we live a distance apart). They have major depression and can hardly get out of bed most days now. Rent for her apartment is getting out of control because no businesses are giving her calls back or are hiring.
On top of it all, her depression leads to self-isolation. They hardly respond to any of my messages or calls, but I can survive on an occasional text back or short conversation. However, she’s embarrassed about the situation regarding her rent. As their long-term partner, I need to know what’s up with everything, but she shuts down when we try to talk about important issues like that. It’s quite difficult.
I enjoy being around them, and we compliment one another nicely when I come to visit. The way she makes me feel is unlike anything I have ever felt toward another person before, and I get all giddy and playful when I am around her. We both want me there all of the time, but it’s just not possible as of right now. I know she took the news very hard that it would take a few months longer to move to her town. I just don’t want her to throw it all away because it’s rough right now. No matter what it seems I’ll be trapped in here for a while longer.
She brought up the idea of polyamory again for the first time in MONTHS a couple days ago. I know she wants more than just me and wants me to be open to the idea for even myself. But I just can’t.
I don’t want anyone else, and I don’t think I ever will for as long as we are together. At most maybe we both hookup with someone together, but I really can’t fathom me having more than one partner without it being cheating. Every time I try to open myself up to it, jealousy and doubt take over me. I think she must’ve brought it up because she wants it. I don’t think I’ll ever be enough to truly satisfy her. It terrifies me. I don’t want to lose them. Thinking about her with their arms around another person or rubbing someone else’s thigh feels like the end of the world. It makes me want to puke and gives me a stomachache from the anxiety. I’m not too self-conscious about a lot of things in particular, but knowing that she still does want another partner apart from me makes me feel like I’ll never be enough for this girl…
I think I’ll keep on being her loyal dog until she drops me off on the side of the road
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the-duke-of-nuts · 3 years ago
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Is This Coffee Hot Or Is It Just You?
Day 3: Coffee Shop @dukexietyweek 
Summary: Virgil finds out that a certain someone happens to work at the local coffee shop
Pairing: Dukexiety
Word Count: 1389
Warnings: Food Mention, Innuendos, Violence Mention, Literally all of my fics contain swearing so there’s that I guess
Tag List: @idontcareaboutcanon (If anyone else wants to be added just let me know)
Ah Coffee shops. Virgil never understood the appeal about a place filled with nothing but caffine, free WIFI, hipsters, and pastries. He certainly also didn't understand why he agreed to go to the local one near his apartment that his friends kept oh so begging him to go to for some reason. Well, by "friends" it was mostly Patton and Roman. His other two friends could care less about the place just as much as him. But here he was opening the door to the quiet semi-crowded shop. There was an oddly comforting atmosphere to it. The lights were dim, random relaxing music can be heard through the speakers, various different tea boxes and mugs hung on the shelves. "Maybe this place isn't so bad." Virgil thought to himself as he looked around the room. He walked forward to the counter as he happened to be the next person in line but then he saw him.
You gotta be fucking kidding me.
Remus Pierce. The same Remus Pierce that always flirted with him in high school. The same Remus Pierce that casually ate juiced bread at lunch to gross people out. The same Remus Pierce that Virgil secretly had a crush- 
"Well hello there customer~ What can I get you~?" The said mustached, silver streaked hair barista asked smirking. "Coffee." Virgil deadpanned. "I'm afraid you're gonna need to be more specific than that." "Like my soul." Virgil glared. "Alright so black it is. And a name?" Remus smirked as he uncapped a marker and held an empty coffee cup. "Oh my god Remus you already know my-" Virgil took a deep breath in so he could stop himself from getting angry and causing an unnecessary scene and answered with a fake smile "Virgil." "I'm sorry can you spell that for me please? I don't wanna misspell a hottie like yours name like everybody else here does to the other customers."
That damn cocky smirk.
Virgil just wanted to kiss- punch that smug look off his face. "V-I-R-G-I-L." "Okay S-E-X-Y got it. Your beverage should be hot and ready for you shortly." Remus winked and booped Virgil's nose as he walked off to go make the emo's coffee. Virgil growled blushing and buried his face in his hands.
Damn him for being so hot- horrible!
Remus soon came back with Virgil's coffee and dramatically bowed as he held the cup for him to take."For you, my 'Bittersweet Symphony'. "Thanks..." Virgil hesitantly took the beverage. "How much?" He asked as he placed the cup down and reached for his wallet. "Oh for you it's on the house!" "Thanks I guess?" Remus smiled and responded with a nod and a hum.
You gorgeous fuck stop smiling!
Virgil's heart started beating a little faster. Surely Remus wasn't having this effect on him right? They've known each other since high school. There was nothing to be nervous about. The only reason Virgil didn't hear much about the barista after that was because Roman hardly ever talked about him. "So... You work here." Virgil stated as he tried to start a conversation. "Yup! Have been for a couple of months now. What about you? Do you do anything nowadays?" "Of course I do I do a lot of stuff!" Virgil immediately answered. " Oh really? Like what?" Remus asked amused. "Stuff..." Virgil half mumbled as he looked away. Remus cackled.
That disgustingly beautiful laugh.
"Vee Vee, I've known you long enough to know that you're not fully being honest because you're either 1, ashamed or 2, scared of what I'm gonna say. Now c'mon what do you actually do? I promise I won't judge." Virgil blushed. Was he really that readable?
"Fine. It's not like you care or anything but I write poems and sell them."
"Nice. Maybe one of these days you can read me one of your angsty emo sonnets. OOH! Or better yet I can help you write some juicy-"
"Not happening!"
"Fine fine suit yourself." Remus chuckled. "So what brings you here Finding Emo?"
"Prince Drama Queen and Chocolate Chip Cookies."
"Ah so Romano and Patty. That figures. You sure it wasn't for another reason~?"
"No?"
"C'mon admit it. I know you missed me~" Remus smirked playfully pinching Virgil's cheek. "I didn't even know you worked here!" Virgil blushed as he swatted Remus' hand away. "Yeah but now you do and you can see me aaaaanytime you want." "Whatever..." Virgil crossed his arms and looked away.
There soon became a silence between them. Since when did Remus' eyes get prettier? Maybe it was the eyeshadow? No he always had that. Maybe it was because they were a deep chocolate brown? His hair and lips definitely looked softer and- Shit! Virgil was staring!
Get out of there! Get out of there now!
"Anyways I should get going and uh-" Virgil cleared his throat as he picked up his coffee and turned around to leave as quick as possible but Remus stopped him. "Wait uh Virgil, can I ask you something?" Ah yes every anxiety-ridden person's favorite question. "You just did." Virgil deadpanned trying to play off his anxiousness. "You know what I meant!" Remus said slightly irritated.
"Fine. What is it?"
"Okay so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to hang out together later after my shift?"
Virgil blushed. "Like a date?" "If you want it to be~" Remus wiggled his eyebrows and winked. "But in all seriousness yeah kind of." A date!? Remus was far from being the romantic type. This had to be a trick right!?
"Remus I-"
"Look, I know you don't like me much and you probably hate me, but just give me this one chance... Please?" Remus took Virgil's hand and gave him a pleading look. Virgil unconsciously held Remus' hand tighter staring into his eyes. He felt bad. Did Remus really think he actually hated him? That was far from the truth. Virgil loved him. He loved him so damn much since the moment he first laid eyes on him. He just didn't know how to tell him. Let alone show him. 
Virgil sighed. "Fine. One date and that's it. If I actually have a good time, I'll maybe consider going on some more with you. If not, then whatever we have going on between us isn't happening.” That was an obvious lie. Virgil would've agreed to go on countless ones regardless of the outcome and accept to being Remus' boyfriend if he asked but he never wanted to actually admit that to the barista's face.
"I won't disappoint!" Remus smiled getting a little excited. "Yeah yeah whatever. Just out of curiosity, what exactly is this date?" Virgil asked knowing fully well that this "date" the barista had planned was far from his twin's definition. Remus smirked and leaned forward for only Virgil to hear. "Two words. Baseball bats and breaking shit." There's the Remus he knew and loved.
Still chaotic as ever.
Virgil smiled. "Alright you've piqued my interest." "I'm glad I did. If I'm lucky, we both know what happens after the first date~" Remus smirked wiggling his eyebrows. "Shut up. You wish." Virgil blushed holding back a laugh and playfully pushed Remus' face away. Remus cackled.
"A man can fantasize."
"Yeah a little too much."
"So you have thought about-"
"Pierce! Stop flirting with the customers and get back to work!"
Remus rolled his eyes annoyed at his manager's voice in the distance. "I gotta go. My shift ends in like 2 hours and I put my number on the cup so just call or text me or come back by then." "Alright." Remus smirked. "What!?" Virgil blushed confused but immediately realized what that smirk meant.
Oh no.
Remus practically made this phrase a tradition everytime they said bye to each other. "I love you no homo." Yup there it was. Virgil sighed and facepalmed "I love you too no homo..." Remus smiled satisfied that Virgil still said it back since the day they first met.
"Later."
"Later."
 Virgil picked his coffee up and left and smiled to himself as soon as he went outside. After all of these years, he's still a dork. That's what Virgil always loved about Remus. And with that final thought, Virgil finally sipped his coffee and his smile grew wider.
He remembered exactly how I liked it.
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missdawnandherdusk · 4 years ago
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A Girl’s Choice
Draco X Reader (highschool!AU)
Summary: Everything was absolutely fine in his small town, until you stumbled in and began to defy the status quo.
A/n: So, guess who got Midnight Sun and has been reading it non-stop for the past few days? Me. It was me. So, please enjoy this Twilight Parody of our favorite characters. Also I get to move back to college in like a week and I am EXCITED--mainly because there’s a good chance that I get a room to myself bc of the virus. So yay me. I love you guys a lot and really thank you for your patience and enthusiasm. It makes me smile. 
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“So, Gin asked me to the dance this morning,” Harry was chatting you up—a normal occurrence before class started.
Draco didn’t mean to eavesdrop on you. He really didn’t, but he was intrigued about how this would go down. Since moving to the small town, you had been a buzz among the boys in the grade level. Draco could all but assume that most of the fantasized about you asking them to the girl’s choice dance coming up.
“That’s great!” You genuinely smiled. “You’ll have a lot of fun!”
Harry fumbled, losing his casual composure. You noted on it, and your look became more skeptical and judgmental—something Pansy would approve of.
“Well, I told her I’d think about it,”
This surprised Draco as much as it seemed to surprise you. It was no secret that star lacrosse player Weasley and Potter were all but official and had been for almost all of high school.
“Why in the world would you tell her that?” Your words mimicked his thoughts.
“Well... I thought maybe you’d... want to ask me?” He ran a hand through his usually untidy mass of curls.
Draco could not make this up if he wanted to. He barely suppressed the laugh that threatened to escape his lips. How in hell had Harry figured that you’d want to go to the dance with him? You’d been here maybe a month. As far as Draco knew, you weren’t interested in anyone. Perhaps the small town didn’t have enough shine for your city lights.
“You should tell Ginny yes, Harry,” You scolded him like a child. “It’s rude to make a girl wait,”
“Yeah, I guess,” Harry sulked, his face falling as the bell rang, signaling the start of class.
Draco couldn’t wipe the amused smirk from his face. You huffed annoyed and opened your notes, already prepping a new page for today’s lesson. You didn’t pay him any mind during class—a normality between the pair of you. Draco ignored you and you returned the favor. It was almost easier this way for him. Your shiny new toy status had no effect on him. He had every shiny toy he ever wanted. You had no appeal to him.
Harry, however, Draco stole glances over from time to time. The green-eyed jock pouted throughout the entire lesson, stealing glances over to you. You hardly noticed. Instead you were doodling in your notebook, waiting for the teacher to move on.
Maybe the stars aligned, or maybe you did fascinate him, but Draco found himself in the lunch line next to you the following day as another tried to ask you to the girls choice ball.
“So, I heard you turned down Potter,” Cedric gave off-hand. “Waiting to ask someone else then?”
Draco snorted, and this time you did give him the slightest glare before turning back to Cedric.
“I’m not going,” You answered curtly, grabbing fruit from the stand. “And no, I don’t plan on asking anyone.”
“Why aren’t you going?” Cedric almost pouted.
“There doesn’t have to be a reason.” You snapped. “I’m not going,”
Draco could only imagine the glare that you gave Cedric for him to back off so quickly. Again, a smile quirked at his lips. You might be the shiny new toy, but you weren’t going to be used like a porcelain doll.
“So, has she asked anyone yet?” Pansy asked as he sat beside her at their usual lunch table.
“She’s not going, and you totally missed her going off on Diggory,” Draco grinned. “That girl has to have a glare that rivals yours,”
“She turns down Potter and Diggory... do you think maybe she’s into chicks?” Pansy asked almost hopeful.
“Wouldn’t know and don’t care,” Draco shrugged. “Besides, she’s not going to the dance so go ask Greengrass before it’s too late,”
Pansy sulked and stabbed her salad with a bit more vigor than before.
You stormed into the chemistry classroom a bit more irritated than he had seen you in the cafeteria. He wanted to guess that another guy had tried to ask you to the girl’s choice dance because honestly it amused him to see you so upset. It was cute how riled up you could get from some unwanted attention. He wondered how far you’d have to be pushed before you actually started swinging. Maybe he wanted to find out.
“So,” He asked pointedly. “Anyone else try to ask you to the dance?” 
“Oh, fuck off Malfoy,” You hissed making him grin wider.
“Well, I was wondering if—”
“If you even start to finish that, I won’t be so forgiving,” Your hand clenched into a fist and Draco thought that maybe you’d actually try to hit him, but Snape walked in as the bell rang, taking any chance away from you.
Draco sat back smugly in his chair—to your great annoyance—as class droned on. At the end of the hour Draco followed you out, calling your name. You froze in the hallway, before turning to face him.
“I’m really not in the mood right now Draco,” Your strained voice gave a hint of weariness. “What is even with you guys? Can’t you just leave a girl alone? I’m not going to the stupid dance and I’m not just saying that so I can ask someone else,”
Before Draco could get a word in you stalked away, disappearing in the crowd. And he stood there, dumbfounded. Was he not amused an hour ago about your annoyance? Did it not make him smile that you were tortured by your suitors? Why all of a sudden was he frowning and loathing Potter and Diggory—and whatever poor bloke had the unfortunate courage to ask you before class—even more for winding you up?
“It was Krum,” Pansy didn’t even say hello as she sat next to him in Spanish. “He was the one who tried to ask her,”
“She said no to Krum?” Draco’s eyebrows shot up. “You might be right, she really might swing the other way,”
“Aw, but I already asked Daphne,” Pansy pouted.
“Pans, darling, I think if anyone else breathes near her about the dance she’s gonna send someone to the nurse,” Draco chuckled. “So maybe you dodged a bullet there,”
She sighed wistfully. “Still, it’s nice to dream,”
____________________________________
“So, did you ask anyone to the dance yet?”
“Dad, I really don’t want to talk about this,” I huffed, kicking off my shoes. “I’m not going to that stupid dance,”
“Well, I know it’s probably not as glitzy as your uptown shindigs, but you should still go and have fun,” My dad set down his paper. “Make some friends while you’re here,” His tone was hopeful, as I knew it would be.
He wanted me to be happy here. He wanted me to fit in and enjoy my time in the middle of nowhere. It was a farfetched dream. But it was mine, I supposed.
“I have a few friends,” I insisted. “But I’m not one for dances... and the guys in town aren’t exactly... appealing,” I decided.
“Well, not that a father will complain about his daughter not wanting to date, but maybe you should go with a group of friends or something?”
“Everyone’s paired off, dad,” I sighed, looking in the fridge for something to make for dinner.
As I set off to do my chemistry homework, my mind meandered to my chem partner. It was out of character that he spoke to me today. Normally we disregarded another in comfortable silence. It had been that way since I showed up. And though it might have stung a bit in the beginning, I could tell quickly that Draco and his friends were the wrong sort of crowd that I didn’t want to be caught up in. The kind of crowds that I escaped by moving from my city life.
And I liked the crowd I had found; Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were all very sweet and welcoming on my first day and had sort of adopted me into their group without looking back. Not that there was much depth in any of their lunchroom conversations, but at least I wasn’t alone. Hermione was the only one I could hold a conversation with—she had AP classes as I did and was a saint when I needed homework guidance.
Chemistry, however, was the one subject she couldn’t help me with. She had opted out for AP Environmental instead, claiming she had done her time with Snape and would rather dropout than be in his class another year.
So, it left me begrudgingly texting Draco about tonight’s homework. He was the only other one in class that seemed to keep up easily. Maybe it was because he was a shoe shiner class pet of Snape’s.
Malfoy: Oh, so you’re talking to me now. Don’t want yell at me again?
My cheeks flushed in anger and embarrassment at his response. He was never one to hold back what he was thinking—even if it was brutal.
Y/n: I’m sorry for snapping at you. It wasn’t fair to you. I’d give a reason, but I doubt you’d care
Malfoy: Pansy already told me that Krum tried to ask you to the dance. That’s what? Three guys now? If I hadn’t stopped her, Pansy wanted to ask you too.
Y/n: At least it would have been a girl asking me to a girl’s choice
Y/n: And you’re short one, Ron asked me too
Malfoy: Weasel? Wow. Never thought he’d have the guts to ask anyone 
Y/n: He’s actually going with Hermione
Y/n: Now will you please help me on 7?
And to my surprise, Draco was quite civil about walking me through the covalent bonding prompts. It made me feel a bit more guilty about snapping at him earlier today.
Seeing how I struggled on the homework, I wasn’t surprised that Harry came over during study hall and asked me for help on the same, if not more, questions. After the first couple, he griped that I was too similar to Hermione for knowing it all. And that it wasn’t fair that it came so easily to me.
“Actually, Draco helped me,” I smiled as I showed my notes to Harry for the next question. “He might help you if you ask,”
That was a long shot. Harry hated Draco and vice versa. It didn’t take me long to figure that one out.
“Malfoy helped you? Like actually helped you?” Harry scoffed. “The little prat,”
“Hey,” I warned snatching my notes away. “If you’re not gonna be nice about it I won’t let you use my notes,”
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that,” Harry pouted. “You know I was kidding,”
“Yahuh. Sure Harry,”
“Oh, come on,” Harry tried again. “He’s a prat. Always has been,”
I rolled my eyes, not wanting to hear anymore of Harry’s lamenting, and grabbed my bag. “I’ll be in the library,”
Wordlessly I left, fuming slightly. The music from my headphones thawed out my anger towards Harry a bit as I pushed the doors of the library open and sat at a table, pulling out my calculus homework to go over it one last time.
“This seat taken?”
I barely heard the question over my music. My eyes darted up to meet steady grey ones.
“It’s a free country,” I shrugged then remembered that I want particularly irate towards Draco at the moment. “Thank you, by the way,” I murmured, taking out one of my headphones. “For the chem help,”
“I might have had an ulterior motive,” Draco mumbled, pulling out a binder.
“If you think I’m gonna ask you to the dance because you helped me with my homework you have another thing coming Malfoy,” I warned.
“I think every guy in the school has got that by now,” a smile played at his lips. “No, I... I need help in McGonagall,” He was almost sheepish to admit it.
I raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, but he did seem genuine about needing help.
“I’m not sure I’ll be much help, but I can try. My old teacher, Jones had a different way of explaining it...” I trailed off, a pang of remorse about leaving my old school in my chest.
And maybe the way Jones taught me made more sense to Draco because he did eventually start to understand the calculus on the paper beneath us. I realized that Draco was very methodical. He enjoyed having rules that worked every time no matter the question. A failsafe that kept him ahead of the curve.
“Do you miss it?” He asked as we started to pack for the next hour. 
“Miss what?”
“Your old school? It has to be a lot different than this hell hole,” His words were nonchalant but still skeptical.
“It’s not so bad here,” I defended weakly. “But... I miss it, yeah. I feel like I have to prove myself all over again. Back home—back in New York no one questioned me. The teachers trusted me... the staff knew me...” I sighed. “I’m a stranger here.”
The warning bell rang and the same sense of dread that settled upon me reflected in Draco’s eyes: we were halfway across campus and there was little hope of getting to Snape’s class in the two minutes we had left.
Both scrambling, we headed for the doors and tore down the hall. I followed Draco’s path because if I was honest, I still didn’t quite know my way around the school nor the quickest ways to certain buildings.
“Miss Y/l/n,” Snap looked down disapprovingly at me. “I hope you have reason for being late or it’s Saturday detention for you,”
My anxiety spiked as I fumbled out an explanation. In the corner of my eye, I saw Harry stand, ready to come to my defense, but there was no need. Flawlessly Draco directed the attention of the irritated teacher to him with a sly smile and quick lie, that wasn’t really a lie at all.
“It was my fault,” Draco smoothed quickly. “I was having Y/n help me with McGonagall’s homework and I kept her late.”
Snape’s eyes darted between the two of us before he sighed, telling us to get to our seats before he gave out detentions for disrupting his class.
With a breath of relief, I sat beside Draco. 
“Thank you,” I murmured.
He shrugged and took out his notes and homework just as Snape began to go over it. And we went back to ignoring each other. Except, this time, it deemed impossible for me not to glance at him every so often, or for my eyes not to drift to his notes on the table, making sure that I hadn’t missed anything. The hour seemed to end quicker than normal. As usual, Harry walked to gym with me, chatting about the upcoming game before the dance this weekend.
“So, you and Malfoy?” The comment caught me off guard. “I don’t like it,”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s nothing Harry,” I shrugged. “No need to let your little feud make up wild stories. He just needed help with calc,”
“Sure, the golden boy needed help with his homework,” Harry said flatly. “That’s believable.” 
“And what about it is so farfetched?” I demanded.
“He’s doing it for some reason. He knows you turned me down, maybe he’s trying to get at me by being nice to you,” The offhand comment had my blood boiling.
“Are you serious right now!?” I snapped. “What is so wrong with you that you can’t see past your own ego!?”
Storming off, the only relief from my anger I was allowed happened when I ‘accidentally’ pelted Harry with a ball in the face, sending him to the nurse. When my anger faded, doubt remained. Was Draco only trying to be nice to me to get at Harry? From what I knew of Draco secondhand, I wouldn’t put it past him.
______________________________
Draco was shocked when Snape had called on you for a homework answer, and you admitted that you didn’t know. Didn’t you know that he didn’t mind you texting him about the homework? That helping you wasn’t the worst waste of his time in the world? You had done it before. Not days ago. And yet you allowed yourself to be ridiculed by Snape for your lack of habitual knowledge.
You didn’t notice the small frown that lingered on his face for the remainder of class as you kept your head down and doodled in your notebook. Deciding that he didn’t like your comatose, he did something that deemed childish: he passed you a note.
You ok?
You stared at the paper and looked over at him, biting your lip before scribbling: 
Fine. Pay attention.
Rolling his eyes, he took the paper back and wrote:
I can’t if you’re over here moping.
You took the small piece of paper and crumpled it in your hands, shoving it into your bag. Draco decided to leave you alone for the rest of the hour his curiosity still burning through him. A quick meeting of Harry’s livid stare, and Draco had a better idea of what was going on. He just hoped, for perhaps the first time ever, that he was wrong.
“Oi, what the hell did you say to Y/n?” Draco demanded, singling Potter out in the hall the next morning.
His curiosity and suspicions had festered over the night. Draco had made the conscious decision to text you, asking if you needed help with chem, and your lack of response had him worrying again.
“What are you going on about Malfoy?” Ron crossed his arms, coming to Harry’s defense.
“Stay out of this weasel,” Draco hissed, noticing the crowd that began to gather around the small confrontation. Most of his attention, however stayed focused on cold green eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Malfoy,” Harry tipped his chin back. “What? Is she not bowing down at your feet like you’re used too?” A laugh barked out of him and Weasley and a few other onlookers.
“At least she’s got enough self-respect to not be on her knees for you,” Draco heard the familiar condescending voice of Pansy beside him. A grin curled onto his face at her words.
Harry didn’t know what to say to that it seemed, and it further proved Draco’s suspicions. 
“So, you did say something to her,” He accused. “She got her not a month ago and you’re already dragging her into our mutual hatred?” Draco wouldn’t stoop that low. It was pathetic. 
“Well if you hadn’t gone and pretended to need help with McGonagall’s work, there wouldn’t be a problem,” Harry gritted, as if he had the high ground.
“As opposed to you who pretends he doesn’t need help them blames others when he fails?” Draco snapped.
There was quite a large crowd gathering around now, and he and Harry were less than a foot apart. Both boys were on the verge of snapping.
“Draco?”
Your voice was enough to distract him that he didn’t see Harry throw the first punch. Pain blistered across his jaw as fury burned in his eyes. Now the kids around them were chanting and egging on the fight. But Draco never had the chance to swing back.
Because you had drove yourself into the cleared circle and delivered a few punches of your own.
“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” You shouted at him kneeing him in the groin leaving him keeled over, groaning. “I told you to back the fuck off!”
Draco wasn’t as surprised at the comment as he was about the knowledge that you knew how to beat the pulp out of a star football player without a whim. You never seemed like the athletic type but the blood pouring from Harry’s nose begged that you were slightly more dangerous than Draco had originally thought.
“Are you okay?” Your wild worried eyes were trained on him.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” He didn’t mean for the words to be so harsh, but the hurt that flickered across your face made him regret them.
He wished he had time to explain exactly why you shouldn’t have done that, but McGonagall and Snape were already upon the scene and threatening detentions. He and Harry, of course, were called out as the other students scattered.
“McGonagall, please,” You stood loyally beside him, despite his harsh words. “Draco didn’t have a hand in this, I did.”
Both teachers raised their eyebrows in surprise. Draco just gaped at you. Harry was glaring and still bleeding.
“I see. All three of you go to Dumbledore’s office.” She said, her careful eyes not leaving yours.
Harry strode off first, perhaps feeling smug in the fact that either way, you or Draco would be in trouble for this encounter. Draco wondered if you knew you had just bought yourself three days suspension for fighting.
You were silent beside him as you flexed your hand. He pondered if you had hurt it in your fervor. He almost asked you. Then he remembered the hurt on your face at his last words and decided against it. You wouldn’t want to talk to him.
“So,” Dumbledore said pointedly. “I heard there was a bit of a skirmish today in the hall,” An amused smile sat upon the principal’s face, no doubt taking in Harry’s state. Draco wondered if his skin was bruising yet.
“It was me,” Draco said not realizing what he was doing.
“Oh, don’t you even,” You were scathing at him, your hands clenched again, pain flitting across your face—you definitely hurt your hand then. You turned to Dumbledore. “Harry swung at Draco and I stepped in. I’m the one who did it.”
“Mr. Potter?” Dumbledore raised an ancient eyebrow.
Harry seemed like he was debating whether or not he wanted to admit getting beat up by a girl. The thought made Draco smile, causing his jaw to hurt. He tried to flex it but halted when pain blossomed again.
“That’s what happened,” Harry admitted under his breath.
“And why, Mr. Malfoy, did Potter swing at you?” Dumbledore turned to him, an amused smile lingering on his face.
“I thought that Harry had said something to her that hurt her. She... wasn’t keeping up on homework and it was unlike her. After she turned Harry’s proposal to the dance down, I thought...”
“You turned down Mr. Potter’s proposal to the girl’s choice dance?” The principal turned back to you.
“His, Weasley’s, Cedric’s, Viktor’s,” You muttered, much to Dumbledore’s delight as the older man began to chuckle.
“Had quite a welcome here, haven’t you?”
“You could say that again,” Folding your arms, your face became solemn. 
“And do you have a reason for your actions?”
“I don’t like bullies, no matter where they come from,” Confidence founded your voice as you squared your shoulder. Never once had Draco ever heard someone call Harry a bully. The words had always been reversed. Everyone in the school saw the reputation in Draco, never Harry.
“Well, under normal circumstances, I’d have to suspend you and Mr. Potter here, but instead, I’m suspending you from being allowed to the dance this weekend. All three of you,”
“But sir!” Harry argued.
“Not another word Mr. Potter.” Dumbledore rose from his office chair. “My decision is final.”
Three ‘yes sir’s were mumbled as the three of you filed out of the office. You began to walk away, towards your next class Draco assumed, but he caught your non-injured hand, Harry slinking away himself.
“Let me go,” You shrugged him off.
“Wait,” Draco caught up to you, blocking you in the narrow hall of the office. “Look, about what I said,”
“Forget it Draco,” You snapped, and he could see unshed tears in your eyes. “Just leave me alone,” You pressed past him with a bit more force than necessary that had him after you again.
“I didn’t mean it like that!” He called, and you actually paused, your head turning in interest.
“Then what did you mean?” Your voice with thick. “Cuz all I see is a rich little prat who can’t say thank you. Or a self-centered guy who thinks I need someone to fight my battles for me. A high and mighty guy who thinks he can tell me what to do,” Your words were sharp and snarled. “So please, tell me what you meant.” The challenge dripped dangerously from your scowl.
“I...” Draco fumbled for the right words. “I’m not worth getting suspended for,” Your anger turned to confusion, turned sympathy, turned neutral.
“But I’m worth fighting for,” It was a stubborn and bold declaration. “And I know that,” A pause as you turned to leave. “So yeah, I should have done that,”
___________________________
I couldn’t help the tears that streamed down my face as I nearly ran to the parking lot, yearning for the safety of my car. Slamming the door shut, I let out a frustrated yell and slumped in the seat.
The backroads under my tires held a calming solace as I drove the long way home. It was something that New York couldn’t replace: the backroads I had grown up on. With the windows down and the radio blaring, all of my thoughts were tuned out.
At a red light, I found the courage to call my father and explain what happened. He said I was grounded this weekend for fighting, but I didn’t mind much. It got me out of having to go to the dance, even if Dumbledore hadn’t already said I couldn’t. I smiled when my dad told me he was proud for standing up for myself and beating the hell out of Harry.
I found myself smiling as I pulled in at home. Icing my hand and popping some pain killers just in case, I scrolled through my notifications, only answering Hermione. I didn’t care what the school gossiped about or what rumors started because of the fight. Hermione just wanted to know if I was okay and if I’d want her to send the homework from the classes I missed. I told her yes to both and thanked her.
Another notification popped up.
Draco: are you okay? how’s your hand?
I stared at the notification, and instead of deleting the icon like I should have, I opened it and gazed at the words. His mood swings were giving me whiplash. I thought about ignoring it, but he had already seen that I had read it. Cursing modern technology, I responded.
Y/n: fine
Mulling it over, I sent another text.
Y/n: can you send me the chem homework? please
The messages that followed were unexpected. Steady and clear photos of his notes for the day— and week it looked like—as well as the worksheet Snape had given. I felt a pang if gratitude towards Draco in that moment and his words from earlier settled in.
Draco has confronted Harry because he was worried about me. Somehow, he had picked up on how Harry’s words had affected me and driven me into doubt and a few missing homework assignments. Tears sprung back up in my eyes without my consent. It left me regretting the words I had snapped at him earlier. I let him know as much with another text.
Draco: most of it was justified
Draco: I know I’m not the easiest person to know 
Y/n: I was still wrong to say it. I’m sorry
Y/n: and you’re not so bad :)
There wasn’t a response from him for half an hour, so I settled down and began to transcribe his notes into my own notebook, then began to untangle the questions that the worksheet gave me. The crumpled note from a few days ago spilled out of my bag. I took it, unfurling it, running my hand over his words. I tucked it in my chemistry binder, smiling softly at his kindness.
Anxiety fluttered in my chest the next day as I drove up to school and parked in my usual spot. I felt torn between two clicks—probably the only two clicks this school had, and I had managed to get caught in the middle of a turf war—the thing that I wanted to escape by moving back in with my dad and I still managed to find myself in the same situations. Maybe it was just me. Maybe I was the problem.
Shaking the thought, I headed to first hour just as the bell rang in my efforts to avoid confrontation. Other than a few approving comments from my sorta friends, no one seemed put out that I had fought their golden boy. It eased my anxiety as the day went on. I was quelled a bit more when I heard that Harry wasn’t in school today. And maybe I smiled at that a bit.
“The jackass deserved it,” Ginny shrugged, “If you hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have hesitated either,”
She calmed the majority of my fears with her words unknowingly. If there had been one person I didn’t want to cross it was Ginny—she was fierce and took no prisoners. If the school had a queen bee, it would have been Gin.
“Is your hand alright?” Luna asked during art class. “You seem a bit off your game today,” She noticed my failing live portrait.
Luna was always quiet but observant of others, and it drew me towards the peaceful girl. Her calm nature as well as my fierce need to protect her from bullies kept me as her partner despite the seat changes in Trelawney’s art class. The teacher didn’t seem to care as Luna and I were some of her best students although Luna’s whimsical style contrasted my realistic preference heavily.
“It hurts a bit,” I answered truthfully. “But not enough to cry about,” There were yellow and purplish tinges to my knuckles, but nothing was broken.
“Everyone’s talking about it,” Luna semi-whispered. “Are you and Draco together?”
“No,” I answered a bit more harshly than I meant and refined my answer. “I was tired of Harry being an egotistical ass and dragging me into it,”
“He’s probably just jealous,” Luna gave offhand, adding some shading to her sketch. “Boys are like that,”
“Jealous? Of what?” I scoffed. “He’s with Ginny, and it’s not like I fancy anyone at this school,”
“Yes, I heard about all the failed proposals to the dance.” A smile touched her lips, “Regardless, from the outside, the only person you’ve shown interest in is Draco, and Harry doesn’t like it,”
“Well, he needs to get over it,” I muttered. “I’m not some prize to be won,”
My annoyance didn’t fade as I slumped into my seat at lunch, grateful that Harry was absent today because I might have just gone off on him again. Stupid teenage boys thinking they have some claim over a girl.
Harry was back the next day, looking worse for wear. I went to apologize, but he didn’t allow me too, saying he deserved it and the he was the one who was sorry. I wondered if Ginny had a hand in his apology. Shrugging, I decided it didn’t matter. At least Harry, and maybe everyone else at the small school, knew that I could handle myself.
The weekend passed, and I didn’t notice much. Hermione sent me a few pictures of the dance. They held no interest to me, but at least they were having fun.
On Monday, it seemed that Draco had gone back to ignoring me. At least that’s how it appeared for about the first half of Snape’s lecture. Then every so often I’d catch him staring at me, or my notes. His eyes would quickly dart down when he realized that I had noticed his gazes. It left me frowning and struggling to focus.
It was Wednesday that Hermione and I talked about the calculus test coming up on Friday. I glanced over to Draco, wondering if he’d need help or a study partner for the exam. I wondered if he’d be too proud to ask. Or if I’d be too stubborn to offer.
“Go over there and ask,” Hermione nudged my arm, picking up on my train of thought.
“I shouldn’t,” I shook my head. “Besides, you’d be a better tutor than I am,”
“Yes, but Draco doesn’t like me. You on the other hand,” An amused smile lingered on her face.
“We’re friends,” I insisted. “That’s all,”
“More than it was last week,” She pointed out. “Draco’s always been a stuffy prat, but I see how he is with you. He’s almost... normal.”
My eyes shifted back over to his lunch table, where he was hunched over a book, tuning out the dark-haired girl beside him as she prattled about something adamantly. Something the girl said must have caught Draco’s attention, perhaps she warned him about my gaze, because his eyes met mine. I looked down quickly, my cheeks flushing.
“He’s coming over,” Hermione whispered.
“Stop staring,” I hissed under my breath, breaking my own rule by looking up.
“Can I talk to you?” His voice was quiet and guarded, his eyes sliding over my company. 
“What’s up?” I asked casually.
“Alone?”
I looked to Hermione who was saying if I didn’t go, she’d never forgive me with a single look.
“Sure,” I stood, gathering my things and followed him out of the cafeteria and down the halls, to the library. “Did you want help for the calc test Friday?” I asked softly as we sat at the same table as our previous encounter.
“Well, yes,” He chuckled softly. “I... also wanted to talk to you... about last week, and...” His eyes refused to meet mine. I waited in silence for him to continue. “This... this doesn’t have to be anything, and I know you’d probably rather it weren’t... but I’ve never actually...”
I raised my eyebrows, leaning closer to him, the butterflies in my chest growing more restless with each second that passed. They had begun to arrive on the day of the fight, and now it seemed like they were taking flight for the first time.
“You came here a month ago... and in that time have managed to capture every guys heart in this school and then proceeded to turn most of them down. You’ve gotten into fights and out of trouble and you’re really someone I should avoid, but... I don’t want to, not anymore.”
“You think you should avoid me?” The question was soft on my lips. His eyes flashed to mine in brief panic.
“Again, not what you think,” He sighed and scrubbed his face, then proceeded to wince at the pain that no doubt was triggered by his action. “I should avoid you because if I’m being honest, I’m not much better than Harry, and I wouldn’t be someone you’d want to be with. And it would make it easier for the both of us if I avoided you.”
“Cards on the table then?” I mused softly and he nodded, begging my candor. “I know what they say about you. And I have my own opinions, but...” I paused and smiled. “You are the first guy who hasn’t acted like an arrogant jackass to me,” Then mended, “At least in a way that hasn’t made me want to deck you,”
“That’s comforting,” A smile reached his eyes this time.
“And... if it had to be anyone... I’d probably want it to be you,” This surprised him, told by the expression on his face. “In terms of intelligence, I feel semi-confident to say that you wouldn’t drive me mad with your lack of knowledge, because most of the kids at this school are so dull,” I muttered then continued. “You’ve been kind to me, and never pushed me into doing anything I haven’t wanted to do,”
“So, you wanted to beat the shit out of Potter then?” The same smile turned to a grin.
“It was bound to happen eventually,” I chuckled softly. “You gave me a valid excuse, to which I thank you,”
“Shouldn’t I be thanking you? For ya know, being my knight in shining armor coming to my rescue?”
I laughed at his words and shook my head at his antics.
“Does that make you my damsel in distress?” It never occurred to me how easy it might be to talk to Draco, considering we’d barely said a word to each other since my arrival.
“If I must be,” He feigned distaste, the smile not leaving his face long enough to convince me of his façade.
A silence fell between us.
“Is this something then?” His words were riddled with uncertainty.
“It’s not nothing,” I offered. “But I don’t know what it is yet.”
“Would you be willing to see what it is?” Draco’s voice turned hopeful.
“If you’re willing to be patient,” My eyes met his grey ones, storms above the seas held in them. “I don’t really... date. Flings and a list of exes isn’t really on my bucket list ya know?”
“Understandable,” His smile returning. “Not that I prefer them either,”
I sighed softly. “People are gonna talk, if they’re not already,” It was a defeating thought.
“Let them talk,” Draco shrugged, lost in thought. “That’s all they do. No matter where you go,”
“It’s a bit worse in a small town,” I challenged.
“I’ll give you that,” He chuckled. “But things are a bit less scandalous in a small town,”
“Granted,” I thought of New York and how the smallest things morphed into rumors and gossip that took down empires. Here, in the middle of nowhere our problems seemed almost trivial.
“So,” He raised an eyebrow at me, awaiting my verdict.
“So,” I mimicked. “This... this can be something,”
 ______________________________
Draco had never once thought of dating. Ever. Whereas Pansy couldn’t wait to have her next summer love, Draco... he was reserved. Not that he ever held it against Pansy, and of course he was there to curse the name of her exes with her, but him dating? It was laughable.
He could claim that ‘you weren’t like other girls,’ but it’d be a lie. You were just the perfect mix of being like other girls that appealed to him so much. The girls he had passed in the halls for years and never once felt attraction to were now suddenly a bit more interesting. Granger had calculus with you and was very good at the subject, sharing your passion for it. Ginny had the same fire in her eyes as you did when you were angry. Even Lovegood seemed less like a spaz and a bit more down to earth in the few passing moments that he saw her when picking you up from art class.
“I might warn you,” he whispered gently the next day, hand in yours as you headed to the cafeteria. “Pansy has been dying to talk to you... so heads up,”
A laugh fell through your lips as he opened the door for you, the cafeteria, once buzzing solemnly was now almost hushed as eyes turned to the couple at the door.
“Oi! Malfoy!”
Draco tensed at the curt calling of his name but relaxed when you smiled and waved to Ginny.
“Come sit with us,” The redhead offered. “No need in you taking Y/n away from us,”
“Get Pansy,” You smiled, letting his hand go as you went to drop your stuff at the table before heading toward the lunch line.
“Can I talk to her now?” Pansy demanded.
“She’s all yours,” Draco chuckled, trailing behind his dark-haired friend, a smile resting on his face as you entertained all of Pansy’s question with unbelievable grace.
Tensions were high as Draco sat with you at your usual lunch table, Pansy on his other side, but it seemed that you, Ginny, and Hermione had the boys under control, so nothing more than loathsome glares were exchanged before the conversation settled into something pleasant.
It took a couple weeks, but the bruises on your hand and his jaw faded, then soon Harry’s broken nose was healed, and it was as if nothing had ever happened. As if it were preposterous that your group ever had animosity against another.
True to your word and his, it wasn’t exactly dating. He dedicated a lot of his effort to figuring out what you were comfortable with and what you weren’t. Something that appealed to both of you was holding hands in the hallways. The gawking faces of those around you seemed to keep a smile on your face. You had tamed the rich prat and he had tamed the spitfire in their eyes. And perhaps he was a bit kinder to those around him. And maybe you weren’t as volatile. Maybe you had finally settled into the small town.
Slowly it seemed, you sifted into the role of a girlfriend—well, whatever the equivalent was for you and him. It took some coaxing and a compromise, but you allowed him to pick you up and drive you to school—three out of five days of the week. He looked forward to those mornings and didn’t mind leaving earlier as long as you were at the end of the road under his tires. You were defiant about him paying for things, mundane things like lunch or random gifts, so he tried to keep it at a minimum, or at least didn’t let on how much he had spent on you.
Draco was never one for physical affection. His parents had been distant and reserved. Closed off. He wasn’t bitter about it, but he was worried that it might affect how he was around you. But it seems that you were a bit standoffish as well. The abrasion faded over time, but it was still never over abundant. You held his hand, that was easy and almost routine for the both of you, and though he hadn’t kissed you yet, displays of make outs in the halls never appealed to any part of him. Ever.
But he wouldn’t forget the first time you kissed him. It was a quiet night at your place after you two had studied for Snape’s final. You declared if you looked at another carbon bond you were going to scream, so you slammed your binder shut and led him to the old sofa and pulled him down, both of you nestled beside another as you flickered through TV stations, settling on something that held half your interest.
His arm draped around your shoulder, a gentle sign of affection that you returned by resting your head on his shoulder, your arm stretching across his stomach, holding him. His hand absentmindedly played in your hair, earning soft sounds of agreement from your lips as he continued. Your exhausted face in the TV light held all of his interest. The way your eyelashes fluttered eleven your eyes changed focus, or the way you worried your lip now and again almost thoughtlessly. Never knowing that it drove him mad.
Draco called your name softly, earning your attention. Your faces were inches apart and he could feel your soft breaths mix with his. Your eyes searched his for something—what exactly he wasn’t sure. But you must have decided that whatever you found was enough, because you leaned up and closed the distance between your lips and his.
He smiled at the moment and the ones that followed. The desire that built in his chest and the gentle pant of need that left your lips, flushing across his as you pulled away.
“Thank you,” You had murmured.
He smiled at you simple gratitude and wondered why you thought it necessary. Did you believe that he didn’t want to kiss you? That you weren’t constantly in his psyche? Imagining how soft and warm your skin must be? Wondering if the rest of you was worked and scarred like your hands from years of use?
Not knowing what you were thinking—or why he was for that matter—he pulled you into his lap as the two of you sat on the couch, cradling you close, letting you know that he craved your affection though he wasn’t the best at portraying the ideal.
You had fallen asleep in his lap that night. When your dad came in to check on the two of you, Draco thought your father would be furious but instead he smiled and suggested that Draco carry you to your room so that you could stretched out on your bed and sleep for the night. Those were the few moments that Draco had ever been in your room. It was one of your fathers rules—which he humbly agreed to. The sight made him smile. It was perfectly you. An organized chaos of all of your favorite things.
You barely noticed him setting you into your bed and pulling the covers over your shoulders after removing you shoes.
He preferred your home over his. It took about two months before you coaxed him into the idea of meeting his parents formally. Draco was terrified, knowing that his parents disapproved just about everyone in the town they lived in, save a few families. He wasn’t sure how they felt about the divorcee and his daughter living on the outskirts of town.
“You understand how much of a bad idea this is?” Draco hissed as he walked you up the front steps of the pristine farmhouse—it was the last attempt he made before it was too late to back out.
“They’re just your parents,” You took his hand, saying the words nonchalantly.
“That’s why I’m worried! They’re my parents!” He dismayed.
“Dray, love, it’s gonna be okay,” You reassured, and he couldn’t argue with the honesty in your eyes.
You’d never stop surprising him. He didn’t think ever. He knew his parents were hard people to entertain. There were thousands of unspoken rules that they forced him to follow and you picked up on them as easily as you knew calculus. Sit one way, speak another, you blended in flawlessly. Your persona differed from the one he knew, but it was still perfectly you.
“And you moved here? From New York?” His father eyed you skeptically.
 “Father—” A cold look silenced Draco.
“Yes sir,” Your smile was sweet and conniving.
“Was the city not satisfactory for you?”
“It had a certain charm,” You spoke softly. “But I didn’t want to give my teenage years to a concrete jungle when I could call here my home,”
“Well,” Draco’s mother cut in before his father had a change to reply. “You sure do have quite a spirit in you. I can see what our Draco likes about you,”
You smiled and looked over at him. The blush on your cheeks matched his.
“Thank you,”
Lunch came and passed. If it was out of the ordinary in any way to you, you gave no sign.
You did however, pause, gazing at his grand piano that sat in the drawing room, your face pensive.
“You play?” He mused, curious. You hadn’t let on if your hidden talent. 
“Not very well,” You muttered back. “It’s been years.”
“Y/n, do you play my dear?” His mother cut in. “You must play for us,”
“I...” Glancing at the piano, you caught your lip in worry.
“Mother, if she isn’t comfortable, she doesn’t have to,” Draco defended.
“No, it’s alright... you must forgive me, it’s been a few years since I’ve played properly.”
The shy smile on your face didn’t fade as you made your way to the instrument. He shadowed you all the while, asking one more time before you began to play.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Your smile turned warmer. “It’ll be alright.”
Draco watched as you placed your hands on the glossy white keys and fell into a pattern as they searched for the next note, the next chord, the next verse. And you kept forging ahead until your piece had come to an end. Draco should have known that you’d lie about having the talent tucked away.
“That was lovely,” His mother fawned from somewhere behind. “Draco you must play with her,”
The eyebrow you raised at him informed him that maybe he also hid the talent from you unintentionally. Who did you think the piano belonged to?
“Any ideas?” He muttered softly, placing his hands on the keys next to yours.
“Moonlight Sonata?” It was a simple request, and one that he knew decently enough to nod.
Draco began the repetitive harmony as you waited for the melody and joined him. Your fingers played in time and in tune as the song unfolded—your hands trailing along the treble clef and his adding in the deeper bass tones.
It wasn’t until one of his hands ran into yours that the dance faltered, and four hands banged on the keys in frustration. Draco laughed at the simple fact that you had the same response to making a mistake as he did while playing. Your soft laughter joined his.
Someone cleared their throat behind him, and you both turned, meeting the scrutinizing gaze of his father. Draco looked down anxious and respectful and you followed suit, your hand finding his in reassurance.
“Perhaps if you two had more time to practice together, you two wouldn’t be tripping over another.” His father mused.
“Father?” Draco looked up. “Does that mean?”
“Yes, she is welcomed here any time she wishes.” His father gave a small smile.
 Relief flooded through both of you. Draco might have even slouched momentarily. 
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let-me-write-shit · 4 years ago
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I love your writing! Can you please write a piece where y/n has been a friend of him for years (all one d years too) and she is famous as well (kinda maggie rogers vibe) they write songs together etc. After the heartbreak from Camille she is always there for him and they realise that they have always been in love with each other, a bit of angst ofc 😂 Thank you very much!! 😍😍
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A/N: Thanks so much for the request and the kind messages when I was sick, @irelilien. I loved writing this. I know it’s probably not EXACTLY what you were thinking, but I hope you like it!! <3 <3 <3 
Warning:  ANGSTY ANGST ANGST!!!
Word Count: 3,961
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Started Off As Friends
“Will you relax, Harry?” you laugh, scooting to the edge of the office chair where you sat, reaching over and grabbing Harry’s hands away from his face to reveal his scrunched up eyebrows and dramatic frown, something he always did when he was frustrated. You took hold of his forearms as he pouted and tugged on your arms, making the wheels of your chair roll closer to him, your knees touching and his forehead falling towards your stomach.
Honestly, he could be such a baby sometimes. But as your hand instinctively plopped onto his head, running your fingers through his curls and massaging his scalp, you couldn’t help but smile. For years it had been like this; you and Harry were inseparable since the day you met. Back then he was still in One Direction and you just helped them write songs. You were one of the youngest songwriters on the team and they were impressed by it. Eventually, you began to release some of your own work, and when Harry went solo he often called on you to help with some of his songs, most of which always ended up on an album or being released.
You were there when his fame kicked off. He was there for you when you lost a family member. The two of you hardly even had so much of a fight, more like little bickers here and there. You were there through all of the One Direction drama including when you and Niall had a brief but scandalous (and absolutely not true) rumor spread that you were secretly dating and eloped, something Harry would cry laugh over whenever it was brought up. After all, if there would be any rumors of secret relationships between you and a member of One Direction, it would be with Harry. You were the closest out of all of them. You two had been through a lot in your friendship. More than most. And that included heartbreak.
You’d met practically every girlfriend he’d ever had. You knew details of his relationships that you really didn’t need to know about. And you’d been the subject of many jealous fights. But he’d always have your back. Until Camille.
Everything started great. You thought things had been going so well between them and Camille seemed to really like you. Oftentimes you’d get together just the two of you and have a girl’s night. But everything changed the night of one of your concerts. You were playing in London and the couple came to support. Throughout the night they had a lot to drink and each time you looked down things seemed to get increasingly more tense between the pair. Towards the end, it looked like a full-blown argument had ensued and they both stormed out of the arena. You assumed they were just going to talk it out and would meet you backstage afterward. You assumed Harry would fill you in on all the details later. But hours had passed and everyone had already backed up to leave. It wasn’t like Harry to just leave without saying anything. You called and texted but got no response. Not until the next day.
‘So sorry for leaving like that. We’ll talk later. -H’
But you never did. He practically ghosted you, only getting brief, cryptic texts or calls at random points in the day. The emotional circle-jerk you went through was next-level. Confusion, anger, sadness, indifference, and back to confusion. It was a never-ending cycle. You had later come to find that he only talked to you when Camille wasn’t around. And if she found out you were in communication, another argument would ensue and you’d hear about it whenever Harry called to complain. That’s all it was; a few calls and texts to whine about his relationship until the texts and calls stopped altogether. You hadn’t even seen his face for nearly seven months. For the longest time, you wanted to cry. You felt betrayed.
And finally, a month ago, after seven months of waiting, you had decided you were going to let him go and stop waiting around for him. But, when your phone rang at 11 PM that same night, your toughness crumbled to the ground. You had half a mind to yell and let it all out, or to just hang up, but you couldn’t. Not to him. Not when his heart was breaking. Instead, you invited him over. You must have drunk two whole bottles of wine by yourself, listening as Harry cried about his breakup and catching you up on all the issues they had. And you helped him through it.
For weeks he stayed with you so he didn’t have to be alone. You’d distract him with movies and games, stay up all hours of the night listening and reassuring him. You’d cry with him, laugh with him, and eventually, you’d help him channel his feelings into music. The two of you had written more songs than you can count about Camille and he finally had a sense of what he wanted his new album to sound like, picking a selection of songs on a demo and bringing it over to get your thoughts.
Listening to it brought on its own type of heartache for you. You remembered writing some of those lyrics with him. You remembered how broken you felt having to act like nothing was wrong and you were just happy to have him back. But the truth was, you were still hurt. You never did find out why he left so suddenly in the first place and coming back to you after all that time felt more like a slap in the face than anything. He knew you’d welcome him back with open arms He knew he could take advantage of your friendship because he knew how much he meant to you. Or, at least, he had an idea.
By the end of the demo, Harry looked so unsure that you were almost certain he’d start to freak out and second-guess himself. He rolled his head on your lap so that his cheek was against your thigh and groaned, “It feels like it’s missing something. Maybe I should have added ‘She’s Flames’.”
You shook your head as he sat up, “No. It’s perfect.”
“But what if-”
“No,” you cut him off, looking deeply into his eyes, “I wouldn’t change a thing. Not a single word, not a single piano key, not a single song, not even a single song order. Harry, it’s perfect.”
He relaxed his shoulders, letting his lips twitch upwards into a smile, and when he finally spoke, he took her hands in his again and said, “What would I do without you?”
You shrugged your shoulders, slipping your hands back and spinning in your chair to face your computer again, clicking away at the screen and layering instrumentals on your own music you were working on before he came over. Having a little makeshift studio in your flat helped when you couldn’t get in any time at a proper studio.
“Probably sulk at your own house instead of mine,” you mumbled, trying your best to sound like you’re joking.
“Hey, that’s not fair,” he whined, switching seats to a roller chair next to you.
You ignored him and continued to work while he talked beside you about possible release dates for his album, cover art, and which songs he wanted to have as his singles. You listened, adding your input where needed, as he carried on, grabbing your phone off the desk beside you and entering in your passcode. You didn’t mind, it was something the two of you always did. There was never any malice or reason behind it, it was just out of sheer boredom. You’d often scroll through each other’s social media dashboard or pictures. You had nothing to hide. Or, so you thought.
You became so hyperfocused on what you were doing that you almost didn’t hear it. It blended in with what you were working on so much that the sound of your voice singing from the speaker of the Harry held in his hands almost went unnoticed. But by the time you realized what he was listening to and snapped your attention to him, the damage was already done.
The knife of insight tore its way in me
A brash collision without sympathy
And maybe when the sun goes down I’ll come round, I’ll come out
Maybe we could take some time,
Unwind, figure out
When the knife of insight tore its way in me
Hit me up if you’re feeling down
Give a little, oh we’ll figure this out
Keep me up, keep my mind around
After dark, after light
Let it go if you want get loud
Make a little fuss, oh its all allowed
Beautiful how it all pours out
After dark, after light
Oh the knife of insight brought me to my knees
Broke me down and taught me how to see
And I know and I know and I know
That maybe we should take some time
Get this out, make this right
Maybe when the sun goes down I’ll come round, tell you all about
When the knife of insight brought me to my knees …..
You were at a loss for words, caught off-guard by him finding that voice note of a song you had recorded late one night three months ago. You could hear the wooshing of cars passing by in the background, remembering you recorded it on a drive to meet up with friends for dinner and didn’t want to forget the wave of creativity. Funny thing was, you completely forgot all about it.
You searched his face, hoping he didn’t understand what you were singing about But Harry wasn’t stupid. He’s worked with you long enough now to know your writing style. And with one look at the time stamp of the recording, he could tell this was written in the thick of when he had stopped seeing you.
“What’s this?” he asked softly, looking up at you.
He knew, he just wanted to hear you say it. You wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of an explanation, though. For weeks you had thought about what to say or how to confront him for what he did. But confrontation was never your strong suit and all the rehearsed speech had suddenly vanished from your memory.
Quickly, you grabbed your phone out of his hand and shut the music off, “Just something I was working on. Forgot it was still on there.”
He watched as your body tensed, hastily shoving your phone in your pocket. He could see right through your nonchalant attitude and he pressed again, “Is it about me?”
“Harry,” you breathed, forcing a laugh. But your refusal to look him in the eyes was your tell.
“It is, isn’t it?” His question sounded more like an answer, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“How you felt,” he turned your chair so that you were forced to face him and you looked nervously up at him through your eyelashes, his expression sincere, “Obviously you were hurt about whatever I did.”
Your mouth fell and he seemed to realize almost instantly that he had a poor choice of words. But, before either of you could say anything, Harry’s phone began to ring on the coffee table, catching both of your attention. And by a cruel coincidence, you saw that it was Camille calling him. His eyes widened and hastily silenced his phone, but the damage was done. You let out an incredulous laugh and stood up.
“It’s getting late. I think it’s time for you to leave,” you said firmly, avoiding his gaze.
You heard him stutter. He wasn’t used to you being stern with him. “What? Why? No, please, let’s talk about this.”
“Talk?” You laughed angrily, “You want to talk? Now? That’s rich coming from you! Alright, Harry, let’s talk, then,” your words were like ice and your heart pounded, finally getting the courage to look at him as you let it all out, “Ten years you’ve been one of my best friends. I’ve done so much for you. I’ve put up with a lot being your friend. All the backlash and drama and spite from your horrible girlfriends. But you always had my back Until her,” you motioned towards his phone.
His eyes fluttered, listening to you get angry. It was a side of you that rarely showed. And when your voice began to crack, he gulped.
You continued, “I was always nice to her. Always. Until one random day, she decided to hate me for no reason. And what did you do? Nothing! You ran after her like a lost puppy and avoided me for almost a year!”
“I didn’t avoid you!” Harry shot back, defensively.
“You didn’t avoid me?” you laughed in a hiss. “Harry, you dodged all of my calls and texts! I never saw you! And when we did talk, the Queen herself couldn’t know about it or you’d have another fight!”
“Don’t call her that. That’s not fair,” he pleaded.
“You want to talk about fair? The way you treated me wasn’t fair! All I was to you in those seven months was someone to complain to, but only if I was kept a secret!”
“That’s not true. Besides, it’s not like you ever complained at the time! You should have said something!”
“I shouldn’t have had to! You’ve always had my back and ended things with other girlfriends for a lot less!”
“I can’t keep ending relationships just because you don’t like them!”
“I never asked you to!” your voices were getting louder now, almost certain that if someone was passing by your open window, they’d be able to hear every word. “Never once did I ask you to break up with anyone or even hint at disliking them. You always did that on your own!”
“Because you’re my friend!” he shot back, his eyebrows furrowing and the crinkles by his eyes more prominent. Your back and forth was quicker now. Both of you speaking even faster.
“Then why did it change with her? Friends don’t treat friends as a last resort!”
“How did I treat you like a last resort? Because of a few missed calls and canceled plans? I was busy!”
“For seven months? No, you weren’t, Harry! You were a coward!”
“And you were jealous!”
“So what?” you snapped back. You could see the shock in Harry’s eyes, but you kept going, “So what if I was? It never made me treat you like dog shit on the bottom of my shoe! You ignore me for weeks at a time and when I finally get a response it’s because you’re crying about another fight you had with her and how neither of you trusts each other. Did I complain once? No. I listened. I never turned my back on you because that’s what a good friend does.”
“That’s what a good friend does? So now I’m not a food friend?” Harry scoffed, “I can’t read fucking minds, Y/N! How am I supposed to know you’re upset if you don’t tell me?”
“How am I supposed to tell you if you never answer my calls?!”
“I came back!” Harry yelled, “I’ve seen you almost every day for a month! You’ve had plenty of time!”
“Did I?” you sneered, “Harry, you were heartbroken about your breakup! What would you suppose I do? Tack on some more reasons for you to feel sorry for yourself? Cry about how you were mean and broke my heart? You didn’t need me getting after you! I recorded an idea for a song on my phone, and now you’re mad because I expressed my feelings in a song that you were never meant to hear?”
“You don’t get to decide what I can and can’t handle, Y/N!”
“You think you could have handled the added guilt?” you should back, bordering the edge of condescension, “I helped you write two albums worth of breakup songs about her, Harry! I sat here for hours a day every single day for weeks helping you write lyric after lyric explaining your love for a woman that hated me!” you were on the verge of tears now. “And here I am, the idiot helping you through it, only to find out you’re still talking to her!”
“I’m not talking to her! I called to ask if I could put something in a song!” Harry shot back, “And she didn’t hate you!”
“How can you not see it?” you breathed, wiping a tear from your cheek, “I have to watch a man I care so much about going through shitty relationship after shitty relationship. And I’m here, like always, waiting for you to wake up and see that you deserve better! You can’t even admit what you did because you’re too busy defending a girl that broke your heart!”
“I’m not defending her, Y/N! I’m sorry that I hurt you, but it’s not her fault! She didn’t hate you, she was just jealous and untrusting and she had every reason to feel that way!”
Heat rose to your face and your voice got more fierce, “I always treated her with respect! And I never gave her a reason to feel that way!”
“You didn’t, but I did!”
“What does that even mean?! Why would she hate me for something I didn’t even do? That doesn’t even make any sense, Harry! You avoided me for months and you’d argue if she found out you were talking to me, and you’re saying that it had nothing to do with me?”
“No. I mean, yes. Kind of,” he started to get flustered and began talking faster, “It was my decision, not hers. And I’m not defending her. I wanted to talk to you, Y/N, but I couldn’t!”
You were getting angrier. It felt like you were going around in circles with Harry and you were frustrated that he wouldn’t give a direct answer. “Why? You keep beating around the bush instead of just giving me a reason! What possible reason could you have for dropping a friend of ten years out of nowhere? I didn’t do anything! So, why?”
“Because I accidentally told her that I’m in love with you!” he blurted out.
His voice was loud and perturbed. But as soon as the words left his mouth he knew he might have just made a huge mistake. Harry never meant to tell you. He was perfectly happy with keeping this a secret for as long as it took to get over you.
You froze, sitting backward and raising your eyebrows, mouth ajar, “You what?”
“I didn’t mean to,” he spoke quickly, trying to justify himself, “We were drunk at your concert and, I don’t know, it just kind of came out and we started arguing. I didn’t even realize what I had said until the next morning when she was still angry.”
The memories of the night of your concert came flooding back. Images of their slowly fading happy faces turned to anger and fighting started to make sense. But what he was saying didn’t. He was in love with you? Surely he didn’t mean that. He showed no inclination of romantic feelings towards you. There had to be a misunderstanding. What he meant to say was ‘he loved you like a sister’.
When you didn’t speak, he continued to try and explain himself, hurriedly speaking again; something you hardly ever saw from him. Usually he was calm and cool, even when faced with uncomfortable situations.
“I tried to tell her I didn’t mean it and I had no clue why I said that, but she didn’t believe me. She kept saying ,‘I see the way you look at her’ and ‘Everyone knows it. I’m not stupid!’. So I just kept telling her she was crazy and started talking to you less and less to prove her wrong. But she never trusted me after that. And whenever she found out I was talking to you, it gave her more reason.”
“I-” you tried to speak, but he just kept talking, more unsettled now, “I kept trying to tell myself it was nothing. But when we broke up, the first person I thought of was you. I knew you were probably angry with me, but you helped me anyway. You were there for me like you always are. And I knew that Camille was right. It was always you. And honestly, I hated you for it.”
You recoiled, surprised as he started to get more agitated. He continued, “You were there since the start of it and you made me set this impossibly high standard for my relationships! That’s why they all failed miserably! That’s why they all hated you! Because they knew they couldn’t live up to you!”
“You’re blaming me for this?” you argued back, “I didn’t make you compare anyone to me! I didn’t even know because you were too chicken shit to say anything to me!”
“I couldn’t say anything to you! You were my best friend! I didn’t want to lose you! Those few months we didn’t talk were hell! I thought about you every day! Besides, what difference would it have made if I did tell you? You can’t honestly tell me you felt the same!”
“Stop assuming you know how I feel!”
“Well, am I wrong?!” he shot back, seething.
“Yes! You’re wrong!”
There was silence, the two of you just staring at each other, faces filled with frustration. His eyes flickered across your face, looking for some kind of sign as both of your chests rose and fell. His tongue grazed his lips, wetting them from all the yelling. And like the flash of light, both of you lunged forward at each other.
The mess of hands wildly roaming each other’s bodies and tangling in each other’s hair was dizzying. Hungrily, your tongues circled as if you were starved and the only salvation left was his breath entwined with yours. You both stood, only to be pushed backward on your desk, your keyboard slipping out from under you and crashing to the floor. You could feel your back press against your monitor as you eagerly fidgeted with the buttons on Harry’s shirt and before you could undo the last one, he had already managed to undo yours, pulling it down your arms and tossing it somewhere to the side.
Harry became impatient, finally pulling away from your lips and tanking open his shirt, making the last button pop off and roll underneath the desk. You for your first good look at each other; panting, out of breath. Half-naked, you could see every tattoo on his chest that you had always longed to kiss under the dim light of your flat and the veins in his arms bulged as he gripped onto the desk underneath your thighs. His eyes looked fierce and almost rabid as he looked you up and down. There was a moment of pause and thought. Slowly the two of you cracked a smile. And the smile turned into light laughter.
“I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do this,” Harry whispered, pressing his forehead against yours and weaving his fingers through your hair just behind your ears as the warmth of his palms lay flat against your cheek.
You smiled, closing your eyes and placing your hands over top of his, breathing in his scent as you softly spoke, “Probably just as long as I’ve waited for you to do it.” And you gently pressed your lips to his once more.
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