#like they had playdates and went to each other's parties

[cineatros]

unexpected hello, unwanted goodbye

── .✦ 𝐒ophia 𝐋aforteza

"Hindi tayo pwede"

༉‧₊˚.pairing: sophia laforteza x reader ༉‧₊˚.genre: heavy angst. no comfort. ༉‧₊˚.cw: homophobic and misogynist parents. right person, wrong time. unlabeled relationship. violence. homophobia. ༉‧₊˚.wc: 11.6k ༉‧₊˚.author's note: okay, please do not portray the characters’ personalities as reflections of real people — especially Sophia's parents. For the love of God, it's just part of the story. so I repeat: DO NOT and this might stung a little. not proofread. also some dialogues of Sophia is in Tagalog. i really dragged this out so please excuse that lol, anw i hope you guys enjoy reading!!

"Pinagtagpo pero 'di tinadhana"

Sophia Laforteza. 

She’s the well-known daughter of a famous chef and a retired actress. The only daughter out of three siblings, and her mother’s expected— successor in the limelight. Ever since she could remember, Sophia was always the center of attention. Not in a sparkly, look-at-me kind of way—but in a way that felt…heavy. Like she was carrying something that was never really hers to begin with.

Her older and younger brothers? They were just there. Background characters. Her parents never really paid them much attention. Her dad would always say with a soft chuckle, “You’re a girl, darling—you’re too emotional and fragile to handle the real world like your brothers can. We need to take care of you.”

And that’s what Sophia always kept in mind whenever her parents dictated what she could or couldn’t do. She never thought of them as strict—just overprotective. She thought, maybe they just love me too much. Maybe all that control was their way of showing care.

When Sophia reached elementary, she started noticing things. Her friends had parents who let them go out, who said “yes” to playdates, sleepovers, and mall trips. Meanwhile, Sophia was always told “Hala, you might get lost and never come back to us,” or “May masasamang loob diyan, anak. They might take you and we’ll never see you again.”

She never protested. Never questioned. She just nodded, returned to her room, and played with her toys like nothing was wrong. She didn’t ask her friends why their parents were so...chill. Why no one watched their every move. Why did they seem free? Sophia thought, “Siguro, my parents just love me more.

High school went by in a blur. Halfway through 10th grade, she found herself transferring schools—not just to another city, but to the States. It came out of nowhere. One minute, she was settling into her old school, the next, she was dealing with new faces, unfamiliar routines, and time zones her body refused to adjust to. But she made it through. She finished with grades good enough to please her parents.

Then came college.

Sophia started her freshman year as the shy, quiet type. The kind of student professors liked because she never caused a scene. She barely spoke unless called on. She had no friends, no distractions. Her routine was strict—get home early, no hanging out, no dilly-dallying. So she just focused her way on the top and never cared for any social interactions not until one of the popular girls “befriended” her. 

Sophia didn’t want to be with this certain circle of friends, she knew their reputation around the school. She had heard things—rumors, whispers about the kind of stuff they did after school. Parties, alcohol, hooking up with seniors. Which was not her scene, but of course her people pleasing skills betrayed her. 

She didn’t know how to say no.

At first it was just a friendly interaction—hello’s in the hallway, turned into eating with them during lunch, then into being groups with them in every project. She tried her best to keep their friendship at that level, no hangouts at each other's houses, no invites, just a purely casual friendship. 

Then one night—it was already quiet, everyone was asleep except for one person. Sophia’s still chatting at their group chat (their “project” group chat), they were telling her to go to this party with them. They want to celebrate. Sophia was hesitant with this decision, telling them that she was about to sleep and she can’t go because her parents would be mad, but they suggested that Sophia should sneak out of her bedroom window and they’ll see her outside of her front porch. 

At first, she laughed it off. But deep down, a part of her wanted to say yes. Just this once. Just to feel something that was hers. With one last push of her “friends”, she got up and quietly picked out what she would wear and told them to meet her at the front porch. Sophia was no good at sneaking out since this was her first time doing it. Her so-called friends told her every move to what to do when to sneak out, she built a body fort of herself, she quietly opened her window—she was thankful that her bedroom floor was on the second floor near a tree. Her hands trembled as she climbed down, careful to avoid the house’s security cameras.

When she hit the ground, she didn’t even look back. She hurriedly went to her friends who were waiting for her at the said location. For the first time, she felt...free. Nervous but free. As she reached the party, everything became overwhelming—the flashing lights, the strong smell of cheap beer and sweat could be smelled outside. Before she could protest, The group dragged her inside the house, laughing. 

She was handed a cup of beer, the person that handed her encouraged her into drinking by bringing the cup onto Sophia’s lips. “Cheers, Laforteza,” she said. Both of them drank—one with a satisfied expression and the other disgusted. That person elbowed Sophia following a laugh, “C’mon you’ll warm up with the taste once you always get the taste of it”. So Cup after cup. Her head spun. Her cheeks burned.

Sophia didn’t know how many she drank, but she knew that it was enough to knock her down. She brought the cup down on a table and found herself a room or even a couch to sit herself down. She was not feeling well, everything was feeling too hot, too dizzy, too blurry. One of her friends sat down beside her “See? This isn’t so bad, you just need to trust us and have fun along the way” they groggily said and passed out right after. 

Sophia couldn’t even respond.

She blacked out.

The morning after was no good—a ton of missed calls from her parents, her friends were still knocked out, and she has no idea where she is and how she’ll go home. Sophia was in a state of panic, and didn't know what to do. She wanted to call her parents first, thinking of a lie that they’ll believe. As they picked up the call Sophia’s heart rate was picking up too. 

Sophia didn’t get to defend herself or even tell her where she’s at; when she heard her mom’s voice yelling, telling her to go home or she’ll get punished. Sophia stood up from the couch she was sitting on and gathered her things. She was about to wake up one of her friends, but when she looked around these were not the people she arrived with last night. Her friends were nowhere in sight, the living room was just full of strangers. 

She sat there, panic crawling up her throat.

They left her there. 

A room full of strangers. 

A place she doesn’t know. 

She sighed out in defeat, thinking that she might as well tell her parents where she’s at and just accept their punishment. Before she could think of ringing them again, her phone buzzed. Kuya. She jumped out of the couch quickly when her brother said that he was outside at her location. She looked out the window and there’s her savior—inside the black mustang and gesturing to her to come hurriedly. Sophia ran to the door and ran towards the parked car. 

The car ride to their home was her keep on ranting about what happened. 

Of course, her brother scolded her. He didn’t yell. Not yet. He just ran the whole way back.

Told you so. Drop them. They’re a bad influence. Don’t you see what they did to you?

She barely listened. She was too busy replaying everything in her head.

When they arrived home, Sophia prepared herself. She took a deep breath. Steeled her nerves.

But nothing could prepare her for the way her mother looked at her. Fire in her eyes. Disappointment. Rage. Fear. All of it rolled into one.

“Where were you?!” her mom yelled. Sophia bowed her head down, trying her best not to get affected by how her mother screamed at her. “Alalang-alala kami, Sophia!” her father shouted, his voice louder than she’d ever heard it.

Sophia knew that she cannot defend herself in this situation. She either lies or tells them the truth and accepts whatever punishment they are going to give her. She was about to say it, tell them that she sneaked out of the house, and went to a party without their permission. She was gonna tell the truth, but that wasn’t the words she said to them. Lies spewed out of her mouth, telling them that ““I was tutoring... I fell asleep at her house.”

Her mom looked at her brother for confirmation, searching his eyes. He nodded, silently backing her lie. Sophia looked at him, eyes filled with gratitude and guilt.Sophia’s parents dismissed her brother, but let her stay there, so now she was left with them in their living room. Sophia’s mom sat down on the couch rubbing her temples as an attempt to calm her nerves down while her dad sighed out and looked at her daughter. 

“Sophia. Pack your bags. You’re transferring to a new school. Somewhere private. Secluded. You are already being a rebel. We already told you disobeying us can cause you a punishment” her father said. 

Her mouth fell open. “What? Just because I snuck out?!”

Her mom stood up, “you sneaked out, you barely keep your grades up, and now you’re yelling and talking back? This isn’t the Sophia we raised. You need proper discipline. Pack your bags now. Your brother will take you tomorrow” she said in the most calm way.

She stormed to her room, furious and heartbroken, she flopped to her bed and rethought what’s happening to her. She’s not the person she is right now. The Sophia she knew doesn’t sneak out, doesn’t involve herself into peer pressure, and especially doesn’t lie to her parents. 

She screamed into her pillow. 

She doesn’t want a new school. She doesn’t want to start all over again. 

But she had no choice  so she got up and went to her closet started packing her belongings, 

The next day.

The ride to her new school was too quiet for her liking. Her older brother was driving and the younger one is clinging to her and feels like won’t let go anytime soon. Sophia thought it would be another school in a city where she could refresh her life all over again, thinking that her parents agreed for her to have her own space and dorm room, but when she opened her eyes, she saw trees. mountains. barely any buildings.

The car came to a halt indicating that they’ve reached the school. Sophia looked out the car window—the school looked old enough, minimal students were only to be seen, and nuns were all over the school grounds. 

They got out of the car—Sophia being hesitant

A Catholic school.

She felt like the air got sucked out of her lungs.

She had never been in a place like this.

Strict didn’t even begin to describe it.

She stepped out of the car slowly, got her things and looked at her brothers one last time. Her younger brother ran to her “Ate, i’ll miss you po.” he cried while hugging her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before the break” she said reassuring him while hugging him tightly. 

Her older brother ruffled her hair.

“Soph, try to pick your friends right this time, ha. Don’t let them influence you into bad things” Her older brother advised. She nodded, swallowing back her tears. “I’ll miss you both. Take care of bunso for me, ha.”

And with that, Sophia turned to face her new beginning.

She headed to her dorm room, suitcase in one hand and exhaustion weighing down the other. Her first day at this new, secluded Catholic school had already drained her—mentally and emotionally. She just wanted to lie down and forget the world existed. But when she pushed the door open, she didn’t expect to see anyone yet—let alone someone standing in the middle of the room with smudged black ink all over their uniform, fingers, and even a streak on their cheek.

You turned to face her, grinning as if you weren’t an absolute mess.

“Hi, roomie! I’m Y/N L/N,” you chirped, voice bright and welcoming. “I’d hug you, but... I’m kind of in a situation right now, so your hug will be arriving later!”

Your energy caught her off guard.

Sophia blinked. For a split second, she fought a smirk, but it never fully formed. Instead, she shook her head lightly, walked to the nearest bed, and started setting her things down without a word.

You disappeared into the shared bathroom shortly after, changing out of your ink-stained clothes and washing your hands.When you stepped back out, you spotted her unpacking, moving around in quiet, efficient motions. Her silence filled every corner of the room, like it had weight.

You cleared your throat, trying to ease the weird tension lingering between the two of you.

“I didn’t get your name, roomie,” you said, casually cleaning your desk. 

She didn’t even pause what she was doing.  

Sophia sighed out, thinking that you won’t stop bothering her unless she gave you a name. “Sophia” she said shortly—barely sparing you a glance. There was a little hint of annoyance in her tone, like she was already done with this conversation before it even started.

But you nodded at her short response, unfazed. You had a feeling she was the guarded type—and those were always the most interesting. 

So, being you, you kept on asking her some questions. Not in an annoying way, but with real curiosity. Something about her just pulled at you—the way she moved, the way she didn’t meet your eyes, the way she seemed like she wanted to disappear.

You started simple: her age, where she was from, what school she went to before. She answered all of them, clipped and cold, but you didn’t mind. As long as she answered, that was good enough for you.

Then your curiosity got the best of you. "so…what made you transfer here so suddenly?” you questioned her, not realizing how that one question would shift everything.

Her hands stilled on the edge of her drawer.

She didn’t look up.

You could feel the energy change.

Her walls came up before she even opened her mouth.

“What’s with the interrogation?” she snapped, her voice sharp and defensive. “Do you ask everyone that, or just me?”

You froze, surprised by the bite in her words.

You raised your hands slightly in surrender. “Hey—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I was just curious. I’ll give you some space. You didn’t wait for her response. Instead, you grabbed your phone and slipped out of the dorm room, gently closing the door behind you.

Back inside, Sophia stood frozen for a moment, staring at the door. Then she slowly walked to her bed and collapsed onto it.

Why did I snap like that?

Sophia didn’t know want came over. It wasn’t like her to just snap at someone with just a simple question. She didn’t even know you, and yet she reacted like you were trying to hurt her. It wasn’t a hard question. It wasn’t meant to cut deep. But still, her chest felt tight, like her past was a wound that hasn't healed yet—and you just touched it without knowing.

She didn’t mean to drive you away. But she didn’t know how to be close to anyone anymore. Not after what happened.

Not after what it cost her.

The night grew quiet. Hours passed. The other dorms dimmed their lights. Sophia remained on her bed, back turned toward your empty one. She figured you’d decided to crash at a friend’s room—or maybe you decided to ask for a room reassignment already.

But then the door creaked open.

It was soft—barely a sound.

She heard the light shuffle of shoes across the wooden floor. Someone tiptoeing. Trying not to be noticed.

“You know I’m still awake, right?” Sophia said into the dim light.

You froze mid-step and chuckled awkwardly, turning toward her bed.

“Of course I know that,” you said, giving her a sheepish smile.

Sophia reached over and switched on her side lamp. The room glowed a warm yellow, and she finally got a good look at you—your clothes were all wrinkled and dirtied up, Sweat beaded on your forehead, and your breathing was a little off. 

She blinked. “Where were you? And why the hell do you look like that?”

You gave her a crooked grin, clearly trying not to laugh.

“Well... I might’ve pulled a prank on one of the teachers. And then I ran for my life. So, you know—standard Wednesday.” you said. 

Sophia stared at you.

Yup.

Troublemaker.

Just her luck.

Even if it’s Sophia’s first day here she knew you were a trouble maker. Exactly the kind of person she didn’t want to be near—not anymore. Not after what that kind of recklessness cost her. The room fell into another silence. You stood awkwardly near your bed, sensing the tension again.

Sophia wanted to say something. To apologize. To tell you she didn’t mean to be so cold earlier. 

But the words caught in her throat.

So before things got weirder, you broke the moment and quietly headed to the bathroom to shower and change. Sophia watched you walk away, her eyes lingering on the empty space you left behind.

She shook her head, turned off her lamp, and laid down again.

This was going to be a long year.

Sophia’s first day at her new school was…a disaster.

From the moment she stepped outside the dorms, she felt like she’d been thrown into a maze with no map, no clue, and no escape. The hallways all looked the same—endless rows of classrooms with strange numbering systems. She clutched her schedule tightly, her knuckles pale, trying to make sense of where she was supposed to be.

Room 3C-205.

Where on earth was that?

She turned another corner, only to end up back where she started. Again. She wandered aimlessly through the school hallways, clutching her crumpled schedule in one hand, eyes darting from one door to the next. Her steps grew faster, more frantic. Everything felt too big, too wide, too overwhelming. The buildings stretched endlessly, and every hallway looked the same. She kept circling back to where she started, like some cruel joke the school was playing on her. Her frustration simmered in her chest, threatening to spill over.

Hindi ko na ‘to kaya. (i can’t do this anymore)

She wanted to ask someone for directions, but the halls were empty. Not a single soul in sight. Just the faint hum of fluorescent lights and the echo of her own footsteps. Her chest tightened. She was lost. Late. And already exhausted—and it wasn’t even noon.

Eventually, she gave up and dragged herself outside. She found a shady spot under one of the large trees near the campus center and sat down heavily, hugging her bag to her chest. The breeze offered a little comfort, but not enough to wash away the growing frustration in her chest. She stared at her room assignments again, but the list may as well have been in another language. Nothing made sense.

She was on the verge of giving up when a familiar voice cut through the silence.

"Are you cutting classes on your first day, Ms. Laforteza?"

It was you.

There you were—Wearing the same uniform, with your shirt slightly untucked like you didn’t really care, your backpack carelessly slung over one shoulder, grinning like the universe decided Sophia needed just one more thing to deal with. She let out an annoyed huff, not even trying to hide the exasperation on her face.

Of course, it had to be you.

She narrowed her eyes on you. “You have too much free time.”

“You’re not happy to see me, roomie?” you asked, tilting your head and giving her that mock-sad expression. She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, refusing to meet your gaze. Her eyes stayed glued to her schedule, as if staring at it long enough would suddenly reveal the answer she needed.

 "You know," you said, peering over her shoulder, "with that attitude, I might just leave you here."

"I’m not stopping you."

"Oof. Ice cold, Laforteza."

She sighed again and looked down at her schedule. The letters swam in front of her eyes. Maybe she was stupid for thinking she could handle this on her own.

You leaned in a little, reading her paper. “Ahh. 3C-205. That’s on the other side of campus.”

She groaned. “Of course it is.”

“But lucky for you…” you said, standing up and brushing imaginary dust off your pants, “I know a shortcut.”

She side-eyed you. "Are you seriously gonna help me, or are you just planning to lead me to some broom closet as a prank?" 

You clutched your chest in mock offense. “Wow. I do not do that to my fellow schoolmates. I’m offended.”  

Sophia gave you a suspicious look and didn’t answer, then sighed—long and deep. She already knew she was absent for her first class, and now she was stuck talking to you. What a great start.

You gasped, mock-offended. “Wow. Is that what you think of me?” 

She didn’t answer, just stared at you, clearly unconvinced.

"Okay, fair. But I promise this time I’m actually being helpful," you said, grinning.

You held out your hand to her. She looked at your hand, then up at your face. For a second, she hesitated. Her pride whispered don’t—but eventually, she took it. Your fingers were warm against hers, steady. Solid. Something she really needed right now.

“C’mon. I’ll take you there.” you told her. 

Sophia looked at you with hopeful eyes. She slung her bag over her shoulder and followed you, her steps small and unsure. Like a lost puppy, trailing behind the one person who seemed to know where to go.

The walk was long, winding through corners and stairwells she wouldn’t have dared explore alone. You walked ahead but always looked back, slowing down when she lagged behind, throwing in jokes every now and then to try and get a reaction out of her. Finally, you both arrived at her classroom. She peeked inside, ready for the worst—but to her relief, she was excused for being late.

You turned to her with a lopsided grin. “I’ll wait for you here later, okay? I’ll walk you to your next class.”

She blinked, surprised. “Seriously?”

You nodded. “Seriously.”

For the first time that day, she smiled—just a little—and gave you a quiet “thank you.”

As she slid into her seat and watched you walk away, she let out a small sigh, her shoulders finally relaxing.

Maybe…you weren’t so bad after all.

It had been like that for the past few weeks—an unspoken routine forming between you and Sophia. Every day after class, you’d walk her to her assigned room before dashing off to yours. You didn’t mind being late. Not if it meant making sure she got there safely. Not if it meant giving her a small sense of comfort in a place that once felt just as suffocating to you.

You weren’t trying to be a hero. You just didn’t want her to feel what you did on your first few days here—alone, overwhelmed, and quietly drowning in the noise of unfamiliar walls. You weren’t just a troublemaker. You weren’t just some nosy roommate. You wanted her to know that she wasn’t invisible. Not to you.

When the bell rang, the hallways flooded with students. You stood outside her classroom, eyes darting left and right, searching for the Filipina and once you saw her your whole face lit up, 

“Soph!” You called out, eyes lighting up like they always did when you saw her. You waved like a maniac, grinning so wide your cheeks ached. 

Sophia let out a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes, clearly mortified. “Grabe ka,” she muttered, especially when she noticed a few students turning to look at her with amused expressions and questioning looks. 

She stalked over to you, arms crossed. “What do you want?”

You smirked, hands in your pockets like you weren’t dying to see her all day. “Thought you needed some company on the way to the dorms. You know, in case you get lost again.”

She scoffed, smacking your shoulder lightly with a rolled-up test paper. “You’re so funny, no?” she said dryly. “And it was one time, okay?”

You couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of you at the memory.

That “one time” had been right before the midterm  quizzes. the two of you went on separate ways to review for the upcoming  quizzes–you were in the dorm and she was in the library. It was currently 9pm, lights-out approaching fast, but Sophia still hadn’t come back. Concerned, you grabbed a hoodie and headed out to find her. 

First, you checked the library. Nothing. Then under the big tree near the garden. Still no sign. Just when you were about to give up and report her missing to the dorm head, you spotted someone speed walking around the hallway, books clutched tight against their chest, hair messed up, And there it was—that familiar keychain dangling from a backpack.

‘Sophia!” you yelled, relief washing over you like a wave.

She turned, eyes wide and dazed. “Oh my God,” she whispered, jogging up to you. Her voice was groggy, like she’d just woken up.

“Where the fuck are you going?” you asked, grabbing her books before they tumbled from her hands.

“I-I actually don’t know. I feel like I’m still asleep,” she mumbled, and you let out a soft laugh, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and steering her back.

“Stupid,” you teased, bumping your shoulder against hers. “You probably just drooled on your notes and passed out.”

“Excuse me!” she protested, pinching your side as you both laughed. “I reviewed, okay? I just… maybe fell asleep after,” she grumbled, cheeks pink.

You teased her the entire walk back, and she rolled her eyes so much you swore they’d get stuck. But you noticed it—that tiny smile she tried to hide. The way her footsteps fell in sync with yours. The way her voice softened just a little when she said your name.

Since then, Sophia had started opening up, piece by piece. She still had walls, of course. Tall ones. But there were cracks now, and you were careful with every step, not wanting to push too hard. She wasn’t as snappy as she used to be, though she still threw in an eye-roll or sarcastic jab now and then—like muscle memory.

You didn’t mind. That was her way of saying she was comfortable. That she trusted you enough to be herself.

Sometimes, she’d lean against your shoulder when you both sat on the dorm hallway floor, eating snacks you smuggled from the cafeteria. Sometimes, she’d quietly slip you a candy bar in class when she noticed you skipping breakfast again. Sometimes, she’d just be there—without needing to say anything.

And those moments? Those moments meant everything.

She was still guarded. Still afraid to go through what she went through in her last school. You didn’t ask what happened—you figured she’d tell you when she was ready. But you could see it in her eyes, in the way she hesitated to let people in.

So you waited. You stayed. And you walked her to her room every day like it was your religion.

Because she wasn’t just a roommate anymore.

She was Sophia.

And you were starting to care more than you were ready to admit.

The next day brought heavy rain, the kind that drowned out every other sound, like the world was trying to quiet itself down. You and Sophia had Botany together—same class, same schedule. That’s why the two of you found yourselves in the greenhouse earlier than usual, the warm scent of soil and leaves wrapping around you like a blanket.

It wasn’t raining when you first got there. The sky was overcast, sure, but calm. You were both flipping through your notebooks, talking about anything but Botany. Then the rain started. First, just a soft drizzle tapping on the glass above you. Then it turned angry—loud, relentless, with thunder rolling in like a war drum.

The first crack of lightning didn’t faze you. But Sophia? She flinched. You saw it out of the corner of your eye—how her shoulders jumped, how her grip on her pen tightened.

You snorted. “Seriously? You’re scared of lightning?”

Another rumble followed, louder this time, and Sophia slowly stepped closer. Without saying anything, she grabbed your arm.

“Really? And You’re scared of thunder?” you teased, a grin playing on your lips.

She pinched your side in response. “Oh shut up, it’s a scary sound,” she muttered, just before another flash lit up the sky. She ducked again, covering her ears tightly, her eyes squeezing shut like it would make the noise go away.

You couldn’t help but soften. She looked so out of place—this composed, intimidating Laforteza, suddenly reduced to a girl hiding from the storm.

Rain started to pour heavier, the kind that seeps into your bones and drenches you no matter where you stand. “Let’s go, we’ll get sick if we don’t retreat,” you said, pulling her towards a covered part of the greenhouse.

She didn’t argue, just grabbed her things and followed you. But it was too late—your clothes were soaked through, notebooks dripping, your shoes squelching with every step. Even your phones weren't spared.

You spotted a small lost and found box near an old bookshelf, and rummaged through it like it held treasure. Jackpot: a used sweater, some pants, and a worn-out shirt. You tossed the shirt at her first.

“Dry yourself off first. Then change into these,” you said, holding out the sweater and pants.

She gave you a look. A very unimpressed one. “I’m not wearing used pants and a sweater that probably smells like a stranger,” she said, eyebrows raised.

You rolled your eyes. “Well, would you rather get sick and miss your perfect attendance award?” you replied with mock seriousness.

She glared but snatched the clothes from your hand anyway, muttering under her breath. Luckily, the greenhouse had foggy windows and was far enough from campus. She turned her back, started changing, and after a minute said, “Okay na.”

You turned—and instantly burst into a laugh. The sweater was way too big, the pants comically short.

“Don’t laugh at me,” she grumbled, scratching at the sweater's collar.

“I’m not,” you said, lifting your phone and snapping a quick photo when she wasn’t looking. You tucked it away with a grin. You’d keep that one forever.

It took a couple of hours before the rain finally stopped. You both ran back toward the dorms, feet splashing in puddles, laughing in between shivers. Your teeth were already chattering when you reached your room.

“You’re already shivering. You should’ve used the sweater,” she said, helping you onto your bed, concerning replacing her usual smug expression.

Sophia, now back in her usual uniform, grabbed a warm towel, a bottle of water, and some medicine from your drawer. She moved like she’d done this before, like taking care of someone came naturally.

“If I knew you get sick this easily, I would’ve let you take the damn clothes,” she said, handing you the medicine with a frown.

You gave her a cheeky grin. “If I told you, you wouldn’t have taken the clothes,” you said, then coughed right after.

She rolled her eyes at you, but you could see the smile she was fighting at the corners of her lips.

She glanced at the time, then looked back at you. “Go to your next class,” you told her, waving her off weakly. “I can take care of myself.”

But she just shook her head. “I'm not going anywhere,” she said softly, sitting down at the edge of your bed. Then, without warning, she slipped under the covers beside you.

“I know you wouldn’t leave me either if I got sick,” she added, her voice even quieter this time.

And that was it. The rest of the night passed in warmth, in quiet coughs and soft laughter. You teased her about the sweater again. She told you to shut up—again—but didn't stop smiling.

It wasn’t much. Just a storm, just wet clothes and shared medicine. But somehow, it felt like a shift. Like something between you two had quietly changed, and neither of you wanted to name it yet.

It was Saturday Night, No Homeworks. No Projects. 

It was a quiet night for the two of you—or at least, it should’ve been quiet. For Sophia, it was. But not for you, not when your ears were full of sound—random OPM tracks playing one after another, all from the playlist Sophia made and swore you’d love if you just gave it a chance. You had your headphones on, slightly bobbing your head as your fingers danced through your playlist, cleaning it up and curating a new one at the same time.

Beside you, Sophia sat with her legs curled up, her attention focused on a book you lent her. Something you swore she’d like the same way she swore you’d like the songs. Every now and then, her eyes would skim the words, but you—unknowingly—were stealing some of that focus away. You were beside her, completely in your own world, your fingers lightly tapping the air like you were playing invisible drums, caught up in the beat. No care in the world. Just you and the music.

At first, Sophia didn’t mind. She barely noticed. But when your air-drumming got a little more enthusiastic, she finally glanced your way—and what she saw made her softly laugh under her breath. You didn’t hear it. You were too far gone in whatever song was playing. She shook her head a little, amused. You looked ridiculous.

And yet…adorable.

She couldn’t believe you were actually into the songs. I mean, you of all people? The same person who said, “What’s this? I won’t even understand the song, so what's the point?” The same person who swore she wouldn’t even last a single track. But then Sophia gave you that look—those soft, half-pleading eyes that were impossible to say no to—and you sighed, giving in with a grumbled, "Fine. One song only."

But one song became two. Then three. Then an entire night of scrolling, downloading, organizing. Somehow, the lyrics—even the ones you didn’t understand—still found a way to hit you somewhere deep. It was weird, but in a good way. You didn’t question it too much. You just… felt it.

From her side of the bed, Sophia watched you, head tilted slightly, book forgotten on her lap. You looked absolutely ridiculous with the air drumming and the small, almost imperceptible smile on your face, but there was something about you—something—that made her heart feel like it was flipping over and over in her chest.

Ano ba ‘to? she thought to herself, her brows furrowing slightly. She had never felt this before. This strange, giddy, stupidly warm feeling in her chest. And maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was that shallow.

But maybe it wasn’t.

She didn’t realize she’d been staring too long until you turned, pulled your headphones off, and raised your eyebrows at her.

“What?” you asked, your voice slightly louder than usual, still half in that echoing world of music.

Sophia blinked, caught red-handed, and immediately looked back down at the book. “Wala,” she muttered, flipping a page she hadn’t read. “You looked like a crazy person kanina.”

She said it casually, but the way her cheeks turned this soft, subtle shade of pink betrayed her completely.

You didn’t say anything at first. Just looked at her. And maybe, just maybe, you smiled a little too.

Sophia thought she was finally free. She really believed she had escaped the eyes that were always watching. The eyes that followed her every move, judged her every choice, and kept her from living the way she wanted to. To the outside world, she had everything—status, a name, a life people admired. But no one really understood how suffocating it was to live under that kind of pressure.

When she transferred to this school, she thought things would be different. That the weight she carried would finally lift. That she could finally just… exist. No one criticizing her. No one controlling her. For the first time, she hoped she could live without tiptoeing around expectations.

But she thought wrong.

Every move she made. Every breath she took. Every word she said—still found its way back to her parents. As if the walls could talk. As if even the trees were whispering about her.

Sophia knew she had to be careful. Especially when she got that text message from her mom. It was just a short one, sent while the two of you were laughing about something silly out in the courtyard. A warning, hidden beneath the usual “we’re just concerned.” A subtle reminder to watch who she was spending time with. You glanced at her and teased, “What’s that? Your boyfriend?” And she just laughed, shaking her head, putting her phone back into her pocket. She didn’t even reply.

She thought it was the same old thing again. Her mom being protective. A little paranoid. Maybe it was about what had happened before—something Sophia didn’t like talking about. But this time felt different. This time, it felt like someone really was watching.

Another message came later, when the two of you were lying under the old tree near the gym. The breeze rustled softly through the branches above, everything felt still. Peaceful. She opened her phone, and there it was—cold, sharp, and unapologetic: “You’re there to be a proper young lady, not to run around with girls who act like boys and confuse friendship with something else.”

She stared at the screen for a long time.

Confused. Hurt. A little angry.

Her eyes swept over the area, suddenly aware of every corner. Her heart started to race. Was someone watching them? Reporting back to her parents? She scanned the hallways, the benches, the windows—anyone. Anything. But all she saw was you, looking at her with worry, your hand reaching for her arm gently.

“Are you okay?” you asked quietly.

She nodded, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. There was worry written all over her face, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

Still, she didn’t reply to the message.

She turned her phone on Do Not Disturb and shoved it deep into her bag. She didn’t want to deal with it. Not now. Not when she was finally starting to feel safe. Not when she was finally starting to feel something real.

She told herself it was just her mom’s instincts again. The same overprotective habits that had kept her locked up for so long. Always controlling. Always expecting the worst.

But deep down, something tugged at her.

Because what if it wasn’t just instinct this time? What if someone really was watching?

It was a week before midterms, and Sophia had been tearing herself apart trying to keep up. Every time you saw her, she either had her head buried in a book or was passed out from exhaustion. She’s not resting anymore. You couldn’t even remember the last time you saw her smile, much less eat at the cafeteria with everyone else.

Lately, you only saw her during class or in your shared dorm room, and even then, her presence felt like a ghost passing through. She barely spoke, barely looked up. The Sophia you knew—soft-spoken but warm, sharp but gentle—was slipping through the cracks.

You were worried. And more than that, you missed her.

So you came up with a plan.

Something simple, something quiet. Something that felt like her.

You set up a picnic blanket in one of the school’s hidden spots—an old greenhouse behind the art building that hardly anyone went to anymore. It was where you always went when everything started feeling too loud. A place that reminded you to breathe.

You brought her favorite snacks, those little sweet things she liked to sneak during study sessions. You set up your portable speaker with a playlist she once said made her feel like the world paused for a moment. A few small fairy lights too, just enough to soften the shadows.

Everything was ready.

You waited in your dorm room, pacing just a bit. It was close to lights out, and you were hoping no one would notice the two of you slipping away. It wasn’t a big deal, but if someone found out, you knew Sophia’s parents would hear about it.

The door creaked open.

Sophia walked in, looking like she was about to fall apart. Her eyes were rimmed with fatigue, dark circles beneath them, and her skin was pale under the dorm's dull lighting. Her arms were full of books, heavy like the weight she carried on her shoulders.

You stood up quickly, walking over to help her unload her things onto her desk. You saw the way her lips barely moved, how her body swayed like she might collapse if she stopped moving.

You hesitated.

Maybe she needed rest more than anything. Maybe you were being selfish. What if all she wanted was to sleep?

You stood there for a second too long, unsure of what to say.

Sophia tilted her head, concern in her eyes. “Hey? You okay there? I kinda lost you for a second.”

You hadn’t even realized she was talking. She was telling you how drained she was—how she already felt defeated before the exams even started. You nodded slowly, steadying your voice.

“Soph,” you started, careful, quiet. “Do you want to go somewhere? Just… a place to breathe for a bit?”

She blinked at you, confused. “What? Where exactly?”

You explained softly—that it was a spot you found during your first week, when everything was overwhelming and nothing felt safe. You told her it became your haven, the one place that didn’t feel like the walls were closing in.

She looked at you for a moment, her eyes softening, until she glanced at the clock.

“How are we even going to get there? It’s already lights out,” she said.

“We have to sneak out.”

That’s when something shifted.

You didn’t know what changed, but you felt it. The air in the room got heavier, like a storm waiting to break. Sophia stepped back slightly, her expression faltering.

Her voice was lower now. “I…I don’t think I can do that again.”

You didn’t push. You waited.

She sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at her hands. “The last time I snuck out, things got bad. I got caught. I got in trouble. And worse…I was left alone. They left me. I don’t want to be left again.”

Her voice cracked on the last word.

You crouched down in front of her, gently placing your hand over hers. “You won’t be,” you said, quietly but firmly. “I’m not going to leave you, Sophia. And I’m not going to get you in trouble. We’ll be careful. I promise.”

There was silence for a while.

And then—she nodded.

The two of you slipped out of the dorms, careful with your steps and breathless with the quiet thrill of it all. You led her through the school grounds, down the path you knew by heart. When you reached the spot, you watched her eyes take in everything.

The picnic blanket spread out with soft pillows. The warm glow of fairy lights. A few potted plants lining the edges. The stars above, clearly visible through the glass ceiling of the old greenhouse, glittering like they were waiting for the two of you.

Sophia stepped into the space slowly, as if afraid it would disappear if she moved too fast.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, almost in a whisper.

You sat down beside her, offering her food, and for the first time in days, you heard her laugh. It was quiet and tired, but real.

You didn’t talk about exams. Not once.

Eventually, when the silence settled between you comfortably, you found yourself speaking.

You told her how you ended up in this school—how you had your own past you didn’t like to revisit. How being left alone wasn’t just something you hated, it was something that haunted you. That sometimes, even when people said goodbye, the echo of their absence stayed louder than anything else.

She looked at you, eyes soft and a little glassy. “I’m sorry,” she said, taking a deep breath. “For what happened to you.”

Then she told you her story—not all of it, not yet, but enough. Enough to understand the girl behind the silence. The pressure. The rules. The fear of being seen and punished for simply trying to live.

The quiet stretched between you again, not heavy, but calm.

After a while, you stood up and reached out your hand to her, smiling just a little. “Dance with me?”

Sophia looked up at you, a little caught off guard. “Now?”

“I’ve never gotten to dance with someone at prom,” you said. “And you look like you owe yourself a moment like this.”

As cliché as it was, she took your hand. And under the stars, with music playing low and the world stripped of its noise, the two of you danced. No big moves, no twirls, just quiet steps and held gazes. Just closeness.

Just presence.

The test results were finally out, and Sophia felt like she was drowning in her own thoughts. Her chest was tight, her palms cold, and her stomach in knots. Anxiety clung to her like a second skin, and no matter how much she tried to focus, her mind kept spiraling. What if I failed? What if I messed this up? What if they make me transfer schools again because of one stupid score?

When the paper was handed to her, she couldn’t bring herself to open it at first. Her fingers trembled slightly as she held onto the folded test sheet like it held her fate. She inhaled deeply, a silent prayer running through her mind—please, please don’t let it be bad.

And then, with hesitant hands, she opened it.

90%.

A breath escaped her lips. Relief washed over her like a wave, and for a moment, she felt the weight lift. It was the score she hoped for—enough to make herself proud. Maybe even enough to show her parents she was trying.

With a flicker of hope, Sophia decided she’d call them. She wanted to share this moment, to tell them she was doing fine, maybe even hear them say they were proud of her. As the bell rang and the halls flooded with chatter, she made her way quickly back to the dorm.

The room was empty. You weren’t there. Perfect timing.

She sat on her bed and dialed, her heart still fluttering with a mix of nerves and excitement. The phone rang once… twice… then someone picked up.

“Hi, Ma! Hi, Pa!” she greeted, her voice bright, her tone warm and upbeat.

Her parents, sensing the joy in her tone, matched her energy—or at least tried to.  “I just wanted to update you… things are going okay. My roommate’s actually really cool, and I got a 90 on my midterm—”

A long pause. Her mother’s voice cut through, sharp and cold.

“A 90?”

Sophia blinked. “Yeah. I know it’s not perfect, but I’ve been studying really hard and—”

Her mother didn’t let her finish.

“Ninety? That’s it? You call that improvement? You’re in college now, Sophia. Bakit parang high school level parin ang mga grades mo?”

Sophia’s smile faltered. Her hand clenched the phone tighter.

“If you keep getting scores like that, don’t bother coming home. Do you hear me?” her mother snapped. “We will disown you. I didn’t raise you for this kind of mediocrity.”

Sophia tried to respond, her lips parting to explain, to say something, anything— “And your roommate,” her mother added, her tone laced with disgust. “Stay away from her.”

“What?”

“She’s not someone you should be around. I don’t care if she’s nice or if she helps you study. She’s a bad influence. Do you even know what kind of person she is? Don’t you know she’s a sinner? You think that’s someone you should trust?”

Sophia’s heart stopped. She couldn't find her voice.

“You're so easily swayed. This is why you're falling behind. Focus on your future, not... her.”

Before she could respond, the line went dead.

Sophia sat there, staring into nothing, phone still to her ear, the silence on the other end louder than anything. Her throat burned. Her hands were cold. The silence in the room grew heavier with each passing second. Her chest tightened again, but this time, not from anxiety—this was hurt. A deep, twisting hurt that made her feel so small.

They didn’t even ask if she was okay.

Tears welled up in her eyes before she could even try to stop them. She curled up on her bed and cried into the pillow, trying to smother the sound of her sobs. She was supposed to meet you for lunch—but now she didn’t even want to leave the room.

The ache in her chest was too much. Her appetite was gone. She stayed curled up under the blanket, her mind replaying the words over and over again. Not enough. Disown. Sinner.

She cried—quiet at first, then louder as everything she had buried started to surface.

She didn’t hear the door open.

“Sophia?”

Her heart skipped. She quickly wiped her tears, sat up, and tried to compose herself, but it was too late.

There you were, standing at the doorway with a tray full of snacks and drinks, grinning—until you saw her face.

Your smile disappeared. You rushed over, leaving the tray on your bed.

“Hey… hey, what happened?” you asked, kneeling beside her.

Sophia just shook her head, eyes cast down. Her lips trembled. She didn’t want to cry in front of you. She never did. She was supposed to be composed, in control. Crying felt like weakness—and weakness was never allowed in her house growing up.

You glanced at her bed: messy books, a crumpled test paper, used tissues, her phone.

“Mahal…” you said softly, reaching for her hand and brushing her hair away from her damp cheeks. “Tell me what happened.”

She tried to hold it in, but the moment you touched her, the dam broke.

“M-my mom… she said my grades weren’t enough,” she whispered, voice cracking, eyes filled with shame.

You nodded gently, encouraging her to let it out, your fingers weaving through her hair as you pulled her close. Her head rested on your chest, and she clung to you like she might fall apart if she let go.

“She said I was useless,” she sobbed, “and if I ever get grades like this again…they’ll disown me.”

Her whole body shook as the words left her mouth. Her tears soaked through your shirt, and her voice—raw, trembling, barely a whisper—was filled with years of hurt she never allowed herself to speak aloud.

You held her tighter.

“Y/n… I don’t want to be disowned,” she said between sobs. “I don’t want to be alone…”

You cupped her face gently, wiping away her tears with your thumbs. “Ssshh… look at me, mahal.” She did, eyes red and swollen. “No one will disown you. And no one—no one—will ever leave you. Not on my watch, okay?”

Sophia leaned back into your arms, letting you wrap her in warmth. You kissed the top of her head softly, your hand rubbing gentle circles on her back.

She never knew comfort like this—only from her younger brother, and even that felt like a secret she wasn’t allowed to need. But here, in your arms, the world was quiet. The pressure, the expectations, the fear… all of it faded.

And for the first time, Sophia felt like she wasn’t just surviving—she was seen.

She didn’t say anything more after that. She didn’t have to. Her head stayed against your chest, your heartbeat grounding her, anchoring her to the present. You stayed like that for a long time, letting the silence be soft and healing.

Then, almost hesitantly, her fingers reached out for the snack tray you brought. She sniffled.

“What… what did you get?” she asked, her voice hoarse but trying to sound normal again.

You smiled, relieved. “Chocolate cake. Milk tea. Your favorites. I had to bribe the vending machine and practically threaten the lady at the bakery to get the last slice.”

A tired laugh slipped out of her—small and shaky, but real. “You’re too nice to me.”

“I’d fight the world for you,” you whispered, serious now. “And your mom, if she keeps talking like that.”

Sophia didn’t respond. She just tucked her head back into your chest, like maybe if she stayed there long enough, the rest of the world would fade.

And for now, that was enough.

Sophia didn’t listen to her mother—not this time. She didn’t stay away from you, and honestly? She didn’t want to. You had already become her safe place, her calm in the chaos that surrounded her every day. For the second time in her life, she defied the rules her parents raised her on. She knew the risks—especially with the eyes her parents kept planted in the school halls—but she didn’t care. Not when it came to you.

The two of you hadn’t even defined what you were to each other. No labels. No promises. Just this unspoken understanding that your feelings were real and blooming quietly in stolen glances and whispered conversations. You were both in no rush to name it—whatever it was. You simply existed together in a kind of sacred secrecy.

Because this school, this Catholic school, didn’t allow space for love like yours.

So everything you did was hidden. Holding hands beneath the cafeteria table. Kissing softly behind the chapel when no one was looking. Cuddling in quiet corners of the library. Every touch had to be calculated. Every look had to be careful.

At first, you didn’t mind the secrecy. You were here because of that again. Your parents had sent you off to this place hoping to “fix” you. Turn you into the perfect straight daughter with impeccable discipline and proper behavior. But somehow, they thought an all-girls school was the answer—which only confirmed how little they actually knew you.

You didn’t expect to find someone like Sophia. Honestly, you thought she was going to be one of those girls—too proper, too soft-spoken, probably a little too perfect. Her family was known, her life looked polished from the outside, and her vibe screamed stay away. Everything about her felt opposite to you. Her clothes, her posture, her carefully measured smiles. And still, she drew you in.

It started small. That first day, she was totally lost, clutching a schedule and scanning the hallway numbers like they were a puzzle. You spotted her from down the hall, looking hilariously confused, and you could’ve helped right away—but you didn’t. Not yet. You pretended you had a different class just to peel off and loop back around later so it looked more casual. You wanted to help, but you didn’t want to seem like you cared. Not too much.

Then there was the cafeteria. She sat alone at lunch, stiff and guarded, picking at her food like it was some chore. Most girls avoided her—maybe it was her resting don’t talk to me face, or maybe they were just intimidated by the last name she carried. But you didn’t care. You sat across from her anyway, not asking for anything, just existing there until she realized you weren’t a threat.

From then on, it built slowly—like music with no beat drop, just a gradual rise in volume until you realized it was surrounding you.

You learned about her little by little. Her favorite snacks. Her weird pet peeves. The way she liked her books organized by color instead of author. How her parents expected her to be this picture-perfect daughter, and how she never really got the chance to feel things on her own terms. You saw the weight she carried—how exhausting it must be to be so controlled, to be so watched all the time. She wasn’t just some rich girl with rules. She was someone who never got to breathe without someone else telling her how.

And God, did you want to protect her from all of it.

You didn’t realize you were falling until it was already happening. It wasn’t some movie moment with swelling violins and fireworks. It was a Tuesday. She was wearing your oversized hoodie, curled up in your bed with the book you recommended, and between her soft humming and the occasional Tagalog lessons she mumbled into your arm, you felt it—the quiet click of something inside you shifting.

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t even loud.

It was just real.

You started noticing the way she’d lean into you when you were alone, how she’d blush a little whenever you called her something stupidly sweet like sunshine or cutie. She never asked you to stop, even when her cheeks turned red. And when you hung out in secret spots around campus, she’d sit closer. Her fingers would linger. Her eyes would stay on you a little longer than before.

But the moment everything changed?

It was that night in the library.

You found her sitting cross-legged on the floor between two shelves, lost in a novel, lips slightly parted as her eyes scanned the pages like they were secrets. You sat beside her quietly, pretending to read your own book. It was quiet, almost too quiet, so you nudged her. She barely looked up, and when she did, it was only for a second before she returned to her pages.

So you did what anyone would do—you stole her book. She gasped, playful fire in her eyes, and tried to snatch it back. You grinned and told her to follow you to the back where the bean bags were, promising it’d be more comfortable.

She followed.

You both sank into the cushions, backs to the wall, legs stretched out. She slid down until her head was resting on your thigh, your fingers casually playing with the ends of her hair while you read aloud a line or two just to annoy her. Eventually, she gave up on reading and just watched you instead.

You didn’t notice until she sighed—soft and tired.

You looked down, and there she was, her dark brown eyes fixed on you. You set the book aside.

“What?” you asked, barely above a whisper.

She shrugged.

You rolled your eyes. “Use your words, Laforteza.”

But she didn’t answer. Instead, her fingers reached up to trace the faint scar on your eyebrow. Her touch was featherlight, sending chills down your spine.

“It was a stupid accident,” you said, not wanting to get into the whole story about the nuns and your endless list of detentions.

She didn’t laugh. Just kept tracing.

The air felt thick. Too heavy. Too still. You both leaned in, instinctively. Slow, cautious, breath held between the inches of space.

And then—buzz buzz buzz. Her phone.

You both flinched.

She answered it, reluctantly, standing up with a quiet “Sorry.”

But after that night, it was like something shifted.

You didn’t talk about it. Not exactly. But everything between you got... softer. Closer. Sweeter.

She’d rest her head on your shoulder during study hours. You’d sneak snacks into her room on bad days. She started wearing your clothes more often. You started leaving little sticky notes in her books with dumb doodles and inside jokes. You called her mi amore just to see her blush, and she called you makulit like it was the most affectionate word in the world.

And maybe you weren’t officially anything yet. Maybe you were still hiding in quiet corners and exchanging secret smiles in crowded halls.

But you knew.

She was yours.

And you were hers.

Even if the world wasn’t ready.

The next day, you woke up earlier than usual. You didn’t even bother fixing your hair or ironing your uniform perfectly—your focus was set. Today was Sophia’s birthday. You wanted to make it special. Even if the school didn’t allow celebrations, even if it meant breaking the rules again, you didn’t care. You had snuck in a small cupcake the night before, tucked away in your drawer, along with a candle you stole from the chapel's supply room. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Today was also the day you planned to ask her—to finally ask Sophia to be your girlfriend. You rehearsed what to say in your head a hundred times over. You were going to tell her you loved her. You were ready.

But before anything could happen, your name echoed through the entire school from the PA system.

“Y/N, to the directress' office. Immediately.”

The cupcake in your hands felt heavier all of a sudden. You looked at it one last time before placing it gently on the desk. You didn’t want to get into more trouble than you already were, so you took a deep breath and headed to the office.

When you stepped inside, the air changed.

Nuns surrounded the room like shadows, silent and still, their eyes sharp and unreadable. And there, in the middle, stood Reverend Mother. Her face was stone. No one said a word. Not until she slowly walked up to you.

You opened your mouth to ask what was going on, but you didn’t even get the chance.

Smack!

Your head snapped to the side. A sting bloomed on your cheek, and your knees buckled from shock more than the pain. Before you could react, her hand raised again—

Smack!

Another blow. And another. You didn’t know how many. You didn’t even know why. You just found yourself on the floor, trembling, hands pressed against the cold tiles, the copper taste of blood blooming on your lip. Your cheek throbbed. The nuns remained still, judgmental eyes digging into your skin.

“You are a disgrace!” the Reverend Mother shouted. “Do you even know how many sins you’ve committed?”

You looked up at her through tears. You didn’t know what to say. You didn’t even understand what exactly you were being punished for—at least not out loud.

“You turned a pure, innocent girl into a sinner. You are a disgrace to humanity.”

“I love her,” you choked out. “I did not turn her into a sinner, because i don’t think it was a sin”

Your voice trembled, but you kept going. “It’s not wrong to love someone—even if they’re the same gender. So i-i don’t think it was a sin, because it didn’t feel like a sin. it felt like it was too supposed to be feel” They just stared at you like you were crazy.

Then another slap.

“You don’t speak that way,” she said coldly. “You will be punished for your actions. But for now, you are dismissed.”

She paused at the door and added, “And as for Ms. Laforteza… don’t even think about contacting her. I have a separate punishment in store for that girl.”

You ran back to the dorms with blood on your lip and shame pooling in your chest. You cleaned yourself up the best you could, dabbing at your swollen cheek with a damp towel. You avoided your reflection. You didn’t want to see what they did to you. You didn’t want to see yourself right now.

You lit the candle on the cupcake just in time. When you heard the door open, you stood up fast, trying to hold it all together. Sophia stepped inside—and froze.

You sang anyway, voice shaky, but soft.

Happy birthday to you...

She blew out the candle, and you walked up to her. You saw her glance at your face, about to ask what happened—but then her phone rang.

She tensed. You caught a glimpse of the caller ID.

“Mama.”

She hesitated. Then stepped outside to take the call. You stood there alone, hands still warm from the candle. Heart already cold.

A few minutes passed.

Then you followed her.

The hallway was completely silent—the kind of silence that echoed with every breath. You didn’t know where she went. You didn’t know what you were expecting. But then you heard your footsteps fall down the stairs, fast and heavy.

And there she was.

Sophia Laforteza. Leaning against the wall, phone still glowing in her hand. Like she hadn’t moved in minutes. Her eyes met yours, and—God—you hated that she was crying again. Always crying because of her.

You ran to her and pulled her into a hug. You held her close, your bruised cheek brushing hers.

“It’s okay,” you whispered. “I’m here. We’ll get through this. Together.”

But she didn’t hug you back.

You pulled away slightly. “What happened? What did she say?”

Sophia looked down, her voice small. “She said… she’s giving me one last warning. If I don’t stay away from you, she’s pulling me out. Right away.”

You waited.

You waited for her to say she told her mom that she didn’t care. That she loved you. That she was going to fight for you.

But she didn’t.

“I told her I’d stay away.”

And just like that, something cracked inside you.

“I don’t want to transfer schools again. I can’t.”

You stared at her.

“I fought for us,” you said, your voice barely a whisper. “I got dragged into the directress’s office. I got slapped. Humiliated. I bled. I told them I loved you.”

She didn’t move. Her tears betrayed her, but she didn’t speak.

“And you—you just accepted what your mother said? Just like that? Without even thinking? Like a coward?”

Her tears fell faster, but still—silence.

“You do have a choice, Laforteza. You could’ve shown them that I matter to you. That this,” you gestured between you two, “means something. That loving each other isn’t wrong.”

You took a shaky breath. “But I guess… I was the only one who thought this was worth fighting for.”

Sophia tried to speak. Her lips parted. Her thoughts raced. She wanted to tell you she loved you too—but the words wouldn’t come out. They stuck in her throat like broken glass.

“So that’s it?” your voice broke. “I just told you I love you… and you have nothing to say?”

She opened her mouth.

Nothing.

You shook your head, laughing bitterly. “Alright. I’ll see you in the dorm room then.”

You turned around, walking away, your footsteps echoing through the hallway. Leaving Sophia frozen in place. All alone. With nothing but silence and everything she should have said.

The next day, the sun rose like it always did—quiet and indifferent.

But something felt wrong. Off.

You blinked away the sleep in your eyes and rolled over to check on the other side of the room. That side. Her side.

But Sophia’s bed was empty.

Perfectly made, as if no one had ever touched it. As if she had never been there.

You sat up slowly, the ache in your chest growing heavier with every second. You looked around the room—her books weren’t stacked on the table anymore. Her clothes, usually slung messily over the chair or hanging by the window to dry, were nowhere to be seen. The corner where she kept her favorite lotion, her hairbrush, the half-used bottle of perfume you always teased her about—gone. All of it.

It was like someone had come in during the night and erased her.

No trace of Sophia Laforteza. Not even a note. Not even a goodbye.

You dragged your feet across the cold floor and stood in front of her bed. Your hand hesitated over the blanket, your fingers curling just above the place where she used to sit, where she used to laugh, where she used to fall asleep while talking to you mid-sentence.

And all you could think about was the last time you spoke.

The last time her voice filled this room—it was shaking. She was crying. You were crying. And it wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. You were fighting. You were begging. For her to fight back. For her to choose you.

But she didn’t.

And now she was gone.

Just like that.

Pulled out of the school like it was nothing. Like everything that happened between the two of you didn’t even matter. Like you didn’t matter.

You sat down on the edge of her mattress, swallowing hard. The silence felt louder than it should. There were no soft giggles, no sarcastic remarks, no whispered conversations after lights out. Just you. And the echo of a goodbye that never came.

Your throat tightened as you stared blankly at the wall. You wanted to be angry. You wanted to scream. But more than anything—you just wanted one last moment. One last glance. One last word. Something.

Anything.

But all you had left was the memory of her tears, the weight of your own words hanging heavy between you, and a bed that wasn’t hers anymore.

And outside, the world just kept going. Like she was never even there.

gonna leave you guys with a quote lol: “Some people are just passing chapters, no matter how much you want them to be your whole story. The laughter, the promises, the late-night dreams of forever—they dissolve into silence. And the what-ifs? They haunt. But never regret the love that blossomed between the two of you. It lived, even if it died quietly.”

how'd i do :D??? i hope it stung like i hope it would haha

[delusionalalien]

[Embrace You, Devour You] [Prologue] YANDERE!Mark Grayson x Fem!Reader x YANDERE!Variant!Invincibles

this is what happens when my hubby, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, don't get enough fanfictions made about him tsk tsk.

this is hot garbage btw.

note : i'm doing this for fun, and I'm mentally disturb with no writing skills whatsoever so don't expect S class writing. English is NOT my first language so my grammar is really bad. I also have no idea how Tumblr post works

note 2 : They start out as kids in the first few chapters so its pretty innocent...? but I'm leaving the TW and tags here just in case anyone reading this garbage knows what they signed up for ahahsghbgavsfhashajgsgc

next chapter T.W / Tags: slow-burn, soft yandere(main mark), pinning, mark is bat shit crazy on the inside but he good dw(like he wont end the world unless you die lol), baby-trapping (believe it or not), teen pregnancy, yandere variants (they did so much worse in their universe), mark a lil pushy (i still love him), breeding kink (cant forget about that), prob missing more tags but ill add them later as this story progress

(Name) is starting to understand feelings and she's scared ):

It first started with a simple and innocent feeling.

Mark Grayson and (Name) are childhood best friends, next door neighbors that had one parent as a superhero. Every sleepover, every birthday parties, and each and every playdates, attended to since both of you live close to one another. you both were close, closer than what both your parents shares about you two to strangers or friends. yet neither of you cared for that as long as you had each other.

At first (Name) didn't think much of it, didn't understand the feelings you felt towards Mark, just that you understood that you really like being around him, standing next to him, playing with him, and listening to him ramble about the latest superhero that caught his attention or the newest addition Seance Dog that your mother gifted him on his birthday. All ears as you drowned in the way he speaks.

something about him makes you feel special, like you have been seen and understood, was it bad that you think he feels the same way too?

Then comes the budding plant that blossomed uncontrollably as you grew- grew to understand why you like being with him, like when you held hands as you both walk to school when you both miss the bus, like when he talks and rambles over anything he was interested in. You were head over heels in love and you're scared. Scared to lose the friendship, scared to be treated differently.

And you went home, crying uncontrollably because not only did you love Mark, you also had to walk in the scorching heat because of course a villain just had to show up during your summer classes.

Worse of all, Mark saw you cry the day you understood these feelings. Witness from the window that faced both your bedrooms, the very same window where you both would stay late at night just to talk until his father tells you both to go to sleep. Mark opens the window and leaned over to knock on yours. a pleading look to open, the very same ones when he sees you having a bad day.

How can you ever deny him when he looks this sad.

"Are you okay?"

Mark, the 12 year old next door neighbor, who you have a crush on hops on over and flops right on to your bed with his back pressed to the wall. You slide the window shut again and wiped the tears away.

"M'fine."

"We'll you're crying, that means you are not fine." Mark pouts and crosses his arms, scanning you over to see what could possibly upset you so much that you had to cry tears.

"Was Rebecca being mean to you again?" He gasped as if he figured the cause of your tears, "me and William will go and give her a piece of our minds!"

"it's not her this time, Mark..." you laid on your bed facing the opposite from mark. hands clutched near your heart to calm the erratic thumps. unable to speak as the words clogged inside your throat.

Mark ever the dork he was jumped over you only to land on the floor with a thud.

"Mark!"

"I'm okay!"

He popped back up just to sit on the floor, elbows propped against the bed and his head on his hands. grinning and waiting for you to tell him about your struggles. his ears were a little red and you cant help but giggle how he was playing it off like he hadn't hurt himself.

Mark smiled, "You laughed!" you feel his finger poke your cheek "Does that mean you aren't sad anymore?"

shaking your head, you sat up right and sighed.

"Still sad, but with you around I always feel better. Thanks, you dork."

"w-well I'm glad you feel better."

Mark coughed and cleared his throat, "so, what's on your mind?"

You stared into his eyes, and suddenly that feeling in your heart intensifies, your face was warmer and your palms began to sweat.

you wanted, no, you needed him to know what you feel but you couldn't because you fear change. so you began stammering trying to a make passable excuse to give.

"I, uh, i, i just really want a dog!"

"Isn't your mom allergic?"

Mark leaned back and gave you the most baffled look that he knows that you know that you we're lying. the perks of living next to each other your whole lives.

You slapped yourself mentally. Out of all the lies you can say, why an animal that you're mother is deathly allergic too?

"come on (Name) you can tell me anything, we're best friends right? and as best friends we don't hide anything from each other!"

Mark watches you bury yourself in your blankets. You felt your heart aching slightly. Friends, of course he only saw you as a friend never will it be anything else, not now, not in the future. You felt like crying but not here, god forbid he ever catches you crying again.

You hear him shuffle as the bed dips from his weight before he yanks your blankets off you.

"Mark!" you fought him back by trying to take back the sheet.

"Tell me what's wrong first!" He held onto the blanket with all the strength he's got. Damn him and his alien genes, despite not awakening his powers yet he was strong, stronger than you at least.

After a bit, you relent and Mark smiled victorious. patiently he waits for you to confess, to answer for the tears he saw you shed earlier in his bedroom.

your heart raced. we're you going to really tell him now? what if he says he doesn't like you? "Mark... I, I like-"

The boy perks up. Eagerly waits to what you had to say, his brown eyes sparkling.

"I LIKE TODD!"

...

...

"... what?"

"what?"

[liliansun]

two “rules” one problem

pairing : ex-bff!hyuck x fem!reader

wc : 14.8k

synopsis : despite your history, you and haechan couldn’t stand each other. that is till you’re paired up for a project and he’s just desperate enough for your help with his love life with the acception of his stupid rules

genre : enemies2lovers (best trope), ex-childhood friends to lovers (also best trope), fake dating, angst, fluff, college au

warnings : swearing, kissing, alcohol, haechan gets jealous, lying, uhh idk what else but lmk if i missed something (not proof read so i’m sorry 🥲)

If there was one thing twelve year old donghyuck wanted more in this world, other than his mom’s cooking, it was his two best friends coming together. You had been his friend since birth, both your mom’s bonding together before the two of you even came into the world. They met in a birth class, having similar due dates helped them both find comfort and friendship within each other compared to the other moms in the class that were farther along than them. They had already planned playdates after both you and donghyuck were born and even after all that time, they stayed true to those plans.

Your earliest memories have donghyuck in them in some shape, way or form. Whether he was attending you birthday party, or you to his, all the way to the two of you sharing the same home room when you both started school. The dynamic between you two was truly unmatched, something that could never be touched or fault. When you two got older, not much had changed. The excitement of high school had you both buzzing as each day passed through your final years of being just below the line of being a teenager.

Although you both were attached by the hip, you still found space in your young life to befriend other people, or at least donghyuck did. Thats how mark lee came into the picture, being a transfer student in the middle of the year made it hard for him to settle in and become comfortable. Donghyuck saw mark sitting along during lunch one sunny afternoon and although the two had a bit of a rocky start, their friendship blossomed into something that they both needed. Now that he had such a connection with his new found friend, all he wanted to do is share his love for mark with you. You thought you were a welcoming person, easy to get along with and fairly nice, but the day donghyuck brought you and mark together would just so happen be the day you lost your best friend.

“I’m telling you, that doesn’t sound right to me.”

Mark rolls his eyes, laughing a little under his breath as he strums his slender fingers against the strings on his guitar. “Its not finished yet, gotta trust the process.” You simply reply with a hum as you watch mark fiddle and try to tune the strings to his liking. The two of you were cooped up in his dorm room, him sitting on the edge of his bed with the instrument rested in his lap while you opted to sit in the chair that usually was tucked under his desk. “What are you doing here anyway, don't you have other friends to bother instead?” Rolling your eyes, you feel your phone buzzing in your pocket. “Actually, no i don't, i thought we went over this. Yeongmin is off studying so she can’t aid my boredom.”

Mark continued strumming along the strings till he got a rhythm he liked and started to hum along with the tune that was filling the room. “I swear you’re gonna be famous one of these days.” Looking down at your phone, you notice the groupchat you’re in with your friends is going off. “That would be nice actually.” Unlocking your phone, a smile spreads across your lips at the messages that were popping up. “Maybe if you didn’t have crippling stage fright, you’d be able to actually play the songs you sing to more people than just me.” A gentle laugh left mark’s throat as he set the guitar down on its stand beside his bed. “Actually, I sing to Haechan too, so don’t come for me.” His name left a sour taste in your mouth, your face scrunching up as you try to block out his stupid face in your mind. Mark could tell you two still weren’t on good terms, but he didn’t want to push it again and opted to pick up his phone that was vibrating on his bed.

You stole a glace at the screen, catching the name of the caller id. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” You mumble underneath your breath. Mark answers the facetime call, holding his phone in his hand, but opting to hold it further down at an angle. “Yo, whats up?” The background noise was windy, letting both you and mark know that he must've been outside. “Bro where have you been, i've been looking for you for hours!”

“If you didn’t find him, he obviously didn’t wanna be found, but if its you he’s hiding from who can blame him.” Mumbling beneath your breath, but mark still heard you. “Hey, you be nice over there.” haechan looked confused on the screen, strolling around on campus to his unknown destination. “Are you talking to yourself again?” mark turned his camera around, showing you sitting comfortably in his chair as you scroll mindlessly on social media. “No, im not talking to myself again, y/n is here.” by the mention of your name, haechan rolled his eyes. “Why is she always there when im coming over.”

“I didn't even know you're coming over.” added in his defense after switching his camera back around. “If that thing is on his way, i’m out.” you piped up, grabbing your bag from off the floor as you stood up from the chair. “Text me when you make it in at least?” mark felt helpless sometimes. He never truly understood what went down between you and haechan all those years ago, but splitting his free time between the two of could could be more challenging some days than others. If he wasn’t chilling with you in the comfort of the few places you knew haechan wouldn’t be caught dead near like your dorm or the library, he was chilling with haechan and the friend group they developed over the years being in college.

“Will do, have fun with the devils incarnate.” You say back as you’re opening the door to make your exit. Just as you’re leaving, you come face to face with something firm or shall you say someone. “Do you ever use those eyes of yours or are they just there for decoration?” you recognized that voice from anywhere, it being the same voice belonging to the one person you were hoping not to see on your way out. “Can you move lee, or are you just that self absorbed to think that I could just see you standing outside the door before it was even open?” Haechan scoffed as you walked past him, huffing as you nudge him with your shoulder to get him out of your way. From mark’s dorm to yours wasn't a far walk, which was good for you when you needed to get out of your room or just needed his help on an assignment. Unfortunately for you, it meant that haechan too didn’t have much of a far walk either seeing that his dorm hall was across from yours.

When you get into your room, your roommate wonchae looked up from her phone as she was laid out on her bed. “I thought you were at mark’s for a few hours?” Tossing your bag down beside the door you huff as you walk over to your bed and crawl underneath the blanket after removing your shoes. “I was till donghyuck decided to grace mark with his presence.” Wonchae giggled as she sits up, looking at you getting comfortable beneath your blanket as you pull your phone out. “Wanna call the girls over for a movie night instead?” you glance over at her, a smile spreading across your lips as you prop yourself up on your elbow. “As long as we’re not too loud again, we can’t afford another complaint this month.” Wonchae was already texting the groupchat before you could even finish your sentence. The night proceeded with you and your friends having a movie marathon despite your early class in the morning. You assumed it wouldn’t be too much to unwind a bit, binge watching three movies back to back. Somehow, you didn’t make it to your bed when you initially planned to due to the twins, wonchae and yechae convincing you to pull through the last movie.

Since the time on the clock read after midnight by the time the movies were finished, the three girls opted to sleep over with you and your roommate instead of taking the risk of going back to their own dorms. Yeongmin’s dorm was the furthest from yours, being about a twenty minute walk and you all collectively agreed she especially was sleeping over. Somehow you and yeongmin both managed to fit in your tiny bed for the night while the twins and sin-ra snuggled up on wonchae’s bed across the room. By the next morning, you woke up to the sound of yeongmin snoring in your ear beside you. She had her arms and legs tangled in yous, trying to pry her off you as you crane your neck to look over at the time clock on your desk. Your worst fears were confirmed when the time read nine after when your first class was supposed to finish. Quickly getting out of the warmth of your bed, you scramble to get ready and are out the door before you can properly apologize for waking everyone up.

If you were lucky, or rather fast enough, you can catch your professor before he starts his next class and get the notes on what you missed. You make a mental note to thank yourself when you set up your schedule for this semester for giving you breaks in between classes, especially on the midday schedules. As your toppling up the stairs leading into the building, you spot haechan leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He hadn’t noticed you thankfully, not wanting him to hold the fact that you almost busted your face open trying to get inside over your head. He looked so into thought, looking out over the campus as you take the opportunity to grip the railing to catch your breath.

“Look who decided to show up for class today.” rolling your eyes, you straighten your posture as he pulls himself off the wall he once was comfortably leaning against. “Don’t start with me today, i almost died trying to get over here to catch professor choi before his next class.”

“Don't bother, he cut class short for some family emergency or something, but i can fill you in if you fix your attitude.” He truly was the epitome of your frustration. “Just tell me what i missed so i can get away from you as quickly as possible.” there was a mischievous glint in his eyes when he tools steps towards you. “Looks like you’re not gonna get too far, we’re partnered up for a presentation.”

If the universe didn’t already hate you, you’d think this was your first sign. “I can always request a partner switch, you know?” Haechan only laughs in response, clutching the bag hung over his shoulder with one hand. “Good luck with that, he made it pretty clear that he wasn’t giving in because this will be counted towards our final.” a sigh left your lips as you accepted your fate, you and haechan would have to spend an unknown amount of hours in each others presence without any chance at getting around it. “Just meet me after our next class and we can go over it then.” WIth that, you turned on your heals and made your way to the nearest cafe to get something in your body since you didn’t have the opportunity to grab breakfast. Thankfully for you, your campus was notorious for its tiny cafes placed around all of campus which not only helped feed your caffeine addiction, it helped other students make some money as they swim in student dept.

As good as every cafe you’ve been to on campus can be, none of them compare to the baristas at cafe neo, something about the way those boys make your drinks just the way you like them has been without a doubt why you only trust them with your order. As you make your way across campus and the cafe is within sight, you over hear a conversation between the two girls in front of you. “Oh my god, look what bomi just posted!” the one to your right gasped, whipping out her phone as she brings it to the slightly shorter girls attention. “You’re kidding, isn’t she dating haechan?” you’re trying not to be nosy, not fond of listening into other peoples conversation, but at the mention of haechan’s name, you can’t help, but keen in. “Guess not anymore, look at the caption, those hearts are definitely more than just friendly.”

The two part off of the way you were going, leaving you with little information as to what their reactions were about. You had just saw haechan, judging by his usual cocky and self absorbing nature, he seemed all but heartbroken. You push your wondering thoughts aside as you enter in the cafe, smiling over at the tall boy who stood behind the counter. “Welcome to cafe neo– oh hi y/n!” his nametag read jisung, but you always referred to him as the cute underclassman who blushed when you tipped him. “Hi ji, anything new on the menu?” Jisung smiled at you as you walk up to the counter. “Nothing today, chenle is still brainstorming over ideas to ask the culinary department on what they can come up with in the back, you just want the usual?” You skim over the menu that was hanging on the wall behind him, as if you got anything different, but it never hurt to look. “Mmm, yeah, just one please.”

Getting the money from your pocket, you lay it on the counter as he typed in your order on the screen in front of him. It’s times like this that make you wonder how often you come here for this boy to know your order by heart. He takes the money you laid out for him and as he tries to hand you your change, you throw your hand up in refusal. “No, you keep it, you boys work too hard.” theres a slight pinkish tent to his cheeks as he slips the few bills and coins in the glass jar beside the front of the counter. “I’ll call you when its ready!”

Throughout the rest of the day, you take your perfectly made drink with you to your next class and go about your day, everything feeling as normal as it could. One thing that slightly bothered you were the hushed whispers of Haechan’s relationship and how quickly his ex girlfriend seemed to move on. People were coming up with theories amongst themselves as to what could’ve happened and if Haechan knew. Just like you, some said he seemed fine for the first part of the day till the alleged post was made from which you overheard. You didn’t pay it any mind and went about your day till you were back in your room for the night.

“And if you carry this number, you should get one of these answers down here.”

“And how do i know if i got them right?”

“We won’t know till we actually try, now won’t we?” Jaemin, the guy who you shared a math class with last semester, asked you to tutor him this semester so that he might actually have a chance of passing the class and getting out of this hellhole. His words, not yours. “Or, brillant idea, you can use your pretty brain and show me which answer is correct.” Jaemin was indeed a smart guy, but it was moments like these that you questioned if he really had a multi functioning organ in that skull of his or was it just hot air. “Not a chance, solve it the way I showed you and we’ll go from there.” With a defeated huff, he finally puts the pencil that he has been fiddling with the last few minutes to work.

The two of you met in the library near his hall regularly, about twice during the week and an extra day is added when he has an upcoming test and if you have the time. The library usually was quiet around this time of day, most keeping to themselves as they cater to their own work, but for some reason you felt a pair of eyes staring at the back of your head. Just as you’re about to take a look around the room, the chair beside you is being pulled out and haechan finds himself in the seat next to you. “Where have you been?” you look over at him, slightly shocked to see him actually in the library. “Excuse me?” His face tells you that he’s annoyed, rolling his eyes dramatically as he leans into your personal space. “I said, where have you been, i've been all over campus for you and had to result to mark to find you.”

You motion to Jaemin who was focused in on the problem in front of him, or at least he was when you last looked his way. Now he has his signature grin on his lips, flashing his teeth as he witness the unwelcomed tension between you and haechan. “For your information, i’m tutoring pretty boy over here and your grumpiness is interrupting him.” Jaemin’s smile widens even more as the vein in Haechan’s forehead looks like it about to pop. “I, quite frankly, don’t give a fuck. maybe send someone a text next time so i don’t have to look so desprate to find you.” You scoff, sitting back in your seat as you realize his undertones. Who was he to say that looking for you made him look desperate, he literally is desperate in this moment.

“Sorry to break up this beautiful moment, but its about that time for me to go, so y/n, same time next week?” Nodding, you let out a sigh as Jaemin starts to pack his things into his bag and slings it over his shoulder. “There, happy now? You ran off Jaemin.” haechan ignores you, pulling his laptop out of his own bag and sets it onto the table. “We have roughly a month and a half to pump out a fucking book of an essay and make a slide point presentation, the faster we get this finished the less I have to see you in my free time.” He was truly unbelievable, first he comes and interrupts your personal time to help the needy, needy being Jaemin and his need to pass his class, and now he throws wanting to get away from you as quickly as he can? You are definitely adding this to the list of why you hate him.

The two of you go over the topic you were given, trying to break down the work between the two of you into categories: what you can do separate and what you’ll have to do together. Since you both were already here, you decided it would be best to get a head start on the research portion. Time must’ve caught up with you both, wrapping things up right before the library closed for the night. “I can’t look at this screen anymore, lets just end it here and meet up another day.” You grab your forgotten bag from the floor, carrying it on your arm as Haechan packs up his laptop. By the time he is done, you’re already making your way out the door and dredging the walk back to your dorm. Quick approaching steps trail behind you as haechan jogs to catch up to you. “Woah, not so fast, aren’t you forgetting something?” you don’t bother to stop, continuing your walk as he walks beside you. “And that is?”

“We don’t have any way of contacting each other, idiot, so give me your number.” You halt your movements and with a sigh, turn to face him. The bright sky from when you first entered the library earlier is now replaced with the deep colors of the night. The moon was full, shining its light down and being your only real light to see haechan’s features that seem more soft in this setting. “Do you still remember my number?” Haechan looks taken aback, looking at you with a lingering confusion in his eyes. “You still have that number?”

“Mhm, so if you still know it then there’s your way of getting to me.” You’re about to turn and make your way to your dorm, your stomach urging you to find food soon. Haechan was chewing on his bottom lip, reaching out for your arm as he watched you try to walk away. “What is it donghyuck? I’m hungry and tired, what could you possibly want now?” The wind leaves his lungs as you say his name. Once he got to high school, many people started sticking him with the nickname Haechan, the reasoning behind it was his bright smile and personality, but you still saw him as donghyuck even after all this time.

“Just come with me, your dorm is too far to be walking at this time of night.” You didn’t get a chance to protest, he was already dragging you along with him to his car parked out front. “Fine, but I swear if you try to kill me with your driving I will come back to haunt your ugly ass.” You earn a snicker from him, his hand still holding your arm till you two reach his car and you slide into his passenger seat. Haechan fits perfectly into the drivers seat, putting the keys into the ignition and starting up his car once you are locked in. The two of you don’t say much, letting the radio fill in the silence of the drive. You’re too busy looking out the window to realize he passes up your hall, looking over at him with confusion once you see an unfamiliar street.

“Uhm, where are we going?”

“Dinner.” The words fall from his mouth so nonchalantly that you don’t question it any further, sinking into the seat as you let him drive to wherever he wanted. You’re not exactly sure why, but part of you always wanted a moment like this. Sitting in the car with Haechan, driving around town till it got dark was one thing you dreamt of back when you were both young, back when you still could see yourself in his future. Now that you’re doing it, it almost feels foreign. Sure, everything about his car screamed Haechan, the little things dangling from his rear view mirror gave that away, but the boy beside you was far from familiar. He was uncharted territory, someone you barely knew and to be beside him, being this close to him brought on a headache you weren’t expecting.

The two of you pull through the Taco Bell drive through, getting in line behind the cars. “What do you want?” You tell him your order after glancing over the menu. Even though you already knew what you wanted, you still wanted to give it some time to tell him in the order you wanted it. You were the type of person who wasn’t afraid of change, but didn’t go out of your way to invite it either. Always ordering the same thing from each place you go, you found comfort in the things that could always remain the same, like your Taco Bell order.

After your order is put through, you’re pulling your wallet out to give him cash for your part. “Here, this is for the food.” Haechan simply ignores you, handing over his card to the guy at the window. “Hello? Take the cash before I take it back.” After getting his card back, he slips it into his pocket and pulls forward. “Save your money, y/n, it’s not a big deal.” He seemed short with you tonight, not speaking up or putting much of a fight into it like he usually did in the passing times you two saw one another. It felt odd to see him brush you off, an unsettling feeling washing over you as you put the money back into your wallet.

After he had gotten the food and your two drinks, he whipped his car around and parked in a spot on the side of the building. “Are you fine eating here, I’m kinda hungry and don’t wanna have to wait till we get back.”

“No, yeah, it’s fine, but are you okay?”

You could see his body tense up at your question, pushing the straw into your drink before doing so to his own. “I guess, why do you care?” You’re sorting through the bag, grabbing what you assumed was his and handing it over to him. He goes to grab his food from your hand, your fingers brushing against each other’s for a moment. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, the warmth of his hand against yours, but it felt all too familiar and you almost jerk back as he quickly grabs the food. “Because I’m a decent human being and I knew you well enough back then to know that something is off.”

If you could read his thoughts, you’d see how badly your words hurt him just now. You were far from wrong, you truly did know him like the back of your hand and maybe even better than he knew himself, but too much time between you two had you both wondering if you knew anything about each other anymore. Amongst the burning anger you both have for one another, there was still some sort of longing within you that had you both slightly questioning the downfall of your friendship, but never enough to where either would act on it. “I don’t know, it’s kind of weird to think of opening up to someone I hate.”

“Then don’t think about it right now, if you need someone to talk to then do so. If it means forgetting you hate me just to get it off your chest, do so donghyuck.” A somber smile finds its way onto his lips as he tears open the wrapping that covered his food. “You’re a little too nice to me for someone who hates me just as much as I hate them.”

“Just because I hate you doesn’t mean I’m evil, I have a heart too you know?”

“Oh really, I never would’ve guessed judging by the lifeless look in your eyes.” You roll your eyes at his jab, mumbling something about dropping it before relishing in your food. The two of you don’t talk much after that, sitting in his car with the only form of sounds filling it were you two eating till he dropped you off. After getting in, wonchae gave you a weird look as you looked both defeated and exhausted. You told her you had a rough day and wanted sleep to be the reason you forgot about it.

You hadn’t seen or heard from Haechan since the night he bombarded you in the middle of your study session with Jaemin then took you out to Taco Bell. Sure, you’d see him in your shared class, but not once did his eyes meet yours and he kept every snarky remark to himself if he had any. You didn’t pay it any mind, assuming whatever was going on with him would pass and he’d be back to his normal asshole-like self soon. In between your classes for the day, you decided to slip off to the neo cafe for some well needed caffeine to keep you going through the day. While you were here, you planned to slip off in a quiet corner and let the music they play in the small room milk your brain to help you continue working on the parts of your presentation with Haechan.

As you’re walking up to the counter, you notice Jisung was nowhere to be found and you opt to wait patiently by the counter. The ring of the bell signaling the doors movement doesn’t catch your attention, but the familiar voice behind you does when you turn your head to the boy who called your name. “Can I help you?” Haechan hadn’t turned to look at you, his eyes scanning over the menu. “What’s good here, do you know?” You give him a puzzled look, wondering where this small talk came from. “Uhm, if your taste buds are even remotely the same, I’d say you’d get the sweet honey taro drink, it comes iced or hot.” He simply nods, tearing his eyes from the menu and lets his gaze fall onto you. The two of you lock eyes for a moment, trying to find something that felt familiar behind them, but all you could see was the void behind his golden irises.

“Y/n, I’m so sorry to keep you waiting! Chenle was about to burn down the kitchen so I had to step away for a second.” Jisung’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts, turning to him with a soft smile. “That’s okay ji, I’m more than happy to wait if that meant this sacred place would still be my caffeine plug.” Jisung smiles as he enters your order, his attention going from yours to Haechan whose gaze has yet to leave your figure. Your eyes follow Jisung’s, looking over at Haechan. “Oh, no we’re not—“

“I’ll just have what she’s having.” Haechan pulls out some cash from his back pocket, bringing it out for Jisung. Your mind couldn’t wrap itself around Haechan’s weird demeanor lately, he not only has been nice to you, but he’s paid for you twice. You knew he was sick in the head, but now you’re guessing it’s more than just his mental stability. When Jisung gives Haechan his change, you fumble with your pocket and pull out a few bills to throw into the tip jar, something you didn’t want to miss even if you weren’t the one paying. Jisung silently thanked you with his smile, to which you returned and told you both that he’d call you when your drinks were ready.

You were about to start questioning the weirdly quiet Haechan before he motioned for you both to move over to a table a little further in a corner. The two of you sat down, setting your bag against your chair as you prop your elbows up onto the table. “Okay, you’re acting weird and it’s starting to make me feel uncomfortable.” Haechan’s lips part as he goes to speak, but Jisung’s presence interrupts him as the younger boy sets both the cups down. “Thanks, ji.” You said, grabbing one of the drinks and bringing it towards you. “Y/n, back in the car you said something that I’ve been thinking about lately.” He had your full attention, something that made him oddly feel sheer to you. You were leaned in, your body language letting him know that you were listening, despite the awkwardness of the moment.

“You said that even though you hate me, you still have a heart too.” Nodding in confirmation, you remember saying it, but it didn’t make sense as to why he was bringing it up. “I, uhm, don’t know if you heard or not, but my girlf—my ex broke up with me recently and I really want to get her back.” You bring the cup in your hands to your lips, taking in a slow sip in case his next words are your cause of death. “And the only way I can think to do that is to make her jealous and I know what you’re thinking and I can hear it now, but just hear me out?” There it was, his intentions and reasoning behind his odd behavior lately. As you process his words, you already know where this is going and your drink decides to be the one to take you out today instead. You start to choke as the liquid goes off its track and nearly comes back through your nose.

Haechan’s eyes widen, staring at you in surprise as you try to gain back the air that just left your lungs as you cough. “Are you okay?” You simply nod, patting your chest as your drink is put back onto the table and you’re taking in slow breaths to steady yourself in the seat. “Uh yeah, no wait, okay hold on, you want to do what now?” The boy across from you drops his head slightly, feeling embarrassed by even bringing up the situation. Yeah, he wanted his ex back, he truly loved her, or so that’s what he thought it was. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but you’re the only person I thought of.”

“And what makes you think it’ll be believable? I mean the whole campus knows we hate each other.”

“But they also know we have history, plus this project will be a good enough cover to make them believe we had some spark going off or whatever.” You stay silent, contemplating the whole ordeal. On one hand, this could go terribly wrong in many ways, people could not believe you two and this could blow up in your face for the rest of your time at this university or it could go great and once he’s back in the arms of his ex lover, he’ll finally leave your hair for good. “I’m not saying yes, so don’t get too excited, but if I were to think about it, what do I get out of it?” Haechan knew you were going to want something, a slight smirk forming in the corners of his lips. In his mind, he guesses some things never change and with that, neither have you. “I’ll leave you alone after this, no more bickering or picking at you and shit—oh and I’ll do half of your work for the project!”

Damn, he truly was desperate. You press your lips together, trying to debate if this truly would be worth it. The outcome, if good, would be best for both parties and maybe you’d finally have a peaceful rest of your time here. Something deep down inside tells you it’s a bad idea, but you choose to ignore it because if it meant he’d take over half of what you have to do on your shared presentation, more free time for you. “I have to go to class, but I’ll let you know by later tonight.” Your watch indicated if you didn’t leave now, you’d be late for your next class and since you have a lab today, you especially didn’t want to miss it. You go to stand, one hand holding your bag while the other grabs your cup. Haechan stands too, his bag still hanging on his shoulder as he goes to grab his cup. The two of you exit the Neo cafe quietly, unaware of the lingering eyes that follow you two out.

After your final class, you make a b-line to Mark’s dorm where he was expecting you. It had been a few days since you two had time to hang out and you both were taking the opportunity to have some study time together in the quiet of his dorm. Once he signs you in as a guest, you both go up to his dorm and make yourselves comfortable, you being at his desk and him sitting on his bed. “What do you have to get done?” Pulling out your notes from your lab along with your laptop, you set everything out on his desktop. “Just going over some notes and typing them into a small essay for class, you?”

“Man, I got a quiz to study for and since professor moon likes to give them at the worst times possible, I gotta get as much as I can in.” The two of you fell into a comfortable silence as you both busy yourselves in what you were doing, Mark had his speaker on and chose a calming playlist he created for when you two would study like this. The music really did help you stay focused, having something to fill the room to keep your brain from getting off track. You’re about halfway done typing away on your laptop when your phone buzzes beside it. Glancing over, you notice a few missed notifications from your shared group chat with your friends, a few social media notifications and a text from an unknown number. You’re about to pick up your phone to see who texted you when an incoming call pops up on the screen, the same number that texted you.

You slide your thumb across your phone, bringing it to your ear. “Hello?”

“You didn’t answer my text.” Of course it would be Haechan, who else were you expecting. In all honesty, you did expect him to text you at some point, but the call was a surprise for you. “I’m studying, like you should be doing too.”

“I need to know your answer, don’t get too excited.” You can practically feel him smirking through the phone followed by some shuffling. “Where are you anyway? I stopped by your hall and you weren’t there.”

Your posture straightens, wondering who he asked and what he told them when we made his way to your dorm. “You did what? Are you insane?” Haechan laughs, a soft laugh as you lean back in the seat. “Slightly, I’ve been told that’s a part of my charm though.” Rolling your eyes, you huff before looking over your shoulder at mark. “I’m with a friend, why?”

“Tell me where you’re at unless you want me to go to every hall on campus.”

“You’re fucking psycho, I’m with mark, idiot.” At the mention of his name, mark looks up at you as you swivel the chair around. You mouth Haechan’s name to him to which he looked genuinely confused. “Figures, I’m on my way.” He ended the call before you could even protest, swearing under your breath as you stood up to get your things together. “Why are you—actually no, since when did you and Haechan call each other?”

“I’ll explain later, I gotta go though bub, but I appreciate you studying with me.” You gave mark an apologetic smile as you packed your bag up with your laptop, making sure to grab everything you had. “Text me when you get in.” Mark had stood up from his bed, making his way over to you to gently pull you into a hug. The two of you never hugged much, the sudden affection leaving you taken aback slightly, but nevertheless you wrap your arms around him as he did you. “I’m right across the street, I’m not going rouge.” He hums, pulling back from the hug as he gives you an uneasy smile. “Yeah, I know, but you’re going with Haechan and that’s what makes me worried.”

It too made you worried, even if you didn’t exactly agree to his lil situation he proposed earlier, that nagging feeling that it wasn’t going to end well never left you every time you gave it more thought. “I’ll be fine, plus my location is on if I don’t text you by nine.” Mark only laughs as your arms drop from around him and you leave his room. It doesn’t take you long to get out the building, spitting Haechan’s car parked in front with his passenger window rolled down. He’s leaned over, a smirk across his lips while one hand grips the top of the steering wheel. “Hop in.” He says as you make your way down to his car. Once you get in, you throw your bag in his back seat and fasten your seatbelt before Haechan takes off and drives you two off campus.

“And where exactly are we going?”

Haechan doesn’t look over at you, his eyes focused on the road, but he can feel your stare on him. He was wearing a letterman jacket with a black shirt underneath and some jeans that complemented the look, it was the first time you really took in his attire and you swore he didn’t have that jacket on earlier. “Somewhere quiet we can talk, to sort everything out for the show we’re about to put on.” He’s cocky, confident and arrogant. You hated it, hated how smug he looked as the words fell from his mouth. “I haven’t even said yes yet, did that get through your thick skull?” He takes a moment to glance over at you, his mischievous expression never faulting. “You wouldn’t be in my car with me if you didn’t want to.” Fuck him for being right and fuck him for being slightly attractive when he said it. Slightly, not very or even a full hundred percent, but slightly.

He drives you two off to an abandoned looking parking lot where he puts his car into park and turns slightly to face you. “Have you thought about it enough?” You turn to face him, getting as comfortable as you can in the seat. “I guess, but you better pull through with doing half of my part of the project or else I’ll castrate you, no hesitation.” Haechan laughs, a full laugh that has his head tilting back just a bit. You’re fighting the smile that threatens to form on your lips. “You have my word, but we have more important things to go over.” He searches your face when you remain quiet, having the same look you did back at the cafe earlier, he knew you were listening. “Okay, so I was thinking our first appearance as a newly and very much in love ‘couple’ should be at the party this weekend.”

“Scratch that, I don’t party.”

“You’re gonna have to if you wanna keep up with me.” You scowl at him, rolling your eyes mentally as you give in. “Fine, but I’m not making it a habit, I have grades to keep up ya know?” He simply nods, going over the next few things y’all as a couple would have to do together in order to pull this off. Your first outing would be at the party, to much of your disapproval and the following will fall into place like dominos. You’d start having lunch together if your schedules met up, the two of you would spend time between classes together, again if your schedules met up, then you’d also have to sit beside him in your shared class. He also made mention that he’d be picking you up and dropping you off at your dorm so that you’d always be seen with him to make it believable. “Now we need to set some ground rules.”

“Ground rules? What are we, five years old?”

A memory flashes through Haechan’s mind, back to when you two were five. You had been on the playground at school by yourself and he was off on the monkey bars when you had fallen off the swing. The ground did not aid your fall, scraping your elbow and knee which resulted in a cry that not only alerted your teacher, but haechan. When get got to you, you were sniffling over the pain and the dirt on your dress, a dress that your mom bought for you for your previous birthday. “Y/n, i told you to wait for me.” Five year old Haechan pouted as he walked with you and the teacher to the nurses office. “I wanted to swing, I didn’t think I’d get hurt.” You replied, holding his hand gently. After that day, the two of you made a rule that you’d play together to make sure if something went wrong, you’d be by each other's side.

“The first rule, no one can know, not your roommate or your friends, if you have any, not even Mark.” You scoff, hitting his arm to which he whined. “For your information, I have friends and it’s not only Mark.” Haechan rubs the sore spot on his arm as he shakes his head at you. “Yeah yeah, the voices in your head don’t count.”

“Fuck you, Lee.”

“Second rule, no falling in love, not with anyone while this is going on, which goes without saying, but no hooking up either and no falling in love with me.”

“How can anyone fall in love with someone like you?” You didn’t realize the weight of your words till you watched the smile from his face fade away. Guilt washed over you in a wave, your face dropping as you see him fiddling with the buttons on his jacket. You’re about to apologize when you see his mood shift, he turns back facing the wheel and starts his car. “Yeah, anyway, two rules and that’s that.” You don’t say anything back, turning back in your seat to fasten your seatbelt. Haechan drives you back onto campus and drops you off in front of your hall. “What time is your class in the morning?” He asks as he puts his car into park. “I think it’s an eight am class, but I’ll text you when I get in.” He nods as you free yourself and get out of his car.

Heading upstairs, the phone in your hand is going off with missed messages from your group chat with your friends. You’re smiling down at them as you push your door open, only to look up and see your four friends sitting with their arms crossed. “Oh hello, did I miss something?”

“We missed you!” Yeongmin stated, sitting with her legs crossed on your bed. “Where have you been, ma’am?” Yechae asked as she gave you a knowing smile. “I was just out, jeez, I’m sorry mom.” Sin-ra giggles as she pushes out her phone for you to see. “Uh huh, and whose car was this?” All the girls ooo at you as you sit down on your bed, filling in the spot next to Yeongmin. “You watched me!” Wonchae shook her finger at you, “What else were we supposed to do when you went missing? One minute, you’re at Mark’s dorm and the next, you’re off the grid!” The four girls immediately started questioning you as you brushed off their curiosity with half-assed answers. You wanted so badly to tell them all that’s going on and the situation you had gotten yourself into, but that was one of the two rules Haechan made. No one can know.

A loud knock on the door interrupts the conversation, all of you looking at one another. “Oh, that must be our RA, I think the pizza is here.” Yeongmin gets up from your bed and goes to open the door, unexpecting the boy who was on the other side. “Hi, uhm, is y/n here?” Haechan’s voice immediately caught your attention as you scramble off your bed while the other three girls give you wide eyed looks. “I’ll get it!” Yeongmin’s grip on the door is stronger than your force of trying to push her out the way. She moves, but not enough to where you'd be blocking their view. She only steps back, opening the door even more for them all to see him standing there with your bag in hand. “Hi, sorry, I didn’t even realize I left it.”

Haechan can tell by the look on your friends' faces that they were shocked to see him there. He had an audience and he was about to put on a show. “No problem baby, you left it in my backseat.” The sudden nickname makes your stomach flip, but you weren’t about to show him that. Instead, you reach for the bag to which he moves with his hand. “Ah ah, I want a kiss goodbye first.” You immediately glare at him to which he gives you a smirk. “Not in front of my friends, silly.” The emphasis you put on the last word has Haechan smiling even wider. “Just one for the road?” With a deep breath in, you had only two options. Kiss him and get him to leave or knee him in his most valued area, but that would be too red of a flag for your friends. You take a step closer to him, standing up on your toes as you press a quick peck on his cheek. As you do so, you grab for your bag that he still was holding, your fingers brushing against his.

“Thank you, I’ll see you in the morning?” Haechan looks dumbfounded for a minute, blinking down at you with slightly parted lips. He wasn’t expecting you to actually kiss him, so for you to do so, he was a bit taken aback. “I’ll be here, goodnight babygirl.”

The show Haechan put on caused an uproar within your friend group that lasted just long enough before the three had to go back to their rooms. They were questioning everything from what the hell that was and since when were you babygirl for anyone else, but them. When you finally admitted that he was your (fake) boyfriend, they all congratulated you on your new relationship and only wished they knew about him before.

The next morning went according to your plans you and haechan texted about the night before. He picked you up, parked right in front of your dorm before your class and even stopped by and got you a drink from the Neo cafe. After he dropped you off at your first class, you didn’t see him much till your shared class where he saved you a seat. The two of you went your separate ways after he walked you to your next class and eventually he dropped you off back at your dorm. “The party starts in a few hours so I’ll text you when I’m coming by.” He said, watching as you get out of his car. “Got it, also don’t come in again, you nearly killed my friends with your little stunt you pulled.” This earned a laugh from Haechan as you shut the door and he waited till you were inside before he pulled off.

By the time you got inside your room, all your friends were already sitting on your and wonchae’s beds as they watched a movie on your shared tv. “Oh good, just in time, the movie just started!” Yechae smiled at you as she paused the movie. “Actually, I have plans, I’m so sorry.” A pout forms on your bottom lip in hope they forgive you. “Actually, do you guys wanna come with me? Haechan is taking me to a party and I don’t wanna leave you guys here.” Sin-ra was already jumping off the bed as she went straight to your closet. “A party, fucking bet!” The other three girls join in as they raid Wonchae’s closet and you text Haechan letting him know they’re coming. To your surprise, he responds with ‘the more the merrier ;)’ and you brush off the wink as you try to hide the blush that crept onto your cheeks.

Since there were so many of you and you know already you won’t all fit in Haechan’s car, the girls opt to take Yechae’s car as well and after you all get dressed, you get a text that Haechan was waiting for you out front. “Alright, he’s here, y’all ready?”

“Go ahead and send us the address, we’ll catch up.” Yeongmin gives you a playful push out your door, turning to ask her why before she shuts the door. With that, you go ahead down to his car and open his passenger door. “Hey, the girls are gonna meet us there so can you send me the address really quick?” You haven’t looked at him yet, trying to get your phone out of your pocket. Haechan, on the other hand, couldn’t tear his eyes off of you. You chose to wear an off the shoulder shirt to attempt to blend in paired with some of your nicer jeans and the exposed skin has his heart racing. “Hyuck?” Turning your attention to him, you take in his attire. Leather jacket with a white undershirt and black jeans paired with a black belt. Damn, he actually looked good.

“You look beautiful, y/n.” He sounded like he didn’t mean to say that out loud, his voice barely over a whisper, but that didn’t stop the blood rushing to your cheeks. “Thank you, not too bad yourself.” Haechan’s face was similar to yours, his cheeks a soft shade of pink. Not just from your compliment, but from how effortlessly the forgotten nickname rolled off your tongue. A few minutes felt like forever passed, the two of you staring at each other with something similar in each other's eyes. For Haechan, it looked like a longing feeling swirling around in his eyes while for you, he could see the same little girl you were back when you were kids and he wonders how much time has passed since he’s seen you like this. You’re the first to break contact, looking away awkwardly as you open your phone to Yechae’s messages. “The address?”

“Huh, I’m sorry, what did you ask for?”

“I asked you earlier for the address to the party.”

Haechan’s lips formed an o as he took the phone you handed over for him. He took the phone, this time your fingers just miss each other and you can’t deny you miss the warmth that radiates from him. After he types in the address, he hands over your phone and the two of you drive silently to the party with the music volume on low. It doesn’t take you long to arrive, people coming in and out as he opts to park up front. “Isn’t it illegal to park here, I thought this was for members only?” You’re unbuckling your seatbelt as you look through the window at the Greek letters above. “Not for me it isn’t.”

His words alone leave you slightly confused, but you get out of the car and as he walks on the other side, he has his hand out for you. “What am I supposed to do with that?”

“Grab it, we’re a couple, remember?” Oh yeah, you’re here as his girlfriend. Right. Hesitantly, you take your hand within his and interlock your fingers. You haven’t held his hand since you were kids, but damn did it feel right. His hand, obviously larger now, fits with yours perfectly and you shove down the butterflies that climb up your throat as the two of you go inside. The room was crowded, people everywhere leaving little room to actually get through. Haechan’s grip on your hand tightens as he guides you through the room and you can feel the stares of everyone on you as you two make your entrance. The two of you find your way through the main area and over to a slightly less crowded place where some familiar guys stand around a table playing beer pong.

“I want you to meet some guys.” He says loudly to make sure you can hear him over the music. You simply nod and stand a little closer to him as people walk past you. Haechan calls over a few guys you’ve only seen in passing, one very tall and the other slightly shorter with multi-colored hair. “Johnny, Taeyong, this is my girlfriend y/n, y/n, this is Johnny and Taeyong.” Johnny, the taller one gives you a sweet smile as he grabs your free hand and brings it to his lips. “Pleasure to meet you.” Taeyong laughs as he pats the others back. “Watch it, Haechan is giving you the death glare.” Haechan drops your hand as you shyly smile, wrapping his arm around your waist and resting his hand firmly on your hip. “It’s nice to finally meet you y/n.”

“You’ve heard of me before?”

Taeyong and Johnny exchange looks as they smirk. Haechan on the other hand turns his head as he begins to blush. “Lover boy over here talked about you nonstop when we first met him, i was starting to believe you weren’t real until he told us he finally asked you out.” Taeyong’s words came to you as a shock, not believing Haechan had talked about you to anyone before. “Believe me, he’s definitely down bad for you. You got a good one, Haechan.”

“I know.” He replies with a wide smile as you turn to face him, you’re definitely going to question him on this later. “We’re gonna go get a drink, I’ll catch up with y’all later.” His hand leaves your hip, immediately intertwining his fingers with yours as he gives both boys a hug. You wave them goodbye before Haechan leads you two into the kitchen. “Want anything?” He asks, looking over the table with a variety of alcoholic drinks. “I’ll take some water, I’m not sure if I wanna drink tonight.” He simply nods, respecting your choice as he himself grabs a beer. Just as you’re about to leave, you and haechan turn to see a girl walking in with her arm wrapped around the guy she was with.

“Haechanie, I didn’t know you were coming!”

Judging by how tense Haechan felt beside you, you can only assume that this was his ex, Bomi. “Uh, yeah, I didn’t think you’d be here either.” His tone was flat, but his face was mixed with pain and uninterest. “Yeah, I came with Kai, Kai this is Haechan.” Her smile was fake, even you could see that and the guy she was holding onto gave one similar as he replied with a hey. “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you there, and who are you?” Her eyes looked soft, but if you looked any closer you could see the burning flame behind that glossy coat. Her lips were turned upward into a smile, but you knew she was lying between her teeth to make you seem less important, to make you feel less important.

“I’m y/n, Haechan’s girlfriend.” You said, squeezing his hand in yours. Haechan came back to his senses, looking over at you with a fond smile. You could feel his gaze on you, but you wanted to mess with his ex a little more. “Who are you? I don’t think I caught your name.” Bomi laughed, a little too loud as she threw her head back a bit. “I’m Bomi, Haechanie’s ex.”

“Oh really, never heard of you.” Your lips purse up a little as you look over at Haechan, his eyes softening when yours lock with his. You honestly could get lost in them if you didn’t realize the amount of people who were staring at you right now. Your attention turns back to Bomi and her new arm candy, her cheerful expression now long gone. “Sorry, we were just stopping for a drink, but it was nice to meet you.” And with that, you guide Haechan from the kitchen and maneuver your way around with him in hand till you reach the stairs. Haechan had silently been following you, thoughts swimming around in his head. “You know a room we can go to that’s clean?”

“Moving pretty fast now aren’t we y/n.”

“Oh shut up, just get us somewhere quiet.”

Haechan smirks as he leads the two of you upstairs, going down a hallway till he stopped at a room and pulled his eyes from his pocket. With his free hand, he unlocks the door and walks inside with your hand still in his. “I lock it when I’m out so that no one can do anything unholy to my bed.” His words register in your brain, but you’re too distracted as you look around in the room. There were vinyls plastered onto the walls, wireless headphones sitting carefully on the side table next to his bed. Haechan drops his hand from yours, furrowing his brows at the lack of warmth that reaches his fingertips while opting to sit on the bean bag across from his bed. You sit down on his bed, noticing he too was already sitting.

Patting your thighs, you take a deep breath in to collect your thoughts from all that’s happened since you two got in while Haechan looks deep in his own head. “So, she’s something.” He laughs softly, fiddling with his fingers as he stares into his lap. “Yeah, she is.”

“And you talk about me?”

Leaning back into the bean bag, he looks at you through hooded eyes. “I did when I first got accepted in, they went around asking personal questions as a bonding experience and you were all I really knew so you naturally came to mind.” You’re fighting the frown as you think about how long you two have hated each other, almost forgetting why you two grew apart for so long. “You okay, after seeing her and all?” With his lips pressed together, he simply nods as he closes his eyes. “I’ll have to be, I mean she looked pretty pissed to see you with me, so that’s a step right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” It felt very awkward to be having such a deep conversation with him, but somehow it also felt right. Your silence is interrupted when your phone starts buzzing, pulling it from your pocket and bringing it to your ear to answer it. “Hello?”

“Hey, we’re here, where are you guys?” Yeongmin called you, you assumed from downstairs as you can hear the faint music through one ear and the louder music through the phone in the other. You mouth to haechan that they were downstairs and ended the call telling her you were on your way. The two of you interlock your hands before going back downstairs, looking for the girls within the crowd. From the staircase, you can barely see them on the dance floor and you signal to haechan to follow you. As you make your way through the sea of bodies against bodies, you see your friends laughing and holding hands as they dance together.

“This is so much fun!” Wonchae smiled at you as she and Yechae held each other close. “If you have any more parties, invite us again!” Yeongmin and Sin-ra smiled at you and haechan, giggling to each other as their favorite song was blasting from the speakers. Haechan drops his hand, turning you around with his hands on your hips. He leans in as he pulls you against him, his lips brushing the shell of your ear. “Wanna dance?” There’s a faint blush on your cheeks as you simply nod, hesitantly wrapping your arms around his neck. The two of you fall into a rhythm and sway with each other for what feels like hours. After dancing for so long, you’re starting to feel the effects of the night and tell Haechan you’re ready to go home.

You lost the girls way earlier before you decided to leave, sending them a text to tell you when they make it in. Haechan leads you outside, the wind blowing slightly as you two step out of the party. You shiver slightly, rubbing your arms as you walk over to his car. Haechan notices the goosebumps on your skin, immediately taking his jacket off and throwing it over your shoulders. “You’re gonna catch a cold, take it back.” As you’re protesting, he simply shakes his head. “I’m alright for now, just keep it on so you won’t catch a cold.” The warmth of the leather silences you, walking around the front of his car and resting against the top as he stands in front of you.

“Did you at least have fun?”

“For my first college party, yeah I had fun.”

Haechan gasps as you look at him confused. “This was your first party?” You simply nod, chewing on your bottom lip before laughing softly. “As you can tell from my friends, we don’t get out much and the only other person i talk to is Mark.” Haechan steps closer to you, losing in the distance as he tilts your head towards him with his finger. “Let me at least make it memorable.” Your face is bright red as he leans in, pressing his lips against yours. You stay still, afraid that if you move, he’ll move and you hate to admit to yourself that you don’t want to move. His lips were soft against yours as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Your hands reach out for him, gripping the fabric of his shirt while his hand moves from your chin to cup the side of your cheek.

Haechan was the first to break contact, pulling back as he looked down at you. “How was that for a first college party?” You shake your head, letting go of his shirt to give him a slight shove. “Take me home, idiot.” He laughs as you stand from the hood of his car and the two of you get in, driving around to your hall before you go your separate ways.

The next few weeks go by smoothly, you and haechan seem to be fooling everyone with your physical touch and playful banter when you’re out together. He sits with you when you two go to the cafeteria, eating meals together during your breaks between classes. He’ll meet you at the neo cafe and order your drink for you before you arrive and if you’re tutoring Jaemin, he’ll bring you your drink and sit with you till you’re done. He’s made it a habit to bring you to Taco Bell after your tutoring sessions are over and you two even spend time in the library working on your project, but haechan doesn’t get much work done before he’s bugging you for attention. After all these years, you almost forgot how touchy he is, always grabbing your hand or resting his head on your shoulder and vice versa. The two of you have everyone fooled, even Mark.

“I still can’t wrap my head around you and haechan, I mean one day you were seconds away from ripping his throat out and now you’re giggling at his texts.”

You sheepishly smile as the two of you walk back to his dorm, holding your bag in your hand as you think how much has changed between you and Haechan. Even when you’re alone, he acts no different. He still grabs your hand, plays with your hair, complements you every morning and smiles at you as if every day was the first day you saw each other. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel any different towards him, but you always push those feelings down and remember how you got here. He wants her back, he doesn’t want you, and every time you think of them two wrapped up in each other's arms like how he does with you, it hurts a little more than it should.

“I guess people change, I mean we were friends for a while when we were kids, that played into it too.” You were being truthful, reminiscing on the crush you had on Haechan growing up. Never in a million years would you have told him that, but in a way you also never were given the chance to. Now, here you are with those same harbored feelings and still don’t have a clue with what to do with them. After this is all over, he’ll leave your life once again and you’ll be left to fill the void that no one has ever come close to when it comes to him. “Yeah, I’m just saying, it’s a little weird to me, but I’m happy that you’re happy.” You give Mark a playful shove as you two walk inside his hall and go up to his room. You and Mark haven’t had much time together since you and Haechan started ‘dating’ and today was one of the days you two planned on studying in silence till you both grew bored and ended up listening to music.

“What’s on the agenda today? I got a psych essay to get out of the way.”

“I have some more lab work to go over, but I’m essay free.”

Mark opens his door for you and follows behind as you set your bag down beside his desk. The two of you go about doing your work as your phone starts to buzz on the desktop. Picking it up, you see you have missed texts from Haechan and a few missed calls. Just as you’re about to call him back, his name pops across your screen. Swiping across your phone, you bring it to your ear. “Hey, I’m so sorry my phone was on silent and I just now—“

“Where are you? I’ve been waiting for you by your last class for hours.”

Judging by his tone, he seems annoyed. You felt guilty, forgetting to text him before you met up with Mark to let him know of your plans. “I’m so sorry, Mark and I met up and were studying in his room.” Haechan scoffs, rolling his eyes if you could see him. “I’m on my way, meet me in the car.” With that, he hung up as you let out a sigh. “Who was that?” You’re packing up your bags as you look over at the window. It’s raining outside and it doesn’t look like it’ll be letting up anytime soon. “Haechan, he called and wanted me to meet him outside, i kinda forgot to tell him I was coming with you and he’s kinda upset.” Mark gave you an apologetic smile to which you returned. “Be careful out there and don’t worry, I doubt he’s that mad, okay?”

You simply nod and bid him a goodbye before leaving his room and heading downstairs. When you go out the front doors, Haechan is already parked out front and you hold your bag to your chest to protect it from getting soaked as you run down to his car and quickly get inside. Haechan was gripping the wheel as he stared down at his lap, not looking your way once as you shut the door as you got in and placed your bag between your legs rather than in the back seat. “You okay hyuck?”

Haechan was quiet, you knew he was upset, but you’re starting to think there were underlying reasons as to why. “Why didn’t you tell me you were with Mark.” You bite your lip, furrowing your brows as you reach over to touch him. “I said i was sorry, it completely slipped my mind and I didn’t mean to not tell you, he just asked me if we could hang out since we haven’t recently.”

“How hard is it to send a simple text, y/n?” He definitely was pissed, his knuckles turning an off shade of white with how tight he was gripping the wheel. “Why are you so mad, you know Mark, it wasn’t like I was out with someone random?”

“I’m pissed because I had someone come up to me asking why my girlfriend was walking off giggling with some guy, you ever think of that?”

He’s unbelievable, he’s literally unbelievable. The nagging feeling that this whole situation wasn’t going to end well resurfaces without hesitation, leaving you with a sense of deja vu. “Fake girlfriend, did you forget that?” Haechan laughs, not a genuine laugh, but a laugh that almost felt forced. “You’re right, how could I forget, I mean you’ve done it before so I’m not surprised you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what exactly, donghyuck.”

“Stealing Mark away, taking all of his precious time and acting as if I don’t exist.” His words hit you hard, bringing you back to the day you two first parted ways. When Haechan first introduced you and Mark, there was no doubt in his mind that you two would get along and he was looking forward to spending his days with both of his closest friends, but even at such a young age, jealousy got the best of him. Upon meeting, you and Mark clicked as if you were meant to be friends, talking and laughing together while Haechan stood silently and felt lonely. He didn’t like how quickly you got along with Mark, he didn’t like how much he hated bringing you two together, he especially didn’t like how much resentment he felt towards you even if he didn’t know what he was feeling.

He told you he hated you that day, out of anger and hurt. Not once did he mean it, in fact there were so many times he had wished he never said it and turned the clocks back to keep him from hurting you so badly. The damage had already been done, tears falling down your young cheeks when he told you he had never wanted to be your friend again. You were confused, hurt and overall overwhelmed with the events that happened that day, but you turned your sadness into the same hatred he said he had for you and from then, the two of you never had a nice thing to say about one another. Now here you were, sitting in his car with the hopes of you two finally making progress gone.

“I don’t steal his time, he gives it to me, but you wouldn’t know that because you force people to be around you.” You didn’t mean it, you didn’t even want to say it, but haechan was prideful and used his words to hurt others when he was hurting and you weren’t going to let him win again. “Did you forget that I’m your first actual boyfriend and I’m not even dating you, it’s kind of pathetic you had to get a fake boyfriend to even know what it’s like to have one.” You didn’t realize when you started crying or why you were crying in the first place. Maybe it was because you were angry, angry that he was angry at you over something so little and so stupid. Maybe it was because he hurt you and continues to hurt you over and over and the lines between what was real and what was fake have been blurred.

“Fuck you haechan, I mean honestly, I thought maybe you’d change, maybe the boy i knew then was still there.” He still wasn’t looking at you, he couldn’t bring himself to meet your eyes and see the damage he’s done. “Maybe you didn’t know me at all.” He knew it before you said it, that everything the two of you had been building up to for nearly a month was all over. He didn’t want to believe till you said it, but deep down he knew. “Fuck this, fuck your stupid little plan to get your shitty ex back and fuck you.”

With that, you grabbed your bag and got out of his car, leaving Haechan with his thoughts and the tears that slid down his cheeks as he watched you walk away. Part of you wanted to go back inside to Mark’s room, but that would mean you’d have to explain everything and that was all too much for you to unpack right now. Instead, you walked back to your hall, soaking from head to toe by the time you made it to your room. Wonchae was sitting in her bed when you came in, immediately questioning you why you were soaking wet, but when she realized you were crying, she took you into her arms and held you till you settled down.

That night all the girls came over and stayed with you till you cried yourself to sleep. You had come clean to them all, telling them about the pretend dating to help him get his ex back all the way to your childhood with Haechan and even the fallout of your friendship. You even told them about the feelings you were harboring, sobbing through your broken words. They tried to reassure you, telling you that they believed there was something real between you and Haechan, but you couldn’t bring yourself to believe them, not after what you just went through with him. Thankfully for you, it was a weekend and you didn’t have classes till the following Monday and that meant you didn’t have to try and avoid him as much as possible.

By the beginning of the week, you do your best to dodge him in any way. You stopped going to the Neo cafe for the first week, Sin-ra taking the initiative to bring you your drink every morning before your first class. In the class you shared with him, at first you’d sit in the very back to avoid being near him and people quickly took notice. It wasn’t long before whispers started going around that you two had broken up and Mark was a part of some of the rumors. When he got wind of everything, you told him the same thing you told your friends and he apologized to you for everything. After so many years, he finally knew why you and Haechan stopped being friends and he felt responsible for that, but you reassured him that there was nothing he could’ve done then or now.

It was nearing your last week for your project and you’re sitting in your shared class with Haechan who was nowhere to be seen. As you’re leaving when the professor tells everyone class was dismissed, your professor stops you and asks you to stay behind. “I wanted you to know that Donghyuck already submitted his portion of the project, so I’ll only need the remaining 25% from you.” You’re confused and it’s evident on your face as you grip the bag over your shoulder. “I’m sorry, but we agreed to split it down the middle, what did he submit already?”

“Are you sure? He emailed me this morning and submitted the essay portion and said you’d do the final draft on the slide presentation. Get with him and let me know before the deadline.” You simply nod and bid him a farewell as you leave your last class for the day. There are so many thoughts in your head as you pull your phone from your pocket and just as you’re about to text Haechan, you bump into someone on your way out. “Oh I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, I’m so—y/n?”

When you look up from your phone, you see Johnny standing in front of you. He was a little taken aback to see you, but still happy that he ran into you. “Oh hey, what’s up?” The two of you make small talk as you stand outside the building, chatting about the little things in life. “Oh before I forget, you’re coming to the party tonight right?” You’re unsure what to tell him, your silence leaving open room to answer. “It’s okay if you can’t make it, Haechan said you two were working on a big project so I get why you haven’t been around, but if you come tonight we’d be happy to have you.” Hearing Haechan’s name felt almost foreign, having neither your friends or Mark even uttering his name over these last few weeks. “I’ll see if i can make it.” Johnny gives you a genuine smile before heading off and you two go your own ways. When you make it back to your hall, Wonchae and Yechae are sitting on Wonchae’s bed as they watch a movie on her laptop.

“Wanna watch the movie with us, I can put it on the tv?” You smile at Yechae’s offer, but simply shake your head. “I’m gonna go to sleep instead, thank you though.” You slip underneath your blanket and lay in bed till your eyes get too heavy to keep open anymore. You’re not sure what time it was when your phone starts going off, waking you from your peaceful sleep. Your fumble as you sit up in bed, grabbing your phone from your side table. Through tired eyes, you see an unknown number calling you and hesitantly, you slide across your phone to answer. “Hello?”

“Y/n, we need you here! Haechan is whining for you.” You recognize Johnny’s voice, the mention of Haechan’s name sending a rush of adrenaline through your body. “Where is he?” You try to be as quiet as you can, looking over at Wonchae and Yechae cuddling silently in her bed. “He’s upstairs, I kind of lost him when I was busy cleaning up his puke, but I managed to snatch his phone before he disappeared to call you.” With a heavy sigh, you climb out of bed and throw on a sweatshirt before telling Johnny you’re on your way. Without a car, you’d have to walk all the way to the frat house where the party was thrown, but it’d take too long for you to get there so you opt to run instead as you mentally thank yourself for taking track one year in high school.

As you’re reaching the doors to the house, you’re panting and out of breath while dragging yourself inside. Pretty much everyone was gone and the scattered cups on the ground gave you an idea of how the night went. Johnny was crouched down picking things up off the floor when you walked in, looking your way as you tried to catch your breath. “Oh hey y/n, you okay? You look kind of..sweaty.” You shook your head as your hands rested on your hips, taking in slow deep breaths to steady your breathing. “Where is he?” You were here to find Haechan, as much as you wanted to make small talk with Johnny, you were too tired to even try. “Check his room, Taeyong should still be up there with him.” Nodding, you drag your feet towards the staircase and tiredly make your way to the top. Going solely off memory, you walk down the hallway till you’re standing in front of Haechan’s room. From inside, you can hear faint crying and Taeyong’s voice.

Pushing the door open gently, you see Haechan sitting on his bed with a cup of water in his hand while Taeyong is sitting beside him. When he noticed your entrance, Taeyong stood up from the bed and silently walked towards you. He placed his hand gently on your shoulder before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind him. You stood in the middle of the room, staring at the boy who was silently sniffling as he stared down at his cup in his hand. “Do you have your keys, I can bring you to your room if you do.” He simply shook his head, gripping the cup in his hand. A sigh left your lips as you turned to his closet, rummaging through his clothes. “W-what are you doing?” You pull a shirt off a hanger, walking over to him. “You can’t sleep in that, it has liquids on it.” Haechan stays still, as if he was frozen in time. His body shook slightly every time he hiccuped, but he didn’t bother moving.

“Get changed please, I’ll leave so you can—“

“Please don’t leave me.”

You’re biting your bottom lip as you see his head rise, meeting his swollen and teary eyes. “Just for tonight, I just need you tonight.” He looked so sad, tears dried on his cheeks as he fought back the tears. You should’ve left, hell you shouldn’t have even come, but you needed to make sure he was okay and from the looks of it, he was far from it. “I’ll turn around, but you need to get out of your clothes and into something to sleep in.” Silently, he stands from his bed and sets the cup on his desktop. You handed him the shirt you grabbed from his closet, walking towards the door and facing away so that he could get dressed. After a few minutes pass, Haechan tells you he’s done and you turn around to him laying in his bed on one side, leaving space for you on the other.

Walking over after turning off the light, you pull back the blanket and slide into the space he’s left you. The two of you lay in silence, the moonlight shining through the cracks of his window cover. “I’m sorry.” Haechan’s voice was barely over a whisper, but neither of you could bring it to look at each other. “You’re drunk, you don’t even know what you’re apologizing for.” You could feel how tense he was beside you, if you reached out to him you were afraid he’d fall apart. “I’m sober enough to know what I'm saying and I need you to believe me on that.” You shift onto your side, tucking your underneath his pillow as your eyes fall to the side of his face. He can feel your gaze on him, waiting for him to continue. “I didn’t mean anything I said that day, even back when we were kids.

“I was jealous of your friendship with Mark, in a way I still am because he’s been by your side this whole time and because of my insecurities, I missed all of that.” You knew he had a hard time believing in people after he had been let down many times before, you understood where he was coming from, but that doesn’t justify his actions. “I’m sorry you had to come out here at this hour, I don’t remember much of what I said to the boys, but it was enough for them to call you and for that, i'm sorry for wasting your time.”

The light coming from his window was just enough for you to see the tear that slid from his eye down the side of his face. “Was she here tonight?” You knew it was none of your business, you had no right to be asking him this, but part of you needed to know. “Yeah.”

“Did you guys get back together, I mean that was the whole point of this right?”

Haechan turns on his side to face you, tucking his arm underneath his head to prop himself up to your eye level. “She tried, but I told her it was over when she left me for that guy.” You’re a bit taken aback, why did he turn her down? What was the point of all of this if it was not for him to win her back. “Why, didn’t you want her back?” Haechan’s eyes locked with yours, searching them for something to give him the confidence to go on. He could see it in your eyes, but for so long he had been too scared to ruin what you two were building. “Spending this time with you blurred everything around me y/n, she was what I thought I wanted, but it wasn’t till I lost you that I knew what I needed instead.”

You felt speechless, staring at him with parted lips. He had just confessed that you were what he wanted and that alone made your head feel dizzy. Now lies the difficult decision, to lie and pretend you don’t feel anything to protect yourself or run to him and trust that he’ll protect you instead and all the love you have in your heart for him. “Say something please.” Hesitantly, you bring a hand up to his face, brushing his hair back to get the best view of him as possible. “Looks like we have a problem.”

“And that is?”

“I broke one of the two rules we made, well technically I broke them both but the first rule was broken after you were an asshole.” Haechan sat up, propping himself on his elbow as he stared down at you. “Does that mean I can kiss you?” A smile spreads across his lips as he watches the light reflect in your eyes. You give him a nod, all the confirmation he needed to lean down and capture your lips within his. The kiss felt familiar, like he had done this a million times before. Your arm wraps around his neck, pulling him close to you as you tilted your head to deepen the kiss. The two of you healed a part of you that was long overdue, the two best friends within you now reunited. Now that you’re older, you not only have your best friend back, but the young boy you loved is too there beside you.

so for starters if you’ve gotten this far, why thank you pook 🥹i’m really sorry if the ending feels rushed, i’ve never written something this long before so i was struggling i tell ya🥲🫂 and i just wanna say ily and you’re doing great and if you liked it,, pls lmk! it always helps when you share your thoughts w me 🫶

[steviewashere]

Filling Static in the Dead Air

Rating: General Pairings: Robin & Steve, Steddie, Robin/Original Female Character CW: Robin and Steve Being Assholes To Each Other, Friendship Breakup Tags: Post-Canon, Angst, No Comfort, Bittersweet Ending, Unhappy Ending, Dialogue Heavy, Phone Conversations, Letters, Steve & Robin's Friendship, Time Splitting Up Friendships, Platonic Stobin, Steve Harrington Loves Robin Buckley, Robin Buckley Loves Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart Am I basing this off of experience? Maybe. Is this kinda out of character? Probably. Anyway.

☎️—————☎️ *BEEP*

“Hey, Robbie…it’s…well, it’s Steve. Um, I-I’ve been trying to catch you for a while now…seems we’re missing each other a lot these days, huh? No big deal, I’ve been busy…you’ve been busy. I get it. So. Just wanted to call and say that I…I really hope you have a good day. Think that’s all I say nowadays, but I mean it. Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. And…and I hope that exams go over swimmingly. You’re, like, the smartest person I know—don’t tell Dustin I said that, if you…if you, um, still keep in touch with him—anyway. You’ve got this. You’re gonna do amazing, I know it. Soooo…yeah. Yeah, that’s all. If you need anything from me—or even Eddie—or um…if you just wanna talk to your favorite dingus, I’ll be here. There’s a gap in my schedule, new job on the horizon, hopefully. I’ve got the time for you, that’s all I’m saying. Yeah. I…I think that’s it? Love you, Robbie. Call me soon?”

——— Steve can admit—now that it’s been a couple of years—that when Robin said she was going to college out of state, his heart and stomach dropped out of him to the floor. It was a sort of sixth sense he’s adapted to. This aura, a curdling sick sense, that would sit dormant until the words left somebody’s mouth. “I’m leaving.” That’s all it took. 

Not the kind of leaving when a hangout was over. Not the kind of leaving when the party came to a halt. Not the kind of leaving when the day’s been run through.

No, it was the kind of leaving that meant business trips and a stale home, playdates by himself on his knees in the wood chips, and friends going over yonder from grass fields and tornado sirens.

His brain was kind enough to flip an hourglass distantly for him. Once the sand dwindled from one side, it was over. And that had been approaching a while with Robin. He always knew that it would happen in the aftermath of one of those Upside Down free-for-alls. Just…he didn’t expect it so immediately. When Vecna crumpled into himself like a paper bag, wounds scarred over, and July came rolling on in.

And then 1987 passed.

Followed by 1988.

Now, in the dead winter of 1989, during the big college winter break season, before a whole new decade rolled in, he’s not so sure about this friendship anymore. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a good one. That he didn’t laugh and spill his secrets and have weird proximity sleepovers in his basement—despite having the guest rooms upstairs. No, he loved Robin with every coiled fiber of his soul. To the moon and back. All those cliche things.

She was the only girl that ever mattered in his life nowadays. He dreamed of her. Wept over her. Celebrated with her. They chatted for hours after she lost her virginity, whisper calling while her hook-up (now girlfriend) snored in the background. Robin was the first one to hear about when he was eventually kicked out of his parents’ place, when he hauled ass to a dingy shoebox apartment near a dilapidated McDonald’s that didn’t survive Vecna. When he stirred up forgotten feelings in his chest, he laid star-spread on his bathroom floor, spooning melted ice cream past his lips, sobbing about a boy. And, eventually, when he had Eddie problems? To Robin he went.

He knows that she’s busy. Always is. Between foreign language club meetings, study sessions in her college’s library, and having brunch with the girls…Robin’s not a free bird anymore. She belonged to the college life, to sorority parties where she frenched her girlfriend in a linen closet and managed handstands over kegs. Sometimes, he’d be lucky to get a call at those parties, Robin’s syrup slurred voice and her hideous hiccups like muffled laughter over the speaker. Other times, he just had to hope she made it back to her dorm okay.

It’s partially his fault, too. Been switching rapid between jobs. Family Video to RadioShack to Circle K to Walmart. Then, after that, he fell into his couch with a pink slip in his hand. Too many tardies. Too many late nights where he fought sleep as if it were Billy Hargrove’s racist mouth, but he couldn’t call Robin those nights and he couldn’t curl into Eddie the right way. So. He misses her calls, he wipes his answering machine because it gets too full, he’s between jobs on his sorry fucking couch, and Robin’s too busy nowadays to reach out.

But he keeps trying. Boy, does he keep trying.

——— *BEEP*

“Steve…Stevie…*sniff* hey, um, I’m sorry. Keep missing you, dingus. I miss you like crazy. It’s…this place isn’t right without you. But I spent kind of a lot of money to be here. And I think I’m gonna be in debt until the day I fucking die and—*sniff*—sorry, shit. My new roommate this semester…god, can you believe it’s been a whole semester since you called me? I’ll try and get better on that, swear. Anyway. My new roommate is a colossal bitch, just capital B Bitch. Had, um, th-that nightmare about Scoops? You know the one. Where you…yeah…um…she hates that I cry in my sleep. That I—*sob*—do that, sobbing. And then I try and call you on those nights, but either you aren’t home or you’re busy doing Eddie or something or…or she yells at me for calling you. But…but I swear, Steve, I miss you, too. And if I could, I’d come bother the fuck out of you. Finals went well. January’s being January over here. Snowing like crazy. Anyway. Just called because you did, to say I’m sorry, to just…I was hoping to hear your voice. Make sure that you’re not…I’ll call you, okay? If I don’t…if I don’t, I’m sorry. My schedule’s out of my control most days. Yeah…yeah, I’m sorry.”

——— “You’re gonna burn a hole into that phone if you keep staring at it, Steve.”

He blinks, eyes dry, and looks over to Eddie. Backlit by the bright snow through the windows, hanging up his wet coat by the door, stepping out of his shoes. His cheeks are rosy, blushed by the cold. The soft smile Eddie flashes him makes his chest cave, words caught like thorns in his throat, his already pink waterlines burn fresh.

Taking his silence for what it is, Eddie shuffles through to the living room where Steve is sitting hunched on the couch, and bends down to kiss the top of Steve’s head. His left hand comes up to brush through Steve’s tangled hair, stringy and unwashed. “How long have you been out here, baby?” Eddie asks softly. “Look like a leaf that could fall any moment.”

Steve takes a shaky breath. “Robin called.”

“Oh?” Eddie takes a seat in the armchair diagonal to the couch, mismatched blues they are. “After her voicemail the other day? Or were you listening to it back?”

“No, after. It’s just…we had nothing to talk about.”

“Nothing? You guys have all this time apart, how is there nothing to talk about?”

Shrugging, Steve mumbles, “Don’t know.” He runs a tired hand over his face, through his hair, messing with the knots at the end of it. Can’t even bring himself to look Eddie in the eyes. “Chatted about her school. Her new roommate. The foreign language club she’s got. And then we got to talking about me and…and I had nothing to say. I’m in between jobs, I clean all day because I can’t just lay around and do nothing, I can’t sleep at night…told her about how our neighbors argue. Then, well, then I just talked about you.”

Eddie hums. “It’s okay, you know,” he murmurs, “if you guys can’t find stuff to talk about? That’s okay.”

“Is it? I just”—he sighs—“she’s been my best friend for years. We’ve got nothing to talk about. Like we’re just acquaintances on the bus or something. It’s dumb. It’s so stupid.”

“Honey…” Eddie coos. “Steve, what’s stupid about that? There’s nothing dumb about having a stilted conversation every once in a while.”

“It’s not just once in a while, though, Eds!” he snaps. Affronted with himself, Steve curls tighter, shoulders up to his ears. “Every time, now. When I wanna talk to her, there’s nothing. My life is so…so dull and dumb and…I feel so small compared to her now. Which isn’t fair of me to say, because she’s out there following her dreams…And…” He trails off with another shrug.

Once the room goes completely quiet, Steve pushes himself back, deep into the backrest of the couch. He puts his face in his left hand, pointed away from Eddie, and looks off. Nowhere in particular. No more words to dredge up.

“Steve?”

“I think I’m gonna write a letter. Maybe…maybe the phone’s too easy to forget.”

——— Robbie,

New thing. Letters. It’ll be easier, yeah? Just put what I wanna say out to you.

So. No new calls coming for me about my applications. Think a bunch of firings on my resume has employers turning away. Can’t even use my mom as a reference anymore, kinda lost on that end, I guess. Reached out to Hopper, though. Maybe getting a cop’s reference will look good? They’ll see me come in with Jim Hopper’s signature and number and they’ll think, “That kid must be a goody two shoes,” or something like that, and they’ll want to hire me. You think it’ll work? You know better than I do.

Watched The Apartment finally. It’s a good movie. You know, Fran kinda looks like Vickie. I found you out, Robs. You’ve got a big secret lesbian thing for redheads. Who would’ve thought? Does your current girlfriend look like Fran? I’ve been dying to meet her. I feel bad, I can’t even remember her name right now. I hope she treats you good.

Eddie treats me good. Made spaghetti last night for me, meatballs and everything. He burnt the hell out of the corn I bought, though. Ended up with just spaghetti, some beer, and a couple pieces of garlic bread. I’ll make a chef out of him one day. Though, gotta admit, I feel bad somedays. He goes out and works all day, brings home most of the money, and then also cooks sometimes. I try and keep up with him. Do some chores or something. You know, so I don’t look like a bad partner.

Anyway. There isn’t much else to say, really. Just hope you get this. Maybe you’ll take the time to answer?

Your cursive is the only cursive I can read, so. If you do write back, make it pretty for me? I like the way your letters curl.

—Steve

——— There’s been no new mail in weeks. Other than the bills and Eddie’s paychecks. He got one call from the manager of some local, newly built steak restaurant. Got the job as a new waiter, so that’ll be thrilling for him. More customer service.

He gathers the mail that comes in their little mailbox, runs back up the stairs to their apartment, and snuggles next to Eddie on the couch. An arm thrown over his shoulders. Hands passing through envelopes like he can manifest a returning letter.

“Damnit,” he eventually mutters, tossing the envelopes onto the coffee table. Steve leans back, nestled deeper into Eddie’s side, and pouts. “There’s nothing, Eds. What the hell.”

“Give her some time,” Eddie gently says—ever the reasonable one, oddly—“she’s probably still settling into her new semester. Almost a college graduate, babe, not a lot of time on her hands.”

“She could call, you know. Now she’s gonna respond and I’m gonna be too busy with work. This is bullshit.”

Eddie sighs next to him. Heavy and tired. “You’ll find the time, Steve. You always do.”

——— *BEEP*

“I got your letter, Stevie. Listen, I’ve gotta make this call quick, but I just need you to listen. I can’t write back, I’m sorry. My mind’s already scrambled with a million essays and other assignments right now, so letters aren’t really a priority for me. But I’ll call, okay? I missed you this time, but we’ll get it right eventually. I know it. Uhh…yeah. Oh! Yes, my current girlfriend, Rita, she definitely looks like Fran. You got me, dingus, I’ve got a thing for redheads. Anyway. Shoot. Sorry, I gotta go. Rita’s taking me to this new queer place in town. Gonna get drinks! It’ll be awesome. Okay, Stevie, bye. I love you, bye.”

*BEEP*

“Steve…Steeeeveee…I am very drunk right now. And sweaty. So much dancing. *hiccup* Just wanna tell you that you’re a good friend, m’kay? Rita…ooo, Rita ordered nachos. This payphone is crazy sticky. Bye, dingus!”

——— *BEEP*

“I hope you got home safe. Thanks for not answering. [silence] I can’t have you calling in the middle of the night anymore, though. Okay? I love you to pieces, Robs, but seriously. Eds and I were sleeping, we have work today. [disgruntled silence] And if you’ve got homework or whatever, then you should probably stay back at your dorm and do it, right? Instead of getting shitfaced at the bar? I—[*a large sigh*]—Eddie’s trying to tell me I shouldn’t be mad at you. That I should just give you time to reach back. But.

"This is just getting…it’s bullshit, okay? I call you and you don’t answer. You call me, I try to get back within the next day. And that’s what I did the last time you called me. And then…what? I start writing you letters, but you’re too piled up with homework to respond? Oh, but you’re not too busy to get shitfaced on a…Wednesday? A Wednesday, Robin. Wednesday? I know you’ve got class today, should you really be out…Never mind. I’m not your parents. I’m not. I’m just your good friend, Steve. Your good friend from back home who you don’t visit when you’re on break because you don’t have enough time. [silence] Promise me you’ll take some Advil and have a few glasses of water? I’d bring you a bagel or something, but…just take care of yourself, Robin. Please just take care of yourself. I have to go to work. Maybe I’ll get some big tips from boyfriends on late Valentine’s Day dates. Send you flowers or some shit. I love you, Robin. Even when you piss me the fuck off, I love you…Bye, Robs.”

——— “You don’t answer either, Steve.”

“Well good evening to you, too, Rob”—

“Don’t be a bitch. Just because I found the time to go out with my girlfriend doesn’t mean I’m fucking ignoring you like you’re…you’re my spoiled little dog.”

Steve tosses a glance over his shoulder, standing with his back to the front door just as Eddie comes through it. He shields himself, shadowing over the phone with his head lowered. “Robbie, can I call you back, please? I’m about to have dinner with”—

“Oh, so you can have dinner with Eddie? But I can’t have drinks with Rita? Fuck off, Steve. You know that’s a bunch of horseshit, right? I’m supposed to make time for you, but you can’t make time for me when I call”—

“Oh, when you finally call me back—what is it—three days later? Sorry, Robin. Guess I have some double standards that I didn’t know about! Guilty as charged!”

Over the line, he can hear her take a steady, deep breath. He imagines it, her face red with anger, and feels a sick lick of satisfaction deep in his gut. “Don’t be such a little fucking brat, Steve.”

He rolls his eyes so hard it hurts. “Like insulting me is gonna keep me on the phone with you. I’ve got chicken that’s thawed in the fridge right now and it needs to be made tonight. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna make dinner for my boyfriend and I”—

Suddenly, there’s a hand on his shoulder. He jerks in surprise, turning swiftly with the phone in his tight grip. Eddie’s behind him, furrowed eyebrows and eyes narrowed in concern. Steve throws up his free hand as if to signal, ‘What.’ Instead of a huff or an eye roll, Eddie’s soft with him. Petting his hand down his back. “I’ll make dinner,” Eddie whispers, “I want you to figure this out with Robin.”

Steve muffles the phone with his empty hand, pulling it away from his mouth. “She’s being an asshole, Eds. I don’t want to”—

“Baby, I don’t want you guys to lose each other. You two matter to one another. Figure it out…even if you have to argue, figure it out.”

With a pat to his back, Eddie steps away. Steve sighs, relenting—knowing Eddie’s reasonable and right, damnit—and brings the phone back up to his ear. “You still there, Robin?”

“Yup.”

“Listen…Robs…I-I don’t know what to say to make this better, okay? I’m gonna be honest. I don’t know what to do.” He shifts awkwardly on his feet. Eventually, though, within a matter of seconds, he decides to plop down onto the closest couch cushion. Hunched over his knees, pinching between his eyebrows. “I miss your calls, I know that. And I’m sorry, okay? Shit, I’m…I’m really fucking sorry”—his voice wavers, eyes burning despite trying to pinch the waterworks closed—“there’s no excuse. I’m not in college. I’m not, like, busy with my family or anything. I just. I’m just Steve. With his stupid minimum wage job. And I’m really fucking boring now, okay? I get busy with my shifts and I forget to answer. I try to get caught up in Eddie, trying to—shit, you can’t let him know this, okay? I’m gonna drop my voice”—and he does just that—“I get caught up trying to distract myself from…from myself. That doesn’t make sense, I know it doesn’t. And it’s not an excuse. Sometimes, Rob, sometimes”—and here come the blubbering tears…—“I just stand at the phone and wait for you to call me. Then you don’t. All I do is…all I do is work and sleep and wait.

“I miss you so fucking much, Robin. You…it’s so fucking pathetic…you’re my only, like, adult friend other than Eddie. But he’s in his own category, y’know? So. It’s just. Shit. I don’t know what I’m trying to say, Robs. I just miss you. I wait and I miss you.”

For a moment, there’s a steady stream of stilted silence. Then, quiet, Robin breaks with, “I miss you, too. But…Steve, I can’t be your only friend. And…and you’re not my only friend anymore. I know I’ve been shitty with answering the phone, responding to your letters. Things are busy. And I don’t have the time. And when I find time for myself, I’m sorry, but I don’t think of you first anymore. You have to…you have to understand that, Steve.

“Believe me, I try to reach out to you. When I have the time, when I…when I remember, I call you. You aren’t the first person that comes to mind anymore, okay? I have to be honest with you, too. I’m sorry. I can’t say that enough and I also think I’ve said it too much.

“But I’m about to graduate. Rita and I…we’re moving in together once I get my diploma”—

“Will you send me your new address? If you remember?” God, he can’t believe he just said that. He can’t believe he’s been…forgotten. “Maybe I can send you some congratulatory flowers or something?”

She takes a deep breath. Noticeably settling into something.

He sorta hates that he can picture her, shimmying into her spot. Getting comfy. Can imagine her in her dinky pajamas, the same ones she’s had since freshman year of high school. Thinks of her with her makeup freshly washed off, hair neatly brushed, relaxing in her bed. Wonders if she’s reading anything.

But he won’t ask. It doesn’t feel like that kind of conversation.

“I’ll give it to you before I graduate, okay? We’re gonna settle on an apartment before I’m done here. Um…yeah. Yeah…

“I’m sorry for being an asshole, you didn’t deserve that.”

“I’m sorry, too. You didn’t deserve it either. Just, y’know me, I get in my head.”

“Yeah,” she sighs. And it hurts, only a little—like a minor burn from the edge of a frying pan—that she didn’t reassure him. “I know I called, but I’ve gotta go. I have a test in the morning. And I’m ready for bed, so…yeah.”

“Okay…yeah…that’s—I’ve gotta help Eddie with dinner so”—

“What are we gonna do?”

“Hm?”

“…What are we gonna do? I don’t know when I’ll be able to call again. And I know you’re getting busier. I won’t have a break until, maybe, June? I don’t wanna leave you like this…but I can’t promise anything this time and”—

“I don’t know,” Steve softly interrupts. “We’ll figure it out, though, okay?”

There’s a long lull of silence. Longer than any he’s experienced with Robin. Softly, “Okay,” she says. Though, it doesn’t quite reach his ears the right way. It’s not a hopeful sound. It’s…tired and broken and weepy.

He knows that, after this, they won’t hear from each other anymore.

It’s a claw to the chest. A knife in the gut.

If he removes it, he’ll die. If he lets it linger, he’ll die. The way the word breaks in his head, her soft okay in his ear, he’d rather the knife remain. The pain, the blood, the simmering ache.

“Robin?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

A murmur, “I love you, too.”

The phone crackles between them. Those are the last words he hears before the line goes dead. “Bye,” he whispers into the plastic, to nobody on the other side. And with the receiver gripped tight in both hands, nestled between his legs, he lets the burn behind his eyes engulf.

Tears sluggishly worm down his cheeks. Hot and burning.

“Steve?” Eddie softly calls to him. “You okay?”

When he looks in the direction of his name, Eddie is sitting next to him. A hand between his shoulder blades, the other reaching for the phone. Without much thought, Steve is turning into Eddie’s chest, dropping his grip on the receiver.

In one sweeping motion, Eddie brings him in, burying him closer. “I gotcha, baby,” he whispers into Steve’s hair, “I’ve gotcha.”

“I lost her,” he sobs, “lost my best friend.”

With Robin’s words floating through his head, the soft crackle of her raspy voice, that image of her comfy in bed, he breaks. Coughing, gagging, and crying, he breaks against Eddie’s neck.

——— November, 1985

“Steve? Do you think we’re best friends in every universe?”

“Hm…if we aren’t, I’m glad we’re best friends in this one.”

They’re holding hands, sprawled on his mattress, both sweat drenched from Scoops nightmares.

“Me too,” Robin whispers, “I love being your friend.”

“I love being yours,” he matches, “we’ve got each other for life now. No way to get rid of me.”

“Like we’re ever going to be apart.”

“Yeah,” Steve laughs. “No way is that happening. We’re stuck on each other like glue.”

☎️—————☎️

[axelsagewrites]

Can I request a modern! Jacaerys x Fem! OC fic where Rhaenyra is best friends with the OC’s mother and both Rhaenyra and the OC’s mother try to get Jacaerys and the OC to be friends and like each other but they absolutely hate each other ( like actually hate ) even when they were babies. Then, they grow up near each other and go to the same school but they still hate each other severely. During high school Jace becomes popular, and becomes the captain of his soccer team, and even gets a girlfriend while the OC is not popular by any means and is very shy and reclusive. They go off to uni, and the OC finally shows up to a frat party ( Jace’s frat ) and the tension sort of at its height, and that night and the OC accidentally ends up pregnant and they learn to love and live with each other during her pregnancy. Thank you so much if you can do this btw!!!

Jace Velaryon*Frat Party

Pairing: jace x f!reader

Word count: 1982

Warnings: rivalry, mentions of bullying, frat jace, flirty frat cregan, implied smut but nothing explicity, hate sex, accidental pregnancy, drinking

Masterlist Here

Part Two linked at end

You had no clue how someone so sweet and loving and kind and amazing could birth such an idiotic insufferable twat. Yet somehow Rhaenyra had managed to do just that. Your mother was friends with Rhaenyra, lovingly dubbed aunty Nyra by you, and were so close that they deliberately moved into the same neighbourhood. This was all be swell if not for the fact that her eldest son Jace was just such a dick.

Your mothers tried to make you like each other and constantly set up playdates but you would simply ditch Jace to play with Luke until you realised, he’d only been so quite because he was giving your barbies haircuts. Eventually some time in middle school they gave up trying but still forced you to go on joint family vacations and similar hellish events.

There was a time in your freshman year of high school you almost became friends. That summer had gone surprisingly well with you both finally being civil enough to talk to each other. Then school rolled around again and Jace got onto the high school soccer team. You congratulated him and even was debating plucking up the courage to ask him to go out to celebrate since despite how much you hated him even you thought he was cute. Then he and sara snow came waltzing out of school and in hand and you went right back to hating him.

It wasn’t just because you were jealous, which you were but refused to admit, but because Sara snow had tormented you all of your first year. And Jace knew this. He knew she would taunt you and make pig noises at you in the corridor but yet here he was sucking face with her in front of your locker which was sadly right above his.

It only got worse when he dumped her then became the captain of the team. Then came a string of girlfriends who’d fawn over him relentlessly in school. To say it was hell was an understatement especially since it always seemed to be the girls that would tease you or laugh when you walked past. Highschool sucked to say the least but finally after all these years of hard work you got the letter.

Youd got into your dream school and were set to be moving to the dorm soon. A new start, new friends, another chance. Finally. Your bubble however was popped by your usual enemy. Jace fucking Velaryon was going there as well. You basically ran him down at the joint celebratory dinner your parents threw you both to say that if he dared ruin university for you the same way he ruined high school you’d make sure he’d never kick another ball again.

So, for the first two years you had peace. You had a small circle of friends, great classes, amazing grades, and your hair finally began to cooperate with you. Aunty Nyra even joked uni had given you a glow up when she saw you this summer. What you didn’t see was the way Jace’s eyes followed you as you left the room.

“I can’t believe you’ve never went to a frat party,” Aly said as she began to raid your closet, pulling out a dress and holding it to herself, “This poor dress. it deserves to see a little fun,”

You snorted at your friends as you helped straighten Sansa’s hair. “You wear it,”

“Or you could,” Sansa retorted, backing off when you held the straighteners in a way an angry mother holds a wooden spoon.

“Either you wear it, or I will,” Aly said as she tossed it on the bed and continued her raid. Your roommate Sansa had recently become friends with Aly and in an unexpected turn so had you. you and Sansa were far quieter than her, but Sansa always seemed to come back from hanging out with her with a huge smile, “Girl look at this top,” Aly broke your train of thought as she held up a black low-cut top, “How you not gonna go out when you own all these clothes?”

“My aunty got me them,”

Aly rolled her eyes as she continued her search, “Well I’m stealing the top but you’re wearing that dress,” she said and before you could even protest, she cut you off, “You are far too hot to be at home in sweats on a Saturday night. We are going,”

You sighed as you finished Sansa’s hair, but she turned to look up at you, “Cmon,” she whined, “one hour and if you don’t like it, we’ll all come back here and watch the polar express,”

You sighed yet again before pausing. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. After all your confidence was far better than what it once was, and you had a good few friends you knew would also be going. Your eyes wandered to the dark red dress on the bed. “Fuck it,” you said, snatching up the fabric.

“You’re coming?!” Sansa grinned, flinging herself off the bed, “Finally come on sit down. Its makeup times!”

-

Sansa and Aly worked their magic and soon you were walking arm in arm with both girls to the frat. And you had to say they had done a good job if you do say so yourself. Even if you were currently freezing that was. “Boys,” Aly greeted with a wide grin as she walked up to the boy at the door, Cregan you were sure.

“Troubles here,” he joked, his eyes wandering up and down, “And you brought a friend,” he said, eyes turning to you, and it was like the wind was knocked out of you when you saw his face, “Nice to meet you I’m Cregan,”

“Hi,” you grinned, quickly introducing yourself before rushing inside with a giggling Sansa and Aly.

“He was so checking you out,” Aly nudged your ribs.

“Okay maybe this was a good idea,” you laughed as she dragged you and Sansa off for some drinks.

-

As you stood filling your cup with cheap beer there was a set of gorgeous brown eyes watching your every move, “Dude you know that girl?” Cregan asked as he walked over with more drinks for him and Jace.

“She’s my neighbour,” he said, taking the drink and trying not to let his eyes wander again.

Cregan let out a low whistle, “If she was my neighbour, she would not be here alone,” he laughed prompting Jace to shove his elbow into his ribs, “Hey man!”

-

Meanwhile you had somehow been convinced to head to the dance floor. Perhaps the three drinks Aly had got you and the buzz in your head had helped. The night had been going surprisingly well. So far at least. You hadn’t even realised Jace was here. That was till you felt two strong hands grip your hips, “Not such a goody two shoes now,” Jace’s voice was low, his breath tickling your neck.

You turned around with a drunken grin as you attempted to push him back, but your attempt was futile, “What did you miss me too much?” you joked.

A grin spread across his lips, “You’re drunk?” he asked, his head tilted like a puppy.

“Watcha gonna do about it? tell on me?” you teased as you crossed your arms. Not knowing it gave Jace an even better view of your tits. “I’m just having a little fun,”

He chuckled as his hands returned to your hips, his head dipping slightly in a way that made butterflies spark in your stomach, “Why don’t you show me how to have a little fun then doll?”

Your eyes flickered down, scanning his face for a moment before grinning, “Follow me then,” you said as you lead him to the drinks table.

Several drinks later you awoke in dark blue sheets and a soccer jersey wondering where the hell your dress went and a strong arm around your waist. The low pounding of your head and Jace’s snores brought you back to reality. “Fuck,” you muttered as you tried to ease out of his grip.

Your eyes fell to the floor where your dress had apparently ended up last night. You debated which was worse, walking home in last night’s dress or Jace’s jersey. You quickly decided to steal a pair of his joggies as well and just ball up the dress and take it with you. as you crept out the room you ignored the faint snoring in the background.

Part of you wondered if it had all been a bad dream. That was till your phone buzzed.

Jace

You stole my jersey

You

What you gonna do? Tell on me?

You sighed as you flung your phone to the side and shoved your pillow in your face to scream. Funnily enough what you had been doing only last night as well.

-

It was the next day when a heavy knock came at the door. when you opened it, eyebrows knitted, you were met with an infuriatingly hot site. Jace’s arm was lent against the door meaning he was able to glare down at you perfectly, “I want my jersey,”

“Sorry do I know you?” you asked, crossing your arms with a tilted glare.

Jace scoffed slightly before grinning, “You seemed to remember my name fine the other night,” this time you scoffed but not before Jace pushed his way in. “Where is it?”

“Get out of my room!” you protested as Jace shut the door behind him and started rummaging. As his hands went to grab your sheets you pulled at his arms to keep him back but not shockingly, he was able to push you off with ease. “Hey!”

“What’s this?” he said, his hand reaching for the jersey that had been under your duvet however your face went red when he lifted it. a wide grin spread across his stupid face, “What’s that princess?”

“Don’t princess me,” you stuttered as he went to grab the pink silicone you’d left on your bed. “Don’t!” you whined as you grabbed his wrist, accidentally ending up face to face with him yet again.

You could feel his hot breath fanning your lips and you saw his eyes dip for a moment as a pit grew in your stomach. Before you could think what to do next his lips had crashed onto yours, his jersey slipping from his grip as his hands moved to cup your face.

Your hands grabbed at his t-shirt, pulling him in closer till you were stood pressed against his hard chest. His hands moved to your back, finding the small of your waist. Jace sat down, bringing you with him to staddle his lap. You gasped when you felt his bulge pressing into your thigh.

His lips moved to your neck, kissing every last bit of skin he could reach. “This is a bad idea- “

“Why don’t you shut up and enjoy it princess?” Jace cut you off, his hands slipping beneath your shirt. “You enjoyed it the other day,”

You groaned as his fingertips explored your skin before finally sighing, “Fine but it’s just sex,” Jace rolled his eyes at you but didn’t bother to respond as he flipped you onto your back, his hands moving to pull off your shirt.

-

You knew having a enemies with benefits situation ship with Jace would eventually come back to bite you in the ass but the two pink lines staring back at you felt like being plunged into ice water. “You okay Hun?” Sansa called through the door, wondering what had been taking you so long.

You unlocked the door but refused to stand up. Sansa walked in; concern written over her face when her eyes finally spotted the test in your hand. Looking up at her you could only say one thing, “I’m pregnant,”

Part two here

Taglist: @clairacassidy @valeskafics @starkleila @jacesvelaryons

[the-lazyyy-artist]

heartbreak weather bachira meguru x fem!reader part one

Synopsis: Bachira Meguru has kept it all inside until you drunkenly kissed him.

Tags and Themes: fluff, best friends to ???, post-NEL, post-World Cup, Bachira scouted by FC Barcha, mentions of other Japan U-20 (recent list) players, Bachira being the sweetheart that he is!

Author's Note: I was inspired to write this while I listened to the new Smosh Reddit Stories episode, and I really see Bachira being in that one huhu! As for the title, it's Niall Horan's song!

Read part two here!

photo grabbed from silent cloud 🌻on Pinterest

Want more stories? Check out the Blue Lock Masterlist!

💛 @werfiedeii

He was a thunderstorm on a bright summer day.

That's what you thought when you met him unexpectedly in primary school. His wild personality, fun and mischievous, was softened by the sunshine in his eyes and hair. The way his little giggles and wide eyes filled the field as he played alone drew you to him, and eventually, you became friends with him.

For most of your life, you've considered each other as your person; secrets, worries, successes... they were all shared. There isn't a day that Bachira wasn't around you, and you were the same. You were convinced he'd be in your life until you both reach 80 years old, as you have each other's backs. Saying I love you became normal because that's what you really felt about him. You love him because he's been around, but it was all platonic. Skinship wasn't so new to you either. Holding hands, hugging, kissing each other's cheeks...

It all felt comfortable with Bachira.

Of course, your parents and his mom became good friends with each other too, as they accompanied you two on your little playdates as kids, and now being so familiar with you and Bachira's closeness. Little fleeting teasing would always be in earshot whenever you'd hang out in each other's homes, and you'd always dismiss it. "Alright, if you say so," The adults would say. It's not that you'd say so. You know so. Bachira's the best friend you've ever had, and it's gonna stay that way.

Bachira was as grateful as you are, letting you know first about his admission to the Blue Lock Project after his mom gave him the letter. You're the first person he saw in the crowd before he even saw his mom during the exhibition game. You're the first one he hit up after he finally got his phone back, hanging out with you as soon as he got home, tackling you in a big bear hug that left you breathless. He missed you dearly as you missed him, and he wanted you to know that every day.

You'd be so invested in his games during the NEL the moment Blue Lock went live, celebrating his wins and feeling sad for his losses. And when he came out triumphant as 5th in the standings, you felt so overjoyed for him. Oh, never once have you doubted his skills!

As years went by, he became part of the Japan U-20 team thanks to his outstanding performance, and being scouted by FC Barcha afterwards only pushed him forward to the future you both envisioned for him: a professional soccer player and the best one in his craft and style. Often dubbed "The Dancing Bee", he never failed to amaze supporters with his outstanding assists, passes, and goals. He became so big that he became one of Japan's prides...

But whenever he's home after a season, he's the same old Bachira: sweet, caring, loving, and your best friend.

You were lounging at your home with your dad when he burst through the door, greeting your mom quickly and then finding you in the living room. "Y/n," He panted. The poor boy looked like he had run all the way there... which he did. "Megs, sit down," You laughed as you pulled him between you and your dad. Your dad gave him a fist bump and ruffled his hair.

Bachira wasted no time and began to spit out words that you had trouble understanding at first, but then you realized he was asking you to come with him to a party Aiku was throwing for everyone who was a part of Blue Lock.

"Y'all are still friends with each other?" You teased as Bachira rolled his eyes playfully at me. "Yes. Believe it or not, even though Isagi ended up being the best of all of us, we are all still friends. But! Don't change the subject! Come with me next week! You're gonna meet everyone and we'll have drinks, food, and games!"

Bachira was buzzing on the couch as he talked. You took his hand and squeezed it, and as always, it worked its magic. "Alright, alright, I'll come... as long as you keep Otoya away from me." Bachira smirked, gazing at you half-lidded. "Oh, don't worry. I can do that. Just stay with me and I'll show him you're mine for the whole night."

Your eyes widen, and you punched him on his shoulder, earning a laugh from Bachira. "You forget that I'm still here, kids," Your father chimed, making Bachira's statement more embarrassing. "I heard that too," Your mom added. As you groaned into your hands, Bachira and your father high-fived. It's always been like that. At times, you'd be unfazed, but mostly, you think Bachira says those things on purpose to make your parents' ears perk up and start teasing you both.

Bachira picked you up from your house the next week. He did say "wear something casual", so a simple dress of your favorite color did the job. It hugged and insinuated all the perfect places in your body, making you look ethereal and breathtaking. You swore you saw the tiny sparkle in Bachira's honey eyes once he saw you walking down the stairs with your heels in your hands. You kissed your parents goodbye as you walked out the door with him.

He felt like it was prom night. He had never experienced prom because of Blue Lock, but he was sure this was how it felt.

He drove you both into the penthouse as you continued to buckle your heel straps and made little touch-ups to your makeup. "Well, do you still expect Otoya to stay away from you when you look pretty as fuck?" He teased from the driver's seat, a smirk adorning his lips. You threw him "the look," and that made Bachira laugh. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. Just stay beside me the whole night and you'll be fine."

Aiku's penthouse was enormous, exactly how you'd expect it to look, especially being one of the treasured defenders of Ubers. Bachira opened the tall wooden door for both of you, soft jazz music filling the room. You were both welcomed by lovely gold and silver decorations, as they made the interior glitter and shine. There was a wide variety of snacks on the dinner table, a charcuterie board, chips, bottles upon bottles of vodka, whiskey, and beer. The rest of the guys were already hanging around the pool, drinks in hand.

As soon as they saw Bachira coming, the guys greeted him with handshakes and pats on the back. Bachira introduced you to them, and he received whistles and smirks, making you feel a bit uncomfortable. "She's my best friend, guys," He corrected, which received even more teasing from them. Luckily, the people from Team Z, as Bachira told you beforehand, treat you well, especially Isagi. He was as bright as Bachira. No wonder they gelled well.

As the night fell deeper, so did the drinks and the conversations. You felt yourself a little loopy as you had decided to let loose... Big mistake on your end. Bachira kept an eye on you all night, always hovering around you and asking if you were comfortable enough. He was surprisingly able to keep Otoya away, and for that, you were thankful. As Bachira noticed your situation, he quickly helped you out of your seat and excused yourselves.

The night air was cool against your warm skin as goosebumps, and Bachira noticed your slight shiver. He embraces you to shield you from the soft breeze. After all, it was normal for him to hold you close like this. "Meguru," You slurred, staring up at him. He looked like a watercolor painting in your eyes as it all turned blurry. Bachira hummed in response, his chest rumbling as he did.

"Do you realize how proud I am of you?" You said with a dopey smile. He was about to respond when you continued. "I'm so happy to see all the things you've achieved, all the friends you've made... They're all soooo, so, so nice and you've surrounded yourself with people who pushed you to be the best...

"In my eyes, you have always been the best, but you showed the world what you're made of... My sunshine..."

Bachira laughed softly at your sluggish actions as your hands flew to hold his cheeks, and you pulled him close, wanting to give a kiss... But then, your lips didn't touch his cheek, no...

You kissed the corner of his lip.

And with his tipsy confidence, he saw it as permission to kiss you, so he did.

His lips properly met yours, and with such longing, he kissed you with gentleness and affection. It was something he had tried to bury for years and years, afraid that if he made a move early on... If he admitted his true feelings... You'd leave him forever.

You were his person, after all.

And to his surprise, you were kissing him the same. He knew it was the alcohol that made you kiss him back, but he couldn't help it. He held you close as you two made out, and he pulled away to gaze into your eyes, all drunk and playful.

"I love you," he told you

"I love you, too!" You slurred.

"No," He replied, "I am in love with you."

That somehow sobered you up because the next thing you knew, you were puking your brains out on one of Aiku's expensively maintained plants.

[littlespacereader]

It said writing prompts were open, I just read Little Spidey and fell in love with the idea of Hobie being my cg. Would you be able to do a thing where the reader and Pav have a little time playdate with Hobie as cg/babysitter? Please and thank you ❤️

AHHHHHHHH!!!! SO CUTE!! I apologize for this being on the short side. I kind of got some writers block with this fic, but I’m happy with how it came out!! I really hope you enjoy it!! Thank you for the request!!!

The Tea Party☕️🫖

Caregiver! Hobie Brown, Little! Pavitr Prabhakar & GN Little! Reader (SFW!)

Tags - tea party, spilling the tea (littles gossip about stuffies), naps, and hugs

Hobie was more than excited to have one of his best friends here with his little one, especially since they’re both Littles.

In the past Hobie was always Pav’s go to babysitter for when he regressed and was away from his Caregiver Gayatri aka his girlfriend. Now add Y/N, Hobie’s Little to the mix and you have a recipe that was made in heaven.

Y/N was practically bouncing off the walls waiting for Pav to show up. They couldn’t wait. They already had everything set up for Pav! Their play table was already set up with their plastic tea set, Mr. Bear was already dressed up for the event and so was Y/N.

Hobie decided to get on top of things before he got there. So he was in the kitchen making food and snack for the Littles. While he did, Y/N would periodically check in on him.

“Is he here yet?”

“Not yet love but soon I imagine.” His eyes glanced to the clock. “Actually he should be here anyyyyy….”

DING DONG

“…minute.”

Y/N screamed and ran across the small flat to the front door, waiting for Hobie to join them.

Hobie walked over and opened the front door letting in an excited and fancy dressed Pav, all ready for the tea party.

Immediately he hugged Hobie, “Thank you for having me over again!!”

Then he went and hugged Y/N, “I can’t wait for our tea party!!”

Once they broke apart, Y/N took his hand and the two ran into Y/N’s room while the adults talked about boring Caregiver stuff.

Inside Y/N’s room was a small table set up with the works! Little plastic saucers, plastic tea cups, small plastic spoon and more. Chairs circled around the table, some filled with stuffies and other empty for the two of them.

“Please take your seat!” Y/N offered, before grabbing a chair themselves.

“No please! Allow me,” Pav grabbed the chair and pulled it out for Y/N to sit. They giggled as they took a seat and had Pav push them in.

“Thank you good sir!” Y/N added.

“My pleasure.” Pav replied, taking a seat himself.

Hobie walked into the room, hands full of food. “Look alive everyone! I have some snacks for you rascals.”

Hobie made a wonderful set up for the two of them. Mini sandwiches, some crackers, and more. All their favorites set up on a little platter.

He left for a moment only to return with their tea pot. They both too regressed for actual hot tea so instead Hobie brewed the teas cold so that if they spilled it or went to sip it they would burn themselves.

“Alright,” Hobie clapped, “I’ll be in the living room if you two need anything. Enjoy the tea party.” He winked before leaving.

Then the tea party commenced!! The two took some snacks and Pav had the honor of pouring each party guest their cup of tea.

“Thank you good sir.” Y/N said taking a sip of their tea.

“My pleasure!” Pav smiled back, pouring a cup for himself.

The two of them began talking about everything! From drama between their stuffies, to what missions they’ve been on in the last few days, to random tidbits about their favorite tv shows.

“Have you heard what happened to fluffy last week?!” Pav pointed to his rabbit.

“No! What happened?!”

“She was bouncing to the store when she fell down a storm drain and almost got washed away!!”

Y/N gasped! “That’s horrible!!”

“I know! She smelled like trash afterwards too.” Pav laughed, Y/N joined him. “But thankfully she took a bath and now she’s okay.”

“There’s a scandal going on in my room! Mr. Waddles broke up with his girlfriend Mindy and now he’s going out with her sister!”

Now Pav gasped, “WHAT. A. SCANDAL!”

They just talked for hours. But then it got quiet for a while. That worked up Hobie’s ears. Hobie, who was sitting in the living room tuning his guitar, decided to check on his now very quiet Littles. What he found was an adorable sight.

Pav and Y/N slept peacefully beside one another in Y/N crib. Both still dressed fancy with their fancy dressed stuffies around. Hobie could help but smile.

He grabbed a blanket and wrapped the two up in it. With a kiss to each of their head he turned off the lights and turned on the night lights.

I guess you could say the tea party was a major success!

[pawnshopbleus]

Put Me in a Movie - Chapter Twelve

Miguel O’Hara x Fem!Reader

Summary - You’re a famous actress and he’s one of the greatest directors of all time. What happens when you get cast in his new movie? 

Chapter Eleven

You had to tell Jessica that you were going to have dinner with her ex-husband. You were basically breaking the girl code by agreeing to have dinner with him. This was the first time you were going on a date with a friend's ex. Could it even be classified as a date? All you two were going to do was just eat dinner while Gabriella played with Fern. If anything, it was a playdate for Fern and Gabriella.

Who were you kidding? You liked him. You really really like him. You were essentially a nervous wreck every time he was around you. When he ditched you at the wrap party a month ago, it crushed you. You were ecstatic that you had another chance to show him that he really meant something to you.

You grabbed your phone from the counter and dialed Jessica's phone number. You began to pace around the room as you waited for her to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Jessica, hi, it’s me. We need to talk,” you let out a deep breath and began to explain the situation. You told her everything from how you felt about Miguel to the kiss you shared in the hallway of your home. Jessica was silent the entire time while she let you explain what was happening.

“Well, I’m glad that you talked to me about this. To be frank, I could give two shits that you kissed Miguel. I divorced him because I didn’t want to be with him anymore. You two can have each other. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was getting a massage from this really hot British guy.” Jessica hung up and you let out a sigh of relief.

Now, it was time for you to pick out an outfit. You needed something that was classy yet it showed that you didn’t care too much. You stared at the options that you had in your closet. You could wear the cute denim dress that you got a few months back or you could wear a red romper. You went with the denim dress. It was more practical than the romper anyways.

Now, for hair and makeup, you went with something more natural. It was a simple dinner after all.

You checked the time. It was five twenty-three and you were supposed to be at Miguel's by six thirty. You needed to leave soon if you wanted to make it on time. Miguel hated tardiness. You packed Fern into the car and began driving. Fern’s head was out of the window as the California breeze ruffled her fur.

You made it to Miguel's house by six twenty-six. You held Fern close to you as you made your way to the front door of his massive house. You rang the doorbell as opposed to knocking on the door. There was absolutely no way that anyone could have heard you knocking when he had a house that large.

Gabriella opened the door in a matter of seconds and squealed when she saw Fern in your arms. She thanked you profusely as she took your sweet dog from your arms. She also complimented your dress and said that you had great taste. The entire time you interacted with Gabriella, she was inside the house and you were still outside.

“Gabriella, let her in,” Miguel said as he stood with his arms crossed in the doorway that separated the foyer from the rest of the house.

Gabriella stepped aside for you to come in. You tried not to gawk at Miguel’s beautiful home, but you just couldn’t help yourself. His home looked like it was built in the nineteen twenties. The architecture was very art deco. Basically, his home could have been Jay Gatsby’s home from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

“Come, we’re having spaghetti for dinner,” Miguel beckoned you to follow him.

You followed him into the grand dining room that was set for two people. It looked very romantic. The lights were dimmed, there were candles lit on the table and roses in a pretty vase. Your brows furrowed. There were three of you eating dinner tonight, “Where’s Gabriella going to sit?” “She’s going to go eat in her room. She has her tea party table set up in there for herself and Fern.” You smiled at the thought of your little doggy up there with Miguel’s daughter. Gabriella ran up the stairs and into her room while Fern chased after her.

You and Miguel sat down at the same time. Then, worry washed over his face, “I should have pulled out your chair for you. I’m sorry. I haven’t done this for a while.”

You laughed, “Thank you, Miguel, but I’m perfectly capable of pulling out my own chair.”

“Can I get you anything to drink? Water, soda, beer, wine?” He listed all of the beverage options he had.

“Wine is perfect.” Miguel nodded his head and left the dining room for a second. Then, he returned with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. He poured your glass first and then his own. When he sat back down, you noticed that he was wearing the same shirt he wore the day you met. Nostalgia washed over you as you remembered that he had to carry your drunken body all the way up to your bedroom.

“So, what have you been up to?” Miguel asked. The question was simple enough that you could answer without much thought.

“Nothing much. Just making sure Fern isn’t eaten by coyotes and catching up on some shows that people have been raving about.”

Miguel sighed and rubbed his face with his hand, “To be honest, I’ve really missed you. I couldn’t go a single day without thinking about you. I don’t know what kind of spell you put me under, but it’s worked.”

You didn’t know what to say to that. He was the one who left you alone in your hallway after he kissed you. He was the one who was acting hot and cold. He was the one who made you go crazy ever since day one. He wanted you though and you wanted him.

“Isn’t this maybe too soon? I mean you said it yourself.” “Fuck that,” he shook his head, “I was scared. I thought that maybe you didn’t want me. I was coming up with excuses and that’s the one that came out.”

“Miguel, I - I don’t know what to say. I mean, I really like you, but I feel like you could do so much better.”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been obsessed with you for years now and I finally have the opportunity to be with you. I’m not letting this go. If you want to be with me, I’ll gladly have you.” Miguel reached across the table and put his hand over yours. “I’ve dreamed about this moment since the first time I saw you.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We’ll start slow. I don’t want to rush you into anything that you’re not ready for.”

“So, does this mean we’re dating?” You immediately regretted that question once it came out of your mouth.

"If that’s what you want, then yes, we’re dating.” Miguel couldn't believe he just said that. He couldn't believe that after years of dreaming that you we're finally his. This day couldn't have ended any better.

Chapter Thirteen

[filmfanaticsblog]

Sodapop x Fem reader where they're playing seven minutes in heaven at a party and theyre friends but they have to go in the ✨closet✨ together and it'd a little awkward but he confesses his feelings. You decide if it's fluff, smvt, or angst! But the people at the part leave them in there for over 7 mins so yea! Tysm

«Kk»

Sodapop x Fem!Reader Playing Seven Minutes in Heaven (Fluff!)

(a/n: thank you so much for the ask! also, in this universe, the church burnt down and johnny and ponyboy saved the kids, with only minor injuries. Johnny is still alive, meaning so is Dally. it’s pretty irrelevant to the story, but just wanted to note that!)

word count: 580

You and Soda are great friends, you knew each other from the start. Your parents were great friends, and you have been inseparable since the first playdate. You always kept each other grounded and were their for each other, especially when one of you needed it the most. Such as when Mr. and Mrs Curtis passed and when Sandy left Soda. You were there for him. And he’s been with you through all of the big tragedies in your life, never leaving your side.

One night, he tagged along to one of Buck’s parties with some of your friends. You, being close with Buck, stayed after the party with Soda and your friends.

“Hey, let’s play a game!” Your (pretty drunk) best friend Annie blurted out. You all agreed, and settled on Seven Minutes in Heaven. The first couple rounds weren’t that interesting. The way you all decided who was going in the closet with who was that you guys pulled names out of hats. Around the fourth round, your name is called first.

You start to get a little nervous because there was a chance the other person drawn would be Sodapop. Sure, he was your best friend, but you had been trying to deny your feelings for him a long time. But of course, his name was drawn after yours.

Instant butterflies. You get so nervous you could puke, or maybe that was just the alcohol. You and Soda look at each other, you can feel yourself blushing. Wait, is he blushing too? You couldn’t tell for sure.

You guys went into the closet and sat down. You were both a little tipsy, so you weren’t sure how this was going to turn out. Would it be something you regretted?

Sodapop starts a conversation, being the extrovert he is.

“Sooo, how are you?” Kinda awkward.

“I’m doing alright, and you?”

“I’m doing fine.”

You sat there in silence for about 30 seconds. Man, is this awkward. He looks at you, and you look at him. “Where is this going to lead?” He asks you.

“Wherever you want it to.” You reply, with butterflies in your stomach.

He starts, “I’ve liked you for awhile, Y/N. You’re beautiful, kind, and just overall an amazing person.”

You feel yourself blushing. You then started saying, “I’ve liked you too, Soda. I’ve been trying to deny these feelings for awhile, I just didn’t want to ruin our friendship. What we have is already special, and I didn’t want to demolish it by telling you how I feel. I would’ve told you if I had known you felt the same way.”

He leans over to you, giving you a short, chaste kiss to your lips. You felt the heat radiating off of his face, which told yoy he was blushing.

You guys then started talking, and planned a date to the drive in the following night. You then talked for about half an hour, and then realized how long you had been in there together.

The others had heard you guys talking about going on a date, so they left you alone and went home.

The date at the drive in went great, apart from some socs glaring at you and Soda, but they didn’t pull anything so it was all alright. You then became boyfriend and girlfriend, and got married a couple years later. Sadly, Sodapop died in 2023 trying to do a tiktok dance and fell and broke his hip. THE END!!!!

(a/n 2: sorry about the ending. i didn’t know how to finish it off 😭 and sorry if the rest of it is bad as well, still trying to figure out how to write :) )

[evita-shelby]

A witch and a rose

A second gift for Flor/@raincoffeeandfandoms , it was supposed to be wacky kid shenanigans, but then Eva demanded she be writtwn seriously, and i couldn't get her out of there.

I hope you like it

Cw: mentions of Tommy’s depression and suicidal thoughts

Gif by @hellomadelene

1930

For Allie Solomons’ sixth birthday, Tommy had agreed to arrange ponies and horses for the girls to ride by the beach.

As if the antique dollhouse was not gift enough, he had complained when his witch of a wife asked, no, told him they were going take horses to Margate.

“Diane told Allie about her pony on their playdate, so I thought it would be nice for you to let the poor little girl get a pony ride for her birthday.” Eva answered his unspoken question as she was fond of doing before handing him baby Florence as she made damn sure the older children understood they were to be on their best behavior.

After Tommy shot him, Alfie had lost some of his looks.

What the bullet with his name hadn’t finished, was slowly being taken over by his skin cancer.

Did this horrify his children?

Absolutely not.

Like their mother and father, they had inherited an unnatural fascination with the scary and not so pretty aspects of life.

Five-year-old Diane and four year old Gabriel, in their last playdate, had schemed to touch Uncle Alfie’s face and, even worse, done it.

Tommy had hoped Alfie would have scared them into not doing it again ---Tommy didn’t know enough about his condition to know if it was contagious, he just knew its just something you don’t do--- but he just laughed and let them satisfy their curiosity.

“Why do I have to go. They are all babies.” Eight-year-old Charlie complained as he took his seat behind him.

Been a while since they went anywhere as a family.

Eva tried her best to pry him away from work after Polly’s death and his suicide attempts.

Went as far as using her friendship with Rose Solomons to get him to leave the house and the woods.

“Because we will be staying at Margate for the weekend, it will be fun, Carlitos.” Eva said hoping to get the boy to stop pouting. “Besides they’ll be plenty of boys for you to play with, Allie’s cousins will be there.”

“Will Auntie Florence be there?” Dia asked climbing after her brother.

She likes being in the middle, makes it a fucking pain on long drives because she has the bladder of a hummingbird.

“Yes, but we are calling her Esther when we are there.” He reminded her as he made up a lie as to why they can’t call her by Florence or her birth name, Frida. “So we don’t confuse her with the baby.”

How do you tell your children Auntie Florence was a spy and assassin who changed identities like one changes underwear?

“And for your Aunt Polly’s sake, please don’t touch Uncle Alfie’s face without permission.”

The fact that they get there with no accidents is a miracle in itself.

Sometimes the children’s noises cause Tommy to lose his patience which lead to four crying children or worse, Tommy having an episode.

Tommy had suffered since that night.

Margate will do them good, Eva thinks.

Besides, it would help patch things up between her and Rose after they fought when they last saw each other in London.

Rose had called her a sellout when she saw that Eva and Tommy would be budding up to Mosley and the New Party.

Did Rose wait for Eva to explain what Alfie already knew?

No.

Could Eva not have used her daughter’s sixth birthday to tell her they were spying on the fascists to make sure the party never takes off?

Yes, but chances are Rose Coldwell-Solomons wouldn’t hear her out.

It had been a highly likely friendship, both women had strong opinions, valued freedom and most importantly, did not hesitate to make themselves heard.

Sure, it had been awkward when Eva had a whooping four children while Rose struggled with her infertility, but they had made it through those tentative moments and come out the better for it.

And then they had the worst fight after the kids’ playdate ended.

Rose had not been told that the Shelbys flirting with fascism was a cover. Alfie knew, hence why he had agreed to provide a distraction to have Mosley assassinated last January, but it seems no one had told his wife.

To her they were traitors and the worst sort of people.

They had said things, they had burned the metaphorical bridge they stood on and before she could regain her senses, Rose had ended their friendship and left without ever looking back.

Now she was here with gifts and knowing Florence Solomons had her back should Rose try to toss her out on her ass.

“I am not a child; you can’t bribe me with gifts.” Rose crossed her arms once they had had a moment alone in her kitchen.

They’d come early for this exact reason.

So far so good.

“I know, Rosie. I came to apologize; I should have told you why we are kissing Mosley’s ass after failing to kill him instead of assuming Alfie had told you.” Eva began her apology and thanked the Abrahamic god that Florence had given her the file detailing their mission written by Churchill himself.

“Yeah, you should have instead of cutting me out to make space for Cimme Mosley and her friends.” Rose remarked as she skimmed through the file.

“I’m sorry. Can you ever forgive me for being a pendeja about it?” the witch asked noting Rose’s defenses had lowered enough to soften towards her.

It’s all going to go to hell when she discovers this ruse has to last for the next four years.

Just until they know Mosley is not getting anywhere with his party.

“How long are we to pretend we are enemies?” Rose said getting to the agreement in the final page.

Something was happening in 1934, something bad and this chill only happened when Diane and Tommy were together.

Mosley wanted to hurt Tommy and he would hurt Eva’s little witch too.

“Four years. They are planning something, something awful. I don’t know yet, but I feel it in my bones. I only need four years to figure out what it is so I can stop it and make sure Mosley dies alone and his ideas with him.” Eva confessed to her friend and ally.

“I suppose I can forgive you, it’s for a worthy cause. But the moment you arrive in Margate, this---” she says gesturing to the file “--- stays out of my house.”

“Agreed, we have that rule at home. Been a fucking lifesaver.” The witch admits, breathing easier now that she has her friend back.

“We should return to the party; I want to see Allie’s face when she sees the ponies.” Rose smiled jubilantly; motherhood agreed with her.

It was so good to see her have this happiness so long denied her.

“I want to see Alfie’s when he sees Florence bring out her gift for her sweet little niece. What is your policy on a gold and diamond Star of David for Allie?” the witch asked. Maybe she should tell her about the hand painted illustrated Siddur and matching Torah as well and, oh, the wooden Noah’s Ark that was absolutely perfect, but that would wreck the surprise.

[alicewonderao3]

She didn't have time

Title: She didn't have time

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x original female character

Characters: Spencer, Emily, Rossi, Derek, Penelope, JJ, Aaron, Original female character.

Warnings: none, just fluff.

Summary: Aaron's bringing his new girlfriend over to dinner at Rossi's with the team, but she's anxious about meeting his coworkers and friends. Will she be able to charm them as she has him?

Author note: So I had this idea come to me while I was listening to a song. I know, I was inspired by music. So this is singlemom!original character, Alice. I wondered what that might look like, while I was listening to Terri Clark's She didn't have time. Its been a while since I've posted anything, life hasn't been kind to me, and I feel like I'm just struggling lately. I'm hoping things change, it being the new year and all, but I don't have much hope for that. I don't own anything, and I have no beta, so all spelling and grammar mistakes are mine. Let me know what you think, and as always enjoy!

Word count: 796

I was nervous at the thought of meeting his coworkers. Aaron reassured me that they'd love me, but I couldn't help but clutch his hand in mine as we walked into the large home of his friend and co-worker David Rossi. I smiled warmly at everyone, even if they seemed surprised to see him arriving with someone.

Everyone's eyes landed on me as Aaron helped me from my coat, my pink dress a stark contrast to his black polo and jeans. Aaron had reassured me I looked fine, but the way they eyed me, I wasn't sure. He squeezed my hand and leaned down to whisper, "You look fine, Alice." I met his gaze, nodding as he dropped a soft kiss on my lips briefly as he led me over to meet them.

Aaron kept his large, warm hand on the small of my back, as he pointed to each person, who waved at me as he introduced them. "This is David Rossi and Emily Prentiss," The two waved at me, and then he said, "That's Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia, and that is Spencer Reid and JJ." I waved at everyone, and as he went to speak to everyone and give David the bottle of wine we brought, the girls surrounded me.

They all seemed nice, and after a few moments, they asked about me. Emily leveled me with a look, "Alright Alice, tell us about yourself." I smiled, "Well I'm a preschool teacher." I said, as Penelope waved her hand and said, "What I want to know, is how you met and caught the eye of our famously stern unit chief."

The giggles from the rest said they wanted to know the same and I said, "Okay, well, I was shopping, my daughter was with my mama, when I met him. I had a flat tire and the parking lot was so crowded and I had no idea what I was going to do, and then he sort of appeared, like my knight in shining armor. Aaron was so nice, he got all my tools out and helped me change the tire." I said a warm smile on my lips.

JJ leaned in, "Oh, that sounds like Hotch, what happened next?" I smiled, "Well, he asked me if I wanted to go out for coffee, and I couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. We were having coffee together and laughing when he asked me about my daughter. I said, she's five. He asked me if she had my eyes." I said, which made all the women let out the same collective sound, their eyes moving to Aaron where he stood talking with Derek, Spencer, and David.

"I know, it was so sweet. My daughter Ellie and Jack are around the same age, so we set them up on a playdate and they loved playing with each other. He asked me out on a real date and the rest, as they say, is history. Ellie loves Aaron. And he's so good with her." I said, softly.

I pulled my phone out and showed them photos of Aaron and Ellie that I'd snapped over the weekend. "She insisted on having a tea party and he was delighted to attend," I said, as I showed them pictures of Aaron seated in Ellie's room, surrounded by her stuffed animals, with a pink crown on her dark curls, as she gave him a cookie on a flower plate.

JJ smiled, "Oh, she looks just like you," She said, smiling down at the picture of Aaron and Ellie, who had the same honey-brown eyes and dark curls as I do. "yeah, she looks like me. But she adores Aaron and Jack. She and Jack get along so well." I said as we wandered to the dinner table to eat.

The girls brought up his tea party with Ellie and I saw Aaron's cheeks flush as they good-naturedly teased him. "Yes. I couldn't turn down her offer. She was quite persuasive." He says as he wraps his arm around my shoulders. We've finished eating, and he grins at me. "She's like her mama, I can't say no to her."

The girls ooh and ahh over his comment, and on our way out, after promising to visit during the work week one day with Ellie in tow, I lean against Aaron as we walk to his car. He nudges me playfully. "What did I tell you, darling? They loved you." He says, dropping a soft kiss on my head as he opens my door.

I lean up and press a kiss to his lips. "And I love you, Aaron," I murmured, as his eyes held mine, with love and desire in his gorgeous brown eyes. "I love you too, Alice."

[itsdappleagain]

tis time for the need for speed caper!

notes under the cut as always

if you saw my boston tea party caper post you will already know that this is not my favorite episode. potentially one of my least favorites in the season. still has some fantastic moments though, and I'm excited anyway!

cool foreshadowing for next ep with neal. bellum likes him

THE WAY BRUNT'S FACE LIGHTS UP WHEN MECH WALKS IN

these bitches really ARE gay

THE SIGHS AND FORCED POLITE GREETINGS ARE SO FUCKING FUNNY

i love how snarly they animate mech's face. her lip is curled or her nose is wrinkled

poor mechanic. so british it hurts a little bit

a choice of playdates 😭

cs: you can work remotely from my latop! the season being released in 2019: 👁️👄👁️

god why do they always make carmen's hottest and most showstopping outfits only get like a minute of screentime

the complete 180 from barfing at fish to proclaiming his love for a vile operative. fantastic

also mmmmmmmmmmmmmm the driver is a fantastic character. she's set up just enough w/ the green outfit and the mechanic letting us know that there's an operative already in dubai. plus she's milking trey without anyone suspecting a thing. she's so cool. imagine having to play dumb about your specialty for this arrogant little white boy

anyway trey sterlings little earrings

bonus points for how the driver only smiles when trey is looking at her

im a duke and ivy's a rocket scientist wheeze

god that cape on carmen is everything

who voices sterling sterling

okay 1. daddy sterling 2. ITS MR GROUPER FROM BUBBLE GUPPIES JIDSHH. he's been in a ton of shit. soggy joe from amphibia, benzo in arcane, phineas and ferb and a lot of stuff as the amazing hulk. i wonder why they had him do the role GOOD LORD THIS GUY HAS BEEN IN A LOT OF STUFF

so has trey's va

and then the driver throws herself on trey as soon as she confirms that he's the one driving its so good

love how trey uses the wrong names just to be a dick

not entirely sure why zack and ivy went to the party at all when they could have just gone with carmen but whatever

ah, the part of the episode which makes me hate it. zack acting like a homicidal toddler

carmen and the fastest change of clothes in the world

i love how ivy is just glaring at him the whole time

my favorite part about cs being a kid's show is that when characters get arrested the cops just stand there really menacingly because they can't point guns at anyone who isn't dexter wolfe

i love the next few episodes of player and shadowsan bonding/gaining trust with each other tho

i love when carmen gets pissed off about stuff

i also like seeing how on edge she is- flattening herself against the wall on the roof when a car goes by and stuff because she's trying to figure out how she's going to get them out of jail

i love her

HAHA okay i do love to see carmen yell at them because its SO emotive and GOOD but also IVY DID NOTHING WRONG SHE GETS THE SHORT END OF THE STICK

what was possibly worth risking your necks and mine and giving VILE a chance to win RNGRH its such a good line to show carmen's mentality. we see it in stockholm a little too with how she would almost literally rather die than let VILE win

how do they get home

mmmm this show is awesome with the setup for the driver

why would zack and ivy be knocking on his door if they knew he was supposed to be driving the car btw

man this show really tried to go for more refined themes in the depths of the episode. its implied that the driver seduced trey in his trailer and then stole all of his shit once he was undressed but obviously they can't do anything else with it but imply

NO WAY DID THAT CAR STOP THAT FAST BJSDJDGJH

i love how mad carmen is about literally everything in this episode she just snarls about things

PLS THEY JUST STOLE SOME MORE SCHMUCKS CAR

the motorcycle driving animation is so slick though

the driver is underrated actually im realizing

HAHAHA CARMEN'S ANNOYED LITTLE LOOK

i LOVE the animation of the car speeding up to rocket mode its so cool

you can hear the tires squeal every time carmen/the sibs turn their vehicles around

carmen sandiego tragically dies in a 60 mile per hour head on collision atop a parking garage

"whats she going to do, give us both a piggyback ride?" carmen five seconds later:

split up gang! lets look for clues

GIGANTIC AUTOPILOT BUTTON <3

carmen's hips. thank god for this shot

also i love the implication that carmen was just dramatically positioning herself against the wall and waiting for the driver to turn around

i love this fight scene with carmen and the driver btw its good. they are pretty evenly matched

uhhh...where in time is carmen sandiego?

i also love the driver v carmen fight because they are like. clawing at each other. just brawling

those are the fighting moves of a bitch who has been mad ALLLL day and needs to take it out on someone

ivy constantly being terrified of zack's driving because she's seen him flip the car completely upside down before is my favorite

SEEN SOME SHIT

asami is that you

boston tea party and need for speed are truly a two part episode

i love frames of carmen jumping off things before she deploys her glider

she's literally so hot. also her forearm is disconnected from her elbow

THE GLARE DADDY STERLING GIVES HIM SHDGSDS

who still talked to carmen about a headquarters after she screamed "WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO WITHOUT A HEADQUARTERS" into the phone and then hung up in a fit of rage because i wouldnt have

yeah they tried to fake us out didn't they

we got to see that workshop in s4 when carmen was brainwashed..

THE FLIGHT TIME FROM SAN DIEGO TO MOSCOW IS 21 HOURS NO WAY DID THEY MAKE IT IF IT WAS HAPPENING TOMORROW MSGDJKDGJDS

I KNOW A PLACE i love shadowsan

alright theres need for speed. im going to try to crunch out crackle goes kiwi maybe tonight but we'll see how it goes lol

[pro-anomalocaris]

Apparently other generations got to go to the movies regularly? I don't mean "if you begged you might be able to see one MCU movie a year with your friends", I mean they saw multiple movies, in an actual movie theater, per year.

I've been informed that vacations are a thing that families actually used to take. No one I know has ever gone on a vacation, but some of them have parents who did. They'd go camping or go to a relative's house or something. It was apparently feasible to have multiple days off in a row with which to do this, which is wild.

On my 21st birthday I stayed up writing a paper because my boss had made me do an extra shift or risk being fired so I hadn't had time to do my homework. I woke up early the next morning because I had to go to my second job in order to get enough money to afford going to college.

Allegedly other generations got to ride their bikes around and just... go places as kids/teens. If anyone I knew tried that they'd be in more trouble than I can imagine, and their parents would tell them in detail about all the pedophiles and serial killers and human traffickers out there waiting to snatch them up the second they left the house. Those same parents would then be confused when their child, after being told that for 18 years of their life, developed anxiety. After all, what is there to be afraid of? When I was your age we wandered around freely all the time.

The same parents who post the George Carlin bit about how playdates are bad and playing should be spontaneous and free refuse to let their kid play in the yard unsupervised, buy them devices, then complain their kids don't play outside enough. I knew kids who got in trouble for going outside their yard to retrieve a ball or toy that was out of it. Why don't kids these days go outside so I can yell at them for breaching the perimeter? Why are they in their room where they know I can't accuse them of being physically unsafe instead?

No one I knew had a 16th birthday party like you see in the movies. At most you'd be able to invite three people over for supervised fun consisting of birthday cake and video games. My mom's generation apparently went places and did things for that, or for their 18th. On my 18th I was in college and one of my professors emailed me telling me that failure to show up to my 8AM class the next day would not be tolerated. I was in the middle of my work shift so didn't reply right away, so I found a second "no, I'm serious, you HAVE to come to class" email when I was on break. Apparently my failure to reply right away read as non-compliance. My big birthday celebration moment was getting a single cupcake before I went to bed.

None of my friends and I can really afford to hang out. There's nowhere we can afford to go, and going over to each other's places is only sometimes feasible, because we all have a ton of roommates, because it takes that many to afford rent.

The most sought-after drug on campus is Adderall so we can work harder and get more shit done.

One time I missed a day of high school because I was hospitalized due to an allergic reaction (and I'm allergic to anti-allergy meds, which makes treating me difficult) and my English teacher demanded I write an explanation for my actions so I could 'have practice writing', due the next day, on top of all my existing homework.

My post-graduation party plan includes buying one video game I've been saving up for and applying for jobs.

There is no point to this because there is no point to anything at this point. There's no moment this is going to let up or get better. If anything, judging by the total despair in the eyes and words of those in the age bracket directly above me, it's going to get worse.

These are the best days of our lives.

For those of you wondering why Gen Z/millennials are depressed, this is a big part of why.

Maybe this is the wrong platform to pose this question given the average tumblr user but

Is it just me or did our generation (those of is who are currently 20-30 ish) just not get the opportunity to be young in the 'standard' sense?

Like, everyone I talk to who's over 40 has all their wild stories about their teens and 20s, being young and dumb, and then I talk to my friends and coworkers and classmates, and we just... dont.

[moved-meadows]

I got confused which Georgebur anon I am now (another one!!), but thank you so much for that drabble <333 you truly are a gift for all of us. Are you still in the mood for some Georgebur royalty au? Or any au tbh I live for all of them

aaa you’re welcome!! thank you guys for requesting them and indulging me in my own guilty pleasures of georgebur aus. to my knowledge you’re my third georgebur anon? since there’s the og one and the crown one? but i don’t know. 100% i can do another royalty au!! i’m always gonna be in the mood for that

edit: anyway yeah so this took like 7 tries to start and somewhere halfway along i lost where i was going but take it anyway because its like a thousand three hundred words of trash. but like. it’s my trash. and its trash that i like. so y’all will get it anyway you’re welcome

the glittering ballrooms, golden chandeliers with light bouncing off jeweled necks and wrists, lilting classical music and indistinct chatter from people who are watching his every move, hoping to find some sort of weakness that they could pin on his country; all of it’s become second-hand to wilbur. bland, tasteless, boring.

he’s been accompanying his father in these social gatherings for what feels like longer than life that all the parties and the balls have begun to blend together, but between him and his two siblings, there was no other choice. charm and grace had never been techno nor tommy's virtue, both for different reasons entirely. techno’s always struggled with people outside of their immediate family, often getting lost in his own head, and while tommy can be charming when he wishes, he’s too young and far too immature most of the time, hence why it’s always wilbur, with all his charming smiles and honeyed voice.

it’s not that he’s ungrateful. it’s his duty as the prince to solidify his relations with others, and there often comes a certain allure to parties like this (or maybe wilbur just takes far too much glee in proving people wrong when they test him for his skills in conversing in high society) but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t get boring. he’s still only a child, the youngest in this room by far, further proving that he’s not just the useless second prince.

he looks around, his icy blue eyes—the symbol of his country and his father’s lineage—unreadable as he surveys the room. no one is looking at him, and for once he’s grateful to have inherited his mother’s curly brown hair rather than his father and his younger brother’s golden locks, as it allows him to disappear into the crowd, away from the watchful eyes of strangers and his father’s men alike.

the night breeze is heavenly compared to the warmth that had almost become stifling inside, but before he can find himself relaxing he quickly notices a figure sitting on the balcony, head tilted up to the blanket of boundless stars, expression pensive and thoughtful. wilbur tries to leave as quietly as when he first entered, not wanting to distract the beautiful (for he is beautiful, with the beams of moonlight trickling down his pale, exposed neck, bouncing off the smattering of freckles across his face and illuminating his multicolored eyes) stranger, when he says this without even turning around:

“you can stay. if you’d like.” his voice, soft and velvet, surprises wilbur enough to rob him of the words he wishes to say, the words he knows he should say. staying feels... dangerous, for some reason. like falling into a trap except he doesn’t know what it is or how he becomes victim. he’s already treading on unknown waters. he doesn’t want this conversation with this stranger to be his downfall. but against his better judgment, he moves to join him by the edge of the balcony and cranes his head up to look at the stars.

“beautiful, isn’t it?” wilbur nods. it’s unlike anything he’s ever seen back at home. “they say tonight is the night when the twin gods were separated, and their tears are what cover the sky.” he reaches his hand out, fingers stretched as though he could take a handful out of the stars. wilbur thinks dazedly that if it were this man, he could. he looks like he belongs up there with all of them. the stranger turns to him with eyes that see more than he would ever know.

“did you come out here to get away from it all too?” wilbur’s eyes threaten to look back at the warm glow of the inside, but it’s like he has him in a trance, as he can’t allow himself to look away.

“just a breather,” he replies dumbly, his tongue not working like it usually does.

“would you like to get away, then? pretend we’re not who we know we are?” that’s when wilbur looks down at the stranger's garb; light and casual, though expressly regal, except without any symbolism that would point him to his country of origin. he blinks wildly, drawing back, ice growing in his gaze as he starts closing himself off. in his mind, he’s already berating himself for getting distracted and letting his guard down.

the stranger takes his hand before he could fully take back all his wits.

“oh come on, don’t be like that. i don’t want to have to remember, not right now. and i know you don’t either.” once again, he agrees, against his better judgment, nodding quietly and knowing that he’ll agree again and again if only to see the flushed smile that blooms on the stranger’s lips when he sees him nod, “there’s a place i want to show you.” without letting go of his hand, he hops off the balcony with pristine grace, shoes making barely a sound as they hit the marble floor.

the stranger, for he still had not supplied his name, guided him past guards with such mastery that he can’t help but wonder how this person knows the inner and outer workings of the palace so well, but wilbur can’t focus on it for too long with george’s hand in his. he wonders if this is what he had thought all along, wishing for something to cure his boredom.

he leads them through long hallways that seem frozen in time, picturesque in their hazy beauty, with the two of them never slowing down long enough for wilbur to get a proper look. once again, wilbur doesn’t find himself minding too much, knowing he’s too distracted with every time they duck underneath the wide windows where moonlight spills in and drenches him. the same moonlight from the balcony they found each other in, and which they now find themselves under, deep in a maze of roses and thorns that had stopped making sense to wilbur within the first few turns.

the stranger had climbed to the roof of the gazebo just as easily as he had climbed off the balcony, and when wilbur compares his mannerisms to a cat he grins just like one, threatening to make wilbur fall. they talk for hours. he tells him not about his kingdom nor all the people back in the ballroom, and neither does he bring any of it up. instead, he talks about how he never believed in the gods until he told him all the stories in each constellation, and he compliments him for the fact that his mind is a void, and yet he can still spin the most beautiful tales. he sings for him, drunk on the night and the way he was able to make the stranger laugh so hard his eyes flutter close as he throws his head back. he almost doesn’t realize their time coming to an end as they both lean against the tiled roof, fingertips nearly brushing though never quite there.

“it’s getting late,” he murmurs, sounding just as reluctant for things to end as wilbur feels, his eyelashes making long shadows across his cheekbones as he blinks sleepily, finally lacing their pinkies together. shyly, almost hesitantly. wilbur finds himself braver than he had been all night, and perhaps in a very long time, and slowly dips the rest of his fingers in between his, watching as a warm blush settles over the stranger’s face.

their hands don’t leave each other as they traverse back to the balcony, rushing with each carriage that leaves the front gates threatening to be one of theirs. they’re panting when they finally reach their final destination, red cheeks not just from the cold air and physical exertion. when the stranger pulls his hand away, wilbur catches him just before he could.

“wait,” he says before he could stop himself, biting his lip, “tell me your name?”

he watches the stranger smile, leaning in close. that’s when wilbur notices their height difference, with how his forehead barely reaches his chin.

“george,” he had supplied, in hushed words that settled warm over wilbur’s skin as he leans back.

[jaylver]

ALL OF THE GIRLS YOU LOVED BEFORE — P.JS

SYNOPSIS: growing up, you've always known this one boy who was your father's best friend's son. as you grew older, you watched the girls come and go, at the same time, you somehow got closer to him as well. feelings sparked and you progressively found yourself liking him. what were you going to do? kiss him.

PAIRINGS: childhood friend!jay x afab!reader

GENRE: childhood friend to lovers, romance, a pinch of angst

WARNING(S): profanities, two of them being a bit dumb

WC: 3049

AUTHOR NOTES: i'm in a jay brainrot and after hearing miss swift's newest song, i knew i needed to write something. it isn't the best i admit, i rushed it HEKSJ but i hope you'll like it! PLEASE GIVE SOME FEEDBACKS THANKIES 🫶

masterlist | © jaylver 2023 all rights reserved

Ever since you were a kid, you knew this boy from your father's best friend. Park Jong Seong, also known as Jay. He was the son of your father's life long best friend, but unlike them, you and Jay didn't happen to be as close.

You were six when you first met him. It was his birthday and your dad had dragged you over to his house against your will, typical. You didn't have any high expectations for him as a kid, just wishing he had some legos for you to play.

Up till the moment you were facing him, your fathers introducing you to each other, you only realised how cute he was. Yes, little six year old you might've had a love at first sight moment. You can't blame yourself, his chubby cheeks and shy demeanour made you more curious.

You handed him his present silently, watching as he accepted it and in the next moment, his face broke into a small smile, grabbing your wrist and bringing you into his playroom.

Unfortunately, you and Jay barely met up after that, both of you having busy lives and your parents having no time to bring you to playdates either. You didn't think much of it as a kid, thinking of him as the funny boy who had tons of legos and that was it.

You figured you'll never see him again despite him being your father's best friend's son, but you were wrong. In the next few years, you would always go over his house for birthdays and the new years, it basically became a tradition. 

Of course, only seeing one another once or twice a year, each year would be a different version of him, and you began noticing the big change he went through when you were sixteen. 

Jay was much taller, voice deeper, his hair parted in a different way, his style evolved and the way his face had changed too … lord, he evolved like a pokemon.  

You being a sixteen year old teen wasn't helping either. It was the prime year for a girl like you to be having crushes, chasing after guys, basically overwhelming hormones that had you thinking Jay was cute. Cute cute. 

On that specific new year, you remembered having to do a double take when you entered the Parks' house, not realising he was, in fact, Jay. You hid the shyness and did what you always do whenever you're around for New Years Eve. 

But that night, both of your parents were out for a party, in their words 'a party for adults', dumping their kids alone at home instead. It was awkward to say the least, having to sit on the far end of the couch with a movie playing in the background, Jay seeming half entertained by it.

"Hey," he scooted over and you turned over to see him inching close and closer until his shoulder was against yours.

"Yeah?" He can't be trying to hook up, right? You can't help but think, nervousness creeping up your throat.

"I heard there's a New Years party in town, let's sneak out?"

"Really?" 

"Do you trust me?"

"I–I guess?"

"It's a 'yes' or 'no', Y/N,"

Panic and adrenaline rushed over you, fearing your parents would beat your ass knowing you're sneaking out, but it was Jay. You couldn't really say no. "Yes, fine,"

Jay replied only with a happy grin, snatching your wrist and switching the tv off, dashing out into the garage. "Don't worry, I've driven before,"

"If you crash, I'll kill you," you hissed but Jay ignored your threat, blissfully driving to the town.

Along the way, it felt like a scene from a coming of age movie. The radio was turned to the fullest volume, the two of you screaming your lungs out to the lyrics and having the windows opened, wind blowing against your faces. 

The ride was quite short but memorable, your hand was in Jay's the whole time as he led you through the fun fair, the whole town alighted with bright lights and loud music. 

The clock was ticking and Jay had finally dragged you to a specific spot. The place was empty and quiet, but the sky was clear and there weren't any buildings to cover your sight.

"This spot is the best for fireworks," Jay mentioned, sitting on the ground, which you followed suit.

"Really?"

"Yeah, my friend's brought me here once,"

"That's … cool," you said uneasily, an awkward tension unknowingly settled between the two of you.

"How's life for you?" Jay glanced at you, a hint of genuine curiosity in his eyes.

"It's fine. Typical highschool stuff. A guy did confess to me once, but I didn't feel the same," you found yourself babbling secret information, unsure why you were suddenly so comfortable with Jay. Maybe it was his presence, or maybe it was just him in general.

"You're amazing obviously, I'm not surprised he confessed. Just a shame it wasn't mutual," Jay said and your ears perked up.

Jay thought you were amazing. 

"Right," you choked out, slightly flustered. "What about you?"

"It's chill, not much going on," Jay was fidgeting with his fingers, chewing on his lips. "I'm in a band with my friends though,"

"Oh! That's really cool,"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," you repeated. "I'm sure you're super good. What position are you?"

"I play the guitar,"

"You should teach me someday,"

"You should come by more often," he confessed, gulping a little after realising what he had said. "It's been a long while since we've met,"

"You're right, come pick me up then,"

"Only on nights my parents are out," he laughed, pausing for a second. "Come to my show one day,"

He wasn't asking, he was making it clear he wanted you there. 

"Of course, I'd love to."

The night faded off into colourful fireworks, small jokes that would soon be inside jokes in the future, and tired laughs rang into the quietness.

This was the only time you were sixteen and doing something wild, considering you would never ever have the balls to sneak out, but you were glad you did it that night, and all of it together with Jay. 

Your lives went on and though you and Jay barely kept in contact, his request rang in your head from time to time. You felt like you've known him all your life, yet you knew completely nothing about him at the same time.

Around April the same year, you went over to his house to celebrate your birthday together with him since you two shared close birthdays and it pretty much became a tradition by now. 

Upon arriving, you awkwardly stepped into the house, your parents too busy talking with Jay's parents out in the garden. Everything was familiar to you, but also unfamiliar as you've never travelled further in, feeling slightly tense while you sat yourself on the couch.

"Y/N?" 

You turned your head around, meeting Jay's eyes, his body leaning against the wall. He smiled at once, approaching you and taking a seat next to you, he was a little too close.

"Jay, hi," you breathed out, blinking slowly. 

"How have you been? We haven't seen each other much lately, but you do seem like you're having fun in your stories," for a moment you've forgotten you and Jay were following each other on Instagram, having the access to view your day to day life.

"Oh, it's nothing, just a girl's trip," he was referring to the day you went out of town with your friends, quite surprised he somehow took note of it.

"Sounds fun," he mused, nodding a little. "By the way, my girlfriend's coming, I hope you don't mind,"

You totally just experienced whiplash, completely bewildered that he had a … girlfriend?! You weren't surprised since he's cool, tall, handsome and super smart, but you hadn't expected it this early.

"I'm chill with it," you laughed it off, trying to seem nonchalant. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend,"

"Oh, yeah, we met at a gig of mine," he gave you a half grin. "Which you should totally come and get blown away by my skills,"

"As if," you giggled. "Send me the place, I'll pop by soon,"

"You promise?"

"I do."

Your sixteenth birthday definitely did hurt more compared to your past ones and it had a simple reason behind it. Well, it was because of Jay. The same Jay you couldn't help crushing over despite having the slightest contact with, but you didn't care, you knew him all your life, and he's the Jay you've always recognized, the same sweet and caring one.

Seeing his girlfriend's birthday card that was written for him on the table had you swallowing your cake sadly. Hearts were drawn around his name in her handwriting. Totally cool.

You kept your promise to Jay and stopped by one of his gigs without letting him know, which surprised him. On the other hand, you were the one who's more surprised. He did live up to his expectations, charming you and the crowd with his guitar skills and honey vocals. Gosh, whatever you were feeling for him, forget it, it's not dissipating.

To repay your kindness, Jay promised to turn up to one of your football games and you just laughed it off, waving your hands, but you knew for a fact that once he had said it, he was really going to do it.

And so he did. He was a man of his words. Luck was on your side too, winning the game victoriously and seeing Jay running up to you once the game was over, the biggest grin plastered on his face. He was practically telling you how good you were that day, bringing you for ice cream after.

Ever since then, your relationship with him grew unexpectedly. You were 17 together, then 18, watching the girls in Jay's life come and go, but the moment you had a boyfriend yourself, he wasn't the most keen on it.

You told yourself he was probably just protective, going through a phase where you thought he just "wouldn't get it". Oh how terribly wrong you were. He did get it, and your first boyfriend ended up breaking your heart.

You cried over a boy whose name you couldn't remember now, hiding in the bathroom until Jay had to drive to your house and slammed your door repeatedly for you to get out.

You said nothing, just falling into his chest with a thud and crying your eyes out. You knew he had a secret 'I told you so' in him, but he didn't say anything, keeping you in his arms until the sun had set.

21, college and being legal enough for alcohol, you and Jay explored frat parties, both being single and available, it was a hidden opportunity. Shots were downed into your throats and thankfully, you shared good alcohol tolerance levels with Jay, meaning it would be a long night ahead.

Someone had brought up hide and seek as the night's party game, and you initially thought it was stupid, but once you heard the winner getting a deal of a 100 dollars, you were in, partnering with Jay naturally.

On the count of ten, you dashed around the frat house with Jay's hand in yours, him following behind like a lost puppy. You entered someone's bedroom, finding a lucky hiding spot in a closet, pulling Jay in.

You closed the closet door shut, not realising how tight the space actually was, your chest pressed against Jay's, heat radiating off of each other's body. You've officially dug yourself a grave.

"Hi," Jay whispered, his gaze soft paired with a childish grin on his face.

"Hi," you smiled back at him, your eyes wandering all over his face, scrutinising his features.

"It's a little hot in here," Jay fanned himself a little awkwardly from the limited space. 

"Definitely," you looked away for a second before staring back at him. "You have a really nice mole here," your finger grazed against his face, but he didn't flinch, accepting your touch.

"Do I?"

"Yeah," you murmured, your fingers moving to the side of his face, gently brushing loose strands of hair away from his face. He was so painfully pretty, you quietly thought in your head.

"You're really pretty, Y/N," he said out of the blue, causing you to freeze, catching you completely off guard. "I don't think I've said it once, but I've always thought you were pretty, beautiful even,"

Uh oh, you're falling in love.

"I don't know what to say," you said truthfully, gulping nervously. "I'm flattered, really, I—uh—thank you," you laughed, your cheeks getting unbearably red.

"You're flustered," he leaned in close to you, his eyes not leaving yours. He was inches away from you, his cologne infiltrating your senses, the scent a little too familiar.

Oh no, you're falling in love again.

"Shut up," you punched his shoulder. "You're such a tease,"

"You love that about me," 

"Sure," you rolled your eyes, ignoring his piercing gaze.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Will you regret it?" Uncertainty laced in your tone, scared, anxious, that you'd ruined something between the two of you.

"No," he answered with a certain sureness in his voice, his eyes truthful and honest. "Will you?"

"If I do, I wouldn't be doing this—" you pulled him in close by the back of his neck, pressing your lips onto his, your brain turning into mush. 

His lips reciprocated back, kissing you deeply and having to place his hand on the side of your neck for some stability. The kiss was more than just a simple one, not the kind that would be forgotten easily, there was something more to it.

It felt like aeons before you finally broke apart, panting heavily against each other's lips, your hands still on his shoulder; his hand now on your waist. 

Oh, you're falling in love.

There were many things you've regretted in life, but this? You would do it over and over again if you had the choice to, and maybe you do.

"I—"

"Is there anyone here?" A voice came from the outside and the two of you froze, hoping it wasn't the seeker. "The game's over," the person yelled out before you heard the door shutting.

"We survived it," you muttered cheekily, trying to ignore Jay's gaze.

"Yeah—uh—" he brushed his hand against his pants, the tension in the air thick enough to be sliced by a knife. "Should I drive you home?"

"Please do."

Ever since that night at the frat party, you've been on and off with Jay. You were caught up with work and Jay was busy, but the part where he said he was having a date did set you off completely.

None of you talked about the kiss. You didn't like the fact that you didn't, waiting for him to speak up about it first, but you hated the waiting game, yet you still couldn't make the first move. Jay seemed like he was about to talk about it every time he hung out with you, but he never did.

Days turned into a week, having only seen Jay once or twice, you figured you were avoiding each other. You hated the feeling, you were dreading it, dreading the fact that one day something like this would happen, and it did.

The silent treatment ended the moment when you were forcefully pulled into his dorm room when you passed by one day. Letting out a yelp in fear until you realised it was Jay. 

"Jay?"

"Hi," he gave you an apologetic smile, holding onto your hand softly. "I—uhm—figured we have to talk … about that night,"

"Oh,"

"Are you avoiding me?" He cut to the chase, shocking you a little.

"No, I thought you were,"

"I wasn't," his eyebrows were furrowed, a quizzical look on his face. Were you two just in denial?

"Look, you asked me if I will regret the kiss and up until now, no, I didn't," sincerity shone in his eyes, his chest heaving. "But did you?"

"Of course not," you breathed out truthfully, noticing a sign of relief in his features.

"Good, because I like you, Y/N," Jay confessed, his gaze dropping to the ground to avoid your wide eyes, hands squeezing yours gently. "All of the girls that I've had in my life, they couldn't compete, you were the only one who mattered most to me. I never realised that, I admit, until I found myself trying to find a little bit of you in the girls I've dated, but none of them could ever compare to you."

You were stunned speechless, your heart twisting and pounding hard against your chest.

"I didn't want to repeat the mistake of doing all the avoiding, it's dumb, so I just want to talk to you here, one on one," he continued. "I'm sorry it took me years to realise. I was in denial that I liked you, I was scared you didn't, and the date I went to, I just couldn't stop thinking about us,"

You resisted the urge to smile, watching as Jay rambled in panic. "I like you too, Jay, ever since we were kids," you shook his hand, trying your best to put on the most reassuring smile. "To be fair, I'm in the wrong too, I didn't really have the balls to say anything either, but I'm just glad we're here now,"

Jay processed your words, features twisting from shock to relief, clear euphoria in his gaze. "Can I be your boyfriend?" 

"I thought you'd never ask,"

You pulled him in by his collar, pressing your lips onto his and you let your hand wander into his hair, feeling him smile against your lips at the gesture. You grinned into the kiss, eliciting a small laugh from Jay in between. You wished to stay like this forever with him.

The stars were aligned, your past and his were intertwined to bring the both of you together. All of the girls he's loved before, forget about them, they made Jay the man you've fallen for in the end, and you're thankful for that, loving him a lot. More than anything and everything.

( © jaylver all rights reserved. do NOT copy, plagiarise or edit my work and repost whatsoever. once discovered will be exposed and blacklisted. )

[babyhatesreality]

Jellybean seems like an important part of the little ones life so I wonder what they would do if her stuffy gets lost? ☀️🧡

HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE

Sooooooo....I'm guessing this ask was made hoping for some major angst, some major tears, and a lot of fluff to even it all out.

My brain thinks different, y'all. Sorry. Hope you enjoy it anyways. I also wanted to make this in-line with another one of my stories, I'm pretty happy with how it fits the world. Thank you for the lovely ask and the opportunity to connect dots <3 <3 <3

*Also- thank you all for your patience- it's been a very turbulent couple of weeks. Hoping to get back into the swing of writing. Thank you!

Careful of your Catchphrase

Pairing: Daddy!Stucky x little f!reader

Warnings: DDLG (SSC), f! reader, reader is named but name scarcely used, pet names, language, touch of paranoid Papa, super overly dramatic reader (like....SO dramatic ugh), reader feeling angsty (to put it lightly), reader thinks bunny has been kidnapped, bless-their-heart-oh-so-dumb men, fluffity fluff fluff fluff.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. THIS STORY IS SFW- THE REST OF MY BLOG IS NOT NECESSARILY SO. MINORS DNI. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR MY WORK TO BE STOLEN, COPIED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY OTHER SITE BUT MY OWN. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated. 

Steve and Bucky looked at each other, eyes locked in an intense gaze, then simultaneously breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I can't believe we pulled it off," Steve said, his lungs beginning to work again properly.

"Shit. Why did that scare me more than any other field agent assignment in recent history?" Bucky grumbled, shaking his head.

"Because you love the target this time," Steve replied back with a relieved grin, stroking his husband's cheek affectionately. He felt almost triumphant in their success.

You'd been with them for nearly two months now, having passed your probation period and been given the official blessing. It had been bliss- fantastic, fun, and full of love. Lots of cuddles, lots of silly and sweet play, lots and lots of cookies, all the time.

Then they got a whiff of Jellybean, your most favorite stuffie in the world.

You dragged that bunny everywhere you were allowed to. She slept in your arms at night, she went to all the parties and playdates and picnics, and she was both an excellent tea party companion and a brave soldier in Daddy's army (bunnies are versatile like that).

But just yesterday, you'd been snuggling on Steve's lap while he worked at his desk, Jellybean cuddled close to you. You were feeling littler than normal, and Steve was happy to indulge you. But having that stuffie practically right under his nose made him suddenly aware of just how much dirt, sweat, and who knows what else was lingering in her soft fur. And when you brought Jellybean's ear to your mouth to suck on, Steve nearly had an nervous breakdown. And then, so did you when they tried to take her from you to wash her.

You were in a littler mindset and didn't understand what was happening, couldn't understand their gentle explanations. All you knew was that you WERE NOT letting that bunny go for anything. It had been a rough couple hours with a lot of tears (which freaked them both out) before they gave up, determined to try again tomorrow.

You were about where you normally were regression-wise today, but you still had lingering anxiety about your beloved Jellybean, so she was firmly in your grasp from the moment you woke up. Steve was losing his mind, freaking himself out with the germs and diseases that he'd conjured up in his mind. He became desperate. Not a good look.

They'd waited until they finally got you down for a nap, then they struck. Moving with the precision of two super soldiers in the Temple of Doom, they'd managed to extract Jellybean from under your arm while you were deeply asleep and replace her with Pipsqueak, your second favorite stuffie (who was going to be due for the same treatment soon, but one step at a time). They'd snuck back out, not making a sound, and had gotten Jellybean into the wash on the gentle cycle. The laundry room door was shut so you wouldn't hear.

Success!

*****************************************************

You woke up about twenty minutes later. Normally, you slept for about an hour during nap time, but...something was off. Something felt wrong. And you recognized it the second you looked down. Jellybean wasn't in your arms. On on your bed. Or on the floor. Or in the room.

Disaster!

You launched yourself from your bed, tearing into the living room where Daddy and Papa were watching some movie. They both sat bolt upright when you catapulted yourself into the room, shocked that you were up.

"Baby, what's wrong??" Steve asked, his eyes wide with alarm. Bucky's eyes darted around the room, instantly on the alert for danger.

"JELLYBEAN!!!" was all you could wail before crumpling onto the floor in a heap, sobbing. You felt strong arms pick you up and cradle you, and a set of fingers combing through your hair.

"Sshh, sshh, it's okay Babygirl," Bucky whispered, trying to calm you down.

"NOT OKAY!! Jellybean is GONE!!" you cried into Bucky's teeshirt.

"Oh, honey, she's not gone, she's just taking a little bath right now."

Your tears instantly stopped at Papa's words. You twisted your head to look at him. "She takin' a baf?" you asked, trying to make it all make sense. Papa nodded. You whipped around back to Bucky, and began pushing against his chest. "Down!!"

"Now, hold on a minute, Trouble..."

"DOWN!!"

"Hey, I know you're upset, but-"

"DOWNDOWNDOWNDOWNDOWN!!!!!!!!!"

Completely shocked at his normally well-behaved little girl's tantrum, Bucky's only working instinct was to give you what you wanted. He set you down quickly and you took off for the bathroom. They exchanged a quick look of panic before following you. Just as they were getting to the bathroom door, you nearly barreled them over tearing out of the room towards the other bathroom. They tried calling after you, but you were on a mission and NOTHING was going to stop you.

"I've never seen her freak out like this before," Bucky muttered to Steve while they followed your frantic footsteps.

"I know," Steve whispered back, his anxiety going through the roof. "I had no idea she was going to take it this way. What do we do?"

"Hell if I know." They both stopped talking as you threw yourself back into the hallway, skidding to a halt right in front of them, your eyes crazed.

"She not in the bafroom!!" you shrieked in an accusatory tone. "You said she was takin' a baf!" Before they could even inhale to try to answer you, a brilliant idea came to you. "She YITTLE! She take baf in da sink!!" And you were running like your feet were on fire to the kitchen sink. You looked- and she wasn't there either.

Bucky and Steve caught up to you as you were pacing, thinking so hard you looked like you were trying to solve world hunger. "She can't take baf in dishwasher or washin' machine- she dwown in dere..." you mused to yourself. You didn't see the look of pure horror that Steve and Bucky exchanged. If you realized that they put your precious bunny in the washing machine and drowned her, you would have a major meltdown, or worse- never forgive them. Their attentions jerked back to you as you stopped pacing.

"She been kidnapped!!" you gasped in horror, coming to the only logical conclusion left to you.

"Oh, baby, she's not-"

"JARVIS!!!" you screamed at the top of your lungs to the AI, making Steve and Bucky wince. "NEED TO TALK TO EVERYONE, NOW!!"

"As you wish, Princess."

"No, no, JARVIS, you don't need to-"

"A direct line to the team is open, Princess."

You took the biggest breath you could, and screamed with all your might.

"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!"

Steve and Bucky just stood there frozen in shock, jaws on the floor, dumbfounded at your battle cry. They couldn't even find the words to respond.

The silence didn't last for long.

Suddenly, an almighty crash shook the entire apartment. Steve dove for you, his protective instinct taking over, as Bucky jumped in front of both of you. Before you even realized what really happened, you heard loud footsteps thundering down the hallway.

"NONE SHALL SURVIVE THAT HAVE CAUSED HARM TO THIS FAMILY!" Thor roared, dressed in full battle gear, charging into the living room, breathing hard and wielding Mjolnir. He whipped his head around, hammer raised, surveying the territory. When he only found Steve and Bucky frozen in shock and confusion with you desperately squirming to get out of Steve's arms, he lowered his hammer and joined in the looks of confusion. "I...think I may have acted in earnest," he said sheepishly.

"NO!" you wailed, thrashing with all your might. "I need you Unca Thor!! Jellybean been KIDNAPPED!!!"

"Jelly...bean? Someone has taken your colorful sugar candies that are shaped like kidneys?"

"No, Jellybean is my bunny!! She my best friend in da whole world and she GONE!!" you yelled as you wildly twisted in Steve's arms. He finally unlocked his frozen limbs and set you down, and you immediately made a mad dash right for Thor. "We gotta find her!!!"

Thor's confused gaze slowly flicked up to Steve and Bucky. They both frantically pantomimed that the bunny was in the washing machine. Thor nodded in relieved understanding, before smiling down on you. "Not to worry, young one, it seems as though your Jellybean is-"

He suddenly cut himself off when Steve and Bucky wildly shook their heads for him to stop, then silently indicated that you would lose your mind if you knew. Thor stared at them so long with such confusion that you turned around to see what was going on. Bucky immediately started staring around the room, the walls suddenly the most interesting thing he'd ever seen, while Steve gave you one of his hearty Captain America everything-is-fine salutes. You looked at them curiously, but then turned your attention back to Thor. Bucky and Steve frantically resumed their charades, finally making Thor understand that under no circumstances should you be informed of where Jellybean actually was.

"Jellybean is what, Unca Thor?" you asked desperately.

"...Jellybean has...definitely been kidnapped," he finished lamely, unable to come up with another excuse on the fly as Steve facepalmed and Bucky inaudibly groaned. "But I'm sure she'll be returned in...an hour or so?"

Before you could question that, Tony came charging into the room. "Squirt, what's the problem?" he said in a rush, locking eyes with you a split second before taking in the rest of the room and the three other dumbfounded men. His eyebrows constricted as he tried to make sense of the scene. You quickly explained the horrors of your missing bunny, and his eyebrows slowly crept into his hairline as you tripped over your words in your distress. After another round of charades behind your back, Tony was up to speed. He stood up straight, trying to think his way around this one, but only came up with one thing.

"I assume that's why there's a Thor-sized hole in the wall where your front door used to be?" he asked Steve, who turned to Thor in exasperation.

"I was in earnest," Thor explained, shrugging. You stomped your feet, frustrated.

"Unca Tony, we gotta get Jellybean back! I need the 'Vengers to help me!" you pleaded.

"Uhhhh...okay squirt, it's okay," he said, thinking about how Peter would react if his favorite toy went missing. "Why don't we...make sure that she's not in the apartment first? Huh? That's a good idea, right? Of course it is, let's go."

"No, I already look everywhere! She not here!!" you insisted before charging over to him, and holding your arms up. He instantly picked you up, assuming that you wanted comfort, but instead you started pushing on his chest.

"Whatcha doing, honey?" he asked, confused and curious.

"Where's your button that makes your suit go on??" you grumbled as you punched all over his chest. "I KNOW it here somewhere." He would have snickered had you not clearly been so upset.

"I don't think I'm going to need my suit here, kiddo." He nodded sanctimoniously when you gasped in agreement.

"You right! You need money!" He stopped nodding. "In case da kidnappers want me to pay for Jellybean! Can I have a million dollars?"

Tony slow burn glared at Steve. "What the hell are you two letting her watch?" he muttered as they stared at you, once again shocked. You shook your head.

"No, Unca Tony! 'Member you said to Unca Bruce dat you wouldn't pay kidnappers after Pietro broke your record thingy. But dis different. I need a million dollars please." It was Bucky and Steve's turn to glare at Tony, who turned a deep red and set you down quickly.

"Moving right along," he said after clearing his throat. That's when Natasha and Clint came strolling in. Natasha looked around at all the craziness calmly.

"So. What seems to be the trouble here?" she asked you kindly, but the rest of the team could see the hints of the smirk on her lips.

"Aunt Nat, Jellybean is gone!" you wailed, running over to her. "She been kidnapped and I can't find her and the 'Vengers gotta find her please!"

Natasha leaned down just a bit and smoothed your hair away from your face. "Hold on there, honey bunny," she said in her calmest voice. "Take a deep breath for me, okay?" You nodded tearfully, but did as she asked. "Good girl," she praised soothingly. "Tell you what. Can Uncle Clint get you some juice while I talk to your daddies for a minute?"

"But...but we gotta find Jellybean!" you said, your breath catching as you started to get worked up again. "Gotta find her, please!!"

"And we will, I promise," she said, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. "But I think I need to get some information before we start looking, okay? Can you be a big girl and let Uncle Clint get you some juice please? Then we'll find her, I promise," After another moment and another big breath, you nodded.

"Atta girl," Clint said, scooping you up and taking you to the kitchen. You tearfully explained the whole saga to him while he sat you down on the kitchen island and poured you a sippy cup full of apple juice, nodding seriously as you explained everything. He knew all too well the intense emotions that came with regression, especially when it came to favorite stuffies, and how important it was for caregivers to take your feelings seriously. He was also trying to distract you from the hisses and the whispers of the violent verbal battle happening in the living room behind you.

Your head whipped around when you heard Bucky hiss loudly "Natasha, NO," as Aunt Natasha walked briskly into the kitchen. She gently nudged Clint out of the way and stood in front of you.

"We go find Jellybean now?" you asked her hopefully, your sippy cup still clutched in your hands.

"Jellybean is just fine, sweetheart," she said reassuringly. Your eyes became as round as saucers as you took in her meaning.

"You know where Jellybean is?!" you shrieked, before attempting to launch yourself off the island. Aunt Nat was just as quick as Papa was when you were trying to escape bedtime. She popped you onto her hip and started walking towards the laundry room with 4 anxious and confused men and one snickering one in tow.

"I do know where she is, and she's perfectly okay," Natasha said gently, bouncing you a bit. "I'm going to take you to see her."

"Natasha, don't," Steve said, his teeth gritted, his tone between a command and a plea. You looked over her shoulder at your daddies who appeared to be sweating bullets, but you didn't understand why.

Natasha completely ignored them and marched right into the laundry room, you still firmly on her hip. She pointed to the spinning laundry behind the front loader's door. "Jellybean is right there, baby. She's taking a bath, just like your daddies said she was."

Your eyes filled with tears. "But...but she...what if she dwown?" you asked fearfully, looking at Natasha with large, pleading, watery eyes as the rest of the team, crowded in the doorway, all held their breath in fear.

Natasha brushed your hair away from your eyes again and rubbed her nose against yours. "She won't drown, sweetheart. This is how furry friends take baths. They're special like that. They can breathe just fine in the washing machine, and then after they dry they smell so nice and fresh and clean- just like you do after you take your bath!" Steve and Bucky felt their blood turn to ice in terror, waiting for what they were sure was going to be another meltdown from you.

"Jellybean okay?" you asked again, your eyes darting to the window and back to hers.

"Jellybean is okay, I promise. You wanna see?" Natasha put you down and knelt in front of the window. "It's okay, I promise. Come look," she encouraged. You carefully sat down on the floor next to her, still not sure about this. You suddenly saw hint of soft grey fur slide past the window- that was her!!

You slapped your little hands on the window, desperate for another look at your bunny. "Aunt Nat, you SURE she's okay?" you asked again.

"Very sure. In fact, Buttons took a bath just like this a couple days ago, and Wanda had her yesterday, remember?" Natasha said. "Same thing will happen with Jellybean. She'll be just fine." You thought about it- Wanda did have Buttons the Bear with her last night! And she had been okay!

"Oh. Okay den," you said, suddenly calm as could be. You plopped back down on your butt, scootching backwards to lean up against the wall. "I wait here for her baf to be done. Tank you, Aunt Nat!" You casually sipped on your juice as Steve and Bucky's jaws hit the floor again. How the hell were you so calm now, when five seconds ago you were all headed for World War Three?!

Natasha chuckled and gave you a kiss on the top of your head before turning around and walking out of the room. All the men crowded in the doorway parted to let her pass, except Clint, who had collapsed against the wall, silently laughing at the others' dumbfounded expressions. Natasha turned back to them.

"You all are idiots," she said simply with a smile, before turning and walking out of the Thor shaped hole in the front wall while Clint howled with laughter.