#nate buzz x reader

[itneverendshere]

you said i have to trust more freely - r.c series (three)

requested here; (one); (two)

pairing: rafe x pogue!reader (the duff inspired) word count: 5.4k

You hadn’t planned for that kiss to happen the other day.

It was supposed to be all part of the game, of the plan.

You just wanted to learn things properly. Right? But you knew, you had wanted it, and worse, you had liked it.

God, what the hell were you doing?

He was Rafe Cameron. Cocky, rich, your nightmare with a reputation that should have sent you running in the opposite direction. And yet, here you were, feeling the ghost of his lips against yours, wondering what would’ve happened if he hadn’t pulled back. If you hadn’t let the spell break.

"Focus," you muttered to yourself, shaking your head like you could shake him off too. You had bigger things to worry about—like Nate.

Remember Nate? The whole point of this was to get him to notice you, to finally realize that you were more than just the girl he studied with. You weren’t supposed to be getting caught up with Rafe Cameron’s sudden vulnerability or, God forbid, catching feelings for him.

You groaned, running a hand through your hair as you turned down the street toward your apartment. But no matter how hard you tried to ignore it, the thought of Rafe stayed with you for hours, sneaking its way back in every time you thought you’d pushed it out for good.

What was it about him, anyway? He was hot, sure. But it wasn’t just that. It was the way he looked at you sometimes, like he was seeing something deeper. Like there was more to this than either of you were willing to admit. And maybe that was the problem. Maybe you were starting to want him to see more.

By the time you reached your door, you had spiraled enough to know you needed a distraction. So you did what any girl in your situation would do: you grabbed your phone and texted Harper back.

You: Movie night better include wine. Lots of wine.

Her reply came almost immediately.

Harper <3:  “Already taken care of, babe. See you soon.”

You smiled to yourself, feeling a little better. It was exactly what you needed. Maybe after a few glasses of wine and some cheesy rom-coms, you’d finally stop thinking about that stupid kiss.

As you closed the door behind you and flopped onto your bed, your phone buzzed again. Expecting it to be Harper, you lazily reached for it, but your heart nearly stopped when you saw Rafe’s name instead.

Rafe: got your notes ready for tomorrow? or should i just show up and charm my way through it?

You stared at the screen for a second, unsure whether to laugh or throw your phone across the room. Why did he always have to do this? Act like nothing had changed when everything felt different?

Not that you were any better.

Finally, you typed back.

You: “depends. can ur charm get you through an entire chapter on portuguese colonization?”

His reply came almost instantly. Like he’d been waiting for yours.

Rafe: “we both know my charm can get me through anything.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the stupid smile tugging at your lips.

You: “let’s not test that theory. see you tomorrow.”

You tossed your phone aside, willing yourself not to overthink the fact that just seeing his name pop up on your screen made your heart race.

You were going to get through this. Nate was your goal. This thing with Rafe was just a detour. A very distracting, very complicated detour that you’d handle... eventually.

But tonight? Tonight was for your girls, your movies, and drowning out the chaos in your head with as much wine as it took to stop thinking about blue eyes and stupid smirks.

Later that night, you found yourself sprawled out on Ava’s couch, surrounded by blankets and popcorn, watching some cheesy rom-com that Harper had picked out. The glow of the TV cast a soft light over the room, but your mind was still elsewhere. Even with your best friends beside you, laughing and making snide comments about the movie, your thoughts kept drifting back to him.

It wasn’t just the kiss—although that had definitely been messing with your head lately—it was everything. The way he’d been acting, the things he’d said, the stupid nickname that you couldn’t seem to shake. Harper and Ava had a point, but they didn’t know Rafe like you did. Not anymore, at least. You’d seen sides of him recently that no one else had, and while you weren’t exactly sure what to make of it, there was something there. Something more than just the cocky rich boy everyone saw.

You sighed, reaching for another handful of popcorn, but Harper, ever the perceptive one, caught the look on your face before you could hide it.

“You’ve been quiet,” she said, nudging your leg with her foot. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Yeah, you’ve barely roasted this movie,” Ava added, throwing a piece of popcorn at you. “That’s not like you.”

You didn't want to get into it, “Just tired, I guess. Long day.”

Harper wasn’t buying it, though. She turned the volume on the TV down and sat up, crossing her legs underneath her. “Okay, spill. This is about Rafe, isn’t it?”

You groaned, covering your face with a pillow. “Can we not talk about him ?”

“Nope,” Harper said, yanking the pillow away. “Not until you tell us what’s going on. I know a liar when I see one."

Busted.

“Did something happen?”

You hesitated, glancing between the two of them. They were your best friends, and you knew they only wanted what was best for you. But the whole thing with Rafe felt complicated, like more than just a stupid crush. Still, you couldn’t keep it all bottled up forever.

“Fine,” you sighed, running a hand through your hair. “There was... a kiss.”

Harper’s jaw practically dropped. “A kiss? With Rafe?”

“When did this happen?” Ava demanded, practically bouncing in her seat. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“I was scared!” You bit your lip, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks again as you thought back to that moment in the library, “He knew I never kissed anyone and offered.”

“Wait, what? Your first kiss was with Rafe freaking Cameron?”

Ava gasped, covering her mouth in shock. “He offered? What the hell does that even mean? Did he just, like, present his lips to you like some weirdo?”

You groaned, wishing you could shrink into the couch and disappear.

“It wasn’t like that, okay? We were talking, and it came up. I told him I hadn’t kissed anyone, and then he was all, ‘I can fix that,’ or something. It just... happened a few days later.”

“So, what was it like? Was it good? Did he use tongue? I need details, girl.”

Harper elbowed her. “Ava! Let her breathe, she’s clearly still processing.”

You felt your cheeks heat up even more as you fidgeted with a loose string on your sweater. “I don’t know. I mean, yeah, it was good, okay? Really good. But it’s Rafe, and now everything’s weird, and I don’t know what to do.”

Harper’s expression softened,  “Okay, I’m trying to wrap my head around this. You’ve hated Rafe for, like, ever, right? And now, all of a sudden, you’re kissing him? What about Nate?”

“I know!” you groaned again, throwing your head back against the couch.

Ava looked like she was about to explode. “So... do you like him? Because it sounds like you’re starting to like him.”

“No! Maybe? I don’t know.” You buried your face in your hands. “I wasn’t supposed to like him. It wasn’t part of the plan. But then he had to go and be all... different. Like, he’s still Rafe, but sometimes he’s—I don’t know, sweet? Ugh, that sounds ridiculous.”

Harper sighed, shaking her head slowly. “Babe, if you’re getting all messed up over a guy like Rafe, this could be a problem.”

“Tell me about it,” you muttered. You didn’t want to like Rafe. He was the last person you should be catching feelings for. 

“Guys like him? They’ll pull you in, mess with your head, and leave you confused as hell.”

“I know,” you said, hating how true that sounded. “But it’s not just that. There’s something else. Like, when we’re alone, he’s— I don’t know. He lets his guard down, and I see a side of him that I don’t think anyone else does. He's weirdly honest."

Harper raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re not catching feelings?”

You let out a frustrated sigh, flopping back against the couch. “I don’t even know anymore. I thought this was just a stupid kiss, but now it feels like everything’s different. And it’s so dumb because I should be focused on Nate!"

Ava and Harper exchanged a glance, both of them looking concerned. Harper was the first to speak.

“Okay, maybe this is a sign you need to figure out what you really want. Do you want to keep chasing Nate, or... do you want to see where things go with Rafe?”

You blinked, the question hitting you harder than you expected. What did you want? Nate had always been the plan—nice, safe, uncomplicated Nate. 

It wasn’t just the kiss. It was how you couldn’t stop thinking about him. His stupid grin, the way he’d tease you but also get serious for like, two seconds, just long enough to make you question everything.

You sighed, pushing your hair out of your face, “This was a terrible mistake.”

Harper crossed her arms, studying you. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Call him.”

“What?!” You sat up, heart racing. “No way. I can’t just call him out of nowhere.”

“Yes, you can,” Ava chimed in, nodding like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Here’s the test—if he picks up right away, it means he’s been thinking about you too. If he doesn’t? Then maybe he’s just playing games.”

You stared at them like they’d just suggested jumping off a cliff. “Are you guys serious? There’s no way I’m doing that. You're not serious."

Harper smirked, grabbing your phone off the table and holding it out to you. “Do it. Right now. Trust me, if he cares, he’ll pick up.”

What kind of fucked up science was that? Rafe? Liking you? It was ridiculous. There was no way. Not when he'd been with so many girls, kissed even more, and never gave you a second glance. You were just...there.

Your stomach twisted in knots. “What if he doesn’t answer? What if he thinks I’m weird for calling at night? What if I just— explode from embarrassment?”

Ava waved her hand dismissively. “If he doesn’t answer, then you know where you stand. But if he does... well, that’s another story. And I highly doubt you’ll explode. Just call him and see.”

You took a deep breath, staring at your phone like it was about to bite you. It felt reckless, terrifying even. But you were curious too—what would happen if you actually did it? Would he care? Would he answer?

“Fine,” you muttered, grabbing the phone from Harper and quickly finding Rafe’s name in your contacts before you could change your mind.

Ava grinned, leaning in. “Ooh, this is gonna be good.”

“I thought you hated him—"

“Call him!”

You hit call, holding your breath as the phone rang once, twice—

And then, to your absolute horror, it stopped. He picked up.

“Hey,” Rafe’s voice came through, “Everything okay?”

Your heart jumped into your throat.

You glanced at Harper and Ava, who were both staring at you like this was the most exciting thing to ever happen. You cleared your throat, trying to sound normal, like you hadn’t just spent the last ten minutes freaking out about calling him.

“Uh, yeah, everything’s fine,” you said, cringing at how awkward you sounded. “I just... wanted to see if you were ready for tomorrow’s study session.”

Lame. So, so lame.

Rafe chuckled softly. “You called me at night to ask about studying? I didn’t know I was that irresistible.”

You rolled your eyes, but your heart was pounding. “Don’t flatter yourself, Cameron.”

He laughed again, and you could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “Too late. Anyway, I’m ready for tomorrow. Was studying really the reason you called?”

You glanced at Harper and Ava, who were both nodding furiously, encouraging you to say something—anything that wasn’t study-related.

“Well... maybe not just that,” you admitted, feeling your cheeks heat up again.

There was a pause on the other end, and when he spoke again, his tone was softer, more serious. “I’m glad you called.”

Your heart skipped a beat. You weren’t sure what to say, so you just muttered, “Yeah, me too.”

There was another moment of silence, like you were both trying to figure out what to say next.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Rafe said, his voice a little lower, almost... warmer? “Night.”

“Night,” you replied, and then the call ended.

You dropped your phone onto the couch, staring at it like it had just turned into a bomb.

Harper squealed. “He picked up right away! And he was flirty! Oh my God, he likes you!”

Ava clapped her hands, bouncing on the couch. “I knew it! He’s totally into you. Nevermind what we said earlier. Rafe Cameron is into you. We were wrong. Scratch the whole 'he’s just messing with your head' thing. He’s definitely catching feelings.”

You scowled, “Where’s your backbone? Five minutes ago, you were all, ‘Rafe’s trouble, don’t fall for it,’ and now you’re practically shipping us?”

Harper shrugged, unapologetic. “Yeah, but that was before he picked up right away and sounded all soft. That’s different, babe.”

“Exactly!” Ava chimed in. “Nate who?”

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t know. He’s... safe. And uncomplicated. Why am I even entertaining this idea of Rafe?”

Harper raised an eyebrow. “Because safe doesn’t make your heart race. And it sure as hell doesn’t make you stay up all night overthinking. If you were so into Nate, you wouldn’t be calling Rafe at night. Or letting him kiss you!”

You opened your mouth to argue, but nothing came out. They had a point, as annoying as it was. Nate might’ve been the goal, but Rafe was what had your head spinning. You groaned again, flopping back against the couch.

Sure, maybe he’d been acting a little off lately. Like, sometimes he’d actually ask you how your day was or show up when he knew you’d be around. You didn’t think much of it, though. That’s just how it was with guys like Rafe—he probably wanted something, or maybe he was just bored.

You huffed, feeling your cheeks heat up. “It’s just so stupid. He’s Rafe. He’s... ugh, he’s complicated, and I don’t even know if he’s serious, or if he’s just bored, or what. And now I’ve kissed him, and I can’t stop thinking about it, and—”

“And now you’re realizing that maybe Nate isn’t what you really want after all,” Harper finished.

You sighed, hugging a pillow to your chest. “What am I supposed to do now?”

He’d flirt, he’d flash that stupid grin, and then he’d move on like nothing ever happened. Why would you be different? 

“Easy. You figure out what you want. Not what Nate wants, not what Rafe wants. You. And until then, just... enjoy. No one said you had to decide everything right now.”

Harper nodded in agreement, giving your arm a reassuring squeeze.

“Yeah. Take it slow. And for tonight, let’s just not overthinking every little thing, okay?”

Yet, you thought about him all night. You’d seen the way he treated other girls. He’d throw them those lazy smiles, the ones that practically screamed I’ll forget your name by tomorrow, and it always seemed to work.

They all fell for it—why wouldn’t they? Rafe was good at getting what he wanted, and he never stuck around long enough for things to get messy. You? You were invisible up until recently. He only paid attention when he felt like pissing you off. Your friends had to be reading too much into things.

This was Rafe. The same Rafe who was impossible to figure out, who never took anything seriously—least of all you. There was no way he liked you. 

But the next day came way too fast, and you were paying for it. Hard.

You groaned as you dragged yourself into the library, sunglasses on like they were going to somehow shield you from the pounding headache.

Harper and Ava had insisted on one more glass of wine, which of course, turned into two. And now, you were here, praying Rafe wouldn’t notice that you felt like death.

As you slumped into the chair across from him, he immediately raised an eyebrow, “Rough night?”

You gave him a look, your head already throbbing too much for his sarcasm. “Don’t even start, Cameron.”

He leaned back in his chair, eyes twinkling with amusement as he took in your state. “Wow, I can smell the regret from here. You look like you partied with a bottle of tequila and lost.”

You groaned, rubbing your temples. “It was wine, thank you very much. And yeah, it was a little too much.”

He chuckled softly, flipping open his notebook. “A little? You look like you just survived a war zone. Was the study session that boring to look forward to?”

“Ha ha, so funny,” you muttered, wincing as you reached for your bag. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Barely.” He tilted his head, clearly enjoying every second of it. “I’m impressed you made it at all. Should I have brought a bucket? You know, just in case?”

You glared at him from behind your sunglasses. “I hate you so much right now.”

Rafe just grinned, unfazed. “Trust me, it’s mutual. But seriously, you need water or something? You’re about two seconds away from face-planting on that table.”

You bit your lip, knowing he was right but not wanting to give him the satisfaction. Still, your mouth felt like a desert, and the thought of anything cold and hydrating sounded like heaven.

“Maybe… a coffee?”

“Have you eaten?”

“Huh? No?”

“You’re not drinking coffee before you eat.”

You squinted at him, thoroughly annoyed. “Rafe, I’m hungover, not five years old.”

He just raised an eyebrow, clearly not swayed.

“Hungover means your brain’s working even worse than normal, so yeah, I’m pulling the adult card here. You need food before coffee.”

You rolled your eyes, regretting it instantly as your head throbbed harder. “Fine. I’ll get food after the coffee.”

He shook his head, already getting up. “Nope. I’m grabbing you a bagel or something.”

“Rafe, seriously—” you started, but he was already walking away, not even bothering to let you finish.

You slumped back in your chair, groaning under your breath. As much as you hated to admit it, he was right. You hadn’t eaten anything since last night, and your stomach was twisting in a way that wasn’t just from the hangover. But it was so typical of him to boss you around, like he knew what was best for you. He seemed almost too serious about all this, like it wasn’t just about breakfast or caffeine. Was he actually… worried?              

He was being so over-the-top about something so simple. Maybe he noticed things you didn’t even realize were slipping—how little you’d been eating, how tired you always seemed. You didn’t want him to worry, to get so wrapped up in how you were doing. But the fact that he did… 

Rafe returned, dropping a bagel in front of you. “Eat. Then you can have your coffee.”

You blinked at the bagel, caught off guard. “You actually got me food?”

He gave you a look. “You really thought I wouldn’t? What kind of person do you think I am?”

“A pain in my ass?” you muttered, but there was no real bite to it. You unwrapped the bagel, taking a cautious bite, and, annoyingly, it actually helped. “Thanks, I guess.”

“You’re welcome. Now, once you finish that, we’ll get started on actual studying. You might wanna take those sunglasses off too. It’s not that bright in here.”

“Stop being so smug about it,” you grumbled, but you took another bite of the bagel, your headache easing just a little.

He leaned back in his chair, stretching out like he owned the place.

“Hey, if you’re gonna drink like that, you should at least have someone who can take care of you after.”

There was something about the way he said it that made your heart skip a beat. “Is this your way of saying you care?”

“Eat your bagel.”

You rolled your eyes, but there was no denying the flutter in your chest. Why was he always like this? One minute he was the biggest pain, and the next, he was sweet? You took another bite of the bagel, trying to ignore the way his comment made your stomach do a weird little flip.

Rafe just watched you, arms crossed, looking smug as ever. "I'm not saying anything," he teased, leaning forward slightly. "But you did call me last night."

You nearly choked on your bagel. "That was for studying!"

He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth pulling into a grin. "Oh, right. You totally call guys at night to talk about history."

You threw a balled-up napkin at him, feeling your cheeks heat up again. "Don't start with me, Cameron. You texted me first!"

"Fair enough," He caught the napkin effortlessly, still grinning, like teasing you was the highlight of his day. He was holding his hands up in surrender, but there was no hiding the amusement in his eyes. "Don’t know if it’s the kiss or maybe you’re just starting to realize I'm not all bad."

You scoffed, trying to brush off how much that actually hit home.

"Please. You're still an entitled jerk, Rafe. One kiss doesn’t change that."

But the truth was, maybe it did change something. You hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since. And now, sitting here with him being all unexpectedly considerate, it was getting harder to pretend like there wasn’t something going on.

“So it hasn’t been keeping you up at night?”

“Why would it? It was just a kiss. Happens all the time, right?”

His smirk widen, “So I didn’t get your panties in a twist?”

You were going to throw a book at his face.

"You’re so full of yourself," you muttered, trying to act unbothered, but your pulse quickened.

Rafe leaned in a little closer, that stupid smirk still plastered on his face. “I’m just saying, it seemed like more than ‘just a kiss’ with the way you keep getting flustered. You sure it didn’t mean anything?”

You narrowed your eyes, determined not to give him the satisfaction.

“What do you want me to say, Rafe? That I’m totally falling for you? That I can’t stop thinking about the kiss? Because that’s not happening.”

He chuckled softly, leaning back again, but something shifted in his expression. He was still teasing, but there was an edge of curiosity now, almost like he was testing the waters.

“Good to know. Guess I’ll just keep doing my thing then.”

“Your thing? What, being an annoying, arrogant jerk?” you shot back, though there was less bite in your tone than usual.

Rafe’s lips twitched, “I’d hate to think I’m keeping you up at night.”

Ugh. Why was he like this? Why was this working on you?

You rolled your eyes, trying to stay focused on the whole reason you were here in the first place: studying, Nate, anything but this. But the way Rafe was looking at you right now, like he could see through all the walls you put up... yeah, it was messing with your head again.

"Can we just study now?" you grumbled, flipping open your textbook, praying the conversation would shift before your cheeks got any redder. "I didn’t drag myself here to talk about your ridiculous fantasies."

His grin softened into something more genuine, and he shook his head, finally relenting. “Alright, alright. I’ll be good. Let’s get started before your brain melts from that hangover.”

But as you pulled out your notes, you couldn’t help but notice the way his gaze lingered just a little too long. And worse, you knew your heart was doing the same—stupid fluttering and all.

There was something about this back-and-forth with him that was starting to feel... different. And maybe, just maybe, that scared you more than you were willing to admit.

As the two of you dove into the study session, you tried—really tried—to focus on the material in front of you. But every time he leaned in a little closer or cracked a joke that made you roll your eyes, your mind wandered back to that kiss. To the way he looked at you when no one else was around. To the fact that, as much as you hated to admit it, Rafe Cameron was making you feel something you hadn’t expected.

“Do you remember that bonfire when we were sixteen?” he asked all of a sudden.

You raised an eyebrow, confused for a moment. “Which one? There were like, a million bonfires.”

“The one where you dumped your drink in my face.”

Your hand froze halfway to your mouth. Oh. That bonfire. It felt like a lifetime ago, but the memory came rushing back, clear as day.

“I can’t believe you remember that.”

Rafe chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, it’s not exactly something you forget. One minute I was talking to you, and the next, I was soaking wet with a face full of—what was it? Lemonade?”

“Spiked lemonade,” you corrected, biting your lip to keep from laughing. “You deserved it.”

“Deserved it?” he echoed, leaning forward, clearly enjoying this trip down memory lane. “I asked if you wanted to hang out by the water. How’s that deserving a drink to the face?”

You rolled your eyes, feeling the old annoyance bubble up again. “You asked me to hang out after you and your friends had spent the whole night making fun of me."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, maybe we were a little rough back then. But I swear, I wasn’t trying to be a dick that night.”

“You were always a dick,” you muttered, but there was no real heat behind your words. Sixteen-year-old you had despised him and his cocky attitude. 

He smirked, “You were so pissed off. Your face was all red, and you were shaking with anger, like you couldn’t believe I’d even dared to speak to you.”

“You had it coming.”

“I probably did,” he agreed, a softer look crossing his face. “But I remember thinking, even back then, you were different. You didn’t take shit from anyone.”

You blinked, taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. “Wait, are you actually complimenting me right now? What is happening?”

Rafe just grinned, leaning back again, but his eyes stayed locked on yours. “I’m just saying, you’ve always had more fight in you.”

Your stomach did that weird little flip again, and you quickly looked away, focusing on the crumbs left on the table. “Well, maybe if you hadn’t been such an ass, I wouldn’t have had to.”

“I think that’s why I liked messing with you so much.” His voice was quieter now, more thoughtful. “You always pushed back.”

You bit your lip, not sure how to respond to that. The Rafe you remembered from back then was all arrogance and teasing, but this... this was different. It was like he was admitting that he’d seen you in a way no one else had back then. 

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approaching cut your conversation short. You glanced up, thinking it might just be another student passing by, but your heart nearly stopped when you saw Nate walking toward you and Rafe.

Rafe’s smirk faded instantly when he spotted him approaching.

“Hey,” Nate greeted with a casual smile, though his eyes flicked quickly between you and Rafe, “Didn’t know you guys studied here too.”

You cleared your throat, trying to sound normal even though your brain was racing. “Yeah, uh, just catching up on some work.”

Nate’s smile wavered slightly as his gaze lingered on Rafe, then back to you. “Mind if I join? I was just gonna find a spot to get some work done, but...” His voice trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air.

For a second, you were torn. Nate was here, right in front of you—the guy you’d been chasing for months, the one who was supposed to be the plan. But Rafe was sitting across from you.

He leaned back further in his chair, crossing his arms with that signature smirk creeping back onto his face. “Yeah, sure, the more, the merrier.”

You shot him a look, silently pleading with him not to make this worse, but he just raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the situation.

Nate pulled out a chair, setting his bag down, “What’re you working on?” he asked, glancing between you and Rafe.

Before you could answer, Rafe spoke up, again, “Just a little review. Nothing too complicated, right?” His eyes flicked to you, daring you to answer.

You swallowed hard, feeling both their gazes on you. “Yeah, just going over some notes. We’re almost done, actually.”

Nate’s eyes lingered on Rafe for a beat longer than necessary, like he was sizing him up. “Right. Cool. I guess I’ll just... grab a spot over there.” 

“You do that.”

“Rafe.” you grumbled under your breath, kicking him under the table.

"You wanna grab lunch after? I was gonna head to that new sandwich place, and figured you might want to come."

For a split second, you hesitated. Lunch with Nate was the safe, easy option—exactly what you’d been trying to hold onto. But the way Rafe was watching you now... Nate’s invitation wasn’t just about lunch. It was a claim, a reminder that he was the one you were supposed to be into.

"I, um—” you started, but the words were stuck in your throat.

You’d just spent the last half hour trying to convince yourself that Rafe didn’t matter. That this whole thing with him wasn’t a big deal. But now, with Nate standing right here, it felt like your brain was short-circuiting.

Rafe stood up suddenly, his chair scraping against the floor. "Well, looks like you’ve got plans," he said, his voice flat. He glanced at you, before grabbing his notebook. "Catch you later, I guess."

Before you could say anything, he walked away, his footsteps heavy as he left the library. You stared after him, your heart doing this weird thing where it felt like it was both racing and sinking at the same time.

Nate raised an eyebrow, watching Rafe go. "That guy’s... intense," he said, his tone light, but you could tell he was fishing for something.

You forced a smile, "Yeah, that’s Rafe for you."

But even as you said it, your mind wasn’t on Nate. It was still stuck on Rafe—on the way he’d looked at you before he left, like maybe he’d been hoping you wouldn’t just go along with Nate’s plan. Like maybe he’d wanted you to choose something different.

"So, lunch?" Nate asked again, his smile back in place, but it didn’t feel the same. Not anymore.

You swallowed hard, nodding automatically. “Sure, lunch sounds good.”

But as you followed him out of the library, you couldn’t ignore the feeling that you’d just walked away from something important. 

[malereadermaniac]

Toxic ~ Nate Jacobs x Male Reader

We all love a little toxic relationship with some dick who bullies you due to his own insecurity Top!Nate x Bottom!Reader word count: 1.6k Nsfw / MDNI ~ amab m!reader / FDNI

He bullied the shit out of you for being gay

Not regular bullying, but like psychological shit

Nate would make small comments about you to a crowd of people, making you uncomfortable for the rest of the night

Or when the two of you were left alone in a room he would call you a f@g when you try to make conversation

However late at night, your phone would be buzzing with notifications from him snapping you

But you were popular, so he couldn't harass you too much - especially once you became friends with Maddy

You were a regular at parties, so he'd see you there

Every time Nate got drunk, he'd catch his eyes on you more than he'd like

On your body, warm from the heat of everyone dancing and the alcohol in your system

It didn't help that like everyone else, you dressed like a model every time you left the house - but at parties that was tenfold

You wore virtually no clothes, pretty much forcing Nate's eyes to glue to your thighs, your waist, your ass as it peaked out from your shorts

He also liked how you kept your body hairless, just like Maddy

He would be repulsed if you didn't, so when you raise your arms as you dance, he notices your freshly shaved arms and armpits

After Maddy and Nate were finally broken up, more parties happened

And even though girls tried and succeed to get with Nate, he didn't care for them

They were hookups to him, he noticed them once they put themselves out in front of him

But you

Nate noticed you the second you walked into any party

Maybe it was because when you walked in, people rushed to you to say hi and kiss and hug

But he couldn't deny that when he arrived at any party, part of him was scanning the room for you

Nate fucking hated it

He couldn't even admit it to himself that he piqued an interest in you

He reminded himself that he wasn't gay, he wasn't a f@g he would say to himself

Nate was tipsy and couldn't take his eyes off of you

He would try to find things he hated about you, but he just thought of how hot you looked as you danced with your friends, guys all up on you after they've had a couple of drinks

He noticed you were heading to the bathroom, so after taking a quick shot of whatever he could find, he followed you

Once you got into the bathroom of whoever was hosting that night, Nate forced his way in and locked the door behind him

"What the fuck Nate!?" You shout, scared by the current situation

"Shut up.." Nate mumbles as he gets closer to you

His rough hand cups tour cheek

You look up at the muscular Jock, his eyes hazy looking into yours

Nate focused on your lips, then your eyes, then you lips again

His hand was warm on your cheek

He gave in finally and kissed you

It felt warm, definitely wet and definitely very passionate

Like Nate had been waiting a while to do this

A moan slipped out of your mouth into his as the two of you made out

Nate's other hand snaking around your waist

You can feel his muscles against your body as Nate moans into your mouth, his hand on your cheek feeling hot

Nate's tongue toyed with yours as you closed your eyes, his fingers tracing circles on your skin

You felt his hard-on poke you, Nate groaning into your mouth as he pushes his dick against yours

He picks you up, Nate's strong, huge arms holding you up from under your thighs, your arms around his neck as the two of you keep making-out

The sound of lips crashing against one another and muffled moans echo inside the bathroom

Nate grinds his hard dick up against your ass

You feel lightheaded and hot, breaking the kiss and gasping for air, resting your forehead on Nate's built shoulder

"Hey... Help me out here, (y/n)" Nate whispers breathlessly into your ear, making a point of grinding up against you

"Oh yeah? And how should I do that?" You reply, just as breathlessly

More kissing takes place as Nate let's you down from his arms

His hot tongue dancing around yours, Nate's rough, big hands rubbing all over your body

You get on your knees and Nate leans against the sink counter, his body looking godly as you look up at Nate with hooded eyes

He was big, you could feel it through his loose shorts

You remember little from that night, but you definitely remember the sounds that Nate made, he was convinced that was the best head of his life

The two of you became a regular thing, he would bully u less in exchange for late night hookups in his car

He would pull up to your house, text you to come outside and wouldn't say a word to you until he pulled up to your hookup spot

The drive over was always interesting, you'd always wear something Nate liked, you could see his dick hard in his pants and Nate would look over at every chance he got but he would stay silent

He would put your seat down and start kissing you, the windows steaming up as the two of you dry hump each other as you make out

He would start gently with you, but soon Nate would get too horny and fuck you senseless

It was never more than that, you didn't allow yourself to fall for Nate cause he bullied u and was a closeted cunt

He was a dick after the two of you fucked, he would let you both calm down and then tell you to dress back up

He'd drive you home and say "night" and that's all

But Nate was surely falling for you though, after sex he could pretend to fall asleep just to hold you

His big body on top of yours, your cum and his drying on yours and his stomach, sweat making you stick to his seat but tiredness allowing you to fall asleep with him

He liked how big he was compared to you, Nate would get up after you fall asleep and admire you

He hated himself for it, but in the moment he couldn't care less

You looked hot, covered in his spit and sweat and cum, looking peaceful and moonlit as you sleep

Nate eventually invested in baby wipes that he would keep in his car, wiping you down gently as you slept, dressing you up and driving you home, but once you wake up, Nate would continue with his silence and drop you home with a short "night"

But you'd notice... you were wearing his sweatshirt

His massive sweatshirt which smelt like him and felt warm against your skin...

Fuck. You like the cunt that bullied you relentlessly and that is very much closeted

But after that, the two of u became somewhat exclusive (only secretly) Nate really showed how toxic he gets

Cause nobody knew the two of you were a thing, girls would jump on him and he would do nothing about it

Maddy didn't dare talk to him, she was better than that, but other girls definitely tried to get with Nate

He never actually did anything with them, but Nate didn't care that you saw how they all flirted with him, and he really didn't care how that made you feel

Most nights would end in arguments over text on Nate's harem of girls that would flirt with him

He would always play innocent and call you crazy, but you'd never let him gaslight you, so most nights the two of you wouldn't be on talking terms

That is until he goes through the effort of posting an "I'm sorry" card through your letterbox

He won your little game every time he apologised, because you're always sure he means it, that is until he fucks up again the next day

One day you had enough, binned his letter and stopped talking to him

Nate was fuming, he spend 6 hours in the gym that day

You had 23 un-opened snaps and messages from him

It stressed him out you wouldn't talk to him - he did like you, he was also frustrated that you were withholding sex, but most of all he was terrified you would out him

He heard that you had a free house that day and turned up at your house, forcing hid way in when you opened the door - reminiscing of that first night

A lot of shouting ensued

But after that... a LOT of making out followed

You were sat on your bed, grinding against each other, you sat on Nate's lap as you made out for ages

Once Nate started begging to let him fuck you, you stripped down for him

At some point during the night, you though you had broken your bed, from the amount of creaking you two were causing

But the night ended well nonetheless

Nate made you watch as he blocked everyone of the girls that liked him

The two of you made out until you were too tired to keep going

Nate slept over for the first time, he felt comfortable

You body against his, sleeping on his huge chest

For the first time ever, Nate wasn't arguing with himself over his very homo actions

He just let himself feel you and enjoy you as he fell asleep

[deliciousangelfestival]

The Imperfect Couple - 14

Character: politician!Bucky x ex-wife!reader

Summary: A separated couple must pretend to be happily married while the husband runs for Vice President, dealing with old issues and political pressures during his election campaign.

Warning: The couple's arguments could be triggering.

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist || If you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee on Ko-fi 🙏🏻

Thank you to everyone who has read this chapter. Leave a comment and Reblog, please. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ❤️

"Darling, I appreciate your faith in me," Bucky said, his voice low as he stepped closer, eyes searching yours. "But…I still want to live."

You didn’t flinch. "I’m serious."

He paused, letting the weight of your words settle. "Just because I told you about Steve doesn’t mean I’m going to stab him in the back."

His gaze dropped for a moment, conflicted. Steve was more than just a mentor—he was the older brother Bucky had always wanted, someone he had looked up to for years. Shawn was never that. Steve had been there when he needed guidance, someone to show him the ropes. But now… now everything felt twisted.

"I didn’t know before this election," Bucky continued, his jaw clenched. "I’ve learned things that should’ve been obvious to me. And now, you probably see me as a coward for turning a blind eye all this time."

He swallowed hard. "But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stay silent forever."

Your brow furrowed as the room fell into silence. Bucky reached out, his hand settling firmly on your shoulder, his touch both grounding and electrifying. "There’s a time for everything. Please, believe in me."

His voice held a plea you hadn’t heard before, and suddenly, you remembered what the priest once said: Timing. It all felt too coincidental. You could see the puzzle coming together in your mind, but the picture was far from complete.

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath, realization hitting you like a wave. “He picked you because he knew you wouldn’t say no to him. You’d follow his lead without question.”

Bucky’s face hardened, but there was something unreadable in his eyes, a mix of frustration and guilt. He opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure of how to respond.

“And our divorce?” you added, the words sharper than intended. “It was all part of the plan. To tarnish your image, while he hides his own cracks."

Bucky took a step closer, the tension between you two thick enough to cut. His voice was steady but soft. "For now, please stay quiet about what you’ve found. This could ruin both of us. Or do you want Edgar and Brock to win instead?”

You shook your head, biting your lip. "This is so fucked up. There’s only two candidates."

Bucky's lips quirked into a wry smile. "Hey… we’re not that bad."

"Don’t campaign in front of me," you said, narrowing your eyes, but the hint of a smile tugged at the corners of your mouth. The tension between you was undeniable, the heat rising in the small space as you tried to keep things civil.

He chuckled softly, the sound low and teasing, but he didn’t push any further. His gaze lingered on you for a moment longer than necessary, as if he was fighting some inner battle to keep his distance. Then, with a heavy sigh, he turned away, letting the moment pass.

That night, sleep was impossible. Nate slept peacefully beside you, his small body curled into yours for warmth. But your mind raced, replaying every conversation, every hidden piece of the puzzle that had yet to be uncovered. You needed help, someone with answers. But who?

Then, it hit you. The perfect person. Someone who could get you the information you needed, though asking them for help would open old wounds.

He’s going to hate me for this, you thought, your chest tightening at the idea.

🌸🌸🌸🌸

Ian stood near the check-in counter at the airport, casually scrolling through his phone as he waited in line. Just as he was about to move forward, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen—Greg.

"Follow me," Greg's voice said on the other end, no further explanation given.

Ian's brow furrowed slightly, but he complied, stepping out of the line and trailing Greg down a series of quiet corridors. They finally reached a private room, and Ian’s eyes immediately found you sitting there, alone.

He glanced around the room as if expecting someone else. "I’m by myself," you assured him, noticing his brief scan of the area.

Ian folded his arms, his tone cool as he tilted his head slightly. "What honor do I get to have this meeting?"

You met his gaze, trying to keep steady, though the weight of the situation made your heart race. "I know you hate me," you said softly, not beating around the bush.

"More like at your soon-to-be husband," Ian shot back, his gaze flickering with barely concealed disdain.

You straightened in your seat, squaring your shoulders. "Whatever the Barnes family has done, I won’t defend them," you said, a quiet resolve in your voice.

Ian narrowed his eyes, reading the tension in your body. "You must be desperate to come to me."

A small, nervous laugh escaped your lips as you looked down at your hands, fingers fidgeting slightly. "I am."

He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face, the lines of old memories creeping in. This felt too much like the past when you both used to dig into dangerous territory. "Just tell me what this is about. I’ve got a flight to catch."

You took a steadying breath, locking eyes with him. "Do you remember the article I wrote? Deals in the Dark: Inside the Global Conspiracy Threatening Economic Stability?"

He nodded, curiosity flickering behind his otherwise guarded expression.

"I think I’ve found someone involved in that conspiracy." Your voice was low, every word heavy with the truth you'd been holding back.

Ian’s face hardened, eyes searching yours. "Who?" he asked, his tone more serious now.

You hesitated for just a second. "It’s Steve."

Ian's eyes widened, and for a moment, the tension between you both disappeared. "Whoa…"

You nodded grimly. "We need to watch out for him. I’m starting to see how deep his connections run. There are scandals tied to him—things you wouldn't expect."

Ian crossed his arms, his expression growing more serious. "Is this about his sons?"

You flinched slightly, your heart skipping a beat. He couldn’t know about Nate. You prayed he didn’t. "What do you mean?" you asked, keeping your voice steady.

"My friend was writing a piece on Steve’s twin sons. They’re apparently bullies at their school, leaders of a gang. But before the article could go to print, the entire office lost power. Threats were made, just like when we published Deals in the Dark."

Your stomach tightened. It made sense now why you always felt uneasy around Steve's sons. You wanted to feel shocked, but it only confirmed what you’d been sensing all along.

Ian smirked, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "This is getting interesting. I’ll dig deeper, see what I can find."

He turned to leave, but you stood, calling after him, "Ian."

He paused, looking over his shoulder.

"Be careful," you said, your voice soft, almost pleading.

Ian gave a small, crooked smile and nodded. He took a last look at you, he felt that, this might be the last time he'd see you.

🌸🌸🌸🌸

Back at Bucky’s apartment, Nate sat on the couch, holding his phone up for a FaceTime call. Hazel's face appeared on the screen, still in Paris, her voice warm and comforting despite the distance.

“I miss you, Mommy,” Nate said softly, his eyes wide with longing.

“I miss you too, baby,” Hazel replied with a tender smile, her expression softening as she spoke to her son.

After a moment, Hazel’s tone shifted. “Baby, can you give the phone to your uncle for a sec?”

Nate nodded, handing the phone to Bucky. “Here.”

Bucky took the phone, glancing briefly at Nate before turning his focus to Hazel. “When are you coming back?” he asked, a bit more urgency in his voice than he intended.

“Not until the election is over,” Hazel replied matter-of-factly.

Bucky’s jaw tightened. “Seriously?”

“It’s for the best,” Hazel added with a sigh, her gaze flickering briefly before she continued, “Please watch over him while I’m gone.”

Before Bucky could respond, the FaceTime call ended, the screen going dark. He stared at the blank phone for a moment, lost in thought.

He knew Hazel had her reasons for staying away, but it still didn’t sit right with him. Nate needed his mom, and even though he was doing his best, Bucky couldn't shake the feeling that things were spiraling beyond his control. Watching over Nate wasn’t the issue—it was everything else that came with it.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Across town, Steve Rogers stood in a dimly lit room, facing a massive window that stretched from floor to ceiling. The city lights glowed faintly outside, reflecting off the glass as he stared into the distance, his hands resting in his pockets. His phone buzzed on the nearby table. He glanced at it, seeing the text message he’d ignored for hours: When are you coming back?

Unread. No reply.

Steve’s jaw clenched as he turned back to the window, his mind running over the countless decisions he had made in the last few months. The weight of the campaign, his connections, and now…this.

Knock, knock.

A sharp sound broke through the silence. His eyes flickered towards the door. “Come in,” he said, his voice low.

The door opened, and Natasha stepped inside, her expression as serious as always. “We’ve got another notification,” she said, her eyes locking with his as she handed him a folder.

Steve sighed, feeling the tension crawl up his spine. “What is it this time?”

“It’s about the twins,” Natasha explained, her tone clipped and efficient. “We tracked the IP address involved.” She handed him the information.

Steve took the folder, scanning the contents briefly before a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I should’ve known,” he muttered with a dry chuckle, shaking his head.

Without another word, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. As he waited for the line to connect, he leaned against the window, the cold glass pressing against his back. When the call picked up, his voice was calm but determined.

“Can we meet?”

🌸🌸🌸🌸

Bucky arrived at the golf course as soon as he received Steve’s call. The air was crisp, and the sun was barely cutting through the clouds, casting a muted light over the manicured greens. As Bucky approached, Steve was already mid-swing, the soft thwack of the golf club meeting the ball echoed in the quiet morning.

Steve didn’t turn around, eyes following the ball as it soared across the field. “Bucky, you know why I want to be President, right?” His tone was calm, but there was an underlying sharpness to it.

“Yes,” Bucky replied, his expression unreadable as he stood a few feet away, watching Steve with his hands in his pockets.

“We’re this close to winning,” Steve said, setting up for another swing, his movements precise, controlled. He took the shot, the ball cutting clean through the air. “One mistake could ruin us. Our rivals will use any kind of ammo to tear down our image.” His voice lowered with emphasis, a hint of menace lingering in his words.

Bucky stayed silent, but his mind was working. He knew Steve had meticulously planned every step, had considered every angle. Steve’s obsession with maintaining a perfect image wasn’t new. He had a way of knowing when someone so much as whispered behind his back.

Even the online comments rarely escaped his notice. Bucky suspected Stark Technology had something to do with that. Howard Stark, Steve’s long-time friend and the campaign’s biggest sponsor, had deep resources. It wasn’t hard to believe that some of those resources were being used to monitor any potential threats.

Just as Bucky was deep in thought, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Natasha. He opened it, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the contents. His hand clenched around the paper as he saw the name: Ian.

Steve took another swing, his voice calm but laced with tension. “This lackey of Edgar and Brock is persistent.”

Bucky folded the paper and stuffed it into his jacket pocket, his jaw tightening. “I’ve made sure to shut him down.”

Steve sighed, shaking his head as he lowered his club. “But you’re still too soft.” He walked towards Bucky, each step deliberate, his gaze unflinching. Reaching him, Steve lifted the golf club he’d been holding, pointing it at Bucky with a steady hand.

“I’ve cheated death a couple of times to get here,” Steve said quietly, the weight of his words settling between them. His eyes were cold, calculating. “I’ve sacrificed so much. I won’t let anything stop me.”

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❧ ROAD TRIP

°:. *₊ ° . ☆ °:. *₊ ° . ° .•

↳ chris sturniolo x fem reader

↳ words - 2144

↳ summary - you and chris are best friends. you, him and all your other friends go on a road trip but then there’s not enough seats, then only one bed, and well eventually feelings start to come out.

↳ contains - swearing, kissing, use of y/n, idk fluff

↳ song - infrunami by steve lacy

°:. *₊ ° . ☆ °:. *₊ ° . ° .•

°:. *₊ ° . ☆

me, chris, matt, nick, nate, and madi are all going on a road trip for the summer, cause why not. we’re currently packing our bags into the trunk of the car, trying to fit everything, “shit i can’t fit mine,” chris keeps trying to shove his bag in the corner, “then put it up front, there’s room,” nick scoff and pulls chris’ bag from him, opening the passenger seat and throwing it in front of the seat.

“we got everything?” i ask as i try to make sure i’m not forgetting anything, “yeah we’re good, let’s get in” matt says as he gets in the drivers seat. chris closes the trunk then everyone else gets in the car. nate in the passengers seat, nick on the left, madi in the middle then chris on the right, just as i’m about to get in i pause, “where the fuck am i supposed to sit?”

“what do you mean?” matt turns his head to the back of the car, seeing all the seats full, “guess you’ll go in the truck,” chris snickers as i roll my eyes, “yeah i think that’s full,” i say full of sarcasm.

“just sit on chris’ lap or something,” nate says, trying to hide his smirk. for a moment me and chris try to find out something else until nick interrupts us, “shut up you love birds and just sit down,” both of our faces burst with red, “shut up nick,” chris spits back as i start to climb in the car, setting myself on chris’ lap as i mumble under my breath.

“finally, let’s goooo” nate laughs as i eye madi, i always tell her about me and chris, i mean it’s not like i like chris, we’re best friends, sure he’s hot and maybe i’ve thought about it before but no. she thinks that we should just suck it up and make out, she’s definitely enjoying seeing the embarrassment between us while me on his lap.

an hour and a half into driving, two and a half hours left, we stop at a gas station and all get out, “god finally,” chris stretches out as we all stand outside, matt filling up the car. “y/n/n wanna go get snacks?” madi asks as i follow her inside the gas station store, we go down to the drinks at the end of the store, “sooo…” i roll my eyes knowing exactly what she’s going to say, “so what?”

she laughs a little, “the tension, i mean it’s unbearable,” i grab a dr pepper from one of the fridges, “noooo, we’re best friends there’s nothing there okay?” she laughs again, her grabbing a pepsi, “i’m tired of those excuses, you and him would be so cute honestly, and there have been.. times,”

by ‘times’ she just means the awkward moments of when me and chris end up in a weird situation, him having to pretend to be my boyfriend for my family, when he accidentally kissed me, or when he picked me up from a bar when i was super fucking drunk (i thought he was my boyfriend too, i don’t even have a boyfriend??), but we don’t talk about those times.

my phone buzzes and i look at the screen, “chris wants us to get him a pepsi,” i laugh a little as i grab a pepsi from the fridge, me and madi finish up our conversation about chris, not like thats important. we then grab a few bags of chips and pay. we walk back out of the store and go back by the car, talking with everyone until we get back in the car and drive off once again.

i’m on my phone, still on chris’ lap as i text with madi, my headphones in as other people listen to their music and talk. i start to notice something hard under me, that’s not his leg, i look over to chris and see him staring at my legs, even biting his lip a little. he then catches me looking at his staring and turns his head away immediately, his face bright red.

madi 🫶🫶

| holy shit did you see that?

| his staring? yes 💀

| i told you, the tension is UNBELIEVABLE

| i think he’s hard too…

| WHAT?

| i need this ride to be over.

and eventually it is, after those two and a half hours. we get to the hotel, parking the car and getting out, chris adjusting his pants as me and madi look over at each other, her trying not to burst out laughing.

we get out all our bags as nick checks in at the hotel getting our keys, three rooms with two beds each. we get the the hallways of where the rooms are, “who’s with who?” matt asks. some people start talking about who they want until it just gets to arguing, “okay okay, everyone shut up.” nick stops them as he thinks of something and takes out his phone.

“here’s a random number generator, one to three. whoever gets the same number goes with each other, if you get the same number then do it again, yeah?” we all agree on it and nick goes first, he gets one. then nate, he gets three. then madi, she gets one. then me, i got two. then chris, he gets one, he goes again and gets two. FUCK. “okay so matt you with nate then,” i eye at madi again before nick hands us our keys and we all go into our rooms, me with chris…

“the fuck?” chris scoffs as we walk into our room, “what?” he nods his head to the ‘beds’ theres only one bed. “oh,” me and chris drop our bags in the room and go back to nick, “i thought you got three rooms, two beds each?”

“i did?” nick turns around to see chris and me, “well come look at ours cause it definitely doesn’t have two beds.” nick walks with me and chris to our room and he sees the one bed. “uhh, my bad.”

“my bad?” chris mocks as him and nick argue for a little until i interrupt them, “guys stop, i’ll just sleep on the floor, chris gets the bed,” i roll my eyes. chris sighs, “fine with me,” nick walks back to his room.

madi 🫶🫶

| there’s a pool, let’s go

| i’ll meet you there

i walk into the bathroom of the room, changing into my swimsuit then going back out and putting my other clothes by my bag, “where are you going?” i laugh a little, “there’s a pool, me and madi are going,” chris lays on the bed, on his phone as he talks, “you’re welcome to come,” i smile as i walk out of the room.

when i get to the pool room i see madi there, we both get in the pool, “there’s only one bed in our room,” i say as i bury my face in my hands, “i’m on the floor though,” she laughs, “you shouldn’t be, you guys need to suck it up and get rid of that tension, fuck it off you know?” i roll my eyes, “how about fuck that idea?”

as me and madi hang out and swim the door to the pool room opens and here comes everyone else, “the funs finally here!” nate shouts as he walk in and jumps into the pool, “more like the funs leaving,” madi laughs as matt and nick walk over to sit on the edge of the pool then chris jumping in.

“chris!” i shake my head a little, getting some water off my face that got in my eyes. “oh i’m soooo sorry your majesty,” he snickers as he starts to swim around, madi looking at me in a ‘you two kill me’ way and i mouth at her to shut up as i go back to swimming.

we all hang out for a while until it gets later and we go back to our rooms, cleaning up so we can all go to dinner soon. i take a shower as chris lays on the bed, on his phone once again. i get out and dry off mostly then i realize i forgot to bring my clothes in the bathroom, “chris!! can you get my black dress from my bag?” he yells back then grabs it, coming up to the bathroom door, “can i come in?” he asks as i finish wrapping my towel around myself, hiding my body then opening the door. chris hides his eyes with his hand and the other holds out the dress, “thanks,” i laugh as i take the dress, closing the door then changing into it.

when i’m done in the bathroom i get out, going to my bag trying to find my jewlery, when i find it i lean my phone against some cabinet so i can see myself in the camera as i put on my jewlery, “you look good,” i laugh a little, turning to him as i put in my other earring, “not too bad yourself,”

“you almost ready to go? we’re just meeting everybody else there,” i nod as i grab my phone, closing it and putting it in my bag as chris gets up and leads us to the door.

we make our way to the restaurant where we meet everyone else. we talk, eat, and laugh for a good few hours, around 7pm when we all walk back to the hotel, madi and nick then going into their room, matt and nate in theirs and me and chris in our room.

chris gets out of his clothes and puts on sweatpants, no shirt. he starts to get in his bed and go on his phone as i start to grab a blanket i packed and lay it down on the floor, then grabbing my pillow and setting it down then i start to lay down.

“what are you doing?” chris looks over his phone, seeing me laying on the floor, “what do you mean? sleeping?” he laughs some as he sits up on the bed a little, “do you really think i’m making you sleep on the floor? come here,” he nods his head toward the bed, “really?”

“of course, y/n. you’re not sleeping on the floor.” he pulls the blanket of the bed up a little, and making room for me. i get up and slip into the bed and cover the blanket over me, “thanks chris” he smiles then turns on his side to check his phone before turning back, “wanna watch a movie or something? i’m not honestly not even that tired,”

i grab my laptop from my bag and we decide on a movie. while watching it i feel his leg kick me under the blankets, i kick his back a little then lay my leg on top of his as we both focus on the movie. i then feel a hand go to my thigh as we lay our legs on top of each others. i try to look over at chris not turning my head and i see him staring at the blankets that cover our body’s. i turn my head to him as i feel his thumb gently rub at my thigh, his head turns to me as well and as soon as i know it hes kissing me. HES KISSING ME.

he then quickly pulls away, “i’m sorry. oh god. i’m sorry..” he moves away his hand and leg from me as tumbles off the bed, he walks to the bathroom and shuts the door trying to get away from me. for a moment i stay frozen in shock but then i get off the bed, closing my laptop and putting it away as i walk over to the bathroom, knocking on the door, “chris. can i come in?” for a little he doesn’t say anything but then he slowly opens up the door, i see him standing in front of it, his face bright red as i grab his face, pulling him in for another kiss. he kisses me back deeply as i hold his face in my hands, his hands moving to my waist.

i pull away and look up at him, smiling, “come back to the bed,” we both walk over to the bed, getting in once again as chris’ head turns to me, “y/n.. i really like you,” i smile as i lift the blanket over us again, “i really like you too chris,”

we both get comfortable again as we lay on our sides, facing each other, “goodnight,” chris smiles as he kisses my forehead, “goodnight,” i turn to my other side and i get ready to sleep as i feel chris’ arms around me, holding me tight as we both drift off to sleep.

☆ °:. *₊ ° . °

taglist : @slutforchriss @mattsleftnipple03 @mattsdinosweater @ccolleenn @mixvchelle @leah-loves-lilies @sturn-wrld

[mediocre-writerr]

hi!! i absolutely loved sparks, it was PERFECT and for sure the best maddy imagine in this app

so i would like to request a maddy x fem!reader based on style by taylor swift where maddy is "you got that long hair slicked back white tshirt" and reader is "and i got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt"

and reader is like, a cute sweet good girl and everyone thinks she's and angel so when she shows up dating the maddy perez everyone is shocked but they don't really care and just a looot of pda and maddy likes to keep her hands around reader waist all the time and tease her about the skirts she wear saying it is for her

well, thanks for reading and i really like your writing <3

style [maddy perez]

summary: you've always had that good girl faith, maddy perez just happens to be the opposite of that. it's the perfet combo

warnings: some explicit language, underage drinking, and allusions to smut

pairings: maddy perez x fem!reader

mediocre author's note: hey guys! this request has been sitting in my inbox for over a year now...i apologize dearly lol! but it's out now and i hope you enjoy. slowly, but surely getting through all of these requests so please be patient with me. love you all!

Whispers bounced off the lockers and classrooms in East Highland High School. Ever since Maddy Perez finally and officially moved on from Nate Jacobs, rumors have been spreading about who has captivated her heart.

“Y/N, are you going to the party tonight?” Lexi asked you as you put your books in your locker.

A laugh interrupted your answer, “Y/N? Go to a party?” Kat said as she continued to laugh, “Lexi, you’re one of the smartest people I know, but that was such a dumb question,” 

“Ha ha, very funny, but as a matter of fact, I am going to the party tonight,” you answered, shutting the locker behind you. 

“Oh my gosh, is Hell freezing over?” Kat continued to tease and you rolled your eyes playfully, “If Hell is freezing over does that mean we can finally meet your new boyfriend Maddy?” 

“Yeah, I don’t understand why you won’t just tell us! We’re your best friends!” Cassie added on as all of you made your way towards the parking lot.

Maddy just shrugged with a small smirk on her face, “It’s fun keeping you all on your toes, besides, keeping it a secret makes the sex a lot hotter,” she whispered the last sentence, shooting the group a wink, “Bye girls! I’ll see you tonight!” 

As you part ways with the other girls, you pull your phone out of your pocket: Kat and Cassie are going to lose their minds because of you. 

You watched as the three dots quickly popped up without missing a beat: And? They can keep thinking all they want, it’ll make the reveal even better. 

Very true. You replied before quickly typing up another text, You think the sex is hotter because we keep it a secret?

Our sex is always hot, baby ; ) I’ll see you at midnight xxx  A warm flush appeared on your face at the simple words, as you started your car to begin your drive home. 

You and Maddy had been dating for about four months now. What started out as a drunk hookup turned into something way more.

It was different than Maddy expected. Her expectations for relationships and love in general were washed down the drain after her toxic cycle with Nate. She always believed that she wasn’t built for a normal relationship. She always thought that she had to fight and argue for a relationship to be exciting. 

That wasn’t the case with you. Maddy tried to pick a fight with you once, but you quickly shut it down. You reassured her that she doesn’t have to prove that she is something she’s not. The Maddy you knew and were falling in love with was nothing like the girl who was dating Nate Jacobs. She was worried that it would bore her, but it didn’t. Your soft touches and reassuring words made her feel like she was falling in love with you over and over again. 

You were pulled out of your homework when your phone buzzed: I’m outside xxx 

Quietly, you tiptoed out of your room and downstairs to the backdoor, making sure to keep it unlocked so you can sneak back in after. Maddy was leaning against the passenger door as her headlights were off, causing her already dark car to seem much darker.

“Is that the Maddy Perez wearing a plain white t-shirt?” you asked, smirking as she smiled at your words.

She wrapped her arms around your waist, pulling you into her, humming in response, “I love this tight little skirt you’re wearing baby,” she said before moving to whisper in your ear, “You look so gorgeous. I am debating if I should keep you all to myself tonight,” 

You bit your lip, lifting her chin up so your eyes could meet, “That would ruin the fun tonight, don’t you think? How about we make our little appearance and then you can take me home and we’ll have our own fun?” 

“Deal,” she whispered, nipping at the sweet spot on your neck. 

Maddy opened the door for you before quickly getting into her seat to drive to McKay’s. She rested her hand on your thigh, as she drove down the suburban streets. 

Her gaze lingering on your skirt or your tight crop top. The red light illuminated on the two of you as she came to a stop. You leaned over the middle console, guiding her face to look at you. Your lips brushing over hers as you spoke, “Keep your wild eyes on the road,” Maddy let out a groan as you fell back onto the passenger seat. 

“Has anyone seen Maddy? I know she loves to be fashionably late, but she’s even later than usual,” Kat asked.

“Y/N’s not here yet either,” Lexi added on. 

You smirked to yourself as you heard them talk, “Sorry I’m late guys, I was doing homework and completely lost track of time,” 

“We were starting to think that you would pull a no show again,” Kat added on with a smirk lingering her face before her jaw dropped, “Is that Maddy?”

“In a plain white t-shirt?” Cassie chimed up equally as shocked as the brunette. 

“Oh wow. I mean I’ve seen her wear my shirts before, but this is so fucking hot,” you winked at all of them before making your way towards your girlfriend. 

Maddy smirked at you before wrapping her arms around your waist. Her lips finally meeting yours in a passionate kiss. You tugged her closer to you before smiling into it. 

“Y/N and Maddy?” Cassie breathed out.

“No fucking way,” Kat whispered.

Lexi rolled her eyes at the two, “You guys really had no idea? It was obvious,” 

You and Maddy finally pulled away as you approached your friends. Cassie and Kat still needed time to pick their jaws up from off the floor, “What happened, Kat? Close your mouth, sweetheart, you’ll catch flies,” you finally tease the girl back. 

“I’m sorry, but what the fuck?” Kat admitted, “Y/N! You’re one of those good girls that everyone always talks about. You’re with Maddy Perez?!”

“Am I not a good girl, Kat?” Maddy faked pouted. 

You chuckle, kissing her cheek softly, “Trust me Kat, Maddy is a very good girl,” you wink at her and everyone in the circle gags jokingly except for Maddy who just tightens her hand around your waist, leaving an open mouthed kiss on your neck. “Plus, you know what they say every good girl has a thing for the bad guy.” 

[incendiobrock]

Ghosted {Matt Sturniolo}

Request: Hi could I request Matt x reader.(Dialogue 20,action 17)The reader is Matt’s best friend but she loves him.It gets hard when he kinda ghosts her for this girl he has been seeing.When they do hang out that’s when the reader pours her heart out to him.Very much angst in the beginning but hopefully a fluffy ending.Thank you !

Prompt(s): accidental confession + “Are you crying?”

Warnings: language, angst, fluffy ending!

“We’re almost there.” Matt said softly, gently waking you up from your sleep. The plane was finally landing in Boston after hours of being in the air. Matt was kind enough to give you the window seat, knowing you would want to rest your head against it so you could take a nap.

“How long was I out for?” You questioned, feeling groggy and slightly out of it. Matt laughed, “You fell asleep maybe thirty minutes into the flight… And that’s a big maybe! It was honestly more like twenty minutes.” A smile grew on your face as a blush rose to your cheeks. He would always tease you because you could practically fall asleep under any circumstance. In the car, on a plane, on the couch, and you vaguely remembered falling asleep at the kitchen table at least once in your life.

Matt’s mom met you both outside of baggage claim greeting you both with a big hug. You would be staying at their childhood home for a few days, accompanying Matt with some secret project he was working on. Chris and Nick had decided to stay in LA which meant you had plenty of time to spend alone with Matt.

It was weird not having the others with you but you were excited to hang out with your best friend one on one. There had been talk of watching some movies, going to eat at some of your favorite Boston restaurants, and meeting up with some of your old high school friends together.

Matt had some plans for the first night, he was going to catch up with Nate and some others. You were going to just crash at the house and let them have a boys night, especially since it had been a few months since they had last seen each other. What you didn’t anticipate was that Matt would be completely ignoring your texts. Hours had passed and he hadn’t responded to your message asking when he would be coming back.

The sun was completely gone out of the sky and it was nearing midnight. The bedroom you would be sharing was dark and the bed you laid on felt unusually empty.

Are you okay? Haven’t heard from you in awhile

You texted him again, nerves getting the best of you. It wasn’t like him to not be on his phone for this long. Before you knew it the night had turned into morning and there was still no signs of Matt. It was a miracle you had even been able to fall asleep last night without hearing back from him.

The smell of bacon filled the house as you made your way out to the kitchen. You expected to see Mary Lou cooking your favorite breakfast but instead you were met with the sight of Matt’s back as he faced the stove.

“So what, you’re just ghosting me now?” You somewhat joked, causing him to turn around and see you standing at the island.

Matt didn’t reply as his phone buzzed, echoing off the counter where it was placed. You watched intently as he began to text back, assuming it must have been Chris or Nick since they never spend this much time apart. It became suspicious to you when you noticed how he was grinning about whatever he was reading.

“Oh so you do know how to use your phone…” You scoffed, insinuating the fact that he never responded to your messages from last night.

“Sorry, I was busy and forgot to respond.” He said, brushing you off.

As soon as the words left his mouth he was quickly tucking his phone away into his pants pocket. His lips forming a tight line as he glanced at the ceiling, twiddling his fingers now that they were set free from his phone screen. The sound of his phone buzzing still noticeable, even muffled by his pocket.

“Matt- Who is it and why are they blowing up your phone?” You pressed, his body language was setting off a million alarms in your head.

He was hiding something from you.

Matt sighed as his phone buzzed once again, he pulled it back out of his pocket and began to look over the messages he had received. Six messages to be exact.

I’m so happy you’re back in boston for a few days.

I would love to meet up again while you’re still here

We could go to that place we used to go to

What was it called?

Davis Park???

I remember we used to go there to watch the sunset by that little pond, I really miss that… Thanks again for last night, I had so much fun :)

You couldn’t help but read over his shoulder, your heart sank as you realized what had him so giddy. He was texting the girl that he used to have a thing with before you guys moved to LA. He had decided it would be best to not continue anything serious with her so as far as you knew he had cut ties with her. A familiar stinging sensation began in your eyes as tears started to form. You had no reason to be jealous, Matt was just your friend.

Nervously, you coughed trying to clear your throat, trying your best to think of anything else besides Matt with someone else. Next thing you knew you were sniffling, still fighting back the urge to cry.

“Are you crying?” Matt asked, sounding genuinely concerned as he watched you head back towards the stairs, trying to quickly remove yourself from the confines of the kitchen.

You stopped in your tracks at his voice, feeling your body tremble. You weren’t sure if it was from anger, nerves, or the overwhelming feeling of your heart being crushed.

“Y/n?”

The tears started to fall as your head spun thinking about how you had been ghosted immediately as he reunited with somebody else.

You turned around to face him, wanting to yell and scream and possibly cuss him out for the way he had treated you. A scowl was plastered on your face as you heaved in some air, trying to maintain some of your composure.

“You can’t seriously be upset about this?”

You felt your eyes roll bigger than they ever had before, was he hearing himself right now?

“Matt, you literally ghosted me. You could’ve died for all I know!” You said, raising your voice but trying hard not to yell since this wasn’t your house.

“I was busy.” He restated, as if that was any excuse to completely ignore someone he called his ‘best friend’.

“So I heard,” You scoffed, more tears leaving your eyes and staining your cheeks. How humiliating, letting him see you in this vulnerable of a state when he clearly doesn’t give a damn about you.

“You know Matt, if you weren’t so fucking stubborn maybe you would realize that there’s a girl who’s madly in love with you who doesn’t live halfway across the country!” You spit, realizing what you had said immediately after saying it. A hand flew over your mouth as your eyes widened in shock, “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t meant that.” You practically whispered.

Matt had closed the distance off between the two of you, now standing directly in front of you. “You what?” He asked back softly, searching your eyes for any hint that might confirm that you were telling him the truth.

Your body stayed frozen, unable to speak. “You’re in love with me?” He asked another question, breaking the suffocating tension that filled the air.

“Is that what I said?” You tried to joke, playing off your slip up.

“Yeah, that’s definitely what you said.”

His hands were now delicately taking ahold of your own, trying to ease your nerves and catch your full attention.

“I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just- you’re my best friend and all…” You rambled.

“That’s a shame, because the only reason I was out last night was because I was trying to avoid the fact that i’m madly in love with you.”

You felt your heartbeat speed up at his words, your cheeks heating up in return, “Really?”

“Really.” He replied. His eyes bore into your own, a slight gleam inside of them displaying his admiration for you.

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered, bringing a hand up to brush some hair behind your ear before resting it on the side of your face. “Please do.” You answered, anticipating his next move that you had been waiting an antagonizing amount of time for.

His lips met yours in a slow but passionate manner, taking in every detail of your lips with his own. You melted at the touch, instantly forgetting any of your jealousy. If you would have known how addicting his lips would feel on yours you would’ve confessed a lot sooner. When you finally pulled apart he rested his forehead on yours, breathless.

You could definitely get used to this.

[thewritingofamadwoman]

The Text

Roy Kent has my heart (and so does Brett Goldstein). This is my first time writing for him so be gentle 😂

Pairing: Roy Kent x Fem!Reader (established relationship)

Warnings: Fluff, Roy’s potty mouth, allusions to sexy times (because I can’t write smut to save my life) and a cheesy joke brought to you by none other than Ted Lasso himself.

Enjoy!

“Okay boys, just remember that the photoshoot will be held during training on the pitch. Just act natural and don’t let the camera’s distract you,” I said, smiling at the team. Keeley clapped her hands, unable to keep her excitement at bay.

“You’re all going to look so fucking cool!” She squealed and the team beamed back; some smiling while others blushed at her praise. AFC Richmond was selected to be the featured football team in a new magazine spread honoring the Premier League. Keeley pulled some strings with her connections from her firm KJPR while I worked hard to call in a few favors from my years as the team’s social media strategist to get The Greyhounds considered for the shoot. And after months of phone calls and meetings, it finally paid off when the magazine’s PR group reached out to us earlier this week.

As luck would have it, today was the perfect day for a photoshoot; the sun was out, and the guys were pumped.

Coach Lasso clapped his hands and spoke up. “Alright fellas, you heard the ladies. Let’s go out there and show these snowmen what we’re made of!”

Everyone in the room went quiet, silently confused by Ted’s attempt at a joke.

“You know, because the magazines’ called “The Blizzard”. Like blizzard…? Snowmen…? Oh alright whatever, let’s just go out there and look good!” Ted waved, the team’s earlier exuberance returning as they headed out the door to the pitch.

I heard a voice call my name and turned to find Nate giving me a shy smile.

“Uhh, are the, um, are we as coaches going to be photographed as well?” He asked, pointing to himself, and then to the side where Ted, Beard and Roy stood. I nodded and Keeley spoke up.

“Oh of course! Can’t have a team photoshoot without its four fearless leaders!”

“You go out there as you would and just let the boys have at it. Just promise me you won’t punch any of the photographers if they annoy you,” I said the last part while looking directly at one particular coach. Roy crossed his arms and shook his head, speaking up immediately.

“I make no such promise.”

His gruff voice had me biting back a smile as I rolled my eyes in response.

“Don’t you dare be rude them, Roy Kent. Keeley and I have been working towards this moment for months. You get in trouble, you’re dealing with me, got it?” I said, trying my best to remain stern as I looked at him. Roy’s eyebrow twitched and I could see the amusement in his eyes before he nodded reluctantly, a growl accompanying the movement.

“Wonderful! Now let’s go!” Keeley practically floated out of the room in excitement while the rest of us filed out. My phone buzzed in my pocket by the time Keeley and I sat down in the stands, and I pulled it out to find a very much expected text message.

Roy-O

You are VERY sexy when you try to be stern ;)

I laughed to myself before shooting back a response.

Oh you liked that, did you?

But I’m serious, please don’t punch anyone

I didn’t even get the chance to put my phone away before another text came in

Roy-O

Why, gonna punish me if I do? ;)

I bit my lip as my eyes immediately looked over to where Roy stood. His phone was in his hand as he yelled at Jamie Tartt from across the field to stop being “a fucking weasel and kick the fucking ball already.” I took in his appearance, the way he stood tall with his arms crossed, phone gripped tightly in one hand. The way his biceps were accented perfectly by his black t-shirt. Roy Kent looked delectable in every way. I smiled to myself and decided to play along.

Maybe I will.

You fuck this photoshoot up for me and you won’t be getting ANY of this tonight…

<insert picture>

I put my phone on my lap and looked down at the pitch, waiting for Roy to get the text. He seemed preoccupied with training so I picked my phone back up to respond to a few emails while I waited for him to continue our little game. Suddenly, a far away cry of “watch it, Coach!!” sounded from across the pitch, and before I could even register what was happening, Roy was smacked right in the face by a rouge football. The resounding smack of the ball was so loud that everyone cringed unanimously.

“Oh fuck!” Keeley exclaimed at the same time I gasped, both of us standing up and watching on as Ted and the team rushed to Roy, who let out the loudest FUCK I think I have ever heard him exclaim.

“Tartt you FUCKING CUNT!” Roy yelled, grabbing his nose and bending forward. Jamie, whose panic manifested in nervous giggles, tried his best to apologize.

“I’m SO sorry Coach, but I did try to warn you, twice!”

Roy groaned again and glared at the player before pulling his hand back and looking down. Even from my spot on the stands I could see the distinctly recognizable color of blood on Roy’s hand.

Roy seethed at the sight and growled at Jamie.

“I’m going to fucking kill you.”

Jamie backed up in panic and both Ted and Beard jumped in to pull Roy back by his arms to stop him from advancing towards the striker. After a few moments, Roy pulled out of their grasps and turned, making his way back inside Nelson Road, probably to get the resident to check out his nose.

“That looks like it fucking hurt,” Keeley said, sitting back down.

“He’s not going to let Jamie off the hook for this one. He’s gonna make him do double drills at 4am for weeks,” I sighed.

“You gonna go check on lover boy?” She teased, and I smiled, already making my way down the steps.

“You know it. I’ll catch you later babes,” I responded back, blowing her a kiss.

By the time I made it inside, I found Roy seated on the physio bench, clutching an ice pack to his nose. The medic had just finished up and smiled at me on his way out, giving me a thumbs up. I walked up to Roy and cooed at him now that we were alone.

“Awww, are you okay love?” I soothed, placing a hand on the wrist holding the ice pack. Roy glared at me and grunted in reply.

“What’s that look for, what did I do?” I said, brows knit in confusion.

“Oh don’t you “what did I do” me. You’re the farthest thing from innocent, sending me that fucking picture.” Roy’s voice lowered and a mischievous smile settled on his face. I’m sure my eyes widened comically as I remembered what I had sent. Roy nodded, pulling the ice pack away.

“Yeah, that’s right. I opened your text and fucking hell, your fucking breasts on display like that in that strip of cloth you call a bra is the reason I got clobbered in the fucking face. How was I supposed to hear Tartt calling out when my only thought was sucking on those fucking perfect tits?”

I cupped my mouth and let out a gasp followed by a small laugh, feeling so bad for having been the reason he was so distracted.

“Oh my god baby, I’m so sorry! I didn’t think…“

Roy cut me off.

“Oh no, you knew exactly what you were doing you minx. C’mere,”

Roy placed the ice pack down onto the side of the physio bed and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me to him. I placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his chin, inspecting his nose and face for myself.

“Fuck, Roy I feel horrible. I shouldn’t have sent that photo,” I smiled sheepishly at him. Roy shook his head, schooling his expression to stay stoic but I could see the amusement in his eyes again.

“Don’t you fucking dare apologize for sending that photo. But if you insist, I can think of a few ways you can earn my forgiveness….” He trailed off, his eyebrow raising and a smirk forming on his lips. I smiled back, happy he was okay.

“Well in that case, what if I told you I was wearing that bra you saw in the picture…right now…” I whispered as I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Roy’s chin, cheek, and gently on his nose.

“Fucking hell,” Roy breathed out, pulling me in tighter. I decided to push one more button, just to tease him a tiny bit more.

“Mmhm, and guess what? That bra has matching panties….”

Roy’s eyes closed and he released a deep and long “fuuuuuuuuck” before closing any gaps between us with a searing kiss. When he pulled back, I was sure my lips were as red and swollen as his. I rested my forehead on his before he hopped off the table and we walked back to work before heading back home for all that was promised.

———————-

A few days later, I was seated in my office organizing the next away game details for the team when I received an email from one of my contacts at The Blizzard. Attached were the photos from the training shoot. I was scrolling through the action shots until I stopped at four back to back pictures that had me giggling to myself.

In front of me were four shots of Roy: in the first photo he’s looking down at his phone with a neutral expression. In the second, his eye brows were raised and eyes blown wide. In the third photo, he was smirking at his phone. And finally, in the last photo of the bunch, Roy’s face was obscured by the football that has smacked him dead on. I scrolled back and forth between those four pictures, creating a little boomerang and watching Roy’s face the whole time and laughing hysterically.

I saved the photos to my phone and set the one where he was smirking as my lockscreen, savoring the memory of what ensued that night after that photo was taken.

[jazzsonly]

౨ৎ blurb. ౨ৎ (highkey a wip.)

ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴀɪɴ

pairing(s): tara carpenter x gn!ghostface!reader

warning(s): no pronouns used. mentions of being high/drunk.

summary: ❝ and I run for miles just to get a taste ❞

────────✬────────

“tara.” you didn’t really have to try to yell over the music because the song had died down, building up to the base drop.

you watch your ex-girlfriend whip her head around, her whole body following to face your direction. any smile or ounce of joy that displayed on her face faded away, and a swirl of emotional shock took over her body.

her pupils dilated and mouth slightly agape in disbelief at the sight of you.

“wha—” she paused, her breath still thin.

“what are you doing here?”

“you texted me—”

“i did?” you could tell she wasn’t all the way there, either really high or drunk—but she could still feel everything for and about you while under the influence.

“did you not want me to come?” a silly question, you know.

“are you alone?” you flick your eyes around the crowd, looking for sam and the rest of core four but only stranger faces were in view.

you could practically hear tara’s heartbeat as she nervously looked around, breathing heavily, she took a few steps backwards before fully turning, trying to speed walk (more like stumble) away from you.

“no, no,” you follow closely behind the girl, bumping into a few bodies.

tara, now with her back pressed against the club wall, swallowed deeply. she had a look of too many emotions to name, but you knew every single one of them.

even though, you knew you were a monster for what you had done to her and the people you once called your family, you also knew you loved tara and there was no place you’d rather be right now—there was no place you’d ever wanna than with her.

“i’m scared of you, y/n.” you look down at the floor in shame.

“i’m sorry…for everything.”

“i’m sorry for hurting you…for hurting our frie—“

with harsh force the influenced girl shoved your chest, “my friends! they aren’t yours! you don’t terrorize and murde—”

you rush forward, covering her mouth. “tara.”

you could practically feel the fear radiating off the girl.

“i’m sorry, i’m sorry.” you back away, slowly to let her know you weren’t going to do anything.

“why? why are you here? i gave you a chance, i let you run free from the cops. i let everyone think it was all richie and amber.”

you shake your head, still in close proximity of the girl. “you…you are the most beautiful person i’ve ever met and i need you to know that, tara. i never meant for any of this to happen…”

you pause, touching the girl again, this time bringing your hand up to caress her cheek.

“i never meant for it to go this far…i’m tired, i’m tired of running. i want to be with you.”

each word you spoke was like a bullet to tara, her breath was heavier and heavier with just each sound that came out of your mouth. it didn’t help much with how close you two were, she was basically trapped between the wall that buzz from the music and your hot body, that was heated from passion and emotion.

“i’m the person you fell in love with.” these eight words were the last drop to overflow the cup, tara grips the hem of your beat up leather jacket and flips you. your back now pressed against the wall and her body pressed against you.

“i wanna kill you for all you’ve done, you deserve to know how it feels.”

“i’m yours.” you speak proudly, knowing you’d fully surrender at the girl’s hands.

“you’re not mines…just stay away, y/n. even if i text you…even if i call one night, desperately missing you. i just want— need you to stay away.” tara pulls away, not even sparing you a last glance before disappearing into the sea of dancing, sweaty bodies.

━━━👩🏽‍💻wrote this after the longest day at work, anyways inspired by that one scene in euphoria with nate and jules.

[writefightandflightclub]

How to bring a God to his knees: Nathan Bateman x fem!reader (smutty blurb)

Warnings: 18+ MDNI. Nathan in a collar and leash, don’t look at me, okay?! Nathan being a sub etc. etc. oral f!receiving, orgasm denial sorta, consensual domination.

Genre: smut, no plot, SUPER short

Author’s note: what did I just say? Don’t even think about looking at me 🙈😅 (AKA, Apparently this is what happens when I get a blurb request for Nathan smut but no scenario specified!)

You’ve never seen anything more beautiful.

Nathan “God complex” Bateman himself is on his knees for you, looking like some penitent worshipper. His neck straining against the black leather collar you’ve tightened around it. His raven black beard coated in your pearly juices, and his big, half-lidded eyes begging for more.

“Baby, you good?”

He simply looks up at you dumbly, for once no clever retort or smug smirk able to form on his pussy-plumped lips.

You let your gaze rove over his form. His smooth skin sheened in sweat from hours pleasuring you. Biceps pumped, fists clenching. His cock rock hard and ruddy. His thighs tremoring as they brace him in position.

“Aww. Sweet thing. You a little pussy-drunk?”

“Mmm hmm,” he manages, groaning next as you drag a finger through your slick folds and force the moreish taste of you over his tongue. He sucks away every drop.

“You want some more?”

“P-Please.”

You tug on his leash and he drops obediently to all fours, following you towards the couch. You spread your legs and he eyes your slick heat with a restrained yet consuming hunger, a delicious dark glint in his glazed, sub-drunk eyes.

“Come here, baby,” you purr, cradling his head and running your hand over the bristle of his buzzed hair until you reach the nape of his neck. Then, you grab hold of his collar and shove his warm, eager mouth down on to you.

“Mmm, that’s it, Nate,” you praise as his tongue shimmies meticulously through your folds, his eager undone moans -in contrast- reverberating through your core. “Make me cum again, and if you’re good, I might even let you finish, hmm?”

This is it, you think, as he buries himself in you with even greater vigour, the wet slick of his beard dragging through your folds as he gives everything he has to please you.

This is how you bring a God to his knees; and it feels so good.

[keraxxx]

You’re Perfect

Maddy x Black Fem! Reader

Warnings: Smut, fingering, teasing, unedited work(sorry for any errors or if something doesn’t make sense)

Summary: You’ve had your eye on Maddy for a long time and she has had her eye on you. Not only does she find you pretty, she wants to fuck you.

~~~~~

When you had first saw Maddy, you instantly knew she was your soulmate or something. She was practically perfect, starting from her personality alone. The kind-bitchy act she did always seemed to turn you on. You almost want to touch yourself thinking about how she performs her cheer routines, swaying her hips along side Cassie, her perfect slim hands sliding up her body like a snake. Every time you walked past, Nate would be there. Obviously you would expect her to look at Nate, But she stares at you with her pretty little alluring eyes. You snap out of your trance as soon as Rue snaps her fingers in your face.

���Hellooo? Earth to y/n.” She laughs and stares at Jules raising an eyebrow. “Oh yeah what are we talking about?” you talk still staring at Maddy, her body.. her hair.. everything about her it’s almost like she seducing you. It’s almost like she’s not just dancing to practice.. just to turn you on. You look at Jules and Rue practically rolling your eyes in annoyance. “Interesting.. “ Jules said laughing. You flicked her off and turned your full attention to the couple.

“Well? I’m waiting.”

“You want to come over tonight? Jules and I were gonna have a movie marathon…” Rue raised an eyebrow after she abruptly stopped and looked behind you. You turned around and saw Maddy towering over you. “Hey y/n… um i know we don’t talk much but..” she stops and grabs your wrist. Maddy takes a pen that was sitting on the table and starts writing numbers on your arm.

“Call me and we can hang out.. or study.. or.. Yeah!” she licks her lips winking and walks away to get back to her group of cheer friends. You cock your head slightly at Jules and Rue. “I’ll be busy tonight.”

~~~~~~~~

You were in the bathroom, fixing your curly hair , adding a bit of oil to your scalp when a buzzing sensation ran through the counter and you washed your hands to pick up your phone. You scroll up and see a notification from Maddy?

- Maddy💋: Don’t ask how or why but… i’m at your front door.✔️✔️

-Huh?? 😰

Delivered is the only thing you see before a knock lands at the door. It’s almost pounding, like it’s urgent.. You quickly scrunch your hair with a towel to prevent droplets from dripping down your shirt. You walk to the door and open it all the way. “I see no cars out front. You’re all alone?” She says rapidly turning her phone in her hands. “Yeah.. my parents are out of town..” You smirked and let Maddy walk in.

As soon as you lock the door, Maddy’s hands rest on your shoulders, turning you around. “Now y/n.. I see you staring everyday. What’s up with that?” She bit her lip and her hand slid up your arm. “I- uh…” Your mouth goes dry.

“What’s wrong with you? You look so nervous.”

Your eyes widened. “I’m um.. i’m sorry??” Maddy looks at your eyes, exactly the same way you had been doing with all her cheer practices. “Calm down Y/N.” she giggled at your face.“Let’s watch a movie yeah?” You laughed and dragged her to your bed.

~~~~~

Weeks passes and you and Maddy were getting closer. You could tell Nate was jealous, the fact that every time you walked past him he would glare at you like you had a third eye right in the middle of your forehead. Or maybe it was because Maddy keeps on blowing off Nate to hang out with you.

Your head rested between Maddy’s thighs as she braided your curls back, just playing with your hair. You groaned slightly as her phone keep ringing. “Okay Maddy- What- why do you do that?” You grabbed her hand and laced her fingers with yours. “Blow off Nate? Well his dick isn’t big enough.” She joked and you rolled your eyes. You scooted towards the edge of your bed, leaving a empty gap between the both of you. “I’m being serious. Like why choose me over him.”

“Because i like you. Can i not like the special beautiful y/n?” Maddy crawled towards you on her hands and knees teasingly. She grabs the side of your face. “You don’t understand how you make me feel..” she paused and her hand slowly made its way down to your shirt, playing with your bra strap. “How many times i’ve thought about you in bed.”

You groaned as her lips got closer to yours, your hot breath fanning over her face. “Can i?” she questions and you nodded eagerly. Maddy’s lips slammed into yours as her hand kneaded your breast in her soft hands. She hummed a tune to herself as she slowly made her way down to your pants. She slowly pulled them down as she looked up at your flustered face. "Do you enjoy this baby?" her tone made you throw your head back in pleasure. "Fuck.. keep going please Maddy."

She giggles to herself and looked into your eyes as she teases her way into your underwear, pulling at the band and the slight sting ran through your body. “Oh god Maddy-“ you gasped as she slid your panties to the side, her fingers teased your entrance. Without any warning, she slammed her digits into you, pounding in and out. Your moans and whimpers were music to her ears.

“Please please please- Ngh-“ your hands gripped Maddy’s shoulders, indenting them. You rested against her, her mouth next to your ear.

“You’re so pretty.” she moaned. “You’re perfect”

A knot started forming in your stomach as Maddy continued assaulting you and your pussy. “Mhmm.. cum for me.” She smirked, kissing the side of your face as you yelped, liquid falling down Maddy’s fingers.

She brought her fingers up to her lips and licked them till they were clean. “You taste so good.” she teased. You laid back on your bed to catch your breath.

“My pretty girl.” she giggled.

[riptidewaters]

Part 2, Lipstick

Nate Archibald x fem! reader (NAMED)

Charlotte was having a pretty awesome day, just having landed in her summer house in the Hamptons, she had a few hopes that she wanted to complete, including having Nate Archibald as her boyfriend. She got off the helicopter and was escorted to her room, flopping down on her soft bed she sighed dreaming of finally meeting her old friends and that one guy she had liked through 4 boyfriends and two years straight. Her phone buzzed with a text from Blair, ‘Hey! Did you reach yet? The party starts soon. Get here soon!’ She responded with ‘yeah! just landed right now I’ll be there in 15!’ Charlotte walked towards her closet and looked through her choices, finally deciding on a white satin dress with long bell leaves and crossed around the neck.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

She put her hair in a fancy ponytail and put on a fair amount of mascara and lip gloss. Charlotte looked in the mirror and smiled, walking out of the room she grabbed a pair of white Steve Madden boots and walked towards her white Corvette, sitting in it and driving off towards the party venue. She reached n about 20 minutes, Charlotte looked around for familiar faces, especially the one of Nathaniel Archibald. And when she finally did spot him......he was passionately kissing one of her good friends, Serena Van der Woodsen.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Charlotte stared at the couple with a gobsmacked expression, ‘Astonishing isn’t it?’ Charlotte turned around facing a smirking Charles, a.k.a. Chuck Bass standing behind her, ‘Chuck!’ she exclaimed, plastering a smile on her face and pulling the taller man in for a tight hug. Pulling away she smiled tightly, ‘It’s been so long! How are you?’, Chuck sighed, ‘I have been better, to be honest...’ he grabbed a bottle of champagne from the table beside them, ‘Care for a drink?’. Charlotte smiled, ‘You know I don’t...’ And that’s when the hurricane called Blair Waldorf made its debut.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Charlotte!’ Blair squealed, hugging her tightly, ‘You look gorgeous!’ She said. Charlotte grinned, ‘As do you!’. Blair finally noticed Chuck and looked at him in disgust, turning her attention back to Charlotte she smiled again, ‘How about we meet my new Boyfriend?’, ‘Oh! I would love to!’ Charlotte said, turning towards Chuck, ‘You coming?’. He smiled, ‘I’d rather not.’ She looked confused, her gaze travelling from Blair to Chuck ‘Oookkkk?’. Blair animatedly started to talk about what she had missed, pulling Charlotte‘s hand towards Marcus. Chuck sighed, staring at the bottle of champagne in his hand.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stopping suddenly, Charlotte’s eyes fell on Blair’s Boyfriend, ‘Charlotte, Marcus, Marcus Charlotte!’ She introduced them, and Charlotte politely smiled at the couple, ‘Nice to meet you!’ She exclaimed, shaking his hand. Blair kissed Marcus, ‘Isn’t he gorgeous?’ She asked clutching his arm, ‘Also! He’s a lord!’ She said smiling even wider. Charlotte nodded, ‘Wait really? That’s awesome Blair!’. Her gaze travelled to Serena and Nate, now looking into each other’s eyes with love sick smiles. Charlotte felt tears starting to flood in her eyes, she muttered ‘I’m going to get a vitamin water’ and rushed away wiping the tears from her eyes.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

‘Shit! I’m so sorry!’ Charlotte looked up upon hearing the voice who had just bumped into her, she stood up, ‘Oh, it’s no problem! It was kind of my fault! I wasn’t really looking at where I was headed…’ The man smiled at her, ‘No, I’m pretty sure it was mine,’ He said, ‘I’m Dan -Dan Humphrey, speaking of, I haven’t really seen you here before, I’m kinda of proud to say that even though I hate these snobby people- I know each and every one of them.’ He proudly said, putting a faint smile on Charlotte’s face, ‘Wait-‘ his smile dropped, ‘Unless- are the daughter of one of these snobby rich people?’ She laughed looking at his white face, ‘No- no! I’m an old friend of Blair, Serena, Chuck and Nate’ her voice trembled while saying his name. Dan looked relieved, ‘Oh! Well I am-was Serena’s Boyfriend.’ Then he muttered under his breath, ‘I had come to win her back, until I saw her lip-locking with the blonde beauty.’ Charlotte sadly smiled, ‘Yeah- no I understand what you’re going through, I have liked Nate for 2 years straight.’ Dan looked surprised, ‘Really?, well it was kind of a shock to too them together and kissing to be honest.’ He remarked.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

‘Dan? Charlotte?, What are you guys doing here and together?’ Serena walked up behind Dan, holding her dress up and looking completely puzzled. ‘Serena! It totally worked! Catherine just told me to meet her in the…’ Nate cheerfully started saying not noticing Charlotte and Dan staring at them open-mouthed, ‘Charlotte?’ And that’s when he noticed her, a look of confusion and surprise in his blue orbs.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

@julesandro (who asked me to tag them)

Part 3 is now out!

[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

Something There (Chapter 2)

7.1k words Roy Kent x Reader Warnings: Language, enemies-to-lovers, some sexual references, Roy still not being excited about women's sports, childish arguments between adults who clearly want each other

Series Masterlist

Roy threw his bag over his shoulder with a loud groan. Much to his annoyance, he had to start his day by parking on the far side of the lot; there were way more cars than he was used to, especially this early, and he didn’t recognize any of them. Whatever. Maybe Rebecca had some publicity event he’d forgotten about. Wouldn’t be the first time.

He walked into the Dog Track, only vaguely aware of the palatable excitement buzzing in the air as he went down the hall. It wasn’t unusual for him to only nod to people as he passed by instead of stopping to say hello, so that’s what he did, a bit creeped out by the wide smiles on people’s faces as they chattered in hushed tones. Weird.

The reason for the cars and the excitement finally smacked him in the face when he walked opened the door the changing room and found it full of women in sports bras, most of whom only offered him passing glances as they chattered animatedly to one another.

“Oh shit.”

Roy picked up his pace and hurried into his office, noticing its closed blinds and Nate very intentionally focusing on the white board by Roy’s desk. Without quite knowing why, Roy kept walking until he found himself standing in the Whippets’ office.

The American manager, dressed today in leggings and a Whippets jacket (still looking stupidly pretty, which Roy did his best to ignore), looked up from her heavy conversation with Lucas, eyebrow arched. “What’s up with you?”

Roy made a face, not enjoying the mocking tone in her voice. Or the fact that she was speaking to him at all. “Fuck d’you mean?”

Clearly stifling a giggle, she shrugged. “Well, you just charged into my office looking so red in the face it’s almost concerning. Do I need to call you a doctor or something?”

His eyebrows furrowed further. “There’s women changing in the- in the-”

“Changing room,” she finished for him, nodding emphatically. “That’s kind of what it’s for.”

“But it’s women.” Roy knew he sounded stupid as soon as the words left his mouth.

Her amused eyes darted to Lucas before refocusing on Roy. “Well, yeah. I manage a women’s team. Sorry if that wasn’t clear,” she snarked.

He blinked a few times, the warmth in his face growing from annoyance. “Well, you guys should fucking tell us when your team is using shit. Make a schedule or some shit. That way we know what the fuck’s going on.”

She stared at him coolly. “There is a schedule. Coach Beard made it.” Condescension dripped from her voice, letting Roy know she really didn’t have the patience for him.

Right. Roy had gotten a group email from Beard and had, of course, ignored it. He really needed to get his shit together.

When Roy didn’t respond, she continued, her expression completely icy now. “Huh. Every coach I’ve ever known has always made sure they knew what was going on in their club.” She turned to Lucas. “Is this a British thing?”

The assistant coach shrugged and pretended to start typing on his computer. He was staying the fuck out of whatever this was. Smart man.

Roy cleared his throat, feeling like he was losing a game he hadn’t signed up for. ““Well, I mean, I don’t want them to be uncom-”

 “Coach Kent, I have had mostly male coaches for most of my career. Wearing a sports bra in front of men is not a big deal to any of these women. Just like being shirtless in front of me isn’t a big deal to your guys.” She spoke slowly, as if to a child.

He fucking hated it. “Just don’t want my guys making them uncomfortable,” he mumbled, no longer able to look her in the eye.

Her eyes narrowed as she brought herself to her full height and closed the space between them, bringing her face close to his, so close that if he leaned forward just a centimeter their noses would touch. “If they’re planning on making my team uncomfortable, then that’s a Roy Kent problem. If you can’t keep your team in check and make sure they act right, then you need to figure your shit out. Lucas, you’ve shared changing rooms with women’s teams before. Ever seen it be a problem?”

The coach, who was clearly listening with great interest, kept his eyes on the computer screen. “Nope.”

“Didn’t think so.” She turned back to Roy. “I’ll go ahead and assume you weren’t the one who left the lovely little notes in the lockers for us then.”

“That was Isaac’s idea.” Coach Beard appeared in the door that led out to the hall. The door Roy wished he’d used that morning.

“Good morning, Coach,” she greeted, her voice suddenly pleasant. “Isaac… McAdoo, right? He’s your captain?”

Beard nodded. “He thought it would be nice to leave a little something, let the ladies know they’re very welcome here at Nelson Road.” He gave Roy a pointed look before continuing. “They stayed after practice yesterday to write the notes and tidy up the lockers. It was Sam’s idea to get the water bottles.”

The way her face lit up made Roy’s stupid heart skip a beat. “Oh! Those are great. Make sure to thank the guys for us.” She turned to Roy, all friendliness gone. “Your players got these for us.” She pointed to the blue water bottle on her desk, the Whippets’ logo prominent. “They’re pretty nice guys. Must’ve learned from Nate and Beard.”

Ouch. With a scoff, Roy rolled his eyes. “Well-”

She looked at the nonexistent watch on her wrist. “Oop, would you look at that. Time for the W.F.C. Richmond’s first ever practice.” She glared at Roy. “Excuse me, gentlemen.”

Roy had to forcibly stop himself from watching her as she sauntered out of the offices, calling for her team to head out to the pitch.

Coach Lucas patted Roy on the shoulder as he followed suit. “There’s no winning against her once she gets going. Trust me,” he chuckled, shaking his head.

Roy grunted, mouth in a straight line, pretending like he wasn’t focusing on getting his heartrate back to normal. Coach Beard looked thoroughly amused as Roy stayed still as a statue, waiting to hear total silence from the changing room before sulking back to his own office, where Nate quickly pretended to look busy and not like he’d been eavesdropping.

Beard’s eyes remained on Roy. “Boy, she knows how to push your buttons,” he mused.

“Does not,” Roy grumbled, feeling a bit like a schoolboy being badgered by his friends. He dropped into his chair, giving it a little spin from side to side, arms crossed stubbornly. “I don’t have fucking buttons.”

~

Lucas and I stood shoulder to shoulder as we watched the Whippets scrimmage. Under my sunglasses, my eyes were wide with joy. They were good, so good. When we signed these women, we knew there was going to be a lot of talent on this squad. But we could only dream of the chemistry we were already seeing on day one.

“Shit, can you imagine once they’re actually used to each other?” As always, Lucas was reading my mind.

I nodded. “Un. Fucking. Stoppable.” We bumped fists and knocked our hips into each other, a gesture we’d started doing when he was my coach in college. A gesture I knew we’d be making a lot this season.

“Oi!”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was shouting and who they were shouting at. With a groan, I turned around. Sure enough, Roy Kent was heading towards Lucas and I, looking ready for a fight. At this point, I wasn’t sure his face was capable of any other expression.

“Yeah, Coach Kent?” I pulled down my sunglasses, glaring at him from over the top, not giving a shit about professionalism or sharing or any of the other things I had promised Rebecca I’d be totally capable of.

Now standing in front of us, he nodded towards my scrimmage. “We need the pitch.”                                   

I glanced at my phone. Sure enough, it was just past time for us to give up the field so the men could use it. Dammit.

Now, if it was Beard or Nate who had come out and asked us to give up the pitch, I would have gladly done so, and would have easily apologized. But because it was Roy Kent who was demanding that we move, my heels dug in all on their own.

“We’re almost done,” I answered breezily, as if he really didn’t matter to me. Which he didn’t.

“Oh no.” He stared at me indignantly. “You made a big fucking deal about there being a fucking schedule. I’m just following it.” He turned to the pitch, where my players continued their scrimmage. “Whistle!” A few women stopped, their faces perplexed. “Get off the fucking pitch!”

My vision went red. “Hey!” I grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face me. “You don’t fucking tell my team what to do!” I blew my whistle. “Keep going!” When play resumed, I looked back at Roy, whose face was nearly purple. “Roy Kent, don’t you ever tell my squad what to do, you fucking hear me?” My hands were balled into fists at my side. “If I were a man-”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Oh, fuck that. You and I both know that this has nothing to do with you being a woman and has everything to do with us needing the fucking pitch. So, knock off with your feminism for a fucking minute.”

He was right. I knew deep down that he was right. But something about the way he looked at me just lit a fire that I didn’t know if I could control. There was no way I could let him win.

I folded my arms and blew some loose hair out of my face. “You could try please,” I grumbled, knowing I looked like a pouting teenager and not a professional soccer coach.

His eyebrows flew up. “I’m sorry? You want me to say please? When it’s my turn on the pitch? Are you fucking joking?”

“Beard and Nate would have said please.”

His eyes narrowed, an unwilling acknowledgement that I was completely correct. “Fine.” He gritted his teeth. “Please.”

Every ounce of coldness returned to my body. “There, was that so hard?” I purred mockingly.

Before Roy could respond- probably something involving the word fuck- Lucas brought his whistle to his lips and blew it hard. “Alright ladies, let’s go! Bring it in!” He looked at the two of us, eyebrows raised. “If you two are still flirting, I’m going to take these gals to the weight room, cool?”

“Fuck off,” Roy and I scoffed in unison.

Once Lucas stopped laughing his ass off, we headed to the weight room and got our players started on their workouts. Finally, I turned to Lucas, who was still grinning.

“We weren’t flirting.” My tone was flat, blunt.

Lucas snorted. “Oh, you were totally flirting. So was he, to be fair.” He shrugged. “You could definitely do worse than Roy Kent, I’ll give you that. Man’s a legend. And still pretty hot.”

“Can’t stand that man,” I mumbled, wondering if I was trying to convince Lucas or myself. “He’s the fucking worst.”

“Then have some really passionate hate sex,” Lucas suggested, waggling his eyebrows. “Do something to take care of that tension between you two.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You know, in some cultures, this is sexual harassment.”

“And in some cultures,” Lucas countered, “the way you look at Roy Kent would mean you have to marry him.”

~

Roy sighed as he leaned back in the chair in Doctor Sharon’s office. It had been a full week of sharing Nelson Road with the fucking Whippets. Of sharing it with her. And Roy felt like he’d aged an entire decade in that time.

They glared at each other in place of a greeting. They had shouting matches on the pitch. They muttered swear words at each other in the weight room. They rolled their eyes whenever the other was mentioned. And on more than one occasion, they got in each other’s faces, noses almost touching, lips way too close for Roy’s comfort.

He knew better. He fucking knew better. He hadn’t spent all that time with Ronald fucking McDonald for nothing. He’d grown and changed and become a better man. He’d learned to control the rage that thundered in his chest and to use it constructively. He’d become friends with Jamie Tartt of all people. Fuck, he even met with Dr. Sharon once a month. And yet here was this Yank, with her leggings and red lipstick and cocky grin, coming in and undoing all of it.

Roy closed his eyes as he listened to Doctor Sharon settle at her desk after closing the door. There was no way she hadn’t heard about what was going on between the two managers; everyone at the Dog Track knew what was happening, despite the assistant coaches’ combined efforts to keep things under control. He was surprised they hadn’t gotten called into Rebecca’s office to be properly shouted at like the children they were.

“You seem tired, Roy.” Doctor Sharon’s gentle voice made his eyes snap open. “Everything alright?”

He grunted, crossing his arms. No use dancing around things. “It’s the new women’s team,” he grumbled. “Their manager and I….” He glanced up at the ceiling, as if it held the right words to describe the white-hot rage he felt every time he looked at her. “…. Don’t get along.”

Doctor Sharon nodded. “I’ve heard.”

She didn’t say anything else, so Roy went on. “She’s just really fucking infuriating, y’know? All cocky and full of herself. Acts entitled to the pitch and the weight room and the changing room. And of course, Beard and fucking Nate like her and the fellas all act like she’s God’s gift to football. Just because she’s won a couple of trophies.”

“Was all of this your first impression of her?” Doctor Sharon asked after a moment.

Roy squirmed a little. “Well, I mean I met her at a club actually,” he admitted. “Right before she started working here. And I didn’t know who she was. And I made a comment implying that she wanted to flirt with me for attention, because I’m, well, me.” Fuck, he felt insufferable saying that part out loud. “And then I came into work and- fuck- there she is. Fucking stuck up as hell.” He shrugged. “And she’s shit at sharing,” he mumbled.

“Hmm.” Doctor Sharon looked thoughtful for a moment. “Have you thought about what it’s like for her right now?”

Her voice always calmed him down. “How d’you mean?”

She looked him straight in the eye. He liked that about her. “Well, she’s just given up her entire life to move here, where she knows literally one person, and she’s got a lot of responsibility on her shoulders to lead a football team that doesn’t know her yet. Sounds a bit like someone else we know, hmm?”

Roy shook his head. “No. She’s nothing like him. She’s arrogant and conceited and cocky and-”

“That sounds like the way you describe yourself at that age,” Doctor Sharon mused. Roy simply grunted, so she continued. “And, like her, you know what it’s like to suddenly be away from home and everyone you love, don’t you?”

He thought way back, to when he was a child, his grandad dropping him off with his blankie. “I was a fucking kid,” he argued. “That was different.”

Doctor Sharon shook her head. “We don’t compare baggage, remember?”

Roy nodded in defeat. “Fuck. Sorry. I know.” He fiddled with the zipper on his jacket. “’m just really fucking annoyed about sharing Nelson Road,” he mumbled, hoping to change the topic a little.

Apparently, Doctor Sharon was going to let him. “Why is that?”

“Because it’s ours,” he said simply. “We finally got into a rhythm, you know? Lasso came in and turned everything upside down, turns me upside down, then he fucking left. And then Rebecca decides to put me in charge.” Roy shook his head. “And I get one fucking year to figure out how to be a manager before she brings in an entirely new team? It’s just a lot.”

Doctor Sharon nodded sympathetically. “That is a lot of change in a short time,” she affirmed. “How can we deal with that?”

Roy felt good as he walked out of Doctor Sharon’s office at the end of their hour. They’d discussed how Roy could cope with all the stress, about the things he could control to feel like he wasn’t helpless against all this change, and even some conflict resolution strategies she wanted him to try. Maybe he didn’t have to be an absolute prick about all this.

Of course, those thoughts went out the window when Roy turned a corner and saw George Willows. Everyone thought Roy had hated Trent Crimm, but George Willows was a whole other story. He was Roy’s least favorite journalist, to the point where the man didn’t even come to the Greyhounds’ press conferences due to the high chances of being screamed at.

And who should Willows be chatting with in a particularly friendly-looking manner, looking more like two flirting teenagers than professionals?

“Oi.” Roy furrowed his brow, keeping his eye on George, avoiding looking at a certain pretty American. “Fuck are you doing here?”

“We have an interview,” Coach Buck pipped up, scowling at Roy. “Did you need something, Coach Kent?”

She always sounded like she was spitting out his name.

Roy nodded. “Yeah. I need this prick-” He pointed to George. “-to get the fuck out of here before I escort him out myself.”

Before she could retort, George put his hands in front of himself defensively. “Hey, I’m not here for the Greyhounds, Roy. Just a little fluff piece on the Whippets and their new coach.” He smiled down at the manager when he mentioned her. “Help the people of Richmond know just how lucky they are to have her.”

The beaming smile on her face, aimed completely at George Willows, made Roy’s chest go painfully tight.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh fuck off,” he groaned. “Honestly, they couldn’t have sent literally anyone else? What, it’s so hard to find someone to yammer off questions and hold a fucking tape recorder?”

“They use phones now, Grandad,” Jamie Tartt teased as he passed by, hair still damp from his shower. He saluted. “G’night, Coach Buck.”

“Night, Jamie!” she called, smiling at the striker. Apparently, she had a smile for everyone but Roy. Indeed, it disappeared when she glared at him. “Coach Kent, can I help you with something?”

Roy’s mouth went dry. Why the fuck did he let this woman get to him?

Since Roy wasn’t talking, she turned to George Willows. “Why don’t you head on into my office? I’ll be there in a moment.” She pointed the way to her office, all friendliness. Her frown reappeared once he was gone. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“That guy fucking sucks,” Roy said plainly. “Seriously. All of the press sucks, that guy might actually be the fucking devil.”

Her eyeroll rivalled the ones Roy was known for. “Well, if Roy Kent hates him, he must be a lovely person. Maybe even the second coming of Jesus Christ. If there’s nothing else you need to bitch about, I’d love it if you kindly fucked off, Coach Kent. I have an interview.” With that, she turned and swaggered off, with Roy trying his best to avoid watching her receding figure and ignoring the warmth in his cheeks when he failed.

~

We were coming close to the start of the season, and I felt multitudes calmer than I thought I would. My team was fantastic, and they seemed to like me as much as I liked them. Lucas and I had been working hard on our plays and were constantly trying to figure out who our captain would be; with so many strong leaders, it was a fun problem to have.

“Excellent job today, ladies!” I called out as I strolled through the locker room. “See you all in the morning!”

The players called out their goodnights as they headed to their lockers or to the showers. I smiled when I walked into the offices and saw Nate and Beard at their desks.

Coach Beard had done a good job with the schedule, no matter how much Roy Kent bitched about it; each day, the teams rotated between either starting practice an hour early or ending an hour later, so we didn’t have too much overlap in the showers and locker room. Today was our day to end late. Rebecca had said this was temporary, that hopefully she’d eventually build us our own training facility and just use Nelson Road for games, but I didn’t mind the sharing. Not with the Greyhounds, who were gracious and kind and made sure my team felt welcome. Not with Beard and Nate, who were friendly and always offering help with anything we needed as our first match quickly approached. The only problem was- well, I didn’t need to think about him right now.

“Hello, Greyhounds,” I greeted politely. “You guys all done for the day?”

Nate smiled. “Yes, all done. And you guys? Er, gals?” He paused for a moment, his face scrunched in thought. “Ladies?”

I laughed. “Gals and ladies both work just fine,” I assured him. “And yeah, we’re wrapped up.” I paused, looking at Nate thoughtfully. “Hey, could I have Lucas run some plays by you? I’ve heard you’re something of a whiz with plays and strategy.” I shot a wink in Beard’s direction. “Some people told me you’re a real wonder kid.”

Nate’s smile widened. “Oh, yes, absolutely, I’d love to help.”

Beard gave me a nod of approval as Nate jumped up to go find Lucas in our office. “That was very nice of you.”

I shrugged, taking Roy’s empty chair, not caring if he walked in and saw me in it. “Nice has nothing to do with it. We’ll take any help we can get. If Nate’s as good as you’ve said- which I’m sure he is- I hope you all don’t mind sharing that brain of his from time to time.”

“I’m fine with it. And Nate would be thrilled to help you out. Just don’t let Roy hear about it,” Beard teased. “He’s not one for sharing.”

“Especially not with me,” I hummed with an eyeroll. I wondered if I was damaging my eyesight from doing that so much lately. “Has he always been like this?”

Coach Beard looked thoughtful for a moment. “Roy… is a tough cookie,” he said carefully. “He didn’t exactly love Ted and me when we first got here. But we broke through those walls, and honestly, we’re pretty close now. He was the best man at my wedding.” He tapped his pen against his desk. “I actually thought he’d have an easier time with this whole women’s team thing, if I’m being honest.”

“Great, so it’s me he hates, not women’s sports,” I joked, earning a sympathetic half-smile from Beard. My eyes landed on a photo hanging on the wall, one of the three Greyhound coaches and another mustached man, one I knew immediately even if we’d never met. “Bet you all miss him a lot,” I mused.

A small sigh escaped Beard’s lips. “You have no idea.” His voice was the softest I’d heard it. “He’d get you and Roy all sorted out, that’s for sure.”

The tip of my nose went warm, thinking about all the shit the other coaches had dealt with over the past few weeks. “I’m really sorry about-”

Beard shook his head. “Growing pains,” he said simply. “You’re both good coaches. Both passionate about the sport. Which makes you both a little hardheaded. You’ll figure it out.” He paused. “Or Rebecca’ll fire you both.”

Despite his serious face, I laughed. “Guess that’s a good motivation to stop calling him a fucking asshole in the hallways, huh?”

Coach Beard’s smile matched mine. “Whatever works.” His phone pinged, calling his attention to it. “Gotta head out. My wife made sushi for dinner for the first time so I should probably grab some stomach medicine.” He looked at me thoughtfully. “We’ll have you over sometime. If we invite Roy, we can have a four-way screaming contest.”

A little perplexed by what he meant by that, I nodded. “Sure, Coach. Enjoy your food poisoning. Maybe tell the missus that you had some weird English food for lunch so you can blame that.”

He tapped his head. “Smart. Love it.” With a wave, he turned and went through my office, offering quick goodbyes to Nate and Lucas.

After heaving myself out of Roy’s chair, I peeked into my office. Nate and Lucas were poring over our playbook, discussing how to adjust a particular play we’d been struggling with. Both men looked up at me expectantly.

“Hey Luke, I’m going to do some running before I head home. Need to start forming good habits again. Don’t worry about me if you guys finish, I’ll just take a cab home if you’re gone.”

Lucas nodded. “No problem. See you tomorrow, Bucky.”

“Goodnight, Coach!” Nate added, his smile wide.

I walked across the room to grab my workout bag. “Later, guys!” I hollered, waving over my shoulder as I left the office.

Once I’d changed into some shorts and sports bra, I whistled as I walked to the weight room. It was well past quitting time, with most offices empty and closed up, my remaining players straggling out of the locker room to head home for the night. As I approached the weight room, I grabbed my keys to unlock it, something Rebecca had assured me I was more than welcome to do anytime, but I found the door was already cracked open.

My eyes instinctively narrowed as I looked inside. The universe was truly cruel; a shirtless Roy Kent was on one of the two treadmills, gazing at the television on the wall above him, watching… Lust Conquers All? Jamie had mentioned the show to me, bashfully explaining that he’d been on it a few seasons back. Not what I expected to see the Greyhound’s manager watching as he jogged.

Deciding not to use my voice to alert him to my presence, I let the door close loudly behind me. Roy glanced over his shoulder, grunting when he saw me. Taking that as his way of saying he wasn’t interested in a fight, I continued into the room, heading towards the lone treadmill next to his. I quickly dropped my Whippets water bottle into the cupholder and jumped onto the treadmill, setting it to a light pace.

For a while, the only sounds in the room were our feet on the treadmills and the obnoxious voices of the Lust Conquers All contestants onscreen. Not knowing what came over me, I glanced to my left at Roy. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that he had kept in shape post-retirement; after all, wasn’t I on the treadmill trying to do the same thing? But wow, the man looked good. My eyes couldn’t resist lingering on the thick hair covering his chest. It reminded me a bit of Sean Connery in the old James Bond movies my parents used watch; those movies had given me a great appreciation for views like the one before me. Some quiet voice in the back of my head considered that, if this man didn’t drive me crazy, I’d probably be into him.

Shaking my head to clear out the ridiculous intrusive thoughts that were quickly becoming steamy, I turned my eyes back to the screen, trying to figure out which contestant was trying to sleep with which. It was weirdly comforting to see that, even across an ocean, reality trash still remained. Over the past weeks, I had clung to anything that reminded me of home; maybe I’d have to start watching Lust Conquers All as a weird way to cope with homesickness. Lucas would surely get a kick out of that. Heck, I could probably get him to join me.

When the show went to commercial break, I felt the hair on my neck prickle, as if I were being watched. Sure enough, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Roy’s gaze on me, trailing slowly down my body as I jogged on the treadmill. A flush covered every inch of my skin where his eyes dawdled, my heart going faster than it normally did when I ran. There was something eerily familiar about the way he shook his head and looked back up at the television, as if a phone commercial was the most interesting thing in the world.

We ran in silence until the show ended. Once the trailer for the next episode began, Roy turned off his treadmill and climbed down. Our eyes met for a brief moment, the contact taking place of any cheerful “goodnights” most people would have exchanged. After he grabbed his own things, he silently placed the television remote on my treadmill, not quite looking at me.

The only other thing I heard was the sound of the door clicking closed behind him as he left.

~

“Hi Roy!”

Roy paused and turned around, hand poised to open the driver’s side door. “Keeley,” he greeted, letting his hand drop to his side.

The blonde practically skipped over to him looking particularly happy. “How’s it going?”

“Fine.” He frowned. He liked Keeley; they were friends, he’d venture to say good friends, bordering on best friends. But something glinted in her eye that made Roy uneasy. “You?”

“Great, great.” She paused a moment, swaying from side to side. “I have something really fun that I’ve been working on,” Keeley hummed.

Roy felt his antenna go up in suspicion. “Uh huh.”

Keeley’s expression was that of someone who was up to something. “And I could really use your help with it, Roy.”

There it was.

“Keeley,” he growled, raising his eyebrows at her. “Can you just tell me what you need?”

She offered Roy her best don’t-you-love-me smile, as if trying to remind him that they were friends. “A photoshoot. Featuring our fabulous Richmond coaches!”

Roy threw his head back. Keeley knew better. Roy hated this kind of shit. There was no way she’d ever ask if he wanted to- oh.

“I don’t have a fucking choice, do I?” he groaned.

Wrinkling her nose, Keeley shook her head. “D’you really think I’d ask you if you didn’t have to do it?” She shrugged. “Sorry, Roy. Rebecca’s orders. So come in tomorrow looking camera-ready, alright?”

Roy took “camera-ready” pretty loosely. He came in the next morning looking like himself, just a bit dressier: black button-down shirt, black slacks, beard, scowl. Keeley didn’t look too surprised when she saw him, just smiled and dragged him to the makeup artist. As he sat in the chair, begrudgingly letting the girl put exactly one layer of mascara on him, he coughed to get Keeley’s attention.

“Where’s Nate? Beard? Or are they pretty enough without makeup?”

“What?” Keeley looked up from her phone and shook her head. “Oh, no, they’re not doing this.” She bit her lip, the fear in her eyes telling Roy she did not want to say the next words that came out of her mouth. “It’s, er, just the managers.” Her voice became itty bitty. “So, you know, just you and Coach Bucky.”

Roy threw his head back so quickly he almost got poked in the eye with the mascara. “Fuuuuuuuuuuck,” he hissed. “So not only am I missing training, not only do I have to do a fucking photoshoot, but I have to do it with her?”

As if summoned like the demon she was, the American bounded into the office Keeley had commandeered as a staging room. Roy’s breath caught in his throat; he’d been working his ass off to get so many images out of his head: the little black dress she’d been wearing at the club, the red smirk she sported in her first press conference, the shorts she wore on the treadmill. But this had to be the fucking worst.

Not only was she wearing that red lipstick that he realized was probably her signature look at this point, but her hair was down- something he’d yet to see- and wavy and framing her face in that way Roy thought only models could accomplish. She was wearing full makeup, a natural look that accentuated her attractive features. Worse, she was wearing a fucking dress, one that hugged her curves and showed off her athletic figure. Roy hated the way his heart was pounding at the sight of her.

“Fuck you look sexy as hell!” Keeley squealed, giving the coach a once-over. “Doesn’t she look great, Roy?”

Before Roy could figure out an evasive response, laughter hit his ears.

“Oh, trust me. Coach Kent probably thinks I look like some young thing trying to trick him into dancing with me. Isn’t that right, Coach?”

Giggling, Keeley shoved the far-too-pretty manager. “Oh, leave him alone. Today’s rough enough for Roy. He doesn’t love this kind of thing.”

“Is it because vampires don’t show up on camera?”

“Oi!” Roy stood up, teeth bared. “Just because you love being the center of attention and having cameras on you and getting prickish journalists to giggle at your stupid jokes doesn’t mean everyone does. Not all of us have your fucking ego that needs to be fed constantly.”

Keeley cleared her throat. “Alright you two, why don’t we take this energy out to the pitch, hmm? Time to take some pretty pictures.”

The two managers grumbled in agreement and followed Keeley out of the room, avoiding looking at each other until they were outside. In the back of his head, Roy wondered if this was Buck’s first time on the main pitch; of course, he didn’t ask. That would require actually giving a shit.

Instead, he did his best to listen as Keeley introduced to two managers to the photographer, explaining that she and Rebecca thought these promo photos would be a great way to garner more interest in the Whippets and show the Greyhounds’ support for the women’s team, and that, if these came out well, they’d do photos of both teams as well.

“Right.” The photographer, an older man Roy had met against his will a handful of times, snapped his gum and studied the managers. “Let’s do this.”

Under Keeley’s anxious supervision, the photographer directed the two gaffers onto the grass, posing them as if they were dolls and clicking away before shifting poses, a pattern Roy knew well and hated. Roy’s stomach was in knots when the photographer instructed him to look down at the pretty, pretty coach.

“Like you admire her,” he suggested.

The American snorted. “Good luck with that one,” she mumbled.

Roy sucked in a breath through his teeth. This was already a long fucking day. This wasn’t the kind of shit he’d signed up for when he came back to Richmond after his retirement. But he reminded himself that this was for Keeley and Rebecca; he’d have to do his fucking best.

So, for once, he did as he was told. Roy knew the photographer meant admiration in a professional way, as a fellow coach. But instead, Roy let himself look at her the way he’d been avoiding since her first day at Nelson Road. He took in the sight of her unabashedly, resentfully admitting to himself that the view from up close was fucking nice when he wasn’t being screamed at.

When her eyes met his, Roy felt his brain fizz out and shut down. She was too close, too pretty, too annoying, too perfect.

“Great,” the photographer called, his camera clicking away. “Think you could get a smidge closer?”

Hating the stupid knots in his stupid stomach, Roy took a step away. “Really? Want me to hold her like we’re going to a fucking dance?” he barked.

“Roy,” Keeley warned gently, eyebrows raised.

“Just take the fucking photos, Kent,” came a grumbling voice from next to him.

Roy scoffed. “Yeah, you’d love that wouldn’t you?”

A sigh escaped those red lips. “And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

He dug himself deeper, desperate to just be done with this shit already. “Just that you must be really fucking excited to have your pretty picture taken, yeah?”

Her eyes narrowed. “That is the second time you’ve said shit like that to me today. Tell me what the fuck you mean by that.”

Their voices were rising as Keeley watched in utter frustration. She’d told Rebecca that this wasn’t the best idea. But the Amazon of a woman had insisted that the two would be able to put their issues aside for something as simple as a fucking photoshoot.

“Oi!” Keeley shook her head at the two red-faced managers. “Go to Rebecca’s office. I’m done with you two and whatever weird sexual thing you’ve got happening here.” She turned to the photographer. “I’m so sorry. Let me to grab a couple players, we can get some shots for the website or something.” She looked at the frozen coaches. “Fucking go!”

~

I’d been sent to the principal’s office plenty of times as a kid. Mostly for fighting with the boys when they refused to let me play with them, or when told me I played “like a girl” (as if it were an insult), or the time a particularly stupid classmate threw mud all over my Mia Hamm jersey and I decided to give him a bloody nose. Getting in trouble for fighting with idiots was nothing new to me.

But Rebecca Welton wasn’t going to give me a detention and call my parents.

“I am not losing this job because of you,” I informed Roy as we trudged through the hallways. “I was just trying to get things over with. But oh no, you with your fucking comments about me and pictures.” I shook my head. “It’s part of the job, Kent. You might not know this, what with playing for fucking Chelsea, but publicity matters for a new club. Especially a women’s club.”I stopped and faced Roy, who mirrored my pause. “So yeah, I had more to gain from that shoot than you did. But don’t you dare fucking judge me for that. You will never understand-”

“Oi!” Rebecca’s presence filled the hallway. “Lovebirds. In my office, now.”

Hoping Roy felt as childish as I did, I looked down as I walked into Rebecca’s office. She towered over her desk and pointed silently to the chairs, ordering us to sit down without a word. We did as we were told, both of us looking defeated with our shoulders slumped and heads down.

Roy tried first. “Rebecca, I-”

“Nope.” Rebecca crossed her arms, staring firmly at the two of us.

My turn. “We are so sor-”

Rebecca shook her head. “Don’t want to hear that either.” She rubbed her temples gingerly. “I don’t want to hear sorry, or it’s not my fault, or we’ll be better, or any of it.” She sighed. “I knew it would be an adjustment, starting a new team and having to share the Dog Track, but what the actual fuck, you two?” She threw her arms in the air. “What? Do we need to throw you in a boxing ring? Or get you a fucking hotel room?” She pointed at me. “You are a fucking Olympic champion. You think Mia fucking Hamm acts like this? You think this is what I hired you for? To set this example to the team and all the little girls who’ll be watching you?” She turned on Roy. “And you? Jesus Christ, Roy. I am trusting you with the most important thing in my life, with my family.” Her voice cracked. “Do not make me lose another manager,” she whispered.

Roy and I exchanged shamed glances, neither of us sure what to say.

Rebecca went on. “You are both incredible coaches. I see you on that pitch. When you’re not biting each other’s heads off, you’re doing great things with your teams. Your assistant coaches adore you when they’re not having to manage whatever-” She gestured between us in exasperation. “-this is. And I really think both of our teams can have a successful season, if we can get the two of you focused.”

We both nodded earnestly; fuck, I’d marry Roy Kent if it meant making Rebecca happy.

“So, pack your bags, make sure your pets are fed, because next weekend we are all going on a team-building retreat. Whippets and Greyhounds, first annual weekend of figuring out how to fucking get along and act like adults.”

There was panic in Roy Kent’s eyes as he leaned forward. “Rebecca, we are this fucking close to the start of the season, if we’re going to win our first match-”

Rebecca raised a cool eyebrow at him. “Roy Kent, you full well this team’s philosophy about where winning lands on our list of priorities.” Roy sat back, grumbling something about Ronald McDonald. “Your teams will have opportunities to train while we’re there. I do like having a winning team, after all,” she added quickly. Rebecca raised an eyebrow, waiting for us to protest some more. “Any more questions?”

We both shook our heads like obedient children.

“Right. I’ll have Higgins send you the details and you can let your teams know.” She put on a mocking smile. “It’ll be a grand old time. You, me, the teams, the woods, and conflict-resolution training.”

“I don’t think the Greyhounds and Whippets need much of that,” I found myself saying. “They get along great.”

Rebecca’s tight grin remained. “Oh, I know. I’m hoping the two of you can learn something from them.” She gestured towards the door. “Off with you then.”

Dismissed, Roy and I stood and made our way out the door, away from Rebecca’s scrutinizing gaze. Once we were far enough away that Rebecca wouldn’t hear us, we looked at each other, all anger gone for once.

“Going to be a miserable fucking weekend,” Roy mumbled.

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

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Is Leaving Even An Option?

Joel x F!reader

Explicit, 18+

Three: Neighbor

Series MasterList & Main MasterList - My Ao3

Summary: Your days have become one in the same, even with the terrifying reality of death right outside the walls of Jackson. You never thought you’d be in the situation you’ve been stuck in for seven years now, the daily abuse you endure has become an expectation. You take whatever your husband throws at you, literally and figuratively, because you’ve been trained to believe this is normal. But a new man, Joel, moves next door and happens to be friendly towards you, this causes your husband’s anger to worsen. Your mind starts a gruesome war with itself - can you leave him or do you stay until the inevitable happens?

Chapter Summary: Finally, you’re starting to find your footing again. You have your job back at the stables, your friendships are growing strong, and now you have new neighbors; Joel & Ellie. After showing them to their new home, you and Joel have a moment on his porch, and you can’t just shake that specific feeling.

Word count: 4.2k

⚠️Warnings: controlling husband, anxiety, forgiving husband over and over, walking on eggshells, starting to stick up for yourself

—

“Morning, Mrs. Rossi! See you soon!” The group of nineteen year old girls yell at you as you make your way towards the stables, turning to see Jinny, Andrea, and Chloe standing in line for some hot cocoa. You smile while waving back to them and yell, hi girls, as you continue past them, and your heart warms from seeing their faces gleam when you answer them. Those girls are absolute saints.

Not long after the incident at the restaurant, Maria helped you get back into working in the stables, and, well, it was really an excuse for you to get out of the house - but Nate didn’t need to know that. The three sisters volunteered to help out with anything you needed, and you weren’t not sure why they adored you so much but you certainly felt more sure about yourself as a person again, not only as Nate’s possession.

When the girls get blabbering about their drama, it makes you think back to Rosa. She would’ve loved Jackson and these girls, so you hold onto these three close to your heart and soul, like they’re your own.

—

The winter season has come in full swing, the bitter chilly air stings your face as you stride faster through the busy streets of Jackson. Even though the sun has just passed the tips of the snow covered trees, Main Street is already buzzing with people talking with each other about whatever they can, even the Tipsy Bison is loud with people singing and talking obnoxiously loud.

Even though you have a hard time with the cold, you honestly love this time of year. Jackson has come to feel like your hometown in Tennessee during the holidays. The way people decorate their homes and businesses reminds you of home with the twinkle lights, Christmas trees, artwork from kids, and the natural joy people have - even with the disgusting truth just outside the walls.

You’re just about to open the red barn door when you hear the deep voice that you swear will make you turn to stone, for eternity. With your right hand on the cold metal handle and your black military boots planted in the wet snow, you slowly turn your hooded head, and you’re met with him about fifteen feet away from you, looking like he wants to murder you here and now.

You know he won’t do it, at least right here in front of everyone, only because he has to keep up his nice guy persona. Little does he know, ever since that night almost a year ago, when he left you lying on the floor from his anger, you started to talk about what he’s been doing to you with Maria and the girls. You’re not even sure who knows, and really, you don’t care about who does and who doesn’t, because at the end of the day, you have to make the decision to leave him for yourself, and for some insane reason a part of you will not let go.

“What do you want?” You ask so only he can hear you, and you’re not in the mood to deal with him but he’s not going anywhere soon it seems. “Didn’t realize you were working today, you knew I came back last night, right?” He spits as he takes a couple steps closer and the crunch from the snow under his feet rings in your ears.

You had snuck out the house this morning while he was in the shower, and he had gotten home when you were already in bed, so you acted like you never heard him come in while he embraced your warm body, and when he started to snore, you knew he was in a dead sleep. That was when the brawl started in you again - on one hand, you can’t leave him because you love him, but on the other, you need to leave now and you don’t deserve this.

Still in the same position, much like a statue, you’re just about to make up some lie when you hear behind you, “You okay Mrs.Rossi?” You despise the way his name is attached to you, confirming the feeling of being his property. It makes you shiver.

All of a sudden, you’re surrounded by the three sisters, and Nate’s expression changes immediately. You almost laugh at the drastic difference in him that let him keep up his appearance. “Thank you ladies, I was just about to head in anyways,” you reply to them, still staring down Nate’s baby blues. You can tell he’s fuming and you sense the girls do too, because they start to babble and push you inside with them.

His tall figure disappears from your view and is replaced with stalls of beautiful horses and bails of haystacks.

“Did he touch you?” Chloe questions as the girls start to inspect your face with care, a hint of anger shining through.

You love that they care so deeply for you but you feel extremely guilty for making them feel like this, until you remember that you were doing the same thing for families, seeing a lot of yourself in these smart girls.

“No, honey. Thank you, though,” you reply softly while you guide their hands away from your face, “Let’s get to work, ladies.” You’re not gonna have Nate mess up your mindset for work, or even these three. He doesn’t deserve that kind of attention.

—

“Tommy!” An unknown voice echoes throughout Main Street. The day is about done, you’re taking a breather after taking care of just about all the horses, and your head instinctively turns in the direction of the mystery voice. Who is that? You whisper to yourself as you notice Tommy climb down from the wooden stage and jump into this older man’s arms in a strong hug.

You don’t quite have the best view of the situation, there’s about a ten yard gap from you and them, and all you can really make out is that this seems like an important reunion.

“What’s that all about?” Andrea asks as she sits next to you on the bench. You shrug your shoulders, “I’m not sure, but I’ll probably find out soon.” She looks at you with her head cocked to the side, eyebrows raised.

“I bet money Maria will talk to me about it, I guaran-fucking-tee she will.” You laugh, your eyes returning to the two men now walking with each other, when you notice a girl on a horse behind Maria who must be his daughter.

“Okay,” you announce, standing up with the pop of both your knees, “Back to work!”

Andrea groans and throws her head back dramatically, “Aren’t you tired, old lady?” and the two of you fall into a fit of laughter. Let’s go, you repeat and head back inside, still laughing.

—

You wave bye to the sisters one more time as you lock up the barn doors, before turning around you hear them laugh in unison, “Bye, old lady!” Followed by the sound of their feet creating shoe prints in the freshly fallen snow as they quickly run home.

A genuine smile grows on your face, your chest fluttering from the name, so much better than Mrs.Rossi. You begin to walk in the direction of your own home, passing the Tipsy Bison for the second time today and it’s still just as busy, if not more, people finally being able to relax after a hard day's work. Kenny’s Burgers is the next building you strut past, and you hate that you associate Nate with this place because their food is delicious, but your gut twists and turns whenever you’re there.

After taking a right turn on Spruce St., you finally hit your neighborhood and a sense of peace flows through your body. You take in the smell of smoke from people having fires and the natural outdoorsy smell, and you love Jackson, you really do, but you wish you could start from scratch.

The familiar sound of Maria calling your name from her front yard a couple houses ahead breaks your aimless stride home.

It’s just after six, and the sky is pretty much pitch black, so the only source of natural light is from the moon, and tonight, she is shining beautifully. The snow covered yards, streets, and pathways are eye-catching. You’re in awe at how incredible this place can look and feel and yet, only a couple yards away on the other side, it’s wretched.

Thankfully, there are some lanterns that light up the streets and sidewalks, and you can see who is standing in front of you. As you approach Maria in her front yard, two male shadows come into your sights on her porch, and you’re a little weary but you continue with strong strides up her driveway next to her, not wanting to look weak.

“Hi hun, how was work?” She warmly asks and pulls you into a strong hug as you stand on her porch. She holds you for a second then pulls away while you answer, “It was good, got all the horses pampered up and the girls stacked up some more hay bails.”

“Good shit, girl!” She praises you with a genuine smile and a gleam in her dark brown eyes that tells you that she’s actually happy for you and not just saying it to say it.

“Maria-” Tommy clears his throat to remind her what she wants to talk to you about, and she whips her head around to look at him sitting on a couch behind her, he immediately whispers, sorry!

You laugh at how quickly the long haired man listens to his lady. He’s obviously not actually scared - they just play around but have respect for one another, which is how every relationship should be.

Then your eyesight shifts to the left of Tommy and you take in the face of this handsome looking man in front of you, leaning on one of the brown porch posts.

“This is Joel,” Maria introduces, and she continues to ramble on but it quickly fades to a buzzing sound as you reach out your hand to shake his. Joel. Joel. Joel. It repeats on a loop in your head.

His large, calloused hand wraps around your small hand and firmly shakes, but yet you feel like he’s cradling you, trying to be careful - like you’re so fragile that anything could break you.

You slowly take in the strong features of his mesmerizing face. He’s carved with lines that make you crave to learn more about him, his long brown curls now streaked with beautiful grays that match his scraggly beard, the color of his lips reminiscent of a rose from the bitter cold, and finally his whiskey stained eyes gazing back at you - they are what capture you the most. Joel. Joel. Joel.

“Since the house next door to yours is empty, I was hoping that you could show Joel and Ellie the way.” The last bit of her story catches your ear, thank god. You and Joel are still staring into each other's eyes as you speak, “Yeah, I can definitely do that.”

“Thank you, darlin’,” he winks and walks back into Maria’s home, “Gonna go grab the kid.”

You don’t even realize, but the smile on your face says it all - you have fallen hard for this man. You slowly wrap your arms around yourself, hugging your jacket closer as you lean back against the railing of the few steps leading to the cement. As you take a deep breath in and out your nose, the cold air causes a cloud to flow out of you and you chuckle to yourself.

“You’re funny,” you laugh as you make eye contact with Maria, who is now snuggled next to Tommy on their brown wicker couch under a quilt blanket.

“Who? Me? No way,” She shrugs her shoulders and giggles for a second before she sincerely goes, “But really, don’t write this off immediately. Give it a try.”

You know exactly what she’s referring to; leave that bitch ass and venture out. Which you honestly want to do, and the majority of you wants to be absolutely done with Nate. You desire to pack up all your shit and leave him and everything in relation to him. But you just can’t do it yet.

You wrap around yourself tighter, now wanting to halt this conversation from snowballing into an emotional mess. Then, just like that, your wish is granted; the creaky wood door opens and out struts this young girl, who you’re guessing is Ellie, followed by the brooding figure of Joel.

You quickly wipe your cheek from the one tear that fell, and stand up straight so she can hop down. “Ellie, what do you say?” Joel sternly asks, clearly annoyed, but you’re assuming he must have to constantly remind her. It’s sweet to see.

“I already said thank you earlier!” She responds as she continues to walk towards the lit up street, “So where are we going?”

Joel scoffs next to you and you look to see him shaking his head but with a slight smile, “This girl… Well, thank you for lettin’ us stay here. I guess we’ll, uh, see you tomorrow. Goodnight.” Tommy gets up and hugs Joel one more time while Maria comes over to you and takes you in her arms.

“Remember, don’t write this off immediately,” she whispers to you and you smile back at her, nodding with a soft okay. The couple goes back to sit down and Joel is next to you, both of you waiting for the other to walk down the front five cement steps.

“Ladies first,” a more defined southern accent flows off of his lips as he puts his hand out for you to go first. You nod and take the first step down, and suddenly you feel the butterflies start to form as you play back, “Oh, so we have a southern charmer here?”

You hear his deep chuckle behind you, “Yes, darlin’, guess you do.”

“Well, if you guys just wanna follow me up the road a bit, I’ll get you to your house.” You instruct as you turn on your heels and guide the pair down Spruce St. to their beautiful home right next to yours.

“This place is fucking huge!” Ellie states in awe, you turn around to see her face taking in all that Jackson has to offer, remembering that feeling for the first time.

“Ellie!” Joel snaps at her, and your body jumps from the sudden change in his tone.

Your high from meeting a new man who you admire has disappeared, now you're back into your normal defense mode. Knew it was too good to be true.

You only live about six houses down from Tommy and Maria, and by now, you're about three houses away from the navy colored house they’ll be living in. The rest of the walk is silent - all that can be heard is the snow crunch and noises coming from each house as you speed walk past, some with the loud sounds of children, some with couples singing and laughing, and others filled with music flowing out their windows.

“Why is she walking so fast?” You hear Ellie whisper.

You haven’t even realized that you’re about two houses ahead of them, having blocked out everything, just trying to get them to their destination before you crack from the disappointment of believing he was different. You slow your walking down so they can catch up just a bit, and you don’t say anything, you just slow down so you don’t make this any worse.

“Not sure,” Joel whispers back trying to keep you from hearing, however they don’t know that you’ve become a master at listening to whispers, and can thank Nate for that skill. You know when to hold your breath and how to zone in on the inflections they make, you can hear them clearly as day.

“Maybe cause you yelled, you dummy,” Ellie retorts a little louder than you think she intended because then you hear a smack and an ouch! Followed by Joel saying something you couldn’t catch because you started to laugh, a guttural kind of laugh that makes you stop in your tracks and hold your hands on your belly.

You don’t doubt that you look insane to Joel and Ellie, especially since they thought you couldn’t hear them.

But you honestly don’t even know why you’re laughing hard enough to the point where tears are forming and your belly hurts, leaning forward just a bit to relieve yourself. Maybe you’ve finally snapped, all because you now know that either Maria or Tommy - hell, maybe the both of them - told Joel and Ellie about your marriage and what you’ve survived, and still are surviving.

After a moment, you finally collect yourself, and by now, the two strangers are to the right of you, just standing like lost puppies waiting for directions on where to run.

“So sorry,” you apologize while wiping the happy tears that brim your eyes, before two of them quickly spew, no, no, it’s okay, and you can see that they are trying to gauge your reaction. They handle it well, surprisingly.

You all take a second to regroup as the delicate snow softly falls from the black sky, and then you’re back to leading them just past your moss green house, where you see the living room lamp on and you know that Nate’s waiting for you. Like you’re a teenager sneaking back in the house and he’s your father, just waiting to catch you and read you the riot act. You know you’re in for it tonight after the stables act anyway.

You carefully walk up the wooded cream colored steps that lead to the large porch wrapping around the beautiful home, and you hear Ellie gasp. You can just imagine the excitement she feels as you unlock the big oak door and softly push it open. You step to the side as you put your hand out in front of Joel with the key dangling from your cold fingers, watching as he gently pulls the key ring off your digits.

“Welcome home,” you softly coo as you gaze between Joel and Ellie.

“I call dibs on the shower,” Ellie shouts as she flies past you and Joel, causing you both to chuckle as you watch her sprint up the stairs and disappear into the second floor of the newly owned home.

“Thank you, sugar,” Joel says, his accent thick and smooth, “Will I- we be seeing more of you?” Joel asks as he stands across from you with one hand in his jean coat pocket and the other rubbing the back of his neck just where his lazy curls sit, gazing down at you with such admiration and enthusiasm in the glow of his brown eyes.

The butterflies have come back in full force - your head starts to feel fuzzy and light headed from the way he calls you darlin’ and sugar with a voice like butter, and the way he watches your movements, as if he’s trying to memorize them all, filling you with curiosity and the yearning for more. You haven’t had this feeling for someone since you first met Nate seven years ago, it’s exciting.

Rocking side to side to try to relieve your sore feet from standing all day in terrible shoes, your hands interlocked behind your back, starting to become frigid, and you lift your head up to meet his gaze one more time to engrave in your mind the features that make Joel Miller so enticing.

“I sure hope so,” you purr with innocence pouring out of your eyes while your actions speak the opposite. With a sudden wave of confidence, and without thinking, you take a step to close the gap that separates you, now only being a couple inches away from his bearded face, both taking in each other breaths escaping your mouths for a moment. You whisper with a sly smirk on your lips,

“Goodnight, Miller.”

“Goodnight, Sugar.”

Neither one of you move, both of your wet soaked boots from the snow firmly planted into the cream porch adjacent to one another. You should go home to your husband, you know he’s waiting for you, counting the minutes that you’re gone, but for the first time in ages - you don’t care about that.

All you desire is Joel Miller. The want, no, the need to have him hold you with all his limbs and stroke your back with his calloused fingers until you fall into a deep peaceful slumber and can forget about everything you’ve been through is growing larger and stronger, the longer you stand here and stare at him. You gaze between his whiskey colored eyes and pink lips that curve into a soft, kinda cocky smile as he too gazes between your eyes and lips.

“Goodnight, Sugar.” He repeats, more convincing than the previous.

“Goodnight, Miller.” You slightly bite your bottom lip as you smile, still just inches away from his lips.

You’re the first one to move, reluctantly turning your body around and cautiously walking down the front steps. When you reach the bottom, you turn around to see Joel in the same exact spot, still watching you.

“Just wanna make sure you get inside safely,” he says with a certain charm to his words.

You have to force a smile as you make your way next door, you don’t want to go into your house - more of a prison than a home. You wish you could laugh at that but you can’t because it really is; Nate makes it a living hell within those walls, even though, now, you don’t cower away and you hold your own. But he still doesn’t let up.

You reach your smaller porch and raise your hand on the knob, but before you turn and open it to whatever fresh hell is waiting for you on the other side, you turn your head to the right to look at Joel one more time for the night, and he’s still in the same spot. Now, though, he’s facing you and leaning over the wooden railing with a look of concern. Your heart stings at seeing this man, who you just met under an hour ago and yet you physically feel like you know everything about him and you’ve known him for years, showing such sorrow on his face for you.

Hoping to give one last attempt at a smile to try to convince him or, well, let’s be honest, you try to convince yourself that everything will be okay. He sends one back to you but he is filled with rage as he tries to keep it together, fists balled up and rubbing together.

You take a deep breath as you now face the white door. Please be passed out, please, you whisper to yourself as you build up the strength to turn the doorknob your cold hand is holding onto.

Three, two, one, you mumble as you open the door and you’re immediately met with Nate staring right at you, sitting in his brown leather recliner with a glass filled with whiskey in his hand, and the empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s sitting on the glass table in front of him.

Closing the door softly, you lean your back against it as you kick your boots off next to the others, staring right back into his blues, not backing down from him. You begin to walk to the kitchen, away from him as soon as possible, because even though you’re not scared, you would rather not be involved in a fight tonight.

He still hasn’t said anything to you, he just keeps watching your every move, and even though you're not looking in his direction, you can feel his eyes like daggers in your back. You open the fridge, grab the jar of pickles, and as you open the jar with a pop, your hip bumps the fridge door closed.

Pickle jar in one hand and a pickle in the other, you start up the steps to escape into your bedroom, and you’re just about to make the final step to your safe space, casually chomping on pickles when you finally hear it.

“How’s Joel?”

[rengokuology]

I would love to see a lexi x fem reader from euphoria, maybe reader is like nates younger sister but she is the sweetest and kindest person, so lexi and reader both have a crush on each other and so maybe cassie and maddie try to get them to admit their feelings and somehow they do, so it's pure fluff with lexi and reader sharing a kiss at the end, something like that, and then them being in a romantic relationship

PLAY PRODUCTIONS. . .

LEXI HOWARD x NATE’S SISTER! READER

WARNINGS !! nate jacobs, lots of sweet—tooth fluff! so yeah—

DEAR REQUESTER, thank you so much for being my first ever requester! this is my first time writing x reader so i hope you like it! if you don’t like it, you can send back in another request and i can write another one for you! enjoy your time reading!! <3 /p

it's funny, you know? how such an asshole like nate jacobs can be related to such a sweet angel like (reader) jacobs.

i mean, that's what mostly anybody sane thought. people like lexi, rue and more.

but there were also douchebags who would try and say she was like him. but she was never.

nate jacobs never helped his friends to classes. never tried to be as respectful as possible. nope, that was all her.

that's what lexi thought every time she saw her with nate, and it would be common that she held an intense glare at him for being such an ass.

but that would go away when she always approached lexi, always being happy to see her friend / crush by their lockers that were across from cassie and maddy's.

you two had such a beautiful chemistry that maddy and nate were never going to have and so, maddy and cassie noticed.

"oh my god, they're fucking whipped for each other." maddy claimed, looking at the two of them that were laughing while they shared each other memes they found the night before.

"yeah, they are." cassie smiled at them, slightly jealous that she didn't have a relationship like that. but she was proud of her sister for having something she didn't. a healthy crush.

maddy turned to cassie, closing her locker as she pointed at the two.

"if we don't get them together, somebody's gonna steal one of them. and they probably need to be together." cassie lifted a brow at maddy, glancing at the two before turning back to maddy.

"i don't know. they can get together by themselves, plus, we shouldn't intrude on their love lives." cassie told maddy, as maddy crossed her arms, lightly laughing sarcastically.

"well, last night, i saw little angel with one of nate's friends at their house. we don't want that because that dude is lowkey a dick and doesn't deserve someone like (reader). plus, we wouldn’t be really do much, just give them a little push." maddy told cassie, grabbing out her phone and showing the guy she's been seeing.

cassie looked at the photo before looking back at the two then back at maddy.

"ok, let's do it."

lexi and (reader) sat at their desks in history class as (reader) lightly scrolled through her phone in secret while glancing at the teacher.

hey

(reader) smiled, looking across the room to lexi's chair as lexi smiled at her phone, glancing at their teacher as well.

hi!

we still hanging out at my place tonight?

sorry, i can't tonight. aaron just told me my parents got into a fight so i gotta help my mom

sorry about that

its fine, it happens

still tho, ur parents are kinda dicks

yeah, kinda but their still my parents, so yeah

(reader) frowned at her phone, thinking of what words to type next.

sorry i can't spend the night at your place again

its ok! your busy, i get it

still sucks tho-

yeah

(reader) put her phone away, slipping it into their hoodie pocket as lexi shut off her phone as well, kind of frowning as cassie looked at the two, finally finding something cassie and maddy could do to get them together.

next class, maddy and (reader) sat next to each other in science class, (reader) zoning out through half of it, bored.

(reader) felt a buzz in her pocket, taking it out slowly to see a text from maddy.

hey

(reader) glanced at maddy confused, as the two didn't really interact and would only contact each other if there was an emergency.

hi, u ok?

yeah, u going to lexi's tonight

nah and how do u know about that

cassie but who cares about that rn, why aren't u going

my parents got into a fight, gonna take care of my mom and make sure she doesn’t get wine drunk

who cares?

i do. it’s my mom, i need to take care of her

but do u want to?

. . .

how about u come over to their home and relax a bit, cassie says she misses you and plus, i’m gonna there, i’ll make up an excuse for u

she does?

yep

i guess i’ll go then

cool, see u later then

yep

(reader) smiled lightly, closing maddy’s contact and opening lexi’s

i’m actually coming over tonight

cool! see u

yep!

lexi’s mood lifted, putting her phone away as she was happy that she got to spend time with her and finally!

the two weren’t able to spend time after school because of her parents getting into fights constantly for the past month, which sucked because that was the time where they were able to spend most of their time together.

but because maddy persuaded her, she was finally able to go now that she had an excuse. which made the two lovebirds happy.

so. . . maddy wasn’t there, same with cassie. they both lied.

but the two teenagers could care less as (reader) sat at the edge of lexi’s bed in silence, playing truth or dare.

“truth or dare.” “truth.”

“is it true that jules and rue are dating?” (reader) questioned lexi, resting her head on top of her knees, rocking back and forth, bored as a movie played in the background.

“i. . . actually don’t know.” “yeah? hm.”

“they definitely have some type of. . . tension though.” (reader) said, throwing her head back to the bed post as lexi nodded, agreeing with her as she typed on her computer.

“what are you writing anyway? just asking.” (reader) asked, picking at her painted finger nails.

“i’m trying to write a play.” “ooooo! what’s it about?” (reader) questioned, her interest being picked up as she raised her head.

“about our lives, my life, just what happens in this high school.” lexi explained, smiling at (reader)‘s sudden interested and smile.

“can i take a look? just for a second?” lexi nodded at her as she scooted herself closer to lexi, looking at her computer as lexi lightly scrolled through the plot she had.

the plot described the people, ranging from jade, hallie, marta, luna and angela. the plot focused one part on angela, the main character telling the audience that she liked angela, having a deep crush on her despite not confessing to not ruin the friendship she loved.

considering the play was about the lives in their high school, she assumed the main character was lexi as (reader) let out a ‘oooo’ in interest.

“who’s the lucky girl then?” (reader) turned to lexi, interested. lexi looked at her, hesitation rising in her as (reader) waited for a response.

“um. . . it’s you, (reader).” lexi confessed, staring at her with a slight blush on her cheeks while (reader) was frozen in place. not because she was mad but because she was shocked that her crush liked her back too.

“w—wait, really?” (reader) questioned, trying to make sure that she heard lexi correctly.

“yeah, i’ve liked you for a while now.” (reader) suddenly let a smile come onto her face, smiling the hardest to the point her cheeks hurt from the pressure.

“can i kiss you?. . . if your ok with it?” (reader) asked lexi as she nodded, moving closer to lexi, kissing her lightly on the lips.

the two separated from the kiss, lexi still having that blush on her cheeks as (reader) smiled at her, now holding her hand.

“this might be a dumb question because we probably are but can i be your girlfriend? if your comfortable with it, i don’t wanna—“

“i’d love that.” lexi interrupted her question as she smiled, clapping her fingers a little, happy.

“thank you.” (reader) thanked as lexi nodded, holding her hand still.

“can i help you with your play?” (reader) asked lexi as she nodded again, (reader) now laying on lexi’s side as she typed on her computer.

and for the rest of the night, they spent their time writing the play during their first night as girlfriends.

————

AUTHORS NOTE, sorry if this kinda sucked! i’m still getting used to writing x reader since i mainly write x oc on wattpad a lot so yeah, sorry if this wasn’t good, i hope you enjoyed tho and have a good day!

[thebisexualdogdad]

💖 Imagine Perez Reader showing up to comfort Maddy when she calls him upset

Maddy Perez x Sibling!reader

● Maddy tried her best to pretend like Nate and Cassie getting together didn't utterly hurt her

● her best friend dating her shitty ex? Of course that would sting

● you were at college three hours away when Kat had texted you telling you what happened between Maddy and Cassie

● Maddy goes radio silent for a couple days which is odd because you guys talk every single day even if it's just sending each other dumb memes

● you send her a few texts letting her know you're here for her if she needs someone to talk to

● it's Sunday afternoon and your phone buzzes with Maddy's name popping up on the screen

● you immediately pick up and Maddy is sniffling and her voice cracks

● "Y/N I need you"

● "I'm on my way"

● it didn't matter that you had classes in the morning, your sister was hurting

● when you get back to town you make a stop at the liquor store before heading to your childhood home

● once home Maddy opens the door and she's in a fluffy robe, hair in a messy bun with smudged makeup you only assumed was days old

● "I got booze, junk food and whatever these pills are"

● it's the first time she smiles in days

● your parents don't even question why you're home

● "good to see mom and dad are as attentive as always"

● you spend the next few hours drinking, snacking and talking shit (Maddy opted out on taking the mystery pills you got from Fez but is saving them for a rainy day)

● "I can't believe that fucking bitch like seriously dating Nate after everything he did to me!"

● "Maddy look at me, you are way too good for Nate fucking Jacobs and if Cassie is going to ignore all the bullshit he put you through then that's her problem"

● "but she's supposed to be my best fucking friend"

● "trust me, when you go to college you are going to make way better friends than the fucked up people in this town"

● "God I miss you why did you have to go to school so far away"

● "Mads I'm always going to show up when you need me no matter how far away I am"

● you get absolutely wasted and pass out in Maddy's bed

● when she wakes up you're holding her and she actually feels like everything is going to be okay

[dani-says-stuff]

Myrtles Plantation

❥ Back to the Control Center

❥ Nate Hardy Masterlist

- note the reader is afraid of dolls in this one - also my love for Amanda spills through... a lot... but I think it adds character, spice, and humor, so I'm leaving it in

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

Nate Hardy x fem!medium(?)reader

Summary: Based on this request

« could u do a nate x reader (in a relationship) at the haunted plantation?? like she sees something and amanda lets them know it was evil??? »

Thanks to this anon for reminding me this was in my drafts

Thank you for my first request anon!! so so so sorry it took so long!

I hope this is what you were looking for, I kinda went off the deep end with it lol

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: language, hauntings, evil spirits, creepy stuff, inconsistent capitalization, my disregard for run on sentences and “pRopEr gRammAr”, unedited ramble writings bc i just wanted to finally get it published for y’all, maybe incorrect timeline? technically? bc i can’t remember if Nate was in a video with Amanda before this one…

Dialogue Key:

Y/N

Nate

Sam

Colby

Amanda

Spirit Box

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

You and Nate were currently in his car, driving to the plantation for Sam and Colby's video.

Nate was nervous. That much was obvious from the tight, white-knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel. You could practically see the the tense emotions rolling off his skin in waves. You however, were practically buzzing in excitement.

You opened up the camera app on your phone to record a little clip. One you would either post to your instagram story soon, or you'd send it to Colby to put before the video... you hadn't really decided what you were going to say yet.

First, you brought the camera really close to your face, barely anything other than your forehead, eyebrows, and eyes in frame, "Ok so- I don't really know where this clip is going to be shared yet... or if it'll be out at all... but Nate is being boring and having a panic attack and I'm super excited and want to talk to someone about it."

You extended your arm, full face now in view as you smiled widely at the front facing camera, "Guess what!" you yelled, "We're filming with the boys again!" you spoke, flashing the camera to show Nate as he drove, "and that's not even the best part... drumroll please... the love of my freaking life is coming with us!" you squealed.

Nate's eyebrows furrowed, barely sparing a glance in your direction, instead keeping his eyes on the road, "Babe, you already showed me?"

"Oh not you." you scoffed, rolling your eyes, "You're just my boyfriend."

"Mhm..." he hummed, blinking a few times trying to figure what exactly it was he was failing to understand, "Yeah no. I don't get it N/N... pretty sure 'love of my life' and 'boyfriend' are the same thing." 

You tilted your head pondering the thought for a moment, ultimately shaking your head innocently, "Nah, it can't be. There are two very different people that take up those positions." 

"Oh really?"

"Oh yeah." you turned your gaze, meeting the side of his face,"You may be my boyfriend, and I love you so, so, so, very much..."

"But?"

"But.." you grinned turning to face the camera, "The love of my life is the wonderful and beautiful Amanda~" you sang, moving your phone forward once more blowing kisses at the screen.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so excited!" you yelled, shaking the screen for emphasis.

The brown haired male next to you laughed at your actions, "Babe, be careful, you're going to make 'em all dizzy." 

"True" you shrugged, focusing your phone once more, "anyways, you've probably guessed it by now, but we're doing another investigation tonight!"

You flipped the camera, showing nothing but trees surrounding the vehicle, "We're currently in the middle of nowhere- but that's because this location is a little different than usual."

"Yeah, instead of like a house with like- other neighbors around it and stuff" Nate spoke up, "were going to a plantation, in the middle of just like- trees" he shivered awkwardly, hissing in discomfort, "so if we get in trouble or something there's nothing for miles."

You scoffed, pulling the view back on yourself, "Yeah I guess, but that's fine because nothing is going to go wrong!" you exclaimed happily 

"Mhm, and how do you know that?"

You winked at the camera, patting the area over your chest, "I have a good feeling about it."

"Yeah ok then- remind me how you feel when we actually get there."

You laughed loudly at you boyfriend, finally getting a small crack of a smile across his lips. "Anyway, that's all for right now. See-you-all-when-we-get-there-bye-bye" you rushed, quickly ending the video.

As soon as he could tell you stopped recording, Nate spoke up, "now what was that for?" 

"Updating the public" you shrugged, starting a quick conversation with Colby over text.

Hey~ might've just filmed a little intro clip for you

You're welcome of course

And you better use it

I put a lot of effort into it

Oh really?

Obviously

Send it over

I'll check it out

About 2 minutes later after your mini vlog went through, he responded 

Oh yeah, thats going in

You're good if I do a little editing over it?

Ofc

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

Later, when viewers clicked on the video, they would be greeted to a huge tone shift between the first 2-3 minutes of the video, versus the of it.

First, your little intro, which basically became a fan cam for Amanda. Bright hearts and anime blush- the whole nine yards.

Broken, of course, every once in a while with a freeze framing on your real partner. The video going gray scale, with rain and violin music playing in the background.

Then, hard cut straight to the footage outside the plantation. ━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

Soon, the group of five were all stood before Myrtles plantation, waiting for the tour to begin.

Sam turned to Nate, camera pointed to him, "Are you excited?" 

"Dude- I- just-" your boyfriend sighed dramatically, bringing his hands up to rub at his eyes. You, however, could be seen lurching forward in laughter at his reaction, "It just like everytime you bring me on one of these."

You walked up, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm your breaths, "Yeah, so thats a no." you looked up at him, pouting when he met your gaze, "He's very nervous"

"You look terrified." 

"I can tell by your- genuine face of excitement right now"

Nate forced a sarcastic smile on his face that turned out more of a grimace, "Oh yeah? This face? Right here?"

You struggled to hold back your laughter, "All excitement from him on the way up here"

He turned his head, looking down at you as you were still holding onto his shoulder, "You know, usually you're a bit more cautious about these things."

You shrugged, "But we have Amanda here this time," you gestured to her, "There's finally someone else to help me keep you guys from doing something stupid."

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

The five of you entered the house, deciding to take a quick look around before the tour guide arrived.

Almost immediately upon entering the door, something caught your attention- and no it wasn't the smell the boys were busy commenting on.

Hung on the wall of the foyer, there was a mirror. You couldn't quite put a finger on it, but you could tell there was something strange about it.

For now, you just assumed it was how dated the mirror looked. Nothing from today looked like that. 

Soon, the boys called you over to the steps, wanting to take a peek upstairs. Sam and Colby had already made their way up with Nate following behind them, leaving you and Amanda  still on the first floor. 

"Hey" you tapped the blondes shoulder, "Just to- uh, to make sure... you feel that too, right?" you asked, looking up the stairwell. 

She hummed, "Yeah, thats probably because of what happened on the 17th step." 

You simply nodded enthusiastically despite having not clue what the significance of that specific step was, "Oh yeah of course. Just making sure I wasn't the only one feeling that sense of impending doom" you joked

Amanda laughed breathily at your phrasing, "Yeah, after events like that, they tend to leave a heavier, darker feel behind." 

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

You didn't find out till later that night, it wasn't just a slip down the stairs, but a death on the 17th step.

Thanks a lot for leaving that out Sam. 

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

By the time you made it up the flight of stairs, the group had entered one of the bedrooms. Everyone was inside except for your boyfriend, who stood before the doorframe waiting for you. 

"Hey babe..." he spoke scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, grabbing your hand with the other, "so, just like a heads up, there's like... a shit ton of creepy ass dolls in there." 

Your eyes widened looking up at him, "What?"

"Yeah, like the entire mantle?" he gestured with his hands, "Just- completely covered." 

"I don't wanna go in there" you shook your head quickly, eyes still wide as saucers gripping his hand tighter. 

"Just- just don't look to your right when we walk in?"

You squinted you eyes at him, "...why?"

Nate shrugged, "Oh you know, there might be one that is kinda-sorta positioned to look at you when enter." he spoke nonchalantly as he dragged you through the door. 

You glared up at the brunette, "what?"

"By the way, we have to sleep here tonight-" the both of you heard from further in the room, "So someone is getting the room with the creepy doll staring at you."

You knew your friends- so without even thinking you threw your pointer finger up, touching your nose. 

"Woah, woah, woah" you rushed when the other three looked in your direction with shit eating grins, "No I did it- it was Col-"

"Nope, I'm safe" the black haired man cut you off.

You looked up slowly, glare pointed directly at your shocked boyfriend, who hadn't done it in time. "I'm going to kill you."

You looked over his shoulder, seeing the dolls for the first time. You quickly dropped his hand running over past Amanda and out to the next room, "Nope! I just wont be sleeping with you."

Nate quickly followed, arms extended "Wait babe! No please! Don't leave me alone!" Leaving a laughing Sam and Colby behind, filming the entire thing. 

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

"Sam" you spoke up once the tour was over, "next time we do one of these things you've got to tell me more than just 'oh were going to a haunted mansion'" you mocked 

"What's up?" he laughed, "What do you mean?"

"Oh you know" you gestured around, speaking with your arms, "yellow fever death child, owner of the house killed on the steps, poison murders, voodoo queen death, ghost mirrors-" you listed propping your hands on your hips, "I could go on and on." 

"It's haunted Y/N, what did you expect?"

"Not this!" you shrieked.

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

Soon, the five of you began the investigation in Chloe's room, each wearing a set of clip on earrings. Thanks to your wonderful, amazing boyfriend, you and Amanda were wearing the hoops. 

In addition to the earrings, Amanda came with some gifts with the four of you. she gave Colby a crystal to help amplify his empathic skills, and evil eye bracelets for both Nate and Sam. 

"These are just because I felt bad getting something for Colby and not you two." she spoke handing over the bracelets.

The raven haired man gasped, bringing his hands up to his chest, "She has a favorite!"

Nate placed his hands up on his waist, popping out his hip, "Well that's ok." he shot back sassily, dangly earrings swishing by his neck.

The blonde girl however, hummed in agreeance with Colby reaching back into her bag, "Yep, but it's not you." setting off scandalized gasps from the two men and hysteric laughter from sam. Amanda approached you with a small bag usually used for jewelry.

You took it smugly, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek, "Thank you m'love"

"of course darling" she played along, "I heard you also have some abilities, so I picked out three things to help" she spoke as you opened the bag, pouring the items in your hand, "Ok, so this one is Labradorite" she pointed to the darker, slightly iridescent one, "It is one of the best crystals for enhancing abilities, it extends your awareness, helps you connect with the spiritual world and can be very grounding and helpful for mediums." she moved to the brighter crystal, "This one is Angelite, the same as Colby's-" 

"oh." the mentioned male scoffed playfully, crossing his arms, "I see how it is... I feel very special now." 

"-and the last one," Amanda pointed to a pitch black stone that was attached to a corded necklace, "is Black Tourmaline, which is really good at protecting and shielding you from bad energy. It can basically cleanse you from any unwanted energy that comes your way." 

"Ok!" sam exclaimed, "Now that we've handed out the gifts and the pity gifts" he raised his wrist up to the camera, making the rest of you laugh, Lets get on to the investigation!"

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

The group decided to move on to the seance room after very little seemed to be happening within Chole's room. 

"I hated this room earlier" Nate shivered next to you, "It just... I don't know, it's just weird."

You nodded as you followed him in, "Yeah? Now imagine feeling heavy when you walk in" 

"Really?" he looked down at you, "What do you mean?"

"It's just like what Amanda said earlier," you shrugged softly, "it's just very heavy in here, it feels tight." 

You let go of Nate's hand, leaving him as he went to look at a painting in the corner, approaching Amanda instead. You stood next to the blonde as she looked up at the mirror that faces the one in the other parlor. 

You shifted you gaze between her and the mirror quickly, "So... whatcha lookin at?"

She gestured you to stand next to her facing the mirror, never once moving her own gaze from the glass, "so look up there," she pointed at a specific area, "and unfocus you eyes- almost like youre trying to look through the mirror" she explained. 

Within a few seconds she could feel you tense beside her, causing the blonde to grin, "you see it?" 

"yeah" you breathed, nodding slowly, "yeah I see it" 

"Yo wait" Nate whipped around, "see what? exactly?" he moved up behind you, placing his head over your shoulder, squinting his eyes to find whatever the two of you seemed to see, "I dont see it"

"I keep seeing things move behind me" Amanda spoke

"I cant see anything specific" you added, "but I can see shapes moving" you explained gesturing up to point in the direction of the areas you spoke of, "like I saw something move like this" you dragged you hand, "and something over there" 

Amanda hummed in affirmation, "yep, where you just pointed, between this wall in the candles, there's someone" she moved her other hand, "and over here, where you saw something move, there was some kids." 

"thats crazy"

"are you feeling anything right now?" Nate questioned, as Colby moved to flip off the lights.

The both of you answered simultaneously, gaving very opposite answers,

"No."

"Yes." 

and for the first time in what felt like hours, you and Amanda broke your gazes from the mirror turning to each other instead.

"You really dont feel that?"

she shook her head, "no, I'm seeing them. I feel that someone is here, like I have full goosebumps"

"N/N" Nate placed a hand on your shoulder, "what are you feeling?"

You looked back to the mirror, looking for anymore blurs, only to see nothing, "It felt like- happy? I guess? Like you know that feeling of when you'd go to the park when you were younger and you were just like- excited? it felt like that."

Amanda nodded slowly in thought, "well, that could be the kids I saw, they did look pretty happy."

"but now" you spoke up once more, causing the boy's eyebrows to furrow, "now it just feels crowded. I cant pull one emotion from another. Its so weird." 

"the energy in here is insane" Amanda agreed, "I feel like if we did a seance at the seance table- we could get some pretty gnarly stuff"

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

So, that what the group did. you broke out the spirit box, and immediately you were greeted with several hellos. 

"Is there any sign you could give us of who were talking to?" Sam spoke up, "a name, an occupation?"

Kate

Colby looked up with squinted brows, confused at the sound "what did that say"

"it said Kate" you responded from next to Nate, hand on his arm, "im pretty sure it said Kate"

"yeah" Amanda added, "I wrote Kate right before it said that"

"is it true that this room is a portal?"

you stepped back at the question, making Nate look to you in concern "guys I just got really nautious-" 

Evil

"oh no-no-no- I don't like that" you rush out, placing yourself on the other side of the doorframe, "i'm definitely not a fan of that"

Sam, Colby, Nate and Amanda continued to speak to the spirit box within the room while you stayed in the hallway. Nate moved from the group and closer to you to make sure you were ok.

"Can you tell us how many spirits are in here with us right now?"

three 

from the doorway, you couldve sworn you saw a flash of green reflect in one of the glass window panes. Green, like the head wrap Chloe was said to wear. 

"do you think.." you trailed off moving closer to your boyfriend, "could Chloe be one of them?" you whispered. 

he stepped out of the room upon seeing your expression. You seemed paler than usually and he could almost see you shaking with wide glassy eyes staring back at him. He wrapped his arms around you, rubbing your back to give you some semblance of comfort. 

Nate, his chin resting in your head, repeated your words louder to for the group still inside the room to hear, "Was that Chloe?"

Me

Look 

you whimpered, pressing your face into his chest, "nope. tell Amanda to look at the window-"

"-that candle just got so bright at the far end-"

"-yeah that one." you mumbled, "the window by the candles. I saw something green over there."

the brown hared man nodded, raising his voice to cut off the trio 's conversation on the candle's, "Amanda? N/N said to check around that window. She said she saw something green flash overthere earlier." 

"Yo! What?" sam exclaimed excitedly, moving to you both with the camera while Amanda looked by the window pane, "What happened? what did you-"

 he was cut off by Nate shaking his head quickly above you, "not right now" he whispered to the blonde, "later." 

Sam nodded understandly, moving to film Amanda by the window, "You see anything?"

"no, not anymore." she stated, "its all clear, whatever it was must've moved by now."

━─━────༺✧༻────━─━

A few rooms and a short reenactment later, it was time for solo investigations. Well, at least it was solo for Sam and Colby, you, Nate, and Amanda were able to go out on the porch together.

The three of you were given the spot where Chloe's picture was taken, and had decided to take turns doing the Estes Method. Amanda was first up in the rocking chair. 

"I've got some information"

"woah" Nate turned to the camera to you, who was laughing softly from shock.

"We didnt even ask anything yet," you looked into the camera lens, "and were already getting answers? this is crazy"  

Nate hummed, "Yeah this is insane- what type of information do you have?"

"lets go"

"Go where?" you questioned, "where do you want to go?"

after a few minutes you received no response. you shrugged, looking over to Nate, "I don't know, you ask a question" you laughed, "it doesn't like me I guess"

He shrugged at your statement, readying his next question "Chloe, did you put yourself at risk to get the information?"

"ready"

you squinted at one another, "are you ready to put yourself at risk?"

"for the information?" Nate added on. 

"yes" 

you shook your head with a smile, " I guess she's ready ti talk"

"yes"

"Chloe was it you that they photographed in this alleyway?"

"Accident"

"You didnt intend to be in the photo?" 

You turned around, looking off the balcony as Amanda shivered, brushing her arms, "something just touched me" 

Nate turned his head, looking your direction as you gazed out onto the dark field, "Babe?" he whispered, "You alright?" 

"yeah" you muttered, scanning the yard, "yeah, I just got that feeling that something was watching me." you shook your head and rolled your shoulders, "it was probably nothing."

Nate nodded slowly, continuing his questioning of Amanda rather than you, glancing at your from the corner of his eye to make sure you were alright. "Chloe, does guilt keep you here?"

"I knew it was wrong"

You and Nate brought Amanda out of the trance to add a trigger object, things for more intense from there. The answers seemed more and more on the nose, and the small inkling you had of being watched quickly increased tenfold.

You soon felt like you spent less time engaged in the investigation, and more time peering over your shoulder.

"it was the family name"

"Woodruff? Did you hear Woodruff?" Nate rushed, "are you trying to tell us about the Woodruff family?"

"It went silent" Amanda exclaimed, "like full complete silence for a full 'Mississippi' and then it started again"

"it was in the house"

"Are you tired" 

"I hope you don't mind" Nate mentioned, gesturing too the plant, "We have oleander in Amanda's hand-"

"I know"

"-was the death an accident or was it an act of revenge?"

"Nate" you whisper, looking out into the yard, "I...I don't think this is a good idea anymore."

his eyebrows furrowed, peering at you while keeping the camera on Amanda, "Why? What's up"

 you sighed, "I just- I think we should stop. something doesn't feel right." you tore your gaze from the dark, looking up to him, "something's wrong-"

"its time to wrap up-"

The blonde spoke removing the blindfold and headphones, "I swear, it said, 'its time to wrap up'"

"See!" you gasped hitting the man's arm, "told you!"

Amanda looked between the two of you, both of your eyes were wide and your posture screamed that you were both worried, "what's going on?" 

Nate set the camera down on the bannister, still filming, as he went to get all the equipment together, "N/N was just talking about how something feels wrong and we should quit." he looked up at the blonde, "she's been feeling weird this whole time"

The two continue talking while you walk further up the porch. The feeling of being watched became stronger and stronger as you surveyed the yard, eventually catching a glimpse of something off to the side. You leaned over the wood and squinted, trying your best to get a better look. 

Soon, you saw it. 

"Guys" you muttered, trying again louder when they didn't respond "Guys!" 

Nate looked up seeing how far down the porch you'd wandered, "N/N? what's going on?" 

you looked at them eyes wide, "There's someone out here." you panicked, "please, please tell me you're almost done because there's someone in the yard and they're getting closer."

Nate straighted his back, looking into the grass too. he didnt see anything at the moment, but you were so far down and it was dar enough that it could simply be that he was too far. He waved his arm gesturing you over to them, "N/N I need you to come down here right now" 

For all he knew, that was some psyco trying to add a new spirit to the home. That spirit, would not be you if he had anything to say about it. 

"oh my god" you yelled, running up beside the two, "its getting closer."

The brown haired man moved to shield the two of you, shoving the equipment you three brought out to you an Amanda, only keeping a flashlight, "Go inside."

"but-"

"Y/N go inside."

"Wait" Amanda spoke up, peeking around the man's shoulder, "to the left?"

you were shaking at this point, "yeah, It followed me down from that side"

The blonde moved forward, pulling the flashlight from Nate's grip, illuminating the patch to see nothing there, "There?" 

you tilted your head in confusion, "well... yeah? it was-"

Amanda turned off the flashlight and the both of you were greeted with the dark figure once more, this time it was only about 10 feet from the railing. 

"oh my god" you breathed, heart hammering in your chest.

The urgency in your boyfriend began to dissipate, believing that while a spirit following his girlfriend wasnt the best- it was better than her being followed by an actual crazy person.

However the seriousness of the blonde nearly doubled once she caught sight of the glowing red eyes. "You are not allowed to be here." she spoke stern, making you stiffen even further, "you do not have permission to follow us or come any closer."

"Amanda, what is happening?" you spoke, eyes trained on the humanoid figure before you. 

"move back to the door" the blonde spoke softly to you and nate, before strengthening her voice once more, "You do not have the right to follow us into the home, you must stay out here." 

Once the door closed, the blonde watched the figure through the window until it dissolved into the air. 

"you see that stuff all the time?" you stuttered, clinging to Nates arms that wrapped around your waist, "like thats what a ghost is? I've never actually seen something like that before" 

"no." the blonde spoke turning to face you, "that... Y/N, that wasnt a spirit. that was a demon."