#oc: adrianna | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shes4twnksinatrnchct · 23 days ago

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Hell of a Show

Jake Kiszka x fem oc

Fifteen years after resigning from Greta Van Fleet, for reasons undisclosed to the public, Coley Payne is asked by her former band members to tell her side of the story.

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, explicit language, angst, shameless flirting, sexual reference, mention of parental death

Words: 3.1k

Please keep in mind this is a work of fiction and enjoy!

***LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED***

***Table of Contents***

The Beginning: Interlude iii

2039

Josh hasn’t changed at all.

Coley’s reminded of that as his laughter fills the house off and on whilst rambling about his family…

How his daughter’s starting first grade in the fall, his partner’s graduating with his doctorate in Literature in December, and what film projects he’s working on currently.

They’re able to actually have a pretty in depth conversation, this time, as opposed to the party they were at the last time where carrying on a lengthy conversation was nearly impossible.

Meanwhile, his twin brother quietly pouts at his poor timing whilst sipping his drink (that has shifted to something a little stronger than beer over the past hour), and eventually heads back to the kitchen to start on dinner officially.

As more time passes, more people start showing up.

Rhett, Collins, her boyfriend—Dominic, Kayce, his wife—Brooke, their daughter—Adrianna, all show up within ten minutes of each other, filling the house with all the more noise.

Rhett and Kayce are able to make themselves at home immediately because they often find themselves here, anyway, having reconnected with Jake through the years.

That’s solidified when the first question out of Addi’s mouth to Jake is, “Where’s the kitty-cat?!

Collins, on the other hand, is having a more difficult time facing the house she hasn’t seen since she was seven years old.

Like her aunt, she assumed he would’ve moved out after everything that happened, but he appears to enjoy making himself miserable.

Sitting on the couch, she glances around at how things seem so similar yet so different.

Despite Jake’s more-than-welcoming persona and gracious skill of hosting, the home just isn’t as warm or inviting as it had been all those years ago.

It’s merely a skeleton of the love that once flooded it when they first moved here, but it feels exactly the same as it did the day they left it with Jake inside.

The brunette glances at her aunt while she’s enveloped in conversation with Brooke, the maroon-haired woman explaining to her husband’s aunt that their new house has flooded twice now from the plumbing, and they’re not sure what to do.

“We’ve had two people come out and look at it. We’re scared the air conditioning unit is screwed, now, from all that water.” Brooke adds.

“Maybe aunt Coley can call her special H-VAC friend and get you guys a discount.” Collins voices suggestively to jest at her aunt.

It’s as if a record has scratched silence into the home, everyone seemingly hearing her say it.

Jake nearly chokes on his beer from where he hears it from the kitchen, while his twin brother jolts from running his mouth to Rhett, who’s taken up the mantle of helping Jake get the food ready to go in the oven.

“What?!” Josh calls from the kitchen, poking his head around the corner.

“Who?” Kayce presses.

“‘Special friend’? Since when do we have ‘special friends’?” Josh adds, stepping toward them.

“We don’t have special friends.” Coley assures him. “It’s not a thing—”

“—She wants it to be, though.” Collins teases.

“Elizabeth Collins.” Coley scolds her.

“Wait a minute, wait, wait, wait,” Rhett shakes his head. “Is this the dude that came and fixed the a/c when I was over there?”

“Yep. He left her his personal cell phone number to get back to him if it broke down again.” Collins explains. “Then she texted him—”

“—To ask a question about the new unit!” Coley defends herself.

“What did he say back?” Josh asks the question they’re all wanting to know the answer to.

“That she could call him anytime she needed and he’d be over.” Collins states.

“Okay, you’re making it sound bad.” Coley tells her niece, rolling her eyes.

“That’s what he said, Aunt Coley?” Kayce snaps, raising his brows.

“He was talking about if I needed anything else H-VAC related.” She insists.

“No, he wasn’t.” Josh thoughtlessly blurts, blinking at her in confusion that she could be so…oblivious.

“You know, Josh, some men don’t want sex 24/7.” Coley states, crossing her arms.

“You text him and tell him your unit needs an adjustment. See if he even shows up with tools—well, ones for the a/c, at least.” He mutters into his tequila soda before taking a swig.

Her nephews and her niece erupt into laughter, which takes her into the pit of a bad mood, not wanting Jake to get the wrong impression but she doesn’t understand how he can’t, now that everyone’s made it out to be much worse than it actually is.

“Whatever.” She grumbles, standing up to step to the kitchen to finally get something more than water to drink.

The food’s been in the oven for a few minutes now, while Jake’s been remaining in the kitchen—avoiding Coley the best that he can for the time being—absorbing the conversation and keeping his mouth shut.

Coley can practically feel the tension leaking from him when she steps into the kitchen and sees him leaning against the counter, downing the rest of his drink.

“Do you have wine?” She inquires quietly, hearing her niece, nephews, and Josh carrying on from the living room.

Jake doesn’t answer her at first, only stepping to the fridge to grab a bottle and place it on the counter.

“Here.” He mutters, reaching into the cupboard and holding out a wine glass to her.

Her fingertips brush along his hand when she accepts it from him, and he shut the cabinet and takes in a deep breath, looking at her from the corner of his eye to make sure she’s not looking at him before he outright stares at her.

“I’m not screwing my a/c guy, by the way.” She assures him, flatly, opening the bottle and pouring herself some, feeling his eyes on her back.

“I wouldn’t care if you were.” He lies, and she looks over her bare shoulder and blinks at him before taking a sip of the deep red liquid. “You’re single. You can sleep with your a/c guy. You can sleep with my a/c guy if you want.” He uses humor to try to distract from the fact he’s overthinking it entirely. “Bet he wouldn’t fuck up the wood flooring—they wear sensible shoes.”

Coley turns to face him, leaning against the counter opposite of him, unable to resist the smile that creeps to her face from his words while a quiet giggle leaves her.

“We’re in our forties. I think we all wear sensible shoes, now.” She points out.

“You wear sensible shoes now? What, you went from six inches to five or something?” He sarcastically scoffs, recalling the heels she wore in here.

“Four inches.” She corrects him, raising her brows.

“Four inches?” He asks, cooking up a smart comment that she doesn’t catch in time before he cuts his eyes at her and adds, “Since when is four inches enough for you?”

Her face burns red, and she lets out a flustered breath.

“I kinda walked into that one.” She admits with a sigh before bringing her glass to her lips, again.

Jake watches her do so, looking at the glass that she drains and places on the counter to refill.

“Want some?” She offers, noticing his attention on her as she pours more for herself.

The wine itself is the least of his desires compared to the woman holding the bottle.

It’s an invitation for trouble…and they can probably say “goodbye” to their meeting once they hide in the kitchen and get drunk before Connie even gets here…

The doorbell sounds, signaling the perfectly timed arrival of their former manager.

“Maybe later.” He tells Coley, ripping his eyes from her to get some relief—or at least try to, taking the opportunity to leave the kitchen and go to open the door.

“Hey, kid!” They hear her pipe to Jake as soon as he opens the door, not even giving him a moment to greet her before she’s adding, “Oh, my gosh, look at you!” her hands patting at his handsome face. “You need to shave.”

Coley’s blue eyes nearly roll out of her skull at the sound of the woman entering the house when Jake ushers her inside and offers to get her something to drink.

“Water. Hi, dear,” She says to Josh when he welcomes her in a hug, adding, “Oh, new faces,” referring to the group in the living room as Jake moves back to the kitchen.

“Just two new ones.” Josh says to her. “You remember Kayce, Collins, and Rhett.”

“How could I forget?” She chuckles, and Coley bites into her tongue as Connie’s introduced to Brooke, Addi, and Dominic.

When Jake fixes her water, his ex-girlfriend whispers, “Spit in it,” causing him to laugh quietly.

“Be nice.” He tells her lowly after mustering up his ability to be serious, raising his brows as he looks down at her.

“I am.” She insists, lying through her teeth.

“I’m serious, Coley, be nice.” He repeats it, more sternly. “This needs to be as cordial as it can be. Just let bygones be bygones.”

“What am I gonna do, Jake? Fire her again?” She asks, making him get nearly nose to nose with her to drive his point home.

“Bygones.” He repeats, his eyes staring into hers as he awaits her agreement to do so.

“Don’t shave. I like this.” She avoids acknowledging his request for peace, the wine already loosening the filter connected to her mouth and brain, as she admires his face an the facial hair he's let grow out.

He marks yet another thing of hers that hasn’t changed in the last fifteen years.

His eyes descend from the crinkles at the corners of her eyes from her smiling, to the curve of her lips that only grows when Coley plainly sees he's distracted.

“Here.” He snaps out of it, handing her the glass of water. “You need this more than she does.”

Coley shoots him an unamused look and he gets Connie more water before walking to the living room to hand it to her.

“Where’s Sammy and Daniel?” Connie asks as Jake hands the glass to her.

“They’re coming.” Josh assures her.

It’s as if now Connie’s realized that Josh isn’t the last one to arrive.

“Has hell frozen over?” She asks him, raising her brows.

“Coley got here early, too.” Josh shrugs. “For different reasons, I’m sure, but…” He adds with a subtle wink at Jake, who retorts with, “Shut up.”

“Oh.” Connie says upon the realization that Coley is here, after all, having not even paid attention to the amount of vehicles in the driveway. “Coley’s here?”

Coley rolls her jaw and now feels obligated to go acknowledge Connie, coming to the living room to join everyone else.

“Well, what do ya know, she is!” Connie adds sarcastically, beaming at the sight of the blonde woman before her.

The last time the two women saw one another, Coley was taking matters into her own hands, and firing her.

No consulting the band, no inquiring with other managers, or legal, or their publicist…

It was a sporadic, angry, fed-up, “Get your shit and go back home,” that had been conjured up on a day and a half of no sleep, dealing with children who were growing more and more difficult from constant traveling, and last-minute shows being added to the schedule.

“Hey, Coley, how are you?” She asks, next, deliberately speaking it in a manner intended to irritate the other woman, and it does in all its sickly-sweetness.

“As good as I can be.” Coley retorts, taking note of the way a select few people in the room seem to be holding their breath.

They’re soon seated around the dinner table, talking and waiting for Danny and Sam to arrive at any moment while the food is finishing up in the oven…

“…Gosh, it was a nightmare getting these kids ready and on stage on time!” Connie exclaims with a laugh, sharing some of the joys of being on the road with five stubborn young adults whose ammunition of barbaric pass-times was endless—all while Kayce, his wife, Rhett, Collins, and her boyfriend cling to each word.

Connie brushes her strawberry blonde hair from her eyes before taking a sip of wine and carrying on about the very hectic chaos of sound check, clambering back to their rooms to shower, going back and forth on when to leave for the venue, scouring around for wardrobe and what to wear, trying to race the clock for hair and makeup, weighing how much to drink or not drink to avoid being drunk on-stage…not to mention the array of technical difficulties, illnesses, or vehicle break-downs along the way.

It was a whirlwind more times than not, moving at what felt a million miles an hour.

“Mmm, and then, of course, it was only that much worse when you three came along.” She continues, motioning to Coley’s niece and nephews. “God, being up with two toddlers in the middle of the night, making sure the seven year old didn’t wander off, trying to keep you entertained on the road, keeping up with shoes and diapers, and hairbows, and toys…” She drolls on before quickly turning her attention to Rhett, “What was that blanket you drug everywhere that had the embroidered rabbit on it?”

Rhett snaps his fingers as he tries to remember what he called his beloved possession…

“You say that like it was you who was up with the two toddlers in the middle of the night, and you keeping up with Kayce, and you keeping them entertained on the road, and you keeping up with shoes and diapers, and hairbows…” Coley cuts in, eyeing Connie.

Josh and Jake glance between the two women as tension starts to tighten in the air, unbeknownst to the handful of twenty-somethings surrounding them.

“…And it wasn’t a blanket, it was a pillowcase, and it was called ‘Rabby’.” Coley informs her, lastly.

“Rabby, that’s it.” Connie says, blinking with a sarcastic smirk directed at Coley, then focusing her gaze back on Dominic and Brooke, “Gosh, we forgot that thing in Barcelona and didn’t realize it until we got to Madrid, and Rhett screamed and cried until Coley and Jake went back and got it. It was a complete nightmare.”

“Are we surprised?” Collins pokes fun at her little brother, and Josh and Jake laugh it off, hoping that it’ll ease the change of energy.

It’s a lost cause when Connie pointedly adds, “Hey, now, Rhett never stopped any shows on account of pitching a fit.”

“Thank you.” Rhett says with a chuckle, too naive to understand the slight bitterness in Connie’s tone as she brings all this up.

Of course she’s still bitter.

It’s now that the decently convincing expression on Coley’s face falls, and her leg knocks into Jake’s under the table, signaling him to pipe, “I, uh, I wouldn’t necessarily call it her pitching a fit.”

“Yeah, she couldn’t really control her spells, you know?” Josh adds with a shrug while simultaneously mentally preparing for Connie and Coley’s inevitable rift.

Dominic glances at his girlfriend and she offers an uncomfortable smile, growing embarrassed, her eyes shifting to her aunt who rolls her tongue along the inside of her bottom lip.

“Oh, yeah, talk about a clusterfuck—oh, sorry,” Connie offers, looking at Addi who’s perched on Brooke’s lap before looking at Dominic and ripping the lid off of the can of worms that’s at the heart of the contention that began between her and the Rhythm Guitarist years ago. “Collins used to get so upset when Coley would have to go on stage, or go to meetings, or leave her at all, really, and she would cry, and cry, and cry. Well, one night they got on stage and Collins started up, and she couldn’t catch her breath, and then the next thing we know she’s turning blue, and passing out!”

Everyone else who had been present for the terrifying health scare don’t necessarily wish to relive the details of it, but Connie doesn't pay that fact any attention.

“Which the doctor said to just blow in her face and it’ll help her catch her breath, and that seemed to work. But it was a whole mess to try to get anything done without her being glued to Coley’s hip.” She quips.

Jake’s hand is a welcomed comfort when it lands on Coley’s thigh, free of any intention other than reassurance.

She releases a deep breath and keeps her mouth shut, trying to maintain the peace while surrounded by people she loves and wants to spend time with…

“…In fact, I think tonight will be the first time we have a meeting since 2019 where she won’t have a baby in her lap.” Connie’s over-exaggerated laugh matches her over-exaggerated comment, and Jake feels Coley tense under his palm, predicting her response the way that an eery calm predicts a hurricane. “It was overwhelming.” Connie finishes with a shake of her head before breathing out and adding, “I need more wine,” while standing up to go to the kitchen.

“I got it.” Jake offers but she waves him off.

Coley contemplates what she does next, weighing the option of either tearing into her right here in front of everybody, or doing so somewhat privately…

“I’m getting more, too.” Coley mumbles, grabbing her own wine glass.

“Coley,” Jake mumbles, subtly shaking his head while Josh distracts the other guests with a joke.

“Do you want me to do it outside, or in here, in front of all these people?” Coley asks Jake in a mutter, raising her blonde brows.

“I’d prefer you not do it at all.” He replies.

“I’d prefer her not do it at all, either, yet you guys invited her here, so.” She grumbles and rolls her eyes, moving away from the table and into the kitchen, glaring at Connie’s back.

“You know what was overwhelming?” Coley asks her as calmly as she can, and the older woman sighs out and replaces the cork in the bottle. “Sherri and Trace dying. Both of their parents. Dead. In the same moment. I think that constituted Collins ‘pitching fits’ when she felt like people she loved were leaving her, and Kayce needing to ‘wander off’ and be alone every now and then, and Rhett being so attached to that damn pillowcase of his mom’s that you always bitched about him dragging around.”

Constance turns to face her.

“You can be pissed at me for firing you. I understand that. But I don’t understand, nor will I ever want to understand, why you’ve always been so damn pissed off at the fact that I didn’t just let those kids go to the fucking State—because, again, it’s not like you were their caretaker having to endure and adapt to them.”

“Postponed shows, canceled shows—”

“Oh, Christ, of course, anything that messed with your money.” Coley scoffs.

“I comforted you and watched you have a meltdown because you thought you were knocked up and knew you couldn’t raise a kid. Only for you to turn around and voluntarily take on three of them, and not tell anybody until it was already a settled deal. Not even your own boyfriend—who was miserable, by the way, but never told you that because he supported you, and just wanted you to be happy. Even if it meant becoming Father Goose before he was even twenty-five—but, hey, anything Princess Coley wants, right?” There’s a bite of resentment in her voice, and Coley furrows her brows. “It was always your way or no way. Hell, you left Jake because he wouldn’t get off the road. You’ve always been like that, and nothing has changed because you still have your panties in a bunch over the fact that they re-hired me after you quit, and you have no say in whether I’m here or not.” Connie scoffs.

“Wanna bet?” Coley asks her, confident that she could go to Jake and have Connie out of the house within the next two minutes.

The strawberry-blonde steps to her, looking down at her before getting eye-level with her like a child.

“I do, actually, because they asked me—personally—to do this documentary with you guys. They want me here, regardless of whether you do or not.” Constance states, about to walk past her back to the dining room before stopping. “And my issue isn’t with those kids. It’s not their fault their aunt is a forty-year-old who still acts out when she doesn’t get her way.”

@takenbythemadness , @edgingthedarkness , @lizzys-sunflower , @zooweemama555 , @fleetingjake , @hollyco

#greta van fleet #gvf #jake kiszka #jake kiszka gvf #jake gvf #jake kiszka series #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kiszka angst #jake kiszka x oc #jake kiszka fluff #jake kiszka smut #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet fic #gvf fic

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oh-saints · 2 years ago

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gift

when your boyfriend is manchester city’s infamous number 3, it’s a bit hard to find a suitable gift for someone who practically has the world in his hands.

rúben dias x engineer!OC

word count: 3.7k

note: due to popular demand on my askbox (of which i can no longer reply 1-by-1) and as a thank you for the enthusiasm you showed in there, this is the 2nd part to this but can be read as a standalone for those who haven’t read the 1st part. this is also mildly inspired by this ask AND THE GIF (asfghjhjhj i'm still not over it tbh). however, as usual, i happen to always write around dawn so ofc this is not beta-read.

tags: @thatonesexycancerian <3

it didn’t take valentine’s day to know that rúben dias’ dominant love language is giving gifts.

hell, it didn’t even take a week for adrianna to know that. it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea to curate a spotify playlist specifically for someone, inspired by the way they met and the current long-distance relationship they were holding on, and kept expanding whenever the boyfriend was missing the girlfriend—which was a lot.

the listing parade continued with a letterboxd list of movies to watch so adrianna wouldn’t run out of things to watch and a goodreads list of books so adrianna wouldn’t feel bored when the mood to watch had deserted her. the latter touched a part of her she didn’t know existed because she knew he wasn’t that much of a fan to books, but he’d vouched he’d read them before he recommended it to her.

maybe the sentiment behind them got her more than she’d liked because let’s be realistic, rúben dias is a busy man with a very demanding job, physically and mentally. not to mention he spent more time on the jet plane than on ground. yet, he spared some time—obviously more than he’d admitted over the phone when she confronted him—to create something so personal like that.

but what started small became something else entirely.

the lists, at least those she could take on. however, when adrianna told her boyfriend she was heading for the shore for the first time in a while, the portugese decided by himself that it was a good idea to upgrade her ordinary deluxe hotel room into a suite. while the luxury that was entitled to the hefty price tag was an absolute pleasure to be indulged in after months of being in a rig, adrianna vowed to repay him one way or another, despite rúben’s insistence that he wouldn’t take on the repayment because he'd “be more than happy to give his girl nothing but the best.”

and he lived up to his words. by the time they stepped into the 3-month mark, adrianna shook up the entire rig from having a 100-piece fresh flower bouquet delivered to the facility right before the day started for the engineers. the flowers surely was a rare sight to see, even more unheard of than the legendary blood moon, hence her male counterparts were genuinely elated for her. for her excellent catch, and for the hope it sparked to their love life—be it single-ready-to-mingle-but-distance-sucks or the helpless long-distance relationship.

6 months in and her royal boyfriend treated the entire rig for a banquet with food they rarely had the chance to devour unless they went back on-shore. he slipped in a little gratitude note for always looking out his girl when I’m not around, albeit anonymously because both rúben and adrianna agreed on not telling anyone until they were fully ready to share the relationship with the rest of the world, just like how adrianna had to share rúben.

there was also time when he missed adrianna so much he sent random gifts to the rig. today was a bouquet of lego flowers that rúben had constructed himself and framed in a box, complete with a little note to show how much he longed to have her in his arms once more and a polaroid of him and his dog, sporting all black fashion because they were mourning. she was astounded that (i) he remembered adrianna said the water the rig was using was actually filtered from the surrounding sea and it unfortunately wilted the flowers sooner than expected, (ii) he asked her if she also missed him they way he did her. the last part made her heart skipped a dozen notes.

it wasn’t like she never reciprocated how rúben expressed his profound love towards her—telling him how much she loves him, despite their short time together physically—but she’d never had to show how much she loved someone with gifts. sure, she wasn’t a plain jane or some sort towards that kind of lifestyle but she was more familiar in the tradition of gifting someone else a practical gift. at least something she knew they needed it so she bought it, none gone wasted.

and now… she wasn’t sure at all. because it wasn’t only about what he liked, but it was about how to blow his waters off the pool, too. at the same time, it should also be something that was equivalent as to saying i love you without spelling the 8 letters. she didn’t want rúben to think he was dating someone no good for him, someone who couldn’t match his level. someone not worthy of him. if there was one thing adrianna hated the most was to disappoint people she deeply cared about.

what do you give to someone who’s already had everything best in this world?

while she was now past the privilege of looking at her bank account every pay check day to ensure she could live off safely for the next month, she didn’t hold a single candle—not even the gigantic bath & body works 3-wicks candle—against what could possibly run down deep in rúben’s pocket. she didn’t need to look up his weekly salary—weekly, mind you!—on search bar to know so. take a look at the wall of rúben dias’ corner in her room and you’d get a good guess.

whoever implanted the idea that petroleum chemical engineering would bring abundance of fortune to adrianna’s pocket, surely never had the misfortune of dating someone in the same calibre as rúben dias of manchester city. she certainly had a hard time figuring out what kind of gift could be deemed acceptable for the rúben dias.

good lord, please help. or maybe rúben’s brother if lord was too busy taking another call.

＊✿❀○❀✿＊＊✿❀○❀✿＊＊✿❀○❀✿＊

adrianna, at this point, didn’t know whether her heart was beating rapidly to match the drums played at the background or due to the nerves jumping up and down under her consciousness. all she knew was that whatever it is she was doing now was definitely on the scale of something she’d never done before, and the desire to give rúben only the best of her—in her capability, that is—was her only drive to play this crazy card.

crazy because she thought of all the things that’d need help arranging when she was so far away from where her boyfriend now and had no prior experience conducting this whole charade; not crazy because ivan thought his brother would want nothing else but what she had up in her sleeve. “crazy? this is probably the best gift he’ll have,” was ivan’s response when she confided her plan.

no matter how much ivan reassured her that her decision was brilliant—to the point he was very willing orchestrating everything else that was out of adrianna’s reach, in order for her plan to be perfectly executed—adrianna couldn’t stop herself from fidgeting her fingers on her lap. what if it still wasn’t enough for rúben?

what if she wasn’t enough for rúben?

if her sister whined once more about wanting to get married someone rich instead of finishing her study, she’d cut off her allowance for the rest of her life. it should serve her the reminder that it wasn’t easy to date someone that seemed… so larger than life. at least, her life.

yes, she’d seen a glimpse of what life next would bring to her back when they met for the first time at the airport. people started to made a sizable crowd around them, with their phone cameras pointed at rúben and her. the photos made the internet go berserk briefly and netizens tried to figure out who rúben’s newest, mystery girl was. but she could take that on, she’d thought. as long as they didn’t step over the boundaries, she understood that much. she was a fan of the jonas brothers herself a long time ago.

but now, as she stepped inside the packed etihad stadium for the last game of the season, she realised what dating rúben dias entailed. the cameras had been set up around the stadium, and it dawned on her that the crowd she went in together with today was only a miniscule part of city fans all over the world. what she did would affect rúben, and what if she took a wrong step? what if that wrong step was a sufficient reason to break their newly-embarked relationship?

adrianna felt like puking this very minute.

“you okay?”

ivan’s voice was enough to cancel her initial reaction of vomiting but not enough to conceal the shaky breath she took as she looked up to the man resembling rúben by the eyes. like his brother, this man harboured some sort of invisible power that unabled her to tell lies. but her mental breakdown was beyond comprehensive words at this point, and there was no way to summarize what she was feeling right now. so she swallowed every last bit of her sanity down the throat and took the seat beside the older man.

＊✿❀○❀✿＊＊✿❀○❀✿＊＊✿❀○❀✿＊

rúben played excellently as usual, but it was nothing but expected of the backline captain. still, manchester city conceded two easy goals for the opponent. absolute shambles, especially when they were in tight positions to secure another premier league trophy. they lose and the trophy goes elsewhere.

having watched her boyfriend’s matches now, adrianna recognised the look of frustrations rúben sported. frustrated that his team could’ve done better, frustrated that his team were on the verge of giving up, frustrated that he couldn’t contribute better on the other goal end. they needed two more goals to make an epic comeback.

they were running so well for the whole season that adrianna couldn’t help but blame herself, should they lose in her presence. she was halfway believing it was because of her that the team was behind because it was supposed to be an easy team win. it was the day she decided to come to manchester to finally catch her boyfriend in action after all.

“you should text him,” ivan said when the referee blew the halftime whistle and adrianna watched as her boyfriend was walking towards the tunnel, shaking his head, obviously disgruntled at the result so far. “it’ll cheer him up.”

why bother on placing another jinx of misfortune towards rúben and his teammates?

maybe her idea of coming here was bound to doom.

“i don’t want to distract him, ivan.”

“contrary to your belief, you’re the reason he’s so focused, adrianna,” ivan clicked his tongue in disbelief. “you make him better than every day before. it never happens to my brother.”

maybe ivan was only saying it was a good one out of pity towards her, seeing that her plan was failing.

“whatever,” ivan continued, his voice matching his gruff exterior. “i sent him one picture of you already, thought that might fuel his spirit even more.”

should she? what if her text wasn’t enough to lift rúben up?

just as about adrianna was on the verge of giving in, she felt something running down her spine. that familiar shiver when you know someone was watching you from behind. but instead of fear, she felt warmth. the kind of warmth that only rúben could emit. be it his voice, his presence—him. she turned her line of sight to the direction of the grass pitch and there he was, standing tall and proud and unbothered like his reputation of wall of china while looking at her with eyes smeared with a little bit of disbelief, but zeroed on her nonetheless. contrasting the traditional centre back posture was his mega-watt smile, the one he never failed to show her whenever she picked up his video calls before greeting her with, “minha vida, meu amor, how are you today?”

the one she knew he reserved it only for her. because it never failed to make her feel like the only girl in the world at that moment, like she was the centre of his universe and nothing else mattered to him the most.

and at that moment, she knew rúben chose her because she was enough for him.

it was easy for them the first time they met, and it was easy now for her to feel the affection rúben loved to shower her unconditionally with.

and before her brain could take over the last piece of logic inside her, adrianna flashed him a grin that stretched from ear to ear at the view that reminded her of a chesire cat eager to play with alice in wonderland. her version of the smile that was only intended for rúben dias and only at rúben dias, no matter the time and place.

she waved at him involuntarily, the part of her body that had been missing him to bits since their airport encounter stole the start from her rationale, unable to contain the lingering that had been gnawing her heart for months now. fuck distance makes heart grow fonder, it softened the hell out of the organ she could combust if she didn’t get to touch her boyfriend when they were now this close to being together, physically and mentally.

she didn’t think his smile could grow any bigger but it did, as she waved at him. and the disbelief in his eyes turned into something else entirely. fierce, but elated. like he was so happy she was here that it was enough to fire again the determination and desire to grab the win from the back. like he’d finally found his reasoning and awakening altogether at the same time.

and it was enough for him to light up the spirit. of him, of his fellow defenders, of his team. of the stadium and the fans everywhere else in the world when he slotted another well-executed header into the opponent’s goal to level the score. it looked effortless; perfectly timed and executed by kevin.

and for rúben, effortless was something he grew accustomed to lately, despite some people calling him crazy for his “rash” decision. but he couldn’t blame people when they don’t exactly know the real meaning of the word, not when he knew they didn’t have adrianna to show him everything he needed to know about falling in love effortlessly. like his goal, his encounter with adrianna was perfectly timed. so for him, there was nothing else more suitable than a celebration to match the theme.

the portugese didn’t think twice when he ran to the other end from where the goal just went in, so fast his mates were screaming his name to slow down, and then he simply stood there with the same smile he knew she loved and knew only came out when he was with her. no grandiose gesture, he just straight on looked up at his girlfriend, now wearing the blue shirt he’d always dream to see her on. erupting crowd and back hugs from his teammates paled to the pride and proud she wore in her face as she looked down at him.

ilkay shook the stadium once more when his strike went past the goalie the last 3 minutes of the game, pretty much sealing the most coveted trophy in the football industry for the 4th time to manchester city. when the whistle finally blew, literally and figuratively, the crowd went wild to the point the players had to be rescued from the pitch towards the tunnel. rúben didn’t think twice to call ivan immediately as he reached the locker room to ask if they were safe and sound.

(well, the implied question was if adrianna was safe and sound.)

the roaring stadium couldn’t even conceal the palpitating beats inside his ribcage, the blood rushed to his ears faster than his regular pace that his phone had to alerted him to calm down. but how could he calm down when he just contributed the most important goal of his career, in the presence of the woman he loved? in the presence of the woman whom he knew must’ve taken half of her precious annual leave so bravely just to see him?

how could he calm down when he knew she was so close yet so far? when he knew he could’ve run upstairs just to have her in his arms for a minute before returning back in time for the trophy lift?

should he just forego this whole thing and be with her instead? he’d won 3 epl trophies before, the thrilling feeling shouldn’t be new anymore, right?

unfortunately, however, before he could execute his crazy escapade, the staff ushered the first team out to the field again for the one thing the entire building had been working on.

rúben waited in line for his turn to earn his silver medal with “4-time champion” inscribed on it and while doing so, he couldn’t help himself to look up to the tribune where adrianna was at. as soon as he saw the grin she was sporting, jumping up and down beside his brother ivan, looking as real and as regal as the first time he saw her, he smiled so wide john stones had to elbow him on the belly. “where’s the missus at? she here?”

rúben only answered the barnsley native with a nod towards his girlfriend, the grin on his face never perished. she waved again at him, her excitement so infectious that rúben couldn’t stop himself from blowing a kiss at her. john laughed at how corny that was but couldn’t bring himself to blame the portugese from being lovesick. being deserted by your ex just when you popped the question wasn’t something easy to comeback from. john was only glad he’d found a better match in all aspect for rúben, despite the distance the couple had to endure together.

the trophy lifted and paraded to every corner of the pitch, photos taken at every sequence, and now it was time for the family to congratulate their loved ones for the hard work they’d committed this past year. adrianna, included, although she only had the privilege recently.

despite the ardent crave to jump into rúben’s strong arms as soon as the portugese was in her sight, adrianna gave some space to the dias brothers to celebrate first. rúben had several times mentioned ivan and his cousin were two people that inspired him the most in regards to his professional career so she wouldn’t want to try to break the bond and respect that were shared between the two, and rúben swore he fell in love again once more when he realised the meaning behind her action.

as soon as rúben’s eyes diverted from ivan to her, adrianna didn’t hesitate to cut off the last remaining distance between them. and as soon as her head fitted under his palm and her legs hung around the back of his waist, rúben released the breath he didn’t know he was holding. at last, he muttered against her hair. who knew the smell of a shampoo could be so comforting?

at that moment, reality hit him. rúben dias had been too focused on chasing something—anything; trophies, titles, awards—that he forgot the meaning of home. and adrianna just handed it back on his plate.

it was so soothing how small she was in his arms, yet it felt like he had come back home. like he was holding his entire world in his embrace, and he couldn’t ask for anything else better, even if it meant that he had to undergo the whole failed proposal all over again.

“you’re here.”

“i am,”and there was the sound he’d been missing the most, clear as crystal. not the one he’d been hearing over the phone, through the endless video calls when he was about to sleep and she just woke up. “parabens, querido.”

“i must be dreaming,” rúbenhad to pull her closer to him—as if it was possible—to make sure she was here, in flesh and blood. “you can’t be real, you know? but i keep seeing you.”

adrianna pulled away from rúben’s lock around her, mirth glinted her eyes. “should i just go back to—”

“no,” rúben didn’t hold back as he kissed her. finally. her lips felt like the sweetest victory; for winning the title again, for waiting for her no matter how long it takes. and he devoured every last bit of it, slowly but sure, not wanting to miss any more detail. “you don’t know how long i’ve been praying to hold you like this again.”

“well, you got your wish,” rúben’s dropping bass tone to his voice sent shudders all over her body, both from the voice and the desperation that lingered behind his words. she kissed him once more to show she felt exactly the same and he hummed, as he felt her nipping his bottom lip. “happy birthday, benzinho. i hope you like your present because i don’t know what else to give you if you don’t like it.”

this time, rúben was the one who pulled away first, confusion written all over his face. “what, you think i’m not going to like it?”

“well, look around you, rúben,” adrianna casted a glance everywhere else but him, awkward and so unlike of her. “i can’t possibly compare to—”

“you’re the best thing i could ever ask for, gatinha,” rúben moved up his hands from her waist to cup her face, the sharp jawline contrasted the soft glimmer in the beautiful eyes he loved. “doesn’t matter if it happens on my birthday this year, next year, next decade—i want you and i will always ask for you until the day comes. you’re the reason i start looking forward for tomorrow, knowing you’re awake already when i wake up, and you’re the reason i want to be better everyday so that one day, when the day comes, i can be the man that deserves you entirely.”

“rúben—”

before adrianna could say anything else that described the way his words swayed her world, rúben closed the vacant space between their lips, effectively shutting her up. “i don’t know what’s that pretty mind of yours have been thinking but te amo, meu amor. you’re my love and my life, meu anjo, and i don’t want it any other way.”

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