#okay alright y’all have a lovely rest of your sunday and maybe i’ll see you here later tonight 💜

[tvrningout-archived]

maybe i’ll have the energy to ramble about paige and how much i love her or maybe i’ll hyperfocus on p.okemon to distract me from my boss making me clench my fists — who knows tbh!!

[imagine-straykids]

Stray Kids SS: Argument PT. 1

SS for short scenarios. Stray Kids arguing with their significant others

requested? No. I just write whenever I feel like it.

genre: fluff, angst, romance, etc etc.

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Bang Chan

     You’re no bragger but you think you’re pretty reasonable most of the times. You understand your boyfriend is a busy person and his work came first and foremost. You’ve tried not to take it personally and he has made it pretty clear before you guys even got into this relationship that he wouldn’t be the best person with time management.

     Of course you took a gamble and compromised to form this bond with the one and only Christopher Bang. You had always put his feelings first whether that’s him choosing his friends, work, or music over you, you were definitely okay with that as long as he came back to you at the end of the day. Even the smallest texts nearing the end of the night like “Goodnight sweetie, hope you had a good day!” was enough for you. You weren’t asking for much. You don’t know how much lower you can set your standards because slowly and progressively, Chan was already failing to meet them.

     The most you guys have ever been apart was maybe two weeks and even then, Chan had always made sure to check on you through texts or phone calls. So when it was nearing a month, and he has rejected your invitation to do something for the second time in a month, you were left to feel less than pleasant whether you had set yourself up for failure or perhaps did you deserve more than what you had settled for.

       You couldn’t help but to be upset to some degree and even then you still doubted if your feelings were valid. You even felt guilty since you had promised him a long time ago you would be understanding. Were you wrong for just wanting a little bit of your boyfriend’s attention?

       So when Felix brought you his breakfast treats like he would every Sunday because the boy loves baking, he could tell in your eyes that your world was seeing more than blue. You weren’t your usual self who was always welcoming and greeted him with warmth. The tone in your voice and your body language imitated that of a walking dead and although you tried your hardest to put on a great appearance, Felix could see right through you.

       When he had asked you if you were alright, a sea of tears just came bursting through. Like a puddle that you had held inside for weeks finally being freed. You told Felix everything and everything. It was nice to have someone to talk to, for once in a long time. Felix had always been very understanding of you and was very much like a brother. He reassured you and you felt so much better after, that when he left, you even thought you might finally be able to get a good nap after some words of comforts.

       Your nap was shortly disrupted when a series of loud knocks were ringing through your door. It took you a few seconds to process everything because your brain was still trying to wake up along with you. Then a beep from your phone was heard. You turned to the left side where you had placed your phone and noticed long notifications of texts and missed calls from Chan. Oh lord. Well of course who could that be at the door then.

       Felix had only told Chan out of good intention, and honestly you weren’t even surprised. Not one thing said to one of those boys will stay in its origin. You crankily tossed your blanket aside and walked up to the door as you took a deep breath. You opened the door and it was just the one person you were expecting.

       Chan looked totally out of breath, as if he had been beaten by a stick over and over again, you can see the sweats tracing along the line of his forehead down to his cheeks and his hair has gotten messier than usual.

    “Chan--” You were cut when Chan just shoved himself inside your apartment.

    “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He looked at you dead in the eyes as he shut the front door.

    “Tell you what?” You weren’t acting naive but you just wanted to know what exactly Felix had told him.

    “What you told Felix. Why didn’t you tell me that? That you wanted to hang out with me, that you’ve been feeling sad and lonely?”

    “I did. I asked you twice if you wanted to go out or do something. You said no both times.” You defended yourself.

    “Why didn’t you say anything when you were not feeling good then?” A worrisome look overshadowed his angrier look earlier.

    “Pfft,” you scoffed. You couldn’t believe what he was saying. “Really Chan? Do I need to feel less than okay, do I need to question if my boyfriend even wants to be with me, for you to actually worry now?” you challenged him full on.

    “What do you mean.” Chan wasn’t gullible, but sometimes when he gets too caught up on one thing, he misses another.

    “Why should it be my responsibility that you act like a reasonable boyfriend who cares about his girlfriend’s needs. I shouldn’t need to tell you when you should be doing your parts. You were on the line of almost ignoring me for a whole month, doing whatever you’re doing without caring for my well being, and the two times I ask to do something, I get pushed aside. And you’re here telling me I’m not trying harder?”

    “I already told you from the beginning, y/n, that I am not the best person to be in a relationship with. I lose track of times, get lost in my own thoughts. I apologize if I made you feel like I didn’t care about you. I do. Sometimes I just need time to myself, you know. And I try to do it without hurting your feelings but it’s hard. Because I care about you too.”

    “I know that you’ve warned me from the beginning. And I’m a fool. I can’t do it anymore, Chan. I’m not the girlfriend you want me to be. I thought I could do it because I love you so much... but it hurts to be away from you. I can’t do it, Chan. Sometimes I just miss you, and want to be with you, but I’m afraid I’m going to bother you because you’ve already set your boundaries. I’m sorry.” you started sobbing even thought you told yourself you weren’t going to cry. 

    Chan quickly pulled you into a hug as you ugly sob into his chest.

    “It’s going to be okay, y/n. We can get through this together. If you still love me, we can talk it through. You still love me, right?” he angled your frowning face up to his.

    “Of course,” you answer like music to his ear.

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Lee Know

    Before you ever accepted Minho’s confession, you’ve been told by nearly everyone around him that he would be a handful. And oh Jesus, you wish they had warned you better, because he wasn’t just a handful. Minho was a pain in the ass if he didn’t try. Even before you got together with him, he found pleasure in teasing and making fun of you whenever he got the chance to. 

    But besides the assholery moves Minho liked to pull, when he was just with you, he showed sides of himself that only you got to experience. That’s pretty much your answer whenever somebody ask you how did you guys even got into a relationship considering y’all were pretty much like fire and water. The person who everyone else found to be a living nightmare because you just don’t mess with him since he has such a way with his words, you’ll find yourself questioning your intelligence.

     Minho can either be the best person you’ll ever meet in your lifetime or as so he likes to claim, or he can be the person that makes your feet turn the other way whenever you hear his name. So you knew this weren’t going to turn out pretty when Minho was forced to be in a team with Hyunjin for game night and Hyunjin was losing every single point possible.

       At first, him and the rest tried to play it off light heartedly, but you can feel the room growing sour each time Hyunjin missed the hints and was unable to score a point for this game of Charades that was suggested by the super innovative Chan, who decided that Hyunjin and Minho in the same team was evolution.

       The others were having a blast poking fun at Hyunjin and Minho whose points were definitely not looking very nice until Minho out of a sudden, slapped the pile of papers onto the ground and said he’s had it.

    “I don’t want to be in a team with him! He sucks!” Minho pointed fingers at Hyunjin who obviously took it personal by the look of his face.

      The room silenced and everybody just stared until Chan spoke up, “Come on, just this once. You guys are never on the same team because you always want to change.” 

    “Yeah, because he sucks, can’t you see. Even a 5 year old kid would be able to score more points than him. We’re not even losing by a little. We’re unredeemable at this point,” Minho spit out without missing a single beat.

       Everybody was growing uncomfortable, especially Hyunjin who had done his best to stay positive the whole time.

    “Minho! Can you not. That’s incredibly rude. It’s just a game. Losing one night won’t kill you. How childish can you be.” You stared at your own boyfriend in disgust.

     “Really now, you’re going to argue with me against this?” It was like he really couldn’t believe you were not on his side.

    “So what if I am. You’re acting ridiculous and you deserve to know it.”

    “Guys! Please stop. Don’t argue because of me please. He’s right. I wasn’t very good. Don’t be angry at him because of me, y/n. I’ll be fine. I’m going to go outside to get some fresh air, I’ll feel better once I come back.” Hyunjin excused himself and left.

      You could only roll your eyes when Minho, being his stubborn self was refusing to go after Hyunjin and continued to stay in the same spot.

    “How selfish can one be.” You criticized him before you followed after Hyunjin.

     You had hoped Hyunjin didn’t think too much of it, knowing how Minho usually is. Being the sweetheart he is, he thanked you and told you not to worry. When you went back inside, the others notified you that Minho had already left and honestly, you could care less. He was being a d*ck and this time, you weren’t going to cave in. Only time would help kill that inflated ego of his. 

         About a week has passed and you still haven’t talked to Minho and vice versa. You knew that his diva ass would never give in, so you didn’t quite know why you were silently battling him when you’re pretty sure if you wanted to fix this, you’ll have to do it yourself. But you didn’t want to.

         You’ve had enough of Minho always getting what he wants, always having the last say in anything, and thinking that you’ll always bend backward for him. It’s kind of funny because Hyunjin had actually told you that Minho already apologized, so why are you guys still fighting? Pride. Now it’s just a fight of pride. And as much as Minho has it, you have a lot of it as well.

           It was the weekend, and usually you’ll spend your weekend with Minho doing whatever you guys usually do but since he wasn’t here anymore, you decided to just spend your day relaxing with a nice cup of tea watching Netflix. It was your day off work and you weren’t going to let this day go to waste.

           You gently set your tea down on the little table to your right, about to lay against the couch when the corner of your eyes caught your screen lit up with a text message. You sat back up and struggled for about a couple seconds trying to reach your phone that you had placed a little too far. 

           It was from Minho. You couldn’t believe it. Reading what he sent you just made it even more amusing.

        Stupid, are you going to apologize or not - Minho Lee

        Why should I apologize. What the hell? I didn’t do shit - Y/n

        Okay well I already said sorry to Hyunjin so I don’t know why you so pressed for. I didn’t do nun to you. I mean I know you kind of had a thing for him and all before we met but don’t take it out on me - Minho Lee

         This little shit, you thought.

         Bruh. I never liked him tf. I just think he’s very pretty. Prettier than me. And unlike someone, he actually has half a brain and some human decency - Y/n

           Okay we get it, you have a crush on Hyunjin - Minho Lee

           No, dumbass. The problem is you always going around saying, doing whatever you like without considering other people’s feelings. I know that’s your personality and all, but there’s a limit between what’s okay and what’s crossing the line, and whenever I try to tell you, you never listen. Always doing whatever you want. Hyunjin is one of your best friend and you hurt his feelings the other day and didn’t even feel bad about it until someone got in your face and told you you were being a d*ck. I love you, Minho. But I just wish you would listen sometimes and be open to I don’t know... improvements? - Y/n

           I’m sorry, I’ve just grew up this way so it’s hard to get out of a pattern. Sometimes I say things I don’t mean and sometimes I say things I do mean and then I don’t realize that my actions has caused harm to the other person, because I’ve just always been this way you know. Others have tried telling me before but I've always brushed it off because I am a stubborn person. But I care about you. You’re one of the very first person other than the members that I deeply care about. So if you’re telling me this out of love then I’ll take it into consideration. I know I should’ve been nicer to Hyunjin as well. Chan yelled at me for a while the other day, so please don’t yell at me too :( - Minho Lee

         Of course I care about you. Everything I do is out of love, dear. You’re one hell of a nuisance but I love you. I know you grew up this way and it is difficult getting out of a pattern, but take little steps. I’ll be here with you. and yeah, you totally deserved that from Chan. Jk I love you - Y/n

         You’re mean :( can I come over. We were supposed to go shopping today - Minho Lee

          Mhmmm. Let me think about it - Y/n

          Well you have 2 seconds, because I’m already outside your door - Minho Lee

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Changbin

    Changbin liked to brag about anything and everything, whether that’s how many confessions he got on Valentines, to how many people who wanted to be his partner when it came to a science project, or even the amount of girls that would hit on him daily.

    You never really minded because that was just how he is. And of course, mainly because you knew all those scenarios only existed in his head and was as real as flying fairies and pink unicorns. So when someone was actually blatantly hitting on him, Changbin wasn’t as knowledgeable as his bluffs claimed to be.

    Changbin was one of the best from his music class, so good that the professor made him the teacher’s assistant even when the semester was on going. He usually talk tales of how many students usually needs his help when it came to writing lyrics or composing as a beginner. Interesting enough, but nothing major as he’d like to phrase it.

    Then every time when you guys would usually meet at the end of classes to which you usually ask how his day went, he started talking about this girl who he’s currently assisting. At first it was nothing out of the ordinary. Just a student from his class who he’s helping because that’s his job. Even the first two or three days of his on-going blabbering about this student didn’t kick something in you until maybe the fourth time this week where this girl is always managing to squeeze herself into his schedule everyday. It shouldn’t have bothered you, but for some reason it did.

    Especially when he’d say alarming things like “Oh yeah and she also asked me if I wanted to get a drink after class but I told her I have plans.” or “She compliments me a lot and told me if I have time, she’d love to listen to my work.” 

    Maybe you’re overreacting and she’s just a really engaging and kind person. You felt bad at first for assuming such a thing about another human being, so you gave her the benefit of the doubt because you didn’t know your dumbass boyfriend would be this oblivious when someone is clearly trying to get inside his pant.

    So when you happened to walk past the school garden the following week and saw the both of them from your very clear sight, you were a little more than dumbfounded. This girl was not even trying to hide it at all. You didn’t know how Changbin was keeping his eyes to himself at this point. The outfit she was wearing was definitely very sexy and appealing. Changbin was still faced down, scribbling something on the music sheet trying to get the female to engage but she clearly had something else in mind.

    You could’ve sworn you saw her hand trailed alongside Changbin’s thigh and so you accidentally let out a shriek, but quickly hid behind the thick white pillar, grumpily dragging yourself back to class in anger after.

    After your final class of the day, Changbin waited for you at the bench near the entrance where you guys had always met up. He beamed with ecstasy once he saw you, but you quickly brushed past him and continued walking completely shunning his existence. His smile progressed into a frown once he realized that you were not in your usual mood.

    He ran in front of you and blocked any further movements.

    “Y/n, are you okay?” He asked with a concerning expression.

    You didn’t say anything and only continued scowling.

    “Come on. You know you can tell me anything,” He encouraged.

    You of course, continued to be silent for a few more seconds because you honestly couldn’t get anything out due to how enraged you were feeling on the inside.

    “You liar!”  you slapped his chest with literally no strength at all as your tears escaped at the same time.

    “Wait hold up, what did I lie about?” He was in complete confusion.

    “I saw it, Changbin. You and her at the garden. How could you let her make a move on you like that.”

    His face showed that it wasn’t really clicking with him until he thought more about it.

    “Who did I let make a move on me? Minji? I was only helping her, Y/n. Please don’t misunderstand. The class was getting really loud and we needed a quieter place, so I asked the instructor if it would be fine if me and her went somewhere else.”

    “So you just let her be all up on you like that? She was clearly hitting on you, Changbin. How do you not see it?” School was no place to be emotional, but here you were, bawling like a little baby at the entrance of the school as Changbin tries to comfort you. You guys definitely weren’t getting weird stares. Nope.

    “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know you thought of it like that. Cause I didn’t. I just thought of her as another student that needed help. I’m sorry Y/n, if I made you uncomfortable. I didn’t do it on purpose I swear, because in my mind, there’s no one else but you. I know I like to boast all the time but I only do it as a joke because you seem to like it. I would never in a million year think of hurting your feelings. Hundreds of other girls could give me attention or like me, but none of them matters if they’re not you. I only love you, Y/n.”

    His words made you immediately stopped sobbing as if your broken heart has been patched up.

    “R-really? You mean it?” You pout.

    “Of course, silly. I would never think about being with someone else but you. Never.” He leveled your face with his.

    “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. Just seeing another girl being intimate with you kind of tugged something in me.” you awkwardly chuckled.

    “Aww. My baby was jealous. Not going to lie, you’re kind of cute when you’re upset,” He teased you.

    “Changbin!” you slapped his shoulder in retaliation.

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Hyunjin

    Between the both of you guys, Hyunjin had always been the one who had the upper hand in almost everything when it came to catching others attention. Anything ranging from looks, to talent, or even intelligence, you can admit he’s got it better than you do.

    Going out to public places, you quickly got used to getting stares from other girls or even old Aunties who would comment on how good looking your boyfriend was, and how lucky you were to have him. They weren’t wrong, you were of course very lucky to have someone like Hyunjin who was definitely way too good for you. You didn’t take it to heart very much that other girls have eyes for him the way you do, because he’s made it distinctly known that he only saw you. Jealousy in the relationship was a bigger problem for you than for him at the beginning, because compared to him, you were not as sought after.

    The whole duration of your guys relationship, he never had to deal with any actual threat or competition that he could possibly lose you, or that you would find someone else more intriguing than him because he was always accustomed to you having your whole attention toward him whenever he was in the room. So that was why when the opportunity finally present itself, he found himself developing a sort of ill feeling that he wasn’t familiar with. A feeling that left a bitter taste in his mouth, one that turned his vision red when he wasn’t a violent person in the first place.

    You had been talking about this friend all week, reminiscing the past to Hyunjin about all the crazy things you and this friend did back in the days. Hyunjin being the amazing boyfriend he usually is, was very supportive of course. You haven’t seen this friend in years ever since his family moved away to another city.

    He called you a few days ago to let you know he’ll be back in Seoul, visiting for a few days and wanted to catch up. How could you let this chance pass by. The person that was there for you when you had your darker days, the person that ran miles through the rain when you needed him, there’s no way you would say no.

    Hyunjin was more than happy to accompany you to the Mall although you did assure him he didn’t have to, as you didn’t want to bother him if he had plans, but he was persistent he wanted to meet your friend and get to know one another. Since he agreed to everything, you thought might as well introduce them to each other.

    But Hyunjin’s cheerful and optimistic aura rapidly changed into a stinging one when your friend ran up to you with a hug, and oh boy did your friend looked nothing like Hyunjin had drew in his head. In his head, he was a she. The person that was arms deep within your hug didn’t have long flowing hair, nor did he looked very feminine like he had pictured. He was growing some kind of hatred for this stranger that he barely even knew, and it was only solidified more when you would get so engaged in conversation with your friend, you would forget for a moment Hyunjin was even there. 

    The way you laughed at his jokes mirrored how you would exactly react to Hyunjin’s whenever he said something funny. He hated how your friend would sometimes pull you so close to him and you would just go along with it. Hyunjin literally felt invisible. This friend of yours managed to shrink you and Hyunjin’s year long relationship into what felt like you both only knew each other for weeks. Hyunjin could tell just by his body languages and actions that this friend knew you for years. And then he just felt like nothing. Hyunjin was nothing compared to this friend of yours, and he was mad at himself, mad at you, mad at him, mad at everything.

    He was so tangled up in his own train of thoughts that he hadn’t even realized you have been trying to call him.

    “Hyunjin!” you pinched his arm not too hard.

    “Oh I’m sorry, what.”

    “Do you want ice cream?” You asked him.

    “I’m good no thank you,” He answered completely uninterested.

    “But you love ice cream, Hyunjin. Are you sure?” you tried to get a confirmation just one last time.

    “Yes, I am sure.” He rolled his eyes as if he’s being pestered by an annoying bug. It wasn’t what he said but it was the way he said it. He was giving you attitude and you didn’t like it at all.

    “Okay geez, just a no would’ve done.” you frowned.

    Hyunjin has his days, but he’s usually self composed when it came to your friends. He had always been nice and pretty kind if someone was close to you since you were his girlfriend, but he was different today. He was hushed and soundless, not at all like the Hyunjin you knew.

    “What flavor would you like, Y/n?” Sanghyun, your friend asked.

    “Mhmm. Any flavor will do.”

    “I’ll get mint for the both of us then, if that’s fine with you.” Sanghyun looked for an answer in your eyes.

    “Yeah, that’s fine.” You nodded.

    You were not too cool with the flavor but you haven’t seen your friend in a while and it wouldn’t hurt to just take it this one time, for him. It didn’t bother you too much that he might’ve forgotten. It’s been a while.

    Hyunjin was beyond confusion. For as long as he knew you, you hated mint. Absolutely refused to eat it whenever he took you out, and now all of a sudden you’re fine with it? For him?

    “But I thought you hate mint. So what? You suddenly like it now because he suggested it?” Hyunjin fired, as if he was ridiculing you.

    For a second you thought you forgot to clean your ears, because you refuse to acknowledge that Hyunjin was actually trying to cause a scene right now, in the mall, with your friend by your side, in front of all these people.

    “What’s up with you today, Hyunjin. Giving me an attitude when I asked a simple question and now this? If you have a problem, you can tell me. No need to make a scene,” you scolded him, utterly embarrassed by your boyfriend’s action.

    Sanghyun looked terrified down to his toes just glaring you guys down.

    “Fine, I’ll tell you what my problem is.” And without your consent, Hyunjin somehow managed to drag you all the way to the parking lot against your protest.

    “Let go, Hyunjin!” you threw his hold off of you.

    “What the hell is your problem? You made me look like an absolutely fool back there. How do you think Sanghyun feels now, seeing how much of an asshat my boyfriend is acting after all those stories I told him about how you’re the most kind and caring person ever,” you raised your voice, too irritated at this point to even care if anyone heard you.

    “Well, I probably wouldn’t be acting like this in the first place if you had made it clearer that your friend was a freaking guy.”

    “Really, Hyunjin. Is this what it’s about? That my friend is a guy? That’s it? I’m sorry but, if you’re going to act childish and jealous because you can’t handle me being friends with the opposite gender, then that’s your problem. Not mine. Besides, we don’t even like each other like that. He was one of my only friend back when I had nobody. He was there for me when no one else was. I don’t see anything else in him but the same guy back then who was like a best friend to me.”

    You had hope you knocked some sense into him. Your tone turning from furious to more serious.

    “I don’t care if he was your friend from back then or whatever. You have me now. I don’t like the way he looks at you, or act around you. I never act like that around any other females.”

    You were this close. This close to just straight punching him and running him over with his own car. The person you were talking to right now and yesterday was the difference between day and night. You think that might’ve been the shittiest thing Hyunjin has ever said since you’ve known him and you were denying it yourself that it came out of his mouth.

    “Oh go cry me a river, Hyunjin! When I was telling you the details of my past friendship before you even knew the gender, you were rooting for me, but now that you know it’s a guy you’re all of a sudden acting like a little bitch? Why does it matter whether it’s a guy or a girl?” You questioned his integrity, but most of all, you were just in disbelief.

    “Fine, whatever. Suit yourself.” He sarcastically threw his hands up in the air in defeat and drove away without final words from you. Unfuckingbelievable. He was like a little child throwing a tantrum because he didn’t get what he wanted.

    You didn’t want to leave Sanghyun hanging, but if you were to be frank, Hyunjin totally killed all the good vibes within you and left you with no motivation or energy to do anything else. You made way back to the ice cream court and simply apologized to Sanghyun on yours and Hyunjin’s behalf. He didn’t mind too much and only wished you luck on the relationship. It was a bummer that he was leaving tomorrow already and the only day he was free to spend it with you, your man child “boyfriend” had to go and ruin it all.

    When you entered the lonely atmosphere of your hollowed apartment, Hyunjin’s well being did crossed your mind because he was notorious for being quite stupid, always acting on his feelings whenever he was upset. You never had to worry too much before though because it was only on rare occasions where his head would be so far up his ass, but you knew this time was one of those occasion. But you were mad at him as well. Never in a million years could you picture him ever saying those nasty things.

    You settled down on the couch and eventually put your mind and body to rest. Today’s been a long day and you needed that nap more than anything. You had called Jeongin and Chan to notify them of what happened and to keep an eye out for Hyunjin in case, before closing your eyes and seeing black.

    When you were finally conscious enough, the only thing that made its existence clear, was the sound of traffic outside your window. You may have overslept just a tiny bit. Rubbing your eyes to get a better view of your surroundings, you felt a weight on you as you struggled to get up. Turning towards your left, you found Hyunjin completely knocked out and slouched against you with his head on your shoulder and his arms around your waist. Right, Hyunjin had a spare key to your apartment.

    He looked like an absolute angel that fell from heaven, almost as great as the day he conquered your heart. He was adorable and quite resembles a puppy when he’s not spurting all those hateful words. You needed to use the restroom bad so you made an effort to untangle him off of you but just as you were about to get up, a strong force wrapped you back down. 

    “Ahhh! I thought you were asleep.” you faced him with bulging eyes.

    “I was.” He calmly replied, his arms still around you.

    “Bummer. I like it when you’re peaceful and not so angry. You are cuter that way,” you purposely jabbed.

    “I’m sorry. I really am. I wasn’t thinking at the moment and just acted on emotions. I’m really sorry y/n. I was angry when I drove off but when I got home, I just kept thinking and thinking and the more I thought, the stupider I realize I was... please forgive me.” he pouted and rested his head on your shoulder.

    “Oh you big baby. Don’t try to bribe me with your cuteness now. You made Sanghyun scare of you and today was his only free day to catch up,” you scolded him as you pinched his cheeks.

    “I won’t ever do that again, I swear. I’ll be better next time. I was just... jealous when I saw another guy acting close to you. It makes me scare that I’m going to lose you. I know I was wrong. But I just want you to know I’m sorry.” He said it softly but also with shame.

    “Oh dear. There’s nobody else I love more than you. If anything, I should be the one scared to lose you.”

    “I only love you, y/n.” He looked into your eyes and did that little smile that always makes your heart weak. The one where his dimples would pop out.

    “I love you too, Hyunjin. Now let me go, I need to pee.”

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SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY WITH HYUNJIN’S. anyways.

Part 2 for the remaining members coming soon

[whatareyousearchingfordean]

Happiness Continues

Part 2: 5 Weeks Pregnant

Summary: Y/n comes down with an unexplainable bug and tries to chalk it up to stress at work. But after a conversation with her sister-in-law, realization hits her that it’s not in fact a bug at all. 

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Plus Size Reader

Word Count: 3.8K+

Warnings: Language, nausea and vomiting, discussion of surprise pregnancy

Author’s Note: Welcome back to the party everyone. Let’s get started! Special thanks to my always hype woman @waywardbeanie​ and my amazingly patient beta @emoryhemsworth​ Please enjoy some reviews from friends who have the luxury of a few sneak peeks. xoxo Alex

“I never thought I would have to engage in fisticuffs with Jensen, but here we go lol”  @jensengirl83​

“Y’all are gonna love it.” @emoryhemsworth​

Catch up with the series masterlist and then check out Alexandra’s Library for more by yours truly!

The whole church was bustling as the pastor released the congregation for the day. It had been a nice sermon that Y/n hadn’t exactly paid attention to. All morning her body had been feeling iffy. It was something that she couldn’t exactly place, she just felt...off. Y/n assumed she was just coming down with a bug. By the time they had made it to the church, she was ready for a nap. In all honesty, she had to fight to keep her eyes open as their pastor droned on, which she did feel bad about. 

Y/n was rolling her tongue about as Jensen drove them off to Jared and Gen’s for their usual Sunday brunch. Gen had woken up late with the kids and therefore the Padalecki’s had skipped church that day. That meant Y/n didn’t have to help cook, a fact which she was grateful for considering the spinning going on in her head. 

“You’re quiet over there,” Jensen noted as they walked to the front door, their fingers entwined between them. 

“I just feel off this morning,” Y/n explained. “I’m not sure what it is.” 

“You think you’re coming down with something?” Jensen pushed open the door, letting themselves into the house. 

“I don’t know.”

“Well, you have been stressed lately. First, there was everything that happened at work and then the move. It’s a lot for anybody. Your body is probably worn down.” His words trailed off as Shep came running to greet them at the door. Jensen ruffled the kid’s hair as he came to hug them both. 

“Hmm, remind me to chug some orange juice then,” she commented before turning her attention to her nephew. Shep went into a deep explanation about how his mother had let him help cook their brunch, telling them both how he only dropped a few eggshells into the bowl. 

Y/n was laughing along with him as they went deeper into the house. It wasn’t until she rounded the front staircase that the smell of cooking bacon and pancakes hit her nose, causing a wave of nausea to roll through her. Planting her feet, she dropped Jensen’s hand and ran to the nearest powder room, the door slamming behind her. 

Y/n had to spit the saliva pooling in her mouth into the sink, taking deep breaths through her nose to will away the rolling inside her. Puking was the worst thing in her mind, and she would do anything to avoid an episode. This time she was successful, rinsing her mouth with water from the faucet helping to calm inside her. 

“Y/n/n,” Jensen turned the knob, waiting for a protest from her that didn’t come before pushing the door open, “Are you okay?”

Y/n shook her head, afraid if she spoke it would open the faucet inside her. “Do we need to go home?”

“No,” she swallowed down the bile and took another deep breath. “You eat, I’m just gonna lie down.” 

“Okay,” Jensen relented, running his hand down the back of her head and pulling her in so he could place a kiss to her forehead. “You’re sure?” 

“I just—” a hiccup tore through her, threatening to destroy all she was fighting down. “I just need a minute.” She managed to get the words out before leaving her husband standing in the doorway to the bathroom. As she headed off for the couch in Jared’s office, Jensen made his way back to where Jared and Gen were waiting, both of them staring at him in anticipation upon his return. 

“Is she alright?” Gen asked as she flipped a pancake on the griddle. 

“She says she is, but she’s gonna just lie this one out I think. Earlier she mentioned that she felt off.” Jensen took a coffee mug from the counter and filled it before sitting at the table. “I think she’s running herself into the ground. She’s trying to do more than one person should take on.” 

“Just make sure she gets a lot of fluids and some rest, and she’ll be good as new,” Jared noted as he tapped Tom’s hand when he reached out to grab something from Shep’s plate. 

“I hope so…”

Y/n had no sooner lain her head on the throw pillow than passed out. Jensen had to shake her a little harder than usual to wake her when the family had finished brunch. Y/n had felt far better after her nap, the events of the morning all but forgotten once she got home, though she didn’t push her luck with eating anything that evening. Mosty she drank a lot of juice, her cure-all. 

****

Soft pop music played on from the lobby of her office. Mondays in her office were usually casual, filled with standard meetings and the answering of emails. Today was no different, well, besides the fact that she couldn’t keep her eyes open. The long paragraphs on her screen began to run together and she kept having to reread them over. It was when her eyelids eventually started to droop that she sighed in defeat. 

Y/n pushed her chair away from her desk and went to close her door. She leaned out the doorway quickly to speak to her assistant. “I’m taking an early lunch, field my calls for a few hours, please?” Abby nodded her head and Y/n closed the door behind her. She sauntered over to the stiff couch that sat along the far wall of her office. Plopping down on the decorative piece, she kicked off her heels and laid out across it. 

She was out as soon as her eyes closed.

The sharp trill of her cell phone jolted her awake. The sudden change in her position had her stomach flipping. Gingerly, she brought her hand up to her mouth and she paused to allow the bout of nausea to pass her. By the time she got her bearings, her phone had ceased ringing. Y/n slipped her heels back on her feet and made her way to her desk to retrieve her cell. The time across the screen indicated she had been out for two hours. She let out a huff, assuming she would get a thirty-minute cat nap before finishing her day. Now she felt bad about leaving Abby out there to answer all her calls during that time. 

The missed call indicated that it was from her husband. As she sat down behind her desk, she redialed his number. He answered on the second ring. 

“Hey honey,” she could practically see his smile through the phone. 

“Hey,” her voice was hoarse as she answered him.

“Babe, you okay?” The change in his tone had Y/n picturing him sitting up straight wherever he was. 

“Uh, I don’t really know. I just took a two-hour nap in my office, though,” Y/n’s eyes drifted shut again as she rubbed a hand over her face. 

“Are you still feeling sick?” Y/n grunted out a response. “Well, I was calling to ask what you wanted for dinner, but now I’m thinking maybe you should come home, you don’t sound too well. Take the day off.” 

“I think maybe you’re right.” There was nothing big happening today. They had survived the last two hours without her, they could make it through the rest of the day. “I’ll be home in ten, love you.” 

“Love you too, see you soon.” The line clicked as Jensen hung up the phone. Y/n collected her things and headed out of the office. She let Abby know she was taking a sick day on her way out, the woman wishing her well as she exited. 

She barely remembered the drive home, only registering that she was even in the car once she parked it in the garage. The smell of cooking chicken hit her nose as soon as she entered the house, sending waves through her stomach. Y/n dropped her purse in the hallway, booking it past Jensen, who stood in front of a large pot on the stove, and straight to the nearest bathroom, her hand over her mouth to keep from making a mess. 

Her knees hit the tile hard as she leaned over the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach into the bowl. Jensen was right behind her, pulling her hair back and holding it out of harm's way. Gently he rubbed small circles on her back until she was dry heaving, nothing left to come up. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and fell against the wall near the toilet. Her eyes were watering and her nose was running. Jensen stood and ran a washcloth under the tap before kneeling back in front of her to wipe her face. 

“I was going to make you some soup, but apparently that’s now out of the question.” He tried to smile for her, but it was tight and unconvincing. 

“Maybe just some crackers for now,” she rasped, smiling back at him so he knew that she appreciated the sentiment. Jensen snorted with a shake of his head. It was just like his wife, making jokes as she sat on the bathroom floor where she had just vomited her guts out. 

“Alright, what do you say we get you into bed?” He cocked his head at her as he continued to wipe away what makeup he could from her face. She nodded enthusiastically, allowing him to help her to her feet. She followed him through the house and to their bedroom. Jensen went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pajamas as she began to disrobe. He tossed the cotton garments her way before going to turn down the bed. 

“I’m going to finish the soup anyway, in case you’re up for it later,” he said, tossing their throw pillows across the room and pulling back the thick comforter. “Holler if you need me, yeah?” Y/n crawled into the open bed, the cool sheets feeling amazing against her heated skin. 

“Thank you.” The smile on her face was weak. 

“That’s what I’m here for. Get some rest.” Jensen leaned down and tucked her into the bed, placing a soft kiss against the clammy skin of her forehead. She watched as he sauntered out of the room, shutting off the light as he went. For the second time that day, she was asleep before she knew it. 

****

That week, Monday’s events had all but become her routine. Y/n had stopped eating breakfast before work, which tended to help her get through the day, though she was still opting for a quick nap during her lunch break seeing as she wasn’t eating anyway, a fact which she was skillfully keeping from her husband. He worried about her far too much, and if he knew she still wasn’t feeling well, he’d insist on her calling her doctor, which was the last thing she wanted to do. Y/n hated the doctor almost as much as she hated airports. 

It was harder to hide from him at night, even though she found once she was home from work she could keep food down for longer. As long as it was something light, her stomach handled it well. As far as she knew, he was not suspicious. 

She was wrong. 

Gen had called her asking if she wanted to go with her to the park with the kids, which Y/n would never turn down as it was an opportunity to be with her niece and nephews. What she didn’t know is Jensen had asked Gen to pump Y/n for information. He knew she wasn’t eating and sleeping a lot more than usual, and he was just being the concerned husband. 

“So, how have you been this week?” Gen asked as they sat down on the bench to watch the kids run amok. 

“Not, bad I guess.” 

“So you think you’re over whatever happened on Sunday?” Gen pushed, watching her kids on the playground. 

“Eh, whatever it is, I have it under control,” Y/n played off her concerns, not exactly worried about it herself. If she was being frank, she didn’t have time to be worried about it. Her skincare line was launching in a few weeks and there was still so much to get done. She had press releases to approve, and a pop-up event downtown that she was to attend when the brand premiered at Ulta. No, it wasn’t her concern right now. Everything was under control.

“That doesn’t sound convincing.” 

“It’s just some sort of bug. I’ll be fine. I’ve only gotten sick a couple of times.” Gen snapped her head to her sister-in-law, a frown etched on her features. 

“You’ve been getting sick all week?” 

“That’s not what I said,” Y/n groaned, knowing full well Gen was spiraling into mom-mode. 

“But you’ve been nauseous, yeah?” 

“I mean off and on, but I’ve been able to eat and keep it down most meals. It’s the ‘not being able to keep my eyes open’ that’s pissing me off. I know I’m probably overdoing it but I don’t have the luxury of thinking about that now. I can sleep when this line has launched.” 

“Sounds like when I was pregnant with Shep. All I did during the first trimester was sleep and puke. It was exhausting. Try sucking on lollipops, it helps.” Y/n nodded as Gen jumped up to reprimand Odette for going up the slide instead of down it. Her words rang around in Y/n’s head as she watched the small brunette grab her godchild and pull her off the slide. 

There was no way…

Y/n whipped her phone out of her pocket, quickly thumbing through her calendar, looking for an appointment. The further she went back in weeks the more nervous she became. She found it in the middle of May, the red indicating that it had been canceled after it already read that it was a makeup appointment. She hadn’t been back since the beginning of the year. Panic set in, which was not doing anything for the state of her stomach at the moment. She sat there, counting back the days since her last period, the hammering of her heart increasing as the number of days increased. Y/n had missed her period and not even noticed. She really was an idiot, she thought to herself 

For the rest of her visit, she tried to remain level headed. In reality, she wanted nothing more than to run to the nearest drug store, which was exactly what she did the second that Gen rounded up three tired kids to take home and put to bed. There was a store just two blocks out of her way home which she went straight for the second she turned over the ignition in her Jeep. Slipping inside the small store, she grabbed one of every brand of pregnancy test they sold there, and quietly slipped back out. 

Y/n rolled the brown paper bag up tightly in her fist as she raced inside the house. Every sense was heightened as she made her way through the house, keeping an eye out for her husband, but she found him nowhere as she entered, assuming that he was already in the bedroom. She stopped outside the bedroom door, shimmying off her jacket and rolling her secret up inside before entering. 

Jensen sat up as she entered, but she just muttered something about having to pee as she passed, which wasn’t exactly a lie. There wasn’t even enough time for him to say hello before she was catching the lock on the door behind her. 

The first thing she did was dump the contents of the paper bag onto the counter, organizing the tests on the counter as she skimmed over the instructions. The bottle of water she chugged on the drive over was starting to do its job, making her antsy as she read over what to do. Most of the tests had the same instructions inside, making things easier for her overall. Her shaky fingers ripped into the boxes, tossing the torn cardboard into the trash as she went. 

It took all of five minutes to find out whether or not she was, in fact, pregnant, but it was the longest five minutes of her life. She was sure Jensen was probably wondering if she was having more stomach issues with the amount of time she had spent behind the locked door. 

When the appropriate time had passed, Y/n flipped the tests over, her hands passing through each one quicker than the last, and all of them telling her the same thing. 

Y/n’s fingers gripped into the marble countertop, the five pregnancy tests sitting inside the sink. Their answer to her question was definite. There were no ‘maybes’ about it, no one and a half lines or ‘possibles’ etched into the screen. Each test was flashing back up at her like neon signs.

She was pregnant. 

Outside the bathroom door, her husband was unknowingly lounging in their bed. He was without a care and probably mindlessly scrolling through his Twitter feed like every other night before bed, and she was about to destroy that façade with two simple words. 

The nervous woman ran her hands through her hair before shaking out her limbs. She took a few deep breaths before steeling herself to go out and tell him. Dragging it out wouldn’t do anyone any good. Even though this wasn’t planned, both of them had made known their wishes for a family, and it was in this that fact that she was even able to muster up the courage to tell him she had fucked up. Because it was the truth, she had fucked up, major.

Plastering a smile on her face, she pulled open the door, making sure to shut it behind her to hide the tests until she could break the news. Y/n stalked over to where Jensen was lounging, his legs crossed at the ankle with one hand behind his head, the other scrolling through his phone. His brow was scrunched as he concentrated on whatever he was reading on the tiny screen. She climbed onto the bed and over to his side before stopping to sit back on her knees.

“Hey, babe,” his voice was soft and his eyes heavy. Jensen put the phone down and put his hand on her bare knee, rubbing soft circles there. 

“Jensen, I’ve got to tell you something.” It took everything in her to quell the shake in her voice as her heart rate picked up. But of course, him and his damn perceptiveness had to pick up on it in a millisecond.  

Jensen’s brows knit together and he sat up a little in the bed. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“I’m…” Her breath caught in her throat as the reality of their situation kept washing over her in droves. Jesus, Y/n, spit it out, she thought. “I’m pregnant.”

Silence fell over the room once she finally managed to get the words out. Y/n watched her husband as his tongue poked out between his teeth and his jaw clenched as he tried to figure out the words he wanted to say. The lack of reaction had her stomach flipping on itself, which, giving her current situation, was not helping anything. Y/n swallowed down nausea to push her husband into talking. 

“Jay, please say something.” 

“How did this happen?”

“With the insanity at work and the move I just... I missed a couple of appointments with my gynecologist. I missed my shot,” she explained, hoping he didn’t hate her. 

“Fuck, Y/n!” He fell back into the bed, the inflection in his words the worst possible thing she could hear. The sheer rumble of it in the quiet room was enough to make her flinch back from the man she loved. Jensen ran both of his large hands down his face before continuing. “This wasn’t supposed to happen now, I was supposed to have more time.”

“What?” His words made no sense to her. As far as she knew, Jensen wanted kids. It was something they had talked about before they were ever an item. Had she been wrong? Were the two of them somehow not on the same page about this? Y/n tried to rack her brain for a moment in time where that could have changed but she was coming up empty. 

“I was supposed to have more time with you. Just the two of us before we did this, before late-night feedings and diapers, before everything changes forever,” He explained further. His words calmed down her racing heart and mind, but only a little. Now she felt more guilty than she already was. All he wanted was to be with her and she had ruined his plans.

“I’m sorry,” Y/n whispered, casting her eyes down to where her fingers were fiddling with the hem of her shirt. The tears that had been threatening to fall this whole time had finally made a break for it, leaving shining tracks down her cheeks. 

“Oh, Y/n,” he sighed, taking her hand in his and pulling her to lay in his side. Y/n shoved her face into his chest, trying her hardest not to break into a full sob as he rubbed his hand into her back. After everything she did, she couldn’t believe that Jensen was the one that had to console her. It should be the other way around, right? It was her who had fucked up and ruined their plans for their future together, not him, after all. 

“I’m sorry,” she couldn’t stop the words that came out of her mouth this time. Y/n would tell him she was sorry until she was blue in the face. 

“I know, honey,” Jensen murmured into her hair before placing a kiss to the crown of her head. He continued to rub his hand along her back, waiting for her breathing to even before breaking the silence. 

“You’re really pregnant?” He asked, his voice much softer this time.

“If the five pregnancy tests in the sink have any say, then yes.” His chuckle shook his body and Y/n relished in the vibration of it against her cheek. 

“This isn’t how or when I picture this happening, I won’t lie about that, but honey, we’re having a baby, this is a good thing.” The way his voice rose at the end of his sentence had Y/n pulling out of her hiding space in his side, looking up to see him smiling down at her. 

“You’re not mad? You don’t hate me?” Her hope was threatening to spill out of her mouth like vomit as she rubbed the wetness from her cheeks.

“No,” Jensen shook his head. “I love you, more today than yesterday, and more tomorrow than today, and I will love this baby just as much.”

Y/n shook her head before diving into her husband, nuzzling her face into his neck. “I love you too.” 

“Y/n,” Jensen laughed, the sound breathy as it escaped his chest. “We’re having a baby!”

Part 3: 8 Weeks Pregnant 

Forevers: @22sarah08​ @akshi8278​ @anathewierdo​ @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce​​ @callmekda​ @dawnie1988​ @deanwanddamons​ @ellewritesfix05​ @emoryhemsworth​ @flamencodiva​​ @foxyjwls007​ @hobby27​ @janicho88​ @jensengirl83​ @katehuntington​ @lyarr24​ @malfoysqueen14​ @mrsjenniferwinchester​ @msmarvelouswinchester​ @polina-93​​ ​ ​ ​  @sleepylunarwolf​ @stiles-stilinski-24-dylan​ @smol-and-grumpy​ @superfanficnatural​ @supraveng​ @talesmaniac89​ @tranquility-or-chaos​​ @waywardbeanie​ @winchest09​

Continues: @ashleyrose0117 @austin-winchester67​ @colbyskoalas​ @deanmonandnegansbitch​ @deans-baby-momma​ @death-unbecomes-you​ @dvnmbabe​ @harryhook-lover​ @let-me-luve-you​ @lunarmoon8​ @onethirstyunicorn​ @parinarain​ @rebelemilu​ @smoothdogsgirl​ @spnfamily-j2​ @stoneyggirl​ @squirrelnotsam​ @traceyaudette​ @zpandaqueen​

[percywinchester27]

A lot like ‘Us’ (Part-12)

Word count: 5.4K

Pairing: Sam X Reader AU

Warnings: Feels, pining, fluff ;)

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is eager and honestly, still in awe that she managed to get herself an acceptance from Stanford Law School. On the face of it, her life seems as put together, mysterious and independent as one might hope for. On the insides, she carries the burden of past that haunts her till date. Seemingly, she’d left it all behind; that is until she sets foot in the class of the Law School’s youngest, most promising professor.

A/N: I am so excited to see what you think of this chapter! I haven’t made a secret of the fact that this is one of my absolute favorite chapters. I had a lot of fun writing it <3

The story employs two different timelines. The present timeline for the story takes place in 2014. Please let me know what you guys think :)

Beta: @deanssweetheart23​​. You are a goddess. I love you <3

A lot like ‘Us’ masterlist

Sam regretted it the moment he stepped into the bar. The lights were dim, the music was hip and it was too full of people. What was more, a lot of those faces seemed familiar. Maybe he had seen them around the campus?

Sam found a corner booth, away from the bar counter and the pool table. It was isolated and about as quiet as any table was going to get. He drew out his phone and texted Jody.

“I’m here. Where are you?”

Sighing, he locked the screen on his phone. Sam was beyond exhausted. He had stayed up the night, driven for close to twelve hours in total to and fro from LA, and went cut to cut with one of the fiercest attorneys he had ever met. At least, James was out for good. The look on his face at the sight of Sam had been worth everything. Sam had been so scared that he wouldn’t be able to get the kid out. Now that he had, all he wanted to do was fall in bed and not wake up till Sunday. 

Even as that thought took shape, he knew he was lying to himself. More than anything, he wanted to find Y/N and thank her for her help last night, let her know how the hearing went. If someone at Acton Gris had helped him, he would have taken them along for the hearing because the effort deserved it. A part of him had wanted to ask Y/N. She would be allowed, since she was a law student accompanying the attorney, but Sam didn’t think he could handle being in her presence for so long. Besides, she’d had classes in the morning. Either way, she deserved to know the verdict. He had contemplated emailing her, then thought better of it. Maybe he would drop by at the library to see if it was her shift. It was only 12. The library would be open for at least two more hours.

He banished the thought as quickly as it appeared, though, physically shaking his head. He needed to factor in the consideration that she probably didn’t want to keep running into him all the time.

His phone pinged. It was Jody letting him know that Alex was yet to get home from some party of her own and that she would be late, if she came at all. 

Fantastic. Simply fantastic.

He should have just gone to bed. Being in bars at midnight? He was too old for this. It had been Jody’s idea to begin with! She was the one who had made plans for the weekend and was standing him up now.

“Professor Winchester?”

Sam groaned internally before seeing who had called him. It was a glimmeringly clad freshman from his class. 

Could the evening get any worse? He had to run into his students.

“Ohmygosh! I can’t believe you’re here,” gushed the girl. Sam vaguely remembered that her name was Staten.

The other girl whose name Sam didn’t know at all nodded vigorously. “You’re so cool!”

Both of them were bright eyed and obviously tipsy. That was a combination for trouble if Sam had ever seen one. 

He got up. “Nice to see you ladies,” he said sliding out of the booth. “I’m going to step out for just a second. Y’all have fun.”

“Mr. Winchester,” one of them called, but Sam was out the back door. Few years of teaching had taught him enough in that department. During his early days, years ago, when he first started as a visiting faculty, he would insist that the class call him by his first name. He had been ignorant about how it came across and only after a couple of students had made a pass at him had he grown wary and stuck to being addressed by his last name. It never got less weird, having people address him as ‘Mr. Winchester,’ but he was used to it now.

Stepping outside, Sam breathed in the cold air, wondering again what the hell he was doing here.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Jody.

She picked up on the second ring. “I’m so sorry, Sam!” She apologised profusely. “Alex’s tyre gave out and she’s stranded a couple miles out.”

“Shit. Do you want me to pick her up?”

“No, it’s alright,” she reassured. “She’ll feel awful about you driving out to get her. I’m heading out now. Please just wait a little longer. I feel horrible about keeping you waiting, especially since it was my idea.”

He looked at the watch. It was quarter past twelve. “Jody…” he sighed.

“Okay, wait for just fifteen more minutes,” she bargained. “If I’m not there by then, you can go home and I’ll owe you drinks for the rest of the year.”

“Rest of your life, and we have a deal,” Sam smiled despite himself. “Okay. Fifteen minutes.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” She said, clearly amused. “That’s how you become a good lawyer. Okay, Fine.”

Sam laughed.

“You know I love you, Winchester.”

“I know you do!”

Sam put the phone back in his pocket. He wouldn’t have known what to do with his life if Jody hadn’t stepped in and taught him how to look after another person who was solely dependent on him. She was the best friend and mentor he could have asked for.

He slid back inside the bar, determined to avoid any and each student he saw. Especially the drunk ones. Luck was on his side. The whole freshman gang had moved to the pool table, removed from the main area. This late he would have expected the crowd to thin out, but hoards of people were on the dance floor moving their bodies to the rhythm of the song. Taking advantage of the crowd, Sam went over to the bar counter.

“Jack. Neat!” He asked the woman behind the counter. She had long dark hair and a mischievous smile.

“Coming right up, handsome!” She winked.

Sam smiled awkwardly as she slid the glass.

“Hey, Mister! Repeat this one!”

Sam’s head snapped in the direction of the voice. It was loud and bossy and Y/N’s.

“Y/N?” The bartender in front of him squinted at the girl two benches from him, clearly surprised.

Sam would have moved sooner, but he was awestruck at the sight of her. Y/N was wearing a silky, satiny top that was cut low and clung to her body like a second skin over tight jeans and heeled boots. Her hair cascaded over her bare shoulders like a nymph’s. Sam’s throat went dry.

The bartender rushed over to her. “Christ, Y/N!” she said. “What’re you doing here?”

Y/N looked at her with wide, surprised eyes. “Pam! OH MY GOD, PAM! It’s you! 

“Yes, I work here,” the bartender, whose name was apparently Pam, said. “Rob, how much has she had to drink?”

The guy shrugged. “One vodka, three tequillas. I don’t know about before.”

“Y/N?” Pam patted Y/N’s face. “Are you by yourself?”

“Kinda!” Y/N giggled, tossing her hair back in a smooth flip. Sam’s heartbeat spiked at the sight. He absolutely couldn’t wrench his eyes away.

Y/N bent over the counter, then jerked her thumb at the freshman gang and whispered conspiratorially. “I’m with those guys over there, but I don’t think they care if I wander off. Can I tell you a secret? Most of them are douchebags anyway.”

“Rob!” Pam barked. “Do we have a standby? Rinny? Or just anyone else?”

“It’s just us tonight.”

“Well, fuck!” Pam swore.

“Y/N, honey,” she tried to get Y/N to listen to her, but Y/N was already trying to sit up on the bar, blowing kisses at Pam. “You’re the best, Pam. Just the absolute best and I love how much you love my cookies.”

“Everyone loves your cookies, honey, but you need to get down.”

“Okay… Okay,” Y/N winked. She slipped as she tried to get down from the counter. Reflexively Sam moved, catching her before she crashed to the ground.

“I got you, don’t worry,” he said in a low voice only to her and she looked up at him with wide confused eyes. 

“Hey, get your hands off of her, Mister.” Pam hissed, looking scarily angry. “I said, let go of her. Right now.”

Sam did so immediately, but Y/N didn’t let go of his shirt. “I know her,” he tried to explain to Pam, who looked like she was on the verge of calling the bouncers.

“Yeah, that’s right, you know her,” Pam grimaced. “Very believable.”

“I swear, I know her,” Sam said, wildly trying to explain. “Her name’s Y/N Y/L/N. She’s a law student at the university. First year, hails from Kansas and feels insanely cold.” Sam started spewing random facts he could think of. “Her favourite book is To kill a mockingbird. She bakes amazing muffins-”

She likes her coffee with very little milk, is scared of ducks and has a birthmark in the middle of her lower back. She likes listening to classical music and waking up early…

Meanwhile, Y/N was still looking at him in wonderment, shushing herself.

“How do you know all that about her?” Pam looked at him with suspicion and mingled curiosity.

“I’m her-” it hurt to say- “ her friend.”

She still didn’t look completely convinced.

“Y/N?” Pam asked the girl in Sam’s arms. “You know this man?”

Don’t be that far gone, Sam prayed internally. Please don’t be that far gone.

“Pfftt,” Y/N scoffed, with such force that she lost her footing again. “It’s Sam! I’d sooner forget myself than not know him! What sort of dumb question is this?”

Sam.

She had said his name. It had caressed her lips. Was it even possible to be jealous of your own name?

Pam  raised her eyebrows.

“Look,” she said, “I can’t leave my shift to drop her home and no one I can call will be up this late. Y/N clearly knows you. Do you think you can drop her home?”

“I-I don’t know where she stays!”

Pam quickly wrote down an address. “It’s just a couple blocks away. I’m going to call her cell in a while, so you better not try anything funny.”

Sam wanted to roll his eyes, but he was too terrified at the prospect of being left alone with Y/N. He glanced around to see a couple of looks coming their way.

“Yeah, I’ll take her,” he said finally. “The hangover will hit her hard in a while, it’s better that she’s home then. Trust me, I know.”

Pam took one look from his face to Y/N wrapped around his torso. “Thanks, man.”

He nodded and then slowly guided Y/N out. “C’mon. Let’s get you home.”

“You know where I live?” She asked, tilting her head to one side.

“I do now.” Fortunately or unfortunately it was right next to Sam’s street. 

He adjusted her so that she was tucked under his side. Her fingers were still boldly clutching at his undershirt, sending shocks of sensation throughout his body. 

“This way, c’mon,” He guided her forward.

“Stop pushing me. I. Can’t. Walk. Any. Faster!” She whined. “These shoes suck.”

“Okay, let’s just sit for a while.” He slowly steered her to a bench on the street. It wasn’t right outside the bar, hence, out of clear view. Sam lowered her onto the bench and she promptly pulled her feet up, trying to slide the zipper on her shoes. They honestly looked like a death trap of sorts. The zipper stuck out adamantly as she yanked at it with all her might.

Hands trembling, he caught hold of hers. “Wait. Let me.”

Slowly, with a steadier hand, Sam dragged down the zippers on both her shoes- carefully, to not touch her skin- freeing her feet. She drew into herself, massaging the reddened skin on the arch and the back of her heel. 

“Stupid Meg,” she muttered. “Shouldn’t have let her put me in these.” 

She massaged her toes. “It hurts.”

“Will you let me take a look at it?” He asked hesitantly. Y/N twisted her body and put both her feet straight into his lap. 

“Here! Look all you want.”

Her hair was fluttering lightly in the wind and despite the chill, she wasn’t reaching for the leather jacket. Looking at her was like looking at the sun. He wanted to, but couldn’t, because it hurt at the same time. The satin of her blouse was kissing her soft skin in all the right places.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Y/N teased collusively. She scooted closer, almost sitting completely in his lap now. “Can I tell you a secret? I think about it, too.”

Sam pushed her away lightly and God it hurt to do it, but she wasn’t in her senses right now. Sober, she wouldn’t have wanted any of this.

“We should get you home!” He said in a tight voice.

“No!” She was adamant. “Why are you in such a hurry to get away from me?”

Oh the irony. “You were the one who left me, Y/N.” 

Y/N not having heard a word of it was scooting closer to him again. She laid her head on his shoulder, and snaked her arms around his waist. Sam stilled, not even daring to breathe.

“Let’s just stay here forever. You and me.” She laughed all of a sudden. “This is literally the best dream I’ve ever had. I can actually feel you.” She hugged him tighter to prove her point. “See?”

“Is this what your dreams are made up of?” 

“The good ones, yeah,” she sighed tiredly. “But mostly they’re just bad and I’m cold and there’s so much water, Sam. There was so much water.”

Suddenly she started shivering and Sam pulled the jacket over her shoulders.

She looked up with tears in her eyes. “Sam, the water! And there’s so much glass. It hurts.”

A deep pain and grief that he hadn’t felt in years threatened to swallow Sam whole. “Oh, baby,” he said, at last throwing his arms around her. “It’s not real. It happened a long time ago.”

“I can’t breathe. There’s too much water.” Her words were slow and slurred. Despite that, the picture she painted was horrifying.

The memories all flashed before his eyes like it had happened yesterday. But he refused to go under. Not now.

Sam allowed himself to comfort her and be comforted by her. In this one thing, they were together. He held her as close as he had dreamed for years, yet not truly believing that this was actually happening. She smelled just the same, and the way her body curved into his hadn’t changed at all.

Sam held her like that for an immeasurable time. It felt both like an eternity and mere seconds all at once. A crazed traveller wouldn’t be more desperate for an Oasis than Sam felt for her touch. And knowing that this would end soon, that these were stolen moments made it heaven and hell at the same time.

“Y/N,” he tried again. “We need to get you home.” I need to get you home.

She didn’t reply.

“Are you asleep?”

“Yes!” She muttered and in spite everything Sam had to stifle a laugh. 

She had no footwear on, after getting herself out of those insane shoes. Sam removed his flip flops and slid them under her feet. They were way too big, but it was better than nothing. 

“Up you come.” He hoisted her slowly to her feet.

“Whoa!” She said, “everything is spinning so fast.”

“Just hold on to me. The spinning will go away.” He guided her slowly. “This way now.”

Her grasp on his shoulder slipped, pulling his shirt down with him.

“Oooohhh fancy,” she snickered, trying to touch the thin chain around his neck.

Sam fixed his shirt with the other hand so it wasn’t visible. She didn’t need to know.

It must look absurd, the two of them walking down the street. Sam, barefoot, carrying a pair of her heels in one hand and holding her by the waist with the other. Meanwhile, Y/N was humming lightly to herself, giggling at silly things, slipping and sliding in his flip flops.

At long last, they reached the address that Pam had given. Sam knew the building, he walked past it everyday to get home. The building had a solid, high compound wall, covered in vines. Keeping a tight hold on Y/N, he pushed the wrought iron gate. It creaked as it opened, leaving Sam staring at a beautiful front yard. There was curving shrubbery around the small circular garden and a mermaid shaped fountain flowing water in a circular basin with seating around it.

“Hahahaaa Judgy Judy isn’t too pleased with us,” Y/N told him sagely. “She hates people who drink even more than people who turn up late.”

“Why did you drink anyway?” He asked. “You don’t even like doing it.”

Y/N broke off, stumbling into the path. She glared at him. “Oh, so it’s okay for you to go out on dates with other people but it’s not okay for me to drink?”

That’s what she thought? That he had been in the bar for a date? Was that why she had drank?

Sam’s mind was reeling. If what she was saying was true, it meant that it mattered to her what Sam did or didn’t do with his life. Unless she still cared.

“You really think I would do that?” Abruptly, he was angry. If she cared enough to be mad with him, why had she left him to begin with?

Y/N had already moved on from the conversation. She was staring up at the mermaid’s face.

“Sam? You remember that time we went to the fair and rode the ferris wheel?”

He did remember. “You fainted immediately after.”

“Yeah, this feels exactly like that…” Y/N staggered on the spot and Sam rushed to catch her. The minute his hands found her arm, she threw up spectacularly on the front of his shirt, retching till there wasn’t anything left. Then, she promptly passed out in his arms.

He stood there for a second, looking about him, but no help was going to arrive at 2 in the night.

This was bad, very very bad. He had hoped to drop her home and then go back to his own place to wallow about how unfair the world was. What was he supposed to do now?

He had no clue if she stayed by herself. He couldn’t just leave her by herself when she was sick.

Slowly, he led her to the seating around the fountain. She laid down on it, groaning lightly.  

Sam removed his shirt, bundled it up and using some of the water from the fountain, wiped the puke from his jeans and Y/N’s feet along with his flip flops. Then he bent down and swooped her in his arms, carrying her inside the building. Getting into the lift and to her apartment was easy enough. Wrestling the key out of the purse and then unlocking the door all the while supporting her wasn’t so much.

It was pretty clear to Sam that there was no one else in the apartment when he entered. All that noise would have brought someone out by now. He barely looked at the living room, before laying Y/N down on the sofa there. There was a kitchenette to the right side. Sam poured a glass of water, added a spoon of sugar and a pinch of salt after looking through the jars. He walked back to where Y/N was curled up on the sofa and coaxed her to drink it.

She made a face, refusing to take a sip.

“Trust me, you’ll thank me tomorrow.”

“No.”

She was so stubborn sometimes. “Please? For me?”

“For you?” Her expression was guileless, it was almost his undoing, but Sam pushed on. “Yes, for me.”

She took the glass from him and downed it in one go, distaste clear on her expression.

The phone started ringing right when she put the glass down. Sam had to fish it from her purse. The caller ID read ‘Pamela Barnes.’

“Here,” Sam handed the phone to Y/N. “It’s for you.”

“Hello!” She sang. “Yeah, yeah… I’m home…”

Sam didn’t hang around for the rest of the conversation. He returned the glass to the kitchen and made more of the Sugar-salt solution in a bottle.

Y/N was idly playing with a lock of her hair.

“Can we go to bed now? Please?” She mumbled drowsily.

“You,” Sam stressed “are going to bed. Which one is your room?”

Sleepily, she pointed towards the door next to the kitchenette. He lifted her once more in his arm, thinking how bizarre all of this was as he walked towards the room. It felt nothing short of euphoric to hold her like this, like he was on some sort of wild once in a lifetime adventure, even if touching her like this used to be normal for him once upon a time. He gently laid her down on the bed. She stretched out on the sheets immediately, a smile on her lips.

He could have stared and stared. Sam decided to take one long look at her, memorising the exact color of her hair, the fullness of her lips and the rhythm of her breaths. Just as he turned to leave, Y/N’s hand shot out to grab the hem of his T-shirt.

“Why? Why did it happen to us?” She said, her face drawn in lines of anguish. “We were good people. You still are. Then, why?”

Sam took a deep breath. “Because life isn’t fair. You of all people should know that by this point. And I’ve hardly been a good person since.” 

“Shhhhh….” She put a finger to her lip. “You’re the best, Sam. You always have been.”

“Then why did you leave me? Why couldn’t you trust me enough to stay? Have enough faith in me to know that I could make it okay for us? I loved you more than anything, Y/N. And you left me anyway.” He knew full well that she wouldn’t remember a thing in the morning, she was barely even listening now. So how did it matter what he said?

“Don’t go,” she moaned. 

“Y/N… you know I can’t stay.”

“Please… Nothing’s right when you’re not here.”

In an odd twisted way, it was the truth. Nothing was right when she wasn’t with him.

“Please, Sam,” she sighed. “Don’t leave me. Promise me.”

He gave in. How could he not? “I promise,” he said finally. “I’ll stay tonight.” 

She smiled contentedly and her breathing evened out soon after.

Slowly, Sam disentangled his t-shirt from his grip.

In the bathroom, he washed his bundled up shirt, cleaning it completely, then used it to wash off whatever was left on his jeans and t-shirt. Thankfully, Y/N’s clothes hadn’t been spoilt and didn’t need any cleaning. The apartment had a beautiful balcony that overlooked the garden below. He hung his shirt on the railing to dry it in the breeze. 

Sam checked on Y/N once more under the guise of placing the water bottle next to her bed. She was splayed wildly now. The straps of her blouse had slid further down her arm, revealing the tops of her breasts. He looked away. As lightly as he could, Sam freed the covers from beneath her and drew them over her, tucking her comfortably underneath them. Then he made his way to the living room sofa, closing Y/N’s bedroom door after her. 

The sofa was much too small to accommodate him, but Sam managed to lie on his back, legs folded and body wedged between the two armrests. After a while of twisting and turning, he rested his head on one armrest and threw his legs over the other, staring at the apartment walls and decorations. Most of it was too delicate, like the filigree on the curtains and the carved screens dividing part of the kitchenette from the rest of the living room. That certainly wasn’t Y/N’s taste. Either it came with the apartment or her room mate had put it there. There were some things, however, that were distinctly Y/N- the flowers and plants in the balcony, the solid wood coffee stand and the classy oven. The little China decorating the kitchen bar must’ve been her grandmothers. Nothing… absolutely nothing in the house proved that he had ever played a part in her life. Sam decidedly curbed the disappointment and bitterness he felt.

So, she had moved on from him. Hadn’t the past month taught him as much? 

A month ago he wouldn’t have believed that he’d end up a room away from a very drunk Y/N. So close, yet so far. He closed his eyes, recalling how it felt to have her arms around his waist, feel the press of her body against his as he lifted her in his arms. He could live out the rest of his life holding onto those memories, even if it never happened again, even if she never remembered it…

“Who the fuck are you?”

Sam’s eyes snapped open. A girl was standing over him with a ferocious expression.

He sat up groggily, disoriented about his surroundings. Who was this girl?

“I asked who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my apartment?”

Sam groaned, blinking his eyes in the still dark room. “I’m Sam. I helped Y/N home last night.”

“Where’s she? Is she okay?” 

The shift in her tone was sudden, from angry to concerned.

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Sam yawned. “She just had too much to drink.”

“And how do you know her?”

“I’m her- “ It physically ached to not say it. “I’m her… friend.”

The girl, who Sam assumed was her roommate, Meg, raised an eyebrow. “Friend, huh? How come she’s never talked about you before?”

Because she doesn’t care anymore.

Suddenly Sam was very tired. “Look, I’ve known her since a long time. We lost touch a while ago. I met her at college.”

Meg didn’t seem very convinced. She harrumphed and crossed her arms.

“I’m going to head out, now that you’re back,” he said, standing up and straightening his back. It was completely screwed. He walked over to the balcony and retrieved his now dried shirt. Meg eyed it dubiously.

“You didn’t try anything with her, did you?”

Again, the irony of someone else being concerned that he of all people would try to harm Y/N twisted his mouth into a bitter smirk.

“Look, mister…” Meg started and Sam put his hands up. He was too exhausted to hold this argument. 

“I just put her to bed. That’s all,” he said. “Heads up, she has terrible hangovers. You might want to keep the bathroom accessible and the Advil ready.”

With that he stalked out of the room. 

It wasn’t a long walk to his home from there, barely even five minutes, but Sam’s head was buzzing with thoughts. Last night everything had been so hurried and he was the only one who could have helped her out. But what now?

He and Y/N had barely started talking. He still didn’t know what was going on in her head. Last night had changed all of that, at least for him. If it had been hard to not think about her before, it was damn well impossible now. She was consuming his every thought, shadowing every emotion. What if she remembered everything she had said last night? What if she’d actually meant those things?

“Don’t go” 

“Please… Nothing’s right when you’re not here.”

“Please, Sam, Don’t leave me. Promise me.”

Each time his name had fallen off her lips, it was like she was resurrecting his long dead heartbeat. He wanted to dare, he wanted to hope and believe that there was some chance.

But what if she didn’t remember anything at all? Sam knew that he would die inside if that happened. It was one thing to not feel hope, and another altogether to kill it with one's own hands. 

His mind was a cacophony of noises and emotions all warring against each other as he reached his house. On the door steps, sat a solitary figure, waiting for him.

“Jody?”

The sky was just starting to lighten. What was she doing here?

He frowned at her, wondering what on earth could have brought her here this early in the morning. She stared back evenly; there was none of the usual warmth in her eyes, instead they were full of distrust and disappointment.

“Jody, is everything okay?” 

“You tell me, Winchester,” she said, coming to stand right next to him, her stature severe.

“I-I don’t know what you mean.”

“Really?” She spat. “Don’t you think you’ve been acting differently? At first I thought, being by yourself was getting to you.”

“Jody, I seriously don’t understand.”

“Fine I’ll cut to the chase. Where were you last night?”

It was the last thing Sam had expected. He couldn't tell her the truth. Where would he even start with the truth? “I was-”

She raised her hand and Sam flinched at the hostile expression on her face. “Save it, Sam. I know exactly what you were doing last night. I saw you sitting on the bench outside the bar with that girl.”

Sam jerked upright.

“I’ve known you for years, Sam. Years. I taught you everything I knew. I’ve never been prouder of any student I’ve had and this is what you do with all that trust? This is how you abuse your power?”

Her words rang louder than they should have in Sam’s ears. “Jody-”

“Don’t even try to make excuses. At first, when I saw her in your office, I didn’t think anything of it. Sure, she looked close to tears, but a lot of freshmen are always anxious. But then I saw you in the library with her. The way you looked at Y/N? That’s not how a teacher looks at their student!” Jody looked disgusted. “And tonight? Y/N was clearly drunk, for Christ’s sake! How can you possibly justify the way you were holding her?”

“Because she’s my WIFE!” He shouted, breathing hard, feeling the heat coming off of his face. “I married her and I love her!” 

It was beyond cathartic to finally say those words out loud. Up until this point Sam hadn’t realised that since he had seen Y/N in his class, those very words had been strangling him, poisoning him. Now that he had finally said them, the strength in his legs gave away. He sat down on the steps with a thud.

Jody’s face had gone very white. “Sam…”

“Tonight was nothing more than me helping a girl who needed it. Nothing more than that,” he said through gritted teeth, blinking rapidly at the wetness on his lashes. “You know I respect you, Jody, but even you don’t get to tell me if I can hold my own wife.”

She sat down next to him, now at a complete loss of words. “Is this the same girl…?”

Sam nodded, unable to form words.

“Sam, I’m so sorry,” she said, drawing him close. “I didn’t know. You should have said something.”

“Said what?” He said through a thick throat, angry with himself for showing weakness now when he had held it together for so long. “That my wife who walked out on me years ago because she didn't trust me to save our marriage is suddenly back? As my student after six years? Is that what I should have declared when I didn’t even know if she wanted to see my face? Is that what I should’ve said?”

“Oh, you sweet boy. I’m so sorry,” Jody ran her hands over his shoulders. “Sorry that you’ve been suffering and sorry that I doubted you at all. You don’t need to say anything now. C’mere.”

Firmly she drew him towards her and threw her arms around his neck. Sam hugged back, closing his eyes tightly so that the tears rolled over into the cotton of her shirt.

“Shhhh…” she said. “It’s going to be alright.”

Sam didn’t know if there was any truth in her words, but he allowed himself to be comforted, allowed himself to draw some warmth from his oldest friend here. Allowed himself to start healing.

**************************  

A/N 2: *Wiggles eyebrows* Who all saw it coming? ;)

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[itsmelaurel]

Begin Again

Summary: When your best friends move away for college, you think life is officially over. However, you find yourself making new friends including the blonde surfer from the other side of the island.

one

—————————————————

two.

The last three weeks of summer went by way too fast and it was finally your last first day of high school. You were currently out on the front steps of your home with a sign that said Senior. It was a tradition your mom went all out for every single school year.

“Looking like a snack before 8 am should be illegal.” Sarah shouted from behind your mom which caused you to roll your eyes.

“Oh, perfect shot. Probably going to use that for the Christmas card.” Your dad clapped sarcastically at your attitude being caught on camera.

“Alright, now all the kids on the steps.” Your mom directed. You and Sarah sat down first. Wheezie sat next to you and Katie, Kelce’s sister, sat on the other side of Sarah. Knowing it was only four of you this year had your heart sinking a little. These steps typically held seven Kildare Prep students. Now it was down to four and next year there would only be two left.

“I’ve got to send this to the boys. I tried to get them to take pictures on their first day of classes, but I was told they were too grown for that.” Kelce’s mom said while huddling next to Rose.

You had been successful in keeping busy these past few weeks in order to keep your mind off your best friend's physical absence in your life. All of you still texted every day in the group chat, but the promised daily FaceTime calls were slowly fading.

While you were busy with cheerleading and hanging out with the pogues, the boys had joined a frat and started classes two weeks ago. On top of that, they started partying several nights during the week and getting blackout on the weekends.

They still had no idea you were hanging out with the pogues. When they asked what you were up to, you would always tell them just hanging out with friends. Surprisingly, they never asked who. Just assuming you would never willingly hang out with the pogues.

You weren’t technically lying to them, but you constantly felt guilty about it. Then Sarah would remind you that they were living their best life at college, so why couldn’t you?

“Okay my sweet little babes, it’s time to head to school.” Your mom finally stops the photo shoot and pulls you from your thoughts. Her and your dad kiss your cheek goodbye, both of them tearing up when you get in your Jeep. They were so dramatic and you freaking loved them for it.

“I’ll see you at school after I drop these two off. Wait for me?” Sarah asked while leaning in your window. You promised to wait for her before leaving the driveway.

Arriving at school early was new for you. Last year you, Sarah and Kelce typically rode together in the mornings when Rafe had football and Topper had lacrosse. Kelce and Sarah were never on time which resulted in you running to first period with minutes to spare.

The song changed in the car, a soft country melody flowing through the speakers. The only person who listens to country is Topper and you roll your eyes at the fact he snuck this onto your playlist. Thinking of him made you realize that they really won’t be walking the halls with you today. It made your throat tighten with emotion at how different this year is going to be. The anxiety that you’ve done such a good job of hiding these past few years comes bubbling up unexpectedly.

Before you can stop yourself, you dial his number hoping it will calm your nerves. It rings a fourth, fifth and sixth time before it goes to voicemail and you hang up before you even hear the greeting. A dark, little voice in the back of your head says that he’s in college now and wouldn’t want to be bothered before 8 am about you're pathetic feelings.

The phone ringing through the speaker startles you and you immediately answer it without looking at the caller id thinking it’s Topper.

“Morning sunshine” JJs sleepy voice rasps through the car speakers.

“Morning punkin” a smile graces your face at the sickly sweet nicknames. It’s become a little joke between the two of you, mostly making fun of John B and Sarah’s overly sappy relationship.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, his voice sounding more alert than just a few seconds ago.

“Nothing, why?” your teeth capture your bottom lip and bite down.

“Somethings up”

“Nothings up-”

“Nu uh, don’t do that. Don’t lie to me. What’s wrong?” He prods hoping you let him in.

“I’m just really nervous about the first day, that’s all.”

“You’re going to have a great day, y/n. And if you don’t there’s nothing ice cream can’t fix.” His words are simple, but it causes you to giggle and your anxiety to melt away.

“How’d you know something was wrong?” You question.

While hanging out with the pogues these last few weeks, you and the blonde surfer had gotten close. When the couples would break off from the group, the two of you would hang out alone.

“I could just sense it and your voice cracked a little when you answered.” You imagine him giving you a shrug as if it wasn’t that big of a deal. But it was.

“Thank you, J.”

“Anytime buttercup. Do you have cheer practice today?” Now he’s the one who sounds nervous.

“I don’t. Why?”

“I don’t have work today either. Do you wanna hang out?” He all but rushes out the last sentence.

“Yeah, i'd like that.” You work out the details and he promises to bring ice cream just in case.

“Hey, you gonna sit out here all day?” Sarah knocks on your window causing you to jump. She gives you a weird look, but doesn’t question it. You climb out of the car and grab your backpack.

“How do I look?” You ask your tall blonde best friend as you head inside, motioning to your makeup and hair.

“I can’t believe you would wear that.” Her eyes scan your body and she grimaces playfully.

“We are wearing the exact same thing.”

“Shit, do you think they will notice?” She looks around at the sea of bodies all wearing a similar version of our private school uniforms.

“You’re so stupid.”

“But you love it.” She sticks her tongue out and you playfully return the gesture, all anxiety from this morning completely gone as you enter first period.

——

When you get home from school, a beautiful floral arrangement of your favorite flowers are sitting on the kitchen counter. A card is folded neatly next to them.

We hope you had a great first day. Wish you were here with us already.

xoxo,

Rafe, Kelce & Topper

Your hand dances over the petals softly as you lean in to smell them. The flowers are beautiful and you snap a picture to send the boys.

Y/n: thank you for the beautiful flowers. kildare prep wasn’t the same without y’all today.

Not even a few seconds after you hit send, your phone is lighting up with a FaceTime call from Rafe.

“There’s my little senior.” His voice is teasing as he comes into view. He looks the same as the last time you physically saw him. Hair gelled back and blue eyes bright as the sky.

“Thank you for the flowers.” You know it was him who specifically ordered them from the cheesy xoxo. It was something he started using after he watched a couple of episodes of Gossip Girl with you.

“I’m glad you like them. How was your first day?” He questions and you give him a quick rundown, laughing when you tell him about Sarah falling asleep in 2nd period with drool coming out of her mouth.

“Did you miss me?” He asks playfully, but there's a twinge of something else there too.

“Of course I did, Rafe.” You tilt your head as you watch him lay back on his bed.

“I miss you so much.” He admits softly and it catches you off guard. Rafe isn’t one to share his feelings or be vulnerable in any way.

“I miss-” you begin to tell him how much you miss him, possibly even admit how your heart aches when you think of all of them, but you're cut off quickly by someone busting through his bedroom door.

“Cameron! Are you ready to get lit?” His new roommate Parker comes into view when Rafe sits up in bed.

“Dude, I’m on the phone.” Rafe gestures to the obvious FaceTime call.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” Parker leans down and waves at you. “Hey y/n! How was the first day of kindergarten?” He laughs obnoxiously at his own joke and you wrinkle your nose in return. Parker wasn’t the worst person they could be roommates with, but he was pretty annoying most of the time. He lived for the frat life and everything college stood for. If you weren’t in college, he only referred to you as a child.

“Knock it off.” Rafe gives him a look, but Parker just flips him off.

“It’s okay Rafe, I have to go anyway.” You glance at the clock knowing JJ would be there any minute.

“No, don’t go. I’ll go down the hall.” Rafe says in a panic clearly not ready for your call to be over.

“I really do have to go, maybe we can talk another night this week?”

“Why can’t we talk later tonight before bed?” He questions.

“Because apparently you are about to get lit.” You let an impassive mask slip over your face.

“Oh, right.” He says as if he forgot he already has plans. “I could cancel and we could have a FaceTime movie night?”

“Dude, you aren’t cancelling. The four of us have had this planned since Sunday.” Parker chimes in with a look of mock disgust at his roommate. Thankfully the doorbell rings providing you with the perfect excuse to get off the phone.

“Rafe, I have to go. Text me later.” You blow him a kiss and hang up before he can say anything else.

However, your dad beats you to the door and let’s JJ in while you're still in the kitchen.

“My man. I didn’t know you were coming over today.” You hear your dad's voice followed by JJ saying something you can’t quite hear. They share one of those bro hugs making your eyes roll.

JJ and the rest of the pogues have been over to your house a lot the past three weeks. While your parents loved each of your new friends, they were especially fond of the blue eyed boy that would come over by himself sometimes.

“I promised the princess some ice cream.” He winked at you when he walked into the kitchen.

“Why does that not surprise me?” Your dad smirked with a shake of his head. “Wanna stay for dinner? We’re having steaks.”

“Uh, if that’s okay?” JJs eyes look to you to make sure you are okay with this and you nod.

“Perfect, I’m going to get the grill ready.” Your dad walks out leaving the two of you standing alone in the kitchen. JJs eyes roam over your body and he lets out a low whistle.

“Wow, this uniform is something else.” His words cause you to blush.

“I know you're jealous that you don’t get to wear it every day.”

“Caught me.” He laughs and you join him. Your phone starts ringing and you check to see who it is.

Rafe

You let it ring out only for it to start ringing again with Kelce’s name.

“The powerpuff girls seem eager to talk today.” JJ comments as he takes in the flowers and your phone ringing off the hook.

“Hey, don’t call them that.” You squint your eyes at the nickname.

JJ scoffs “Like they don’t call me worse names when you tell them we’re hanging out. Do you correct them?” He questions as he steps closer to you. You bite your lip and watch as his eyes darken.

“You do correct them, right?” He asks again when you hesitate to answer.

“Well, they would have to know we hang out in order for me to do that.” You admit sheepishly.

“We’ve been hanging out for three weeks. How do they not know?” His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. You can see his train of thought even though he hasn’t said it out loud.

Surely she’s told them about me.

“When I tell them I’m hanging out with friends they don’t ask who. They just assume it’s not the pogues and I don’t correct them.” You watch as he deflates a little at your words.

“That- Uh, I-” He stumbles over his words, hurt dancing across his eyes.

“I’m going to tell them. I was trying to avoid all the kook versus pogue bullshit they are going to spout off.” and you're not sure why you do it but you let your hand slip into his, offering a gentle squeeze hoping it comforts him.

His eyes look down to your hands, his signature smirk back on his face and all the tension in the air slowly disappears with it.

“If you wanted me to be your little secret all you had to do was ask.” His cockiness is back in full swing and you let go of his hand to shove him playfully.

“So, what type of ice cream did you bring?” You ask effectively changing the subject.

The both of you head up to your room to watch Ozark. He asked if you wanted to watch it the last time he was here. You’d never seen it before so it wasn’t a problem to put it on. A little more gore than what you were used to watching, but it was a pretty good show overall.

Next thing you know, you hear your mom hollering that dinner is ready. Your eyes flutter as they try to adjust to the setting sun shining through your window. A hand lightly caresses your arm and you snuggle a little deeper into the bed.

Your eyes pop open when you realize you're actually cuddled into someone and not the bed. The thought causes you to jerk straight up and look over at the boy laying in your bed. His blue eyes are staring back sleepily and a soft smile graces his face.

“I- I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry.” You rush out feeling that predictable blush rising on your cheeks. He reaches over and grabs your hand. His fingers linking with yours much like earlier.

“I didn’t mind it.” He admits honestly.

“Me either.” Your words are barely a whisper but he hears you. Sitting up, his eyes flick down to look at your lips then back up to you making his intentions clear. You nod, giving full permission for him to lean in. His breath hovers over your lips as he gets closer, causing your eyes to flutter shut.

“Y/n! JJ! Let’s go!” It’s your dad's voice that bellows from downstairs this time and both of you jump apart feeling like you’ve been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to.

He stares at you for a moment longer before getting up “Come on, I don’t want to upset your parents.”

You follow closely behind him heading downstairs, head still spinning over what almost just happened.

Never in a million years did you think you and JJ Maybank would be cuddled up napping together or about to share a kiss. It was a lot for you to grasp. So, you push all thoughts of what just happened out of your mind for later and try to play it cool in front of your parents.

Too bad your mom sees right through it.

taglist: @dreamsndior @rafej-cambanks @prejudic3 @katiaw2 

[chaneajoyyy]

Do you know any plus size reader black panther fics?

I sure do!!!

PLUS SIZE READER X T’CHALLA

- golden girl, fingers dipped in gold series, early morning concerts, do it, a single prick series, singing lessons, lose that attitude, i’ve been going, his sixth sense, nice & comfortable, three kings of dreams, you may, comfortable, possibly, up and alert- @supersizemeplz

- family isn’t always everything, t’challa dealing wth his s/o having guardianship of her little bro, you and t’challa had a really bad breaku but he sees you at an event?, group text: date, in my feelings, t’challa after a hard day funning wakanda, “lemme show you how much i love you”, group chat: plans for tonight, love through tragedy, my apologies my queen, “choose”, lazy days (includes m’baku)-  @plussizeappreciationfics (search: tchalla and tchalla x reader)

-anonymous series, gentle giant series, the twisted ones, selfless series, all the stars series- @cassidyconner

- how the guys for the avengers would react to being twerked on (includes t’challa);  imagine you decided to post a sunbathing picture for instagram, knowing your husband, the king of wakanda will see. everything goes smooth until erik killonger decides to give you a lil too much attention. he ends up learning not to mess with the queen (fake social media au); imagine t’chala and his queen are execting their first child. the world is overy joyed by the little bundle of joy, imagine it ‘s halloween and you decide to dress up as your idol sorm leaving the entire internet shook (fake social media au), imagine it’s your anniversary with your boyfreind t’challa and he surprises you with a trip to the most beautiful beach you’ve ever seen- @papi-chulo-bucky (search: tchalla)

- headcanons: short reader, king of spring, hot cheetos, rays of sunshine, pineapple princess, your highness, jealousy- @littlemessyjessi

- cats, why series, enough for now, jealousy headcanon, lingerie headcanon, nsfw headcanon, kinks headcanon, dom/sub headcanon, height headcanons- @madamslayyy

- queen by spring series, “i have a right to what is mine”, t’challa is straight up missing you, t’challa needs to feel your finger in his hair, imagine t’challa helping you find more peace by bringng you into meditation, wakanda now bath salt baths and tantric sex; your favorite physical aspect of t’challa is his mouth, t’challa and m’baku both like gap tooth play but t’challa like to run it along the outer lips while m’baku likes to work it over the nipples (includes m’baku and sam wilson); cater, matchmakers, show me, to our bedroom (search t’challa x reader)-  @brownsugarcocoabutterwildflowers

-miles apart series-  @eriksjournal

- t’challa with his first bbw- @sisterwifeudaku

- he spills series @captainsaveasmut (includes m’baku and erik)

- where are we?, the wakandan boys when the’re sick (includes erik and m’baku) - @sonofnjobu

- al fics- @eerythingisshaka

- learn ya series- @wakandaforeverwrites

- let’s play- @wakandamama

PLUS SIZE READER X M’BAKU 

- all m’baku fics- @plussizeappreciationfics

- your cherries, wakandan events & natural charisma series, love berries, ain’t got no time, shadows in the closet, tamed, change in schedule, big baby, intersting theories, why?, forever my chieftess, three kings of dreams, long days and longer nights, i wouldn’t mind- @supersizemeplz

- gaining favor- @littlemessyjessi

- healing gardens series, it’s complicated series, extra credit series, coming home series (includes what’s for dinner?), warrior spirit, diplomatic affiars, fading away, gemini rising: birthday edition, just business series-  @jellybean531

- work from home series, fever series- @mbakusthrone

- warm colors series- @mermaidchansons

- a special visit- @yaachtynoboat711

- tradition series, mr. stamina, truth or dare series, give it to me, the garden,, princess, 2 hours, i’m right here, the wakandan boys when they’re sick (includes erik and t’challa), would you rather-  @sonofnjobu

-chieftess, giving m’baku a lapdance, t’challa and m’baku likes gap tooth play (inclues t’challa and sam wilson), tradition, watch-  @brownsugarcocoabutterwildflowers (scroll for m’baku x reader)

- an m’big surprise- @pastelastronomy24

- and i you, my love; hands, his girl, untitled, you are mine- @marvelmaree

- v.i.p (includes erik), you owe her an apology, no i can’t take a break, scraped m’baku headcanon, m’baku titty worship headcanon, whipped headcanon, the prince seires, is this love? series (ncludes m’baku) (with don’t be scared)- @madamslayyy

- fated instinct series, cabin in the snow series, whipped cream a la m’baku-  @greennightspider

- brown skin, oh angel, forever mine, best baba ever, the heat of trinidad series- @artisticestheticreads

- forget his name, our love in color series, a well deserved rest series, have it your way series, satisfied, another heir, what would you have me do? series, full body- @wakandan-flowerz

- crown royal on ice, two left feet, just for tonight series- @ghostfacekill-monger

- all fics- @eerythingisshaka

- all fics- @muse-of-mbaku

- mother may i series- @wakandaforeverwrites

- sweet thang series, the best part, bow to me- @wakandamama

PLUS SIZE READER X ERIK

- how i feel, right now, animal, chains series, purple herbs & gardens, risks & new beginnings series, better with time, let’s play, without a doubt, sizzling pans & slow jams, misinterpretations, visions of gold, out business, come through and chill series, nights, slow burn, a siren’s allure, venom, the one, maybe they’re right, sore loser series, i’ll be alright, spooky cookies & vampire fangs, screams in the night series; knock, knock series; imagination, the cure series, poptart man series, this must be our song, conversation starter, heaven is a place on earth, twins?, say it, i’m there, his princess, his for the night, sugar baby series, authority series, baby shark, lemme try, take our time, say the word, sudden reunions series, memories of you, more ways than one, lemme try it again (that’s my face), not in budget, i would like to see it, pease mama bear, she likes me, guess what, times like these, tell me your secret series, he gets it from me, baby see baby do, see what had happened was, who me?, so relax, three kings of dreams, deck the b-…halls?, do it again, be quiet, you so crazy, how that sound?, you’re so handsome, sit still, leave me aloneee, don’t hide, or maybe, send it to mommy, but i’m sick.., you thought i wouldn’t find out, he’d make you his, ballet baba, ain’t that right?, he wasn’t having that, being honest, that’s all it took?, then stop ignoring me, since you can, but i thougth…, jealous, i won’t tell you again series, hit me, no reply, i’ve alway been, you sure?, no more tummy time, toss ‘em, you done now?, sing it baby, doped up, battle it out, for however long, bath time, bedtime stories, i’m sorry, was that so hard?, i owe you that, whatchu say?, hard headed, it should’ve been you, take our time series, baba’s day, whatever she wants, nope, can’t even look at you, not again, nose wide oen, just a bit longer, come on over to my place, fences & bullriders- @supersizemeplz

- all erik fics and headcanons- @nahimjustfeelingit-writes

- all erik fics and headcanons- @eye-raq

- teach me series, when you’re mad series, waffles series, slow ride series, movie night series, let’s talk about sex series, mines, thunderstorm, girl fuck you, eat your breakfast seres (with eat your dinner), secret admirer, amusement park fun, displays of affection, night at the movie theaters, silent hearbeats series, kissing strangers series, worship, loving the way you love it, day drunk, smile for me daddy series, just like you, we goin to hell, breeding time- @thehomierobbstark

- refuge series, champion series, soft series, all dadmonger fics, erik’s getting soft series, erik and his princess, erik’s afraid of live, erik takes care of his sick princess, erik witha shy girl, erik’s created a monster series, afraid of heights, erik loves to spoil you, you want it rough, t’challa’s trusted advisor, first kiss, the legend series, you hurt erik, i love you, erik backslides, the proposal, daddy, accountability, noral, kinky, foolproof, erik ad your burn marks, erik helps you do pole fitness, i do, first date, erik teasing his short gf, erik cuts his hair- @killmongersgurl

- late again, halloween party, imprint, a man in love, v.i.p (includes m/baku), daddy’s home, y’all again?, okay? okay, prisoner of love, family cookout, kiss, what’s cooking good looking, expecting headcanons, food headcanons, crying headcanons, nsfw headcanons, foot fetish series, halloween headcanons, lingerie headcanons, jealous headcanons, kevin’s  heart series, untitled series- @madamslayyy

-carnal stimulation series, next lifetime series, hoe ass erik series, dirty little secrets series, hennything is possible, sunday dinner series (with payback), a.d.i.d.a.s., green goddess, suddenly stevens, beauty is her name, it’s complicated. i’m sorry, the great reveal, neighbors know my name series (part 2 to @hearteyes-for-killmonger‘s story of the same name), the devil speaks xosha, mile high, trap card, act up, let me smell it, up late, i’ll take your man, carry on, dreams & nightmares- @goddessofthundathighs

- headass youtube couple series, fix my crown series, all skate, cutting ties series, #tsrbaewatch,  @apantherinmypastlife

- all erik fics-  @wawakanda-btch

- all fics- @hearteyes-for-killmonger

- say my name series, beg for it, the coat room, charley horse, full court press, house party, boyfriend makeup challenge, gumby, the let out series, disorderly, token, all i wanted for christmas is you, hit the showers, neo, erica; veni, vidi, vici, i will be here, trick or treat, the wakandan boys when they’re sick (includes t’challa and m’baku)- @sonofnjobu

- mine, unravel me series (includes belong to you), i missed you series (inlcudes you a’ight and if they ain’t looking), rated e, on braodway, no average bitch,  @brownsugarcocoabutterwildflowers (scroll for erik killmonger x reader and erik killmonger imagine)

- all tasting mellow fics- @tastingmellow

- laid up series- @pastelastronomy24

- come lay with me, house hunting series, stretch marks, the footbal jerseyy, you sure?- @marvelmaree

- the deal series, nuggest of truth, girlfriend, all i want is you, care for you- @wakandamama

- rated e for extra petty, elbow deep series- @puffmamaa

- she got game, where’s the smoke, s.d.m., from paris with love, where the hoes at? (with t’challa and m’baku), written all over your face, baby bump series (wit cuddle buddy,, and hc: chubby!erik trying old clothes), not in that way, here kitty kitty, computer blue series, chunk series- @ghostfacekill-monger

- all erik fics- @stripper-patrick

- he spills series (with t’chala and m’baku)- @captainsaveasmut

- i’m cleva series, do me baby (part 2 of @killmongersgurl‘s serieserik’s created a monste)-, @killmongerdispussy

- sorry he’s gone, mad issues series, curiosity happy weight- @curls-and-crosses

- nah baby i got you- @inxan-ity (scroll for erik killmonger)

- all fics- @writerbee-ffs

- paragone series- @dynastynoire

- all fics- @eriksjournal

- the sweetest taste series, late night drive- two of a kind series (includes ‘03 bonnie and clyde prequel), beyond the lights series, mad love series- @wakandaforeverwrites

- all erik fics and headcanons- @plussizeappreciationfics

-thanksgiving w/ mr. stevens and the udakus series (with valentine’s gumbo),  @mermaidchansons

- all erik fics- @muse-of-mbaku

- all fics- @eerythingisshaka

- all fics- @artisticestheticreads

*I AM GONNA START YOU HERE!! I KNOW I’M MISSING PEOPLE. SO IF YOU AND/OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW WRITES PLUS SIZE READER X BP CHARACTERS PLEASE HIT ME UP!!**

[prettyboybarzal]

tattoos together (3) // tyler seguin

(PART ONE) (PART TWO)

pairing: tyler seguin x reader

summary: being in dallas with tyler feels exactly right, but it’s not reality and both of you know it. with your trip coming to an end in just a few short days, you and tyler struggle to come to terms with whatever it is between you.

(2016 dallas stars and 2/3 of tyler’s dogs, apologies if some details aren’t accurate about the stars season. i was too lazy to do my research.)

word count: 9k+ (she a lil thicc)

author’s note: you know the drill... like, reblog, shoot me a message. ((hopefully part 4 will be up next sunday, but first i gotta write it)) xoxo love y’all!!!!

warnings: more alcohol, angst (???), def cursing

The rest of your time at Casa de Seguin, as Tyler keeps calling it, is packed full of things to do. He seems to have a plan for every second of every day. While you appreciate the thoughtfulness, it feels like the two of you haven’t been alone and lazy together like the old days and you miss it.

Tyler misses it, too, but the idea of the two of you being alone again brings him to places he knows he can’t go with you.

Three days before your flight, Tyler is making breakfast with the dogs at his feet. When you enter the kitchen, he smiles over at you before stating, “I haven’t planned anything for today. I was thinking maybe we could go to the Rangers game tonight?”

You don’t respond off the bat, leaning against the counter. The lack of a response has him glancing over with a raised eyebrow.

“Ty, we haven’t stopped moving for days,” you state. “And, don’t get me wrong, I love how much we’ve done. I feel like I know Dallas and Texas like the back of my hand. However, we’re constantly surrounded by people and fans and friends of yours, especially Jamie. I just want one day with just you, and the boys.”

You and the boys. Tyler loves the sound of that coming out of your mouth. The dogs do, too. They turn their heads at the inflection of your voice when you referenced them and Cash comes trotting over to plop at your feet. Tyler glances over with a smile and nods.

“Alright, how about this?” he asks. He turns the heat on the stove off and moves the frying pan over to let the eggs simmer. “We go to the dog park with them and then we can come back and just hang out back. I’ll grill up some burgers for lunch or something.”

“That sounds perfect,” you admit. Tyler smiles. “Need help with breakfast?”

“Can you put on a pot of coffee?”

You nod, moving to grab two mugs from his cabinet before brewing it. The two of you work in silence, backs to each other, but you keep stealing glances at him as he puts together your plates and throws some bread in the toaster.

You pour the coffee into each mug, asking Tyler if he still takes his black (the answer is yes), and hand his mug to him. He shoos you away to the dining table so that he can present the food to you in a dramatic fashion.

He glides into the room with a plate in each hand and does a little spin before putting the plates down on the table. The dogs are waiting eagerly for something to drop, but Tyler pulls the spin move off elegantly. He sits across from you and announces in an atrocious French accent, “Bon appetite.”

Marshall and Cash lose their minds when Tyler pulls their leashes from the closet. Marshall hears it from another room and comes running at the sound, practically knocking you on your ass in the process. Tyler attaches each leash to their collars and hands Cash’s over to you.

When you get to the park it’s almost empty, save for a family or two. You walk through the gates and unleash the boys who immediately start chasing each other around the open space.

Tyler nods towards a bench and sits down, tugging on your hand to pull you down beside him. You lean forward with your elbows on your thighs and rest your head in your hand, watching the dogs play. Tyler leans back against the back of the bench. He reaches out and rubs a hand on your back before pulling it away to pick up a ball by his feet. He whistles once and calls, “Cash, Marshall!”

The dogs come running, tripping over each other as they approach. Tyler smiles and throws the ball, sending them the opposite direction. You giggle as Cash gets to it first and comes running back, Marshall chasing him the entire way.

Cash drops the ball at your feet, so you grab it before Marshall can snatch it up and toss it again.

The whole day is so domestic. Making breakfast together, bringing the dogs to the dog park, having barbeque plans for lunch. It’s so domestic that it makes your cheeks burn with a blush you haven’t felt in a long time.

Tyler feels it, too.

Back at home, Tyler is quick to change for the pool. It’s hot and by the time you’ve gotten back to the house Tyler is all sweaty from wrestling the dogs. You change into your suit in the guest room where you’ve been staying the entire trip. The suit is a new bikini and before heading out you make sure to lather the tattoo with sunscreen.

Tyler’s mouth goes dry when you exit the back door of his house and step out in your tiny, bright red bikini. He’s thankful for the dogs and his sunglasses because the combination of the two things make it seem like he isn’t staring at you, but trust… He most certainly is.

“Want a beer?”

“Yeah, sure,” he answers. You turn and walk back into the house, amazingly not feeling the weight of his gaze on you despite the fact that he can’t stop staring at your ass.

You return with two beers in your hands and sit at the edge of the pool with your feet in. You hand Tyler his bottle with a soft smile as Cash settles beside you on the brick. Tyler taps the neck of your bottle with his.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Tyler says. He lifts the bottle to his lips and takes a swig. “Otherwise I’d have to leave the pool myself to get the beers.”

You splash water at him with a kick of the foot, but he dodges it.

You stand again, retrieving your towel from a lounge chair to spread it out beside the pool. Tyler watches you situate yourself, smiling to himself at the sight. He sees the tattoo from a far, but he wishes he could get a better look.

Cash comes over to curl up against your legs and soak up the sun with you. You smile down at the dog as Tyler chuckles at the scene playing out in front of him.

“I think Cash is in love with you,” he says. “I can’t say I blame him.”

About an hour and a few beers later, Tyler reaches out of the water with his cold and soaking hands to grab your ankles. He tugs on them, attempting to make you come into the water with him. You kick his hand away, sending him an irritated face. He pouts at you and begs, “Come in please.”

“Why?” you ask tersely. “I’m tanning.”

“You’ve been tanning for hours now,” he complains. You roll your eyes, sitting up so that you’re on your elbows to get a better look at him. “Just come in.”

“The only way you’re getting me to come in is if you make me,” you inform him. What a stupid thing to say to Tyler Seguin. He smiles at the challenge and climbs out of the pool, towering over you so that his body blocks the sun. You immediately realize where you fucked up and murmur, “Why did I say that?”

Without another word, Tyler reaches down and grabs both your arms until you’re standing in front of him. He wraps his arms around your waist, picks you up off the ground, and tosses you into the pool. He jumps in a second after to join you.

When you pop up above the surface, your hair is matted over your face. You reach up to wipe it away while you catch your breath, but Tyler’s hand is already moving to do it for you. He pulls the hair out of your face, revealing the glare you reserved just for him. He chuckles and wraps an arm around your waist to keep you close to him.

“I don’t know why I always challenge you like you won’t follow through,” you admit, throwing your arms around his shoulders. Tyler laughs. You wrap your legs around his waist and the laughter stops almost immediately as it gets caught in his throat. You reach one hand up to run your fingers through his hair. He drops his head to your shoulder to give you better access.

“Would you hate it if I was planning to have a party tomorrow night?” Tyler asks. His face is tilted so that his lips ghost the skin on your neck as he speaks. You lean your head on his, trying to ignore the goosebumps on your arms, trying to blame them on the breeze.

“For me?”

“Yeah, like a goodbye and I’ll see you soon party,” he states. He pulls away to look up at you. “I’ll totally cancel it if you don’t want it to happen.”

“No, that’s okay,” you answer. “It’ll be nice to go out with a bang.”

Another hum rumbles in his chest. He stands in the shallow end, you wrapped around him, for a few more silent minutes. Your fingers run through his hair, stopping at the nape of his neck to twirl the longer pieces around your index finger. The hand not wrapped around your body reaches up to your ribs. Tyler looks at his fingers as he brushes them over your tattoo and then he lets out a hefty sigh.

“I keep forgetting that this isn’t my real life,” he mumbles. Your fingers stop moving in his hair. He shifts slightly and places a kiss to your collarbone before he pulls his arms away and you drop your legs from his waist. “Want another beer?”

Your response comes out in the form of a whisper, “That’d be great.”

Tyler gets out of the pool and grabs a towel to dry himself before heading back up to the house for the beers. The dogs follow closely behind leaving nothing to distract you from your thoughts and Tyler’s words keep playing on repeat in your head.

Once the sun sets, you’re all showered and ready for dinner. Tyler’s busy with the dogs and getting his own self comfortable that you have a few minutes to yourself. You’re sitting at the end of the bed in the guest room in a pair of joggers and one of Tyler’s sweatshirts when Dan texts to see if you’re around to talk. You call him right away, realizing that the two of you hadn’t spoken on the phone since your first night in Dallas.

“Hey, babe,” he greets. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too,” you murmur. You lay back and stare at the ceiling with the phone pressed to your ear. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” he answers. “A little swamped at work. I wish I was coming home to you.”

“I’ll be home in two days!”

“I can’t wait.”

There’s a moment of silence that makes your stomach upset. You know the next time you are home with Dan is going to be nothing like the last times you’ve been at home with him. For one, California is calling. And, on the other hand, you’re so absolutely fucking in love with Tyler that it makes you a little bit sick.

Dan’s voice brings you back down to Earth as he asks, “What are you doing now?”

“Well, I just showered,” you explain. “Now I’m waiting for dinner to get here.”

“What’s the plan for dinner?”

“We ordered Chinese,” you answer. “Gonna go sit out by the fire pit and eat.”

“Sounds perfect,” he muses. When you don’t respond, he gets restless. “Are you okay? You don’t sound like yourself.”

You don’t mean for it to come out without a second thought, but your conscience feels way too guilty to keep this charade up for three more days. You blurt out, “I was offered a job at a publishing house in California before I left for Dallas. I accepted it.”

“I’m happy for you, YN,” he says. Although those words come out of his mouth, you can tell he doesn’t mean it. He’s confused by what this means. “Why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t even know you were applying out there.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” you answer. “It’s just that I’ve been coming up empty in Boston and New York and I went to that conference last month where they said California is a hot spot right now for people looking to go into publishing.”

“So, you’re moving to California?”

“Yes,” you answer, running a hand over your face in frustration. “The job starts on July 15th.”

“That’s in like three weeks,” Dan says. “That’s so soon.”

“I know.”

“I wish you told me.” It’s so silent on his end of the phone that you can hear Tyler talking to the dogs across the house. You stand up and start to pace the room. “What does this even mean for us?”

“Um, I don’t think I’m interested in doing long-distance,” you tell him. He sighs. “I really am sorry. I shouldn’t be doing this over the phone.”

“I mean, I definitely would’ve preferred a face-to-face conversation,” he admits. “But I did ask why you didn’t sound like yourself.”

“Dan, I’m sorry,” you murmur. He lets out a soft chuckle. “I wanted to wait until I got home, but I feel guilty doing that.”

“Hey, listen, I understand.”

“What?”

“I get it,” he repeats. “I know that it’s been a bitch for you to find a job. I’m just happy you found one.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m assuming we’re going to break up?” he asks. “Long distance doesn’t sound appealing to me either.”

“Yeah, I think that would be best for both of us,” you state. He hums in agreement. You let out a long sigh. “Dan, I didn’t want to do it like this.”

“I know that,” he says. “It’s just the way some things come up. In the moment.”

“Why are you so good?”

“Well, if we’re being honest,” he starts. “I think we both knew we weren’t in it for the long run. Don’t get me wrong, I really like you. You’re beautiful and funny and smart, but you’ve never been in this for real. I know that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” he presses. “We had fun, but it wasn’t meant to last. We were just trying to force it to work.” When you fail to answer him once more, Dan sighs and says, “Listen, let me know when you’re back. I’ll come by and pick up the stuff I left.”

“Okay, I’ll text you,” you respond. “Again, I’m sorry that I’m doing this over the phone.”

“It’s alright,” he states. “Text me when you want me to swing by. Enjoy the rest of your trip.”

Usually, you’d cry. You’d feel guilty for ending a relationship that never had any blow up. But, this break up feels like a weight off your shoulders. You lay down in the bed for a while, taking some time to yourself to just think, until Tyler calls for you to join him for dinner.

No more than two hours later, you’re sitting on one end of the sectional in Tyler’s living room watching Titanic. It’s been on for thirty minutes and you haven’t been paying attention one bit. Tyler’s sitting a few cushions away, his legs stretched out towards you so that his socked feet are inches from your thigh.

Dinner is long gone, empty cartons in the garbage, and the fire in the yard is out. Now, it’s just the two of you with Marshall curled up against Tyler and Cash sitting beside your feet.

“Why are you off right now?” Tyler asks, nudging your thigh with his foot. “Where’s your head at?”

“A million and one places,” you answer. Tyler grabs the remote and pauses the television. His abrupt movement alerts the dogs. He smirks at them, patting Marshall’s head to get him to put his head back down and turns his attention back to you.

“Explain.”

“I’ve just been thinking about what you said in the pool,” you elaborate. “About how this isn’t your real life, or mine.” Tyler sits up, but doesn’t say a word. He didn’t realize the statement would even resonate with you like it clearly has. “I just don’t want to go back to reality.”

“How come?”

“Reality means packing up my entire apartment, apartment hunting in California, starting a new job, being away from my family and my friends for a long time,” you list off. Tyler scratches the side of his head. “Besides, reality doesn’t have Marshall, or Cash, or you.”

You don’t hear it, but Tyler’s breath hitches in his throat.

“It’s not a big deal,” you continue. “Once I get back into the swing of things I’ll be fine.”

“You know you always have me around,” he states. “I might be a few states away, but I am always one call or text away.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Is that all?”

You debate telling him about your phone call with Dan, but decide against it. Instead, you nod ‘yes’ before crawling down to his side of the couch and laying your head on his chest. Tyler shifts, wrapping an arm around your back to keep you close to him. Then, he grabs the remote and turns the movie back on.

You don’t start paying attention, but having your face in his chest keeps him from noticing. His fingers trace soothing patterns along your back and after a little while your eyes start fluttering shut. It doesn’t take long for your breathing to slow and you fall asleep against Tyler.

“YN,” he whispers not long after. “You fell asleep.”

“Hi,” you grumble. He chuckles as you lift your head with your hair matted to your cheek. “Morning.”

“Ready for bed?” he asks. You nod, crawling off his body to stand. He shuts the TV off and fixes the throw pillows that had been tossed to the side hours before. Before heading down the hall, he whistles for the dogs to follow him. They do, and so do you.

You walk a few steps behind him toward the guest room, but stop at the door as Tyler continues walking.

“Can we have a sleepover tonight?” you ask from the threshold of your room. Tyler spins on his heel. “It’s okay if not.”

“You can totally come sleepover,” he answers. “But does that mean I have to sleep with a shirt on tonight?”

You roll your eyes at him.

Tyler stays true to himself and remains shirtless for bed. When you walk into his room after brushing your teeth, he’s leaning up against the headboard and tinkering away with his phone. He glances up at you, taking in the sight of you in his baggy sweatshirt and your grey joggers. You look so cozy that it makes his heart beat a little bit faster.

“Mom says hi,” he says. You smile. “She wants to know why you haven’t visited her with me.”

“Tell Mom that I say hi,” you counter. “And that I am a stressed out post-grad who struggles to visit her own family and they live twenty minutes away.”

Tyler laughs, typing out exactly what you said, and sending it. But, he also texts her: Plus, she just got a big girl job in LA. Busy times for Ms. YLN… I’m excited for her.

Tyler locks his phone and places it down on the bed side table, then reaches for yours and does the same. You slide into bed beside him, leaving a good chunk of space between your bodies. The dogs take your entrance into bed their cue to join. They fill up the space between you and Tyler.

“How am I supposed to cuddle you now?” Tyler asks. His lips are in a pout. He sits up again and shoos Marshall and Cash down the bed to your feet, then reaches out to pull you in. You scooch over without protesting and drop your head to his bare chest. His hand falls into your hair, fingers brushing through the knots gathered at the nape of your neck.

“Thank you for having me here.”

“Thank you for coming.”

It’s almost been exactly three years since the last time you shared a bed. It’s amazing how time has changed so many things, but hasn’t changed how easy this feels.

Tyler’s phone buzzes twenty minutes later after you’ve already fallen asleep. He reaches over without moving too much to avoid disturbing you. There’s an unread text from his mom: She’s making her way closer to you, huh? That’s good.  

You wake up before Tyler the next morning. It seems like neither of you moved all night. Tyler’s still on his back, one arm around your body to keep you curled against him. It’s a struggle to leave the bed without waking him, but you manage to do it anyway.

You eat a bowl of cereal with Cash at your feet, then brew coffee to bring to Tyler in bed. The moment you walk in, the smell stirs his senses. He lifts his head, peaking an eye open to see you place the mug on his bed side table.

“I just ate some cereal,” you tell him. “I’m going to head out to the pool. Meet me out there?”

“Thanks,” he mumbles. He sits up, swinging his legs off the side of the bed, and picks up the coffee as you head out of the room to change into your suit. Cash follows you the entire way, plopping himself on your bed as you throw on the one piece you’d brought in addition to the bikini, not wanting to waste your day worrying about your tattoo.

When you leave the room, with towel in hand, Cash trots over to follow you. You pass the kitchen on the way out and see Tyler standing at the stove. His back is to you, toned and strong and begging to be touched by you. Okay, maybe not, but your hands want to touch it badly. Tyler hears you as you tug the sliding door open and glances over with a fond smile at the way Cash is still following you around.

Outside, you lay your towel on the bit of grass a few feet from the pool and collapse onto it. The sun is bright and warm against your skin and Cash is soft against your legs.

Tyler joins you about fifteen minutes later in a bathing suit with a towel of his own. Instead of jumping right into the pool with Marshall, he comes over and lays his towel down next to you. He plops himself down, inches from your face and smiles widely at you.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

Tyler situates himself to lay on his stomach, like you, and keeps his face turned toward yours. His eyes scan down your body, taking in the black bathing suit that cuts low on your back. He looks back up, not so subtly licking his lips, before saying, “I like this suit.”

Around lunch, Tyler’s been in the pool so long that his fingers are starting to prune. He pulls himself out long enough to make sandwiches for lunch. You follow him into the kitchen to help.

The two of you put together an assembly line of sorts with bread, cold cuts, cheeses, and condiments all laid out on the counter. Tyler starts, handing you a plate so you can create a sandwich beside him. You bump his hip with your own and he smiles down at you as he spreads mustard across his bread. He bumps you back with a little too much force, sending you stumbling to the right. Tyler barks out a laugh and grabs you by the waist to keep you upright, again with too much force.

“Are you trying to kill me?” you ask as you hit his chest with a thud. “You forget how much larger you are then me.”

Tyler looks down at you against his chest, takes one glance at how large his hand looks against your bare back, and grins. He leans his face a bit closer and states, “Trust me, I don’t forget.”

He releases you from his grip and continues down the line without another word. 

Jamie shows up around dinner time with steaks to grill up. He’s dressed in a button up and some khaki shorts with boat shoes, hair done. You’re still out back in your bathing suits when he arrives. You two didn’t even know he was on the way to the house, or that he arrived. He just walks out the back door and hollers at you, “What the hell are you two still doing out here? I’ve been calling you both for the past thirty minutes.”

A look of concern passes over Tyler’s face. He asks, “How’d you get in?”

“I still have your spare.”

“I need that back!” Tyler exclaims. “I’ve been looking for it forever.”

“It’s on the counter,” Jamie says. He holds up the steaks in his hand and smiles. “Ready for dinner?”

“I’m starving,” you answer. You climb out of the pool, patting Cash on the head as you make your way up to the deck. You pass Jamie on the way into the house. “I saw some French fries in your freezer, so I’ll go make those.”

Tyler stays out at the grill with Jamie, despite how many times Jamie yells at him to, “Put a fucking shirt on, dude. I don’t need you breathing on me while you’re shirtless and wet!”

Cash and Marshall tangle themselves up at your feet while you cook, the promise of French fries far too good for them to pass up. And, yes, you do give them one or two, even though Tyler keeps fat shaming Cash.

You toss Cash a fry and smile when he hops up to catch it. Crouching down to pat him on the head, you say, “You’re beautiful. Don’t let Daddy tell you otherwise.”

“Daddy, huh?” Tyler’s voice makes you jump. You assumed he was still at the grill because you never even heard the sliding glass door open. There’s a shit eating grin on his face as he leans up against the counter, arms crossed, and stares at you. “I never thought I’d get the chance to hear you call me that.”

“Don’t get used to it,” you murmur. You stand upright, rolling your eyes at that smirk on his face before turning back to finish dumping the fries in a bowl. Tyler steps over to you and reaches up to the cabinet above your head. His hand drops to your back, right above the place where your suit starts, just above your ass.

He’s so close you can smell the chlorine on his skin, you can feel the body heat coming off him and his freshly tanned skin. He grabs a serving plate and pulls it down, tapping your head lightly with it on the way down. Then, his hand falls away and he’s walking back out of the room.

After dinner, Tyler and Jamie run out to grab alcohol for the night. People aren’t planning to come until 10 p.m., so you have a lot of time to relax and get ready. As soon as the boys leave to run their last-minute errands, you hop in the shower and admire the fresh tan you’ve acquired over the past two days on the way out.

For the next thirty minutes, you stare at the mass of clothes piled onto the guest bed. You hadn’t realized how much you packed for this trip until this moment. You look through them, pulling out a pair of funky light wash jeans and a few cropped tops. You shove the rest of the clothes back into your suitcase with no plans to fold them. That’ll be a Boston issue.

You put the pants on and stand in the mirror to check your butt out. Then, you rotate each shirt to see which one you like the best. You’ve grown slightly obsessed with your new tattoo, so you find yourself gravitating to the shirts that will show it off. That’s why you end up settling on a long sleeve, black shirt that stops just a few inches below your boobs.

You sit on the floor in front of the floor length mirror in the guest room and put your make-up on, cursing the low lighting the entire time. You don’t spend too much time on it tonight, just highlighter, mascara, a light eye shadow, and some lip gloss.

The boys come home and you can hear Tyler’s shower starting, followed by his awful shower singing voice.

You stand and check yourself out in the mirror once more. Your tattoo is completely visible and looks beautiful. You trace a finger along the lines with a satisfied smile.

You find Jamie out in the living room. He’s watching a baseball game on mute and turns when he hears your bare feet against the hardwood floor. He checks your outfit out and lets out a low whistle before complimenting, “You look good, dude.”

“Why, thank you!”

“And that tattoo!” he exclaims once he sees it. He stands up and walks around the couch, crouching a little once he gets closer to you to take a better look. “Seguin did good.”

“I agree.”

“Are you bummed you’re leaving tomorrow?” Jamie asks as he steps back and sits on the arm of the sofa, folding his hands in his lap.

“Yeah, it sucks,” you admit. “But, I think it’s good. I was getting way too comfortable here.”

“What’s so bad about that?”

“This isn’t where my life is,” you answer. “It’s just a vacation that feels really, really normal.”

“You should just move here.”

“I can’t spend my whole life following Tyler around.”

“Why not?”

You open your mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. Quite frankly, it’s a good question, but you ignore it regardless and retreat to the kitchen with a roll of your eyes.

Tyler suggested making a jungle juice type of punch for the party and, sure enough, he followed through with the alcohol and the fruits to make it. He pulled out a punch bowl for you, too, so you start making it to the sounds of the now unmuted Rangers game.

When Tyler finally comes out of his room, he’s dressed in a tight black t-shirt and a pair of black jeans that make you a little light headed. He doesn’t look in your direction at first, the Rangers game capturing his attention the moment he steps into the room.

“Good game?” he asks. He sits beside Jamie and pulls his shoes on, then leans forward to continue watching. There’s another few seconds of silence. “Where’s YN?”

“Right here, dumbass,” you call out. Tyler looks over at you. You’re still not facing him, having only glanced over at him to see him enter the room. He hops off the couch and sidles up beside you, one arm wrapping around your shoulder to watch you stir some liquor into the bowl. His cologne floats to your nose. “You smell nice.”

“Thank you,” he says. He plants a kiss to your right temple and then drops his arm to grab beer from the fridge. He places one beside you, passing you on the way over to Jamie with a soft touch to your hip.

He can’t stop looking over at you. One second he’s completely zoned into the game and the next he’s turning his head to look at you again. Jamie catches on almost immediately and attempts to ignore it. But, after the fifth time Tyler glances over, Jamie smacks a pillow into Tyler’s chest and knocks the wind out of his lungs.

“What the fuck?” Tyler yelps. He yanks the pillow from Jamie and smacks him back.

“Ladies!” you exclaim. They look up at you with boyish smirks. “At least take your clothes off before having a pillow fight.”

“Don’t objectify me,” Tyler warns. Jamie snickers, mumbling under his breath, “You’d love it if she objectified you.”

Before either you or Tyler can respond, the doorbell is ringing and Cash and Marshall are running to it. Thus, the wave of partygoers makes their way into the house. You don’t know a single person in the crowd other than Jamie and Tyler, but everyone seems nice enough. There are a few guys, teammates you assume, that make a point to introduce themselves.

“Tyler always talks about you,” one of them, who you’re almost certain is named John, notes. “Sometimes it feels like the best thing that happened to him in Boston wasn’t the Stanley Cup, it was you.”

That’s not the only comment like that, but you try not to dwell on the others longer than necessary. These aren’t feelings you want to feel right now, not when your flight is a mere 18 hours away.

It doesn’t take long for the house to fill up and you soon find that it’s packed from wall to wall. The influx of guests has separated you from the two boys you feel most comfortable with and you’re desperate to find at least one of them. People are out by the pool, crowded around a folding table in the living room, sitting around the island in the kitchen. Everywhere you go you find people, but you can’t find the party host.

“Hey,” Jamie calls out to you. He’s sitting on the counter, a girl you’ve never met before between his legs. “You look lost.”

“Where’s Tyler?”

“Out back, maybe?” Jamie answers. He grits his teeth in a silent apology. “Do you want me to come look for him with you?”

“No,” you state after noticing his arm snake around the girl’s waist. You smile at them. “I’ll find him.”

You step out to the yard and find Tyler sitting at the table by the pool with a group of guys that had come in with your new friend, John. One of them taps his arm and nods up to you. Tyler looks over and a grin spreads across his face. He motions for you to come over to him and scoots his chair back from the table as you approach.

“Where’ve you been?”

You step up to the table, lean against the back of Tyler’s chair, and answer with a laugh, “Looking for you.”

“Everyone, this is YN.”

“Oh, we know,” one of the guys speaks up. He stands and announces that he’s off to get another drink, earning a murmur of agreement amongst the other men who get up to follow him. “Nice meeting you, YN. See you two inside.”

Once they’re on the way to the house, Tyler reaches up and tugs on your hand. You let him guide you to stand in front of him. You situate yourself between his knees, reaching up to cup both of his cheeks in your hands. He leans into your palm, staring up at you with his puppy dog eyes, and says, “Hi.”

“Hey,” you retort. He reaches up and grips your hips, pulling you into his lap. You wrap your arms around his shoulders in response, melting into the way one of his hands slides up your thigh and the other settles against your lower back. “When you said you were throwing a party, I didn’t expect this.”

“Too much?”

“No,” you answer. “I just didn’t think you had so many friends.” Tyler throws his head back in laughter and you smile at the reaction adoringly. You run one of your hands through his hair and tell him, “I like John.”

“Klingberg?”

“Yeah, he’s nice,” you state. Tyler chuckles softly. “Told me that people wouldn’t even know you won the Stanley Cup in Boston because all you talk about is me.”

“He said that?” Tyler asks, jaw slightly ajar. You nod. He drops his forehead to your shoulder with a loud groan. “Why would he say that? They love chirping me.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m very flattered,” you tell him. “I like to think that my friendship is a little more valuable to you than a large, silver trophy that too many mouths have touched.”

“I mean,” he murmurs. “Both are pretty fucking great.” Tyler leans back and stares at you as you watch the dogs chase each other in the grass. His fingers trail up and down your forearm, giving you goosebumps that he notices right away. “When am I going to see you again?”

You look back at him, tilting your head as you think about the answer. You state, “I’m not really sure.”

“I hate that answer.”

“Well, I need to get settled in Cali,” you answer. His eyes study your face as you talk, falling to your lips more than any other feature. “And you’re going to Canada after I leave to have some family time. Then, you’re going to be back here for the season.”

“And I have a feeling my California road trip isn’t until like halfway through the season,” he grunts. “Maybe I can come around the holidays? Or you can visit for Thanksgiving or something?”

“We’ll figure it out,” you promise. He nods. “We always do.”

Tyler squeezes your thigh lightly and, in response, you pinch the skin at the nape of his neck playfully. It feels so peaceful out in the backyard that it’s easy to forget the party inside. Once again, you’re wrapped up in your own little world with him. He runs his fingers along the back of your top, then down your spine. He looks down at your outfit again and then looks up at your eyes with a smile and says, “You look really good.”

“Tyler!” a shrill voice calls from the deck. Tyler almost winces when it shatters the moment between the two of you. “Come inside! We’re playing Thunderstruck!”

“Coming!” he responds before dropping his head against your shoulder again with a sigh. The hand that has been resting on your lower back trails up to the nape of your neck, scratching the back of your head lightly before dropping again. He taps your thigh to get you to stand and then takes your hand in his on the way back up to the house.

Thunderstruck did its job and, after it was over, everyone was on their way to lowered inhibitions and stupidity. Soon after, Tyler and Jamie were ripping shots with their teammates. They even managed to talk you into a few. Tyler’s fingers lingered a little too long on your back at the top of your jeans, but he never made it known that he knew what he was doing. He’s just drunk, touchy Tyler.

More people show up, this time a group of girls dressed like they’re going to a club. They’re beautiful and flock over to the boys as soon as they enter. They embrace all the guys like they’re old friends. It feels odd to be looking in at a moment like this. It’s a look at Tyler’s real life, the people he spends most of his time with nowadays.

Tyler gives a quick introduction to the girls for you and they’re friendly enough, but you can tell they’re wondering who you are and why you’re here. Then, one of them wraps her hand around Tyler’s elbow and tugs him away. He sends you a quick glance before going with her willingly to the corner of the kitchen.

“That’s Kelsie,” Jamie informs you. “They sleep together, occasionally.”

“I think I could’ve figured that out on my own,” you grunt. Jamie chuckles. “She’s pretty.”

“Yeah, but she’s kind of a bitch,” he murmurs. You smack him on the stomach. “I’m sorry, but it’s true.”

You take one last fleeting glance at the two of them in the corner. Tyler’s hand rests against the counter beside her hip and they’re both leaning into each other, smiling as they talk about whatever it is they could possibly be talking about. She giggles, tapping his arm lightly.

“Do you want to play beer pong?” you ask Jamie. He nods with a knowing smile and leads you out to the living room.

You’re bad at beer pong. It’s a known fact. Yet, Jamie carries the team enough for you to run the table for three or four games. Each time you finish a drink, John Klingberg goes to grab another for you. You’re steady on your feet, but you know that you’re drunker than you feel. Eventually, you and Jamie lose the spot at the table when two of his teammates beat you.

Jamie gives you a tight squeeze after you shake hands with the boys on the other end for playing a good game. Then, you step to the side and watch.

Tyler’s in the room now, but he’s sitting at the recliner on the other side. Kelsie’s still with him, sitting on the couch closest to the chair. He’s telling some elaborate story, you can tell by the way his hands are moving as he speak, and she’s giggling along with him. It makes you a little sick, sort of mad, but what are you going to do?

You think back to Dan and how easy it was to just break up with him because you knew Tyler was in the other room. Every relationship you’ve had since that kiss has meant nothing to you. You’ve been trying to date all these guys just to feel something and, yet, it hasn’t happened.

“Can I tell you something?” you ask Jamie. Your words come out a little slurred and you make a mental note to mix in a water after you have this conversation with Jamie. He furrows his eyebrows in response and nods. “I broke up with Dan yesterday.”

“What?” he asks. His eyebrows shoot up at your admission, but he leans in to have you repeat it because he’s almost certain there’s no way you just said what you said to him.

“I broke up with Dan,” you repeat. Jamie’s hands shoot out to grab you by the hips and shake you. You slap his chest lightly.

“Have you told Tyler?”

“No.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“I didn’t want the rest of my trip to be all about the break up,” you tell him. Jamie rolls his eyes so dramatically that you’re convinced if you hit him in the back of the head they could get stuck like that.

“If you think for a second that Tyler would want to spend another minute talking about Dan, you’re out of your mind,” Jamie states. It’s your turn to roll your eyes. “I’m serious.”

“It’s so stupid,” you murmur. “I’m not telling him now. He’s with that girl.”

“He’s with that girl because he thinks you’re still with Dan.”

“Stop,” you grumble. Jamie grabs your hand and yanks you down the hallway to the guest room. He pushes you in and shuts the door behind him. “Why are we in here?”

“Because I need to talk some sense into your drunk ass.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“He’s in love with you,” Jamie declares. “The kid’s been in love with you for years and I think you’ve been in love with him just the same. This is the chance to figure it out.”

“I’m moving to California.”

“So?”

“I’m not doing long-distance,” you state. Jamie run a hand through his hair, face red in frustration.

“You two already do long-distance,” he argues. You shake your head. He’s right and you know it. You literally said it to Tyler the other day as a joke. “I have spent the last three years listening to him pine after you. Every single girl he’s ever been with, even if it’s only for a night, is compared to you. I’ve been a third wheel for far too long just to make sure that he doesn’t fuck up the way that he did on the Fourth of July in 2013.”

“He didn’t fuck up.”

“Well, he’s spent the better part of three years thinking that kissing you was a mistake,” Jamie says. “You’ve never talked about it with him and, although I can see the way you look at him, Tyler is way too dense to see how crazy you are about him.” He takes a breath and then says, “If nothing else, at least tell him it wasn’t a mistake. Tell him that there are feelings there for him, however small they may be. He deserves to know that it’s not a lost cause.”

You stare at Jamie, dumbfounded. He stares back, waiting for a response. After a minute of silence, you sigh and tell him, “It’s bad timing, Jamie. Tyler deserves someone to come home to and that’s not going to happen with me now, maybe not ever. Our timing has never been right, and it’s not right now. I don’t want to jump the gun and try to make this happen when I know I can’t put my all into it like I would want to.”

Jamie huffs, tossing his head back like a frustrated toddler. A groan escapes his lips just before he returns his attention to you. He shakes his head and says, “Fine. If you’re not going to talk about your feelings for him to him, then at least tell him you broke up with Dan. He is your best friend after all.”

Before you can respond, he turns to the door and reaches out for the handle. He looks back once more, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. It reads 11:30 p.m.

“You have until midnight,” he says. “And if you don’t tell him by then, I’m taking it into my hands.”

You’re way too drunk, wayyyy too drunk. You’ve lost Tyler again, as well as Jamie, so you’re in the kitchen with a glass of water hoping that it’ll sober you up enough to get through the night. You’re having a stare down with the clock on Tyler’s stove. It’s five minutes from midnight and there’s no shot you’re finding him before Jamie breaks the news.

Tyler is sitting out back in a lounge chair on the deck with Kelsie by his feet. She’s rubbing her hand against his shins, listening to Tyler’s conversation with a friend. Tyler checks his phone, wondering where you’ve been and why you haven’t come looking for him. He glances over at Kelsie with an uneasy sigh.

Moments later, the door slides open and Jamie’s on the other side. He lets out a breath when he sees Tyler. Tyler looks up at him and sits up straight, swinging his feet off the lounge chair and away from Kelsie’s hand.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Jamie says as he steps out onto the deck. “Have you talked to YN?”

“No,” Tyler answers. He gets to his feet immediately, feeling a panic set in. “Where is she? Is she okay?”

“She broke up with Dan yesterday,” Jamie tells him. Tyler’s eyes widen. “She just told me.”

Tyler brushes past Jamie and storms into the house to look for you. No sign of you in the living room or down the hallway to his room, so he continues into the kitchen and finds you talking to John. Tyler approaches, grabbing your wrist to pull you away from his teammate without an apology. You stumble forward into his chest. He wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you closer, bringing his lips to your ear to ask, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

You look up at him, eyes wide, and he returns the same gaze. His hold so many questions. You sigh, running a hand up his chest to his shoulder to push away from him lightly.

“Can we talk about this later?”

“I just don’t understand why you told Jamie, but not me.”

“Later.”

Tyler’s shoulders drop and he releases you from his arms. He takes one last look at you. His face is riddled with anger, frustration, hope. He’s never felt like this before, like he has no control over a situation. And this situation, with you, is one he’s never been able to control.

Fortunately for impatient Tyler, people start clearing out about half an hour after he confronts you. He’s been doing his best to steer clear of you because, honestly, he didn’t think he could talk to you without bringing the conversation up again.

Jamie and the boys are the last to leave. They step out onto the porch with Tyler as they walk out to their Ubers, but Jamie stays a moment longer. He wraps his arms around you and squeezes.

“I’m sorry I had to tell him,” he mumbles into your hair. “I needed him to know.”

“It’s okay,” you state. “Hey, maybe I’ll be thanking you.”

“Maybe,” Jamie repeats. He steps back, smoothing a hand over your hair. “Good luck on the move and the new job. I’m excited to see the place whenever we come visit.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah, you will,” he says with a nod. He plants a kiss on your forehead, gives your hand one last squeeze, and then steps out to the porch, passing Tyler on the way. They exchange a quick goodbye, saying something about seeing each other tomorrow, and then Tyler steps inside and closes the door.

After he locks it, Tyler turns around and looks at you. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He throws his arms up in defeat and then laces a hand through his hair. You cross your arms against your chest and bite your lip before blurting out, “I’m sorry.”

“When did you break up with him?”

“Before dinner yesterday,” you answer. “He called and everything just came out. About my job, about my move, everything.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want the last 48 hours of my trip to revolve around it.”

“Never in a million years would it revolve around that,” Tyler states. “I have never wanted to talk about your relationships or your boyfriends. I don’t like to hear about that part of your life.”

“Should we clean up?” Tyler’s jaw drops at the question. He just sort of admitted to his feelings that are still very much there and you ask to clean up? “We need to clean up because we’re not going to bed with the house looking like this. I’ll answer all your questions. We will talk. But, first, I need to clean some of this mess.”

“You drive me crazy,” he mumbles. He walks past you into the kitchen and mumbles as he grabs some cleaning supplies, “In more ways than one.”

Tyler takes the living room, you take the kitchen, and you work in complete silence. You take a bit longer than him, scrubbing the surfaces of his counter to get the stickiness off it. He steps into the kitchen and watches you for a moment before asking, “Need help?”

“I’m almost done,” you answer. You wipe a few more times as he approaches. He sits down at one of the stools and drops his chin into his hand to watch you. “Are you done?”

“Yeah, I just threw stuff in a garbage bag.”

You hum in response, wiping a towel across the counter to dry it. Then, you take a step back to look at the entire counter. It’s completely cleared and washed down. Tyler stands, trailing a finger across the surface with a smile.

“All clean,” he notes. “Can we talk now?”

“Can we brush our teeth first?” you ask. He rolls his eyes. “Please.”

You’re stalling. He knows it. But, he also doesn’t mind.

You follow him into his bedroom where you left you pajamas earlier in the day. Tyler pulls his clothing off shamelessly on the other side of the room and slips on a pair of sweatpants before leaving to brush his teeth. You change as soon as he leaves the room, back into his t-shirt and your sweats.

You enter the bathroom where Tyler is standing in the mirror with his toothbrush in his mouth. He hands your toothbrush over to you with the tube of toothpaste and smiles. He spits moments after you start brushing and washes his mouth out with some water. Instead of leaving the room, he sits against the counter and waits for you to finish.

You spit a minute later, washing your mouth like he just had. You wipe the corners of your mouth with a paper towel, then look over at him. The frustration and confusion displayed in his eyes from before has melted away to the look you always get from him. Adoration.

He doesn’t move, doesn’t reach over to take your hand or pull you into a hug. He stays complete still, his eyes the only part of him that is moving and, even then, they stay on your face. So, you move. You step forward, between his legs, and drop your head to his shoulder. His hands slide up your sides and around your back, pulling you into his chest.

Another few minutes are spent like that until one of Tyler’s hands moves to your chin. He picks your head up and his lips part with a sigh. He leans in, the side of his nose bumping with yours, and then he closes the gap with his lips.

It’s the same type of kiss as the one from 2013, but this time when he pulls away neither of you stop another kiss from happening. His lips ghost over yours before he leans back in again. Your fingers find the curls at the nape of his neck and stay there, playing with the loose strands as you wait for the next kiss.

The second one is more passionate and Tyler can’t get you close enough. His hand wraps around the nape of you neck, the other keeping you steady at your lower back. Tyler swipes his tongue along your bottom lip and your lips part in response.

Tyler’s arms wrap completely around your waist. He pushes off the counter, keeping you close to him and lifts you off the ground. You wrap your legs around him with your hands laced in his hair, gripping at the roots. He carries you to his room and shoos the dogs off the bed before placing you down on the mattress.

He’s hovering over you moments later and your hands have a mind of their own, traveling over his shoulders and his biceps, back to his cheeks. He pulls his lips away from yours long enough to kiss your jaw and your neck. His hands trail beneath your shirt, pushing it up to reveal your stomach.

There’s no thinking involved, just his mind on overdrive. He inches down your body and presses his lips against your stomach, kissing to the waistband of your joggers and earning a gasp from your lips. He smiles against your skin.

Your fingers lace through his hair as he ghosts his lips over your skin. He brings his lips to your ribs and kisses the tattoo. Then, he comes back up to kiss your lips again. He knows he needs to slow it down, but he doesn’t want to.

After a few more kisses, he drops to your side, nestling his face in your neck after placing one last lingering kiss against your skin. He sighs, “This wasn’t how I wanted this conversation to go.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I kissed you,” he says. “It’s on me.”

“It’s okay,” you say again. There’s a heavy silence that settles between the two of you. Tyler presses a kiss against your throat and then lifts his head to support it in his hand. You look at him as you play with his hair, admiring his face. “I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed like that.”

“That’s the only way you should ever be kissed,” Tyler states. He leans down and kisses you again, short and sweet. He’s trying to keep himself from letting this get too far. He drops his head into your neck again and asks, “Can you feel my heartbeat? It’s pounding.”

“Mine too,” you respond. You reach up and run a hand over your face. “God, this is so stupid.”

“What do you mean?” he asks, lifting his head to get a better look at you.

“Our timing is such shit,” you elaborate. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“I know that,” Tyler says. “But that doesn’t matter. Right?” You don’t respond, but he sees the look on your face and knows immediately where this conversation is going. He knows you too well to not realize he’s about to be shot down by the only girl he’s ever loved like this. He shakes his head and says, “You know what? Don’t answer that. We can have that conversation tomorrow. Just let me have this for one night.”

Tyler lifts your hand to his lips and flips it to place a kiss on the stars on your skin. 

[holidaywishes]

Embers

Chapter I: fate is a funny thing

  Summary of series: Katie moves from Peachtree, Georgia, to L.A. with her son, Alex to start fresh after the death of her husband. When she meets Evan Buckley, a young firefighter, she falls fast but will her son be so quick to accept Evan into his life?

  Summary of chapter: Katie and Alex have just gotten into the swing of things: work, school, friends, parties, events, and this support group for single parents and their kids that Katie’s mom referred. This particular day, Katie and Alex meet Eddie Diaz and his son, Christopher.

  Warning: nothing really, maybe talk of death? this chapter is pretty much just exposition which is why it’s as long as it is.

  Author’s Note: Hey y’all. So, right now I have names for my characters (Katerina/Katie, Alexander/Alex, Helena/Leny/Oma, Jesse) alongside the actual characters from the show but feel free to change out those character names for whatever name you’d prefer. This chapter is probably going to be a bit dry because it’s exposition for the rest of the series but it will get more exciting as it goes on. I hope you enjoy it!

  masterlist

  the other masterlist

xx

Katie’s P.O.V

  “ALEX!” you called to your son, “come on sweetheart we’re gonna be late!” Alex running down the stairs and straight into the kitchen to grab cereal, completely ignoring you. “Alexander Samuel Richardson, get your butt in the car right now”

  “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” he mocked, “isn’t that what you always say mama?”

  “You can grab something when we’re there,” you say, picking up Alex from the chair he’d put next to the counter, “I’m sure there’s plenty. We have to go.”

  “NO!” Alex shouted

  “Yes” you replied

  “NO!” he repeated, in more of a whine this time as you opened the car door

  “Alex, sweetie, please, we can’t be late again today. Please baby.” You pleaded but Alex continued to whine, even as you put him into his car seat and closed the car door.

  “I DON’T WANNA GO!” Alex screamed

  “Alex, please. We’re doing this for Oma. and for us. It’s good for us to talk about Papa, okay?”

  “I. DON’T. WANNA. GO!”

  “TOUGH COOKIES MISTER!” You finally yelled back, squeezing your eyes shut immediately afterwards knowing what was coming next. Sure enough, your eight-year-old son began wailing in the backseat of the car and didn’t stop until you pulled into a parking spot. You got out of the car and took a deep breath, unsure of what your son would do when you opened his door.

  “Mama, please. I’ll be good. I just wanna go home” Alex said when you opened the door

  “Aw sweetie,” you cooed as you unbuckled Alex from his car seat, “this isn’t a punishment. I know it’s not the most fun thing to do on a Sunday, okay? I know you’d much rather be playing baseball or watching cartoons. I get it, I do. But just one hour and then we’re going to see Oma!” You waited for your sons reply as you brought him out of the car and sat him on your hip before closing the door.

  “Okay” he mumbled and you sighed as you carried Alex into the community centre where the support group was being held; apologizing to everyone for being late.

  “Not to worry,” Jonathan, the group’s mediator, said, “would you like to share?”

  “Oh,” you said in surprise, “okay, sure. Well, Hi, I’m Katerina, but everyone calls me Katie. This is my son Alexander--”

  “But you can call me Alex--” Alex interrupted and the group laughed, leaving you with a small smile on your face as you played with his hair before continuing the introduction

  “We just moved here from Georgia three months ago after my husband, Alex’s father, Jesse passed away last year.”

  “Thank you for sharing Katie,” Jonathan said, “and both of you for coming today.” You smiled, thinking that would be all you’d have to share for the day

  “How did he die?” a woman asked from across the circle, “Hi, sorry. I’m Sherry, this is my son, Connor. My husband left us two years ago. We’ve been coming to these groups ever since. So, Katie, how did your husband pass?”

  “That’s a little crass isn’t it?” You tried, shocked that this woman would even ask that so carelessly, “I don’t have to answer that, do I?”

  “It would help,” Jonathan started, “for us to know. So we can help you and Alex better.”

  “I’m not sure I understand that but sure.” You cleared her throat and thought of how to approach the words without hurting your son, fidgeting with the engagement ring on your finger that you just couldn’t seem to take off, “Jesse joined the Navy shortly after we got married. He died when he was in Iraq, doing some mission that they won’t tell me anything about other than it was ‘routine.’” Alex’s face dropped and you glared at Sherry; you had to force herself not to say something snarky when, out of nowhere, someone did it for her

  “Why did your husband leave you, Sherry?” a man in a fitted LAFD t-shirt asked, “couldn’t handle your petty attitude anymore?”

  “Oh bite me, Firefighter Ken” she sneered and your giggled to yourself, just in time to catch the man’s stare; noticing him smile in your direction.

xx

  “Can we go home now?” Alex asked and you laughed

  “We’re going to Oma’s remember?” You said as you buckled your son back into the car seat

  “Why did Daddy leave?” he asked

  “He didn’t want to leave, you know that,” you responded, tears forming in your eyes and your voice beginning to shake, “he just had an accident and--”

  “Why did he join the Navy? Why couldn’t he just stay with us?” It was a question you and Jesse had had many times before he would leave for a tour and one you had with him before he even enlisted; one he never quite gave you an answer to.

  “It was something he wanted baby,” you answered half-heartedly, “so he went for it.”

  “Does that mean he didn’t want me? you?” Alex’s words caught you off guard and your breath hitched in your throat, speechless

  “Of course he wanted us, he ju--” you said, searching for your phone-- “shoot, I have to run back in for a second. I’ll be right back okay?” Alex nodded, exaggeratedly. When you got inside, and found your phone, you took a breath before tears streamed down your cheeks; not realizing that someone else was in the room

  “Everythi--” you jumped at Eddie’s voice-- “-ng okay? Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just thought I should let you know I’m in here.”

  “Oh my god,” you replied, trying to catch your breath, looking at the man and his son standing across from her, smiling at her reaction, “I’m fine. I just had.. I mean that Sherry is a piece of work isn’t she? Who asks that? I mean I guess it’s the point of the group but my son.. I want to slap her across her dumb face.”

  “Sherry’s a tough pill to swallow but you’ll learn to deal with her. How’s your son doing?” Eddie asked earnestly and you pursed her lips to the side, trying to decide what you should tell him

  “He’s confused, to be honest. He thinks his dad didn’t want him, didn’t want us, and that’s what he joined the Navy. How am I supposed to explain something to my son that I don’t even really know the answer to?”

  “He knows, deep down, that his dad loved him and wanted him. When he gets older, he’ll realize that the Navy was just a job for his dad.” You smiled at Eddie’s sentiment

  “He’s just so young to have to deal with any of this but he knows that something’s wrong and I just.. don’t want to screw him up.” You rambled

  “Believe me, I know how you feel,” Eddie replied with a sigh and a smile, “after my wife died, I had to tell Christopher and it was the hardest moment of my life. Every day since has been me trying not to let him down. But you know how we get through it?” You shook your head as if to say ‘tell me,’ “together. We have each other and, at the end of the day, that’s all we need.” You appreciated his candor but when you remembered that Alex was waiting in the car you panicked and began to run back to him, getting back to him while he was talking to Sherry and her son.

  “You know what I think, Georgia?” does this woman give everyone a stupid nickname?

  “What’s that Sherry?” you sneered

  “You’re too young to be a mom. And that’s--” Eddie stepped in between you and Sherry before anything went further

  “Alright, Sherry, that’s enough. I suggest you walk away before you say anything you’ll regret.” She did as she was told and you rolled her eyes before checking that Alex was okay.

  “Alright. So..” you huffed, turning back to Eddie, “are you really a firefighter or is that t-shirt just for your ego?” He laughed, looking down at his shirt and back at you, your eyebrow arched slightly as you awaited his response

  “No, I’m really a firefighter, but my name’s not Ken--” he said, offering his hand for you to shake, realizing they hadn’t actually been introduced-- “It’s Eddie.”

  “Katie,” you shook his hand firmly, but with a sarcastic grin on her face, “it’s nice to officially meet you, Eddie. Officially, this is Alexander,” you smiled, gesturing to your son who was patiently waiting to leave.

  “Nice to officially meet you, Katie and, you, Alex. This is Christopher,” Eddie introduced his son to you and Alex, both of the boys waving to the other, “hey, Alex, have you ever ridden in a firetruck?” he asked and Alex shook his head hesitantly

  “Eddie is a firefighter, that’s kinda cool right?” you turned to your son to see him reluctantly smile before eventually responding ‘cool’ and you laughed at his sudden shyness.

  “We should get going,” you finally said, “it was nice to meet you Christopher. Eddie.”

  “We’re going to see Oma!” Alex exclaimed

  “Grandma” you explained and Eddie nodded is head in understanding

  “Well, what if I told you Christopher and I were going to stop by the Firehouse to see everyone. And we’d love for you to see the firetruck?”

  “You don’t have to do that” You whispered and Eddie pouted before shaking his head

  “It’s my pleasure. It seems like the kid might need a little excitement today”

  “What do you think kiddo?” You asked before noticing the big grin on your son’s face, “apparently it’s a yes. I’ll follow you out?” Eddie nodded, walking back to his truck as you got into the front seat and called her mom to let her know

  “This sounds like a trick” your Mom said

  “Mama, it’s not a trick” you laughed

  “Just be careful”

  “Mama...” you chided, “I have to go, can’t talk and drive. We’ll talk later okay? Love you, bye!” You hung up quickly on your mother, just as Eddie’s truck drove up and encouraged you to follow him out of the parking lot.

xx

  It wasn’t anything like you expected a firehouse to be, though you couldn’t describe what you thought it would be; you were truly just happy that your son seemed to be enjoying himself

  “Hey hey. Alex, be careful,” you tried, sighing when the little boy tried to climb on everything in sight and turned to Eddie, smiling, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, should I?” He shook his head

  “He wants to play, but don’t worry they’re safe”

  “I blame you if he hurts himself” you giggled hesitantly, smiling to ease the silence

  “Fair enough but we’ve got paramedics and the hospital on call if anything goes really wrong.” He joked and you hit his shoulder in response, “alright, who’s ready to get in the truck?” Both of the boys excitedly replying ‘me! me!’ You stood behind Eddie as he put the boys in the front of the truck as if to make sure he didn’t drop your son. Standing back beside you once both were in with the doors closed, “you want up there?” he asked and you hesitated for a second before agreeing but just as he was about to help you up, you heard a few different voices call his name.

  “Eddie, didn’t think you were working today?” a woman asked

  “Not working, just came to let the kids play in the truck”

  “Kids? Plural?” a taller man with, what looked like, a scar on his left eye asked

  “Yeah. Uhm..” he started before pulling you over, “guys this is Katie. Katie this is Hen, Chimney and Buck.”

  “Hi,” you said softly, reaching out your hand to shake each of their hands, “it’s nice to meet you.”

  “So how do you two know each other?” Chimney asked

  “We just met today actually” you replied, “a support gro-- wait am I allowed to talk about the group? It’s not like AA or something is it?”

  “No,” Eddie laughed, “we can talk about the group. We’re in a ‘family support group’ and I saved her from one of the moms”

  “I mean.. saved is a strong word,” you joked, “but he did help me.” Katie couldn’t help but notice that Buck’s eyes hadn’t left her and it was starting to make her blush

  “We decided to let the boys come back here and hop in the truck for a bit. To let off steam or whatever.” Soon, their captain joined the group and you, again, introduced yourself with a smile.

  “Bobby Nash. These guys call me Cap” he smiled in your direction before you heard Alex call for you

  “Yeah baby?” you replied, craning your neck to meet his eyes but it wasn’t working

  “Need some help?” Buck said from where he stood behind you, closer than you thought he’d be; taking you a bit by surprise

  “Uhm,” you chuckled to yourself once and tucked some hair behind your ear, “sure. I warn you though, I’m not great with heights. You might have to come up there with me..”

  “I can do that” he smiled and you just about lost yourself in his eyes. When the two of you got up into the front seat with Alex and Christopher, Buck introduced himself to Alex, who didn’t respond until you nudged him

  “Alexander, be polite.” You insisted

  “Hi, I’m Alex” he said, not looking at the two of them, leaving you to look at Buck apologetically

  “It’s nice to meet you, Alex.” Buck said anyway, letting you know he was just stepping back down for a quick second, but if they needed him, he could jump right back up; you returned his smile with a bright one of your own just as your son took your attention away from Buck.

  “Eddie,” Buck whispered once he was down on the ground, distancing the two of them from the group, “so the two of you aren’t like.. a thing right?”

  “A thing? Buck we just met a few hours ago...”

  “So that’s a no right?”

  “I--” Eddie started when the door to the firetruck opened suddenly and the three inside were being helped down. Alex couldn’t contain his excitement when he was back on the ground

  “Can we come back tomorrow, Mama, can we?”

  “Alex, this isn’t a playground okay? This was fun for today but we can’t come back okay,” You said, kneeling down to meet your son at eye level, “but you can thank everyone for being so kind.” You stood back up and waited for him to do as he was told but he suddenly got very shy again, grabbing your hand and burying his face in your side, “it’s okay, sweetie. I’m sorry, he’s not usually this shy,” she laughed, whispering to him, “just a quick thank you and we’ll go okay?”

  “Thank you...” he said quietly and you smiled, shrugging your shoulders before leading him out. You stopped at Eddie and Buck

  “Thank you, Eddie,” you started, reaching your left hand out to touch his arm, “I really appreciate you letting us come here today to do this. You didn’t have to but I do appreciate it and so does Alex. So, thank you.”

  “Of course! Like I said before. It’s my pleasure. And anytime they want to come back, feel free. The firehouse is always here...”

  “Thank you,” you repeated, “it was nice to meet you, Buck, it was nice to meet everyone.” You called to the rest of the team and they all smiled and waved at you before they got back to their day.

  “It was nice to meet you as well, Katie.” Buck said, still smiling at you and you smiled back at him, shaking his outstretched hand with yours. You pushed back your hair allowing Buck to get a closer look at what he thought he saw earlier. Sure enough, you noticed his smile fade slightly when he noticed the ring on your left hand, dropping your hand quickly; you furrowed your brow but ignored the awkward moment, “maybe we’ll see you again, both of you.” There was a coldness to his tone that wasn’t there before that confused you, causing your smile to all but disappear.

  “I’d like that,” you said, trying to bring back the smile you had been so entranced with before to no avail, “we’d like that, I mean.” When the awkward silences were beginning to be too much, you let Alex drag you back to the car and decided to go back to the original plan of heading over to your mom’s place where Alex would surely eat all of the ice cream she had in her freezer.

 xx

Evan’s P.O.V

  As Katie and Alex walked back to their car, you hung your head and walked away

  “Whoa whoa whoa,” Eddie said, running over to catch up to you, “what was that?”

  “What was what?” you replied, confused at Eddie’s question

  “Oh come on, Buck, even I noticed it,” Bobby said with a smile, “one second you’re Casanova, flirting with that girl, and the next you’re treating her like she’s your sister or something.”

  “I’m a naturally flirtatious person, I don’t know what to tell you”

  “Oh Buckaroo...” Chim chided, “you felt something. We could all see it”

  “So what happened Buck? Did it suddenly hit you that she has a kid?” Hen joked

  “What? I love kids!” you defended

  “So what happened?” Eddie asked

  “Nothing..” you said, “I just-- she’s-- I don’t think it’s a good idea.” You sighed and Eddie took him aside

  “What’s going on?” Eddie pressed

  “I don’t understand why you’re pushing this?” You responded, pointedly

  “I’m not interested, if that’s what you’re getting at”

  “Not where I was going but good to know”

  “Buck..”

  “I don’t get why you’d want me to be interested in a married woman, Diaz,” you challenged, “I’m not that kind of guy.”

  “Married?” Eddie scoffed

  “What?” The alarm went off just as you asked his question

  “You need to learn to ask questions, Buck,” Eddie shouted over the loud alarm ringing through the firehouse, “get to know her before you assume you know her.” As the team took off in the truck, Eddie took Christopher home, smiling to himself, leaving you confused as ever. 

[chaoticowlpost]

heyyy could you maybe write part 3 for babysiting when Rose and Lucy tell Hermione and Percy about the ball Draco did for them and they don't believe the girls until Victorie says that Teddy danced with her all evening and they notice that Draco didn't remove the nail polish or something like that?

I’m a scam and I forgot I didn’t post the final part JSDSBHDJF I’m sorry and I hope y’all like it <33

--------------------------------------------------

part 1 || part 2

“Alright, get packing!”

There was a faint “Sir, yes sir!” that sounded from Teddy’s room, but Harry wasn’t too sure if he heard it correctly, if it was even said at all.

It still baffled Harry somewhat to see how easily the children complied whenever Draco asked them to do something. Of course, he knew that they adored him, but that didn’t quite explain the way they all immediately hoped out of their beds and began packing their bags on command.

“What?” Draco asked once he realized Harry was staring at him.

“Hmm?” Harry shook himself out of his thoughts. “Oh, nothing. Although I’m sure their parents could learn a thing or two from you.”

“Right,” Draco snorted. “I’d like to see you try to tell Ronald that.”

“Pretty sure they’d be thankful, but if you insist,” Harry chuckled. Yeah, he wasn’t about to risk his life by saying that to Ron and Hermione.

“I’m going to pack Hugo’s things. When did you say they would arrive?” Harry’s boyfriend asked, already stepping into the room where Hugo slept. He really did love how hands-on Draco was with the children.

“They should be here some time before noon because Molly wanted to throw us a lunch since we weren’t able to join them,” Harry reminded him. “Speaking of which, I should probably set some things up before they arrive.”

“Okay,” Draco nodded, disappearing behind the wall. “I’ll just... be here.”

“Sure thing,” Harry said softly, sure that Draco hadn’t heard him. On one hand, he felt like they should have alternated cooking like they normally do but on the other, he knew that Draco was having fun taking care of the children.

Smiling to himself, he began making his way down to the kitchen, trying to think of something to make that Molly wouldn’t have thought of to avoid offending her.

------------------------------

“And you’re sure it was absolutely okay?”

“Hermione,” Harry laughed. “I told you, the children love Draco. Adore him, really.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Draco interjected from one of the sofas with Louis and Rose sitting on his feet while clinging to his legs as he held Hugo, his face completely impassive as he sipped his tea.

“Is that so?” Harry mused, feeling a grin form on his face.

“Mate, you gotta admit it’s pretty hard believing that all the kids would just bow down at his feet,” Ron said, unable to tear his eyes off the odd sight. “I mean... him. Really?”

“Apparently so,” Harry responded with a small smirk. “Even got the rest of the kids to read with Rose instead of watching TV.”

That might be stretching the truth a bit, but they did technically read a book - or rather, listen to Rose read a book while they acted out their roles. Still, it was a story.

“Right, what else did they do?” Percy asked, feigning interest so badly it almost made Harry snort. “Knit sweaters? Bake bread?”

“What do you have against knitting sweaters, young man?” Molly asked, raising an eyebrow at her son, who immediately grinned sheepishly at her.

“Nothing, of course,” he responded. “It’s just pretty strange, right?”

“The children like Draco - I’d take their word for it,” Molly said, smiling at Harry. “It sounds like they had a great time, anyway.”

“We had a ball!” Dominique squealed, pulling her mother over. “And we danced, and danced, and danced until we passed out.”

“Passed out?” Bill asked, joining their circle. There was mild concern on his face, but he mostly seemed amused. “I guess that’s one way to get the kids to bed.”

“Bill,” Fleur chided, smacking his arm. The oldest Weasley child snickered, along with Ron and George. 

“How did you guys throw a ball?” Hermione asked, turning to face Harry.

“Oh, you know,” Harry said vaguely, waving his hand. It was Draco who planned it. He didn’t know the specifics.

“We had makeovers!” Lucy giggled, joining their circle. 

“Did you?” her dad asked, picking her up. “Did you paint his nails too?”

“Yes!” Victoire nodded seriously. “And then I got Teddy to dance with me the entire night because Draco was busy.”

“Really?” George mused, glancing at the small girl. 

“It was Uncle Harry’s fault!” she added, frowning slightly before brightening once again. “But it’s okay! Did you know Teddy isn’t too bad at dancing?”

She began rambling about how they danced and everything they did, all while re-enacting the short dance that Draco had taught her. It wasn’t perfect, but he could tell that just a few meters behind him, Draco was proud. 

“I suppose we must get going soon,” Molly sighed, pulling Harry into a hug. “Thank you for watching over the children while we were gone.”

“It was nothing, really,” Harry said, smiling at her. “Draco did most of the babysitting, anyhow.”

“Do you think he’d like to do it again?” George asked hopefully, earning himself a soft smack from Angelina. “What? I’m just saying, they might miss him is all. Since, you know, they like him so much.”

“It would be no problem at all,” Draco said, hobbling over. Louis had extracted himself off his leg to join George at his side, but Rose remained completely content with enjoying the short ride.

“C’mon, Rose,” Ron said, offering a hand to help her stand.

“She was fine where she was,” Draco sighed, watching as the little girl brushed off her skirt. “I suppose you’re all leaving, then?”

“We’ll be leaving first,” Percy said, stepping into the floo while waiting for Audrey and Lucy to follow behind him. “See you guys on Sunday?”

There were murmurs of agreement as people began circling around to bid each other goodbye. 

“Your son,” Draco said, offering Hugo to Hermione. She took him with a small chuckle, smiling gratefully at him. 

“Thank you for watching over them,” she said, her eyes tracking Ron, who was gathering their things. 

“Any time,” he responded, tilting his head. She hugged Harry, who returned the action, before eyeing Draco skeptically. Eventually, she just gave a small shrug and pulled him into a hug as well.

Draco looked surprised, to say the least. Harry watched as he lifted his arms awkwardly to wrap it around her shoulders as well before pulling away, glaring lightly at Ron, who snorted at the exchange. 

“Bye,” she said, stepping into the floo after Ron and Rose. “And Draco?”

“Yes?”

“Nice nails, by the way.”

-————————————————-

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[forever-rogue]

The Edge of Thirty - Part 1

Summary: Everyone seems to be getting married, having babies, or “growing up.” Except Y/N. Suddenly at almost thirty, reality seems to be crashing down on her – and hard. Nothing seemed as daunting as turning thirty...until she met Gwilym Lee anyway.  

A/N:  Firstly, let me just say a big thanks to everyone for all the support for the little teaser I put out last weekend. I think this is going to be a fun piece to write, and hopefully you’ll like reading it! I am definitely soft AF for Gwil, what can I say? So yeah, enjoy reading and let me know what y’all think! Taglists are open xx 😊

Pairing: Gwilym Lee x Reader

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: Language 

MASTERLIST

“Oh, thank god you’re here,” Y/N threw her arms up in happiness as she spotted her best friend waiting for her at their usual brunch table. Becca looked at Y/N with a frown as she set her phone, taking a moment to taking in her disheveled appearance. Y/N gave her an apologetic smile, her lipstick smeared slightly outside of her lip line. She looked like she had a rough night, “sorry I’m late-”

“Again,” Becca rolled her eyes making a point to look at the watch on her wrist, “just like last week and the week before. Maybe I should buy you a watch? Would that help? Or you know, you have a phone with a clock as well. And an app that lets you schedule things.”

“Alright, good lord. Didn’t know we were keeping track of me that much, Beccs. Well, here I am,” she tossed her phone down on the table, hanging her bag on the chair as she flopped into her seat. Groaning, she held her head in her hands, “please be gentle with me. I have a killer headache, haven’t had one this bad in a long time. I didn’t have time to take aspirin or anything this morning. I was running so behind.”

“Hmm. Sounds like your usual night then,” Becca studied Y/N, taking in the inappropriate brunch outfit, remnants of last night’s makeup, the mussed hair. She internally, and externally, sighed at her best friend, “went out again last night I see. Where to last night?”

“Jesus, cool it with the accusations,” she reached in her bag and pulled out her sunglasses, whipping them on her face to shield the glaring mid morning sun, “I’m here to have brunch and talk shit, just like every other Sunday. This feels more like an attack on me. But it was Rococo’s if you must know. It got pretty wild-”

“Y/N, did you even manage to get home last night? Look at you, you look like you just rolled out of bed!” Becca already knew the answer, but grabbed her glass of ice water, sipping on it as she waited for an answer. Y/N rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses, giving her a dirty glare, “ahhh, you didn’t. Didn’t think the whole silver glitter romper look was quite right for brunch. Whose bed did you roll out of then?’

She remained wordless and tossed her head back, letting out a long groan at Becca’s words. Becca had never been as much of a party goer as Y/N, but the last few years, she barely even wanted to go out anymore. Not my scene she always claimed.

Once she spotted a waiter, she grabbed his arm, tugging on his shirt as he passed by. He stopped in his tracks, startled by her sudden actions “helloooo my good man, send out a mimosa, please. Bottomless. For me and her-”

“No, please, thank you,” Becca shook her head, giving the startled waiter an apologetic look for Y/N’s actions, “I’ll stick with water. And maybe someone else should as well.”

“It’s brunch - mimosas are tradition! Besides, it’ll help clear up my headache. But, you’re not drinking?” Y/N’s jaw dropped at her words. Not drinking during a Sunday brunch? That was practically blasphemy. She lifted her sunglasses up and peered at her best friend closely. The more she thought about it, she hadn’t seen her drink at any of their brunches lately,  “what the hell, Beccs? Are you like straight edge now or something?”

“Don’t try to change the subject right now, Y/N. This isn’t about me, it's about you,” Becca crossed her arms over her chest. The most serious of expressions was on her face as she regarded Y/N,  “who were you out with last night? What was his name? Do you even remember the evening?”

“Ugh, yes. Mostly. But as far as his name I-I don’t know, what does it matter?” she shrugged it off her accusations lightly, resting her head in her hand, rolling her eyes, “it’s fine, really. Look, I’m here and alive, what else matters?”

“It’s just…we’ve-I’ve been worried about you, Y/N-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, when did this became all about me? We? What is there a Y/N support group now?” just in time the waiter came back, dropping off her mimosa. He must have senses the tension between the of them because he quietly set the glass down and scurried away as quickly as possible. Y/N eagerly took the glass, taking a big sip before turning her attention back to Becca.

“I’m just…we’re almost, thirty Y/N. We all need to grow up sometime. Isn’t it time we changed our priorities in life? Most of us have done so...then there’s you. Please don’t be mad because this is coming out of love. Maybe going out every weekend, waking up next to people whose names we don’t know, and being hungover for days isn’t everything we should be aiming for in life,” Becca twiddled her thumbs nervously, trying to be as gentle as possible. She knew she must have sounded like a huge bitch, but that was the opposite of what she wanted.

“Look, Becca, I love you, but I just want to eat brunch and bullshit. Like we always do, not reexamine my life choices. That’s for Friday night when I’m home alone and have a good cry over whatever I’m watching on Netflix,” she stood up to leave, annoyed by the turn of the conversation. She waved her hand at Becca, as though dismissing her, “I think I’m going to leave. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Wait, Y/N, please don’t go. Not yet.  I have something to tell you,” Becca sighed before she could leave. Y/N turned around, setting her sunglasses on her head, and looked at her expectantly, hand on her hip, as she tapped her foot impatiently,  “I’m pregnant.”

Y/N almost dropped back in her seat at the sudden revelation, searching for words, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She stared at her best friend who just looked back at her with a smile on her face, “oh my God. Oh no! What are you guys going to do? Have you told your parents yet? I’m so sorry. I-I’ll be here to support you no matter what. But oh my God-”

“Y/N, slow down for a second,” Becca looked at her friend’s concerned face, “what do you mean what we are we going to do? This was planned. We wanted this baby.”

“You wanted this?” she parroted her words, an incredulous look on her face, “you had sex to try and get pregnant on purpose?!”

“Y/N, Joe and I have been married for two years. He’s thirty-five and I’m going to be thirty this year. We’re both adults, we have good jobs, and we’ve decided to start our family,” she explained. She reached across the table and took Y/N’s hand in hers, giving her a soft smile, “it’s okay, Y/N. This is what we wanted.”

“I-I don’t know what to say,” she gave her a worried look, trying to process everything. Pregnant. It shouldn’t have been such a shocker, but it was. She knew it would be coming one day, but it felt so...soon.

“Congratulations would be a start,” she gave her a weak smile. Y/N looked at her lifelong best friend, fighting back the tears that were stinging her eyes, and threatening to spill over and onto her cheek, “Y/N, Joe and I are really, really happy.”

“Congratulations, Becca. I’m happy for you and Joe. You’ll be great parents.”

“Deacs- today totally sucked! Chalk this down as one of the worst days yet. What was she even talking about?” Y/N stared at her reflection in the mirror. There were still bits of dry mascara clinging under her eyes, despite her best efforts to wash her face properly. She grabbed a cotton round and wiped vigorously trying to get the remnants to go away, “I’m a proper adult. I went to uni. I have a real job. Like a job job. Isn’t that enough!?”

A huff came from the adjoining bedroom and she rolled her eyes, wrapping a fluffy towel around her still dripping body, “besides, I wasn’t the one that went out and got pregnant. Ooohhh we wanted this baby. Who even does that?”

This time a drawn out groan met her ears and she braced herself against the sink studying her face intently. She looked the same as she always had, but something was different this time. It was the first time she actually felt like she was getting older, her mortality suddenly evident. The spritely twenty-one year old she normally saw was not staring back at her - it was the twenty-nine year she was trying to convince herself she wasn’t.

“I know, I shouldn’t mock them. I love them both dearly. I know she intended on getting pregnant and has always wanted a family, but it’s still weird. I feel like we’re still kids,” she let the mirror steam over again before stepping out the the warm bathroom and in the cold air of her bedroom, “kids having kids and getting married. Wild.”

“But, you know, I feel like her accusations were completely out of place,” Y/N sighed as she toweled dried her hair messy hair, “why was it suddenly about me, you know? She’s gonna come after me and then suddenly drop this huge bomb on me? I mean come on, it’s Sunday Brunch, it’s not meant to be serious. Sundays are meant to be fun, but this was anything but. I want to be happy for them, but I don’t know, everything feels off. I feel off.”

She reached into her dresser and pulled out a clean shirt and shorts, slipping them on quickly before stretching, enjoying the pleasurable popping off her joints. She grabbed her phone before crawling in bed, deciding it call it a day, “you know, Deacon, sometimes I feel like you completely ignore everything I say. You have not contributed a single thing to this conversation expect a few sounds. Very unlike you, buddy.”

Deacon looked up from his bed, located right next to hers, giving her a sound somewhere between a snort and groan. She frowned at him, patting the space next to her, hoping he’d join her for an afternoon nap. The small wiry dachshund gave her a dismal look before laying his head back down, ready to attend to his own nap on his large bed. Y/N frowned at him, hoping her best companion and confidant would throw her a bone at least.

Grabbing her phone, she opened up Instagram, snapping a picture of Deacon to post to her story. Even though he had snubbed her, he was still too cute not to photograph. Just as she was about to lock her phone and get ready for a post brunch nap, it started vibrating in her hand and Ben’s picture popped up, She wondered if Becca had already gotten to him and told him about their brunch. Ben always seemed to have some sort of sixth sense about this things - a trait with which was both endearing and frustrating.

Deciding to let it go to voicemail, Ben guessed just exactly what she was doing, because he immediately texted her: don’t ignore my calls, Y/N. I know you’re home, probably watching Netflix. Sighing, she texted him back with a middle finger emoji before returning his call, making him wait a few agonizing minutes first.

“You just think you know everything, huh, Ben Jones? For your information I hadn’t even turned Netflix on yet,” she sassed him as soon as he answered the call. He let out a low groan and she could imagine him sitting on the couch, running a hand through his hair, as he pinched the bridge of his nose,  “to what do I owe the displeasure of this sudden intrusion on my lazy Sunday?”

“I talked to Joe earlier,” he said and Y/N immediately cringed, shaking her fist at no one in particular, staring at her ceiling. Of course he had. From the day Becca had first introduced Joe to their group of friends the two men had become almost inseparable.

Sometimes it was almost scary, but it was like the two of them shared a brain, or maybe a single brain cell between the two of them. Joe had even gotten one of those silly cardboard versions of Ben as a joke, but sometimes she wondered if it was all a joke… Ben interrupted her thoughts, “did you hear that he and Becca are expecting? I guess they found a few weeks ago but wanted to tell their parents first.”

“Yup,” was all she said, popping the p loudly, “she told me this morning at brunch. Little bit of a shocker though, isn’t it? I mean, it’s so...sudden? It hit me out of nowhere.”

“How is it sudden? They’ve been together for almost six years and they’ve been married-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, for two years, as I was politely reminded this morning,” she huffed, laying back down in bed, “I don’t know, they’re just so young, and a child is a lot of responsibility.”

“They’re not that young,” he interjected, almost laughing, “we’re all going to be thirty within the next year, Y/N, and Joe’s even a bit older. Have you forgotten that part? It’s not like we’re kids anymore. This adult thing has been going on for a while.”

“Everyone seems so fond of reminding me of that fact,” she threw her arm over her eyes, trying to shield out both the sun, and impending doom of turning thirty, “it’s not quite here, it’s fine. It’s...like the edge of thirty, really.”

Thirty. It had always seem so far off, something always in the distance, but never obtainable. Once twenty-one happened, she felt like the world was at her feet, she was unstoppable. Life was good and nothing mattered. Then twenty-five happened and things seemed less fun - college was over it and time to buckle down work on her career. Now, at twenty-nine, thirty was always looming over her head. But life was fine - she’d gotten the adult job and done all that but she still clung onto her early twenties, desperate to stave off thirty.

She’d be going into her thirties single and childless while everyone else around her seemed to grow up - or so her mother always seemed to eager to remind her of. Something that made her cringe every time. Especially when it came to that fact that her siblings were “already married and starting families” by the time they were her age. Why did it even matter?

“Y/N? Hello -  are you still listening?” Ben’s gentle voice pulled her back into reality. She sighed and mentally rolled her eyes, “you’re daydreaming again, aren’t you? What are you thinking?”

“Cut the Dr. Jones act, Ben, you’re not at work, you’re my friend right now. Besides I’m right here,” she chided him sitting up in her and bringing her knees to her chest, resting her chin there. Sometimes having a therapist as a best friend was both more of a curse rather than a blessing, “what were you saying?”

“I’m just saying that thirty is coming up fast,” his voice was low and she could tell he was trying to be gentle. She imagined he did this to patients, “maybe...it’s time to reexamine our priorities. We’re not kids anymore, love, we’re actual adults with actual jobs living actual lives. No mum and dad to tell us what to do anymore.”

“Ahh, I see Becca’s already gotten to you I see, ” Y/N groaned, holding the phone away from ear for a long moment, picturing the morning’s fiasco in her head again, “she practically gave me the Spanish Inquisition at brunch today. It was a nightmare.”

“She’s...we’re all looking out for you, Y/N,” he tried to be reassuring, but Y/N just snorted instead, “I’m not trying to be mean, but maybe it’s time to say goodbye to the party scene and settle down. I mean, how many other people our age are regularly going out to clubs every weekend?”

“Settle down?! That’s a bit dramatic, isn’t it? We’re turning thirty, not getting ready to die! I’m sorry I’m choosing to have fun instead of just sitting around being old and sad like you lot,” she rolled her eyes dramatically even though he couldn’t see. Knowing Ben, he’d feel it anyway, “why is everyone suddenly so uptight?”

“Are you though?” he asked after a brief pause.

“Am I what?” she flopped back against her pillows, wishing she could just sink into her mattress and disappear.

“Are you having fun? Are you happy - truly?” She remained silent for a few tense moments before quietly answering yes. For the first time it sounded fake and hollow - even to her.

“Things are changing lately...and I guess it’s causing us all to have to grow up a little bit,” he said in a non committal way, “look, Becca and Joe are going to have a baby, Lucy and Rami are getting married next month, Tess and I are getting more serious too. She’s moving into my place. And then there’s you, Y/N. I’m not saying this to be mean, I’m saying it because I’m your best friend.”

“Huh,” she felt the back of her eyes stinging with tears for the second time that day, “you say that but it really doesn’t feel like it right now. If you all had such a problem with me why not tell me sooner?”

“It’s just..everything’s changing right now, it’s an important time in all of our lives. You, Becca, Luce and I all grew up together. Joe and Rami and Tess are like family now too. Things are changing, we’ve all changed - except you,” Y/N could feel a few hot tears start to trickle down her cheeks at his words. He wasn’t wrong inherently, but the words still hurt. She had watched her best friends blossom into proper adults while she...remained mostly the same as always. Not much had changed from when she was in college besides the flat she lived in and her job.

“Ben, I’ve got to go,” she tried to keep her sniffle quiet, “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly and she murmured a quiet mhmm, her face contorted to stop the tears, “I’ll see you at work tomorrow. I love you, okay?”

“See you at work,” she ended the call and tossed the phone to the side. She wiped away a few stray tears before pulling the blanket up and staring at the London skyline outside of her window. It was funny to her, how much one day change your perspective so much.

She heard a small whimper from the side of her bed and saw Deacon staring at her intently, his pointy nose resting on the edge of her bed. Y/N reached out a hand and gave him a few pets. Once she stopped, he nudged her hand with his nose, before quietly giving up and jumping onto her bed, giving her cheek a few licks, “at least you love me, Deacy.”

He offered her a small bark before she lifting up the covers and he wiggling his way under, curling up next to her stomach. 

She took her phone and placed it on the nightstand, the picture there catching her eye. It was of her, Ben, Lucy, and Becca on their first day of university. They were so young and lively, eyes wide with hope. The smiles plastered on their faces stretched from ear to ear frozen in time. It seemed like so long ago, another lifetime and world even. Touching over the frame delicately, before turning the picture face down. The picture was one of her favorites - but right now it just caused a pit in the bottom of her stomach. 

Yawning and closing her eyes, she petted Deacon lightly as she drifted off to sleep, wanting nothing more than for this day to be over. Maybe it had all been a bad dream, some sort of weird concoction her mind had created.

Maybe thirty wasn’t so close. Maybe it was all a nightmare.

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[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

Chapter 21 - Seed + Spark

AN: Okay coming back to this story has been so fun! I hope y’all like it. Definitely let me know what you think--messages and asks are always welcome!!! 

wc: 3.4k

I rubbed at my eyes in the lift, the whirring of the gears felt they’d lull me to sleep. Quinn--who was too tired to have sex with me--sent me on my way with a kiss and the promise that she’d see me tomorrow. Now, I was headed back down to the lobby of her dormitory building to head back to mine.

The lift beeped, signaling my arrival on the ground floor. The doors slid open, revealing Harper chewing somewhat obnoxiously on a granola bar. The door to the stairway clicked shut--letting me know that Millie had probably just left for her room on the third floor.

“Hi,” she said through a full mouth, looking me up and down as I stepped out of the elevator. I didn’t know if I had the patience for her right now--especially if she was drunk. Based on the crumbs on her shirt, I would be willing to bet that she was. 

She sidestepped me and got into the lift--and when I realized she was about to just let me walk away, I panicked.

“Y’know--Niall is kind of a wanker,” I told her, turning on my feet to face her.

She stared at me for a second, her face told me that she didn’t know how to reply. “What makes you think that?”

I didn’t necessarily want to explain. I mean--there’d always been a part of me who thought that no one was good enough for Harper. Instead of telling anyone that, I simply made her out to be a little bit more experienced than she probably was. When Niall asked me about her our first week on campus, I told him she’d had plenty of partners. 

I didn’t mean to lie--but the sudden thought of other guys being all over her made me nauseous. Before I knew it, I was telling Niall that she’d gotten around in our hometown in hopes that it would be a turn off for him. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be.

When that story spread around campus a bit and the fire spread, Harper would cry to Millie about how people thought and heard that she had slept with half the footy team. I couldn’t bear to tell her that it had likely been my fault because she’d likely be livid enough to never speak to me again.

But based on what I knew about Niall and his previous experience, he certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for Harper. “I just know him, s’all.”

“Well, I’ll be the judge of his character,” she said adamantly. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as I stuck a foot in the crack of the lift to keep the door from closing. 

Her forehead creased--she was clearly aware now that we were in another moment of tug of war. Her attitude only bothered me, and when she narrowed her eyes at me, I couldn’t tell if I wanted to shake her or kiss her. 

“Are you--like--interested in him?”

She let out a sigh at this--as if it was none of my business and as if she had no clue why I cared. I didn’t quite know either. 

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Maybe.” 

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn’t really mean it--or at least, she knew she was pissing me off. I still had yet to figure out if Harper really relished in bothering me, or if she just had a knack for it. Her blonde hair was messier than earlier--the result of a long night and the wind in the quad on the way home.

“Have a good night, Harper.” 

Her eyes met mine once more as I turned to walk away--the only sound in the empty lobby was the noise from the lift letting us know it didn’t appreciate being kept waiting. Luckily for me, though, when I looked over my shoulder to catch a final glimpse of her for the night, the doors had already shut. She didn’t need to know that I was as confused as ever. 

**

I’d gotten a text from Quinn at half nine asking me to meet her in the dining hall around 10. That was fine, but I hadn’t the slightest clue that Millie and Harper would be tagging along.

Quinn appeared by herself at first, approaching me with a sweet smile and a plate with a waffle on top--but when I looked over her shoulder to find Harper and Millie laughing at something as they grabbed forks near the breakfast bar, my stomach did a flip.

Quinn sat and placed a kiss on my cheek--the contact between our bodies doing less for me than ever before. I forked a bite of my omelette into my mouth, hoping--for the life of me--that Harper would just mind her own business. I’d never be so lucky. 

“Those look good!” Quinn eyed Harper’s plate as they pulled out their chairs and sat across from us. 

“Good morning, Harold,” Millie greeted me with a firm tone. I looked up--smirked in her direction, and replied with the same courtesy. 

“Good morning, Mildred.”

Millie rolled her eyes and pretended to gag at her own name, her eyes still on her breakfast plate. “I take my back greeting.”

My relationship with Millie was interesting. I went back and forth between thinking she hated every fiber of my being and actually thinking she found me somewhat entertaining. I knew we both liked the same TV shows and had a similar sense of humor, but Harper did her best to keep the two of us far away from each other. 

Quinn--ever oblivious and slightly out of touch with reality--started keeping us abreast of her Sunday plans. A paper to write, some cleaning and laundry to do in their dorm. Eventually, in hopes of keeping my own brain from caving in on itself, I reminded Quinn about our upcoming anniversary. 

“Eight months, lovie, what do you want to do to celebrate?”

Millie had gone to fetch another glass of juice by now and I was desperately searching for a way to remind myself that Quinn was a great girlfriend. 

Harper’s eyes darted to Quinn in anticipation of her answer and she chewed and wiped her mouth. I wasn’t about to dole out a hefty paycheck on a month-iversary, but I also worried what Quinn would think if we didn’t do anything. 

“Movies? Dinner?” I suggested a few options, hoping to get her brain moving in the right direction and away from anything too expensive. 

That was probably the biggest problem with Quinn: she had expensive taste. She was quite posh, according to my sister--always dressed and groomed well. She had long hair dark hair that was always in place and a bright white smile that seemed to turn heads. 

“Movies and dinner is so typical, Harry!” Quinn cooed, her voice high and flirtatious as she poked me in the side. When she leaned in closer to me, I got a whiff of her perfume--the strawberry one she wore the day we met. 

“Well then you need to pick something, Quinnie!” I smiled back at her, urging her to make the decision so I didn’t have to. 

Sure--Quinn wasn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but there were plenty of good things about her. She had a good taste in movies for the most part, she was social and got on well with my friends, she was a good student, she cared about others, loved animals. Absolutely adored football and loved going to any matches.

“You could always go to a heavy metal concert,” Harper shrugged her shoulders, her eyes flashing from Quinn’s to mine--her expression completely serious. “I heard Barron’s Landing has a good line up next month.”

I rolled my eyes at her sarcastic suggestion, Quinn let out a laugh and took another bite of her breakfast. 

I, too, looked back down to my plate to finish what was left, but the table shook as a body slid into the seat next to my childhood friend. “Well good morning, Harper.”

Niall Horan was sat across from me now, his blonde hair and eager grin a bit much for this early in the morning when I was still a tad hungover. 

“Hello,” Harper greeted slowly, her eyes meeting mine for a second before she looked back to Niall. I busied myself in my plate as if I couldn’t have cared less.

“Listen,” Niall said, his elbows resting on the table as he leaned forward and motioned to me. “I know we were interrupted last night by my dear friend Harry, so maybe we could get dinner one night this week?”

I raised my eyebrows subtly, keeping my eyes on Harper’s face as she seemed to think things over. She was a free woman. She could do what she wanted. She could go on a date with Niall if she so desired and she could absolutely sleep with whoever she wanted to. So why did it churn my stomach to see her nod?

“Uh, yeah, sure, Niall, that would be great.”

“Perfect!” He smiled, standing from the table. “I’ll text ya and we can set somethin’ up!” He disappeared into the array of tables beside us, finding his way back to where he sat with other members of our team. 

“What was that about?” Millie appeared, her plate restocked with a new pancake as she sat where Niall had been. 

“She’s going on a date with Niall,” Quinn chirped, flashing us a grin as she snaked an arm through one of mine, leaning her head on my shoulder. “How exciting!”

“What?” Millie looked at her quickly, her face twisted in confusion as she sat back down and reached for her fork. “I mean, that’s...great,” she added. “You’ve been eyeing him for weeks.”

“Alright, that’s excessive,” Harper waved a hand at her, turning back to me and Millie as she sipped at her glass of water. 

I pulled out my phone and attempted to tune them out. I’m not sure if it was the hangover or the topic of conversation--but my stomach was suddenly displeased. 

“It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date. I’ll have to find a new outfit,” Harper’s voice got higher in tone than it usually was, causing me to look up quickly with furrowed brows. 

“Oh my gosh,” Quinn clapped her hands together. The table shook with her excitement, making the pounding in my head amplify as she spoke. “We can totally go shopping or you could borrow something from me, of course!”

Millie let out a laugh, resting her chin in her hand. “Her ass will never fit in your trousers.”

She wasn’t wrong. Boys in secondary school were always talking about it, most of my friends were often giggling in the schoolyard about the fact that Harper was much more developed than other girls our age. 

“Thank you, Mildred,” Harper bit out quickly. She’d always been upset about that--the fact that her rear end was often a topic of conversation. 

I let out a short laugh at her tone, a smirk on my mouth as I looked up at her. “We were all thinking it.”

“Fuck you,” she retorted, pointing her fork at me with a scowl on her face. “I will tell everyone on this campus about the time you pissed your pants when Gemma and Tierney made us watch that horror movie.”

It was a good thing she’d already told Quinn that ridiculous (and completely exaggerated) story--but I didn’t need to give her any ammo to be out to get me. So instead of telling her she was a liar or obnoxious or annoying, I simply went back to my phone and prayed that my headache would let up.

**

When I got back from class on Monday night, Liam somehow talked me into playing FIFA for a good two hours before I made my way to the shower. How he could tolerate staring at the screen for hours on end escaped me, but I was appreciative of his willingness to let me drone on and on about how much Harper had been pissing me off. 

This wasn’t necessarily new--I mean, she always had a knack for getting under my skin. But this fall, things with her were at a whole new level. She felt like a virus--creeping her way into my life and I was unsure if she’d ever leave. She was loud and forceful and (whether or not I liked it) a huge part of my social circle and uni experience now. 

“She’s going on some date with Niall Horan,” I said, leaning to the left as I tried to sneak the ball past his goalie. When I missed, I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. “Fucking christ.”

“Harper is? He gets around a bit, yeah?”

“A bit is probably an understatement,” I laughed, running one of my players down the field as Liam’s team got possession of the ball. “I definitely don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t know why she’s even going. She’s never seemed too interested.”

The fake crowd roared when Liam made a goal. He paused the game suddenly, turning to look at me with a skeptical smirk. “You’ve got feelings for her don’t you? You weren’t just fucking around the other night, huh?”

I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh--taking that as my cue to end the game and take a shower. “I don’t have feelings for Harper Coleman. She’s annoying and too friendly and she’s practically family. That would be sick.”

Liam laughed to himself and watched as I made my way for the door to our shared bathroom. “Then why do you care who she dates? You have a girlfriend, remember?”

“And Quinn and I are extremely happy together,” I said matter-of-factly. It wasn’t a lie. It might have been a bit hyperbolic, but it certainly wasn’t false. 

“Did you ever like her as a kid?” He was curious now, his hands tucked behind his head as he leaned back in the desk chair that he’d rolled across his room. 

I paused in the doorway, letting out a breath as I pieced together an answer. “Yeah--sort of. I dunno. She kissed me once and then acted like it never happened and then right when I really decided that I did like her and that I was going to go for it, she dated this twat of a kid in Year 8. Fin Devens.”

“Fin Devens,” Liam snickered under his breath, completely amused by my frustration. “What a twat.”

“He was a right twat,” I said adamantly, nodding my head to communicate just how serious I was.  

“Alright, alright. So maybe those feelings are still there a bit.”

I let my gaze fall to the floor. Could that be it? Could my current distaste for a girl like Harper Coleman stem all the way back to that seed--her and Fin and when she kissed me when we were nine in the backyard? 

There were many times throughout the years when I thought maybe Harper was the girl for me. She cried to me once when she got stood up for a date in Year 10. She hugged me when my dad blew me off again for another birthday. She came running to my house when Gemma broke her arm on the swingset. 

Harper had been a constant in my life--there was no doubting that. But the older we got, the more complicated things became. She was my friend, my sister’s confidant, she showed up invited at my house and ate the snacks in the cupboards when her mom hadn’t gotten anything good. 

How was I supposed to have feelings for someone who knew so much of my life that I was destined to be the annoying brother of her sister’s best friend? 

“Maybe that’s why you hate her, bro,” Liam shrugged and pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking a message as I kept my gaze on the tiled floor of his dorm room. 

Maybe he was right. Maybe my hatred for Harper only blossomed when my love (if you could call it that) didn’t have a chance. Maybe the constant tug of war that we were in was a distraction tactic or a defense mechanism that I’d put in place to keep a safe distance. 

Because after years of hoping that something would come of it--being so close to her only felt dangerous. 

**

Quinn and I had met at the dining hall after class--and now her hand was in mine as we walked across the quad to head back to her dorm. She had her jacket zipped up to her chin, blocking the cold air as the wind blew in steady fall gusts. 

“I just hope that it warms up this weekend for the footy match. This weather would be shit to sit in,” she laughed a little, her voice quite muffled by the fabric of her jacket. 

“Hey, mate,” a voice sounded from in front of us--approaching the building from the other side. Niall’s hand was clasped around Harper’s--who’s eyes were on mine as the four of us made our way closer to the building. 

I pulled Quinn closer to my side in an attempt to ignore the voice in my head--the one that noticed how good Harper looked with her hair pulled back. 

“What are you two up to?” Quinn smiled excitedly at the two of them. She’d been excited for days about their date--so much so that I’d heard more of my fair share about it. The only issue was that I couldn’t exactly say to my girlfriend: Hey, Quinnie, do you mind not bringing it up? I’m actually trying to figure out what the fuck I’m feeling towards my childhood neighbor turned your roommate.

“Just getting back from dinner,” Harper offered, leaning her head on Niall’s shoulder as she looked between the two of us. 

Niall let his arm snake around her shoulders--and all of this felt eerily similar to when Harper and Fin Devens used to make out in the park near our houses. They’d sit beneath a tree and laugh and talk and kiss and meanwhile, I’d try not to barf as Gemma and Tierney all felt extremely excited that Harper had her first real boyfriend. Spare me. 

“That’s nice,” I replied coolly, anger getting the best of me as she flashed me a challenging smirk. “Another member of the footy team, huh, Harper?”

Quinn smacked my arm quickly--but Harper rebounded even quicker. “What can I say?” she forced a laugh. “I guess I have a type.”

Quinn cleared her throat and took a sidestep towards the door, pulling at my arm. “Well, we’re headed inside, we’ll see you upstairs, Harper?” 

“Sure,” she saluted in our direction, watching closely as Quinn tugged me into the warmth of the lobby.

“What is wrong with you?” Quinn looked up at me, her feet moving towards the lift so as to not be in their line of sight through the glass doors. “You’re a right wanker, Harry--that was just mean.”

“I was kidding,” I defended, my voice low and unamused by her nagging. “She’s used to it. She’s fine.”

Quinn let out a breath, the door to the lift opened and we stepped inside. She unzipped her coat a bit, still shaking her head as the lift chimed and closed its doors--now blocking my view of a smiling Harper and Niall in the night air. 

“It’s exhausting, putting up with the two of you, did you know that? Constantly bickering like an old married couple and always trying to out-insult each other.” 

I was quiet for a second--neither of us looked at each other as she spoke. Her words were serious and I could tell she was bothered. Instead of apologizing or defending myself or anything of the sort, I followed her off the lift in silence and down the hall to her room. 

A text message from my sister demanded my presence at a brunch spot near Whitechapel, and when Harper came inside and didn’t speak a work to either of us, I knew I’d fucked up. 

[zvkos]

CH. 6: DELETED SCENE

wassup my loves!! it’s been a month since the last instant crush chap, and i feel so crappy that i haven’t been able to give y’all anything sooner. i have a part of chapter six that i wrote and then got rid of, but i thought: “instead of deleting it, why not post it as something separate?” so that’s what imma do! give you all something to tide over the wait till chapter seven. it’s short and sweet (and unedited :p) but pls take this as a peace offering 💕 

SUNDAY

Sundays are lazy days for Clementine. They always have been. She'll wake up to the muffled sounds of the vacuum cleaner seeping underneath her door. She'll go downstairs to find Lee vacuuming the living room, singing along to the crooning of the television.

Undoubtedly on the 80s music channel.

He'll greet her before she pours herself a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. That bowl of cereal will accompany her in her room as she works on homework until A.J wakes up and demand she join him in watching the newest episode of his latest cartoon obsession. They'll spend quite some time like this—curled up on the couch together—until Lee makes A.J clean his room and start on his forgotten homework. Then Clem is left to her own devices.

Most teenagers are out with friends on Sundays. Some have extracurricular activities that keep them busy during the weekends. More often than not, Clem has nothing.

This Sunday is the same.

With only four months left in the school year, it’s too late to join any clubs. She contemplates texting Ruby and seeing what she’s up to, but decides against it for fear of coming off as clingy. The idea to text Sophie appears in her mind for a split second and disappears just as quick.  

No, instead she resolves to help Lee with laundry because… why not?

She’s folding A.J's shirts when her phone loudly vibrates on top of the dryer. Lee is separating the dark and light clothing when his head jerks up at the harsh sound.

Clem grabs her phone and checks the notification. Lee's watchful eye has her controlling her expression, but she can't stop the small smile that breaks through.

[3:16pm Louis] U ever feel like ur brain is melting out ur ears?

[3:16pm Louis] Bc that's me doing my calc hwk rn

She shoots a quick reply back and continues to fold A.J's shirts—periodically stopping to reply to Louis.

The cold loneliness she felt melts away. He’s so easy to talk to. She was nervous to text him after Saturday night, not wanting to disturb him. According to everyone, Louis is a social butterfly. He probably has plenty of people vying for his attention.

So she's pleasantly surprised he texted her at all.

She doesn't miss the way Lee watches her out of the corner of his eye. If he’s curious about who she’s talking to, he doesn’t say anything, choosing to stay silent.

She's grateful for that. She doesn't know how many more times she can say “a friend from school” before he insists on knowing who.

The texts continue long after she's done with the laundry. They're still going strong, even after the sun bleeds a deep orange into the sky and disappears behind the horizon. It's nearing six o'clock when she realizes they've been talking for two hours—going on three.

She only peels her eyes away from her phone when A.J appears at her door with his arms folded. “Who're you talking to?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Louis,” she answers, sitting at her desk. Two new speech bubbles pop up on her screen as Louis replies.

A.J gasps and rushes to her, gripping the back of her chair as he peers over her shoulder. “Can I say hi?”

“I'm texting him, A.J.” Clem holds up her phone so he can glimpse at the bubbles of text. “I'll let him know you said hi, though.”

A.J frowns in confusion. “Why not just call him?” Before she can register what's happening, A.J snatches the phone out of Clem's hand and presses the button to video call Louis.

“Whoa—! A.J!” Clem twists around in her chair and reaches for her phone, but A.J is too fast. He darts away from her, holding the phone above his head.

“A.J, I swear—” Clem lunges for the phone at the exact moment Louis picks up the call.

She stops mid-action when his face takes up the majority of her screen. “Hey,” he says, looking slightly puzzled but still smiling. “If I had known you wanted to video call I would've—oh, you're not Clem.”

The phone is maybe four inches from A.J's face. “Hi, Louis!” the kid exclaims with a huge grin plastered on his face.

Louis says, “Hey, A.J!” Then adds, “You're a little close to the camera there, buddy. I can only see your forehead.”

A.J stretches out his arm so the phone is farther away. “Better?”

“Yup, better.”

Clem simmers off to the side, out of the camera's view. A.J can be a real pain sometimes.  

“So, uh, is Clem there? Or did you steal her phone?”

“Clem's here!” Before she can tell him no, A.J is shoving the phone in her face. “Say hi, Clem!”

She was not prepared to see anyone today, let alone Louis of all people. For one, she's still in her pajamas--which consists of an old, faded college shirt from Lee and grey sweats—and her hair is a mess. She's not one to fret over appearances, but this is a bit much. She wills her cheeks to remain their normal shade as she greets him with a wave. “Hey, Louis.”

“Hi, Clem.” He appears to be in his room—if the bed and books are anything to go by. He's wearing a white t-shirt, looking relaxed. “I'm assuming A.J is the one who called me?”

“He—”

A.J turns the phone towards himself, interrupting her with his own sentence. “Yeah! I wanted to say hi.”

Louis chuckles. “I'm flattered. How are you, little man? Doin’ okay?”

“Mhm,” A.J hums. “Can I show you my Monster Alliance collection?”

Louis blinks, caught off guard. “S-Sure thing.”

Clementine stands behind A.J and rests her chin on his shoulder so their heads are side by side. She mouths, “I'm sorry” to Louis, unbeknownst to her little brother. Louis’ mouth twitches in a smirk.

“Lemme show you my room,” A.J says before he's off, gallivanting out of Clem's room and down the hallway.

“Don't hog the phone, A.J!” She calls after his retreating form. “I need it back!”

“I won't!”

Poor Louis. Clementine laughs inwardly, comparing his situation to a prisoner being carried away against their will. She's sat through one of A.J's Monster Alliance lectures before—they're not short. The kid knows enough information about the game to conduct his own class on it.

It's a good thing Louis is kind enough to listen. However, Clem finds herself restless in the absence of their conversation. She wishes A.J didn't have to interrupt their conversation.

Chatting with Louis was the highlight of her Sunday. Clem doesn't remember the last time she felt so comfortable talking to someone who wasn't her immediate family.

Yes, she's comfortable with Ruby, Omar, and Aasim—but there's an uninhibited comfort that can't be explained with Louis.

It softens her—makes her feel mellow.

But now she has to wait for A.J to finish talking to him and who knows how long that'll take.

So she pulls out her notebook and starts studying for her biology quiz because now's as good a time as any.

An hour full of microfilaments and microtubules passes before A.J barrels into her room a second time.

“So Vextaur doubles as a support and a defender,” Louis' voice comes from the phone in A.J's hand.

“Yup,” A.J says. “But a lot of players only use Vextaur as a support. That leaves their backline open for attack.”

Clem furrows her brows, not understanding a word of their conversation.

“Wow, I gotta remember that. Good tip, A.J,” Louis says.

“I can show you how to play next time you come over!” A.J stands next to Clem while she sits on her bed. He covers the screen with his hand and whispers, “Can you invite Louis over so we can play Monster Alliance?”

Clem snorts. “He can still hear you, A.J.”

“Please, Clem!” A.J begs.

“I’ll come over soon, little guy, I promise,” Louis says, his face still blocked under A.J’s hand.

A.J removes his hand to show his sudden grin. “Okay!”

“A.J!” Lee’s deep voice travels from downstairs. “Come here!”

Clem and A.J glance at each other in question. He hands the phone to Clem as he says, “I have to go! Bye!”

“Alright! See you, buddy!” is Louis’ farewell. A.J is gone in a second, leaving Clem in her room by herself.

“I’m so sorry,” Clem says, situating herself against her pillows. “How was A.J’s lesson?”

Louis seems to have his phone propped on something because both of his hands are free as they drag down his face. “My head hurts.”

Clem laughs. She knows that feeling.

[peggysousfan]

Agent Carter An Au Series

So I’ve finished chapter 11.... and chapter 12 will be the crossover chapter! I’m so excited!. It will take some time to write it because I have to watch my dvds of the show and try to incorporate this story into it. I hope y’all enjoy this chapter!:) I look forward to writing more!!

Daniels POV:

Its been four months since Stephanie was born, and I gotta say, she is the sweetest kid ever. Shes adorable, without a doubt, smart, strong, and insanely happy. Even though shes only 4 months old, she punches like a kid I've never seen, which is something, and she actually tries to read when Peggy reads to her. Her eyes follow along to Peggy's voice and its like they're glued to the pages.  I think shes the cutest kid I've ever seen, not that I'd ever say that in front of my niece and nephews. Her hair has gotten darker, and curlier, but her eyes are a piercing blue. I think they might stay like that. I'm guessing her dad had blue eyes, because Peggy's are a blend of dark and light brown.

Today is Saturday, and Peggy and I have developed a routine of me cooking every Saturday and her on Sundays or Mondays, depending on my work schedule. Stephanie is currently sitting on the table, next to my plate, batting at my napkin. I take it and raise it up in the air to wiggle it; she bats at it some more like a cat. I look up and notice Peggy laughing.

"Whats so funny?" I ask.

"Nothing. You're just so good with her. She loves spending time with you." I couldn't fight the grin off of my face even if I tried.

"Yeah well, I've had practice. I've been around babies before, not everyone else had had the luxury or experience.That and I love to spend time with her too, don't I little miss?" She reaches for the napkin and takes it, then starts sucking on it. I distract her with the shining spoon and take it from her mouth, and then she turns up her tiny nose and grunts. God I love this kid. She continues to reach for the napkin as Peggy speaks.

"I guess thats true." She folds her hands in front of her and stares at Steph. "I know her father wouldn't have know the first thing to do. I once seen him hold a baby as if it were a grenade about to go off!" We laugh and the baby catches on, giggling with us. Peggy hardly ever talks about Stephanie's dad.

"They sometimes do blow up like bombs... All over your clothes."

"Oh good heavens don't remind me! She did that this morning and I had to change at least twice." Stephanie catches the napkin again and raises it in the air as a sign of victory. Victory over ruing her mothers clothes more like. She giggles and squirms around, and then Peggy takes her.

"Do you think her eyes are gonna stay like that? That glowing blue color."Peggy looks up at me, and her body tenses up.

"I'm not sure... If they do though, perhaps it will be the only thing she inherits from her father..." The last bit of her sentences was muttered, and I almost didn't hear it.

"Why do you say that?" Maybe I shouldn't have asked that. She tense up more and shakes her head.

"Say what?"

"That you hope her eye color is the only thing she gets from her dad..?" She closes her eyes and sighs. I don't think she meant to say it out loud. Stephanie drops the napkin and starts to grab Peggy's hair.

"I-Its uhm.. nothing."

"Peggy.." She avoids eye contact and tries to get Steph to stop pulling on her hair. "Peg? Whats wrong?"

"Nothing." She says too quickly. Over the past four months Peggy and I have gotten a lot closer. I've told her about my mom and how she died, my brother being tortured and how I was there, .. I even told her about my leg; well most of it. She told me more about her brother and how they argued right before he died, how she was engaged to this British officer guy and left him, and ... even talked about the death of Steph's father. She didn't go into a lot of details, but she did admit they weren't married and thats why she hated the name 'Mrs. Carter'. The boundaries that we have around each other are slim, and I hardly question myself around her anymore. So now its time to get personal, and hopefully I'm not breaking one of the few boundaries we have.

"Peg, do you remember, four months ago, the time when Steph wasn't nursing? And I told you how... I wasn't able to have my own anytime soon because of this" I pull out my crutch.

"Of course I do. I also remember telling you to never say the word that we agreed you'd never say."

"Right. But do you also remember, how you gave me a little pep talk about not letting things get to me? To open up to you and know that you'd be there even when the world wasn't?"

"Daniel... of course I remember. How could I forget?" She seems less tense and more relaxed now that the subject has been taken off of her.

"Okay, just keep that memory in mind."

"Why..?"

"Because I'm going to give you the same advice." Shes taken back by my statement and sets Stephanie on her lap.

"Why is that necessary?"

"Because... I want you to know that you can trust me and talk to me. You don't have to hold things back, Peggy. I won't judge you, you know that. I'm here to listen and help. Thats what friends do." She looks away from me as if thinking, and maybe a little upset. I knew I shouldn't have pushed. For several minutes we sit in almost complete silence. The only noise is Steph cooing and giggling.She starts to play with Peggy's necklace when Peggy starts to speak.

"Its ... complicated. I-... I've never really talked about it to anyone; about Stephanie's father." I nod my head and go along with whatever she has to say. I've already pushed her enough. "Its a very.. delicate... situation, and not one I'm proud of."

"What do you mean?"

"I loved her father, Daniel. Very much. He was a good man. He was... loyal, strong, brave, and...selfless. No matter what the consequences of his actions, he did everything in his power to save the innocent and capture the guilty. He never wanted to kill... He only wanted peace and to stop those that thought they were above the world; like bullies, he said." Her leg is starting to shake and I can see Steph bouncing up and down, giggling. "I loved him for it...but I wasn't in love with him." I knew Peggy cared about the guy, cause of course, they have a kid together. And every time I hear her talk about him, I close up; I feel like I'm being restricted, and my heart hurts. I shouldn't be jealous of a dead guy, but I was. I think  Stephanie is sensing Peggy's emotions, because now shes starting to fuss. I reach over and Peggy gives her to me. Normally if Peggy can't calm her down, I can. "He took advantage of me, Daniel. And I will never be able to  forgive him for it. But hes done so much good for this world, I could't help but name her after him."

"Took advantage of you?" I couldn't help myself, it just slipped out.

"I knew that Steve was interested in pursuing a.. less professional relationship with me. But I never batted an eye at him. Anytime he would try and flirt, I would simply laugh it off or walk away." She stops as the memories play in her mind, and she starts crying. Way to go Daniel...          "We were all playing cards in a pub, and in the end it was just the two of us. He kept ordering drinks and I got drunk... and I can't remember anything from the rest of that night. It wasn't until weeks later I discovered I was pregnant with Stephanie." We sit in silence for several seconds; I don't know what to say.

"I'm so sorry,Peggy." She tries to hide her face as she cries.

"He knew... he knew I didn't think of him that way, and yet he still...ugh, mmh" Shes on the verge of sobbing. I get up from my seat, Steph in one arm, come up behind Peggy, and embrace her. She grabs a hold of me and lets it all out. When she settles down she still holds onto  my arm. As I look down at her I can hear her sniffle. "I'm sorry..."

"You don't have anything to apologize for anything, Peg. Its not your fault." She sniffles some more and nods her head, her curls have loosened up from being upset. She leans back as much as she can into me, and then turns to me. Our eyes meet and I smile at her. Shes been  through a lot, and  I hope she knows I'm here. She takes my hand and kisses my palm. I'm still stunned by this, even though I shouldn't be. Over the last four months she has kissed my cheek several times, and my hand once when I injured it, not that thats relevant.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I'll always be here Peggy, whenever you need me. I know you'll do the same."

"Right, sorry."

"Peg... You don't need to apologize either."

"Sorry." She closes her eyes and we both laugh, enjoying the moment we have now.

"Here, do you want her back?" She wipes her cheeks and shakes her head.

"No thats alright, you can hold her."

"You sure? I know you won't be able to see her for all day, for 5 days, all next week. Are you sure you don't want her back?" She looks at me lightly and starts to laugh.

"I'm sure, Daniel. I've had four months with her, all to myself. I'm alright with not holding her for several minutes. I'll live, I promise." Peggy starts working again next week and I know shes a little worried. When we had dinner last week, she told me she found a job at as a telephone operator, and that she wouldn't be working crazy hours so soon. I didn't know telephone operators had to work crazy hours, but I take her word for it, at least on that matter. The matter of not seeing Stephanie for at least 6 hours, is one I know she dreads. Shes right in saying shes had her to herself, everyday, for four months. But that same reason is why she could go insane; she'll miss her daughter. Steph isn't even my kid, but I hate going hours without seeing her, and when I come home? Seeing her is the best part of my day. I can only imagine what Peggy is going to go through when she has to leave her. Once Peggy starts working, I know our dinners will deplete in numbers, if they happen at all. All we can do, right now though, is enjoy our time together, and I'll be damned if I don't.

[hunnywrites]

Chapter One: What Goes Bump in the Night

Summary: The town of Hawkins has been turned upside down with the news that Will Byers has suddenly gone missing. Teddi Larsson and Billy Hargrove are gonna get to the bottom of things. Season one AU.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove/OFC

A/N: I just really wanted to write a fic where Billy and Teddi have lived in Hawkins their whole lives and take on Demogorgons because they take their babysitting duties too seriously. Teddi is gonna be the token horror movie character that’s always saying “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” and Billy is gonna hate every minute of it. Greg Larsson and Neil Hargrove are gonna be mentioned but those assholes are gonna be taking a backseat this time around because let’s face it: we all hate them. So I hope y’all enjoy! 

Sunday nights in Hawkins were usually quiet, but this one in particular was a little too quiet for Teddi’s tastes. It was almost hard for her to believe that only a half hour ago there had been three fifth graders arguing with Keith at the prize counter. “We’re tired of the shitty finger traps, Keith!” one of them had nearly spat up at him. 

“Not my fault that your little baby fingers are too small for the trap to do the trapping. No prize refunds.” that of course ended with a cherry slurpee getting thrown at Keith’s ‘75 Hyundai Pony and Teddi secretly trading out the finger traps for three lightup yo-yos. 

 Now they had closed up shop for the night, and Keith had headed home to give his car a hose off. Usually Teddi didn’t mind closing out the Palace Arcade. Ever since Keith had promoted her to assistant manager about a month ago, Teddi would stay behind about an hour after all of the kids had gone home and clean up for the next day. It was an excuse to stay away from home a little bit longer, and an extra five bucks in her pocket.

 But for some reason tonight she was filled with dread, and it seemed like she couldn’t sweep the floors fast enough. Maybe it was because she watched too many horror movies. This cold November night felt like it was straight out one of those slasher movies she loved so much. “Yeah, like Leatherface is roaming around Hawkins looking for teens to kill,” she muttered to herself. The idea was silly. Imagining some killer hiding behind one of the games waiting until her back was turned so he could strike when she least expected it. 

Still, Teddi couldn’t help but throw a quick glance over her shoulder and out the front windows and into the empty parking lot. Just to make sure. Her van sat alone under one of the street lamps waiting for her, but other than that there wasn’t a single person or car in sight. It was almost like everyone had just vanished and she was the only person left in town. Teddi shook her shoulders to try and get rid of the goosebumps that were forming on her arms and tried to hum along to the music she had playing over the radio. 

The feeling had nearly gone away. She was crouched down, singing along to the Romantics and sweeping the pile of dirt, dust and other miscellaneous things that seemed to fall off all the kids that came in for the day when the radio cut out. The voices sounded garbled at first, like the signal had been lost suddenly, before the music turned into total static. The lights overhead whired and flashed, and the screens of the game consoles popped and crackled before they all went black. Suddenly the only thing she could hear was how heavily she was breathing. 

“What the fuck?” Teddi jolted upright, gripping onto the broom and ready to use it as a makeshift weapon. But before masked killer could come running out with a knife, or before Teddi could even fully comprehend what was even happening, the radio’s signal cleared, the lights came back on and the arcade came right back to life. Teddi blinked. Maybe the rest of the cleaning could wait until tomorrow. Keith wouldn’t care. He might just tease her a little for being such a scaredy cat. Which was rich coming from him, but she could handle it. Teddi didn’t bother to pretend to be calm. She rushed around the prize counter, stashing the broom and dustpan aside and grabbed for her keys so she could open unlock the break room door. There was a knock at the front door. Teddi screamed. 

She whirled around, her hand on her chest to try and steady her heart, and glared at the front door. Billy Hargrove was on the other side, grinning wildly. Teddi and Billy had been best friends since they met in swim class at the Hawkins public pool when they were six. They were the best swimmers in the class and Billy thought Teddi was cool because she was the only kid in class aside from himself that wasn’t afraid to jump off the high diving board. After that they were pretty much attached at the hip. 

Billy had been Teddi’s first...everything. Her first kiss. The first guy she had sex with. Her first love. They had hit puberty and the pair basically used each other a trial run for everything and anything. “What, I’m gonna humiliate myself in front of Cheryl Burns because I’m shit at kissing? I don’t care if I humiliate myself in front of you.” Billy had said before they’d shared their first kiss. Romantic, right? Now Teddi was trapped in this friends with benefits sort of situation with a guy she was way, way too afraid to confess her real feelings to. 

Teddi rolled her eyes at Billy. She stomped over, unlocking the door and swinging it open. “A little jumpy are we?” he asked with a laugh before strolling inside. Teddi locked the door behind him and glared at her friend. Billy shoved his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket and leaned up against Dragon’s Lair. He watched her with an amused expression. “What are you so freaked out about, Larsson?” 

Teddi ignored the question and walked past him, heading once again for the break room. Billy followed after her. “What are you doing here?” she asked. She unlocked the door and Billy held it open for her while she grabbed her bag out of her locker. 

“I came to give you a ride home.” he shrugged.

Teddi shot him a look. “Uh huh. That’s sweet, but I drove myself,” she said, pointing outside to her van. Billy’s Camaro was parked next to it. She couldn’t believe that she had been so freaked out by the power going out that she hadn’t heard the engine when he pulled in. She eyed the Camaro and noticed that it was empty. “Where’s Max?” 

Billy rolled his eyes. “Off with her dork friends playing their dork games,” he said with a short laugh. “She rode her bike over to the Wheeler’s.” usually Max and her friends spent Sundays over at Mike Wheeler’s playing Dungeons and Dragons. Teddi babysat for the Wheelers pretty often and usually found herself playing through a campaign with them. It was why they all preferred her to babysit over Billy.  And she never let him forget that. 

“Did you notice anything weird on your way here?” she tried to sound as casual as possible. But of course Billy could see right through it. He fell into step beside her, the pair making their way through the arcade as Teddi shut everything off for the night. Teddi felt the goosebumps returning once they were out in the parking lot. She told herself it was just the cold air. 

Billy smirked over at her, swinging his keys around his finger. “You gettin’ paranoid on me again, Teddi Bear?” he asked. He blamed her wild imagination for all of the times she’d get like this. She read so many of those fantasy books, watched too many movies with monsters, and read too many comics. Her brain was always coming up with the wildest and worst scenarios. 

Teddi let out a soft huff. “I just have a bad feeling.”

Billy raised an eyebrow. “Heebie jeebies or the willies?” Teddi opened her mouth to scold him for teasing her, but he held his hands up to stop her. “Alright, alright. I’m done. Look, how ‘bout I give you a ride home and we can come pick up your van tomorrow after school?” Teddi barely even thought it over. She hurried over to the passengers side of the Camaro and slid inside as soon as Billy unlocked it. Billy almost made a joke about how quickly she buckled her seatbelt and locked her own door, but decided against it. 

They took off down the street in a comfortable silence. Well, it was for Billy. Teddi couldn’t seem to sit still. Her leg was bouncing wildly and her fingers were drumming against her bare legs. Billy reached over and placed a hand on her knee. “Hey, he said lowly. “You okay?” Teddi didn’t answer right away. Billy rolled down her window a little in hopes that the fresh air might help.

“I don’t know.,” she finally said with a loud, tired sigh. “I freaked myself out is all. I kept thinking about serial killers and then the power went out…” she laughed a little and shook her head. “It sounds really stupid when I say it out loud. I’ll be fine.” she waved his concern away. Billy didn’t move his hand. As the Camaro blurred past the woods, the kids called it Mirkwood, Teddi heard a horrible screech coming from deep inside the forest. It didn’t sound human. It didn’t sound like anything Teddi had ever heard before. Horror movies included. The goosebumps were back. 

Teddi looked over at Billy to confirm she hadn’t been imagining things. Billy shifted uncomfortably. “...It’s probably just an animal. Maybe a coyote got a deer or something.” but he quickly rolled the window up and flicked on the radio. They didn’t hear the sound again. Billy soon pulled into Teddi’s driveway and she let out a sigh of relief. The lights inside were off. Her parents cars were both in the driveway. Thank god for small favors, Teddi thought.  

She realized they’d been sitting there for awhile and she hadn’t moved yet. She unbuckled her seatbelt and smiled weakly over at Billy. She felt embarrassed about being so freaked out. “...Thanks for the ride.” she said finally.

Billy smirked over at her, and she knew he was holding in some dirty comment. “No problem...you know, if you want I can always come in with you. Make sure there aren’t any monsters in your room…” The way he was looking at her, casually stretched out in the driver’s seat with that dangerous glint in his eyes almost made Teddi want to take him up on his offer. She could probably use the company, and fooling around with Billy for a few hours wouldn’t be the worst thing.

Instead she scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “It’s a school night, perv.” she teased.

Billy groaned and sunk in his seat. “Fiiine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Good Girl.” he sighed. Teddi was grateful it was dark and that he couldn’t see how flushed her cheeks probably were. She mumbled a goodnight and quickly went inside. Once the door was shut behind her she heard the rumble of the Camaro’s engine as Billy pulled out of the driveway. 

Teddi crept downstairs to her room. Her parents had turned the basement into a bedroom for her when they’d moved in over ten years ago. The house had four bedrooms total, but her mother had claimed two of them to be turned into a giant closet/dressing room and her father had claimed the third for an upstairs study. She had been more than fine with it. It was an excuse to stay away from them and she had her own bathroom. Plus, eventually she would learn that it made sneaking out a little too easy. 

She made quick work of taking off her makeup and changing into her pajamas. It was a little childish, but when she flicked her bathroom light off she rushed across the room and dove into bed like she had when she was little. Like if she didn’t hurry and get into bed some monster would crawl out from under the bed and grab her ankles. Teddi pulled the blankets up to her neck and immediately regretted turning Billy down. She thought of that horrible screech she heard in the woods. Her mind started trying to imagine what sort of creature that the sound belonged to. 

Teddi groaned. If she kept this up she would never get any sleep. “It’s just a coyote,” Teddi told herself, repeating Billy’s words. “You’re freaking out over nothing.” and of course she was. This was Hawkins, Indiana she was talking about. There wasn’t anything going bump in the night. No monsters. She thought of her father who was sound asleep upstairs and Neil Hargrove. Well, maybe that wasn’t true. 

Eventually she fell asleep peacefully, dreaming of her father and Neil trapped out in the woods with whatever creature had made that horrible noise. 

---

“Wittle Stevie boy is in woooooove,” Carol taunted as she and Tommy H practically cackled. They’d been at this for the entirety of lunch. Steve had already ditched them once that morning to go meet Nancy in the girl’s bathroom and the two hyenas wouldn’t let it go. Steve, Teddi and Billy were all annoyed. They’d gotten a good laugh at first. They always did whenever they’d rag on each other. But Tommy and Carol definitely didn’t know when to quit. “Steve and Nancy, sittin’ in a tree!” 

Billy rolled his eyes, blowing out a cloud of smoke before handing his cigarette over to Teddi. They were both leaned up against the side of the Camaro as they tried their best to ignore the peanut gallery. 

“Come on, Steve. We’re all friends here. You can tell us. What the hell do you see in that prude? ‘Cause you can’t tell me she’s putting out.” Tommy said, throwing his arm around Carol’s shoulders. 

Billy can’t help but chuckle at that, smirking over at Steve. “Oh, I can probably think of a reason he’s so interested.” Teddi let out a scoff, handing the smoke back over to Billy. Steve’s lips twitched into a grin and he rolled his eyes playfully at his best friend. 

Teddi hated the way they talked about Nancy. She didn’t really know which was worse; when they talked shit about her behind her back, or when they teased and tormented her to her face. She guessed it was a good thing that Nancy never let it get to her no matter what they came up with. Ignoring Tommy and Carol was definitely the best way to deal with them. Teddi and Nancy weren’t really friends per say. She knew her through school and from babysitting Mike. But she was always nice to Teddi. And she liked to think if the roles were reversed Nancy would stick up for her.

“Leave him alone guys,” Teddi said, pretending to sound stern. “Maybe Steve just wants to date someone nice for once.” she offered. 

“Thank you, Teddi. She’s very nice.” Steve smiled, his mind clearly drifting to thoughts of Nancy. Teddi thought it was sweet. She briefly wondered if Billy ever looked that way when he spoke about her. Not likely, she thought with a sigh.

Carol let out a loud snort and she and Tommy fell back into a fit of laughter. “Nice?” she asked. “Steve doesn’t like nice. He likes easy. And Nancy wheeler is the complete opposite of easy.” it was to the point where Steve wasn’t able to find the humor in the situation anymore. It wasn’t often that Teddi saw Steve truly annoyed, but she did notice that Tommy and Carol were usually the reason for it happening. 

“Maybe he’s looking for a challenge this time,” Tommy offered. “Maybe he’s getting bored, eh,  Steve?” he snickered. 

Steve rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Tommy. I’ll see you guys later.” Teddi offered an apologetic smile while Billy lifted his hand in a short wave. 

“Gotta go find Nancy?” Tommy asked. Carol started making kissing noises. “See ya later, Lover Boy! Give her a kiss for me!” he called after Steve. Steve threw a middle finger over his shoulder, the pair only laughing louder. 

Teddi felt like she had a headache coming on. She almost wished she could find some sort of excuse to get Billy away from them and enjoy what was left of their lunch in peace. Tommy and Carol were joking around with each other now, so thankfully it was easier for her to tune them out. She let out a slow breath of smoke as she surveyed the parking lot around them. She could see the middle school from where she was. She and Billy usually waited there for Max after school whenever she needed a ride home. 

There were two cop cars parked out in the front of the school. A patrol car and Chief Hopper’s Blazer. That paranoid feeling from the night before was back. She nudged Billy’s side with her elbow and nodded over to the other school. “Cops.” was all she said. 

Billy didn’t say anything. But she could see the flash of worry in his eyes. Tommy quickly broke the silence. “Whoa! What do ya think happened?” he and Carol moved closer to the fence that separated the two parking lots. 

It couldn’t have been anything too bad. There hadn’t been any news travelling the halls at school. Nothing on the morning announcements. Maybe some kids just got into a fight or something and the cops were there to scare them straight. 

“You know, Johnathan Byers wasn’t here today,” Tommy said with a nearly evil looking grin. “Maybe he finally snapped and offed his whole family. Hop’s here to break the news to the principle.” Teddi felt a chill up her spine at the way Tommy and Carol laughed at the suggestion. 

Teddi knew that there wasn’t a chance of that happening. Johnathan was a good guy. Just quiet. Still, this whole thing was starting to make the goosebumps come back.

“Tommy, will you shut the fuck up?” Billy asked in a tired tone. “Do you gotta be so fuckin’ morbid all of the time?” he glared over at his friend. Tommy only grinned and shrugged. Teddi stepped on what was left of the cigarette and excused herself. She didn’t give Billy time to say anything or follow after her. It was like that for the rest of the day. Teddi hid within herself and wondered why the cops were over at the middle school. And why Johnathan was absent. 

When it was time for Billy to give her a ride back to the arcade, he decided to try and ease her worries. “Hey, Max. We saw Hopper was over at your school. What happened? Henderson finally take my suggestion and kick those little assholes in the balls?”

Max had been uncharacteristically quiet since getting into the Camaro. It definitely didn’t make Billy feel any better. She shifted around in the backseat, her eyes trained down at her shoes. Teddi frowned and turned to face her. “Max? Is everything okay?” 

“...Will didn’t come home last night. His mom said he never made it back from Mike’s. They can’t find him anywhere.” an almost sickening silence filled the car. Teddi felt her stomach drop. She thought she might get sick. She turned back in her seat, staring hard down at the dashboard. 

Billy’s eyes flickered between the two girls. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. He almost wanted to blame Tommy for making that stupid joke at lunch. Like somehow it was his fault that Teddi and Max were so upset. “...It’s only been a few hours,” he finally said. “Maybe...maybe he tried to take a short cut and he got lost. They’ll find him. No problem.” he didn’t really believe that. That sort of thing never happened except for maybe in those stupid lifetime movies that Susan liked to watch. He felt a wave of nausea roll over him as he imagined what might have happened to the Byers kid. 

The girls were silent for the rest of the ride to the arcade. Billy noticed that Max was trying to hide the fact that she was crying. He didn’t say anything. Teddi face had nearly turned white. She was just staring straight out at the road. She barely blinked. He knew that on some level she had probably found a way to blame herself. That bad feeling she had last night had been a sign and she had ignored it. Like somehow she was supposed to just know that Will Byers had been in trouble. Just like the night before, Billy reached over and placed his hand on her knee. She didn’t move. 

When they made it to the Palace Arcade’s parking lot, Teddi wordlessly got out of the Camaro. “I’ll be back, Max,” Billy muttered, following Teddi over to the driver’s side of her van. “Hey, hey. Are you okay?” he took her by the elbow and turned her to face him. “You’re freaking me out, Larsson.”

Teddi looked up at Billy’s nervous expression. She smiled a little. “Are you saying you’re worried about me, Billy?” 

Billy let out a relieved breath through his nose and grinned down at her. “...If I say yes does that mean you’ll let me come over tonight?” he wasn’t very good at this. Talking. Comforting. More often than not he just ended up hitting on her and hoping for the best. 

Teddi was quiet for a moment, and Billy was almost worried that he had upset her. “...Come over at ten. My parents will be asleep by then. Just park down the street so they don’t see your car, okay?” Billy nodded. 

He watched Teddi drive off before getting back in the Camaro. Max crawled into the front seat and roughly rubbed at her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie. Billy didn’t look directly at her. He drummed his fingers nervously against the steering wheel. “...You wanna get ice cream or something?” 

Max nodded, smiling a little. “Ice cream sounds good.” 

[aliensforleaders]

Tell Me Again Tomorrow: Part 3

Pairing: Rami Malek x Female Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Alcohol, and oh boy is there smut. Like seriously, y’all ain’t ready for the Sin that is in this chapter. I think I actually needed a water break and to turn on my fan while writing this.

A/N: So this is the final part to this little series. I seriously appreciate all the love I’ve gotten for this. It’s really inspired me to write more so keep an eye out for that. Smut is also a bit difficult for me to write so sorry if it’s terrible lol. Also this chapter was heavily influenced by the Glass Animals album Zaba. If you enjoy emersion like I do, I suggest you listen to it while reading this because it slaps, my guy. Anyways get on with it then and enjoy!

And below is the dress the reader wears to the party.

I woke up the next day, this time after Alisha. She was sitting against her headboard on her phone.

“Oh good you're awake.” she said looking over at me rubbing my eyes.

“Yeah. What’s up?” I said sleepily.

“So much. Okay, okay so listen.” she scooted to the edge of her bed and crossed her legs, facing me.”

I propped myself up against the pillows behind me in preparation for what she was going to spring on me now.

“So today is Sunday. Which means it’s the last day of this birthday weekend, right? So that means there’s a huge party tonight down at the beach.” she bit her lip, grinning wide.

I stared off into space looking slightly confused. “Okay…? What are you getting at?”

“UGH! You are so dense sometimes!” she covered her face with her hands and laughed.

“(Y/N), the guy. This mysterious, wonderful guy you met on Friday? This is the perfect opportunity to get him all hot and bothered. We are going shopping today for something to wear for you. You have the perfect lack of chest to pull off the lowest v-neck dress we can find.”

I smirked at her somewhat back handed compliment. I mean I wouldn’t mind getting him looking somewhere else for a while.

“You know what, fuck it. Let’s do it.”

Alisha squealed and jumped into bed with me, throwing her arms around my neck.

“I need to meet this guy and figure out what’s got you so eager to do this. I was expecting a little push back to be honest.”

I sighed loudly, “Oh I don’t know. But I do know that I didn’t want to come here in the first place, and I’m so glad I did. I’m going to start doing things I wouldn’t normally do from now on.”

“Fucking finally! Join me on the dark side,” she lowered her head and rubbed her hands together, “we have dick and tequila!”

“You’re outrageous, you know that right? I need to know that you know that.” I giggled at her.

“No other way to live, baby.” she winked at me.

———

After a long day of visiting store, after store, we finally found the dress.

“Oo I don’t know about this, Lish. It’s so short.” I called to her from behind the dressing room curtain.

“Come on, let me see it. You can be a prude sometimes remember?” she called back.

I pulled back the curtain and stepped out. The dress was fairly thin and flowy, which I loved. It had cut outs on the sides that wrapped around the back and the neckline was very low. I didn’t need a bra with it because of how small my chest is. The bottom reached just above mid thigh and it was a sort of dusty rose color.

“WOW.” Alisha gasped. “Girl listen, if we weren’t like best friends…and I didn’t think of you as a sister…”

“Ah, ah! Okay I get it.” I laughed and turned back around to the mirror.

She was right though. I looked hot. I felt hot. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this good about myself. I twirled a little from side to side, looking at my long tan legs and my almost completely exposed chest. A long necklace would look great with this, maybe two.

So I bought the dress and we left the store, heading back to the hotel to get ready. As Alisha and I applied our makeup in the bathroom, my heart began to race and for the first time in years it was excitement and not a panic attack. Too real, I know. I applied some lip gloss and fluffed up my hair that I had decided to leave down and messy. It fell just above my shoulders, letting the dress do the rest of the work.

“Fuck.” I sighed.

“What? God I’m almost mad at how good you look.” she laughed incredulously as she applied mascara.

“Oh hush..I do though huh?” I gestured towards my body and Alisha shoved me playfully.

I walked out to the main room and sat on my bed, grabbing my phone. My heart began racing again when I tapped on my conversation with Rami, accompanied by the cute picture I took of him at the museum as his contact photo.

You: Hey! so please tell me you are going to this party tonight?

Rami: hi:) actually yeah I am. Sami is making me.. but I’m glad you’ll be there

Oh you just wait. I’ll be there alright.

You: yep! thanks to Alisha lol. I’ll see you soon then xx

I wondered if the kisses were too much, but then I looked down and figured it was the least of his worries tonight.

“Alright let’s go pregame.” Alisha said nonchalantly slipping on her heels. She looked down at my sandles and frowned. “You aren’t wearing heels?”

“No because even I don’t hate myself that much.” I grabbed my bag and she followed me out.

———

The party was happening down by the bar we had been at on Friday, except it had been transformed completely. There was a large wooden platform placed on the sand nearby full of people dancing. The bar and dance floor was enveloped in large trees and vegetation that was adorned with lantern string lights of all purples and blues you could imagine. It felt like we were in the middle of a jungle. It was beautiful. Loud music pulsed through the large speakers and you recognized it to be Glass Animals. Perfect for the setting.

“Alright where’s this dude. Oh wait never mind, I’ll just look for the puddle on the floor.” she snorted and nudged my arm. Honestly everyone needed a friend like Alisha to hype them up this much.

“Jesus, you haven’t even had alcohol yet.”

“Ew you’re right. Come on. We can find your man later.”

We went over to the bar and Alisha ordered us both shots. We downed them and shortly after the song “Walla Walla” came on. It was one of my favorites.

“Hey come dance with me. I love this song!” I yelled to Alisha and she grabbed my hand pulling me to the dance floor. 

We began to sway to the heavy drum beat and I could feel the alcohol kicking in. It was turning my body into liquid fire in the best way. I felt myself let go and closed my eyes. Alisha grabbed my waist and we danced and danced until the next song came on, “Black Mambo.” As soon as the beat kicked in I opened my eyes and they were immediately caught by very large greenish ones that slowly turned darker as they studied me. Rami stood a few feet away next to who I assumed was Sami.

He wore a loose, very unbuttoned shirt with a floral pattern on it and that little strand of hair hung down on his forehead just the way I liked it. I smiled at him devilishly from the dance floor, beckoning him with my finger. I don’t know who I was in this moment and it felt so damn good. He licked his lips and willed himself towards me.

“Holy shit that’s him?! Is that another one too?! He’s a twin?! Oh excuse me, but I have work to do.” Alisha flipped out next to me for a minute and then walked towards Sami swiftly.

Rami finally reached me. I slowed my hips and looked deep into his eyes.

“Hi.” I stated simply.

“Hi.” a grin began to form on his lips and he was close enough now that I could see his eyes darken even more as he scanned my body. He found my gaze again, looking at me under his long lashes.

“Do you like it?” I asked twirling a little and biting my lip.

“I- uh yes. Yeah I like it. You look..just incredible.” he struggled with that and that only spurred me on more.

He still hadn’t touched me, ever the gentlemen, but now wasn’t the time for that. I grabbed his hands and wrapped them around my waist. I could feel his hands on my skin now and it ignited something deep in me. I snaked my fingers into the back of his hair and let my head fall back as the beat of the song intensified and we swayed together now. This was absolutely intoxicating. His skin on mine, the music vibrating my soul, his warmth radiating off of him and onto me. I let my hands wander down his chest, my hand slightly disappearing under the fabric. He pulled me closer and I could feel his hot breath on my neck. He softly pressed his lips to my neck right under my jaw, which made me pull him tighter to me. He then put his lips to my ear and I could just barely hear him say, “What are you doing to me..”

I then leaned up to his ear and responded, “Playing.” I smirked at him and that’s definitely what made him lose it.

He sucked in a deep breath, grabbing my hand tightly and pulling me with him. I didn’t know where he was taking us, but I definitely knew I was about to get it. He led us to what seemed to be a utility closet for the hotel. He pulled me in, flicking on the light, shutting the door and pushing me against it.

“Where the hell did you come from?” he breathed into my neck, pushing my hair out of the way. He began to hungrily kiss me, starting just underneath my ear and going all the way down my chest. His hand gripped my thigh and pulled it up around his waist.

I was a panting mess already and very wet. He was leaving kisses all over my neck and chest. I gripped handfuls of his curly hair.

“You just make me want to do very bad things, love.” I managed to get out between pants and moans.

He came back up and faced me, our noses touching, still eyeing my lips. Then his eyes flickered up to mine.

“I want to fuck you so bad right now, but I need you to give me permission.” He said very out of breath and that sentence made me even wetter.

“And what if I said no.” I tested him, bringing my thumb to his bottom lip.

He sighed, closing his eyes. “Then I would take my hands off you and we would leave this closet.”

An accidental moan escaped my lips. The fact that he would walk out of here with a dick that hard all because I told him to..

I leaned in and whispered, “You have my permission.”

I could almost feel him break down the wall of restraint he had up until those words left my lips. He reached his hand farther up my thigh until he reached the wet heat coming from between my legs. He pressed his fingers into my clit and I just about screamed.

“Ugh fuck!” I let out and bit down on my lip. I opened my eyes just enough to see him studying my face as he worked circles into me.

“God you're so pretty like this.” he huffed out. 

I could feel how hard he was through his pants on my thigh and I reached a hand out towards him. He let out a groan as I palmed him through the fabric, both of us working each other in just the right spot. His forehead fell into the crook of my neck. We began to sweat, which made our skin stick and it was a delicious feeling.

“Fuck this is too much. I need to feel you right now.” 

I grabbed at his shirt undoing the few buttons that were done and pushed it off over his shoulders. As soon as it was off he flipped me around, unzipping the back of my dress and letting it fall to the floor. He pressed himself against me, now just in my underwear which wasn’t much to begin with. He brought his hand up to my hip and let it wander back to wear I was now practically dripping. My face being pressed against the cool door was helping me to not pass out from the pleasure.

“You are so..wet..for me.” he kissed the back of my neck and flipped me back around to face him. He leaned forward leaving a sweet, languid kiss on my lips. He pulled a condom out of his pocket and handed it to me.

“Do you want to or should I?”

I grabbed it, not saying a word. I unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down along with his boxers and finally we were both completely exposed. He was a work of art. I studied his body as quickly as I could before rolling the condom onto him, which earned a sigh.

He grabbed both of my thighs this time and held me up against the door effortlessly.

“Ready?” he asked and I nodded vigorously.

He slowly pushed into me and we both gasped and let out a long moan at the same time.

“Holy shit.” I huffed out, the sudden feeling of being full taking me to another plain of existence.

“You are so tight, fuck.” He began to thrust faster and faster. Our hands explored each other and his mouth left sloppy kisses on whatever he could reach of me.

I could feel a familiar tightening in the pit of my stomach as he thrusted harder and harder. My moans became ungoverned.

“I’m close, baby.” I warned him.

“Me too ugh..” he groaned and his grip on my ass tightened more and more with each thrust.

Just two more and I was gone. I threw my head back against the door, the loudest moan escaped my lips and I was almost shocked something like that could come from me. My nails dug into his shoulders and everything went white. The pure ecstasy washed over me like electricity and I felt him come undone shortly after. The whimper that he let out into my ear was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. 

We stayed there for a moment trying to get our bearings. After a moment he pulled out of me and let me down slowly, but the second my feet hit the ground I fell into his arms.

“Jesus, I can’t even stand after that.” we both laughed, our foreheads pressed together as we attempted to catch our breath.

“What actually just happened?” he ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure that was astral projecting or some shit because I feel incredible.”

We both lazily pulled our clothes back on, smiling like idiots. He placed a kiss on my lips after every piece of clothing we put on.

“Come here.” After our clothes were back on, he sat down on the floor against the wall and motioned for me to sit in his lap.

I crawled on to him and he wrapped his arms around me tightly, kissing my hair and resting his chin on top of my head.

“Thank you for giving me permission.” He uttered, sweetly.

“Thank you for asking for it.” I smiled and nuzzled my face into his warm neck.

He held me for a few moments longer, until we finally decided to rejoin civilization. I stepped out of the room first, adjusting my hair. I looked back at him and noticed my lip gloss on his jaw.

“Oh wait.” I wiped away the lip gloss with my thumb and he giggled.

“Yeah because the lip gloss is what they will notice, and not our ridiculous sex hair.”

We both giggled and shrugged, making our way back to the party.

———

“Oh. My. GOD.” Alisha starred at Rami and I as we walked up to the bar. Sami was standing next to her. “I’m so proud of you! You finally got some dick like I told you and now you are glowing.” I blushed at her words, finding it impossible to be that embarrassed after what just happened in that closet.

She leaned over to Sami and muttered, “The girl was wound tighter than a damn piano wire.”

“HA! She was? You don’t even want to know how long Ram-“ 

“No she doesn’t. And you aren’t going to tell her, Sami.” Rami’s jaw clenched as he gripped Sami’s shoulder, interrupting him. They both laughed and Rami turned to order us drinks.

Alisha scooted closer to me and the boys started talking about nonsense.

“So I guess this weekend was a success then?” she raised an eyebrow at me.

“It was. Thanks by the way.” I smiled coyly. 

“Oh please you gotta give me like a detail or two.” Alisha begged.

“Dude, no way!” I sipped my drink gazing out at the ocean.

“Ugh! No fair.” she frowned.

“I will say though,” I glanced over at Rami who was laughing at something Sami said, “the boy knows who’s in charge.” I threw back the rest of my drink and looked at Alisha with a grin.

“Aaaahh!!” she squealed and it turned into both of us losing it.

Rami came to my side and wrapped his arm around my waist.

“So, how about a swim?” he asked grinning at Sami.

“Rami, no I just bought this dre-“, he swept me up and threw me over his shoulder before I could answer. I screamed in protest and then saw that Sami was carrying Alisha the same way, running through the sand towards the water.

Before we knew it we were all soaked and falling all over each other in the salty water. I pushed Rami playfully, but he grabbed my wrists and pulled me in for a kiss. I wrapped my arms around him and he held me and we stood there in the water, the four of us, now very far from the party. 

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world right now than here with you.” I looked into his eyes, the moonlight reflecting off of them and turning them sort of blue this time.

“Tell me that again tomorrow.”

[jennifersylvesters]

faking it ( part two )

Synopsis: so maybe you shouldn’t have done that. but if anyone asks, you blame zendaya for dragging you out Word Count: 1.9k~ Warning: swearing A/N: remember when i said the other parts were supposed to just be drabbles? apparently i’m what people would call “a liar”. whoops. still, this is short for me. probably gonna be five semi-short parts in total for this. it’s definitely a different style than what i’ve currently put out here ( aka similar to “not so subtle” but messier lmao). my bad. or my good. i’m not sure; y’all tell me. ( also tagging people who asked for about the second part. if you don’t want to be tagged for future parts, please let me know! )

Thirty-five minutes. That's all you needed to muster through, and then you could give an excuse to go home. How hard could it be?

Turns out: it was fucking hard.

You thought it’d be easy enough to fade into the back, just politely nodding and nursing your drink. After all, they came to hang out with Zendaya not you. Instead you found yourself bombarded with questions.

Tom wasn’t kidding when he said Zendaya talked about you.They asked about your adventures with her as well as your most shameful moments, curious to see if there was any truth to the person she spoke so fondly about. It was overwhelming keeping up the accent as well as not thinking about murdering your roommate for telling a group of strangers how you crashed into a glass door before stumbling and falling on your ass.

With only a minute left, you drummed your fingers on the now empty glass. You couldn’t remember the name of the fellow who was speaking to you about a recent football match. Did his name start with an H? Well, at least you’d never see him again.

Three.

Two.

One.

And just like that, you decided it was time to head home. Perfect timing as Zendaya suggested another round of drinks.

“Z, I'm actually feeling a bit tired” you yawned, stretching out your arms. “D'you mind if I head back to our um, flat first?”

“Sure, Y/N” she answered slowly as she pulled you in for a hug. “I can’t wait to give you shit about this when I get home” she whispered in your ear.

You pulled away, faking a smile as if you weren't dreading that conversation. You bid everyone goodbye, pulling your jacket on and rushing outside. You could finally breathe knowing you’d never have to fake an accent around that group again.

“Y/N! Wait!” You turned around to see Tom jogging up to you. Did you forget something? You checked your pockets, confirming that you did indeed have your keys, phone, and wallet.

“Can't let you walk home by yourself” he spoke as he caught up to you.

“Oh, you don't-”

“I want to!” he insisted. “Also it kinda gives me an excuse to talk with you since, erm, everyone else was kinda preoccupying your time.”

Aw.

Oh, wait. That meant you had to keep up the charade. Damn.

It was only a ten minute walk to your apartment and even though it wasn’t far, you found yourself walking at the leisurely pace Tom set. Even though you barely knew him, you were drawn into his presence and couldn’t help but follow his pace.

Lucky for you, he didn’t pester you with questions like the others. Instead he just asked simple questions to which you could give brief answers before simply asking “what about you”. And in return he gave long-winded answers, going on tangents to topics you hadn’t even been discussing. One moment he was talking about his siblings and the next he was speaking about his favorite superhero. It was strange but adorable.

“Sorry I ramble when I'm nervous” he blushed, wringing the back of his neck.

“Me too.”

“You don't seem nervous in the slightest” he laughed, nudging you gently with his arm.

“I’m trying this new thing where I just...Listen. So I don’t look like a complete idiot.”

“I doubt you’d ever look like an idiot.” How little he knew.

Still it was kind of him to say. Tom was so extraordinarily sweet that you weren’t quite sure how to handle it. He seemed so easy and light like a soft spring breeze. You wanted to get swept up in his charm without any concerns.

When you arrived at your apartment building, you let him accompany you up to your floor. The two of you shyly stepped into the elevator, only a couple feet away from one another as the lift slowly brought you up. The sound of both of your shoes clacked against the smooth tiles before you finally reached your place.

“Ah, well this is me.” You fiddled with your keys, watching him out of the corner of your eye. He bit down on his bottom lip, eyes flicking from you to the floor and then to your keys. Tom took a step forward before taking it back. His nerves were getting the best of him, and it made your heart melt to think of how jittery he got. You weren’t used to someone being flustered by your presence.

You wanted to invite him in. It wasn’t to hook up, nothing dirty, but just to hang out. Tom seemed like someone who wouldn’t take advantage of this, someone who would be satisfied with just the pleasant company. Everything about this seemed so right. The timing was perfect, and he seemed into you. But you couldn't. Not if it meant you had to fake things with him.

“Night.”

“Night” he echoed, a tinge of slight disappointment in his voice.

As you closed the door, you rest your back against it. Thank God that was over. While you were a bit sad you wouldn’t see Tom again, at least you wouldn’t have to keep up the charade any longer.

A couple hours later Zendaya entered the apartment, tossing her keys and purse off to the side as she flopped onto the couch where you laid under a comfortable blanket. “Who knew that when I signed the lease with you, I actually had a British roommate?” she teased as you scowled, burying your face in the comforter.

Attempting to change subjects, you asked her how the rest of the night went. She went into detail about the shenanigans they got into, how one of the guys named Harrison had them bar hopping till they found the most interesting hole in the wall. She planned on taking you there, insisting that it was truly the most fun dive bar.

“And Tom seemed very interested in you” she grinned.

Your face heated up. “Too bad he's going back to England.”

“Yeah, that is too bad.” She dramatically sighed before a smirk crossed her lips. “Too bad you didn't know he's moving here.” The news caught you by surprise and you sputtered, unable to find the right words.

“Guess I'll just avoid all of your friends for the rest of my life” you decided. “Or maybe I’ll just die.” You knew you were being dramatic, but it didn’t matter to you.

“You can’t die! Then I'd have to find another roommate, and that's a total pain” Zendaya joked and you threw a pillow at her face. She laughed loudly at her own joke before tossing the pillow back at you. “You know I love you! And speaking of love, let’s talk about how much you love me seeing as I covered for you tonight…”

The next morning you struggled to get up, wishing desperately to go back to bed once your alarms rung. But you promised Zendaya that you would run errands with her that morning and that you’d buy her coffee for the next week.

You trudged to the nearest Starbucks in sweats, not particularly caring about your look. Who was up this early on a Sunday? No one that you knew. Most people were either sleeping in or nursing their hangovers.

The line was short and moved briskly, one of the perks of being up when no one else was. You tiredly gave your order to the barista. As you fumbled through your pockets for your wallet, the stranger behind you cleared his throat. “Oh, actually I’ll pay for theirs as well as mine.”

You turned, confused by the act of kindness. They smiled at you before turning to the barista and placing their order. Weird flex, but okay. You weren’t about to say no to an overpriced drink that you desperately needed. So when he begun making conversation with you, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Small price to pay for free drinks.

“Not a big morning person, are ya?” he asked as he tucked his wallet away in his jacket. His face looked familiar, but you couldn’t quite place it.

“No, not at all. If anything, I try to sleep in.” He laughed at this. Wasn’t really a joke but alright then.

“Running errands or something? Can’t understand why you’d be up so early otherwise.”

“Actually, I owe my roommate a favor. I owe her coffee, and I’ve now been dubbed her ‘errand friend’. And she’s always up early. Lord knows why.”

“Ah, is she?”

“Yeah, it drives me insane when she asks me to go jogging with her in the morning. Can’t stand either.”

He shook his head, grinning at you. “You really don't remember me, do you?” Were you supposed to?

“I'm one of Zendaya's friends. We met at the bar.” Oh no.The color in your face drained.  “I'm also Tom's best mate.” Shoot you now.

“I will say, I’m quite surprised to find out that you’re American since-”

“I’m not American” you cut him off, shaking your head nervously. Your accent was subpar at best that moment, but you weren’t about to sink that quickly.

“You’re not?” He raised an eyebrow at this notion with a deadpan tone.

“N-No...Um, I’m...I am...A world traveler?”

“Who's American.”

“I'm a human being of the world, really.”

“That geologically speaking is an American human being.” He knew better and obviously wasn’t going to let this go. You were the fucking Titanic, sinking miserably with no chances of staying afloat.

“Fine, so I’m not English” you finally admitted. The barista called your order and you grabbed the two coffees before proceeding to the sugar and milk bar. Harrison grabbed his drink as well before following you. He sipped his latte as you begun rambling, ripping sugar packets open and stirring them in frantically.

“So yeah, maybe I’m not from England. But it’s like, it’s totally not a big deal. It’s not like I thought you guys were gonna be here for very long. And okay, yeah, I shouldn’t have done an accent. I just panicked, okay? I panicked. Who doesn’t panic? People panic, okay? It’s what they do!”

“So you gonna keep it up the next time you see him then?” he asked, causing you to finally stop stirring. You asked him what he meant before he informed you that him and his friends would be dropping by next Friday to hang out.

You didn’t want to go through this again - the fake accent, pretending to know specifics about England, acting like you knew what Arsenal was. (Seriously, why were the boys so obsessed with Arsenal?) But you also didn’t want them asking questions, wondering why you were insane enough to pretend to be English. You hated the idea of them judging you after finding that out, especially Tom. So you sighed and figured that you would keep up the accent once again.

“Where are you gonna tell him you're from if he asks?” Shit. You hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Sussex?” That sounded right. Or maybe you were making that up?

“Sussex?” he repeated. “Where in Sussex?”

You paused. “A house?”

Harrison's lips pressed together as he looked at you. “You're gonna tell him that you used to live in a house in Sussex?”

You nodded weakly.

He roared with laughter. “Oh, God. I don't know what's worse - you saying that or the possibility that Tom might actually accept it.”

“So are you gonna tell?”

He hummed. “Not yet. I think I wanna see where this goes.”

You grimaced, watching him exit the coffee shop with a smile still lingering on his face.

And now your fate for the upcoming group hang was left in the hands of Tom’s best friend and your roommate.

Fan-flippin-tastic.

tags list: @sleepybesson, @tomhaz | @tomshufflepuff, @almostrosadiazz | @dianx365, @gab-spidey, @black-ballons