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goldenroutledge · 9 months ago

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par for the course

pairing ⤜ rafe cameron x fem!kook!reader

word count ⤜ 3.2k

summary ⤜ in which you forgive your childhood nemesis, rafe cameron.

a/n ⤜ season one reminiscent? i’ve had a draft of this piece forever so i decided to finish it!

rafe cameron masterlist

The slam of your bedroom door echoes through your house and the fall onto your bed is cushioned by the decorative throw pillows on top of it, drowning out your exasperation for the moment. A deep exhale fell past your lips as reality sunk in. The nags of your parents reached an all time high so far this summer, as they went on and on about how you were going to be stuck in the house with nothing to do.

Unfortunately, your explanation didn’t cut it. In the back of your mind, you were well aware that your friends would be busy doing their own things. You just chose not to believe it until it came true. John B and JJ became camp counselors for some group of kids over the summer, those poor kids. Pope decided to fill his free time with summer classes, and Kiara was tied up at The Wreck. And with John B going away, Sarah didn’t have a reason to stick around either, much to your displeasure. She’d decided to visit her cousins overseas. Not that you really blamed her, or any of your friends for that matter.

But it was slightly embarrassing to have nothing to say when it was your turn to reveal your plans for the next few months. Any other time, you’d always assumed your plans would be with any one of them.

And now, your problems were a whole lot bigger. Judging by your lack of plans, your parents went ahead and made some for you. And with the last person you would’ve wanted to spend your summer days— or any days at all— with, Rafe Cameron.

Both of your fathers had worked together in the past, and they still kept a friendship because of it. If that’s what you call two middle-aged businessmen drowning in drinks and making small talk at the occasional kook event.

To put it simply, Rafe had it out for you. Just the mention of his name made you shudder; your horrific childhood experiences with the boy forever carved in your memory.

His bratty behavior towards you began at about age 9 or 10. For instance, when you wouldn’t budge off of his favorite swing at the park. It would be impossible to forget how he popped one last bubble from his piece of bubblegum, faded pink and chewed thin, before wading it up and planting it right in your hair.

You lunged off the swing towards him immediately, screams of terror piercing the serene island air. He ran in circles, cackling mischievously as you chased him. All for Rafe to ‘take back’ his spot on the swing while he had you distracted.

As years went on, the memory became less and less vivid— except for that moment when he popped in another piece of gum, one bigger than all his teeth combined, before shouting: “Thanks for keeping’ it warm for me.”

And without an inkling of remorse, he began swinging gleefully while you ran to find your mother, hot tears cascading down your cheeks. The tear stains remained for another day or so. The sadness and frustration was simply too much for your nine year old self to handle. Not to mention the wad of gum that had to be cut out of your hair later that day. And it was all Rafe’s fault.

So it couldn’t be chalked up to anything less than betrayal, really. For your parents to coordinate summer golf lessons with your childhood nemesis. It was pure treachery. Especially after your strong argument of course, not failing to mention the dreaded gum incident. Only to be told off by your mother, as she assumed any child of Ward’s would mature into nothing short of an upstanding citizen. If she only knew.

Days later, you were throwing on a Ralph Lauren polo and a tennis skirt to match, hating every minute of it as you knew what was to come. You couldn’t deny how the material hugged your body just right; and a shred of your subconscious hoped that Rafe would notice too.

For no reason other than revenge, of course. How dare he terrorize you as a child and not be consumed with regret years later? His unforgivable acts couldn’t go unpunished.

Grabbing your keys and phone, you sped off in your car without so much as a goodbye to your mom before leaving. No amount of time could help you process what you were in for, and no amount of forethought would make this reunion any more bearable.

Scanning the cream colored walls of the Island Club, it didn’t take long to spot the tall Cameron leaning up against one of its pillars, scrolling on his phone with an expression of pure boredom. His foot tapped the floor occasionally, his eyes lifting every minute or so in search of you.

Just two taps on his shoulder was all it took to grab his attention. Rafe’s lips spread into a smirk just as quickly as he turned around to meet your irritated gaze. That stupid smirk, one you knew all too well.

“Long time no see, Y/n. Missed me?”

“Not a chance in hell. I’m here against my will.”

“Yeah, right. I bet you were just begging for a chance to see me again.” Rafe whines dramatically.

“Delusional as ever, huh, Rafe? I guess some things never change.”

“Childish as ever, huh, Y/n? Good to know we agree about something. And to think I had hope that you’d leave the hostility at home.”

“Didn’t you get suspended from the Academy for fighting? Twice?”

His expression shifts from smug to scowl.

“That was a long time ago. You ready to get started or what?”

You smile at him with faux innocence, glad to have landed a punch in this endless match between you two.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

—

The silence remained as thick as molasses, tension lingering that not even the sharpest of machetes could slash through.

Rafe steered the golf cart in silence, movements hasty and abrupt as an expression of his frustration. Your memory wasn’t as short as he’d expected; and now he was subjected to a summer of what he anticipated to be vengeful torture.

Lost in thought, he came to a stop at your destination. And by the looks of it, you were more than ready, willing and able to carry on without him as you began teeing up.

“Aren’t I supposed to be teaching you how? Isn’t that the whole reason why we’re here?”

With a sigh, your eyes darted to the clear blue sky, silently praying to a higher power to keep you sane. “I’ll ask for your help when I need it.”

You resume lining up your footing and the club with the ball, envisioning your swing before Rafe interrupts once again.

“Why bother showing up here if you’re gonna act like a bitch?”

“I was sent here against my will, remember?”

“So you say.”

“And I’m not a bitch. Not to those who don’t deserve it.”

“I couldn’t tell the difference.” Rafe scoffs. “And I never said you are a bitch, I said you’re acting like one.”

A cold chuckle makes its way out of your throat at his blatant contradiction. “You do not wanna go there with me, Cameron.”

After the mumble fell from your lips, you were set on taking a swing at the golf ball. Until Rafe opened his mouth once again, as if he was just waiting for you to swing, to piss you off even further. Provoking you at this point.

“Actually, let’s go there. I’d love to go there. Please enlighten me as to why you feel entitled to be so rude to me. Especially since I am the one doing you this little favor, aren’t I? Giving you a break from those losers on the Cut you love so much.”

“Isn’t it disrespectful to talk when I’m trying to hit a ball?” You query, quoting his very own words during an encounter with the notorious blond pogue. “Learn some etiquette, my friend.”

“Pathetic. So it’s Maybank? He’s been whispering in your ear? What, is he your boyfriend?”

“As if I haven’t experienced enough of your obnoxiousness firsthand. Trust me, I hate you plenty on my own. And he’s not my boyfriend, idiot.”

Rafe raises an eyebrow, his smirk returning at your defensiveness. “Though from what I hear you have some ‘losers’ of your own these days. Barry, isn’t it? Would be a shame if Uncle Ward found out.”

Rafe rolls his eyes at your disingenuous mention of his father. Sure, your fathers were somewhat close friends, but for some reason, it made his blood boil. “What’s it to you? Don’t tell me this is your attempt at blackmail.”

You shrug, grip still firm on the golf club. “Not necessarily. Have to admit it does feel good to get under your skin, though.”

“Touché.”

—

You moved through the golf course rather quickly, nearing its end. Both of your intentions were evident that you were eager to get home, and best of all, away from each other. Rafe slides into the driver's side of the cart, but doesn’t pull off immediately.

“You never actually answered my question, by the way. About why you’re being such a pain in the ass to me.”

You stop scrolling on your phone to look at him, trying to understand his purpose for bringing this up again. “You don’t happen to have some sort of short-term memory loss, right?”

“You said you hate me plenty on your own. But what fucking reason have I ever given you to?”

“Oh?”

“I told you to go there, didn’t I? I’m giving you a chance to let out your grievances. And that’s one more than I should, you know patience isn’t my strongsuit.”

“Can’t a girl just hate Rafe Cameron with no strings attached? I’m sure it’s not the first time.”

He looks over to you, blue eyes staring into yours. “You and I both know there’s always strings attached.”

“What can I say, Cameron? Guess it’s just par for the course. Or are you so desperate to know because you crave my validation?”

“What can I say, Y/l/n? I guess you wouldn’t be able to understand what it means to learn from your mistakes.”

“You’re full of it.”

“No more than you are, peach cake.”

“Just drive us back to the club already.”

“Not until you confess.” He protests, dangling the keys in your face before sliding them into his pocket. Rafe leans back, unintentionally manspreading as he does so, and drapes an arm over your shoulder. “We could be here all day.”

The exasperation was pretty much dripping off of you. His antics felt so familiar in the most intense way possible, and it made you want to scream. He was the same Rafe bullying you out of the playground a decade ago. The same Rafe you were now wondering had you misjudged. Or judged a little too harshly over some measly childhood rivalry.

“Primrose Park.”

“Excuse me?”

“Primrose Park.” You reiterate. “Don’t feign amnesia. I know you know.”

“How could I forget? I was the king of that place for years.”

“King? More like dictator.”

He shrugs. “I had a delicate ego back then.”

“As well as no patience or manners. If I didn’t know any better I would’ve thought you were raised by wolves.”

Rafe chuckles, amused by your memory of him as a child. “Blame it on Uncle Ward.”

“Sarah and Wheezie were always sweet as pie, so I don’t know if that’s fair.”

“Probably just caught me on a bad day, Y/n. I, too, am sweet as pie.” He defends, eyes twinkling as he smiles.

“Like hell you were! Do you recall wading up your gum and sticking it in my hair? Does that ring a bell?”

His eyebrows furrow as he recollects the memory.

“When we were kids at the park, you got all pissed that I wouldn’t give you a turn on the swings, so you spit your gum in my hair.”

He chuckles at first, but his laughs grow much louder as he ponders the memory.

“It’s really not that funny, Rafe. My mother had to cut that chunk of gum out of my hair.” You remind him. “You’re lucky I don’t shave your damn head right now!” You take a swat at his cap, knocking it to the ground as he’s struggling to get his laughter under control.

“And after all these years you never forgave me? It’s been decades, Y/n.”

“You never apologized.”

“Well I’m sorry, now. If that means anything.” He mumbles the last part, apologies being a foreign art to him. “But you should be thanking me, actually. You have no idea what you were in for had you stuck around.”

“What?”

“Henry Haberstroh. He was gonna give you another one of those stupid bouquets of weeds.”

“The dandelion bouquets?” Your mouth hangs open at the revelation, remembering the boy with an incessant crush on you. A crush so intense in fact that he wouldn’t stop giving you bouquets of dandelions he’d picked from the grass— not until you’d agreed to a playdate with him despite being painfully uninterested.

“The gum idea was more of a last resort but I thought you might wanna get out of there. I mean, dandelions? You’re allergic to bees.”

“And how do you know this exactly?”

“As King of Primrose Park I was privy to information. And was subtlety ever Henry’s thing? The kid was a blabbermouth. He never shut up about you.”

“Well I must say I’m impressed, Cameron. That’s quite a scheme you pulled off. Not that you’re forgiven or anything. But Henry was a creep.”

“Couldn’t take a hint to save his life, either. I don’t think I’ve seen you run away from someone so fast, not even from me.” Rafe teases, nudging your arm with his as you giggled.

“The bees!”

Rafe gives you a look of disbelief, knowing damn well it wasn’t the pollinated dandelions you were running from.

“Seriously, I’m really allergic! But you already knew that?”

“What kind of secret admirer doesn’t know his admiree’s allergens?”

His blue eyes lock with yours, smiles replacing the scowls on both of your faces from earlier. You raise an eyebrow at him in question.

“Shame on Henry.” Rafe critiques, realizing the implication of his words.

“Yeah. Shame on Henry. But I wouldn’t call us even quite yet, so sleep with one eye open just in case.”

The two of you share a genuine laugh for the first time all day, before Rafe begins driving towards the next hole.

“Remind me to lock my windows when I get home.”

—

You move towards your ball once again, but gaze at your target uneasily. Maybe you still had a thing or two to learn about the sport. Rafe leans up against the cart, arms crossed and biceps stretching the fabric of his shirt much thinner. The tension was almost gone in comparison to how you started the afternoon. Almost.

Now looking at Rafe, it felt different. How could you be angry anymore? Holding a vendetta against him took too much energy at this point when it was no longer warranted.

To your luck, you could excuse the fiery feeling rising to your cheeks as a result of the sweltering sun. No matter how hard you tried, your former memory of him melted away. You could no longer see Rafe as the pesky little boy he once was. Perhaps a symptom of heat stroke, you thought. Hopefully it would be temporary, you still had the whole summer with Rafe ahead of you.

“I almost forgot you’re supposed to be teaching me how to play this joke of a sport.” You gripe. “Will you show me?”

Rafe bites his bottom lip to avoid cracking a smile. That you had finally cracked, giving in to ask him for help. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Leaning off the cart, Rafe saunters over to you. “I need you to start on your form first. May I?” He offered, gesturing to set his arms over yours for some adjustment.

With a slow nod, you decide to taunt him further. He’s not gonna get away that easy. “You’re not chewing any gum are you?”

“No, Y/n.” He responds, and you can just hear the smirk in his tone. Hearing your name roll off his tongue makes your stomach flutter— now feeling his body against yours, the heat increasing tenfold.

“Hold the club firmly, and swing through the ball, not at the ball.” He guides your arms with his, mimicking how to prepare for a swing. As his head peers over your shoulder, you swear you hear his breath hitch at the faint aroma of your perfume. Rafe almost seems relaxed, doing the movements with you a few times over again before stepping back to let you try it.

You do just as he taught you, and Rafe repeats the instructions under his breath as he watches you take your swing.

From the woosh of the ball leaving the grass, your eyes follow as it lands in a close proximity to the cup. With a scream of victory, your hands collide with Rafe’s in a high five, before wrapping your arms around his neck, his hand instinctively falling to rest at your waist as he pulls you into a hug. “Atta girl!” He marvels.

“I did it!” You cheer, smile beaming off your face. Once the initial shock wears off, you realize whose arms you’re engulfed in, stepping back from the embrace abruptly. “Uhm- I’m sorry. I didn’t…” You begin, trying to explain yourself and your sudden outburst of physical affection.

“Don’t apologize.” Rafe assures, reaching his hand out for yours. You accept it with a shy smile. “You did great for your first big swing. Can’t say I’m surprised, though, you do have one hell of a teacher.”

“He’s not bad.” You confess. “Actually, better than I thought.”

Rafe quirks an eyebrow, his cerulean orbs gazing into your eyes, finding for once they held not one drop of bad blood while looking back at him. He steps forward, the space keeping you both apart dwindling. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Don’t tell him I said that, it’ll go straight to his head.”

His eyes flicker from yours then to your glossed lips, which is the final straw before giving into your growing urge to kiss him. Rafe’s free hand clings to your cheek immediately as he deepens the kiss; as if a magnetic pull between you two had clicked.

Pulling away, the surprise on Rafe’s face is evident, but the confidence in his voice made it impossible to tell a difference. “I’m glad to see you came to your senses and forgave me.”

“Jumping to conclusions already? What makes you think you’re forgiven?”

Rafe shrugs, and that familiar look of pride returns to his expression. His thumb grazes across the apple of your cheek, and his hand gives a gentle squeeze to your waist. “Call it a wild hunch.”

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wanderingsimsfinds · 11 months ago

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WanderingSims Fave CC - Clutter Pt. 2 List

1 - Art Vitalex - Mid Century Modern Neil Vases (TSR)

2, 16 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 novvvas Desierto Bedroom (Desenio Poster Vertical V2 & Vases)

3, 48 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 PsychicPeanutKitty January Clutter (Lamp Globe & Books)

4 - Kelly&Co - Scandi Wall Shelf

5 - simstiful - Incipit Console

6 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Sundays-sims Umalas Cermic Jar A-D

7, 57 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 novvvas MidCentury Modern Living Room (The Poster Club Square V2 & The Poster Club Horizontal V2)

8 - Onyx - Excelsior Reed Diffuser (TSR)

9 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Sundays-sims Raventons Dunes Set Vase A-B

10 - Onyx - Diego Painting Frame (TSR)

11, 14, 44 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 PsychicPeanutKitty May N3 (Small Vase, Wall Clock, Books)

12 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Sundays-sims Raventons Oken Set Glass Vase A

13 - Art Vitalex - Glen Mirror

15 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Sundays-sims Conversion Set 4 Ceramic & Wood Vase

17 - Kale House - 4t3 MXIMS Menu Afteroom Coat Hanger with Gallery Bag

18-19, 23 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Sims-KKB One Room Set 6 (Cupboard, Books V1-V6, Files)

20 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Pinboxdesign Ceduna Set Cupboard

21-22 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 novvvas Kirsal Set Part 2 (Candle A & B)

24 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 novvvas Boho Deco Vase 1

25 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Sundays-sims Berawa Set Candle V2

26 - Over-waxedBanister - 4t3 Slox Bojo Shelves

27 - kitty-pixelz - hyschool book sv2

28-29, 33-34 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Sundays-sims POP Set (Candle for Box, Candle B, A, D)

30 - Ameriko-Steelie - 4t3 Mechtasims Back To School Textbook

31, 37 - breadcrumbssims3 - Cosy Academia Books 2-3

32 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Kaihana Onyx Set Decorative Box Candle

35 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 novvvas Kirsal Set Part 3 Candle Tray

36 - Over-waxedBanister - 4t3 MXIMS Soy Candle

38 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Leosims Free September 2023 Content Venus Books

39 - deggdegg - Kanken 1-3

40, 42-43, 45-47 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 novvvas Rahat Set (Leaning Poster, Candle Box, Candle Closed, Décor, Jewelry Plate, Jewelry Holder)

41 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 KerriganHouseDesigns Ralph Lauren Hurricane Candle

49 - Mutske - Aria Study 6 Books (TSR)

50 - Over-waxedBanister - 4t3 Gleamer Isobel Wall Shelf

51 - Onyx - Gibsonton Pillow Storage (TSR)

52-53 - SimsDeoGloria - 4t3 Pierism Oak House Large Leather Shelf & Narrow Leather Shelf

54-55 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 MintyJinx VHS Set (Player & Player with Items)

56 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 MeinKatz Platform Tray by Muuto

58 - LemyLou - Curtains Eyelet Long, Mid, Short

59 - kriss - Savoy Curtains L&R Sheer & Tieback Versions (TSR)

60 - SimsDeoGloria - 4t3 Pierisim Oak House Part 1 Dining Room (Curtains Large & Low)

#cc list #ts3cc #s3cc #s3ccfinds

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simmervlogs · 5 months ago

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Wentworth Manor

Hello Simmers, get ready for a game of Beer Pong at the Wentworth Manor . A former family home converted into a Fraternity. This is a requested build which I was so excited to do! I would also like to say a massive thank you to all you guys for your support- we just hit 8k on Tiktok!

Fraternities have been impacted by the increase of off-campus housing starts in recent years. The Wentworth's examined their existing house and determined that for them to remain competitive, they needed to upgrade and increase their common amenity space.

In this area, most houses were built in the 1920s and early ’30s, affording a certain unity in design and volume, although many were altered in the post-war years. Most followed one of two architectural styles of the period—Collegiate Tudor/Gothic or Georgian Revival. This property includes a spacious foyer, 5 bedrooms, large bathroom, traditional kitchen, entertainment room, library and a casual living and dinning room. Th backyard also accommodates for a pool and deck for outdoor cooking. While majority of the features have been maintained by the Wentworth's, each student is more than free to decorate their own spaces as they see fit.

Would also like to say thank you to @alexissimsblog for her idea and name!

Please note almost everything is CC and the items were not created by me! Please do support and directly download from all the creators mentioned! I have attached the CC folders convenience ONLY.

Laundry Day, High School Years, Discover University and Bust the Dust kit required for items I have included from the game, CC as well as some recolors included in the folder (function as a frat house).

There are CC items which are not included- please download these separately!

Utopya- Pool table

Bbygyal123- Martini, corkboard

Joyce- Simple living (all), Forever autumn (all), Summer garden (all)

Sixam- Home office (all), Private school (all), Lavant bathroom (all), Rustin Art studio (all), Home improvement (all)

AFS- all (alcohol décor)

Taurus Design- Judith living room (all)

Harrie- Coastal (all), Country (all), Spoons (all), Octave (all), Brownstone (all), Shop the look (all), Halycon (all), Kichen 2.0 (all), Orjanic (all)

House of Harlix- Jardane (all), Livin Rum, Harluxe (all), Baysic (all)

Felixandre- Grove (all), Colonial (all), Goth revival (all), Berlin (all), Florence (all), Shop the look (all), Chateau (all), Georgian (all), Fayun (terrain), Soho (all), Paris (all)

Valia- Baker's collection (all)

Tuds- Cross (all), Ind (all), NCTR (all)

Awingedllama - Boho living

CharlyPancakes- Sleepyhead (all), Soak (all), Smol (all), Lighthouse (all), Lavish (all)

Myshunosun- Art room (all),Garden stories Patio (all), Simmify Guitar, Dawn living

Max20- Garden at home, Southern Bedroom

Peacemaker- Hinterlands (all), Hudson bathroom (all)

Pierisim- Stefan (all), Tidying up (all), Pantry Party (all), Domaine Du Clos (all), MCM (all), Coldbrew (all), Auntie Vera Bathroom (all), Oak house (all), Woodland Ranch (all), Combles (all), David's apartment (all), Winter Garden (all), Unfold (all), The office (all), Outside (all), Precious Promise (all)

SYB- Highschool (all), Cheap & Chipped (all), Alaferme (all), Happy Stairways (all), Oh la la (all), Loce is in the air (all), Attic (all), Painter Studio (all), Plouf (all), Loft (all), Life Bathroom

Dust Bunny- Laundry (all)

ClassicPixels -Ralph Lauren Throw pillows

Lilli's Place- Folklore (all)

MROLKAN- Pool recolours

Do check out my Tiktok, live almost everyday building!

INSTRUCTIONS

Please directly move all the files in CC zip folder to your Mods folder.

Please move Tray files (Tray files folder) to your Tray folder (enable bb.moveobjects on).

Gallery ID- SimmerVlogs (Enable CC)

TikTok- simmervlogs

Note- I have placed this down in Brindleton Bay (40x40 lot)

Thank you once again to all CC creators!

DOWNLOAD (Patreon)

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vintageluxeup · 1 year ago

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Exploring the Timeless Charm of Vintage Ralph Lauren Pillows

Vintage Ralph Lauren pillows encapsulate the brand's commitment to impeccable craftsmanship, timeless design, and lasting quality. These exquisite pieces bring a touch of elegance to any interior, showcasing their unique heritage and adding a sense of refined sophistication to your space.

#hermes pillow #louis vuitton wristlet #gucci wristlet #ralph lauren pillows #hermes keychain #gucci pillow #louis vuitton pillow

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cupidsdolll · 1 year ago

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Steve Harrington × fem!reader

[16K] 18+

grumpy college student steve, tutoring sessions filled with tension, drunk confessions, smut and an accidental kiss.

We gather here

You’ve always loved mornings, you loved being able to wake and watch the sun rise. You loved being able to listen to nature’s song, the birds chirping, the different buzzing and humming of the insects and the various sounds of all the animals that stay around your house. You always wake with a bright smile on your face and enthusiasm to start your day, you’ll turn on your favorite playlist and sing along as you begin to start your day.

Today was different though, you had stayed up much later than normal which caused you to wake with a slight frown and you can’t help but to huff as you shut off the blaring beep coming from your alarm clock.

“I get it, I’m up. Now shut up.” You mumble as you tiredly rub your eyes and stand up. You grab the various sheets of paper strewn across the bottom half of your bed and stack them neatly on the wooden nightstand next to your bed. It's become a habit as of lately, falling asleep while you’re attempting to study, your eyelids fighting to stay open as the time slowly seeps into the early morning hours. You sigh as you stretch your arms over your head and lean back some, feeling slightly better as you feel your body loosening up.

You make your bed, tucking the thick blanket underneath your pillow before grabbing your phone and clicking on the ‘Music’ app and clicking your morning playlist. You smile as one of your favorite songs begins to play through the speakers and fill the room as you walk over to your closet to pick out your outfit for the day. After several minutes of aimlessly searching through your clothes you finally settle on a Ralph Lauren knitted sweater, a brown tartan skirt, some white open toe sandals and a small white mini purse.

You head into your en suite bathroom and set your outfit on the gray granite countertops before turning on the faucet and letting the water warm up. You hum along to the current song playing as you splash the warm water on your face and dry your face slightly. You grab your face wash and begin to do your daily morning routine, the small feeling of normalcy making you feel better already.

Once you’re dressed, done with your makeup and in a somewhat better mood, you head into the kitchen while singing along to whatever the next song is and begin to grab a banana and some leftover oatmeal from the fridge. Making your way to the small dining room table, you sigh happily and set the bowl of oatmeal down and begin to peel the banana and break it into small uneven pieces to eat in your oatmeal.

After eating everything, you wash the bowl and sit it in the dish rack placed next to the sink and grab your purse from the back of the chair you were sitting at and your phone, putting all your essentials in the small bag and walking to the front door. Smiling as you shut off the living room light and close the door behind you, you begin to make your way to the front of your apartment complex and towards the small bike rack, filled with various bikes of all sizes and colors.

————

It takes roughly less than twenty minutes when you finally reach Hawkins University and you sigh softly as you hop off your bike and tie it to the bike rack in front of your school. The air is warm and humid against your skin, the breeze only cooking your skin just a smidge. As you make your way into the school, you stop when you notice a few new flowers on the side of the steps. As you make your way over, you can feel your smile growing, the flowers are absolutely beautiful. They’re a beautiful shade of pink carnations, the bright color popping against the stark bricks of the stairs and you quickly take out your phone as you get ready to snap a picture of them.

“The flowers’ not going anywhere.” You hear your name being called, a cocky tone seeping into his words.

“No need for photography.” You turn around and a frown appears on your face when you realize who the voice belongs to.

His chestnut brown hair styled to perfection, a cotton white t-shirt paired with a pair of light wash denim jeans and a black leather jacket. His signature smirk is plastered on his face as a couple of his friends laugh and pat him on the back. For as long as you can remember you and Steve have been at each other's throats or more like he’s been dead set on giving you absolute hell since the start of their college years while you ignore him.

“I’m serious, nothing special about those flowers. Shouldn’t you be getting to class anyways?” He asks and snickers, your frown deepens as you stare at him briefly before turning around and making your way to the entrance door. Just before you open the door, you turn around and stare at him, a small smile taking over the frown.

“I suggest you do the same Harrington, last I heard failing English class isn’t gonna get you to graduate.” You yell back before quickly walking in the door and heading to your first class of the day.

While you love your classes, love interacting with the teacher and adding your input in group discussions, the lack of your normal amount of sleep makes your brain unfocused and easily distracted. your eyes flit across the room with every sound that occurs, you can’t seem to sit still. You're fidgety, your hands play with the pen in your hands as if you're not supposed to be taking notes right now, you can’t sit still, you can’t stay focused on anything before your attention being grabbed by something new.

Time seems to fly as you look down at your bare page in the notebook; nothing written on it beside the title of your notes and you sigh. Quietly you lean over and ask the girl behind you if you can take a picture of her notes after class, you quietly thank her when the girl nods before going back to writing, quickly jotting down what’s on the board.

A knock on the door grabs your attention and you watch the teacher make her way to the door. The clicking of her heels echo in the small classroom and finally her hand reaches for the door knob, she begins to twist it and pull the door open. You can hear him before you see him, his voice carrying through as he speaks.

“Mornin’ Liz. How’s my favorite girl?” You watch as the teacher frowns and swats his arm as he goes to give her a hug.

“You’re late Mr. Harrington. Have a seat.” She says as she makes her way back to her desk and Steve chuckles as he opens the door fully, his eyes scanning the room.

The only available seat is next to you and he scowls, a look that passes through his face quickly, briskly walking over to someone at the table furthest from you and asking to switch seats quietly, they shake their head and he sighs. He walks over to another table and asks to switch and in response he gets another no. Frowning, he walks over to your table and grabs the chair and moves it as far away as he can, mumbling a few words under his breath as he sits down.

Not bothering to pay attention, he lays his head down on the desk and closes his eyes. Allowing the outside noise to become faint murmurs, he bounces his leg quickly as he begins to drift to sleep.

“Can you stop please? You're shaking the table?” He huffs and rolls his eyes as he lifts his head.

“It’s not bothering you.” He says and you shake your head gently.

“I’m trying to take notes.” He scoffs as you point to your notebook.

“Hm, doesn’t look like it. The page looks quite empty if you ask me.” He says sarcastically and lays his head back down. He can hear you sigh and the crinkling of the paper as you move over some towards the opposite end of the table. He snickers softly to himself before closing his eyes once more.

————

He wakes up to the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder, it’s soft and small and gentle as it shakes him. He groans as he sits up and stretches his arms over his head. When he turns he sees you standing next to him, your side of the desk cleaned up and the room silent.

“Whaddya want?” He mumbles and frowns, he’s never been on to be happy whenever he’s woken up.

“Class is over, just figured you’d want to head wherever you need to go.” You say, your voice soft and sweet and he frowns once more.

“Uh huh.” He stands up and moves the chair back to its original position. He barely catches the sight of a small frown etched on your face before he’s heading out the door and onto his next class. He doesn’t care that you're upset, you live in your own world and don’t seem to grasp the fact that not everyone is as nice as you are or was raised with such manners, it’s not his problem.

On the way to his next class, he hears his name being yelled from behind him. He turns around and sees the principal yelling and jogging his way.

“Steve! A moment please?!” He yells and Steve frowns. He knows what he wants to talk about, it can only mean one of two things, it’s either his failed midterm or be found out that it’s him graffitiing the various parts of the school walls and parking lots.

He shakes his head as he begins to walk opposite of the voice calling his name.

“Steve Harrington!” The voice booms and he huffs before turning around and grumpily begins the short trek to the principal.

“Yeah?” He says and crosses his arms, the principal nods shortly before asking Steve to follow him. As Steve follows the older man into his office, he grumbles the whole time about how unfair and stupid all of this is. Passing by all the lockers and the small gaggle of students littering the halls as he walks, head held high and confidence is his walk because he can’t be seen being embarrassed.

It’d be the end of the world if that were to happen.

When the principal opens the tall wooden door leading to his office, he steps aside to let Steve in and smiles as he mumbles a rough thank you in response. Sitting behind his dark oak desk and opening up his laptop, the sound of clicking filling the room as he types.

“So, Steve, you know why I brought you here?” The older man asks and Steve nods.

“Think so, it’s about the midterm right? And if so I have some words. Knapick’s crazy if she thinks that test was anywhere near suitable to give to us. I suggest you look into that.” Steve says and the principal shakes his head.

He leans back and adjusts his glasses as he stares at Steve.

“No, Steve. It’s just you I believe. Almost everyone else passed the exam with at least a C average.” Steve frowns at that and shakes his head.

“No way, the test is rigged I tell you. I knew Knapick never liked me. She’s trying to get me, Oscar.”

“No, you barely made an effort. And if you wanna be able to graduate on time, I suggest you get a tutor.” The principal says and Steve’s frown deepens.

“No way.”

“Yes, Steve. I’m serious. I’m trying to help, I can give you a list of our best tutors in the school.”

Steve shakes his head furiously and the principal just watches him.

“It’s either you get the help you need or you’re gonna be repeating, and you know you don’t have the best reputation with the staff.” Steve huffs and rolls his eyes once more.

“Fine, who’s on the list.” The principal sighs as he begins to list off the students' names and ending it with your name.

“She’s real patient and won’t fall for your game Harrington.”

“There’s no game. I just know what the ladies want, Oscar.” Steve says and smirks.

“But I don’t want her, give me someone else.”

“I’ll see what I can do but I think she would be best. You’ll get the quickest response and I’m sure she works fast.”

Steve huffs obnoxiously loud as he uncrosses his arms.

“She makes me want to tug my hair out.”

“I’ll let her know. Have a good day Steve.” Steve grumpily walks out of the office and heads to the main door. His thoughts become a chant of how much you annoy him and why you have to be so smart and how life’s not fair. If he had to be paired with you, he’d make it the worst tutoring session ever. He’s really gonna make your life hell. And with that, he gets in his car and starts driving to his house to begin his plan.

You’ll be made of ashes too

Steve wakes up to the sound of his phone ringing and he grumbles as he sits up and stretches. He looks around and stops his tired gaze at the small window next to his bed. It’s dark with just a hint of sunlight beginning to cut through the glass windows, this is definitely not the scenery he’s used to seeing when he awakes from his slumber. Groggily he grabs his phone with one hand and rubs his left eye with the other, turns on the phone and hisses as he squints.

He quickly turns the brightness of the screen down to a manageable setting and mumbles under his breath when he sees it’s a little past six in the morning.

“Who the fuck is awake right now and why are they trying to talk to me. Someone better be fucking dying.” The call is from an unknown number, the numbers staring at him tauntingly.

“Hey!” Your voice rings through the phone and Steve can only laugh dryly before he hangs up. Your number pops up on his screen almost immediately and he declines it, just for you to call once more. He grumbles under his breath before clicking the answer button and bringing the phone to his ear.

“Don’t know what happened there, just wanted to say it's me! I got your number from principal Oscar! He said you were interested in tutoring? Let me know whatever time works best for you and I’ll do my best to arrange my schedule otherwise!” He sighs before shaking his head at you and slowly gets back into bed, only barely listening to you ramble on in his ear.

He rolls his eyes as he mumbles, wrapping himself up in his blanket before responding.

“Yes, it’s me. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s six in the morning. I was asleep.”

“Yes I know! Why are you still sleeping? I like to get my day started early!”

“Because literally no one in their right mind is up this early.”

“Well sorry for waking you! I just wanted to see what times and days work best for you. No need to be so grumpy.” She huffs playfully causing Steve to roll his eyes, he can’t imagine anything in his tone of voice to make you think you could talk to him as if you both were friends.

“M’not grumpy. Not everyone can be so happy early in the mornings. Except you.” He huffed and he could hear you laugh softly.

The line falls quiet for just a moment before you begin to speak again.

“What times work best for you?” He rolls his eyes before huffing.

“Uh, any time after four.”

You hum softly before beginning to speak.

“Okay! Um, how about tomorrow around 6 at the library?” He all but sighs as he agrees quickly and bids you goodbye, hanging up before you can say anything else. He wraps himself up in the blanket and lays back down, resting his head on the soft pillow as he closes his eyes.

Opening his eyes once more, he gets up and stretches once again. The muscles in his back popping smoothly and he groans softly. He gets out of his bed and quickly makes his bed, wrinkles sit in the middle of the blanket as he sets his pillow on top. He feels much better after getting another couple hours of sleep.

He heads into the bathroom and relieves his bladder, sighing in relief as it empties. Shutting the lid down, he flushes the toilet and heads to the sink so he can wash his hands. After he’s finished, he runs his fingers through his hair, applying product as he styles it just how he likes it.

Walking over to the small dresser where he keeps his clothes, he opens his needed drawers and pulls out an outfit. Settling on a white Rolling Stones t-shirt and some black skinny jeans, he gets dressed and makes sure he puts on his signature rings. Once he’s done with that, he sprays his favorite cologne and grabs his phone, responding to the very few notifications he does have and stares at your number in his call list. He heads out the small bedroom in his dorm and heads to the front door. He passes the various pictures of his roommate and his girlfriend and a couple of pictures showcasing his orange kitten, Delilah, in various moments. She was wrapped up in a soft towel from the day Steve brought her home, and other moments where he thought she looked pretty and decided to capture the moment.

All the pictures are neatly hung in a long cardboard frame, colorful tacks adding a pop of color to the otherwise boring wall of pictures. The small hallway leads to a basic living room, a simple gray futon sits alongside the cream colored wall with a modern artistic sketch hanging above it, a dark brown bookshelf holding all their movies and the very few books and textbooks they happen to own is placed next to the futon, and a small dresser underneath a decently sized tv.

In the corner of the living room area sits a small gray cat bed and Delilah lays there peacefully sleeping in a little ball, her tail twitching occasionally. The ends of Steve’s lips begin to curl upwards at the sight as he slowly walks over to the small dresser designated just for her. He silently opens the top drawer and opens the small can containing her food. The smell quickly floods his nose and he grimaces as he walks over to her food bowl and pouring it in there, silently gagging as it squelches into the bowl.

He throws away the now empty can in the small trash can and grabs her water bowl walking over to the dresser once again and fills it with a small water bottle sitting in the top drawer. He sets it down beside the food one carefully because he doesn’t feel like cleaning up water right now and walks back to the dresser. He opens the second one and grabs a few of her favorite toys and sets them under the coffee table in the living room, allowing her something to do while he’s gone and turns on the tv. Quickly pulling up her favorite tv show ‘Animal Planet’ he walks over to her and very gently rubs the top of her head. He coos at her softly to coax the sleepy kitten awake.

Delilah stretches and yawns as she opens her eyes, focusing on Steve crouching above her, she lets out a tired but happy meow as she nuzzles her face into Steve’s hand.

“Good morning, sweet girl. I gotta get to school but you got everything set up for you, just how you like. If Antonio is ever a bitch to you, just know you have full permission to smack him. I love you and I’ll be back soon.” He says with a small laugh as he gives the small kitten a couple extra pets and gets back up, stretching slightly as he heads to the door, making sure to grab his signature leather jacket from the futon as he opens the door and heads out.

————

It doesn’t take him long to head to the campus thanks to his dorm being a short drive from the campus. He parks his car in an empty space nearest the school and he sits in the car after he turns it off. He watches you as you walk to the bike rack, your hair flowing gently behind you as you walk due to the wind blowing. You’re dressed in an olive green sweater and dark blue Levi pants that flare at the end, you’d pair it with some white Nike Air Forces, a medium sized gray tote bag and a matching olive green thin belt, he can see the small shimmer of your jewelry shine when the sun hits it as you tie your bike to the small rack.

He turns the key to shut off his car and opens the door, slowly stepping outside the car as he puts on his jacket. He closes the door with a soft slam and locks it, the beep alerting the girl as you turn around, your hair briefly swishing in front of your face as you turn. He watches as you frown in anticipation of a snarky remark but returns to normal when it doesn’t happen. He slowly makes his way to the entrance, purposely avoiding eye contact with you as he grows closer.

“Hey!” He hears your voice ring out from behind him but his pace doesn’t falter. He makes it to the top of the steps before he feels a soft hand grip his shoulder and a tug, signaling him to turn around. He slowly turns around, face deadpanned and he takes a deep breath.

“Yeah?”

“Any place specific you want to meet in the library?” You ask softly and he shakes his head as he starts his journey into the school once again. He can feel your presence behind him and his frown begins to form.

He chooses to ignore you as he walks, the chatter of the other students in the hall filling their ears as they continue. One of Steve’s friends, Tommy, walks up to Steve with a big smile as he pays his shoulder and glares at you.

“How you doin’ Steve?” He asks and Steve’s frown only deepens at the unwanted conversation.

“Not now, Tommy.” He shakes his head as he heads to his locker. He can hear Tommy scoff as he walks away but he can still feel your presence behind him.

He huffs lightly as he gets to his locker, one hand reaching up to twist the little knob to the correct numbers and opens the door. He quickly grabs a textbook and slams it shut and he walks away, leaving you standing at the locker, your face etched with hurt and confusion.

Even on my worst day

You can’t help but frown at Steve’s more than usual grumpy behavior as you head to your own locker , true enough you were the main reason why he’s so grumpy but you just love helping people! You should know better than to assume they’d be friends simply because you’re tutoring him, but you assumed they’d at least be better than this. You wish they could at least be cordial and have him not act as if he hates your guts, and you can only wish that during the sessions they can meet in the middle.

You huff in frustration when you can’t get the lock to open, your combination not seeming to work as you twist and twist. You swear it’s the right one, so you try once more and you’re met with once again the lock not opening.

“Come on!” You huff as you stare at the lock intently. Beginning to think that maybe you changed the lock combination, you try a different sequence of the same numbers and after a couple of tries you finally hear the satisfying click as the lock opens.

You quickly grab the textbooks for your first two classes and shut it gently as you walk to your first class, your tote bag gently bouncing off your hip as you walk.

You just barely make it to your first class before the teacher closes the door, your hand pushing on the tall wooden door as you cry out ‘wait please!’ The door opens and you see the teacher smile softly as he lets you in.

“Just in time, have a seat quickly please.” He says and you nod silently, with your head down quietly making your way over to an empty seat towards the back of the class. Grabbing your notebook and a pen out of your bag, she begins to write down the title of the notes she’s gonna be taking and pulls your assignment due from the front of the notebook as well.

————

Time seems to fly in front of your eyes, the day taking not nearly as long as it usually feels like as you get released from your last class of the day. With a smile on your face, you plug your earbuds in your phone as you walk through the halls, stopping briefly to answer any questions from your classmates and to wave goodbye to your teachers.

You spot Steve talking to a pretty brunette, her lips smiling as she twirls her hair around her finger as she speaks. Hesitantly, you make your way over and tap him on the shoulder, meekly saying ‘excuse me’ and you’re greeted with a very nasty glare from the girl.

“Um, we're talking.” The girl says with a frown on her face. you can’t help the flush of embarrassment that begins to creep it’s way up to your cheeks.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to remind Steve of the library. It’s at six, if you can’t make it or gonna be late, just let me know.” your voice comes out quietly as you speak, your hands subconsciously moving to your front as you begin to play with your fingers.

Steve lets out a very unenthusiastic ‘uh huh’ as his eyes never leave the brunette’s and he begins to talk to her once more, completely ignoring the other girl behind him as the brunette smirks and plays with the collar of his t-shirt. When you realize that he isn’t paying attention, you frown slightly before making your way out of the school building as music plays in your ears.

You mumble curses to Steve under your breath as you untie your bike and set the cord in your bag. Hopping on your bike, you begin your ride back to your apartment. You smile as you pass the cars and families out and about, their joy and love radiating off of them making you smile and aw. As you continue biking, you make a quick stop at your favorite flower shop, propping your bike against the side of the store and you quickly walk in. The smell of all the flowers welcome you warmly as well as the bright smile of the lady standing behind the counter.

“You! So good to see you! How’ve you been?” She asks and you smile as she walks up to the counter.

“Hi Tameka! I’m good, how are you?” you ask and Tameka responds with great enthusiasm as she starts telling the younger girl about her kids and how the store’s been getting along.

You love coming to this flower shop because no matter how long you stay away, she’s always greeted with a warm welcome, one that reminds you of your mother at a young age. The shop gives you a sense of family no matter what happens, and you’ve never been more grateful. After Tameka finishes rambling on about her life, she turns her attention to the younger girl as she props her head onto folded manicured hands and flashes you a warm smile.

“Here to get the usuals? Anything new to update me on chica?” You shake your head with a small laugh as you lean on the counter.

“Of course, I never stray. And no new updates unless you count having to tutor the boy who seems to hate my existence an update.” You say and sigh, the thought of having to do so is heavy.

You can’t help but to wonder how it’ll go, will he be the same as he is in school? Is he gonna spend the whole time mocking you and poking fun, or will he be kind and listen to you, asking questions whenever he’s confused. Will the session end in a screaming match as he tests your limits or will it be calm as he complies and agrees to your help.

As you pay for your flowers, you can’t help but to ask yourself those questions. You know wondering won’t help determine the outcome of the coming day, and you know there’s only one way to find out.

Did I deserve, babe

“Oh fuck, just like that baby. Doing s’good f’me.” Steve moans as his grip tightens in the brunette’s hair. Her mouth feels heavenly as she chokes, her throat tightening around his tip when she takes too much. He rolls his eyes back and curses out loud when she slows her pace, her tongue circling his tip when she reaches it before slowly gliding back down.

She pulls away long enough to spit onto her hand and quickly takes his leaking dick back into her more than welcoming mouth. She begins to bob her head slowly as she uses the hand she spit on to quickly jerk off the rest she can’t fit in her mouth. Steve hums in appreciation as she slows her pace again, taking her time to suck him off.

Steve can feel the spit dripping from her lips and onto the fern tattoos on his v-line as she continues, alternating between fast and slow, and she experiments with different things. As she comes back to his leaking tip, she runs her tongue over the slit and Steve shakes in pleasure.

“Oh fuck, just like that baby. You’re g’nna make me cum, your mouth feels so good.” He says between moans when she picks up her pace and uses the hand that was wrapped around him to cup his balls as she moans softly around him.

He can feel his stomach beginning to tighten as he slowly begins to fuck her mouth. He’s close, he’s so close he can taste it as she goes lower and lower. More spit falls from her lips and she begins to get messy, more careless, just wanting to taste his seed going down her throat. The sound of her soft gags and the wet sounds of him slipping in and out of her mouth only egging him on.

She speeds up just slightly and goes back up, choosing to suck softly on just the tip. He can feel his balls drawing up and his length beginning to twitch as his hips begin to falter.

“Oh fuck, I’m cumming, s’good baby. So good for me, that’s it, swallow it all.” He moans as he slowly continues thrusting in her eager mouth, milking himself for all he’s worth as his eyes flutter shut and he releases the grip on the brunette’s hair.

He sighs as she gets up and sits next to him, her hand gently rubbing small strokes on his thigh as he comes down. He can feel her begin to kiss his jawline softly, slowly trailing down his neck and he hums softly.

“Wait, where’s my phone?” He asks as his eyes open and he looks around. He quickly gets up from his bed and scrambles around his room in search for the small item.

Quickly grabbing a pair of black Calvin Klein boxers from his dresser, he yanks them on before searching the pile of clothes on the floor. In the process of him pulling his pants up to search the pockets, the desired phone falls and lands onto the brunette’s shirt. He grabs it and turns it on and curses under his breath when he sees the time.

He instinctively turns his attention to the halfway dressed girl sitting on his bed, and frowns.

“You gotta go.” He says as he throws on a hoodie and some shorts, messily throwing his hair in a bun as he gets dressed.

“What do you mean you gotta go? Don’t tell me your girlfriend is on the way?” She asks, her voice raspy as she frowns at him.

“No, but you gotta get out like now. I gotta go somewhere.” He watches her shake her head as she searches for her discarded bra and curses at him, yelling at how horrible he is and what’s she supposed to do now as he yanks a pair of socks on.

She angrily huffs as she walks out of his part of his dorm and slams the front door. He rolls his eyes as he slips on a pair of vans before grabbing his lone textbook sitting on the edge of the bed, heading to the front door. He gives a small pet to Delilah as he opens the door, telling the small kitten he’ll be back soon and closes the door. He quickly locks it and jogs through the dorm building, down the stairs and outside towards the parking lot.

He’s never been more grateful for parking nearest to the building as he quickly spots his car. He picks up the pace slightly as he gets closer to his car, the wind pricking at his eyes causing him to squint. The short jog feels like forever as he get closer, close enough to unlock the door and reach a tattooed arm to the door and pull it open. He rushes into the car, pulling the door closed behind him as he puts the keys in the ignition and turns them, the car stuttering to life as he quickly backs out and begins his journey to the library.

He passes different trees, stores and restaurants on his way. The world seeming to move in slow motion and he huffs angrily.

Fuck you for being so smart and fuck you and your schedules. He hates you, if it weren’t for him needing a tutor, he’d be balls deep inside of the brunette from earlier.

All the hell you gave me

He huffs in annoyance as he pulls into the parking lot of the library, choosing to park in the spot closest to the building he spots your bike sitting in the rack all tied up and he’s kinda grateful you chose to stay. He turns off the car and quickly heads to the entrance as he clicks the button on his keys to lock the door. He opens the door and looks around, tall bookshelves lining the walls and standing in straight rows block his view of finding you.

He huffs as he wanders through the library, eyes scanning for any sign of you in between the walls of books and at the tables scattered throughout the empty spaces. As he wanders through the building and makes his way to the back of the library, he can’t help but to feel a slight flutter in his chest; it’s definitely not one of excitement but he doesn’t think he’s nervous so he’s not sure what exactly he’s feeling.

His eyes scan over his surroundings and he finally spots you standing at one of the empty tables in the corner. He begins to slowly make his way over to you and he watches as you begin to put all of your belongings into the tote bag. Even though he can tell you’re upset, you still manage to gently place everything away. He clears his throat and you quickly turns around, your eyes narrowed and a frown sits on your face as you glare at him.

You gently place your bag on the back of a nearby empty chair and begin to cross your arms.

“You’re late..” Your voice wavers but he knows better than to comment on it. He chooses to avoid the conversation, simply nodding in response as he moves to sit down next to your bag.

“No explanation? I think I deserve something since you’re over an hour late Steve. You were supposed to text me and let me know…” You pull your textbooks out from your tote bag and set them gently on the table.

You sigh softly as you pull a couple worksheets from one of your binders and set them alongside the textbook.

“You know.. don’t even know why I allowed myself to get upset, you were never one to be on time.” You say with a small laugh and he furrows his eyebrows ever slightly, the frown only increasing with every sentence that comes from her lips.

He’s never been so close to you like this and it throws him off. He can make out the mascara coated lashes that fan your cheeks with every blink and your perfume fills his nose which only increases his already grumpy mood. In a feeble attempt to distract himself, he scoots his chair away from you subtly and rests his head on the back of his hand.

The library’s quiet, the only sound in the room is the humming of the air conditioner and the faint shuffling from the students as the walk around. The smell of old books fills the air and a few rays of light filter through the glass windows sitting high on the white painted walls. Students walk in, idly whispering among each other as they quickly silence their phones as they walk over the tall wooden shelves and search for the book they need.

His eyes quickly flit back to yours, his brown orbs meeting soft irises filled with annoyance as you tilt your head to the left ever so slightly.

“You’re not even listening to me. I’m trying to explain all these so your attention would be very much appreciated.” You say and he hums quickly, eyes staring straight ahead as he crosses his arms and leans back into the uncomfortable wooden chair.

As you begin to explain the basics of poetry, pointing to all the different elements as you list them off, Steve can feel his mind wandering once again. Small glimpses of happier times, easier ones flash through his mind, quickly jumping from one scene to the other. He breathes through his nose in annoyance, the action not going unnoticed by you but you choose not to speak on it. You figure you’ll allow him to wallow in his grumpiness as long as he pays attention.

You can’t help but to sneak peeks of Steve as you speak, turning your head ever so often as you explain what each element is and why it’s important. A couple stray strands of hair have fallen and frame his face, a furrow formed in the middle of his brows as he stares at the middle of his side of the table, and you can’t help but the smile softly at the fond memories.

“Reminds you of something?” You ask and all you get in return is a very soft grunt, one that could be considered either agreement or disagreement.

You gently turn the pages towards the grumpy boy sitting next to you, your polished finger points to the beginning part of the poem.

“Can you tell me what this is?” You ask, your voice slightly above a whisper so he can hear you. He hums once, turning his gaze to you as a small smirk begins to form on his lips. He shrugs once as he pushes the paper away with one hand, his intense gaze never leaving yours. He watches your features begin to harden and turn into frustration.

Your brows begin to furrow and your mouth turns downwards, your eyes darting between his and the paper on the table as he pushes it away. You stare at him in disbelief before shaking your head and shutting your eyes, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of your nose as you sigh.

“I can’t do the work for you Steve, you have to do it so you can remember it. You don’t wanna fail again do you?” He hums twice as he keeps his gaze on your face, mapping out the three little lines resting in the middle of your eyebrows.

You bring one hand over to the discarded paper and pull it back towards him, your eyes narrowing just slightly as you pull your hand away. The silence is deafening as they stare into each other's eyes, frustration meeting stubbornness, warmth colliding with cold, two complete opposites fighting internally as the stare-off continues.

The sound of someone laughing breaks the silence, but it’s only briefly; the air conditioning fans cold air through the building and goosebumps begin to form on the back of your neck. You sigh softly as you break your gaze away from his intense stare, moving your hands to fidget with the ends of your long sleeves as you stare at the paper laying on the desk.

You know he’s always been stubborn so this shouldn’t be a surprise. He’s like this with everybody but you can’t help but to wonder why he seems to treat you worse. You don't expect the two of you to be best friends but he definitely shouldn’t hate you. As your thoughts run through your head, you bring one hand back to the table and move the discarded paper in between them.

“I cannot do the work for you and I will not do it. You should want to pass this exam Steve. I get that it’s the first lesson and I wasn’t expecting this to be smooth sailing - but I was at least expecting some cooperation here. It’s okay if you don’t like me, but for your sake can you work with me here? This will all be done a lot faster if you *try*.” You say as you point to the paper between them, a finger pointing towards the beginning of the poem where they left off.

Steve stares at the paper briefly before reluctantly opening up the textbook laying in front of you and flipping the pages to the section you're attempting to teach from. His eyes skim over the page, aiming to get the session done as soon as possible and for him to not have to hear your voice more than he has to.

He quickly finds the answer and he silently points to it. He can hear you sigh sadly and it’s full of disappointment. The ends of your hair graze his hand as you lean over just slightly to check his textbook page. Your floral scented perfume fills his nose once more and he frowns at just how well it suits you, soft and sweet, inviting and comforting. A soft smile begins to form on your lips as you lean back to your own seat.

“It wasn’t that bad right? You got it right, good job Steve.” You murmur as you turn to look at him.

You take note of the way his mouth is turned downward and you wonder how his muscles aren’t in pain constantly from having to sit like that all the time. you pull the paper to you and quickly mark on it with your pen, highlighting important parts and little things you think might help him remember. You gently slide the paper back over to him and smile softly.

“I’ve left some notes about everything so as long as you study this after we’re done, next time won’t take as long.”

————

The time passes rather slowly but you can’t help but to think it’s simply because you're the only one talking. you tried to initiate conversation with him, asking him about his classes, the latest tv show, and even attempting to talk about the weather! He refuses to talk to you, either replying with a blank stare, a simple huff or gruff hum accompanied by a shrug.

You don't mind the silence usually, but not when there’s supposed to be a conversation. You thought you’d have to answer all of Steve’s questions - work related and unrelated - and at least they’d make small talk about school. This silence is anything but comfortable, it’s awkward and full of tension; it’s the kind of silence that makes you blurt out all these random questions to try to fill it so you won’t end up packing up all your things and running out as fast as your legs can carry you.

You should be used to this type of tension between them, the way he’s always picking on you, throwing harsh words and nasty glares that you do your best to ignore. But to you, this tension feels different, it feels thicker; it could have something to do with the fact they’re in close proximity, sharing the same table and the way your hair keeps grazing his hand which causes him to freeze up and scowl at you until you move back to your seat.

You don't have to wonder if you're the only one to feel the difference because Steve’s body language tells you everything you need to know. You can see how tense his shoulders are, how he’s been bouncing his leg from underneath the table for the past hour and the way he’s moved his chair as far as the table will allow him but kept the worksheets and textbook in the middle so you can see.

Your phone buzzes from your back pocket as you explain the different types of poems, you quickly excuse yourself as you grab her phone and unlock it. You see a message from your best friend asking you to come over so they can binge watch their favorite tv show together, you can’t help but to smile softly as you reply quickly - telling her that you’ll be over as soon as your study session with Steve is over. You quickly put your phone back into your pocket and go to apologize to Steve when you’re met with him already looking at you.

The frown is no longer plastered in his face but his eyebrows are still furrowed. He doesn’t look as angry anymore, he simply looks confused. He looks lost in his own thoughts as his dark eyes stay locked on your face. The silence that fills the building seems to become even more deafening because the look on his face is one you haven't seen before and it confuses the hell out of you.

You don't know whether to comment on it or to simply ignore it and move on with the session. There’s two ways this interaction can go; if you comment on his behavior there’s a chance he’ll get upset and leave early, and if you ignore it you're afraid whatever tension is happening between the two of you will get awkward.

You exhale loudly as you break eye contact, your eyes choosing to focus on the textbook in front of you instead of the brown orbs beside you. Your hands play with the corners of the pages, your thumb running upwards causing the pages to slide against it as they fall. You bite your bottom lip nervously as your eyes graze over the words written on the page explaining all the different kinds of poems and the best way to use each one.

You can’t tell how much time has passed, but you can’t help but to wonder how long until their session is up. All of the silence and tension between them is draining you, all you wish to do now is curl up on your bed and take a much needed nap. Your eyes feel heavy as you continue scanning the pages, your hand now resting on the bottom corner of the page.

You slowly turn your head to face Steve, you can’t help but to see how tense he looks. His hands enclosed in a tight fist as they rest on top of the table, the frown prominent in his face accompanied by the deep furrow in his eyebrows, his leg bouncing rapidly underneath the table and his brown eyes focused on the wall ahead of him. The question you were gonna ask is now stuck inside your throat, the fear of upsetting him any more takes over the want to make sure he understands the information they’ve gone over today.

You hum softly as you gently begin to pull the worksheet from beside him and closer to you. You grab your favorite pen and begins to write a few small notes on the empty space on the bottom, leaving a few smiley faces in the corner as you makes sure to write clearly so he can understand everything.

Your notes are simple, but you feel like it’s just enough to pass him over until they decide when to meet up next for their next session. You smile softly as you look over everything and then slides it back over to him. His eyes quickly glance over in your direction as your hand gets closer in his space and then quickly moves back to their original spot focused on the wall.

You can’t believe how he’s acting as if being close to you is such a problem, you've only seen him this quiet and stiff once but that was years ago. After he got over whatever it was, he started hanging out with different people, becoming louder and completely changed who he was.

That’s when everything changed and now your mere presence bothers him deeply, one strong enough that he looks like he’s about to burst if he has to stay at this table any longer. There’s a faint beeping from the elderly librarian checking out books combining with the soft tapping of the keyboard as other students type up papers for classes and doing research that fills the silence that sits between them.

You open your mouth but quickly shuts it, you're afraid that you're just going to upset him even more and then he’ll call off for the rest of their session. You hate this, you hate how he always makes you afraid to speak and you hate how he knows that he has this effect on you.

You clear your throat and shut your eyes, if you can’t see him then you should be able to talk to him properly.

“I’ve written some more notes on it, and if it’s hard to understand I can type it all out on a separate document and give it to you. I’ll probably do that anyways if I’m being honest. Hopefully it all makes sense to you! If you have any questions or if you don’t get something, you can always text me and I’ll respond when I can!” You open your eyes just in time to watch his figure make its way through the space and towards the entrance.

Your mouth opens and closes a couple of times before you find your voice and at this moment, the frustration takes over the logic that you're still in the library. You huff in annoyance as you slam the textbook shut.

“You could’ve at least grabbed the textbook!” you yell as his frame exits through the door, causing all the students and the librarian to look at you with accusatory looks on their faces.

You’re too annoyed to even think about apologizing, gathering all the extra paper and the textbook as you stacks everything together. You grab your tote bag and stuff everything in there, mumbling under your breath as you clear off the table. You’re upset, you’s mad, and honestly you’re confused as fuck.

You can feel the tears begin to well in your eyes as you stare at the door, your hand clutching the strap of your tote bag as you hold it close to your body. you sniffle as you make your way to the entrance, softly apologizing to the librarian as you pass. The short walk feels as if you're walking in slow motion, the door feels heavy against your hand as you push it open.

As soon as you step outside and the sun is setting in the sky, painting the sky with beautiful pink and orange meshing together, the soft breeze blowing your hair behind you slightly makes you feel even more upset. The tears begin to fall freely from your eyes, staining your cheeks as they cascade down your cheeks.

You’re upset at him for leaving so coldly after being late and barely even acknowledging your existence. You’re mainly upset at yourself though, you gave yourself this stupidly false hope that this one session would somehow make it easier for them to tolerate one another. you're upset for arriving early and staying up later than you would’ve liked to plan out everything and print out the worksheets for him. you're just sad!

You knew that this wasn’t just gonna magically change anything, and you knew that the first session more than likely wasn’t going to be easy, but you wished that it went better than how it did. you felt a little embarrassed by how little attention he gave to the lesson, let alone you during the hour and a half they spent in the library once you check your phone and see the time.

You sigh as you head to the bike rack and bend down to undo the lock holding your bike to the metal rack. You wipe your tears before setting the chain and lock in your tote and pull her bike away, swinging one leg over the middle as you get yourself situated. You begin to pedal, your bike moving on the far end of the sidewalk as you begin to make her journey over to your friend’s house.

Look at how my tears ricochet

You huff, slightly out of breath from the long ride from the library to your friend's house as you set her bike against the front of the house. You gingerly walk up to the white framed door and raise your hand to knock on it as the door swings open. You’re met with your friend sporting a big smile as she warmly wraps her arms around you.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so happy to see you! Come in, come in!” she exclaims and you nod happily. You follow her friend inside and sit beside her on the beige colored couch.

“So how was the session?” With the reminder of how it ended, a frown forms on her face.

“Oh it was so bad! First he arrived late, and then didn’t even explain why! To make matters worse, he didn’t even speak to me for the whole hour and a half we were in the library, and then he just walked out without even letting me know he was leaving!” You exclaim, your voice watery and shaky and you can feel your eyes begin to burn as tears start to form in your eyes.

Your friend doesn’t waste a second before she’s embracing the young girl in her arms, wrapping around her shoulders tightly as you begin to sob in her shoulder. You can’t recall a time you were so upset, and it’s almost embarrassing how this little incident is making her so upset. You just wish everything that has to do with Steve wasn’t so.. hurtful.

————

You knew logically there was no reason for you to be upset, especially not about something so small and more than likely had nothing to do with you in the first place. He was just being his normal self - well as normal as he is whenever he’s around you, he was in a mood and just didn’t want to be there. Deep down you wanted everything to go differently, you wanted to see if there was a chance he could maybe not like her a little less, he might crack a smile or at least talk!

The whole time he was silent aside from the hums and grunts he would answer with that you had a hard time deciphering. You had to fight back a smile every time they made eye contact but the small moment was ruined when he’d look away and huff.

The following days after their study session seemed to drag on for you. The days’ they go to school haven’t changed, you try to approach him to discuss when to meet next or to ask him if he has any questions, and he ignores you. He’ll carry on with his conversation as if you're not standing right there and you're left to walk away with your head held down and a sad smile on your lips.

So you stopped trying, you stopped texting him about the worksheets he has, you stopped trying to talk to him in between classes, you hate the way he treated you and you’re tired. You figure that he’ll come to you whenever he’s ready. So you went on with your normal routine and didn’t focus on him as much, and if he never comes back then it’s not your fault. You continued with all your studies and preparing for your own exams, spending time with her friends and making short trips to your favorite meadow.

You’ve always found the breeze blowing against your skin comforting, the silence of the field aside from the couple of birds chirping and the insects that have made the grass their home almost feels like a hug. You loved being outside even as a young girl, it seemed to be the only place you could go to escape the chaos and loud feelings of your life. You never hesitated to step outside whenever your parents began to raise their voices, or after a long day filled with stress. As you sit against the tall oak tree, the leaves shading you from the heat of the Florida sun, you can feel the stress of the past few days leave your body. You smile happily as the grass tickles your skin, and at this moment you feel at home.

The next couple of days, you still haven't heard from Steve about their next session and midterms are coming soon and you’d hate to be the reason Steve fails. The only thing coming into mind is to make your way to the principal’s office and demand that he comes to sessions but you know that won’t work. It’ll just cause Steve to hate you even more if that’s even remotely possible. You sigh as you walk out the school doors and down the steps, a slight pep in your step and a soft smile placed delicately on your lips.

You skip over happily to the bike rack and untie your own, slowly pulling it backwards until you're a good distance from the rack. You stop briefly as something catches your eye. With one hand shielding your eyes from the harsh sun as you scan the crowd, you smile brightly as your gaze lands on a familiar figure, the perfectly styled hair and the leather jacket are all too familiar to you, so without thinking you begin to move towards him. Your legs carry you through the crowd of students until you're standing directly behind him. Your hand comes up to tap gently on his shoulder, stepping backwards so he can turn around.

He turns around, scowl already forming on his lips as his eyes meet yours. His fists clench at his side and he shakes his head. He quickly turns back around and opens his car, not caring about the conversation he was in the middle of. You frown slightly before walking behind him as he aggressively opens the door and gets in, making sure to glare at you when your hand reaches out to rest on his door.

“What the fuck do y’want?” He asks and you frown slightly.

“You’ve been ignoring me.” He scoffs lightly at your response as he sticks his keys in and starts the car.

“Get the hint then, lala.” He gently begins to tug on the door, just because he’s an asshole doesn’t mean he’s just gonna let you get hurt physically.

You frown as you keep your hand on the door.

“Just because it was one bad study session - keep in mind it was only bad because of *you* - doesn’t mean you can be even more of an asshole to me. I know you don’t wanna fail, you wanna get the hell out of here as fast as possible.” He stares at you blankly as you speak.

“I don’t care if you like me or not because frankly I don’t like you right now. I’ve tried to schedule sessions and all I get is radio silence. If you want this to be over as soon as possible, then you need to try. You need to work with me, not against me. If you wanna pass, I’ll be at the library in the same spot all week. If you don’t, then you better tell principal you canceled our study session and whatever bullshit you need to say. I want you to know that if you fail, you can’t blame me because you did this yourself.” You say as your grip on the door loosens. He furrows his eyebrows as he stares at her intensely, his frown prominent as his eyes size her up.

He lets out a defeated sigh as he shuts his eyes and turns his head slightly.

“Fine, two days from now I guess we can meet up and study some more. Is that all?” His voice lacks any eagerness but that doesn’t deter you from cracking a big smile at him before you skip off towards the bike rack. His eyes never leave your retreating figure even after you peddle out of the parking lot and down the street.

He’s so stuck in his brain that he doesn’t hear his friend Tommy walk up beside him, the feeling of a hand slapping him on the shoulder startles him from the trance he was in. He snaps his head around and nods his head once in acknowledgement, Tommy smiles at him briefly.

“Wassup man, why’re you being weird?” Steve shakes his head as a frown quickly begins to form on his face.

“The fuck are you talking about?” Steve asks and he chuckles, a hand flying out to grasp Steve’s shoulder in response.

“You’ve been staring into space since what’s her face left. She try to start something?” Steve shakes his head in response as he chuckles.

“Nothin’ like that. S’all taken care of.” Tommy nods once before releasing his hold on Steve’s leather clad shoulder.

“Me and a couple buds are going to the bar tonight, you wanna come?” Steve nods once in agreement before they say their goodbyes.

And you can aim for my heart, go for blood

You sit on the couch beside your closest and best friend, Leya, aimlessly scrolling through the channels on the television. Their phones are discarded on the coffee table in front of them as they make small talk as they search for something to watch. The day’s been boring for both of them, you went to school and then headed over to Leya’s house where your friend’s been cooped up all day.

“We should go out tonight.” Leya says after settling on some cooking show.

She sets the remote on the table before turning to face you beside her, her eyes meeting confused ones.

“It’s a school night… Why on earth would we go out?” You ask and Leya chuckles.

“We won’t be out late, promise. Just tired of being cooped up inside and we haven’t hung out outside of these four walls in forever it seems. You’ve been busy.” You smile softly as you tuck one leg underneath you as you bite your bottom lip.

You know your best friend’s idea of ‘not late’ is much different than your own, they’re more than likely to be heading back to their places around one in the morning, meanwhile you usually only stay out until eleven p.m. since you have early morning classes. You sigh before turning your gaze to your best friend, eagerness and excitement is written all over her face and you can’t help but to return the excitement. A bright smile forms on her lips before you nod her head.

“Where did you want to go and we’re only staying out until midnight at the latest, I have to get up early.” You can’t help but smile at her friend's excitement after you finish speaking.

They both turn their gaze to the television, smiles etched on their faces as they focus on whatever the man on the screen in cooking. You know this isn’t a good idea because you know they’ll be out much later than intended simply because time won’t matter once they’re having fun. No one will be checking their phones and you don't even know where you’re going!

You know you haven't had much time to properly hang out with your best friend because you’ve been doing a lot more. You’ve been juggling school with tutoring two different students and trying to snag some hours in at the local library for a little side cash. You can’t help but to feel bad, but there’s nothing you can do about it now and you’re sure your friend understands why.

Leya goes on and on about a bar nearby that’s under new management and is supposed to be so much better and how she wants to try it.

“They have a better selection of drinks, live music! This sounds like so much fun I promise you won’t regret it. Please say you’ll go, you have to! I’m afraid I’ll die if you say no.” Leya says, placing a hand on her forehead to feed into the dramatics as she rests her upper half over the couch rest.

You can’t help but to laugh at your friend as you roll your eyes playfully.

“You’re silly. You know I was gonna say yes regardless, you deserve a proper fun night out.” Leya’s face might be broken with how hard she’s smiling, teeth showcased fully and her eyes barely showing as she quickly shortens the small distance between to embrace her best friend into a tight hug.

“I could quite literally kiss you right now, you’re the best friend ever! I’m so excited, thank you thank you!” She squeals before pulling away to plant a sloppy kiss on your cheek causing the girl to laugh as you wipe it away with the back of you hand.

A comfortable silence falls over them as they turn their attention back to the television, the man’s voice playing in the background as he talks about whatever dish he’s making for the day. Your head lays on Leya’s shoulder as they continue to watch tv, a happy smile on your face as you enjoy the company and peaceful bliss.

————

Several hours later, you find yourself standing in front of the standing floor mirror holding two different dresses. You take turns in holding the dresses up to your body as you try to decide which one you want to wear. You don't want to put too much effort in your appearance since you know it’ll all just be sweated off by the end of the night.

You end up choosing a simple black dress, one that hugs your frame nicely with lace detailing around the edges and stops mid thigh. It’s plain enough so you won’t stand out too much, but dressy enough to show you actually put some effort into your appearance. After you slip it on, you apply some light makeup and quickly fix your hair.

You walk out of Leya’s room and into the living room where you’re met with your best friends’ figure leaning over the kitchen island as she applies a pink tinted lipstick over her lips, the burgundy dress compliments her skin, hugging her curves but flaring out towards the bottom with a open back and stops mid thigh. Her hair has been pinned back as it rests in the matching burgundy hair clip. You can’t help but to smile as you watch your friend add the finishing touches to her makeup before choosing to speak up.

“You look super pretty, Leya. Is that dress new?” Leya turns around and smiles just as big as she nods.

“Yes! Oh my gosh, you look to die for! Spin for me baby!” Leya exclaims and you can’t help but to giggle as you do a spin, her heels clicking against the tile floor with every step.

They both laugh as they embrace each other in a tight hug before walking out the door and towards Leya’s car. The soft breeze blowing against your skin and you smile dopily as you step inside the car. Leya hops into the driver seat and starts the car making sure to roll your window down as she drives down the street. The trees and houses turn into a blur, the breeze fanning your face as you lay your head on the open space on the car door.

————

The smell of weed quickly fills your nose as you step out of the car and lets your eyes sweep over the building. There’s a couple of guys huddled in the far side of the building, you can only assume they’re smoking the weed by how clouds of smoke keep blowing in the air every couple of seconds. You can see the side profile of one of the guys and you can’t help the small gasp that escapes from your lips when she realizes that one of the guys is Steve.

He’s dressed like normal, a white dress shirt halfway unbuttoned to show off his toned chest, a pair of black skinny jeans and his signature white sneakers. You can hear Leya clear her throat from behind you and you turn around to meet her gaze with a sly smile.

They don’t say anything to each other before Leya’s grabbing your hand and heading towards the entrance and you laugh as Leya yells.

“Party time baby!” The sound of your friend's voice causes Steve and his friends to look over and you catch a glimpse of his signature frown beginning to form.

You refuse to let him ruin a perfectly good night so you send him a smile before you’re being dragged through the door and directly to the bar, you stagger behind your friend as her heels clack against the wooden floor. You quickly apologize to everyone you bump into as you try to make yourself as small as possible, earning a few nasty glares in the process. It doesn’t take long for the two girls to reach the bar and they quickly hop onto the bar stools, the leather squeaks underneath with every move.

The music is loud and you can feel the vibrations through the stool, even though you just walked in the heat from all the dancing bodies enveloping you, wrapping you in a warm hug. The bartender comes over and sends both of them a flirty smile as he leans on the counter top.

“And what can I get for you lovely ladies?” He asks and they both let out a giggle. Leya’s the first to answer as she smiles back.

“I’d like a sex on the beach please!” The waiter nods in response as he gathers everything he needs and begins to make her drink.

You don’t know what you want to drink, you’ve never really been a heavy drinker, you don’t like the bitterness of beer or the burn of tequila as it flows down your throat. You usually stick with water or tea, something non-alcoholic or occasionally opting for something sweet and fruity when you’re out so you turn your head and plead with Leya. Wide eyes begging for help to make yourself feel better about your decision which causes your friend to laugh softly before nodding her head.

The waiter comes back with a smile as he hands Leya’s drink to her and turns to you, flashing you a flirty smile as well.

“And what can I get started for you, pretty?” You smile politely back at him before Leya interrupts them.

“Do you by any chance have anything fruity?” The bartender nods and quickly mixes your drink and hands it to you, it’s orange and looks just like orange juice and you can make out a few ice cubes floating around.

You hesitantly bring the cup to your lips and take a small sip, expecting to feel the burn in your throat or taste the bitter aftertaste that’ll linger on your taste buds. Surprisingly you don't taste any of it, it’s sweet and tastes just like orange juice. You lick your lips before taking a longer sip and nod.

“I like this! What’s it called?” You ask and the bartender chuckles softly before he replies.

“It’s called a screwdriver. It’s orange juice and vodka. I’d be careful with that, because it’s so easy to drink it’ll get you pretty tipsy fast. Don’t just drown it, small sips.” You nod gingerly in response as you turn to Leya.

“Want some?” Leya shakes her head softly as she sends a smile to you, one full of love and happiness that you can’t help but to send a reciprocated smile back.

The bartender leaves them to chat idly as the music plays, loud enough to cause them to lean into each other to make sure they’re heard correctly. Leya talks about how she can’t believe that you're out and drinking, making jokes about where has her friend gone because the girl she knows wouldn’t be caught dead in a bar, let alone outside her apartment at this time. You laugh softly before playfully pushing your friend’s shoulder and taking another sip of your drink.

As their eyes glaze over the crowd full of dancing people, Leya nudges you softly causing you to turn your head briefly where you’re met with a smirk.

“You know Steve’s here?” You smile before nodding.

“Saw him outside before we came in. Didn’t look too happy to see me.” You shrug before taking another sip of your drink. You watch as your friend shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

“Still nothing huh? I don’t even understand why he dislikes you so strongly. You said you confronted him in the parking lot? Did nothing happen?” You can feel your frown beginning to form at the thought of your outburst at him.

“No, he just stared like a statue the whole time before he very reluctantly agreed to another study session. I hate to feel like I’m forcing him but I refuse to let him fail under my watch you know? I know he can do better.” You take another sip of your drink as you begin to drum your fingers on your thigh to the rhythm of the song playing.

Leya smiles as she sips her own, she loves that most about her best friend. The fact that no matter what you’re always seeing the best in people and never treating

them the way they treat you.

“Let’s play a game.” The smirk is back on Leya’s lips as she sets her drink on the counter behind her.

“What could we possibly play at the bar Leya?” Your curiosity is getting the best of you, you always have fun with her and this wouldn’t be any different.

“Let’s see how many people end up fucking tonight. You take a sip if you end up losing your guess, and the other person takes a sip if you guess correctly.” You can’t help the shiver of excitement that runs through your body at the game description and so you nod your head excitedly as both sets of eyes trail over the crowd.

But you would still miss me in your bones

Several wrong guesses and a couple correct ones, you can feel the warmth of your cheeks and you’re a giggling mess. You’ve never felt more at peace as you lean your head on your friend's shoulder. They’ve left their multiple glasses behind as they sway lightly and slowly to the very upbeat song, not caring about the nasty glares they’re receiving or the way the bass of the song vibrates in your chest. They’ve forgotten the game a while ago, after Leya’s guesses got more incorrect and your guesses became slurred words and giggles.

You’ve never been a heavy drinker so most would consider herself a lightweight when it comes to alcohol and at this moment it shows. You’re more gone than Leya is - she’s borderline tipsy, still able to form sentences and can kinda walk in a straight enough line if she concentrates hard enough. So you lean your weight on your friend as you wrap your arms around her waist and snuggle your face into her neck, neither girl caring about your makeup that’s definitely leaving a stain as they sway.

“Leys..” a giggle escapes your lips at the new nickname coming from you before you turn your head upwards to gaze at your best friend.

“Yes?” Leya asks, your own nickname falling through her lips as she brings one hand up to your head and softly runs her hand over your hair, she can feel you begin to relax in her hold and she chuckles softly.

“Love you.” You mumble and you can feel a soft kiss on the top of your hair and the tightening of Leya’s arms around your shoulders.

“Love you too sweets. You feeling okay?” You nod your head softly against Leya’s chest.

A couple seconds past, a comfortable silence looming over them before you gasp and pull away.

“What? What’s wrong?” Leya’s face is laced with concern, eyebrows raised and eyes wide as she stares at the drunk girl.

“You’re my best friend!” You exclaim and let out a small giggle. Relief floods over Leya’s face and turns into a loving smile.

“And you’re mine, forever and always.” You can’t help but break into a big smile at the returned sentiment, one that makes your cheeks hurt and shows off all of your teeth, one that seems to brighten up the decently lit building.

The music has seemed to fade away into the background, it doesn’t seem as loud anymore but you can still feel the bass of the guitar vibrating through your body as you very clumsily dance alongside your best friend. Hands, arms, and sides bump into one another throughout your time shared on the dance floor, but you can’t bring yourself to care about any of that. The only thing that matters at the moment is that you’re happy and they’re having fun, you can’t remember a time you’ve felt so loose.

You stop dancing around to stumble over to the bar once more, both of their glasses cleaned up and the bartender already ready with a medium sized glass cup.

“You thirsty?” He says as he pushes the cup towards you, the condensation leaves a wet trail against the wooden countertop and you shake your head.

“New cup please, no drugs.” You giggle slightly at yourself and set your hand on the table. You focus your attention on the bartender as he pours out the water and rinses the cup. He quickly pours you some fresh water and you giggle as you thank him, their fingers brushing over another as you grabs the cup

from him and take a sip.

You’ve managed to lose Leya in such a short timeframe, your eyes flitting over the crowd but you can’t seem to focus on finding your friend when your eyes land on Steve’s signature hair and leather jacket. You laugh quietly to yourself before taking a big sip of the water and set your cup on the counter as you hop down from the stool and begin to clumsily make your way over to Steve. You bump into a couple people on the way over, quickly saying excuse me before bursting into small fits of laughter with every bump.

You almost trip over someone sitting near Steve, your hand coming out to grab onto the closest thing to you and you quickly grab onto someone’s chair.

“Watch it!” The guy yells and you quickly push yourself up and apologize, a soft laugh falling out from your lips as your eyes lock onto Steve’s. His face is bare, no frown placed on it but his hazy eyes show just the hint of annoyance. His eyes wander over your body as you just stand there before he leans forward and his eyes flick up to yours as his hands slowly come up to your frame. He ever so gently and very carefully takes the end of your dress and tugs it down from its resting position from at the top of your thighs to the middle of your thigh.

After he’s satisfied he quickly pulls back and grabs the joint from Tommy’s hand and takes a hit, he enjoys the burn in his throat as he inhales and watches the smoke as he exhales. He finds that your presence isn’t as infuriating like this, his eyes travel down your frame - taking in your hair, and the dress and just how well it compliments your curves, the way you play with your fingers and the slight sway you have as you stand in place.

You then quickly break out into a big smile and stumble closer to Steve.

“Hi!” He frowns slightly before nodding to you in acknowledgment.

“Have you seen Leys?” You hiccup softly before letting out a small laugh. He shakes his head before turning to his friend.

“Seen her friend?” His friend shakes his head as well and he turns his gaze back to you.

“Go look around. Couldn’t have gone too far. She shouldn’t have left you like this anyways.” You can’t help but to frown at that before shaking your head.

“I left her, got thirsty. The nice bartender gave me water with no drugs.” You giggle before turning around and pointing to the man standing behind the counter, his eyes already fixed on you.

Steve leans slightly to stare at the man before looking back to you and sighs in annoyance as he stands up. He tells his friends he’ll be right back as he walks the couple steps to stand in front of the intoxicated girl.

“C’mon then, let’s see if we can find her.” His voice gruff as you turn around and begin to stumble your way through the crowd, bumping into a guy and causing him to spill his drink.

“Fucking bitch. You owe me a drink!” Steve watches as you flinch away slightly at the already drunk man’s tone.

Steve can’t help but to frown as he steps forward and stares at the man with anger clouding his eyes.

“I’d watch your mouth, talk to her with fucking respect.” He says as he steps back and reaches into his pocket to grab his wallet, opening it up and grabs a couple dollars and roughly hands it to him.

“Now shut the fuck up and get your drink.” He says and walks over to you and just barely lays his hand on your shoulder as he pushes you to the bar gently. The girl giggles and thanks Steve for saving you from the ‘scary man’ as they make it to the counter.

“Are you ready for another one, pretty girl?” The waiter asks and you shake her head softly. Steve can’t help but to clear his throat in an attempt to get his attention away from the girl beside him.

“We’re actually looking for her friend, have you seen her?” The bartender's eyes flick back and forth between you and Steve before nodding his head.

“Yeah, she went into the bathroom with some guy a little bit ago.” Steve scoffs as he grabs your hand and leads you to the door.

You squeal before you smack Steve’s hand.

“Hey! Steve! Slow down! Wait! She’s in there!! Can’t leave her!” You yell, but Steve shows no sign of stopping. His grip firm on your hand as he drags you to the door, the sound of your heels clicking against the wooden floor just barely audible over to the sound of the drums on the stage. He doesn’t stop until they’ve made it outside the door and he stops abruptly and runs his hand through his hair.

“Can’t leave Leys, Steve. Love her. She’s my best friend! We gotta go back!” You huff and he shakes his head.

“No can do, lala. Your best friend is hooking up with some random fucking guy instead of making sure you’re okay. M’taking you home. What’s your address?” He takes out his phone and opens the Maps app, you do nothing but glare at him.

“Don’t want you, want Leys.” You say with finality as you turn around and head to the door.

He rolls his eyes as he moves to stand in front of you and softly places his hands on your shoulders.

“C’mon now. M’not gonna hurt you. Just let me take you home.” He says and you shake your head and cross your arms, you don’t miss the way his gaze drops to your chest ever so briefly.

“You’re not Leys.” He rolls his eyes at this.

“M’doing you a favor by continuing these sessions, it’s the least you can do. You’re drunk off your fucking ass and your best friend obviously isn’t too worried about you. C’mon and let me take you home. Can you not be so stubborn for once, you’re in no condition to be anywhere but in your own bed.” Your bottom lip juts out and begins to wobble and he sighs.

“Leya cares ‘bout me, she’s worried right now. Let me inside, you don’t care. Just gonna hold this over my head tomorrow.” She mumble softly as you reach into your purse for your phone.

You quickly grab it and unlock it, your finger clicking on the phone icon and clicking on Leya’s name and clicking the speaker icon. The phone rings several times and you bite your bottom lip nervously, the time taking forever with each second that the phone doesn’t click and your friend's voice comes through. After a while the phone goes to voicemail and you can’t help the few tears that fall from your eyes and onto your cheeks. You dejectedly nod her head in agreement and follow Steve to his car and you only manage to bump into a few cars along the way.

Steve sighs before coming next to you and ever so gently wraps his arm around your waist, not touching you but enough to keep you from stumbling too much and setting off someone’s car. It’s almost too easy for you to melt into his hold as your head comes to rest on his shoulder and you wrap your own arm around him, you’re too far gone to take note of the way his body tenses up underneath your touch. It takes the both of them longer to get to his car than it would if it was just him because of the way you keep stumbling over cracks in the road or just your own two feet. He opens the door for you, allowing you to get in and sets his jacket over your lap just in case. He’s careful when strapping you in - trying his best not to touch you too much and announcing his every move for you to nod and giggle.

And if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake

After a couple wrong directions from the drunk girl talking over the voice coming from the speaker, Steve manages to pull into your driveway and parks the car. He gets out after telling you to stay put, walking around the car to your side, opening the door and unbuckling your seatbelt, being unusually gentle with you as he helps you out of the car and towards your house. When they reach the front door, he taps you on the shoulder and nods to the door.

“You got your keys?” His voice comes out softer than usual, taking on a more gentle tone with the girl and it only confuses him more. You nod tiredly before reaching into your purse and surprisingly fast you pull out your keychain, the various keys jingling against each other as you use the other hand to pick at each key.

Right when your fingers begin to wrap around your house key, they slip through your grasp and make a loud jingle as they hit the floor.

“Whoopsie.” You giggle as you bend down, Steve follows suit as his own hand reaches out to grab it and he manages to beat you to it as his right hand wraps around the keychain. They both stand up at the same time causing them both to hit their head against the other, you frown as one hand comes up to rub your head. Steve can’t help but to crack a smile at the sight before he shakes his head and unlocks your door, opening it fully as his arm wraps around your waist.

His fingers are just barely touching your dress as he guides you into the house, quietly shutting the door before asking you to lead you into your own room. You smile softly as you nod, your own hand coming to rest on top of his as they walk into your room. Steve’s not disgusted by your room, in fact it reminds him of earlier years, the various posters of plants and paintings, post it notes with words of encouragement and a decent sized calendar line the plain white walls, your beige comforter set contrasts the soft pink carpet that rests underneath the bed and he can spot a flower vase full of various flowers sitting on top of your dresser accompanied by other small decorations.

Your room is exactly how he figured it’d be, it’s something that you’d expect to see from you and he can’t complain. For as long as he can remember you’ve always been so predictable when it comes to anything really, and so as he leads you to the bed your foot catches on the leg of your dresser causing you to begin to fall forward. You squeal as you prepare yourself for the hard impact against the floor but it never comes, Steve’s arms are wrapped around you securely, his fingers digging into your waist as he pulls you up.

“For fucks sake, slow down will you. Need you alive so I can pass this stupid test. Don’t want you to damage that useful brain of yours huh?” He can’t help to add a teasing tone to his voice and you shake your head.

“Can you get dressed by yourself?” He asks and you quickly nod your head in agreement.

He quickly heads to your dresser and waits for instructions that never seem to come, so slowly he opens one of the drawers - wary not to open one he definitely does not want to open, and he’s met with a collection of hoodies and large shirts. So he quickly grabs one and tosses it to you, not bothering to look back as he speaks.

“D’ya need shorts or anything?” He’s met with silence and he turns around to see your gaze set on him, your features soft and a hint of smile plays at your lips.

“Did ya hear me?” He says, your voice being called after the question and still no response, so he steps closer and bends down so they’re eye level causing you to break from whatever trance you were stuck in.

“Huh, what?” You slur as you blink fast, your breath fanning over his face so he quickly leans back.

“I asked if you need shorts to sleep in?” You shake your head as your cheeks begin to warm slightly in embarrassment.

“What were you staring at?” He knows he doesn’t care but his curiosity gets the best of him.

“You’re jus’ really pretty, s’all.”

He shakes his head at you before heading to your door.

“I’m pretty now? Be careful or someone might think you like me or something. But thank you, you didn’t look half bad tonight.” He says as he walks out the door and closes it behind it. Your head is swimming as you stand up and begin to tug your dress off of your body. It takes you a couple of attempts but you finally manage to drag the garment off your frame and you quickly toss it onto the edge of your bed before slipping on the shirt Steve tossed at you.

You quickly sit on your bed and grab the closest thing to you to help cover your bare legs, resulting in his jacket covering the lower half as you tell him to come in. The door squeaks as it opens and he sticks his head in before walking inside. His eyes flick to his jacket covering your bare thighs and one hand clenches into a fist.

“Steve?” His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of your voice and he opens his eyes to stare at you.

“Why don’t you like me?” You tilt your head forward as you gather your hair into a bun.

“Never said I didn’t lala girl, don’t go into that big head of yours.” He leans backwards against your doorframe and watches as you take a big breath.

“You always get irritable in my presence and you’re more mean to me than anyone else.” You begin to fiddle with your fingers as you duck your head down.

Steve sighs before coming to sit next to you on the bed, choosing to sit on the farthest side to protect anything from happening.

“All I’m gonna say is I don’t not like you. Now come lay down so I can leave.” He says and stands up, pulling your blankets down and helps you get into bed, making sure you’re covered fully. His head is tilted down as he finishes the last touches and you turn your head to the side to tell him thank you and apologize but you’re met with the softness of his lips. It’s quick and most definitely was an accident by the way he jerks back as if he got burned.

You let out a nervous giggle before you sit up, your shirt beginning to slip down your shoulder and Steve frowns.

“I’m sorry, so sorry! I actually wanted to apologize when I turned. So uh sorry about everything, fuck I’m sorry.” Your mouth is moving a mile a minute, the words slurring together as they spill from your lips and a faint red begins to tint his cheeks.

#steve stranger things #steve harrington fic #steve harrington masterlist #steve harrington #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x you #steve x you #steve harrington angst #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington x fem!reader #grumpy!steve x sunshine!reader #my writing

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not-ur-boy-toy · 2 months ago

Text

Hartbreak Ranch Chapter 3

AN: More of a bigger chapter text wise, but deffo one with some more drops about Shawn! Also can't thank enough for the love I am receiving for this, taglist is always open <3 I hope you enjoy, and also BTW, It is now finally on AO3 as well whoop whoop!

TW: Like usual, foul language, drugs/alcohol mentioned as well as some hints at addiction, some sex mentioned (not written about, just hinted at), Shawn being Shawn, some slight angst if you could put it as that?

Word count: 5.6K

Tags: @fairiebabey

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Morning light seeped through the window and curtains, greeting Shawn with an annoyed groan. He tried to dig his face against the pillows his head laid on, trying to hide from the light that seemed to peel his eyes open. It was too early for him, he could easily tell from the sound of the roosters that lived on the farm that crowed at the sun peeking over the farm. A soft grunt left his lips as he rubbed his eyes, wiping the sleep from them before slowly and lazily opening them to look at the clock that tick-tick-ticked too loud for Shawn’s liking. It was six in the morning. A time Shawn only saw when he was out partying and finally coming home. He debated sleeping in some more, but he knew sleep wouldn’t find him at all, so with a reluctant huff and curses underneath his breath, he got out of his warm cocoon of his bed to start the day.

It felt odd being up this early, especially feeling fresh for once. Any normal morning for Shawn was one where he’d debate having a hair of the dog to get him feeling straight, maybe even taking some happy pills to get the day going. Sometimes he would have a body next to him, one that was familiar to him, other times it was a colleague he found some small interest in. Most days he did find himself alone wherever his work had him stay. He wasn’t sure which one was worse and he didn’t really want to think about that at all. Diesel would have easily told him to ‘Enjoy your life, you only live once’ before placing a kiss on Shawn’s head and leaving the bed they shared for one night to go get coffee… It was a blurry line what Diesel was to Shawn. Was he his bodyguard? Therapist? Friends with benefits? Who knows.

A warm shower was what he needed to wake him up and refresh him for the day ahead, as well as perfecting his outfit for the day. His outfit of choice was somewhat a simple outfit yet still stylish, he chose a cream coloured turtleneck from Ralph Lauren that he was supposed to wear for one of his photoshoots, but it was the only shirt he had where it didn’t have long sleeves. He paired it with a pair of mocha coloured slacks from Prada and he once again wore his favorite pair of black heeled boots ... Sure it was simple in his eyes, but he did look like he was ready for a business meeting. His hair was pulled up into a half-up half-down and finally, he added a bit of makeup, some simple mascara as well as highlighter on his cheeks. He sprayed on some of his cologne, the bottles label was almost gone from how long he had the bottle. It was a gift from Marty when Shawn first began his modeling career. It was a cheap brand, much like his cigs, but it was special to him.

The scent had faded over the years, from what Shawn could remember, it smelt strongly of spices, mostly cinnamon, it almost had a strong, chemical smell which he originally hated, but now? The cinnamon had disappeared, the spices had almost gone except for the light, sweet smell of vanilla. There wasn’t much left in the bottle, he could have easily thrown it away ages ago… But everytime he did so, he hesitated, he couldn’t let go of it.

Finally, Shawn grabbed the last few things he needed; his dead phone, his packet of cigs (with his happy sticks inside) and his lighter. He placed them in his pocket before taking a deep breath in and leaving the silent room. Already, before he even reached the top of the staircase, the smell of freshly made pancakes drifted through the house, even upstairs. They smelt mouthwatering and even his stomach had to agree as it grumbled in agreement. He could hear the busy household buzzing around as well, the sound of pans clanking in the kitchen, some chatting and even laughing. Even this early the Harts were busy which didn’t surprise Shawn at all. His boots clicked against the wooden stairs as he slowly, almost anxiously made his way downstairs. Shawn wasn’t anxious. Never. He was self-assured. Laid-back even. Never anxious.

Laughing and chatter grew louder as the young man made his way finally to the dining room, his blue, ocean eyes landing on the same table from the night before. Fresh daffodils in a vase sat in the center of the table, a few plates of food were laid on the table including the same pancakes he smelt upstairs, some sunny-side up eggs, a fruit basket full of fresh looking apples, oranges, bananas and grapes. Shawn’s stomach grumbled again at the delectable spread on the table. He wasn’t a breakfast person at all. A piece of fruit and some coffee would be enough for Shawn until lunch, but the breakfast that was laid out truly looked like a feast for a king. Something truly better than whatever a Michelin star restaurant could offer. Reaching out towards the fruit basket, Shawn went to grab one of the plump almost juicy looking apples before he was stopped by the familiar honeyed voice of Helen, jumping slightly in surprise.

“Ah-ah-ah! Breakfast isn’t done just yet, just you wait Mr!” She teased with a soft, gentle smile as she walked into the room, her heels tapping against the floor as she made her way over to the table with a plate of crispy bacon.

“Oh shit- Sorry, Mrs Hart” Shawn quickly apologized, moving his hand away from the tempting apple.

“And no swearing in this household, you may be the guest, but my house, my rules”

“Sh- I mean- Sorry, again” Shawn apologized again, a blush of embarrassment coating his cheeks. When was the last time he had been scolded?

“No need to apologize, love, mistakes happen, It’s your first morning with us” Helen’s soft laugh ran through the dining room as she placed the plate in an empty spot of the table. “Here, come give me a hand in the kitchen if you can” she hummed out as she made her way back to where she appeared from. Shawn glanced at the delicious table in front of him before huffing softly, breakfast could wait for now.

Entering the kitchen, Shawn was greeted by the view of most of the Hart’s. Owen was filling up some jugs with some juices, one being apple juice, another was orange and he even filled one up with milk. Diana was reading a magazine, leaning against the counter next to her brother, showing him whatever was on it, and Stu was currently at the stove, flipping some extra pancakes for the feast in the other room. Shawn looked over at Helen, wondering what task he would be doing, he couldn’t exactly cook, he could make a good piece of toast on a good day, but pancakes like Stu was doing? He might as well just burn the kitchen down by looking at it!

“If you could wash up those few pots then that would be lovely” Helen spoke softly as she picked up the last plate of pancakes, heading back into the dining room. Shawn pulled a small face at the task. Him? Washing some plates? If it weren’t for the woman's sweet voice, he would have complained to hell and back, he was a model for God's sake! Not a servant!

“I wouldn’t hesitate to do it, Ma can be pretty cruel if you don’t help out” Owen chuckled out, throwing Shawn out of his thoughts.

“Yeah! She’ll make some gruel for breakfast… Davey really likes it though, it’s weird” Diana chirped in, tilting her head slightly as she continued to look at her magazine.

“That’s because Davey is weird” Owen mumbled out with a smirk, knowing how much it irked his sister.

As the two siblings argued over this ‘Davey’, Shawn went over to where the sink was. There wasn’t that much to clean at all, yet Shawn still dreaded it. He took a deep breath in before reaching for the sponge and reaching into the bowl of hot, soapy water. A shiver ran down his spine as he began to clean the items that had been left in there to soak, it wasn’t a pleasant thing at all.

“I hope that room was good enough for you, Shawn”, Stu grunted out slightly before placing the pan and spatula he had been using for the pancakes by the side of the sink.

“It was cozy, thank you sir, I slept like a baby honestly” Shawn replied back, resisting the urge to gag as he felt something brush against his hand in the water. He was not gonna try and figure out what it was…

A simple hum was the only reply Shawn got back from the man of very few words before Stu walked away after turning the stove off, heading out of the room. Shawn glanced over his shoulder, now realizing he was left alone in the room. He assumed everyone had done their ‘jobs’ for their breakfast while he still had to clean up. He huffed in annoyance, swearing under his breath as he looked back at the water. He could have easily stopped what he was doing and lied about finishing washing up… Yet, from Owen’s warning, he didn’t want to eat gruel.

“Stupid morning chores…” He muttered under his breath, his brows scrunched together in frustration. He was starving. He threw down the spatula Stu had left on the side into the soapy water, some of it landing slightly on his clean, expensive shirt.

“Fuckin’ stupid ass sp-”

“Woah now, those dishes haven’t done anything to you”, A hypnotic, warm voice rang out as well as the sound of heavy boots as they walked into the kitchen. Shawn’s baby blues widened slightly, his cheeks flushing slightly in a second round of embarrassment as he looked over his shoulder to see Bret’s figure by him.

“Shit! You scared me, I thought it was your mom… She’s already told me off for swearing”, Shawn chuckled out, “But they have done something to me, ruined my good shirt”. A soft huff left his lips as he tore his eyes away from Bret.

Bret raised a brow, his warm, chocolate eyes glancing on the simple looking shirt Shawn wore. He noticed the small wet patches from the water, but nothing looked ruined. As well as noticing the water on his shirt, the larger man did notice the still rather dirty dishes Shawn had tried to wash.

“It’s probably because you’re rushing to wash up, it’s not ruined though, just give it some time to dry”, Bret replied back before continuing, “My mom is gonna get ya’ to wash up again with the state of those…” He pointed out, gesturing to the pots that still had some pancake batter stuck to them as well as other bits that clung to them.

“It’s not that bad…” Shawn argued back with a pout. He didn’t see anything wrong with the dishes.

A brief chuckle left Bret’s lips as he stood by Shawn, he looked at the other like he was delusional, like he had to be joking about the pots.

“...Maybe they are pretty bad, but it’s not my fault!” Shawn squawked out, “It’s just… stubborn or something”

“Are the pots stubborn or are you being stubborn?” Bret teased, “Here, since you don’t know how to do it properly, let me show you”

Bret reached over to gently take the sponge off of Shawn, his fingers lightly grazed across Shawn’s soft skin sending a small shiver down the model’s spine. It was a light touch, something that was barely noticeable. Shawn shouldn’t have been blushing like he was over a small touch- Hell! He was a model, he had been touched and caressed for photoshoots, especially his Playgirl photoshoot… A small nudge from Bret shook Shawn out of his own thoughts as he moved out of the way, a small ‘sorry’ leaving his lips.

“Luckily there’s not much to clean, but you’ve gotta take it slow and rough…” Bret’s deep voice hummed out as he began to show Shawn how to properly wash the dishes.

“Slow and rough? It’s a plate, not a bedmate” Shawn chuckled out as he leaned against the kitchen counter, his eyes never leaving Bret’s hands.

“It’s the best way to do it” Bret smirked slightly.

Soft laughter filled the room before a comfortable silence settled. To give Shawn a break, Bret finished the dishes, there was no point in leaving him to half-ass the job again, even with showing him how to do it.

“Thanks again for saving my ass, gruel doesn’t sound very appetizing” Shawn thanked as he passed Bret a nearby kitchen towel to dry his hands with, their hands once again brushing against each other. A small, pleasant shiver ran down his spine again. He seriously couldn’t understand why a small touch would set him off so much.

“It’s… not pleasant, I don’t even wish that on my worst enemy to even have” Bret chuckled out as he wiped his hands on the kitchen towel, “Luckily, you won’t need to eat it, c’mon, Owen is a glutton for the pancakes, I won’t be surprised if he’s already eaten about five of them”.

Pancakes were definitely something Shawn didn’t want to miss out on, they smelt amazing! So, without any hesitation, the two made their way into the dining room. Owen was, just like what Bret said, eating a stack of pancakes that were covered in a few of the fruits, some bacon and some maple syrup. Diana was eating an apple while talking to Helen and Stu was drinking a glass of orange juice while reading a newspaper. Shawn sat down beside Owen while Bret sat across from them, sitting next to Diana.

“Mm! To’ ou lon’ nough!” Owen muffled out with a mouth full of food who was instantly shot a dirty look by his older brother.

“No talking with your mouthful Owen” Bret reprimanded as he began to fill his plate with food. Owen groaned slightly before swallowing the food he was eating,

“Sorry, sorry… Took you long enough,” Owen grinned, “I thought I was lucky enough to eat all of these”.

“Eatin’ all of the pancakes and getting a tummy ache, eh? Ma’ would have stopped you” Bret warned with a soft, lighthearted chuckle.

Breakfast went past as fast as the supper from the night before. Conversations ran freely which Shawn stayed mostly silent in, he preferred listening to the Hart’s instead. It was rather enjoyable to hear, and the food he ate? It was perfectly sweet even if he didn’t eat much of it. A simple pancake with some fruits and syrup lathered over the top (more than enough to make the pancake swim in it) was enough for Shawn, especially as a special treat.

A soft, satisfied huff came from Owen as he finished his pile of pancakes. “That was great like usual ma and pa!” he declared as he stood up from his chair with a screech as it scraped across the floor, “Mm, I gotta head to work though, gotta take care of your little lady Shawn” he exclaimed happily, “You should seriously see it Pops, it’s a beaut!”.

“She is, it’s my pride and joy…” the model replied back before continuing, “Oh shi-Shoot, before I forget, Bret said you’d be able to charge my phone at the shop..?” He questioned as he reached into his pocket to grab his phone.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’ll be able to, should be fully charged by the time I'm back,” Owen grinned out as he took the phone from Shawn, placing it in his own pocket for safe keepings, “Your lil’ lady and your phone will be in good hands!” he called out as he left the room, heading off to get to the shop.

“So, what’s your plans for today Shawn?” Stu piped up as he began to carefully fold the newspaper he held in his hands and placed it down on the table. His cold eyes stared down Shawn in curiosity.

“My plans? Well… I’m not sure, I might have a look around your ranch, It’s quite a pretty sight” Shawn shrugged slightly. It wasn’t like he could get into town and back. He would have had to wait for Owen to finish his shift to be dropped back off.. It wasn’t really an appealing idea.

“Bret could show you around if you give him a hand with a few chores,” Stu took a moment to have a quick sip of his orange juice before continuing, “You might be a guest, but you’ve gotta help out now n’ again”.

Shawn stayed quiet for a moment, fighting the urge to argue back. Him? doing chores? Around the ranch? Great. He had already done the dishes- Or well, Bret did. But he was a guest! Not a farmer! His clothes were definitely going to get ruined, perhaps even destroyed… Yet, he held his tongue and gave Stu a fake smile.

“Yeah, yeah… I’m happy to give a hand” He spoke through gritted teeth.

***

Walking out of the cozy home from the backdoor, Shawn was greeted by the already hot morning air. It was almost 7:30AM and it already felt like it was about 70°F already. Sure, he was originally from Texas and he was used to the blistering heat… But it being this warm already in the morning without a draft of wind? It was gonna be a long, uncomfortable day.

“We’ve gotta feed the animals first, the barn is this way” Bret’s deep voice rang out as he started to walk away from the house, heading down the dusty path towards the old, rickety looking barn in the distance. It was exactly as what Shawn thought a Ranch would look like, one that he would draw in the classic poppy red crayon and white for the accents. Although this building had seen better days from the white beams that held the wooden place up had easily been dirtied up from the weather, changing it to more of an eggshell color… Which was a huge difference that Shawn had learned from the people who made outfits for his photoshoots.

Following after the taller man, Shawn had plenty of time to now admire what the other wore. The same black cowboy hat sat upon his soft looking curls on his head, his shirt was now a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up once again, hugging onto his thicker forearms. He wore a dark blue pair of jeans which once again shaped him oh so nicely. Shawn’s blue eyes locked onto the backside of Bret, admiring the man’s… ‘Ass-ests’. He couldn’t help but to enjoy the sight, he did truly love a good ass and a good pair of tits- which Bret had both of as far as he could see. The last time he saw that was with Sherri… Which was something that only stayed as professional sadly. At least they still stayed in touch, especially as his manager.

“...-So those are the jobs we have to do, leave the heavy lifting to me” Bret’s voice continued as Shawn’s attention was brought back as he stumbled to a stop once he realized last second that Bret had stopped walking, he had almost walked into the man's back from being distracted. His baby blue eyes quickly glanced up at Bret, noticing those warm chocolate eyes staring back at him in confusion.

“Everything alright?” His deep voice questioned as he opened up the doors of the barn.

“Huh? Oh- Yeah! Yeah, all is goood.. Just… Tired?...” Shawn lied trying to hide the fact he was ogling the man, he even tried a fake yawn and a stretch to try and ease the others confusion.

“See, just tired!” He quickly repeated to hide the unsureness of his reply.

A raise of a brow was the only reply Shawn got from a reply from Bret as they entered the rustic looking barn. From what Shawn had seen from barns (which were just ones from TV shows and movies), the place wasn’t as… well, intricate as what he thought it would be. The place wasn’t neat and shiny clean, nor were there any small cute fairy lights that hung between each stall. Hay coated the floor of the place as a few chickens strutted around, soft ‘clucks’ leaving them as they picked at the small pieces off the ground. A few horse’s heads poked out from the stalls, all being different colourings, yet none like the angelic white horse he had rode for the photoshoot. One of the few horses did catch his attention though, from its head, it had a dark, pitch black mane, its coat was a chestnut brown with some white spotting, the largest spot covering it left it’s eye… But it was its eyes that caught his attention the most. Those eyes were almost white. It was oddly beautiful- yet scary.

“Jesus fuckin’ christ, those are some eyes…” he mumbled out underneath his breath as he walked towards the horse, the animal letting out a small whinny as he approached.

“Cielo? She does, only one on the ranch with those kind of eyes… Must admit, she scares a few kids every so often” A soft laugh left Bret as he watched Shawn pet the mare almost cautiously.

“I’d see why, it’s unusual”

“Unusual but adds to her personality… She’s my gal, she’s real friendly”

Shawn grinned slightly as Cielo nuzzled her nose against his hand making him chuckle, as well as hearing Bret call the horse ‘his gal’. It was somewhat ironic since he called his own car ‘his lady’, but Bret just didn’t look like the type to call anything like that. He gave the mare one last pet as he continued to follow after Bret, going past seven other horses that were either poking their head out of the stall or minding their own business. Finally, the two made it to the back of the barn after the little distraction, and if Shawn thought the front of it was messy? The back was worse… Obviously in his own eyes. The back had piles of different hay bales that towered over them on both sides as well as loose hay that stacked into smaller mounds, as well as a few different bins of different colors stood nearby. The wall in front of them held a tool board full of different items like a shovel, a few different screwdrivers, a few hammers and a drill. There were a few things Shawn had no idea about, but a few of the things just looked like they were straight out of a horror film… That or he was being dramatic. He wasn’t gonna ask Bret though, that would either leave the man actually killing him, if he was a murderer, or just straight up laughing at him. Both were as bad as each other.

“So, are we using this hay for the horses?” Shawn questioned as he looked at the piles while trying to hide the grimace on his face.

“It’s barley, not hay, but that is the plan as well as a few other things as well, I did tell you before” Bret hummed out, “Unless, your tiredness stopped you from listening?”

“Ha! Noo… I was listening, just.. Dunno’ the difference between hay and barley” he quickly defended as he crossed his arms.

“Mm-hm, sure…” Bret teased with a small smirk as he reached over to grab one of the actual bales of barley with ease, “Go place this one in front of the doors, we need some for the other animals as well”.

Shawn stared at the bale in front of him before looking at Bret and back at the bale. This man was lucky he was attractive. With a slight nod of the head and a small huff, Shawn reached down and lifted it up by the bands that held it together with a grunt. It was surprisingly on the heavy side… But nothing too heavy for him to deal with! The two worked in almost surprisingly comfortable silence, the model would carry the bales to where Bret pointed. Time seemed to fly by until he stopped being passed the bales and a small sheen of sweat coated Shawn’s forehead and the back of his neck. Temperature had easily risen by the time they finished and Shawn was starting to feel it compared to the refreshing breeze he had the previous day while driving.

“Fuck… How-...How do you do this… every morning?” soft pants left Shawn as he tugged at the collar of his shirt slightly with one hand while the other fanned at his face.

“After doing it for so many years, it does get easier” the other let out a small laugh seeing the other struggling slightly, “We’re not even done, we have to sort em’ out… But I’ll be nice and do it for you, go sit outside for a bit and I’ll call you when I need you”.

Hearing that felt like heaven. He didn’t have to help out with the next thing and got to sit down! He could of easily taken the chance of course, but he had to be a good guest like he already was by asking,

“Are you…” the model panted out once again, still trying to catch his breath, “Are you sure?... I know I ain't as big as you, but I can still help!”

Bret glanced over his shoulder as he lifted up a bale onto his free shoulder with ease and not even sweating compared to the other.

“Like I said, I’ve got this, I’ve done this for years, go sit in the shade” the brunette gave Shawn a soft smile before entering a stall whistling a small tune to himself.

Shawn watched in awe, once again ogling the man. His muscles just flexed perfectly as he lifted up the barley without an issue. Now, Shawn didn’t really have a type. He had slept and flirted with both men and women of all different shapes and sizes, Diesel obviously being his biggest from pure height alone, but his ex Marty was almost similar size as himself… or well, a few inches smaller… Or centimeters… But either way, he could admit, he did love a brunette. This Bret just seemed to tick so many boxes for Shawn even if he couldn’t understand why, but he did understand that he did want Bret and he’d get his way eventually.

“O…Oh yeah, right, okay, holler for me if ya’ need me!” He quickly called out as he escaped the barn before the man could catch him staring at him again. He wasn’t too sure what time it was, but he was glad there was some shade to sit in… Just the only issue being, well, there weren't any benches or chairs or even pillows to sit on near the barn! Just dirt! Shawn might have been staying on a ranch, but there was one thing for certain, he wasn’t gonna stoop that low. He was not sitting on the floor and ruining his lovely pants! They were expensive! A small disgruntled huff left Shawn, he could head to the house and take his small ‘break’ there if he wanted to… But then missing Bret work? And having to deal with the others parents inside the house and do even more chores there? No thanks! Sure, as a kid, he loved mucking out in the rain, getting all dirty and having fun, but he wasn’t a kid anymore. He was a famous model and he was not going to put his standards that low. Anxiously, Shawn tapped his fingers against the box in his pocket, the box which contained two options to soothe himself when he felt like this. Carefully he chewed at his bottom lip, glancing over his shoulder to see where Bret was. He didn’t see him at any of the other stalls so he must have been busy with the first one he entered.

“Fuck it, one wont hurt… Not like m’ gonna use em’ all” He muttered under his breath as he eagerly reached into his pocket to grab a good friend of his. Pulling out the box of cigs and his lighter, he moved further away from the barn doors giving one more glance over his shoulder for reassurance. Bret wouldn’t smell the stuff from in there anyways, he could always smoke half and leave the rest for later, he just needed something to calm his head. Opening the flimsy, old cardboard box, Shawn moved a few of the cigarettes out of the way to reveal his premade joints. He always carried them around for days he needed a more… Clearer head. He would of chosen a different option like his painkillers in his suitcase, ones that really, reaallly sorted his head and gave him even better times, especially when his back acted up. Those ones were the fun ones to take, but he knew how he acted when he took them. Or well, mostly remembered how he was. He heard plenty from Hunter and Diesel about him being ‘erratic’ and ‘argumental’... But others like Marty, Razor and even Kid thought he was more of a ‘party animal’. He didn’t want to risk it while being at this place at the moment.

Carefully pulling out one of the thin yet slightly messy joints, he placed it between his lips as he closed up the box and placed it back in his pocket. He was about to light the thing and relax, yet a small noise caught his attention which did make him jump slightly. Quickly turning around and facing the barn, Shawn’s baby blue eyes landed on a small, almost shadow-like figure exiting the building. Its eyes were a bright orange as they stared up at Shawn, its fur was like ash, a deep gray and black stripes that carved the way down its small, athletic body.

“Me-ow?” The small, smooth furred cat chirped out curiously as it headed over to Shawn as it began to affectionately rub its head against Shawn’s legs as well as its body.

“Holy shit…” Shawn mumbled out as he watched the creature slither back and forth through Shawn’s legs, a soft rumble leaving the cat as it looked up at him. Quickly, he took the joint out of his mouth, stuffing it in his pocket without a care as he slowly and carefully crouched down.

“Hey lil’ guy,” He called out as he gently scratched the top of the cat's head. A bright smile reached his face as he heard the cat purring louder, “Aren't you just the sweetest lil’ thing ever!” He laughed out as he began to pet the cat more, the feeling of uneasiness leaving him as well as the irritation that came with it.

“Mrrp!” the cat replied back almost instantly, almost like it was chatting back to Shawn. His smile grew bigger, he did find himself being more of a cat person than anything. Sure dogs were cool, Hunter had a few, but cats? They were just like him! Wanting attention when they wanted it, lounging around all day… They were just peaceful. He did say that one day he was going to get himself one, maybe a Siamese or even an American curl, but as his days got busier, the thought eventually left him. Of course, it didn’t stop him from dragging Diesel around into pet shops to look at the kittens as well as the other animals and pointing out the ones he would have if he could.

It seemed like hours had passed as he kept himself entertained with the cat, the small thing was extremely friendly and playful. It tried to climb into his lap multiple times as well as play with his laces on his shoes which he didn’t mind at all! It was adorable! He was enjoying his time with the little thing until he suddenly noticed the shadow looming over them both as well as his newly found friend staring up past Shawn. Slowly looking up, the models eyes slowly ran up the familiar look of dark, well used boots, those dark almost navy looking jeans, the same black shirt that was dusted in some barley before locking on to those lovely, deep chocolate eyes. A bashful smile was all Shawn gave before speaking,

“... I hope you haven’t been standin’ there too long”

“Maybe the last minute or two… Simba keeping you entertained?” Bret answered back with a chuckle, watching as Shawn slowly stood up with a small grunt.

“Is that what he is called? Seriously?” Shawn held back his laughter at the name.

“Yes, seriously, It’s better than the last cat we had… Owen named him Simba because he was loving The Lion King at the time, and when Diana was a kid, she named the other cat Kitty” Bret explained chuckling more as he heard the cat meowing constantly to get their attention, “He doesn't answer to Simba though which I’m more than happy about… He’s real friendly and needy”. The taller man reached down to try to pick Simba up, but frowned when Simba hissed slightly at him and went between Shawn’s legs.

“Huh, sure, real friendly… He’s a sweetheart to me” Shawn finally laughed out, “Clearly he doesn’t want to be your friend at the moment”. “I feed the little shit as well…” Bret muttered under his breath as he leaned back up as he watched Shawn carefully pick up Simba without any issues, “Traitor” he whispered out as his frown turned into a small, soft smile. His eyes softened slightly at the sight of the two.

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