#she drinks 3 sips of water bottles then puts it in the fridge

[blightwulf]

my mom: stop wasting food, groceries are getting too expensive lately!

my mom literally an hour later, making an entire package of 40 sausages at once and only eating 2 of them herself and then pretending they don’t exist until they go bad: why did you waste these!? what do you mean you ate as much as you could?Me? I don’t like sausages, why would I eat them!?

[cyberl33ch]

Spring Fling💋

summary: Your roommate of a couple months decides to ask you out...kind of? What could transpire?

tw: smut MDNI, hopeless romance, drunk/tipsy sex, Abby is g!p, fingering & head.

pairing: G!P Abby x Inexperienced!Florist!Reader

Moving to Seattle wasn’t really the plan but getting out of your small town was exactly what you needed. Don’t get me wrong small towns are cute and everything's laid out for you but seeing the same old faces and going to the same old places gets tiring. And you can’t like getting away from the drama that your ex had caused was what you longed for. But having a hot roommate…you definitely did not plan for it.

Her name was Abby. She was very muscular with sort of a dusty blonde/brunette thing going on obviously the female definition of a dilf. She would go to the gym every morning which would leave you time to have the house to yourself in order to get ready for whichever job you were working. She also happened to pass by every time she was leaving the gym.

Sometimes she would come by and speak just to take a look at the fresh flowers that came in ever so often. You could obviously tell she had a green thumb the way she would cater to the ones in the apartment. Overall she was cool but that all changed randomly when she invited you out, even though you were quite busy with whatever shifts you managed to pick up.

The bell on the front shop door rings announcing someone entering. “Welcome to Bloomscape, what can I help you with?” You say putting down the spray bottle after watering the flowers behind the counter. You turn around to meet none other than Abby. Just your luck. “Oh hey Abby, the new peonies are out front if you’re-” “Would you like to go out with me?” She says, you realize her face is slightly red but you brush it off assuming she had an intense workout today. “Sorry with a couple friends not like…that.” She explains making you nod your head in understanding. Not going to lie that hurt a little bit. Like a slow jab to your heart. “Oh yeah sure…what time?” You question “Around 8pm you should be off by then right?” She asks. You nod your head and after working out the details she leaves rather quickly (and quite flushed if I do say so myself) not even looking at the peonies out front. Weird.

After closing up shop and making your way back to the apartment you walk in to realize she’s already invited her friends over to pregame. Assuming that’s what it was anyway you peek in the living room and say hello. “Hello!” You say as you wave at all 3 of them in the living room. “Oh shit- Guys this is the friend I invited out with us!” She says, gesturing for them to introduce themselves to you. “Hello, I’m Dina, these two shithead's friends.” One says pushing Abby's shoulder. “I’m Ellie.” Another quite attractive one says waving back to you shyly (if i do say so myself) “I’ll go get ready, nice to meet you guys!” You walk to your room and before you can even shut the door you hear Ellie saying that you’re “Smoking hot.” Smiling ear to ear you close the door before you can hear any further and start to get ready.

You walk out of your room and walk into the kitchen going in the fridge to search for a beer. When you feel a hand on your waist you jolt up meeting Abby. “Hey calm down darlin’.” She almost laughs out and hands you a beer knowing you’re searching for one. You take the beer smiling slightly, thanking her and closing the fridge. After an hour of pregaming you they decide it’s time to go to the bar. “Everybody set to go?” Abby questions looking at everyone grabbing her keys.

Hour 2 in the bar Dina and Ellie are the only ones looking groggy and soggy but you and Abby are having the time of your lives. You never knew that you and Abby had so much music taste in common. As the night started to grow older and older they started to play slower, more romantic music. You take your seat at the bar sipping your drink by Dina and Ellie who are both by now practically eye fucking each other.

You were about to go outside for a smoke when your thought was interrupted by a light tap on your shoulder. “Hey, do you mind dancing with me?” Abby asks with her face growing more red by the second. “Uh yeah of course” You smile. As soon as you two hit the middle of the floor she immediately puts her hands on your waist pulling you closer to her. You look up at her with big doe eyes and that’s when you start to feel the liquor finally hit you because she looks good enough to eat at this moment. She nuzzles your neck as your bodies practically become one. “I need you.” She whispers in your ear making you gasp which gives her enough time to slip her tongue into your mouth and take you in a devastating kiss.

As she pulls back from your lips you shoot her a confused look. “I thought you-” She shushes you putting her finger up to your lips. “Take a cab with me.” Abby demands taking your hand interlocking your fingers with hers as she makes her way through the sea of people on the dance floor. She gets up to the bar giving Ellie enough money to get a cab and pay for the drinks. As she reaches the outside she pauses for a moment taking in the cool spring breeze compared to the hot atmosphere of the bar. You’ve never really taken a moment to really soak in Abby’s features. Her hair which she rarely let down blowing with the wind. And oh gosh- her nose looks like you could ride that for days at a time.

You get so taken up in your thoughts you didn’t realize she was staring right back at you. “Can I have my face back?” She jokes you lightly jabbing her shoulder. “Jeez, I’m just joking…that hurt a bit.” Abby says pouting and rubbing her shoulder softly. “Aw, is the baby hurt?” You say mocking her pouting and rubbing your shoulder. “Yeah yeah whatever lets start walking weirdo.” She says rolling her eyes rather sassily.

Weirdo. Weirdo? WEIRDO?? “You want to talk about weird? Let’s talk about how you always treat me like a little sister and then randomly kiss me.” You sass back at her, narrowing your eyes as you two begin your journey back to the apartment. “I’ll do it again.” Abby treats this as if were a threat to your safety as she can’t seem to choose between looking at your lips or your eyes. “Whatever sass-factor!” You roll your eyes at her crossing your arms.

Back at the apartment you assume you two are just going to go your separate ways again like this never happened.“So…we just go our separate ways?” You mumble out just above a whisper as your vision starts to blur from tearing up. “What if we didn’t?” Abby says taking a step closer to you. “What if?” You accept the challenge, taking another step towards her. Abby pulls you closer by your waist and takes off your jacket for you, discarding it on the sofa. Followed by taking off her own and dropping it right by her feet. “What if?” She quirks an eyebrow staring straight at your glossy lips. After that she just couldn’t play this little game you were playing with her anymore as she takes you in another breathtaking kiss and lifts you up like you’re nothing.

You straddling her waist as she sets you down on the bed, her kneeling in front of you making full eye contact as she takes off your shoes for you. She looks up at you resting her hands on your thighs. “Do I have your consent?” Abby asks, peering into your eyes. God's consent is sexy. “Yes.” You nod. Abby follows this with sliding down your underwear and pinning you to the mattress, her on top of you. She then takes two fingers and taps on your lips asking demanding for entrance. “Suck.” She orders as you open your mouth and swirl your tongue around her digits.

“Good girl” She praises. She then takes them out of your mouth leaving a string of saliva as she lifts up your dress and starts to coat her fingers in your arousal and insert them up until her knuckles. The length of her fingers makes you immediately grab her wrist moaning. “Fuck! Abby…” You pant out as she starts to pick up the pace, shouting her name like it’s a mantra. “Thaaat’s it baby take it.” She affirms as the knot in your stomach comes undone faster and faster. “Gonna cum…” You mumble out making her grab your chin realizing she wants to see your reaction as you eat up the pleasure she was dishing out.

As you feel your release coating her fingers and your surroundings becoming more and more fuzzy by the second. You sit up seeing her licking her fingers clean making full eye contact with you. By the time her fingers are practically wrinkly from the hydration they were getting she turns you around and starts unlacing your dress. Grazing her fingertips lightly on the skin of your back. “Your skin is so soft…” Abby says just above a whisper.

She starts kissing you and leaving little love bites and marks that’ll surely bruise in the morning. You hear her start to strip behind you and just as she’s taking off her boxers you get a good glimpse of what’s to come. And you start to turn around and make full contact with her long, thick, blushed precum dripping shaft. More so gawking at it because she definitely noticed while taking off her shirt.

“You wanna touch it?” She asks, reaching out to grab your hand, as she guides your hand onto the base of it. “Don’t be scared mama.” Abby chuckles, still guiding your hand to slowly stroke it making her grunt. As she slowly softens her grip and lets you take control, throwing her head back in pleasure grunting loudly. She grabs your chin absentmindedly removing your hand and picking up the pace as her eyes sear into your soul as she motions for you to open your mouth.

Followed by multiple grunts and curses she finally releases ropes of herself onto your tongue. As you close your mouth and swallow the liquid. “Hands and knees” Abby demands with low lidded eyes. You follow her instructions in a daze as she grabs a hold on your hips, forcing you to arch your back. Abby cautiously slides the tip in after realizing how tight you were, grunting in pleasure as a response. “Fuuuck” She mumbles out her eyes closed as you squeeze around her length. As she takes her time inch by inch she eventually bottoms out. This feels good of course but she can hear you whimper as you taste the saltiness of your tears.

Abby slowly starts to pick up a steady pace as you start to reach back trying to slow her down as the tears come down more frequently. “Nuh uh baby you can take it” She says in between grunts swatting your hand away as you grip the sheets. As her pace quickens she pulls you up by your shoulder, taking that hand and wrapping it around your throat. She then takes her other hand from your hip and starts rubbing your sensitive clit.

Your eyes roll back in your head as she tops that off by kissing your neck, knowing by the way you were growing louder she knew you were close to your orgasm. Abby reaches an unimaginable pace and that’s when you feel it hit you like a tsunami. As you feel her warm seed fill you up and mix with yours you finally come down from the drunken, fuzzy high you two were in. You feel her pull out and the mix of you guys’ climax slide down your legs.

After you two showered together and put on pajamas you both lie in the bed, her spooning you. You’ve dozed off a while ago as she just admires your beauty in the moonlit room. Brushing the hair out of your face, she pecks your temple and dozes off along with you.

☆ my masterlist

(tell me in my ask my anything's if you have a request!)

[rafesfavgirl]

gurl i neeed a part 2 of stop asking me to stay, that broke me😭😭😭

you ask, i deliver :) hope you like it!!

i don't regret a thing — r. cameron

part 1.

❝ we're not the only ones,  i don't regret a thing every word i've said, you know i'll always mean ❞

pairing: ex-bf!rafe x fem!reader

context: you and rafe have been dating for seven months, and while the relationship started it out well, as soon as the honeymoon phase ended (about 3 months in), everything went to shit. you've been trying to put up with it, knowing the situation with ward, but tonight, you realize you've had enough.

words: 2.4k+

warnings: swearing, toxic relationship, mentions of drug use, mainly fluff, a little angst, might still make you cry. rafe being an absolute simp for you, basically.

rafe wakes up the next morning, faced-down on topper's living room couch with almost no recollection of what happened the night before. except one thing—you'd finally walked away from him.

"not enough to choose me. you give in every time." your words echo in his head, as he opens his eyes.

fuck. what did he do?

"good morning sunshine," kelce comes down the stairs and greets rafe, who looked as if he couldn't move from the couch. "you sleep well?"

"i slept like shit," rafe groans, finally sitting himself up. "what the hell happened last night?"

"you mean other than you getting coked out and royally screwing things over with y/n?" kelce sasses him. "not much bro."

rafe shoots him a glare. "i did not royally screw things over with y/n."

"are you sure about that?" kelce raises a brow at him. "cause i had to drive her home last night crying, bro."

rafe's ear perk up at kelce's confession of you crying over him. you wouldn't have. you were the one who broke up with him.

"she was crying?" rafe asks.

"do you seriously even have to ask?" kelce replies. "i can't even count on two hands how many times you've made her cry the last few months."

no, that couldn't be true. surely he hadn't made you cry that often.

"shut the fuck up kelce," rafe gets up from the couch in complete denial of how shitty he's treated you the last few months and makes his way over to the kitchen.

rafe opens the fridge and grabs a bottle of water, while kelce joins him in the kitchen.

"you know it's true," kelce says, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. "you just never see it, because she won't let you."

was he right?

"you know how y/n is, bro," kelce adds, as i take a sip of water. "she'll never let you know you're hurting her, because you fear nothing more than being the cause of her pain and losing her. but she's also not going to beg and cry for you to stay and fight for her."

i did know that. that's what i loved about her. she didn't necessarily play hard to get when i tried asking her out on a date after months of texting, but she didn't give in too easily either. she wanted me to prove i was serious about her before giving me a real chance. she knew her worth.

i recap the bottle i'm drinking from and set it down on the counter beside me, my eyes focused on kelce. "so what should i do?"

kelce holds his hands up. "if you don't know by now, i can't help you."

—

rafe wasn't an idiot. he knew what he had to do.

so, after going home and taking a shower to freshen up and get a change of clothes, he drove to the flower shop in town to get you a bouquet of lavender and baby's breath, then nothing bundt cakes to get your favorite treat—a white chocolate raspberry bundt cake—and finally, your house.

once he parked his truck in front of your house and got out, he went through his usual routine of rounding around to your backyard, where he moved the ladder the gardeners used towards your bedroom window.

he climbed up and knocked, balancing the flowers and bundt cake in one hand.

you were sitting in bed watching after we fell on your laptop with a box of tissues beside you and puffy, red eyes when you hear the knock on your window.

without even thinking about it, you already knew who it was. this was just what he did. and against your better judgment, you got up from your bed, and walked over to pull the curtains open and find rafe outside with a regretful look on his face, a bouquet of flowers and a small box of your favorite treat.

slowly, but surely, you unlock the window and pull it up.

"i'm sorry," he speaks before you can, and you scoff.

"you know, i'm getting real sick of hearing you say that," you reply, turning around to walk away and reposition yourself back on your bed, while he slips in through your window.

"i got you flowers," he offers you a small smile and holds both items out to you. "and your favorite bundt cake. white chocolate raspberry."

your eyes shift from the gifts in his hand to his piercing blue eyes. they were no longer dark like they were last night, but there was a sense of uncertainty in them. like he wasn't sure he could win you back.

"so what? am i suppose to just forgive you? just like that?" you retort.

he lets out a sigh, and takes a seat at the edge of your bed, placing both items down on your bed next to your box of tissues. he finally gets a good look at you—from the messy bun on your head, to the bags under your eyes from barely getting any sleep last night, to your red, puffy eyes—and realizes just how badly he's messed up this time.

"i should've just fucked all those other girls. at least they know how to have fun." he still couldn't believe he said those words to you last night.

"i don't deserve your forgiveness," he admits. "i know that. but i want it, y/n. and i'm willing to work for it."

while those words were music to your ears, you were apprehensive. he apologizes every time. and while things do change for a while, they're never permanent. and a week or two from now, you'd be back in this same situation again. was that really worth it?

"i know i don't deserve any more chances," he continues, his eyes only focused on yours. "but i promise… i promise just give me one more and you won't regret it."

your eyes shift between his. he looked a little… scared? was he really that afraid to lose you?

"i don't know, rafe," you say honestly, shifting a little. "you've hurt me so bad… i don't know if i can take you doing it one more time."

"i'm not going to," he immediately shakes his head and reaches out to take your hands in his, fiddling with your fingers and glancing down at them. "please, baby, please. just let me show you i'm the guy for you. that i can be the guy you need and want me to be."

"how?"

"you'll give me a chance?" he asks, his eyes lighting up at the idea of being given another chance to win you back. 

despite your brain screaming at you not to, your heart wins over and you nod. you couldn't help it. every part of you yearned for him. and if he was willing to show you that he really could be the guy you knew he was—the guy you fell in love with—then maybe it would be worth it.

"wear something nice," he says. "i'll come back to pick you up at seven."

—

at exactly seven on the dot, you hear rafe park his car in front of your house, and look out your bedroom window to see him dressed in skinny black slacks and a long sleeve, white button down carrying a bouquet of red roses as he walked towards your driveway and front door.

you can't help the small smile that forms on your face as you hurry to strap your heels on and look at yourself in the mirror one more time, before grabbing your purse off your vanity and heading down the stairs.

"where are you heading off to?" your mom asks when you pass by the living room, all dressed up.

"date with rafe," you reply, walking towards the front door.

your parents had never been rafe's biggest fan—they weren't exactly unaware of how often he's made you cry the last couple of months—but they also knew they couldn't stop you from dating whoever you wanted, so they never fought you on it, and you were grateful for that. it was comforting to know they'd support you no matter what happened.

taking a deep breath, you place your hand on the doorknob, and finally open the door when the bell rings.

rafe's eyes instantly widen at the sight of you, his eyes trailing down your body wrapped in a tight, short, satin red dress. "wow," he gasps. "you- you look…"

your cheeks redden at his loss of words. "you don't clean up too bad yourself, cameron."

he smiles at your use of his last name as a nickname, and holds the red roses in his hand out to you. "these are for you."

"you already got me flowers this morning, you know," you joke, taking the bouquet from him. your mom was gonna be pleased to know rafe was back to filling up all her flower vases.

"i know, but…" he trails off. "you deserve the best."

the blush on your cheeks deepen at his words. "give me a second," you turn to walk back towards the living room, and set the bouquet down on the coffee table in front of your parents. "don't wait up."

they don't even get a word in before you're walking away again to join rafe outside.

"shall we?" you ask, looking up at him through your lashes, as you closed the door behind you.

"just… one more thing," a sly smile comes across his lips, as he reaches into his back pocket to pull out a black blindfold.

you stare at it, your mouth agape. "you're kidding, right?"

he shrugs, "i want it to be a surprise."

you groan, but give in anyway. "fine. but if i trip in these heels because i can't see where i'm going, consider us broken up for good."

he laughs at the threat, even though a part of him was afraid you still wouldn't forgive him after tonight. "you know i won't let that happen. turn around."

you do as he says, and he ties the blindfold around your eyes, before taking your hand in his and leading you down the driveway towards his car parked up on the curb. he opens the door for you, and carefully helps you into the passenger seat, before closing the door and rounding the car to get in the driver's seat.

the second the engine comes on, your romantic taylor swift playlist plays through the car's speakers.

"you didn't," you say. he would always complain when you had aux because she was all you'd ever play.

"i guess she's not too bad," rafe shrugs, chuckling as you began singing along to the lyrics of wildest dreams.

rafe continued driving through the island for another ten or fifteen minutes, before he finally pulled the car to a stop in front of his family's beach house on the edge of figure eight, completely secluded from everything else.

he gets out of the car first, and helps you out, taking your hand in his to lead you through the house and out to the back porch.

"are you ready?" he leans in towards your ear, and goosebumps rise along your skin at his proximity.

you nod, and he reaches his hands up to the back of your head to untie the blindfold.

it takes a little while for your eyes to adjust, but once they do, a feeling of warmness fills your heart at the sight in front of you.

red rose petals were scattered in the sand of the private beach, along with fairy lights, a candlelit table for two set up in the center of it all, as acoustic instrumentals of taylor's best love songs played through the speaker situated on the porch.

"you like it?" he asked.

you turn your head to look at him. "rafe, i… it's perfect."

"that's what i was going for," he shrugs smugly, and nods his head towards the set up. "come on."

you both remove your shoes, before he takes your hand in his again and leads you down the back porch to the table in the middle of the beach.

"i can't believe you did this for me," you say, as he pulls a chair out for you to sit in.

"i'd do anything for you," he smiles, taking the seat across from you once you're seated.

—

after a three course dinner and a bottle of wine, which was all served to the both of you by a waiter that rafe hired from the country club, the night slowly came to an end, an endless amount of stars filling the night sky above you.

but while you were focused on the stars, rafe was focused on you.

"god, you're beautiful," he says, causing you to look at him now.

you chuckle, "shut up."

"no, i'm fucking serious," he replied, standing up from his seat.

you watched him carefully as he walked over to you, and held a hand out.

you glance at his hand and tilt your head up at him, "what are you doing?"

"dance with me," he says.

"you're asking me to dance?" you raise a brow at him.

"mhm," he nods. "you gonna say yes?"

"well how can i say no?" you reply, a small smile forming on your lips as you put your hand in his.

he leads you a few feet away from the table, and rests a firm hand on your waist, as you trail a hand up to his shoulder.

he locks his eyes with yours as you both begin swaying to taylor's timeless, and scans your face.

"what?"

he shakes his head, "i don't deserve you..."

"rafe…"

"but i'm gonna do everything i can to make sure i become the kind of guy who does," he cuts me off. "i want to be better, y/n. not only for you, but for myself too."

you smile, and pull him closer, your hand snaking to the back of his head.

"i'm sorry for being such an ass the last few months," he says, and you close my eyes, taking the moment in as he continues. "i know i haven't deserved all the chances you've given me, but i'm not gonna disappoint you again. i want to be the guy you think i am."

you pull away, just enough to have your eyes lock with his.

"you are that guy, rafe," you tell him, and you mean it. "you just need to let him show more."

he smiles, "you're pretty damn amazing, you know that?"

"so i've been told," you shrug jokingly.

he chuckles. "i love you, y/n."

"i love you too."

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[sunrisesfromthewest]

First Encounter Part 2

Thanks for all the love and support on part one here is part two enjoy Here's all the parts I have so far: 1 2 3 4 5 6

____________________________________________________________

Time passes by as everyone has focused their attention on, figuring out who is trying to tarnish Captain Conrads name. As you sit on the couch texting your sister, you hear someone call your name. Looking up you see Kelly doing a slight nod towards the kitchen, signaling that it’s time to have a little girl chat. 

Standing up you make your way to the kitchen, passing by Armando who looks up briefly but returns his gaze to the file he was looking through. As you enter you see Kelly standing near the sink with her arms crossed. Leaning against kitchen island you say “What’s up?" wondering why she wanted to talk. Watching her expression change from calm to concern made you sit up slightly. “Y/n,I’m so sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean to shoot at you, with everything going on I just been on high alert." she says with genuine regret. 

" Girl, it's okay I should have knocked first but at least I had a quick reaction." giving her a slight smile. You see that it would take a little more to convince her that you were fine, but she nods her head. “Dorn been upset with me, since that happened," seeing her slightly hug herself. You make your way towards her bringing her into a hug, "I'm fine. I’m promise you. I’m okay,” you say reassuring her. 

 "I completely understand why you were ready to protect yourself, I would to if I had someone that’s dangerous and wanted in my home." Pulling away from her you say" And plus Dorn is only mad because he wouldn’t have gotten any more of my good cooking” you say hoping to change her mood. Pulling away from the embrace you see her wipe her eyes and laugh” Yeah, I would be pretty pissed to."  

Feeling her push at your shoulder lightly you look at her, raising your eyebrows. "Girl you not slick,” she says giving you a look. Walking towards the fridge to grab a water you say "I don’t know what you talking about." Already having an idea on what she might be hinting at. "I seen that little incident between you and Armando." Closing the fridge, you glance up at Kelly as you open the bottle and take a sip. 

Swallowing you shrug your shoulder acting nonchalant, "I have no clue what you're talking about but whatever your thinking is wrong." As you take another sip of water you hear Kelly say in a dramatic deep mocking voice, "To pretty for a mouth like that.” 

Which resulted in you chocking on your water mid-swallow, as you try to catch your breath you look up to see Kelly waiting for you to explain yourself. Finally, taking a deep breath you shake your head "Girl, bye ain’t nobody falling for his tricks and plus I don’t care to much about him especially after hearing about all the stuff he has done.” 

Kelly gives you an unconvinced look, "I'm not buying that and plus that little smirk you did while checking him out doesn’t exactly say you're not falling for his tricks," she says giving you a serious look.  

Walking up to you she put her hands on your shoulder,”Y/N, trust me on this do not get involved with this guy, you weren’t around when he was hunting each and everyone us down. He's the reason Captain Conrad isn’t here...and he could've been the reason for your father not being here too.” 

Nodding your head in thought your about to say Okay, when you hear a throat clear behind you. Looking back, you see Armando standing at the entrance with his arms crossed, “Dorn says he need your help with something Kelly, "he says with an unreadable expression. Feeling her give your shoulder a quick squeeze she gives you a ‘Don’t be stupid’ look, and makes her way towards Dorn. Watching her give Armando a mean side glance, you shake your head and drink the rest of your water. 

Turning to throw your bottle away, you still fill his presence lingering around. Glancing back, you see him staring at you, like he was contemplating on speaking or not. Pausing you asked if he needs help with something. Seeing him uncross his arms he walks up to the opposite end of the kitchen island and leans against it, while holding eye contact with you. Gazing at his arms as they lightly flex, you look back up at him when he says in a serious tone, "You think I was going after your people on purpose?” 

Leaning against the island yourself, you tap your fingers against it in thought. "I really don’t know you well to judge your actions, but I trust the people I love," you say giving Armando an unsure look. Armando holds your gaze eyes tracing your facial features, mind contemplating on what to say next. Breaking the eye contact you looked down and say "Besides, I know my dad and Mike are innocent but Hell I know for sure you aren't." Hearing movement and a scoff you look up to see Armando moving to your end of the kitchen island still with an unreadable expression. 

Walking back to create some space in-between you and him you bump into the counter. Before you can move, he places his hands on each side of the counter your stuck against. Hesitantly, you look up at him and gulp slightly as his brown eyes stare you down. “Are you scared of me,Mamá?”he says following your eyes as you try to look away. Returning your gaze back to his you say, "Now why the hell would you think, I'm scared of you.” 

Eyes flickering down at your lips he licks his and says, "Well your little amiga thinks I’m the big bad wolf, that's hunts innocent people." Realizing he heard your conversation with Kelly, you tense slightly and say ”Yeah, and what if I think that’s true." Staring up at him you wait for his reply, as you see him lean closer. Tilting his head beside your ear you could feel his breath as he whispers,” Bueno, entonces déjame cazarte, mamá.” (Well, then let me hunt you, mama)

Not knowing what he said you move your head away from his tilting it slightly, while giving him a look. Unknowingly, you both lean in two each other, absorbing each other's presence. As he leans down you seemed to come to your senses, and push against his hard chest stopping him. "I can’t this is wrong.” you said shaking your head. Feeling his rough but soft hands wrap around yours that was on his chest, you look up to see him studying you. 

Parting your lips to say something, you hear footsteps approaching, which made you tug your hands away from his. Not paying attention to the way his eyes flashed with a little bit of yearning, you head back into the living room, passing Mike on the way there who briefly looked at you. 

Running his hands through his hair he lets out a frustrated sigh, and makes a move to leave until he spots his father walking towards him. Mike analyzed his son in thought raising his eyebrows before saying, "Did I interrupt something between you two?”. 

Giving his dad a hard look as he passes by him, to return to the file he was previously looking through. He hears his dad says “Well, Damn my bad, son.” 

______________________________________________________________

Part 3 coming soon :)

[poisonlove]

Miss ortega | j.o

Part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

part 5

An excruciating headache pulses through my temples, interrupting my dream. I release a frustrated groan and squint my eyes, sitting up on the bed.

I stretch and yawn, rubbing my eyes with one hand.

How on earth much did I drink yesterday?

I widen my eyes and look around in confusion, immediately realizing this wasn't my bedroom. I blink and instinctively lift off the black linen sheets, sighing in relief when I see that I'm still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.

The room was quite spacious, simple, and rather charming, I must admit. The king-size bed was very comfortable, a wardrobe stood next to it, and a door, presumably leading to a bathroom, was right in front of me.

I turn my attention to my phone on the nightstand, pick it up, and put it in my pocket. I hear some background noises, so I step out of bed, walking in my socks towards the sound.

Slowly, I open the door and look around the room. In the living room, Professor Ortega is sitting on the couch, watching TV with a blanket draped around her shoulders.

Jenna?

The sound of my footsteps catches Jenna's attention away from the show she's watching, and she turns towards me with a smile on her lips.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Jenna jokes, getting up from the couch while still holding the blanket around her body.

She looks absolutely adorable, like a burrito.

I place a hand on my temple, feeling a sudden pang of pain. Jenna looks at me with concern and a hint of reproach.

She walks to the kitchen, which is literally adjacent to the living room, and opens various cabinets, searching for something. She stands on tiptoes, grabs a glass from the shelf, takes a bottle of water from the fridge and pours some into the glass, then puts the bottle back in its place. She takes a pill from a drawer and walks over to me with everything in hand.

"Here you go... you were pretty beat up yesterday," she makes a grimace with her lips and hands me the glass and the pill. It's a Tachipirina (a pain reliever). I thank her and swallow the pill, hoping it will take effect soon.

She timidly takes my hand, leading me to the couch. The sensation of her hand around mine makes my heart skip a beat. Professor Ortega removes a few cushions and sits down, inviting me to do the same.

She breaks contact between our hands and picks up the remote, turning off the TV. She wraps the blanket around herself, covering her lips and nose with the fabric, leaving only her eyes visible. I smile at the relatively tender gesture. Intense coffee-colored eyes gaze at me without blinking.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" Her question sounds muffled due to the blanket covering her lips. I squint, trying to concentrate and remember something.

Suddenly, a river of memories from last night's party floods my mind.

[ flashback ]

The alcohol flowed through my veins, the deafening music was pounding in my ears, yet at the same time, it allowed my body to move to the rhythm of its notes. I grab a brimming glass of beer from a girl's hand, not thinking at all, disrupting the atmosphere of my bubble. I gulp down the liquid in one sip and throw the glass on the floor, screaming with joy.

I had lost sight of Enid for a while. The blonde had maneuvered her way into the crowd when we entered, most likely to join her boyfriend.

I raise my arms to the sky and sway my hips, slightly out of sync due to the amount of alcohol in my system. A barely noticeable vibration occurs in the back pocket of my pants, and I lean against the wall to maintain my balance as I take out my phone.

It's 11:27 PM, and I've received a message from Jenna.

Jenna: Hey, sorry for replying now. I was reading some assignments and lost track of time.

Jenna: Silly you :'3

I smile, probably looking like an idiot, and start typing on the screen, seeing things slightly doubled.

N0t... a w0rry... y3s... F1nE

Jenna had already read the message.

Jenna: T/A... are you drunk?

It's the first time she's called me by my last name, and tears form at the corners of my eyes. Jenna is mad at me. Plus, alcohol is making me much more sensitive.

Jenna's smiling face appears on my screen, and I struggle to tap the green icon to accept the call.

"Heyyyyyy," I emphasize the "y," smiling again.

I hear a sigh from the other end.

"T/N... are you drunk?" Jenna mutters to herself. "Where the hell are you?" I can barely hear her voice.

I head towards the stairs leading to the upper floor, seeking some privacy. I avoid a couple of passionately kissing couples and slip into an empty room, luckily.

"I'm at Smith's house," I answer, relieved that I can no longer hear the deafening music.

"Send me the address, I'm coming to get you," Jenna responds in a stern tone, ending the call.

[ flashback end ]

My eyes shift to Jenna, who had meanwhile removed the blankets. Professor Ortega was looking at me, presumably waiting for me to finish my thoughts. She bites her lower lip absentmindedly.

"Oh my god... you came to get me," I exclaim in surprise, looking at Professor Ortega with flushed cheeks. Jenna nods, settling herself on the couch, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Yes... and when I arrived, you were with a girl," she admits, swallowing nervously, subtly rolling her eyes. "Enid?" I ask, scratching my head awkwardly. She slowly shakes her head.

"Olivia," she admits, getting up from the couch.

"Olivia?"

Oh..."

[ flashback]

As I descended the stairs after sending the address to Jenna, I spotted Edward in the distance. The host had his arms draped around a girl's head, leaning in as he kissed her neck. Almost instinctively, I walked in their direction, noticing the displeased expression on the girl's face.

She clearly didn't want to be there.

Leaning against a wall, I struggled to maintain my balance. With gleaming eyes, I watched the couple, clenching my jaw as I saw the girl attempting to fend off the guy's advances.

"Hey..." I yelled, grabbing the girl's attention. Dark eyes looked at me with a pleading expression as she used her arms to push Edward away, though he was bigger and stronger than her. Placing a hand on Edward's shoulder, I pulled him away from the girl. The stumbling host glared at me with anger.

"What do you want, T/A? Can't you see we were having fun?" he gritted his teeth, looking at me irritably.

I shifted my gaze to the girl, who had discreetly positioned herself behind me. Edward walked towards her, but I placed a hand against his chest, preventing her from moving. Edward looked at me with a puzzled expression, his eyes red and glistening. "She doesn't... want," I said seriously, attempting to dissuade him. Edward chuckled, ignoring my words.

With a strength and balance I didn't know I had, I punched his right jaw, causing him to step back a few paces and clutch his face in pain. He glared at me, absolutely furious. "What the hell..." he touched his sore jaw, "are you an idiot or something?" I looked at him, a smile on my face, pleased that I had managed to land a punch.

Edward took a step towards me, but a hand on his shoulder halted him. One of his friends whispered something in his ear, and with some difficulty, he was led away by his friend before our altercation escalated into something more serious. Some bystanders who had stopped to watch left nonchalantly, since the fight had already ended.

"Are you okay?" I turned my attention back to the girl. She had black eyes and long straight hair that gracefully cascaded down her shoulders. While her face was not entirely clear to me, I could discern her Asian features. "I'm Olivia, Olivia Rodrigo, and yes... I'm fine, thanks," the girl gave me a shy smile, and I returned the gesture. For a split second, I lost my balance, and two arms wrapped around my waist.

"Everything okay?" she inquired, her voice right next to my ear. Her breath lightly brushed against my cheek. I nodded, starting to walk.

"Exit..." I stammered, my gaze fixed on the door of the house. With one arm around my waist, the girl guided me towards the exit.

I was so intoxicated that I could barely make out Jenna in the crowd. The professor looked around, clearly concerned.

Can you believe it? Jenna... here... The thought itself was amusing.

I began to giggle, and from the corner of my eye, I noticed Olivia smiling, making room for us amidst the teenagers. My mouth fell open in surprise when I saw two unmistakable coffee-colored eyes staring at me. Jenna took a few steps forward and stopped in front of us.

She was clad in a sweatshirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes appeared noticeably tired, indicating she was sleepy.

"Jennaaaa," I said, smiling at her.

Jenna rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed, and leaned towards me. Suddenly, her gaze fixed on Olivia, and she made a face when she saw her arm around my waist.

Is it just me, or is Jenna annoyed?

"Thanks... but now I'll take care of her," Jenna practically shouted, attempting to make herself heard over the noise. Olivia hesitantly released her hold on my waist, allowing me to move into Jenna's arms.

Hmm... I love her scent.

With some difficulty, we maneuvered our way towards the exit of the house.

[ flashback end]

I get up from the couch, searching for Jenna's figure with my eyes. In the meantime, Professor Ortega has moved to the kitchen, cooking something.

She looks at me from the corner of her eye, giving me a shy smile.

"Thank you... for yesterday," I confess, and she shakes her head, looking at the piece of meat in the pot. "Don't worry," she says absentmindedly, adding a bit of salt.

A question haunts me.

"Did... you sleep... with me?" I ask, and she turns her head towards me. Jenna, with a slight smile on her lips, shakes her head. A feeling of discomfort and disappointment wells up in my stomach.

"I slept on the couch," she shrugs nonchalantly, giving me a small smile.

My eyes move to the table next to the raven-haired woman. It's set for two people. With a rumble in my stomach, I look at Jenna with sparkling eyes. Professor Ortega lifts a spatula and smiles at me.

"How about we eat now?" she suggests, looking at me curiously.

I nod, wholeheartedly agreeing with the splendid idea.

[...]

On Monday afternoon, Professor Asher Spencer had subjected me to an incredibly strenuous workout.

Presumably seeking revenge for disrupting the moment with Jenna last time, the professor had me run for half an hour around the track during football team practice. Several times, he whistled as if urging me to pick up the pace, and in return, I shot him a disgruntled look.

"You need to make up for the poor performance in the previous class."

To make matters worse, I hadn't done it because I was unwell on Thursday afternoon. Apparently, he wanted me to catch up on it on a day when we didn't even have classes, solely for the purpose of punishing me.

With my lungs burning, craving as much oxygen as possible, and my legs wobbly, I completed the final meters while Asher stopped the stopwatch. Exhausted, I collapsed onto the red earth of the track.

He wore a satisfied smile.

"Go change," he jotted something in his notebook, glancing at me briefly, "then you can go home." He shot me a smug grin and subsequently walked over to the field to supervise the team.

I clenched my jaw tightly and got up from the ground, wiping sweat off my forehead. I practically stole a forgotten water bottle from the grass and took a deep gulp, closing my eyes to savor the refreshing sensation.

I sighed from fatigue and entered the locker room. Walking to the benches, I grabbed a towel from my bag. I removed my shirt and tried to wipe off as much sweat as possible, followed by applying deodorant. I didn't like showering at school, so I decided to wait until I got home.

I rinsed my face with cold water and rubbed some onto my hair, attempting to alleviate the unbearable heat. Suspiciously, I looked towards the entrance of the girls' locker room as I heard the door open, and my confusion turned to a smile when I saw Olivia Rodrigo.

Olivia Rodrigo was the cheerleading captain, and when I met her the other day, I had a nagging feeling that her face was familiar. The Latina girl was wearing a skirt and top in our prestigious school's colors, holding pom-poms in her hands, her hair in a high ponytail, and her lips painted red.

Her eyes traced along my figure, giving me an almost hungry look. Clearing my throat, I realized I hadn't put my shirt back on yet, and I awkwardly pulled it over my head, adjusting my hair. Her gaze shifted from my stomach to my eyes.

"Everything okay?" I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. Olivia Rodrigo fidgeted on the spot, giving me a shy smile.

"I wanted to thank you for Friday..." she confessed, playing with her fingers nervously. I offered her a timid smile and shook my head.

"No need to thank me... it's everyone's duty to intervene in such situations," I said, walking towards the locker room exit with my bag in hand. I approached the girl, and I immediately noticed that she was significantly shorter than me.

Just like Jenna.

An involuntary smile crept onto my lips as I recalled the lunch from the other day. Jenna and I had spent two hours chatting and laughing, discussing school or life choices. Professor Ortega had shown me pictures of her sisters, parents, and even her pets from her old family home in California. Later, we watched a movie, and around 6 pm, she had driven me home, giving me a quick hug.

I shook off my reverie and focused my attention on the brunette.

"What if I thank you by inviting you for a coffee at Starbucks?" she offered with a charming smile. "We can go after tomorrow's field trip," she suggested, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Field trip? What field trip?" I asked, slightly disoriented. Olivia tilted her head, looking at me seriously.

"Tomorrow we're going paintballing... remember? A fun day out! How could you forget?" She chuckled softly, giving me a friendly nudge on the side.

My eyes widened in realization. A few days ago, Professor Asher had mentioned something about paintballing, but I wasn't paying attention since I didn't care much about what he was saying. I smiled, remembering that Jenna would be coming with us too; she had mentioned it the other day, saying she would "destroy me," but I had forgotten about it until now.

I looked at Olivia with a mischievous grin. "How about the loser buys the coffee?" I proposed, and she raised her chin with authority, convinced that she was clearly superior to me.

"Get ready to cry," she declared, and I looked at her indignantly. I smiled at her and waved as I walked towards the Nevermore parking lot, the smile still plastered on my lips.

"If you need to call... you know I'm always here... just write to me," I smiled, and she did the same, nodding her head.

I'd better move if I want to avoid falling into Enid's clutches.

As I walked towards the school's parking lot, I saw Jenna in the distance. Professor Ortega had the car keys in her hand and was wearily walking towards her BMW. She bit her lower lip, looking worried.

"Jenna?" I called out her name loudly, trying to make myself heard from a distance. Jenna turned towards me and smiled timidly, brushing a rebellious strand of hair from her face. I approached the dark-haired girl, raising an eyebrow in confusion when I saw her bloodshot eyes.

Jenna rubbed one of her eyes with her hand, trying to remove the evidence of her tears.

With a soft thud, I dropped my bag to the ground.

My shoulders relaxed, and I looked at Professor Ortega with concern, wondering what was happening to her. Jenna smiled at me, her lips trembling, and her brown eyes brimming with tears. Instinctively, I wiped a tear from her right cheek with my thumb, feeling sorry to see her in this state. She clenched her jaw and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, no longer able to hide her true emotions, bursting into tears against my neck. Her shoulders shook convulsively under her sobs, and my heart ached, wondering why this young girl was so broken.

I placed a hand along her back, trying to offer her as much comfort as I could.

After a few minutes, Jenna broke the embrace, looking at me with glistening eyes and a small smile of gratitude. She timidly wiped away the remaining tears with her shirt sleeve, sniffing. I moved a hand along her face, using two fingers to lift her chin so she could see my eyes. The sunlight reflecting off her face highlighted the freckles around her nose, making her eyes appear slightly lighter.

"What happened?" I asked timidly, curious and concerned about the possible answer. "I know I'm just a student... but I'm good at listening," I smiled as I noticed Jenna had pulled the corners of her mouth into a shy smile.

I withdrew my hand from her face and looked at her with a slight smile on my lips.

"You're not just a student, T/N," she admitted, causing my heart to skip a beat and shivers to run down my spine due to the intensity of her gaze. "Nothing happened... it's just stress... some students and teachers drain me... lately, I haven't been sleeping at night, and damn it... I'm so tired," she huffed, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Tonight, go to bed early, okay? Otherwise, tomorrow won't be fun trying to beat you if you're asleep against a tree," I tried to lift her spirits, jokingly. Jenna gave me a weak punch on the shoulder and chuckled, amused by my words.

"Thank you... you've helped me shake off this mountain of stress," she looked at me through her long lashes, giving me a precious smile.

"It was the second person who thanked me today."

I winked at her and offered a shy smile. "Don't mention it. Sometimes crying helps relieve tension," I said as I picked up my bag from the floor and slung it over my shoulder. Jenna fiddled with the keys to her car. Professor Ortega smiled at me, this time with more happiness and noticeably brighter.

She locked eyes with me, her coffee-colored irises locking onto mine. Damn it... I could get lost in her gaze. The sudden honk of a horn made us startle and break the atmosphere that had formed between the two of us.

"Surely it's Enid," I muttered, absentmindedly biting my lower lip.

I began to walk towards the Nevermore parking lot, still looking at Jenna with a smile plastered on my lips. "If you need to call... you know I'm always here... just message me," I smiled, and she did the same, nodding her head.

I better move if I want to avoid being caught in Enid's clutches.

[ the next day]

"Mmmmmh," I groan, burying my face in the pillow as I hear the sound of the blinds being raised. I let out an annoyed grunt as the sunlight hits my eyelids, disturbing my sleep.

"T/N, darling, weren't you supposed to go on the field trip today?" My mother's absentminded question immediately jolts me awake. I hurriedly get out of bed, stumbling in the process. From the floor, I look up to see my mother giving me a puzzled look while holding a basket of dirty laundry.

I hastily remove my shirt and pants, trying to change as quickly as possible. With a toothbrush in my mouth, I glance at the notifications on my phone. I have 5 missed calls from Enid and 3 messages from Professor Ortega.

Jenna:

"Are you there?"

Jenna:

"Is it getting late... are you coming or not? Are you afraid of losing by any chance?"

Jenna:

"The bus will be here in 20 minutes, hurry up!"

And this message was sent 5 minutes ago. I spit out the toothpaste, gargle with mouthwash, and grab my backpack. I rush downstairs, narrowly avoiding Tex, my dog. He's a German Shepherd. I enter the kitchen and see my family having breakfast.

"Are you still here? Do you want a ride?" my father asks while flipping pancakes. I shake my head and quickly slip on a sock with both hands.

"I still have 10 minutes," I mutter, grabbing an apple and holding it between my teeth. In a rush, I put on my shoes and sling my backpack over my shoulder. I say goodbye to my family, tousle my younger brother's hair, and rush out the door.

"I love you!" I shout as my parting words echo in the house. Without waiting for a response, I close the door and literally sprint towards the school.

(...)

"HERE I AM!" I shout into the air as I spot Jenna leaning against the bus door in the distance. Her coffee-colored eyes give me a reproachful look, yet there's a timid smile on her lips. With flushed cheeks, I walk past her and climb the steps, apologizing to the bus driver for being late.

The bus is quite full, but there's an empty seat by the window in the front row. Enid smiles at me from the back of the bus, wordlessly apologizing for not saving me a seat. I shake my head and sit down by the window, feeling slightly annoyed that we've already arrived.

"Hey, T/N," I hear from behind, and I turn to see Olivia with her friend sitting next to her. The Latina girl gives me a shy smile as she holds her phone in her hands.

"Hi, Olivia," I smile, slightly breathless.

"For a moment, I was afraid you wouldn't come... I was about to message you on IG," she confesses, chuckling softly. Her friend leans in to whisper something in her ear, and Olivia glances at me briefly, her cheeks tinted with red.

Then Olivia playfully nudges her friend, and the friend pulls on Olivia's hair, causing Rodrigo's irritation. I settle into my seat, tired, and also to avoid witnessing any potential argument between the two girls. My gaze drifts to the driver's side, and I smile as my eyes meet Jenna's.

Professor Ortega holds onto the pole, looking a bit uncomfortable with the arrangement. She's wearing simple track pants and a blue t-shirt, probably opting for these clothes in case they get dirty. She gives me a shy smile as a brief greeting.

She looks around and hesitantly walks in my direction, taking the seat next to me. She leans in, and her fragrance wafts into my nose, making me smile at the pleasant scent.

"I see you made it after all... I was starting to worry," she offers a shy smile.

"My alarm didn't go off this morning," I shrug nonchalantly, giving her a mischievous grin. "Were you waiting for me, Miss Ortega?" She rolls her eyes at my comment and smiles, revealing her dimples. "Don't play dumb," I exclaim with mock indignation, placing a hand over my chest as if in pain. "Ouch, Jenna!" I pretend to wipe away an imaginary tear, and she chuckles softly at my theatrics.

The bus comes to a stop, surprising me.

"Make sure not to cry later, okay? I wouldn't want to give you false hopes of winning," Jenna mutters, getting up from her seat and walking towards the bus exit. I grip my backpack's strap and stand up to follow the other students, slightly annoyed that we've already arrived.

"All this fuss for a 10-minute bus ride," I remark, looking at Xavier. He nods, waiting for his best friend to make his way to us, hand in hand with Enid.

We disembark from the bus, and I smile at the sight of various trees around, closing my eyes and taking in the fresh air. With purposeful steps, we approach a small wooden cabin.

A man in his 40s stands there impatiently.

"ALRIGHT!" he yells, capturing the attention of the teenagers. I stand next to Enid as we listen to the words of the owner of this place. Jenna and Asher, the only teachers, stand by the man's side.

I had completely forgotten about Asher. I clench my jaw, trying to avoid showing my disgust towards him.

"Does anyone know how paintball works?" he asks, sounding almost bored by the situation. A hand goes up from the crowd, but he blatantly ignores it. Enid absentmindedly grabs my wrist, drawing closer to me.

"We're on the same team, right?" she whispers in my ear, and I nod.

"The goal of the two teams is to eliminate the members of the opposing team as many times as possible within a time limit. When a player is hit, they can't shoot and must return to base to 'respawn.' Touching the base brings the player back into the game. The referees, in this case, me, will count every eliminated player," he explains, grabbing a paintball projectile.

"Alright... now divide yourselves into four teams and get the necessary gear."

He concludes, walking towards the professors, probably discussing the cost.

Enid, Olivia, Xavier, and a few others I don't know head towards the blue equipment. Excitedly, we put on chest protectors and the game jerseys. My eyes wander to Jenna, who's on a team with people I've never seen before. Fortunately, Asher is in another group along with Ajax and his buddies.

"I'm so excited," Enid exclaims, putting on her protective mask and tying the blue bandana around her arm. "I want to beat Ajax; we have a bet to win." She smiles widely, and I reciprocate, happy for her competitive spirit. Xavier struggles to put on gloves and a neck protector while keeping his weapon on the ground. I catch a glimpse of Olivia, slightly nervous, clutching her paintball marker to her chest. She gives me a sweet smile, letting me know she's okay, and I nod in response.

I turn my attention back to Jenna, a mischievous smile forming on my lips as I see her putting on the chest protector. I bite my lower lip playfully and raise my paintball marker, aiming at her backside. With one eye closed, I fire a shot at Jenna, causing her to scream in surprise.

Professor Ortega turns in my direction, unconsciously touching her rear and feeling the dampness of the paint. Her mouth drops open in astonishment as she places two fingers on the spot that was hit, finding blue paint. Her eyes gleam with a desire for revenge, keeping her paintball marker firmly in her hands.

Without breaking eye contact, she smears the paint along her cheek, creating a war paint-like design as soldiers do. I bite my lower lip, trying to hold back laughter, and I wink at Jenna.

"Nice shot, T/N," Enid says amidst laughter, making me smile. Jenna turns toward her group, beginning to talk to them, giving me a quick glance.

It wouldn't end here.

(...)

With my breaths uneven, I clung tightly to my paintball marker, glancing around the tree to see if anyone was nearby. Brushing a lock of hair from my face, I clenched my jaw and prepared to change my position.

In this hour and a half of gameplay, the teams with the fewest eliminations were the Blue team, mine, and Asher's. Before splitting up, we had devised a plan where Enid and Xavier would head to the east side of the woods, aiming to reach the enemy teams' flags directly. So far, we had only captured one flag, eliminating a team whose members I couldn't recall. Olivia, her friend, and a couple of guys would stay to guard our flag while I focused on eliminating as many opponents as possible.

They would return to base, but they had to wait 10 minutes before rejoining the game.

I knelt down and leaned toward a fallen dead tree, hearing footsteps approaching. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Asher pass by with Ajax, and I smiled, seizing the opportunity. I picked up a small pebble from the ground and threw it to divert the two guys' attention.

Enid would be pleased to know I'd gotten back at him.

As soon as the pebble hit the ground, the two turned toward the sound, ready to shoot at the source. I stood up and began firing at their chests, hitting their chest protectors. Asher shot me a deadly glare, while Ajax seemed baffled by how I'd managed to trick them.

"You'll pay for this, T/A," Asher muttered through gritted teeth, gripping his paintball marker tightly. I nodded, feeling proud of having temporarily eliminated him, and walked in another direction, slightly crouched to avoid being spotted.

"The Blue team has captured the Green team's flag. Two teams remaining," I exulted inwardly when I realized it was his team's flag we had taken.

I aimed my marker in various directions, analyzing potential threats. I walked slowly, avoiding twigs and dry leaves to remain unnoticed. A Cheshire cat-like smile stretched across my lips as I spotted Jenna Ortega in the distance.

The calculus professor leaned against the corner of two walls, sighing tiredly and slightly agitated from the adrenaline rush. She stood on tiptoe, peering over the wall, her paintball marker resting against her back. I bit my lip and slowly made my way toward her, attempting to catch her off guard.

"BOO," I whispered in her ear, causing her to scream in fright. Jenna turned toward me, her eyes wide, and her breathing heavy. Her hands pushed against my chest, trying to force me to the ground. As I slid against the ground, I grabbed Jenna's wrist with one hand, causing her to fall against my chest.

"Are you an idiot?" she whispered through gritted teeth after regaining her balance, looking at me with her arms on either side of my head. "You scared me to death." I winced at the pain but smiled when I saw Jenna's expression.

"That was my goal," I admitted, running my tongue over my lower lip.

The tension in her shoulders melted away, and her eyes softened. There was still a blue paint stain on her cheek, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her eyes were fixed on mine, and I sighed as I saw how close our faces were, noticing the freckles around her face.

Unconsciously, I raised my hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, leaving my hand on her cheek. With a half-smile on my lips, I brushed some dirt from her face with my thumb.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. I wasn't sure if the fall had hurt her, even though I cushioned the impact. But regardless, I wanted to know if she was alright. Jenna gazed intensely at me, nervously swallowing her saliva. She looked away from my eyes, shifting her attention to my lips, then slowly nodded.

"Yeah..." she whispered, her breath grazing my lips. My heart began to race against my ribcage, and I nervously looked at Jenna in anticipation. With a hesitant tilt of her head, Professor Ortega smiled slightly. Our faces, like magnets, drew closer until our lips finally touched, igniting the long-awaited kiss.

Jenna sighed and tentatively moved her lips against mine, increasing the rhythm of the kiss. I trailed my hand along her jawline, stopping at her neck, curling my fingers to draw her closer to my face, erasing any remaining distance. My heart pounded wildly, and with a smile, I savored this first experience, melting into her soft, plump, and delicious lips. Her teeth bit into my lower lip, making me moan from the pain and surprise.

The need for oxygen became apparent, and reluctantly, we had to break the contact between our mouths. Our eyes immediately locked, and her lips curved into a beautiful smile, to which I reflexively responded.

A few seconds later, fear appeared in her irises, and she looked at me in horror. As if my touch on her skin was burning her, she quickly rose from the ground, staring at me sternly.

"This... this wasn't supposed to happen," she shook her head and bit her lip, lost in thought. My heart shattered slowly at her words, and I shook my head in disappointment. My heart pounding in my throat, I took a step forward and grabbed Jenna's wrist, catching her eye.

"You... I like you, Jenna," the truth that I had been trying to avoid saying for too long escaped naturally from my mouth, lifting a weight off my shoulders. Jenna looked at me intensely, her eyes pleading with me not to make things any more difficult than they already were. She slipped off the arm band and let it fall to the ground, wanting to escape the situation.

"I'm sorry," Jenna murmured weakly, gripping her paintball marker and quickly walking away from me, clearly intending to avoid me.

With teary eyes, I watched as my first kiss walked away, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces.

Guys, I would really love to receive some comments... I don't care if they're positive or not, but I need to know how you're finding this story.

[madomens]

Face It (18+)

Chapter 4

warnings: alcohol

word count: 2.2k

chapter 4

*3 months later*

It’s been three months and I haven’t heard from Noah. I know it’s for the best but I can’t help but wonder if he’s been fucking around while I sit at home wondering if he ever really cared about me.

“Noel, babe, staring at your phone isn’t going to make him text you,” KB tells me.

I sigh and place my phone face down on my counter.

“Why don’t you just text him?”

I look at her and grab the bottle of wine off the top of the refrigerator. “Fuck that. You know I’m not about to text first,” I say taking a sip.

I offer her the bottle and she takes it, pouring a glass for herself.

“Thank you for taking off today to be with me. I needed a girls day,” I smile and give her a hug.

Noah’s POV

“Dude, why don’t you call her?” Nicholas asks me. I haven’t talked to Noel in months now but it almost feels better this way. With our tour ending soon and working on our new album, I’ve barely had time to think but when I get any kind of free time, she’s all I think about.

“And say what?” I scoff. “Hey Noel I know I haven’t talked to you in months but I miss you and just want you to know I’m kind of in love with you?”

Nicholas’ eyes go wide at the last part and he smirks at me.

“Well you do talk about her every time we do anything. Have you heard the lyrics you’ve written lately? Maybe you should get over yourself and tell her how you feel.”

“I second that!” I hear Jolly yell from the back of the tour bus.

“Ughh is everyone against me right now?” I sit down on the couch.

I know they’re right but it would be pointless if I couldn’t actually do anything about it.

“You know what they say man. If you love someone you’ll make it work regardless,” Folio says as if reading my mind.

“Oh my god okay I’ll call her. Can everyone shut up now,” I put my face in my hands. “But after tonight because I need to be a hundred percent at the show.”

Nicholas throws his hands up like he just won a bet.

“I told you he’d do it!” He gives Folio a high five.

The show in California tonight went exactly the way we wanted. High energy crowds are always easy to entertain, especially during Dethrone. I tried to push Noel to the back of my mind so I could give my all but it’s almost like I saw her in every face.

“Easily one of the best shows this tour,” Matt tells us as we walk into the green room, high fiving us each.

I grab a white claw out of the mini fridge and sit back on the couch, watching the guys talk about the show tonight.

“Are you alright?” Matt asks, sitting down next to me.

“Yeah man I’m just exhausted. As much as I love doing all these shows, sometimes I think I need a break. But we can’t slow down now,” I smile at him.

He gives me a look, questioning me. “Since when does Noah Sebastian want to take a break?”

“Since he wants to fix things with Noel but refuses,” Jolly jumps into our conversation.

“I told you I’m going to call her,” I roll my eyes. And I thought I was the one so adamant about getting things done.

Finishing my drink, it’s time for us to get to the hotel we booked for a few days while we have a short break between shows.

I take some time in the shower to think about what I really want to say to Noel. The hot water feels amazing against my tense muscles and I feel like I can stay here for hours.

By the time I get out of the shower, it’s already 11 pm. I don’t even know if Noel is still awake right now.

NOELS POV

“There’s no way you actually told him that!!” I yell, feeling the effects of the wine we’ve been drinking all day.

KB laughs and continues her story about how she found out Brendan, her baby daddy, was cheating on her.

“He really thought he would get the last laugh,” she winks at me.

After a minute of drunk laughter, my phone vibrates next to me. I look to see Noah on my screen. What the fuck?

“Kaleigh he’s calling me. What do I do?” I ask in a panic.

“ANSWER IT BITCH!”

“Oh god okay.”

“Hello?”

“Noel hey. You weren’t asleep were you?”

“No, not at all. I’m with KB. Everything okay?”

KB gives me a look and continues drinking her wine.

“Oh sorry. I can call another ti-“

“No no it’s alright. Shes just about to leave actually.” I shake my head, no at KB, telling her not to actually leave. I need my best friend for this in case it goes like last time.

“Oh okay. I wanted to talk to you. I didn’t like the way we left things the last time we talked. I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said and I want to try.”

My heart stops for a minute as his words register.

“What’s he saying??” Kaleigh mouths to me.

I wave her away as I try to find my words.

“You want to try? Try what Noah?”

“Us.”

My mouth drops open for a second. I definitely wouldn’t have started day drinking if I knew this is how it would go.

“What does that mean? What about you not having time?”

“I can’t stop thinking about you. I’m going to try to make us work along with the band and everything else. I can’t stand another day of wondering ‘what if’”

The lump in my throat doesn’t seem to dissipate, finally hearing the words I wanted to hear all along.

“What changed your mind?”

“You did, Noel.”

Kaleigh still trying to hear everything, has her ear pressed against mine. I stand up and walk to the kitchen to try to get some kind of alone time.

“Where are you right now?”

“California. But in a week we’ll be done with touring. I want to come see you again. I miss you.”

Is this really happening right now?

“I miss you too. Come. I mean I’ll be here and you know where the key is.”

Noah laughs, a sound that I’ve desperately missed.

“Okay. I’ll um call you tomorrow?”

“Yeah that’s great. I’ll talk to you tomorrow Noah.”

After hanging up, KB immediately asks what was said. My cheeks are painfully hot as I take in everything that was just said.

“He said he wants to try us being together I think,” I know I look a hot mess smiling so big but I never thought he would actually come around to it. I know how important the band is to him so I’m a little worried about how this will all go.

KB shrieks and jumps up and down giving me a huge hug.

“I knew he wanted to be with you! I’ve seen the way yall are around each other. I’m happy for you, babe!” She hands me the almost empty bottle of wine and brings her cup up in the air. “A toast. To you and Noahhh.”

I clink my bottle against her glass and say, “Cheers!”

Maybe it’s the alcohol in my system but now that I’ve finally talked to Noah again, I want to call him back and tell him all about how the past few months have been. I want to ask him how tour is going and just hear him talk.

“Okay I am so so happy for you but it is 11:30 and we both work tomorrow. I need to head home and make sure my baby is in the bed,” KB gives me another hug.

“I love you so much! Thank you for spending today with me, Ill see you in the morning,” I tell her as she leaves.

I took a quick shower and did my skin care routine fairly quickly. It’s already 12:42 in the morning so I can still get a decent amount of sleep if I go to sleep soon, but laying in the bed, all I think about is that phone call with Noah. Still feeling the effects of the wine has me excited about the way he sounded so confident in wanting us to be together. That tiny bit of worry in my mind tells me not to get too excited just yet.

I tell myself that this is what I’ve wanted for a long time and silence the worry, eventually falling asleep with Noah heavy on my mind.

“Fuuuuck,” I wake up in a panic for the second time this week, grabbing my phone out from under my pillow. I have to stop drinking the night before work, I think to myself as I jump out of bed to quickly get ready for work at 9:50.

I brush my teeth and throw my hair up in a claw clip, usually taking the time to do something cute with it when i'm not thirty minutes late waking up. No time to do my makeup at home so I grab the essentials and grab a Celsius energy drink from my fridge, leaving right at 10. At least I won’t be late this time.

“Jesus, Noel, rough night?” My manager, John, looks me up and down as I walk in and get straight to opening up the bar.

“Yeah, something like that,” I chug my Celsius hoping to get a little more energy.

Work goes by so slowly, I think about taking a nap in the server room. Monday mornings are always the slowest, especially when its 20 degrees (farenheit) outside. You’re telling me no one wants a vodka cran at 11 am on a Monday? Crazy. That honestly doesn’t sound too bad to me right now.

“One more thing before you leave Noel,” John tells me as I’m about to head out the door to go home. “Me and KB were talking a few days ago about maybe seeing how you feel about being a key holder.”

Oh god I knew this would come eventually. Being a key holder is basically a step down from being a manager, and I’ve seen so many servers and bartenders work their way up and end up absolutely hating it. It’s like as soon as you get a polo shirt, everyone treats you like shit. I think I’ll pass up on that wonderful opportunity.

“Before you give me an answer, I want to explain to you why I think you’d be a good fit,” he goes on about how I’ve been here for a while and how I take work seriously and yadda yadda, the usual spill. “Just take a few days to think on it and let me know.”

“Yeah sure I’ll let you know. Did KB recommend me or something? I mean why talk to her and not another manager?” I question.

“Well we asked her first and she declined us and told me you might be interested,” he smiles.

As if right on cue, my phone starts ringing. Thank you Noah.

“I have to take this. See you tomorrow,” I tell John, walking out of Shiners for the day.

“Thank god you have no idea how you just saved me from a thirty minute conversation with John”

Noah chuckles over the line.

“Well you know me, always right on time.”

“So tell me about touring! How are the guys?”

“So good. This is definitely an unforgettable one for sure. Matt thinks with the new album we could really move up in the charts. The guys are all good.”

He pauses for a second and clears his throat before continuing.

“It was actually the guys that kept pushing me to call you. Folio wasn’t lying when he told you I really don’t shut up about you.”

I don’t think my smile can get any bigger than it is right now.

“Well I’m glad you listened to them. Things have been kind of a mess since you left the way you did. I want to apologize to you about making you leave like that, I just didn’t want to say something I know I would regret.”

“Noel, you have nothing to apologize for. I guess I just needed to open my eyes and realize that I really don’t want to be without you.”

I sigh, unlocking to door to my house and seeing the huge mess me and KB left last night.

“I think we both needed to. I just can’t wait for you to come stay with me again. I found a movie I really think you’d like.”

We talked on the phone for almost two hours before Noah had to get ready for sound check. I got a quick shower and threw on the first oversized shirt I could find, which just so happened to be a shirt Noah left at my house forever ago. Scrolling mindlessly through TikTok, I ended up falling asleep, phone still in hand. Today was a good day.

previous chapter

TAG LIST:

@jilliemiw86 @whenthesummerdies @ebechnasheim @blackveilomens @melcchs @cookiesupplier

psa: the pics are just generally what i picture them to look like, not exactly so picture them how you want

psa part 2: slay

[hamzahsfav]

PLEASE DONT GO.

A/N- first story ig?! idk how i feel about this. please send requests if you can tho 🙏

warnings: angst.

now playing : 3:16AM - jhenè Aiko.

You’re drunk as hell. Shot after shot, you felt yourself lose awareness of your surroundings. Your thoughts felt clouded. “Haha, she’s out of this world right now” yells your friend over the loud music playing. You feel the vibrations of the sound as you smile drunkenly. You hear others giggle along with your friend. You put on a faint smile and chuckle along.Your boyfriend, Hamzah, finally notices what state you’re in. He drags you by the arm to his car, saying his goodbyes to others. When you’re finally both in the car, he snaps.

“Y/n what the fuck.” He starts. Your eyes roll to the back of your head as you were too delirious to acknowledge his seriousness. “Why aren’t you responding? Why the hell are you drinking that much? Do you not have a limit?” All these questions were making your head pound even more. You stayed quiet. You felt him getting even angrier. “Are you not taking this seriously? Do you know the amount of shit this could get you into?” He asks multiple questions again. “I know, I’m sorry” you say slurred. “I could barely even make out what you said. Are you sure all you did was drink?” You look at him. Is he serious? What else would you be doing? “What the hell was that question…” you say, murmuring. “By the way you’re acting, others would think you’re on something.” You get a sting. Was I really that embarrassing?

You both reach your apartment. Hamzah takes the keys and unlocks the door himself as you were too weak to. You make a few steps before your legs give in. You crumble to the floor. You look up and he’s just… staring? “Are you not gonna hel-“ your sentence is cut short as you throw up all over your floor. You look up again and he’s muttering under his breath, making his way to the door. “Please don’t go”. He turns back to see you, on the floor, crying, with a puddle of your own throw up beside you. He sighs, walks back to where you are and reaches for your hands. You cry trying to get up, but you’re too tired. It’s too much. He carries you to your room. “Do you at least wanna get changed”. You nod your head. He picks black jogging bottoms and a sweater. He goes to you and helps you change. “Don’t cry, I’m sorry, I’m just so mad you were able to even get in this mess” he says cupping your face as he stares at your mascara-stained cheeks. He gets you tissue and helps remove the mess on your face with some makeup remover. “I’m so sorry” you say. “Just please, try and limit your alcohol intake.” He replies back. You nod in agreement. “Do you want water? I forgot you threw up” he says. “Yes please” you say. He goes to the kitchen to first get a mop to clean up the mess you made on the floor. After, he goes to the fridge and gets a water bottle. You take some sips and feel relief almost immediately. “So cold, perfect” you say. He chuckles. He checks his phone “damn, it’s 3:16AM. I should get going.” He says. You look at him with disappointment. “You can’t stay the night? Please?” He contemplates for a second, before saying okay. He gets changed into comfier clothes and joins you in your bed. “How are you feeling now?” He asks. “My head is still pounding.” “It’ll get better soon” he says, kissing your forehead before tucking your head into his chest. A few minutes later, he hears your soft snores. He strokes your hair a few times and before he knows it, he’s also asleep.

[jellysaidshit]

Our story. Chapter 2.

Previous chapter

Content warnings: none, a bit of angst at the end if you squint.

The first morning at the new place was not pleasant for River. Beau, with whom she shared an incredibly thin wall, turned out to be an early bird. So, tall girl’s day started at seven o’clock in the morning with her roommate’s alarm. Approximately fifteen minutes later she was ready to check if the wall they shared was made out of cardboard, and after half an hour she gave up her sleep.

She heard Beau walk around and, as River assumed, get ready for her classes. ‘Good thing I don’t have morning classes, bad thing she does,’ the girl thought to herself. When she got out of her bed and walked into the living and kitchen area, she was met with a surprisingly homey view: Beau sat on one of the two barstools while Ash was in the middle of making coffee. When they noticed a newcomer, they raised one hand in greeting. “Morning, want a cup of coffee?”

“Wasn’t there a rule about cooking and cleaning for yourself?” River nodded as she stood next to Beau looking at the taller figure. Ash looked like someone’s uncle and aunt at the same time. The huge worn-out sweater made them look like a Teddy bear with a pink wig, and massive glasses didn’t help them at all. But at least they looked cozy. Beau, on the other hand, was wearing a black mini skirt with a beige crop top. River herself was dressed in pretty ordinary clothes: black shorts to her knee and loose black T-shirt.

“Well, it’s not that hard for me to make you coffee or breakfast,” Ash answered. “I don’t mind cooking for others, but cleaning is where my kindness ends.” they put a cup of warm coffee in front of River and took a sip of their own drink. She noticed an open notebook that was laying in the middle of the kitchen island and Beau was comparing her own notes with it.

“What’s that?” the black-haired girl asked the others after she took a sip of her drink. She then leaned over Beau’s shoulder to take a better look at the notes only to discover something about Germanic languages.

“Linguistics notes. I missed the first class yesterday,” Beau explained as she sipped on her own coffee not looking away from the notes. “Ash is my hope and my shoulder to rely on when I don’t have the notes.”

“Good thing you’re buying me food and books then,” the chubby person giggles as they snacked on a bagel with jam. “You should be on good terms with her, River, she’s the most generous human I know.” They giggled as they looked at their notes. The lean girl smirked as she observed the duo in front of her. Ash explained some terms to Beau with so much care inn their voice while Beau listened carefully and fixed her notes.

That felt like a completely new image to her, a friendship this close. River had friends, she was not the loner in any way, but never this close. Ash and Beau seemed to be siblings, yet they weren’t, and to River that was a foreign concept. She snapped out of her thoughts when pink haired person waved their hand and greeted the person coming to them. “Hey, Nyx!”

Nyx was dressed in her, what Ash thought, pajamas, and her hair was a mess. Her facial expression spoke volumes, and when she raised her hand asking them to shut up, they swallowed their words. The oldest girl opened the fridge, took a bottle of water and walked back to her room.

“Jeez, I thought I was grumpy,” River mumbled. She took her cup and walked to her room. “Good luck with the class.” She said as she disappeared behind her door.

Ash looked at Beau as soon as River left. “They’re still scary. Both of them.” They whispered.

“But isn’t the tall one kinda cool?” Beau whispered back. She closed both of notebooks and sat up straight.

“No. She stares at me.” they leaned in to whisper even quieter. “I wonder if the rumors about her are true.”

“I’m sure they aren’t,” the brunette said as she smiled at her best friend. “Anyways, library at 3?” she asked them as she hopped off the barstool.

“Library at 3.” Ash agreed.

###

Later same day. University library.

Ash rushed up the stairs where Beau was already waiting for her. A long table in one the middle of the room between the bookshelves was empty besides the familiar brunette. Ash walked to the seat next to her friend, taking off their backpack before sitting down.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” they whispered as they opened their bag to take out the notebooks, laptop and books. They also took out a bag of gummies and two bottles of iced tea, one for Beau and one for themselves.

“Apology accepted,” the brunette joked as she opened a bottle of the iced tea and took a sip. As friends started to work on their assignments. Library’s dim light created that vibe where you can’t do anything but study for upcoming projects. Students were walking around and looking at books when Ash took out their headphones and started working on their notes. That was when they heard Beau greet someone.

They looked at the unknown person and saw River standing on the opposite side of the big wooden table, confused. Beau waved at her and gestured to the seat on the opposite side of her. The younger one took a deep breath and slowly walked to her seat. Ash looked at Beau, eyes screaming ‘why?’, but when they saw a light blush on her friend’s cheeks, they understood the reason.

Ash looked back to River as the tall girl took out her notebook and laptop. She looked serious even at simple moments like this. Pink haired human turned on their music and continued working on an assignment. They asked Beau random questions and answered her questions back, snacking on gummies from time to time. Ash saw Beau stealing glances at River as time passed, but River was too busy doing her own things to notice. Even if she noticed anything, she brushed it off very well.

Sometime later, the chubby person felt someone staring at them, and as they raised their head, they met River’s eyes. They chose to close their eyes and looking down as if nothing happened, but the burning gaze still haven’t left their figure. Ash wanted to confront the girl, but anxiety took over as they whispered something to Beau, got up and left, leaving all of their stuff on the table.

As soon as Ash left, Beau leaned to River. “Hey, uh...” She whispered, “Do you wanna order food with us when we get back?” she asked quietly.

River shook her head, “Sorry, but I can’t.” she whispered back as she closed her laptop. “I have some shit to take care of.” The tall girl collected her things, gave Beau a tight smile, got up and left the library.

Ash saw her getting out of the building as they were wrapping up their smoke break. They saw River walk to a parking lot where there stood an expensive looking black motorbike. They watched as the girl put on the helmet, got onto the vehicle and drove off to somewhere.

###

It was about 8pm when Nyx got back to the apartment. She took off her coat and shoes as she entered the house, taking a deep breath. That was when she heard two of her roommates chatting loudly in the living room.

“I’m telling you, you should think about this, dear,” Ash said as they shook their head. Nyx saw Beau sitting on the floor facing pink haired person with a box of pizza placed on the coffee table. She froze in the doorway for a couple of seconds. “You can’t just walk around and expect people to be good, who knows what kind of business she’s doing.” They continued to lecture their friend.

“But Ashie, she can’t be doing anything too bad,” Beau shot back, and all Ash could do is take a deep breath. “She’s probably working parttime or something.”

“I hope you’re gonna clean after yourselves,” Nyx announced her presence. She smirked at them, walking to the fridge and pulling out some leftovers. Ash smiled at the oldest as they changed the subject.

“Don’t worry, we’ll clean after.” they said before chugging a whole can of sprite. Beau nodded as if to back up her friend. Nyx murmured a quiet ‘good’ before disappearing in her room with the container of food.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Ashie,” Beau said as she reached for Ash’s hand. “I can take care of myself, you know that.” she reassured them. ‘If only you’d let me take care of you,’ Ash thought to themselves, but on the outside, they could only smile.

Author's note: Once again, thank you for reading this! I really appreciate it if you'd like and/or reblog this if you like it!

[brunette-barbie4562]

Uncharted (Duff McKagan X OC)

Summary: Unsure of her next steps in life, Carreen Joy "CJ" Thompson finds herself taking a job working under the Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan during the Not in the Lifetime... Tour. She faces the fast-paced and foreign world of rock n' roll, touring, and groupies, as well as blossoming taboo feelings for her boss.

-

Chapter three is here :) There is a lot of dialogue in this one and a flashback. Let me know what you think!

Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, drug use, homophobia

-

3

May 2017

Conrad Dublin Hotel / Dublin, Ireland

CJ stood by the entryway of the hotel room, unsure of what to say or do as Axl beamed at her. His red hair was cut short, compared to the long straight hairstyle she had seen him with as a child. He looked casual in a pair of torn blue jeans and a graphic T-shirt, which helped her relax about her own laidback appearance. The room was a large suite and looked to have multiple rooms. She had walked into the living room area. She felt very put on the spot and smiled shyly back. He stood up and moved to hug her. As awkward as she was feeling, she readily accepted the hug, looking for some sense of familiarity in a foreign environment. He smelled lightly of cologne. When he pulled away, he said,

“It’s so good to see you CJ, it’s been so many years. Come sit, let’s talk.” He offered her the second armchair, opposite the one he had been sitting in. “Do you want anything? Water, tea, coffee? How was your flight? Any issues?” CJ opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure which question to answer first.

“I’m uh- I’ll just take some water, thanks.”

“Sparkling, or no?” She had to think for a moment to process what he had said. She didn’t think she had ever had sparkling water.

“Regular is fine.” He reached into a mini fridge and pulled out a water bottle and handed it to her. Beta had disappeared into another room, leaving them space and time to talk. She remembered the second part of his question and said “The flight was good, no issues. Just a quick layover in JFK.” He had taken a seat in the second armchair, sipping on a cup of coffee.

“And your pick up at the airport went well?” He looked at her with genuine concern. Other than her aunt and her aunt’s girlfriend, CJ had never had someone act so concerned over her.  

“Ya, it went well.”

“Good, I’m excited you are here.” He took another sip of his coffee. “You may not know this, but your aunt was a great help to me back in the day.” CJ smirked at the thought of some of the stories her aunt had told her and said,

“I know a little bit.”

“Your aunt has kept me up to date on you and your studies. I know you’ve been thinking about going back to school.” CJ had not expected him to ask about her schooling.

“Ya, I’m just not sure about it. Graduate school is such a commitment and I’ve been trying to weigh the pros and cons. I’ve been out of school for a few years now and I feel like I need to decide. I’ve wanted to work in the mental health field for most of my life and most of those positions require a master’s degree.” He smiled at her with that familiar bright white smile that she remembered from so many years ago.

“Well, you can spend at least the summer working with us and think about it, make some money, I want this arrangement to be perfect.” He put his drink down and laced his fingers together, leaning back thoughtfully. “Ever since your aunt gained custody of you, and even before that time, we spoke frequently about you. Time and different circumstances have kept me from visiting in person, but I feel like I’ve watched you grow up from afar. Mindy is family to me, which means you are family.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “You and I are very alike in our history and the fact that you are wanting to help others means a lot to me.” She sat in silence and did not dare interrupt him. “I’m not sure what you know about me or the others.” It wasn’t until he gave her a questioning look that she realized he wanted her to respond.

“Oh, uh, not much to be honest. I mean I’ve heard your music growing up with my aunt obviously and I love it.” CJ was somewhat more aware than she was letting on, not wanting to seem eager. She was not comfortable enough to tell him that as a child, she had spent her nights lying in a cold van or a roach infested bed listening to Guns N’ Roses on a CD player on repeat at a high volume, either to drown out screaming or to try to feel some connection to the aunt she desperately wished she could go live with on the other side of the country.

“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to familiarize yourself,” he said with a soft smile. “You have a few days before our first show. It’s late now, you’ll meet the others tomorrow.”

“Will I be spending most of my time with you and Beta?”

“You’ll see us often, especially Beta. I don’t leave my room much when we are at hotels, it can get chaotic. So, she does most of my errands for me.” CJ felt a twinge of confusion. If she was supposed to be an assistant, it seemed that Beta had already filled that role for Axl. He saw her perplexity and said, “You’ll be working alongside our bassist, Duff. His assistant had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency and won’t be back anytime soon.” CJ could not remember which one Duff was and tried to think back to the old pictures she had seen of the band in her aunt’s house. “You’ll like him, he’s a good guy, not an ass. He has some daughters you’d probably enjoy meeting. Younger than you, but whenever they’re here there aren’t many other girls or women around.”

“Don’t forget Melissa and Meegan.” Beta called out from the other room, making CJ slightly jump.

“Ya, them too, they’ll enjoy having you along.” He reached over to an end table and picked up a folder. He opened it and pulled a key card out of it, handing it to her. “This is your room key, we are all on this floor, your room is 803 just down the hall. Your bags should already be in there.” He handed her the folder and said, “This week’s schedule is in there, up until we leave for the next show in Spain. Duff may have other additional things going on that aren’t on there, but this is the overall schedule for everyone.”

CJ quickly scanned the paper, feeling the creeping sensation of being overwhelmed. Axl must have seen it in her face and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to meet him tomorrow and go over everything, but for the rest of the night,” he waved his hand in the air, “go relax, order some room service, and get comfortable, sleep-in late tomorrow.” She shut the folder and slipped it into her backpack. “Just text me when you’re awake and I can arrange for you and Duff to meet.” She pulled out her phone and had him add his phone number. When he was done, she stood up and hoisted her backpack up. While she still wasn’t completely understanding everything and needed time to process, she could feel the gravity of the situation and the opportunity she was being given. She was almost a little disappointed that she would not be working as Axl’s assistant. She had been there for about 30 minutes, and she could already sense his eclecticism and the intensity of his character, as well as his genuine care and concern for her. She never had a father figure in her life, or at least a good one that had stuck around.

“Thank you for everything,” she said, with a smile. Beta had opened the door for her, and she turned to leave.

“And CJ,” she turned back to him as he called after her. “Don’t be afraid to come hang out when you have free time. Like I said, you and your aunt are family to me. I want to get to know you.” At that, she grinned, felt tears come to her eyes, and her heart swelled.

“Definitely.”

-

Back in her room, CJ sat on the bed, still in somewhat of a daze. She had wiped the tears from her eyes. Her emotions had snuck up on her, as they usually did when somebody other than her aunt showed her a high level of affection or kindness. Even with extensive trauma therapy as a child and teen, it was not something she had been able to shake.

CJ let her backpack slide off her as she looked around. It was a large hotel room, not a multi-room suite like Axl’s, but still larger than a typical hotel room, or at least the ones she had been in. She stood up and walked over to the bathroom entryway, switching the light on. There was a beautiful garden-style tub that she suddenly could not get into fast enough. She turned the faucet to the highest heat possible to let it fill up as she stripped, tripping over her own feet as she pulled her shoes and pants off.

As CJ was about to step into the semi-filled tub, her phone began to ring, and she could see Mindy’s name flash across the screen. She picked it up, realizing she had forgotten to text her that she had made it in one piece.

“Are you alive?”

“Yes, I’m alive,” she said, “I just got to my room.”

“I was getting ready to text Axl and see where you were. Michelle and I were worried you know?” CJ heard Michelle, her aunt’s girlfriend, call out to her in the background.

“Well, I’m fine, everything went fine.” Before her aunt could speak CJ said, “You never told me you were so close with Axl Rose.”

“I thought you knew that.”

“I knew you were friends but he’s acting like I’m his niece or something. Talking about how we are like family. I was just surprised is all, I was not expecting such a grand welcome. Felt like he was rolling out a red carpet and the last time I saw him in person was over 20 years ago.” Mindy was silent on the other end and CJ thought maybe the line had gone dead. “Hello?”

“He’s had a hard time with his mental health.” Her aunt’s tone had dropped an octave. “I was there for him in some of his worst moments, Carreen. For a long time, I was always worried he wouldn’t make it. When he began touring and I moved away from Sunset, we didn’t see each other in person, but he’d often call in distress, needing help.” Throughout her childhood and teen-hood, CJ had never inquired about her aunt’s evening phone calls with the vocalist. “At one point, in fall of ‘96, he offered me a job to come work for him and live in LA, but I couldn’t at that time. I was at consumed with trying to track you and your mom down after she had fled. I had spent years setting up a stable life and home here in Redding in hopes of gaining custody, saving money for a lawyer and a private investigator. You were my priority, he understood that. Fortunately, he had Beta to support him in person.” CJ let her aunt’s words process and could only say,

“Wow.”

“He was a great help to me too. When you came to live with me and I had won custody, I thought I was over the hump. I didn’t realize there would be so much more. I hadn’t thought about it, I was just so happy to finally have you safe.” CJ understood that her aunt meant her PTSD. “I thought my love, safety, and warmth would be enough. But I was wrong. I didn’t know how to handle some of it, even with the professionals I had to help. I didn’t know what it was like for you. But he knew. He gave me the insight I needed to help you in the way you needed. He knew what it was like to grow up that way.” Her aunt’s words were sombering. She had processed much of her trauma in therapy over the years, so much so, that her PTSD symptoms were mostly dormant. Residual sensory hypersensitivities, some self-esteem issues, and the occasional nightmare was all that she dealt with anymore. But she had been unaware of the fact that her aunt had struggled so much in the beginning. She should have figured, but she had never thought about it.

“Well, that makes sense. He seemed to know a lot more about me then I had expected.”

“I’m going to tell you something that you cannot tell him that you know.”

“Ok.”

“I told you that your financial aid had covered all your college expenses, that wasn’t true. When Axl found out you were going to college for psychology, he paid for the entire four years.” CJ stood in stunned silence. “He insisted. He has no children of his own and he already felt invested in your upbringing, after all the help he gave me in the beginning. But he didn’t want anyone to know, he doesn’t like recognition for things like that.”

“Damn, next you’re gonna tell me he’s my dad.”

“No,” Mindy said with a laugh. “Trust me, your mom was nowhere near Sunset in 1988.” CJ had stopped wondering about who her father was a long time ago, she doubted her mother had even known. Now that the seriousness of the conversation had been broken, Mindy asked, “So, did he set you up in a nice room?”

“It is really nice,” said CJ, “We talked for a bit, he told me to sleep in tomorrow and then I’ll meet everyone else.”

“He doesn’t already have a fuck ton of work for you to get through,” said Mindy jokingly.

“No actually I’m not working under him, I’ll be working as an assistant for a guy named Duff.” She heard Mindy scoff.

“Duff? He didn’t tell me it was Duff who needed an assistant.” She could practically hear Mindy rolling her eyes through the phone. CJ laughed in amusement at her aunt’s annoyance.

“Why what’s wrong with him?”

"Nothing, he's just-" Mindy paused and didn't complete her thought. "He's sober now with a family, so I'm sure he's different."

"I was afraid you were gonna tell me he was a prick."

"No, he won't be to you. I'm sure you'll do fine with him." Mindy paused before saying, "Or you call me, and I'll take care of him for you."

“Well, that was like 100 years ago,” said CJ with a joking tone.

“I’m not that old, don’t you age me up like that.” said Mindy playfully.

“I’m hoping to catch onto things quickly for him, I don’t want to be a drag.”

“You will, just don’t forget to enjoy yourself too.”

“I’ll try.”

“Ok, well I’m gonna head over to the office to get some work done. Michelle and I are taking off Thursday to go down the coast for a little vacation, so I have some things to finish up before then. Especially now since DUFF has hijacked my trusty office assistant.” She emphasized Duff’s name with a hint of annoyance that made CJ smile.

“Ok sounds good, I’m gonna settle in and maybe order some food. I’ll text you before I go to bed. Love you.”

“Love you too.” CJ set her phone down on the bathroom counter as the call ended. Her conversation with her aunt had resonated within her. She hadn’t known things had run so deep between Mindy and Axl, but it made everything make sense.

CJ was suddenly aware of the cold air on her naked body and the tub nearly running over. She jumped to shut off the faucet.

-

After her bath, it had taken CJ an agonizing 30 minutes to decide what she wanted to eat from the room service menu. There were so many good options, and she was painfully aware of the expense of everything. She knew it was covered, but she felt herself weighing the price of everything as she selected what she wanted. If they were in America, she’d be able to go across the street and grab some Subway or maybe Chipotle, but she wasn’t about to leave the hotel in an unknown country to try to order something cheaper elsewhere. Additionally, all she had eaten for the past 16 hours was airport food and she needed something substantial to balance her stomach out. CJ’s growing hunger overtook her moral hang-ups about the expense of everything, and she finally settled on an appetizer of salmon gravlax, butternut squash ravioli for her meal, and crème brulee for dessert.

While waiting for food, CJ lay on the bed and flipped through television channels, not finding anything that piqued her interest. Instead, she took out her phone and decided to do some Googling. She first googled “Guns N’ Roses” and several pictures popped up. She pressed on the first one, which looked like it was from the 80’s. She immediately identified Axl Rose, front and center of the group, with his long red hair. Which one was her boss. She scrolled over onto another picture, which was much more familiar to her. It was a photo of the band, all sitting on a rug together, with Axl standing up on the right. It was the picture that was on the back of the Appetite for Destruction CD case her aunt had gifted her so many years ago. The CD and a CD player were the last things she had been given by Mindy before her mother had decided to flee California to avoid Children Protective Services.

_

July 1995

Mindy’s House / Redding, California

A 6-year-old CJ trembled in excited anticipation in the backseat of her mother’s little four door sedan as it cruised down a familiar wooded backroad. It was a hot 90-degree day in the dead of summer. CJ had been waiting for several months to see her aunt Mindy and return to her house in beautiful rural northern California. Her mother had been telling her they would go visit her aunt “soon.” She always told her “soon.” CJ was never sure how soon “soon” would be.

It had been about 4 months since they had last visited her aunt. CJ missed the days where she and her mother had lived with her aunt. They had lived with Mindy for about six months back in 1994. CJ had loved it. She had gotten to go to school, had all the food she wanted, and slept in a quiet, safe, and warm house. She didn’t have to wonder when her next meal would come or where she would sleep, listen to fighting or screaming, or tip toe around her explosive mother. The arrangement had gone badly when her mother and aunt had begun to fight about her mother’s increasing drug use, her lack of attention to CJ, and tendency to steal money to buy more heroin. It wasn’t long after that her mother had decided to move in with her new boyfriend in Sacramento. He had kicked them out recently, and now they were back to couch surfing and staying in her mother’s car. CJ was hoping that maybe, just maybe, she would get to stay this time. She often wished that her aunt was her mom.

The car turned off the main paved road onto a dirt road and CJ sat up higher in her seat to get a better look out the window. There were a few other homes scattered alongside the roadway and it was a five-minute drive to the end of the road where her aunt’s house was. The trees thinned on the right and finally opened up to an expansive field. The road curved along the edge of the trees, all the way up to her aunt’s light blue ranch-style home at the end. The house faced the rolling field and backed up to the forest.

As the car pulled up to the house, her aunt Mindy stepped out the front door, grinning widely. The car had barely come to a stop when CJ opened the door and jumped out. She ran to her aunt, who picked her up and held her in a tight hug. CJ hugged her back as best she could.

“I missed you, auntie.”

“I missed you too sweetheart, very much.” Her aunt gently set CJ back down. CJ’s mother approached the two slowly, a pinched look of annoyance on her face. Mindy’s smile disappeared as she looked up at her sister and her tone changed.

“Heather, good to see you.” Unable to contain herself, CJ couldn’t help but blurt out,

“Can we stay with you this time? I don’t like sleeping in the car. I want to stay here.” There was a flash of distress on Mindy’s face before she smiled softly at CJ and said,

“We’ll talk about it later. For now, why don’t you run inside and grab some cookies. I just took them out of the oven for you.” Her focus now on cookies, CJ gasped and darted in the house, leaving her mother and aunt in a tense silence.

-

After she had her fill of cookies, CJ wandered around her aunt’s home, going from room to room. It was your average middle class American home, but to CJ it was like a beautiful, quiet, and clean safe haven full of soft furniture, an abundance of toys for her to play with, and the delicious smell of cookies. She looked out the window at the beautiful rural landscape. The rolling green fields went on for a mile before dissolving into a distant tree line. It was a sunny day, and beyond the trees, she could see distant mountains. Everything was so quiet and peaceful here compared to Sacramento. She was eager to get outside and play in the field. The tall grass was the same height as her and it gave her a sense of shelter and peace to lay in it and look up at the deep blue sky. Additionally, there were so many little critters and insects for her to observe and investigate. Her focus was broken as she heard her aunt call out to her from the kitchen. She turned away from the window and saw her aunt standing in the doorway, holding a wrapped gift.

“I just thought I’d give you your birthday gift. I know it’s a little late, but I didn’t get a chance to give it to you last time.”

“What is it!?” Her aunt sat down on the couch and held out the package to her.

“Go ahead and open it.” CJ quickly climbed up onto the couch with her aunt and made quick work of the wrapping paper. Based on the box, she quickly recognized that it was a CD player. She had never been gifted anything so expensive or special. “Here, this goes with it.” Her aunt pulled out a small CD box. “This is my friend’s music; I hope you’ll like it.” CJ could not read the words on the front, but the picture depicted a cross with five skulls on each end. It could be any type of music, it didn’t matter. CJ finally had something that was all hers. She watched intently as her aunt opened the box for her and plugged the headphones in. The moment was broken when she heard her mother clear her throat. CJ looked up to see her standing in the doorway, watching them with disdain. CJ felt cold fear. That look was usually followed up with a beating. She jumped when she felt her aunt run a hand softly down the back of her head and say,

“Why don’t you take it out into the yard and give it a listen. I’ll get dinner started.” Never one to question adults, CJ nodded and hopped off the couch and scurried out the back door, happy to be away from her mother’s glare.

-

Mindy waited for her niece to close the back door before she rounded on her sister. She wanted to leap from the couch and hit her, to show her the same treatment she had been giving to CJ. But instead, she took a deep breath, calmly standing up. If this was going to work, she needed to stay calm and collected. She could not lose her cool. Her niece’s life was at stake. She cleared her throat and said,

“Why don’t we go sit down and talk, catch up. It’s been awhile.” Heather didn’t respond and continued to glare at her. Mindy didn’t wait for her response and began to walk towards the kitchen, her head down.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” Heather hissed at her. Mindy paused at her sister’s words, thinking carefully about the best way to respond. “This stupid little act you’re putting on. Auntie of the year. We shouldn’t have come. I knew this would happen.” Her sister turned to leave the room and Mindy looked up at her.

“Where did the bruises around her neck come from Heather?” Her sister stopped in her tracks but did not look at Mindy.

“It’s none of your goddamn business. You’re not her parent.” There was a moment of silence and Heather finally looked up to meet her gaze. Mindy looked her in the eyes, unafraid of her sister’s erratic behavior. She was reminded of how alike they were in appearance. The same long wavy dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, heart shaped face structure. However, the healthy fullness in her sister’s face had been lost to drug addiction. Her eyes were sunken and cold, she was pale, and her face was covered in scars and acne from prolonged drug abuse. A stranger on the street would no longer peg them as siblings, even though it had been obvious when they were both healthy. Her sister continued to speak, “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing here. The cute little house, a stable job for the first time in your life, you’re not taking her.” Mindy’s entire plan to gently approach her sister about relinquishing custody was blown. Since her niece’s birth, Mindy had tip toed around her sister, realizing how poor of a parent she would be. She had initially tried to be optimistic, hoping Heather would pull it together for her child, but it quickly became abundantly clear that she wouldn’t. Mindy had not wanted to lose access to CJ, but she could no longer sit and watch Heather neglect and abuse her. Mindy took a deep breath and said,

“I’m not doing anything Heather; I want you two to come here and have a safe place to start over, without the drugs and the revolving door of men.” She looked at her sister imploringly, wanting to plead and beg. “CJ should be in school, spending time with other kids, you should be happy and healthy here with me. I want things to be how they were when we were kids. Do you remember how we were? We told each other everything.”

“Bullshit,” said Heather, “You were always mom’s favorite. I was always doing something wrong. Mom never let me forget it. And now you’re still trying to continue to be miss perfect. I am raising CJ how I see fit, it’s none of your business. I’ll do what I want with her, she belongs to me.” Mindy moved closer to her sister, and gently took her hands in her own.

“Please Heather, please stop this. Come stay here. Let me get you the help you need. I’ll pay for whatever you and CJ need. Just stop using, it’s made you a stranger. I love you two so much.” Heather roughly pulled away from Mindy and continued towards the door.

“We are leaving, this was a mistake, I knew it.” Mindy felt a flare of anger. She did genuinely care for her sister, but her primary concern was her niece. In a bitter voice, she called out after her.

“Where are the bruises from Heather? What’s your excuse this time? You can’t tell me that child “fell” on the playground, or she did it to herself. I know you have her in and out of drug houses. If you didn’t do it to her one of your boyfriends did.” Her sister turned and exploded in anger.

“You don’t know anything you stupid dyke!” Mindy was unbothered by the slur and against her better judgment, she quickly stalked over to her sister, getting up in her face, looking down on her. Mindy was 6 foot tall compared to her sister’s smaller 5’6”.

“You can give me custody, or I’m calling CPS. You are abusing her, exposing her to strangers who could hurt her. It’s a miracle she isn’t dead already. That child should be in school. At her age, it’s illegal that she’s not, and the state will investigate for that reason alone, never mind the bruises and malnourishment. I have documentation of your abuse and neglect from day one, don’t think you can win this battle Heather.” She expected her sister to physically attack her. But instead, Heather smirked and said,

“You call CPS and hire as many fancy lawyers as you want and see how that goes for you. You’ll never see us again.”

-

CJ was in her own world, sitting cross legged in the backyard, messing with her new CD player. She had just begun to listen to the first song on the CD when she felt a hand grab her by the upper arm and abruptly pull with enough force that she was lifted into the air. She screamed, clinging to her CD player and CD case so she did not lose it. She heard her mother’s angry voice.

“Let’s go, we are leaving!” It took a moment for CJ to realize what was happening. Her mother was roughly dragging her towards the car, and she would not be staying with her aunt. “Say goodbye, you’ll never see your aunt again.” CJ screamed and cried, fighting against her mother’s pull.

“NO, I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE! LET ME STAY!” She began to scream for her aunt to help her as her mother had pulled open the back door of the car and was trying to stuff her inside. CJ held all of her limbs out against the frame of the car door like a starfish, in an effort to prevent her body from being shoved in. A cold shot of panic and adrenaline had set in, and CJ was able to briefly shove her mother backwards. However, it was not quick enough. As she tried to dart away, she was rag dolled and disoriented by a hard punch to the face. Her vision was blurry, and she could no longer summon any physical strength in her small body to fight back. She could hear her aunt screaming in horror and protest from somewhere nearby. She was aware of being roughly laid down in the backseat of her mother’s sedan. By some miracle, she could still feel the gifts her aunt had given her clutched in one of her hands. The driver’s door opened and shut with a slam and the car was suddenly moving abruptly. CJ caught a glimpse of her aunt’s tear streaked and screaming face in the car window. She could hear her hands clawing and pulling at the locked door handle in an effort to save her. But it was too late, her mother accelerated, and her aunt’s face was gone from the window. She tried to sit up but could not. Her head was pounding in pain, and she felt faint. She could do nothing but lay there and slip into unconsciousness.

-

May 2017

Conrad Dublin Hotel / Dublin, Ireland

A sharp knock on the hotel door distracted CJ enough to break her out of her trip down memory lane. She quickly closed the safari app on her phone. She got up and opened the door to find her dinner waiting on a tray. She quickly brought it inside, not wasting any time opening the trays and chowing down. The food was good, perhaps some of the best she’d ever had. She got halfway through her meal before she realized she had not ordered a drink. Not wanting to mess with the mini bar, she decided to go search for a vending machine.

-

Duff had finished his FaceTime call with Grace and lay back on his bed for a moment in his silent hotel room, taking a breath. His divorce two years ago had put an initial strain on his relationship with his daughters. Things had slowly grown back to normal, and they spoke on FaceTime most nights, especially he and Grace. Grace had always seemed to identify more closely with him, and the divorce had affected her harder than it had Mae. The girls had yet to join him on tour and trying to coordinate a time they could both come out was difficult with all of their activities. As amicably as things had ended, he still felt a sense of guilt over his daughters that he could not shake. He loved being a father, and his girls were his pride and joy.

The room felt warm, and he sat up to get himself a cold glass of water, not knowing if the room was actually hot or his anxiety was setting in. He got a glass and filled it and then searched for ice. When he realized he didn’t have any he remembered an ice machine at the end of the hallway. Duff listened at the door and couldn’t hear anyone outside. As much as he appreciated fans, he wasn’t looking to run into anyone tonight. He cracked the door to see no one out in the hall and decided to walk out. A small room at the end of the hallway was where he located the ice machine. He was surprised to see a woman standing at the vending machine, her back to him. Her long, thick, curly, brown hair hid much of her from view. He stuck his glass under the dispenser and pressed. The machine roared to life and the young woman jumped in surprise. She turned to look at him with a flash of fear across her delicate features. He was struck at her beauty; heart-shaped face, dark brown vixen eyes, light pink full lips, taller, and a killer hourglass figure that couldn’t be hidden under her sweatpants and cropped T-shirt. She was large-chested, and he couldn’t help but notice she didn’t appear to be wearing a bra. Not wanting to look at her too long, he smiled and said,

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” She gave him a small smile and turned back to the vending machine. She leaned down and grabbed her soda out of the slot before walking back up the hallway. He couldn’t help but glance at her one more time, admiring her. Don’t be a fucking creep McKagan, she’s gotta be half your age. Maybe if it was twenty years ago. He had a rule about keeping partners at an age-appropriate level. He didn’t want to be seen as one of those “old creepy rockstars” who solely went after young women. Since his divorce, he had fooled around a bit, but hadn’t been serious with anyone. He hadn’t dated in so long; he wasn’t sure he knew how to anymore. He kept his high libido satisfied and that’s as far as it went. Duff finished getting his ice and headed back to his room, trying to put the young woman out of his head.

[enigmatist17]

Entropy (Pt 4)

Part 1 2 3

---

Buffy wakes alone.

It was a slow realization at first, the familiar scent of her bed and house putting her turmoiled mind at ease as she slowly stretched out. It's when a hand touches leather that Buffy realizes her companion is gone, the door to her room open to reveal a shadowed hallway. It only takes a tilt of her head to sense two vampires a floor below her and she decides to take a shower before going to check-in. It ends up being more of a bath, the thought of the shower curtain boxing her in so nauseating she nearly rips the offending fabric off the rung, before a steady breath saves it. The nearly scalding water draws out some of her anxiety as she soaks, and the knowledge that two of the people she trusted most were standing guard downstairs helped even further. She can hear some talking after she's dries off, slipping on her pj's before grabbing Spike's duster, slipping the coat on and taking in the comforting smell of leather, rum, blood and cigarettes before going to head downstairs. Buffy pauses at the landing when she can hear Angel and Spike talking in the kitchen, and slowly inches closer to listen in.

" - this coven better do what 'e says they'll do."

"The Watcher is many things, but we both know he isn't a liar." Buffy can hear Spike scoff and mutter some sort of curse, though there's not as much venom as she expected.

"I can smell the dark magic, all over this bloody town, this house." She can hear the familiar thump of Spike's boots against the floor as he begins to pace, soon the clink of his lighter joining the cadence. "If I could, I'd burn out Joyce's room, make it clean again, clean for the girls. They deserve a clean home, safe home, loving home where they can't get -"

"I'll see to it." Angel's voice is soft as he cuts Spike off, and Buffy inches closer to the kitchen. "How's your head?"

"Might need to take a kip downstairs, can 'ear 'em already start to yell, not a pretty sight for her to see." Spike sighs, and the noise makes her heart ache. "I want to strangle the witch, 'eard Dawnie cryin' last night."

"I know, she ended up staying on the couch with me last night."

"Good, good." There's a pause, and finally all three decide to ignore the telltale signs of each other. "You alright pet?"

"I'm fine." With a step or two she's in the kitchen, both vampires looking over in unison as Angel steps forward as Spike slunk in his seat behind his grandsire. "...you guys must be tired."

"A little bit." Angel nodded, moving aside to lean against the sink with his arms crossed, looking far more exhausted than he was letting on, but that was par for the course. "Buffy..."

"Yes, Angel?" The older vampire looked at the floor for a moment, trying to shift through his thoughts for the right one.

"I'm glad you're back, the world was...a lot less lively without you in it." He finally managed, his voice wavering. "I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but-"

"I know." Buffy smiled, knowing Angel was nothing but genuine in almost every aspect of his life. "Hearing it from you is...thank you."

"Careful, there'll be cryin' soon if 'e goes on too much longer." Spike's soft chuckle breaks some of the tension, and Buffy can't help but let out a short laugh.

"Har har." Angel rolled his eyes. "I'm going to get some shut-eye, Ethan said he'll swing by soon with groceries." With a nod to the duo Angel headed for the basement, leaving Spike and Buffy to look at each other from across the island counter.

"Did you sleep at all?" Spike shook his head as he fiddled with his lighter, watching Buffy pull a drink out of the fridge with a slight frown at the bottle.

"You been eatin' at all?" He watches as she opens the cap, taking a small sip of the milk before cringing and replacing the lid, shoving it back inside.

"Um..not really." It wasn't for lack of trying, Giles and Ethan had been concerned since they had found her cowering in the Magic Box, but hadn't pressured her into eating anything she didn't want. "I...I've been just sleeping, and then you all came back."

"Want me to try and make something? I can get Angel, he makes a mean set of eggs." He's by her side before Spike even registers he's moving, a hand hovering just above her shoulder. "Or the warlock can make somethin', bet 'e's decent."

"Can you make that mulligan soup thingy?"

"Mulligatawny pet, and of course." Spike chuckled, moving to grab a pot and pan as Buffy took a seat at the island counter. She and Dawn had both been surprised to learn of his cooking ability once he'd started staying in the house on a permanent basis, and had quickly crowned him the resident chef. It's not long before the house smells of the dish, and Buffy finds herself eager to dig into the food when he places the first bowl in front of her. "Eat up."

"Don't mind if I do." Spike rolled his eyes when he heard the front door shut, and Ethan stalked into the room, looking at the stove. "Morning."

"Mornin' warlock." Spike still wasn't sure where his attitude lay with the other, but as long as he kept about keeping Buffy and Dawn away from the bloody Scoobies, he was alright in Spike's book. "You get one bowl, the rest is for everyone else."

"Scouts honor." Ethan grinned, earning himself a low growl as he served himself. "My my, someone's a bit grumpy without sleep."

"I'd listen, if Dawn doesn't get enough she's likely to be a whole lot worse than a vampire." Buffy grinned a bit, the warlock letting out a laugh at the mental image. "So, how's Giles doing? Is he okay?"

"Rupert is still asleep, I may have given him a bit too much sedative in his tea." The older man shrugged, humming in delight after his first taste of the soup. "Before you get all fussy, it really is for his own good; it wouldn't do to have Ripper laying waste to things."

"Please don't do it anymore?" Buffy frowned, the idea of Giles being consistently drugged an uncomfortable thought.

"No promises." Ethan shrugged, though his gaze softened. "It'll get better once we help Willow with her...choices, that I can say."

"What do you mean?" Buffy felt something twist in her gut at his words, setting her spoon down. "You're not going to hurt her are you?"

"I may be many things, dear Slayer, but I'm not a cold-blooded killer." He gave her a reproachful look. "Chaos does not always equal murder, and I've no desire to start now."

"Sorry." Silence lingers in the air for a few moments as Ethan and Buffy hold each other's gaze before resuming their shared meal. "What's going to happen?"

"There's a coven in Devon, Rupert has already contacted them about our little...witch issue, and they're coming to collect her in a few days' time."

"Willow's going to leave?" Buffy leaned back a little in her seat when she felt Spike stand behind her, the vampire slowly hugging her and tucking his chin on the top of her head. "For how long?"

"Not sure, but I think that's up to her." The warlock shrugged, moving to set his now empty bowl in the sink. "She thinks she's above the temptation of dark magiks, that now that she's done the impossible, which is the most dangerous aspect of it all."

"If ol' Rupes trust them, then they must be good people," Spike murmured, taking in the feeling of Buffy's beating heart against his chest. "The question now is whether Red will go or not."

"Indeed."

---

Dawn felt guilty for skipping out of last period early, but she couldn't stay a second longer. With the fake smiles, the forced cheerfulness, and the need to pay attention in case a teacher called on her, Dawn was dead on her feet by the time she booked it to the Magic Box, chest heaving as she finally stopped running near the front door. The shop was mostly empty save an older couple looking over the candle section, and Dawn doesn't stop moving until she's safely inside the shop's office, curling up on an old stuffy chair Giles had gotten a few years back. The familiar smell of parchment, tea, and his subtle cologne is better than any blanket in the world right now, and the held-back tears finally start flowing as she hugs her legs to her chest, just taking a moment to process another exhausting day. As happy as it was to know that Buffy was home and alive again, Dawn couldn't tell if she'd be happier without the anger that bubbled underneath the surface. It's the clink of a cup being set on the table beside her chair that draws Dawn from her thoughts, Anya standing with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Giles says tea makes everything tolerable, so I made you some."

"Oh, thanks." Taking the warm mug in her hands Dawn took a big gulp, the shop owner watching with her usual awkward smile. "It does help."

"Good, he seems very well-versed with this sort of thing." Dawn shrugged, setting the nearly empty cup down.

"Are you doing okay? Yesterday was pretty heavy." It's the first time the former vengeance demon lets her discomfort show, Anya sitting against Giles' desk with a sigh.

"I am...uncomfortable, upset." She goes silent for a minute, scoffing when she hears the older couple leave without buying anything. "I warned them that resurrection spells were a gateway to the darkness, and had hoped Xander would at least see reason. Yet, here we stand, he cannot say no to Willow."

"They've been friends forever, I bet it's hard to say no, even when it doesn't make sense." Dawn shrugged, picking at her nails. "He likes to do that whole macho thing too, to be around in case his friends need his help? Maybe that's why he went, to watch Willow?"

"Perhaps."

"Anya?"

"Yes Dawn?"

"Do...do you think we could ever fix things? Make it like it was?"

"Hmm...perhaps. If there is one thing I have observed with this team, is despite everything, they always find a way back to each other."

"You're part of it too, you know." Anya raised an eyebrow as Dawn smiled a bit. "Sure, you weren't there from the beginning, but neither was I."

"You are a very wise little girl." Dawn's smile gets a little bit bigger, and they lapse into a comfortable silence. "Would you like to stay here for a little while? I can make you more tea."

"Okay." With that Dawn nestled further into the chair, grabbing a folded blanket that was draped across the back before leaving her beloved chair in favor of the familiar circular desk out in the shop. It was the best to do her homework, and armed with some fresh tea, Dawn got to it with a quiet grumble.

"I have to tell ya, don't miss those lame worksheets." A voice pulls Dawn from the depths of her math homework, a vaguely familiar short guy peering at her work with some ingredients in his shopping basket.

"You're Jonathan, right?" A pleased smile crossed his face, and Jonathan nodded.

"Wow, you remembered me?" Dawn nodded, moving to give him her full attention. "Not many people do, n-not that they don't have much of a reason to."

"I mean, I still remember when you charmed Sunnydale into thinking you like, created everything." Dawn grinned, remembering how he'd led her sister around and how she'd teased Buffy for weeks once the spell had dissipated. "So, whatcha got there? I figured you would have given up magic or whatever after all of that."

"N-No, I still practice." Jonathan hesitated before sitting at the bench next to hers, setting his basket on the floor. "When you use magic, you can't just stop, just fold it into your life. I-I'm actually working with a friend to help control his own abilities, it's some cool stuff."

"What can your friend do?" Homework now fully abandoned, Dawn leaned forward with her hands clasped in interest. Jonathan seemed a bit unsure of the interest she was showing, but straightened in his seat a little bit.

"Andrew can summon demons. Not sure how, exactly, but I'm actually making a charm with this stuff to help kind of mellow him out? Can't really help him learn to control his powers if he doesn't calm down, he doesn't even chill when we watch some Star Trek."

"Oh..." Dawn scrunched her nose at the mention of the sci-fi show, having avoided watching it since Spike wasn't there to watch with her for the last few months. "Well, I might know someone who could help you guys?"

"Really?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow before seemingly realizing something, and he ducked his head. "Do you mean Mr. Giles?"

"Mhm! Oh, and maybe Anya too, she's a former justice demon who's like, 1,000 years old."

"1,127, to be exact," the shopkeeper cheerily replied after she made sure her recent customer was out of hearing range. "Do I know you? Your small stature reminds me of someone from that accursed high school."

"Uh...." Jonathan wasn't sure how to respond, and he was pretty much frozen in place when Anya circled around the counter to peer into his basket.

"Oh, good choices, though be careful with that Lethe's bramble, powerful stuff right there." She picked up the basket and carried it to the register, motioning him to follow with her index finger.

"...thanks?" Stumbling to his feet, Jonathan hurried to the register and watched her scan and pack everything up, paying with some cash as Dawn got up to join them. "Hey, weren't you the one who brought a vampire Willow to the Bronze?"

"It wasn't my fault, but I may have...contributed." Anya frowned for a moment before shrugging. "I'm surprised you know this."

"I was just starting to work on my magic back then, heard a few things when Buffy and her friends were walking the halls the next day. Which uh, by the way? They were never subtle." Jonathan grinned, tucking his purchases into the bag he had slung over his shoulder.

"I agree." Anya chuckled, before placing one hand on her hip. "I heard you mention you know a demon summoner? They're a rare breed these days, I'd no idea there was one in Sunnydale."

"Well, Andrew didn't know until, like, a month ago? He and Warren were trying to summon demons for something before Andrew called me." Jonathan frowned at the mention of the new name before shaking his head. "I'm kind of annoyed, they could have really hurt someone."

"What were they trying to do?" Dawn frowned, snapping her fingers before Jonathan could open his mouth. "Oh, you should leave your number, so Anya or Giles can call you later."

"Good idea." The warlock nodded and pulled out a little notepad from his pocket, scribbling a number down before ripping the page and handing it over. "I don't know, Warren said something about a trial run, but they were really close to a neighborhood with kids and stuff, not the best place to try anything you know?"

"Don't let him try again until Rupert and I can evaluate him." The former demon gave Jonathan a sharp look, and he recoiled slightly. "It would also be a good idea to have Ethan speak with you, he's an accomplished warlock."

"Really?" The shorter man's eyes took on a curious shine, and he grinned. "You think he'd want to talk to someone like me?"

"I'll make sure. Now, run along, I have other customers to attend to." Anya made a shooing motion before going to check on someone standing by the window display.

"Wow...she's kinda intense."

"That's Anya for ya."

[bobacupcake]

Hi, I'm a guy standing by the doors of a convenient store that you frequent. It's 10pm and you're out because your wife needed Sprite and Gatorade because her tummy hurts and you'd do anything to make her life easier. Anyway I'm asking you something.

"Hey excuse me, can I ask you a question?"

You say no but I keep talking because I have a very obvious script in my head and you're messing it up so I ignore you.

" I'm not trying to bother you but I noticed your rims are dirty. I clean rims as a side hustle. It's 3 rims for $15."

" You only offer a three pack?" You say visibly confused.

" Well no I can do all four but that’s $20."

"That isn't a deal then if every rim was already $5 each, you know that right?"

"Uhh umm"

I'm stumbling. No one has ever talked to me this long.

"So do you want your rims cleaned?" I’m hopeful.

" No. it's 10pm and we're at a Dollar General. You don't have water or soap or anything."

"Uhhh ummm I can do it some other ti-"

You cut me off.

"And why don't you clean the entire car? Detail all the outside and maybe the inside? Wouldn't that be a better business model?"

" Uhhh well i-"

you cut me off again

"I have to go inside now."

You make a show of locking your car doors. You walk to the entrance and look back and I've disappeared.

You're at the drink aisle and they’re out of your wife's Gatorade that she likes. She's very picky and only likes the light blue one. They only have yellow one. You opt in for Powerade instead, she doesn't like the blue Powerade one so maybe the red one is the safest choice. She does like fruit juice so why wouldn't she like fruit punch flavor? Oh why didn't you have her write an entire essay on her opinions on sports drinks! You're kicking yourself but you grab the bottle and go to the fridges in the back to get a bottle of Sprite. They changed what the bottle looks like again. It looks like every other bottle. God damn these corporations making everything look palatable to everyone. The green bottle kicked ass. You grab the bottle and double check to make sure it's not Sprite Zero because all the bottles look the same and you've made that mistake before. Your wife pretended it was fine and took a baby sip of the soda in front of you to make you believe that it truly was okay then she put it to the side and never touched it again. You threw the full bottle away two days later when you cleaned the house.

Everything checked out so you head to the cash register, walking slowly to look at all the candy hanging in the aisle. “Maybe I should get some gummy sharks” you think but it's already 10pm and they close at 10:30pm. So it's best you just keep walking and not waste time. The lights flicker above you as you walk. You put your items on the conveyor belt and the cashier asks

"Did you find everything okay?"

What? How? It's the same man from outside but he's wearing different clothes and he's smiling so big it looks like it hurts.

"Um yeah I did thanks." You say as calmly as you can. 

You pay with your card but the machine isn't processing it.

"Push the card in more" he says.

"Okay yeah."

It works and the payment goes through. You walk fast to your car and get in and drive home. You’re shaken. You wish that your home was farther from that place than it was. You realize it's an easily walkable distance to your home. Something I could easily walk and find your car and its dirty rims. You almost run a red light.

You make it home and it feels nice outside. Feels nicer here than it did there? It's only a 3 minute drive apart. How is that possible? You walk inside and give your wife her drinks. It's clear you made the wrong decision by getting the Powerade. But she drinks the sprite. You take off your shoes and put on pajamas. You don't sleep that night. You think about me and my terrible business I'm running.

The next morning you go outside to clean your rims. They are indeed dirty and maybe I had a point when I said they needed to be cleaned. You make your pathetic little soap mixture and sit down to get to work. With soapy rag in hand, you see a little smiley face etched out of the dirt on your driver front rim. You spend too much time scrubbing away the dirt. After an hour, you get up tired and wet and think "maybe that was worth $20"

m;y wife doesnt drink soda

[b6cky]

loss

synopsis: y/n was always late home, not because of work, but because she would visit her father at a care home every day without fail, it was admirable… but y/n gets bad news.

pairing: steven grant x fem!reader, marc spector x fem!reader (previously established relationship with steven)

warnings: death of a parent, mentions of bad relationship with parent, steven is in a relationship with y/n - marc is not, potentially hinting at abuse in the past (nothing explicitly stated), grief, hurt/comfort

author’s note: this won’t be following the storyline of the show, but minor spoilers about marc’s life w/ his mother ! this will be sort of sad, but it’s mainly a comfort fic :)

reblogs, hearts + comments r always appreciated <3

with an exhausted huff, marc entered his, well steven’s, apartment. it wasn’t often that marc fronted during the day, steven loved his job as much as donna was a bit of a twat to him, he adored being surrounded by egyptian history, marc.. not so much. he’s stated something about the museum being a constant reminder of the god he’d had the misfortune of meeting.

marc walked past y/n’s frozen figure not paying any mind to her, grabbing something to drink from the fridge, “would it kill you to lighten up a bit?” marc muttered, looking at y/n briefly as she sat at the small kitchen table she had bought for her and steven.

“oh, sorry, i’ll … i’ll um put some music on,” y/n stood up, her body visibly stiff as she walked over to the bluetooth speaker sitting by the sink.

“are you alright?” marc furrowed his brows, confused at her odd behaviour. usually she’d quip back at him, saying something like ‘as if you’re a joy to be around’, or ‘when you give me something to smile about, i’ll lighten up’, but this time there was nothing.

“yeah, music, let me put some.. some music on,” y/n nodded to herself, barely speaking at an audible volume.

“y/n, what’s wrong?” marc spoke softly, or as softly as he could. he wasn’t really a soft person, but he tried knowing how much y/n meant to steven. she was important to steven.

“food? you want some food? i can get something cooked up, yeah i’ll only be a few minutes.. music, need some music,” y/n muttered, moving around the kitchen and opening a drawer or two, only to head back to the sink to fiddle with the bluetooth speaker.

“y/n.” he spoke up a bit louder, moving closer to her.

she’s home early?

steven’s concerned voice spoke up and marc looked towards the cabinets, he stared at steven in the reflection of the glass for a few moments and then looked back at y/n who was muttering to herself.

“y/n..” marc stood next to her, looking behind him at the table that had an empty wine bottle and next to it an empty glass, “did something happen?”

y/n looked at marc and it was like she had only just noticed him, despite talking to him only seconds before.

“um..” y/n swallowed the limp in her throat and closed her eyes, “i.. um, my.. my dad.”

marc’s face softened and he realised what had happened. why steven was so confused about her being home early. at this time, y/n would have been at the care home with her father.

“my dad, he um, he passed.” she nodded, blinking away her tears.

“here, c’mon sit down, i’ll get you some water.” he put his hand on her lower back and guided her to the chair she had just been sat on.

“thanks, yeah.. some water, thank you..” y/n muttered to herself as she sat down.

“do you.. want steven?” marc asked, placing a glass of water in front of y/n and dragging the other chair closer to her.

“i..” y/n paused, looking at the glass of water, “i don’t know what i want...”

“alright.. just let me know if you want him, he’s here,” marc nodded awkwardly, unsure of how he was supposed to go about comforting the girlfriend of the man in his head.

“thanks.. ‘ppreciate it.” y/n took the glass of water and took a few sips.

“how did you find out?” marc asked.

“i was there… and, he just fell asleep, it was normal, he usually falls asleep - i guess alzheimer’s really takes it out of you, dunno, but… he just stopped .. breathing.” y/n explained solemnly.

“i’m sorry for your loss,” marc put his hand over her’s and squeezed it.

“it’s weird..” y/n sighed, “my whole life, i’ve just been waiting for this day, i’d pray every night as a child that he would just.. drop dead, but.. i guess i lost my real dad a while ago and .. he was different now, sick of course, but he wasn’t the same man he was and i guess that hurts even more.”

marc just stared into her eyes, letting her talk, knowing that it wouldn’t help for him to try comfort her and that she just needed to speak her mind.

“we never had a good relationship. he was always up my ass for one thing or another and he drove me up the fucking walls, he was a bully, he really and truly was a bully, that is all he ever was!” y/n let out a deep breath and scrunched up her face, “i really can’t believe he’s gone, this is the one thing i always wanted, so why.. does it hurt so fucking bad.”

marc looked down at her hands and thought about his mother, it wasn’t something he did a lot, but he knew exactly how y/n felt, “it hurts because you never got closure.”

y/n looked up and met his eyes.

“you never got closure for the stuff he did and said.. that’s what hurts, he was sick and you got to know a different man, you’re mourning for the sick man who could barely remember his own name, not your father.” marc gulped, licking his lips nervously, his lips suddenly feeling too dry for him to be comfortable.

y/n’s eyes widened a bit and her eyes started to tear up, “yeah..”

“i’m sorry about what he did and what he was like, you of all people don’t deserve that.” the sincerity in marc’s voice struck y/n right in the chest.

“thank you, that means a lot.. coming from you.” y/n smiled sadly, trying to blink the tears away.

“i mean it,” he smiled back, “you’re a good person, you’re good to steven, hell, you’re good to me even if i come back at eleven at night with bloody knuckles,” he laughed, trying to at least for a moment, lighten y/n’s mood, “you didn’t deserve anything that ever happened to you.”

y/n leaned forward and wrapped her arms around marc, his body tensing up for a moment out of shock, but his arms wrapped around her tightly letting her cry on his shoulder. he rubbed his hand up and down y/n’s back soothingly, occasionally reminding her to breathe, or giving her reassurance that she was going to be okay.

the two stayed like that for a while, not that marc minded. he liked it, it was comforting for him just as much as it was for her. marc, although he’d never admit it, was a touch starved man and it was nice to know that y/n trusted him enough to let him be there for her and hold her.

marc, please let me have the body

marc reluctantly pulled away from y/n and whispered, “steven wants the body now.”

“okay,” y/n sniffled, smiling at marc, “thank you, i owe you.”

“try not to get snot over my shirt next time you see me,” marc smirked at her and she laughed, wiping her nose with her sleeve.

“sorry about that.”

“it’s fine, just nice to see you smile again.”

“thank you, marc.” y/n smiled softly at him and picked up the glass of water and gulped down the rest, as steven fronted.

“y/n.. love, you alright?” steven put a hand on her shoulder.

y/n turned her head to face steven and she smiled, “i’m.. a bit better, yeah, thank you.”

“let’s get you to bed, yeah? all nice and cozied up, sound good?” steven smiled back at her.

“mhm,” y/n hummed as steven put an arm around her and guided her to bed.

“good thing you’re already in jammies, ey?” steven chuckled, helping y/n get onto the bed, “let me get changed and i’ll be just a sec.”

“okay,” y/n nodded, her voice slightly drained of any emotion, but steven didn’t take it personally, he knew she was probably still in shock and grieving about her dad. steven rushed over to his dresser and changed out of the clothes marc had dressed the body in that morning, settling for a nice comfortable pair of grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

“so,” he started, getting into the bed next to y/n, grabbing one of her hands with both of his and holding it tightly, “do you need anything? i can do anything you want, love, really! you name it and i’ll do it.. although if you asked me to jump out a window i might hesitate a little bit.”

y/n laughed and shook her head, “steven, if i ever ask you to jump out a window, please don’t.”

“you can’t stop me! i’ll do it, i will!” he laughed with her, and then stopped and looked into her eyes with a softened expression on his face, “really love, what do you need? anything at all.”

y/n pulled him closer to her and wrapped her arms around his torso, putting her head against his chest, “you are enough, just want you.”

“i’m all yours darling.”

“how come you weren’t fronting today? donna say something to you? i swear when i see that cow in the streets no one will be able to stop me from teaching her a lesson.” y/n muttered into his t-shirt and steven chuckled.

“nah… not donna, to be honest, was feelin’ a little lazy today..“ he spoke softly, tracing little shapes into y/n’s back, “marc told me if i didn’t get my ass out of bed, he’d kick my ass… let me just tell you, getting punched by your own fist, biggest betrayal.”

y/n laughed at him, relieved that nothing bad had happened to him and that marc was just helping steven out, “fed gus for you by the way.”

“oh my days, i completely forgot about that, you’re an absolute dream.” steven let out a breath of relief.

“no problem, just glad you’re okay..” y/n mumbled, exhaustion slowly taking over her body.

“let’s get some sleep now, yeah?” steven pressed his lips against her head and squeezed her tightly in his arms.

“yeah.. night night steven.. night marc.” y/n whispered, before finally allowing herself to fall asleep.

“night, love.” he smiled.

don’t go into work tomorrow.

“you must think i’m a bloody idiot if you think i’m going into work and not staying here with her.” steven whispered, trying not to wake up y/n, but not hesitating the shoot a glare at the mirror that marc was standing in, his arms crossed over his chest.

marc didn’t say anything, but he raised his eyebrows and looked to the side.

“you are pulling my leg right now. sod off, will ya, i’m trying to sleep here.” steven looked away from the mirror and pressed another kiss to y/n’s forehead.

i’m kidding, g’night steven… take care of her.

[interruptingkau]

Hi, I'm a guy standing by the doors of a convenient store that you frequent. It's 10pm and you're out because your wife needed Sprite and Gatorade because her tummy hurts and you'd do anything to make her life easier. Anyway I'm asking you something.

"Hey excuse me, can I ask you a question?"

You say no but I keep talking because I have a very obvious script in my head and you're messing it up so I ignore you.

" I'm not trying to bother you but I noticed your rims are dirty. I clean rims as a side hustle. It's 3 rims for $15."

" You only offer a three pack?" You say visibly confused.

" Well no I can do all four but that’s $20."

"That isn't a deal then if every rim was already $5 each, you know that right?"

"Uhh umm"

I'm stumbling. No one has ever talked to me this long.

"So do you want your rims cleaned?" I’m hopeful.

" No. it's 10pm and we're at a Dollar General. You don't have water or soap or anything."

"Uhhh ummm I can do it some other ti-"

You cut me off.

"And why don't you clean the entire car? Detail all the outside and maybe the inside? Wouldn't that be a better business model?"

" Uhhh well i-"

you cut me off again

"I have to go inside now."

You make a show of locking your car doors. You walk to the entrance and look back and I've disappeared.

You're at the drink aisle and they’re out of your wife's Gatorade that she likes. She's very picky and only likes the light blue one. They only have yellow one. You opt in for Powerade instead, she doesn't like the blue Powerade one so maybe the red one is the safest choice. She does like fruit juice so why wouldn't she like fruit punch flavor? Oh why didn't you have her write an entire essay on her opinions on sports drinks! You're kicking yourself but you grab the bottle and go to the fridges in the back to get a bottle of Sprite. They changed what the bottle looks like again. It looks like every other bottle. God damn these corporations making everything look palatable to everyone. The green bottle kicked ass. You grab the bottle and double check to make sure it's not Sprite Zero because all the bottles look the same and you've made that mistake before. Your wife pretended it was fine and took a baby sip of the soda in front of you to make you believe that it truly was okay then she put it to the side and never touched it again. You threw the full bottle away two days later when you cleaned the house.

Everything checked out so you head to the cash register, walking slowly to look at all the candy hanging in the aisle. “Maybe I should get some gummy sharks” you think but it's already 10pm and they close at 10:30pm. So it's best you just keep walking and not waste time. The lights flicker above you as you walk. You put your items on the conveyor belt and the cashier asks

"Did you find everything okay?"

What? How? It's the same man from outside but he's wearing different clothes and he's smiling so big it looks like it hurts.

"Um yeah I did thanks." You say as calmly as you can. 

You pay with your card but the machine isn't processing it.

"Push the card in more" he says.

"Okay yeah."

It works and the payment goes through. You walk fast to your car and get in and drive home. You’re shaken. You wish that your home was farther from that place than it was. You realize it's an easily walkable distance to your home. Something I could easily walk and find your car and its dirty rims. You almost run a red light.

You make it home and it feels nice outside. Feels nicer here than it did there? It's only a 3 minute drive apart. How is that possible? You walk inside and give your wife her drinks. It's clear you made the wrong decision by getting the Powerade. But she drinks the sprite. You take off your shoes and put on pajamas. You don't sleep that night. You think about me and my terrible business I'm running.

The next morning you go outside to clean your rims. They are indeed dirty and maybe I had a point when I said they needed to be cleaned. You make your pathetic little soap mixture and sit down to get to work. With soapy rag in hand, you see a little smiley face etched out of the dirt on your driver front rim. You spend too much time scrubbing away the dirt. After an hour, you get up tired and wet and think "maybe that was worth $20"

Are you the same person who's been sending me scripts.....why can't I find this anywhere Did you write this?

[mo0l]

Hi, I'm a guy standing by the doors of a convenient store that you frequent. It's 10pm and you're out because your wife needed Sprite and Gatorade because her tummy hurts and you'd do anything to make her life easier. Anyway I'm asking you something.

"Hey excuse me, can I ask you a question?"

You say no but I keep talking because I have a very obvious script in my head and you're messing it up so I ignore you.

" I'm not trying to bother you but I noticed your rims are dirty. I clean rims as a side hustle. It's 3 rims for $15."

" You only offer a three pack?" You say visibly confused.

" Well no I can do all four but that’s $20."

"That isn't a deal then if every rim was already $5 each, you know that right?"

"Uhh umm"

I'm stumbling. No one has ever talked to me this long.

"So do you want your rims cleaned?" I’m hopeful.

" No. it's 10pm and we're at a Dollar General. You don't have water or soap or anything."

"Uhhh ummm I can do it some other ti-"

You cut me off.

"And why don't you clean the entire car? Detail all the outside and maybe the inside? Wouldn't that be a better business model?"

" Uhhh well i-"

you cut me off again

"I have to go inside now."

You make a show of locking your car doors. You walk to the entrance and look back and I've disappeared.

You're at the drink aisle and they’re out of your wife's Gatorade that she likes. She's very picky and only likes the light blue one. They only have yellow one. You opt in for Powerade instead, she doesn't like the blue Powerade one so maybe the red one is the safest choice. She does like fruit juice so why wouldn't she like fruit punch flavor? Oh why didn't you have her write an entire essay on her opinions on sports drinks! You're kicking yourself but you grab the bottle and go to the fridges in the back to get a bottle of Sprite. They changed what the bottle looks like again. It looks like every other bottle. God damn these corporations making everything look palatable to everyone. The green bottle kicked ass. You grab the bottle and double check to make sure it's not Sprite Zero because all the bottles look the same and you've made that mistake before. Your wife pretended it was fine and took a baby sip of the soda in front of you to make you believe that it truly was okay then she put it to the side and never touched it again. You threw the full bottle away two days later when you cleaned the house.

Everything checked out so you head to the cash register, walking slowly to look at all the candy hanging in the aisle. “Maybe I should get some gummy sharks” you think but it's already 10pm and they close at 10:30pm. So it's best you just keep walking and not waste time. The lights flicker above you as you walk. You put your items on the conveyor belt and the cashier asks

"Did you find everything okay?"

What? How? It's the same man from outside but he's wearing different clothes and he's smiling so big it looks like it hurts.

"Um yeah I did thanks." You say as calmly as you can. 

You pay with your card but the machine isn't processing it.

"Push the card in more" he says.

"Okay yeah."

It works and the payment goes through. You walk fast to your car and get in and drive home. You’re shaken. You wish that your home was farther from that place than it was. You realize it's an easily walkable distance to your home. Something I could easily walk and find your car and its dirty rims. You almost run a red light.

You make it home and it feels nice outside. Feels nicer here than it did there? It's only a 3 minute drive apart. How is that possible? You walk inside and give your wife her drinks. It's clear you made the wrong decision by getting the Powerade. But she drinks the sprite. You take off your shoes and put on pajamas. You don't sleep that night. You think about me and my terrible business I'm running.

The next morning you go outside to clean your rims. They are indeed dirty and maybe I had a point when I said they needed to be cleaned. You make your pathetic little soap mixture and sit down to get to work. With soapy rag in hand, you see a little smiley face etched out of the dirt on your driver front rim. You spend too much time scrubbing away the dirt. After an hour, you get up tired and wet and think "maybe that was worth $20"

anon i love you you can clean my rims anytime 😳

[mistress-light]

Hi, I'm a guy standing by the doors of a convenient store that you frequent. It's 10pm and you're out because your wife needed Sprite and Gatorade because her tummy hurts and you'd do anything to make her life easier. Anyway I'm asking you something.

"Hey excuse me, can I ask you a question?"

You say no but I keep talking because I have a very obvious script in my head and you're messing it up so I ignore you.

" I'm not trying to bother you but I noticed your rims are dirty. I clean rims as a side hustle. It's 3 rims for $15."

" You only offer a three pack?" You say visibly confused.

" Well no I can do all four but that’s $20."

"That isn't a deal then if every rim was already $5 each, you know that right?"

"Uhh umm"

I'm stumbling. No one has ever talked to me this long.

"So do you want your rims cleaned?" I’m hopeful.

" No. it's 10pm and we're at a Dollar General. You don't have water or soap or anything."

"Uhhh ummm I can do it some other ti-"

You cut me off.

"And why don't you clean the entire car? Detail all the outside and maybe the inside? Wouldn't that be a better business model?"

" Uhhh well i-"

you cut me off again

"I have to go inside now."

You make a show of locking your car doors. You walk to the entrance and look back and I've disappeared.

You're at the drink aisle and they’re out of your wife's Gatorade that she likes. She's very picky and only likes the light blue one. They only have yellow one. You opt in for Powerade instead, she doesn't like the blue Powerade one so maybe the red one is the safest choice. She does like fruit juice so why wouldn't she like fruit punch flavor? Oh why didn't you have her write an entire essay on her opinions on sports drinks! You're kicking yourself but you grab the bottle and go to the fridges in the back to get a bottle of Sprite. They changed what the bottle looks like again. It looks like every other bottle. God damn these corporations making everything look palatable to everyone. The green bottle kicked ass. You grab the bottle and double check to make sure it's not Sprite Zero because all the bottles look the same and you've made that mistake before. Your wife pretended it was fine and took a baby sip of the soda in front of you to make you believe that it truly was okay then she put it to the side and never touched it again. You threw the full bottle away two days later when you cleaned the house.

Everything checked out so you head to the cash register, walking slowly to look at all the candy hanging in the aisle. “Maybe I should get some gummy sharks” you think but it's already 10pm and they close at 10:30pm. So it's best you just keep walking and not waste time. The lights flicker above you as you walk. You put your items on the conveyor belt and the cashier asks

"Did you find everything okay?"

What? How? It's the same man from outside but he's wearing different clothes and he's smiling so big it looks like it hurts.

"Um yeah I did thanks." You say as calmly as you can. 

You pay with your card but the machine isn't processing it.

"Push the card in more" he says.

"Okay yeah."

It works and the payment goes through. You walk fast to your car and get in and drive home. You’re shaken. You wish that your home was farther from that place than it was. You realize it's an easily walkable distance to your home. Something I could easily walk and find your car and its dirty rims. You almost run a red light.

You make it home and it feels nice outside. Feels nicer here than it did there? It's only a 3 minute drive apart. How is that possible? You walk inside and give your wife her drinks. It's clear you made the wrong decision by getting the Powerade. But she drinks the sprite. You take off your shoes and put on pajamas. You don't sleep that night. You think about me and my terrible business I'm running.

The next morning you go outside to clean your rims. They are indeed dirty and maybe I had a point when I said they needed to be cleaned. You make your pathetic little soap mixture and sit down to get to work. With soapy rag in hand, you see a little smiley face etched out of the dirt on your driver front rim. You spend too much time scrubbing away the dirt. After an hour, you get up tired and wet and think "maybe that was worth $20"

[imaginewriting1]

so good it's nasty

Ariana Grande x youtuber!reader

Part 14 of "positions"

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5.5 (1) | 5.5 (2) | 5.5.5 | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

You found someone holding a sign with your name on it, whom you recognized as Ariana's driver. It was a compromise when you dissuade her from coming to pick you up personally since it would be a wrench in the singer's already busy schedule.

Once the car pulled away from the pick-up point and onto the highway, you texted Ariana the moment you landed as promised.

Her reply was immediate: welcome back.

It had been a long month. For the most part, it was fun and rewarding. Work didn't feel like work when you were happy to do it, and exploring a new city was exciting. However, you felt a little homesick in the midst of it all. So you worked hard, along with the rest of the filming crew, to wrap up the shoot as efficiently as possible.

You were homeward bound at last, and you spent the time in the backseat thinking of things to do when you reached your destination. A long shower and a nap sounded perfect.

When you finally arrived at your house, you stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. Ariana's driver was kind enough to help with your luggage before they drove off.

Walking towards the door, you turned the handle without using a key and found four familiar faces greeting you.

"Surprise!"

You tried your hardest to act as such, but Ariana had unintentionally hinted during texts what she had planned. Knowing you weren't one for surprises, Olivia straight-up told you. "It's not my birthday." You quipped instead as they swarmed around you to pull you into a big hug.

"No, just your return after an entire month!" Ariana half-shouted. "I- we've missed you."

"I missed you too, all of you." You replied, patting whoever's back that was within reach. The circle broke off after a beat, but Ariana held on a little longer, not that you were complaining.

"Alright that's enough PDA, let's eat." Victoria snarked, prompting laughter all around, and a small grumble from the koala impersonator.

Ariana did pull away from you a little, but her grip remained on your wrist as she tugged you towards the table. The wooden surface was filled with numerous takeout boxes and paper plates - a 'welcome home' feast.

"Is that-" You pointed out.

"Yup, all your favorites," Olivia confirmed. "Ariana insisted."

You wanted to take a quick shower but the girls suggested you eat first. Ariana ushered you to the middle of the couch but you stopped, knowing there wouldn't be enough space for all of you.

"Why don't we all sit on the floor instead? It'll be easier to eat anyway." You suggested. The girls agreed, surrounding the table. Ariana, unsurprisingly, took her seat beside you, while Victoria, Zendaya, and Olivia sat on the opposite side.

You didn't comment on the way Ariana's hand was resting on your lap the entire time. Instead, you focused on savoring the food as well as watching the film you had voted on.

Within 20 minutes, the five of you were in different states of inebriation. If they were put on a scale, Ariana was the tipsiest with two glasses of champagne. Zendaya had half a glass while Olivia had one. Victoria, unsurprisingly, didn't drink a sip, having milk tea like you.

"On Wednesdays, we wear pink!" Zendaya said, fully immersed in her role as Karen. You sat back and watched them turn into a giggling mess of quote recitations. You accepted every popcorn Ariana fed you every now and then.

As the movie played on, more glasses were emptied. "Do you want a refill?" You asked Zendaya quietly without interrupting their scenes reenactment of Mean Girls.

"I think I have enough alcohol for the day, can I have water instead?"

"Sure, I'll go get some." You stood up, much to Ariana's dismay for she had to find another pillow to substitute your arm. "Be right back," You appeased.

"I'll come with you." Zendaya followed you to the kitchen. You retrieved bottled water from the fridge and poured it into a cup. "So you and Ariana?"

You handed the cup to her. "Well, we decided to take it slow." While the two of you FaceTimed every night for the past month, the subject of her confession was never broached. It was an unspoken agreement that the conversation for that needed to take place face-to-face.

But all things considered, you couldn't believe that Ariana did want to be with you after all. You really thought your ending with her would be similar to the lesbian who fell for her (straight) best friend.

When the two of you returned as the movie ended coincidentally. Most of the takeout boxes were emptied so you started to clear the table. However, they shooed you off, offering to do it instead. So you excused yourself to your bathroom to wash up.

The moment you entered your bathroom, you showered quickly and put on a fresh set of clothes.

While putting your shirt on, a soft knock on the door put quickened actions. "Come in." Before you could turn to face your intruder, a pair of arms wrapped around you.

Of all the tells that revealed who the serial hugger was, the biggest was your body remaining in a relaxed state.

"I wonder who..." You started, feeling Ariana's laughter vibrate throughout your back. It was the only sound she made, besides the little sigh when her face burrowed into you deeper. "Ariana?"

She only responded after a few moments. "Can we stay just like this for a while?"

"We can. But you would prefer if I turned around?"

"Oh, yes please."

You shifted into position, adjusting your hold on her. "Better?"

"Yeah," she breathes out. "You smell really nice."

"It's a new soap I bought in New York. Speaking of which, I got you-"

The door slammed open, interrupting you. "Did you two forget our existence? I'm coming in!"

To be honest, you did, but you weren't going to admit it to Olivia, not after she rudely barged in. Besides, she seemed properly chastised by Ariana's glare. "No, I did not, I was just getting everyone's souvenirs."

The three of you returned to the living room where your luggage were. You returned a knowing and congratulatory smile from Victoria and Zendaya respectively when they spotted your intertwined hands.

You walked towards your luggage and retrieved your gifts. "It's the iconic 'I heart NY' shirt! You get a shirt, and you get a shirt, everybody gets a shirt." You exclaimed, throwing them into unsuspecting hands. Their expressions were comical, politely grateful after a moment of confusion.

Ariana seemed to share your enthusiasm. "Now we have matching couple shirts."

"So you guys are official?" Olivia spoke up, looking around to see everyone's reaction. "All of you knew before me?" She turned to look at you with a pout.

Why didn't you tell me first?

I'm sorry, but Ariana and I are still figuring things out. She must have told Victoria and I confirmed with Zen a few minutes ago in the kitchen since she asked.

You shot Olivia an apologetic smile which she accepted when she came up to congratulate the both of you.

"Let's toast to the couple," Victoria spoke up, raising her glass. Everyone raised their respective drinks, before taking a sip. You watched Ariana down what seemed to be her third glass of champagne.

"I'll go get you some water." You whispered to her before going to grab another bottled water from the fridge. When you came back, you find the girls huddling around the couch with Ariana sleeping soundly on it.

"I guess the party's over," Olivia said. "We should get going, to give you two some alone time together."

Victoria agreed with her, "Take care of her." Zendaya patted your shoulder as if to punctuate her point.

"Wait a minute." You instructed them after they put on their shoes at the door. You retrieved more gifts you brought back from NY - an artwork print for Olivia, a matching shirt and baby onesie for Victoria, and a set of essential oils for Zendaya.

Victoria and Zendaya thanked you again as they left with their cars. Olivia stayed back a little to tidy up the place before she go.

"You know, I hated that she hurt you," Olivia said, patting your shoulder. "But I'm glad things worked out between you two. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Liv." You smiled, "Get back home safely."

Once she left, you returned to where Ariana was. By then, she had awoken from her short nap. "Where's everyone?" She yawned.

"They went home a few minutes ago. Do you want me to call your driver or do you-"

"I want to stay here tonight. I cleared the whole day tomorrow."

A smile formed on your face, despite being interrupted. "Alright. Let's go to bed then."

Apparently, Ariana had a different take on "go to bed" when she undid the top button of your shirt. "Ariana?" You questioned, albeit amusedly.

"What?" She feigned innocence, "the room is kinda hot, isn't it?"

"You should remove your own shirt then."

"Good idea."

You fell into her trap so easily. "I thought that we should take things slow?"

Her wicked smile doesn't waver. "I didn't mean that when it comes to sex. You have no idea how much I thought about you when you weren't with me. I don't wanna wait anymore."

It wasn't like you didn't want to sleep with her. But you were pretty tired from your flight and the party. "Aren't you drunk?"

"I'm not!" Ariana moved to prove herself, but she ended up slumping on top of you. "Well, drunk sex is pretty good too."

You laughed a little at her statement as you lifted her off you. "Let's do it when we're both not tired. And after we have talked."

"Fine," Ariana said, but it was muffled by your shirt. "I have the entire day with you tomorrow anyway."

You nodded your head and stood up. "You do."

"Where are you going?"

"To brush my teeth."

"Right, I need to do that too."

The two of you entered your bathroom, watching out for her if she stumbles. You reached for a new toothbrush in the cupboard behind the mirror.

"Remind me to buy this toothpaste for myself," Ariana said after using it. "And that soap from New York too."

You nodded your head. "I got you a bath bomb with the same scent but you can just use my soap anytime you want."

Ariana caught your eyes through the mirror. "Oh, I will."

You head back to bed first, giving Ariana the space to go through her nighttime routine. When you slipped under the covers you realized that it had been a while since had shared a bed or stayed with her the entire night. It was the first time she was sleeping in your bed together with you.

The bathroom light was switched off before the bed dipped beside you. The air under the sheets warmed immediately. You felt soft skin pressed against your arm.

"Are you comfortable in that position?" You asked, after a moment of quiet breathing.

"If I say no, will you turn and face me?"

You shifted until your vision was filled with the entirety of Ariana's face. Even in the dark, you could see the shadow of her smile. You rest an arm over her hips after she did so.

"Hi." Ariana's fingers printed on the small of your back.

"Hi, you replied, letting yourself gravitate towards her until the two of you collided gently. "This is nice."

Ariana hummed in agreement, snuggling further into you, fitting her face into the crook of your neck. "This is going to be my favorite thing to do every night," She mumbled, "Besides having sex."

You could only laugh at her comment. "Duly noted."

Even though your body was craving sleep, there was a small part of you that kept you awake - because for once, your reality was better than your dreams.

Ariana was right, you could get used to this.

AN: early access to later chapters on my ko-fi page. also feel free to DM or ask anonymously for any questions.