#sidling in on brunch

[xtarmanderx]

I have to do it, I can’t help myself.🫣

🍻🥜📋

Here you go!!

🍻

He’s nursing his third beer, his last one for the night, when Chris sidles up next to him. “Feel like I’ve hardly chatted with you tonight.” She says, playfully knocking their elbows together. “Where have you been hiding?”

“Haven’t been hiding at all.” Luca says, pressing his bottle up against his lips. “You’ve just been busy playing games with Street.” He pretends not to notice the blush on her cheeks or call her on it. They both know she can’t do anything while they’re on the same squad.

“And I notice you haven’t played any with Rocker,” she says before turning her gaze toward the pool table. Rocker’s got his sleeves rolled up, thick arms on full display as he bends low over the pool table and lines his shot up. His shirt has become untucked, a sliver of his back showing now, and Luca wants to press his tongue into the dip of his spine. “You guys aren’t in some kind of weird fight, are you?”

“What? No way, Chris. Why would you think that?” He tears his gaze from Rocker and his teammate shrugs. “Did Rocker say something?”

“Relax, man.” Chris laughs and pats him on the arm. “I’m just messing with you.” Before Luca can ask why, a cheer comes up from the pool table. Luca watches as a patrol officer slings an arm around Rocker’s shoulder, pulling him in close and slapping a hand against his chest. Rocker throws back his head, laughing at something, and the guy talking to him looks mesmerized. Luca’s hand tightens around his beer bottle.

🥜

“Sorry if things got awkward.” Sal says, teeth flashing in a friendly smile. “Josh and I go way back.”

“Seemed like it.” Eddie says, flicking his nail against the peeling label on his bottle. “How do you two…?” He gestures vaguely back toward the table and Sal chuckles, leaning against the bar top.

“Long story short? Josh was my gay awakening. Wait, shit. Bi awakening?” Sal’s nose scrunches for a moment.

“Oh?” Eddie asks, tightening his hold on his drink. He’s more than a little surprised by Sal opening up so easily, but he supposes being queer is a little different for everyone. Buck had panicked toward his family and friends and then crash corrected as always, speedrunning his sexuality and throwing himself into exploring. But Sal seems totally at ease telling a perfect stranger who he is.

“Yeah. Not long after I transferred to the 122, my girlfriend and I broke up. Gina’s the best, she just didn’t love me like that. Said I was becoming more like a brother to her.” Sal snorts, fondly rolling his eyes as he gets swept up in a memory. “Came out for drinks to cheer myself up and a group of dispatch were here having some fun. I got dragged over when one of them recognized me for getting her damn cat out of a tree. Met Josh and well, let’s say I understand why he might get under someone’s skin.” Sal chuckles and shakes his head. “Ended up in the bathroom sucking him off by the end of the night. Asshole didn’t even return the favor. But he bought me brunch the next day and I broke down over a handful of mimosas and fondue. Told him I’d never been with a guy before and that my best friend had come out recently and I’d been a dick to him. Not my finest moments.”

📋

“You got any plans for the weekend?” Tan asks, closing his locker. Rocker finishes lacing up his sneakers and shakes his head, avoiding looking over at Luca.

“No, just going to spend some time catching up on chores.” He says. He really does need to get in a couple of loads of laundry. He’s down to his last pair of boxer briefs and he’s past the days of turning them inside out for a second wear. “You?”

“Taking Bonnie out in the morning to hit the waves. Asked Luca to join, but apparently he’s got big plans.” Tan says. Rocker’s head snaps up and his breath catches as he sees Luca’s gaze pinning him down.

“Oh yeah?” He asks, licking his lips. “What kind of plans do you have, Luca?”

“It’s a surprise.” Luca says, lips quirking up at the corners. “I just gotta check on some things and make sure the answer is yes.”

“Whatever the question is,” Rocker says slowly, “I’m sure the answer is yes.”

“Is this some weird-“ Chris and Tan have hands on Street before he can even finish his sentence, hauling him out of the locker room. Rocker snorts, shaking his head and looking down to finish tying his sneakers. When he looks up again, Luca is only a few inches away.

[halfpyre]

Sometime in the middle of the day, after Father's Day brunch, Brooke and the girls slip off to a location unknown, with word that they'll tell him where to meet them soon enough. An hour later, Brooke texts, letting him know that they're at his very own gallery. When Felix arrives, the space has been transformed for a private showing of his daughters' very own artwork, all devoted to their dear old dad. They've set it up like one of his exhibit openings, except the finger foods served are much more kid friendly and instead of cheap sparkling wine, they've got juice in plastic champagne flutes. "They did this all themselves," Brooke insists, with a twinkle in her eye, "I think they've got a real future in the arts, don't you?"

sunday brunch, typically a lively affair in the davis-price household, had been a series of hushed snickers and covert looks that morning. perhaps he should have been concerned — as a dad of two, he knew scheming when he saw it — but brooke seemed to be in on the joke. besides, if ever there were a day for scheming, father's day was it. after a meal filled with overlapping shushes and more than a few kicks under the table, brooke and the girls had stolen off to parts unknown, swearing to keep in touch. to his surprise, it had only taken them an hour to make good on their promise.

brooke texts, he comes running — some things never change.

father's day stage two. of all the places he had anticipated, work admittedly hadn't made the list. even after all this time, just seeing the girls at the gallery makes his heart ache with pride — a feeling that only grows as he takes in the transformed space. as he tries to gather his words, edie comes sprinting around the corner at full speed and he drops to his knees just in time to catch her in a tight hug. wincing slightly as he rises to his feet, edie scooped up like a sack of potatoes, he throws his free arm around margot in an equally affectionate squeeze. after sending his two appendages off to forage for mini cupcakes and grape juice, he finally turns to face his wife.

" oh, did they now? " unable to keep the grin from his lips, he sidles up beside her, taking in a gallery wall filled with everything from finger paintings to family portraits. " seems we've raised a couple of prodigies — glad to see your talent's rubbed off on them. " lacing his fingers with hers, there's just enough time for a lingering peck before the girls reappear, loaded down with plates and cups. " i'm eager to hear about the collection, " he declares, slipping into very-serious-gallerist mode. " was this one inspired by monet's blue period? "

[angstfactory]

@emupowell

It occurred to Fitzroy that morning, there was one person he hadn't yet checked in on since coming back to town. Mostly because his mother, especially, had kept most of his days busy. Today, for instance, she had pushed him into the local jewelers shop so that he could -- her words -- start picking out a ring.

Oof, hearing that.. Standing in that store.. Seeing the rings..

Fitzroy felt a certain kind of heaviness that hadn't been there before. His mother's voice just continued Charlie Browning in his ear, the young male barely managing to remember to acknowledge her with a nod and smile each time she glanced his way for confirmation. "Yeah, absolutely, stunning piece," the Brit murmured this or variations of it, as his thumb scratched under eye and he stamped down the urge to bolt. This wasn't a feeling he was used to dealing with-- Fitzroy had been prepared for all of this, for years. Hell, he recalled being eight years old, when they talked so frankly about how they'd find him someone great, some nice and appropriate young lady. It'd been an inevitable thing.

As soon as he was able to pry himself away, Fitzroy's hands came to rest in his pockets as he walked the couple blocks over to The Golden Spoon, to see if Emily was even on shift. Luck would have it, he'd find her just outside of it. His mouth pulled into a crooked smile as he sidled up to her. "Just the person I was thinking of," Fitzroy greeted the young woman warmly. "I thought earlier at brunch-- what's Powell been up to?" His head tilted as he considered her. "So, how have you been, Em?"

[deadlincs]

brand new thangs ( accepting ) — @hangvn

A stillness overcomes him for a long moment. Tired, yet calmed eyes linger on her general visage. Contented. At ease. He's taken note of how well they work together now. Whether it be on the field ( before his overdue retirement ), out running errands, or their collective efforts to make brunch on a Saturday afternoon. They move in tandem, lived with each other long enough to navigate certain things unspoken.

It warms him from the inside-out and presses tender in the beat of his heart. Makes him feel whole again.

He sidles up close to Utahime's left side, just so an arm can wrap loosely around the waist. A kiss to the crown of dark tresses and he murmurs a shade sheepish, yet earnest. "I'm glad I found my way back to you again."

[nikolashatzi]

who → @nessituran where → brunch and barrel

"Can I get an autograph?" Nick smiled and nodded, "of course, no problem." He said as he scanned the room looking for an out, seeiing a familiar brunette was his ticket. It was his favorite meal of the day when he could manage to actually make it happen, and usually, especially here, he always could. But he was a generational talent, and that spanned well, the generation. It didn't help that he was named People's Sexist man, but he was engaged at the time, so he didn't care. But he wasn't anymore and now it followed him-- haunted really.

"Would you mind a picture?" The girl continued with a smile and it took everything in the man to not sigh, "of course." He said again, like it was his only programmed response. She sidled up to him, and he put an arm around her shoulder and smiled as her friend took the picture. They swapped, he repeated the process before looking to his exit, "hey, I'm actually meeting someone, so if you wouldn't mind." Nick smiled one more time before walking to the empty seat, momentarily at least, with his name on it, "you don't have to eat with me." He said, an apologetic smile on his face, "but if I could steal twenty minutes I'll owe you one."

[quill-pen]

@rom-e-o Adonis smiled after the women and nodded in agreement. "It seems Ethel is in an element we didn't know she possessed, Bob," he remarked. He turned back to his business partner and gave him a brotherly clap on the shoulder. "If you'd like, I can talk to some people and make sure your names are put on some permanent invite lists--only for the best events, of course. There are many I wouldn't want to subject you to and would advise skipping for... various reasons."

Bob beamed at the elder gentleman, his two-toned eyes shining. "That would be very kind of you, Mist-euh-Ebenezer." He was still getting used to referring to his senior partners with such informality. "It would be wonderful to take my Ethel out to parties we've read about in the paper for years."

His gaze slipped past Adonis and lighted on Ethel as she a Constance chattered at the end of the table with the attendant who was cutting the goose. "Dressing my wife up in some fine things she's always wanted and showing her off for everyone to see what an amazing woman she is--why I'd be chuffed! And I can wager she'd be tickled pink as well! We'd show London that there's fine ladies in all her corners and shadows."

Adonis chuckled heartily and patted Bob on the shoulder as he, too, turned to gaze at his own woman in admiration. "Amen for that, Bob," he agreed sincerely. With that, he sauntered away to rejoin his date.

"This goose is so tender!" Ethel was exclaiming when he approached, poppeing another morsel into her mouth. She looked up at the chef with sparkling eyes. "Positively melts in your mouth! I don't suppose you could tell me your secrets? Mine isn't bad, but it's nowhere near this good."

"Ah, eet eez no big "secret", my lady," the woman answered, a grin parting her face from ear to ear. "Eet eez simply all about the temperature of the oven and time. Also butter."

"Butter, 'ey?"

"Yees, madam--lots and lots of butter. If you think you've used too much, you need to add more."

As the conversation kept going, Adonis slipped in behind Connie and hugged her waist from behind. "Finding anything you particularly enjoy?" he teased, purring into her ear. "You should. You'd have to be as picky as Bess' ex to not find something to eat here."

"Speaking of which," Bob said as he sidled up to Ethel and stole a bit of goose from her plate, "where do you suppose she and Ben slipped off to? I haven't noticed them since Ethel and I came down the stairs."

🎄🎄🎄

Bess had never felt so happy in her entire life. From the very hair follicles on top of her scalp to the very tips of her toes, she felt warm and giddy and bubbling with joy. She felt she could howl her fortune to the moon, she was so happy! And when Wolf kisses her knuckles, she melted into goo, her legs going wobbly. She was his sweetheart! His girlfriend! She was Ebenezar Scrooge's serious, exclusive, "going-steady" girlfriend! They were officially courting! Happy tears pricked at the woman's eyes but this time she didn't care.

Feeling bold in her joy, the Yank, who was considerably strong, tugged the man by the hands as she stretched up to kiss him again. "I love you, you know," she murmured after a moment.

They'd literally just declared themselves as an official couple; social etiquette would declare this much, much, much too soon to be making any such declarations. But this wasn't the usual relationship that social etiquette dictated. She and Wolf had, effectively, been a couple for going on a year, despite how they'd tried to deny it the entire time. Going out for breakfast, brunches, dinners, lunches, suppers, teas; going on daily walks; bringing lunch to each other at work; hanging out at each other's places to have dinner and watch movies; dancing together at Mr. Pippersnipe's dance club meetings; Wolf regularly coming to Bess' shows and escorting her home; and much, much more. And in that time, through all those activities and moments, Bess had come to find herself completely, utterly, head-over-heels in love with the English gentleman. Not because of his money or position or how he spoiled her in ways she had only ever dared dreamed of before, but because he was a good, kind, generous, chivalrous man who made her feel safe, wanted, happy, and worthwhile. And she desperately hoped she made him feel the same way.

"I've loved you for a long time now, Ebenezar. If that scares you--if it feels too early for you--I'm sorry, but I won't apologize for saying it. Not after all this time."

@rom-e-o

In Timeless, Adonis has invited Connie as his date to the Lord Mayor's Christmas party. Wolf was encouraged (in the end, more like dared, because brothers be brothers) to invite Bess (as merely close friends, of course) and she accepted.

Let's dress our guys and dolls up and rp a little!

Wolf:

[babydollmarauders]

CLUMSY — JACK HUGHES

jack hughes x fem!reader

summary: quinn and luke realize how clumsy y/n is after noticing how often jack unconsciously keeps her from harm

notes: y/n is written sensitive and clumsy! also, i wrote this on saturday to have something to post this week while i’m unable to write <3

i’ve met my boyfriends family on numerous occasions since we started dating in october. mostly through quick trips such as Quinn coming into town for a game against the Devils and whatnot, but this is my first time spending an elongated amount of time with them and i have this irrational fear that they’ll dislike me.

Jack has assured me multiple times since we’ve arrived at the lake house for the summer that i have no reason to worry, but it’s been four days and i still feel like they’re forming their opinions on me. so, i’ve taken it upon myself to do whatever i can in order to get them to like me; including my current task of baking cookies.

“you know they already love you, right?” Jack asks, standing at the counter beside me, observing as i mix the dry ingredients into a bowl. “you don’t need to bake them cookies.”

“are you saying you don’t want my sea salt chocolate chip cookies?” i keep focused on the task at hand, my sight never leaving the measuring cup as i scoop the flour into the bowl.

“now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” a hearty chuckle escapes his lips as he maneuvers himself behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist as he clings himself to me, his cheek resting pressed against my shoulder blade. “i definitely want your cookies. i’m just saying that my brothers don’t need them.”

i giggle as his fingers tickle at the bits of my sides where my shirt has risen, arching my back to try and escape his hands. Jack groans as i break free from his grip, but i assume it’s mostly due to his brothers entering the kitchen.

“ooh, what are you making?” Luke wonders, coming to a stop on the opposite side of the counter.

“cookies!” i grin, finally looking up as i finish the dry ingredients.

“yum.” Quinn chimes in, sidling into the spot beside Luke. he peers into the bowl and his brows furrow slightly. “y/n, that’s just powder?”

i bark out a laugh at the clueless boy.

“Quinny, you have to mix the dry ingredients first. then the wet ingredients such as eggs, butter and vanilla. and then you mix them both together to form the dough.” i explain. i scan the countertop, making sure i have each item needed for the next step. “i need another bowl.”

i bend down, opening the lower cupboard and reaching for the metal mixing bowl inside.

“Trevor texted me this morning.” i hear Jack inform the boys.

“yeah? when’s he coming up?” Quinn asks.

“in two weeks. but Alex is getting here tomorrow.” Jack says. i shut the cupboard door, stretching my legs to rise back up from my position. my head bumps Jack’s hand, wrapped around the lip of the counter above where i was bent.

my left hand rubs the top of the back of my head super quick as i set the mixing bowl on the counter. i glance back up as Luke and Quinn share an amused look and my face scrunches in confusion.

what did i miss?

**

Jack’s left arm rests on my shoulders, my face half buried into his chest as he scrolls on his phone. Quinn and Luke sit in armchairs on opposite sides of the couch as Alex sits on the opposite side of Jack. a movie plays on the tv, but i’m momentarily distracted by Ellen walking past the back of the couch, calling out a goodnight.

“goodnight El!” i call back as she makes her way to the stairs, the boys all muttering their own goodnight’s.

“brunch tomorrow, while the boys golf?” she asks, confirming our plans. i nod and she grins, blowing a kiss towards the group of us as she finally walks up the stairs.

“you guys are going to brunch tomorrow? without us?!” Luke asks, his hand coming up to his chest in mock offense.

“you guys are going golfing tomorrow, without us! it’s only fair.” i laugh and Alex chuckles.

“y/n/n, you don’t even like golf. you said it’s boring and called it ‘watered down hockey’.” Alex points out as i burrow back into Jack’s side.

“shh, i’m watching the movie.” i shush him, making the boys laugh. Jack turns back to his phone and i watch through one peeked open eye as he double taps on his teammate’s most recent instagram post before typing out some nonsense comment that i’ll never understand.

pulling back, i lock my eyes on the remote on the coffee table. sliding forward some, i lean, stretching my fingertips out to try and grab it. finally getting ahold of it, i go to lean back, wobbling forward and accepting my fate. i brace myself to fall before feeling a hand grab onto the back of my shirt. yanking me back, Jack pulls me back into his side, his eyes still glued to his phone. i heave out a small relieved sigh as i press a kiss to his chest before turning the volume up on the tv.

i glance around the living room to the other boys, gauging how interested they are in the movie, but Luke and Quinn are exchanging a look. Luke biting back a smile as Quinn smirks.

what did i miss this time?

**

with the boys friends all finally arriving, the lake house has become much too crowded to hang out inside. so instead we’re all outside, gathered around a fire that was once blazing but now dwindling. my boyfriend jokes around with Cole and Trevor, Luke speaking with his University of Michigan teammates, Ethan and Dylan, and lastly Quinn sits sipping a beer as he chats with Alex and the Tkachuk’s.

making myself scarce in order to not cling to my boyfriends side as he tries to enjoy himself, i text with my own friends from back in New Jersey as i balance on the edge of the brick fire pit, circling it as i type.

“be careful, babe.” Jack warns me, and i grin and throw him a thumbs up. he barely gives me a second glance before Trevor takes up his attention, reciting a story of something that happened to he and his friend Jamie back in California.

i continue pacing around on the elevated bricks, typing a long winded message to Leah, explaining why she shouldn’t call her ex. as i pass by my boyfriend once more, i’m not paying as close attention as i probably should be, my foot getting a little too close to the inner edge as i start to slip.

a hand grips my elbow, pulling me back to a standing position before i can fall into the fire and i look over to see Jack, his attention still on Trevor and his hand wrapped around my arm as he nods his head at his friend while he continues ranting. i give a light pat to Jack’s shoulder to let him know i’m fine and he releases his grip.

slipping my phone into my pocket, i continue my journey around the fire pit again, this time with more of my focus going into keeping upright. passing Luke, i see him looking away from his friends, and i follow his line of sight to his brother, Quinn looking right back at him. both wear an entertained appearance and i look around to see if i can find what they’re smiling about but come up empty-handed.

why do i keep missing these things?

**

with today being one of the hottest days of the summer, we’re all crowded on the boat. most of the group lounges around conversing with one another, Luke currently taking his turn wakesurfing as music blares from Quinn’s bluetooth speaker.

i’m sat in Jack’s lap, rubbing my third layer of sunscreen on my legs and the tops of my feet.

“babe, i think you’ve got enough.” Jack laughs, his hands grip my waist to keep me from falling as i’m leaned forward.

“i just wanna make sure. the UV index is super high today and you know how easily i burn.” i tell him, sitting back upright as i flip the cap of the sunscreen closed once more.

“i know, sugar. but we’ve only been out here for two hours and that’s your third time applying it. i think you’re okay for a while.” he takes the lotion from my hands, handing the bottle over to Cole. “put that in the bag next to you, eh?”

Cole nods, placing the sunscreen into the waterproof zip up bag i brought on the boat.

“y/n/n! c’mere!” Luke shouts, making me untangle myself from Jack. i rise to my feet, shuffling over to the back of the boat and leaning over to get closer in order to hear him better.

“you gonna let her get that close to the edge, Rowdy?” Quinn questions, making the boys laugh.

“what?” Jack asks. “what do you mean?”

“she’s a bit clumsy, is she not? we’ve noticed you all summer, keeping her from hurting herself.” Quinn replies through chuckles. even Alex, who drives the boat barks out a laugh.

“wait, when did i do that?” Jack wonders.

“all the time! you weren’t even paying attention when you did it!” Luke shouts and i stick my tongue out at him before turning to observe the boys.

“there was the first time Luke and i noticed it, when you wrapped your hand over the counter to make sure she didn’t hit her head. and you were right to do so because she bumped it right on your hand.” Quinn explains.

“or when she was reaching off the couch to grab the remote and you caught her by her shirt to keep her from falling. and you didn’t even look up from your phone as you did it!” Luke says as he climbs back on the boat.

“or how about when she was balancing on the fire pit and you caught her by the arm to keep her from falling straight into the fire. while you kept all your attention on Trevor. didn’t even look, you just reached a hand out and grabbed her.” Quinn provides another example. “i can go on.”

“i didn’t even realize i was doing all that.” Jack shrugs, glancing towards me. “i guess it’s just unconscious reaction. i’ve gotten used to it by now.”

“i’m not clumsy.” i pout, crossing my arms over my chest.

“it’s okay, it’s not necessarily a bad thing!” Trevor attempts to comfort me. i give him a side-eye, making my way over to Jack. but before i can sit in his lap, i slip. Jack’s arms wrap around my waist to keep me from dropping to the floor, pulling me down onto his thighs instead.

“you are pretty clumsy, babe.” one of Jack’s arms stays planted across my waist, holding me to him as his index finger pushes my chin up so i’m looking up at him. “but, it’s adorable.”

i bury my face in his chest out of embarrassment. i didn’t think i was clumsy. i mean, i know i’ve always been a bit accident prone; broken glasses, falling a bit more than my friends. but i didn’t think i was clumsy.

“it’s nothing to be ashamed of, y/n.” Quinn tells me. Jack’s hand trails up and down my back as he whispers reassurances in my ear.

“yeah, we didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything.” Luke pipes up once more, his voice seeping with regret.

“that’s why you kept looking at each other all the time.” my words are muffled by Jack’s chest, but by the way that Jack coos as he places a kiss on the top of my head, i know they heard them. “you were laughing at me.”

“we weren’t. i swear we weren’t.” Quinn’s voice is closer now, and i feel another hand touch my back. “we were laughing with you. we just thought it was funny that Jack didn’t even notice when he was doing it.”

“honest?” i question.

“honest. i promise.” my head rises at Luke’s voice, closer now as well. his hand comes up to rest on my knee and i look over to see him squatted down beside Jack and i, Quinn sitting next to us.

“i didn’t realize i was clumsy.” i confess. “i just thought it was normal.”

“i gotta say, you’re definitely the first girlfriend i’ve ever had to pull away from falling into an actual fire.” Jack chuckles, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “but i wouldn’t want you any other way.”

“really?”

“really. i love you. clumsiness and all.” he tells me. his grip gets tighter around me and i crane my neck to crash my lips into his.

“ugh, gross!” Trevor exclaims. Jack pulls back, leaning his forehead against mine.

“shut up, Z.” he grins, pulling me into one more kiss. “now, you ready to learn how to wakesurf?”

“yeah, no. even before i knew i was considered clumsy, i knew i wasn’t going out there. i’ll fall straight on my face, Jacky. i mean seriously, i’m a clutz!”

[honeybearee]

Anna

"You totally caught me, the whole wedding thing was just a ploy to get you home so I could steal your clothes again. I needed a new wardrobe and this seemed easier than having to buy my own stuff, can you imagine?" she joked back. There had definitely been a time when she'd gotten into the hobby of stealing his favorite shirts - not that he ever seemed to complain - but the thought of doing it now seemed kind of absurd to her.

There had been a level of physical intimacy they'd reached over the years that seemed so far away and unattainable now.

"Yep! I'm right across the way if you can't sleep or, yknow, in case of lake shark attacks or whatever," she chuckled, trailing slightly behind him as he dumped his stuff on a chair.

Anna was sure their eyes landed on the shirt at the same time, and she felt somewhat embarrassed that he'd come across it now. In her mind, he'd have found it when he was alone and at most he'd have mentioned it in passing. There was a strange level of pressure when you opened a gift in front of the person who gifted it, like you had to be extra performative to avoid hurting someone's feelings. That was the last place she wanted to put Cam.

But there was something so earnest in the way he admired her work, in the ease with which he said he loved it that she couldn't help but to give a little bounce toward him, an eager "yeah?" escaping her lips as she sidled closer to his side to look at the shirt with him.

"See there's chamomile, amaryllis and milkweed, get it? Like Cam, but in flowers?" she said, pointing out the flowers and smiling warmly up at him, "anyway, its nothing, I just wanted to do something nice for you, with everything going on and all..." she trailed off, not really wanting to push him into a conversation he probably wasn't anywhere near ready to have - and even if he was, it was a pretty big assumption to think she'd still be the person he'd turn to.

"You don't have to wea-"

"There you are!" Hanna's voice made her jolt away from Cam, her hands quickly falling into place behind her back,

"Here I am!" She replied stupidly, giving a shake of her head, "brunch time then? I'm right behind you," she added with a pointed raise of her eyebrows that Hannah met with a sigh as she headed back toward the door "tick tooooock" she added like a ghost

Rolling her eyes, she smiled back at Cam, "seriously do not take any of those orange juice drinks she offers you, they're like loaded with vodka" she fake gagged with a laugh as she backed toward the door, "alright, I'm gonna get out of your hair, but I'll see ya out there!" she smiled and turned on her heel, closing his door behind her.

Cam

As soon as he'd grabbed Anna in a one-armed hug, he could feel the way her swimsuit was still damp enough to soak into his shirt, reminding him of the stupidly long amount of time he'd spent tossing different t-shirts aside this morning before he'd landed on this one. At this point, Anna could have slung a bucket full of mud at him, and he probably wouldn't have cared, as long as she was happy to see him.

Cam stumbled along at first as Anna tugged on his hand, and he lifted his other hand with his duffel bag in tow, giving the rest of the room a slight wave before disappearing down the hall.

"You know, if you want to take over my wardrobe, you can just ask. You don't have to wreck my shirts just to get them from me," He chuckled as he pushed open the door she indicated was his, and he turned back to look at her, eyebrow raised as she rested on the door across the hall. "Is that your room?"

He was suddenly excited at the prospect of rooming directly across the hall from his best friend, and he was suddenly reminded of one of the first times that his parents had let Anna stay over, and they'd made Hanna share her room with her for the evening. His mom had discovered them passed out in their sleeping bags in the hall outside of their respective bedroom doors, a pair of corded earbuds shared between them.

"No, I think I'm okay!" He smiled brightly, tossing his duffel onto a chair on the other side of the room before doubling back to the bed to look at the red t-shirt that had been laid across the bed for him. It was clear from the embroidered flowers that it was Anna's handiwork, and he quickly picked it up to get a better look at it. When had she found the time to do this? Why did she do this?

"Now I know why you got my shirt all wet," He turned to Anna, holding it up questioningly. "I love it."

[readyforthegarden]

maybe “if there’s nothing going on there, you don’t mind if i ask her out, do you?” and “you're still hung up on your ex.” with Jake 👀

Oh this one was fun to write! It got a little long, I'm sorry about that!

“Man, she is stunning.” Jake’s jaw clenched at Sam’s compliment of you. His little brother had peered over his shoulder as he was looking at your latest Instagram update, letting out a low whistle. You were posed leaning against a brick half-wall outside your favorite brunch spot, wearing the pastel blue sundress that made near nightly appearances in Jake’s fantasies. “How do you know her, again?”

“We were friends in college.” Jake muttered, double tapping the photo and locking his phone screen. It was only a few moments later his phone buzzed in his hand.

‘Hey! Can’t wait for your show tonight. Thanks again for inviting me!’

“Oh she’s coming tonight?” Sam grinned.

“Yeah, Josh and I invited a few people since we’re close to home.” Jake could see the wheels turning in his little brothers head as smirk tugged the corner of his lips.

"Nice." Sam nodded, beginning to walk away. "Can't wait to meet her." Jake inwardly groaned. Even he had to admit, Sam had a charm about him that made girls melt at his attentions, and the fact that he got the genetics that made him tower over nearly everyone didn't help facts. Jake sighed, typing back a quick message to you and sliding his phone back into his pocket and starting to get ready for that nights show.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before the show, the small group of friends that the twins had invited trickled in to the venue, and Jake couldn't help the excited flutter in his stomach when he got your text that you'd arrived. He hurried out of the green room, flashing his pass at the guard as he went outside. You were standing, talking to one of the security guards outside, laughing at something as Jake approached.

"Hey, she's with me." Jake showed the guard his pass. You grinned at Jake as the guard let you through the gate.

"Jakey!" you greeted, wrapping your arms around his shoulders in a hug. Jake wrapped his around your waist, tugging you in as close as he could. You still smelled just how he remembered, the light and sweet floral scent of your perfume filling his nostrils, easing his nerves a bit. "God, I've missed you! How are you? You know, other than being a super cool mysterious rockstar?"

"Aw come on," Jake laughed as he regretfully pulled away from you. "I'm not that mysterious." your laugh rang out again, like music to his ears. "I've been good. Tour can kick my ass sometimes, but it's a dream come true. How've you been?"

"Really good!" you went on to tell him all about the project you were working on for the marketing job you had as he escorted you into the building. As the two of you entered the green room, Josh's voice rang out.

"Mon chou!" Josh moved through the small gathering and wrapped you in a hug.

"Josh speaks French?" Sam had sidled over to Jake, spotting you and him enter.

"Je parle un peu français." Josh shrugged once he let you go.

"We were in a French class together for half a semester." you giggled. "Mon chou is supposed to mean 'my sweet', but translates to 'my cabbage' in english. Josh thought it was funny to call me cabbage for a full year."

"That's Josh," Sam chuckled. "Lame joke central. Hi, I'm Sam."

"I thought so." you took his outstretched hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

"All bad, I hope." Sam wiggled his eyebrows and you blushed, make Jake grit his teeth.

"Mostly bad." you nodded.

"Hey, we've got some drinks over here, would you like something?" Sam asked, moving between the three of you and wrapping his arm around your shoulder. "I make a killer marg."

"O-Oh, sure." you smiled as he led you away, peeking over your shoulder at Jake before Sam spoke again, taking your attention again.

"Well, I give him four hours before they're all over each other." Josh mused, glancing at his twin. Jake glared at him and Josh shrugged. "Hey, Sam's not chicken shit, he wants to make a move, he'll make one."

"I'm not chicken shit either, asshole." Jake muttered. He watched as Sam told you a story as he mixed your cocktail, grinning and making hand gestures. You were sucked into his little brothers personality already. Josh was right. It was only so long before he'd find you pressed against a wall under Sam, just like all his other conquests.

During the show, Jake noticed Sam peacocking in front of you. Of course, it drove the fans in the crowd wild as he took of his suit jacket, running a hand through his hair. He'd occasionally glance over to you, shooting you a wink and smirk. Jake couldn't bear to look and see your reactions, putting his frustration into his music, playing harder than he ever had.

"You guys were awesome!" you cheered as they made their way backstage after finishing the show. "Oh my gosh, I was near tears there, it's everything you talked about in school, Jake! I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." Jake gave her a big smile, not being able to let his annoyance with his brother's flirting overcome the high from the crowd. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

"Jake, really." you gushed. "You're living your dream, I'm so happy for you." Jake blushed as you took his hand and squeezed it.

"How'd you like the show?" Sam sauntered over, pushing his hair back from his face.

"I was just telling Jake, you guys are amazing." you smiled. Jake squeezed your hand back. "Truly, how you guys come up with your music...it's great."

"Well, I'll tell you how I came up with this one part in-" Sam tried to put his arm around your shoulders when you crinkled your nose, holding up both your hands in front of you.

"Oh, no offense, you're incredibly sweaty." you chuckled. Jake smirked. "And I have to run to the restroom. I'll meet you guys in the green room." you walked away in search of the bathrooms and Jake smiled at your backside.

"If there’s nothing going on there, you don’t mind if i ask her out, do you?” Sam whispered to Jake as they headed towards the green room. "I think she's digging my vibe. I'd like to dig her-Ow!"

"Respect her." Jake growled at his little brother, smacking his shoulder.

"So I can ask her out?" Sam asked again. Jake sighed. "I'm taking that as a yes. Cross your fingers for me!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The after party in the hotel suite was loud and crowded, and Jake stood on his tip toes to try and find you. Just as he had predicted earlier, you were leaning against the wall, Sam standing closely in front of you, almost casual as one of his hands supported his weight next to your head. He was pulling all the moves out tonight, and it seemed like you were buying it, hook line and sinker. After a few moments, Jake saw Sam's head dip down like he was about to kiss you, and Jake stormed out of the room, out to the balcony for some fresh air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, you're still hung up on your ex?" Sam pouted. You nodded and tried to look put out.

"I'm sorry, Sam." you patted his upper arm. "You seem really sweet, and you're incredibly charming. But it wouldn't be fair to you, when I'm thinking of someone else. I couldn't use you like that."

"I understand." Sam nodded, pressing a chaste kiss to your cheek. "But if you ever do want to use me, you have my number."

"Yeah, I'll let you know." you chuckled. You watched as Jake barreled through the party, and you furrowed your brows, watching him head outside. "I'll be right back."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Surprisingly, Jake was the only one out here, and as he pulled a cigarette from the pack in his jacket pocket, placing it between his lips while patting himself for his lighter to no avail. Suddenly, a flame was in front of him. Jake leaned forward and lit his cigarette before straightening, glancing at the fire holder.

"What do you want?" Jake huffed before taking a drag.

"You looked upset, so I came out here to check on you." you shrugged. "Everything okay?"

"I'm fine." Jake deadpanned. "I'm sure Sam is missing you right now."

"Oh I'm sure he is." you mused, placing your hands on the metal railing of the balcony, looking out at the city. "I had to tell him a lie to get him to leave me alone."

"You what?"

"Yeah. Told him I was still hung up on my ex." you nodded. "That seemed to pour some water on his fire."

"Yeah, that'll do it." Jake mused. It was silent between the two of you for a bit, and then you spoke up.

"Well, it might not have been a total lie." you sighed. "I'm still hung up on this one guy..."

"Oh?" Jake felt his throat tighten a bit. The last thing he wanted, after watching his little brother flirt with you all day was you talk about another guy.

"Yeah, we went on two dates in college." you continued. "He played guitar, was really sweet, but for some reason we never went out again...then he got his band with his brothers and their friend and I didn't see him for a while."

"Wait, what?" Jake dropped his cigarette, and you both watched it tumble to the ground below you.

"Yeah, Jake." you rolled your eyes. "I've always had a thing for you. After you didn't ask me out again, I thought you just wanted to be friends."

"God." Jake shook his head. "I tried to be romantic and write you a letter, asking you out again. Did Josh never give it to you?" you shook your head. "Fucking hell, Josh."

"So...." you bit your lip. "I know you're a big rockstar now, but what do you think? Maybe we could have a make-up date?" Jake grinned, coming close to you and putting his hands on your waist.

"I would love that." he said, leaning down and pressing a tender kiss to your lips. "What are you doing two and a half months from now?" you squinted, pretending to run through a list in your head, muttering fake to-do list things.

"Mm, I think I'm free." you and Jake laughed. "But how about breakfast tomorrow?"

"Sounds amazing." you hopped up on your tiptoes, kissing Jake again. "By the way, remind me to beat the crap outta Josh."

[outerbankies]

new light part 4: underneath the moonlight — rafe cameron

new light series masterlist

summary: you and rafe meet the parents (properly) and go to midsummers together, but not everyone is as smitten with your relationship as you two are.

pairing: rafe x kook reader

warnings: drinking, swearing

a/n: say hello to a few characters (tw: ward) i have had yet to feature thus far 🤗 more of y/n being besties with kelce (and topper this time—our fave obx himbo) there’s a lil drama in this part y’all... into the thick of it. thanks for all the feedback 💖not canon rafe

my writing

yeah if you give me just one night, to meet you underneath the moonlight

You’re startled awake by a loud knock on your bedroom door. You’re squished between 6 feet and 3 inches worth of boy and the pink wall your bed is pushed up against. Rafe always insisted on laying on your outer side, closest to the door of your bedroom. Which means you often woke up pressed into the wall, your neck sometimes aching from the awkward angle. Not to mention Wilbur always taking up the space at your feet, Rafe usually nudging him into your space so he could stretch out.

Rafe stirs also, making sleepy noises and stretching his legs where they hang off the end of your bed. He grumbles and smacks his lips together a few times, your hand instinctively coming to rub along his jaw. His eyes flutter open as the sun streams in through your window, illuminating the hint of golden stubble on his chin. You’d only slept over together a few times, since you were both staying with your parents for the summer, so it’s always nice to wake up with your boy in your bed.

Oh fuck. Your boy is in your bed.

Rafe's eyes widen at the same time as yours.

“Oh shit, we fell asleep?” he whispers, head whipping around your room.

“Fuck, you have to hide right now,” you whisper, stumbling through your thoughts sleepily.

Another knock sounds from the door.

You extract yourself from your spot between Rafe and the wall, his hands guiding you by your hips as you tumble over him.

“Just, fuck, just like—get under the covers or something. God, I hope it’s not my dad,” you whisper.

“Me too,” he says, slinking into the gap between your bed and the wall as best he can, covering his face with a pillow.

You check that he’s concealed enough, turning to open the door just the slightest bit. Dylan stands in the crack.

“We have brunch at the Club in an hour, mom wanted me to ask if you invited Rafe,” he peers around you, gaze moving to behind your shoulder. “Or I could just ask him myself. Sup, Rafe?”

“Shut the fuck up, Dyl,” you whisper-shout. “Where are mom and dad? Can he sneak out the back? And don’t lie to me, or I’ll tell them about Hilton Head.”

“God, calm down. Dad’s in the garage and mom’s getting ready. Just have him go now.”

“Thanks,” you say, all but slamming the door in his face. You turn around and press your back against the door, letting out a shaky breath.

The covers rustle, and Rafe springs out of your bed to gather his things while Wilbur watches him. He always starts pouting when he notices that Rafe is putting on his hat or shoes, signs that he’s about to leave.

“We are so dead.”

“You don’t think he’ll say anything, do you? I don’t think I can sit at brunch with your dad in an hour if he knows I slept in your bed last night.”

“Not if he’s smart,” you sigh. “Want me to walk you out?”

“No, I got it. Just keep Willy in here. I’ll text you when I make it out alive. If you don’t hear from me, just assume your father murdered me,” he jokes, leaning down to give you a kiss after he slips his shoes on. “See you back here in an hour?”

“Yes, please be early. And clean shaven.”

“Yes ma’am. And don’t insult me,” he mumbles against your lips.

“Nervous?”

“Not nearly as nervous as I will be if I get caught, sweetheart. Gotta go so I have time to shower—and shave. See you in a bit.”

He gives you one last kiss before he departs, and you move to the window with Wilbur to watch him slink across the backyard, arms crossed and a fond grin on your face. He turns and blows you one last kiss before he disappears around the side of your house.

—

“Y/n, can I speak to you for a second?”

Your dad’s voice comes from his study as you pass by, checking yourself over in the entryway mirror one more time. Rafe should be here any minute.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Come sit,” he says, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk. You feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Your dad only invited you to talk in his study if it was something serious. The last time he did was when he told you he was going to take away your Range Rover if you didn’t pull your Bs up to As your freshman year of college. You’ve had a 4.0 ever since.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. Just wanted to talk about the new boyfriend.”

“What about him?”

“I always knew of him while the two of you were growing up. But I talked to him a bit back during Dylan’s grad week.”

As an unruly teenager and the rightful heir to his father's business, everyone in the Outer Banks knew about Rafe and his antics. Good or bad. You could even recall your mom gossiping to your dad, words passed on from Rose, about some of his more... notable incidences.

“Y-yeah, he's...” you trail off, searching for the right words to describe Rafe these days.

“Seems like a good kid,” your dad supplies.

“What did you guys talk about?”

“Business, mostly. His future and whatnot.”

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“No, I just wonder... are you sure about this one? When you were kids, that boy was always causing trouble. And you know your mother and I were always so proud of how you stayed in line.”

“I know,” you sigh. “But Rafe’s not a boy anymore. Just give him a chance.”

“I will,” your dad says, slapping his knees to stand up. “But I'm also gonna give him a hard time.”

“Dad, please.”

“It’s my job. Your mom gets to freak out about Dylan moving out, and I get to handle scaring every man who gets to look at you.”

The doorbell rings.

“Please. I am literally begging.”

Your dad draws a fake halo around his head, and you just roll your eyes.

The morning gets off to an even more embarrassing start as soon as Rafe crosses the threshold into your house. Wilbur jumps into his arms immediately, all ninety pounds of him, and your mom’s eyes widen.

“My goodness, he’s usually so hesitant around strangers!”

Dylan chokes on a laugh, and if you weren’t across the room you’d have elbowed him in the ribs.

“Oh, I’ve walked Wilbur by Tanneyhill before.”

“Yeah, I-I love Willy. Mrs. Y/l/n, it’s so nice to see you again,” Rafe says, effortlessly following your lead after Wilbur scampers out of his hold. He shakes your mom’s hand politely. Your dad sidles up to her then, fixing Rafe with a stare harder than you’d prefer. “Mr. Y/l/n, you as well. Thanks again, to both of you, for inviting me.”

“Good to see you, Rafe,” your dad says, a strong hand clamping onto his shoulder. “Dylan, come say hi.”

Dylan’s grin is devilish, and you're just watching on in pure horror at this point. “How have you been, Rafe? Haven’t seen you in a while.”

—

Rafe’s grinning ear to ear, hand firm on your thigh, all of the windows in his truck rolled down. He even popped the sun roof, letting you blast your playlist all the way down the road.

“Okay—I just... did that go well?”

“You did great, Rafe.”

Despite Dylan's best efforts to embarrass you two, brunch had gone really well. Your dad took a second to let his guard down, unlike your mother who was immediately gushing over him. You could practically see the wheels in her head turning, the wedding colors she'd picked for you. And your dad came around quick enough once Rafe brought up Formula 1.

Your boyfriend looks so relieved, hand even coming to feel the air pass through his fingers as he hangs his arm out the window, hand on your thigh coming back up to steady the wheel. He taps on it excitedly.

“Lowkey, feel like I nailed it, baby.”

“Okay,” you giggle, leaning over to peck his check. You pull him in with a soft hand to the other side of his face. “Let’s not get too big for our britches.”

“Oh, I’m a parent-meeting expert now. Might go into consulting.”

“You’ve perfected the sport?” you joke.

“No, no. That’s—I’ve never actually met parents before,” he admits.

“No way?”

“Way? Have you?” he asks, slight edge seeping into his tone as he pulls up to the stoplight outside of your favorite coffee spot.

“Uh... once. We weren’t even really dating yet, but they came to visit and he like, ambushed me with them at dinner. They were kinda hippies, though.”

“Yeah?” His tone is clipped as he parks his truck.

“Yeah, some guy from my comparative literature class sophomore year,” you sigh. “But, you’re the first to meet my parents.”

“Mm,” he hums, fingers tapping on your knee. That satisfies him. He gathers one of your hands in his. “You coming in?”

“Will you just get me a latte? Kinda wanna call my mom and debrief.”

He laughs, kissing your knuckles. “I’ll give you a minute, sweetheart. Oat milk?”

—

Your original plans to meet the Camerons fell through, a last minute staging emergency arising when you were all supposed to go for dinner. You’d tried not to look down while Rafe attempted in earnest to cheer you up, telling you how pretty you looked while you took out your earrings and let your hair down. He'd kissed the crown of your hair and apologized profusely, promising they would love you when they finally got to meet you.

“M’not upset.”

“Okay.” His hand stroked your back through the thick cotton of one of his old water polo sweatshirts he’d let you borrow for the night.

“I’m just really nervous about meeting them. You might’ve set the bar a little too high with my parents.”

“You just have a great family.”

“I don’t know,” you said when you finally cracked a smile. “Made it pretty far on your first try.”

“Don’t worry. They’re going to love you, sweetheart.”

You let him kiss your cheek, your forehead, your nose and chin.

“Hope so.”

“Know so.”

And Rafe had somehow convinced your father to let you go to Midsummers with his family, promising to join up for pictures and greetings later. Your dad had willingly let him, to your surprise.

The event was a big deal to Figure 8 patriarchs and matriarchs alike, always trying to outdo the other in every way, all while feigning some sense of island camaraderie. But when Rafe had set aside time at brunch to specifically ask your family for their permission to accompany you to the event, they’d been hard pressed to say no. Your family immediately accepted Rafe as your boyfriend, any lingering hesitations about his character drowned out by the equal chances of your personal happiness and the heightening of their social and business profiles.

But he’d still come to your house to pick you up, ready to greet your parents in the foyer once again.

He takes one look at you in that blush pink dress, hair, makeup and jewelry all done up this time around, daisy flower crown in place, and flicks his eyes around his surroundings. Your father and Dylan were nowhere in sight, and your mother was busy fixing her earrings in the hall. He takes to your side immediately, a kiss to the side of your head followed by his lips pressing against your ear. “I’m fucking obsessed with you.”

With the high from those words, you ride in his truck to Midsummers, nerves never dissipating no matter how many reassurances he speaks across the summer air streaming in through the vehicle. “Remember, they’re gonna love you.”

He helps you down from his truck so you can focus on keeping your dress off the ground, assuring you for the fiftieth time that Rose is going to like your headpiece.

“Miss Y/l/n, how lovely to see you again you at last,” Ward sighs, sounding somewhat fond. “Rafe’s been talking my ear off about this, meeting you again even though we’ve already met. Sorry we couldn’t make it work earlier.”

“No worries, Mr. Cameron. Thank you so much for inviting me to tag along with your family at Midsummers. You as well, Mrs. Cameron. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you! And of course,” Rose says, bringing you in for a hug, one you definitely were not expecting.“You’re out in California, aren’t you?”

“Yes, home for the summer.”

“That’s a long way from here,” Ward says. His eyes flicker to Rafe. “Long way from Georgia. Shorter, but still a long way.”

“Dad, c’mon,” Rafe cuts in, and you can feel his hand gripping the back of your dress:

“He’s just stating the obvious, Rafe,” Rose intervenes.

“Yeah, it is far,” you agree. Rafe’s head whips around back to you.

“We’re figuring it out,” he says. To anyone else in the vicinity, he probably sounds confident and self assured. But you know Rafe, and you can look into his eyes and see that he’s not. That if he weren’t in front of his entire family, trying earnestly to impress his father, he’d have said: ‘we’re gonna figure it out, right?’

“I’m sure things will work out the way they’re meant to,” Ward says after a lapse in conversation. “One way or another.”

“Let’s get some photos so we can all enter and the two of you can run off,” Rose says immediately after, giving neither of you the time to say anything else.

You do your best to shake off Ward’s comment as the four of you join up with the Cameron daughters, plus Sarah’s boyfriend, John B. After posing for what felt like hours, the photographer asks you and John B to hop out so they can take some family pictures, the two of you swiping up a couple of Old Fashioneds from the bar. You have to assure Rafe twice that you’ll be okay for ten minutes on your own.

“First time meeting Ward?” Sarah’s boyfriend asks, leaned up against the bar like he owns the place.

“Er—of course not,” you say, like it’s obvious. But of course John B knew nothing about Figure 8 social circles. “Just the first time as Rafe’s girlfriend.”

“Yeah, you look nervous,” he admits, chuckling when your mouth drops open. “It’s not too obvious, I just know because—been in your shoes.”

You should be insulted that the teenager compares his and Sarah’s relationship with yours and Rafe’s, but you know he isn’t being malicious. You see nothing but kindness in his eyes. And it’s nice to have somewhat of a teammate in this situation, the two of you standing by while one of the most powerful families in Kildare poses together in their finest outfits.

Rafe looks hot in his grey suit, especially with the pocket square he’d agonized over for weeks before you gifted him one that was hand sewn from the extra material where your dress had been hemmed. Monogrammed, of course.

You’d decided to go with his initials, since it was going to him after all. But your stomach gets fluttery if you think about the expression on his face when he’d received it, telling you that you should’ve put yours on it instead. “That way everyone will know I’m yours.”

Turning back to John B, you can’t imagine how he must have felt the first time he was invited into all of this. It intimidated even you, and you’re pretty sure John B was friends with the boy who delivered your family’s groceries every week.

“Any tips?”

“You’re way better off than I was, first of all,” he laughs. “But he’s really only scary when it’s one-on-one. He cares too much about this appearance of a perfect family to make digs in front of an audience.”

You nod. “That’s actually really good advice, John B.”

“Don’t sound so surprised, kook.” He clinks his glass against yours, promptly throwing the entire drink back as you watch and laugh. “That’s another tip. Drink whenever you can.”

“I’m familiar with that one.”

It's intimidating entering the event, a little after everyone else has arrived. Rafe told you that was by design—the Camerons could never be earlier than fashionably late. You always assumed you and Rafe were raised with similar pedigrees, but you're barely through the doors of the event before you realize that's not entirely true. Up until the last millisecond, Rose is fussing with Sarah and Wheezie's gowns, the older daughter making eye contact with you and rolling her eyes at her step-mother's antics. And Ward brushes Rafe's shoulders off more times than you can count, straightening his bow tie for him repeatedly. Rafe just places his hand on your back, leaning down to whisper into your ear. “You ready?”

You smile up at him, but your nerves are firmly settled in at this point. What you reply isn’t completely true. “Of course.”

—

You take John B’s advice, of course, and choose Kelce as your designated drinking buddy for the night. He was hard to keep up with, but you threw your inhibitions to the wind after you got meeting the Camerons out of the way. Plus, Rafe had more business to attend to than he’d let on, and you were getting pretty bored. Not too long ago he would’ve been right beside the rest of you, causing trouble and borderline embarrassing all of your parents. It was weird to see him walking around, shaking hands and rubbing elbows. He’d invited you into a few conversations, you trying your hardest not to simply watch him in awe.

You’re engaged in some strange dance battle with Kelce when he stacks his drink into yours, both empties at this point. “Your turn to get a round.”

“Boo,” you sigh, throwing your head back. “What d’you want?”

“Surprise me.”

“Aye aye.”

You’re turning on a shaky high heel, and you have to give yourself a little mental pep talk to straighten up. Of course you can, though.

“What can I get you, miss?” the barkeep asks.

“Vodka press, Tito’s, and a Jack and coke. Double Jack. Actually—single. Thanks,” you murmur, trying to fish a ten out of your clutch.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got the tip for this one,” a voice says next to you. Ward Cameron is sidling up next to you, sliding a fifty across the counter. Your eyes widen at the tip, trying not to be embarrassed as the bartender sets the drinks down in front of you.

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Cameron.”

“Ah, call me Ward.” He flicks his eyes back to the bartender, who quickly pockets the tip and makes himself scarce to give the two of you some privacy. You can’t help but think of John B’s warning: ‘he’s really only scary when it’s one-on-one.’ There’s no point in even trying seek out Rafe, you knowing full well you’re expected to stay rooted to the spot until Ward dismisses you. “Having a good time?”

“Yeah,” you nod. “It’s always fun to come back out here for this.”

“So, California to Georgia,” he whistles. “That’s probably a five hour flight, at least.”

“Yeah, um,” you take a minute to make sure your flower crown is perfectly in place. “It’s actually two.”

“Excuse me?”

“Two flights. From his school to mine. Rafe checked, he said there’s nothing direct,” you clarify.

Ward let’s out an indifferent chuckle. “Of course he did.”

Your eyebrow furrows because you don’t know what to say, turning to look at where your drinks are starting to melt. Kelce would be wondering where you are by now if he wasn’t three sheets to the wind. And where the hell was Rafe?

“Y/n, as far as I can tell, you are a nice girl. I just need to make sure we’re on the same page about one thing.”

Your heartbeat that hadn’t really settled since Ward approached you is picking up again, and you really wish Rafe had been the least bit more concerned about where you were at this moment.

“Um, I-I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“I'm don’t know how serious you two are, Y/n, but I know my son. He's clearly very invested in pursuing you.”

Your resolve crumbles a little at that, your heart warming, thinking about Ward noticing something like that.

“But Rafe needs to be committed to finishing this degree so he can come home and start learning the ropes next year. And in four years, Sarah will do the same. Then Louisa after her.”

“Wow, that’s so lucky for you—that they all want to go into the family business,” you praise, not really knowing what else to say. It must be the wrong thing, because Ward just quirks an eyebrow.

“In this family, our business will always come first. Before anything and anyone else. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

You swallow, catching on to where this is going for the first time. You still go for playing dumb.

“Ward, I really don't think I understand.”

“But you do, don't you? You know Rafe. He’s a bit emotional, he’s a ‘feeler,’” Ward says sarcastically, putting it in air quotes. All of the niceties you experienced earlier when you first greeted Rafe’s family were long gone. You can only gather that it was all an act for Rafe’s benefit. But you know the only option is to sit there and take it. “He thinks with his heart, never enough with his head. Sarah, for example—when it’s time for her to cut that pogue lose, which it will be soon enough, I know she will. Whether it’s my decision or her’s. I can count on that, because she’s just like me in that respect; she knows we have to make sacrifices. But Rafe—I don’t think I can make that same assumption about him.”

“Ward, with all due respect, Rafe is really focused on the business.”

“You're correct, and I’ve worked hard to get him there. Which is why I can't have him spending his senior year of college, when he should be buckled down, traveling back and forth from California and getting distracted from his future by some girl.”

“Mr. Cameron, I would never—”

“You know that it’s true. I can tell you’re bright. You come from a great family.” It’s a compliment and an insult all at once. He likes you because of your father’s business and your mother’s social status, not because of what you do for Rafe, or what you have to show for yourself. He continues like it was nothing but the highest praise. “But right now, you are across the country from him, and I can bet he’s determined to make that work, no matter what it takes. Which I obviously can’t have,” Ward sighs. “It’s just not the right time. You can understand that, can't you?”

You nod numbly and pick up your drinks, hoping he’ll get the signal to wrap this up soon. You’re at the point where you can’t listen to this anymore, liquid courage re-flooding your veins.

“I’m not asking you to stay away from him, because you’re both adults,” Ward says, stopping you with a hand on your shoulder. “But I’m asking you to think long and hard about what’s best for the both of you. Rafe already knows what’s expected of him. He’s always known.”

You look back towards the crowd under the gazebo, able to make out John B of all people. He sees you talking to Ward, shooting you the most subtle thumbs up he can muster. He has no idea. You don’t take the chance to nod at him, turning back to the bar.

“Say the two of you let it go for the school year,” Ward bulldozes, taking a step closer to you. “And you end up back here too, great. But even then Rafe’s going to be working all the time, the longest hours he ever will in his life. For the next few years, Y/n. You’re so young—are you really going to tie yourself down to a commitment like that? What about your future?”

In a tone you hope comes across as confident, you say, “I really appreciate your concern, Ward.”

Ward's perfectly white teeth are pulling into an even more perfect grin, and the sight makes you sick.

“Great. I'm glad we had this talk.” He pats you on the back, leaving first before you get the chance to.

You just shuffle through the crowd numbly, not even reacting when someone steps on your toe, taking it all in stride as you seek the comfort of your friends once again.

You were foolish to think Ward would warm up to you immediately, or at all. You had been way too confident in yourself, especially after witnessing the wear working for his father had on Rafe. ‘He’s not an easy man to please.’ How could you be so naive, thinking you could coast by on your charm?

You’re a few feet away when you notice that Topper had joined up with Kelce again, as had your boyfriend. He’s joking with them, amused at the way Topper is clearly almost done tolerating Kelce’s drunken antics, but you stand and watch for a bit as he scans the crowd, gaze flickering toward the bar you’d just been at. You realize he’s looking for you when he finally spots you, his face relaxing as the two of you make eye contact.

“There you are.” He pulls you in close, kissing your forehead. You want to cry. “Where’d you run off to? One of those for me?”

He’s gesturing to the drinks you’re holding, reaching for the darker of the two. But Kelce is swooping in, snatching it out of your hold quickly. “Nope,” he pops the ‘p.’ “This one’s all mine. Sorry Cameron. Thanks Y/n/n.”

Rafe just rolls his eyes at the two of you, eyes lingering on your face when he notices your fallen expression. He sets your other drink down on the high top table you’re all standing next to, pulling you in by your hips. “You okay?”

If you had a choice right now, about how to proceed with telling or not telling Rafe about what had just happened, your instincts compel you to bypass the decision process altogether; you paint a careful smile on your face, shaking your head slightly. “Yeah, all good. Just zoned out for a sec.”

He isn’t convinced. “Tired?”

“Maybe a little. Kinda drunk. Are we leaving soon?” you ask, melting into him. It’s a lot easier to handle his tone of voice when you don’t have to look him directly in the eye.

“I vote yes,” Topper says, gesturing towards Kelce, who is somehow sucking down his new drink at an alarming pace while continuing to dance to the oldies tunes they play at these things. “Like, right now. Rafe, you’re hanging back right?”

You look back up at your boyfriend in confusion. “You’re not coming with us?”

He bite his lip in contemplation, looking around the party. The twinkly lights reflect off of his pupils, making him look starry-eyed as he surveys the crowd. A sea of opportunities to prove himself to his father. Rafe looks resolved when he turns back to you.

“Well... I was gonna stay, wrap up some stuff,” he explains. His eyes flicker across your face, still not pleased with your expression. “But that’s okay, I’m good to go now.”

“No, Rafe,” you say immediately. You take a deep breath, rolling back your shoulders and painting on a smile that comes easily with years of experience at parties like this. “Stay, I’ll go ahead. How long will you be?”

“An hour, tops. Will you take her?” Rafe looks hesitant, still taking your green light anyway, already slowly extracting himself from your hold, Topper rolling his eyes but nodding and beginning to corral Kelce toward the exit.

“I can’t believe you’re making me babysit two of them.”

“Don’t let her drink too much.”

“Hey,” you protest, pushing him in his chest half heartedly. The push barely does anything, only proving your impaired motor skills further. Or that you're dating a tree. “What are you, a cop?”

“I’m your boyfriend, actually.”

“Really? When did that happen?” you decide to play along, picking up your drink again.

“‘Bout a month ago, Y/l/n,” he says softly. He can see right through you, can tell you're putting on a show for all of your friends but you're still not okay. You have to break eye contact.

“Hmm, for some reason I thought you were just this guy from middle school.”

“At least this time nobody spilled on your dress,” he teases half-heartedly, and the memory only hurts you more. “Not sure I’d wanna sacrifice this one.”

“Can you—you guys are the worst. Focus. We need to go now, before Kelce gets his entire family blacklisted from the club. You coming or not, Y/n/n?” Topper begs.

You’re nodding, leaning up to give Rafe one last kiss before you leave. He holds you close to him with a firm hand on your back, voice dropping to a whisper right next to your ear. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

The lump in your throat is growing, but you push through, lowering yourself back down to your feet as soon as you can. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. Focus on the rest of your night.”

Rafe still looks unsure, his hand resting on the nape of your neck as he kisses your forehead. “Y/n—”

“We’ll talk about it later, okay?” you finally admit. Rafe nods curtly, can tell you’re not going to let him leave with you right now. But he doesn’t know why. He doesn’t know that if you pull him away from his responsibilities right after that talk you had with Ward, it’s going to spell disaster for the two of you.

“Just some business stuff, alright?” he assures you. “I’ll see you soon. Forty-five minutes.”

“Promise?” you murmur, fiddling with his pocket square. He smiles down at you, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“Promise. You look so pretty. Half an hour. Now go.”

Topper’s guiding you towards the parking lot with a polite hand on your back, but you have to watch Rafe as you leave. You watch him approach his dad, who gives him a smile and a pat on the back. Rafe preens under his gaze.

But Ward must have been watching you two from afar because his gaze is flickering back to you, and he fixes you with a hard stare. He raises his eyebrows, bringing his drink to his lips. Taking a leisurely sip, hint of a smirk on his face. You can practically hear his thoughts: ‘Rafe chose to stay here with me, with the business, and sent you off with his friends.’ It’s everything in you to not let the tears that have been building on your waterline spill over. But your friend isn’t easily fooled.

“Y’alright, Y/n?” Topper says from beside you, trusting Kelce enough to walk on his own as you all near the parking lot. He moves to follow your gaze but you stop him, quickening your pace towards his gray Jeep. “Did something happen?”

“Ward Cameron happened.”

———

tags: @moniamaybank @downbytheouterbanks @littlementalpolaroids

[daintyduck99]

"You're family." + Ray and Reggie (You know I gotta!)

Julie answers the door with a radiant grin that makes Reggie’s cheeks burn.

“Reggie!” 

She throws her arms around him and reels him into the house, kicking the door shut behind them. She holds him tight, and he has no qualms about hugging her back just as fiercely. She’d be offended if he didn’t, and she fits in his arms perfectly. He rests his chin on her head. 

The Molinas give the best hugs, warm and undeniably welcoming, infused with a sort of stubborn affection that instantly relaxes Reggie. Luke and Alex like to rib him for being so eager to ditch the studio to see them, but sometimes he just needs the pick-me-up. 

Julie’s still beaming as they unravel from the hug, and his stomach flutters as she takes his hand, guiding him deeper into the house. 

Okay, so maybe he also has a tiny crush on their lead singer. It’s fine, he’s handling it. 

“What brings you here on a Sunday? Did Luke drag you out here to workshop the intro of that new song some more?” 

“Oh,” he stammers, highly aware that his cheeks are still on fire and that it’s worsening by the second under her bemused gaze, helpless to her gap-toothed grin. “No, I’m not he’s—me’s not here—I mean, it’s just me but—” 

She giggles, and he chews his lip to keep any more nonsense from falling out of his mouth. 

Great job, Reginald. You’re really handling it, Alex snarks in the back of Reggie’s head.

Julie squeezes his hand. “You’re just in time for brunch! We’re making pancakes.” 

“Oh, I just wanted to say hi since I was—I couldn’t impose—” 

He’s interrupted by Carlos, who tackles him around the middle as soon as they set foot in the kitchen. Julie’s hand slips out of Reggie’s, but not before Ray spots them, and he ducks his head to hide his flush at least a little as he goes to return Carlos’ hug.

“You have to help me make a spaceship out of pancakes!” Carlos insists excitedly, slightly muffled by Reggie’s shirt since he’s got his face mashed into his stomach. Reggie smiles. 

“Sure thing, little dude. So long as it’s cool with Ray.” 

Ray points his spatula at them. “How many times do I have to tell you? You’re always welcome here, Reggie. That goes for all of you boys. After all that you’ve done for Julie? You’re family.” 

“I didn’t—” Reggie starts automatically, only to swallow as Julie and Ray both frown at him and Carlos clings to him tighter, shaking his head. 

“You help me with my math homework and play games with me! You’re a really cool brother!” 

Julie plops a bowl of blueberries by Ray’s elbow and flies across the kitchen, ignoring Carlos’ disgruntled sound when he gets sandwiched in her bear hug. She rests her head on Reggie’s chest and whispers to his heart.

“You helped me find my voice again, Reggie. Not just my music. Myself. You really are the coolest. I’ll never be able to thank you enough. We love you.” 

She didn’t call him a brother, some delusional part of him notes, but he shoves that away.

“I love you guys too, of course I do, but that was Luke—” 

She thumps her forehead against his chest. “No, it was all of you! And you’re the one who chooses to spend time with my family. They’ve already claimed you. The best thing you can do is give in before Tia tries to make us get married, or something.” 

“Okay, this is getting way too mushy now,” Carlos complains, wriggling out of the embrace.

Ray clears his throat. “Julie, why don’t you help Carlos find the whisk? It’s buried in the pantry.”

Reggie shoots her a panicked look, but she just rolls her eyes, though her ears are tipped red. 

“Sure thing, dad.” Julie ushers Carlos into the walk-in pantry. She throws one last look over her shoulder and mouths, “It’ll be fine.” 

His nerves are still telling him that it’s anything but fine. He appreciates the effort, though. 

Reggie sidles over to Ray, heart bobbing in his throat, and accepts the spatula from him. He keeps his eyes glued to the pancake that’s already sizzling cheerfully in the skillet, blissfully unaware of his inner turmoil. Ray clasps his shoulder. 

“Reggie, you aren’t in trouble. You can stop staring at that pancake like this is its funeral.” 

A nervous laugh crawls out of his throat. “Right, right. You’re sure it’s not mine?” 

Ray coughs. Reggie’s 99% sure that it’s to cover a laugh. He releases Reggie’s shoulder. 

“Positive. I meant what I said, mijo. I’d adopt you if you weren’t in love with my daughter.” 

Reggie drops the spatula. This poor pancake is going to be as fried as his brain. 

“What?” he squeaks, scrambling to retrieve the spatula from the floor and hide his flaming face. “No, I mean, Julie’s wonderful and beautiful and a guy could get lost in her eyes forever but—” 

“Reggie.” Ray calmly flips the pancake with another spatula that he produced from who knows where. His mouth ticks up. “Breathe. I don’t need to give you a shovel talk. It’s clear that you give yourself enough of those. It’s okay.” 

He huffs. It technically counts as breathing. The pancake bubbles back at him. 

“It’s not! Isn’t it weird? I mean, I’ve sort of already wormed my way into her family and I don’t want her to feel like she owes me her love or anything—” 

“She thinks more highly of you than you realize. Than you do. You talk about yourself like you’re a vampire, mijo, and you aren’t. We love you. We like having you around. You’re the only kid in this house who actually listens to me when I ramble about photography. You carry things to the car for Victoria and never miss Carlos’ baseball games and I know you’re the reason that both of my kids are passing math. How is up to you and Julie, but you’re a part of this family.”

Reggie swallows. His eyes are burning, now, and he lets Ray fold him into a hug. He kisses the crown of Reggie’s head, something he’s seen him do to Julie and Carlos a million times, and Reggie’s powerless to prevent the tears from falling as Ray continues in a soft voice. 

“You’re so busy looking at Julie like she hung the moon that you never see the way she looks at you. Believe me, I was that boy once. You’d better tell her how you feel before she gets jealous and dumps a milkshake on the next girl who makes the mistake of flirting with you.” 

The anecdote startles a laugh out of him. Reggie sniffs. “Did Rose really do that?” 

“Oh, absolutely. Ask Victoria if you don’t believe me.” 

They do scorch that first pancake a little bit, but Reggie can’t bring himself to care, not when he feels so at home in all of these hugs. Julie stumbles out of the pantry with stars in her eyes, clutching the whisk and then Reggie to her chest. Carlos squints at them, but all Reggie can do is laugh and swing her around.

The Molinas really do give the very best hugs. 

They still need to have that talk, but the way Julie holds his hand under the table is pretty great, too. 

[brightstvrlights]

Addison smirks at the response, closing the fridge door nonchalantly and sidling up to the counter opposite Jackson. "My sincerest apologies, handsome. Looks like we're ordering brunch in then, something tells me you're not ready to make small talk in a cafe just yet. Was it the tequila?" @heartofasoldier

"Fuck woman, save the judgement for after 10am and post coffee." @brightstvrlights

[buckys-black-dress]

✄ chapter three: losin' grip on my doin'

a/n: okay, let's goooo! chapter 3 :) things are buildin up... get ready ;) chapter 4 will be posed tonight or tomorrow :)

wc: 4.1k

[fratboy!bucky barnes x fem!reader]

series masterlist

-

To say the least, waking up the next morning in the most coveted after playboy's bed was a shock. You wake up nestled into Bucky Barnes' side, and you wonder if this is what it felt like.

If this is what every conquest that's been brought to his room feels like when they wake up.

You're very much aware of a metal arm slung over your waist, and you feel panic rise up in your throat. Once you recognize you're fully clothed, you release a breath and feel the tension disintegrating from your body.

You can feel Bucky Barnes' heavy breaths under your head from where you're situated on his chest, and you take a moment and pause.

You would never think you'd find yourself in this situation; sidled up in bed with your university's most notorious fratboy. Someone girls and guys coveted after, and who would do anything to get in bed with him.

Yet, here you are. You don't want to admit to yourself that you quite like it here. You feel comfortable, safe. Fitted perfectly right under his arm, listening to his even breaths as you replay the night before's events in your mind like a film reel.

You meet him.

You play pong with him.

You talk to him.

You go up to his room with him.

And now you're awake in his bed. Fully clothed.

How?

Before you could ask too many questions and drown into a spiral, you hear Bucky draw in a sharp breath, signaling his awakening. You look up at him, wondering how he's going to react to you being here. Not only you being here, but also how you two woke up.

"Mornin', doll." He smiles down at you, and his morning voice sends a shiver down your spine at the raspiness.

"H-Hi." You simply say. You can't quite draw any coherent thoughts at the moment, as Bucky's arm tightens around you and draws you closer to his body.

"Sleep well?" He asks, still looking down at you fond look that makes your heart swell in your chest.

"Hm," you hum, "better than I expected, honestly." You laugh.

"Good, spent way too much on this mattress for it to not please my guests." Bucky smirks, and you get lost in his blue eyes for a moment.

But then, you think about his word choice. Guests. Plural. And although you know nothing happened between you two, you still feel a wave of shame wash over you at the notion.

Bucky's had guests in this bed before. You aren't the first girl to sleep in this bed, and you probably weren't the last.

You feel Bucky shift underneath you, seeing his expression turn to worry at the way you're clearly lost in thought.

"Everythin' alright?" He asks, and you nod quickly.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just peachy." You give a quick smile, trying to not show how your stomach was churning at the thought of all the girls who've been here before you.

"Wanna go grab some breakfast?" Bucky asks, and you pause.

He wants to stay with me? He's not kicking me out, asking me to leave?

“Sure, uh, where did you wanna go?” You ask gently, worrying that you might scare him off, that he’s delusional right now and he doesn’t really want to spend time with you. You’re beyond confused right now.

“We can head to the diner if you’re good with that? My treat.” He says as he stands up, pulling on a shirt to avoid the chill of the room.

It’s a red henley, and the way you see his muscles straining in the sleeves of the shirt has a blush crawling up your neck.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” You croak, getting out of the bed.

-

By the time you get up and get dressed, sweatpants courtesy of Bucky, and head to the diner, it’s already noon. It’s a Saturday morning, so most people are still in bed while recovering from their hangovers.

“So, how come I haven’t seen you at one of our parties before last night?” Bucky asks while you seat yourselves at a booth in the back of the diner.

“I uhm, I don’t really go out too much. Natasha basically begged me to come out, and I only did it to get her off my case and stop asking me.” You reply while taking a sip of the scalding coffee in front of you that a nice waitress poured for the two of you.

“Really? Well, I’d say you should come more often,” he gives you this smile, and your brain is short-circuiting at how handsome he looks. “You were a great pong partner.”

The emphasis on the word and his tone indicate that he was very much so being sarcastic, and you give a bashful chuckle at his words.

“Oh yeah, definitely. I have nothing on Natasha and Sam.” You laugh, and the same waitress comes by to take your orders.

Once she flutters back behind the counter to put the orders in, you’re reading a text on your phone that you felt vibrate while it was in the pocket of Bucky’s sweater you were sporting.

Natasha:

(12:08 PM) Hey, did you end up getting back safe last night? Sorry I kind of bailed, I just ended up crashing when I got to Sam’s room.

She punctuates her sentence with a face palm emoji in embarrassment, and you smile at the text.

Y/N:

(12:10 PM) Hi, I just crashed in Bucky’s room last night. No funny business tho, so don’t get any ideas in your head.

As you send off the message, you turn off your phone and place is face-down on the table, deciding you’ll deal with Nat’s freak out about you spending the night with Bucky later.

“Everythin’ okay?” Bucky’s voice startles you out of your thoughts, and you snap your eyes up to his.

“Yeah, Nat was just making sure I didn’t end up dead in a ditch last night.” You laugh, shaking your head at how dramatic your roommate could be at times.

“Hey, it’s good to know she cares about you.” He responds, and you nod at his words.

“I mean, yeah. No matter how much she might bug me about going out or getting a boyfriend, she’s still like my sister. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” A sigh leaves your mouth, thinking about Nat. She’s been there for you through everything in your life, and it was true. She was your biggest supporter, and you’re glad you have someone who cares so much for you.

“She seems like a great friend. Sam and Steve are the same for me. I mean, although I grew up with Steve, Sam was like the third brother we never even knew we needed.” He stares off into the distance with a soft look in his eyes, and you smile fondly at his words.

In that moment, you feel like you’re seeing a side of Bucky that not many people get to see. This is Bucky, a guy from Brooklyn who’s just trying to get by in college. Not a man-whore, or a guy who just wants to ge his dick wet like everyone says.

Before you could come up with a response to what he’s said, the same lady comes and places your hot food in front of the both of you, leaving with a ‘enjoy!’ before she whirls away again.

You eat while making small talk, just about life, school, and hobbies. Before you know it, Bucky asks for the check, and even though you know he said he’d pick it up earlier, you still fight him on paying for half the bill.

In the end, Bucky becomes so frustrated with your antics that he simply gets up and hands the waitress his card, and you simply watch with a dropped jaw at his actions.

“You didn’t have to do that!” You exclaim, albeit quietly, but enough to show your frustration.

“Doll, I’m treating you to brunch. Just let me.” Is all Bucky says, effectively shutting you up.

-

On your walk back to campus, Bucky asks what you’re doing for the rest of the day, asking if you wanted to come back to his room.

“I should head back, Natasha’s probably waiting for me with a million questions.” You bashfully look up to your window from the bottom of your dorm building.

“Oh, okay doll.” Bucky wraps his arms around you, pulling you into an unexpected hug. You feel your body tense at the action, but once you realize what’s happening, you relax again, letting yourself melt into his body.

“See ya later?” He asks with a raised brow.

“Uh, yeah. I don’t know what I’ll be doing later, but we can talk later.” You smile up at him, slowly moving out of his grip and towards the door.

Before you could fully open the door, you hear Bucky’s voice call out to you one more time.

“Y/N, wait!” He yells, jogging over to you at the door. “Can I uh, get your number? So I can text you later?” He asks, his metal hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“O-Oh, sure! Yeah!” You reply a bit louder than you had intended, just out of pure shock at his question.

You open a new message on your phone, allowing Bucky to type in his number and save his contact. Once he hands the device back to you, you see his name saved as Bucky Barnes <3.

Before you can say anything about the heart he added himself, he pecks your cheek and runs off, with a distant ‘I’ll see ya later, doll!’

You essentially float up to your room, not feeling like you were on the planet right now. You felt like you were up in the clouds, unaware of your own actions. You unlock the door to your room, and Natasha is perched upon her bed, looking down at two outfits she has held up against her form.

“Hey! You didn’t answer my messages, you little bitch! Tell me everything!” She turns around at the sound of you entering, already berating you.

But it all sounds muffled in your ears, not fully comprehending what she was saying to you.

“Hey, you okay? Earth to Y/N?” The redhead says again, waving a hand in front of your face at your spacey expression.

“I-I, yeah, I’m fine. Just… shocked.” You breathe out.

“So? Tell me what happened!”

At first, you could barely get the words out of your mouth, trying to explain everything that occurred in the past 24 hours. You get through the story, a little bit challenged at trying to organize your thoughts, but eventually you get Natasha up to speed.

“So… you didn’t have sex with him?” Your roommate says, and you shake your head no.

“Nat, you know how I feel about having sex. I don’t want to rush into it, and I don’t want my first time to be with some… random guy from a frat. I want it to be with someone I trust, someone I’m comfortable with.” You tell her like a broken record, because over the course of the time that you’ve been friends with Natasha, you’ve had this conversation with her several times. Sometimes, you wondered why she was so hellbent on you losing your virginity.

As much as you loved her and understood her intentions with the question, you were getting tired of having to defend yourself every time.

“I- I know! I just… I want you to be happy, with whoever you want. I never want you to think I’m rushing you though, Y/N. I love you.” Natasha explains, putting her hand on your arm in consolation.

“I know, Nat. But trust me, you’ll be the first to know when I do… do it. Don’t worry.” You laugh at how ridiculous you sounded.

She’s looking back down at her bed now, looking between the outfits she was holding earlier.

“Okay… now, help me pick an outfit! Sam wants to go on a date tonight!” She says, showing you the different options.

As you two banter and talk about last night, you interrupt Natasha’s tirade about Sam and ‘what a gentleman he is!’

“Bucky gave me his number earlier.” Saying it out loud makes it sound all the more ridiculous. You feel like a high-schooler at your words, and the way Natasha stops all movement makes you feel all the more insane.

“His number?” She asks, like she couldn’t figure out what to really say.

“Yeah. He even saved a heart next to his name in my phone. What does that even mean?” You wonder out loud, and now you’re sure you’ve gone crazy.

“I… I’m not sure. I think he likes you.” She says nonchalantly, and you scoff.

“Yeah, because Bucky Barnes is very interested in a girl he met last night who didn’t want to sleep with him. He must be going crazy over a girl like me.” You finish with an incredulous laugh, like it never even crossed your mind that he could like you.

“Well… he acted very different from you’ve been telling me. He usually just fucks a girl and she leaves the next morning, nothing more, nothing less. The fact that he didn’t fuck you and took you out to brunch says a lot about this whole situation.” She explains, and you’re still having a hard time grasping this information.

Just as you’re about to find a rationale as to why her explanation isn’t plausible, you feel your phone buzz.

With furrowed brows, you open your texts.

Bucky Barnes <3:

(2:01 PM) Hey doll, do you wanna come by to another party we’re having tonight? Could use my trusty pong champ ;)

Your mouth dries at the message, words lodged in your throat.

“Look what he just texted me.” You flip your screen to Nat and she reads with an unreadable expression, which quickly turns into her brows shooting up.

“A winky face! Y/N/N, he fucking likes you! He wants to see you again!” She exclaims, and you don’t even know what to say.

“How do I respond?” You feel so unexperienced, asking your roommate for advice on how to text a guy.

“Here, gimme,” she snatches the phone out of your grasp, quickly typing something and handing the phone back to you.

You read what she sent with wide eyes.

Y/N Y/L/N:

(2:11 PM) I’ll be there ;) Should I bring clothes to change into for tonight?

“Nat! Why would you say that? You’re making it sound like I wanna have sex with him tonight!” You rise up from your spot on her bed in a panic, pacing the area of your small room.

“Y/N, relax! He-” Before she could finish, your phone buzzed again.

Bucky Barnes <3

(2:13 PM) Hilarious, doll. You don’t have to, but if you wanna crash here again tonight, you can definitely bring your own stuff if that makes you more comfy :)

“Oh my God. He’s so sweet!” Nat giggles, covering her mouth with her hand. “You have to go now!”

“Nat… doesn’t this look a little… suspicious? From what I’ve heard, this isn’t how he usually acts.” You say wearily, the worry clear in your tone.

“Y/N, look at me.” Natasha's hands come to the sides of your head, urging your gaze to meet hers. “You’re a great girl. You deserve someone who treats you well and gets excited to see you, like Bucky is right now. Don’t push him away. You deserve something good.”

At her words, your eyes soften and you feel the distant sting of tears behind your eyes. You give her a nod, not knowing how to express your gratitude to her in words at the moment. She pulls you into a hug and you hold her tight against you, like she might disappear if you let go.

“Now, we need to get you ready for tonight. You’re gonna make Bucky wish he fucked you.” Natasha smirks an evil one.

“Nat!”

-

The party was in full swing upon your arrival. You were all alone when you walked through the doors of the fraternity house, as Natasha had gone on her dinner date with Sam. She’d promised she’d come by after dinner, and you were practically shaking while searching for Bucky in the packed house.

There were people everywhere, and the longer it took for you to find Bucky, the more anxious you were becoming about being here.

“Y/N!” You hear distantly, and your head whips around in search of the owner of the voice.

You feel a hand slide around your waist, and you smell Bucky before you see him. If it weren’t for the distinct smell of his cologne and mint, you would’ve slapped the hand away long ago.

“Hey! Been wonderin’ when you’d show up.” Bucky has a smile on his face, showing off his pearly whites.

“Sorry, I got held up at home with Natasha.” You tell him, looking around at the crowd. You could feel your breathing shorten at the sheer amount of people around you, and your stomach churns in anxiety.

As if Bucky senses your discomfort, he rubs the hand on your waist along the expanse of your back.

“You okay?” He asks, visibly concerned at your demeanor.

You nod wordlessly, trying to make it seem like you weren’t extremely stressed right now. You would’ve loved to let loose tonight, but yesterday was already pushing it in terms of going out.

“Do you wanna head upstairs?” Bucky asks in clear concern at your demeanor right now. He feels a wave of guilt wash over him. If he knew just how much you were going to become uncomfortable by just being here tonight, he wouldn’t have asked you to come. He would’ve simply asked you on a date, or done a night in with you.

You nod again, not allowing the words to leave your throat. You feel as though your mouth is full of cotton, not even being able to form any coherent thoughts at the moment.

Bucky’s cool metal arm guides you by your lower back to the stairs, and you’re once again reminded of the previous night. His cool metal hand is the only thing grounding you at the moment, and you think you would’ve ended up on the dirty bathroom floor downstairs in a puddle of tears if Bucky had taken any longer to find you.

You pass through his doorway, and Bucky’s arm is holding you against him as the door shuts behind you two.

He wordlessly caresses you, running a soothing hand up and down your back, which is partially open because of your outfit. You’re wearing a dress from Natasha’s closet, which she claimed made you look ‘hotter than the motherfucking sun, Y/N’, and you were basically forced into.

“For what it’s worth, honey, you look stunning tonight.” You feel Bucky’s chest rumble from his speaking from where you’re placed against him, and you give a light laugh.

“Thanks,” you return quietly, unable to really come up with anything witty to say. “I’m sorry I’m ruining tonight for you.” Your voice comes after a few moments of silence, but suddenly you’re pulled away from his body.

“Hey,” his hands are on your shoulders, “you are not ruining anything, doll. Parties ’ll come and go, but I don’t want to do it if it isn’t with you.” He tells you in earnest, and you feel an indistinguishable ache in your chest at his words.

Where did this man come from? It seems as though the perfect guy, one who respects you, one who doesn’t force you into anything, one who seems to care too much about you has just... fallen into your lap.

It almost seems too good to be true.

“Bucky…” You trail off, unable to find any words of gratitude at the moment.

“Yeah, doll?”

“Can we just… lay down? Maybe watch a movie?” You ask.

“Of course we can, honey. Anythin’ you want.” He smiles brightly again as your mood seems to lighten a bit. “Do you need a change of clothes?”

“Yes, please. If you don’t mind.” You can’t really bring yourself to look at him. You feel embarrassed that you’ve pulled him away from his own party. Although he constantly reassures you that he doesn’t mind, you’re still bashful.

“Here, honey,” he hands you the same garments from last night, “you look good in these.” He laughs, and you feel your cheeks turn bright red.

“I- I’ll be right back.” You give a tight smile and retreat to the bathroom.

While Bucky waits outside, he begins to get lost in his thoughts. He liked you. A lot. How did he get himself into this mess? He’s not stupid. He knows what he did to get here. And now it was looking really, really, stupid.

Unfortunately, there was no getting it out of it now, though. He could try and reason with the person he’d made a promise to, but he was stubborn. There was little to no chance he would be able to get out of this one.

But he thinks of it on the flip side. He’s been seen bringing you up to his room two nights in a row, and he knows how it makes both of you look.

For him, he looks like he’s keeping up with reputation.

Take a girl home.

Fuck her.

Leave it at that.

No one quite knew you on campus except for your friends, so they weren’t worried about you or who you were.

All that mattered was that Bucky Barnes was keeping up with his usual antics that were expected of him. There was nothing out of the ordinary for him, other than the fact that he wasn’t actually fucking you.

Bucky snaps out of his train of thought when he hears the bathroom door click open, his eyes meeting yours once again.

But his eyes quickly divert to your body, once again covered by his baggy clothing. You were watching his stare move down your body and felt a wave of insecurity wash over you.

You probably weren’t half as gorgeous as the girls he’s brought back here before. You knew what kind of girls guys like him preferred. Long, cascading hair, big, bright eyes, thin waists, legs that went on for what seemed like miles.

You just weren’t that.

It made you come back to the thoughts that had plagued your mind previously.

Where did Bucky’s interest in you come from?

Why was he suddenly feel the need to coddle you, take care of you, to reassure you?

Your concern was quickly washed away when Bucky settled in his bed, patting his spot next to him under the covers.

“You comin’?” He asks in a raspy, quiet voice that makes your knees wobble.

You don’t say anything while you situate yourself beside him.

“Bucky, can I ask you something?” You begin meekly, not making eye contact with him.

“Anythin’, doll. Somethin’ wrong?” He looks down at you in a worried gaze, and you shake your head.

“I just… what made you want to approach me? I- I know I’m not like those other girls you’ve been with before, and I can’t help but think that you… you want something else from me?” You explain with little ease. You feel bile rising in your throat as you speak because you can’t bear to think that Bucky really ulterior motives for all this time you’ve spent together.

You’ve only just met him, yet you feel like you’ve known him forever. You’re comfortable with him, more than you usually would be with a stranger, and it freaks you out.

“Y/N… can you look at me?” Bucky tilts his head down to try and meet your eyes, which is something you can barely do at the moment. “I want you to know, before this goes anywhere else; you are an amazing girl. I don’t know why it took me so long to talk to you, but I think you’re one the most genuine, kind, beautiful girls I’ve ever met. I… I know I have a reputation that precedes me, but you… you’re different.” He speaks so genuinely to you that you feel a slight sting behind your eyes.

“I… I never want you to doubt yourself ever again, doll. You’re perfect, just as you are. I’m sorry it looked like I was after anything else before.” Bucky finishes, and you can’t seem to find any words at the moment.

You just nod fervently, and then you feel yourself being pulled into Bucky’s large arms.

“Please, don’t let anyone make you doubt yourself again. You’re worth it.”

That night, you fall into the most comfortable and deep sleep of your life, wrapped safely in Bucky’s arms.

[newtonsheffield]

Guys, we need to talk about something.

It's very important.

It's Edwina + Mary + Anthony +Their Love of Great British Bakeoff

Kate liked cooking, she really did, some of her best memories were of her sitting in the kitchen with her Dad while he rattled off lists of ingredients to Mary in Tamil, both of them moving around the kitchen in sync, Kate always a step behind watching the beautiful chaos a little awed. And perhaps it wasn't flattering, but she loved when Anthony cooked. Not just because it made her feel loved and cared for that he'd go to the effort of all of this, just for her, but because he looked so ridiculously hot while doing it. He always had his sleeves rolled up, a neat apron on and his brow furrowed while he laboured away in the kitchen, the temperature hiking not only because of the stove. Yes, Anthony Bridgerton was ridiculously hot when he cooked. What was very not hot, was how much he loved The Great British Bakeoff.

It had started at brunch one Sunday, Mary and Edwina unpacking the latest episode while Mary flipped pancakes same as they always did when a season was airing, Kate mostly tuning it out. For all her love of cooking, competition baking shows weren't really her thing. She'd been sitting at the table, her legs thrown over Anthony's whispering something, perhaps a little too filthy, in his ear given her Mother and Sister were only a few feet from them, when he suddenly said Are you guys talking about Bakeoff?! Edwina had practically spun off her chair at Anthony's excited tone, Mary's spatula frozen halfway to the pan. Yes? She said lightly. Anthony leapt into the conversation surprising Kate What do you guys think of this new round of bakers? I think Lottie's obviously hilarious and I'm sure Laura's tastes good but her presentation is sloppy at best. Mary was still staring open mouthed, Edwina practically agog. Kate recovered first, What the fuck Anthony? Anthony turned towards her a little surprised Do you not like Bakeoff? He was clearly equally affronted. Kate opened her mouth to respond, a little surprised., but Edwina got there first. Sadly she's a heathen, every family has to have a disappointment. Mary hummed sympathetically though turned to Anthony clearly falling a little more in love with the idea of him as Kate's boyfriend than she already was, Now Anthony, have you ever made battenberg? And while Kate couldn't help but feel she'd slipped into a parallel universe as Anthony leapt into a description of the time that he had in fact made a battenberg cake, she had to admit, it was a little nice to see him interacting with her family this effortlessly.

Mary Sheffield wouldn't say she was necessarily intimidated by Anthony Bridgerton, but he was an imposingly successful person, for so young a man. He was tall, and a little disarmingly attractive particularly when he smiled with his entire face as he did when he looked at Kate, and he seemed so oddly formal all the time, perhaps a habit from his upbringing. It wasn't that she thought he was an unkind man, in fact she was rather attached to the idea of him being the father of her grandchildren one day, but the very last thing she expected him to say when he sidled up next to her at the end of brunch one day was Mary, I ahh I know that you usually watch bake off with Eddie, and I don't want to intrude or insert myself into your family God I wish you would, you can marry Kate tomorrow Mary had thought a little wildly, But I would be very honoured if you would maybe consider watching it at my house sometime. Um you and Eddie can both come, and Kate will be there, and I'll make dinner! He'd finished, the words spilling from his mouth before he could stop them, eager and he looked so young and excited that Mary's own heart had done an odd little flutter at her daughter's boyfriend being so sweet that he would sit and watching a baking show with her. Oh Anthony that sounds wonderful, Eddie and I will come this week. And the smile that had crossed his face was so breathtaking that Mary didn't have to wonder why Kate had fallen in love with him at all. And surely enough she arrived at Anthony's that week to find the table ladened with food, and a slightly confused looking Kate whose eyes flitted between them as they discussed the show and the techniques used. Mary had pulled Kate into a tight hug as she'd left whispering Katie, he's a very sweet man. You should marry him. in her ear at the end and despite the fact that Kate looked away embarrassedly she'd whispered I'll try.

Really, over the years, Kate had gotten almost used to the mania that engulfed Anthony during bakeoff season. The fact that he spent all week perfecting whatever the technical challenge had been to present at brunch on Sunday, or that he tutted and sighed whenever his favourite contestant left, and at least she had Matt now who despite being an expert baker himself was only so so on the show itself though he was rather more enamoured with Edwina's love of it that Kate was of Anthony's. But it really got out of hand when Edwina won celebrity Bake off, and presented the trophy to Anthony. That trophy became the bane of Kate's existence. It sat, in their Kitchen, in pride of place, right where a picture of the two of them used to rest, and while he would never admit to it, she knew he polished it regularly. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me He said proudly when he looked at it, Kate scoffing bemusedly. Anthony we have two children together. Anthony shrugged. Indignation flared in Kate's chest. If you could only do one thing: Take me and the boys to Disneyland which you know Edmund's desperate to do or go on Bakeoff what would it be? Anthony barely looked at her as he said Don't do this Kate, You'll only upset yourself.

[starlightrows]

The Perfect Day

Pairing: Paz Viszla x reader

Word Count: 2k

Tags: Dangerously high levels of fluff!

Summary: Paz goes out of the way to make your birthday special!

AN: Second time posting this, the original got deleted by mistake! This was created to celebrate my birthday! Loosely inspired by @maybege soulmate!paz!

Your nose twitches at the sweet smell of cocoa and coffee as you begin the pull towards wakefulness. The heavy blankets and duvet that keep you warm is being pulled back, and you can feel gentle breath being puffed onto your cheeks. He places gentle pressure on your forehead, again on your temple trailing down to the apple of your cheek to the tip of your nose. By the time he reaches your lips you can’t contain your sleepy smile. His laugh is deep and hearty between gentle kisses, coaxing you into opening your eyes.

“Good morning birthday girl,” he smiles. You squeeze your eyes shut and push your face up to his to nuzzle your nose against his, feeling extra cuddly from his wake up kisses.

“Good morning,” you reply

“Made you breakfast,” he says, you open your eyes and sit up with him.

“Oh! Thank you honey,” He brings a bread tray forward, loaded with a massive plate of what you correctly assume to be savory waffles, a bowl of fruit, and two cups of coffee. He sits on the bed cross legged in front of you, placing the tray between you.

You excitedly dig, enjoying the crispy exterior of the waffles and rich chocolate laced into the coffee. He sits back enjoying his coffee, and the fruits of his labor.

“Paz, there is so much of this. How early did you get up to pull all this off?” You ask, because even with both of you eating there is a lot of food.

“Not as early as you think, this is turning out to be more of a birthday brunch than a breakfast” he smiles sheepishly. You glance at the clock on his dresser. He’s right, it’s a quarter past 11. He let you sleep in well past your normal lazy day wake up time.

“I figured if I was going to make your favorite breakfast anyway, I might as well make a lot so we can save some for the next few days,” he explains

You can’t help but smile, it was a thoughtful gesture, but if he didn’t put them away soon you’d sit there and eat the whole platter full!

When the bunch was finished, you helped him take the dishes downstairs, despite his protests.

“It’s your day love, is there anything you’d like to do?” He asks while washing the utensils you’d used to eat.

“Well with all the fresh snow on the ground, I was thinking we could pull out the snow shoes and do a hike. We could try the lookout loop again,” you reply, peeking out the massive front window at the snowy driveway and dense forest just outside the cabin. While the ground may be covered in a thick blanket of snow, the sky is free of heavy cloud cover “it’s pretty clear out today, hopefully we’ll be able to see the valley this time,”

“Yeah, sounds great. I can pack the hiking bag if you want to go pull the snow shoes out from the equipment closet,” he tosses a tea towel over his shoulder. You nod and slammer off to find the snow shoes.

Half an hour later, you and Paz are sitting on the bench under the covered back porch wearing snow pants, lightweight thermal jackets, beanies and gloves; strapping the snowshoe attachments to your heavy snow boots. Paz carries the big hiking bag that houses your emergency supplies and water for the wintertime hike, while you carry the smaller bag that has snacks and a blanket for the look out point.

He gives you a hand up, and lets you lead the way to start out the hike. You’d done this hike together many times before, once you started moving you almost didn’t need to think about it. He fell in step just behind you and the two of you shared easy, fun conversation as you hiked the familiar path up the mountain. Air was still and cold, but you felt amazing, kept warm by your insulating layers and the movement of your body. This hike was beautiful as it is in the summer months, but winter was its own kind of beauty.

The last mile or so to reach the lookout point was the hardest part, Paz’s long strides made it somewhat easier for him and you laughed as he passed you on the uphill climb. Just like he always did. He welcomed you at the top with a gentle hand, leading you to the lookout point. This place was special to the two of you. You’d come up here dozens of times together, he’d proposed to you on this spot, and a year later you���d gotten married at the top of this mountain.

“You were right,” he said, directing your attention out over the valley. It was pristine and perfect. The valley was like a bowl, fully surrounded on all sides by steep snow capped mountains. The lake in the center was a deep dark inky black, without so much as a ripple on the water. The lack of breeze in the chilled air made everything still. It was absolutely gorgeous and exactly what you had been hoping for.

Paz helped ease the pack off your back, and fished the blanket out from the bottom. He did his best to dust off one of the massive boulders you often sat on when coming up here, and spread the blanket out over it.

You sat together on the blanket enjoying crisp apples, sour gummy worms, salty jerky and of course passing a thermos full of cocoa back and forth. The only acceptable lunch for a day hike you claimed.

Before long you and Paz packed up your blanket and small amount of trash back into the bag, and triple checked to make sure everything was just the way you had found it. Together you set off back down the mountain, leading for home.

As the two of you neared the edge of the forest, Paz reached out and snagged your arm.

“Shhh, look!” He whispered pointing through the trees towards the cabin. You followed his gaze and the direction of his finger. Your eyes went wide, and your jaw slacked in elated shock.

Through the trees you could see it, a massive bull moose, leisurely strolling through your backyard about 30 yards away from where you and Paz stood. You had to cover your mouth to suppress your giddiness. Moose are your favorite animal, and one of the more rare animals to see on this side of the mountain. This was the biggest one you’d ever seen, and certainly the closest you’d ever been to one.

Of course you were well aware of how dangerous they are, so being protected from its view by the trees at this comfortable distance was the best and safest scenario for you. But this was also the coolest, most exciting thing that had ever happened to you! Eventually the Moose trotted along and disappeared into the trees on the opposite side of the property. You shared a look with Paz.

“Oh my god! That was a little intense,” you said following him towards the house

“I know. I’ve never seen one that close in my life. I almost wish we’d had a camera,” he replied.

You sat together on the back porch once more, removing your snowshoes, and kicking the remaining snow off the bottom of your boots. Once inside both of you stripped out of your snow pants and coats, leaving you in base layers and socks. You hung up the heavy gear in the entryway closet, and collected the extra bits that could go in the wash like socks.

Paz approaches you leaned down a bit and kissed the top of your head.

“If you let me rinse off real quick, you can take a bath while I work on dinner,” he offers

You hum at the attention of his kisses, “How can I say no to that. Its a deal babe,”

True to his word, Paz jumps in for a very quick shower just to get the sweat off of his body. He emerges from the bathroom with wet hair and warm skin. He gives you one more lingering kiss before letting you run off to draw a fancy bath for yourself.

Meanwhile he busies himself in the kitchen to make sure he’s got enough time to finish dinner, that he had secretly already started that morning, as well as the dessert he had planned.

By the time you’re coming back downstairs looking very cozy in an oversized knit sweater and leggings, dinner is on the table and dessert is just going into the oven. The table is set for the two of you with your favorite meal, and a nice candle in the middle. You sidle up to him, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“This is so romantic, you did all this for me?” You gaze lovingly at the beautiful dinner awaiting you.

“Of course,” he wraps his arms around you too, giving you a loving squeeze. He pulls away, and invites you to sit. The food is delicious, perfectly cooked just the way you like it. As you finish a timer goes off back in the kitchen.

You look past him into the kitchen, then turn your eyes back to him. “Paz?”

He grins mischievously, and gets up to pull dessert from the oven. It’s a small chocolate cake, and from the looks of it he’s attempted to make a lava cake with a gooey fudgy center. He turns it out onto a dish, and pulls the mold up and off it. He looks rather proud of himself. He sticks a single delicate white candle in the middle and deftly lights it. He sits it down in front of you with the warmest most genuine smile.

“Happy birthday baby,” he says “Don’t forget to make a wish,”

You giggle and give him a gentle smile, “I don’t know what more I could possibly wish for,” He grins at you. You do know what to wish for. You wish to be this happy every day. To feel this loved and cherished every moment for the rest of your days. You wish he would feel the same love and devotion coming from you. And you blow out the candle.

He produces two spoons and you share the dessert, finding its rich spongey cake to be without a shadow of a doubt the best dessert you’ve ever had. And you make sure to tell him that.

“I must be the most spoiled woman in the world. Breakfast, dinner and dessert! Will you at least let me help you do the dishes?” You ask when the plate has been all but licked clean of his chocolatey confection.

“Not a chance. You’re gonna go pick a movie,” he tells you, taking the plates into the kitchen to be washed. You laugh and shake your head, but acquiesce.

He joins you in the living room, and tumbles onto the couch pulling you on top of him to snuggle. In the end you choose an old favorite movie of yours, one that still makes you laugh despite the obviously terrible jokes. You’re half heartedly paying attention, more just basking in the warmth of Paz’s chest and the nostalgia of the film. Paz is not paying attention to the movie at all. He’s stroking your hair, and memorizing every detail of your face looking so blissful and content. Despite having been married for two years now, and together for two more, he could still spend an eternity studying your face and find something new or cute or amusing.

Your gaze drifted up to meet Paz, and your smile seemed to melt into a wider sleepier smile as you exhaled deeply.

“Good birthday?” He asks

“Mhm...” you nod “Perfect,”