#so i’m coming back a day later than i wanted

[muscle-gods-only]

My boyfriend made a New Year’s Resolution last year to get really big and jacked. He told me in a sad voice that he never stuck to his resolutions. So I promised him that if he would start in earnest before the New Year, I would pressure him to stick to his resolution. At first he would come straight home from work and I harassed him until he begrudgingly went to the gym. Thankfully back then I was quite a bit bigger than him, so I could physically push him out of the door, then I’d demand pictures of him working out. I was a total bitch but he wanted it. After a couple months he asked me if I would mind him spending many, many hundreds of dollars a month on juice. I told him that I would have to work extra hours, but he had been very regular at the gym and I knew that it was his ultimate dream so I told him that if I he would work out twice a day he could do it. My juiced up boy working out twice a day started blowing up. A month later we went on a late Spring cruise. We went to dinner to the ship’s steakhouse and my husband was unable to get into his clothes. I let him borrow my clothes, but he was bursting at the seams. Well, except the waist, he had to fold the pants. My guy went to the water slides and then came back immediately. “What’s wrong? Aren’t the slides open?” He looked at me, responding, “They are open, but they weigh you and the one I wanted to get on you are only allowed on it if you weigh between 80 and 265 lbs. I’m disappointed, but being 278 lbs with a 30 inch waist, I’m excited at my recent progress! Also, I bumped my head going into a six foot six doorway. Those growth hormones I went on as well is really helping me grow!” I looked a bit down. Since working long shifts I had been getting fat. My husband looked at me and my tummy. Then he said, “Babe, I really love you and so appreciate your sacrifices for me. You are so sexy and that new tummy is super hot! Nothing can make me love you more.” Over the cruise he kept pumping up his big, bulging muscles twice a day. He kept getting bigger and bigger. We had to cancel our reservations and ate at the buffet where he could wear tank tops and shorts with his massive thighs. Over the Summer, he kept getting bigger and bigger. In the Fall we got into a fight. The 340 pound beast grabbed my shirt and picked me up by the shirt like I was weightless. He was so so powerful, I was like nothing to his Herculean hands. He started tossing me about like a tiny throw pillow. I felt so tiny and fearful: I had no control of my physical safety. The huge man looked down onto me. I was still five foot seven, but he had mutated into seven foot four muscle god. The beast put me down and said, “Please stop fighting me. You need to tell me why you are so down lately? I looked over his massive body, then his tiny waist. Then I looked at huge belly and told him that while not working out, I passed the 300 pound mark. Then I added that was a month ago, then today I went over the 330 pound mark. I was devastated. He said, “You worship my muscles, please let me worship that majestic belly of yours! That will make you feel better!” I agreed. I f*cked his big mars muscle mountain pecs, then he f^cked my big man boobs. We both felt better, but then I asked him to pick me up and acts little threatening.

[icequeenlila]

oblivious Vander x jealous Silco

“See those girls over there? They seem plenty interested”, Silco said, taking another sip from his drink.

He had to switch to beer like half an hour ago, because working in the mines only paid you so much. Vander watched with a chuckle as his friend scrunched his nose at the bitter taste.

“Y’ could probably walk over ‘n simply grab one by the wrist”, Silco slurred, and Vander couldn’t help but huff out a laugh at the way the man’s eyes went a little cross-eyed as he checked the bottom of his empty glass.

It was the weekend and they were both well beyond wasted. They’d come here with Felicia, but as usual the girl had scuttered off to chat up every single person who was willing to listen. She was an extraordinary yapper on a normal day, the alcohol only boosted her confidence.

“Not interested”, Vander said after a brief glance towards the giggely group of girls. “I’m too comfortable here.”

It was true. The booze had warmed up his body and his mind felt comfortably numb. The booth he and Silco were sitting in was cozy, and their legs were entangled beneath the table. His mouth was curled into a constant smile, as usually when he was drunk.

Silco looked up at him with droopy eyes, his chin resting on one hand. He quirked an eyebrow at Vander, the usual sharp expression softened by too much booze. Vander would have to make sure his friend made it home safe, later.

“You’re the only guy I know who’d pass on that”, Silco said, lifting the glass to his lips.

Vander chuckled at the comment, watching as Silco threw back his head to make the last drops of liquor pour into his mouth. He watched Silco’s Adams apple bob up and down, transfixed by the motion.

The cozy warmth that had settled in his body suddenly felt like thrumming heat. Vander tightened the grip on his own drink, unable to look away. Silco’s neck was long and pretty and bared to Vander entirely. If he wanted, he could simply reach across the table and wrap his hand around his friend’s neck. He bet his fingers would encircle it entirely, his thumb placed on Silco’s Adams apple, feeling it work beneath soft skin.

God, he had to lay off the booze.

Vander almost jumped in his seat when Silco suddenly slammed the heavy glass onto the table, letting out a monster of a belch from the depths of his chest, successfully putting an end to the inappropriate daydream he was having.

Instead, Vander felt the muscles in his belly pull tight as he doubled over laughing. He loved this about drunk Silco; past a certain alcohol level, he lost his manners.

“I hate beer”, Silco muttered, frowning at his empty glass. “We need more.”

“I think you’re done for today”, Vander said, his voice still shaky with laughter. He wiped a tear from his eye, leaning back against the cushioned booth. “You just outdid Felicia’s death-belch.”

Silco looked at him, unimpressed. “I bet she would argue with you on that.”

He moved to stand, but Vander hooked his foot behind Silco’s heel beneath the table, making him slip and flop back down into his seat.

Silco blinked at him, then he looked down at the table, then back at him.

Another chuckle escaped Vander. He loved how his friend lost all his elegance after one too many drinks.

“Got a problem, Bozo two?” Silco quirked a brow at him.

Vander shook his head, a fond smile tugging at his lips. “Not at all”, he said. “I just think it’s time to go home.”

Silco cocked his head. “And I think I need another drink.”

Again, he moved to stand, and again, Vander stopped him from doing so.

“That’s mobbing”, Silco said, tone dry. “I’m gonna tell Felicia.”

Vander was still smiling. “I think she’ll side with me on this one.”

“Really?” Another quirk of Silco’s eyebrow. “You think Queen Booze will agree?”

“In this case, yes”, Vander said, resting his chin in one hand. “Also, other than you, she’s able to hold her liquor.” He reached out, flicking the strand of hair that always hung into Silco’s face. “As much as I like to hold your pretty hair when you need to throw up, I believe you wanna spare yourself the experience.”

Silco crossed his arms, giving him a sarcastic smile.

Vander chuckled at the sight. Silco looked so pretty in the dimmed light of the bar. Of course he looked pretty in every light. Vander really had to lay off the booze.

“You’re such a nanny”, Silco muttered, looking out at the crowd.

Vander grinned at the comment. “Someone has to take care of you.”

He could see Silco roll his eyes, and his smile grew even wider.

His friend had put on eyeliner, like he always did when they were going out. After spending half the night dancing and sweating, it had gotten slightly smudged, drawing a fine black shadow beneath his pretty eyes. It made the pale blue of his eyes pop out even more.

“Your fan club is staring at us again”, Silco muttered. Vander quirked a brow at the displeased tone in his friend's voice.

He followed Silco’s gaze and found the group of girls whispering and giggling to each other, one of them waving over at him. He gave a short acknowledging nod, which was enough to have them cheering in hushed voices and sticking their heads together in excitement.

Vander chuckled at their antics before turning away. He looked back at Silco, finding him in an increasingly bad mood. He could tell by the crinkle between his eyes and the little pout on his lips.

Vander thought he looked cute like that. Again, he reminded himself to quit drinking for today.

Silco wasn’t looking at Vander, his arms still crossed.

“Hey, Bozo one”, Vander teased. “What are you thinking about?”

Silco gave him a short side glance, before looking back at the dancing crowd. “I’m thinking that I need another drink.”

He sounded almost grumpy now. Another thing Vander loved about drunk Silco; no filter.

“What?” Vander tugged at a dark strand. “You're jealous because I have a fan club and you don’t?”

He tugged again, and finally Silco turned to face him. The glare had deepened on his face.

“Sure”, he muttered. “That’s my problem.”

Vander cocked his head at the sarcastic tone in his voice. A down side of himself getting a little too drunk; he grew slow, especially when it came to social interaction.

Silco caught the questioning look on his face, and quickly deflected.

“Usually I have the suitors lining up, and you know it”, he said, holding his nose a little higher. “You’re just scaring them off tonight.”

A chuckle escaped Vander. “What, because I’m not standing behind the bar for once?”

“Exactly”, Silco said with a shrug of his shoulder. “People think I’m here with you.”

Vander frowned. “You are here with me.”

Like he said before; slow.

Silco studied his face, searching for something there.

“Not what I meant”, he said after a while.

Vander frowned harder, and Silco rolled his eyes.

“I have to use the bathroom”, Silco said, detangling his feet from Vander’s. “See you in a few. If you’re still here then.”

“Where would I go?”, Vander asked as he watched his friend stand up.

Silco looked down at him with his pretty, blue eyes, and an expression that said ‘really?’ inside them.

Vander kept staring up in his pretty blues. He realized the booze had gotten to him more than he’d thought in the beginning.

When he still wouldn’t get it, Silco let out a defeated sigh, slipping out of the booth. His eyes caught on that group of girls again. Vander didn’t understand how they bothered him that much. He himself wouldn’t even have noticed them if Silco wouldn't have pointed it out to him.

Their giggling became pretty loud now; another thing Vander wouldn’t have noticed if Silco wasn’t staring at them so intently.

“On second thought”, Silco muttered when he watched one of the girls get up as if to come over. Her fellow friends cheered her on. “Take me home.”

Vander raised his eyebrows. “Huh?”

Silco turned to face him, blue eyes locking on his, and a demanding hand held out to him. “I’ve had enough drinks. Take me home.”

+

Wrote this out of a mood. It ends here bc my sis came in and asked me to play Mario Cart with her.

[violentdelightsandviolentends]

Honey Girl. Christmas.

chapter synopsis - Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas for you this year. Bucky’s determined to change that.

pairing - dads bestfriend!bucky barnes x female reader - soulmate au

warnings - cursing.

word count - 2.5k

authors note - I know what you’re thinking… murphy, this is a christmas chapter and it’s january 2nd. and yes, I know. I admit that I had a lot less time than I initially anticipated over the festive period to write. regardless, I hope you enjoy this. it’s a flashback, set between chapters 6 and 7 <3

series masterlist. main masterlist. inbox.

“You have icing on your face.”

You chuckle as Isabel rubs at your cheek with her sleeve, trying to be gentle but failing miserably.

“What colour?”

“Green.”

“Christmas cookies,” you say as you smack her hand away, laughing when she glares at you playfully. “The kitchen is covered in red and green icing. It looks like an elf was murdered in there.”

“That sounds festive. And morbid. And… delicious?”

“You want to take some home?”

“Yes!” she gasps with excitement. “I was telling my brother about them yesterday, he’s desperate to try some.”

“Remind me later, and I’ll grab you a box.”

“Thank you. You’re the best.”

You’re rising from your chair to return to the kitchen when Isa grabs your hand, pulling you back down. You quirk a brow at her in confusion, asking a silent question.

“You’re going home for Christmas, right?”

She’s squeezing your hand rather tightly, waiting like an eager puppy for your response.

“I, uh - yeah. I think I am. Need to make sure I get back here in plenty of time for opening between the twenty fifth and new year.”

“Girl… what? That means you’ll only be home for a few days. That’s not a real Christmas.”

“It’s okay, it’s just the way things are. It’ll be a super busy few days anyway, knowing my Mom.”

She looks at you intently for a moment, and you can practically see the wheels turning in her brain.

“We’ll cover you.”

“Isa… what?”

“We’ll cover it. Me, Stella, and we can get Justin and Mikey to help too. They’re coming to give us a hand over the next few weeks anyway, so they might as well pull their weight.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I’m telling you, that’s what we’re going to do.”

“Isa-”

“Please. You’re the backbone of this place - it’d quite literally fall apart without you. The least you deserve is some decent time off with your family back home. You deserve a proper Christmas.”

You’re quiet for a moment, contemplating everything. The more you think about it, the more you’re tempted - the idea of more time with your parents and Bucky is too good to pass up.

“Only if Stella agrees. And you can’t convince her - she has to agree on her own terms.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“I should be thanking you,” you laugh, shaking your head.

“Okay, now leave.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been here since 4am. Please, go home.”

“Isa.”

“I am so serious right now. Look at my face. Look at how serious I am.”

You can’t help but laugh at her, the stoic expression she wears doing nothing to hide the amusement behind those big brown eyes.

“Fine, fine. Man, you’re bossy today.”

“I’m learning from the best.”

You hit her with your dish towel, punishment for the jab she made. She’s giggling like a maniac, skipping back to her place behind the counter.

“Isa - call me if you need anything, yeah?”

“Always.”

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

You’ve been in the same spot on the couch for an hour when there’s a knock at your door. Reluctantly, you get up to answer it, disappointed about leaving the cocoon you’ve made so comfortable.

Your hand is on the door knob when you feel a sudden rush of warmth through your chest, spreading rapidly to the tips of your fingers and the soles of your feet. Suddenly, everything is a little bit brighter, more colourful, more vibrant. The birds are chirping louder, the sun setting in a more beautiful shade of orange than before.

He’s here.

You swing the door open to reveal Bucky, standing looking hopeful with his overnight bag in his hand. He gets even more beautiful every time you see him. His hair is a little longer, his stubble growing out slightly, freckles scattered across his golden cheeks. He looks like the sun has come down to earth and given him a kiss, just because.

“You’re here.”

“I’m here.”

He’s wrapping his arms around you before you can move, creating a safety net that blankets you both. You breathe him in, the scent of the ocean and musk and wood and home.

“What are you doing here?” you mumble against the soft cotton of his t shirt.

“Came to surprise you. Thought we could have our own Christmas, the two of us.”

“Really?” you ask as you pull back to look at him.

“Really. Isabel says you’ve been working too hard, and that you need a pick me up.”

“You talk to Isa?”

“We’re friends on Facebook.”

You laugh like you can’t help it, shaking your head at the idea of the two of them messaging each other.

“She was very adamant about sending me home today. It all makes sense now.”

“Our master plan worked,” he chuckles, stepping inside and kicking the door closed behind him.

You’ve almost forgotten how easily Bucky fits into your space, like he belongs there. He throws his bag down and sits down on your couch, sinking into the cushions like they’re moulded to his shape, ready and waiting for him to return.

“How long are you here for?” you ask as you slide yourself into his side, slotting in perfectly.

“Just a couple of days. And then I’ll see you back home for Christmas with your parents, yeah?”

“You’re coming? My Mom said she wasn’t sure whether you were or not.”

“I can’t say no to one of Lori’s Christmas dinners. I’ll come over at lunch time, give you guys the morning to yourselves. Won’t overstay my welcome, promise.”

“You could never overstay your welcome, Buck. Not possible.”

He presses a kiss into your hair, pulling you closer so there isn’t an inch of space between you.

“I got you a present. Wanted to give it to you while we’re alone.”

“You did? I thought we said we weren’t gonna do gifts?”

“We did. But I know for a fact you got me something, didn’t you?”

You chuckle, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Yes, I did.”

“Knew it. And anyway, I didn’t buy it. I made it.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him in curiosity, watching as he bounds across the living room to rifle around in his bag. When he finds what he’s looking for, he jumps over the back of the sofa, returning to his original place next to you.

“Here.”

It’s wrapped very precisely, a book sized rectangle with neat corners and careful folds. There’s a red ribbon tied around the centre, and the idea of Bucky sitting and trying to get it just right makes your heart ache.

You unwrap it gently, reluctant to undo all of his hard work. He’s watching you intently, determined to see every little reaction on your face.

Sitting in your hand is a leather bound book, with a forest green coloured cover. Your name is engraved into the front of it, carved into the material forever. You open it up to find that it isn’t blank, but contains templates of some sort, the pages covered with very faint geometric lines.

“What is it, Buck?”

He grins, turning some of the pages so he can show you.

“It’s a blank cookbook. Thought you could write down the final copies of the recipes that work after you’ve developed them, have them all in one place.”

“I love it,” you whisper, running your fingers over the pages. “What’s this pattern? On the paper?”

“It’s the blueprints. For our house.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I made them as transparent as possible, so your eyes wouldn’t get distracted. But I wanted to have a piece of us in it, to remind you.”

“It’s the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received,” you smile, willing yourself not to cry about it. “I love it so much, Buck. Thank you.”

He leans in to press a gentle kiss to your lips, all sugary sweet.

“My turn, now. Though lower your expectations, please.”

He rolls his eyes, laughing when you shove at his shoulder. You pull his gift from the drawer in the coffee table, handing him a small box.

He opens it carefully, lifting the lid to reveal a navy bracelet, all woven and intricate. He turns it over to look at the inside, gently tracing the embroidery with his fingertips.

“They’re our birth flowers.”

“I didn’t even know I had a birth flower,” he chuckles in awe. “Honey, it’s… it’s beautiful.”

“I made it.”

His head whips up, eyes wide as he stares at you.

“You made this?”

“I went to a class with Stella and Isa, it was like an introduction thing. And I knew how to embroider anyway, so that bit was easy.”

“I can’t believe you. Is there anything you can’t do?”

You’re laughing as you shake your head, dismissing his attempts to massage your ego.

“Like I said, it was a workshop.”

“I love it so much, honey girl. Thank you. I’ll never take it off.”

“Never?”

“Never,” he murmurs against your lips, big hands cradling your face as he pulls you closer. “Never ever.”

He kisses you with purpose, one hand gripping the back of your neck as the other wraps around your back to plaster you to him. You tilt your head to let him slip his tongue into your mouth, tasting the coffee he must have been drinking on the drive down.

Just as you’re about to pull his shirt up and over his head, his stomach rumbles louder than you’ve ever heard it.

“What have you eaten today?” you chuckle, carding your fingers through his hair to fix it.

“I had an early lunch, but I haven’t had dinner yet. Have you?”

“Not yet. You wanna make something?”

“Cake.”

“Huh?”

“I think we should make a cake for dinner.”

“Bucky Barnes. What is wrong with you?”

He laughs all full and warm, and the timbre of it settles nicely into your chest.

“I’ve been thinking about all the stuff I’m missing out on now that you’re here and not at home. The cakes, the cookies, the macaroons, the tarts…”

His stomach rumbles again as he clutches it dramatically, throwing himself backwards onto the couch cushions.

“And so you want cake for our Christmas dinner?”

“Yes I do.”

You can’t fight the grin that’s sweeping across your face, no matter how much you want to.

“Let me make you something to keep you going while I create the best cake for dinner you’ve ever had.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

A huge kiss is planted onto your cheek, joy practically radiating off your soulmate next to you.

“I’ll make myself a sandwich, honey. I know it’s gonna take you a while to line your baking tins.”

You don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that he remembers the time you were ranting about cutting greaseproof paper and bottomless cake tins and butter versus margarine for stickiness.

“I have homemade bread in the pantry. Sourdough from the bakery.”

“That’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

He’s pressing a kiss into your hair as he rises from his seat, wandering towards the kitchen to get things moving.

“This is a stupid idea,” you laugh, following him. “What kind of cake do you want?”

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

“I’m never going to get over this.”

“So you like it?”

“Honey. My God.”

He groans into his last forkful of cake, placing the utensil down onto his plate with a definitive clang. You’re both sat at the kitchen island, the two of you having just finished your second portion each.

“Good, because we’ve got a whole cake to finish before you go home.”

His head is resting on his hand as he looks at you with bright eyes, watching every micro expression that graces your face as if it’s a rerun of his favourite movie.

“Make sure to write that recipe in your new book. We’re making this a Christmas tradition.”

“I like that idea,” you smile as you lean over to press a kiss to his sugary lips. “I like that idea a lot.”

“Good.”

You stack the plates and are about to get up to stick them in the sink when Bucky grabs your wrist, keeping you sat down on the bar stool.

“Hey, pretty girl?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

His thumb rubs circles into the back of your hand, the touch so familiar that you almost don’t notice it at first.

“Why haven’t you decorated for Christmas?”

“Hmm?”

“I thought you’d at least have a tree, or some lights hanging. Maybe an ornament or two. But you don’t have anything.”

“Oh. Um… I don’t know. Just haven’t had the time, I guess.”

He’s looking at you like he doesn’t believe a word you’re saying. You’re not sure you believe a word you’re saying.

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas,” you whisper honestly. “Even when I was in culinary school, I’d go back home for Christmas. And now I’m here, and I have like three friends and no family with me, and it doesn’t feel like Christmas.”

A tear slips down your cheek as you sniffle, pulling the sleeves of your shirt down over your hands.

“Oh, sweetheart.”

He’s up and out of his chair immediately, wrapping his arms around you where you still sit. His familiar scent and his familiar warmth comfort you instantly, heart rate calming down ever so slightly as he holds you.

“I know it’s all new and different, but that’s the exciting thing about this, right? It’s not what you’re used to, but you have the chance to create new traditions and a whole load of new memories now.”

“You’re right,” you mumble into his chest. “I think I was so stuck on thinking about how different everything was, that I forgot that different can be a good thing.”

“Exactly. I’m here for a couple of days, and then we can go home and have the Christmas Day with your parents that you’re used to. Yeah?”

“Yeah. Buck?”

“Hmm?”

“You are the only person in the world I wanted to see when I opened that door earlier.”

“The feeling is mutual, sweetheart,” he hums as he presses a kiss into your hair. “Why do you think I drove all the way here?”

“Because you’re the best.”

“Can’t argue with that,” he chuckles, pulling you with him towards the couch. “Now come on, we need to watch a Christmas movie. You pick.”

“Love Actually,” you say without missing a beat. “It’s Love Actually or nothing.”

“Done,” he’s laughing, reaching for the remote.

“Thank you,” you whisper, lacing your fingers with his. “For everything.”

“Always. Merry Christmas, honey girl.”

“Merry Christmas, Bucky.”

[azzifuddfanpage]

Shooting Stars

ANOTHER PAZZI FIC: thank you again to 😛 anon probs my fav for coming up with all these prompts. This is prompt two on my most recent post.

3.0k words

themes: friends to lovers: fluff

tw: suggestive content (not smut) / *no editing (I appoligize😩)

After both making the team USA team, both Paige and Azzi immediately clicked. They were inseparable. 

Unfortunately, living in different states, Paige in Minnesota and Azzi in Virginia, meant going months without seeing each other, and being the good friends they are, it was extremely hard for them to go months without in person contact.

On the bright side, Azzi’s grandparents had a lake house in Minnesota where she would usually go to for a few weeks in the summer. And this year she decided to invite paige.

—-

Paige had been counting down the days ever since Azzi mentioned her lake house on the plane ride home from their first tournement.

Now it was a few months later, and Paige stood next to her bed with clothes scattered everywhere.

She shuffled through bathing suits and t shirts trying to find the perfect ones.

Paige and Azzi had never really ever hung out outside of basketball, other than team dinners afterword. They had FaceTimed plenty, but something in the back of Paige’s mind made her nervous about this new first impression.

After an hour of trying to find the perfect bikini, she plopped down on her bed defeated. 

Just as she was about to call her mom and ask if she could go to the mall to get a new bathing suit, Azzi’s contact popped up on the screen.

Paige immediately swiped to open, her heart pounding. 

“Heyyy” Azzi said her dimples popping onto the screen.

Azzi’s smile was enough to make paige melt completely.

“Hi” paige sighed a little defeated.

Azzi studied her for a couple of seconds

“What’s wrong.” Azzi said breaking the silence as she flopped down onto the bed infront of her. 

“I don’t know what to bring.” Paige said huffing as she flippped her camera showing Azzi the messy pile of clothes.

“It doesn’t matter paige I don’t care what you wear you will always look good to me….” She paused and Paige felt the blood rush to her cheeks from Azzi’s words. “Ok just show me the options then.” Azzi continued. 

“Well I picked out my outfits already, just like tank-tops, shorts, shirts, and hoodies… but I don’t know what bathing suit.” Paige replies showing the portion of her suitcase that was already packed. 

Paige even snuck a few extra of her hooodies (Azzi’s favorite one) in case she wanted to borrow one- she loved seeing Azzi in her clothes. 

“Like I liked this one but I feel like it’s too skimpy.” Paige said holding up a light pink bikini. 

“No that’s definitely perfect I love that- definitely do that.” Azzi said quickly blushing a little.

Paige smirked, “okay looks like someone really wants to see me in a slutty bathing suit huh.” 

Azzi blushed hiding her face on the camera. 

“Ya you wish.” Azzi said laughing.

—-

“Mom come on I don’t want to be late.” Paige called out up the stairs.

She was now by the door, her suitcase fully packed, and the straps of her backpack hung on her shoulder. 

She was bobbing up and down her knee in anticipation. She couldn’t wait. She was thrilled.

Her mom was going to be dropping her off and hanging out with Azzi’s mom for the first day, and then leaving paige for the next two weeks. 

Her mom hurried down the stairs and they both hopped in the car. 

Paige couldn’t hide her smile as they pulled out of the driveway and started their hour long drive to Azzi’s house.

“I’m so happy you found a friend like Azzi. She such a nice girl.” Paiges mom said breaking the silence. 

Paige smiled thinking about her. She was one of the nicest girls she had ever met. Paige was absolutely positive that she was the prettiest, most generous, kind, companionate friends she had. Thinking of her warm smile that made her dimples show, the freckle directly under her eye, the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed… she could go on and on.

“Earth to Paige.” Her mom said laughing 

“You sure there isn’t anything you want to tell me.” She giggled. Paige broke out of her trance and looked at her confused.

“What do you mean. We are best friends.” Paige replied attempting to read her mom’s face.

Her mom let out another laugh.

“Okay paige if you say so.” She said rolling down the window and letting the summer breeze roll into the car. 

The rest of the ride paige’s mind raced with what her mom could mean. She and Azzi had only been best friends for a couple of months, she had never really thought to much into it before- she just assumed her and Azzi were really good friends. 

As they pulled up the long drive way, paige’s heart pounded. She hadn’t seen Azzi in person in months, what if something changed, what if they didn’t connect as well as they did before. 

Impossible.

Paige looked at hereelf in the rearview mirror, running her hands through her hair. 

She stared at herself for a few minutes and squinted. 

“Do you have any lipgloss.” She asked her mom before she had the chance to get out of the car. 

“Since when do you wear lipgloss.” Her mom said confused as she handed the lipgloss to paige. 

“I always do, you must have just not noticed.” Paige said smearing it on her lips. Paige has never worn lipgloss before, but Azzi did, and paige liked Azzi-as a friend that is.

The second she saw Azzi open the door and come running out, her nerves evaporated. 

Paige slammed the door of the car shut and ran to Azzi. 

Azzi leaped into her causing her to stumble back with a grunt.

“I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!” Azzi exclaimed as she squeezed her tight into a hug. 

“I missed you more!” Paige said laughing as she pulled her back to regain her balance. 

They looked at each other for couple of minutes and Azzi immediately noticed the shiny layer of lip gloss on her lips. Paige had never cared about that stuff before. It left her wondering

Paige blushed as she caught Azzi staring at her lips.

“I like your lipgloss.” Azzi said shyly as she walked around to the back of the car to help her grab her bags.

Paige lingered for a second frozen by Azzi’s words. Ya there might have been a little something there beside normal best friend feelings.

“Okay so what do you want to do first?” Paige said carrying in her back pack and plopping it down on the bed in Azzi’s room. 

Since her two brothers were also there paige and her would have to share a bed. Not that either of them protested. 

“Wanna go down to the lake?” Azzi said 

Excitedly. She had been looking forward to this almost just as long as Paige had.

“Ya lemme just change into my bathing suit.” Paige said rustling through her suitcase to find it. 

“Okay ya same.” Azzi agreed walking over to the door and locking it. 

“Do you have a bathroom I could change in.” Paige said turning around her bathing suit in her hand. 

Her jaw dropped. Azzi was standing in front of her completely shirtless, attempting to unfold her bikini before putting it on. 

“Oh my god I’m sorry.” Paige said abruptly turning around and covering her eyes. Her heart was pounding. The image of Azzi’s naked chest was permanently engraved in her mind. She was absolutely perfect. Everything about her was gorgeous. Paige was screwed. 

“Oh my god don’t even worry about it.” Azzi said laughing but she felt a little confident seeing paige’s reaction. Maybe she wasn’t crazy.

Azzi knew she had liked Paige the minute she saw her. What she wasn’t sure of, was if the feeling was mutual. 

Lately she had begun to pick up on some things. Subtle things paige would do that made her think that maybe there was something in the air.

After seeing the way Paige looked her up and down while she changed, giving her total butterflies at her reaction to her body, she decided maybe she would try and convince paige of her feelings. Make it impossible for her to hide them. It was the perfect plan.

“Ya there is one down the hall, but it’s okay if you wanna just change here I won’t look.” Azzi said calmly. 

The idea of Azzi seeing her naked body made her heart flutter and her breath catch in her throat. 

“Uh sure okay ya.” Paige turned around and started to slide off her clothes quickly and pull on her bathing suit. 

When she turned back around, slower this time to make sure Azzi had all her clothes on, she saw her light purple bikini. 

Azzi had her back turned to paige as she adjusted the front of her bikini in the mirror. 

She could see paige’s reflection staring at her ass behind her.

Azzi smirked turning around catching her in person.

“Like what you see huh?” Azzi smirked as paige turned bright red looking at the floor immediately. 

“Ya your bathing suit is really cute.” Paige said shyly rubbing her foot along Azzi’s carpet.

The image of Azzi’s body in the bikini was running through her head. The way it hugged her ass so nicely.

Paige had always known Azzi was beautiful, but this was a whole new level. She never knew Azzi had such a fat ass holy crap. 

Azzi smirked as she walked closer to paige. 

“Thanks.” She paused reaching her finger out to touch the strap of her bikini top. 

“I really like yours too. Pink is my favorite color.” She said running her finger along the strap. 

Paige felt herself blush as she watched Azzi’s hand move closer to her breast.

She couldn’t help herself but let out a soft breathy moan as Azzi’s leaned over a little highlighting the way her bikini top pushed together her breasts letting them sit perfectly.

Paige felt a little self conscious of herself, as they walked outside. It was a little skimpier of a bikini than she would have liked but Azzi for some reason insisted so that was what she would do. 

As they made their way outside Azzi ran past her laughing and dove off the dock straight into the water. 

Paige laughed jumping right in after her. 

The entire time they swam around paige couldn’t keep her eyes off Azzi’s body. 

Her bikini outlined her figure perfectly, Azzi looked unreal.

After around an hour of swimming, Azzi’s mom called them to eat at the table. Her dad had grilled and there were two hotdogs- ironic- waiting for them. 

Azzi immediately climbed out of the water. The wet bathing suit clinging to her skin. It had risen up in the water and it exposed more of her curvy figure. 

Paige found herself starting to undress Azzi with her eyes. Her face grew red as she climbed up behind her. 

“This is my literal best friend why am I thinking this.” Paige thought to herself confused shaking her head trying to snap herself out of it. 

But as she got to the top of the doc and she saw Azzi turn around to look at her. The cold air hit Azzi’s bikini drying her in just the right way. 

Paige could see Azzi’s nipples poking through the thin fabric as the cool breeze blew by them. 

“Oh my gosh it’s so cold I need a towel.” Azzi said running over to the chairs and food where Jon and Jose sat. 

Paiges blush from Azzi’s body lingered as she made her way over to join them at the table. 

Jose could sense the tension in the air, noticing paige as she snuck glances at Azzi.

He smirked, fed up with them tip toeing around their feelings. Azzi never stopped talking about paige, and he could tell it might be even the same way around. 

“Damn paige your already sunburned? Or is that just from looking at my sister.” He smirked as Paige’s blush deepened. 

“Must be the sun it’s really hot out.” Azzi jumped in giving him a look, as she looked at paige who was clearly very embarrassed after she had been clearly caught. 

“Let me put some sunscreen on you, I think you need it.” Azzi said knowing it wasn’t a sunburn, but the idea of rubbing her fingers along paige’s body was all too enticing. 

“Uhm sure okay.” Paige said sheepishly refusing to let Azzi catch her staring at her again.

But as Azzi squirted the sunscreen into the palm of her hand, paige watched the veins in her hand longing for them to be on her body.

Azzi rubbed her hands together and began to massage the white cream(I’m sorry) into paige’s skin starting with her back and working her way down.

As Azzi made her way to her waist she heard paige let out a soft whimper. Azzi smirked.

“Hey can you maybe put some on me.” Azzi said calmly knowing exactly what she was doing.

The idea of touching Azzi worried paige. If she started she may never stop, but it didn’t really seem she had much of a choice as Azzi shoved the bottle onto her hand. 

Azzi was destined to make paige admit her feelings first. Now was the moment.

Paige grabbed the bottle and let the white cream (again I’m very sorry) coat her fingers. As she worked her way against Azzi’s creamy tanned skin she made her way to the front of the body. 

She was ready to stop, once it was over the main parts of her skin, straying from the more sensitive privater parts of Azzi’s body.

“Missed a spot.” Azzi said suggestively as she made eye contact with paige before looking back down at the soft tissue of her breasts.

Jon and Jose had already gone back to the kayaks and were paddling in the water. There was no one here but them.

“Uh are you sure.” Paige said softy, a bit ujcertain. 

Before she could second guess herself further, Azzi grabbed her hand and put it against her breasts and used Paige’s hands to massage in the sunscreen. Azzi groaned as paige’s hands applied more pressure. 

Paiges eyes would not leave Azzi’s in shock. She had no idea what was happening. Her heart was racing. Hearing these soft whimpers escape Azzi’s mouth was incredible. She felt herself extremely weak when it came to having her hands on the soft skin of Azzi’s chest.

“Thanks that’s perfect!” Azzi said smiling as she dropped her own hand, but paige’s stayed lingering, resting on her collarbone. 

They stood like that breathing for a few minutes just staring at each other when all of a sudden they heard Jon call for them.

“Guys stop making out and come paddle with us to the island over there.” He yelled pointing towards the small cluster of trees in the middle of the lake. 

Azzi and paige leapt away from each other embarrassed, not even keeping eye contact with each other as they scrambled back down to the river. 

As awkward as it was, the air had shifted, the feelings were as clear as day, all they needed was for one of them to come clean. 

—-

The day stretched on, it was filled with laughter and fun as they spent the rest of the day in the water, playing yard games, and eating barbecue. 

After sitting with Azzi by the fire. Looking at her tanned skin in the contrast of the orange reflection of the fire, she couldn’t stop staring at how perfect she was.

Azzi turned to her noticing her staring.

“What?” Azzi said with a croaked smile. 

“You have really nice skin” Paige said gently noticing Azzi’s skin turn a bit red. 

“Are you blushing?” Paige said pointedly as Azzi turned. 

“No it’s just a little hot that’s all… and your one to talk Mrs. Sun burn.” Azzi said laughing leaning into her. 

They lay there a little longer. Everyone else had retired back into the house. 

The fire was slowly dying, and they lay looking up at the stars. 

“I wonder if we could see a shooting star.” Paige said breaking the silence. 

“I honestly doubt it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one down here.” Azzi replied. “Besides I already have all my wishes granted.” She said looking over at paige. 

Paige turned to her shocked by the boldness of her statement.

“It’s so beautiful.” Paige started.

“Ya it really is.” Azzi said.

Neither of them looked away from each other, and neither of them were still talking about the stars.

Azzi moved closer resting her head against paige’s chest.

“Paige?” 

“Yah Azzi?”

“Can I tell you a secret.” Azzi whispered against her chest.

Paige could feel the butterflies in her chest.

“Of course.” She replied running her fingers along Azzi’s wrist. 

“I think I have a crush on you.” Azzi said shyly turning so she could look paige in her eyes.

Paige took a few seconds taking it in. She had dreamed of this for months. 

“Can I tell you a secret too?” Paige responded, watching Azzi nod.

“I have a crush on you too.” Paige said smiling as Azzi’s dimples began to pop out of her face. 

Without thinking paige connected their faces into a gentle kiss, feeling Azzi kiss her back. 

When they finally pulled away breathing a little heavier they leaned their heads together. 

“I don’t even need a shooting star, my wish just came true.” Paige said as she placed her finger on Azzi’s face tracing her dimples as she beamed at her. 

That night they would fall asleep together looking at the stars, fingers laced together, and sleep better than they had in years. 

[hyunjiisa]

line cook ! chan x server reader ₊˚⊹

a @hyunjiisa mini series → “ in my next life, i’m gonna be a rockstar. (i was a ballerina in the first one.) ” pairing no. 1

school sucked. your head hurt, your feet were tired, and you just wanted to go home. spoiler- you can’t. you can’t because your schedule got switched around due to it being the end of the semester, which means you also had to switch your shifts at work. luckily your boss was an absolute angel and she made it no problem switching anything around. the place you worked at was kind of fancy, paying pretty well and you got to keep all of your tips. more than enough to pay rent til you got your degree. then, you could finally start living life the way you wanted.

setting your internal rant aside, you check yourself in the car mirror and open your door. you greeted the host at the door, he was pretty and blonde- albeit his hair looked like it was one bleach away from death. he was sweet, telling you where the manager on duty was so she could direct you to your sections. you waved to him, promising you guys would get to know each other and heading to the managers office.

a little time later, you’ve settled in and you’re waiting on a table that has what you assume is a first date going on. the guy is a dick, and it seems like his date thinks that too. he’s been talking about himself all night and it’s only been about five minutes, so you feel for the poor girl. you walk over again to take their order, and, to no surprise, he has some special request that you don’t even know if you can make happen. the girl sends an “i’m sorry” look your way and you just smile and excuse yourself to check with the cooks.

you debate just going to the bathroom and coming out a little later and telling him no, but you did not wanna make that girls date any worse. you haven’t met any of the cooks yet, or even seen them because it was your first table. you hadn’t ran food, just drinks from the soda machine. you know you’re allowed back in the kitchen but you didn’t wanna just walk in and get stared at, so you opt for going up to the counter and peering up over it. you see a boy that looks about your age, maybe a little older? he’s tall (in what world i’m just self indulging) and muscular, some sweat dribbling off of his forehead from being over a stove and you make mental note of your new work crush.

anyway, you figure you need to actually ask him so you just go with the best approach.

“uhh..”

definitely the best approach.

he glanced up at you, seemingly confused up until he actually got a good look at your face and like, basically froze. you would’ve started talking, but he was looking at you like your eyes were hanging out of your head. like, eyes wide, mouth agape, eyebrow furrowed, just full on shocked. you looked back at him, staring just as much as he was because now you had an excuse to do so. it goes on for a while, til he’s just like

“uh, i, uhm. what’s your name ..?”

“it’s ! it’s my first day on this shift, also i think the food you’re cookings burning, but i had a question?”

“oh, thanks. that’s a pretty name.. mines is here on my uh- fuck where is it ?? my name tag!!”

you giggle, taking in his flustered demeanor. not expected, but a nice surprise nonetheless. sadly, you had to actually get back to your job, so you look back up at him and ask him if he could do what you needed. he reminds you of a puppy, sweet smile resting on his face when he assures you that he absolutely can. (he definitely wouldn’t have regularly done that, but that’s for him to know.) you return his smile and go to ring in the rest of the order, bracing yourself for the rest of your shift.

you barely see him for the remainder of it, sneaking little glances and sharing looks when you go to run more food. there wasn’t much of a dinner rush, thank goodness, so the rest of the night went by smoothly. the other tables you had were average, and tips were decent so no complaints were heard.

you were closing tonight, along with the rest of the servers on your shift. after all the customers were out you took the time to introduce yourself, not forgetting to say bye to the host or thank him for earlier. giggling together with your new work friends, you finished what needed to be done and lingered a little longer than everyone else on account of the pretty boy in charge of the kitchen.

the restaurant was warm; you’d never been there at night, and you took time to admire the view. it was the middle of winter, dark and starry, and you could see cars passing by. you found yourself thinking about how weird it was that everyone in those cars had their own lives and they were living them from their own perspectives. before you could get any further into your thoughts, someone’s hand tapping on your shoulder made you turn around. to your surprise (not really,) it’s chris, standing behind you with a nervous look on his face as if he isn’t the most attractive man you’ve ever seen.

“hi, how was your shift?” “it was good! was yours okay? it wasn’t that bad tonight..”

the two of you continued on about your respective days, him joking that he was stinky and greasy to see the way your nose wrinkled when you laughed and you looked up at him through your lashes just to see the way he looked at the floor as his ears reddened. you stayed until your manager kicked the two of you out and told you to get some rest. thankfully it’s nice outside, the breeze moved your hair out of your face for you and chris was still staring. you played around with some rock on the ground using your shoe, and he broke the silence for you.

“weird question but can i use your phone for something maybe? mine just died. i promise ill be quick!”

smiling, you hand your phone over unlocked. then, you watch as he opens up your contacts, adds himself to the list, snaps a picture for it and clicks save. what did he save himself as? “cute line cook”. all you can do is laugh, and you laugh so hard you probably look stupid.

“really?? cute line cook??”

“what, it’s not accurate?”

“do you really want me to answer that?”

then he puts a heart over his hand, clutching it and taking a pained expression. he leans against his car that you two were talking by, staring at you looking betrayed.

“really? i thought we were more than that. you even let me put my number in your phone.”

your eyes roll to the back of your head and you tilt it up at him. oddly enough, it feels like you hadn’t just met him for the first time earlier in the day. you feel some sort of confidence blooming over you, and you let your eyes wander to his hand that’s still by his chest. then, the way his lips and cheeks flush in the cold. you look at his car next, it’s nice. black, sleek, very him. you don’t wanna go, but you figure your kitty doesn’t appreciate you being late for dinner.

“go home, you do stink.”

he snorts, opening your car door for you and the gesture makes your tummy feel giddy. once you’re comfortable seated and smiling up at him, he gives you his parting words.

“will you text me?”

“you know i will.”

the car door slams shut and he leans against his car again to make sure you leave.

maybe school doesn’t suck that bad.

↺

a/n : sorry this took forever, mama was traveling !! happy new years lovelies i hope your year is everything you want and more !! next one will be a little more romancey but this is just a little something to hold you guys off :) smau soon too !

general taglist for this account : @cosmicalily @zelinkcrossing @hyunjiluvs @nxtt2-u @pixie-felix @0sunshinecryptid0 @jinnieboosworld @lixies-favorite-cookie @eastjonowhere @smlbch @tricky-ritz

series taglist : @modesttiger

if you wanted to be added, removed or move to either you can comment , dm me or ask on @hyunnisa !

[itendtothinkalot]

opposites attract!

summary: u and soobin have been in a relationship for a year! ur friends are wondering how u even made it in this far with ur constant bickering. but u know what they say, opposites attract!

genre: fluff, established rs

characters: bf!soobin x f!reader

words: 6.8k

warnings: nothing much

“Shotgun!” Taehyun shouts the moment he steps out of the apartment, earning a groan from Beomgyu, who’s already leaning against the car door. Kai, as usual, stays out of it, casually climbing into the back seat while the rest of you fight it out.

Calling your seat in Yeonjun's car was almost like The Hunger Games, a survival for the fittest.

“Taehyun called it,” Yeonjun says, already in the driver’s seat. “Rules are rules.”

“The rules are stupid,” you grumble, glaring at Soobin, who’s standing way too comfortably by the passenger door.

“There’s no way I’m sitting in the middle again,” he declares, crossing his arms. “You know how tall I am? My knees barely fit in the back!”

“You’re 6’1, not a basketball hoop,” you snap, shoving him lightly. “Kai and Beomgyu have legs too!”

Kai shrugs, already buckled in. Beomgyu, meanwhile, is no help at all, busy filming the argument for what’s definitely going to end up on his Instagram story later.

“Ugh, fine!” Yeonjun groans from the driver’s seat, drumming his fingers on the wheel. “You two are always fighting anyway—just sit on Soobin’s lap. We don’t have all day.”

“What?” you and Soobin exclaim in unison, but the group doesn’t even pretend to entertain protests.

“Why can’t Beomgyu sit on Soobin?” you ask, crossing your arms with an indignant huff. “Why is it always me?”

"You're his girlfriend." Kai sneers.

"That doesn't mean I want to sit on him!"

Beomgyu perks up, pretending to consider it. “You know, that’s not a bad idea—Soobin is comfy.”

“Absolutely not,” Soobin interrupts, glaring at him. “I’d rather walk to the park than have Beomgyu anywhere near me.”

“See? He wants you to sit on his lap,” Taehyun teases, smirking as he adjusts his sunglasses.

“This is ridiculous,” you mutter, but under the weight of everyone’s stares (and Yeonjun’s increasingly impatient groans), you give up.

Climbing into the back seat, you wedge yourself awkwardly onto Soobin’s lap. His arms come up instinctively to steady you, his chest warm and solid behind you, and you swear you can feel him smirking.

“This is so stupid,” you mumble, crossing your arms.

“Yeah, but you’re weirdly comfortable,” Soobin whispers back, just low enough for only you to hear.

“Don’t push it,” you grumble, though your cheeks flush slightly as Soobin chuckles, the low sound reverberating in your ear.

It was hard for anyone to believe that the two of you were actually dating. A solid year into your relationship, and yet the bickering never ceased—every outing, every hangout, every single day was a new battle of wits and sarcasm. Some found it downright exhausting, while others, like Beomgyu, found it endlessly entertaining. He often referred to you and Soobin as his “favorite sitcom.”

“Can you two ever go a day without fighting?” Taehyun asks from the front seat, adjusting his seatbelt as Yeonjun maneuvers the car around a sharp turn.

“That’s just how we communicate,” Soobin replies, leaning back with you still perched begrudgingly on his lap.

“It’s not communication,” you retort, twisting slightly to glare at him. “It’s you being insufferable twat every chance you get.”

“Well, look who’s still love with me despite being an insufferable– what did you say?” he says smugly, earning a collective groan from the rest of the car. “Twat.”

Beomgyu, filming yet another segment for his Instagram story, pipes up. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you two actually hate each other.”

“Oh, trust me,” you shoot back, narrowing your eyes at Soobin, “sometimes I wonder too.”

Sure, the two of you fought a lot. At times a little too much but as minutes go by his hands, which had been resting loosely at his sides, move slightly to hold your waist, and before you can comment, he leans forward, resting his chin on your back.

“You’re surprisingly comfortable,” he mutters softly, his voice carrying none of the teasing edge it usually does.

You roll your eyes but let him stay like that, the weight of his head against your back weirdly comforting. “If you fall asleep and drool on me, I swear—”

“You’d still love me,” he says, tilting his head just enough for you to catch the small grin on his face.

Unable to help yourself, you let out a small laugh and shift slightly, leaning your head back until it rests lightly against the top of his. “Unfortunately.”

From the front seat, Yeonjun glances at the rearview mirror and rolls his eyes. “Pick a struggle,” he says, earning nods of agreement from the others.

“Shut up and drive,” you say, though your voice holds no real bite. Soobin’s arms tighten around your waist ever so slightly, and the quiet affection between you is as natural as the constant teasing.

“You’re cute when you’re mad,” Soobin murmurs again, earning a playful elbow to his side.

“And you’re cute when you’re quiet,” you retort, though your words are softened by the fact that you’re still leaning into him.

Beomgyu snaps a picture of the two of you. “This is going straight into the group chat,” he announces, grinning like the mischievous troublemaker he is.

“Delete that,” Soobin and you say in unison, which only makes Beomgyu laugh even harder.

“While we’re on the subject of the group chat,” Kai sighs, “why is the name of it Kai’s Bouncy Recoils? With three peach emojis?” Kai sighs dramatically from the backseat, slumping into his chair. “Who changed it? I preferred our old chat name!”

“You mean Soobin’s Sooboobs Gets Loose?” Soobin asks, annoyed. “Yeah, I’d rather keep the current one.”

“Why can’t we have a normal group chat like other friend groups out there?” Kai grumbles.

“We have a Beomgyu. I hardly think we’d ever be a normal friend group,” you respond dryly, earning a chuckle from Soobin, who nuzzles his face into your shoulder.

“Fair,” Kai mutters, resigned.

The banter continues, and you’re pretty sure you got louder as the destination approached, well, until Yeonjun finally pulls into the amusement park parking lot.

“We’re here!” Yeonjun announces, his voice full of exaggerated enthusiasm, though he’s just excited for the giant cotton candy and overpriced churros waiting for him inside.

As you all pile out of the car, Soobin helps you out with a soft, almost imperceptible smile. “Still mad?” he asks, his eyes glinting with mischief.

“No,” you grumble, though the way he’s looking at you has your heart fluttering despite yourself. “But I might need a kiss to forget why I was mad.”

“Really, now?” Soobin smirks, taking a small step closer to you. He tilts his head, his smile playful but soft. “And what makes you think you deserve one?”

You cross your arms, trying to look serious, but the corners of your lips betray you. “I think I’ve earned it after sitting on an uncomfortable seat for the hour’s drive,” you say, voice laced with a mock pout.

“Uncomfortable?” Soobin’s smirk fades, and his expression softens as he closes the distance between you two. “You know,” he murmurs, his voice quieter now, “I’d give you a thousand kisses if it meant seeing that smile of yours more often.”

Your heart skips a beat as he reaches up, gently cupping your cheek. You can feel the warmth of his touch, and your annoyance from earlier seems to melt away entirely. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” you tease softly.

He chuckles before leaning in, pressing a sweet, lingering kiss to your forehead. "Baby, I know I am," he says with a wink. “Unfortunately, for me, I think you’re way cuter.”

—

The group, now standing in front of the entrance, takes in the sight of the bustling amusement park. Roller coasters whiz by, and the faint sound of laughter and music fills the air.

“So, what are we doing first?” Beomgyu asks, rubbing his hands together like an excited child. “Roller coasters? Ferris wheel? The haunted house? I’m down for all of it.”

You turn to Soobin, raising an eyebrow. “What do you think? Roller coaster or Ferris wheel?”

He looks at you with a mock grimace. “Well, knowing how much you’re scared of almost everything–”

“I’m not scared,” you say quickly, but Soobin raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

“I’ll hold your hand on the roller coaster if you are,” he teases.

“Oh please, you screamed louder than me last time,” you shoot back.

“Well, maybe I was scared because you were too busy clinging to me for dear life,” he retorts with a grin.

The back-and-forth continues, and despite the usual bickering, there’s an undeniable warmth in the way you both interact—an ease that only comes with knowing each other too well. As your friends move toward the entrance of the park, you and Soobin exchange a glance, a silent understanding passing between you both.

“Ferris wheel?” Soobin asks with a small smile.

You roll your eyes but can’t help but give in. “Fine.”

The queue for the Ferris wheel is crowded, all buzzing with the anticipation. Soobin, being annoying, pulls at the straps of your bag playfully as you try to keep your place in line.

“Cut it out or I won’t hold your hand in there,” you mutter, crossing your arms in an attempt to look firm, though it’s obvious you’re trying to hide the smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

Soobin only laughs, his grin wide and teasing. “Sure you won’t. But I’ll probably be the one saving you when you freak out halfway up.”

“I’ll be fine,” you say, rolling your eyes dramatically. “You’re the one who screamed like a baby last time.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Soobin retorts, leaning closer and lowering his voice in a mock whisper. “I was just startled.”

“Startled?” you raise an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at your lips. “Were you startled for the entire 3-minute coaster ride?”

The banter goes on, getting louder as more people in line notice the playful back-and-forth. Soobin nudges you with his elbow, and you snap back, shoving his shoulder slightly. The tension between you both is palpable, your competitive streaks rising to the surface as the queue inches forward.

“Are you two done?” Beomgyu calls from a few steps ahead. “You’ve been fighting for like, twenty minutes! The noise Kai is making is less annoying than the two of you.” He says, referring to Kai’s sinuses.

“Hey!” Kai protests.

You stick your tongue out at Beomgyu, but Soobin’s hand finds its way to your back, gently guiding you forward.

“You’re just jealous because we’re clearly the most entertaining part of this trip,” you retort, eyes narrowing at him.

Beomgyu scoffs. “Sure, until you two are stuck on the ride arguing about who screamed louder.”

“Not gonna happen,” Soobin says, shrugging and flashing a cocky smile. “Since she insists she’ll be fine!” His voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Y’know what–”

At that, your friends collectively groan, the group starting to look a little too eager for this ride to actually get started.

"Can we just go on the ride without the constant commentary?" Beomgyu mutters, already glancing toward the other car. 

Yeonjun rolls his eyes, nudging him forward. “You know how this goes. It’s either them arguing or them making lovey-dovey eyes at each other and making out every chance they get.”

“Well, I’d prefer the lovey-dovey eyes,” Taehyun adds dryly. “Less noisy.”

“And we don’t make out every chance we get!” You say, stomping your feet.

Kai, who has been unusually quiet, sighs heavily. “I swear we’ve all seen more drama from you two than from any of those netflix shows Soobin forces me to watch.”

And before Soobin or you can even respond, the group’s collective patience runs out. With a dramatic roll of their eyes, they all decide it’s better to physically separate the two of you from them for the ride. Yeonjun steps forward and, without warning, waves down the ride attendant. 

“How many?” the attendant asks, looking between Yeonjun and the group.

“Four,” Yeonjun replies, nonchalantly.

“Four? But there are six of us?” You look at him in confusion, brows furrowing.

Yeonjun’s grin widens, and he shrugs. “Well, you and Soobin are getting a time-out.” He rolls his eyes before looking back at the attendant, “Yes, excuse me, we don’t want these two people in our car.”

“Yeonjun!” Soobin protests, surprised, his voice tinged with mock outrage.

The attendant, caught in the middle of this spectacle, nods awkwardly. “Okay, then. We’ll have you two head up first.”

Before you or Soobin can argue further, Beomgyu and Taehyun step forward, practically pushing you both into a separate Ferris wheel car with more force than necessary. The others, already in their own car, wave enthusiastically—at least, that’s what they pretend to be doing—before the doors shut.

“See you at the bottom, losers!” Beomgyu laughs loudly, giving a mock salute as the Ferris wheel begins to move.

Soobin leans against the side of the car, his arms crossed in playful annoyance. “I can’t believe they did that. We’re literally a couple,” he grumbles, but there's no anger in his tone—just amusement.

You roll your eyes and laugh, sinking into the seat beside him. “A couple of losers who constantly bicker.”

He smirks at you, eyes gleaming. “Well, if you didn’t have to be so stubborn, we wouldn’t fight so much.”

“Stubborn?” You shoot him a teasing look. “At least I’m not a scaredy cat!”

“A scaredy cat? Are we talking about me or you?” Soobin counters, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know. Let’s ask the audience who’s scream was louder.” You laugh, nudging his shoulder lightly. 

Soobin chuckles, leaning in a little closer. “Maybe I should. But you’ve got to admit, it’s kind of cute when I hold your hand and make sure you’re okay, right?”

You pause for a moment, looking at him with a softened expression, the teasing momentarily forgotten. “Maybe,” you reply, voice quieter, almost shy. “But only because you’re cute when you do it.”

He raises an eyebrow, a playful smirk returning to his face. “So that’s a ‘yes’? I’ll take it.”

“Don’t get too cocky,” you warn, but the affectionate smile creeping onto your face gives you away.

As the Ferris wheel slowly ascends, you and Soobin settle into a comfortable silence... for about a minute, at least.

“You know, it’s honestly kind of amazing how you manage to find something to argue about at every possible moment,” Soobin says, glancing at you.

You raise an eyebrow, your voice tinged with teasing annoyance. “Oh, please. You’re the one who starts it half the time.”

Soobin scoffs, leaning back slightly. “Starting it? I’m just trying to have a normal conversation with you, and you’re the one who—”

“—finds something to argue about?” You finish his sentence, deadpan.

There’s a brief silence as you stare ahead at the view, trying to ignore the way your heart’s still pounding from his words. He knows exactly how to push your buttons, but right now, you’re honestly not in the mood to continue the back-and-forth.

Rolling your eyes, you fold your arms, turning your face away from him.

You hear Soobin shift beside you, and a second later, you feel the warmth of his body right next to yours. Before you can even think about protesting, he wraps his arms around you and places his chin on your shoulder, his breath warm against your skin.

“Baby,” He breathes, “C’mon, I was joking,” he giggles softly, his voice light and playful.

You try to stay annoyed, but his gentle touch is starting to break through your resolve. He pokes your cheek, a soft smile tugging at his lips. The contact sends a warm flush spreading across your cheeks, and for a second, you almost forget what you were even mad about.

Your gaze softens, but you turn your face away, still pretending to be angry. “I’m not laughing, Soobin,” you murmur, crossing your arms a little tighter.

He laughs, clearly amused by your act. “Baby, you’re so fucking cute when you’re mad,” he says with a grin, his voice dripping with affection. “Your little eyebrows furrowed, your pout... everything.”

To your surprise, Soobin mimics the way your lips pucker in an exaggerated pout, and it makes you burst out laughing despite yourself.

“Stop!” you say, shaking your head.

But it’s too late—he’s already leaning in, his lips pressing gently against yours. The kiss is soft at first, lingering for just a moment, before he pulls away slightly, his forehead resting against yours.

“I really do love you, you know?” he murmurs, his voice tender and genuine, the playful teasing fading into something more serious.

You look into his eyes, your smile softening. “I know. I love you too, even if you’re a pain in the ass.”

Soobin chuckles, brushing a stray lock of hair from your face. “You’re the best pain in my ass, though.”

The Ferris wheel crests its peak, and the two of you remain there, locked in your own little world, the sounds of the park fading away as you hold onto each other—teasing, bickering, and loving every second of it.

The moment the ride stops, Beomgyu is waiting for you at the base with a wide, mischievous grin plastered across his face.

“So, you two,” Beomgyu starts, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I have to say, you kinda looked like one of those korean dramas up there.”

You roll your eyes, trying to keep your composure. “What are you talking about?”

Beomgyu laughs, clearly enjoying himself. “Oh, I don’t know... just the fact that I could see you two getting all cuddly and—" He pauses, miming the kiss with exaggerated gestures. “—all kissy up there. How sweet. Almost puked from all that but it was sweet nonetheless.”

“Are you sure it isn’t your motion sickness?” You retaliate.

Soobin’s face immediately turns bright red, and he looks down, embarrassed. “Also, we weren’t even doing that much!”

“Oh, don’t even try to deny it,” Beomgyu teases, raising an eyebrow. “I could see everything. You two were so into each other, with all your whispering–and your kissing.”

You cross your arms, pretending to be annoyed but secretly amused. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show, Gyu,” you reply dryly. “It was probably the highlight of your day.”

Taehyun, who’d been mostly quiet, grins in amusement. “I think it’s cute,” he says with a shrug, causing you to look over at him.

Yeonjun chimes in, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “Yeah, if we ever need a lesson on public displays of affection, we’ll be sure to find the two of you!”

You shoot him a glare, but Soobin, still red-faced, turns to you, trying to lighten the mood. “See, this is why I didn’t want to go on a Ferris wheel with you,” he mutters under his breath, though his eyes are full of affection.

“Aw, don’t get shy on us now, Soobin,” you tease, poking his shoulder.

Beomgyu’s laughter rings out again as he steps closer. “I mean, come on. You two are adorable when you’re fighting, and even cuter when you’re acting all sweet. It’s kind of gross, though, so don’t do that stuff in front of us anymore.”

“You weren’t even supposed to be looking,” Soobin rolls his eyes, clearly flustered.

“You were right in front of us!” Beomgyu retorts.

“In another fucking car!” you yell back, still irritated.

“I swear,” Soobin mutters under his breath, rubbing his face in embarrassment. “I’m never going on a Ferris wheel with you again.”

“I’m sure you’ll change your mind,” you say playfully, bumping your shoulder into his and leaning in to give him another quick kiss.

“Not in front of the guys,” his cheeks turn bright red.

“Oh, like I haven’t walked in on the two of you,” Kai mutters from behind, sounding genuinely annoyed at the thought of one of your less-than-pleasant encounters.

Though it had been minutes since the little teasing, Beomgyu can’t resist continuing to poke fun at you and Soobin.

“So, do you guys kiss when you’re mad too?” he asks innocently, a mischievous glint in his eye. “You two really have the whole kiss and make up thing down, don’t you?”

Soobin, walking beside you, glares at Beomgyu with mock seriousness. “If you say one more word about us, I’m going to push you into the haunted house alone.”

“Oh, please,” Beomgyu laughs. “I’d rather go through that haunted house alone than deal with you two idiots.”

The group reaches the entrance of the haunted house, a towering, ominous structure lit by flickering lanterns. You can already see the look on Soobin’s face — dread. You know he’s terrified, but with his ego the size of a skyscraper, he’d never admit it. The tall, eerie doors creak open, sending a chill through the air as you all stand in line, waiting for your turn to enter.

Yeonjun looks at everyone, eyes gleaming with a mischievous shine. “Alright, who’s going first?” he asks, clearly amused by the thought of one of you getting freaked out. 

“I’m not going first,” Soobin says quickly, clearly not thrilled by the idea of being the guinea pig.

Beomgyu steps up with exaggerated bravado. “I’ll go first. What’s the worst that could happen?” he says, shrugging.

The eerie atmosphere of the haunted house presses in as the group moves forward. The sounds of creaking floors and distant moans send chills down everyone’s spines, but it’s clear that each person’s fear tolerance varies.

Taehyun, who is walking at the front of the group, is already visibly shaking. His steps falter as a sudden noise echoes through the dark hall. "I can’t do this," he mutters, grabbing Yeonjun’s sleeve in panic.

Kai, trying to stay calm for his friends, pats Taehyun’s arm reassuringly. "Relax, it’s just a noise, you’re fine."

Soobin, walking close to you, keeps glancing over at you, clearly trying to make sure you’re okay. "Stay close," he says softly, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

You can tell he’s doing his best to mask his own nervousness, but it’s obvious he’s not as confident as he’d like to be. A sudden scream from somewhere further ahead makes him jump slightly, his grip tightening on you.

You glance over at Soobin, who’s walking a little too close for comfort. His eyes flicker nervously to every shadow, his hand occasionally brushing against yours. It’s clear that both of you are trying to stay calm, but the fear is written all over your faces. You’re both trying to play it cool, but you can’t shake the feeling that something’s about to jump out at any moment.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoes from the far end of the hall, and a ghostly figure stumbles into view. Soobin grabs your wrist, trying to pull you behind him, but you instinctively push him forward.

"BABY, PROTECT ME!" you snap, eyes wide as the ghost gets closer.

Soobin’s face pales. "I’m–I’m trying!" He pulls you behind him, but as the ghost takes a step closer, both of you stumble backward into each other, panicking.

“Move!” you shout, pushing Soobin in front of you in an attempt to shield yourself. "You’re taller! You’re supposed to protect me!"

"I'm trying, but you're the one shoving me!" Soobin argues, his voice tight with fear. "You're practically throwing me into the ghost!"

As the figure lurches forward, both of you panic and take a wild step to the side, almost knocking into each other. The ghost’s ghastly figure seems to loom larger as you stumble further away.

“Oh my god, stop shoving me!” you yell as you both continue to squabble, completely ignoring the creepy figure that’s getting closer.

"I’m not shoving!" Soobin retorts, but his feet trip over his own as he backs up, causing you both to crash into a wall. "Okay, maybe I am, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it too just because you’re scared!"

“I’m not scared,” you say defensively, though your voice cracks, betraying you.

Soobin’s eyes dart around, his expression stricken with terror. "Me neither, but—"

Before either of you can finish your sentence, the ghost lets out a chilling moan. You scream, and without thinking, you shove Soobin directly into the ghost, practically throwing him into its path.

“Soobin, look out!” you shout, covering your eyes in dread.

But just as the ghost reaches out to grab him, Soobin, completely panicking, pushes you in front of him with a startled shout. “No, you look out!”

You both fall into the ghost’s path at the same time, both terrified and scrambling away from the spooky figure. 

“Stop pushing me!” you scream.

“You stop! You’re the one who shoved me first!” Soobin shoots back, his face flushed with embarrassment and fear.

 Both of you continue shoving each other in a frantic panic, desperately trying to push the other in front of the ghost. You trip over your own feet, and before you can catch yourself, you fall hard onto the floor—right in front of the looming, terrifying ghost.

You let out a scream so loud, you were sure the entire theme park could’ve heard you. "AHH!!" You scramble to push yourself up, but in your panic, you can barely move.

Soobin’s eyes widen in horror, his own heart hammering in his chest. “BABY!” he yells, rushing toward you. Even though he’s just as scared as you, the protective instinct kicks in. “Dude, back off! Can’t you hear my girlfriend screaming?!” he yells at the ghost, his voice shaky but loud.

The ghost, not one to back down, takes another step toward you. But before it can do anything else, Soobin scoops you up in his arms without a second thought. You let out a surprised gasp as he lifts you, holding you tightly against him.

“Hold on!” he calls out, his voice filled with panic but determination. “I’m getting you out of here!”

Soobin doesn’t waste another second. He starts running, his arms firmly holding you against his chest as he bolts toward the exit of the haunted house. You can feel your heart pounding in your ears, and though you’re terrified, you can’t help but notice how tightly Soobin holds you, his presence a strange comfort amidst the chaos.

Behind you, your friends, who had been petrified just moments ago, now watch in disbelief, unable to contain their laughter.

“What the fuck was that?” Yeonjun scoffs in disbelief.

Beomgyu’s voice dripping with amusement. “Well, that’s one way to escape. Who knew you two were such drama queens?”

Taehyun snickers, shaking his head. “Thanks to the two of you, I wounded up being slightly braver.”

Kai laughs, patting Soobin on the back as he catches up. “You’re supposed to be the brave one, Soobin. What happened to all that ‘I’m not scared’ talk?”

“Would someone who’s scared actually carry his girlfriend to save her?” Soobin huffs, finally setting you down once you’re safely outside. He runs a hand through his hair, trying to calm his racing heart.

“Save her from what? A lawsuit for assaulting the fake ghost after she punches them?” Beomgyu teases, a smirk tugging at his lips.

You cross your arms, still shaking slightly but now able to catch your breath. “Shut up.”

Soobin leans in, his voice low as he whispers, “I’d do it all over again if it meant saving my little princess.”

You chuckle, but his sincerity has your heart fluttering.

Soobin blushes, his usual shyness creeping back. “I’m serious,” he says softly, his eyes still filled with undeniable affection for you.

Beomgyu grins, crossing his arms as he watches you two. “You know, I never thought I’d say this, but... you guys are actually kind of cute when you’re scared.”

You both glare at Beomgyu, but that only makes him laugh harder. The group continues to poke fun at the two of you, but it doesn’t bother you as much anymore.

Soobin gently nudges you with his elbow, his tone playful. “You’re kinda cute when you’re on the floor begging for your life.”

You raise an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on your lips. “Oh? You think I’m cute, huh?”

“I think you’re cute even when you’re yelling at me,” Soobin says with a soft smile, and for once, you let the teasing slide.

“Well, I think you’re adorable even when you’re running from ghosts.”

—

After hours of walking around the park, your feet are absolutely killing you. You glance down at your shoes—sandals, of course. You curse yourself for not listening to Soobin when he’d suggested wearing sneakers.

At this point, you were “slowing the boys down” with your constant complaining about your aching feet. Or so Beomgyu said. You told them to go ahead without you and even urged Soobin to join the group, but being the perfect boyfriend he was, he couldn’t possibly leave you behind. Especially since you were his favorite part of the day.

You limp a bit, trying to ignore the pain, but it’s no use. You groan, rubbing your feet.

Soobin, who’s been giving you the “I told you so” look all day, can’t help but lecture you again. “I told you, you should’ve worn something comfortable. You never listen.”

You roll your eyes, already annoyed. “Yeah, yeah. You were right. Happy now?”

“I’m always right, I told you back at home, in the car, twice just now” he says, a playful grin tugging at his lips. “And now look at you, your poor feet look like they’re about to give up on you.”

Your frustration bubbles over. “Well, maybe I’m not a psychic! I didn’t know these shoes would turn into torture devices after four fucking hours! I get it, Soobin. You’re right, I’m wrong. Happy?”

Soobin’s smile falters a little as he looks at you, sensing the frustration in your voice. He sighs and shakes his head, walking up to you without saying a word.

Confused, you raise an eyebrow as he bends down in front of you.

“What are you—”

“C’mon,” he interrupts softly, offering you a smile. “Get on.”

You stare at him, flabbergasted. “What?”

He raises his arms, gesturing for you to climb onto his back. “Get on, I’ll carry you.”

Your jaw drops, and for a second, you wonder if you’re hearing things. “What? No!”

Soobin doesn’t miss a beat. “Stop being whiny and get on,” he says, pulling you toward him gently. Before you can protest further, he presses a soft kiss to your forehead. “Can’t let my princess hurt herself now, can we?”

Your cheeks flush at the gesture, and your annoyance starts to fade, but you're still not convinced. “I’m not a baby, Soobin. I can walk just fine... kinda.”

“You’re clearly struggling,” he points out, giving you a playful smirk. “Plus, I’m stronger than you think.”

You cross your arms, trying to hold back a smile. “I’ll survive. I’m not fragile.”

“Sure,” he teases, his tone soft. “But I’d rather carry you than see you limp around all night. So, come on. You’ll thank me later.”

You open your mouth to argue, but before you can, Soobin scoops you up with ease, making you squeal in surprise. “Soobin!” you protest, your face heating up as he lifts you effortlessly.

He chuckles, holding you securely as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. “There we go. Comfortable?”

“I mean…” you mutter, trying to act annoyed, but you can’t help the small smile tugging at your lips. 

“You love it,” he teases, walking steadily, not even breaking a sweat. “You can’t resist my charm.”

You roll your eyes but don’t say anything. Instead, you lean your head against his back, giving in to the warmth of his embrace. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” you mumble under your breath.

Soobin grins to himself, clearly pleased with your quiet acceptance. “And you’re lucky you have me to carry you,” he teases lightly, glancing over his shoulder with a wink.

You punch his shoulder gently, laughing despite yourself. “You’re the worst.”

“But you love me anyway,” Soobin shoots back, sounding completely smug.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” you reply, but the affection in your voice is clear. 

Soobin slows to a stop, his grip on you steady as he gently places you down on a nearby bench. “Wait here, okay?” he says with a soft smile, already heading towards the ice cream stand.

You nod, though the thought of him leaving for even a moment feels oddly strange after the day you’ve had. But, as always, Soobin returns in no time, holding two ice cream cones with a grin. “One for you, and one for me,” he says, offering you the treat with a wink.

“Thank you,” you murmur, taking the cone from him. Your tiredness seems to melt away a little with the ice cream, but it’s the warmth of Soobin’s presence beside you that really makes you feel at ease.

You lean your head against his shoulder, the simple comfort of his touch making everything else fade away. 

He gently nudges you with his elbow. “How’s your feet?”

You nod without lifting your head, your voice muffled against him. “Better. Thanks, Soobin,” you murmur.

Soobin raises an eyebrow, a playful smirk forming. “So you’re sticking with Soobin, even when we’re alone?”

You shrug, not meeting his eyes. “I’m not calling you baby when there could be people around.”

He leans closer, his voice teasing. “You called me that in the haunted house.”

“That was out of fear,” you counter, rolling your eyes.

He laughs as his fingers brush through your hair as you both take a bite of your ice cream, silence falls over you. Soobin’s hand stays resting on your shoulder, and the two of you share little glances between bites, your hearts feeling a little fuller with each passing second.

“This is nice,” you murmur, savoring the moment. “Just us. No Beomgyu, none of that ass recoil from Kai–”

“Don’t ruin the moment by bringing that up,” Soobin agrees laughing, his voice soft as he watches you, his gaze full of affection. “This–just us– it’s perfect.”

And for that moment, everything feels right. No arguments, no distractions—just you and Soobin, enjoying the simple joy of being together.

"Hey, do you really think we fight that much?" you ask, lifting your head slightly to glance at him.

Soobin looks thoughtful for a moment, then shrugs with a small smile. “We do argue a lot, but..” His hand finds yours, gently squeezing it. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. Arguing—it’s just how we work through things. And if I’m being honest, I like our relationship. It’s fun. You keep me on my toes.”

You chuckle softly, shaking your head. "I guess you're right. Though, maybe we should try to fight less? My feet can’t handle all the stress." You tease, nudging him playfully.

He laughs, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Fine, we have a deal. I promise I’ll try to stop teasing you about your shoes, your height, how cute you are,” he says.

You roll your eyes but can't help but smile. "Well, I promise to stop making fun of you when you get all shy, or when you get scared, or–."

“Okay, I get it,” he grins, squeezing your hand a little tighter. “But, no matter what, I hope you know I still love you. Even when you’re grumpy.”

You nod, your heart warming. "I love you too. Even when you’re being a pain in the ass." 

Soobin chuckles, his eyes flicking to your lips. “You’ve got a little something…”

“Huh?” you ask, obliviously licking the corner of your lips, which only makes him grin wider.

“Here,” he says, leaning in and brushing his lips against yours, the faint sweetness of your ice cream lingering. You blink in surprise as he pulls back, smirking smugly. “Got it.”

“Did you just…” you start, heat rushing to your cheeks.

“Yup,” he replies, casually leaning back as though he didn’t just send your heart racing. “Two birds, one stone.”

Before you can retort, a chorus of groans interrupts the moment.

“Oh my God, can you two get a fucking room?” Beomgyu’s voice rings out, dripping with exaggerated disgust.

“That just made me lose my appetite.” Yeonjun mutters, pretending to vomit.

The group stands a few steps away, all wearing matching expressions of horror.

“This is worse than the haunted house,” Taehyun mutters, covering his eyes.

“Why did we even beg them to stop fighting? They were so much more tolerable when they were arguing,” Yeonjun complains, shaking his head.

Kai crosses his arms, a frown forming. “Seriously, keep it PG. We’re in public.”

You pull back, face burning as you glare at the group. “Maybe if you weren’t spying on us—”

“We weren’t spying,” Beomgyu cuts you off, grinning. “You’re just impossible to miss when you’re eating each other’s faces in broad daylight.”

Soobin groans, rubbing his temple. “Can we just go back to fighting? Apparently, that’s what they prefer.”

“No, I kinda like it when they’re miserable. Single and miserable.” You grin, crossing your arms.

“Then I guess there’s only one thing to do, baby.” Soobin says boldly, pulling you into his arms with a smirk.

Beomgyu lets out a long, dramatic sigh. “Can I sue them for this?”

“On the grounds of what?” Kai asks, his tone curious but amused.

“Making me uncomfortable with their love and… whatever this is. It’s gross,” Beomgyu replies, gesturing vaguely at the two of you.

“You should know Soobin has calluses on his feet that he refers to as food,” Taehyun chimes in, deadpan.

“Why—why would you think I’d be turned off by that?” You blink, looking between them in disbelief.

“Damn it, you were right, Yeonjun. She is, in fact, in love with him,” Taehyun says, shaking his head in mock defeat.

Yeonjun nods sagely. “It’s a lost cause. She’s too far gone.”

“Maybe if we keep talking about all the cringey shit Soobin does, she’ll stop liking him, and we’ll get our bickering friends back,” Kai suggests.

“Oh? Like what?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Well,” Yeonjun starts, barely containing a laugh, “while Soobin’s chewing his food, he shows us the mushed-up mess in his mouth and asks us to rate it.”

You raise an unimpressed eyebrow. “Do you really think that’s going to freak me out? I’ve seen worse like one time—”

“Baby!” Soobin yells, his ears turning red as he covers your mouth with his hand. “Don’t—don’t tell them!”

You pull his hand away, grinning up at him. “What? They were egging me on, pretending like I don’t already know how gross you are.”

“I’m not gross!” Soobin insists, his voice pitching higher in protest.

Kai snorts. “You literally made us rate your chewed-up food last week.”

Beomgyu throws his hands in the air. “And the fact that she’s still standing here, in love with him, is the real nightmare.”

You grin, clinging onto Soobin, “Ladies and gentlemen, the love of my life.”

“So what you’re admitting is that you have low standards,” Beomgyu sneers, crossing his arms with a smirk.

You roll your eyes, stepping closer to Soobin. “Low standards? I’m dating Soobin, not you, sweetie.”

Beomgyu gasps dramatically, clutching his chest like you just shot him. “That was uncalled for!”

Before you can fire back, Soobin leans down and presses a quick kiss to your temple. “See? She loves me just the way I am.”

“Yeah, well, we don’t. We don’t love either of you, so why do we have to put up with this nonsense?” Yeonjun mutters, shaking his head in mock dismay.

Kai nudges Yeonjun, smirking. “Because deep down, we have to admit, some parts of us actually do care for these nutjobs. Deep…deep down.”

“Absolutely not,” Yeonjun scoffs. “The only thing I care for is the silence we’ll have when you two stop flirting. Or fighting.”

“Never gonna happen,” Soobin says smugly, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. “Get used to it.”

Taehyun sighs, pulling out his phone. “I’m just gonna record this and send it to your future kids. Let them know what they’re in for.”

Beomgyu groans. “Future kids? Can you imagine a tiny Soobin? Bro’s gonna be a giant by age 6. The horror.”

You smile sweetly at Beomgyu. “Don’t worry, Uncle Beomgyu, you’re gonna be our kids’ favorite uncle.”

“Aw—wait, that’s kinda sweet.”

“Why wouldn’t they love the uncle who lets them win at arm wrestling just because he’s terrible at it?” you say, feigning innocence.

Beomgyu’s jaw drops. “H–hey! Just because, I’m the worse at arm wre–”

“Or you could be the uncle who trips over his own feet during hide-and-seek,” Soobin adds with a sly grin.

“You fall one time and people won’t stop bringing it up!” Beomgyu defends, his face turning red.

“You know what? I take it back. Your future kids are gonna hate me. I’ll make sure of it,” Beomgyu huffs, crossing his arms dramatically.

Soobin grins. “Nah, they’ll love you. But not as much as they’ll love their super cool dad.”

Beomgyu mutters under his breath, “Yeah, your kids are doomed. Maybe if they had some of my DNA, they’d be kinda cool.”

“Gross,” you and Soobin say in unison.

[shoopsthereitis]

jegulus | 1k words

lil jegulus I wrote for a secret santa for a dear friend. sirius finding out about jegulus at hogwarts

“James, no,” Regulus insists, pressing a hand to James’ chest in the corridor.

“Come on, Reg, please? No one’s around. It’s late, and I haven’t seen you in days.” James knows he’s being reckless, but he can’t help it. He didn’t mean to run into Regulus, but when he spotted him during his Prefect rounds, he couldn’t resist catching up, feeling drawn to him like a magnet. He’s missed him more than he probably should admit—more than what’s acceptable for two people who’ve been secretly dating for four months.

It all started by accident. A few months ago, James found himself in the library needing to study, but it was surprisingly crowded for a Thursday. He wandered around, searching for a place to sit, and the only available seat was at a table with Regulus. Reluctantly, Regulus let him join, and by the end of the night, James was completely smitten. After that, hallway run-ins where James would change course just to walk Regulus to class, and Quidditch changing room chats became weekly occurrences, and it all fell together naturally. Neither of them had expected to fall for the other, so they’ve been taking it slow. 

Now, four months later, they’re still together, and James couldn’t be happier. But with how protective Sirius is of his brother, Regulus has insisted they keep the whole thing a secret. James gets it, but part of him hates lying to his best friend. He’s been trying to convince Regulus that they should tell him now that they’re serious. Thankfully, Regulus is warming to the idea.

“We could go back to my dorm? I think Remus, Sirius, and Pete are at the library,” James offers.

“After the other day when I was trapped in your room under the invisibility cloak, I don’t want to take any chances. I missed Potions because of that, and Sirius nearly caught us.” 

“But he didn’t,” James grins. Regulus rolls his eyes, the way James loves because he only does it when he has no snarky comment to say back.

“Anyone could find us here, we’re not exactly hidden.” Regulus’ body betrays his words when he steps closer to James, his hands reaching out for his robes. James instinctively brings him in, pulling their bodies flush. 

Running a hand through the soft strands of Regulus’ curls, he tips his head back, their eyes meeting. “Regulus,” James starts, feeling completely lost in his storm grey eyes, “I really want to kiss you. Can I kiss you?”

There’s a war going on behind Regulus’ eyes, weighing his options, debating the risks. Ultimately, he gives in, sending James a small nod before leaning up. The moment their lips touch, the rest of the world falls away. There’s only thoughts of RegulusRegulusRegulus.

This is what always happens with the two of them. They get utterly sucked into each other’s orbit, and are unable to notice anything else. Even the other day in James’ dorm, they were much too close to getting caught, not realising the door had clicked open until they heard Sirius and Peter’s voices. Regulus practically rolled off the bed, and James had to cough and stomp his foot to cover the thud of Regulus’ body hitting  the floor as he covered himself with the cloak.

“James, I missed you,” Regulus whispers against his lips, and it makes James' heart sing. It always takes a few minutes for Regulus’ walls to come down, but when they do, when he gets soft and open with how he feels—there’s nothing like it.

Heart fluttering from Regulus’ words and his body lit up from Regulus’ touch, James stops worrying about where they are. Unfortunately, he probably should start paying more attention.

“What in Merlin’s name is this?”

They pull apart, James whirling around to find Sirius. His arms are crossed, a scowl on his face, and he looks pissed. James has half a mind to run, but that thought fades when he turns and sees Regulus, whose expression mirrors Sirius'—scowl and everything.

“What does it look like, Sirius? I’m kissing James,” Regulus says dryly. 

“I can see that, Regulus. What I’m confused about is why it doesn’t look to me like a first kiss,” Sirius responds. 

James’ palms start to sweat. If there’s one place you don’t want to be, it’s in the middle of a fight between the Black Brothers. “Sirius, we were going to tell you—”

“Tell me what? That you’ve been kissing my brother? Cus it sure doesn’t seem like you were going to tell me.”

“I—we—the thing is—” James is floundering. He knows it, and he doesn’t know how to fix it.

“We’ve been seeing each other for four months. We weren’t going to tell you unless it became something worth telling. Which it has, so surprise! James and I are dating.”

Heart flooding with warmth, James can’t help but look at Regulus, likely with a dopey look on his face. Regulus’ lips twitch quickly when his eyes shift sidelong to James.

“Please don’t be mad, Sirius. I really like him. I wanted to tell you, I swear—”

“Prongs, relax.” Sirius’ expression softens into a small smile as he steps forward, placing his hands on James’ shoulders. “I’ve had a hunch about you two for a while. The way you look at each other? It’s not hard to figure out. Also, you’re not as sneaky as you think. I knew Regulus was in the dorm the other day, why do you think I droned on about nothing for an hour?” Sirius grins. “Honestly, I’m ecstatic. My best friend and my brother? How could it get better? Just don’t hurt each other, and I’m all for it.”

Shocked, James looks back at Regulus before his head turns towards Sirius, a wide smile on his face. 

“You’re really fine with this?” Regulus asks.

“I’m fine with it. I’d just prefer not to see it. And don’t ever lie to me again, James.”

James smiles. “Wouldn’t think of it.How did you even end up over here, anyway? This isn’t on the way back to the dorm.”

Sirius pulls the map from his pocket, waving it in the air. “Next time you try to hide something from me, maybe don’t forget we have a map that shows us where everyone in the castle is.” His lips curl into a mischievous smirk and James laughs.

“You have a map that shows you where everyone is in the castle?” Regulus blurts out in disbelief.

Whipping their heads toward him, Sirius and James share a sidelong glance.

“Shit,” they say in unison.

[alwaysonthemend]

A/N: Happy belated new years, everyone! I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season. Apologies for this being a day later than intended – I hope you all enjoy it.

Thank you for sticking with me even though I've been MIA lately <3

(and if you saw me accidently post this last night... no you didn't)

Warnings: 18+ ONLY / minors dni / typos, probably / cussing / unrequited love (but not really) / p in v sex / unprotected sex / fluffy smut / jake being amazing

Word Count: 7k

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚

There was really no one to blame but yourself. 

No matter how many times you had tried to logic your way out of this being your fault… well. You always came back to the same conclusion. This was entirely, irrevocably, and utterly your own fault. 

Holidays have never been the easiest for you – seasonal depression coupled with a healthy dose of loneliness has never been a mixture that makes the Christmas season particularly enjoyable for you. Not that you weren’t learning to be okay with being single; not at all. In fact, you would much rather be alone than settle for someone who doesn’t treat you right. But something about the holidays just seems to make all that hurt and loneliness more powerful than usual. 

Christmas day had been alright – you had spent the day with a few loved ones and exchanged gifts and shared a meal. Looking forward to seeing the people closest to you had been what got you through the dreary, cold days leading up to Christmas. But now that the day has come and gone, now that you’re stuck in the weird in-between of Christmas and New Years, you find yourself particularly lonely. 

So, when you had received an invite to a company New Years party, you had been less than thrilled at the thought of spending another New Year with nosy coworkers who cared more about getting to know someone for gossip than actual friendship. You were even less thrilled at the prospect of yet another New Year of being single. In fact, you’d been quite content with skipping the event entirely, but you’d made the mistake of mentioning the affair to your best friend Jake, who had been helping you with some home renovations the week before. He had promptly scolded you for being a spoilsport, insisting on an alternative way to spend your New Years Eve. 

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

“I don’t want to go alone.” 

Jake grins and rolls his eyes playfully at you. “So dramatic. Just come with me to my family’s get together, then.”

“Oh Lord no.” You exclaim. “That’s even worse! I don’t know most of them, other than Josh. I can’t just invite myself to a family function.”

“You’re not.” Jake quips, plopping down beside you on your sofa. “I’m inviting you to my family function.”

“Absolutely not.” 

Jake looks at you unimpressed, narrowing his eyes the way he does when he’s thinking. “There’s only one alternative, then.” Jake continues to stare, waiting for you to ask what he means. When you don’t give him the bait he’s looking for, he continues on anyway. “I come to your office party with you, then.”

“How is that the only alternative? I do my thing, you do your family thing. That’s the alternative.” You can feel yourself growing frustrated the longer this argument goes on – Jake may mean well, but he’s like a dog with a bone sometimes and just doesn’t seem to know when to quit… and right now seems to be one of those times. You don’t want to go to someone’s else’s family function; you don’t want to go to a stupid office party – let alone by yourself; you would much rather just be alone at home. 

“I can’t let you spend New Year's Eve at a shitty office party or alone here. That would make me the worst best friend ever.” Jake leans backwards onto the sofa, dramatically tossing his head back to rest on the back of the couch. “Besides, it’s in the contract.”

“Jake, nothing is in that damn contract. You made it up.” The Best Friends Contract was something that he had announced was in existence a few years ago in order to explain away his reasoning for always paying for your food when the two of you hang out. “The Best Friend Contract states that a good best friend must never turn down being paid for when the other is more than happy to cover.” You’d called bullshit on the first utterance but it has unfortunately stuck as his go to excuse for anything he did that you tried to argue with him about. 

“Don’t you disrespect the contract like that.” He reaches up and pinches a bit of your hair at the ends with his fingers and tugs a little. “It clearly states in the contract that a best friend never lets the other spend New Years Eve alone.” He tugs again just to be a little shit and then grins widely at you. “I don’t make the rules, sweetheart.”

“Yes, you literally do.” You swat his hand away from your hair, fighting back a smile of your own. “And besides, even if you did show up at my office party, it would end up being awkward.”

“Elaborate.” He demands, reaching up to mess with your hair again and then pouting when you smack his hand away for the second time.

“You know how nosy my coworkers are. They’ll all be asking all night if we’re dating and I’ll have to explain: no, he’s not my boyfriend; no, he’s just my best friend; and yes, he’s a guy and yes, he’s still my best friend.” You huff dramatically – you’ve dealt with it all before with him at parties or events where people can’t seem to understand that a man and a woman can be best friends without it meaning more. “It’ll be awkward and annoying for everyone involved, Jake.”

“So we pretend.” He replies simply, shrugging as if it’s an obvious conclusion. “Just say we’re together and no one will be the wiser.”

“Jake… how on Earth do you think that will be less awkward?”

He just shrugs in answer, still grinning like an idiot at you. “It’ll be fun. Like a game.” He leans in closer, his grin turning a little wicked. “Unless you're scared.” 

“Of what?” You demand, trying to ignore the way your stomach feels like it’s doing back flips when he looks at you like that. 

“Dunno.” He leans back, looking completely innocent again. “You tell me.”

You sigh, knowing that he’s already won. “Fine.” 

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

The thing is, you don’t know his siblings or the rest of his extended family very well, but you know how much Jake loves them. So why on Earth would he rather come with you as a fake boyfriend to a shitty office party instead of spending time with them? You’d asked him as much… demanded, even, why on Earth he wanted to skip spending the night with his family. He just smiled at you like he’d been doing for the entire stupid argument and said it was in the contract – a best friend never lets the other spend New Years Eve alone, even if it means pretending to be a significant other.  

So here you are, waiting anxiously for him to come pick you up. You had chosen a long dress for the occasion – just a little too tight in certain areas that you normally don’t like to draw attention to, but it was a little too late now to find something else. You’d styled your hair the way you normally do, though you had added a little more makeup than usual and a glossy lip to top off the look. You’ve been ready for the better part of an hour now since you always tend to start getting ready early when you’re nervous. 

I have no reason to be nervous, you keep telling yourself, it’s just Jake. But that last part is exactly why you’re nervous. You still have no idea why he’s so willing to do this for you – why he’s content with being a fake date at an office party where he doesn’t know anyone instead of spending a fun night partying with his family. Not to mention, the thought alone of Jake in a nice suit makes butterflies erupt in your tummy.

What if he’s only doing this out of pity? What if he’s miserable the whole time? What if it’s awkward pretending to be together and he regrets ever agreeing to this? What if-

The questions swirl through your mind at such a constant rate that you’re quite sure you may vomit from the nerves before he ever even arrives. You’re moments from texting him and calling off the whole thing but then comes the knock at the door – and you know that he’s the only person it could be. 

Steeling yourself and resolving to act like a big girl, you rise up from your seat on the sofa and open the front door. 

“Wow.” The word slips from your lips without your brain being able to fully process, yet you can’t think of anything else to say. Jake has always been attractive – going from being a cute young man when you first met to the handsome one standing before you right now. The all black outfit suits him; black always does. His hair is freshly washed, the ends delicately curling against his shoulders. His usual necklaces adorn his neck, with a few extra bracelets and rings added to the ones he usually wears. 

Chocolate eyes crinkle slightly as he smiles, his head tilting just barely to the left as he regards you. “I hope that was a good “wow” and not a bad one.” He glances down, a tiny hint of shyness to the action. 

“No. It-” you clear your throat, “it was a good “wow.” You look very handsome.” You’re quick to recover, mentally shaking yourself. 

“And you look wonderful.” His eyes give you a once over, making you feel both emboldened by your choice of dress and slightly embarrassed. “I’m a very lucky man to have you as my fake girlfriend.”

The joke breaks the slight awkwardness of the moment and you laugh softly. He’s always been good at that. 

“And I’m a lucky fake girlfriend.” You grab your bag from the hook on the wall and step out into the chilly night with him. He hovers beside you as you lock your door, and then the two of you walk side by side to the warmth of his waiting car. 

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝

Your pulse is racing as you and Jake enter your office building. It only gets faster still as the two of you get onto the elevator. 

“Nervous?” Jake asks as you press the button for the correct floor. The doors closing feels like a curtain call of doom.

“A little.” You shrug, but Jake’s concern for you is written all over his face. “Some of my coworkers can just be a lot.” You explain, hoping that will be enough explanation for him and he won’t go digging further into your other fears for tonight. 

“I’ll just use my natural boyish charm.” Jake grins and loops his arm with yours as the elevator dings. 

“Boyish? You’re almost 30.”

Jake gasps dramatically and then tugs you off the elevator and towards the party that’s already been started for a good 30 minutes. One of the TVs on the wall has been turned to a countdown for midnight. You recognize many of the guests, though there are several that you don’t – likely other people’s plus ones that you’re sure they’ve been dying to show off. Though there’s one woman that stands out… the one woman that you absolutely didn’t want to see tonight. 

“Who are you death staring at?” Jake murmurs into your ear, startling you a little. When did he move that close? 

“Her name’s Jess. And she’s a stuck up bitch.”

“Woah.” Jake's eyes widen at your harsh words and looks back towards her, his eyes giving her a once over. “She’s definitely, um..” Her dress is skin tight and short, barely covering anything. Big hair and high stilettos makes it so that she sticks out like a sore thumb. “She’s definitely got a style.” 

You giggle a little at his attempt to be nice – in all the time you’ve known him, you can’t think of a single time when he’s ever insulted a woman’s appearance or choice of dress, even when it’s totally warranted. 

“Aaand she’s walking over here.” Jake supplies, making you scowl at him. 

“Yeah, I fuckin’ noticed.” You say lowly, clenching your teeth in what you hope is a convincing smile. “Jess! Hey.”

She smiles widely at you, flashing her overly white teeth. “Y/n! I didn’t think you would show tonight.” Her perfume is so strong you’re pretty sure you’re already getting a headache by the time she makes it to you. You begin to explain that Jake wanted to come but she’s quick to interrupt you as soon as her eyes land on him. 

“Well it’s certainly lovely to meet you.” She purrs, stepping closer to him and practically turning her back to you. “I’m Jess.” She extends her hand, which Jake shakes just barely before dropping it again. 

“Jake. It’s nice to meet you as well.” His smile is tight, mostly forced, but she either doesn’t care or is too stupid to notice. 

“Now tell me how you managed to snag this handsome young man, Y/n?”

Already your heart rate is starting to pick up, anger and hurt at her apparent disbelief that you’re dating him making you want to reach up and rip her obnoxious strip lashes off her eyes. Even though it’s the truth, your brain not-so-kindly reminds you. 

“Well, I-”

“We’ve been friends for years.” Jake interrupts you, taking a side step closer to hook his arm with yours once again. “Naturally, I fell in love with her the very first time I met her.” Those chocolate eyes find yours, a comforting warmth in them that instantly makes you feel better. “But I only recently managed to work up the nerve to ask her out.” 

His tone is sickeningly love-struck, so believable that you have to stop yourself from openly staring at him in shock as he speaks. You find yourself nodding along, more than happy to play along that you’re both in love with each other. 

“Of course, I had feelings for him the whole time, too.” You squeeze his arm a little. “Just never thought he felt the same. Turns out we were both oblivious.”

“But here we are.” Jake turns to look at you again as he speaks, those warm eyes making you feel all melty and gooey inside. 

“Here we are.”

Jess, for her part, manages to seem utterly crestfallen as the two of you speak, as if she had known Jake for years and been in love with him, too. Eventually, she turns her nose up in the way she does when she feels offended and plasters a saccharine smile onto her painted lips. “Well how sweet is that?” She asks, though gives no time for either of you to speak further. “Well, there’s still plenty of people for me to see tonight so you two enjoy yourselves.”

She’s gone before either of you can reply, disappearing and leaving nothing but the smell of her sweet perfume. 

“See?” Jake asks, tugging you towards the refreshments. “Not so bad.”

“Sure.” You scowl but gratefully take the cup of punch that he offers you. 

– 

A few other coworkers come to say hello, with the two of you giving the same performance each time you get asked how the two of you met. It gets easier, and each time it happens you can almost picture the story that the two of you weave – Jake shyly admitting he’s been in love with you, you declaring you love him back, you kiss, happily ever after, blah blah blah. It’s too easy to imagine and you find yourself wishing that you were anywhere but here with anyone but him. 

Jake glances towards you, probably noticing that you’re standing there as stiff as a board, trying to look romantic and in-love while sipping punch like it’s a secret weapon against the sheer discomfort you’re feeling. 

“Hey,” he nudges your shoulder with his, “at least try to look like you’re enjoying yourself.” 

You turn to look at him, rolling your eyes at the teasing grin that awaits you. “I don’t know how you’re doing this. This is a nightmare.”

“It’s not so bad. It’s funny watching people try to act like they’re nicer than they are.” Your heart warms a little – Jake very rarely ever complains, no matter how shitty a situation, so of course tonight is no different. His suit is a little wrinkled now from almost an hour of milling about and mingling, and his tie slightly askew in a way that’s almost charming, but also makes you want to reach up and fix it. You hate that you notice things like that about him. “Besides,” he continues, taking a sip of his own punch, “you have plenty of practice with being around these people. You should be used to it.”

You snort at him. “Yeah, well, there’s a difference between working with people and pretending that we’re, you know, in love around them.”

Jake laughs a little. “I think you were doing just fine. But our little charade has become a bit lackluster.” He grins a little, the mischievous one that he does when he’s up to nothing good. “Maybe we could work on a kiss or something. You know, really sell it.”

Your eyes widen as you choke on your punch. “I– what?”

“Okay, maybe not a kiss.” Jake adds on quickly after your reaction. “But we’re barely convincing anyone right now. You look like you’re getting ready to ask me about the office coffee order, not like you want to whisk me away for a midnight kiss.”

Okay, so maybe he’s a little right on that one. You glance around, trying to think of anything other than kissing Jake, when your eyes land on the makeshift dance floor. 

“Come dance with me.” 

“Um.” Jake answers eloquently, “I don’t dance. You know that.”

“Actually,” you begin, already tugging him forward by the arm, “I’m pretty sure that it’s in the contract that you have to dance with me.” Jake opens his mouth to say something but you speak before he can. “And don’t say it’s not. You make shit up about the contract all the time. It’s my turn.”

Jake groans. “Fine.” He mutters, scowling at you as you tug him through the people who are already dancing with their significant others. It’s only 11 minutes to midnight now according to the countdown so you figure everyone is gearing up for the big New Year’s kiss. “But only for you.”

Your stomach does stupid little somersaults when he says that but you ignore them. The room had been filled with the chatter of voices but as soon as you press closer to Jake they grow silent, as if the world beyond the two of you completely disappears. Jake stands awkwardly, his hands hovering just barely above your waist, unsure of where to land. His gaze maps out every inch of your face except your eyes and a tiny blush dusts his cheeks. 

“Are you blushing?” 

Jake scoffs, his palms finally settling fully onto your hips. “No, I’m not blushing.” He stage whispers at you, though you’re pretty sure no one is paying enough attention to have heard him. “I’m nervous. I don’t dance.”

Although you feel equally as flustered – probably more so than Jake, you feel oddly at ease this close to him. You choose not to examine that feeling too deeply at the moment. “I can tell…” you tease, taking one of his hands off your waist with your own. “We hold hands with this one.”

“Oh.” He mutters softly, his gaze flickering to your shoes. He offers his hand for you to take, looking as if he was offering a fragile gift. 

Hyper-aware of every minute rise and fall of his chest with each breath and every flutter of your own heart, you take his hand. “Right.” You answer, smiling a little at him, noticing every single detail – of his warm fingers, of their roughness, of how perfect his hand feels in yours. 

The music shifts to something a little more lively as the countdown hits 7 minutes now, though you and Jake have yet to actually start dancing.

“So, um…” You begin softly, trying to fill the silence that is quickly becoming awkward. “I guess we just… move around a little?”

Jake’s eyes find yours, comedically widened and you can’t help but laugh at the fact that this is what finally has broken his cool demeanor. 

“Right. Moving. Moving is good.” Jake’s voice is a little higher than normal and it makes you feel better about your own nerves. “We can, uh, move.”

“You lead.” You remind him, starting to move slowly back and forth with him. “Right? You’re the guy.”

“I hadn’t noticed.” He answers dryly, making you giggle. 5 minutes to midnight. “I thought you were the one who knew how to do this…”

“I do!” You answer, a bit more enthusiastic than you’d meant. “I mean, I do know how to dance. But I’m not… you know, leading.”

He takes a breath, his hand sliding down a fraction to hover over your lower back. You stiffen for just a second before your body relaxes into the contact. “Okay. Leading. I got this,” Jake mutters, his voice carrying an unexpected determination.

Your movements start out a little awkward and timid, but soon the two of you find rhythm with each other, the nerves melting away bit by bit until it feels as if the rest of the world grows muffled – the two of you in your own little universe. 

“Not so bad, right?” You ask him, glancing up into those chocolate eyes of his and trying not to get lost in them. 

“Nah. Not bad.” He smiles at you, then glances at the countdown on the wall. “Three minutes.” 

You nod, your mind suddenly filling with thoughts of what this would feel like if it was real… what it would feel like to kiss him to bring in the new year. It makes your chest squeeze to think about so you say instead, “Thanks again for coming with me to this. I don’t know why you did it… but thank you.”

“Told you… the contract.” He grins but it softens after a moment. “But really, I’d rather be with you, anyway.” 

His answer gives you pause. He doesn’t mean… right? Surely he doesn’t mean anything other than that he just enjoys your company as friends. You want so desperately to believe that it could be more. “I feel the same.” You reply quietly. “I mean that- that I would much rather be with you, too. Even at a stupid New Year’s party.”

Jake smiles, a tiny huff of laughter escaping him. He’s so close that you can feel his breath on your face, smell his cologne. His eyes lock with yours and you can’t do anything but stare back. “Speaking of New Years.” His eyes cut to the countdown and then back to you. 

Everyone around you begins to count down from ten, their voices blending together – becoming muffled as you once again lose yourself in his gaze. 

9…. 

He wouldn’t be here tonight unless he really wanted to be. 

8…

He chose to be here. 

7…

With you. 

6…

His hand tightens its grip on yours.

5…

Your heart is pounding – so loud it’s like a drum pounding in your ears. 

4… 

The damn contract… years of wanting him. 

3…

God damn it, you’re tired of being afraid and he doesn’t move at all when you lean in. 

2…

His eyes flicker to your lips. Fuck it. 

1..!

Your lips hit his cheek as he turns his head at the very last second. Stunned, you pull backwards, whipping your hand from his. He looks just as surprised as you do – perhaps even more so. For a moment, neither of you move. The people around you cheer, their excited movements blurring as everything around you moves in slow motion. 

“Y/n, I-” Jake cuts himself off as you shake your head, taking a step back from him. Then another. The shame and embarrassment hits all at once, stealing your breath. “Y/n, wait-”

“No!” You shake your head again, walking backwards from him even further. “I- I can’t-” The words won’t come. Nothing you say could ever fix this. Letting instinct take over, you do the only thing you can think of – you turn and run. 

People complain and shoot glares as you shove through them, though you pay no mind to anything except getting as far away as possible from him. Distantly, you can hear him call your name again but you don’t look back. The elevator doors open and you practically throw yourself into it, pressing the close button over and over again as you see Jake making his own way through the crowd. In what you can only imagine is an act of pity from the universe, the doors close before he makes it. 

–

You manage to hold the tears in until you reach the dark street outside. Fireworks boom in the distance and you can still hear the excited chatter and whoops from inside. The hot tears burn as they run down your face, no doubt ruining your makeup. You must look a mess, but you don’t care. You glance around at the deserted street. He drove. You don’t have a car. But you can’t spend another second with him. 

“Y/n!” The building doors slam open and out he comes, his eyes wild and frantically scanning around until he sees you. “Y/n, please!”

You take off running down the pavement. Well… you take off running the best you can in the heels that you had spent so much time picking out because you wanted to impress him. Like a fucking idiot, you think bitterly. 

You barely make it 15 feet before his fingers wrap around your wrist, tugging you backwards and stopping you from going further. He looks so upset, so affected that you almost fall for it. Almost. “What?” You bite out, tugging uselessly at his grip. 

“Y/n… please. Give me just one fucking minute to explain.” His voice sounds just as wrecked as he looks. 

“There’s nothing to explain. It was a stupid mistake. I don’t- I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.”

“Just one minute.” He begs and you feel your resolve crumbling. Of course it does. It’s him. 

You nod. “One minute.”

“I—” His voice breaks, cracking under the weight of his own panic. He runs a hand through his hair – the way he does when he’s stressed or upset. “I don’t know how to—god, I’m just—I don’t know how to say this.”

“I’m an idiot. And I—I’m in love with you,” he blurts out, the words tumbling out in a rush, like they’ve been stuck in his throat for years and now that they’re coming out too fast to control. “I know it—god, I don’t know why I never said it before. I don’t know how to… to keep pretending I’m just your friend when every time you laugh, or make a stupid joke, or chew on your lip when you’re thinking… it kills me because you’re my best friend and I’m not supposed to love you. But I can’t stop it. I can’t. I’m just—fuck, I’m in love with you.”

What feels like millions of emotions and thoughts hit you all at once, each one slipping away before you can pull a coherent thought together. “Then why… why did you do that?” Confusion, hurt, doubt – each one digging its fingers into the little tiny seed of hope in your chest and throttling it before it can form. 

“Because I’m an idiot.” He stresses again, his fingers tightening on your wrist. Without even thinking, you step closer to him, as if your own body is betraying you. “Because I’m scared of fucking this up or of losing you and I can’t-” he rubs his palm over his face with his free hand, his expression scrunching up in frustration. “I didn’t know what it meant. I’d made that stupid joke about us kissing and… and when I realized what was happening I panicked.” The chocolate of his eyes is dimmed, glazed over now with unshed tears. “I was afraid that maybe it didn’t mean anything. And I couldn’t- I wouldn’t survive kissing you and it not meaning anything.”

“But it did!” You insist, finally breaking free from his grasp. “It meant everything.” You wrap your arms around yourself, the chilled breeze finally starting to get to you now that you’re standing still.

“I know. I knew it as soon as I saw your face after and I knew that I’d fucked it up. I knew I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life because it would have meant everything to me, too.” His hands drop defeatedly at his sides, shoulders hanging low – the perfect picture of a man heartbroken. “Let me make it right.” The words are more of a plea, his eyes so sad that you want to reach out and comfort him. “Tell me I can make it right.”

There’s a part of you that wants to keep hiding it forever, to keep burying it deep in your chest where it can’t hurt you. But the louder part of you is tired of waiting, tired of burying it, tired of being afraid. 

“I forgive you,” you take a step towards him, closing the gap that had felt like it stretched out for miles, “and I understand why. And I- I love you, too.”

Your eyes flutter closed as his lips find yours at last, his hands finding your hips and guiding you closer to him. You can feel the heat of his skin, the heavy rise and fall of his chest. You can taste the fruity punch from earlier on his tongue, coupled with the taste of him. And you want more of it – more of everything. You want to touch every inch of his skin in the way you’ve always wanted but never been allowed. 

He pulls away after what could have been minutes, hours… you can’t tell. All you can focus on is the feeling of him. “I will spend a lifetime making up for what I did to you tonight.” He murmurs, resting his forehead against yours. “I will spend a lifetime making sure that I never see that look on your face ever again – by my own actions or someone else’s.”

“A lifetime?” You ask, loving the feeling of the word on your tongue. A lifetime. A lifetime of him, said so simply – as if he cannot fathom any other ending after this. 

“Two lifetimes,” he continues, “three, even. As many as it takes.” His grin turns a little wicked. “Starting with tonight?” 

The sudden wave of desire that hits you almost makes you dizzy – you feel yourself nodding, you feel the heat rising from between your thighs and spreading throughout your body like a wildfire. Years of waiting, of wanting. And now you have him. “Take me home, Jake.” 

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉

Your heart is pounding as the two of you tumble through the front door of Jake’s home, both sets of hands exploring each other as his tongue explores your mouth. The ride here is hazy, nothing but a blur as Jake kicks the front door shut behind you. You’ve been to his house plenty of times before so you pay it no mind as Jake starts leading you further into the house and towards the stairs, knowing that his bedroom lies waiting for the two of you upstairs. 

You both stumble at the top of the landing, nearly falling over and making you giggle. Jake grins, grabbing your hand and tugging you towards his room. He kicks that door shut, too – and then he’s on you once more, gently pushing you back to the wall. His body cages you in, the feel him pressed so closely making you feel weak in the knees. 

“Is this okay?” He asks lowly, his fingers delicately tracing your skin at the tops of your thighs, just barely dipping underneath your dress. Compared to the kiss the two of you just shared, it’s an innocent action, but it feels even more overwhelming because it’s him doing it. At your nod, Jake’s hands continue to explore, his rough fingertips moving higher up and hooking in the elastic band of your panties. “And this?” You nod again and he tugs them down your legs and you step out of them. “Tell me what you want.” Chocolate eyes, almost black, lock onto yours. 

“I want you.” You answer him, finding yourself just as breathless as a teenager during her first time. 

“As much as I’ve dreamt of hearing that,” he murmurs, “more specific.”

You feel your cheeks grow hot, the words that want to spill out seeming crude in such a delicate moment. But the unbridled want in his eyes makes you say them anyway. “I want you to fuck me.” 

He growls a little, a deep rumble in his chest, at that. His hands find your waist and he guides you away from the wall, gently pushing you to the bed. The edge of the mattress presses into the backs of your knees and he guides you to sit. 

“That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” He answers, sinking down to his knees on the floor in front of you. Deft fingers wrap around your ankle as he lifts your foot slightly and begins to undo the straps of your heels. “But I won’t be doing that tonight.” He lifts your other foot and you glance down at him in confusion. “There’s a million things I want to do to you,” he continues, both shoes now off and placed neatly by the nightstand. “Kiss you, taste you,” he rises, stepping between your parted thighs, “but I won’t be fucking you. I don’t want to do that to you tonight. Ask me what I want to do to you.” He demands softly. 

“What,” you can’t help but stare at him, your heart beating so fast you fear it may burst from your chest, “do you want to do to me?”

He grins like a kid in a candy store. “I want to make love to you.” He slips his fingers beneath the straps of your dress and slides them down off your shoulders. “Is that okay?” 

Lifting your hips as he helps you out of the dress, you nod. “More than okay.” Summoning every ounce of bravery you have, you reach out and slide his jacket off his shoulders. It falls to the ground alongside your dress. You grab his tie and haul him closer, crashing your lips to his. Frantically, you help him undo the buttons of his shirt, then his slacks, leaving both of you in nothing but his boxers.

“Let me look at you a minute.” He breaks the kiss and pushes you backwards onto the bed. You do your best attempt at scooching backwards in what you hope is a graceful, sexy way, but he pays it no mind. His eyes roam your skin, lingering on your bare breasts, then down to your exposed pussy. You want to cover yourself, to hide yourself away from his piercing gaze but he stops you from moving away with his palms settling on your knees. “Don’t do that,” he whispers, spreading your thighs further, “don’t hide from me. You’re perfect. Stunning.” 

Jake lowers himself between your legs, his arms hooking under your thighs and pulling you closer to him. His eyes lift to yours. “Let me taste you? Please?” He begs, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. 

It’s the “please” that gets you, slick dripping out of you even more. You nod your head. He presses a soft kiss to the inside of your thigh. Then the other side. Then a little higher. Hips squirming, you mutter his name. “Don’t tease.”

“I’m not teasing.” Another kiss, this one closer to where you want him, but still too far. “I’m taking my time. I want to remember every second.” 

Finally, his tongue laps against your aching clit and you cry out, one hand fisting in the sheets and the other reaching down to tangle in his hair. Jake moans against you, his eyes closing in concentration as he circles your clit, toying with you, seeing what movements make you squirm the most. His brows furrow as he dips lower, his tongue pressing just barely into your entrance before swiping back upwards to your clit. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever done before – he’s unlike anyone you’ve ever had before. He’s paying attention, finding what makes you tick and using it to coax the warmth in your lower belly to spread. 

You feel yourself arching upwards, grinding your soaked pussy against his mouth. He groans into your heat, two fingers now prodding at your entrance as his tongue never lets up. His fingers press in deeper, stretching you out as you climb higher and higher to a peak that you know you won’t return from. Cracking your eyes open, you peak down at him again, and you can barely stand the sight that awaits there. His eyes are still closed, his brows drawn together with determination. His mouth attached to your clit and his fingers hidden inside you, curling so deliciously. But what really gets you – the final nail in the coffin that sends you so deep into pleasure you fear you’ll never return, is the way his hips grind desperately into the mattress, as if the very act of bringing you pleasure has rendered him unable to wait for his own. 

“Jake, I’m gonna come.” You warn him, and he only nods his head in answer, his tongue working harder and his fingers faster at your broken warning. Your orgasm is a steady build, starting deep in your belly and working its way outwards, engulfing every nerve-ending with white hot pleasure. Distantly, you hear him moan as your thighs tighten around his face, as your walls clench around his fingers. 

Your body is trembling when he finally pulls away, his fingers then instantly being brought to his mouth. He sits up, his eyes closing again as he licks your release from them before they open again and find your dark gaze. He gives you a lazy grin, his chest and face flushed. “I knew you’d taste sweet.” He tells you, climbing his way upwards towards you to kiss you. You can taste yourself on him and you already want more of him. 

“I need you inside me.” You demand, your hands mapping out every inch of his skin that you can reach before hooking in the waistband of his boxers and tugging them down. 

Every inch of him is just as perfect as you’d imagined it to be. A perfect length and mouth-wateringly thick. His swollen head is flushed and glistening with precum. Slightly bashful, he leans down and kisses you again. 

You reach between your bodies and wrap your fingers around him. He draws back and whines, his body going tense as you work him a little, smearing his precum over his throbbing length. “Fuck, Y/n.” He mutters, placing his forearms on either side of you. After a few pumps, you guide him between your legs, lining him up with your entrance. He starts to press in slowly, his lips wrapping around your left nipple and sucking softly as he sheaths himself inside of you. Both of you cry out softly, your quiet, panting breaths mingling with the other’s. He fills you perfectly, the stretch so delicious you never want to be without him inside you again. “You feel…” He never finishes, instead moving over to suckle at your other breast. 

“Move, baby.” You beg and he instantly obeys you, drawing out from you and then pushing back in, his pace slow but pointed and powerful. Your hands grip his shoulders, sliding down to hold tightly at his biceps as he rocks into you. 

He pulls away from your tit to look down at you, his pupils so wide his eyes look black. The bed frame creaks with each powerful thrust of his hips. “I won’t last with you looking at me like that,” he murmurs, seizing his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“You feel so fucking good, baby.” You fight to keep your eyes from fluttering shut – you want to see his face, to see the way it contorts and twists in pleasure. 

“You feel even better.” He brings his thumb up to your lips, dragging it across your bottom lip before pressing into your mouth. You suckle at it, moaning around it. He moans too, then pulls the digit from between your lips and drops his hand to rub your swollen clit in time with his thrusts. “Need you to come first, angel. Wanna feel you squeeze around my cock.” 

You can feel your second orgasm building, your body starting to tremble as he starts to move faster, his cock twitching inside of you as you both near the edge. His lips part, desperate little groans filling the air between you as he fights back his own release. “Please, baby.” He urges, and that’s all it takes. The band inside your belly finally snaps, your vision going white around the edges as your orgasm rocks through you. He thrusts into you frantically, working you through your release before pulling out of you, ropes of hot cum painting your lower belly as he finishes. 

Both of you are left panting, the meaning of what just happened and the weight of what’s been confessed tonight settling over the two of you like a weighted blanket. 

“I love you,” Jake offers, pressing his lips to yours for another kiss, “and I’ll keep kissing you as many times a day as you’ll let me to make up for the one I didn’t give you at midnight.” 

You can’t help but grin up at him, already knowing that no one could ever hold a candle to the man who’s gazing down at you with nothing but reverence in his eyes. “I love you, too.” 

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉

Fin

Enjoy my work? Join my taglist

Tags:

@jakeyt @demolitionndann @brujamagik @mybussyinchrist @writingcold @sinsofstardust  @jjwasneverhere @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @wildbluesorbit  @twistedmelodies @neverwanttofallasleep @sunandthemoontwinflames @clairesjointshurt @mindastreamofcolours @hellowgoodbye @gretasfallingsky @weightofkiszka @gvfmelbourne @smoking-jakelane @joshskittytickler @itsafullmoon  @mackalah  @sinarainbows  @dannys-dream @lipstickitty @thewritingbeforesunrise @isabelgvf @sparrowofrhiannon @jakesguitarsolo @peaceloveunitygvf @kashmirclam @stardust-chordsss @gold-mines-melting @kenobicoffee @spark-my-nature @love-isnt-greed @jakeygvf21 @jaketlove @mulberrimouse @myownparadise96 @sacredtheslay @dancingcarbon @do-it-jakey-baby @gretavangelica @devilat-thedoor

[arc852]

Fault 1/3

Summary: It's been two days since the incident where Jimmy fell out of Joel's pocket and Joel is completely blaming himself for what happened. When Tango wants to hang out with Jimmy, Joel is just barely containing his anger and jealousy on top of everything else.

Warnings: self-blame, self-deprecation, anger, crying, breaking down, jealousy and arguing

Word Count: 4121

AO3 Link

Happy New Year everyone! I'm hopefully starting the year off right by posting a new fic within the bbbcau! This one takes place pretty much right after Not Just a Drunken Dream, so I hope you enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Joel found that it was still hard to pay attention to his classes.

 Two days ago, Jimmy had fallen from his pocket and had almost been crushed by the crowds of students going to and from class. He had then been picked up and they could only count themselves lucky that it was Tango of all people who had done so. Joel always tried not to think about what would happen if Jimmy fell into the wrong hands. But he did anyway and Jimmy had almost ended up dead or in the hands of someone who might not have treated him like a person.

 And it was all Joel’s fault.

 Joel could still remember the panic that shot through his whole body when he had stuck his hand in his pocket after sitting down in class, only to discover that Jimmy was no longer there. He had immediately left his class, pulled Grian out of his, and then had searched all over for Jimmy. Only for him to be returned to them by none other than Tango.

 Joel rested the back of his hands on his forehead and leaned against them with his elbows firmly on the table. He closed his eyes and let the professor’s voice wash over him. Though he was technically listening, he wasn’t retaining any of the words. Mind still wandering toward Jimmy.

 He had been so stupid. Why hadn’t he kept his hand in the pocket with Jimmy? He usually did, why was that time any different? He should have been more careful. Who cares if he was late to class? He should have been walking slower and paying more attention to his surroundings. Instead, he had rammed into somebody with enough force to knock Jimmy out of his pocket.

 So so stupid.

 He was vaguely aware of someone taking the seat next to him, which was weird because the class had been going on for at least a half hour now. He kept his head down though, not looking until he heard a familiar voice psst at him.

 “Psst! Joel.” The voice whispered and Joel finally looked over to see Tango sitting there. Joel blinked, having forgotten that Tango was even in this class with him.

 “Hey, do you have Jimmy with you?” Tango asked, still whispering. Though even his whispers seemed too loud to Joel. His eyes widened and he looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. No one was, of course, but Joel was extra paranoid after what had happened two days ago.

 “Shhh!” Joel shushed Tango, who looked surprised at that. “You can’t just mention him like that!” Joel whispered back to him in a bit of a harsher tone.

 “Wha- I’m being quiet!” Tango said, his whisper getting just a tiny bit louder. “I just wanted to know.”

 Joel knew he wasn’t being very fair towards Tango but currently the man was only bringing up unwanted memories. That he had already been thinking about anyway. Joel sighed. “No, he’s not. It’s probably going to be a while before he comes to class with us again.” And even longer before it would be with Joel. 

 “Oh.” Tango wilted a bit but perked back up a moment later. “Well, is it okay if I see him after class?” Tango asked with a smile and Joel just looked at him.

 Joel narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

 Tango blinked, A bit taken aback by the hostility he was feeling from Joel. “I uh…I mean, I thought we could hang out? Properly this time, ya know?” Tango said, a bit hesitant now as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

 Joel was trying very hard to hold himself back from saying no just straight up. He was still on edge after what happened two days ago and even though he knew Tango, knew him to be kind, Joel was loath to have any other humans around Jimmy right now.

 He took a deep breath, knowing that ultimately, it wasn’t his decision. It was Jimmy’s. But even still, Joel knew Jimmy was also still a bit off from two days ago. The borrower was taking it easy right now and so Joel was confident that Jimmy would turn Tango away. The thought made him feel a bit better and so he finally turned to answer Tango. “I’ll have to ask him if he’s up for that right now.” Joel said, keeping his voice low and monotone. Despite his tone though, Tango grinned and looked excited.

 “Right, right! Of course.” Tango said and then leaned back in his chair to focus back on the teacher. Joel scoffed silently to himself and rolled his eyes, placing a hand on his cheek and leaning on it. If he honestly expected Jimmy to say yes right now, after what had just happened, then Tango was a bigger idiot than he was.

 The next half hour went by incredibly slowly, all things considered, especially as all Joel could pay attention to was Tango beside him. He could feel the excitement rolling off the engineering major in waves and it was honestly annoying Joel more than he was willing to admit.

 Once class was over, Joel closed his laptop without saving and shoved it into his bag. It wasn’t like he took any notes anyway. He had little to no idea what they had just learned about for the last hour but it was fine. He could just get notes off of somebody else. His eyes wandered over to Tango at that thought but he pushed it down for now. He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

 Tango gave him a smile as he waited for him before starting to head out of the classroom. Joel followed him out and they paused outside of the door. “Can we head back to your dorm now, or did you have another class?” Tango asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet in barely hidden eagerness. Joel was now half wishing he did but he shook his head.

 “No, we can head there now. I guess.” Joel said and started walking first. Tango was quick to follow, not at all put off by Joel’s attitude. 

 They didn’t speak much on their way over to the dorm building. Joel felt awkward for reasons he couldn’t explain. Tango was his friend after all. Even if Joel was currently giving him a bit of the cold shoulder. Joel was happy to break the silence once they actually made it to his dorm door. “I’ll go ask him but you gotta stay here. I don’t want to overwhelm or scare Jimmy by having a human that he wasn’t expecting come in.”

 “Right, right, of course.” Tango said. The patient but eager grin on his face made Joel’s blood boil.

 “Be right back.” Joel snapped and then opened the door, but only enough for him to slip through. He didn’t want Jimmy catching a glimpse at Tango from the outside after all. He looked around, realizing Grian wasn’t there, which meant he was probably still in class. Scanning the room a bit more, he saw Jimmy on his bed with what must have been Grian’s phone. He was stomach down facing the phone, although his head had turned once he heard the door open.

 “Hey Joel!” Jimmy exclaimed in greeting, sitting up from his position and turning his body to face Joel. Whatever was on the phone had been paused. “How was class?”

 Joel came closer, setting his bag on the back of his chair before going back around his bed. “It was fine.” Joel lied, not wanting to get into the fact he had barely paid attention to the class at all. Gosh he was tired. All he wanted was to lay in bed and hold Jimmy close. At least here in the room he knew for sure nothing bad could happen to Jimmy. 

 But Tango was still waiting outside, so he at least had to ask Jimmy to get this over with and make that a reality. 

 “By the way, Tango is waiting outside. He was wondering if you wanted to hang out with him. I already figured you wouldn’t be feeling up for it though so I can just go ahead and tell him-” Joel was cut off as Jimmy stood fully up on the bed.

 “Wait, Tango is here? Of course I want to hang out with him! Send him in!” Jimmy said, a grin on his face, his eyes wide with excitement. 

 Joel felt his entire body deflate as he simply looked at Jimmy. “...Are you sure? Because after what happened-”

 “I’m sure, Joel. I’m fine, I promise.” Jimmy said and Joel searched his eyes for any hint that he was lying. He wasn’t.

 “Right. Um, okay.” His voice felt thick for no good reason and he blinked more to try and keep the water from his eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? “I’ll go tell him then.” He turned almost numbly and headed toward the door, opening it to reveal that Tango was still there and waiting patiently. He gave Joel a smile though it faltered slightly when he saw his expression.

 “Tango!” Jimmy cried out from behind him and it was just loud enough for Tango to hear. His expression shifted back into the grin from before.

 “Jimmy, hey!” Tango exclaimed back, looking past Joel to be able to see Jimmy on the bed. Joel shifted a bit awkwardly and moved out of the way to let Tango come in.

 “Come on in. Jimmy, uh, said okay to hanging out. As I’m sure you figured out.” Joel said and no one seemed to notice his pained tone or expression as Tango came in and walked right over to Jimmy. Joel was quick to close the door behind Tango, not wanting someone randomly walking by and seeing Jimmy.

 He stayed a good bit away behind Tango, just standing there as he watched Tango crouch down so Jimmy didn’t have to crane his neck so much. “How have you been?” Tango asked and Joel noticed that Tango was at least keeping his hands to himself. “Joel told me you aren’t really going to class with them anymore.”

 “I’ve been good, but yeah, it might be a bit before I’m comfortable going back to class with them again.” Jimmy said with a slight laugh, his hand going behind him to rub at his neck. Joel found himself wincing at that, crossing his arms in a way to both hide and hug himself.

 He was the reason Jimmy didn’t feel safe going out with them to class anymore. This was all his fault.

 “Well, do you feel comfortable enough coming back to my dorm with me to hang out?” Tango said, which startled Joel out of his own self-blame. He all but jumped to Tango’s side, looking at him with wide eyes.

 “Wait, what?” Joel said, not trying to hide the shock in his tone.

 Jimmy, for his part, also looked surprised but not with the same kind of dread that Joel was feeling. “To your dorm?”

 “Yeah.” Tango looked a bit sheepish now. “I mean, I figured we could have some lunch. Properly hang out and get to know each other, ya know?” Tango explained before continuing a moment later. “Oh, and don’t worry about Impulse. He’s got a full day of classes ahead of him. He won’t be back for a few more hours at least.”

 Joel had to say something. “I don’t think-”

 “That does sound like fun.” Jimmy said with a smile and a certain spark in his eyes that Joel had only seen when Jimmy was really excited about something. Joel could feel his body deflate once again, the pit in his stomach growing even more.

 Jimmy then did something that Joel hadn’t been expecting, and that was turning to look at him with his head slightly tilted. “Is that okay with you, Joel?”

 Joel could feel his cheeks heat up and from his peripheral, because he refused to take his eyes off Jimmy right now, he could see Tango looking back and forth between them with a certain look on his face. Joel was suddenly reminded that Tango had been the one to remind them that Jimmy was the one who should have the ultimate decision in whatever he did. Which Joel did agree wholeheartedly with, even if it was hard to do sometimes.

 But the fact that Jimmy was asking him now, about this, felt…well, Joel wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he really wanted to say no. He wanted to pick Jimmy up and hold him close, hold him away from Tango and just be. He wanted to scream at Tango to go away, he wanted to cry angrily into his pillow, he wanted to have not messed up-

 But Tango had been the one to right his wrong, in the end. Had been the one who ended up saving and protecting Jimmy. The thing that Joel failed at. Maybe…maybe Tango deserved Jimmy’s time more than Joel did.

 So Joel turned his head away, feigning disinterest. He’s not sure how much he succeeded though. “Why are you asking me? You can do what you want.” Joel said, his tone a bit sharper than he had intended.

 Thankfully, or maybe not, Joel wasn’t really sure at this point, but no one noticed. Jimmy just blinked and then grinned as he turned back to Tango. “I guess I can.” Jimmy chuckled a bit to himself. “Yes, Tango, I would love to have lunch with you.”

 Tango grinned back. “Great!” He said excitedly. He then paused and looked a bit awkward all of a sudden. “Um, how uh, how did you want to do this then?” Tango asked and Jimmy laughed a bit.

 Joel was back to crossing his arms, maybe a bit tighter than one would normally, and he looked away from the playful awkwardness of Tango getting used to picking Jimmy up. Although, if his peripheral vision was anything to go off of, Tango didn’t exactly pick Jimmy up but held out his hand for him. Jimmy climbed on with what at least appeared to be no hesitation. Joel stopped looking through his peripheral.

 He only turned back when Tango addressed him. “Don’t worry Joel, I’ll have him back before dinner.” He said with a chuckle, playfully acting like he was taking Jimmy on a date and Joel was Jimmy’s father. At least, that’s what Tango’s line and delivery reminded Joel of.

 “You better.” Joel mumbled, trying not to stare at Tango too intensely. He was probably failing though, so he let his eyes wander down to Jimmy.

 “I’ll see you later Joel!” Jimmy said and Joel nodded, hoping Jimmy didn’t notice how fast and often he was blinking.

 “See you later.” Joel said. “Be safe.” He said a bit quieter, though did he actually know what that meant? He thought his pocket had been safe after all. He thought Jimmy had been safe with him.

 Joel could barely watch as Tango left with Jimmy, but he did. He watched as Tango held Jimmy close to his chest, cupping his free hand over in front of him in order to hide him in case there were any people wandering around the halls. Joel followed them to the door, numbly helping Tango open it, since his hands were full with Jimmy. It took him a while to actually close the door, not doing so until Tango had turned the corner far down the hall.

 The door closed with a click and it was suddenly all too quiet.

 Joel went and sat down on his bed and just…stared. His hands gripped at the fabric of his pants and he glared down at the floor.

 He didn’t exactly mean to stay like that but before he knew it, the door was opening again and Grian walked into the room. Grian paused as he noticed Joel’s position and looked at him in confusion. “Joel? Everything okay?”

 “Fine.” Joel said, his tone sharp and quick. Grian didn’t look convinced but then again, Joel wasn’t really trying to hide his feelings anymore. Grian looked around, noticing someone seemed missing.

 “Where’s Jimmy?” Grian asked and the question alone had Joel tightening his hold on the fabric of his jeans. He grit his teeth and took a deep breath. It did little to calm him though.

 “With Tango.” Joel practically spat out. Grian looked taken aback for a moment, blinking in surprise.

 “Tango?” Grian asked, ignoring, for a moment, Joel’s tone.

 Joel let out a shaky huff of breath. “Tango came up to me in class and asked if he could hang out with Jimmy. I said he’d have to ask Jimmy himself. So he came over.” Joel let his eyes fall away from Grian’s and back onto the floor. “I really thought Jimmy would say no.” Joel said a bit quieter.

 Grian raised an eyebrow at him. “You thought he would say no? Is that why you’re being like…this?” He motioned toward all of Joel and Joel lifted his head to scowl at him. Grian didn’t back down from it though, simply crossed his arms and looked at Joel with that stupid knowing look Joel hated.

 “Like what, Grian? Not sure I know what you mean?” His voice went high but his glare stayed true, daring Grian to continue.

 “Come on, you can’t admit that you’re jealous?” Grian said and that had Joel absolutely fuming. He stood up faster than even he had been expecting and got into Grian’s face. The fact that Grian appeared unaffected by this just made Joel even angrier.

 “I’m not jealous. Jimmy can do whatever the bloomin’ hell he wants! Tango probably deserves him more than me anyway!” Joel shouted, fuming. He hadn’t even realized what he actually said until he saw Grian’s knowing look drop and his eyes go wide.

 “Joel…”

 “Shut up! Shut up!” Joel yelled, backing up a step to get himself out of Grian’s face. He didn’t want to hear it.

 “Joel, it wasn’t-” Grian tried but Joel cut him off.

 “Oh, it wasn’t my fault? Is that what you were going to say? God, shut the bloody hell up, Grian. Of course it was my fault!” Joel yelled, moving one hand to pull at the hairs on his scalp before throwing both hands in the air and leaning more toward Grian. Not quite getting in his face like before, but close all the same. Joel felt a tinge of satisfaction as Grian backed up a step. “Jimmy almost died because of me! He almost got found by someone who could have taken advantage of him! The only reason he’s here is because of Tango!”

 Joel was breathing really heavy now, his eyes combating against the water trying to spill from them. He gripped at his hair again. “Of course Jimmy would choose Tango over me, of course-”

 “Joel!” Grian shouted, his hands on Joel’s shoulders as he shook him out of his spiral. Joel jolted a bit, looking at Grian with wide, manic eyes. Despite that, Grian held his gaze. “Calm down.” Grian’s words were firm but no less gentle, trying to ease his friend out of his self-hatred and panic.

 “You don’t get it. I can’t keep Jimmy safe! First he gets stuck in that glue trap under my watch and now this. I-I can’t be trusted with him! No wonder he’d rather hang out with Tango than-”

 “Joel, stop!” Grian yelled, his grip tightening on Joel’s shoulders. Joel finally paused at the almost desperate tone Grian’s voice had taken.  

 “But-”

 “Just…stop.” Grian said, cutting Joel off and not letting him speak himself into any more circles. He was still holding on tight to Joel’s shoulders. “Breathe, Joel.”

 After a few shaky breaths, Joel managed to take in a deep one. But as he let it out, his tears, which he had been holding back this whole time, finally started to fall. He grit his teeth as he couldn’t stop them from raining down his cheeks. Grian’s eyes went soft. “Oh Joel…” Grian pulled at his shoulders and suddenly he was in Grian’s space again, but this time with Grian’s arms wrapped around his body. Grian was hugging him.

 Joel hugged him back and buried his face into Grian’s shoulder. Not caring that he was probably making a complete mess of Grian’s shirt. “It wasn’t your fault Joel.”

 Joel hiccuped. “But-”

 “Nope. None of that now. It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. A mistake. If Jimmy had been in my pocket the same thing could have happened.” Grian said, words firm and sturdy. And Joel suddenly felt too tired to argue with them. So he just sniffed.

 “And Jimmy isn’t choosing you over anybody. Especially not Tango. He’s your friend. Our friend. And no matter who he ends up hanging out with, he’ll always come back home to us.” Grian continued. Joel wasn’t sure how he could say that with such confidence. Even though it had been months at this point, Joel still worried about messing up enough where Jimmy left for good. But here Grian was, confident that Jimmy would always come back.

 It was quiet for a moment as Grian let his words sink in. When Joel didn’t make any move to speak, Grian decided to continue. “Why did you think Jimmy would say no to hanging out with Tango?” Grian asked, bringing back up what Joel had said earlier.

 Joel tensed, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly and pushed Grian away. Not roughly, but enough to let Grian know he was done with the hug. Grian offered no resistance and let Joel go and Joel took another step back for good measure, looking away.

 “I just thought…after everything that happened two days ago I figured Jimmy wouldn’t want to go anywhere for a while. Let alone talk to, and hang out with, a human he barely knows.” Joel let out a sigh, rubbing at his eyes and cheeks to get his tears cleaned up. “But instead he practically jumped at the chance and…I don’t know. It felt bad.”

 Grian hummed, listening intently. “I don’t think I was exactly wrong before. I do think there is a bit of jealousy seeping through everything else you're dealing with.” Grian stated, though this time it wasn’t said in a joking or teasing manner. Joel still didn’t like being called jealous but it was better than before. “You feeling bad is probably a mix of that jealousy and you thinking you don’t deserve Jimmy anymore. His acceptance of Tango’s request to hang out probably, subconsciously, affirmed your fears.”

 Joel sniffed again. “When did you become a bloomin’ psychology major?”

 Grian’s lips twitched up slightly. “Biology and psychology are just two sides of the same coin.” Grian said before letting his small smile ease off again. “Look, it’s not like I also really like the fact that Jimmy’s off hanging with Tango. Especially with what happened two days ago. I want to keep him close and safe as much as you do. But, he’s also his own person, and when it comes down to it I do trust him and Tango to be safe. Jimmy is just…excited to have a new friend.”

 “Right…” Joel said, though he didn’t look entirely convinced.

 Grian sighed. “Okay, obviously you aren’t going to take my world for it. You need to talk to Jimmy about this.”

 Joel tensed up again. “I can’t talk to Jimmy! He’ll…then he’ll know and…” Honestly, Joel’s brain was struggling to come up with a reason to not talk to Jimmy other than he really didn’t want to.

 “You’re not going to feel better until you talk to Jimmy.” Grian said as he patted Joel on the shoulder. “And I will lock you two in the room if you don’t.”

 Joel sighed but gave a little nod. He wasn’t looking forward to the talk but he knew Grian was right. He needed to tell Jimmy how he felt and talk about everything.

 Joel still believed it was his fault, it was hard not to when he looked back on everything he could have done better to prevent it, but he would talk to Jimmy all the same. He watched as Grian took his laptop out of his bag and sat at his desk. Joel hesitated before doing the same. At least he could try and get some homework done to distract him until Jimmy came back home.

 Joel tried to push down the dread he felt in his gut as he started to type away at his laptop.

[mattyriddlegf]

New Year's Kiss - MR

Happy new years everyone! 2024 gave me so much to be grateful as I started my writing journey here and I cannot wait to see what 2025 brings. Thank you all for all of your support <3

Summary: you miss Mattheo on New Years Eve after a fight between the two of you creates animosity

warnings: suggestive content

word count: ~1k

-----------

It’s New Year's Eve at Hogwarts, the whole castle buzzing with excitement. Students in every house had agreed to be in on the castle party, creating one of the biggest and best kept secrets from professors in recent history.

The room of requirement has been transformed into a large banquet room, ready to host over a hundred kids or more. The drinks have been spiked and the music was blasting, bodies standing all over the place.

You would actually quite enjoy this setting if it weren’t for the fact that you and Mattheo had gotten into a huge fight a few days ago and haven’t made up yet. It was over a stupid topic but both your and Mattheo’s egos have gotten in the way, forcing the two of you to go into the silent treatment with each other.

‘You’re stupid if you think he was just trying to be nice and help you out. He obviously wanted in your pants.’

‘Oh that’s really mature of you Mattheo. Congratulations on being an asshole.’

‘Fuck you.’

‘Yeah well fuck you too.’

The argument replays in your head. Both of you knew how to get under each other’s skin and when you’re mad, your words shoot to kill; the same goes for Mattheo.

You stand alone in the corner in the room sipping on your drink, observing everybody around you. To no surprise, Mattheo hasn’t shown yet. He wasn’t one to like parties, especially not alone so him not showing up made a lot of sense. A small part of you, the part that wasn’t mad at him anymore, kept looking at the door hoping to see him enter.

This would be the third new year of your and Mattheo’s relationship and the previous two years had been spent together, kissing at midnight and separating from the rest of the group afterwards to ring in the new year properly…

“Hey, you doing ok?” Pansy asks, walking up to you and snapping you back to reality. You hadn’t wanted to come to the party either but she had convinced you otherwise, practically begging you to come.

“I’m fine.” you respond quickly, “seriously, go have fun.”

“You miss him don’t you?” she smirks slightly. She was the number one fan of the relationship you and Mattheo had, she knew all of the stuff you had been through together and was genuinely your number one supporter.

You tilt your head, “what makes you say that?”

“sweetie, you wouldn’t be able to fool anyone right now, let alone me.” she laughs, “just admit it…”

You purse your lips, “maybe just a little…”

“Go be with him…you know you want to.” she shrugs, sipping the drink in her hand.

“I don’t know…” you shake your head, “either way, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me!”

She glances between your eyes, looking suspicious before speaking up, “alright fine but I will get you on that dance floor at some point tonight...if you’re still here later”

“Sure thing, I can’t wait.” you smile fakely. You check your watch, 11:42pm, “it’s almost time, you better go find a guy to kiss”

“Oh trust me, I have my eyes on someone already” she smirks and starts walking away.

“Take it easy on Draco” you say louder than normal. She flips her middle finger at you before she disappears back into the crowd.

You slowly make your way over to the liquor table, refilling your drink as you notice a couple, both Ravenclaw’s, across the room. They were standing close to each other, the guy with his arms wrapped around the girl’s back and her arms hanging around his neck as they gently sway to the loud party music in the background.

The feeling in the pit of your stomach was nagging at you, eating away at your pride. Who even cared if you were right in your argument with Mattheo? Now, it seemed like it doesn’t even matter anymore, you just wanted him.

You move your glance over to Theo across the room, who is making out with his new girlfriend. You watch for a few more seconds before looking back down at the watch on your wrist, now reading 11:49pm. Eleven minutes until the New Year and Mattheo was nowhere in sight.

Your heart aches, wanting your love by your side. The mixture of sounds from the party were suddenly hurting your ears.

You set down your full drink on the table before walking out, leaving behind the party. You didn’t want to be there anymore.

You walk through the empty castle, heading straight for the astronomy tower. You know Mattheo will be there without a doubt.

When you reach the top of the tower, the freezing air hits you like a ton of bricks but you see Mattheo leaning on the railing, staring out onto the grounds.

“Hi” you breathe out, just standing there.

Mattheo instantly turns around to face you, “hi.”

You walk up slowly, “it’s cold out here…”

“Weren’t you at the party?” he interrupts, asking you with furrowed eyebrows.

“I didn’t want to be there…not without you.”

He doesn’t respond but looks you up and down and nods.

“The truth is that I don’t even know what we fought about anymore. I just-” you hesitate before continuing, “I love you.”

A smile slowly creeps onto Mattheo’s face. You walk up to him until you’re just inches away from him, the heat of his body begging to touch you.

“You couldn’t even make it one New Year’s kiss without me, could you?” he smirks, wrapping his arms around you and resting his hands on your lower back.

He glances at your watch as your hand rests on his chest, “its almost midnight…” he coos.

“Oh?” you ask sarcastically, “what’s so special about midnight?”

“This…” he trails off as he connects his lips with yours, everything else in the world instantly disappearing.

You hear fireworks going off in the distance, likely from the Weasley twins. You laugh into the kiss before pulling away, “happy new year my love”

“Happy new year mi amor” he responds as he grabs your chin before connecting lips again, your tongues dancing together.

You had started the new year just how you wanted to…with the love of your life.

[thehereticdiaries]

Bite Me

Summary: You're fed up with the cold shoulder you've been getting from your best friend. So you show up to his apartment to confront him. The reason behind his silence is one you can hardly believe

Warnings: Blood, biting, suggestive for most members (especially Heeseung), lmk if i missed anything

Pairings: OT7 x Reader [separate], platonic Ni-ki and Sunoo

A/N: so i read part of this series called "house of night" when i was definitely too young to be reading it. anyway, when the vampires in that series feed on people, the human gets like super turned on. so i wrote that lol

Introduction

It’s been more than a week since you’ve heard from your best friend. The two of you normally texted every day. At the very least, you reacted to messages when either of you were too busy to fully respond. Your texts were going through and you knew he was reading them. Your anxiety grew worse as each day of silence passed. You were fed up, so you took matters into your own hands and showed up unannounced to his apartment. The door was locked, but you had each other’s keys, so you let yourself in. The overhead lights were off and all of the windows were covered in blackout curtains. None of the bright spring sun entered the apartment.

“You shouldn’t be here,” his voice came from the darkest corner of the living room.

“Don’t give me that shit,” you scoffed and stormed into the apartment, not even bothering to take your shoes off. 

“Stop! Seriously, you need to leave.”

“No! I’ve been so fucking worried about you. I’m not leaving until I know you’re okay,” you argued, dropping your bag on the kitchen counter. You stood with your hands on your hips, jutting one out to the side and raising your eyebrows expectantly.

“I’m fine, now go,” he insisted. You barely saw his outline in the dark. He was hunched on the floor between the couch and the wall.

“You’re obviously not fine. What’s going on?” 

“Nothing.”

“Listen, if you’re mad at me, we can talk it out. Don’t just ignore me,” you moved closer to the seam separating the carpet of the living room from the tile in the kitchen.

“Y/N, I’m not mad at you. Please just leave. I promise I’ll call you later,” he pleaded. His shoulders shook in what you assumed was barely-contained anger.

“I’m not leav-”

“Get out! I don’t want to hurt you,” he shouted, startling you enough to take a step back. It was silent for a few tense moments, save for his heavy breathing.

“I don’t understand. Why do you think you’d hurt me?” In a split second, you were backed against the wall, caged in by your best friend’s arms. Your mind reeled at his speed and the unnatural red glow in his eyes. 

“My supply ran out. I couldn’t feed and I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself for much longer.” 

“Wh- supply? Feed? What are you talking about?!” You demanded, eyes wide and brows furrowed. The string lights lining the ceiling of the living room glinted off his teeth. No, not his teeth. His fangs.

“You’re a smart girl, Y/N. I think you can figure it out.”

“You’re a fucking vampire?!” His fists balled up next to your head. His eyes bore down on you, draining some of the confidence you had conjured up. You couldn’t meet his eyes, opting to look at his hoodie strings instead.

“How long?” You muttered, crossing your arms over your chest.

“What?”

“How long have you been… like this?” 

“What, how long have I been a vampire?” He asked incredulously. You nodded and he sighed, relaxing his hands so they pressed flat on the wall. “A little over two years.”

“Two years? And you never told me?” 

“How was I supposed to tell you, Y/N? ‘Hey when my family was in Romania some psycho bit me and now I drink blood’? Come on, you would’ve called the cops on me.” As his sarcastic rant continued, your jaw tensed and you struggled to stay calm.

“Stop!” His words died on his tongue. “I would not have called the cops or have you hospitalized.” You peeked up at him through your lashes. 

“I’m sorry,” he caved at the shakiness of your voice. 

“You said your supply ran out. What does that mean?”

“I met an older vampire during the first week after I turned. There’s a small circle of people like me that he introduced me to. One of them works for the Red Cross, and she brings us blood bags,” he explained, looking at the floor.

“I don’t…" You took a deep breathe before continuing. "It feels wrong to take donations like that, but I understand why it’s necessary.” He sighed, somewhat relieved that you didn’t immediately run for the hills. “So you ran out of the blood bags?”

“Yeah. The Red Cross nurse has been out of the country for a few weeks. I thought I had enough, but I was wrong.”

“And your solution was to isolate yourself? You couldn’t possibly hide until she got back. I mean, do you even know when she’s supposed to come back?” You pointed out all the flaws in his flimsy plans.

“I don’t. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You need blood, right?” He nodded. “Why don’t you, uh, feed straight from a person?”

“Seriously?” He scoffed. “I can’t just ask someone, they’d think I’m insane.”

“I’ll do it,” you stated, feeling oddly calm now despite the very real danger you were in. He narrowed his eyes on you.

“You’ll do what, Y/N?” The way he asked screamed ‘rethink what you just offered’.

“I’ll let you feed from me. I mean, it’s just this once, right?”

“No. No, absolutely not. I can’t do that to you,” he refused immediately. You rolled your eyes.

“You’re going to starve if you don’t. Please, I want to help you,” you insisted. He hesitated, checking your eyes for any hint of fear or doubt.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, just bite me.”

Jungwon

His eyes darkened, shifting from a bright red to a deep maroon. His hands lifted from the wall, one grabbing your jaw and the other hooking into the collar of your t-shirt. He angled your head so your neck was bared for him, pulling your shirt to the side at the same time.

“Tell me if you need me to stop,��� Jungwon whispered against your neck. His cold breath sent a shiver down your spine. You assumed he would get straight into it, get the whole thing done as quickly as possible. Your heart jumped when he pressed a feather-light kiss right below your jawline.

“Jungwon-”

“Shh. Let me do this right.” You nodded against his hand, uncrossing your arms to grip the front of his hoodie. His lips trailed down the side of your neck, smirking against your racing pulse. He settled at the juncture of your neck and shoulder, right above your collarbone. He kissed your skin one last time, licking over the area before piercing your skin with his fangs.

You squeaked at the sensation. The sharp sting from the bite quickly faded once his teeth retracted from your neck. Then his lips closed around the wound and he sucked. Your eyes widened at the sudden heat pouring from your neck into your core. 

“Oh, fuck. Jungwon, is it supposed to feel like this?” You panted and tightened your grip on his hoodie. He hummed but couldn’t pull himself away, too caught up in the taste of your blood. You rested your head against the wall, eyes rolling back and thighs squeezing together. You waited in silence, mind racing to catch up with everything you learned in the last 15 minutes. You let him take as much as he needed, until the edges of your vision began to blur.

“J-Jungwon, too much. I’m getting dizzy,” you pushed weakly against his forehead. 

“Sorry, fuck, I’m sorry.” He forced himself to release your neck. The puncture marks still slowly leaked blood. 

“I sh-should bandage that,” you trailed off, just as reluctant to move as Jungwon was.

“Hold on, let me just…” He ran his tongue over the wound, pulling an involuntary moan from your throat. “My saliva is a coagulant.” He pulled back with the intention of making sure you were okay, but froze at the almost fucked-out expression on your face. Your nails dug into his biceps, shattering the last of his self-restraint. Both hands cradled your cheeks as he crashed his lips into yours. You gasped, allowing Jungwon to roll his tongue over yours. The metallic taste of your own blood flooded your mouth and his fangs scraped over your lower lip. Your knees buckled. If Jungwon wasn’t pressing you into the wall with his body, you definitely would have fallen. He might not need to breathe anymore, but you did, forcing you to break the heated kiss. 

“Are you okay?” He brushed his thumb across your cheekbone, resting his forehead against yours.

“Mhm, just a little tired,” you answered once you caught your breath.

“I went overboard.” He picked you up, hands under your thighs, and carried you to his couch. He fell back against the cushions, settling down with you laying on his chest. “Sleep. We’ll talk when you wake up.”

Heeseung

A wide smile broke out on his face, showing off his razor sharp fangs. He swept you up in his arms, moving to set you on the countertop.

“What are you doing?” You asked as he slotted himself between your legs. Heat crept up on your cheeks.

“Having you sit down,” Heeseung said and tilted his head at you. “Just in case you get light-headed.” You rolled your eyes, dropping your hands to rest on the edge of the counter. You realized something right as his lips grazed the skin of your neck.

“Wait!”

“What? I’m sorry, what happened?” His eyes washed over in a panic as he squeezed your hands. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No, no that’s not it. I have work tomorrow. My uniform won’t cover my neck, you have to bite somewhere else.” He sagged in relief. He bit his lip delicately while his eyes raked over your body. You suddenly felt very exposed despite being totally covered in your t-shirt and leggings.

“Take off your shirt.”

“Excuse me?” Your eyebrows shot into your hairline. Heeseung leaned closer, so close that you could feel his cool breath on your lips.

“Take. Off. Your. Shirt.” He repeated slowly, pausing between each word for emphasis. 

“W-why?”

“Don’t blame me, babe, you’re the one that wanted me to bite in a hidden place.” Your flush grew at the pet name, hesitating just a moment longer before removing your top, leaving you in your simple black bra. You fought the urge to cover yourself under his heated stare.

“Now what?” His eyes flicked to yours one last time. His hands moved to grab your hips. Your breath hitched when his head dipped down to lick over the top of your breast, right next to the edge of your bra. His fangs sank into the soft skin, making you wince at the sting. He pulled his teeth back to suck on the fresh wound. You smacked a hand over your mouth to stifle your moan, the other gripping the counter so tight your knuckles turned white.

“Fuck, you taste so fucking sweet,” Heeseung mumbled against your skin. The vibrations sent your mind reeling from the unexpected pleasure. You held out for a solid few minutes until dark spots danced in your vision.

“H-Heeseung,” you whimpered and pushed at his shoulder. 

“Sorry.” He soothed the punctures with his tongue, effectively stopping the bleeding. His eyes were back to their normal brown. Your eyes dragged over his features in a daze, stopping at the smear of blood at the corner of his mouth. You tried wiping it away with your thumb, but it only spread further down his chin. Without thinking, you leaned forward to lick your blood from his face.

“Goddamn, you can’t just do that to me, Y/N.” He ran a hand up the back of your neck to tangle his fingers in your hair. 

“What do you mean?” You shivered when his nails grazed over your scalp. He poked his tongue into his cheek. A primal instinct in him was pleased with your blissful expression. 

“You know… my senses were heightened when I changed,” he started, holding back a devious grin. Your eyebrows creased, confused as to where he was going with this. 

“So?”

“So.” He tugged you toward him to whisper next to your ear. “I’ve been able to smell how turned on you get when you’re around me.” 

“Wh…what?” His hand trailed from your hair to cup your jaw. His touch and his smile were incredibly gentle, a stark contrast to the fire in your lower belly. 

“Don’t worry, pretty girl. I feel the same about you,” Heeseung confessed, brushing his thumb below your bottom lip. You couldn’t form a coherent sentence to respond. Instead, you pressed a quick peck to his lips. Both of you sat in a stunned silence for a minute, until he pulled you back in for a slower, more languid kiss. He licked into your mouth, dragging his tongue along yours. You whined when he broke away, chasing after him and nearly tumbling off the counter.

“Easy there, hot stuff,” he teased. He grabbed your t-shirt and helped you re-dress. “You need to eat and rest right now, I took a lot out of you.”

“Don’t say it like that, you’re making it sound dirty,” you pouted and let him carry you to the couch. He laughed, maneuvering you so you sat between his legs with your back to his chest. 

“Rest.” You relaxed in his hold, drifting off to the sound of a movie playing on the TV.

Jay 

“You’re insane, you know that?” He tilted his head to the side, moving one hand from the wall to brush against your cheek. 

“Yeah, well, I have to be a little insane to put up with you.” Butterflies crept up in your stomach at the soft affection in his eyes. 

“Right,” he shook his head with a breathy laugh. “This is going to be a lot like donating blood. You might get dizzy if you haven’t eaten anything recently.”

“I had lunch before I came over. I’ll be fine.”

“Where do you want it?” His question caught you off guard. You hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Uhh, it doesn’t really matter. Just somewhere I can cover so I don’t get weird looks at school and work,” you answered after mulling it over in your head. 

“Somewhere you can cover, huh?” Jay smirked, slowly dragging his eyes down your body. 

“Quit it, you’re making me nervous.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” He pecked your cheek then dropped to his knees in front of you, making your brain short-circuit.

“Jay! Wh-” You cut yourself off with a squeak when he hooked your leg over his shoulder. 

“Relax. I’m just making sure it’ll be covered, like you asked.” 

“But where-?” He tore open the inner seam of your leggings to expose the plush skin of your thigh. “My pants! Jay, I still have to walk home later!”

“You can borrow some of mine. Just relax and lean back against the wall,” he instructed gently, rubbing circles on your knee until you let the tension release from your shoulders. He smiled up at you one more time before leaning in to lick a thick stripe along your thigh. He hooked a hand under your knee to keep your leg securely on his shoulder while the other rested on your hip. 

His fangs pierced through your skin. The sharp pain caused you to jolt against his hold. His grip tightened and you felt his fangs shrink back to normal teeth. The image of Jay kneeling between your legs coupled with the blood loss clouded over your mind. Your hands hovered uselessly, unsure of what you could hold on to in order to ground yourself. You settled on curling your fingers around the hem of your shirt until Jay guided one of your hands to thread through his hair. If anyone were to walk in at this point, it would look like something very different was happening. You closed your eyes with a tiny whimper, pouring all of your focus into sitting still.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Jay’s voice broke through your stupor. You blinked down at him, seeing his eyebrows crease in concern. 

“I’m alright. Do you need more?” 

“No, I’m done. I’ll grab some sweatpants for you after I stop the bleeding,” he stated, giving your knee a reassuring squeeze. You inhaled sharply at the feeling of his tongue running over the wound. He set your leg back on the ground then stood to cup your face in both hands.

“Are you sure you’re okay? I didn’t take too much?”

“I’m okay, just a little tired.” He paused, biting the inside of his cheek as his eyes flitted over your face, eventually landing on your lips. You stared back at him with big, sleepy puppy dog eyes.

“Fuck it,” he muttered to himself, pulling you into a soft kiss before he could chicken out again. You melted against him, draping your arms around his neck. It was much too short for your liking, but you didn’t argue as Jay broke the kiss to lead you to the couch. He disappeared into his room briefly, returning with a pair of gray sweatpants. He busied himself in the kitchen, grabbing you a snack and tea while you changed. After you ate, he guided you to lay your head in his lap, scratching your scalp soothingly.

“Thank you, my love,” you heard him whisper moments before succumbing to sleep.

Sunghoon

“Promise me that you’ll stop me if I go too far,” he urged you, holding your face in his hands to force you to meet his eyes. 

“I will. But I trust you, Sunghoon. I know you won’t hurt me.” You leaned into one of his palms, lightly wrapping your fingers around his wrists. His eyes softened into an emotion you haven’t seen from him before, and it drew a flush to your cheeks. His arms dropped to his sides, taking the slightest step back.

“Okay, uhh. Do you have a… preference?”

“Huh?? A preference for what?”

“God, why is this so fucking awkward,” he muttered to himself, clearing his throat before asking a bit louder. “Where do you want me to bite you?”

“Oh! Right, I guess somewhere on my legs. It’s still cool enough to wear pants, so I can hide it easily.” He nodded, dropping to his knees to scan over your legging-clad form. He furrowed his brows.

“I don’t know, Y/N. Where exactly should-”

“Just pick somewhere! Seriously, it doesn’t matter,” you huffed impatiently. 

“Fine, but I don’t want to hear any complaints,” Sunghoon smirked, eyes glittering with mischief. Your eyebrows shot up, but before you could question what he meant, he yanked down the waistband of your leggings on one side. His fangs dug unceremoniously into the skin of your outer thigh, just under the side of your underwear. 

“Ow! Fuck, give me a warning, Sunghoon,” you yelped at the sharp sting. He glared at you from below, keeping one hand hooked into your leggings to keep the fabric out of the way while the other gripped your other hip. His fangs retracted, but didn’t fully disappear. You felt them scrape over your skin as he sucked at the wound. The feeling of your blood being drained from your body was incredibly odd. 

“You doing okay?” Sunghoon pulled back slightly to look up at you. 

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“What does it feel like?” He asked before continuing to feed. 

“It’s weird. I thought it would hurt, but it feels…good?” He hummed and tapped your hip for you to keep talking. “Okay, please don’t judge me, but the only way I can describe it is, uhh, arousing.”

“Really?” He released your hip with a light pop, grinning wolfishly at your blush. 

“Sunghoon I swear if you make fun of me for this-”

“I’m not, chill.” He paused to lap at the punctures. “Thank you, seriously. You have no idea how much this means to me.” He fixed your leggings then stood to pull you into a hug, kissing the top of your head.

“You know I’d do anything for you.” The words were muffled by his shirt, but he heard them loud and clear. He broke away to cup your jaw in his hands. He was looking at you with that softness again, making your breath hitch.

“Can I kiss you?” Rather than answering him verbally, you tugged him down to connect your lips in a tender kiss. He sighed happily, tilting his head to deepen it. Your fingers gripped the front of his shirt to bring yourself back to reality. His tongue brushed over your bottom lip, extremely satisfied when you immediately opened your mouth. His tongue brushed over yours, pulling a whine from the back of your throat. You reluctantly pulled back when your lungs started to burn.

“I’ve waited so long to do that,” Sunghoon admitted, resting his forehead against yours. While you were panting to catch your breath, his chest was completely still.

“It’s so weird that you don’t breathe.” He laughed and rolled his eyes.

“Really, that’s what you choose to comment on?”

“Yeah, yeah. I like you too, asshole,” you teased with a playful nudge to his shoulder. 

“You’re cute. Go pick a movie, I’ll order your favorite takeout and you can fill me in on everything I’ve missed this week.” 

Jake 

“Thank you, thank you. Seriously, Y/N, you’re the best.” Jake gently shook your shoulders to emphasize his point.

“I know,” you giggled, holding onto his wrists to steady yourself.

“I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

“Don’t worry about it, just do what you gotta do.” You tilted your head, pulling your hair over one shoulder to give him easy access to your neck. He pecked your cheek before biting into your skin, unknowingly picking a sensitive spot under your ear. His hands settled on your hips as he sucked on the fresh wound, humming in satisfaction when the taste of your blood hit his tongue. You bit your lip to stifle the moans that threatened to escape your throat.

“A-ah, fuck! Gentle, Jake. Please,” you whimpered when he got a little too enthusiastic with his feeding. His fingers dug into your hips so he could reign in his instincts. He slowed down, but you could tell that there would be a massive bruise later. A minute or two later, he released your neck with a deep sigh, dropping his head to rest on your collarbone.

“Shit, I blanked out. You okay?” Jake asked, slightly panting. His breath was strangely cold against your skin.

“Yeah, I’m good, but what about you? What do you mean ‘I blanked out’?” You wrapped your arms around his neck, unsure if it was to comfort him or yourself.

“This is gonna sound weird,” he started. His head lifted a bit so he could check over your face, looking for any signs of anemic shock. His thumb brushed under the still-bleeding puncture wounds, eyebrows scrunched with worry. He lapped at the droplets and you shivered at the feeling of his tongue on the sensitive skin.

“I-It’s fine. You’ve said plenty of weird things to me before. Why are you still licking me??” Your voice pitched up at the end of your question.

“To stop the bleeding,” he said as if it were obvious. “I have a coagulant in my saliva, it reverses the venom from my fangs.”

“Interesting…”

“You taste really good.”

“I beg your pardon?!” Even with the minor blood loss, you felt a blush rise up on your cheeks.

“Oh my god, not like that! I meant that your blood tastes good. I dunno, I got almost drunk off of it for a minute.” He nuzzled into the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply.

“Jake! Do not sniff me!”

“Sorry! It’s either I continue to sniff you or I’m gonna kiss you,” he froze, almost as if he didn’t mean to say that. If he had to breathe, he certainly would have choked on air. You bit your lip to hide your laughter.

“I’ll take option two,” you admitted while threading a hand through the hair at the base of his neck. He leaned back, the hand that had been on your neck moved to your cheek. Jake studied you, looking for any sign of doubt. Upon seeing your shy but genuine smile, a grin broke out on his face.

“I mean, if you insist,” he teased with a wiggle of his brows. You rolled your eyes, tugging him forward to press a short kiss to his lips. He surged forward before you could pull too far away. You gasped as you were pushed further into the wall, giving Jake the opportunity to slide his tongue against yours. The metallic taste of your blood lingered, but it oddly didn’t bother you. His hand slowly trailed down your hip to the juncture of your thigh and ass, arching your body into his. 

“I really like you, you know,” he mumbled against your mouth after forcing himself to break the kiss, resting his forehead on your own.

“I can tell,” you giggled, scrunching your nose up a bit. “Good thing I really like you, too.” He smirked and pulled you back into another relaxed kiss, hoping to distract you from his wandering hand. 

“Nice try, Jake.” You swatted his hand away when his fingers brushed against the underwire of your bra. “Slow it down-”

“Make it bouncy?”

“You’re an idiot,” you snickered and wormed your way out of his arms to flop down on his couch.

“Yeah, but I’m your idiot now, sweetheart.” He sat next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders so you could relax into his side. Your cheek rested on his chest.

“I know. I’m yours, too.”

Sunoo 

His lips pressed into a thin line as tears welled up on his lash line. A wave of panic rushed over you.

“Oh no, Sunoo, please don’t cry.” Your hands waved uselessly in front of you, caught between wanting to hug him but also wanting to respecting his distaste for skinship. He made that decision for you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders to grip the back of your shirt. Your hands immediately settled in the middle of his back, running small circles with your thumbs.

“I’ve been so scared of what would happen if anyone found out,” he sighed heavily into the crown of your head. “I can’t believe you’re so calm about this.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that vampires are real,” you teased to ease some of the tension. He huffed a quiet laugh through his nose.

“Yeah? Try being a vampire. It’s not as fun as the movies make it look.” You pulled back to wipe the tears from under his eyes.

“I’m being serious, though. You’re my best friend. We look out for each other, right?” You gently reassured him. 

“We do,” he agreed.

“Exactly. You would do the same for me if things were reversed. So eat before you die of starvation.” He rolled his eyes, unzipping your hoodie halfway and letting it fall from one shoulder. One hand wrapped around your bicep while the other sat on your collarbone to hold the strap of your tank top out of the way. 

“Tell me if you need me to stop.” Sunoo urged with a deadly serious edge to his voice. 

“I will, I promise.” With your confirmation, he bit into the curve of your shoulder. You winced silently at the sting, pulling out your phone to scroll on instagram while he drank from the wound. Sunoo was blissfully unaware of your distraction until Sticky blasted at full volume. He glared at you with the worst side-eye you’ve ever had the misfortune of receiving. 

“Are you on tiktok right now?” He asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting about your bleeding shoulder.

“Yeonjun did the sticky dance! How am I supposed to ignore that?”

“You’re ridiculous. I should kick you out right now.”

“Sunoo,” you whined at your friend as his eyes faded from red to their natural brown. He stood up straight, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow. “Ugh, I’m sorryyyyyyy. Put on one of your boring documentaries so I can fill you in on the bullshit between two of my classmates.”

“Say less!” You went to fix your hoodie and move to the living room, but were stopped by Sunoo’s hands on your wrists. “Hold on, I have to take care of the wound.” He ducked down to run his tongue over the punctures and you gagged dramatically.

“Ew, just say you want more blood next time you weirdo.”

“I’m stopping the bleeding! You’re so melodramatic.” He lightly shoved you toward the couch, stopping by the kitchen to grab a water bottle for you.

“Awe, you do love me,” you cooed after he tossed the bottle to you.

“I do love you, Y/N. I really appreciate your help and how understanding you’ve been,” he reached out to hold your hand but refused to look you in the eye. 

“I love you, too,” you smiled and squeezed his hand before pulling back to give him some space. 

“So, your classmates?”

“Oh my GOD they are so dense!” You launched into a yap session with David Attenborough as background noise and Sunoo drinking up every detail.

Ni-Ki

“You’re way too nice for your own good,” Riki stated with a flick to your forehead. 

“Oh, please. Like I’d let anyone other than you drink my blood.”

“Yay! I feel so special,” he teased and shot you a shit-eating grin. You shoved your hand into his face.

“Just do it before I change my mind,” you huffed with no real intention to actually leave him by himself and near starving. He grabbed your hand, turning it over a couple times to figure out where he should bite. 

“Man, I don’t fuckin know,” he muttered to himself before digging his fangs into your wrist (think Bella in the first Twilight). 

“Ow,” you half-heartedly complained. You let him drink in peace for a solid minute. Then you got bored and decided to mess with him, poking his cheek repeatedly. 

“Are you done yet? Are you done yet? Are you done yet?” You asked with each poke. He released your wrist to groan loudly.

“Y/N.”

“Riki.” He glared at you for a few seconds until you poked him again. 

“I thought you were the older one here,” he retorted, showing off his fangs in a fake grimace.

“I am! I treat you the exact same as I treat my brother. Which, unfortunately for you, means I will constantly give you shit.”

“Meh meh meh meh meh,” he mocked quietly as he returned to your bleeding wrist.

“Hey! Is that any way to talk to your only noona– OW you little shit!” You flinched when he pressed into the wound with the pads of his fingers. He ignored you, so you started talking his ear off about work and the favoritism you swore your manager was showing to another girl. Normally Riki would interrupt you every 30 seconds during your ramblings, but his mouth was currently occupied.

“Oh my goddddddd,” he whined obnoxiously and in your ear. “I’m done, please shut uuuuup.” 

“Riki!” You smacked the back of his head, leveling the younger boy with what your brother called your ‘mom eyes’. 

“Sorry,” he grumbled.

“Sorry what?”

“I’m sorry, noona.” He swung your joined hands around, shaking your whole body in the process. “I just love your amazingly long-winded stories.” You decided to ignore the sarcasm in the second half of his apology. 

“Did you get enough?” You asked, nodding toward the wound. 

“Oh! Yeah, I did. Thank you. I was honestly starting to freak out.” 

“It took a whole week for you to panic?” He shrugged. “Are you gonna let my hand go so I can bandage that?”

“Nope. No need, I can stop the bleeding.” He lifted your arm to his mouth again to lick the wounds a couple times.

“Gross.”

“Oh cool, that worked.”

“What?!” Your eyebrows shot into your hairline. “You didn’t know for sure?”

“Well the older vampires all said our saliva stops bleeding, but I’ve never done it myself before.” 

“You’re impossible. You’re lucky I love you,” you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

“How can I ever repay you,” he teased and bowed with a flourish, kissing the top of your hand with an exaggerated ‘mwah!’

“Ewwww,” you grunted and yanked your hand out of his grip. Riki clutched his stomach as he laughed at your reaction. You crossed your arms, acting annoyed despite the fuzzy feeling of pride filling your chest.

“Do you want me to order food for you?” He asked after he calmed down. 

“Yes! I want whatever Jay has been feeding you to get you that tall,” you grinned, turning to saunter over to the couch. You collapsed into the cushions and turned on the TV.

“Wait for me, I want to watch more Demon Slayer with you. Hi, can I place an order for delivery, please?” Riki’s voice trailed away as he disappeared into his room for the phone call. You shook your head, queueing up the episode you left off on more than a week ago, more than ready to spend time with your best friend again.

Permanent Taglist: @furfoxsake22 @babygirlskz98 @miniverse-zen @holly-here @corgilover20 @eastjonowhere @bookswillfindyouaway

[sgtpeppers]

"A dark shadow on an otherwise beautiful record": PR, McCartney and The Beatles' Split.

“No, I wasn’t angry – shit, he’s a good P.R. man, that’s all. He’s about the best in the world, probably. He really does a job. I wasn’t angry. We were all hurt that he didn’t tell us that was what he was going to do.”

(John Lennon in Rolling Stone, 21 Jan 1971)

To cut to the chase, I want to explain why this statement from John, claiming Paul is a good PR man is wrong. Largely thanks to quotes like this from John, Paul gets painted as the Beatle with a good media strategy, the insinuation being of course, that he is disingenuous and inauthentic. I don’t believe this is true in general, but what I really want to focus on, and what John is referencing in that quote, is the publicity around Paul’s 1970 album McCartney, which got all tied up with the news of The Beatles split, and how actually, mistake after mistake was made, rather than it being what John claims - a purposeful move to get more publicity for his album. 

This isn’t a moral judgment on either John or Paul, or me saying Paul is stupid for not doing more. In fact, I think it playing out this way is far more interesting and we can gain a lot of insight about his mindset and relationships from his press activities around this time. 

I’m going to do this chronologically as much as possible, but before we dive in it will be helpful for us to keep a few basic PR strategies and tools in mind to help us understand what’s (or perhaps more importantly, what’s not) happening. So what are some things that make for good public relations? 

A clear, cohesive message. What's the story of the album? There should be key phrases that are repeated throughout press activities, and also allow an easy fall back when faced with questions that haven’t been prepared for. Broadly speaking, you want to highlight the good and ignore the bad, without lying or appearing to hide anything.

A good relationship with the press. Having even a couple of journalists on side can be a huge benefit, it makes for friendlier interviews and more forgiving assessments (which isn’t to say journalists are being fake or can be incentivised, but it’s just human nature that if you make friends, you’re going to have an easier time.) Furthermore, you want a reputation in the industry as someone that’s nice to interview, because journalists can and will talk, and if they’re going to come in with a preconception about you, you want it to be positive. 

Reactive messaging. If something comes out that you don’t want to be out, be prepared. Ideally potential problems have already been planned for. Know which journalists to reach out to, know what the story is, then be prepared to go quiet and leave things alone.

Pre-prepared Q&As or FAQs should answer more questions than they generate. They also shouldn’t require in depth answers - save that for conversations where there’s time for explanations. 

So, let’s start back in 1969. The Paul is dead rumours are in full force and Paul, Linda, Heather and Mary are living up in Scotland, trying to escape the goings-on back in London. 

On 24 October, Paul gives an interview to the BBC dispelling the rumours about his death, which goes out on 26-27 October in two parts. A few days later, Dorothy Bacon and Terrence Spencer from Life Magazine make the trip up to his farm to try and get another interview with him, for a piece they’re also doing about the rumours. 

Paul throws a bucket of dirty water at them, they get pictures, and then realising how this will look if published, Paul gives them an interview and promises to have Linda send them some family shots for the articles. In exchange they get rid of the photos they took earlier in the day.

So the first point here, that hopefully I don't need to spell out, is that you don’t wanna go throwing buckets of water at journalists. Thankfully, Paul did realise this and course corrected, but I can only imagine what the fall out would have been had he hadn’t gone after them. But what’s important for this story is that Paul is fed up with journalists and having to share his private life, he's emotional, and his instinct is to lash out.

The other thing that’s interesting here is a line that goes completely unnoticed. At this point, The Beatles split is not public knowledge. 

The Beatle thing is over. It has been exploded, partly by what we have done, and partly by other people. We are individuals, all different. John married Yoko, I married Linda. We didn’t marry the same girl.

(Paul McCartney in Life Magazine, November, 1969)

This is huge, and it doesn’t get picked up by anyone else. It’s not made a big deal of in the Life article, it’s perhaps the clearest statement we get about the state of The Beatles, and yet it flies under the radar. I’d love to know exactly what the deal is here, but there’s not much we can do about that, but what we should start keeping in mind in this: there is no plan in place around The Beatles split. There is just an agreement to not make it public yet. 

The McCartneys go back to London and Paul starts recording music with his new equipment at home. Later he books studio time when he decides he can make an album out of the songs he’s been working on. 

Some key dates: 

Paul finishes the album on 25 February.

The album is set to release on 17 April.

Ringo’s album get rushed to release two weeks early on 27 March and Let It Be is also supposed to be released in April.

On 31 March John and George send a letter, delivered by Ringo, asking Paul to delay the release of McCartney. Paul refuses and Let It Be gets moved instead. 

Which brings us to April. Prior this, Paul realised that if he’s going to be putting an album out he’s going to have to do some publicity, but the problem is… well, there’s a few; he’s never had to do publicity for a solo album and simply doesn’t have the knowledge, his relationship with Apple has completely deteriorated which includes the people who have been handling this stuff for him in the past, and lastly, he doesn’t want to be dealing with press. Refer back to him and the bucket. 

Thankfully, Peter Brown and Derek Taylor from Apple’s press office, tell him he does need to do something and to an extent, he listens. They select a handful of papers he’ll do interviews with, and Peter Brown puts together a Q&A for Paul to answer, which will go out to journalists in the press kit with their early copy of the album (x).

What I would love to do here is a question by question breakdown of that press kit Q&A but I’m conscious of how long this is already so I won’t… but before we get into that, here are a few more key events: 

7 April: The Eastmans issue a press release with news about Paul’s solo album and his acquisition of the film rights for Rupert The Bear. This is covered mostly by American press on 8 April who speculate that this could mean the end of The Beatles. (An important note here is the lack of communication between the Eastman's and Apple, not knowing what materials each other are providing is not helpful).

9 April: McCartney press kits are sent to journalists. 

9 April: Before Don Short at the Daily Mirror clocks off for the night, he is called by an Apple employee who told him Paul was definitely quitting. 

10 April: The Daily Mirror breaks the news with the headline ‘Paul Is Quitting The Beatles’. 

10 April: After doing interviews all day, Derek Taylor issues a statement regarding The Beatles. It doesn’t say much, which he acknowledges, because there’s not much he can say at this point. Another important note here, is that not even the head of publicity of Apple knew what was going on with The Beatles. There is no communication, and with no communication there can be no plan.

(Paul McCartney Project page that covers all this)

So what happened that made The Beatles split go from speculation to a certainty? It’s all to do with that Q&A. Of course, with the Eastman’s press release people were going to start connecting the dots, but that call Short got from his source isn’t presented as a rumour. 

Now, there’s a lot to say about this Q&A because Paul's answer are so unhelpful and you can feel his attitude. I think the fact this was allowed to go out is a fundamental piece of evidence of Paul’s relationship with Apple at the time. No one wanted to tell him no, and he certainly wasn’t going to give them more than the bare minimum. 

And lets be really clear here. This is a Q&A for his new album. Obviously the state of Beatles was going to be brought up which is why Peter Brown included the questions, but the number of the questions on that topic and then Paul’s answer, make it really confusing and it’s no wonder this is what press picked up on, rather than just talking about Paul’s album. There are 41 questions in total, and 13 of them are asking him about his relationship to the other Beatles, Apple and Klein. That’s just over a third of the Q&A talking about things that he doesn’t want to be talking about. The fact he didn’t just tell Apple that he wasn’t going to answer some of the questions shows how little forethought went into this on his part. There was a much more concise way to do this, and I do not believe for a second Paul wanted further questions about the state of the Beatles when he’s trying to promote his first solo album. 

And remember what I said at the top, about how if you’re gonna be promoting something in the press you want clear messaging around it? That’s already going be difficult now this Q&A has tied so much of the Beatles split into their messaging, despite Paul actually having a pretty clear idea of what the album’s story is aside from that, but the answers Paul gives to those questions just add further confusion. 

Link to full Q&A.

Q: Were you influenced by John’s adventures with the Plastic Ono Band, and Ringo’s solo LP? A: Sort of, but not really. Q: Will they be so credited: McCartney? A: It’s a bit daft for them to be Lennon-McCartney-credited, so ‘McCartney’ it is. Q: Will the other Beatles receive the first copies? A: Wait and see. Q: Is it true that neither Allen Klein nor ABKCO have been nor will be in any way involved with the production, manufacturing, distribution or promotion of this new album? A: Not if I can help it. Q: Did you miss the other Beatles and George Martin? Was there a moment eg, when you thought ‘wish Ringo was here for this break?” A: No. Q: Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles? A: No. Q: Is this album a rest away from the Beatles or the start of a solo career? A: Time will tell. Being a solo album means it’s the start of a solo career… and not being done with the Beatles means it’s a rest. So it’s both. Q: Is your break from the Beatles temporary or permanent, due to personal difference or musical ones? A: Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don’t know. Q: Do you see a time when Lennon-McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again? A: No. Q: What is your relationship with Klein: A: It isn’t – I am not in contact with him, and he does not represent me in any way. Q: What is your relationship with apple? A: It is the office of a company which I part-own with the other three Beatles. I don’t go there because I don’t like the offices or business, especially when I’m on holiday.

So what can we get from this? It’s the start of a solo career for Paul, he doesn’t know if The Beatles break is permanent or temporary, he’s not in contact with Klein and Klein doesn’t represent him, he owns part of Apple but he doesn’t like going there, and he seems very certain that the Lennon-McCartney partnership is over, despite not being sure if The Beatles will play together again or not. 

It’s a mess. It raises further questions. The only reason I can think of for it being so long is Peter Brown trying to cover absolutely everything he could think a journalist would ask, but it’s given Paul far too much scope for muddled answers, and in some cases, factually incorrect ones. He is tied up with Klein whether he likes it or not, because Klein’s tied up with Apple and Paul still has a contract with them. 

It’s no wonder that this becomes the focus of the media narrative, and it makes Paul panic. 

So on 16 April, the day before McCartney was released, Paul sits down with journalist Ray Connolly. And we move from story making, into reactive messaging. There is some thought behind this - Connolly is friendly with The Beatles and had actually already been aware of the split thanks to an off the record chat with John, so he was a good choice. The interview was published in the Evening Standard, a few days after the album had come out. 

And here’s why you want a friendly journalist to talk to, because as the world rushed to say that Paul had broken up the band, Connolly led his article with this: 

Paul McCartney didn’t kill the Beatles. If the group is dead, McCartney might be seen as the last survivor. If he has quit, and he still hasn’t confirmed it, he was the last to go.

(Paul McCartney in the Evening Standard, 21-22 April 1970)

However, the interview is also extremely telling about where Paul’s at emotionally in this moment. 

A few days ago Paul McCartney decided to break his year-long silence and be interviewed. He wanted to clear up the confusion about his relations with the other Beatles and Allen Klein, and to kill the rumours that he was now ‘a hermit living in a cave somewhere with a ten-foot beard’. He wanted to show that he really was a happily married man with ‘a nice family and a good life’. But most of all he wanted to talk, to work things out in conversation, as much, I suspect, for his own benefit as anything.

This is not what you want to be doing with a journalist, you want to have this worked out before the conversation. 

We met for lunch in a Soho businessman’s restaurant. With hardly moments for the hellos, he’d launched into his theme, talking rapidly and intently, and only occasionally allowing Linda to come in as support and verification. He wanted to put it all straight, to show that no one was to blame for what had happened, and when after two and a half hours’ non-stop talking he had cleared up his mind and mine too, he laughed, said he felt better now, got into his car and went home.

This demonstrates the lack of media training he had. It’s a stark difference to the confidence he had doing press with the other Beatles, on his own and with a particular idea to get across he appears nervous and controlling. Long form interviews like this are a marathon, not a sprint, and had he had an advisor or representative that was willing to push back against him, he would have known how to handle this better.

Moreover, an interview of this sort should have been done and published prior to the album coming out, or at least on the day of. Yes, there were always going to be questions about The Beatles tied up with this release, but one long interview like this, that had been properly prepared for, could have gone a long way to keeping the story straight. He also, despite his steamroller-ing of the conversation to begin with, comes across much more balanced about the situation than he does in those Q&A answers, so leading with something like this would have put him on much better footing.

So let's just pause here. What have we got so far? We've got Paul wanting to do a little press as possible, and with a breakdown of communication with his press team resulting in minimal planning and advice. This goes completely against the picture John is trying to paint.

And I’m not done yet. Because now we need to talk about the response to the album which wasn’t what I imagine Paul had wanted. There are two reviews I’m going to focus on here, firstly from Disc & Music Echo, written by Penny Valentine. 

I don’t know what he was thinking when he planned this album. Perhaps he is laughing at us all. That’s fine, but it’s a pretty cruel way of doing it… almost a betrayal of all the things we’ve come to expect.

(Disc & Music Echo review, 18 April 1970)

It’s really harsh, but also this is within her right as a journalist. And what should someone do if they’re getting bad reviews? Ignore them. Thank the fans. Thank the people who say nice things. Don’t highlight negative attention, and certainly don’t lash out. 

And look, there’s a lot to be said about Paul, Linda, John and Yoko’s press communications over the 70s, the Melody Maker letters spring to mind, and I’m very aware that I’m looking at this from 2025 when PR is much bigger and better oiled machine, almost to the point of it being quite boring and predictable. I do, however, also think that ‘don’t lash out at journalists who don’t like your work’ is common sense. 

So Paul and Linda writing to Disc & Echo is a bit much to my eyes: 

Dear Penny hold your hand out you silly girl I am not being cruel or laughing at you. I am merely enjoying myself. You are wrong about the McCartney album. It is an attempt at something slightly different, it is simple, it is good and even at this moment it is growing on you, love. – Paul and Linda McCartney.

(Paul and Linda's telegram to Disc & Echo, 25 April 1970)

It’s condescending, and if you’ve want the plant the seeds of what your album is meant to be, there are much better places and ways to do it. Again this is reactive, showing little to no planning earlier in the year. 

But here’s the thing that actually, completely baffles me. On the same day, in the same paper, another article gets published, this time by Derek Taylor, with the by line reading ‘Derek Taylor, Beatles Press Officer’. This just shouldn't happen. I can’t think of another case where someone’s PR is coming to their rescue in print. That’s not their job, and yes, Taylor used to be a journalist but he’s not anymore. I think this is way more to do with the way the people that have been with the Beatles since the early days are so emotionally wrapped up in this, they weren’t the people that should have been handling this.

(x)

It also shows though, that however much Paul was distancing himself from Apple, there were people still there who loved him. It’s an emotional, beautifully written piece calling for people to leave Paul alone, but also not a good PR move, especially when he’s highlighting a specific journalist. Whether Paul asked Derek to do this, or Derek did it of his own accord, I don’t know, but it looks defensive and if I was a journalist, I’d be rolling my eyes. 

Which brings us to the final part of this, the Rolling Stone review, published on 14 May 1970, nearly a month after the album came out, and largely not about the album at all, but a lot of  focus on Paul’s handling of the situation. 

The review of the actual songs is pretty complimentary, but this is also a personal attack on Paul. 

(Full review)

Unfortunately, there is more to this album than just music. Accompanying the release of McCartney was a mass of external information — all of it coming directly from Paul himself — which casts real doubt on the beautiful picture which the songs create. 

The sheets contain even more assertions about how happy and peaceful Paul and Linda are these days, and some interview statement from Paul concerning his relationship to the Beatles — statements which drip a kind of unsavory vindictiveness.

My problem is that all of the publicity surrounding the record makes it difficult for me to believe that McCartney is what it appears to be. In the special package of information which Paul wanted to include with the album we find startlingly harsh statements.

The lasting effect of this publicity campaign is to cast a dark shadow on an otherwise beautiful record. Listening to it now I cannot help but ask if Paul is really as together as the music indicates, how could he have sunk to such bizarre tactics?

I don't think this needs much commentary. You know something’s gone wrong with your PR when that becomes the focus, rather than the thing you’re actually trying to promote. 

If we return to the four things I listed above, I think we can pretty resolutely lay out what I wanted to do. 

Was there a clear, cohesive message? Around the album itself, sort of, Paul knew what it was. But it got tied up with the news of The Beatles split, the messaging around which was confusing with no one sticking to the same story. He also didn't do enough before the album came out, to get that messaging about his album stuck in people's heads. So overall, no. 

Did he build good relationships with press? No. He threw a bucket at one. He provided confusing press kit material, even to journalists he was friendly with he came across in a manner that was worth noting in an article, he sent a bitchy telegram to a journalist who wrote a bad review, and this all culminated in Rolling Stone spending more time talking about his publicity than his album.  

Did Paul have reactive messaging prepared? Evidently not, and then given the chance to provide some, he came across as panicked to the journalist he was speaking to. 

Did his Q&A provide clear, simple answers to common questions he was likely to get asked? No, it was overly long, asking the same questions in multiple ways and no editing was done to his short, snappy, confusing, and incorrect answers. 

I don’t want to give the idea that Paul, overall, is just shit at PR. (I mean, there's a difference between being a good spokesperson and good at PR but I won't get into that). He’s a highly successful musician who by all accounts, is now extremely good at interviews and making journalists feel at ease. He’s Paul fucking McCartney. But John saying this, in direct reference to this period of press activities is just not true. The album did well for Paul in the charts and sales, yes, but I’d argue that’s despite all this, rather than because of it. 

And it’s also important to reiterate, that Paul simply wasn’t interested in doing a lot of publicity. He wasn’t even sure this was going to be an album when he started writing the songs. He didn’t want people coming to his farm, invading his new family life (and rightly so), he didn’t want to be on TV or the radio every day. That’s why his Q&A is so terse and why he hadn’t put any thought in how he was going to talk about The Beatles. And whilst how he felt is understandable, what he needed were a team around him willing to push back, steer him, and were separate from Apple. That’s the only way, I think, this could have gone differently.

Even then, he probably wouldn’t have listened to them anyway: 

I don’t think I need a manager in the old sense that Brian Epstein was our manager. All I want are paid advisers, who will do what I want them to do. And that’s what I’ve got.

(Paul McCartney in the Evening Standard, 21-22 April 1970)

And that’s really the crux of it all, because you can’t do good with PR with someone who doesn’t want to take advice and thinks they know best. And I love him for it. 

[randomfoggytiger]

Hey Tiger!

So I’m doing a XF rewatch and In the coming days I’ll be on the infamous ‘The Field where I Died’ I don’t think I’ve seen this episode in over 10 years and I don’t really remember it. I know this episode is quite divisive amongst the community because iirc it portrays M and S as “friends” in every previous lifetime and not lovers. So I want to know your opinion/thoughts on this episode. Thank you!

Hey, thanks for droppin in! :DDDD

Your question spiraled into a longer meta I've been meaning to write, so I cut those segments out and should finish the post later on.

I've talked about The Field Where I Died before (posts here and here) but! To the point: I think TFWID can be separated into three categories: the intent, the execution, and the lack of fault-taking.

The intent of The Field Where I Died is intriguing, I own: soulmates, not in twos but threes, that are trapped in a doomed, self-fulfilling, cycle (that never-ending line.) Love and longing; yearning and relearning. For those reasons, I can see why some fans love it. (I can especially see why David Duchovny loves it-- the security of forever, impermeable love unbound by time or human faults and frailties.) And the score and cinematography are gorgeous, and moving, and haunting. I get it.

The execution, however.

It... wasn't great. So much so that Morgan had to admit its many faults. The execution is so faulty, in fact, that it's easy to write off these grand examinations and touching gestures as nothing more than the sway of persuasive, mentally unwell people. That, and Kristin Cloke's acting; that, too, and cutting up David Duchovny's hypnosis scene so badly that his own acting flails without context.

The fault-taking... was worse. And a recent discovery. Well, half recent. I'd long heard the lovers of TFWID-- DD and Kumail Nanjiani, recently-- reiterate that the power of the story doesn't dim even though Mulder and Scully aren't romantic soulmates. That that wouldn't lessen their bond; and they could be romantic soulmates if they (read: you) wanted them to. Sure, I can see it; I can buy it. The problem is, the intent was mangled in execution so badly that the message wasn't translated so much as narratively spelled out to the audience in broad, cursive, underlined letters that didn't loop back into the story elegantly (if at all.) We're told the message so we must believe it. We feel magic in the air; and thus, are expected to let rationale pale in comparison. But because the story, theme, and execution is so mangled, no one largely cares for the end result. And because no one largely cares for the end result, fault has to be laid somewhere.

And because fault had to be laid somewhere, Morgan laid it neatly on the fans for not quite understanding and on the executives for having to cut out necessary scenes and, maybe, a little on himself for not explaining as best as he could. Instead of accepting, of course, that he could have written shorter exposition to get the point across within the time limit; should have fact-checked whether CSM had already been born when Gestapo CSM was killing a previous incarnation of Mulder's; and would have anticipated these plot holes if he wasn't so self-involved in recreating his and his wife's love story through the mouths of disparate characters with separate stories, personalities, and goals.

Now, The Field Where I Died did have its merits. I love how the writers explored Mulder's draw to lonely, vulnerable, self-destructive women (like himself); and I like their read on his and Scully's characters (to be discussed in a future post.) And I do understand the magnetism of this episode's concept on screen. And I'm lulled by the thought that this episode could be stretched into a larger concept: that of Mulder the sacrificial lamb and Scully the savior, an angle canon keeps plucking at throughout the series (Deep Throat, Tooms, Little Green Men, One Breath, End Game, Paper Clip's The White Buffalo Woman/the White Calf, Pusher, Redux II, Fight the Future's "But you saved me", One Son, Amor Fati's "Get up and fight", Deadalive, etc.) and one that neatly ties into her possible immortality. But those are aspects the fans have to read into "the text", not ones that are written in purposefully.

It's just, in short, not for me. :))))))

[winchesterwild78]

Unspoken Words pt 3

Master List

Characters: Jensen Ackles x Reader, Reader’s daughter, other characters

Warnings: fluff, mention of physical restraint, a little angst, child illness

A/N: Another collab story with @cheekygirl2309. This one is about a single mother with a nonverbal autistic daughter who loves Supernatural. The reader is going to a Supernatural Convention with her daughter and things unfold from there. The daughter character is near and dear to my heart. I have someone very close to me who is nonverbal, but he’s such an amazing kid. 

This is a work of fiction and does not depict real life. Jensen is single in this story. 

All work is my own and @cheekygirl2309, don’t take it or use it as your own. Reblogs and likes are appreciated. 

Minors DNI 18+

Later that morning we got ready for the last day of the convention. Jensen ended up letting Lily keep his shirt because she refused to let it go. She wore it to the convention and was upset when I tried to take it. 

Jensen knelt down, “Lily, do you like my shirt?” She smiled, but didn’t look at him. She gripped the shirt tighter. “Well, I tell ya what, you can keep it as long as I get to come visit you and it.” She smiled wider, “Jensen?” He chuckled, “Yeah, Jensen.” He kissed the top of her head and I stood smiling. 

“I guess I have to keep coming around, visitation and all.” He smiled as he walked up to me. He placed a soft kiss on my lips before walking out to the stage. The handler with him softly gasped, looking between Jensen and I. We watched his panel from the back and Lily got a few more pictures with some of the cast. She clung to Jensen whenever he was around. He didn’t seem to mind, because he took her around to meet everyone like she was his. It made my heart swell. When it was time to leave Lily cried. Jensen held her tightly, “Hey, I promise I’ll see you tomorrow. Your mom is taking you to the park, and I’m gonna tag along.” She squealed, “Jensen play?” He nodded, “Yeah, I’m going to play.” 

The end of the convention came faster than I wanted it to. Lily had an amazing time and it was the day of the first concert. Since I wouldn’t see Lily tonight I wanted to spend the day with her. I had already planned a trip to the park, and Jensen wanted to tag along. He wasn’t going to be able to stay all day with us since he had to go do his sound checks, but I was thankful he was coming even for a little bit.

Annie, Mrs. Jones was keeping Lily tonight, and I wanted to make sure Lily was calm and ready. So taking her to the park and having a picnic always seemed to calm her. 

Jensen met us at the park and as soon as Lily saw Jensen she ran to him. ‘Mama, Jensen!” She threw her arms around him and grabbed my hand. “Hey Lily, hey sweetheart.” He leaned in and placed a kiss on my lips and one on the top of her head. 

Lily giggled and ran towards the swings. “Well I guess we better go after her.” He said taking my hand in his. I looked down at my hand in his and then back to him. “Is this okay?” He asked softly. I nodded with a smile, “More than okay, Jensen. It’s perfect.” 

We went to the swings and Jensen pushed Lily. Her legs swinging wildly and her giggles filling the air. I had never seen her react to anyone like she had with him. She was a totally different child with him around and it made my heart happy, but I was scared too. 

What if whatever this is between Jensen and I didn’t work out. Was this just something to pass the time, or was this going to develop into something more. 

I’d see the women he had dated, and I definitely didn’t look like them. Hell, I have extra weight all over, I like to eat and I’m not what most would consider gorgeous. Somehow he sees past all that and thinks I’m beautiful. 

Jensen has a way of making me feel seen, wanted and desired. It scared the hell out of me. The last man that made me feel like that knocked me up and left me. 

Now with Lily, I had to be extra careful who I let in our lives. She loved Jensen, I could already tell he was quickly becoming one of her people. I knew he and I had to have a conversation, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to approach it. 

A little while later Lily was getting hungry, so I grabbed the blanket and basket and walked back to Lily and Jensen. They were running around playing tag and I set up the food. 

Lily ran to me and sat down between Jensen and I. “Mama, eat. Please.” “Wow, she’s talking more and more. Jensen, this is incredible.” He placed his hand on mine, “Yeah it is.” 

I handed Lily her food and picked at mine. Jensen was eating, then noticed I wasn’t. “Hey, you okay?” “Um, yeah. Just thinking about this, well, us.” 

“Well, I’m all ears. What’s on your mind?” 

“I just want to know where this is going. If it’s just a way to pass the time, I get it, but I can’t do that to Lily. If it’s something more I just need to know. I like you Jensen, I really do. I just can’t make decisions for myself anymore, Lily’s well being is my priority. Besides, you’re Jensen Ackles, and I’m well, me.” 

Jensen sat his food down and cupped my face, “Y/N, I don’t want this to be just a way to pass the time. I want you, I want to be in Lily’s life. The other night when we kissed I felt something I hadn’t in a really long time. Being with you and Lily feels comfortable, like home. I know we have things we have to figure out, but I want to figure it out together.” 

He leaned forward and kissed me. Soft at first and then his hands slipped in my hair and he deepened the kiss. 

Jensen’s phone went off signaling it was time for him to leave. My heart sank. “Guess I need to go. I’ll see you later, sweetheart.” “Yeah, I’ll see you tonight. I can’t wait to see rockstar Jensen in action. He laughed, kissed me quickly and hugged Lily goodbye, then left. 

A little while later Lily and I left to head home. I gave her a bath, got her packed and I took her to Annie. I kissed her goodbye and left to head home. 

Walking in the house it was quiet. I jumped in the shower and got ready for the concert. I snapped a picture and sent it to Jensen.

Me: Almost ready. Can’t wait to see you. *1 image attached*

Jensen: Damn, sweetheart. You look incredible. I can’t wait to see you. Just a heads up, my parents are going to be there. 

I swallowed hard. Did he want me to meet them? Should I say hello? Maybe he was telling me that because he was planning on keeping his distance. I took a deep breath, deciding to just let whatever unfold. 

Me: That’s great they still come and support the things you do. I bet your mom is going to take a lot of pictures too. 

Jensen: Oh I know she is. She’s always taking pictures of me. 

Me: That’s what moms do. Let her be proud of her baby. She earned it. 

Jensen 😀 yeah, she’s a great mom. Just like you. 😙

Me: 😊 thank you. See you soon.

Jensen: Be careful.

Sarah came and picked me up and we headed to the venue. The space was intimate, but I could feel the electricity in the air. I overheard a few people talking about Jensen’s parents being there, but I couldn’t figure out who they were talking about. I’d seen pictures of his parents, but that was years ago. I was sure they had changed some since the pictures. 

I was standing near the bar with Sarah when I felt my phone buzz.

Jensen: Hey baby. You look amazing. We’re about to go on, I’ll see you after the concert. 

Me: I can’t wait. Break a leg, Jens. 😘

Sarah and I walked towards the stage and got pretty close. I was so excited and nervous as hell. The lights went down and the stage lights went on, the crowd roared. 

Jensen and Steve took the stage with the rest of the band. Steve started talking, thanking everyone for being there. He and Jensen bantered back and forth and then started singing. 

Jensen’s voice was smooth like whiskey. The crowd around me disappeared as I focused on him. He saw me, smiled and winked. I of course blushed. As I turned to talk to Sarah I saw Jensen’s mom off to the other side of the stage, taking pictures and videos. A smile spread across my face. 

I took a picture of her and sent it to Jensen.

Me: *1 image sent* Now this is the face of an incredibly proud mother. ♥️

The concert was incredible and before I knew it Sarah and I were being ushered backstage. 

We were shown to a room and before the door opened I heard Jensen’s voice. The man walking us back opened the door and Jensen saw me as soon as the door opened. 

He jumped up, walked up to us and kissed me. Taking me by surprise. When we pulled apart everyone was staring. Jensen smirked, “Guess the cats out of the bag, guys, this is Y/N and her friend Sarah, Y/N, Sarah, this is everyone.” I nodded, blushed and said hello. 

Steve immediately jumped up and pulled me into a hug, “So this is the woman who has captured this guy’s heart. I’ve heard so much about you and your daughter, Lily.” I hugged him back and looked over at Jensen who was smiling and blushing a little. 

After Steve chatted with me for a bit, his attention turned to Sarah. The two of them sat on the couch talking while Jensen and I talked to some of the other band members. We talked to Angela and Sheree and they gushed over Lily’s pictures. Especially the ones with Jensen. 

I told Jensen I needed to use the restroom, so he told me where it was. I stood and walked out of the room and down the hallway. As I got to the bathroom I noticed a man standing by the men’s room door. 

I thought it was strange since the bar was closed, but I assumed he worked there. 

I went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later. The man was still standing there, and I made eye contact with him. “Hey sweetheart, what’s got you here so late?” “Oh, I’m just here with my boyfriend. He’s in the band.”

My heart hammered in my chest. I looked back towards the door, hoping someone would come out but I didn’t see anyone. 

He stepped closer to me and I could smell the alcohol on him. “If you were my girlfriend I wouldn’t let a pretty thing like you out of my sight. Especially in a bar. Lots of bad things can happen.” As he said that he stepped closer, caging me between the wall and his arms. 

“I really should get back. I’m sure he’s ready to leave.” I was terrified and didn’t know if I should scream or what to do. I stood frozen. 

He grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him and he leaned in closer. Tears started to fall from my face. His hot breath blowing over my face and all I could think about was Jensen’s smile and how I wanted him to be here. 

I tried to turn my face away, but he held it in place. The pain of his fingers gripping my face was becoming overwhelming. 

He leaned closer and as he was about to kiss me the door to the room swung open. Jensen stepped out, looked up and saw me. 

“Y/N!” I swear he flew down the hall. Within a second the man was pinned to the other wall and Sarah had me wrapped in her arms. I crumbled to the ground crying. 

The bouncers of the bar grabbed the man and took him out, Jensen was by my side.

“Y/N, are you hurt? Oh baby. I’m so sorry. I should have gone with you. Shhh, you’re safe now. I’ve got you.” He held me tight. My fear started to melt away. I wrapped myself into his arms and held onto his shirt tightly. 

He helped me up and we walked outside. Sarah walked out with our stuff, “Jensen, I think I should get her home. She’ll be okay. I won’t leave her alone tonight.” 

He nodded, but didn’t let go. I wouldn’t let go either. “Sweetheart, let Sarah take you home. I’m gonna grab my stuff and I’ll be over, okay.” I nodded. Sarah helped me to the car, Jensen was loading his stuff as we pulled off. 

Sarah held my hand the whole way to the house. “Y/N, I am so sorry. I should have gone with you. Are you okay?” I just nodded. “Sarah, it’s not your fault. We had no way of knowing what was going to happen. I’m okay.” 

She just nodded. I knew she still blamed herself. 

We pulled up at the house and we went inside. About 5 minutes later Jensen pulled up. I went to take a shower while Jensen and Sarah stayed in the living room. 

“Sarah, is she okay? He didn’t do anything to her did he?” “She’s okay. No. I think he just grabbed her and tried to kiss her. We got to her in time.” He just nodded. His jaw tightened with rage, but his focus was me. 

I heard their muffled voices, but couldn’t hear what they were saying. I knew they both blamed themselves. 

I stood under the hot water, trying to clean the feeling of his hands off me. Nothing was washing away the memory. I cried and couldn’t stop crying. I slid down the wall and cried. 

I felt like I failed Jensen by letting another man get that close to touch me. Me going to the bathroom alone was a stupid move. If Sarah had to go I would have gone with her. 

Jensen and Sarah were sitting in the living room drinking and talking. Jensen’s leg nervously shook. He looked at his watch and realized I had been in the bathroom awhile. 

Sarah noticed too. She placed her hand on his leg, “Hey, I’ll go check on her, okay?” He nodded, “Thanks, Sarah.” 

She got up and walked to the bathroom, “Hey sweetie, are you okay in there?” I couldn’t answer. “Y/N, I’m coming in.” She pushed open the door and walked over, finding me crying. Reaching and turning off the water she grabbed a towel, “Oh sweetie.” She wrapped the towel around me and called for Jensen.

Jensen jumped up and ran to the bathroom. He saw me in tears and Sarah holding me. I looked at her and then at him. My voice barely a whisper, “I’m so sorry, Jensen.” He looked at me and then Sarah, “Sweetheart, you don’t have anything to be sorry for. You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

They helped me to my room and Sarah grabbed me some clean clothes. Jensen sat on the bed holding me. I leaned into him, taking in his warmth and his scent. 

“Sweetheart, I’m going to step out and let you change. I’ll be right back.” I nodded, but really didn’t want him to leave. Jensen stepped in the hallway with Sarah and I changed. 

I opened the door and went straight into Jensen’s arms again. His arms pulled me in tight and held me. Sarah touched my arm, “sweetie, I’m going to the guest room if you need me. Jensen’s going to stay in here with you tonight, okay?” I looked at her and then at Jensen and nodded. 

Jensen and I walked into my room, he pulled the blanket back and we crawled into bed. He snaked his arm around me and pulled me flush to his chest. He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. “I’ve got you sweetheart. You’re safe. You’ll always be safe with me.” 

Sleep quickly took over as I laid in Jensen’s arms. 

*Slight time jump to the 2nd concert*

The night of the 2nd concert I was more aware of the surroundings. Jensen had Sarah and I close to the stage and would keep an eye on us. He had a bouncer near us the whole night. 

The air conditioning in the building went out so it was extra hot in the building. Jensen was sweating but good lord did he look hot. I was completely mesmerized by him. 

I felt my body responding to him, and it excited and terrified me. Last night when he held me, everything felt perfect. I was starting to fall for him fast. 

The crowd was even more wild tonight and the way he looked, standing under the hot lights, hair damp from the sweat and his body glistening from the sweat trickling down his neck made my heart beat fast. 

The fan on the stage blew his hair back and when he ran his fingers through his hair I felt my knees go weak. I bit my lip to stifle the moan leaving my mouth. 

Sarah smirked and leaned over “He’s hot isn’t he.” I looked at her and smiled. I nodded yes. Jensen looked over at me and smiled and blew a kiss. I blushed. Sarah laughed, “That man has it bad for you.” I leaned over, “Yeah, I’ve got it bad for him too.” 

Jensen and I looked at each other again and I could see the jolt of energy run through him. He bounced on his feet and danced around the stage. It was amazing watching him. 

By the end of the night I was hot, sweaty and exhausted. Jensen kissed me good night. Our lips and hands lingered a bit longer than before. “I’ll call you tomorrow sweetheart, let me know when you have Lily. Maybe we can grab some lunch or I can come over.” 

I nodded, “Okay. Good night, Jensen.” “Good night, darlin’.” He kissed me again and I got in the car. I sighed softly and Sarah smiled. “Y/N, I’m really happy for you. You deserve this. He’s a really great guy, and Steve isn’t half bad either.” 

“Wait, what?” She smiled, “Yeah, we hit it off last night and exchanged numbers. We have a date Saturday night.” “Oh, Sarah. I’m so happy for you.” “Thanks, I would have never met him if it wasn’t for you. So, thank you.” 

Sarah dropped me off and went home. I sent Jensen a text.

Me: Hey. Just wanted to let you know I got home safely, and did you know Sarah and Steve have a date?

Jensen: Glad you made it home safely. I just got home myself. Yeah. He just told me. He’s a great guy. I promise. 

Me: He better be or I’ll have to beat him up. 

Jensen: I bet you would too. I’m heading to the shower. I’ll see you and Lily later.

Me: Thanks for the image. 😉 I can’t wait to see you later. Lily is going to be so excited. 

Jensen: You’re welcome darlin’, now get some sleep. Good night.

Me: Good night, Jensen.

I jumped in the shower and let my mind drift to the events of the past few days. Going to the convention and everything that’s happened has been a dream come true. 

Jensen has been incredible and above everything Lily talking has been the greatest thing I could have ever asked for. 

The next morning after I got ready I went to pick up Lily. She was excited to see me, but didn’t talk much. Annie said she did great, but she noticed Lily being a bit more reserved last night. “The first night she talked more, last night she seemed a bit off. I’m not sure if it was her missing you or missing someone else.” 

I thanked her and took Lily home. She still had Jensen’s shirt around her and her stuffies he bought her. She wandered around the house looking for something. 

“Lily, honey, are you okay?’’ She just kept walking around. Lily searched every room and when she came back to the living room she was upset. 

“Lily, what are you looking for?” She just grunted. I reached for her and she felt hot. My first thought was the shirt so I tried to take it off of her. 

She cried, “Okay baby you can keep it on. Are you looking for Jensen, honey?” Her big beautiful eyes flicked to mine, for the first time in a long time she made eye contact with me. “Jensen?” 

“He’s at home baby, he’ll be by later.” She started to cry. My heart ached for her, “Baby, he had a late night. He said he’s coming by later to spend the afternoon with us.”

When I placed my hand on her face she was burning up. I grabbed the thermometer and she had a fever of 104.2, I grabbed her and my stuff and we headed to the hospital.

I tried to call Sarah, but it went right to voicemail. I panicked. I called the only other person I could think of, Jensen. 

His groggy voice answered, “Hey sweetheart. Good morning.” “Jensen, I’m so sorry to wake you up, but it’s Lily.” 

He sat straight up in bed, “What’s wrong?” I could hear his panic too, even though he was trying to stay calm. 

“I’m heading to the hospital. Her temperature is over 104. I’m so scared.” “I’m on my way baby.” 

He grabbed his clothes and bolted out the door, speeding towards the hospital. When he arrived at the emergency department he saw me and ran up to me, taking me and Lily in his arms. 

She clung to him and cried. “Shh, I’m here baby girl. We’re going to get you better.” 

The nurse called us back and they started hooking her up to the machines. Tears streamed down my face. The doctor did his examination and ordered some tests. 

Jensen and I sat with Lily, he was holding her in his arms, and holding my hand. I had my other hand on her. She had finally drifted off to sleep in his arms after the medication they gave her to bring her fever down some. 

The doctor came back a few hours later and told us all the tests came back normal. He wasn’t sure why her fever was so high but they wanted to keep her in the hospital for a few days just to be sure. We thanked him and he left. 

We waited for them to transfer her to the pediatric floor. I sat and cried. Jensen held me, “It’s okay baby. She’s going to be fine. She’s in the best place she can be right now.” 

“I know, I’m just scared. This is so hard.” He kissed my forehead, “I know baby. I messaged Steve and he and Sarah are bringing some food. You need to eat to keep up your strength. I’m going to run by your house and get some things for you, then run by mine. I’ll be back by the time she’s moved.” 

“Jensen, you don’t have to come back, I know you’re busy.” “I want to come back, I’m not leaving you alone in this. You two mean too much to me.” 

I nodded, he kissed me and then kissed Lily’s head. “I’ll be back, sweetheart.” 

I sat holding my baby girl and thinking about the man who just walked out of the room. I couldn’t believe how incredibly lucky the two of us were to be loved by him. He didn’t have to say it, but I knew, because I felt the same way. I was falling deeper in love with him too. 

Tags are open, if you want to be added or removed, let me know.  

Tags: 

@nescaveckwriter @kr804573 

@k-slla @jackles010378 

@jawritter @xx-spooky-little-vampire-xx 

@roseblue373 @cheynovak 

@jassackles  @chriszgirl92

@suckitands33 @arcannaa 

@n-o-p-e-never @ladysparkles78 

@smoothdogsgirl @hobby27 

@manicjk @stoneyggirl2 

@deans-spinster-witch @snowayumi 

@shadowqueen1318 @shanimallina87

@muhahaha303 @fitxgrld

@nancymcl @baby19sthings

@cheekygirl2309 @oceean

@kindollss @foxyjwls007

@lmg14 @cevansbaby-dove

@spxideyver @reignsboy19

@deans-baby-momma @deansimpalababy

@ladykitana90 @quietgirll75 

@superrey @kamisobsessed

@obliviousap @ninii-winchester

@mischiefnevermanaged89-blog @whimsyfinny

@bobbdylan @star-yawnznn

@reignsboy19 @monkey-d-hoshizora98

@depressionbarbie2023 @livingdeadblondequeen

@mandee7 @barnes70stark

@spnaquakindgdom @djs8891

@pughsexual @spnaquakindgdom

@lunaleah @amberlthomas 

[golvio]

Finally got around to seeing all of Apotheosis’ new endings, and I’m still sitting with it days later.

OG Apotheosis was among the bottom of my Princess ranking list since I guess I’m not into the whole Domination bit as some other prople, though I figured there was more to her based on what was already there. However, I wasn’t ready to have my suspicions confirmed in such a viscerally upsetting way in the Paranoid version of the “make her feel what you felt” ending. Like…as initially satisfying as finally forcing her to stop hurting you felt, it stopped feeling like a victory when you actually saw what you’d done to her. You stop feeling like a helpless victim when you understand just how hollow she’d felt inside despite her boasts and your perception of her as untouchable and unstoppable helped reinforce this armor she’d built around herself.

She may have cruelly lorded over you to compensate for her own feelings of helplessness back when she was at your mercy, but you were the one who gave up and ceded all control to her in the first place. Your relationship is a conversation, not a one-sided Pygmalian molding of an empty blank slate, and the two of you built that abusive relationship and unbalanced power dynamic together. On one hand, the prison of your own mind within the role you assigned yourself is far harder to escape than any physical jail and can operate even in her absence, to the point where acting against its oppressive rules seems so impossible that it feels like “madness.” On the other hand, no one is actually keeping you there but you.

This ending and Fury’s “pacifist” ending feel like funhouse mirror reflections of each other—each hurts the other to try to force them to understand the harm they’ve caused and get an apology, but by hurting each other they diminish each other, by hurting each other they hurt themselves. Becoming the warden of the jail where you’re also held prisoner can only give you the illusion of control and freedom, at best. Any “victory” in such a power struggle, no matter how initially triumphant, is ultimately a Pyrrhic one.

And then there’s the “Grace” ending. As much as she’d hurt you, in her last moments, instead of selfishly clutching you to herself tighter for comfort, she hurls you towards the exit, giving you a single chance for a mad, impossible dash towards freedom. She didn’t have to do that, and ultimately there was no point in doing that because the hole she opened sealed itself back up before you could reach it, but she still did it. Despite her embracing her role as unstoppable, untouchable goddess to flee from the memory of her original weak, vulnerable self, deep down she didn’t actually want to hurt you. She missed you and wanted to be with you again, but since all she knew was domination and subjugation, she only knew how to express that through trying to paternalistically control you. When the chips were down and she was being reassimilated into the Cosmic Spaghetti of Shifty’s incomplete form, she finally relinquished control and was able to express her true feelings selflessly.

That…gave me some very conflicting feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I love when finding out more about characters I initially disliked makes me feel all conflicted. It’s just…a lot. Woof.

There’s also this theme of being “trapped inside yourself,�� in this case literally when it comes to two fragments of gods living out an allegory for their own imprisonment. It may be true that the Vessels are only incomplete pieces of The Shifting Mound who weren’t meant to function on their own, but Shifty herself is so vast and all-encompassing that each of her pieces is complex enough to be a functioning individual in her own right, which is especially true of the Chapter 3+ Princesses, who’ve developed so much from their experiences that they feel much more like “real,” multifaceted people. If you find Tower/Apotheosis first, then reach Shifty’s heart, the Princess you find there is the version of the Heart that feels most like she’s her own person separate from Shifty, and rejects Shifty’s idea of godhood. Her rejection of “labels” after her being constrained by Shifty’s parameters feels a lot more meaningful as a result.

On top of that…now you understand what it feels to be trapped inside of a “bigger, more Important” version of yourself. If The Long Quiet is you, then your godly meta-body is also the prison that’s keeping both the conscious, individual, mortal You trapped along with the Princess. It’s not like you can just get up and leave because you have no conscious control over this part of yourself. And when you do wake up, you risk losing yourself as you are now to integrate into that greater whole. Is that really worth it, or is there another way that doesn’t require giving up your individual existence? It’s like the flipside of The Empty Cup, too, in terms of foreshadowing the possible “Third Way” you can escape without embracing godhood and staying trapped within yourself, within the role you built up for yourself.

[biblical-chronicles]

Cheer up

__________________________________________

where Liam makes sure the reader doesn't spend NYE alone and sick

__________________________________________

The knock at the door wasn’t just unexpected—it was downright odd. You frowned, tugging your blanket tighter around yourself as you shuffled to answer it. You weren’t expecting anyone, and definitely not on New Year’s Eve. Everyone else had plans that didn’t involve sitting at home nursing a rubbish cold.

When you cracked the door open, there he was, Liam standing on your doorstep with a plastic shopping bag dangling from one hand. His grin was as cheeky as ever, and he looked quite lively, even in the bitter cold.

“Alright, love?” he said casually, like this was a completely normal thing to do.

“Liam?” you blinked, utterly baffled. “What the hell are you doing here? I told you I wasn’t coming tonight—I’m sick, remember? And shouldn’t you be at the party? Pretty sure that’s more your thing than… this.”

He didn’t wait for an invite, just strolled in like he owned the place, plonking the bag onto your counter. “Yeah, yeah, heard all that,” he said, rooting around in the bag. “But I figured you might cheer up when you see this.”

With a flourish, he pulled out a bottle of wine, holding it up like a trophy.

You stared at him, unimpressed. “You brought wine? Liam, I’ve been sneezing me head off all day, and you want me to drink wine?”

“Exactly,” he said, completely serious. “Kills the germs, don’t it? Wine’s medicinal.”

You snorted, despite yourself. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works.”

“Course it is,” he shot back, leaning on the counter with that insufferable smirk that always made it hard to stay annoyed at him. “Besides, I didn’t come here to drag you out. Just wanted to check on you, make sure you weren’t sat here wallowin’ or summat.”

You folded your arms, though the warmth in your chest was harder to ignore now. “So, what? You decided to ditch a perfectly good party to babysit me?”

“Babysit?” he echoed, mock offended. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m just makin’ sure you’re alright, that’s all. You know I can’t leave you hangin’ love.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t fight the small smile creeping onto your face. “You’re ridiculous. Fine, stay in here. But if you catch this cough and start whingin’ tomorrow, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Deal,” he said, already kicking off his boots and making himself at home on your couch.

A little while later, you were both settled in. The wine was open, glasses poured, and somehow, the mood had shifted into something easy and light. Liam had a way of doing that—making you forget yourself, forget the rubbish day you’d had, just by being his usual self. He was full of stories tonight, half of them ridiculous, the other half even more ridiculous. You found yourself laughing, your cheeks hurting from it, and for the first time all day, you felt properly warm.

“Thanks for this, by the way,” you said, swirling the wine in your glass. “For coming over, I mean. Sorry if I’ve ruined your night, though.”

“Ruin it?” he said, eyebrows raised. “Are you daft? This is bang on, this. Couldn’t think of a better way to spend it, to be honest.”

You looked at him, taken aback by how genuine he sounded. For all his attitude, there were moments like this when Liam’s softer side slipped through, catching you completely off guard.

“Oi,” he said suddenly, breaking the silence and jolting you out of your thoughts. “You know there’s only twenty minutes left till midnight, right? If we’re watchin’ them fireworks, you’d better get your arse in gear. Can’t have you standin’ out there in a blanket, can we?”

You blinked, momentarily thrown by the change in topic. “Wait, you actually want to go outside? In the cold?”

He grinned, already grabbing his coat. “Damn right I do. Fireworks aren’t gonna watch themselves, are they? Now, get a move on, woman, or we’ll miss the lot.”

His grin was infectious, and despite everything you couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright, I’m going,” you said, tossing the blanket aside and grabbing your jacket.

Once you were bundled up, Liam gave you a quick once-over, frowning. “Oi, where’s your scarf?”

You waved him off. “It’s fine, Liam. We’re just stepping out for a bit. I’ll survive.”

“Nah, nah,” he said, already unwrapping his own from around his neck. “No way you’re goin’ out there without one. You’re already ill—you’ll end up worse, and I’ll be stuck listenin’ to you complain for a week.”

“I wouldn’t—”

“Shut it,” he interrupted, stepping closer and looping the scarf around your neck. His hands lingered a little too long while adjusting the fabric, his knuckles brushing against your skin.

“There,” he murmured, stepping back slightly but still close enough to look into your eyes. His expression softened, his gaze searching yours as if he’d only just realized how close you were.

You couldn’t help it—your cheeks flushed, the moment growing heavier. The air between you shifted, and before you knew it, his eyes flicked down to your lips. His touch still lingered on the scarf, and your breath hitched, wondering if he was about to close the distance.

Then, suddenly, a loud bang cut through the silence, a firework going off prematurely somewhere in the neighborhood. You both jolted apart, startled, the tension dissolving as you laughed nervously.

“Bloody knobheads, settin’ ‘em off early,” Liam muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah,” you agreed, not trusting yourself to say more. Without addressing what had almost happened, you opened the door and led the way outside.

You both found a bench in the garden with a clear view of the skyline. Liam pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tapping one out and holding it up in offering.

“Fancy one?” he asked.

You hesitated a second before taking it. “Why not? New Year’s Eve, after all.”

He lit his with a practiced flick of his lighter, inhaling deeply before leaning toward you. You brought your cigarette to meet his, the glowing tips touching as he helped you light it. For a brief moment, your eyes locked again, his face illuminated by the ember’s soft glow.

This time, it was harder to look away, but you forced yourself to lean back and take a drag, exhaling slowly into the cold night air. The silence between you felt companionable, as you both smoked and stared out at the lively city.

After a moment, you turned toward him, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug.

“Sorry,” you murmured against his shoulder, “for being such a broken record about this. But thank you, Liam. Really. You have no idea how much this means to me. You mean so much to me.”

When you pulled back, his face was flushed, his expression uncharacteristically shy. “It’s no problem,” he said, his voice quieter than usual. “Like I said, I'd always choose you over some daft party I can throw any week.”

The words made your heart stutter, but before you could reply, he shifted slightly, meeting your eyes.

“You know I will, right?” he said, his voice steadier now. “Always choose you, no matter what. I’ve always cared about you, more than I probably should’ve as a friend.” He paused, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t want this to sound too clichè or whatever, but… you’re the one person I’d drop everything for. Always have been.”

You stared at him, a wide, disbelieving smile spreading across your face as his words sank in.

“God, you idiot,” you said softly, shaking your head in wonder.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of fireworks starting to explode in the distance made you both glance toward the skyline.

The colors lit up the sky, and without thinking, you turned back to him, grabbing his jacket and pulling him close. Before he could say anything else, you pressed your lips to his in a kiss so full of passion and relief it made your head spin.

The fireworks grew louder, the explosions echoing across the city, but all you could focus on was him—his warmth, his hands on your waist, the way he kissed you back like it was the only thing he wanted in the world.

__________________________________________

I hope it's good enough for all of you loves

cutesy request curtesy of @avxoxo1 I hope you enjoy it x

and, sorry if it’s a bit shite this time, but swear down that New Year’s bender proper did me in. Promise I’ll be back to rights and writin’ better stuff tomorrow, me loves xx

sorry again x