#so why wasn't he called to help with the heart transfer

[mahvaladara]

"I have this nagging feeling I should be somewhere Deus-Ex-Machina solving something. But I cannot remember where."

"Hmm. Must be the plot. "

[dcxdpdabbles]

DCxDP Fanfic idea: Wrong Number

Bruce prides himself in keeping all of his networks secured. If he didn't make it himself, he had the funds and connections to get him the best working on his systems.

He had backup plans in case the systems were ever hacked, of course, but he had yet to encounter a cyber attack that wasn't beaten away by his firewalls or his team.

Babs and Tim were far more feral when booting out unwanted guests. The level of protection was also transferred to his other systems that weren't Batman-related, just to make sure the connection between Bruce and Batman was never made.

That's why he never really checks his personal phone's caller ID, not the one he gave out as Brucie Wayne, but the one Bruce used for his real life without any masks- civilian or vigilante. The only ones who had the number- and the access- were his children and Alfred.

Not even the Justice League- those who were aware of his identity- knew of this number.

Bruce is in the middle of typing up a report for the next Wayne Board meeting when his personal phone rings. He figures it's Dick giving him a call to update him on his drive home or maybe Jason, as his son was planning on going to college.

"Go for Papa Bruce," He says, knowing his kids hate his phone greeting and doing it deliberately to spite them.

There is a long pause where he can't help but smirk thinking his child is either rolling their eyes or cringing too hard to properly speak. Eventually, a voice cracks over the speaker.

"Hello. I'm selling cookies to raise money for my own star. Would like to buy a box from me?" says a boy, not one he has taken in. The voice is young maybe not even double digits yet. Bruce is alarmed.

"Who are you?! How did you get this number?" He demands, yanking his phone to his face and seeing, with a chill, a phone number out of state.

His system had been compromised. By a child. By accident.

"My name is Danny!" The boy chirps. "I sell cookies. Like the Girl Scouts, but I'm a boy, and I don't scout."

"That's rather fantastic, lad. What kind of cookies are you selling?" Bruce asks to keep the boy on the line while sending an email blast to the others. It's a string of numbers that are code for compromise so they all know to close any communication channel until it's safe to get back on.

"Chocolate chip. Mint Slim. Oatmeal and peanut butter. I made them myself!"

Right. Bruce hooks up his phone, tracing the call. The signal bounces off the call, swinging up to a salute and falling back down to earth. In seconds he has the boy's location. It pings in a small town right outside of Star City.

He sends Barry a private message. His friend is already on the way to the location. He'll get the boy in a few seconds.

"How much for a box of chocolate chips? Those are my favorite." Bruce tells the boy, voice whimsical as his Brucie persona demands.

In an unsure tone, the boy pauses, then whispers, "I don't know. No one ever let me get this far."

"How about twenty for a box of dozen? I'll buy five boxes for each of my kids that live at him," Bruce tells him, and the boy gasps.

"That could buy me one whole night in a hotel!"

Bruce's insides freeze. What did he mean-

"Hey! No! Let go!" Danny suddenly screams. Bruce's heart launches- he hates it when kids get hurt, especially those that sound like Danny- until Barry's voice comes over the speaker.

"I got him, Mr. Wayne. Thank you for alerting the Justice League Hotline." That's code for This is not a threat to you Batman and Bruce allows himself to relax just a little.

"Narc!" The boy shouts, outraged, before the call drops. Barry is likely taking over the situation, which means Bruce can leave it in his capable hands.

After reassuring his kids that he is fine and that they are all safe, he suits up and meets the Flash in the Watch Tower. There, he learns that Danny is only seven years old and has been living on the streets for a while.

The boy had been surviving by baking some cookies to sell on the side of the street- where did he bake them? The boy would not say- until he got the bright idea to try to sell through phone calls like he had seen on TV.

He punched in random numbers at the community center phone and gave his pitch about a star, thinking people would be more willing to buy from him if he had an excellent reason.

Barry had left him with CPS, but he looked devastated about that. It turned out that Danny was a meta and had likely been kicked out of his home once it was found out based on what he said of his parents.

Bruce felt he should assure Barry that Danny was fine and look into his placement to help settle his more sensitive teammate's nerves.

He was unhappy that Danny was not in a good placement; there were far too many reports from a concerned neighbor to make him think it was a safe place. Given the fact that placement had a lot of meta kids that "fell through the cracks," Bruce worried he had just stumbled across a trafficking ring.

He would sick Barry and Jason on them. Just to ensure they wouldn't see the light of day again.

Still, that did not fix his mistake with Danny, the little cookie seller.

Bruce hacked into the system to move Danny. He thought about where he would move the young child but ultimately had him in Wayne Manor.

Just until he could confirm that he would be safe. He certainly didn't think about the adorable little boy who called him with his heart in his hand and got sent to a terrible place for three weeks because of Bruce.

Danny arrived at Wayne Manor with a happy little bounce and a chipper outlook on life than Bruce was expecting. "If it isn't Mr. Narc!"

God, he going to adopt the boy, isn't he?

(Danny has been thrown into a different universe, aged down to a child. He survived by overshadowing people into letting him spend the night baking cookies.

He was thrown into a somewhat typical home, but the nosy neighbor down the street took far too much notice of his overshadowing, and now he was being moved again.

Maybe he can terrorize Mr. Narc now instead? )

[cloudybarnes]

Pretty Boy

Pairing: Harry Potter x reader

Summary: everyone knew you had a thing for the boy who lived, everyone, that is, except for Harry himself.

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: Harry is so soft in this it's insane so take this as your warning

Masterlist

✰  ✰  ✰

It wasn't like you were hiding anything.

You prided yourself in being very direct, and very much a go-getter. After transferring from Beauxbatons, you made quick friends at Hogwarts, even with Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

With Harry, you very quickly became fond of the quirky things he would say, and how flustered he would get when you were around.

Some people called you a flirt, but you liked to think you were just really clear about what you wanted.

Him.

You just weren't sure if he felt the same way about you.

"So, (Y/N)." Hermione said as you, her, Harry and Ron walked out of potions class. "Did you want to study for the exam with us? I figure I could use as much help to make sure these two know what they're doing."

"Hey!" Ron complained, "I happen to be smart sometimes too, Hermione. You're not the only one with a brain."

"You're right, Ron." Hermione said. "(Y/N) has a brain as well, that's why I've asked her to come study with us."

Ron rolled his eyes with a grumble.

"I think that'd be nice," Harry softly said.

You grinned. "Well if Harry wants me there, of course I'm down."

His cheeks turned pink as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Ron snickered and playfully elbowed Harry a couple of times. Harry swatted him away; the pink on his cheeks growing a darker shade.

Harry sheepishly smiled at you. "O-of course I want you there!" He stuttered.

You smirked at him. "Don't worry, pretty boy, I promise I'll be there."

Harry's mouth fell open slightly, as Ron started laughing. "Harry, close your mouth for Merlin's sake!" Ron teased Harry by pointing at his parted lips.

Harry swatted Ron's hands away from his face with a scowl. "Shut up, Ron," he muttered.

You laughed. "I'm just gonna catch up to you guys later. Bye, Harry." You sent a wink in his direction as you walked away. Ron's cackling laugh boomed through the hallway as you left.

✰  ✰  ✰

"Hey, (Y/N)!"

You had started walking down the hallways to get to the Gryffindor study hall where you were supposed to meet up with the golden trio when Luna stopped you.

"Hey, Luna!" You smiled as she walked towards you. "Where were you today? I didn't see you in herbology today."

Luna had been one of your closest friends outside of Hermione, Ron, and Harry. She was fun to talk to, and pretty much knew everything about you already and vice versa.

"Yeah," she smiled, "I was off in the woods taking a walk. It's very nice out there this time of year, you know that?"

You nodded, "oh yeah, it really is."

"So where are you heading off to?"

"Hermione invited me to help them study for the potions exam we've got coming up."

"Oh!" She grinned, "will Harry be there?"

You giggled, "he will be there. Did I tell you he specifically said he wanted me to come with them! I just about died, Luna, like my heart was fluttering like crazy."

Luna chuckled, "You guys need to get together already! Unless you're keeping it a secret from me," Luna squinted her eyes at you playfully.

You laughed. "No, we're not dating. Not yet at least." You winked at her.

"Ahem," a throat cleared behind you.

Turning around, you saw Harry standing there, a bewildered look on his face, and a red burning in his cheeks.

"Um," he stuttered, "I didn't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to make sure you were still coming to the study hall."

Slowly, you turned back to Luna who gave you a sorry smile.

"Well," she said, "I'm going to leave you two alone. I'll see you later, (Y/N/N)." With that, she walked away, leaving you alone with the boy who basically just heard you telling Luna you wanted to date him.

You looked back to Harry with a soft smile. Even though you laid your flirting on so thick with Harry, that wasn't as scary as this. Flirting was innocent. If he didn't reciprocate your feelings, you could always act like you were just messing around.

Now, though, it was the real deal. Even if you looked composed on the outside, you were freaking out quite a bit on the inside.

"Yeah, I'll be there." You smiled, "I'd never ditch my favorite boy."

Harry choked on a gasp.

"You okay?" You asked, stepping a little closer to him.

Harry gazed up at you with confusion, but also intrigue.

"What are you doing?" He asked softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like-like with me? Why do you say things like that to me?"

Instinctively, you took a step back. "I'm sorry? I didn't know you felt some type of way about how I acted." You felt horrible. Maybe you had done a little too much. Maybe you had flirted too hard and too blatantly that it scared him off.

"No!" He practically shouted. "No, I mean, ahem, I mean I don't feel any type of way about it. I mean, yeah I feel some type of way, but not like- not like a bad way, if that makes sense. I mean more like in a good way, you know? But also, like in a confused way. I'm not sure, I mean, I like when you say things like that to me, but it's also confusing because why would you say things like that to me?" Harry rambled on.

You couldn't help but chuckle a little.

He looked up at you when you laughed, and gave you a sheepish smile. "Too much?" He asked.

You shook your head with a smile. "No, just enough. So you don't think I come off too strong when I flirt with you?"

Harry grinned. "So you are flirting with me!"

You chuckled, "I would hope you consider that flirting. I'm not sure if you know this, but I don't go around calling too many people 'pretty boy' or 'my favorite boy'."

He blushed. "Yeah, that's what Ron said, but I didn't believe him. I just can't believe out of all the guys that like you, you like me instead."

You smiled, "So Ron told you I liked you?"

"Well, he may have mentioned it a time or two or twenty," he chuckled, "I just didn't believe him."

"How could I not like you? You're Harry, you're incredibly sweet, and selfless, and so much more. Anyone with eyes would like you, Harry."

His face turned ten shades of red. "That's how I feel about you, too, (Y/N). But with you, it's just obvious everyone loves you. You walk in a room and every single head turns. You laugh, and the birds start singing. You smile, and the sun quivers from how bright you light the place up."

With every word coming from Harry's lips, you found yourself more and more drawn to him. Your heart beat erratically.

"I didn't realize you thought so highly of me." It was your turn to blush now. You could feel your face getting incredibly hot by the sweet words he spoke. You never thought Harry would like you back, especially not as intensely as he's describing. Frankly, you didn't know he had such a way with words.

"I think you're incredible, (Y/N), and if you would let me, I'd like to take on a-a date sometime?" He suggested.

You grinned at him and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'd love to, Harry."

He grinned, and held on tight to your hand.

For a minute there, the two of you just stared at each other, smiling. You started to giggle. "As much as I would love to stay here like this, we promised Hermione we would study with her and Ron."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Harry admitted, sheepishly.

You chuckled, "come on, let's not keep them waiting, pretty boy."

Harry grinned. "I like that nickname."

"I like you."

[im-sleepdeprived]

Seasonal • Pt. 4

pairing: peter parker x reader

summary: inspired by the taylor swift song ‘peter’ where you and peter discover just how hard it is to hold on to something from your past, no mater how much you love each other

a/n: you guys i hate it here, like i actually just want them to make out already, also to the person who commented a couple chapters ago saying they wanted to see peter’s pov, this is for u

warnings: awful descriptions of photography (im not a photographer im so sorry pls lets all just ignore it), reader just straight up dipping in every situation, jealous pete lmao, reader trying to be mad, also i made peter super hot, like, more hot than usual (i was ovulating) ok bye

masterlist, read part 1, part 2, part 3

Peter had always known he would be with you. It was only a matter of when. When would he get the balls to act on his never-ending crush?

For a minute there, he had you. He felt like he owned the world. You wanted him, you loved him, and he thought the wait was finally over. This was the moment all the other moments in his life had led to. 

He’d never told you (nor will he ever) but he’d never done a project on astronomy. That night you’d helped with his wounds after he’d crashed on your fire escape (the night he was hurt and all he had wanted was to see a familiar face, and his first thought was you), the night you’d told him you had a special interest in stars, he’d went home and stayed up all night to learn everything he could about them. 

After doing that for several days, he took a night off patrolling to swing around the whole city (and a little further, if he were being honest) to find the perfect spot for your little stargazing date.

He just wanted everything to be perfect for you, always. It was why he used to wake up an hour earlier every day before school and grab you a cup of your favorite coffee from your favorite cafe. It was why he made sure to pay extra attention in your least favorite classes, the ones you struggled with the most, so he could help you with your homework and notes because he knew you’d need it. It was why he tied your shoelaces every time they came undone and you just ignored it. He held open every door, he cooked sometimes (though poorly), and he randomly bought you flowers and left you little notes everywhere. 

All he wanted was for you to be completely happy. Which is why he had to end things. Every part of his heart disagreed, every inch of his bones disagreed. But he knew the reality of the situation, and he couldn’t do that to you.

Peter couldn’t leave you stuck in a dorm room, missing out on parties or hang outs with your friends, waiting for him to call. He couldn’t be the reason your phone was stuck in your face 24/7, worrying about him. He couldn’t have you staying up till 3AM waiting for him to send you a text telling you he was okay, that patrolling that night had gone well. Even if it hadn’t. 

College was so important to you. You’d tried to downplay it to him but he knew how much you were looking forward to this, and he couldn’t be the one to take away from that experience. 

He didn’t transfer back here for you. 

Or at least, that’s what he spent countless hours and sleepless nights trying to convince himself. New York was his home, it needed him, it needed Spider-Man, May was getting older, he should be close to her, Columbia was a great school, it was his first choice. The fact that you went there was just a perk. 

Or a con. 

He wasn't sure anymore because seeing you here, in front of him for the first time in years, it left him breathless. 

Peter was always a romantic, though he’d be loathe to admit it. He wanted that one true love, he wanted someone to come home to and talk about his day with, and afterwards he would listen to theirs. He wanted late night talks, early morning confessions. Dancing in the kitchen while food cooked on the stove, getting so lost in each other’s eyes that it almost burns. And he genuinely thought you two would find your way back to each other somehow, because he’d known since he was a little boy it would always be you.

But now he’s started to wonder if just because it would always be you, that might not mean he would actually get to have you. 

Because there’s a man beside you. 

He’s holding your waist. 

And you’re not pushing him away. 

“Ace?” Asked the man (who looked nothing like Peter, by the way, and it was driving him insane). Now Peter never considered himself a violent person. As a preteen and an early teenager, he’d been puny and weak, but even after he’d became Spider-Man he never liked to resort to violence unless absolutely necessary. But right that moment, he felt an inexplicable, almost primal rage he’d never felt before. And he wanted to punch this man in the face. Yeah, that sounded like it could help. 

“Yeah,” you laughed. “Old nickname.”

The man beside just narrowed his eyes slightly, which didn’t help Peter’s urge to sock him in the face. He watched as his grip around you tightened and the man pulled you in closer, almost possessively. “Introduce me babe.”

Babe? Was this guy for real?

“Oh right,” you shook your head slightly and let out another slightly too high-pitched laugh and Peter almost felt bad for putting you in such an awkward position. “James, this is Peter. He’s an old friend of mine from high school. Peter, this is James. My boyfriend.”

Peter’s heart sank. He shouldn’t have been surprised, and he wasn’t. He could tell by the way James was holding you, the way he called you babe (which was tacky in Peter’s opinion. You deserved something a little more special than ‘babe’ ugh) but hearing you say it? He was afraid he might blackout. 

He hadn’t expected you to go celibate or anything, but damn. Hearing you call someone else your boyfriend fucked with him in ways he’d never experienced. 

He could see the shock in your eyes, the disbelief as you stared at him as if you couldn’t really trust yourself to see what you were seeing.

“So…how’ve you been?” He asked casually, as if his heart wasn’t racing out of his chest right then, and he knew yours was doing the same.

Your brows furrowed, “I—I’m good, wait,” you scoffed and closed your eyes tightly before opening them again. “What are you doing here Peter?”

Right. You didn’t know. Fair enough, he hadn’t told anyone until everything was already set in stone. “I just transferred in this semester. I go here now.”

And if he thought your eyes couldn’t get any wider, he was wrong. He almost thought that they’d fall out of your head. 

“What?!”

The shock was written all over your face, but…there was something else, something he couldn’t quite place. After years of knowing you, it was concerning to him that he might not be able to read you as well as he used to. 

Peter wasn’t sure what kind of reaction, exactly, he was expecting, but it wasn’t this. He tried his best to only stare at you because he really didn’t want to look at fucking James right now. “Yeah,” he cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden, “it just…felt right. Thought I belonged here.” His voice was quiet because he wasn’t even sure if that was true anymore. Was this right? Did he belong here anymore?

You stood perfectly still, no emotion on your face, and he wished more than anything he could read your mind right then. James looked back and forth between the two of you before he lightly tapped your hip, making peter’s heart churn, “I think we should get going, we’re gonna be late.”

He watched you look up at him, dazed, “Oh right, yeah, we should go. Bye Peter,” you didn’t even look at him as you said it, turning around and leaning into James’ hold as you walked away. 

Yeah, this definitely wasn’t how he expected this to go.

“You wanna talk about that?”

You scoffed. “Not really, no.”

“So he’s an ex,” James replied, and it wasn’t a question. You trudged forward, feeling an uncomfortable tightness in your chest. Almost two years. Almost a whole two years where you’d imagined countless scenarios of how your reunion would go, but you’d never imagined he’d ambush you on your college campus, claiming that he’d transferred, while you were walking around campus with your current boyfriend.

You inhaled deeply. “Yeah, and I have no clue what he’s doing here.” You’d never really told him about Peter, it just hadn’t come up. If you had to refer to him while sharing a story, it was always as an ‘old friend’ or ‘neighbor from across the hall’. You’d never liked calling him an ‘ex’.

“Well I do,” you looked up at him questioningly. “He transferred this semester, obviously.” You huffed out a laugh and tried to focus on your footsteps. Just keeping walking forward, you thought. God, not even a full 5 minutes together and it’s like he’s completely thrown you off.

“Where’d he go before?”

He didn’t know anything. You were so used to the people in your life being so involved with you and Peter, already knowing everything, knowing when and where to bring him up after the breakup (usually trying not to bring him up at all for your sake) and you guessed that’s why you’d never told James about him, it was nice to have someone who didn’t know everything there was to know about you and your past. This way, you’d get to unveil those things at your own pace. 

“He went to Duke.”

James whistled. “Good school,” he admitted, and you nodded. It was a good school. It was a great school that was 8 hours 27 minutes and 36 seconds, which is how far away Peter was supposed to be. But he wasn’t. He was here, attending the same school you were, the same school he was originally supposed to attend. With you.

“He seems cool enough, maybe we’ll see him around.” You wanted to give James credit for how cool he was trying to be about this. 

“Maybe,” you forced a smile. You wondered just how much you’d be seeing him around and just what that meant.  

“Pete you have no right to be upset about this,” May said, shaking her head on the other side of the phone.

“Don’t you think I know that,” he groaned and clutched the phone tighter to his ear as he walked around campus. It had been a couple of days since your little interaction and it had been on his mind since it happened. He couldn’t stop thinking about you. ��And I’m not upset! I’m just…surprised.”

“What were you expecting?” May asked. 

“Not him, thats for damn sure,” he mumbled grumpily. Truthfully, James had never done anything to make Peter hate him, he might even be an okay guy, but that wasn’t for Peter to find out because he was dead set on hating his guts, valid reasoning or not.

“Pete he’s not that bad,” his aunt tried to reason. “He’s actually an okay guy, he’s sweet and—”

“She deserves more than okay! And what about—wait a minute…have you met him?”

The line was quiet for a moment, confirming his suspicions. Peter scoffed just as May said, “it’s not like that! He came over during winter break and I happened to run into him. I spent a few hours at their apartment and—I don’t have to explain myself to you! Look Peter,” May sighed and he could picture her rubbing her temple the way she usually did when he got a little too much for her sometimes, “you broke up with her, you stopped reaching out, and you were the one who chose not to see her during your winter break,” she scolded through the phone and Peter felt his whole body flush with shame and guilt. He had done those things and there was no denying it, but while he might’ve considered them the only options at the time, god did he regret all of it after seeing you with that guy.

“I know,” he admitted in a low voice, “I did fuck up, and we can talk about that later but I’ve gotta go for now, May, bye.”

“Bye, Pete,” she replied, “I love you.”

“Love you too,” he hung up and stared at the door in front of him. After your first meeting, he wasn’t sure if this was as good an idea he had built it up to be in his head. 

Too late, he thought, and pushed open the door too the newsroom. 

“Hey, Peter right?” A redhead approached him with a bright smile on her face.

“Yeah that’s me,” he shrugged his backpack higher onto his shoulder and held out a hand.

“Alyssa, I’m the editor,” she said as she accepted his handshake, “I cannot tell you what a jam you’ve gotten us out of, really we’ve never run this low on members. Usually, we’re fighting them off with a stick, but apparently there aren’t too many people into photography right about now.”

“Oh hey, no problem. I saw the notice in the newsletter,” he shrugged, “thought I’d try something new.”

“Well, I really appreciate that Peter, I saw the photos you sent me, they’re amazing. Honestly, if the ones you submit for the paper are half as good, we’re going to be perfect.”

“Thanks Alyssa,” he always appreciated when people spoke well about his photography. You were always his biggest fan when it came to his interests and hobbies. You knew everything about him, from big to small, and yet you never belittled any part. He wondered if you had any clue how much that had meant to him. In a world where people praised Spider-Man for being the strong willed hero he was while simultaneously berating Peter for…well everything, you did the opposite. You loved him, every part. From the boy who went out to fight crime almost every free hour he could get, to that same boy who would sit on your bedroom floor and do physics homework with you and was crazy good at it.

He felt a sudden nervous feeling overtake him at the thought of seeing you again in the newsroom. He knew you were on the paper, duh, but when he’d seen the notice that the news team was in need of an extra photographer to two this season, he’d thought it a good opportunity. It definitely didn’t have anything to do with you, or spending time with you. Of course not.

Alyssa walked him around, introduced him to some of the people there, the other photographers (only one, at present, his name was Ryan. Apparently there was a shortage of people willing to take photos for the paper this semester), and by the end of his mini tour he couldn’t deny the small amount of relief at not seeing you…and yet at the same time…disappointment. Maybe you just weren’t in today.

He spoke to soon.

Stopping back at the front of the room, Alyssa turned to him again, “Well, I think that’s most of the people, at least, who are in today. Y’know, it’s pretty slow for start of the semester—” Her eyes darted somewhere behind him, obviously distracted by something. Peter watched her face light up before she said, “Oh! Looks like I was wrong,” she beckoned someone to come closer. Peter could feel the vibe shift in the room. “Peter, this is Y/N!”

Peter turned and could see the exact moment you faltered. Clearly, Alyssa didn’t. Nor did she notice the not-so-subtle looks you were throwing her way. “Y/N this is Peter, he one of our new photographers.”

To make things even better, James chose right then to walk in. “And this is James!”

James came to stand right beside you, taking up a stance much similar to the one he had during their first meeting, except this time his arms draped over your shoulder and tugged you into him. 

“Oh, we’ve met. Patrick, right?”

Peter definitely didn’t like this guy. 

“Peter,” Alyssa corrected, “I was just introducing him to Y/N, he’s a part of the photography team.”

“Oh I don’t think they need much of an introduction.” James remarked. You winced. Peter wanted to punch him. Poor Alyssa was growing more confused by the second.

“So…have you two met as well?” She tried. 

“Lyss do you remember when I told you about Peter from high school?” You trailed off at the end, hoping she’s catch it on her own.

Alyssa snorted, “You mean the dick who broke up with you on graduation? Yeah I remember—” she gasped and looked at Peter, then back at you. 

You nodded. Alyssa couldn’t keep the shock off of her face. Finally, James spoke up, “And as lovely as this has been, we should really get to work.” Peter watched as he pulled you away to a pair of desks on the other side of the room. He watched you take a seat at one, James at the other, and he wondered if this was how you’d met him. Did you like him because he attractive? Funny? What about him had caught your attention in the first place? And then the worst thought of all, did you love him? Peter repressed a shudder, he couldn’t handle that right now, or maybe ever. 

He turned back to Alyssa, who had been standing quietly beside him since her earlier remark about him (rightfully so, he had been a dick), “So where should I set up?” He lifted his backpack on his shoulder for emphasis. 

Wordlessly and wide-eyed, Alyssa pointed to an empty desk. It was two desks across from yours.

This was going to be interesting. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me your Peter was here! In Columbia! Joining the paper!”

It hadn’t taken your roommate long to find some (shitty) excuse to drag you out to the hall to give you the talking-off you were expecting. “I can go in there and fire him right now!” She was flexing her powers as the new editor. 

Lyss had made abrupt climb to editor at the end of last semester. Brandon had resigned to take some time to himself while he applied to grad schools all over the country and went through the trials and tribulations that was senior year of undergrad and honestly, you couldn’t have thought of anyone better to take him place. You’d all gone out to celebrate, the whole news staff, but the two of you and James had had your own little celebration at your apartment later that night.  

“I’m sorry! It’s just been so hectic! You’re so busy all the time, you’re barely home, and honestly I didn’t really believe it at first. And he’s not my Peter,” you scoffed, “he’s just Peter.”

Lyss snorted, “Y/N there’s no way you could possibly think I’m too busy to hear about all this, this is huge! Tell me everything!” She exclaimed eagerly. “When’d you first run into him? How did James know? Did you tell him? Oh my god, what did he say?”

“Calm down girl,” you held up both hands. “I ran into him a couple days ago, James was with me, and he was actually super cool about it!”

Lyss gave you a look. “What?” You asked confused. 

“Now, what exactly had you thinking he was cool about it? ‘Cause that was not the vibe I was getting in there.”

“What do you mean?”

“Patrick? Please,” she giggled, “that was totally on purpose, of course he remembered his name. And the way he had his arm around you?”

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair, “This is all so crazy. I don’t know what hell he’s doing back here.”

Lyss perked up, “My offer to fire him still stands babe! Just say the word and poof,” she made a gesture with her hands, making you laugh.

“We both know can’t actually do that. We’re running low enough on photographers as it is, you can’t just fire a perfectly good one.”

“Maybe,” she shrugged, “I can always grab a camera and try my hardest. I always thought I’d be great at photography.”

You grinned, walking back towards the door to the newsroom, Lyss following beside you, “Oh yeah? How come?”

“I don’t know,” she frowned, “that was a total fucking lie, I’ve never thought twice about photography. But I probably could do it! If it came down to it.”

You laughed as you entered, but one of the other writers quickly interrupted it “Alyssa, we need your help with this layout.”

Lyss looked at you smiling, “Duty calls, this isn’t over.”

You smiled, “Go. We’ll talk later.”

As she walked off, you made your way to your desk, avoiding any eye contact with Peter. It was just your luck he got sat right across from you. You briefly wondered if Alyssa’s editor could get him moved. You’d have to bring this up with her later.

A file dropped on your desk, causing you to look up. James stood above you, smirking and successfully blocking your view of Peter (if you were trying to look over at him, which you weren’t). You wondered it he’d done that on purpose. “Those copies you were looking for,” he proclaimed, pointing towards the file, “fresh out the printer. 

Shit. You had completely forgotten about these with everything and you needed them to finalize the current article you were working on. Smiling, you gushed jokingly, “My hero, thank you so much!” 

James’ smirk grew as he placed his hands on his hips dramatically. “Just call me your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

You were about to laugh until you heard a scoff come from behind him. Your smile fell from your face and you watched James’ expression change as he turned to see Peter. “Something funny man?”

“No,” Peter replied, not even bothering to look up from his computer. That was until he let his eyes meet yours. It was barely a second, but it was long enough for James to notice. 

James stood perfectly still in his spot in front of your desk before silently walking over to his and taking a seat without another look at either of you. 

You tried to get him to look at you so you could silently apologize or something, but he wouldn’t budge. 

You weren’t sure how this was going to work. 

You swiped your hair out of your face as you walked out of the lecture hall, your shoes echoing on the hard-tile floor. Stepping out of the building, you took a deep breath. You’d had a long day and you couldn’t wait to get to your apartment and crash on the couch. You weren’t even sure if you could make it to your room. You’d try to get in a nap before you were supposed to meet up with James tonight. The two of you had been busier lately and you’d felt bad about everything going on with Peter, so you tried to set aside some time just for you and him. It was going to be a low-key night, just the two of you ordering in, maybe watching a movie, you thought it was much needed.

Your breath caught in your throat when you saw Peter leaning against the wall of the building adjacent to the one you just exited. The photography building. You hadn’t seen him recently. Even at the newsroom, it seemed the two of you had different schedules lately. 

You kept your head down, hoping he wouldn’t notice you. 

“Hey Ace! Wait up.”

Clearly, you wouldn’t be so lucky.

You paused, not even bothering to pretend like you hadn’t heard him. It was Peter, you knew him better than you knew yourself, he would’ve just chased after you. 

You took in his appearance as he walked up to you. You hadn’t really given yourself the chance before, with James around and everything…Peter had changed. You could see it now clearer than ever. He moved with a confidence in himself and with his body he hadn’t possessed before. And he looked buffer. 

Peter had told you how after the bite, everything had changed, his senses, his appearance, and while he had definitely been strong before…now there was visible muscle to back it up. You suspected than even if he tried to hide under baggy sweaters like he did back in high school, it wouldn’t work. But something told you that this new Peter was done hiding.

Gone was the scrawny little kid you’d known your entire childhood and before you stood a handsome young man who would’ve left that same little kid awestruck. “Been hitting up the gym?” You asked once he was close enough to hear. 

Peter chuckled, “Yeah, actually. I started back in freshman year, it helped clear my mind off everything.”

How someone could possibly juggle classes, homework, super hero work, workouts, and manage to eat, sleep, and drink, you’d never know. But if anyone could do it it was Peter. 

“May and I were talking.” Safe bet to start with May, you thought. “She was asking about you, said its been a while since she’s seen you.”

“Mhm,” you agreed, a little confused as to where he was going with this, “I haven’t been home in a bit, but we’ve texted.”

“Oh yeah, that’s nice!” Peter reached to scratch the back of his neck, a nervous tic of his you knew all too well. “If you wanted you, could come over for dinner with us sometime. She’d love to have you.”

“Umm…” was he serious right now? “Thanks Peter, but my schedule’s kinda packed right now. I’ve got like three essays due and I have a big article coming up soon, so I’ll have to pass. Tell May I miss her too though.”

“Oh, the competition, right? That’s coming up soon, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. You know about it?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I think I heard Alyssa mention it and you having something to do with it. Congratulations, by the way, I heard it’s a pretty big deal.”

You grinned, “It is. Front page big deal. I’m excited.” You admitted. 

Peter smiled, so genuine you could see those crinkles form beside his eyes. You remembered how you used to trace them with your fingers. “All your writing belongs on the front page, if you ask me.”

You blushed. He couldn’t just say things like that, not anymore. “Thanks, but you haven’t even read any of it yet.” You hadn’t had a piece published since he’d arrived here, he couldn’t have read any of your work yet.

“That’s not true,” he said simply, with no further elaboration. 

Your phone rang, cutting off your conversation. Reaching into your pocket, you pulled it out to see James’ name flashing across your screen. You held up a finger to Peter and walked a few paces away before answering. 

“Hey!”

“Hey babe, so listen, Nash just broke up with his girl and we thought we’d take him on a barhop to cheer him up. I’m picking you up at 10.”

Your brows furrowed. Barhopping did not sound like something you wanted to do tonight, or ever. And didn’t you already have plans? “Um, weren’t we supposed to hang out tonight?”

“Oh pfft, that wasn’t anything special, we were just going to order takeout. So 10?” Oh. You’d beg to differ, him and his friends always found an excuse to get absolutely plastered at least once a week, and the two of you had barely seen each other. At first you’d thought he was a little upset with you because of the whole Peter thing but now…you wondered if he even cared. 

You cleared your throat, rubbing the palm of your empty hand on your shirt. When had you gotten sweaty? “No I think I’m good. I have some stuff to work on, but you have fun though! I’ll keep the door unlocked tonight.” It wouldn’t be the first time you’d nursed a drunk and incoherent James (and terribly hungover in the morning)

“Damn, you sure?”

You hummed in response.

“Kay, bye.”

“Bye.”

You shoved your phone back into your pocket. At least now you could take as long as you wanted with your nap. 

“Is he always like that?”You jumped. You had completely forgotten Peter was still there, and now he was stepping closer to you, taking back the distance you’d put between you to answer your phone call.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your boyf—James, is he always like that? Partying, getting drunk, barhopping?” Right…Peter wasn’t just Peter. He was also Spider-Man, which meant he’d just heard everything. As if this day couldn’t get fucking better. You didn’t need your ex-boyfriend judging your current one, he had no right.

“No.” You frowned. “So what if he likes to party sometimes? Isn’t that what college is about?”

“I’m not attacking him Ace. I guess I was just wondering how the two of you got together when you’re so different. I mean, even to someone who doesn’t know you as well as I do, it doesn’t take me to figure out barhopping isn’t your scene.”

“Well maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” you snapped back, “not anymore at least.”

Peter paused, a look of hurt flashing across his features, as if that were something he hadn’t even considered. A small part of you relished in it, in him knowing things had changed since the last time you’d seen each other, and he couldn’t just ignore that. No amount of pretending would fill in that gap. 

“Goodbye Peter.” You didn’t want to talk about James with him anymore than you already had. 

“The invitation still stands,” he blurted. You gave him a weird look. “To dinner,” he explained, “the invitation still stands. I meant what I said, May would love to have you over, and so would I. So if you’ve ever got the time…” he trailed off.

You couldn’t help the soft smile that graced your face. Only Peter could switch your moods so fast, and you had no doubt he meant it about the dinner, just like you had no doubt he would also completely understand if you ignored his offer altogether. 

“Thank you Petey, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Thank you Petey,” 

God he’d bet you didn’t realize it, that the nickname had just rolled off your tongue. You probably hadn’t thought twice about, he, however, certainly had. In fact, the moment hadn’t left his mind. You’d given him a smile so sincere, he would’ve given you anything you asked for just to keep you looking at him like that. And paired with the nickname? He was done for. 

He had sat outside the English building in hopes of finally getting to see you again. He was starting to believe he must be a masochist, because every time he saw you it felt like a punch to the gut. Was it possible for someone to get more beautiful by the second? But he couldn’t help it, he was drawn to you, always had been and always will be. 

The worst of it was when you were with James. God, just thinking the name made his entire mood sour. But seeing the only girl he’d ever loved with someone else made him want to punch something (someone; and that someone was James). And hearing that phone call you’d had with him only further pissed him off. How the hell could he even think to ask you to go barhopping, if he knew you at all he would know that you would much rather prefer a quiet night at home. And it seemed that was exactly what you had planned, before that douchebag cancelled to go out with his friend. 

He had been out patrolling most of the evening and well into the night. Now he was on his way home, it had been a quiet night so he thought he might as well retire early. He could always come back out if need be. That was one of the greater things about college, more freedom, a more flexible schedule, unlike high school. 

Just as he was swinging his way back home, he caught sight of a familiar figure lounging on a fire escape. You were home. Peter hadn’t really spoken to you since he’d caught you walking of class. You’d see each other around, but there was nothing more than brief moments of eye contact. 

You looked peaceful, reading silently as a soft light filtered through your window. He was going to change that. 

He landed softly a couple stories above you. Flipping over, he shot out a web and caught himself so he was hanging upside down. Slowly, he lowered himself until he his head was almost brushing the floor of your fire escape. “How’s it hanging?”

You shrieked, dropping your book in fright. Now, Peter would never want to actually scare you, but he couldn’t help messing around every now and then. 

“What the fuck Peter,” you hissed, one hand resting on your heart as you breathed heavily. Peter righted himself and landed completely in one smooth motion.

He swiped off his mask and grinned. “I thought it was funny.”

You whacked him with your book. 

Peter threw his arms up and cowered slightly, “Mercy! Mercy!”

“Shut up!” You laughed softly, “Someone might hear you.”

He put arms down and fixed you with a serious expression, “Did you or did you not just scream a couple of seconds ago?”

You whacked him with your book again.

Peter was cackling like a madman at this point and it didn’t take long before you were joining him. The two of you stayed like that for a moment, laughing together on your fire escape, a place ripe with memories of your life together before. 

“What’re you doing here?” You asked once you’d calmed down and caught your breath again. 

“I was swinging back home when I saw you out here reading. Thought I’d stop by and say hey.”

“Or give me a heart attack,” you murmured. 

He laughed again, “Sorry about that.”

“No you’re not,” you rolled your eyes but your smile escaped. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replied, grinning. This was nice, so nice. 

You fell into a soft silence, neither of you wanting to break the comfortable atmosphere you’d created. You decided to speak up, but so did he. 

“I wanted to—”

“Ace I—”

You looked at him and held back a laugh. He shook his head softly and smiled. Settling down across from you, Peter stretched his legs out (longer than they were before, and taking up more space, he almost didn’t fit), and he pointed towards you, “You first.”

“Fine. I wanted to say sorry for snapping at you so much since you’ve been back. Its just been…” you fidgeted with your hands and bit your lip, “weird.”

His heart fell a little bit, why in the world would you be apologizing? “Ace, you don’t need to apologize for a thing, I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. I’m sorry Ace, I know its weird, I know you had no warning when I just popped back into your life, and I know it’s weird.” He nudged your leg with his and smiled, “Hell I’m lucky your even talking to me right now.”

You narrowed your eyes, “Well it’s not like you gave me much of a choice, you cornered me on my own fire escape!”

He laughed. “True, I guess.” Peter added a dramatic sigh before his next sentence, hoping to hide how nervous he actually felt, “I could always go if you want me to.”

“No,” you said softly, “I don’t mind.”

Peter felt like doing a happy dance.

“What’re you doing home?” He asked. He knew you had your own apartment near campus (with Alyssa, he’d learned. He quickly, learned how close you two were, he was glad you had a friend like that.) and he  couldn’t think of a specific reason you’d be home. 

“My mom bought some new furniture and she asked me to come help her put it together. I figured I’d just spend the night.”

“Oh? I thought she was banned from shopping?”

“She was! Until she wasn’t.” You laughed out loud, making Peter laugh as well. 

The night went on like that, you and Peter sharing simple conversation. You avoided touching on the touchier subjects for now. You weren’t exactly ignoring them, both of you knew they were there, sitting beside you as you conversed, waiting to be picked apart and discussed at length. It just seemed that the two of you had silently reached an agreement, that for now, you’d enjoy whatever peace you’d found. Because at the end of the day, first and foremost, you two had been friends. The bigger things could come later. 

It had been a week since that night on your fire escape wand you were actually starting to think you could handle Peter being back. Seeing him around had been brief lately, you suspected he was finally getting settled in his classes and his life here, but when you did see him it was easier. Less tension-filled. Unless James was around, that made it harder. 

You were laying on the couch in your living room, Lyss laying opposite you, both your legs meeting in the middle. The two of you were watching Pride & Prejudice (the 2005 one, of course, because no one really cared about the 1995 series) while a bowl of popcorn lay half-eaten on the coffee table in front of you. 

You reached out and grabbed a handful of popcorn, “Kiera Knightley is so fine.”

“Tell me about it, oh my god,” Lyss exclaimed, dramatically fanning herself. “I watched ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ when I was younger, I’ve never been the same since.”

“I know exactly what you mean. Peter and I watched them all together during one of our summer breaks, and that scene with her and Orlando Bloom had me practically drooling.” You giggled. 

“Speaking of Peter,” the way she said it had you thinking she’d been dying to bring this subject up, “how’s that going?”

“Um…good. Well, better, I guess is the right word. Things are going better than the first few times I saw him around but of course there’s still that weirdness.”

“God, I still cant get over how crazy it is that he just randomly pops up here, outta nowhere!” You’d always talked about Peter with Lyss, you’d told her your history with him long before he’d shown up, but now she could finally put a face to the name. 

“You’re telling me,” you snorted. “I saw him when I went back home last week,” you shook your head, “we talked on my fire escape like we used to. It was almost unreal.”

“Weren’t you guys no contact since winter break of freshman year?” She asked. 

You hummed in confirmation and she whistled. “So he hasn’t given you some grand love proposal, has he?”

You choked on a laugh, “No. Of course not.”

“I’m just saying,” she shrugged casually, “you don’t transfer to the school you know your ex-girlfriend attends, join the paper you know she’s on, and hang out on her fire escape where you hung out when you were together unless you still have feelings.”

Frowning, you popped some more popcorn your mouth. You didn’t want to believe Peter still had feelings for you, it would make everything so much harder.of course, there was something there, and if you were being honest, there probably always would be. You were each other’s first loves and that didn’t just disappear into thin air. 

But Peter had left you, and you had a boyfriend now. Everything else was irrelevant.

Lyss leaned over and poked your cheek, “Don’t pout, I was only kidding. Sorta.”

“I know,” you said, shooting her a smile. 

“Stop thinking about him and start think about the killer article you’re going to write me about tomorrow.” She shot you a wink. 

Right. The competition was tomorrow. And you were going with James. 

“OH! Hand clench scene!” Lyss jumped up, tearing you away from your thoughts. 

Peter had left you, and you had a boyfriend now. Everything else was irrelevant.

Tomorrow should make a great distraction.

The venue was beautiful. You made your way around, stopping to appreciate every photograph, taking in all the details of the art hanging on every inch of the walls. You loved it. 

You looked up at James and grinned, “Do you get it now?”

He smiled and shook his head, “To be honest with you, nah.” He smirked at you, “But I’m here with the prettiest girl in the whole school, so what does it matter?”

You flushed and looked down at the empty notepad in your hands, by the end of the night it was probably going to be full. You were going to walk around taking notes of all the unique pieces, but the biggest part of your job today would be later, when they announce the winners. There were three runner ups and then, of course, the first place winner. You’d be speaking to all of them tonight, longer with the winner. 

Just as you’d told James, this thing had a dress code. He had gone for a navy jacket with a white button down underneath, and a pair of white slacks. You were wearing a pretty black dress that fell to just below your knees; it had a soft tulle layer that swished as you walked and floral embroidery that ran along the whole thing, the green of the vines and soft pink of the flowers popping out with the darker undertone. You felt good about tonight, really good. Alyssa had chosen to give you this big piece of news and you weren’t going to let her down. 

You walked around the venue hand-in-hand with James, getting familiar with the art and the artists, stopping by to compliment a few that really popped out to you. Your favorite so far was a stunning picture taken by a girl named Macy, she’d captured of Bow Bridge at Central Park. She’d used some kind of vintage camera giving the photo an ethereal, elegant, romantic feel to it, with the flowers on the bushes, the green of the scenery, and the golden glow on the bridge and the people walking upon it and boating on the waters beneath it, if it was up to you this would definitely be picked as first place. 

You’d tried to get James to see the same beauty you saw in the picture, the almost fantastical vibe of it, looking more like a painting than reality, but he hadn’t understood, claiming it was ‘just a picture of the park’ leaving you more than a little disappointed. Maybe some people really just didn’t understand art. 

“Think we’ve seen almost everything,” you murmured to James as you looked around to see if there was a place you hadn’t been yet. 

“Actually, there’s a few on the other side of that wall we haven’t seen yet,” he pointed, “been seeing lots of people come in and out of there. I think one of the winners might be there.”

“Oh my gosh I completely missed that part, thanks!” You leaned up and pecked his cheek, making him grin. “Anytime babe.”

That would be your last happy moment of the night. 

You walked through the photos slowly and marveled at how, when it came to art, everyone truly had their own style. Each piece had a tag beside it, conveying the name of the work and the name of the photographer. Though most of the presenters liked to hover near their piece in case anyone had questions or wanted to know more, it was easier this way for the judges to get the information they needed. 

You were talking to someone about their picture when James nudged you. “Is that Peter?”

He pointed to your left, and you saw the side-profile of Peter talking to someone with his arms crossed. Peter was here? Well, it did make sense, he was a photographer after all. This was more than his scene. 

“He’s probably here to get pictures for the paper,” you shrugged. 

James held your hand a little tighter as the two of you walked through some more photos. “Alright, this is getting boring,” James sighed heavily. 

“Really?” you frowned, “I really like it. I think its fun.”

He eyed you, “You already got the article babe, you don’t have to put on an act anymore.”

You laughed lightly, but you weren’t really finding this funny, “I’m not acting! Did you see ‘love in the air’? I don’t think I’ve ever seen something more beautiful.” That was the name of the piece you’d loved, and you had to say, it was accurate. It was like looking through rose-tinted-glasses, finding the lovely in everything. 

“The one of the park?” James rolled his eyes, “it’s Central Park, there’s nothing special about it.” You were opening your mouth to argue when he cut you off, “They’re just photos, babe. Now, when are they gonna announce the winners so we can get outta here?”

You frowned and looked down at your watch. There was only about half an hour until winners were announced. You were going to write down something in your notepad when you heard James mutter a curse under his breath and come to a stop beside you, his hand going limp in yours. 

“What? What is it—” you looked up to see what had gotten him and you really wished you hadn’t. In front of you hung a piece you hadn’t seen before, this particular photograph, or photographs as it was more of a collage, had something none of the other ones didn’t…you. 

“Who…?” But it was no use because you knew who, and so did James. 

Neither of you needed to look at the tag to know who the contestant was, but you did anyway. 

‘Seasonal’

By: Peter Parker

It was a bright, colorful, collage conveying the changes of the seasons. One corner had bounds of snowflakes and different clips of snowy fields and icicles, stretching out to merge with the corner opposite of it, summer. Bright blue waves, soft tufts of sand. Both corner melted down the sides of the poster board to create spring, which was full of beautiful, soft colored flowers, sprouting up as if just given life. The project was beautiful, you had to admit. You’d known Peter had a knack for photography but all these photos, the dedication to this project, was extremely admirable. There had to be hundreds of photos, cut up, some bigger than others, and perfectly arranged with each other to create this harmonic view of nature, all taken by him,  

But the problem was the center. Autumn. Which was you. It took up the middle body of the collage, it was dead center. Unlike the other seasons, this one didn’t have multiple photos bringing it together, it was the key piece, all the others worked to make this one shine. 

That picture Peter had taken of you in Central Park, the one where he’d gotten you to lay on a pile of leaves, made you laugh so he could capture the perfect shot. You’d forgotten about it, honestly, you weren’t even sure if you’d seen it after it was taken. But now, here it was, over two years later, submitted in a fucking photography competition. 

“What do you think?” You weren’t sure how long you were there, staring at that photo of yourself, it could’ve been hours, days even, before that heart-wrenchingly familiar voice.

You turned around quickly, coming face to face with Peter, who was looking at you with a heavy expression. You had seen him earlier when James pointed him out, but it was from across a crowded room and you’d only seen his side. He towered over you now, in a black button down, with black slacks and a black belt. You knew you shouldn’t even be thinking it, but he looked good. His shirt fit him perfectly, hugging him in all the right places, and he had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off his thick forearms. It wasn’t until he crossed them over his chest and looked at you expectantly that you realized you were staring and he was waiting on an answer. 

Before you could give it to him, James spoke up, “You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.” His voice was low and angrier than you’d ever heard it, causing alarm bells to go off in your head. Peter didn’t bother even acknowledging him, his eyes were solely on you, and that seemed to piss him off even more. 

“You think this shit’s funny?” James growled. 

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Peter rolled his eyes.

You stood shell-shocked in your place, unsure of what to do. “That’s it,” James said, “I’ve had enough of your bullshit.” He stepped forward suddenly, making you jump into action. 

“Stop it,” you hissed, but he wasn’t listening, walking from your side right up to Peter. 

His previous remarks had gained the attention from the small groups of people who were close enough to hear them. 

“Take it down,” he said as he got up in Peter’s face. Peter, to his credit, didn’t budge an inch. In fact, he was looking at James as if he were nothing more than an annoying fly buzzing past. James stood at least a couple inches taller than Peter, and yet he wasn’t the most intimidating one here, not by a mile. 

“No, but I’d be happy to take you down,” with a damn smile on his face. You wanted to slap them both. 

“You little—”

“Enough!” You stepped in, throwing your arm between them and holding it against James’ chest. You weren’t going to sit there and let them throw hands at an event like this, especially not over you. 

Peter sucked in a breath, eyeing the arm you had strapped across James’ front in a feeble attempt to hold him back. Something unreadable shone in his eyes, and his jaw ticked as he met your glare.

“You are not doing this here,” you said in a hard voice, refusing to look at Peter anymore and instead staring up at James. His face was stone and his eyes were set on Peter, whose eyes were set on you. 

It was like some crazy triangle or something. 

A part of you wondered what a photo of this particular moment would look like. You imagined it would be named something like ‘Lovers Quarrel’. Finally, after what felt like forever, James’ gaze finally slid down toward you. He worked his jaw for a moment before stepping back. “I need to get some air,” he mumbled. Without bothering another glance at either of you, he turned and headed for the exit.

You stood in place, eyes stuck on his retreating figure, when you heard Peter scoff. “Can you believe that guy?”

Rage flew through your blood. “Excuse me?”

“Oh come on Ace,” but his voice didn’t sound as sure as before and you could’ve laughed at the thought of him thinking you’d agree with him, “you know I didn’t start that.”

It was your turn to scoff, “Maybe not, but you didn’t hesitate to tell him how you’d take him down.”

“Well what was I supposed to do?” He asked weakly. All that confidence and haughtiness from earlier was gone, standing before you was just Peter. But you were starting to think you didn’t know Peter anymore. What you’d said to him before, about him not knowing you anymore, you’d said mostly to hurt him. But now…you wondered if there were more truth to your words than you realized. 

Sometimes there were moments like that night on your fire escape and it was like things had never changed, he’d never moved hundreds of miles away and the two of you were back just hanging out, the oldest of friends. Two people who knew each other better than anyone else ever would. 

And then there were moments like tonight.

You eyed him curiously, disappointment all over your features. You knew he hadn’t liked James but for him to genuinely partake in a fight…

“I don’t know Peter. I don’t know you anymore.” And you turned to walk in the same direction you’d seen James headed to before, but not before you glimpsed the hurt on Peter’s face. 

Stepping out the doors, you were hit with a warm breeze and the sound of New York traffic. Shuddering at the sudden change of temperature (the venue had the AC on blast, stepping outside felt like a warm hug) you looked around for James. You caught him leaning against the side of the building with a hand running through his hair. 

“Hey,” you said softly, approaching on light feet as you moved to the same wall, leaning right across from him. 

“Hey,” he deadpanned, not meeting your eyes. 

Your heart swelled with guilt. You didn’t know why; you knew you shouldn’t feel guilty, you didn’t do anything wrong and you had no clue Peter was going to do that, or be here at all. But he just looked so angry right now and you couldn’t help feeling like it was sort of your fault. 

“I’m sorry.” You wanted something, anything. Anything other than that cold look in his eyes. You wanted him to tell you it wasn’t your fault, that he wasn’t angry, not at you, just at the situation. 

He didn’t do any of that. 

After a few seconds and still no answer you raised a hand to brush away the pieces of hair that had fallen into his face in a way you thought would comfort him, but that only had him swerving to avoid your touch as if your hand were made of fire. 

You retracted it, your heart swelling with hurt. Ouch. Okay, so maybe he was mad at you. “James…” you trailed off. You weren’t sure what to say, you were afraid the slightest thing would set him off even more. 

He shook his head, jaw so clenched you were afraid it would snap. “No,” he ran a hand over his face, “Nah, I can’t do this.”

“Do what?” You asked exasperated, “I don’t understand, what’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal?” He sneered with venom in his voice, and you regretted saying anything at all. “The big deal is—” he cut himself off with a harsh laugh, “Honestly Y/N, if you don’t see it you’re even more blind than I thought.”

Just then, a noise sounded from inside the venue. Microphone feedback. The awards were about to be handed out. You could hear one of the judges introducing himself. You stared at James wordlessly. You didn’t want to go inside and leave things like this but you also didn’t see how you could say or do anything that would fix it. 

“James, I swear I had no idea about that,” you cleared your throat, willing your voice not to break, “I didn’t even know he’d be here.”

He wouldn’t even look at you, nodding and staring out onto the street, and that felt like an even bigger hurt. Why wouldn’t he just listen? As if he’d willed it with his eyes, a car pulled up to the curb right in front of you, tearing your gaze away from him for a moment. James walked away from you, hand settling on the handle of the backseat door and realization hit you hard, cold, and fast.

He hadn’t been waiting for you to follow him, to talk things out and make things right again. He’d just been waiting for his ride. 

Without even bothering another look your way, “Good luck with your fucking article.”

I don’t know you anymore.

I don’t know you anymore. 

I don’t know you anymore. 

It was the only thing that had been running through his brain since the last syllable had rolled off of your tongue.

How could you say that? How could you even think it? Did you seriously believe that? Did you truly think that he was so different from the boy you once loved, the boy you’d dreamed of a future with, a shared future?

His head was buzzing with thoughts about you and what you’d said when he felt hands on his shoulders pushing him. Looking around, he realized everyone was staring at him. The hands on his shoulders were pushing him forward. 

“Go, Peter,” someone beside him whispered, one of the other photographers from the paper, Ryan, who’d been standing beside him in the crowd, he realized, “you won!”

Right. He’d been so focused on you that he’d completely forgotten where he was for a moment. Shortly after you’d walked away from him, the award ceremony had begun. He didn’t even remember walking over here, or the introductions, or any other people being awarded

He wordlessly made his way onto the stage, vaguely recalled shaking someone’s hand, being handed something, a ribbon maybe? He didn’t know, he didn’t know anything except he was on stage, everyone was clapping for him, and he was looking for you. 

The closest thing he could find was the photograph of you, also on the stage, sitting in the first place slot beside him. This was wrong, it was all wrong, and it was his fault. You were so excited for this article, you’d told him as much and he could see it, and he’d never wanted to ruin it for you.

To his side stood a petite blond girl, looking to be around his age, hovering close to another photograph. It was a lovely, romantic photo of Central Park. He recalled seeing it earlier as he was roaming around the venue checking out the other pieces. It had caught his attention because it reminded him of you. 

It made his heart deflate even more. 

More chatter ensued, followed by more applause and Peter tried his best not to look so uncomfortable (May had repeatedly informed him he always looked like he was about to be sick when he was too stressed, and he didn’t want anyone thinking he was about to vomit all over his newly awarded first-prize-winning piece and all the other winners). 

At this point, he couldn’t wait for his cue to get off this godforsaken stage so he could find you and apologize. It was the least he could do but hopefully it would make things at least a little better. 

“What do you say Mr. Parker?”

He whipped his head toward the speaker. Todd Kravinski, the man running this whole thing, the same one who’d called him up here earlier and handed him the ribbon (and a check, apparently, but Peter hadn’t realized that until after) had asked him something and he’d completely missed it. 

“I—I’m sorry sir, what was that?”

Mr. Kravinski chuckled, and Peter let out a forced laugh. “C’mere kid, they’re gonna wanna get your picture, and maybe a little statement for the paper.” His stomach lurched at that last part. You were going to be taking his statement for the paper. You were going to be the one who described his piece and take the pictures he taken and turn them into words. Selfishly, he couldn’t wait to hear what you thought.

Peter walked instructed to stand near his piece, hold up his ribbon and check, and smile. He was paraded around, forced into handshakes, shoving out smiles until the corners of his mouth and his cheeks ached, and patted on the back more times than he could count. And yet all he could think about was you. 

It wasn’t until the parading around was coming to an end that he looked up from some stranger congratulating him and caught your eye, standing a few steps back, talking to Lewis, he was third runner-up and they’d been standing beside each other earlier on the stage. Peter swore his whole body froze when he saw you, every time he caught your eye it felt like the two of you were sharing a whole conversation no one else was privy to, even now after being gone for almost 2 whole years, he could feel that familiar warmth, the sensual tug of that bond the two of you would only ever share with each other. And it was so familiar, so soft, so wholly you and him, he could’ve cried. 

But then you looked away. And he could’ve cried for completely different reasons. 

He made quick work of excusing himself from his current conversation and walked over to where you were chatting up Lewis, writing down things in a small notepad. He found you so incredibly adorable standing there, biting your lip in concentration as you scribbled down something she’d just told you, careful not to miss any details.

“Hey Lewis,” he approached the two of you, your head shooting up at the familiar voice, “Congrats on runner-up, your piece was amazing.” 

They shook hands with each other, “You too man, congrats. That was one hell of a collage.”

“Thanks, hey do you mind if I steal Y/N away for a bit? I’ve been meaning to speak with her.”

“Not at all, I think we’re pretty much done here.” Lewis looked at you to confirm you’d gotten all you need. Peter could tell you very much wanted to protest and he caught your subtle glance down at your notepad. It didn’t take a genius to know you were pondering what other questions you might’ve missed that could keep you from being alone with Peter, but it seemed you couldn’t find anything because you ended up giving Lewis a tight-lipped smile. 

“Thanks for talking with me. I loved your photo, and congratulations again.”

“Thank you. can’t wait to read it,” Lewis replied, walking off with a wink in your direction. 

You immediately looked down, refusing to meet Peter’s eyes after Lewis turned his back, instead taking a enormous interest in your shoes. 

Peter cleared his throat, “Ace, can we talk?”

“Talk about what?” You finally looked up. Peter was fluent in all things Y/N, yet he knew that he didn’t need to be to see the unhappiness etched on your features. Your countenance was all hard lines and and furrowed brows and—were your eyes red? Had you been crying? 

“Seriously Peter, what do you wanna talk about? The part where you entered into a competition you knew damn well I’d be covering, the part where you entered and won using a picture of me without telling me, the part where you tried to pick a fight with my boyfriend about it, or the part where you tried to get me to side with you?”

“Ace, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for things to go down the way they did,” he tried helplessly. He didn’t want to argue with you, mostly because he’d never cared for it, even when you were together, but also because he didn’t want to feel any worse. 

You sniffled and it felt like a kick to the gut. His thought from earlier resurfaced, and this time it was because he was completely fluent in you that he knew you hadn’t cried yet. Between whatever had happened when you’d left to find James and now, you’d gotten upset but you hadn’t cried and it was breaking him to see you trying so hard to keep that composure. 

“Well they did,” you replied quietly, avoiding his gaze once more as you crossed your arms and looked to the side. 

All Peter really wanted to do was pry your arms open, break the protective stance you’d taken up, and pull you into a bone-crushing hug that was much need by the both of you if you asked him. But he couldn’t do that. “I’m so sorry Ace. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You’ve done enough.” He wasn’t really expecting you to accept his offer, but the rejection still hurt. 

“Well, what about with the article? How can I help with that?” He hadn’t let himself think it but he was excited about the extra time with you that came with first place. Maybe there was a silver lining in all this.

“Thanks but no.” Maybe not. “Actually, I—I should go.”

He wanted to speak up. He wanted to protest. He wanted you. But he couldn’t, he couldn’t have any of the things he wanted and the same thought kept floating through his head:

It’s all my fault.

The leaves rustled around you as you walked, the breeze carried with it a certain smell you could only find on the streets of New York during this time of year. You were on the brink of summer, the nature around you was peaking. The flowers were fully bloomed, the grass a delicious shade of green, birds chirped merrily, and you felt like shit.

You and James hadn’t talked since he’d left last night after the whole thing with Peter. You’d sent texts, called multiple times, left voicemails most of those times, you weren’t quite sure what else there was to do. You should probably go to his place. Maybe you should’ve even gone last night, but…you weren’t up for it yet. Not then and not now.

And then there was Peter.

Stupid, annoying, confusing, infuriating, Peter Parker. 

Leaving last night was a stupid idea. You were already there, you should’ve asked him a few quick questions and got it over with. Now you’d have to make time to see him, and you weren’t sure how that would go over with James, article or not.

It had felt like your heart had short-circuited when you’d seen that photo on the wall. How long had he planned that? Obviously he was aware you were going to see it…what had he thought your reaction would be? What had he thought James’ reaction would be? He probably hadn’t thought of James at all, if you were being honest with yourself.

It still felt crazy to think he was back in the city. You’d seen the news reports of Spider-Man once again in New York. The first one had popped up the same day you’d ran into him. You caught yourself thinking about him often as you walked around campus, knowing he was there somewhere as well, walking those same grounds (or swinging maybe). It was weird. It was weird working with him on the paper and yet…there was something when you were with Peter, something you hadn’t felt in almost 2 years. Something a part of you knew, deep down, that you would never feel with anyone else.

“Funny seeing you here.” You’d know that voice absolutely anywhere. It was how you’d first discovered him as Spider-Man, after all.

You turned, coming face-to-face with Peter. He was in a dark grey t-shirt that fit him like a glove, dark washed jeans, and a beat up pair of converse he’d had since you’d known him. He looked every bit the boy you once knew, only less boy and more man now. That was another change you hadn’t gotten used to. 

“Is it?” You asked, because something in his tone told you he’d expected to find you here.

“No,” he shook his head, “I remembered you always came for walks here when you were having a rough time and after everything that happened last night…lucky guess.”

Stupid, annoying, confusing, infuriating, Peter Parker.

Of course, he knew where to find you. “You always were a genius.” You said as you continued to walk slowly, Peter picking up pace to stride beside you. 

“Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, to figure you out. I know you Ace, no matter what, I’ll always know you.”

James doesn’t know you, he never would’ve known where to find you and you weren’t even sure he’d bother looking—

No, you had to stop that. Comparing the two of them wasn’t going to get you anywhere except all stuck in your head. Peter wasn’t yours, not anymore, no matter how well he knew you. He’d made sure of that. 

“Well did you want something?” You weren’t exactly being pleasant, but you also couldn’t bring yourself to care. You couldn’t believe you’d apologized to him for being ‘snappy’ because right now all you could think was how much he deserved it. 

He stopped his walking and grabbed your elbow, stopping you as well, “I know I was a dick last night, hell, I know I’ve been a dick to you far before last night, but I wanna make it up to you if you’ll let me. I care about you Ace. I always will.”

You didn’t care about me when you ghosted me, you didn’t care about me when you stood me up on winter break, you didn’t care about me when you left me and moved all the way to North Carolina—

That wasn’t going to do anything but make you miserable, and even more snappy. You sucked in a deep breath. He was here. Might as well get what you needed from him, right?

“I’m gonna need to ask you a few questions, y’know, just basic stuff. For the article.”

Peter grinned as if that was exactly what he was hoping you’d say. “Yeah, yeah sure. Of course, anything.”

You had to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing. He was so ready and willing to give you everything you asked for, you were sure if you demanded he hand you his wallet, he wouldn’t object. 

You pulled out your notepad and pen from your tote bag, extremely grateful you always kept them on hand. Flipping open to a new page, you clicked your pen, flipped your hair over your shoulder, and cleared your throat, “Social security number, date of birth, and the last thing you ate in full detail?”

Peter choked out a laugh, “Um, okay. I don’t have it memorized, August 10th 2001, and a medium toasted bagel with extra cream cheese, no seasoning.”

“No seasoning?” You asked, scrunching up your nose in disgust. “What, so you just like plain, boring bagels like an old man?”

“Hey,” he jumped to his own defense, “no hating on plain bagels! They’re like the vanilla ice cream of the bagel world, classic. You can never go wrong with a plain bagel. It can never be too much, it can never be too little. It’s just right.”

You snorted, “Alright, keep it in your pants Parker, I think I’ve heard enough. Plain bagels rock.”

“Damn right they do,” he deadpanned. 

Chuckling, you remembered something. “Oh my god, are you talking about the bagels from the little cafe next to the library?”

“Yeah! You know it?”

“Know it? Oh my god I practically moved in there during finals week. Have you tried their muffins? You would love them. I know you always hated when muffins are baked too dry because—”

“It’s like eating sand.” You both said in unison. You stared up at him, but he was already looking at you. He had this look in his eyes that was so wholly Peter, you almost couldn’t stand it. It took everything in you but you broke eye contact, clearing your throat before you continued speaking, “So um—tell about your photograph. What was the inspiration behind it? Why did you choose that piece?”

“Photography is often about telling a story, or at least part of it, and this piece…it means a lot to me.” You held your breath as he spoke. “I love the feeling of the picture, or rather, pictures. My piece tells a story about nature. I tried to show the beauty in all aspects of it, and while doing that, I tried to tell a story of my own.”

You tried your hardest not too think to hard about what he was saying. Which was hard considering you were literally the fucking center of this piece he was speaking of. “Your piece was a very well laid-out collage, how long did it take you to put it together?”

“Um,” he scratched the back of his neck, a gesture so familiar it felt like your heart was crying, “well I joined pretty last minute, so about a week, but I was cramming the whole time.”

You went quiet for a few minutes before coming up with your next question. “Was that your first choice? The piece I mean.” It wasn’t really relevant to the article but…you were curious. 

“I was going to do something with constellations,” he admitted. 

Oh. Thank god he didn’t. You might’ve lost your mind. 

“But those are harder to catch on camera, and I entered last minute,” he finished. “Plus,” he added, looking up at the clear blue morning sky, “my favorites are mostly visible during autumn.”

You felt like your heart was going to stop. So much history, so many unspoken things between the two of you. A part of you swore you could feel the tension wrapping itself around you and tightening, making it harder and harder to breathe the more time you spent with him. 

You don’t know how long the two of you walked in silence before he finally spoke up again, his voice hoarser than it was a few moments ago. “I thought of you every night you know.” You didn’t need to ask to know what he was talking about. “You could see them more clearly over there, the stars, and I thought of you every time. Not just because of the stars but…they were just a bigger reminder.”

“Peter—”

“You never did tell me what you thought of it. The collage.”

You paused. You weren’t sure what you thought of it. Objectively it was a great piece, beautiful, maybe one of his best works. It had won first place for a reason. But how the hell were you supposed to be objective about any of this? “I—I think it was well-deserving of its award.”

He let out a small chuckle, “Seriously Ace? Save that kinda talk for the article, tell me the truth.”

You paused, trying to figure out the right words. Taking in a deep breath, you said, “It was beautiful Pete, even if it was a little weird just seeing myself like that. I think it might be one of the most creative and beautiful things you’ve created. I understand what you mean,” gentler now, “about the feelings and the story and everything…I think you portrayed that really well.”

It went quiet between the two of you again and you wondered if you shouldn’t have said that. You were about to make up another question but he beat you to it, “I kept trying to convince myself that I wasn’t coming back here for you, that I didn’t have any expectations for us and that this whole transfer was completely irrelevant to how we ended things but that isn’t true. And I always knew it deep down, but I hit me like a bag of bricks when I saw you again.”

This couldn’t be real. He couldn’t be really saying all this, you had to be dreaming. You had a boyfriend, Peter broke up with you, he didn’t want you any more. Right? He couldn’t just come here after not talking to you for over a year and claim he transferred schools because of you. It wasn’t fair. He didn’t get to just dump all that on you. 

“You were doing fine over there Peter, I heard everything. You had amazing grades, you were winning awards. You basically owned that school. So why’d you come back?”

“Okay, well you’re kinda over exaggerating. It wasn’t that great.”

You crossed your arms and narrowed your eyes, “Don’t give me that bullshit, yeah it was. It was everything you were wishing it would be.”

“No it wasn’t!” He burst out, hands running through his hair. “I tried to enjoy it Ace, I really did. But I couldn’t.” He looked at you with a pained expression. “I should’ve been having the time of my life, because yeah, in theory, it was everything I could’ve wished for. But I couldn’t enjoy a goddamn thing knowing you were over here, living a whole life I wasn’t a part of. Being away from you killed me Ace, everything I said to you on graduation? That shit ripped my fucking heart out. I didn’t want it anymore than you did.”

Tears collected in his waterline and you felt a lump in your throat. Were you finally getting the explanation you’d dreamed and hoped for over and over? Why did you feel so nauseous? “I probably wanted it less, if I’m being honest,” he laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I hated it over there Ace, not a second went by where you weren’t on my mind, not a night went by where you weren’t in my dreams. I know this is probably the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard but you need to believe me, I thought I was doing what was right that day on graduation. I really, truly thought that you would be happier if I did that. Not at first maybe, but eventually.” His voice got quieter and he sounded so raw, so emotional, you almost burst into sobs, “And that’s all I’ve ever wanted, I just want you to be happy Y/N.”

You swore you felt your heart split in half. Peter never called you by your name. Not since that night on your fire escape when you’d patched him up after a rough night of being Spider-Man and he first bestowed upon you his personal title, claiming that it ‘just suited you’. 

You froze. You couldn’t exactly pinpoint what you were feeling, but it was a lot. “I—I have,” you cleared your throat to keep your voice from breaking, “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“Ace, wait, please.”

But you didn’t. This time, you were the one who ran away.

‘seasonal’ taglist: @keira-kaz2y5 @imafangirlofeverything @lov3vivian

@starsformiles @rkivesfilm

[the-writer-ofthe-fandoms]

Silent Cosmos (Edward Cullen)(Ch. 1)

Pairing: Edward Cullen x GN! Mute!Reader

Words: 3.0k+

Warning(s): Mentions of past car accident, mentions of minor character death/parents dying, swearing, implications of past bullying, mentions of high school lacking services, blood mention.

A/N: YAY i finally have this done. I’ve had this idea since before i started grad school and finally got it done! I hope yall enjoy :) This series takes place before Victoria’s army comes to Forks and Edward may be OOC but like, oh well.

Also in this series, Bella and Edward had a mutual break up w/ no hard feelings <3

Series Masterlist

---

"On foot

I had to cross the solar system

before I found the first thread of my red dress.

I sense myself already.

Somewhere in space hangs my heart,

shaking in the void, from it stream sparks

into other intemperate hearts."

--Edith Södergran, 'On Foot I Had to Cross the Solar System'

On one unfortunate night when you were seven, a drunk driver hit your parents car. Your mother on the passenger side died instantly, your father later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. You were injured severely, but the doctors managed to keep you alive... At the cost of your voice. Chunks of glass tore through and stabbed your neck; the damage to your larynx was the worst, the second was nerve damage. You could speak in a very harsh, almost whisper-like, voice but it caused an intense amount of pain. You were upset. You hated that driver for what they took from you.

Your aunt and uncle took you in, and were able to help you adjust as you grew. They learned and taught you sign language, they helped you cope with the loss of your parents as best they could, and were always supportive. Despite their work lives keeping them away, they always tried their best to give you attention when they had the free time.

You found ways to enjoy life again, particularly in the stars. They were almost comforting to you when you were alone, looking out your bedroom window. You weren't sure why you have such an affinity for space and what it holds. Maybe because your father brought you out at night to point out all the constellations and their stories. Those moments with him started your interest. And now, you believed your parents were amongst the many stars in the vast universe.

You grew content with not having a voice. You adapted and overcame the curveball life sent your way. You just wished the pain wasn't constantly lingering.

---

It was the day you started going to your new highschool in Forks. It wasn't ideal transferring to a different school, but your uncle's job called for it. He was a firefighter and he was offered a sizable pay increase and rank promotion to fire captain if he took up the position for the Forks station. Your aunt, a nurse, was able to transfer to Forks hospital. They discussed the idea of moving with you of course, and you not wanting to hinder your uncle's promotion or damper his excitement, you supported the move from California to Washington.

You could already tell this rinky dink school wouldn't have anyone that understands ASL and the school said they are still looking to hire someone to be an interpreter of sorts, so you were mentally preparing yourself for the mess you may be entering. At least you transferred only three weeks into the new school year, that would make any school work you needed to catch up on relatively easy. It also helped it was your senior year as well.

As soon as you got out of your car, all of the heads of the student body snapped in your direction. You guess they've never seen a new kid before. You make your journey towards the building, hoping that no one would bother to talk to you. You already saw a teen walk up to you, he had straight black hair and a toothy grin.

"Hi, I'm Eric. You're the new kid." He seemed friendly.

You offer a little wave and sign, hoping he would get the inclination you could not speak.

"Shit... I don't know sign except..." He gave you the sign sorry before pointing to his ears and back to you. You shook your head and tapped your throat. "Oh! You can't speak." You nodded. "Sorry about all the confusion. Welcome to Forks High, home of the Spartans. I'm pretty much the eyes and ears."

You simply nod along when necessary and smiled as he gave you the very quick run down of most of the immediate gossip of school, which was centered around you, the new kid. He seemed like a nice guy but glancing at the clock you passed by in the hall you knew it was close to your first class.

"And don't get me started on the Cul-What?" You interrupted him as you held out your schedule to him, pointing to your first class. "Oh yeah, guess class is starting soon. Lets see... you're in 103 for English with Mr. Baker which is..." He glanced up. "Right down the hall. I have History right next door."

You smile at his help and follow him through the sea of students.

You wave Eric goodbye and enter classroom 103. You felt eyes of everyone land on you, but none more eye-catching or captivating as the gold pair near the back of the classroom. His gaze was intense, eyes wide, as he stared at you. You held his gaze. You weren't sure what to think at the moment but before anything could come to mind, an older gentleman walked in and stole your attention. You assumed correctly this was Mr. Baker.

---

Edward was the first to arrive for his first period class. He was always punctual, but there was a difference now. He no longer had Bella in tow.

It was a mutual end to their quick relationship. While her blood did appeal to him greatly, the fastness of their relationship hurt them both emotionally at the end. It was purely fascination of each others beings that they mistake as something else. While it did hurt, Edward could admit to himself he wasn't distraught over it. They remained friends and he was content with that.

Slowly, other students began filling the classroom as the clock ticked on. Everyone filling seats they usually sat in despite there being no assigned seating. No one ever sat next to him, often feeling intimidated by his status as a Cullen. The vampire paid them no mind, occupying his attention to watching the typical Forks rain traverse down the window he always sat by. He tuned out everyone's thoughts the best he could, letting his usual melancholy about his nature linger in his mind.

Edward perked up when he heard an fast-beating heart breakthrough his attempts of zoning out. Shifting his focus to the doorway his eyes latched on to the new student.

You.

It didn't take reading thoughts to feel the buzz of a new student arriving in the small school.

He felt... strange. Much like with Bella, your scent invaded his senses and made him thirsty, yet, that wasn't what caught his immediate attention.

It was the eyes. Something about them captivated Edward. He wasn't sure what about them had him staring at you, who now stared back at him. The vampire attempted to discern your thoughts and he caught an inkling of curiosity starting to bleed out before the teacher took your attention away.  His stayed on you, and didn't pay him any mind or had any idea he wad, and focused his enhanced hearing on the conversation.

"Hello, new student?" The teacher greeted and softly spoke your name. The auburn haired male watched as the you nodded.

Edward's curiosity peaked when he finally heard their thoughts, clear as the days outside of Forks.

"Yes, that's me. Do you know sign?" He heard their thoughts as he watched their hands easily relay in sign language. I'm expecting a no they internally sighed.

"Oh shoot I wasn't told..." A worried look passed on the teachers face as his sentence trailed off. Edward can hear his thoughts complain that the school failed to inform him about the new student outside their name and grade. A look of exasperation briefly flashed on your face.

Who would of fucking thought Forks High, a small-ass school, would not inform their teachers. Fantastic. Wonderful. I love it. It was a pointed statement that had Edward both mildly shocked at the language and pretty amused. I wonder how much others outside of Eric will put up with me here.

Edward sighed. He knew he shouldn't involve himself with another human but he couldn't help it. Whatever captivated him and the resignation you mentally expressed already had moved him. He got up from his spot and quickly moved to the front of the classroom.

"Apologies, I don't mean to cut in but I know sign."

---

You blink at the golden-eyed student he approached you and the teacher. You felt a grateful smile tug on your lips as you faced him. Immediately, you felt some appreciation and felt good about being wrong on your previous assumption.

"Thank you, Edward." Mr. Baker smiled in relief. Edward gave the teacher a small, tight lipped smile at him and faced you. The teacher introduced you to him. "And this is Edward Cullen."

"I'm sorry for any inconvenience." Edward spoke as you signed, his voice soft and velvety. Observing his face, you watched as his brows furrow at your statement, which became almost a second nature for you due to the way your previous school treated you. You often faced irritated glances or your existence ignored entirely outside the feo close friends you accumulated.

"Please relay to them-" Mr. Baker spoke but you immediately shook your head and held up a hand.

"I am neither deaf or hard of hearing, sir. I just can't speak." Edward translated for you again. "I look forward to class with you both." A smile appeared on his face again.

"You too. And you aren't being an inconvenience at all. It's the fault of the school, really." Mr. Baker offered a kind smile. Edward left the two of you, as if knew he wouldn't be needed again. "Take a seat wherever you want, I don't do assigned seating unless it becomes an issue." Mr. Baker gave you a kind smile and gestured for you to pick out a seat, while he moved to the classroom computer. You take a glance around, only seeing three spots open.

Your eyes landed on the one next to Edward, causing you to perk up. Though, you hesitated, his small smile and the single, subtle nod assured you it was fine to sit by him. Holding your backpack strap a little tighter, you move between desks to join him.

---

Edward watched as you sat next to him. You offered him a quick smile before you started pulling out your notebook and your small pencil case. You didn't look over at him as you stared up at the board, waiting for class to start.

The vampire was curious and while he knew it was an invasion of privacy, he couldn't help but try and focus in on more of your thoughts. Except he was met with...

What? His brows furrowed. Edward felt overwhelmed for a moment, his sense felt almost deprived as he tried peering in your mind again.

Edward suddenly saw what he perceived as a galaxy. Stars, planets, moons, a sun... it was vast and it was breathtaking. It wasn't something he never saw before, this detailed, in a humans mind. He was able to view this scene for just a few fleeting moments until he suddenly felt warm energy push against his mind.

The vampire blinked. His presence was back in classroom 103. He glanced toward you. Paying close attention, he didn't see anything that indicated you were in any way aware of what just occured. He heard the teacher swear under his breath as he attempted to get the projector working, and used this moment to speak with you.

Softly, he called your name, bringing your attention to him.

"How are you liking Forks?" Edward recognized he was a bit awkward, but you gave no inclination that you minded or judged him.

"It's wet. But I don't mind it. The scenery is nice." You signed and it was as if the cosmos that warded him from your thoughts was lifted. Hearing your thoughts again after being blocked out by the cosmos left him perplexed and curious.

"Forks does have its charm in scenery." He chuckled. "But I assume that isn't why you moved?"

"No, but it definitely is a bonus." You smiled. "My uncle got a promotion so we moved up from California."

"What does he do?"

"He is now the fire captain here."

Edward had a kind smile and offered a small congratulations to him. He then spoke again, "What does your class schedule look like?"

You reached into your zip up hoodie pocket and pull out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, you slid it to his desk. His golden eyes scanned the paper and he felt some sort of happiness that your schedules almost align completely. The only class difference was your last two classes, which would have you taking gym and history without him.

"Looks like we will be seeing each other a lot. We have almost all the same classes."

That's a relief. Edward suppressed a smile at your thoughts. I hope we can be at least friendly with one another.

"Since we have most of our classes together, would you like to be friends?" He asked. He could already hear Rosalie scolding him for getting involved with another human, but he didn't particularly care what she would think.

You were another anomaly to his, otherwise, stationary life. He has no plans to try and initiate a quick romantic relationship again. He simply was curious to the stars that lingered behind your eyes.

---

It was nearing lunchtime. You glanced out the window of your math class while the teacher closed out her lesson and began explaining what the homework was going to be. You were very grateful for Edward sticking by you in each course. He was able to help you talk to your teachers, answer and ask questions, and made Forks high a little more welcoming.

You had met two of his siblings in that time frame, Emmett and Alice, who were both a delight. Alice already expressed how much she was excited to finally get to know you, which you assumed she was wanting to meet the new kid, and Emmett offered to watch your back in gym with the biggest grin you've seen on a persons face. It also warmed your heart to find they also knew sign too.

The initial worry of being a forever outsider like before began melting away. So far things have been pleasant unlike your last experience.

As you mind wandered off to old school memories of bullies and loneliness, you were still unaware of Edward trying to discern your thoughts again. You missed the look of confusion and frustration on his face. Although, you did manage to hear him make a noise that sounded like frustration, which snapped your attention on him.

"Everything okay?" You ask him. He glanced up at the teacher who was now facing the board writing the homework down.

"Just... wanting class to be over." Edward gave you a tight lipped smile. "Mrs. Johnsons' classes are usually a bore."

You nodded with a smile and silent chuckle.

The class bell rang, signaling an end, and practically everyone ran out for lunch. You eyed the crowd trying to leave and shrug your shoulders. You scribbled down the equations Mrs. Johnson assigned before putting your class materials away and preemptively pulled out your brown bag lunch.

You glanced to Edward while you both stood up. You weren't sure if you should continue sticking by his side until it was time for your last two periods or find your own corner to decompress. Perhaps giving him a break from-

"Are you ready?" His soft voice cut through your thoughts. You blink, pausing for a moment, before nodding.

"Lead the way." You smiled, though you were sure it came off as nervous. There will be so many people...

"Would you like to sit with my family and I, or would you like to go somewhere quiet?" You looked at him a bit shocked, were you that easy to read? You could see the twitch of his lip like he was going to respond but he kept quiet.

"Somewhere quiet, just for today."

"Follow me then."

---

Rosalie sighed as she leaned against the table, waiting for her siblings to join her and Emmett for lunch. She then looked to her partner and leaned against him, who laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Her golden eyes followed Bella's form with a glare as she sat down with her friends.

"Come on, babe. Her and Edward have no hard feelings." Emmett spoke in a quiet tone.

"It's still a danger to us." She grumbled.

"Nope! She still becomes a vampire like us." Alice suddenly sat down with a bright smile.  Jasper was quick to sit down next to her.

"Even after what happened with the Volturi and James?" Emmett asked.

"Yep. While the course of her and Edward's relationship definitely changed, she still becomes a part of our clan."

"Great." Rosalie rolled her eyes and then glanced around at the table. "Speaking of Edward, where is he?"

"Probably off with the new kid." Emmett smirked. "They seem pretty nice. Edward's been helping them since they can't speak."

"Another human?" She looked to her partner then to Alice. "Did you..."

"Have a vision of them? Yes. The day before Edward and Bella parted their romantic relationship, I had a vision of them coming to Forks. And then after meeting them, I saw them and Edward, looking pretty close." She smiled and giggled.

"Great, another human who is going to choose to be a vampire." Rose scoffed.

"Rosalie-" Alice's usually bright expression drops. Everyone at the Cullen table looked at her with worry as it appeared her eyes glaze over. Jasper immediately gripped her hand under the table as he could feel a wave of sadness wash over from her.

"Darling?" Jasper whispered.

Alice blinked rapidly. She looked to the others with a worried expression. "I... I didn't see the specifics but... It wasn't their choice."

It was silent between them. Rosalie's eyes were wide, Emmett clenched his fist under the table, Jasper tried his best to calm everyone, and Alice simply blinked and tried looking to the future again.

She could see you, crying and writhing as the venom from a bite on your arm took hold, blood all over you. Edward and Carlisle were right by your side, speaking. But she couldn't hear what they were saying.

All she heard was a high pitched ring.

And then the vision flashes a blinding white and she swears she could feel intense heat against her face.

She was back at the table again with her family. It was the same vision as before. Never had she seen such a bright light, heard such a noise, or felt anything like that from a vision.

"We have to talk to Carlisle."

[iamwhoami]

It Will Get Better (Grey's Anatomy)

Grey's Anatomy

It wasn't that bad. That's what you told yourself each time. But as the excuses start piling up, Amelia Shepherd can't deny what's in front of her any longer and tries to convince you that it was bad enough to finally do something.

Warnings: Domestic Violence/Abuse

Requested = Yes

Y/L/N = Your Last Name

WOW it has been a hot second. A very hot second. A burning second. Maybe I'm back? I'm so sorry to all the other requests that I just haven't gotten to but I'm going to try to make an effort to write more again.

Sometimes you felt stupid.

Here you were, a well accomplished and respected surgeon with a soaring career, yet you just couldn't seem to leave.

Sometimes, you would stop and wonder why you couldn't.

Because you loved him.

Because he loved you.

Sometimes you would convince yourself that you would leave. That when night came and he fell asleep, you'd pack a bag and walk out the door. Of course, that never happened, because each time, you'd convince yourself that it was your fault.

You upset him. You shouldn't have picked a fight with him. You deserved what he did to you.

That he was a good man. That he was going to change.

That he loved you.

After an especially rough night, you woke up groaning. Your body was on fire, resisting every move you made. Aching, you managed to get yourself to the bathroom and in the mirror, you examined the damage.

"Shit..." You cursed softly as your fingers traced the blaring purple splotch along your cheek.

This was going to be difficult to cover.

Sighing, you rinsed your face off with cold water and wiped it dry before pulling out your makeup bag. The bruise was already vibrant and you knew that make up wouldn't make it completely disappear. But you were hoping that between the light and the angle, you could make it work.

It was a routine you were all too familiar with.

~~~

"Y/L/N!"

You turned around, looking up from your patient's chart to see a grinning Amelia Shepherd walking towards you.

"Just the person I was looking for," Amelia grinned, her smile infectious.

Amelia Shepherd was the first person you met when you first started working at Grey Sloan after transferring from your previous hospital. She quickly became the first friend that you made too. Realistically, you trusted Amelia with your life.

"I feel like I haven't seen you around much," Amelia commented. "We should do something on a day off, I need some Y/N time."

You chuckled and agreed despite knowing that you would never spend time with your colleagues outside of work because he would never let you.

"What can I do for you?" You asked and began walking towards the nurse's station. Your body still protested every movement though and you couldn't help but let out a soft groan.

Amelia eyed you carefully but let it slide, "I just need a consult."

You nodded and she pulled up the scans, eyes still trained on your expression for any kind of sign of discomfort.

As you carefully examined the scans on Amelia's tablet, you could feel her gaze trained on your face and you felt yourself staring harder at the tablet than necessary.

However, just when you thought you could get away with it, Amelia spoke up before you could open your mouth.

"What happened there?" Amelia softly asked, her hand reaching to your cheek.

You instinctively flinched and Amelia's hand paused before she lowered it.

"Y/N?"

You blushed, "Don't worry about it Amelia, I'm just clumsy and slipped. I hit my face against the table."

Amelia, of course, was not convinced but she sensed the anxiety in your body and let it slide.

"You would let me know if something was wrong right?" Amelia quietly asked and you nodded before forcing a smile on your face.

"Of course I would."

You felt sick lying to Amelia through your smiling teeth but there was a heavy weight in your stomach that made you do it.

He loved you.

~~~

You made a conscious effort to avoid Amelia after that close call. It hurt your heart to do so but you couldn't risk it. You took longer routes to get to places in the hospital when you could. You avoided break rooms that she was in.

Amelia knew you were avoiding her too. She let you have your space for a while but when it became clear that you weren't going to let up any time soon, she began to try to reach out to you.

It was one missed call. Then two. Then you stopped answering texts. You contemplated blocking her altogether but couldn't bring yourself to do it.

One evening after a long shift, you let yourself melt into the comfort of your couch, your partner watching the Seahawks game next to you.

Your phone sounded and you glanced at your screen to see a text message from Amelia. Sighing, you closed your phone and turned it face down on the coffee table.

But it didn't stop.

A series of text messages resulted in a series of dings but as you were reaching out to grab your phone to silence it, your partner's arm pushed past you and ripped your phone off the coffee table.

"What the fuck is so important that it's interrupting the game," He grumbled and looked at the screen. "Amelia?"

"My coworker," You quickly responded. "She's probably just asking about a patient."

He eyed you and you thought you were going to get away with it until his glare hardened.

"Prove it."

You gulped knowing that Amelia's text messages weren't about a patient. Your heart raced as you stumbled for an excuse but your hesitation was more than enough for him to lash out at you.

You weren't sure how long it would have lasted had your pager not gone off. Maybe the whole night for all you knew. Mumbling that you needed to be more transparent with him, he backed off, leaving you to pick yourself up off the floor.

Your body screamed in protest as you gathered yourself as quickly as possible before rushing off to the hospital. A massive trauma had come in and they needed all hands on deck. On your way out, you managed to pop two Advils into your mouth before grabbing your bag.

As you drove to the hospital, your mind raced with excuses to explain the growing bruises on your skin. You knew that in the moment, the hospital would be too busy to question the blotches but the aftermath would be an interrogation.

~~~

Exhausted and burning, you had finally made it through all the surgeries and now all the patients were in recovery. As you closed your eyes, you let yourself relax into the couch in the break room, a steaming cup of tea in your hands.

You felt someone sit down next to you and you didn't need to open your eyes to confirm it was Amelia.

"Let me guess, you fell again?" Amelia spoke softly and you knew it wasn't actually a question.

She knew.

You couldn't bring yourself to say anything. To lie and deny what she knew. To tell the truth and confirm what she knew. You felt your throat tingle as a lump formed and a tear silently escaped your closed eyes.

"You don't need to keep doing this," Amelia said and gently placed her hand on your arm.

You still didn't respond and Amelia took the cup out of your hands before placing it on the table with a soft clink.

"Y/N, look at me," She said but your eyes remained closed.

"Y/N."

Reluctantly, you opened your eyes even though one was beginning to swell shut.

"You deserve better," Amelia spoke with conviction, her gaze focused on your eyes. "It's not your fault, it was never your fault."

You swallowed and shook your head softly, "I can't."

"Yes you can," Amelia said. "You can. I will be here the entire time but you just have to trust me. It will get better if you just trust me on this one."

"He loves me." You replied but your voice quivered.

Amelia's heart broke at your words, "Y/N, this isn't love. Love doesn't hurt like this."

The singular tear that had slipped through your eyes seemed to have been an invitation for the others to follow as your body began to shake with each sob.

Slowly, Amelia wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you close to her side before stroking your hair.

"I promise Y/N, it will get better," She whispered. "You deserve so much better."

You closed your eyes again and took a deep breath as the tears kept dripping down your cheeks.

"Okay," You mumbled back. "I trust you."

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Kinktober Day 12

Day Eleven | 🌹Kinktober Masterlist🌹 | Day Thirteen

Pairing: Will Miller x Reader

Rating: Explicit - 18+ Only. Any minors interacting with ANY of these Kinktober prompts will be blocked.

Notes: Thank you to everyone who voted in this poll!!

Warnings: Established relationship; FLUFF; formal wear; oral sex; safe sex

Your dress fit perfectly, your shoes were by the front door, you’d transferred everything you needed over to your matching purse…Hell, you were basically all ready to go. You glanced toward your phone as you picked up your earring, lowering your hand to quickly tap the screen. It lit up, flashing the photo of Will hugging you from behind, pressing a kiss to your cheek. You smiled a little at the sight, then swept your eyes up to the time. Against all odds, you were ready with time to spare. 

“Hey, hon?” You called out, “How are you doing?” 

“Just fixing my tie.” 

“You need help?” 

“I’ve got it.”

“Captain William Miller, ladies and gentlemen,” You muttered to yourself, reaching for your other earring, “The definition of efficiency.” 

“Your shoes and your purse are out here!” Will called back. 

“That’s on purpose!” 

You straightened, smoothing your hands over your dress as you left the room. You rounded into the hall, spotting the broad set of Will’s shoulders by your front entry way. 

“How’s the tie looking?” 

“You tell me.” He turned to face you, brows raised, expectant of your scrutiny. You stilled, eyes widening slightly as you looked him over. The navy blue suit fit him to a tee. His shoes were polished; his light blue tie brought out his eyes. When you lifted your gaze back to his face, you found him smiling as you came closer. 

“I assume you like what you see?” 

“What makes you say that?” You asked dazedly. 

“You had a similar expression the first time you saw me naked.” 

The reminder made you splutter, embarrassed, and lightly whack his arm once he was close enough. 

“I did not,” You grumbled. “You just…Look criminally good in a suit,” You looked over him again openly. 

Will huffed a soft laugh, grasping you by the hips and drawing you closer. 

“You look beautiful.” 

“It’s a good dress.”

“It’s not just the dress.”

His quiet sincerity warmed you the way it always does. You leaned in, giving him a gentle kiss, then another as you fought the urge to curl your fingers in the fabric of his suit. 

“I tell ya,” You sighed, drawing away. “If my cousin wasn’t the one getting married, we wouldn’t even make it out of this apartment right now.” 

“Is that so?”

“Oh, you have no idea.” 

“I’m starting to get one. Come here.” 

“What?” 

Your heart leapt into your throat as you watched him kneel down. That wasn’t—He wasn’t about to propose, was he? Right before your cousin’s wedding? You hadn’t even said your first I love yous yet! What the hell was he thinking—?!

Your mind went quiet as you watched Will pick up your right high heel, waving you closer. Hoo, boy, okay. That was a harrowing four seconds. And the fact that your mind even went there in the first place—what the hell did that mean? You walked closer, steadying your hand on his shoulder as you stepped into the shoe, smiling as he adjusted the strap and the buckle. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” You murmured. 

“I don’t mind. You just got your nails done.” He helped you into the left shoe before straightening. “All set?” 

“Mhm!” 

-- 

“You’re staring.” 

“I’m not staring.” 

Will’s eyes were focused on the road, both hands on the wheel, so it felt like a plausible enough lie. It wasn't as if the man had eyes on the side of his head...Though his peripheral vision was stellar.

“I can literally feel you watching me,” Will argued. You didn’t bother to argue this time. Your mind was already moving elsewhere. Why had you assumed that Will was kneeling down to propose? He’d already reminded you that your shoes were out there; he knew that the straps were finicky, he knew that you’d just done your nails for the wedding. 

Did you want that with Will? Did he want that with you? Did you even want to get married? Did he? The two of you had never bothered to get on the same page about those things.

“What’s going on over there?” 

Will’s gentle prodding snapped you out of your train of thought. You shook your head a little and drew in a deep breath through your nose.

“Nothing.” 

“C’mon, baby, I know you better than that.” Will brought the car to a stop at the red, turning his head to get a better look at you. You smiled as he met your eye, unable to help the little fluttering in your belly. You always felt it when Will looked at you. You’d felt it since the day you met, and you knew you would feel it every day you were with him…Those would make cute vows…Damnit, focus!

“Hey,” Will murmured, raising his hand and gently trailing his knuckles gently along your cheek. “Where’d you just go?” 

You turned your head, brushing your lips against his hand. 

“I’m right here,” You insisted. Will’s brow rose in clear disbelief, but he didn't push. He turned back to the road as the light changed, lowering his hand to rest on your thigh. You sank into your seat, resting your hand atop his and turning to look out through the windshield. 

“...Just thinking, that’s all,” You admitted. “About the wedding and stuff.” 

“What about it?” 

You couldn’t tell him the truth now, right? It would sound silly. It could ruin the vibe for the rest of the day. 

“Just hoping my family will behave themselves,” You fibbed. Will squeezed your thigh reassuringly, offering,

“I’m sure it’ll be alright. They know how important today is to your cousin.” 

“Oh, I know that they know. They’re just not always as considerate as they should be. Speaking of which—” 

“If I’m cornered by your Aunt Linda, I should excuse myself as quickly as possible. I remember.” 

“Okay. Good,” You chuckled. Your stomach churned as Will pulled the car into the venue’s parking lot, and into a space. He shut the car off, but he didn’t hurry to get out. Instead, he turned his hand over in yours, intertwining your fingers. 

“Listen, worse comes to worse, I'll fake an emergency and tell them we have to go," He offered.

“Do you already have one in your back pocket, because these people can smell an unprepared liar a mile off.” 

“Ben had a fight two nights ago, took a hard hit. He said that he was fine, ignored the fact that the ring doctor told him that he had a concussion and needed to take it easy. Fish is taking him to the hospital, but I have to go and I’m not leaving without you.” 

Your brows inched up, a stunned smile growing on your lips. 

“Damn, Miller. That’s almost frighteningly impressive.” 

“If it’s only almost frighteningly impressive, I can keep workshopping it.” 

You snorted a laugh, slapping your hand over your mouth before the sound could spill out. Will reached up, taking hold of the other hand and catching your lips in a sweet kiss. He rested his forehead against yours as you settled, his nose brushing gently against yours. 

“It’s going to be fine, baby,” He promised. 

“And if you hate it at any time, we can leave,” You offered, “You tell me and we will be out of there.” 

“Deal.” 

-- 

“And you will not believe this contraption that they had to break out out to saw through my calluses—”

“I’m so sorry, can I borrow her for a moment?” Will’s voice was like an angel from on high as he broke into the conversation. Aunt Linda’s eyes flashed, a salacious smile blooming on her looks as she took Will in. 

“I do hope you’re talking about me, William,” She purred. You glanced up in time to see Will’s tight smile. 

“Not this time, Miss Linda. Excuse us,” He took hold of one of your hands, resting the other on your lower back before gently steering you away. You leaned into him, sighing softly once you were out of earshot of your aunt. 

“Your timing is impeccable, William.” 

He chuckled, letting go of you just long enough to pluck two champagne flutes off of a passing tray before nodding you toward the patio. You took one of the flutes as you stepped outside, sighing in the cool night air. It was a surprise to find that no one else was out there, but you weren’t complaining. You needed a break from your family. You took a sip of the champagne, leaning against the wide marble railing the surrounded the space. You turned to Will, smiling as he leaned against the railing beside you. 

“Has it been excruciating?” You asked. 

“No.” 

“C’moooon, you can tell me. They’re my family and they’re driving me up the wall.” 

“Honestly, baby, they haven’t been that bad.” 

“Not even Linda blatantly wanting to bang you like a screen door in a hurricane?” 

Will shrugged. “I seem to recall having a similar effect on you this morning. Maybe it’s the suit.”

“You’ve had that effect on me many more times than that and you know it,” You chuckled, “Though I do have to say…” You raised your hand, lightly fingering his lapel. “Something about you in a suit…I don’t know. It’s really doing it for me.” 

“Is that so.” 

“Mhm,” You hummed, peering at him from beneath your lashes. “I need to get invited to more fancy things.” 

“So you can see me in a suit more often?” 

“Exactly.” 

“How often are you thinking?” 

“Oh, once a month, at least.” 

“Once a month?”

“At least. Every other month if I have to—once a quarter at the barest of bare minimums.” 

Will set his champagne flute aside, curling his arms around you and drawing you closer. 

“Well what about you, huh?” He murmured. 

“What about me?” 

“Would we both be getting dressed up once a quarter?” 

“I’m sure I could arrange that, if that’s what you want,” You shrugged. Will hummed thoughtfully, a contemplative pout forming on his lips. 

“Or, we could pick a date night every couple of months and get dressed up.” 

“A fancy date?” 

“Do you wanna go skydiving in a suit?” 

“...My knee-jerk answer is no, but that kinda sounds cool as hell—Like, I don’t think I’d ever actually wanna go skydiving!” You hurried to add as Will laughed, “But if I did, I think I’d want it to be my fancy clothes.” 

Will leaned in, nuzzling into your neck and drawing in the scent of your perfume. You felt him lift his head, his carefully groomed beard brushing your shoulder. 

“Tell you what else,” Will murmured. 

“Mmm?” 

“I can’t wait to get you home and see what’s underneath that dress.” 

Your eyes widened, stunned at his nonchalant admission. You turned to look at him as he leaned away, and found his face vacant of expression as he reached back, taking up his champagne flute and taking a sip. He lowered his eyes to yours, shooting you a wink. This man was going to be the absolute death of you. 

“If you’d rather I didn’t, I can always see if Aunt Linda is free,” he added, lowering his glass again. 

“Oh, please. Linda would chew you up and spit you out.” 

--  

“That wasn’t so bad. “

“Are you kidding me?” You glanced back at Will as you headed for the kitchen. You were on the verge of being exhausted. Your feet were killing you from being in those damn heels all night; you didn’t even want to think about the little dents that your shapewear would leave when you finally peeled it off. Will looked just as composed as ever, though he’d loosened his tie in the car.  You sighed heavily, pushing yourself up to sit on the counter and swinging your legs back and forth. 

“No, I’m not kidding you,” Will shook his head, leaning in the doorway. “You were worried about your family being on their best behavior, right? I thought they seemed pretty reasonable…I mean, Linda was, you know.” 

“Linda was Linda. Linda is Linda no matter what anyone says, and while it occasionally makes me wildly uncomfortable, I sort of respect it.” 

“Did you respect it when she nearly hip-checked you out of the way to catch the bouquet?” 

“Doesn’t matter anyway, ‘cause I snatched that sucker right out of the air,” You remind him, thrusting the bouquet into the air. Will laughed, nodding. 

“It was very impressive,” He insisted, closing the distance between the two of you. You grinned as he smoothed his hands down your thighs, lightly hooking them in the fabric of your dress and pushing it up around your knees, his fingers brushing along your skin as he did. 

“Well. I’m naturally very impressive, so,” You insisted, setting the bouquet down beside you. “Just in case you needed the reminder.” 

“Oh, I hadn’t forgotten.” Will slipped his hands up beneath your dress, palming your thighs as he crowded up against you. You raised your hand, curling it lightly around his tie and using it to draw him closer. You sighed softly as his lips met yours, grip tightening on the fabric as his tongue teased between your lips. You sucked in a soft gasp as Will’s hands snaked around the back of your thighs, tugging you toward the edge of the counter. His broke your heated kiss, grasping you by the nape and tipping your head back as his lips traveled lower. 

“You’ve been driving me crazy all night,” You admitted. 

“It’s a good suit.” 

You unwound your hand from Will’s tie and cupped his chin, forcing him to look at you. You shook your head, lovingly sweeping your gaze over his face as you insisted, “It’s not just the suit.” 

Will graced you with a wide, almost bashful grin before he leaned in for another kiss. He hooked one hand beneath your knee, drawing your leg up to undo the little buckle. You groaned softly as the strap loosened, and you wiggled your foot, letting the heel fall to the floor. He did the other next, and you sighed as you flexed your toes, then wrapped your legs around the backs of his. Your fingers made short work of his tie knot, then undid each of his shirt buttons, revealing more and more of his muscled chest to you. He shrugged his jacket and shirt off as one, and you almost mourned the sound of the two of them crumpling on the floor. 

Will reached up, undoing the zipper on the back of your dress. As it was pulled lower, the straps on your shoulders grew looser, sagging against your shoulders. You groaned as he reached under your dress, fingers skimming the edges of your shapewear. You broke your kiss, insisting, “Bed—Now.” 

-- 

You giggled as you lifted your hips from the mattress, letting Will peel back your shapewear and toss it back in the direction of your dress and strapless bra had been thrown as soon as you’d entered your bedroom. He leaned over you, smoothing his lips over the little dips and dents left by the material. He pushed your thighs wide as he settled between them, his kisses trailing over your inner thigh. You tipped your hips enticingly toward him as he neared your pussy—and then skipped over it, trailing kisses along your other thigh. You whined in frustration, pouting as Will shot you a smug grin. His eyes stayed trained heavily on yours as he lapped over your tingling cunt. He held that eye contact—at least, he tried to. His eyelids fluttered as he tasted you, then slipped completely closed as he moaned, lapping at your core, his beard brushing over your tender skin. 

You sagged back into the mattress, your hand winding into his hair as he indulged in the taste and scent of you. You didn’t use your grip to guide or steer him—you didn’t need to. Will took every little shift, sigh, whimper, and throb as guidance without you having to say or do a thing. He swirled the pad of his finger around your twitching hole before easing it in gently. He eased another in moments later, giving a soft, approving hum against your clit as your cunt clutched at them. He twisted and curled them, driving them in and out again at a steady rhythm, drawing you closer and closer to release. He rested his head on your thigh, his tongue swiping against your clit as your hips pressed down into his touch. 

“Will,” You breathed, swallowing thickly as he tipped his head to look up at you. “Not yet.” 

Will smiled, pressing another little kiss to your clit before he drew away. You bit your lip, watching him kneel up on the bed, and eying the swell in his trousers. Your mouth watered as you heard the clank of his belt, and you pushed yourself onto your hands and knees. You crawled the short distance to him, undoing the button and zip on his pants. You peppered kisses along the trail of pubic hair leading to his waistband, smiling as he pushed his pants and briefs down to his knees. 

You grasped his cock at the base, stroking it gently as your kisses grew closer and closer. You smoothed your hand down to massage his sack as you pillowed your lips along the side, tracing up to the head. He hissed softly at the first swipe of your tongue against his glans, and sighed as you took him between your lips. You bobbed your head slowly, laving your tongue along the veined underside as you drew your head back, and widening your mouth as you took him in. Will rested his hand on your head, simply letting it stay there rather than guide you any deeper. You pulled off of his cock with a slick pop!, swiping your tongue back and forth just beneath his head. You glanced up at him, unable to help the smug grin that overtook you as you found his cheeks and chest flushed, his lips parted as he panted softly. You drew away from his cock completely, using your hand to pump the slick shaft as you leaned up for a kiss. 

Will groaned, lapping between your lips as he hauled you closer to him. 

“Lay back, baby,” He murmured. You lowered yourself back down onto the bed, letting go of him as he leaned over to your nightstand, grabbing a condom and the bottle of lube. 

-- 

The first press of his cock made your mouth fall open with a moan, your hands grasping his thick biceps as he slowly guided his cock deeper into you. You bit your lip to quiet yourself a bit, sliding your hands further up, your nails denting into his muscles. Will’s eyes were closed, his lips parted as yours had been. That sweet little flush was still high in his cheeks, and you watched as his tongue lapped over his plush lower lip. You leaned up, taking his lip between your teeth and tugging it gently, only letting go as he fully bottomed out. 

You pressed your hips up against his, urging him on. Will lowered himself close to you, your chests brushing together as his hips began to gyrate in tight, controlled circles. You wrapped your legs around his, your foot trailing up his calf as his thrusts picked up in pace. Will nudged your chin up, brushing kisses along the column of your throat until he reached the base. He pressed a reverent kiss there before he nipped at it roughly, chasing the sting with a harsh suck. You whimpered, tugging his hair as the sting bloomed and dissipated. Will planted his knees on the bed, lowering one hand to your hip as his thrusts became longer and more forceful. The slap of his hips against yours cut through the sounds of the two of you moaning and panting as you each inched closer to your climax.

You were the first to tip over the edge as Will slipped his fingers between the two of you, swirling your tender clit beneath his roughened fingertips. You moaned his name as you tightened around him, hips bounding up into his touch, and against his cock. He followed close behind, hips juddering against yours as he moaned against your throat. 

Your thrusts slowed, then stopped entirely as he settled. He sighed softly, pressing a kiss to the underside of your chin as he slowly drew away. You watched him through bleary eyes, tracking him as he got out of bed, tying the condom off and dropping it into the bin beside your bed before disappearing into the bathroom. You sighed softly, closing your eyes and wriggling, goosebumps sweeping across your skin as your thighs pressed together, sending a latent throb through you. 

Will reappeared a few moments later, a wet washcloth in his hands. You let him spread your legs, keeping still and murmuring your thanks as he cleaned you. He tossed the washcloth into your hamper, then climbed back into bed beside you, drawing the covers up as you cuddled against his chest. You turned your head, pressing gentle kisses to his chest and shoulders as you slid a leg between his. 

You closed your eyes, listening to the steady thumping of his heart beneath you, your fingers aimlessly tracing along his side. 

“Will?” 

“Mm?” 

“...I love you.” Panic set in as soon as it was out of your mouth, and you forced yourself to keep still and quiet—as if that would help. He was a man, not a t-rex. 

“You don’t have to say it back,” You added. Will was quiet for a moment, his arm wrapping around your shoulders. 

“...And if I want to say it back?” 

You bit the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from grinning like a dweeb. 

“I mean,” You shrugged, “I’m not gonna stop you.” 

Will chuckled, grasping your chin and tipping your head up to meet his gaze. 

“I love you, too, baby,” He murmured. You let yourself grin then, leaning up and pressing a tender kiss to his lips before settling back in. Will sighed softly, fingers stroking gently over your skin. 

“...You do know what being the one to catch the bouquet means,” He added after a few moments. Your heart leapt into your throat, and you blinked dumbly for a few moments. Was he…Did he just suggest…?

“Mhm!” You squeaked. Will nodded, murmuring, 

“Just making sure we’re on the same page.”

Tag list: @missredherring ; @fantasticcopeaglepasta ; @massivecolorspygiant ; @blueeyesatnight ; @recklessworry ; @amneris21 ; @ew-erin ; @youngkenobilove ; @carbonated-beverage ; @lorecraft ; @moonlightburned ; @milf-trinity ; @millllenniawrites ; @chattychell ; @dihra-vesa ; @videogamesandpoorlifechoices ; @missswriter ; @thembosapphicclown ; @brandyllyn ; @wildmoonflower ; @buckybarneshairpullingkink ; @mad-girl-without-a-box ; @winchestershiresauce ; @phoenixhalliwell ; @wild-rose-35 ; @daisyslibrary ; @informally-liz ; @andrastesflamingtitties ; @muchacha-encabronada ; @nerdygirl0414 ; @elen-aranel ; @ohbee-whatcanyoube ; @kmc1989 ; @quietpainter ; @thedreadandthefugitivemind ; @kaletastrophes ; @nyx2021

[duckchu]

If requests are still open could I ask of you anything for Yone? Hc abt him falling him love or something related? Not to be vague but to give you artistic liberty 😅

Of course you can!

Also sorry for the vague ending, I hope you're not mad about it

Enjoy ~

Yone falling in love

It was just a normal Friday for Yone

Just working and, later on in the day, going grocery shopping for the week

When he was finally done with the song he has been working on, he went to the nearest shop

Where there wasn't a lot of people, just two others and the employees

Even though there was no one else in the shop, he still managed to bump into you when he was leaving

He profusely apologised, especially after noticing you spilled your freshly opened drink on yourself

Gave you his number so you could let him know how much he owed you for cleaning it, since it didn't look like a stain that would come off after one wash

After you got home, you texted him to let him know that he doesn't need to repay you, since it was an old shirt anyway

But he started insisting, so all you could do was tell him the price of the drink so you would at least get the money spent back

He quickly transferred you the money

You thought this would be the end of it, but no.

That same night you got a call from your cousin, Sett

He told you all about this band he was invited to be in

How all the other guys were so cool

And how he was meeting with them at a bar nearby your house tomorrow, but since he lived further away, he needed to kinda sleep over at yours

You agreed, you liked him and didn't want to leave him getting home hammered

So tomorrow came along and at about 11 pm you heard a knock at the door.

You went to open it, and there was your cousin, drunk and the guy who destroyed your shirt yesterday

He looked as shocked as you when you opened the door

He helped you guide Sett to the couch and said something about leaving, since his bus will be here soon

It felt cruel to let him leave by himself, into the cold and dark night

So you offered him to stay

Only then realising he's gonna have to sleep on the floor

So you tried offering your bed to him

He was horrified and denied strongly

So you tried to make the most of what you had and made him a makeshift bed out of an old mattress and a lot of blankets and pillows

In the night, while you were asleep, Yone woke up

He looked at you, forgetting where he was for a moment

He was avestruck

Then he realised where he was and why he was there

But when he glanced at you again, you were so...he didn't have words to describe how he felt right now

He barely knew you, yet you made his heart rsce

He got up and went to the kitchen, which you showed him earlier, to get himself some water

Why was he feeling so...hot...just from being in a room with you?

He couldn't possibly...be in love with you after a day

This wasn't like him at all

He didn't sleep well that night

The thoughts of you kept him up

You were practically a stranger to him

He was just charmed.

That's it, a silly little crush, nothing to worry about

But as weeks went by and you visited the Heartsteel apartment pretty often to talk with Sett or bring him something that your auntie asked you to, those feelings didn't stop

They got even stronger

Now he was...feeling this sting everytime that Kayn started teasing you

Or Ezreal kept you so invested in your talks

And Aphelios made you laugh so hard

He couldn't possibly be jealous over you

This wasn't like him at all

How could one person make his heart race so hard

Maybe it was more serious

Maybe he should tell you about his feelings

And he will

Just gotta ask you out

This will be the hardest part

[scarisd3ad]

Jump then fall | Steve Harrington x reader

Chapter one - everything has changed

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Summary - after 7 years of being split apart from your childhood friend Steve you return to hawkins after your younger sisters tragic death, and parents messy divorce. But the Steve you came back to isn’t the same Steve you left behind.

"Steve!" Steve was surrounded by two of his new friends, Tommy and his girlfriend Carol, as I skipped up to him. They were both in 8th grade like Steve. carol looked me up and down as I stood in front of the trio. Steve had an annoyed look on his face from the moment I opened my mouth. Ever since he became friends with Tommy and Carol, it seemed as if I was just another inconvenience for Steve. "What?" the words are harsh as they come out of his mouth, almost like he was stabbing me right in the heart. But despite the achy feeling in my chest, I continued to talk. "wanna come over after school? My dad is working, so he won-"

"God, you are so annoying," Steve scoffs, which makes my brow furrow together in confusion. Steve has been a sweet boy ever since the moment I met him in kindergarten, but the moment he entered the 8th grade it was like a switch flipped inside of him. He no longer cared about his mother or his real friends he only care about popularity, girls, and being an absolute asshole to everyone around him. "Wh-what?" the words come out quiet and meek, the confusion still setting in as my eyes flicked from him to Tommy and then to Carol. Both his friends chuckled, probably because of the tears pooling in my eyes. "I said, you are fucking annoying! can't you go find someone else to cling onto?"

It seemed like time had stopped. Everyone around us stared, some laughed, and some whispered. Was I sent into a parallel universe because this wasn't the Steve I had grown to know? My chest heaved as I blinked back tears. "I-I'm sorry I thought-I thought-" I couldn't get the words out fast enough because Steve was shouting again before I could finish my sentence. "What that I was, your friend? I only hung out with you 'cause I felt bad that your sister died" This wasn't about Sara. He didn't need to bring her up. He knew it was a sore subject. The wound was still fresh. He knew it was still fresh. This felt like he was sticking a knife into that barely healed wound.

I want to punch him; I want to tackle him down to the ground and kill him just because he brought up my sister. "Your mom didn't even like you, so why should I? She dodged a bullet, leaving you." Maybe it was my mind making it up, but it felt like everyone around me was cackling at his words, at my tears, at my fists clenching and unclenching themselves. it hurt, it hurt so bad because I trusted him. I thought he was my best friend, but he wasn't. he was an evil lying bitch.

Before he can say anything else, I'm running away. I ran out of the school and to the group of telephones that stood outside against the school. I immediately punched in my father's work number as heavy sobs racked through my body. The phone rang a good three times before the secretary, Flo, answered the call.

"Hello, this is Hawkins police station. My name is Flo. How may I help you?" Flo was an older lady with dark hair and big, round glasses that sat on the brim of her nose. I sniffled before wiping my eyes. "He-hey Flo, can I talk to my dad?" I asked. Flo must've not noticed I was crying because she instantly transferred me to my father. The phone rang once before my dad answered, "Yeah what ya need?" Dad asks, "Da-daddy can you-you come get me?" I asked through sobs. I could almost hear the confusion in his voice as he asked, "What's wrong? What happened?" I don't answer due to the sobs that continue to erupt from my body. My brain was asking the same question repeatedly. Why would he do that to me? I thought we were friends. "I-I-please Dad," he grumbles quietly, "alright I'll be there in a few minutes."

I stood on the sidewalk with my arms wrapped around my body, waiting. Tears were still streaming down my cheeks when my dad's blazer pulled up beside me. I quickly get into the car, throwing my backpack in the back seat, and slamming the door shut before curling up in a ball, leaning my head against the glass. My father didn't immediately begin driving, instead deciding to interrogate me. "What happened? Did someone say something to you?"

"Steve," I whispered as more tears fell down my cheek. "Wh-what'd he do?" he asked, brows curling into a furrow. Dad knew Steve as a sweet boy, not someone who could ever hurt me. "He-he said...said I was annoying a-a-and that I was clingy." I said through sobs "And he-he said he was only my friend because he fe-felt bad because Sara die-died, that, m-mom didn't like me so why should he, a-and that she do-dodged a bullet leaving." His blood was boiling, I could tell. His face turned red, and he clenched his fists. Before I could even ask him what he was doing, he was already out of the car and halfway towards the front door. 

-

I wasn't a total nerd or loser. I was just normal, but I wasn't a Heather or a Carol. I was just me. I wasn't even the attractive type of normal person like Nancy Wheeler. I was just average. I was standing at my locker waiting for my friend Stephanie. We always met up at my locker before walking to English. Steph was popular. Sometimes I ask myself how I scored a friend like her. She was beautiful and kind. Everybody liked her and everybody had a reason why. The boys liked her because she was pretty, and the girls liked her because she was kinder than the other popular girls. Her curly hair bounced as she sauntered up to me. Her lips formed in a sweet smile as her hands pressed against her hips.

Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and a green bow was placed in her hair to match her green cheerleading uniform. "You coming to the game tonight?" she asked as she leaned her body against the locker next to me. "Maybe I Dunno. I have a lot of homework tonight," I whisper. I'm momentarily distracted by Steve walking by with his arm around his new plaything, Lisa Franklin, a cheerleader like Steph, but unlike Steph, Lisa was an absolute bitch. Despite the hurtful things Steve Harrington said to me, my crush on him never completely disappeared. Sometimes it felt like it was hidden away, but it was always there, simmering beneath the surface. 

Whenever I saw him walk by or heard him speak in any of our shared classes, my heart would skip a beat and my feelings for him would come flooding back. It was frustrating and confusing, but I couldn't help the way I felt. I feel two arms wrapping around my body, drawing my attention away from Steve. I glance over and see that it's Shawn Peterson. My relationship with Shawn is a bit complicated. We do things that most people in a romantic relationship do, but we don't use labels because he 'doesn't like labels'.

Shawn's a football player who's popular enough to be kind of friends with Steve. His hair is a dark, chocolate brown that falls in natural waves, framing a face that is both masculine and handsome. But it's his stunning brown eyes that steal the show, sparkling with an intensity that could make any girl weak in the knees. "So, you coming tonight?" he asks as he presses a kiss to my neck. I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe still Dunno though," I whisper. He groans as he presses a kiss just below my ear. "c'mon my parents aren't home tonight; we can go to mine afterward," I hum as I turn so I'm facing him. If I go, I have to tell my dad I'm at Steph's house and if I do that, I have the risk of him calling her parents to verify.

despite the risks, I smile up at him and whisper, "yeah okay sure." 

-

I sat on the bleachers watching as Steph cheered. my hands were buried deep into my pockets as I zoned out. No matter how much I loved Steph and Shawn, I'll always find high school football games a little boring. I didn't understand football and no matter how many times Shawn tried explaining it to me, I always left the conversation a little more confused than I was before. I feel someone sit down beside me, but I don't care enough to look to see who it is.

"hey," an all too familiar voice whispers. That makes me look up because I haven't heard that voice talking to me in years. Steve Harrington sat next to me, dressed in the same outfit he had been wearing at school earlier that day. I couldn't stop my heart from beating a mile a minute, and my hands beginning to shake. I can't tell if I'm nervous because I'm scared or because I have feelings for him. "What?" I mutter back, my voice a little harsher than I expected. Despite the fact he had been so mean to me back in 7th grade, I never wanted to be mean back. I couldn't get myself to do it.

"You here for Shawn?" Steve asks, his left hand tapping away at the metal bench. I nod replying "Yup" he hums as he nods awkwardly "Sooo...is he your y'know boyfriend?" I shrug "It's complicated..." he nods, a quiet hum coming from his lips. Why did he want to talk now? He hasn't talked to me in 3 years, but now randomly he wants to talk like nothing ever happened, like he never whispered to his friends when I walked by or spread rumors about me. "Why are you talking to me?" I ask brows curling in confusion as I stare up at him.

"wh-oh I-I just wanted to talk," he mutters back. he didn't want to talk for years before this, so why'd he want to talk now? After everything he's done to me, why now? I'm silent as I search his face for any signs that he's messing with me. But there's nothing, not a smirk, or some type of glint in his eyes, just brows furrowed together in confusion. I decided to look around to see if any of his friends were nearby snickering to themselves, but still, I didn't see any of them.

"wh-what are you looking for?" he asks. I quickly pivot my body towards him again. "Are you fucking with me again Steve?" he lets out a shocked little gasp before hurling into saying "No, no I'm not I just thought we could talk y'know since we haven't in a while" That infuriates me because he knows damn well why we aren't talking. "You know why we haven't talked in a while," I mutter as I scoot away from him. "c'mon y/n that was so long ago," he says, elongating the 'o' at the end of ago. I scoff rolling my eyes. "Yeah fuck you," I say as I scoot away from him a little more. He sighs defeated before asking, "How's your dad?" I shrug, muttering a quiet "fine," he nods awkwardly "You still live in the same house?" I shake my head. "No, moved a few years back."

We sit awkwardly, both of us not speaking as the football team comes running out on the field. Most of the people around us roar in applause and shouts of excitement, including Steve. he stands to his feet clapping before cupping his hands together in front of his mouth and shouting "Yeahhh Shawn!!" I cringe a little inside. Steve, like every other popular guy and athlete at the school, were filled with so much school spirit it made me physically cringe. he sat back down looking at me, as I stared at my feet trying to hold back laughter. "What?" a smile cracks to his lips as I let out a few quiet giggles. "Nothing...nothing" he laughs, and for a few quick minutes our old dynamic came back.

"Seriously? C'mon, what?" cover my mouth with my hand as I continue to laugh. I shake my head, refusing to say anything as our laughter dies down. And just like that, we were back to two estranged friends who hadn't held a conversation for more than 2 minutes for the past 3 years, almost. "y'know your dad punched me that day?" I look up at him, brows furrowing as I whisper a quiet "What?"

"He punched me when I was in eighth grade. " It all comes back, my father storming into the school after admitting to him what Steve had said to me. "good" I wouldn't normally expect my father, a grown man, to punch a 13-year-old, but in that instance, I don't blame him. If I was him and a guy like Steve had told my daughter the things Steve had told to me, I would've done more than just punched him. Steve laughs almost as if he was agreeing with me "Yeah...I was an asshole" I roll my eyes, was? Steve Harrington was still an asshole. "still" I say correcting him. Now it's his turn to ask "What?" I roll my eyes yet again as I say, "You're still an asshole", he frowns as he nods slowly "Yeah...I guess" At least he could admit it. 

-

Once the game ended, I bid Steve a quiet goodbye and went to the parking lot. I wait by Shawn's car for about 10 minutes until I see Shawn walking towards it, duffle bag swung over his shoulder, and hair damp. Steve walked next to him, both chatting about who knows what. Shawn drops his bag onto the hood of his car before scooping me up into a kiss.

Returning his kiss, I wrap my arms around his neck. I try to enjoy the kiss, but unfortunately, I can't because I can practically feel Steve's glare. I pull away, eyes meeting with Steve's. His brows are knitted together in an angry, or jealous type of furrow, and his arms are crossed over his chest. "You did so good out there," I say, pretending like I wasn't zoning out every 10 seconds. "mhm" Shawn hums before pressing his lips back against mine.

Steve clears his throat, making Shawn and I pull apart yet again. "well I'm gonna go. "See ya later, dude... um, nice talking to you again, y/n," Steve says before he starts walking towards his BMW, that was parked a few cars down.

The drive to Shawn's house is short and quiet. The only noise present is the low hum of the radio, and our breathing. When we get into his room, his hands are almost immediately all over my body. His lips touch mine, and his hands slide up and down the sides of my body before deciding to rest comfortably against my hips. The room is already somehow hot, and we're both out of breath when the sound of the phone (which sat on his nightstand) begins to ring.

BRINGGGG, BRINGGGG, BRINGGGG.

The sound of the phones rings is shrill and cuts through the quiet house like a knife. Shawn groans before pulling away from me. He crawls up his bed before answering the phone. Leaning against the headboard, he says, "Hello?"" in a very annoyed tone. "Oh, hey dude...no you weren't interrupting anything." the last bit drips in sarcasm as he says it.

"Yeah...yeah she's here, what'dya need?" I know he's talking about me because no one else is here, but I don't have a clue about who he's talking to. His brows furrow in confusion as the muffled sound of the other person talking comes out of the receiver. Then he scoffs as he shakes his head. "No, I'm not gonna do that sorry Steve." Steve? Why would Steve be asking about me? "Dude, you can't just ask me to do that" Shawn's eyes flick over to me before he whispers "I've gotta go alright? yeah, yeah, see you later." Shawn says before hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?" I ask. He hums quietly before hesitantly saying "Um...he just wanted to ask me if he could copy my homework" My brows furrow. There's no way Shawn would have made a big deal out of copying homework. They always copied each other work, so there was no way that's what Steve had asked. There was no world in which Shawn would have answered like that to needing to copy his homework.

As I press my hands into the soft cushion of Shawn's mattress, I sigh and whisper, "I should go... my dad's gonna be pissed if he finds out I stayed out late." Shawn nods before asking "Need a ride?" I nod, pushing myself up off the mattress and to my feet. "Yeah, but drop me off a few miles out. Don't need my dad knowing you're there."

A few years back, after my father's divorce was settled, and I was adjusted in school, my father sold our old family house. Claiming there were too many bad memories there, then he promptly moved us out to a cabin in the woods, much to 12-year-old Me's dismay. The cabin had supposedly been my grandfather's. his father, aka my grandfather, skipped out on the 'wondrous' opportunity to live in the shithole, so it had been abandoned for years since my great-grandfather died. It's a shitty log cabin, two beds and one bath that sat in the middle of the woods.

I hate being at that place alone. The doors creek, and the trees around it whistle with every gust of wind. I swear I'm going to be murdered one day in it and it'll be all Dad's fault for moving us out there. I didn't know why he couldn't have just moved us into some moderately shitty apartment or even keep us at the old house. 

-

Shawn's car slowly drives down a dirt road in the middle of the woods. His high beams shining ahead of us to make sure there wasn't some animal (or person) in our way. About halfway towards my house, Shawn stops the car. From there, it would be about a 10-minute walk up to the house. "I can walk you up there if you want me to," he says, his voice quiet as if he thought my father would somehow hear him all the way out here. "No, I'm fine...but thanks anyway. See you on Monday," I say as I push open the car door. I sling my bag over my shoulder as I begin the walk towards my house. Shawn waits until I'm out of sight from his car to turn around and it's the 5-minute drive back to the main road.

I arrive at my bedroom window. I don't even notice my dad stood leaned up against the door frame until I'm fully inside my room. I'm left staring at my father, who has his arms crossed over his chest, angrily glaring at me. "WHERE THE HELL WHERE YOU?" my mouth gaped open as I began to say something but decided it was better not to. "GO ON TELL ME WHERE THE FUCK YOU WHERE" I let out a groan as I matched my father cross my arms over my chest "I was at the football game," I say with an eye-roll as I toss my backpack on my bed.

He scoffs "THE FOOTBALL GAME ENDED AT 8:30 SO TELL ME WHERE THE FUCK YOU'VE BEEN FOR THE LAST 2 HOURS!" his voice echoes through my room as I begin to talk, "God you're being so dramatic. A few friends and I went to Shawn's to celebrate after the game." his face is red, and his fists clench and unclench before he begins to shout again. "YEAH, WE'LL SINCE YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO FUCKING PICK UP A PHONE AND TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE I DON'T WANT YOU OUT OF THIS HOUSE FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS!" my eyes widen as I shout "What! that's not fair! I'm babysitting this weekend!"

"well, you're going to call whoever you're babysitting for this weekend and tell them that you can't make it anymore, and I don't want you using this phone this weekend either," he says as he goes to unplug the phone from the wall. I let out a loud dramatic "ugh!" which is then followed by me shouting "I hate you!"

As he walks out of the room he says, "Yeah well I fucking hate you too" I dramatically sit down on my bed before shouting again "You're such a fucking asshole!" he turns brows furrowing as he says, "What did you just call me", I'm not scared of him, I never have. He thinks I am, but I never will. "I said you're a fucking asshole," I repeat as my arms cross over my chest. He scoffs as he says, "I'll show you how much of an asshole I can be" before slamming my bedroom door behind him. 

I sit on my bed, arms crossed like a bratty toddler as tears pricked in my eyes. it wasn't fair. I've gotten home late a handful of times and he never gotten angry any of those times, why did he always pick and choose when he wanted to blow up? I wonder what it would be like right now if I was still in New York with my mother. would she be blowing up on me right now too? would she be cool about things like this? or was she strict? but I guess I'll never know because she gave up on me and our family.

I feel bad after fighting with him, I always feel bad. I know deep down he loves me; he just doesn't really know how to show it anymore. I crave that fatherly love that gets rationed out from time to time. I think that's why we fight so much; I crave the affection; he doesn't know how to show it. when he's not working, he sits on his chair, or in his bedroom practically in a catatonic state staring at the tv or a wall, we eat dinner in our separate rooms we don't talk unless we're screaming at each other, or I've got my head laid in his lap as I profusely apologize for what had happened. we're both traumatized i know that we both lost so much, but he should at least try. he knows I don't have any other parental figures in my life, and he still chooses to be distant and cold.

I sigh arms falling to my sides, pressing against my soft mattress. sometimes in the spur of the moment I wish he had died, and I know he thinks the same about me. I always feel bad afterwards though. even though I live with him, I don't know my father at all, he's a stranger to me. the only time we feel like father and daughter is when he's bossing me around. it's absolutely bazar that I feel the same way about my father that I do my absent mother. it's actually like they're both absent in their own ways, dad emotionally, and mom physically. he totally gave up after sara died, I mourn my father in the same way i mourn my dead sister. I just want the old him back, the dad who chased us around the park, and took us out for ice cream, the dad who never even thought to yell at me even if i had stollen a car.

I just want him back.

-

Taglist

@sheisjoeschateau @nothankyou138 @gleefulleve @luluw-20 @skrzydlak @halflifejess @natalie-flo @castleallherown

[nanaminokanojo]

BAD NEWS (part 32)

-just when you thought you were over your humongous crush on your older brother’s best friend, geto suguru, you couldn’t have been more dead wrong, except satoru doesn’t like suguru for you because he knows his kind all too well: a huge ass playboy who breaks hearts like he changes socks. but you think, MAYBE you’ll be the exception…maybe not.

CHARACTERS: drummer!geto suguru x you/afab reader | gojo satoru | various jjk characters

GENRE: full-length smau + prose | band au | college au | stupid pining | aged-up characters | friends to lovers (?) | smut

TW/CW: strong/mature language | adult content so mdni on some parts | mentions of alcohol, drugs | mentions of cheating, promiscuity, mild dubcon, etc. | god-awful pet names | toxic behavior | will add more if something arises

MASTERLIST | CHAPTER INDEX

<<prev part 32 next>>

A/N: Contains prose and panels in between.

"This is me."

Suguru couldn't possibly think of a more frightening combination of words at the moment, watching as Ieiri took her seatbelt off, further saying her thanks to him for driving her home or something like that before turning to you.

He did ask for her help to get you alone with him, he knew that, but judging how you grudgingly entered the backseat of his car earlier, banging the door close – much to his annoyance – he knew better than to push it with you. It wasn't the first time you two would have a spat, and like your brother, you knew how to hold a goddamn grudge.

"Hey, Y/N, I'm going."

He watched as you typed away on your phone and merely waved at Ieiri without even looking up, scooting further behind his seat as if that's going to make you any less present inside his car. "Take care. Love you."

Suguru noticed how the older female slightly frowned before glancing at him as she disembarked from the car. She stood up but then bent down again at a last ditch attempt to help him.. "You can transfer to the front now."

"No, thanks." Your answer was a flat out refusal, and Suguru just shrugged, frustrated. If it was because of you or more because of himself, he couldn't tell. Having given up, Ieiri closed the door to the passenger side.

"Text me when you get in," he called after her which she returned with a wave as she walked towards her apartment complex. Once she was out of view, he twisted on his seat to look at you. "You sure you're okay there?"

"Positive."

"You can stretch your leg better here –"

You momentarily met his eyes, yours cold as you regarded him. "I'm tired. I wanna go home."

Turning away, he stepped on the gas. "Fine."

He didn't know what set you off, at least, not exactly. While he did realize his choice of a joke was crass abd stupid, and that you might have been offended by it, he didn't really expect you to react as profoundly as you did. He has said worse things to you before in the same manner and you'd usually just call him names, scrunch your nose in disgust and laugh it off.

That's how it had been before you left. It's the same reason why he was more open with his words with you. You were rather easygoing, past tense. Now, everything he did and said seemed to put you in a foul mood, and he didn't really understand the glaring distance you were putting between him and yourself which brings him back to the unknown reason behind your anger.

Actually, not fine.

Suguru may have said something stupid, but he didn't think he deserved your consequent reaction without knowing the real reason why. It couldn't possibly be just because you found his joke distasteful. You weren't like that at all as far as he knows. Then again, does he even have the right to claim that he still knows you?

Not wanting to prolong the agony any further, he swerved towards the side of the parkway, doing so without as much as a warning before making a full stop. He killed the engine and just sat there, tapping his fingers onto the steering wheel in an attempt to calm down.

"What are you doing?" you asked in a low tone from behind.

Perhaps things changed. More than he cared to admit. More than either of you were letting on. And it made his heart sink. Perhaps you have really forgotten everything – that night. Maybe it meant nothing to you. Or maybe you choose not to remember. He didn't know what was worse. But it meant a great deal to him, and you, even more, and yet, every single time he tries to get closer, it feels like you were sand slipping through his fingers. And it's all his fault.

If only –

He opened the door and got out, catching your eyes as you watched him round the car towards the back and over to the door opposite you. And then, he entered the backseat.

"Suguru, what –" Your protest died in your thoat when he said, "You wanna sit here? Let's both sit here."

You shot him a petulant look, your lower lip jutting out. It was silent for a bit, but you chose to break it. "Fine, I'll go sit in front." You turned away from him, opening the door beside you, but before you could even move, he reached for the handle, shutting it close and trapping you on the seat.

He felt you freeze up against him, your breath stilling before coming out again in a shaky exhale that fanned against the side of his neck. You were practically in his embrace if it weren't for the measly space that separated your heat from his.

And then he sighed, going limp as if in exhaustion, his forehead falling onto your shoulder. He breathed in deeply, in then slowly out, letting your smell and the faint sound of your heart thudding in your chest fill his senses. He raised his other hand, placing it at the side of your neck, his thumb gently soothing over your cheek just by your ear.

"I missed you," he whispered, and then said it again, louder. "I missed you."

He felt your hand rising towards his left shoulder, lightly pushing him back and he did as you wanted, sitting upright and distancing himself from you. However, before he could move any further, you adjusted your position and leaned against him, slumping on the leather seat with your head on his shoulder.

Suguru glanced at you, fidgeting with the hem of his black shirt. "Y/N, I'm sorry. I was being an asshole."

You glanced up at him. "You were."

"But I hate it that we're like this."

"I know. I hate it, too." You looked down, your hand slowly inching towards his before hooking your pinky finger with his. "But you really piss me off sometimes."

He chuckled quietly, moving to wrap an arm around your shoulder, his fingers landing on your other side, drumming on the side of your thigh. "I'm really sorry if I was being insensitive."

"And crass..."

"And crass," he repeated.

"And a pervert –"

"You're pushing it, kitten." He poked your cheek with his index finger, but you caught the tip between your teeth without any significant force, but he still said, "Ow," to humor you. Or more to conceal the fact that the image of his finger anywhere near your mouth was making him feel things. Inappropriate ones.

You let go. "Am I though?"

He rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance. "Fine." But then, he turned serious. "Y/N, may I ask you something?"

"You're already asking."

Suguru clucked his tongue, but went ahead anyway. "I know what I said is idiotic, but you usually just laugh my words off. I mean..." He sighed. "Look, I need to understand why you were so mad at me. Somehow, it feels different. Like there's something you're not telling me."

"Because something is different, Suguru," you answered without missing a beat. "I think you and I both know that." You sat straight, meeting his ochre gaze. "I am aware of what you and my brother do. He tells me everything, and you're always just part of the narrative. Satoru took great care for me to just be aware of it in his own words and just that."

"You hate it."

"Beyond what I can tell you, but it's your life and it's none of my business what you do. I already told you this. It's not that I don't care, don't get me wrong, but to be honest with you, it feels different just hearing about it compared to actually seeing it for myself."

At that, he arched a brow at you. "In what way?" he asked, quick to add, "If you don't mind me asking."

You elbowed him on the rib, making him flinch in pain. "Kitten," he whined, grimacing.

"In a traumatic way, of course! Do you think I like watching someone else choking on your dick? Asswipe!" You shivered. "Imagine what that's gonna do to me if it were Toru! I'd probably fucking gouge my eyes out. Jesus!"

Someone else, he thought, your words repeating in his head. Else. That one word made all the difference in what you were explicitly saying to what you weren't. And perhaps he was crazy, but he couldn't feel but hyper-analyze everything you were saying to him.

"So, no, Suguru. I'm not one to watch."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Okay, I get it, kitten." His brows knit together as he looked at you, considering his next words very carefully, but ending up with another apology. "I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven."

He pouted at you then. "Next time I mess up, beat me up or something, just..." He looked you straight in the eyes with such intensity that made your mouth go dry. "Please don't ignore me like that. I'll take anything else but that."

"Nobara suggested I cut your hair."

"Go ham with it."

"Dumbass. As if I can take that. I love your hair."

He smirked at you "Just my hair?"

"Shut up. I wanna go home." You rolled your eyes, playfully shoving him as you awkwardly climbed your way into the front seat, making him shake his head as you moved forward.

You really shouldn't have done that.

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© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI’S “JUJUTSU KAISEN”. [20240522]

PHOTOS/IMAGES/GIF/FANART/ANY MEDIA CREDITS GO TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[findingnemosworld]

𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 - 𝐫𝐮́𝐛𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐬

• 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬

( 𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 )

𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭.

A year had passed since the last they saw one another.

She had moved out of Manchester, asked for a transfer and found herself working in London's Chelsea Football Club, the staff, the players and everyone working there had been nothing short of kind, one in particular had become her closest friend - Benjamin Chilwell, the Englishman was the first person she had met, as well as the one to help her settle in London, the pair had built a well rounded friendship which stood the test of time when Ben tried his luck in courting her only for her to gently put him down, citing personal reasons for her desire to be involved with anyone romantically.

Ben understood her reasoning and the pair instead strengthened their friendship, albeit he was curious to know as to why she refused his advances.

She was young, only a year younger than him, a kind, gentle soul that had always been helpful both in and out her job, yet when it came to romance, it seemed as if there was an unspoken ache in her eyes. It wasn't until the Manchester City vs Chelsea bout for the Carabao cup that he finally understood why she was in ache for the past year and a half.

He'd noticed how a certain Portuguese defender from the other side had not so subtly been staring at her for far too long, so much so that he also noticed she was attempting her best not to approach the other side, even to greet the players she had worked with for the past three years, once the warm ups were concluded, both teams were lead in to prepare for the match, Ben had approached her. " Hey love, you got a minute? "

She looks at him, then nods leisurely - he leads her to a secluded corner, " Is everything ok? " she asks, concern lacing her voice.

" Yeah, I'm fine but are you ok? " He asks, his eyes revealing that he had understood her reservations.

She tried to brush his concern away by forcing a smile, " I'm fine Chilly, what do you mean? "

" Love " He interjects with a soft tone, " Be honest, did Dias play a part in your departure? "

Her body stiffens, horrid and haunting memories plague her mind - her chest tightens as she looks away to collect her composure before she nodded leisurely, without any word uttered.

Ben's jaw tightens, he wasn't a stranger to the Portuguese's antics seeing as the media loved to report on him any chance they can get, much like his fellow national teammate, Jack Grealish. He clenches then unclenches his first, " What happened? "

She recounts everything, with a ponderous heart and glossy eyes, " I loved him Chilly, so much, yet each time we were with our mutual friends, I wasn't his girlfriend, he didn't even want to admit it, I was just the girl he spent time with, it didn't make it easier that he flirted with women in front of me, but I loved him so much that I was willing to look past it "

" That piece of ... " He stops himself, inhaling then exhaling to calm himself, he breathes out a soft breath. " Love, why didn't you say any thing? "

" I was ashamed, and to be honest I had grown tired of the back and forth, so I kicked him out and never saw him again " She murmurs.

" Did he try to contact you? " He wonders.

She nods once again, " He tried, I rejected all of his calls and he even had John call me, but I made sure that he understood my message, I don't want to see him again "

He nods in understanding, " Will you be ok out here? "

" Yeah " She states with a soft tone, " I'm a big girl Chilly, I can handle myself "

Ben couldn't help but say, " But I will be concerned, especially since that bonehead wasn't hiding it that he was staring " he rolls his eyes then shakes his head, " I'm going to kill him if he so much as tries to do anything "

" Chilly, let it go please! " She pleads, grabbing his hand. " I'm not going to let him affect my mood, much less risk the chance of you guys riding up the table, so don't let it get to you "

Ben nods, " I'll try, just be careful ok "

She smiles then wraps her arms around his shoulder, " I love you Chilly, I appreciate your friendship "

" I love you too, you'll always have me by your side " He murmurs.

Their embrace along with their interaction was witnessed by quite an enraged Rúben who was burning with covetousness, and was now very determined to win her back, even if she was still against it.

Soon afterwards, the match begins - she was seated with the medical team on standby, despite attempting her best, her eyes would often trail to Rúben who seemed to work on a different engine, an engine of rage which unfortunately backfired as on the 10th minute, Mudryk had managed to give Chelsea the early goal thanks to a slip up by Rúben who despite being consoled by John, seemed hellbent on ensuring that he will get his payback.

And on the 22nd minute, he had assisted Haaland in scoring the equalizer which sent the Chelsea fans in a frenzy, cheering on the players to bring the lead back to them, the first half had been remained balanced until the very last minutes where a scuffle ensured between both Ben and Rúben after the latter had tackled the Englishman quite violently causing the pair to square up against one another.

Her eyes widened in horror, however relief washed over her body when teammates on both ends helped ensure that scuffle is put out but not before both players were shown a yellow card, thus ending the first half on a 1-1 draw.

Just as she walked in to retrieve something from her bag, she was tugged in a secluded corner causing her to yelp in pain, " What the fuck? " she said before her eyes hardened at the realization of who it was. " You!!! "

" Meu amor, hear me out " He tries with a gentle tone before a sharp sting was felt across his cheek.

" I don't want to hear anything from you " She states with a sharp tone before she spat out, " Go fuck yourself "

He looks down, inhaling then exhaling a deep breath, he looks back up to her and says. " I love you "

She laughs dryly, " Ah, of course, after fucking everything that has a pulse, you're suddenly regretful for the way we ended " she shakes her head, " No, I'm not falling for this shit, so go back to your team "

Afterwards, the second half begins and around halfway through in the 60th minute, Haaland scored his second goal much to the dismay of the Chelsea fans, even more so when Rúben celebrated with Haaland, as the second half was coming to an end in the extra time, Ben was able to equalize the match ending it on a 2-2 draw.

______________________________________________________________

She returns home later on, had a quiet dinner meal, opting to lay on her couch watching a rerun of Friends when the doorbell rings inciting confusion in her, she'd spoken to Ben who claimed that he was ok, yet she could see that he was frustrated with the draw, she pushed the blanket away, stood up then walked towards the front door, she looks through the peephole and in that minute rage fills her body all over, and she flings the door open, " What do you want? "

" Can we talk? " He pleads with a soft tone, " Please "

" We don't have anything to talk about " She retorts, " You screwed me over Rúben, I was just a toy to you "

" And I regret it " He said, " Just ... please, please let me in "

She gnaws on her bottom lip, " You have twenty minutes " she said then stepped to the side to let him in.

Rúben walked into her flat, as she closed the door - she lead him to the living room, " Sit " she said with a curt tone, before going to the kitchen, she pours two glasses of water, she grabs them then retreats back to the living room, she walks up to him and hands him the glass. " Here "

" Thank you " He murmurs.

They spent about four minutes in silence before she said, " So? " she asks.

" I'm sorry " He begins with a ponderous sigh, " I really am sorry meu amor, I'm an idiot, the biggest idiot there is, I had you in my arms and I did not appreciate you "

" You didn't " She chuckles dryly.

" I thought it was the right decision, to hide it because, I thought that it was for the best, I thought I was protecting you when I ended up hurting you " He states, with a regretful tone. " The truth is, I loved you then and I still love you now, I don't think I can live without you "

She meets his gaze which held regret, authenticity and love. " You hurt me Rúben! " she exclaimed.

" I know I have, and if you let me, I promise I will try my best to ensure you that I'm here, I'm here for you, and I will always be here for you " He said.

She grows silent, downing the rest of her glass before she stood up then walked over to where he was seated, he cranes his head up the minute he felt her hand over his cheek. " Do you regret it? "

He nods leisurely, then rests his forehead over her abdomen, " More than anything "

" Prove it " She said with a soft yet authoritative tone, " I'm going to fuck you the way I see fit "

He freezes, once again craning his head to look up at her. " Huh? "

" You heard me " She said, hooking her finger under his chin to get him to look at her. " You love me, prove it "

He stands up just as she leads him to her bedroom, they walk in and she says, " Sit at the edge of the bed "

He complies, his eyes never leaving hers as she undressed herself entirely before undressing him - she pushes him onto the bed, his back hits the mattress as she sat on top of his lap, he reaches over and tries to grip her waist but she swats his hands away, " I'm in charge " she wraps her hand around his cock, a spec of precum leaks through the slit, she presses her thumb over it then gently pumps his hardened cock inciting a strangled moan from him. " You've had your chance, now I have mine "

He relented, allowing her to take the reigns, she'd always been the only one to know exactly how and when to hit him, his lips were parted, releasing soft moans, grunts and sighs which only grew deeper the moment he felt his cock being enveloped entirely by her slick walls, " Oh Fuck! " he sighs.

" You broke my heart Rúben " She whimpered, " Yet not a single man in the world, knows me the way you do "

" I promise you " He groans, " I promise I won't hurt you again, I'm going to scream my love for you to the whole world "

She sets a moderate pace, moving up and down, throwing her head back. " Fuck, Fuck ... just like that " she takes one of his hand placing it over her waist while the other landed over her clit, " Rúben " she moans.

" Oh meu amor, you feel so good wrapped around my cock, I'm going to cum " He grunts.

" Cum inside of me " She whimpers.

" Meu amor " He retorts in concern.

" I'm on the pill, it's ok " She assures him, whining as he rubbed her clit at a rapid pace. " Fuck, fuck ... just like that, don't stop "

The pair chase their high together before Rúben tugged her in his arms, " I'm never letting you go " he murmurs, pressing soft kisses on top of her head.

" You better not to " She whispers.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 55 (Major Mom Guilt)

Heather waited to tell Malcolm about Ash's accident until they returned from the hospital the next morning. She usually texted, but this time she phoned.

She fidgeted through several anxious rings before he picked up. "You never call. What's going on?"

Her heart jumped into her throat. "It's Ash," she choked out. "He's okay, but he...he had an accident."

"What kind of accident?" Malcolm surprised himself with how quickly he lost track of his surroundings, toppling a stack of papers he'd been meaning to ask someone to file for over a week. "Where is he?"

"He's at home. He was playing at daycare yesterday and hit his head, but doctors cleared and discharged him this morning."

Malcolm was quiet. "Why didn't you call me last night?"

"It wasn't on purpose. I couldn't think straight about anything. It was late when the doctor said he'd be fine, so Conrad and I stayed at the hospital all night and we got back five minutes ago."

"I...I had an interview but I'll get one of the other reporters to cover it. I want to come see him."

Heather didn't expect Nancy and Malcolm to drop everything and drive all the way from San Myshuno, but later that day they came to see for themselves that Ash was okay.

He'd been cheerful and talkative before they arrived. But in front of his father and grandmother he whined about his head and said he was hungry, even though he'd just eaten.

Nancy chastised Heather while she and Conrad tried to make dinner. "He doesn't eat. He spends all day at a cut-rate daycare in this half-baked town that almost left us planning a funeral, and you work all day, every day, at the clinic you love so much. Maybe if you cut the asparagus spears smaller, Ash could eat them."

"He eats," Heather insisted. "He's testing boundaries and he knows you and Malcolm will both give him what he wants if he whines."

"My son and I discussed transferring him to a private preschool in the city on the way here. They're much more exclusive and have better childhood educators than the glorified nannies at his little daycare."

"They need the same qualifications in Brindleton Bay as they do in San Myshuno," interjected Conrad, continuing the meal as Heather's stress level forced her to temporarily step away from her knives. "It was an accident."

Nancy ignored him. She liked Conrad a lot less now that he was with Heather, but she didn't have it in her heart to hate him outright. "We started the application but we can't submit it without your signature," she said, placing the coiled booklet on the kitchen table in front of Heather. "We think it would be good for his education."

Heather said nothing, getting up to check the food Conrad had placed on the stove while he tidied the kitchen.

Malcolm could feel the tension when he came down the stairs. "Ash went down a lot easier than he does at the penthouse."

"Thanks for helping get him back to sleep. The hospital bed wasn't the most comfortable for him," said Heather. She braced herself, glancing at the onions she was chopping to add to the meal. "Did you and Nancy want to stay for dinner?"

Malcolm shook his head. "I'm glad to know he's okay, but we should head back. My mother can still make her corporate ski trip in Mount Komorebi if we get on the Simmerloop before rush hour."

He glanced at the table and spotted the half-completed preschool application. He looked up again to find Heather studying his expression.

"What are you thinking, Malcolm?"

He glanced between his mother and his ex, both headstrong in their own ways. "I want what's best for my son."

Heather waited until he left with his mother before she tossed out the application with the trash.

"I swear I could fight her, but I feel horrible enough already."

"I know she's...intense. But I think she's as shocked as you are," said Conrad.

"Nancy has a right to be upset? I have a right to be upset!"

"Of course you do! I just mean, don't pick a fight with her over the application. It's gone now, right? Hopefully she'll calm down and won't bring it up again."

Heather scowled. "Private preschool! The second Nancy gets her hands on my son's education, she'll ship him off to boarding school in Champs les Sims, just like his father. I'll never allow it!"

"I love you, and I'm only saying this because I love you, but maybe Ash needs to go back to his old daycare. It was a freak accident, no one's fault."

"They weren't watching him!"

"They were, but they looked away for one second. Do you know how many cases I've dealt with where something happened in the blink of an eye that changed everything? Ash is lucky, but you can't dwell on what might have been."

"I'll take him to work with me for a while, until I know Dr. Serra was right and he's okay. He loves the animals."

Conrad shook his head. "It's not going to be stimulating enough for him and you know that. And you can't do your best work watching him over your shoulder all day."

"I have to keep him safe!"

"You do keep him safe. No one keeps him safer than you, but if you hold on too tight now you'll end up holding on too tight forever. Like Nancy."

That was all she needed to hear to force her to swallow her pride. Despite her fears after his accident, she knew he needed to spend his days with kids his own age and made plans to send him back to daycare.

Heather's busy work life would continue to compete with the needs of her family, but she was determined to find a way to manage both. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

[crazycurly-77]

Memory Loss - Chapter 16

On the third day you thought you had no more tears. You were void of any feelings and couldn't cry anymore, but you made a decision. You only had to inform Ducky personally because of his unwavering support in this mess and because of your friendship. 

So you drove to the office and went directly to the morgue, where you found him. Sad and on the verge of crying once again you told him

“Hey Ducky, I told him the truth and he doesn't want to see me anymore. I totally understand him and that's why I will leave the country. I can't stay here always seeing him and won't be able to feel him, kiss him and be able to be with him. 

I think it's better this way, for all of us. 

But I thank you for your kindness and your support, you're a real friend.”

Ducky wrapped you in his arms, smiled sadly and asked “don’t you want to try to talk to him again? I'm sure he’ll come to his senses.”

“No, it won't matter. His words were final.” You sighed and then continued “Bye Ducky, thanks for all you've done.”

Despite what you had previously thought, you had tears in your eyes as you left the building. 

Unbeknownst to you Ducky decided to give it one last desperate try to get the two of you together and happy. So he drove to Gibbs and once more he found him working on his boat, which was named after you as Ducky noticed. 

To get his attention Ducky spoke up

“I'm just here to tell you that you won't have to do anything or fear anything of Y/N in the future. I've spoken to her and she will leave.”

Gibbs froze and looked up asking cautiously “the team?” 

“Yes, she will transfer to Europe. So the two of you will probably never see each other again.” 

Gibbs’ heart nearly stopped out of shock and his mind was racing. “But what should I do without her?” he replied, trying to process what he had heard. 

Ducky shrugged his shoulders “I don't know. That's a question you have to answer. 

But no matter what you'll do, please remember that everything she did, she did for you. 

She risked your wrath, your hate, her job and her heart to help you get well again.”

Then he left Gibbs to ponder about the current situation and to fulfill the next and last part of his mission. Which was trying a last time to get you to speak with Gibbs. 

So he drove over to you and picked you up. The two of you wanted to have dinner together, but he had another plan. He didn't drive to the restaurant, but to Gibbs’ house. 

“Ducky, please. What are we doing here?” you wanted to know as you saw the familiar building and felt a pang in your heart. 

“I want you two to speak with each other to clear this mess. Please, do it for me.”

He asked you with pleading eyes. You sighed deeply “okay, but only for you.”

He smiled “thank you. Just call me, when I should get you for the drive home.”

“Sure will.”

He nodded and you got out of the car and walked to the house. 

The front door wasn't locked, like it was when you lived there. Of course, Gibbs doesn't have to protect you anymore. You smiled sadly remembering your short time with him. It was so wonderful, but now it was in the past. 

You guessed Ducky gave him a piece of his mind too, so you walked to the basement and of course, there he was. Working away on his boat and drinking bourbon. 

Hearing you walking down the stairs he froze again and turned around. You were standing a few meters away from each other looking shyly and afraid at the other. Not a word was spoken, but automatically you both slowly walked to each other. 

As soon as you were in his reaching distance, Gibbs grabbed you, pulled you close to him as if he never wanted to let you go again and said "What do you think you're doing? I love you with all my heart, please don't go. Stay with me. I can't let you go without a fight."

You looked deep into his steel blue eyes, whispered "I love you too" and you kissed deeply.

Taking a short breath he declared “I remember everything again, but that doesn't change my feelings for you. The last few weeks have been the best of my life.”

He paused and then continued pleading and excited at the same time 

“I love you, please come back to me and let's get married for real. 

I don't want any other. 

Let's do this. Together. 

I can't imagine a life without you and I refuse to go back.”

“But…” you tried to answer totally stunned, but he immediately continued

“I love the idea of you being my wife. Don't you?” 

“Yes!” you said, grinning at him. 

“Good. Then let's do this.” he answered joyfully. 

“Are you sure?” you simply had to know. 

“I don't want it otherwise and I was never so sure about anything in my life. For me you are my wife and you are mine as I'm yours. Do you think so, too?”

“Yes.” 

“Good, then let's go and make it real.”

He grabbed you by the hand and drove to the notary. Parking the car and getting out of it you two walked to his office. Before entering Gibbs stopped you, took both of your hands in his, looked you deep into your eyes and said “you know I'm a complicated man, but I love you more than life itself. So I ask you one last time, are you really sure that you want me?” 

Despite his experience he was as nervous as yourself and before you could say anything he chuckled lightly and warned smiling “this is your last chance to get out of this.”

You laughed wholeheartedly, took his face in your hand, kissed him thoroughly and answered “I can't imagine anything I want more than being your wife.”

His eyes were shining because of happiness “then let's do this.”

He opened the door, said to the notary that the two of you want to be married immediately, because you don't want to wait any longer. 

The man laughed and a few minutes later you said your vows, always looking lovingly in the eyes of the other. Oh yes, you were both totally and irrevocably in love with each other. And before you knew it you heard the magic words “you can now kiss the bride.”

Gibbs didn't need to be told that twice. You shared a wonderful sweet and deep first kiss as a married couple only interrupting as the notary cleared his throat. 

You broke the kiss and laughed and after the man congratulated you to your marriage “Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs let me be the first to congratulate you on your marriage” you left the office. 

Back at Gibbs’ house or rather now the house of you both, you both laughed nervously and tried to comprehend what had happened. 

“Wow, we did it really. Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs, can you imagine?” you wondered. 

“I can't believe it either, but it sounds amazing to me” he answered. 

You kissed and then he had an idea

“let's pack some things and drive a few days to my cabin in the woods. There we will have a few days only for us to celebrate. And when we're back we will search and buy the most beautiful wedding rings.”

“Sounds amazing to me.”

So you drove into the wild, where you had a wonderful romantic and passionate time as newly weds. 

After a sleepless wedding-night you decided to inform your family at NCIS and write an email.

A few minutes later all of your colleagues received these lines

“Many honeymoon greetings from

Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs! 

Btw: we’re taking a week's vacation and when we're back, we will all celebrate together.

@Ducky: yes, she's the final one, J.”

Shouts of joy could be heard throughout the whole office.

The End

-------------------------------------------

Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27

[cactus-cuddler]

✦•·············• 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 •············•✦

Peter Parker

x female reader

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ᴳᵉⁿʳᵉ⤵

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ᵂᵒʳᵈ ᶜᵒᵘⁿᵗ⤵

2,8k

ᴬᵘᵗʰᵒʳ'ˢ ⁿᵒᵗᵉ⤵

Today (16/07) is @aidansloth 's birthday so I wanted to do something special <3

It's a quiet day. You and your boyfriend, Peter Parker, are sitting on a rooftop eating pizza for dinner. With his arm around your neck and your head resting on his shoulder, you admire the beautiful sunset from above, feeling incredibly grateful to share this moment with the man you love most in the world.

"Get off my roof!" an old man shouts, his voice breaking the tranquility as he feels the creaking under your weight. Peter quickly puts on his mask, grabs you by the waist, and you hold on tightly as he swings you away, leaving the surprised old man behind. He can't believe he just kicked Spider-Man off his roof!

Peter swings you through the city, the wind rushing past making your heart race. Despite the fear, you keep your eyes open, taking in the sights around you. You feel safe and protected in his arms.

"I can't wait for my birthday! You told me you planned something special for me," you say excitedly as he gently lowers you into your apartment terrace. Your place is not just a home but also a fashion studio where you design dresses for people. Peter removes his mask, smiles sweetly, and whispers, his lips barely brushing yours, "It will be the best day of your life." He then kisses you delicately, holding your hips. Just then, the doorbell rings, interrupting your moment. You say goodbye with a quick kiss and watch your hero disappear into the night as the bell rings again, snapping you out of what Peter jokingly calls the "Peter Parker charm."

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊

"What do you mean, 'I have no clue what to get to y/n?'" Harry, Peter's best friend, asks incredulously. Peter paces around the room, nervously ruffling his hair. Your birthday is just a few days away, and he's desperate to make it special.

A few days ago, you confided in Peter about feeling incredibly lonely and isolated, worried that this feeling might last a lifetime. Peter had consoled you, promising to make your birthday the best day ever. You also had told him you didn't want to throw a party, fearing that inviting people would be a burden or, worse, that no one would show up, leaving you alone and sad on such an important day.

"What about asking one of her friends for advice?" Harry suggests. Gwen, your best friend, comes to Peter's mind immediately.

"Are we sure she knows how to keep a secret?" Peter replies, concerned. "I wouldn't want Gwen to spoil the surprise for my little y/n."

Harry, who has been lounging on his bed watching Peter fret, gets up and tries to calm him down.

"It's just a birthday. Anything you do will be fine," he says, patting Peter on the shoulder.

"You're no help," Peter teases.

"I know. Usually, I pay someone to buy gifts for me or just make a bank transfer."

"That's why the gifts you give me are always terrible."

"I'll personally buy your gifts—” then they both burst out laughing and Harry punches his friend on the arm as a joke and Peter apologizes by telling him he was joking (he wasn't actually joking).

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

The brown-haired man decides to go and find some ideas around, maybe divine enlightenment would come to him even if he doubted it quite a bit. He went to the park with his skateboard and, with the wind caressing his hair, he started thinking about you and him. To your story and the most beautiful memories you have together to understand if he can find something in the fragments of your memories that can make you have a good day and feel better at the same time.

He stops to sit on a bench, skateboard at his feet and frustration hitting his chest, and your best friend sits next to him. "Gwen? What are you doing here?" he asks her confusedly and then looks around, he finds himself in front of the place where the blonde works without even realizing it.

"I should ask you this question," she replies, adjusting the hem of her pretty yellow dress. His thoughts took him back to where you met, almost five years ago. He needed a job and he knew Gwen because they went to high school together and he knew she would put in a good word for him. They were in the fourth year of high school and Gwen was an intern, despite her young age he believed that he would find a job here (obviously they didn't take him and he went to work as a waiter like normal boys of his age). You were there because you had to spend the evening with your friend and you had decided to pick her up directly from where she did her internship. He and Gwen were talking on that same bench when you showed up and hit his heart like you were a supervillain. Romantic, right?

“It's y/n. It's her birthday soon and I don't know what I could do," he confesses, despite the fear that she might tell you something about it.

"Try to retrace your history together and I'm sure you'll find some ideas," she suggests, smiling at him like old friends. 'As if I haven't already,' thinks Peter. He then sighs and gets up. No one but himself will be able to help him. "Thanks Gwen, I'll take your advice," and then leaves, heading home.

At home waiting for him was Aunt May, still up and with the dinner she had previously prepared at the table. Although he has lived alone for a year, Aunt May spends every Sunday's evening at his house preparing dinner for him; she is afraid that living alone he will no longer eat vegetables. Obviously Peter doesn't mind, but sooner or later he would like to try to be truly independent. But today Peter again forgot to tell her he was going out to dinner! "Oh God, I'm sorry!" Peter exclaims regretfully.

“You were with y/n, right?" she asks him softly, she's not angry. She knows that her nephew is really in love. Besides, she hadn't even called him, otherwise he would have answered (not like that time with Uncle Ben).

“Yes, I was with her," he confesses.

"I made her favorite cookies, they're still in the oven. Bring them to her tomorrow!" she says and subsequently says goodbye to her nephew with two kisses on the cheek and goes home, where she now lives alone. At least she has nice neighbors!

In bed that night, the divine enlightenment he had been waiting for came to him and he will need all the help he can get to put it into action.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

The day of your birthday feels like any other day. The only thing that makes you happy is Peter's promise to make this day special. Just knowing he'll be with you all day brightens your mood. You stretch in bed, the cat at your feet. The lady cat entered your house one day from the terrace and simply found your apartment to her taste. Does she love you? Nobody knows, but she definitely loves your home.

The doorbell rings and you leap out of bed, already knowing who it is. "Happy birthday, doll," Peter says as he approaches you and kisses you, placing his hands on your hips that he loves so much. Once you break apart, he hands you a bouquet of roses in your favorite color. You smile sweetly at him and the roses, thanking him.

"I haven't forgotten about you, kitty," Peter says to your cat, taking out a rubber mouse from the pocket of his black shirt, which he wears just for you. The cat immediately starts playing with it, abandoning Peter.

You prepare your favorite breakfast and curiously ask him the plan for the day, but he flatly refuses to tell you, insisting everything must be a surprise. You put on a nice dress and walk out of your apartment hand in hand.

“First we will relive together the day we met," he announces cheerfully and takes you to that place. To that bench. Sitting on the bench are Harry and Gwen. Next to them, waiting, is Flash, wearing an outfit similar to yours and a wig. He looks extremely embarrassed, which makes you laugh even more. Harry is dressed like Peter, even carrying his skateboard. In front of the bench, there are two chairs, one for Peter and one for you. You sit and watch the little play they've set up.

"Hi Gwen! I'm about to ask you a stupid request but you know me, right? It's my nature," Harry says, imitating Peter's voice.

"Of course! Just ask me," Gwen replies giggling, struggling to keep a straight face as she keeps glancing in your direction.

"Hello guys!" Flash intervenes with a shrill voice, attempting to mimic yours. You notice he’s also wearing heels, making it hard for him to stay upright. Needless to say, you all burst out laughing.

"Don't you find me extremely sexy in this dress?" Flash continues, strutting around as if on a fashion show runway. He then looks at Harry and bites his lip.

"I think I just fell in love," Harry says, standing up to take Flash's hands.

"Me too," Flash whispers, playing your part. "I think I got wet," he adds, causing another round of laughter. After the final line, the actors bow to you and wish you a happy birthday.

An old lady walking by looks Flash up and down, eyeing his clothing. In response, he starts posing for her. "She's just jealous because I'm sexier than she's ever been in her life," he boasts.

“Thank you so much, guys," you say emotionally, hugging everyone one by one. Peter then takes your hand and leads you to the next stop.

The day continued with moments just as special as the first. You spent the whole afternoon in places where you have fond memories together. Like the first kiss, where he tried to teach you to skateboard (you fell several times and gave up because Peter is a terrible teacher), where you had breakfast for the first time together, in short, all the most important moments for a couple. And in each place he put little surprises for you to find by making you riddles to figure out where they were. You found cards with cute phrases, some sweets that you love, a necklace and some bracelets. All the things you love and finding them among the bushes and between the tables of restaurants and bars was the best thing. You will surely remember it forever.

As sunset approaches, he takes you to the roof of a building where a cake with "Happy Birthday y/n" written on it is waiting for you. It's with your favorite flavors and seeing how he knows you so well brings a few tears down your cheeks.

“Hey, look at me. Don't cry little y/n" he tells you while holding your chin and then wipes your tears with his thumb. He smiles at you sweetly.

"I want you to be happy because..." he begins the sentence but leaves it hanging, he turns you around and behind you on an important building there is a "I love you" icon with cobwebs. In surprise you put your hands in front of your mouth and smile like a little girl and hug him very tightly and then kiss passionately pressing your lips together tightly.

"I love you too, you're crazy!" you tell him as soon as you break away and he whispers in response: "you can't imagine how much". Then a trumpet sounds and from a small door that leads to where you are you see Aunt May appear with a pan of biscuits, Gwen, Harry, Flash, old friends from high school and people who are close to you but who you thought didn't care about you with a gift package in their hands.

“Happy birthday y/n!" they all say in unison and you burst into tears hugging Peter's chest.

"Thank you all" you start to say between sobs "I love you all" you add at the end. The party goes late into the night and the last ones left are you and your Spider-Man.

"Did I say it would be an unforgettable day or not?" he asks you, you smile at him and nod. You don't think you've ever had such a great birthday in... like your whole life?

“I almost forgot..." he says, taking out an envelope containing a letter for you. "Read it when you're alone, it's quite embarrassing" he adds, scratching the back of his neck. You take it and put it in your bag, respecting his wishes. That night you decided to spend it together sleeping under the stars on the roof in a sleeping bag.

“I love you” you tell him before falling asleep with a smile on your lips.

“I love you too” Peter whispers in your ear and then leaves a warm and tender kiss on your forehead. You have an amazing boyfriend and you know it.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

The letter Peter writes to you:

(open photos to read)

What else was in the envelope:

The notes he gave you during the day:

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sorry for the various errors in English, I'm not very good! I would have liked to post the cards one by one but Tumblr has the photo limit, I hope you like them! The funny thing is that I made them with the school account so you can imagine if the principal (obviously if she can enter) opens my account and sees these things + other things I made for personal use? I would cry.

[landojpg04]

Ranch Revenge III//G.Tillman

Index

Smut under the cut/MDNI/18+

Rumor and Gator spend the night together.

Warnings: Language, alcohol, vaping, shotgunning smoke, hickies, p in v, descriptions of sex, filming/photography, unprotected sex, mentions of bodily fluids, good girl praises

After the competition, we had departed from the parents and Rylee. To head down to our favorite bar.

Rhett had won first place, being able to perform with the bull. He was up against wanna-be’s, as he liked to call them. 

Beers were all passed around except for Jane, for obvious reasons. Gator had his arm around my shoulders, constantly keeping a part of him touching me. As if he let go, I was gonna vanish in thin air.

“Oh, look who just walked in, Rhett,” Robert said to the champion.

It was Maria, Rhett's long-time crush. Upon noticing Rhett flushed, he wasn't expecting her to be here.

“Aww, Maria, do you still like her?” Jane said.

“Well, no, I just-”

“Hell yeah, he’s liked her longer than these two have been together,” Robert said, pointing his beer toward Gator and me. 

“Woah, that’s a bit uncalled for,” I said.

“Why don’t you invite her over, she looks to be alo-” As Jane was speaking, another guy wearing a cowboy hat grabbed Maria and began kissing her.

“Story of my fucking life, everyone,” Rhett says, getting up to probably get more alcohol.

We just shook our heads, knowing that Rhett had always loved the girl standing ten feet away from us. 

“So, switching topics, what’s going on with you at the headquarters?” Robert switches his interrogation back to me,

“Petty much nothing right now. They have me on the desk for intel and investigation help until my training is done. I got like four more months.”

“And after training, what are we planning besides your guy's wedding, obviously,” Robert says, smirking at Gator. Gator just laughs and takes a swig nodding towards Robert.

“Well, I gotta see if there's any openings around here and transfer.” Robert just shakes his head and nods. This was Robert showing his approval. At first, he was hesitant to send me to the academy, but after some time, he came around. He was always afraid of sending me off–going on about how he knows men’s intentions. But Robert also knew my gift. He’s seen it firsthand multiple times, and he used to say, “There’s no way in hell Roy Tillman is getting your gift.”

Jane was staring at Gator and me. I could tell she was reminiscing.

“Do you remember when they first went out, hun? And when they were at the wedding, they were just babies. Look at them now.” Jane said with doe eyes. Jane helped me get ready for that date. I was a nervous wreck because it was Gator. My older brother's best friend and he had asked me to go to the movies with him. The rest has literally been history. 

Rhett and Gator were the same age, Robert being a few years older than both of them. Growing up, they would follow Robert around like ducklings. Gator was always around, but it wasn't until high school that I developed a massive crush on him. Little did I know he had reciprocating feelings. 

“God, don’t remind me,” Robert said, leaning back.

“Do you know how much shit they gave me for months? They threatened me every day to ensure I didn’t break her heart. They still do.” Gator said. 

When Gator was away from his crew and his family, especially Roy, he was calm and loved joking around. His shoulders weren't tensed up. All throughout the competition, he was tense, Roy was sitting behind us, but now he was in a peaceful state of mind. I enjoyed seeing him this way. I wish he were this way all the time. I was leaning on his shoulder and felt him kiss my head again.

Rhett came back with more beers, and the conversation kept flowing. I felt Gator move his arm down to my leg, rubbing it in an innocent matter. I snuggled closer to his touch. He looked down to meet my gaze, smirking. This shit knew exactly what game he was playing. But he wasn't gonna win this time. It had been months without his touch, and the videos and Facetime weren't cutting it anymore. 

I sneakily placed my hand on his crotch. Moving it ever so slightly to ensure my brothers couldn’t suspect a thing. Gator tenses but relaxes, knowing we have company. One hand continues to lie on his crotch while the other grabs my phone. I swipe open to the album we both have, filled with pictures and videos only meant for the other eye to see. Videos of our previous escapades. I scroll through every video and picture, feeling him grow harder by the swipe, He grabs his phone to send me a text

You're a fucking menace

Don't act like you're not enjoying this.

We should make more

I see him begin to type out a text, but I know he can't think properly right now. He’s cursing more with me, this means his mind is foggy, and for once in a while, it's not from the vape. The time was getting closer to midnight. Jane was already dozing off on Robert's shoulder. I pointed it out, and Robert looked and realized his wife was practically asleep. 

“We’re gonna head out,” He says quietly.

We nod; Rhett was in his own world, sending daggers to the guy who was accompanying Maria at the bar. 

Jane and Robert walk out, and now we had to get rid of Rhett.

“Dude, just go talk to her,” I said.

Rhett gets pulled from his daze, shaking his head no and drinking more of his beer.

“Go. Now.” I say again.

Rhett just rolls his eyes at me. I look at Gator and nudge him.

“Rhett, that guy right there is not a bull riding champion; you are. Go catch up with her, you’ll regret it even if you don’t go say hello,” Gator buts in. You could practically see the wheels turning in Rhett’s head. 

“Alright, I’ll go.”

“Great, we’re gonna head out.”

“Where do Mom and Dad think you are going tonight? Aren’t you supposed to go back home?” Rhett comes to his senses. 

“No, they know I’m gonna spend the night at Lyla’s tonight, and tomorrow we’re gonna go to the mall. So Gator is gonna drop me off.” I lie as easily as it is to drink water. 

Rhett nods, finishes his drink, gets up, and walks over to Maria.

“After all these years, he still thinks Lyla is an actual friend of yours.” Gator laughs.

“Hey, don't give Lyla shit, she's the reason we get tonight and tomorrow to ourselves.”

Gator gets up from the booth and waits for me. I give him a questioning look as he stands there.

Gator looks around, then leans in close to my ear, “There is no fucking way I’m making the walk to the front door with a massive hard-on display. Especially still in uniform. Get in front of me now.”

I smirked as he talked; he turned to me before moving to stand tall. I grab his jaw and move him to lean into my lips. I couldn't stop smiling through the kiss. We pull away, and I obey his orders to stand in front of him. I grab his hand and hold it over my shoulder; he places his other hand on my hip, keeping me steady as we walk. 

We reach the door, and I am pelted by the gust of cold air. Quickly sobering me up. We reach his patrol truck, Gator pushes me into the passenger side door, turning me to look at him. One thing Gator loves is being in control. I give him that power, knowing that it is what he craves in life. He doesn’t abuse the power; from the years being together, he knows my limits, and from the years with Roy, he knows the power he holds does not permit him to be a complete and utter asshole. 

He traps me in between his thighs. One in between my legs and the other caging my hip. He knows my weaknesses like I know his. He pulls out his vape to take a drag. I watch him like my favorite movie. The neon light from the sign highlighting his features. He looks down to see my necklace. It was from him on our first anniversary.

He grabs the dainty jewelry and holds it between his fingers. He leaves his hand resting on my chest as he admires the thing that displays I’m his.

“You still wear it,” He says to himself, a statement to give verbal confirmation. 

“I never take it off,” He smirks, moving his gaze back to my eyes.

Another drag but instead of exhaling, he moves his hand from my necklace to the back of my neck, pulling me into him. I comply with his mouth and let him exhale into me. 

Gator knew I would never smoke willingly, so he does this. Says it's his way of corrupting me and ensuring I get addicted to him. In a way, his method has worked. I crave for him like never before. 

I rut my hips onto his thigh as he continues to do his work on my lips. He groans into me and grabs my hip harder. Stilling me. He pulls away, and I try to get him to lean back into me. But he pushes my hip more into the car, straining me against his strength.

“We are not doing this here, not with your brother inside trying to get laid.” He growls out.

He opens the door to the truck and helps me get in.

I look around the police car, noticing remnants of him.

A half-drunken mountain dew, some sunflower seeds on the floor, and the lingering burnt smoke from the number of vapes he has finished in this car. I smile; despite being utterly in love with this man, he still showcases some parts of him that have never changed since childhood. 

He gets in and starts the car. I'm buzzing with want…need…hunger. He takes off his baseball cap, turns out from the bar, and begins making the drive to the cabin—a place that only he and I occupy now. 

The cabin was on the other side of town, on the outskirts, hidden beneath trees. It was his Mom’s dad's many years ago. Linda hid it from Roy and only shared the place with Gator when things got too bad at home. Years later, it became a safe place for both of us. A place where we run to where no one can bother us. Since working in the apartment, Gator has been using some of his paychecks to upgrade the cabin. 

With the way Gator drove, he cut the drive in half. Pulling up was nostalgic. I’m reminded of all the nights and summers I spent here. 

Gator turns off the tuck and looks at me,

“My girl is home,” 

Upon entering the cabin, I gasped in awe; the kitchen and living room were redone; I looked at Gator.

“You’ve been doing more than just the bedroom.” He nods, moving towards me.

“I wanted it to be ready for you when you finished training.” He said, laying his forehead upon mine.

I grabbed his collar and smashed his lips into mine.

Unbreaking our bond, he leads us toward the room—a path I know all too well. He lands on the bed, I follow suit. But I break apart and lead my kisses towards his neck as I begin to undress him. He grabs my shirt and lifts it over my head. One thing Gator will always do, no matter how many times we’ve done this ritual, is stare in awe. I wore a lace see-through bra, and he was about to discover that it came as a set. He repositions himself to sit properly, placing me into his lap. I rut into him as he peppers kisses all along my neck.

“Fuck Gator, I need more,” I say breathlessly.

“Patience.” That is all he says before resuming his previous actions. I shut my eyes in both bliss and annoyance. Gator is rarely the person to be patient–and this is the wrong time to start.

“Fuck, my girl is needy, isn’t she?” He says tauntingly, leaning back away from my neck. I groan at the removal of his presence.

“Gator, please,” I say, continuing to rut on him. He once again grabs my hip to still my movements. I look into his eyes; it's pure tease behind them. With one hand, he reaches into his pocket to grab his phone. I’m used to the phone joining our escapades. He angles the phone to get the both of us. He grabs my head and pulls me in, all while taking photos. I reach behind me to remove the bra and let it fall to his lap. I continue to kiss his neck, sucking lightly on the area behind his ear. I leave a hickey there–marking my territory. I move my hands to his belt and unbuckle him. He moves his pants further down. I grab ahold of his crotch once more–fuck I forget how big he is sometimes. He unbuckles my pants, stripping me from the fabric–leaving me bare in my garments. His eyes look, and his mind finally registers that it is a matching set.

He grabs ahold of my ass, squeezing it in his hands. 

“Fuck, baby. You look good like this,”

I remove myself from his neck once more, meeting his gaze. He removes his hand from my ass and places his fingers in my mouth. I begin sucking and drooling on them.

“There you go, you know exactly what to do,” He says, pointing the camera to my face, “Good girl.”

He removes his fingers from my mouth and moves them into my thong, surpassing the fabric and going straight to my clit. I jumped upon contact and moaned. I could barely keep myself up, so I had to stabilize myself by holding his shoulders.

“Oh my God,” I say, looking as he moves up and down my slit. His fingers played with my clit to then moving to protrude into my entrance. 

“God isn’t here, just me.”

He removes his fingers from my slit and has me remove my thong. I stand up and he removes his pants and underwear fully.

There, sitting like a King, hair still slicked back, tattoos on display, with this dick standing, leaking with need. I go to get on my knees, but he stops my actions,

“No, none of that right now, I need you right fucking now.” I nod, leaning into him to kiss him once more. He helps me resettle on his lap, and I grab ahold of his dick, stroking him a few times before lining it up into my entrance. He helps lower me onto him. 

“Fuck, baby, wait,” I say as he strains me open. 

“I know, I know, you're doing so good for me. Taking me so well,” He says as I fully ease into him. I look down to see him fully in me now, fuck did I miss this feeling. 

I begin to move up and down his shaft, setting my own pace. 

“Fuck, look at you. You're so tight, baby. So good,” Gator says as he leans back, taking a video. I grab the phone from him and switch the camera. He wasn’t the only one who used the videos and photos for pleasure. I slow down, but Gator begins to thrust into me. I position the camera to get our bodies. I hear him grunting and getting more breathless as he thrusts into me.

“Fuck Gator, you know how good this feels, fuck right there,” I say into his ear.

He has one hand on my ass, kneading it, then he snakes the other to my clit. I feel his rough fingers graze over the sensitive bud. He begins to move his rough fingers in a circle. I scream in pleasure.

“There you go, take it,” He says, “Take it like a good girl.”

Overwhelmed with the sensation, the relief of being with him, I cum around him. He feels me spasming around him, this only fuels his thrusts more. I’m in a overdose sensation of bliss, Gator now following and cumming in to me. Feeling his release, his hips stutter, his grasp on me tighten puts me at a euphoric stage. I collapse onto him and he falls back into the bed. 

“Holy shit,” Is all I hear before I drown out the world and only listen to my favorite song. The heartbeat of my lover.

[aurorafables]

From the Grey, Chapter 6.

“Okay, maybe you're not such a shitty friend after all,” I teased him with a smile.

“If you knew what was going through my mind right now, you would definitely have a different opinion.”

Hi everyone! Sooo maybe the things are starting to heat up around the boys 😎, just like the weather on a sunny summer day ☀️

Pairing: Noah Sebastian X Nicholas Ruffilo

Warnings: 18+, Explicit, Angst, Past character death, Suicidal thoughts

Tags: M/M, M/F, Slow burn, Childhood friends, Friends to lovers, Family drama, Band fic, Masturbation, Accidental Voyeurism

Word Count: 5.1k

Cross-posted: AO3

6.

The next morning, Aby and Steve left around eight. Noah was still asleep, so I said goodbye to them alone after helping pack everything into the trunk of the car.

“I'm glad we could spend yesterday together,” Aby hugged me.

“Me too. The cocktails were divine.”

“I see Noah several times, but you live so far away,” she complained.

“I'll always try to make sure we run into each other when I'm near LA,” I promised her.

“We'll meet in a few days on the tour,” Steven patted me on the back.

“Yes, you'll have had enough of us after a week for sure,” I joked with him, and he just shrugged his shoulders.

“Sometimes you are like bad, bad kids, but you are my kids!” he left a big kiss on my cheek, then he also squeezed me thoroughly. “I'm glad you're here with Noah. I know he likes to be alone, but still…” he said before letting go.

I smiled at him and gave a small nod. I know exactly what he meant.

“Give my regards to your mother… and your brothers and sisters too. Everyone!” Aby got into the car, laughing.

“I'll give it to them,” I promised. “And also give your son a kiss for me. I hope to see him again before he goes to school.”

"He grows so fast," Steven said proudly.

"And give our regards to Noah when he wakes up," Aby added, then started the SUV.

"Okay, I will," I promised.

I waved as they slowly rolled out of the grassy area to reach the dirt road that ran along the side of the lake. I loved them both, but the undeniable fact was that the silence was almost palpable after they left. And it was just the quiet that Noah and I needed before we continued the tour.

When they were out of sight, I walked back, sat down at the table on the patio, and booked a plane ticket in Maya's name on the laptop I borrowed from Noah. After that I also wrote Matt a message and asked him to transfer my hotel room in Vegas to two people. He wasn't happy that this was just coming out, but in exchange for a bottle of whiskey he phoned the hotel and had it all sorted out in five minutes. When I sent the reservation information to Maya, I got a series of heart emojis in response, so I sat back satisfied. I was glad that I managed to make her happy with this idea.

It was 10 am when Noah came out, but he only came down to the kitchen to go back to the room with a coffee. While he was downstairs, I quickly packed my own stuff into the other, vacated room. When we ran into each other he said he had some phone calls to make. I immediately remembered that Karin had asked to talk the night before, and maybe that's why he doesn't want me around while he's on the phone. I understood and tried to occupy myself with something while I waited for him, but meanwhile my thoughts kept wandering towards him. I hoped Karin couldn't manipulate him anymore.

I read the news, watched videos, called my brother, went through the offers at an online musical instrument store, and ordered a new set of strings for the tour. I wandered by the lake for a bit, and at around 1 pm I went into the kitchen to make ourselves something for lunch. I found meat patties in the freezer, so I decided to make two hamburgers, carefully packed with cheese, bacon and vegetables.

Before I started frying the meat in a pan, I went upstairs and knocked on the room, even though the door was ajar.

"Come," Noah said, so I entered.

He was sitting on his bed, the sun shining through the window behind him, casting a magical aura around him. He was still in a pair of boxers, his hair was messy, and he was biting his lip as he watched his phone.

“I just wanted to say that lunch is almost ready. I'm making hamburgers and all I have to do is fry the meat.”

"Okay," he answered, still not looking up.

“Is something wrong?” I asked him quietly, to which the answer was only a quick shake of the head.

"I'll grab some clothes and be downstairs in a few," he said.

I stomped down the stairs a little disappointed. There was no sign of yesterday's jovial Noah, and he didn't seem like he wanted to reveal why. Maybe he called Karin and the conversation didn't go the way he wanted. Or Matt had upset him about something. It's irrelevant. But my mood was also screwed up, and I just noticed that I barely pay attention to the meat while I'm cooking it. I almost burned them. For sure, it wasn't the most delicious meal I made, but in the end I called it edible even though the meat was a little dry. It's okay, we'll put more sauce on it.

I was just putting the top of the hamburger bun on when Noah finally arrived. I realized with sadness that he still had his phone in hand and was walking around as if he was only physically present.

“Artificial Suicide?” I asked him, to which the only answer was that his mouth spread into a smile.

I put the lunch in front of him, then sat down next to mine. While we ate in silence, I watched out of the corner of my eye as he took apart the bun, took out the cucumber slices, and started eating. I giggled softly as I put a lettuce leaf that had fallen on a plate into my mouth.

I know there are days when Noah is picky about his vegetables, just as I know it's impossible to guess what he's in the mood for. For example, he had no objection to the cucumber with the fish the night before.

Noah looked up at me from the plate, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly as he looked up from under his lashes with his dark eyes.

“This turned out very delicious,” he said with his mouth full.

“You don't have to exaggerate,” I playfully kicked his leg under the table. ”I almost burned it.”

“Just almost… I'm not exaggerating, it's a thousand times better than what I usually make.”

I continued to eat in a slightly better mood, and I felt that Noah was finally starting to relax, he was no longer as serious and troubled as he had been all morning. I was on the last few bites when I felt Noah's bare foot touch my calf. I didn't look up, ate the rest of my food, then licked the sauce off my finger. His gentle touches felt good that day, and the day before… I tried to make no big deal out of it and completely ignore the fact that heat was creeping up my entire body, starting from my feet. Noah also finished his lunch and texted Matt on his phone, then he looked at me, smiled and put down his phone with his chin in his palm. He couldn't completely break away from work and the band even for these few days, he always had to deal with something related to that, but I couldn't blame him for that. We all had something else to do in case we had to stop making music, except Noah. He only had the band. As I was thinking that I don't feel like getting up from the table, because then that little physical contact will cease, but my phone rang, which made us both startle. Danny's name appeared on the display. Noah sighed and settled into the chair.

“Until you talk with her, I'll pack the dishes,” he offered and slowly took his leg away from mine. “Tell her my regards.”

I nodded and then answered my sister's call. We hadn't spoken in days, so it was nice to hear her voice. Danielle raved about how much fun they were having in France and how sorry she was that their plane was leaving the next morning. With a big smile on my face, I listened to their experiences, which was sometimes joined by my other sister, then I wished them a good trip and we said goodbye to each other.

“Do you want to go down to the lake?” Noah asked after I finished the call. Since I had already arranged the reservation for Maya, I had no other plans for today except for rest, so I immediately nodded.

“I'll get my swimming trunks, then we can go.“ I went to the fridge and took out a fruit smoothie for myself. “Beer or soda?” I turned to Noah.

"No alcohol," he said. “The cocktails gave me a headache in the morning.”

“Or the wine you drank with the dinner…,” - I added with a laugh, then I took out a juice for him as well.

We were done in five minutes. I just put on my swimming trunks, put my hair in a bun on top of my head and threw the towel over my shoulders. We grabbed the small bottles of soft drinks, a blanket, and walked down to the lakeshore. The heat hit us as soon as we stepped out the door from the air-conditioned house, and when the sun was on our heads, I already felt that it was much hotter than before. I put on my sunglasses, I smiled and listened as Noah scolded the Sun and the heat, non-stop until we got to the beach.

"I'd think you are a vampire," I remarked as he dropped the stuff on the ground and headed to the water.

“I hate it when it's too hot and I sweat. And I hate squinting and getting sunburned. Not everyone can have perfect skin like you,” he muttered under his breath as he waded into the water and was immediately neck deep. The sight gave me the chills, but he moaned contentedly and wet his hair as well.

While he tried to cool his body, which had heated up in five minutes, I spread the blanket next to a mossy stone surrounded by ferns, in the shade of a tree. Some card game fell on the ground, which luckily was held together with a rubber band, so the box didn't fall apart and the cards didn’t fall out. At the top was The Mind written. It caught my attention, and as soon as I sat down, I began to read its rather mystical description. I was about to dive in when cold drops of water hit my back. I flinched and quickly turned back. Noah came out of the water and as he shook his head, the water flew everywhere, but when I saw the satisfied grin on his face, I was sure he did it on purpose.

“When you're done with playing the dog, we could try this out,” I held up the toy box.

“Playing the dog? What expression is this?” he raised his eyebrows, then sat down next to me on the blanket. As I continued to read the game description, I felt his cold, wet skin touch my arm and gasped as something much warmer but just as wet touched my shoulder. I reflexively turned my head to the side, and the first thing I noticed was that his face was too close to mine, and the second that his tongue touched my skin, which he pulled back between his white teeth at that moment.

“What are you doing?” I asked in a completely screwed up, breathless voice.

Noah blinked at me, water dripping from his hair onto my thigh, then he simply shrugged.

“You told me something about a dog.”

It took some time for my foggy mind to understand his words, but that didn't change the fact that this little thing had pushed me to the edge of the abyss. What the hell got into me anyway? Noah could tell that I wasn't going to laugh at him—because I must have had some hideous big tangle in my brain—so he took the little box out of my hand, cleared his throat, and backed away a little.

“Jolly hated this, he wanted to overturn the table when Jesse and I sat down to play. He already had a beer or two, but he is too down to earth anyway,” he explained with a small smile as he took the cards out of the box. “The cards are numbered from one to one hundred. Shuffle them, and in the first round we both get a card. The task is to stack the cards from our hands in ascending order without seeing the other's numbers. In the next round, we are dealt two cards, so four numbers must be lined up, but you know only yours. And so on.

“So… we have to rely on our intuition?” I asked, glad that I managed to distract myself so quickly from what happened two minutes ago.

"Something like that," Noah smiled as he shuffled the cards in his hands. “And we have to tune in to each other,” he added.

I remembered the days when we lived together and without thinking we would complete each other's sentences, raise the glass to our mouths at the same moment, or simply look at each other and smile at something while we were together. It still happened, but significantly less often than before.

Noah dealt the single hand we started with, and I felt that with a number three there was a pretty good chance I would have to fold as soon as possible, so I did. Noah triumphantly rolled his forty-two and we won the round without a problem. Our first problem was on the third lap. I put down a nineteen and my next number was fifty-seven, so I waited. Noah looked up at me several times, then bit his lip, wrinkled his nose a little, and waited. I pushed the sunglasses up into my hair, and I swear, with all my strength, with every cell, I was trying to get the inspiration to reach him. The next moment, we both couldn't hold back our laughter.

“How long are we waiting?” I asked with a dramatic sigh, clutching the remaining two cards.

“I could ask that too,” he answered me while trying to stare penetratingly without blinking with those deep, dark eyes. I glanced down at my cards, then back at him. Noah raised one eyebrow, and I saw a drop of water fall from his hair, run down his shoulders and pectoral muscles, his stomach, touch the patterns on his skin, and then melt into the fabric of his swimming trunks. I took out the fifty-seven and hit the nineteen that I had laid down before. Noah sighed. I tried hard to read his face, but he remained completely unreadable.

"Hm… that was close," he remarked, and I waited more and more impatiently to find out if we could go any further or if it was game over. I didn't think it could be this exciting.

"Come on, Noah," I finally told him when I couldn't take it anymore.

Another sigh and he finally put down the card he was holding, which was fifty-eight. Then he was already grinning like a maniac and raised his hand so that we could slap our palms together.

We failed in the sixth round and when we started again we managed to make it to the seventh.

“We're showing an improving trend?” I shrugged as I put the cards back in the box because Noah wanted to dip again.

“And it's much, much more fun to play with you than with the non-stop whining Jolly. That's stupid ,” he exaggerated Jolly's Swedish accent. “Who invented this game? And whose idea was it to play with this? Does anyone have this working? Noah, right now I can't decide if you're going to kill me, fuck me, or just scream at me with your eyes. I don't like either option.”

I laughed so hard at the perfect performance that I even shed a tear. Noah looked at my reaction with satisfaction, then nodded towards the lake.

“Are we going?”

“Let's go,” I said when I could speak from laughing. When I was up to my knees in water, my good humor waned a little, and I wrapped my arms around myself and stepped further in, as if to protect myself from the cold. Noah had long ago submerged and was lying a few meters away on the surface of the water waiting for me to catch up. When the water licked my stomach, I took a deep breath and submerged up to my neck to get over the worst part. Noah grinned as he watched me gasp for air, straighten up again, and then when I took the second dive, it didn't seem nearly as cold.

“We should have brought the ball,” he remarked when I got to him. He ran his hands back through his hair, which now looked almost black as it clung to his head and neck, then spread his arms and ran his palms along the surface of the water. His tattoos glistened wetly in the sunlight.

“And now what will we do without the ball?” I asked him. I didn't mind that there wasn't much we could do, so at least we'd get out of the lake sooner.

Noah looked at me, his eyes darting to my chest and upper arm, then his lips curled into a smile.

“Let's watch you get goosebumps, your mouth watering, and you turn into a block of ice in the heat.”

“What kind of friend would watch this idly?” I pretended to be indignant.

"Pretty shitty friend, for sure, so we have to do something," he answered mysteriously and took a step towards me. At first, only our feet met somewhere under the water, then as he straightened up, I found myself face to face with his neck, the tattoo of the forbidden fruit on his skin. I wasn't short either, but Noah still towered over me easily, and since we were so close together, I had to tilt my head back to see his face. Now there was enough light to count his freckles. And meanwhile I was thinking why we are in this situation for the second time in a day, Noah gently reached around my waist and pulled me closer. His skin was much hotter than mine, and I felt the physical contact start to warm me.

“Okay, maybe you're not such a shitty friend after all,” I teased him with a smile.

“If you knew what was going through my mind right now, you would definitely have a different opinion.”

The smile disappeared from my face as I blinked at him because the sun was right in my eyes and I begged him to explain what he meant with my gaze. I'm sure he saw my incomprehension, but didn't want or couldn't deal with it. I raised my arm to pull my sunglasses off from the top of my head, but Noah grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let go.

“Don’t. Your eyes are incredible in this light.”

He had said the same thing to me before, but now the difference was in the way he said it. His voice was like liquid honey, a half-whisper, full of emotion and heat. It's nowhere near like when we used to be friendly and try to instill some confidence in each other before a silly date.

He may not have intended it as a distraction, but it still succeeded. The right thing to do would have been to push him away from me right away, instead I grabbed his broad shoulders with my hands. Who do I want to lie to? I could never refuse him. Noah's dark eyes locked with mine for a few moments, then his gaze drifted to my mouth. He swallowed, his Adam's apple moving up and down under his skin stitched with colorful inks. I wanted to lick his neck all the way. When I had this thought, I knew I had to do something to get out of this vortex. I couldn't have pushed him away, so I chose a different path. I leaned even closer to him, put my face on his shoulder and hugged him, just to get back to friendly gestures at least a little. Noah's fingers tightened around my waist, then slowly relaxed into the embrace. I could feel how fast his heart was beating and I wondered if mine was in a similar state. If we stay in a hug for a long time, do our hearts pick up the rhythm of the other just because they are physically close? Such silly thoughts were running through my head while my body was floating in complete numbness. We spoke at the same time, although I didn't even know what I wanted to do with it, I just felt that I had to say her name to see if we would sober up.

“Maya… “

"Damn…" Noah's shoulders tensed, then he took a step back and gently removed my arms around his body. ”You're going to get cold, we should go outside…,” he said in a choked voice, staring into the distance, avoiding my eyes.

I could only nod, because as he let go, I felt again how cold the water was. Noah immediately headed for the beach and upon reaching he grabbed his towel and then stepped into his slippers. I watched with furrowed brows, still frozen in the lake, as he walked towards the house.

When he got out of the view, the thought hit me like a train. What the hell happened? Even if only a little, we successfully crossed the line that should never have been crossed. But then why did it feel so right? I thought about Noah's forbidden fruit tattoo and had to laugh at the connection. Then I remembered his voice and his confused movements before he stepped away and left me alone. It was eerily similar to the moments before a panic attack.

"Shit…" I muttered to myself now as I waded through the water towards the shore, beating myself up for the fact that it had been minutes until I realized Noah needed me. When I got out, I grabbed the blanket and towel, then started towards the house. My pants were dripping with water, I was completely frozen, but nothing was important except to make sure Noah is okay.

As soon as I entered the house, I heard the water running in the bathroom, so I immediately went there. I knocked impatiently and called his name, but nothing. I didn't think much before I pushed down the door handle. It was very steamy inside and Noah's bathing suit was lying on the floor. He was already in the shower, I could make out somewhat even in the steam, and the water was running loudly, which is probably why he couldn't hear me looking for him. I took a calming, deep breath because he seemed to be okay. It suddenly seemed silly that I panicked so much about him acting strangely, so I tried to quietly back out of the bath, the crumpled blanket still clutched in front of me. I didn't want to explain why I broke the door on him, I just wanted to sneak into my room, under the covers, to warm up and to get my thoughts in order. But it turned out that life had other plans.

I was already at the door when I heard Noah. His voice almost blended into the sound of the rushing water, but I could make out the soft whimper because it wasn't the first time I'd opened in the bathroom when I shouldn't have. It was a slightly higher voice than his speaking tone, followed by a deeper moan. The little fluffs on the back of my neck were standing up, and I was flooded with heat from head to toe. I was no longer cold at all.

I closed the door behind me as quietly as I could and walked into my room like a zombie. I took off my sunglasses and ran my fingers through my hair, gripping the strands a little, hoping the pain would sober me up. My brain finally started working, but instead of solutions and reassuring answers, it just created more questions. What happened between my best friend and me in the lake? Did we really almost kiss? How long have we been dancing on this line? Did this all just start yesterday? Why did Noah run into the house? Did I cause all this…? And when I finish to think about such things, I'm able to pay attention to my own body functions… Why do I feel like I'm going crazy if I don't touch myself?

I raised my waist and impatiently tore off the wet swimming trunks. I looked down between my legs as if it wasn't clear what was going on down there, but I guess I needed that to really believe it. Then I didn't think much anymore, I just did what my body dictated. When I took my hot throbbing cock in my fist, my head fell back on the door. From then on, I was completely guided by instinct and habit, as if I was competing with how I could come as soon as possible. I think I was afraid that if I didn't focus on the physical part of it, my mind would wander and I'd mentally end up back in the lake with Noah. Or in the bathroom, which must have been even more covered in steam since then. But I was not willing to allow myself all this, because I felt I would cross the invisible border that I had been avoiding for some time.

I thought about Maya's breasts, how good my cock looked between her full lips. For a moment, Noah's thinner, pink mouth pops in as he looks at me with his dark, soul-piercing eyes. I let out a soft whimper of helplessness like an animal in pain. I tried to recall what it feels like to be in my girlfriend when she cums, squeezes, and is fucking wet… and in the meantime, Noah appeared in my mind, lying under me, his neck stretched back and his lips parted in a soft moan.

I was done in about two minutes. I put my free forearm in front of my mouth to muffle my moans and didn't notice that I slipped to the ground as I trembled. It was as if I was under the influence of some drug, because moments were missing. I didn't even remember the warning sign that radiated from my spine to my lower abdomen every time before orgasm, it just happened, and it came so unexpectedly that I couldn't even prepare for it. I wasn't really the master of my own body for the first time since I was a teenager. Panting, I stared at my hand and rolled it in disbelief, as if there was anything strange about being all sticky after masturbating. The sperm had also got everywhere, and I looked at the traces with furrowed brows. Irritated, I reached for my wet swimming shorts to wipe myself off, and that's when I saw the card game sticking out of the lakeside blanket, lying half on the wooden floor, half still wrapped in the fabric, as if laughing at me.

“Tuning into each other, huh?” I growled into the silence of the room, completely out of breath.

As I sat there totally naked on the floor, waiting for my breathing to normalize a little, my eyes wandered to my dirty feet. Then something popped in my mind. I left my slippers at the lakeside and didn't even notice until I got there. I jumped up so fast I felt a little dizzy and went straight to my bag to dig out a pair of clean pants and a t-shirt. I have rarely been as tense as in those moments. I put on my other slippers, which I usually shower in less posh hotels, and walked out the door. I don't know why I was surprised that Noah had finished his…shower and all that in the meantime. He was standing in the hallway in a pair of shorts with a mop bucket, looking at me curiously as I stormed out of my room.

“Everything is alright?” he asked me, confused. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”

Nothing was fine, but then why was he acting like this day was completely normal? Because after all, nothing happened between us. Nothing, just the harmless play and teasing of two good friends. Everything that showed beyond this was only born in my brain. I suddenly felt ashamed of myself for being so upset and tried to calm myself down. I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and counted to three.

“Of course, I just forgot my slippers on the lake shore.”

“Oh, I see.” Noah raised one of his eyebrows, smiling. I looked down at the ground, then I finally realized, why does he have a mop bucket with him. “Don't worry, probably no frog has touched it yet. It would be a big fit for them.”

I had to smile at this, because Noah's honest cheerfulness was always contagious.

“Jolly called anyway. Folio arrived a few hours ago, so maybe we should head back tomorrow. Now we can do some rehearsal together.”

“Great,” I answered completely resignedly, because I felt that the company of the others would be particularly good, but at the same time I regretted that our time with Noah alone would pass.

"I'm making dinner today," Noah added, then soaked the mop in the water.

"Great," I said again. "If you would like, I'd be happy to finish cleaning up," I offered him, but Noah just shook his head.

“Don't worry about it, I'm almost done. I just have to clean up the muddy footprints in front of the bathroom.”

Fortunately, he couldn't see my face, which was contorted in pain, because he was already focused on the floor, and I found the moment perfect to slip away before I made an even bigger fool of myself.