#theres tension building within me and i know it will not get relief

[2-kamikou-1]

hhghhhhj/!!!!

[just-another-ficwriter]

Stay

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Reader

Words: 2000ish

Warnings: Mentions of a panic attack and claustrophobia, angst

Summary: 2 hours and 54 minutes. That’s how long Sweet Pea and Y/N are stuck in an elevator reliving their past, 6 years after they last saw each other.

Notes: Another squared filled on my @riverdalebingo card using the prompt ‘The Prembrooke’.

It’s the sound of her heels clicking along the marble floors that first grabs his attention. He turns his head briefly away from Smithers to see black thigh high boots and a tartan skirt that screams Veronica so he looks away again.

But then he remembers the old man behind the desk had told him that Ronnie was already upstairs in her apartment and his head whips around again so fast it makes him dizzy.

It can’t be.

But there’s something familar about her walk, the way she carries herself and he finds himself following her through the unusually crowded lobby.

She ducks into the elevator as people start to pile out and it takes everything in him not to push them out of his way just to get a better look at her face.

He doesn’t think about it as he squeezes his body through the closing gap of the doors just before they shut, leaving them both trapped inside alone.

His eyes meet her widening ones, and as they move upwards he starts to feel his heart sink.

There’s no deny it’s Y/N now. 

-

1 minute

He feels the awkward tension grow between them until it starts to suffocate him.

He tries his best not to look at her while she pretends he’s not even there but every passing second feels like a life time and he can’t bare it anymore.

“Y/N...” She flinches as her name falls from his lips and she tries not to crumble at the sound.

“Hello Nate.” It’s his turn to recoil now, the use of his first name really showing how things have changed between them. There’s something cold in her tone and he hates it.

“I didn’t know you were in town.” He notices the way her hands clutch tightly around her bag strap, her knuckles turning pale and he suppresses the urge to make her release them.

“I was passing by, thought I’d visit V.” She still can’t look at him, her lips pressing into a small thin line in between every sentence. “You’re the last person I expected to see.”

“You and me both.” He’s murmuring now, all confidence lost. He’s not sure why he even followed her in the first place it was always bound to end this way.

A few more seconds of tense silence passes by and just when he thinks their about to reach Veronica’s floor and finally escape, the lift holts to a stop and sends them stumbling into each other.

“What the hell was that?” He catches her arm to stop her hitting the back wall, and she wonders if he can feel her pulse through her clothes as her heart rate accelerates.

He senses her panic, still knowing her far too well, and tries everything he can think of.

He presses every floor, but they don’t move.

He holds the emergency button, but there’s no one on the other end.

He tries to pry the doors open, but they don’t budge an inch.

He turns back to her, her eyes are still wide and he knows what he’s about to say next won’t offer her any relief. “I think we’re stuck.”

-

10 minutes

He’s given up.

But she hasn’t.

She’s pacing back and fore, her cell phone held high in the air. He’s watching her squint at it, thumb jabbing at the screen like it’ll make a difference. But they both know it won’t.

She’s frustrated. Frustrated that the lifts stopped working, frustrated that she’s stuck in here with him of all people.

Frustrated that she can’t get any damn phone signal.

“This can’t be happening!” She slips her phone back into her bag so she can throw her fists at the door in desperation.

Sweet Pea just sits there watching her, searching for the right thing to say. He’s thought about this moment before but he never imagined it happening like this.

-

36 Minutes

She’s hyperventilating.

They’ve spent the last 20 minutes in silence as far away from each other as possible but now he’s at her side.

She can feel the tension grow throughout her body until her chest is too tight, and her breathing becomes so shallow she starts to gasp for air.

Her eyes are wild as he places his hands either side of her face, forcing her to look straight at him. Theres something calming about his warm touch and reassuring gaze.

“Breathe okay?” He’s breathing loudly now too, remembering from when they’ve done this before. In and out, pushing her to follow his lead as she nods against his palms. “Just breathe.”

Her chest raises up and down harshly with each sharp breath, her hands now wrapped around his wrists, anchoring her to stability as her heart rate finally slows.

She’s always hated small spaces.

-

1 Hour and 13 Minutes

The whole situation is funny in an ironic kind of way, or that’s what he tries to convince himself.

They haven’t talked in over half an hour and with each passing second he grows more irritated.

His nostrils flare every time she sighs too loudly, he hates the way she constantly locks and unlocks her phone and now she’s tapping her long nails against the floor in an irregular rhythm, the sound driving him crazy.

She hasn’t even said thank you properly.

“Could you just stop that?” His voice is harsher than he intended it to be and it makes her head snap to him.

“Sorry.” She rolls her eyes at him like he’s just an inconvenience leaving a bad taste in her mouth and it pushes him over the edge.

“This is just typical you isn’t it?” There’s a lava bubbling in the pit of his stomach, burning its way through his body until he can’t take it anymore.

“Excuse me?�� She looks at him likes he’s offended her, her mouth slightly agape. It makes him feel guilty but not enough to make him stop.

“Why are you the one mad at me?” It’s like they’re 19 again and everything he felt back then is rushing back to him. He wants to hurt her the way he was hurt but at the same time he wants to pull her into him and smell the shampoo on her hair. He hates her and he doesn’t. “If I remember correctly you’re the one who walked out.”

She wants to hit him. She wants to scream out. But she just sits there, body tense and back straight. She’s a flurry of pent up anger and rage but there’s a wounded look in her eyes that he’s all too familiar with. “Because you told me to!”

“But you didn’t fight!” There’s a guilt that washes over him because there’s a truth to her words. He pushed and pushed until she couldn’t take anymore and chose to leave. He’d told himself it was for the best, but that hadn’t made it sting any less. “I knew what you wanted in life, that being with me would hold you back and well... look at you now.”

She pauses briefly, pondering over her next words but the sentence is far from what he expected. “I never thought you were holding me back.”

“Do you really think you would have graduated from Harvard, started your own successful business and got a fancy apartment in LA if you were still running around with a small town gang member?” Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, she’s a little impressed, a little terrified. He realises what he said and his feels his face flush. “I might have stalked your social media once or twice.”

“You know...” For one brief second she shows the underlying vulnerability she so desperately tries to hide, even though it’s always there. Her voice cracks just a little but it’s enough to make him feel even worse about himself. “If you asked me to stay I would have.”

He looks at her properly for the first time during their argument with the saddest smile on his lips and she feels her heart break. “That’s why I never asked.”

-

1 Hour and 47 Minutes

They’re sitting closer now.

He doesn’t know how it happened, did she move or did he?

Either way he doesn’t care. He likes her being beside him.

And as she rummages away in her bag, his eyes drift down to the girl that once meant everything to him and his lips turn up into a natural smile.

She’s different but she’s the same. There’s more of a confidence to her, her y/h/c seems lighter, but she still smells of vanilla.

She senses him watching, feels his eyes on her and she wants to be annoyed but her cheeks just burn a shade of pink she hopes he won’t notice. She grins at him to throw him off, and the sight takes his breathe away.

They lock eyes in a way that just feels natural as she holds a bar a chocolate between them. They laugh as she offers him some, the sound filling the small room.

Who’s he trying to kid, she still means everything to him.

There’s no point trying to convince himself otherwise.

-

2 Hours and 26 Minutes

“I never asked what you were doing here?” She turns to look up at him, their faces so close it makes his thoughts a little fuzzy. He suddenly finds himself wondering how her lips taste and he has to blink the idea away.

“We’re stuck in here remember? I can’t leave.” She rolls her eyes again, fondly this time as she laughs at his stupid joke, bumping his shoulder with hers.

“I mean the Pembrooke.” She’s relaxed sitting next to him, picking at her hem of her skirt. They’re now surprising comfy in each other’s company, all bitterness fading away.

“When Veronica took over the building she knew I was struggling for business.” Sweet Pea’s quiet again for a moment, a little embarrassed by his admittance. “She offered me a contract to fix all the maintenance issues, present and future.”

“You still have the business?” He cocks an eyebrow at her surprise and she groans loudly in protest. “I didn’t mean it like that’s I just... I’m proud of you Sweets.”

The way she says his nickname hurts just as much as seeing her, but he wants to hear it again.

-

2 Hours and 54 Minutes

They're finally out, and where he's glad not to be stuck anymore he's feels a little lost with out her.

They thank the fire department for helping them after Veronica tackles them both and makes some jokes about being surprised they're both alive. They say their awkward goodbyes, and something within him comes alive.

He doesn't want her to disappear around the corner and have her retreating frame the last thing he remembers. He doesn't want her to go back to another face on his Instagram feed.

“Y/N wait up!” He's running towards her before he gets a chance to change his mind, grateful that Veronica excuses herself and leaves them to it.

“Sweets...” She sighs his name half heartedly, biting her lower lip.

“Stay.” He doesn’t care that it’s six years too late. He doesn’t care that she’s looking at him like he’s crazy, maybe he is. All he cares about is telling her how he feels and hoping she feels the same. “Here, with me.”

“I can’t just drop everything-“ She releases a small huff of exasperation but he can see the admiration in her eyes. All he can hear is that she didn't say no.

“That’s not what I’m asking, we’ll figure the rest out but just for tonight-” He takes her hands in his in once last desperate plea. "Stay?"

She doesn't give him an answer, just crashes her lips to his.

Riverdale Winter Bingo Masterlist

Forever Taglist: @p-marie-sp

Sweet Pea Taglist: @80sand90simagine @wildberryyyy @hopelesslylosttheway

[cottoncandyshawn]

Babydoll Dancer (Part 2)

Synopsis: Shawn hasn’t heard anything from y/n since the night he saw her on stage. Becoming fed up of waiting, he takes matters into his own hands.

Warnings: Mentions of smut in the start, but thats about it I think!

Word Count: 2k

Like and reblog if you enjoyed this xx

He had tried to busy himself with paperwork. Tried to occupy his mind with thoughts of anything other than her, but it always found its way back, causing his heart to skip a beat and his chest to flush. He couldn't help but remember the way her hips had swayed to the music playing over the speakers, or the way the light coating of sweat on her chest shone under the bright lights. The way her eyes held contact with his, like she was trying to figure him out.

It had been almost two weeks since he gave her his name and number, bolting out of the hidden burlesque lounge soon after so that he could tend to his throbbing length, which had been trapped in the confines of his tight pants.

He found himself checking his phone more often than he would on a regular business day, disappointment settling deep within his chest when he found no texts and no missed calls. He wondered if the unspoken chemistry they shared that night was just all a part of her act, and that he'd read too far into it in the moment; too caught up in the lust and butterflies of it all to notice.

It wasn’t often that he got restless when he was alone in his penthouse, but restless was an understatement of what he was feeling this evening. Had this been any night prior to watching Babydoll dance, he would have busied himself with office work, signing papers, finalising deals; anything to keep himself occupied until he was ready to retire for the night. 

Some nights he would settle himself in bed even earlier than usual. His underwear neglected somewhere on the floor as he tugged at his leaking cock desperately, his head alternating between tipping back and exposing his throat as he gasped and moaned, and watching the naked woman on his laptop screen take whatever her man was giving her. The act leaving him satisfied as he would wonder into the ensuite bathroom to clean up the mess of a painting he had created across his chiseled abdomen and flushed chest.

Tonight was different though, he couldn’t concentrate on anything, with the memory of how her lips had wrapped around her index finger clouding his mind. The image of how she had sucked away the champagne, holding eye contact with him until it all became too much and he had to look away had embedded itself in his brain. It replayed vividly every time he closed his eyes, keeping him awake and as restless as the flickering Toronto city lights.

Sighing heavily, Shawn pushes away from his kitchen counter, his fingers combing his messy curls away from his face. He wasn’t angry or frustrated, he was simply confused. Everything her body language was telling him that night in the dimly lit room was saying that she was as interested as he was. He’d left the ball in her court. Grabbing a water bottle from the refrigerator, he leaned against his cold, marble bench tops and sipped from the glass vessel. He wondered if the reason she hadn’t called was his own fault. Had he given her the wrong number? Did she not see the note?

Placing the bottle down on the counter, he pulled his phone out to check the day.

Saturday, 10:05 PM

Remembering that she said she danced every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, serving every other day; a knowing smile crept up onto his features. Pushing off the bench he made a beeline for his room to change into his black jeans and a maroon button down shirt, his excitement building as he grabbed his car keys and headed to the out towards his Jeep.

The club was exactly how he remembered it as he payed his entry fee and pulled back the thick, ruby red curtain. The strong scent of sweat and cheap cologne hitting him all at once as his eyes adjusted to the dim lights. Searching the room, there was no sight of her, only other waitresses and older men with their hands covering their crotches and their eyes glued to the dancers on stage. Making his way over to the bar, he had to pause for a moment as he spotted her. There she was, looking so cute as she moved around behind the bar, a concentrated expression falling over her features as she appeared to be mixing a drink. It was busier tonight, the atmosphere in the small burlesque lounge buzzing with adrenaline and lust. She looked stressed and it made him worry that now may not have been the best time to interrupt.

Pushing his thoughts and hesitation aside, he made his way to the bar, standing in front of her, taking note of how her lips pouted ever so slightly as she dedicated her focus to the task at hand. She must have felt eyes on her as she smiled and looked up, her expression dropping as they locked eyes. She remembered him, how could she not?

He realised that he was staring, a blush finding its way to his cheeks and his hands becoming clammy as he battled with the excitement bubbling over in the pit of his stomach… what the hell was happening to him?

“Hi,” he spoke first, his teeth showing in a relieved smile behind his pink lips.

“Uh, hi! Nate, our bartender will be with you in a moment-“

“I’m actually not here for the show. Do you- do you have time to talk?” He played with the ring on his finger, a nervous habit he had picked up over the years as things started getting serious at work.

“I’m working,” she spoke bluntly as she made her way out from behind the bar, grabbing her serving tray and beginning to weave her way between tables to serve drinks to patrons.

He couldn’t help himself as his eyes travelled south on her body, appreciating the curve of her hips with a low hum deep in his chest as she sauntered away from him.

Realising that she was moving farther away from his at a fast pace, he made the quick decision to walk fast and catch up to her, apologising to audience members as his large frame momentarily blocked their view.

“Can we please talk for a moment? I promise it’ll only be quick, please-“

She fought back the urge to smirk as she interrupted him… was he begging?

“Shawn, I said I’m working! Come back another time,” she spoke louder, frustration evident in her tone.

‘She said my name. So, she did get the note,’ Shawn thinks to himself.

Just as she decides to continue walking away from him, his hand reaches out and gently grips onto her upper arm. He looks at where his hand is placed and notices how soft her skin is, small bumps arise under his warm grip and it softens the mood slightly.

His eyes trail up slowly, meeting her’s as he searches for any signs of hesitation.

“I really need to talk to you. Please.”

His eyes bore into her’s, pleading her silently to agree to a quick conversation.

She pauses, as if she’s thinking. Weighing up the pros and cons of being one-on-one with him. She’s nervous, he can tell. It runs through her like electricity, lighting up her gorgeous eyes with worry, or maybe that was just the spotlight searching the room for the current performer. Either way, it didn’t matter to him. She was in front of him, and she was beautiful.

She lets out a huff, and it’s as if they’d both been holding their breath, waiting for the other to react first.

“Go wait at the bar, I’ll be there in a few,” she sighs out in defeat.

A thankful grin crosses his features as the look in his eyes screams a million thanks.

Sitting at the bar, he orders himself a rum and coke. The alcoholic liquid calms his nerves momentarily as he sips on it slowly, not at all phased by the performance on stage as he scrolls through his phone, waiting for her to finish up serving drinks. He can feel eyes burning into him and when he glances up, he’s met with a pissed off glare from Nate, who is standing on the other end of the bar as he dries a few martini glasses. Thinking nothing of it, he looks down at his phone again, until he hears Nate clear his throat and he looks up, yet again meeting his burning eyes. Shawn raises his eyebrows and offers a friendly smile, only to be scoffed at. Before he has the chance to react, he feels someone take the drink out of his hand and place it on the bar-top, relief washing over him when he realises that it’s y/n and not some stranger looking to start a pointless fight.

She grabs his hand and leads him behind the bar into a the storage room, locking the door behind her before she crosses her arms over her chest and turns her body to face him. His cheeks are flushed when he thinks about the position he’s in; locked in a storage closet with the girl that drives him wild. He felt like he was at a trashy college frat party again.

Silence fills the room for a few seconds, the tension in the room almost too much to be able to breathe. Shawn opens his mouth to say something but she cuts him off before a sound can push its way out of his lungs.

“Just so you know, theres a massive difference between a prostitute and a burlesque performer. My body isn’t for sale,” her voice stern as her eyes hold a sense of dominance.

“Wait… what?” Confusion evident as his body language and tone of voice shift.

“You said I didn’t have to dance for money and you gave me your number. I got your note. I got the message loud and clear, Shawn.”

“You think I thought you were a prostitute? No, I wanted you to call me so that I could ask you out on a date, y/n,” he laughs out, a little bit shocked by her assumptions. Of course this would happen to him, he’d find a girl who intrigues him and she thinks he wants to hire her for the night.

“Oh… Well- well what about saying I don’t have to dance for money?” She stumbles over her words, the embarrassment of misunderstanding the simple gesture making itself known in the form of a warm, pink stain across her cheeks.

“That’s something I’ll explain to you if you let me take you to dinner?”

“Alright then, Wednesday night. I finish up here around 8, we can go for a late dinner?”

“Sounds perfect, I’ll pick you up!”

“Oh no, it’s okay I can-“

“Let me? Or is turning down my offers kind of your thing?” He questions playfully, tilting his head to the side and narrowing his eyes at her, as if he’s trying to figure her out.

She laughs in front of him for the first time tonight, and it’s almost as intoxicating as the rum and coke he didn’t have the chance to finish earlier in the night.

“Oh my god, I wish we could start over! You probably think I’m so rude,” she giggles out, her fingers pushing her stray hairs out of her face.

He offers her his hand as if he’s introducing himself for the first time. Her eyes trailing up to look into his eyes questioningly.

“Hi, I’m Shawn. I don’t think you’re a prostitute, but I would really like to get to know you if you’ll let me.”

She bites her lip and looks down at his extended hand as she smiles, fighting back a squeal of excitement. Placing her small hand in his as she locks eyes with his. The lighting in the storage room allowing her to take a proper look at his features. She takes note of his eye colour, a deep hazel; easily mistaken for brown, but she sees the green and yellow flecks in his sparkling orbs.

“They call me Babydoll around here, but you can call me y/n if you want,” she says, amused by how ridiculous they must look.

He leans down slightly, bringing her delicate hand towards his face and looks into her eyes with a smirk as he presses a slight kiss to her knuckles, causing her blush to darken and his heart to skip a beat.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

[askskylarwarbler]

Long Way From The Playground ~ Skylian

Who: Julian James & Skylar Johnston

What: Skylar fights for Julian 

When: Monday March 27

Where: Choir Room & Boys Locker Room

Notes: Mild violence underneath and some Skylian adorableness 

Skylar kept his eye on Julian throughout rehearsal, not only to see how the Warblers were fitting in with the New Directions, but also just because he was worried for his best friend. Since Dalton burnt he had been acting differently, drawing back and not being himself. Maybe it was the shock of something being gone so quickly, or maybe it was just Julian trying to fit in, but Skylar was more than worried. He wanted Julian to be comfortable, he cared about the boy so much. As the group quickly left the room, Skylar waited for the room to empty before walking to his best friend. Biting his lip, he took a moment to try and figure out how he wanted to word his question. "Julian, are you okay?"

Julian had trouble adjusting to the new school. He was getting along fine in The New Directions but the rest of the school was a lot harder to adjust to. Maybe it was still wearing the blazer that made him stick out or the fact that he was on The New Directions that caused issues with the lacrosse players. Either way, he was getting bullied regularly by the guys as well as the football guys in the locker room. They seemed to think that because he was a private school kid, he couldn't possibly be good enough to be on their team. He had the bruises to prove what was going on, but he did his best to hide them in rehearsals and back at the house. "What? Yeah. Of course," he nodded, picking up his blazer.

Skylar narrowed his eyes at Julian's answer, knowing it wasn't the truth. He had known Julian for so long, he could easily tell when something was wrong. "Julian, you and I both know that is not the truth. You know better than to try and lie to me, I am almost a human lie detector." Skylar said as he took a step closer. "If something is bothering you, I need to know." He knew that this wasn't something like when he started dating Marley, then he was just distant and upset. This was different, almost worse.

Julian should have known better than to think he could keep it from Skylar. He bit his lip, looking away from his best friend and down at his hands. He tugged down his dress shirt sleeve a little bit when he noticed some of the bruising around his upper arm. "I'm okay. Promise. Nothing big," he shrugged. "I'll be okay," he said softly, looking back up at Skylar. He knew he was acting weird, but he didn't know what to tell Skylar or how to even tell him what was going on.

Skylar let his eyes run across Julian, noting the bruise colored skin. He knew this was bad, he knew it was his job to protect Julian and he was not doing his job. "Julian." He said again, lightly grabbing the taller's hand to pull him into a chair. Taking a seat next to him, Skylar left his hand on Julian's. "Please, just tell me what is going on. You are not okay."

Julian swallowed when Julian took his hand. He had tried so hard to hide what was going on, but he had a feeling that was all about to end. Sitting down next to Skylar, Julian frowned. He rolled the sleeve of his shirt up, looking back at Skylar. "So lacrosse has been a little bit rough," he shrugged, trying to play is off as that and nothing more. "They go a little harder than we did at Dalton."

Skylar bit his lip as Julian tried to give him yet another excuse. "These are not from lacrosse. I have seen the bruises you get from lacrosse, I have been seeing them for years." Skylar hated that Julian felt he couldn't tell him the truth, that he couldn't be open with him. "I am your best friend Julian, you can tell me what is happening."

Julian "I don't want you getting angry," Julian sighed, looking at Skylar. "Some of the guys are just giving me a hard time, okay? It's nothing I can't handle, Skylar. I promise." He said softly, "They just aren't happy I'm private school I guess." It felt like a relief to tell someone what was going on, but he still didn't know what to do about it. There wasn't anything that he thought he could do about it.

Skylar shook his head, someone was hurting Julian. That seemed to be the only fact he could focus on, someone was hurting his best friend. "Julian, I don't care if you can handle it. You shouldn't have to." He said trying to keep his temper under control. No one was allowed to hurt Julian, he didn't deserve that. "I want their names."

Julian looked down, "Skylar. What are you going to do?" He asked. He knew his best friend and he knew well enough that Skylar would try to go after the guys on his own. "You can't go after them. You can't put yourself in danger," he said. He didn't want both of them getting hurt then they shouldn't be getting hurt to begin with.

Skylar look at Julian, biting his lip for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know what I am going to do." He replied, before taking a breath. Trying to keep his anger under control was becoming harder and harder with each growing moment. "I want their names Julian, if you don't tell me I will just figure it out on my own. You know that is a promise."

Julian knew Skylar well enough to know that he wasn't lying and that he'd do whatever it took to figure out who it was. "It's Jack from the football team. Then theres Harry and Ryan from the lacrosse team. A few others, but mostly just them," he said softly, not bothering with trying to hide the fact.

Skylar took note of the names as Julian said them, not knowing who the jocks were but he had every intention to find them. It didn't take long for him to know that he needed to put an end to this, he couldn't sit back and not do anything when Julian was getting hurt. It was his job to protect him and he had already failed at that. But now he had a chance to fix it, now he had to a chance to right his wrong. Standing from his chair, Skylar kicked it back slightly. "Stay here."

Julian looked up as Skylar stood. "Skylar. Please.. don't.." He stood up, grabbing Skylar's hand. "Please don't go.." he mumbled, looking at his best friend. "You can't take them on by yourself, you know. I won't let you," he shook his head.

Skylar looked at their joining hands, knowing that Julian was scared of his actions. "Julian, I am just going to speak to them. They need to know that they can't push you around like they have been." Placing a hand on Julian's shoulder, Skylar looked into his eyes. "I am going to fix this."

Julian just frowned at him. "Just... let me come with you?" He asked. Truth was, he was terrified. Lacrosse was supposed to be something to help him fit in better at the school and instead, he was afraid to have go to practice and have to face the guys. He tried his best, but he knew that there was no avoiding it.

Skylar sighed, knowing that Julian would have followed him anyway. "Fine." He replied hesitantly, "But you let me handle this, I have to fix it." Skylar dropped Julian's hand as he set his bag on the chair he was sitting on before. He could grab it later, he didn't need to have it to have a conversation with a couple of jocks.

Julian nodded, walking with Skylar towards the locker room. "You're sure about this? I..I'm sure there's another way we can handle this or something," he shrugged. "I really don't want you to have to do this for me. I can handle it," he shrugged. He hadn't been handling it though and he wasn't sure how to, but he hated that he was involving Skylar with it.

Skylar made his way to the locker room, his only thought being that these guys were hurting Julian. He failed at protecting him and now he had to fix it, he couldn't live with himself if he didn't. "I am more than sure." He replied as he reached the door, without a second thought he swung the door open. Scanning the room Skylar tried his best to find the jock, it didn't take long for someone to say the name of the person he was looking for. Walking straight towards the football player, Skylar placed his hand on the open locker slamming it closed as he gained his attention. "What is wrong with you?" He demanded.

Julian followed Skylar into the locker room nervously. He knew that the guys would be in there, seeing them as he walked into the room before Skylar. He tried to stop Skylar from confronting Jack, but he couldn't stop him in time. "Skylar.." He warned, flinching as the locker next to Jack slammed shut. "Stop.. this doesn't involve you," he sighed, walking towards where his best friend was facing the football player.

Skylar put an arm out to stop Julian from getting closer to the football player, "It does, because I care about you Julian. You deserve so much better than what this guy is giving you." Making eye contact with Jack again, Skylar kept his voice low as he confronted him. "What gives you the right to treat someone like Julian as if he is below you? He is one of the best people I have ever known, and you are going to leave him alone." Skylar took a step closer as he kept eye contact with the other, his anger growing with each second

Julian stopped, bitting his lip. "You don't have to do this though. I can take care of myself," he said, ignoring the fact it was clearly a lie and he had bruises to prove it. Jack just laughed at the two of them. "It's cute how you two think you can come into our school and make us all into your little puppets."

Skylar knew that his anger was getting the better of him, but he couldn't get it within him to care. "Julian, I care about you too much to let this continue." Skylar could put an end to this, he had to. "It's cute how you think that you can hurt someone and get away with it." Skylar replied as he took another small step forward. "You are going to stop and you are going to stop now. If you have a problem with him, you can take it up with me." Speaking through his teeth, Skylar balled his hands by his side, trying to relieve some of the tension that was building within him.

Julian took a step towards them, trying to get himself in between Jack and Skylar to stop something bad from happening. "Skylar. He isn't worth it. Come on.. let's just go home." He said softly, trying to put himself more between them. "Just leave us alone, Jack and we can all.. move past this. Forget it happened."

Skylar put an arm on Julian, refusing to let him take a step closer to the bully who continued to hurt him. "No Julian, I am not leaving until he stops. This is not okay, none of it is okay. You are here to play a sport you love, not to live in fear." Stepping around Julian, Skylar put himself between them. "You are not to touch him, this is between you and me now."

Julian sighed when Skylar stopped him, gripping Skylar's arm from behind him. "Guys. Please. Both of you need to stop," he warned, swallowing hard. Jack just looked at Skylar, shaking his head. "Are you trying to intimidate me? You can't scare me and neither can your little boy toy behind you."

Skylar couldn't hear the words coming out of Julian's mouth, the only thing he could focus on was the fact that this guy had every intention of continuing his intimidation. "It's not an intimidation, it's a warning and a promise. You are going to leave him alone, no question about it." Skylar replied through gritted teeth, trying his best to not let his anger get the best of him.

Julian gripped Skylar's arm a little tighter, trying to tug him out of the locker room. "He isn't worth it. Come on," he sighed, furrowing his eyebrows. "Please can we just go," he begged softly.

Skylar tried his best to shake Julian off his arm, needing his full focus on the bully. As soon as he heard words about 'putting Julian in his place' and how they don't belong there, Skylar was on edge. "He had just as much right to be here as you do." Suddenly he didn't care if it got physical, Skylar had spent so much time sitting back, trying to take the high road. But today he couldn't care less about trying to be the better person, Jack was going after Julian and he wasn't okay with that.

Julian frowned, stepping closer to Skylar out of fear. "Please.. I want to go.." he whispered, looking from Skylar to Jack and back. He knew it was only a matter of time before things turned physical and he wanted to keep it from getting to that point. He didn't want Skylar getting in trouble just because of him. But Jack started to swing at Skylar and all Julian could do was trying to push him out of the way from getting hit.

Skylar kept his eyes locked on Jack, knowing exactly what was going to happen. Skylar kept a firm hold on Julian, trying to keep him behind him. The last thing he needed was for Julian to get hurt more. He cared too much about Julian for that to happen, he had to keep him safe. Skylar saw the swing out of the corner of his eye, instead of trying to dodge it Skylar did everything he could to keep Julian out of the way. The hit to his jaw was harder than he expected, but he shook it off keeping his composure. "That was rather weak for someone who claims to be so tough." Was his only reply as he brought his eyes back to the taller.

Julian "No!" Julian yelled, trying to pull Skylar back from Jack. "Stop! Don't hurt him!" he yelled at Jack, trying his best to pull Skylar away from the locker room. "Come on. You've both proved your point. Let's just get out of here. We'll go home, clean you up.." He sighed, looking between Skylar and Jack. He wasn't sure which of them looked madder and that's what worried him the most.

Skylar saw red as he looked at Jack. The fact that he looked so smug, the fact that he thought he was winning got under his skin. Skylar had enough of people acting as if they were below them, after walking from his fight with Jake, he knew that he couldn't walk away this time. He had to stand his ground. Shrugging his blazer off, Skylar kept his eyes locked on the boy in front of him. "I'm not going anywhere." He replied darker than he would have liked.

Julian didn't know who to be more afraid of, but he took Skylar's blazer, moving away from the two males. He was mad that no one else seemed to be trying to stop them. He knew he couldn't stop them. And he just had to hope that it ended quick and no one was too hurt. He didn't know what he would do if Skylar ended up hurt. "Guys.... stop.."

Skylar rolled his shoulders slightly as he prepared for whatever came next. "I am not backing down." He knew this wasn't what Julian wanted, but Skylar knew that if he was going to make a difference he had to do it their way. The now forming group around them seemed to catch on to what was happening as Skylar balled his fists yet again. He was more prepared for the next hit Jack hit, yet he found himself to be too slow as it made contact with him yet again. He was sure he was going to have a black eye, but couldn't get himself to care in the moment. Instead Skylar decided to let his common sense go as he returned a punch, his fist landing on the taller's cheek bone before falling back to his side.

Julian just watched them, terrified. "Skylar!" He yelled as the next hit was thrown and landed. This was the last thing that Julian wanted to happen and he felt helpless just standing there watching them hit each other. "I.. I need to get help," he said, turning to leave the locker room to find Coach Bieste.

Skylar noticed Julian leave, yet found it to be for the better. He didn't need him to see this, he didn't need Julian to see him at his worst. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that he doesn't deserve the crap you are giving him?" Skylar almost yelled as he looked at Jack, dodging the next swing that was thrown his way. He didn't care about the people around him, he didn't care that he was losing this fight. He was doing this for his best friend and that was all that mattered. The punch to his nose caused blood to spill, yet Skylar still didn't care. He could hear the door open behind him, but he didn't bother to turn around as he kept his eye on Jack.

Julian found the coach, quickly leading them to the locker room to break up the fight before things got worse. When he walked back in as Coach Bieste broke them apart, Julian rushed to Skylar, frowning when he saw the blood. "You're bleeding," he said, still holding Skylar's blazer in his arm. "Come on. We're leaving.. I need to get you cleaned up," he said, taking Skylar's hand, tugging him gently. It was over as far as Julian could tell and he wanted to get Skylar out before something could start back up.

Skylar heard the yells from the coach quickly, backing away as he was pushed back. "Yeah, I am." He replied as he looked up at Julian, thankful he took his blazer off when he did. He didn't have very many of those, the last thing he needed was for something that meant so much to him be ruined. As he made eye contact with Julian, Skylar suddenly felt as if it all made sense to him. Why he went so crazy to protect him, why he didn't care that he was bleeding, it all fit together as if the final pieces of the puzzle came together. Allowing Julian to pull him out of the room, Skylar followed as he let himself ponder on his new realization.

Julian quickly got Skylar out of the locker room and took him back into the choir room where there stuff was. "You're an idiot," he said, sitting Skylar down in one of the chairs. "I'm going to go get wet paper towels. Don't move," he told him, leaving the room before Skylar could object at all. He came back into the room with wet paper towels in his hand. "I can't believe you just did that," he sighed, hating that Skylar had gotten hurt because of him. He sat next to the other, gently starting to jab at his face with the paper towels.

Skylar could feel the blood as it dripped down his face, staining his white shirt underneath. "It was worth it." Was his only reply as he sat on the chair, nodding slightly as Julian left the room. He couldn't believe it took all of this to finally realize what was really happening, but he could finally see what everyone was saying. "I would do it again in a heartbeat." Skylar let Julian wipe his face clean, staying silent for a few minutes before finding the courage to say what he was thinking. "I love you."

Julian made sure to clean up all the blood from Skylar's face. He was so focused on what he was doing, his brain barely registered what Skylar said to him. Stopping what he was doing, Julian looked at Skylar for a second, trying to figure out in what way he meant what he said. "I love you too," he said softly.

Skylar grabbed Julian's hand, stopping him from cleaning his face as he looked into his eyes. He kept his eyes locked on Julian's as he slowly moved towards him, placing a hand on the back of Julian's head Skylar pressed his lips lightly to his. "I mean, my feelings are the same." He tried his best to clarify, "I'm sorry it took me so long."

Julian stilled his movements, locking eyes with Skylar, unsure what was happening. His eyes closed, feeling Skylar's lips against his own as he kissed the other male back gently. "Did you really have to get beaten up to realize that," he said softly, kissing Skylar again lightly. He finished cleaning Skylar's face before sitting the paper towels down. "They're going to ask what happened."

Skylar smiled as he left a hand on Julian's cheek, happy to finally feel at peace. Julian made everything so simple, as if all his problems just disappeared. "I guess I did." He replied with a small chuckle. "Let them ask, right now I just want to focus on you." Biting his lip, Skylar reached for Julian's hand. "I don't want to wait, I want to be yours. Not just your best friend, but your boyfriend."

Julian couldn't help but smile softly. "I just... wish you didn't have to get hurt," he said softly, looking at Skylar. "We could tell them Pumba pecked at your eye," he teased, laughing. After everything that happened, it felt so good to be able to laugh. "I.. I want to be your boyfriend too," he nodded, squeezing Skylar's hand.

Skylar shrugged, "It was worth it. Besides it will all heal in time." He replied as he chuckled, "Maybe they would believe it." He couldn't believe that this was happening, the fact that after everything they had been through they found each other. That was the greatest outcome he could have asked for. "It's you and me against the world."

Julian "I'll help you in any way you need," he said. "It was because of me," he sighed. "I bet that they would," he chuckled, nodding. While he hated everything that happened, he couldn't believe that Skylar felt the same way about him. "It's always been us," he nodded. "We will always have each other's back."