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alotofpockets · 1 year ago

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Meeting again | Part 2 | Leah Williamson x Reader

Where Leah saves the day and sets up Liam's class with a visit to the Emirates.

Thank you @totaly-obsessed for letting me bounch ideas off of you for this one!

Meeting again universe | Woso masterlist | Words: 2.7k

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When you check your phone after waking up, you see a text from Leah. Her name amongst your notifications instantly brings a smile to your face.

Leah: Hey, good morning! Can I pick you up at 11 for that coffee?

You text her back instantly, no longer being scared of messaging her, after you’ve spent the evening together last night. After doing some stuff around the house, you get ready, and wait for Leah to pick you up.

At the coffee shop Leah went to order for the both of you, while you found a spot to sit. You were admiring your surroundings, when Leah headed your way with two cups in hand. “No coffee for you?” Her placing a mug with hot chocolate down in front of her peaks your interest. “Oh, yeah, I don’t drink coffee.” She says with a shy smile. “Why didn’t you say so when I asked you out for coffee? We could’ve gone somewhere else!” Leah shakes her head instantly, “Don’t worry about it, I was happy with the invite to see you sooner, and this place has the best hot chocolate in town.”

You fall into conversation with Leah just as easily as you had done yesterday. With years to catch up on, there were enough topics to keep you talking. Though, even if you had fully caught up with Leah, you think you’d still find topics of conversation to get to stay talking to her.

The first time you got quiet for a moment was when Leah said, “I’ve been trying to piece together how we stopped being friends all those years ago.” Your eyes fall to your lap, it had been your fault that the two of you stopped being friends. You wish things would have been different, but then again, you would not have Liam. Liam meant the world to you. “I remember us being really close, and then some rumours spread.” Your eyes meet her nervously. You noticed a slightly hopeful look behind her eyes, as if she was never fully able to understand what happened back when you were kids. So, you took a deep breath and started talking.

“Okay, the rumour, the one where it spread around the school that I liked you, was never actually a rumour.” Leah’s blue eyes pierced into yours. “Oh?” A part of Leah felt relieved that those almost moments between the two of you growing up weren’t just in her head. “Yeah, basically I confided in Maria, one of my best friends, about my feelings for you, because they were confusing me. You know as a teenager finding out that the feelings you’re meant to be having for a boy, you are feeling for a girl.” Leah nodded in understanding. “Well, she was apparently very homophobic, and decided to tell the whole school. I stopped being friends with her instantly, and you know the rest. I got together with Ryan to get people off my back, and put distance between the two of us. I think I even convinced myself for a moment that I could be straight, but yeah that’s not me.”

You let your eyes meet Leah’s again, there was no anger or hurt behind her eyes, just softness and understanding. “I am truly sorry about how everything played out, and if I hurt you in any way, that was never my intention.” Leah reaches for your hand on the table and gives it a soft squeeze, “You have nothing to apologise for. What Maria did is truly terrible, and I wish I could’ve been there for you at that time. All of that is in the past now though, and we cannot change it.” Her hand stays on yours. “You’re right, we can only focus on the future.” The blonde smiles and nods. “Well, that was a lot deeper than coffee would have gone, but I’m glad we were able to talk about this.” You both laugh. “I should really head back though, I have to pick up Liam from school in a bit.”

Leah drives you back to your place, and the two of you share a hug when you arrive. “Thank you for today. We should do this again sometime.” Leah says, and you agree instantly, “Yeah, I’ll text you later?” And you did. After Liam went to bed that night, you were texting back and forth with Leah all night, until you fell asleep with the conversation still open.

The next time you saw Leah, you and Liam watched her play on Sunday. You were rather far from the railings, but Leah found you amongst the crowd and set the both of you a wave when the match was over.

Since Liam missed Leah for dinner the first time when he had invited her without your knowing, and it got you to reconnect with Leah, you decided to invite her over for dinner that night with the both of you. You decided to make pizza together, since you found out that alike your son, Leah’s favourite food was pizza. Leah was amazing with Liam, you admired the two of them as they were busy chatting, while decorating their pizza’s.

While you sat down for dinner, you talked about your plans for the week like you always did with Liam, but now including Leah. You had always found it important to know what was ahead, especially since Liam was at his dad’s for half of the week. You had given Leah the honours of talking about her week first as the guest, she told you about her work schedule, and some other things she had planned for the week. Then Liam wanted you to go next, so you shared your work schedule, and your plan to spend your days off with. Liam wanted to finish off the round, he told you about his plans with Ryan, and what he knew about school. “Oh, and mom, what are you doing for the class tomorrow?” Your brows furrowed in surprise, “What do you mean, bud?”

“It’s your turn to do the class trip tomorrow, do you not have anything planned?” Liam asks in a worried tone. “Buddy, I’m so sorry, but I don’t know anything about it being my turn.” He stood up from the table and you were instantly worried, luckily he came right back with his backpack. “Here, Miss Owens sent this out.” He hands you a letter, informing the parents of the switch in schedules, and it did indeed show you for tomorrow. “Buddy, if this is still in your backpack, I have not seen it yet.” Realisation hits him, “Oh mom, I totally forgot to give it to you. What are we going to do?” Leah, who had been quiet during the interaction spoke up, “I think I might have an idea. I know it’s not my place, but I think I can help, may I?” She looked at you for permission. “Yes, please, I do not have the right connections to take a class out for the day this last minute.”

Leah got up, “Alright, I am going to make some calls and I will make sure you will have a great day tomorrow, I promise.” She told Liam. She headed into the other room, and started planning away. About thirty minutes later she got back into the kitchen, “Alright, everything is set for tomorrow. I will keep it a surprise though, are you both okay with me coming to class tomorrow?” Liam instantly said yes without giving it a second thought, his friends would finally believe him when he said that he knew Leah Williamson. You nod as well, “Thank you so much Lee.” Leah’s heart started beating faster at the nickname she hadn’t heard from you in such a long time. She smiled and sat back down for dessert.

The next morning Leah was at your door bright and early. You were busy packing Liam’s lunch when she knocked on the door. “Liam, can you get the door bud?” He came walking into the kitchen pulling Leah behind him, “Mom, Leah still won’t tell me what we’re going to do.” You smiled at the scene in front of you, a frowny kid, and a smirking Leah. “Don’t look at me, Leah went out of her way to arrange this for you, so let’s allow her the one rule she set in place for this.” He let go of her arm. “Fine.” He turned to Leah, “I am grateful that you did whatever it is that you did for me, I just would really like to know what it is.” She put her hand on his shoulder, “I know kiddo, just a little longer, I promise it will be worth the wait.”

You and Leah wait outside of the classroom, while the teacher starts out the day. “Thank you again for doing this, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” Leah shrugs, “You would’ve figured it out, you’re a great mom. I am glad I could help though, I hope the kids like it.” Leah zipped down her jacket to reveal her Arsenal jersey. “By the looks of that, I think the kids are going to love what you have in store.” Leah is about to say something back, but Miss Owens tells you the class is ready for you.

The two of you step in, and you see the jaws of many kids in Liam’s class drop. “Hi kids, as many of you know, I am Liam’s mom. Today, I have brought someone special with me. I would like you all to meet Leah Williamson.” You introduced her to the crowd, “Hi, I’m Leah, and Liam told me you were looking forward to doing something fun with the whole class. What would you say if the Arsenal players bus was waiting just outside of the school?” The class erupted with excitement. “Would you all like to go and see?” Miss Owens calms down the class again before heading out, “Jackets please, and wait in a line outside of the classroom.”

Leah takes the lead and takes the kids to the players bus. At first they admire it from the outside, where the whole class takes a picture with Leah. Then Leah invites them to sit inside, once all the children are settled, Leah gets on the microphone and starts talking to the kids, and interacting with them. “So, who wants to go to The Emirates Stadium with me?” You couldn’t believe that Leah pulled all of this off in thirty minutes. She sat and talked with the kids, while you talked with Miss Owens.

After a short tour, Leah guided the kids to the family and friends area of the stadium. “What do you all think of one more surprise?” The class starts cheering again, and right on queue, a group of Arsenal girls walk out. Katie McCabe, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, and Kim Little, greet the kids with waves. They all have a little meet and greet with the kids, before it is time for them to head back to school. Leah thanked the teacher, and waved bye to the teacher and the kids. Since it was already the end of the school day, and she wanted to show Liam some more behind the scenes things, she asked the teacher if it would be alright if she took the kids back on her own, with a promise of getting her some signed copies of her books for her own kids she agreed.

Liam was living his best life hanging out with his favourite players, like they were friends he had known all his life. Lotte walked up to you as you were watching him talk with the girls. “So, you and Leah go way back I hear?” You smile at her, “Yeah we do.” You and Lotte talk for a bit before she gets pulled aside. “It was nice meeting you y/n, I’ve heard a lot about you the past couple of years.” Lotte’s eyes widened when she realised what she had just said, Leah had just walked up to you, and her cheeks turned red instantly. “Sorry.” Lotte said before quickly walking back to the rest of the girls, and whispering something into Katie’s ear. The latter turns to you, “Mind if we show Liam around some more?” You shake your head and return your attention back to Leah.

“So, you’ve been talking about me for years, have you?” You didn’t think it was possible, but her cheeks turned even redder. While Leah was nervous, she felt like it was now or never. “I mean can you blame me? You are pretty hard to forget.” You’re the one with blushing cheeks now. Leah’s words hang in the air, and you feel a warmth spread in your chest. The way she spoke those words, makes you feel like maybe, she has felt the same way all along.

“The feeling is mutual,” You reply after taking a moment. A small smile tugs at the corners of your lips. “I mean how could I forget the girl that was always able to bring a smile to my face, even on my worst days? I think I already proved that though, by coming to most of your matches.” You both laugh at the last comment. “I’ve missed this.” Leah reaches for your hand out of instinct, “You laugh, your smile, and just having you around.”

Your heart is beating a million miles an hour, by the way she was looking at you right now. In that moment, when her ocean blue eyes stare lovingly into yours, you realise that perhaps the rumours, the misunderstandings, and the years apart were merely obstacles on the path to this moment right here. “I’ve missed you too, Lee. Remember when the other day we said that we can only focus on the future?” Leah nods, and rubs her thumb gently over the back of your hand. “I hope you’re a part of that future.” You nervously look up at her again.

Leah gave your hand a soft squeeze, “I hope so too.” Her smile grows bigger as she continues, “I’ve thought about what could have been with us so many times, but right now, all I want is to be here with you, and see where time leads us.” Your smile grows just as big as hers is, Leah had felt the same way about you all of this time. “Would it be inappropriate to kiss you at your place of work?” Leah pulled you closer by the hand she was holding, and moved her other hand to your cheek, gently moving her finger over the soft skin there. “I am not working currently, so I think that should be alright.” She leans in the rest of the way, and after all these years of will they won’t they, and what could’ve been, you finally felt her soft lips on yours.

A loud “Ahem” pulls you away from the blonde. You turn around and find Liam, Katie, and Lotte looking back at the two of you. Before you can say anything Liam turns to Katie and Lotte with a proud smile on his face, “I told you they would get together sometime soon!” Katie high fived him while you laughed, of course Liam had talked about your love life with the two people that were probably sharing Leah’s right back. Leah put her arm around your shoulder, and walked towards the group. “Who’s ready for some dinner?” Liam hugs you from your other side. “Mom, this has been the best day ever, can we please make it even better with McDonald’s for dinner?” You look around the group of girls left over to see if they’d be down too, when you get three nods, you look back to Liam. “Let’s do it.”

As you walk out of the stadium with Liam’s hand in your left, and Leah’s hand in your right, you couldn’t be more happy.

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#meeting again universe #leah williamson #leah williamson imagine #leah williamson x reader #arsenal wfc imagine #arsenal wfc #arsenal women #awfc imagine #awfc x reader #awfc #woso #woso imagine #woso imagines #woso x reader #engwnt x reader #england lionesses #engwnt #engwnt imagine

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chrxsprettygirl · 2 months ago

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𝑻𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒄!𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏!𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝒙 𝑺𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕!𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆…

CW: social anxiety (she just like me fr)

I run down the stairs making my way down to the parking lot, looking for his car, he blinks his lights making it easier to find him I walk up to his car opening the door. “Hii” I say buckling in “Hey sweetheart, you ready?” He asks I nod my head at him with a smile and he takes of. The drive is nice we talked about ourselves and joked around I was little disappointed when we arrived at the fair. I unbuckle myself reaching for my door when he opens it for me offering his hand, I smile thanking him getting down. He holds onto my hand as we walk away entering the gates, it’s so beautiful and lively, little kids running around laughing, couples making out groups of teenagers with their friends it’s just perfect. “What do you want to do first? We can play games go on rides eat” he ask me I look around thinking “Lets play some games first?” I look up at him he smiles down at me waking over to one of the game booths, it’s one of these water gun games “Wait we need tickets I’ll be right back don’t go anywhere ok?” He lets go of my hand and takes off before my brain even registers what he just said.

I stand there waiting uncontrollably for him to come, I look around feeling like I’m being watched to my horror, I see a group of teenagers walking towards me laughing, I take a deep breath grab my phone trying to distract myself from them, they walk right by me, I look up I see a bunch people walking by looking at me, I start to get anxious checking my clothes making sure I don’t have anything on them, I lift my head looking for Chris rubbing the palm of my hand on my shorts, I lift my hand up again trying to focus on myself, I start to text Stella when I feel a hand on my shoulder I jump turning to my side seeing the person I’ve been waiting for. He holds the tickets up to my face “Ready?” I give a weak smile and nod, I Sint know how but he looks at me like he knows something is wrong “Are you ok? If you want we can just go somewhere else?” He says “No it’s ok I just got a little nervous that’s all” I say knowing damn well I was on the verge of tears just seconds ago “Sweetheart don’t lie to me.” He says sternly the masculinity radiating off of him I look into his eyes hesitating if I should tell him I sigh “No im ok I just got a bit anxious a little while ago, it’s nothing serious” I look down at my feet playing around with my nails, he lifts my chin up looking at me “Hey, it’s not nothing serious, if you feel anxious just tell me, we’ll go somewhere less crowded for a bit and if you want we could leave and go somewhere else ok?” He grabs my head holding it like it’s the most delicate thing he’s ever seen, I smile at him nodding going in for a much needed hug “Takes some deep breaths for me ok” he says smoothing his hand over my hair taking deep breaths and I follow his lead, my heart rate slows down, we pull away he ruffles my hair “CHRIS! IT TOOK ME A WGILE HOUR TO GET MY HAIR LOOKING HALF DECENT” I yelled at him taking my phone out fixing the curls he disturbed, he laughs “im sorry sweetheart I’ll make it up to you yeah?” He says I raise my eyebrow “How?” “I’ll win you a stuffed animal” my eyes light up but I calm myself down not wanting to show to much excitement “Ok fineeee but those games are rigged” I say hooking my arm around his walking up to the booth.

He plays flawlessly, I cheer him on wanting my stuffed bunny, then we hear that beautiful sound of bell ringing, he won, I unable to control the excitement start jumping around around with him holding my hand, the guy ask him which one we want and I point to the huge bunny. He hands it to me and I gladly accept it with a huge smile on my face turning to Chris, he pulls his phone out taking a few pictures of me I go over looking at them “Your so cute” he says rubbing my lower back “thank you” “You wanna go eat?” He ask I nod he grabs my hands walking to a taco station ordering our food going to sit down on a bench.

We stay out until 9 pm walking around going on rides, playing games, eating snacks even getting strangers to take pictures for us overall having a good time, we walk up to the car laughing. I get in putting my bunny in the backseat, he reached over buckling me in then staring the car “Do you want to go home or go to the movies or something?” He asked giving me the aux cord I smile plugging it into my phone looking through my playlist before choosing to one pressing play “ummm can we go home im a bit tired” I answered “of course no problem sweetheart” he grabs his phone looking for the directions and doing something else I don’t really know what,he puts it down pulling out heading to my college dorm, the ride is silent but in a comforting way “Are you ok?” He ask I raise my eyebrow trying to figure out what he’s talking about “You know with what happened a while ago” when the realization hits me I look down at my lap “Yeah I’m ok” he looks at me briefly “You wanna talk abt it? Its ok if you don’t” “Idk it kinda just happens, I’ll be in public and then all of a sudden it just feel like everyone is looking at me and judging me idk it’s silly” I shrug “No its not silly, if you ever feel like that you call me ok? I dont care what time it is just call me” he says sternly looking over at I nod my head feeling a sense of security around him, the rest of the car ride we just listen to music occasionally singing along until we reach the parking lot “thanks for tonight” I say looking at him, he smiles at me looking into my eyes like they’re the most fascinating things he has ever seen, he leans in slowly raising his hand to cradle the side of my neck “Can I?” He ask me his eyes dance between my eyes and lips, i part my lips looking down at his giving a slight nod and before I know it his lips are on mine. The kiss is soft, slow, sweet I find myself subconsciously melting into him, he does not rush it tilting my head to the side, he bites my lip shoving his tongue in my mouth gently massaging mine running his over my teeth until we hear a noise from his side of the car, it’s a security guard basically telling us to wrap it and go home. I reach in the back grabbing my bunny gathering my stuff “I’ll see you around sweetheart, text me when you get in” he says “I will” I say leaning in kissing his cheek rushing out the car into my dorm. I send him a message telling him I got safely going into my room, i look at the pictures we took today making one my wallpaper before getting ready for bed.

AN: what app do yall use to make the fake text msg n shit

Random tags n taglist: @trevorsgodmother @tezzzzzzzz @weirdothatwritess @dykes4chris @chrepsi @chrissfavhoe @nateismybf @bamsblooming @chrissleftshoe @chrisslluut @cams-cult @chrissturnioloslvt @chrislilcumslvt @chriscumslut @chrisshands @chriss-prettyygirll @chrissturnioloswife88 @mattztrip @mattsleftball @mattsslvtzx @mattswrinkleton @mattsturnswife @mattsturnioloismylordandsaviour @mattsturnioloarchive @matthewsturnsgf @matthewswifeyx @matthewsturniolosactualgf @nickssidewitch @nick-stuxniolos-hg @nicksbestie @adoreechxmpion @sturnshood @sturnswiftie @sturniolotripletlover @chrissturnfavlilslut @abbystromboli @sturns-mermaid @zenithsturniolo @chrissweetheart

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eccentricwritingbaby · 1 year ago

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meet-cute

part one part two! part three

lando norris x fem!reader

summary - y/n is giving lando a run for his money in playing hard to get, and lando knows he's in love so so soon.

masterlist

author's note! should i make another part or possibly make this into a series? lmk what ya think!

you woke up to a distant ringing running throughout the room. slowly rubbing your eyes and giving a bit of a stretch, you roll over in an attempt to find your phone. once found, you grimace at the time yet your smirk grows when seeing the contact read ‘mr mclaren’.

“yes?” you answer the phone while letting out a cough to remove the sleep from your throat.

“did you just wake, love?” lando replies. you can practically see his teasing smile through the phone as he questions you. you rearrange your body so that you’re leaning against the headboard of the bed while biting into your answer, “mclaren, it’s currently 8am on a sunday, no person alive should be awake right now,”

you hear lando’s contagious chuckle from the other line along with a bit of shuffling around on his end, “i wanted to know if you were busy tonight,” he gently asks. you could tell he was a bit nervous from the small quiver in his voice. it had been around two weeks since your first meeting at the coffee shop, since then there were texts and calls constantly, but never an in person meeting since. you didn’t want to just be used by lando, expecting him to be a prick due to his celebrity status. there were certain insecurities that would become undone with seeing him in person that you were yearning to keep at bay for the time being. lando, on the other hand, only grew more attached to you. ever since he even saw you in the coffee shop he was beyond forward which he had never done before. sure there were girls in clubs that he could easily chat up, but he would never be so bold. and so sober. he knew from that moment - you were something special. something he needed. he enjoyed that you didn’t care about his celebrity status and were making him work, it gave him the reassurance that you liked him, not his wallet size.

“i have dinner tonight for a friend's birthday,” you sigh, “maybe a quick lunch before?” you add on in haste for lando’s peace of mind. you honestly were not trying to avoid him, but his schedule was hectic with travel and you had many friends with whom you’ve made previous plans.

“i’ve got plans during lunchtime,” lando says, you could practically hear the irritation in his voice, therefore leading to your next line, “i’m really not trying to avoid you, lando. I’ve just got a loaded schedule,” your words are gently said, attempting to ease his brain.

“I know, love. I just really want to see you,”

and then your next words came out of your mouth so quick you couldn’t even think, “come over,”

“what? i-i mean, are you sure?” his excitement was not hidden, yet the hesitation was purely based on his knowledge that you had just woken up, and only ever been with each other in person once. and that was your first time meeting. and nothing overly romantic happened. and now he’s invited straight to your place.

“well, shit, if you don’t want to come thats fine ill just head back to sleep-”

“no no no no,” he interrupts sporadically, “i’ll be there soon, send me your address please,”

“hmm, i don’t know. you’re lack of excitement really turned me off from the whole idea i think i’ll keep my address to myself,” you giggle a bit into your teasing. lando wants to be annoyed - he truly does. and if this was any other girl he just may have been. he most likely would have given up this chase the minute any other girl turned his request down in the first place. yet - there was something about you. you were different. and you were so worth it.

lando clears his throat and begins to speak in a dramatic tone while giving your teasing right back, “that’s alright, y/n. i will drive all day and night if i have to, knock on every door. trust, my love, i shall find you,” your loud laughter rings through the phone and he swears his heart skips a beat.

“ah mr. norris, your lovely sense of humor and perseverance have allowed you access to my apartment,” you smile once more and rattle off your address. once the call has ended, you jump out of bed and begin to get ready as lando said the ride would only be about 10 minutes. face washed, teeth brushed, perfume and lotion on, quick change of clothes from your ratty old pajamas to cuter loungewear, hair tied up to look as though you didn’t even try - all in record time. just as you finished the last spritz of your perfume, the knock on your door echoed through your home.

sauntering over towards the door and swinging it open, you’re met with the face you hadn’t realized you miss so dearly. “why hello sleepyhead,” he chuckles. you usher him into your home while replying, “y’know you’re the one being irrational here? its currently 830 in the morning, it is crazy to be up right now. on a sunday,” he laughs once more while grabbing your wrists and lightly tossing them around his waist. his own arms then wrap around your shoulders as he plants a kiss to the top of your head. “i’m not being irrational, darling. but if you want to head back to sleep i would not be opposed to a nap,” you look up at him from where your face was resting against his chest, “please,” lando plants a kiss to your nose, “lead the way,”

lando wakes up around an hour later, tucked into your bed with your head adorably pushed into his neck. he soaks in your appearance, one leg thrown over his hip, head cuddled into him, arm thrown over his chest and he relishes in it. the two of you hadn’t even kissed, hadn’t gone on a proper date, for the past two weeks only had fleeting phone calls and yet - this was normal. this was home. you were home. he thought as he laid with you curled into his side, he thought about a future, about a new beginning, about how adorable you would look in a certain papaya color, and god how his mother would just love you. lando couldn’t help the thoughts. he didn’t even know if you had siblings or anything remotely deep about you however he knew for sure three things. one - he was and forever will be completely, head over heels, insanely in love with you. two - his future has you and you only in it. and three - you both were so unconventional in your ways and in your soon to be love story that he knew his life would never be boring as long as you were in it.

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emotionalhottiee · 4 months ago

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Broken 💔

Jimmy Uso/Jonathan Fatu

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise stated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events in this fanfic are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

just a quick oneshot until i get over this writers block. Hope you enjoy.

Heart Broken…

Doesn’t even begin to explain how i feel. How could he do this to us?

Thoughts of frustration and brokenness ran rampant through my mind as hot tears poured down my face. After all i had been through with Jonathan how could he throw away everything we had. My mind ran back to walking into his condo, opening his bedroom door to be met with an image of some ig thot, bent over while the love of my life was behind her. My heart shattered had into a million pieces.

Now the tears I’ve been crying out, for the past 30 minutes have blurred my vision. Thinking about that day against my will. But seeing him tonight made the memory pop up. Even though i knew there was a slight chance he would be at our friends birthday party. Actual seeing him, just felt like another knife being jammed right into my heart.

“Kenzi, are you alright in there?” “You’ve been in this bathroom a long time” my friend Kiara screamed through the door.

I hadn’t even realized i had been in here that long, but i just couldn’t stop crying. Watching Jon strut up in this party with some new girl on his arm. As if the last year and a half meant so little to him, he could move on within days. LITERALLY 5 days ago i caught him in bed with another woman.

And now it’s saturday, and he bought a whole other woman with him. Damn, How many others were there? I thought to myself as i wiped the tears from my bloodshot red eyes. Trying to cover up the fact that i been in the bathroom of a mutal friend of ours,sobbing over this man. What did i ever do to make him be so cold & callous towards me?

I have to pull myself together! I tried to tell myself encouragingly, i am not going to let him see me, so vulnerable. For what? He doesn’t seem to care in the least bit. Too busy fake laughing at the girl with her ass hanging out of her shorts.

He’s knows her ass ain’t that funny.

As i finish up wiping my face, one last time. Before i could even get myself all the way out of the bathroom Kiara yanked my ass into a tight hug. She knew i needed this that’s why she my friend.

“Girl don’t let him make you sad. Fuck him, you deserve so much better.” She calmly stated to me rocking us back & forth. This is exactly what will make my ass start crying again. But i am so thankful for my friend, trying to keep me from being sad.

Against Kiara’s advice i decided to stay at this party. This was one of Jon & I’s mutal friend, I’m not gonna let him feel like he has won (Even though he totally has won).

I put on my bravest face to go back and chill, before our friends pull out a game of taboo. We had split up into two teams and of course i end up on a team with Jon & his whore of the week. It was almost as if God was punishing me for still wanting to be around him. But truth be told i was obsessed with him. I loved him more than the air i breathed.

And as much as i can possibly lie to myself, i know he loves me too.

*some time later*

The party winded down, Kiara & I were helping our friends clean up. Jon’s little girlfriend ended up leaving. I thought they would’ve rode together but i guess not. And I’m honestly kinda happy about that. He’s been staring at me all night. Now that he’s alone i know where this night will take us. Especially since i rode with Kiara.

Jon asked me if i needed a ride home, knowing damn well i don’t like driving at night. I tried to act like i had to go back with Kiara, she gave us a shrug letting us know she didn’t mind. She knew me too well. As much as she wanted me to stand up for myself, she knew where my heart was. And wanting to be there for me she wasn’t gonna fight me on it. I appreciated that. Giving her a hug goodnight she gave me eyes of pleading, but with a hint of be careful. I rubbed her arms up & down letting her know i’d be okay.

The ride back to Jon’s house was quiet at first nothing but low 90s R&B playing. But he eventually turned the music off. He grabbed my hand while holding the steering with his other and apologized for his actions within the last week. My eyes filled up to the brim before a tear rolled down my cheek. I couldn’t even respond. I just held onto his hand, he bought my hand up to his mouth still holding it kissing it ever so gently. This is the soft, caring Jon i feel in love with. For a quick second he looked at me our eyes staring into one another. Until he turned his eyes back to the road.

This is going to be a great night.

#jimmy uso #Jim #big jim #jimmy uso fanfiction #jimmy uso fic #Jimmy romance #wwe fanfiction #wwe #rated e

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malinthebodyguard · 1 year ago

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Young Royals is anti-monarchist propaganda (always has been)

I think it’s fair to say that most of the fandom was quite happy with the finale. However, I’ve seen a handful of posts by people who were unhappy, specifically those who were unhappy with Wille giving up his place in the line of succession. These criticisms range in everything from dismissing Wille’s choice (Wilhelm has made a harsh decision without thinking of the consequences, this won’t actually make the media circus around him go away), to those disappointed in how the monarchy in general was represented (Wille could have modernized the institution, no one in the show attempted to consider how the monarchy could be good, actually). I don’t want to invalidate anyone’s feelings about the finale. If you didn't like it, that’s more than ok and I don’t want to argue with anyone about their taste.

But when it comes to criticism about Wilhelm giving up the throne, I do find myself frustrated at what I see as a fundamental misunderstanding of what this show was trying to communicate. Young Royals, plain and simple, is a story that denounces the incompatibility of antiquated and hierarchical institutions (Hillerska, the monarchy) with equality and justice.

If you’ve had the displeasure of being my fandom friend you’ll know that I’ve spent the last 3 years yelling about how this show is about abolishing the monarchy. I even wrote a lengthy fanfic with the sole excuse of having Wilhelm arrive at this conclusion. Still, I knew that whatever statement the show wanted to arrive at, we’d only really be getting to it at the end of the show.

Seasons one and two were setting up all the characters on the chessboard for the end: Wilhelm is the Crown Prince, although he does not want to be. He and Simon are in love, but Wilhelm’s role drives a wedge between them. Erik’s legacy and August's spot next in line are keeping Wilhelm in his place.

From episode one, I think the show was telling us about the many things that are wrong with the monarchy, but I don’t think it’s until season three that these discussions become more explicit. Is this why some people were disappointed by the ending? Maybe so. Still, I wanted to look at how season three in particular answers some of the questions or issues people are bringing up regarding both the monarchy and the Wilhelm’s choice.

What do you like about the monarchy?

Season 3 Episode 4 is the first time we hear an explicit discussion about why the monarchy could potentially be a good institution. I’ve seen some people complain that the show didn’t give this idea enough thought.

I completely disagree with this take: the short conversation Wille and Simon have in this episode is succinct, but still effective at presenting both arguments in this debate. A longer and more drawn out conversation would have been a bit unrealistic and probably boring to watch. These are not academics having a debate, but two teenagers who are talking about what for them is emotionally charged.

There’s also no need for a longer, more detailed discussion. Wilhelm does provide a very good answer to the question: The monarchy is there to unite the people. To be a neutral party in situations when the government cannot or will not interfere.

A quick civics lesson: In parliamentary democracies, the monarch serves as the Head of State.

This role is predominantly representative, although in many places the government is formed in the name of the monarch. This could, theoretically, grant them some political power-- since they could technically reject the winning party from forming a government. However, in most parliamentary monarchies, the King or Queen simply has to accept whatever decision is made based on election results.

However, the value of the Head of State is precisely in its apolitical nature. Regardless of who’s in power, the head of state is a neutral ambassador of the nation, both in and outside of their country. Their job is diplomatic and representative, and one that is thoroughly divorced from politics. This is what Wilhelm meant when he said that the monarchy was there to ‘unite the people’. Whenever I’ve spoken to pro-monarchy folks about their beliefs, they cite this as the reason why they like it.

It’s easy to see why Wilhlem would latch on this as his main argument to defend the institution. I don’t think there is anything inherently bad about having a separate head of state that represents the country. I don’t think the major grip with this issue is the having a head of state, but the fact that the head of state is a hereditary position. Simon says this himself twice in this episode: the issue is not that the head of state exists, but that the head of state is not an elected position. Furthemore, the head of state is a role that is imposed on a person not by their talent as a public speaker or negotiator, but by a simple accident of birth.

The job’s legitimacy or importance should not be above any individual’s right to autonomy and self-determination. Furthermore, considering that taxpayers are the ones who finance this position, shouldn’t they be able to elect who it is?

Let’s imagine a scenario where a friend tells you they’ve gone into a career because everyone in their family works in that industry, and they simply had no choice in the matter. It wouldn’t even matter if they were good or bad, they had a job in this career guaranteed from birth.

Would you not be concerned that maybe your friend is unhappy for a rather unnecessary reason? Would you not think that perhaps someone who actually wanted the job would be better suited for it? Would you think it right for a company to hire someone simply because of their family history? Would you consider any of this fair? And what is so special about monarchy that makes us have a different answer for it than we would if the question was about law or medicine?

You’ll always be famous.

Another common criticism I’ve seen is that Wilhelm will inevitably regret his decision, especially once he realizes that public scrutiny will not be going away. This is true, Wilhelm will likely always be a figure of public interest. But to me, this has always been a negative consequence of the monarchy, and I have a hard time seeing this is a valid reason why he should stay in it.

From the second we meet him, we know Wilhelm is uncomfortable with both the public attention and the scrutiny placed on him. However, this goes a bit further than that. I’d argue than more than the scrutiny itself, Wilhelm is weighed down by having to keep a public image. Because, remember folks, Wilhelm is not merely an awkward teenage boy with acne and a crush. No, no, Wilhelm is the State. Wilhelm is going to be a publicly-funded representative of the nation . This means, of course, that there’s a narrative, as he mentions himsef, that needs to be put forward. One that’s generic, serious, and unproblematic:

From the get go, Wilhelm is uncomfortable with the inauthentic and performative aspect of his role.This is a constant we see with Wilhelm in seasons one and two: every ‘performance’ he has to do fills him with nausea, anxiety, or some sort of discomfort.

In season three, Wilhelm begins acquiescing to this performance. Uncomfortable as he may be, for most of season 3 he’s accepted that this is his role. However, the attention this season shifts from Wilhelm to Simon, who’s now the one facing public scrutiny. The difference is that, unlike Wille, there’s no role for Simon to play. Nothing about who he is or what he believes is compatible with the public image the monarchy is putting forward. The only thing he can do in this situation is disappear, and Wilhelm is tasked with having to ask that of him.

I know a lot of people were exasperated at Simon’s very bad and clumsy social media presence. I’m not gonna argue that my boy wasn’t being a bit cringey, because he absolutely was. But I think the larger commentary here has more to do with the expectation that these two teenagers have to censor and edit themselves to comply with a particular PR image.

Ultimately, the criticism that Wilhelm will always be famous leads us straight back to the institution. Why does an underage boy have the same PR expectations as a politician? Why is a teenager dating his classmate + being cringe online justification for doxxing him? Unfortunately, no abdication is really going to undo any of this, and things are certainly going to be crazy once Wilhelm announces he’s stepping down .

However, this time around both he and Simon will at least have the agency to decide what they want to do with their public image, including the decision to disappear from the public completely if that’s what they want.

Queer representation

This a sentiment that has been in the fandom for some time now. This was the main argument why some people wanted Wille to stay in the monarchy. Sure, the institution has always been about bloodlines and tradition. But wouldn’t it be so nice to have Wilhelm as a symbol for the queer community? I’ve always found this idea a bit shallow. I’m not sure how much of a symbol of a queer and progressive country Wilhelm could be, when the whole idea is predicated on absolutely no one having a choice in the matter. Is it really impressive to accept the queerness of the guy you already had no choice in accepting?

There’s three scenes in season 3 where the potential Wilhelm -and by extension Simon- could have for the queer community come up. Farima brings it up in the first episode, but the framing here is reversed. Wilhelm isn’t serving the LGBTQ community by being a queer Prince, but the monarchy is using Wilhelm (and his queerness) to appear progressive.

The show, however, does humor this idea with the May 1st photo. We see what Simon and Wilhelm could potentially do for the community by simply existing as who they are: they’re inspirational. It gives Simon, briefly, hope that maybe something good could come out of this.

But this moment is quite literally framed by politics. It doesn't matter that Simon is not participating in that manifestation, anything that is slightly connected with politics is a challenge to neutrality of the monarchy. This same idea is stated more explicitly int the next episode, when Wilhelm is reviewing the options for his charity.

Ultimately, any action significant enough to be truly impactful, would be bordering the limits of what could be considered political. He's got to stick it out with these quite frankly boring and limited themes, all for the sake of staying on the very narrow lane of things that are not political.

The weight of the crown.

Stories about Kings and Queens usually carry the same fundamental tension of duty vs self.

In order to rule, our protagonist has to sacrifice themselves, usually for the sake of their country and people. The Crown is an excellent example of this type of story. Sacrifice in that series is framed as something noble and selfless.

Young Royals started out with this same fundamental tension, but the main difference is that Young Royals has framed this debate as a question:

Why should Wilhelm give himself up, his happiness, the love of his life, and his mental well-being? What’s so important and valuable about this institution that requires this sacrifice?

Wilhelm’s journey is about accepting and voicing his answer. He doesn’t want to be Crown Prince, he doesn’t want to be King.

But by virtue of taking part of this journey with him, we’re able to examine this question from a different perspective: Is this institution valuable enough to justify all of this? I think the show is inviting all of us to evaluate this situation and arrive at the conclusion that it isn’t.

Even someone like August, who wanted this, is weighed down by the realization of just how much the crown weighs. Of course, a big part of the fandom probably doesn’t live in countries with parliamentary monarchies. Still, considering the worldwide popularity of the British Royals, for example, I still think it’s a worthwhile exercise to question the validity of these institutions. Are they really worth sustaining? And if they’re not, why should we continue to drag them on into the present, citing tradition?

#young royals #prince wilhelm #Wilhelm #wilhelm yr #simon eriksson #Wilmon #Politics in Young Royals #august horn #yr meta #my and

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its-time-to-write · 7 months ago

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chapter 5

guys I got confused and apparently I’ve had chapter five done for a while and the chapter I’ve been stressing over is actually chapter six??? I’m so terribly sorry! But here it is lol, I’m still a bit concerned I’ve written myself into a corner but I’ll post chapter six on Monday if not sooner.

table of contents

at least I’m trying

Jamie’s the one driving the car, but he’s actually worried that he’s about to be a murder victim. He’s never been a big fan of true crime, so he’s not entirely fucking thrilled that he’s going to be come one but he supposes he probably deserves it and anyway, maybe death isn’t so bad in the grand scheme of things.

Except he wants to actually hold Clare and buy her things and tell her he loves her and never leave her ever.

So maybe death-by-Madeline is actually so bad in the grand scheme of things.

“What the HELL is your problem?” she asks, and she’s actually expecting an answer so Jamie has to think fast. What the hell is his problem? No- what has he done in the present for Madeline to come straight from Milan to chew him out?

“What exactly do you mean?” he asks carefully. He needs to make sure Madeline knows he isn’t fucking hostile or some shit, and that maybe if he handles this right she can put a good word in with you.

He knows he’s reaching, but hey. He’s made it this far in life.

Madeline glares at him. “I mean, where the fuck do you get off showing up like this? Are you trying to take Bean? Because let me tell you, only one of us was at the birth and that shit was fucking gross. But the ones who showed up are the ones who get to take care of her, not some deadbeat father who’s too busy kicking a ball and fucking models to actually care about anything.”

That offends Jamie, but it terrifies him more than anything else. Because yes, he wasn’t around, but he didn’t know. And now he does fucking know and he has to actually see if he’s a good father or if being a piece of shit truly is genetic.

But he can’t imagine treating Clare even a fraction of the way his father treated him, so he’s hopeful.

He says, “I just want them to be taken care of,” and Madeline sighs.

“You can’t keep dragging her around, Tartt,” she reminds him as if he didn’t remind himself a year ago before thinking fuck it and calling you. It was supposed to go different. He was supposed to tell you he loved you and wanted you back and was done being a fucking idiot, except he got freaked out so he clammed up and left. And maybe that’s the strongest evidence as to why he should just leave the whole thing alone.

Jamie says, “I’m not,” but it feels like he’s trying to convince himself at this point.

“Being a parent is a lot of responsibility,” Madeline says.

He says, “I know,” then realizes he’s driven them to your street. He parks where he knows you can’t see him and waits for whatever Madeline has to say next.

She pinches the bridge of her nose. “She still loves you a little bit, you know. That’s why this whole thing is such shit. I truly think she’d take you back if she could trust the fact that you wouldn’t leave her, and I actually fucking think it would be good for her. But you’re the fucking worst so it isn’t going to happen, obviously.”

“I’m not leaving,” Jamie says. “I wouldn’t do that to Clare.”

Madeline says, “You’ve met her twice,” and Jamie gets her point. Because yeah, he’s met her twice and he loves her but that’s not really a reason to try to patch things up with you, and that’s what Madeline’s really saying, so Jamie says, “It’s not because she has our baby.”

“Oh, is it not?” Madeline asks in her most sarcastic posh voice. “Then by all means, enlighten me as to what you think you’re doing with my best friend other than re-fucking her up.”

She’s got bags under her eyes, partially from Milan and partially because she’s just tired too. It’s her firmly-held opinion that you deserve the whole entire world and nothing less, but there isn’t much she can do to give it to you. She can try to protect you, she can threaten Jamie and torment him and bring you coffee and help put Bean down for naps but she can’t take the entire weight of it off of you.

And she was being completely fucking honest when she said she thought Jamie would be good for you. He was the best when you were together, always taking care of you when no one else would, and Madeline worries sometimes that you’ll never let that happen again.

“You don’t NEED a man,” she’d said more than once, “but if you wanted one just to take your mind off things or to buy your dinner I have a whole list.”

“I’m pregnant, Madeline,” you’d reminded her to which she’d just grinned and said, “Babe, there are real men out that who love that shit.”

You’d never taken her up on her offer because she knew, down in her core, that you were waiting for Jamie. She never, ever brought it up because she also knew you would be mortified to admit it. And that even though you wished for it deep in your soul, you also knew it would never happen.

“I’m not going to re-fuck her up,” Jamie says firmly, and if this were less serious of a situation he sees at least three ways he could turn that sentence into something dirty. “I have a plan.”

Madeline raises an eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe,” she says. She reaches for the door and shoulders her away bag. Jamie watches her walk up the street and to your house without looking back once.

—

The first thing Jamie does is call Georgie because he actually does not have a plan. He has a vague idea of sweeping you in his arms and kissing you and that’s about it. He just can’t for the life of him figure out how to get there.

But his mum’s been on the other end of this, so she’s got to have some wisdom for him which is why Jamie calls her before he’s even out of your neighborhood.

He starts talking before Georgie can even say hello. He tells her the whole thing and about the fact that he’s an entire father out of nowhere and he has no idea what he’s even doing but there’s a part of him that wants to quit football and yes mum, he knows he’s being fuckin’ dramatic but he just wants to get his point across yeah? And by the time he’s done explaining that he just wants to make things right and permanent, he’s back inside his big empty house and wishing he were over at yours instead.

Georgie sighs and says, “I love you darling, but you’ve really fucked it,” and Jamie feels awful.

“I just don’t want to be like Dad,” he says quietly and Georgie says, “Jamie Tartt, you are nothing like that man. You’re my sweet, sexy little baby and you’ve grown up so much since you’ve been away. Don’t you ever think you’re like him.”

She’s right, Jamie knows that, but still. “So what do I do?” he asks.

Georgie’s silent on the other end of the line for a moment. Jamie doesn’t know if she’s hesitating or thinking but she says, “Now Jamie, I can’t promise this will work for you. And you need to make sure you’re listening to what that poor girl wants every step of the way. But I can tell you what I used to wish your father would do for me back in the day.”

Jamie digs around his house for a pen and paper because what’s the good in being England’s best striker if you can’t go for a long shot?

—

You’re not surprised Madeline is at your door, but you are surprised that she hasn’t been back to her flat yet.

“Your flight got back hours ago,” you say, baffled. She just shrugs. “Customs was an absolute nightmare,” she responds and you know she’s lying but you don’t question it. You just wave your hand vaguely to the guest shower that doubles as Mads’ second home and pull out a takeout menu.

Clare is on the brink of sleeping through the night, but she still isn’t quite there so you just do not have the brain space to cook a real dinner. It’s not like Madeline cares, anyway.

By the time the food arrives, Madeline is out of the shower and laying on the couch with Clare as she recounts her trip, carefully omitting how much time she spent with Keeley fucking Jones. You know you shouldn’t hate her, but god, every time you see or hear her she just says one insensitive thing after another. So you don’t pry when Mads clearly skips over something; you only press when you know it’s about whoever her mystery fling was, which she is less tight-lipped about.

It’s only after you’ve both eaten and Clare is (mostly) asleep for the night that she asks far too casually, “You’re not thinking of getting back together with Jamie, are you?” and you nearly choke.

“I beg your fucking pardon?” you laugh and she lifts a shoulder in a shrug.

“I think he’s going to try something,” she says. “I just don’t want you to get hurt again. Just because he wants you back doesn’t mean he’s going to fucking change. It’s really not the same shit, you know.”

You say, “Yeah, I know,” because you do. But if he’s going to volunteer to be awake late at night so you don’t have to, you might just take him up on it. Especially because you think it would be a much-needed humbling experience for him.

“What if I did?” you ask while Madeline sips her wine. “What if I did take him back?”

Madeline sets down her glass with a clink. “Then I think you’d need a plan,” she says seriously.

—

Madeline’s plan consists of specifically detailed criteria Jamie must meet before he’s redeemed as a trustworthy person. It includes signifiers of emotional intelligence, maturity, and a general sense of stability that has been previously dispelled. She writes everything down and sticks it to the fridge with a magnet, right under Clare’s ultrasound photos.

“If he can well and truly change, then he’s allowed back,” she says, and you agree.

And for the first time, you allow your hope to come to the surface.

Meanwhile, Jamie’s finished his own list. Everything his mum would’ve like to see his dad do and everything Simon actually did do to win her over. It’s a wide range, that’s for sure, from flowers to grocery shopping to fucking cooking which he definitely hasn’t done since he was twenty-one but he knows how to fucking read, doesn’t he? Cooking’s just following instructions and he can do that pretty well on the pitch, so it probably is the same thing.

He’s awake all night. All he can think about is how much he misses you in the bed next to him, and then around four in the morning he gets really fucking worried that all of this is just selfish and he should actually just leave you alone.

So instead of trying to sleep (because apparently it’s useless) he makes a cup of coffee and goes for a walk.

He walks all the way to the green in the dark and goes to sit on a bench, except it’s already occupied.

“Mornin’ Jamie,” says Ted. “Bit early for a walk, ain’t it?”

Jamie just looks at him. “You’re awake too,” he points out, and Ted shrugs.

“Just a little jet lagged,” he replies.

Jamie knows that’s bullshit, and he says it. “You’ve been here long enough, coach.“

Ted shrugs again. “Guess it never really leaves you.”

He doesn’t say anything else but he doesn’t seem like he’s trying to get rid of Jamie, so Jamie sits down. A few minutes pass before Ted says, “Henry wanted to talk, so I woke up to FaceTime him. Then I couldn’t go back to sleep because I just miss him so dang much.”

Jamie says, “Same coach,” without thinking, and now it’s Ted’s turn to give him a look. Jamie ignores it and says, “I got a kid. Couldn’t fucking sleep thinking about her and her mum, you know? I just want to be fucking… involved but it’s all weird, like.”

“Weird how?” Ted prompts. He has enough questions to fill a black hole but he’s sure it’ll come out sooner or later so for now he’s just going to listen.

Jamie leans back and stares at the sky as it begins to lighten. “Pretty sure I’m still in love with her. I sort of fucking suspected when I were with Keeley, but it weren’t till I saw her again that I knew for sure. But I don’t want to be fucking selfish and shit, so now I think I should just leave them alone.”

“Is that what she wants?” Ted asks as if he hasn’t had this conversation with himself a million times and moved to stinkin’ London to try to prove that he wasn’t selfish himself.

Jamie lifts a shoulder. “She doesn’t want me to leave again.”

Ted says, “Then don’t.”

next chapter

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt x you #jamie tartt x y/n #jamie tartt #ted lasso

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yourfavoritewitchbitch · 1 year ago

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Evermore - Eddie's Ending

Series Summary: It's been 7 years since the love of your life left you behind for his career. When he decides to come back, is it too late to start anew? Will you decide to start over or realize what's been right in front of you this whole time?

Just a small note: Thank you all for sticking around with me on this small journey! Enjoy!

Masterlist found here!

18+ Only! MDNI!

Warnings: Reader is referred to as "Peach." AFAB reader. Tad bit of angst. Fluff. Eddie has a reverse prince Albert piercing. Unprotected P in V. Creampie.

Word Count: 5.6K

You were ready to finally face the past and look forward to the future. Deep down, you knew what you wanted. So, why was your heart hammering in your chest? Why were your palms so sweaty?

You turned the car around to head over to a house you knew fairly well. You’d been there a few times since Eddie had moved him out of Forest Hills.

The black sedan he’d rented sits in the drive as you pulled in behind it, shutting the ignition off and taking a deep breath. You sat there a few more moments trying to gather yourself.

Slowly moving from the driver’s seat, your feet felt like chunks of lead, carrying you up the drive. Then slowly taking the steps one by one until you are face to face with the front door.

You hesitantly lifted your fist, knocking three quick times, holding your breath in the process.

The door opened to reveal Wayne, smiling brightly when he saw you standing there.

“Well, hello darlin’.” Pulling you in for a quick hug and stepping aside to let you enter.

“Hi Wayne.”

“Don’t suppose you're here to see this old man,” chuckling lightly. “He’s in the living room, I’ll make myself scarce.” Turning to head down the hall.

“And darlin’, it’s good to see you again.” Smiling once more before disappearing into his room.

You turned the corner, to see Eddie at the end of the couch, feigning interest in whatever was playing on the TV. His profile outlined by the lamp on the table beside him, hair still pulled back in a bun from when he had put it up earlier in the morning, pieces now falling down framing his face.

“Who was it, Pop?” He said, not making an attempt to look your way when you entered.

“Uh, just some girl, but I can tell her to leave if you don’t want to see her.”

His head snapped up at hearing your voice, eyes wide with surprise as he shot up from the couch. He slowly came to stand before you as if any sudden movements might scare you away.

“Peach? What’re you doin’ here?” Looking behind you as if expecting someone else to follow.

“I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by.” You shrugged, with a faint smirk to your lips.

“In the neighborhood, huh? And you came to see little ole’ me? I’m flattered, sweetheart.” He brought his hands up over his heart. “I uh… I’m glad you came by.”

“I think we had a little unfinished business to talk about, uninterrupted this time. Hopefully.” Your smile was warm, like sunshine, filling him with hope once more.

“You want to sit? Want something to drink? Coffee, tea?” He asked.

“I could use some coffee. I’ve got to go back into the Hideout tonight. Some new band is trying out for a regular spot.”

He beckoned you to follow him to the kitchen. Watching him start the pot as you sat down, letting out the smallest sigh as you did.

“New band? Hideout still does live music?” he asked over his shoulder, busying himself gathering some mugs from the cabinet.

“Of course, I didn’t change much about the place. I guess I wanted to keep the nostalgia. The parts that I always enjoyed.”

He sat the mugs down as he took the seat across from you.

“They uh, kind of remind me of Corroded Coffin in a way. They’re young, ambitious. They want to play anywhere people will listen.”

He sipped his coffee listening, biding his time. Hoping that you were here for some other reason than small talk before letting him down gently.

“Peach, I…” “Listen, Eddie…” Both saying in tandem. You let out small laughs in the quiet space, hiding the awkwardness but you were almost certain he could hear your heart from across the table at how fast it was currently beating.

“It’s ok, you go.” Eddie spoke first.

Releasing a ragged breath, feeling his big, rounded eyes on you so intensely made you more nervous than before.

“I just came here to tell you that you were right. I couldn’t just sit there and pretend that I didn’t feel anything between us. I haven’t felt something like that, well, since…” You caught his gaze, he knowingly nodded.

“Eddie, you turned my entire world upside down and shattered my heart. I don’t think you realize just how much you hurt me. You weren’t here to see me at my lowest. I didn’t leave the apartment for a week, and once I did Steve and Robin took turns watching me because I was such a wreck.” Your eyes felt the familiar sting behind them that you had grown so accustomed to in the past few days.

“Peach, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I know it doesn’t make up for it, but I would spend the rest of my entire life trying. I still love you. I’ve never stopped loving you. I know you’re trying to say your piece before telling me that’s it, but please. I am begging you. Just one chance, I’ll show you today and the rest of our lives.”

His big eyes boring into yours, glossy, tears lining his lashes ready to spill at any moment. You hadn’t seen him this vulnerable in a long time. Somehow you could feel he was telling the truth.

“Eddie, we live such different lives now. How would we even make it work? I’m not leaving Hawkins. I can’t leave Maddie.” The only words he focused on were “make it work.” You hadn’t turned him down.

“First of all, I wouldn’t ask you to leave Hawkins, not now or ever.” He dared to place his hand on top of yours, where it sat on the table. You didn’t pull away but turned your palm over so you could curl your fingers into his, pulling him closer. His heart fluttered at the gesture.

“Wayne and I have been talking. I’m not going back to LA, at least not right now. I need a break and a major detox. In case you haven’t noticed, I uh…I need…” He was struggling to say it out loud. Your thumb gently rubbed the tender skin you held, encouraging him to go on.

“Well, it would do me some good to sober up. I’ve been going too hard for too long.” Looking down, as if he were ashamed but you were proud of him. This was your Eddie.

“How about we take this one day at a time? It’s not going to be easy. But it doesn’t mean that I forgive you for everything you put me through. Words only go so far; you need to show me.” You squeezed his hand.

“I can do that. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” Lifting your hand to his lips, placing a small kiss there. You smiled fondly hoping you’ve made the right choice. A second chance at a love you thought was lost.

“Alright, one day at a time Eddie.”

You sat there sipping coffee and fingers intertwined with his letting the gentle moment sink in. You were doing this; you were ready to try to love again.

“Walk me out? I’ve got to get ready for tonight.”

You both stood, as he placed his palm to the small of your back, guiding you back through the house.

“Hey Eddie,” turning back to him as you walked through the door. “There's this really cool band playing at the Hideout tonight. I could save you a seat. I’ll even have some virgin Pina Coladas ready to go. How about it?”

He grinned wide, “It’s a date sweetheart. I’ll be there.”

You were buzzing with electricity since you had left him, heading straight home to get a little more dressed up for a usual weeknight. You wore dark denim jeans, paired with a simple tank top and your own leather jacket with some old converse sneakers to keep your feet comfy. You kept your makeup simple but added a nice red lip. Something Eddie was always fond of.

The band you had hired brought in more of a crowd than you had anticipated, packing the place. The usuals grumbling about all these “young kids” taking their seats.

You were busy, helping out behind the bar or on the floor, wherever you were needed until your other waitress arrived. Your eyes kept glancing at the clock as it inched its way closer to 7 PM.

The band was set to perform at 7:30, and he would be arriving at any moment. You had roped off the two stools at the end of the bar earlier in the day, the ones directly in front of where your initials were carved what now seems like a lifetime ago.

You heard the commotion before you saw him.

Someone from the crowd shouted, as others joined in. “Holy shit, it’s Eddie Munson.” “It’s really him!” “No way!”

You gave him time, slipping in and around the people clambering to talk to the one and only Eddie Munson, frontman of Corroded Coffin. The members of the band you’d hired finally had their chance, speaking with him briefly, asking advice which he gladly gave but his mind was elsewhere.

His eyes drifted to where you sat, back turned to him. The noise and voices slowly subsided as you came into view.

“Excuse me, boys, I’ve got a hot date. And I’ve kept her waiting far too long.” He clapped one of them on the back as he made his way over. “Have a good set.”

You were sipping your Pina Colada, virgin just as you had told him they would be.

“Hi there, this seat taken?” He asked, coming to stand beside you.

“Well, I’m waiting for some guy but he’s late. I suppose you’ll do.” You grinned, taking another sip of the sugary concoction.

“His loss,” he chuckled out, as he sat.

Your eyes finally found him as you smiled at each other. He had showered, his curls down and around his face and shoulders. He’d left his stubble; it was a good look for him. It made him look older, hiding those boyish features but it was fitting. You were both older now. Your mind wonders how he sees you now.

He scooted over into your space, slotting his legs on either side of you. He smelled of that familiar leather and cigarettes that you had always found comfort in, something reminiscent of home. You could also faintly smell a cologne underneath, woodsy and expensive.

“So, handsome, what brings you in here tonight?” Pushing yourself a little closer still, knee pressing into his thigh as you slot yourself in between his open legs, feeling a little brave, placing your hand on his leg.

You watched his breath hitch, as if it was first date jitters and you hadn’t spent an entire lifetime together, but it was time to get to know one another again.

He didn’t have time to respond. The band cut through the sound system that you had spent a small fortune upgrading a few years ago as both of you looked toward the stage.

“Hey everyone, we’re Punk Rats. Let’s hit it!” It was new rock, in a small town. Something Eddie knew all too well. It usually wasn’t welcome, but it looks as if you made the Hideout a safe place for people like them to play and invite their fans. You were like him in that way, always a soft spot for the outcasts and lost sheep.

The music poured out. Loud and fast paced.

He leaned in close, so you could hear him. “They aren’t too bad.”

“I know, I hired them. Remember?” You laughed. He was so glad to draw that sound from you. Something he thought he’d never hear again.

He slyly watched you, watching them perform with stars in your eyes. He remembered those days you were looking at him up there. He’d never gotten to see you like this, up close.

You reached over and threaded your fingers through his, holding tight, letting the music sway you from side to side. You had missed his touch.

“Hey Eds,” you turned to him, finding his eyes already on you. “I’ll be right back, I’ve to check on something.” You slowly unlatched yourself from him, kissing his cheek.

He nodded, eyes trailing after you, a little sway to your hips as you went weaving through the small crowd. He thought to himself at this moment how lucky he was to be here, and he wasn’t about to let you slip through his fingers. What an absolute fool he was. Young, ambitious but at what cost?

The minutes ticked by, and you hadn’t returned. He checked his watch, looking around nervously until the bartender caught his attention.

“Hey man,” Randy cut through the chatter, “she told me to give you this,” handing him a folded paper.

For a moment his heart sank. You’d changed your mind and didn’t want to tell him. He was getting his payback, and he didn't blame you.

A look of confusion passed his features before he took it from him hesitantly, fingers with a little tremble; from detoxing or nerves he didn’t quite know.

Hey Handsome,

Meet me upstairs. The door is unlocked.

XoXo, Peach

Breathing a sigh of relief, he got up. Making his way across the bar to the front door, pushing his way out into the cool Indiana summer night air.

He looked up at the apartment window. It was dark, anticipation stirring within him as he started to climb the stairs taking two at a time but trying to maintain his cool.

He stopped, should he knock? No that's stupid, you said the door was unlocked.

He held his breath, and slowly turned the knob, pushing as the door slowly creaked open. The only light seeping in from the window.

“Peach?” He called out. Closing the door behind him, letting his eyes adjust slowly to the darkness that surrounded him.

He saw you moments later, silhouette outlined by the same window.

“Every time I come up here, I think about that night. Wondering what I could have done differently.” You gaze steady on the outside world, as he comes up behind you.

He’s well aware that he had the luxury to run away, forget it all. You had to stay, see everything that reminded you of him here in Hawkins.

He placed his arms around your waist, pulling you back into his chest. He radiated warmth but your body erupted in goosebumps from the sudden closeness.

“Is this, okay?” Breath fanning across your cheek, as he spoke.

“It’s more than okay,” wrapping your arms around his.

He nuzzled his face into your neck, breathing you in. You always smelled sweet. Something that always made him think of vanilla and summer days.

He wanted to cherish the moment, the time he had with you as he raised his head up, lips kissing tenderly at your temple.

“God, I missed you so much. And I’m sorry I’m a few years late. An apology that shouldn't even have to be made. I was stupid. Selfish.” He mumbled into your hair.

“Eddie, how about we make some new memories? Replace the ones that I need to forget.” You moved out of his grip so you could face him, as your hands snaked around his waist, meeting the warmth you missed so much laying your head to his chest.

“Yeah, Sweetheart. We can do that.”

You pulled your head away from where it rested long enough to look him over. His gaze immediately bringing you a comfort you so desperately craved from your time apart. His cheeks flushed, tinted the lightest shade of pink. Eyes drifting to his lips. His tongue darted out slightly, wetting them.

“You can make me forget? Remind me of all the good times?” He nodded.

“Kiss me, Eddie.”

You tilted your chin upward, as he crashed his lips into yours. His hand meeting the back of your head, pulling you in, his other resting on your hip.

The moment your lips met, it was desperate and needy. Your hands find purchase on the front of his shirt as you move against each other.

His tongue grazed your bottom lip, begging for entry, silently granting permission as you gently parted them.

All at once, he’s everywhere but it isn’t enough. Hands roaming, feeling any of the exposed skin he could get to. You fervently wish in this moment you could crawl under his skin, desperate to be as close as possible.

You feel a familiar ache between your legs, with an intensity that has you reeling. He pulls you closer, deepening the kiss, pressing in as you feel the evidence of his own growing need against your hip, straining against his denim.

Pulling away slightly, he sucks your lower lip gently before releasing it with a gentle pop. You’re both out of breath, panting. Leaning his forehead against yours, the small breaths being shared in the space between you the only sounds in the room.

“Eds, I need you,” you finally manage to speak.

“I need you too, Peach. Can I please, have you?”

You brought your hands up to gently cup his face. “I’ve waited for what seems like an eternity to have you back in my arms. Please.”

“Wait, is there even a bed up here?” As if he suddenly remembered where you were, and no furniture in the immediate area that he could see.

You giggle and nod, “Yes, Eds. Though I know that hasn’t stopped you before.”

“I had to ask sweetheart,” he leans in close, dropping his voice to that husky tone that has your thighs clenching, “I’d like to fuck you properly tonight.”

You yelp as his hand comes into contact with your ass with a loud smack.

“Eddie!” You chastise him, with a grin.

“Come on, baby,” he gently tapped your ass then, giving you the go ahead.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and jumped into his arms, wrapping your legs around his narrow waist. Eddie was always strong; years of lugging heavy music equipment had its perks.

His large palms cup your cheeks bringing you even closer, grinding down so you could press your core to his ever-growing bulge making you both moan out with want. He wastes no time, managing to kiss you again and marching you both straight to the bedroom.

He only breaks the kiss a moment to look around once he’d managed to get you both through the doorway in one piece. Though the bed has changed it feels the same. It’s in the same position it was always in. Fitting, he thinks.

He gently moves to the bed, sitting you down with a small bounce as you giggle. Helping you quickly shed your jacket, tossing it haphazardly across the floor as he does the same with his.

He takes your sneaker clad foot and helps ease your shoe off and then switches to do the same with the other. You watched him, scooting yourself up into the pillows. He slipped his own shoes off and made his way back over to you.

Crawling over, he nudged your thighs so he could slot himself between them. His throbbing length meeting your core once again through the layers of still too much fabric separating you from one another.

You arched and moved into him when the rough denim meets your own, but finding enough friction where you craved it the most. You let out a breathy moan, sounding more like a sigh.

It was like music to his ears.

“God, I’ve missed those sounds.” Tenderly moving the hair from your face before caging you in.

His lips once again meeting yours, not as much urgency in the way they moved against yours, but just as much passion taking his time savoring the taste.

He pulled away, your lips chasing his, it only had you pleading once more, “Please Eddie, I need you.”

“I know baby, but I want to take my time. I’ve missed you so much.” He looked directly into your eyes, tears brimming at your lash line, and he hasn’t even touched you yet.

“Needy baby, let me take care of you.”

He helped you remove your top, kissing down your jaw, then the column of your neck, making his way lower. Tender kisses all the way down your chest, as if reacquainting himself with each part of you. Thumbs brushing over the thin fabric covering your breast, earning him another moan. He moved to unclasp it, freeing you from the confines.

Then moving his lips lightly over each nipple, breath fanning, teasing you. Your head was already getting dizzy, thrown back with pleasure before his tongue licks hot, over your already pert nub while his palm engulfed the other. Switching the motions of his tongue before fully sucking and then lightly biting, making your core throb with need.

“Oh, Eddie,” an already breathless utterance falling from your lips.

Once he felt your breasts had enough attention, his lips began kissing down your stomach, before finally pulling away, easily popping the button of your jeans, bringing his face back down nipping at the top of your panties.

Once again, making you comfortable and giving you an out he asked, “This alright, sweetheart?”

You met his gaze, your own eyes reflecting the same lust he felt.

“Please, Eds.”

He helped you shimmy out of your jeans and panties letting them join the growing pile on the floor.

You spread your thighs for him once again, as his fingers began to trace patterns on your skin, getting closer to where you needed him the most. He moved inward, watching your pussy on full display for him.

“Baby, you're already dripping, and I haven’t even touched you.” He hummed.

He moved his finger to trace your slit. Your hips canting up to meet his touch, desperate for more.

Gently, he parts your lips, brushing his thumb over your clit and sees the way your aching hole clenches around nothing as it pulls another delicious moan from you making it hard for him not to take his throbbing cock out and pound you into the mattress right then and there.

“Fuck Peach, such a need girly. My needy girl.” He says as he lowers himself, head between your thighs, mouth now mere inches from your sopping cunt; breath fanning over your hot flesh as he admires the meal he’s about to devour.

He doesn’t give you time to respond, letting his hot tongue meet your core, painting a stripe from your aching hole, meeting your clit with just the pressure you needed.

“Ahhh, fuck.” You moaned out, gripping the sheets to ground you.

He began swirling his tongue over your bundle of nerves, like an exposed live wire, the coil already threatening to snap.

“God, yes Eddie. Please don’t stop!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, baby.” He speaks into your pussy, drawing your clit between his lips sucking harshly.

His finger draws lazy circles around your entrance, you couldn’t focus on one sensation alone. Everything felt so good.

That same finger began to prod your entrance, sliding in easily, a welcome relief.

He quickly adds another, curling them upward, not missing the way you’re already fluttering around him as he reaches that sweet spongy spot that has you begging for more.

He lifts his eyes, but never removes his mouth from you, as you begin to writhe beneath him, gripping the sheets as you feel the coil within you winding tighter.

His fingers brushing that spot over and over, as he alternated his attention from sucking and lightly nipping at your clit, it finally sent you over the edge. With a cry of his name the coil snaps, sending you into orbit. With stars behind your eyes bursting, all you seem to hear is the blood pumping in your ears and the distant thump, thump, thump of the music from the Hideout below.

He works you through it, drawing it out as long as he could before reluctantly pulling his mouth away and letting his fingers retreat, easing himself up.

He can’t help but admire the way you look so blissed out. Lips plump and kiss bitten; cheeks flushed. You lazily open your eyes to see him looking down at you.

“Come here,” you manage, reaching for him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, bringing him back to your awaiting lips, tasting yourself on his tongue. It has you moaning again, threading your fingers through his hair, trying to pull him closer.

He finally pulls away, breathless, searching your eyes.

“Peach, baby, I’ve got to get my clothes off. If I don’t get inside you, I’m going to combust.” You laugh out, but ease up on your grip, letting him ease aside.

“Uh, that reminds me,” he starts as he sits up, “You got any condoms?”

“I’m on the pill Eddie, I want all of you inside of me.” Biting your lower lips watching his jaw drop.

“You are perfect.” He pecks your lips and moves off the bed.

His shirt goes first, you study his body, more tattoos on his alabaster skin than you were accustomed to. Across his chest and side. You made a mental note to study them later, as the clinking of his belt made you trail lower as he unzipped his pants, watching as he lowered the fabric from his waist, sliding them and his boxers down his legs as they pool at his feet allowing his cock to spring free, just as pretty as you remembered. Thick and long, your eyes follow it upward until something shiny catches your eye at his ruddy tip.

“Eds, what’s that?” You ask, continuing to stare almost mesmerized.

He follows your gaze, as if he’d forgotten himself. There at the head of his cock, a steel piercing is visible.

“Oh yeah. That. Drunken decision but it's hot right?” He states, with a sly grin.

You nod, as he brings his hand to his shaft, taking the pearly bead from his slit, smearing it back down. Teasing himself and you in the process, as he then moves to crawl back between your thighs.

He moves close, chest pressed into yours, as his cock nudges through your slick folds, wrapping your legs around his waist. He nuzzles into your neck as lips ghost over the shell of your ear as he speaks, “And baby, I know you’re going to love how it feels.”

Canting his hips at the last word, his head catching your clit just right, pulling a breathy moan from you.

“Yeah, that's it Peach. Let me hear those beautiful sounds. My beautiful girl.”

He moves his hand to your thigh, gently pushing. You take the hint, spreading yourself wider to him as he holds himself up by your head and his other hand travels between you.

He takes his now aching cock, teasing now long forgotten as he brings his head to your entrance. He slightly nudges inside but looks up to you for a response. Your glazed over expression is almost all he needs, but he waits. You nod, as he begins to push in slowly.

“Fuuuuuck,” he draws out the word.

Your own head now thrown back, chest heaving. Each delicious inch stretches you out.

Finally, bottoming out, he holds for a moment, kissing the side of your mouth as you moaned out once more. The high of him fully seated within you taking over filling you to the brim.

He pistons his hips, pulling almost all of the way out and thrusting back in harder than he intended. He had every intention of taking it slow, relishing the feeling as long as possible.

The slow outward drag of his cock sent a shiver down your spine and ignited a new flame deep within. That steel ring was brushing against you each and every time he thrust in and out relentlessly. It was a new experience, something you had never felt before and it had your mind and body buzzing.

“God, Eddie, you feel so good.”

Your words ignited him, it was almost too much for him to hold back, he thrust a little too harshly as his head kissed your cervix.

“Ohhhh, fuck. Eddie. Please, you can move faster.”

“Yeah, that what my girl needs, huh? Need my cock to ruin you, huh?”

He moves, pulling your thigh higher up on his waist, suddenly punching the air from your lungs with each thrust. You couldn’t think, couldn’t speak.

It was just Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.

It felt like a lifetime of waiting and to have him back in your arms felt like a dream.

You reached for him, your nails digging crescents into his back. His pace didn’t let up, he felt like he was everywhere at once, invading all of your senses. Each thrust of his hips had his cock kissing your cervix, every withdrawal had him brushing that place within your walls your own fingers could never reach. Your second orgasm was building with each delicious drag.

“I’m… mmmm… Fuck,” you couldn’t get it out, but he heard your loud and clear. In one motion, he sat up, pulling your hips up with him. The new angle made it feel like he was impossibly deeper. He moved his thumb to toy with your clit, already sensitive from the first orgasm he worked you through.

“Come on baby, give me one more.” He showered you with praise, “I need to feel her. I need you to cum all over my cock. You can do that for me, can’t you baby?”

“Eddie, I…” A new sensation started to build, it had you feeling dizzy. Your orgasm was impending, but this felt different. Intense, building with each rock of his hips and graze of your clit.

“What baby?” He hummed, but it was too late you came harder than you ever have, crying out his name as it washed over you. Your pussy clamped down on him, making it almost impossible for him to keep pumping. A gush of fluid came down around you both, wetting everything in the process.

“Holy shit,” he huffed out, ceasing his movements. “You just squirted all over me. Goddamn, that was so fuckin’ hot. When did you start doing that?”

He draped his body over yours, thrusting slowly, giving your body a reprieve.

“I… I’ve never done that before.” You breathed out, chest still heaving from the exertion.

“I told you that you'd love it.” He chuckled, still balls deep inside you. Though your walls were still sensitive, you used your muscles and pulsed down around him, effectively cutting off his laugh, eliciting his own moan instead.

“Fuck Peach, you dirty girl. You could have just said you were ready,” he huffed, getting back to the task at hand as he rolls his hips back into yours.

“Where’s the… mmmmm… where's the fun in that?”

His pace picked back up; you were able to watch his lean muscles as they worked in time to reach his own release. A sheen of sweat across his forehead, eyes closed as his head was thrown back.

His thrusts became a little sloppy, so you knew he was getting close.

He groaned at your words. “Perfect, you’re fuckin’ perfect.”

A few more thrusts and he was following you.

“Fuckfuckfuck,” he mumbled as he spilled inside of you, your tight cunt milking him for everything he was worth.

He finally stilled and collapsed onto you, chests heaving, both trying to come down from your highs.

He kissed your forehead, withdrawing his softening cock and lying next to you, pulling you over until your back was to his chest and nuzzling into your hair.

You didn’t speak, nothing more needed to be said in the moment. You listened to him breathing until it turned into soft snores. You relaxed into him, letting sleep slowly take you over.

You opened your eyes slowly, scanning the room, reaching over expecting to feel a warm body next to yours.

Instead, you were met with nothing but a cold space. You sat up clutching the comforter close to your chest as your heart rate ticked up.

“Eddie?” you groaned. Waiting a few beats, only met with silence.

Oh God. You grabbed the sheet, wrapping it around yourself, noticing his clothes were gone from the floor.

You raced out into the hall, running into the kitchen. Too crazed to notice the fresh pot of coffee that was brewed or the brown paper sack sitting on the counter with

“Benny's” printed across it.

Turning the corner, you barreled right into his chest.

Woah, baby, where you going in such a hurry?” He laughed but his smile dropped when he saw the worried look on your face, immediately pulling you into his embrace.

“I'm sorry baby,” kissing the top of your head. Realizing in your state what you must have thought. “You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to wake you just yet, so I went out for breakfast to surprise you.”

You were clinging to him. Face buried in his chest, letting yourself relax into his embrace, as he rubbed soothing circles across your back.

"It's ok… I just thought… you weren't there and…” Coming out a little muffled.

“Shhhh, sweetheart. I've got you. I'm not going anywhere. I promise.”

Thinking back to all those years ago, this is what you had wished for. What you needed.

You were both given a second chance at love. It was time to let go of the past and look forward to the future together.

He had you back and he’d do everything to keep you.

In the soft morning light, you had coffee and breakfast in the apartment you once shared, ready to take this one day at a time.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fic #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader smut #eddie munson x fem reader #eddie munson x female reader #evermore #evermore eddies ending

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janeyseymour · 1 year ago

Note

Hii

Can you write a Mel x reader where they go to the PECSA and there is only one bed available? They describe themselves as reaaaally good friends until everything changes.

Can you make it with a happy ending? Ty ❤️

I hope this is what you were asking for!

What happens at PECSA...

WC: ~3k

“PECSA,” Melissa grins. “Here we come!” She turns in her seat to glance at you sitting in the back. Barb and her had been kind enough to let you tag along with them.

“Oh, Y/N,” Barb chuckles as she drives. “You have no idea what you just got yourself into tagging along with the two of us.”

“I know what I got myself out of by not going with Janine and Jacob,” you giggle. “I still don’t know how Gregory puts up with the two of them sometimes.”

“Love does weird things to that man,” Barb makes a face. “God, I can’t wait to not have to listen to those lectures and relax in a hot tub instead. I’ve been around a while, I don’t know why I’m still required to go to these things”

“I’m ready for a couple of math-o-ritas, and then I’ll be schmoozing all of the different companies to get them to donate supplies to Abbott,” Melissa cheers from her seat.

You, on the other hand, aren’t quite sure what to expect. The last time you went to PECSA, you mostly just kept to yourself and kept your head down. You were a new teacher, and you figured you should at least look like you were trying. But that was last year. Now, you have Melissa and Barbara to help you out, and if the three of you get caught not participating... you’re sure one of them will get you out of the sticky situation.

It takes you a bit longer to get to your destination, and both senior teachers are all grins once you’re finally there.

“Oh, PECSA,” Melissa sighs in content as she grabs her bags. “How I’ve missed you.”

“Come on, Melissa,” Barbara laughs. “If we want to be able to raid the minibar before the opening dinner, we have to get in there! Now!”

The redhead all but rolls her eyes as she moves out of the way, allowing the kindergarten teacher to grab her various bags.

“Jeez, Barbara,” you laugh as you look at the amount of things she’s packed for a weekend. You have one duffel bag and a backpack filled with everything you could possibly need, and she has... is that really five bags?

“I’m very serious about my nighttime routine, Y/N,” she says lowly. “I don’t look this good by doing nothing, you know.”

“C’mon, you two,” the redhead teases the two of you. “Let’s go check in and get settled in.”

You let Melissa and Barbara check in first before you step up to the counter.

“Checking in for Y/N,” you say politely.

The clerk clicks around a few times on his computer before giving you a look. “I don’t have a reservation under that name.”

You look baffled. You had booked your room months in advance- you had booked it with Melissa’s guidance because she knew a guy who could get you a good deal. “That’s impossible, you say softly. I booked my room months ago.”

“Did you get a confirmation email?” The concierge asks.

“I did,” you mumble as you pull out your phone, searching for it. You pull it up as proof.

Your coworkers are watching curiously. It hadn’t taken that long for them to check in.

“You think she’s okay?” Melissa leans in close to Barb.

“I’m not sure,” the kindergarten teacher replies. “She looks a little frazzled.”

“I’ll check on ‘er,” the redhead tells her friend. “Watch my stuff.”

“You okay?” Melissa comes up behind you and sets a hand on your shoulder.

You take a shaky breath. “Fine. They just messed up my reservation, so now they’re looking to see where they can put me, and they’re figuring out how much I get back since I won’t be put in as nice of a-”

“They fucked up your reservation?” the redhead cuts you off. “Oh... Vinnie’s gonna get an earful about this one.”

“It’s okay,” you lay a hand on her arm. “It’s fine. It’s all gonna get squared away, and then we can focus on having a good time at PECSA.”

“No, I’m gonna-” Melissa looks like something has triggered her ‘fight-or-fight’ response.

“It’s okay,” you promise her. “It’s all gonna be fine. Things happen, mistakes happen.”

She doesn’t look very happy, but she does take a breath. If you say it’s fine, she’s trusting you. She goes over and tells Barb what’s happening, and they both come and stand at your sides.

Except then the clerk is coming back over to you, and he doesn't look too excited to share whatever news he has with you.

“Miss Y/N, I am so sorry,” he states quietly. “We’re operating at maximum capacity for this weekend due to the conference, and we will not be able to fit you in. We are in the process of providing a full refund to you as we-”

“What the hell?” Melissa asks from behind you. “How’d you goof up that bad?”

“Mel, it’s okay,” you say quietly. “I’ll just find a different hotel to stay in.”

“No, you’re not,” the second grade teacher bites out. “Because you’ll be staying with me in my room.”

“And we expect a full refund for her,” Barbara cuts in. “And some sort of credit. It’s the least you can do for the poor girl.”

“Guys, it’s fine,” you turn red. They’re fighting for you, and the idea of staying with Melissa? Well... you’ve had a thing for her since you first started at Abbott, but it’s never gone anywhere past coworkers. Staying with Melissa could be dangerous territory if you weren’t careful.

“Like hell we’re gonna let you stay somewhere,” the redhead tells you seriously as she picks up your bags. “The plan is to get hammered, and there ain’t no way I’m lettin’ you take an Uber to and from a different hotel.”

“She’ll be accepting an apology in some form of credit,” Barbara hits the concierge with a stern look again before the three of you walk away.

“Maybe I should just go-”

“Go where, kid?” Melissa rolls her eyes. “Barb drove, so you’re stuck here. Might as well make the best of it, yeah? Now, are you gonna share a room with me, or spend your time on one of these nasty ass couches in the lobby?”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” you ask.

“Nope,” the redhead pops her ‘p’. “Let's go, hon. If we hurry we can still get a couple of glasses of wine in before tonight’s event.”

The three of you get into the elevator and head for your rooms.

“I’ll meet you down at the pool in an hour?” Barb asks. At yours and Melissa’s nods, she lets herself into her room next to Melissa’s... and now yours too.

The redhead unlocks your door and gestures for you to go first. You look around. This place is... wow. It’s really nice. Whatever her cousin Vinnie did to get her this nice of a room had to have been pretty big. You set your things on the floor over by the rather uncomfortable looking couch that is taking up space on the other side of the room.

“Oh come on, Y/N,” Melissa chuckles. “You can put your stuff on the bed.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” you mutter nervously, tucking a hair behind your ear and rubbing your collar bone gently.

“You ain’t intruding. I invited you to stay with me for the weekend,” she says pointedly. She glances at where you’ve decided to set your things. “And you’re not sleeping on that ratty ass couch, so don’t even try it.”

“You don’t think this is... weird for us to share a bed?”

“It ain’t weird if you don’t make it weird,” your colleague shrugs as she reaches for her bag. She pulls out a couple of shooters. “Now, are you ready to get PECSA weekend started or what?”

You, Barb, and Melissa end up by the pool an hour later. You had made your appearance, and now you were fully taking advantage of the fact that everybody else was so preoccupied with PECSA events that you had the entire pool room to yourselves.

“Best weekend of the year,” the kindergarten teacher raises her glass.

“Seriously,” Melissa responds. “Bottomless margs, a heated pool, and a relaxing weekend with two of my favorite people.” While Barb smiles, you blush. You didn’t know you were that high up on her list. You honestly weren’t even sure you were on her good list to begin with, so hearing that you were in ranks with the kindergarten teacher definitely took you by surprise.

“To PECSA,” you say quietly and take off your coverup before reaching for your book. You miss the way that Melissa’s eyes check you out, just like how you had missed it in the hotel room.

You end up falling asleep not much later, a glass of mimosa sitting next to you, and your novel is open and laying on your chest.

Melissa looks over to you. “Wow.” She can’t remember the last time she’s seen you so still- so at peace. You were always running around at Abbott, and even when you were sitting, a part of your body was almost always bouncing up and down. Now, you just look calm. You look... gorgeous. Even with your hair tied up carelessly and no makeup on, Melissa thought you looked absolutely stunning.

“Poor girl’s been working herself so hard this year,” Barbara tuts. “She’s been exhausted lately.”

That was not what the redhead was referring to, but she’ll play along. “I know,” she laughs nervously. “We’ve barely been here for an hour, and she’s already fallin’ asleep on us. Hope she can keep up with us later tonight.”

“It’s a good thing we were there when the clerk told her there wasn’t any more room,” Barb says, lips turned up. “Otherwise the poor thing would’ve probably Ubered home and not enjoyed this weekend with us.”

“Yeah,” the second grade teacher says noncommittally. She’s still got her eyes on you. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen you looking more beautiful than you do dozing off in the lounge chair.

“Are you gonna be okay this weekend sharing the place with her?” She knows about Melissa’s little thing for you. She knows how much the redhead cares about you, and she understands how strong the other woman’s feelings are for you.

“I’ve held it together for this long, I can do it for another weekend,” Melissa rolls her eyes. “I have to. I ain’t jeopardizing our friendship.”

“But this weekend you have to share a room,” the kindergarten teacher argues.

“A bed,” Melissa coughs out awkwardly. “We’re sharing a bed. It's totally normal. Friends share beds all the time. I told her I wasn’t going to let her sleep on that ratty ass couch they have in there. But I’ll be... I’ll be fine.”

“You sure about that?” Barbara teases.

“I’ll be fine. It’ll be fine. Everything will be just... I’ll be fine.”

“Say it one more time, and I’ll believe you,” the older teacher chuckles.

“I’ll be fine,” Melissa huffs. She takes her eyes off of you to take a sip of her drink. “I just can't get too hammered now.”

That’s what she said. But that was also four hours ago, and five drinks ago. You three are currently down at one of the parties. Barbara is speaking with a few of the handlers from different supply companies, you have had your fair share of drinks and are starting to stumble, and Melissa refuses to leave your side. She glares down pretty much anybody who even thinks about trying to talk to you.

Someone from Addington decides that they don’t give a damn about Melissa’s harsh looks and has to come over to attempt to flirt with you. You’ve made it quite clear you are having no parts of it, but he just won’t leave you alone. Melissa doesn’t like this one bit. She doesn’t intervene just yet though. She knows you are a strong independent woman who can handle this- unless you give her some sort of signal to ask for help.

“I’m really okay,” you slur out. “I don’ wan’ another. Thanks-s though.”

He just keeps trying to get you to drink another one, trying to make conversation with you even though you aren’t interested. He’s ignoring the fact that the redhead is right there with you too. You give Melissa a look that she interprets to be a plea for help. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but that’s how she takes it.

“Hey, asshole,” the second grade teacher finally taps his shoulder. “She said she ain’t interested, so beat it.”

“And who are you?” he looks her over. “Old, washed up-”

“I’d watch it if I were you,” Melissa glares him down. “Now get outta here, before I help you outta here.”

“Who even are you?” the charter teacher asks.

Melissa, thinking that you are too inebriated to remember this tomorrow, bites the bullet. She wraps her arms around your waist and helps to steady you. “Her girlfriend. Now, seriously: beat it before I beat you.”

“Damn,” he puts his hands up in surrender as he walks away. “The hot ones always turn out to be gay.”

You’re intoxicated, but not because of the copious amount of tequila you’ve had tonight. No, it’s because of a certain coworker's arms being snaked around your waist and holding onto you tightly.

“I think maybe it’s time for bed,” Melissa tells you gently as she continues to hold you up. You giggle as you lean into her, fully embracing how close you are and loving it.

“You’re- you’re warm,” you tell her. “I like that about you.”

“Well, yeah,” she laughs as she guides you towards where Barbara is sitting. “Hey, Barb. I think this one’s had enough, so I’m gonna take her up to the room and get her to bed, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Barb!” You try to launch yourself at the veteran teacher.

“Oh! Y/N!” the kindergarten teacher laughs. She lets you hug her, quietly mouthing, ‘Is she okay?’ to Melissa. At the redhead’s nod, she mouths, ‘Are you okay?’ to which Melissa nods again.

“Alright, sweetheart,” the second grade teacher helps pry you off of Barbara. “I think it’s about time we get up to our room and into bed.”

“Mhmm,” you hum. “As long as- as long as you stay with me.”

“I never said nothin’ ‘bout leaving,” she assures you. “Now c’mon.”

The two of you somehow manage to get back up to the room, and at this point, Melissa is practically dragging you. She keeps one arm looped around your waist while she tries to open the door for you. It unlocks, and she pushes it open before guiding you to the bed.

“Sleep, hon,” Melissa instructs.

“Don’ wanna sleep in this,” you gesture to the dress you’re wearing. She can’t necessarily blame you- it doesn’t look terribly comfortable.

“Okay, hon,” she sighs. She opens your duffel, blushing immediately. “Is there anything specific you want in here?”

“My t-shirt,” you mumble, already curled up on your side of the bed. She digs through your duffel bag, only to realize you forgot to pack a night shirt. Thank god she packed an extra. She quickly goes to her side of the bed and finds the spare shirt.

She throws the shirt at you and instructs you to change, but you’re still struggling after several minutes. With a sigh, Melissa knows she’s going to have to help you change. She wishes she was undressing you, not helping you redress.

Once you’re finally changed, she helps you slip into bed and pulls the blankets up and around you. The teacher moves a few stray hairs away from your face before tracing a gentle line down your cheek with the pad of her thumb.

“Mel,” you whine when she pulls her hand away from your face. “Don’t go.”

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart,” she promises you. “I’m just gonna change for bed myself, and then I’ll be right back, yeah?” You nod, and she walks into the bathroom with her own pajamas.

She takes a long time in the bathroom. You’re struggling to keep your eyes open, but you don’t want to fall asleep without her arms around you- they are safe. Secure. When she comes out, she’s shocked to see that you’re still awake.

“Hey sleepyhead,” she chuckles. “I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

“Waiting for you,” you try, but fail, to stifle a yawn. “C’mon.”

She climbs into bed, and you waste no time wiggling your way into her arms. You tangle

your legs together and force her to hold you as you rest your head on her shoulder.

“You good, hon?” Melissa asks you gently, just barely daring to press a kiss to your hair.

“Wish we could do this sober,” you mumble, sleep threatening to take you. “But ‘m too nervous to say anything to you when not drunk.”

The redhead is fairly certain she’s hallucinating. Did you just admit you wished you could cuddle with her? Lay in bed with her and fall asleep in her arms?

“Well, sweetheart,” the second grade teacher sighs heavily. “Let’s just get past tonight, see what you remember tomorrow, and then we can talk.”

You nod. You’re still drunk, but you’re pretty aware of everything that is happening, and you know you’ll remember all of this tomorrow. But it’s that extra little bite that liquid courage gives you that allows you to say, “I love you, Mel,” before you tighten your grip on her and give in to sleep.

Melissa’s eyes widen slightly, but she doesn’t hesitate in saying, “I love you too, Y/N.” She presses a sweet kiss to the side of your head, and prays to God that when the two of you wake up everything is okay.

#abbott elementary fanfic #abbott elementary fanfiction #abbott elementary #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti

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definitely-mothman · 2 months ago

Text

Murphy’s Law

Rating: PG-15 (Suggestive Dialogue, Swearing)

Word Count: 9,430

Pomni sets up an after-work get together to give her and Caine something to do that afternoon besides mourn their loneliness. Some crappy movies, and a dinner; nothing particularly formal.

Unfortunately, the day seems determined to go wrong at every chance it gets.

*partially inspired by @pikavani ‘s office au and @pinkieriver ‘s pre-TADC human AU concepts.

Read On AO3 (Iink)

Full text fic under read more.

February 14th. Valentines’ Day. Get cozy and romantic with your beloved, or drink yourself into a stupor trying to forget you don’t have one.

But for Pomni, it was just another day at the office. Another 9-5 shift making sure that everyone’s paychecks (including hers) would go out on time, and that they weren’t accidentally committing massive financial fraud. Boring, but it allowed her to space out a bit while on the clock— a nice breather from the environment of her cubicle, sterile despite the various paper heart notes some coworkers had left her from other departments.

When it finally hit 1, she could take lunch. She always chose the same spot, at the far edge of the break room where there was a window overlooking the street. Even if it was gloomy outside, she could use seeing the sky every once in a while.

It was only maybe 5 or so minutes into her break that she found herself distracted from the YouTube video she was watching, a figure pacing aimlessly in her right peripheral. It was Caine, moving about with a sour gait not quite like him. Pomni took out an earphone, and paused the video.

“Are you spending your smoke break just loitering around?”

He seemed surprised that she had even addressed his being there.

“It’s not my smoke break—I just needed to stretch my legs a bit.” he sighed. “This day has made me want to scream.”

Pomni swallowed another forkful of the ramen in front of her.

“Really? I’m shocked, I thought you’d be stoked about it being Valentines'. You said you liked decorating your office for this sort of thing.”

“I’m trying to, but this day’s just been…” he waved his hands about like he was attempting to throttle the air.

“My car’s getting the tires adjusted, so Abel had to carpool me up this morning— aka I woke up earlier than I’d ever want to and then spent most of the drive in an atmosphere so stifling it could kill someone. The shitty weather outside is playing with my mood, and to top it off I’ve been stuck on the same error message all morning, and I can’t figure out what changed between now and yesterday night when the program worked fine.”

“Ugh, I feel that. —not the program error message part, but the weather is definitely putting a damper on things.”

He reclined a bit on the centermost break room table, still occasionally letting up to pace a bit.

“-Oh! Actually, I had to change clothing like 15 minutes before work this morning because I spilled my coffee on myself. It still burns a bit on my lap.”

“What, are you trying to imply today’s cursed?”

“No, just wanting to share sentiment on the crummy morning bit.”

Caine laughed a bit at that one.

“Fair enough. But, you know, it’s just all of that, and then most of my work day is spent either in isolation or listening to other people gush about their plans and the people they care about—it’s enough to make someone feel really lonely, hah–”

“You don’t need to tell me that, I’m already mourning a wasted afternoon.”

“Yeah…I have no idea, either. Going out for something fun would help my spirits, but it’s too cold to do anything outside, and everywhere else I’ll stick out as a sore single.”

He said it with a laugh, but it didn’t muffle the disappointment in the words.

You could say it gave Pomni a bit of audacity. Delusional wishing, even. To be frank, the sentence slipped out faster than her mind had time to think over its implications.

“Well, if neither of us have any plans, maybe we could do a little get-together or something.”

He paused, forcing her to continue rambling on.

“Like, get some dinner, hang out at my apartment for a bit, watch some crappy Hallmark movies or something.”

She hoped her words didn’t sound as awkward as she felt.

“…It’d at least beat being mopey by myself. Lots of people do stuff with their friends on Valentines’ Day, I could even see if it could be a group thing—nothing too formal.”

A thick silence sat between them for what felt like forever, with Caine finally breaking it with an answer.

“So…you’re asking me on a date after work.”

“It’s not a date, just a dinner-movie-shitshow thing so that I can have some fun on a crummy holiday.”

A smile threatened its way across his face, his head turning a bit to where he was side-eyeing her.

“Mm-hm. Sure thing”

“—If you don’t want to do it, then don’t come! You were the one complaining about it.”

“-Hey! I never said no! I’m fine with having a little play-date or whatever–it at least gives me something fun for the afternoon.”

It was an uplifting feeling in Pomni’s chest, although it also felt like her heart was currently being digested in her stomach.

“So, you’re okay if I come and get you after my shift? I know your shift ends like an hour earlier than mine.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just clock off and do some cleaning for a bit–oiter in here if I need to. Yours ends at 5..?”

“Yup, 9-5 today.”

“Neat. Okay, I… I suppose I’ll see you then.”

His posture had relaxed considerably by the time he left, his walk regaining the usual bounce on his left leg.

Only once he was fully out of the room did she fully allow her heart to race the way it had been, and silently curse herself for offering the idea in the first place.

God, she had just asked him on a date. The guy she’d been lowkey crushing on for like… 6 months or so now. Just flat up asked, blunt as a sledgehammer to the forehead.

Yeah, yeah, they were friends, had been friends since she’d been hired, and Caine more or less forced his way into her good graces. But, she just asked that straight up. She’d offered to use her apartment! Her house! What kind of a first-date baseline was that?!

But she’d already said it, wooed over by puppy eyes and the opportunity to hang out with a guy she liked. The chance to make someone happy that she didn’t like seeing upset. Especially when he’d normally be doing that for her. She’d already asked, and he’d already agreed.

At the least, her afternoon would be fun, if she could hold her embarrassment until then.

“Hey, Raggie…”

The bright-eyed ginger poked up over the edge of her desk.

“Oh, yeah Pomni?”

“Do you…have any plans for this afternoon? I was thinking of doing a sort of get-together-type thing with dinner after work today, and I was curious if you’d be interested- nothing too serious, just watching some movies together and stuff with the others.”

Ragatha diverted her gaze down a bit and laughed nervously.

“Uh, I’m afraid I can’t..I’m flattered though! I just—you know, I’m celebrating Valentines’ Day with my family this afternoon. We’re having a nice dinner outing, and it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to talk to either of them…I’m really sorry.”

“No! No, it’s fine! It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, I a hundred percent understand you would likely already have other plans! I hope you enjoy your evening with your family!”

“..you too, Pomni.”

Damnit! There went one piece to make the whole thing less awkward. Not that she could share that intention—she didn’t need something like that spreading around the office. She could only leave at a ‘no’ and hope someone else was available.

As the day clicked on, she asked more and more, finally exhausting all avenues. Gangle and Zooble had dates they were going on (with who, they didn’t specify, but there was plenty of speculation to fill that gap), Ragatha had her family stuff, and there was no point in asking the married couple in the office. Jax claimed to have some romantic outings as well to attend to. Pomni was pretty sure he was lying about that, but at that point his being there wouldn’t have helped any, so she just left it alone.

It seemed this was her fate, and that she would just have to try to be normal about it, somehow.

It was fine! It would just be a casual thing. Just getting dinner, watching movies at her place, and chatting. That kind of stuff happens every day—she was just caught up in the whole ‘Valentines’ Day’ thing.

Life wasn’t a rom-com. She’d survive.

5:00 pm hit Pomni like some mix between a firing squad and wedding bells. She’d finally resigned to the events of the afternoon, logging off the clock and heading up towards Caine’s office. She knocked on his door, but after a second or two of not answering, she simply just opened the door and entered.

He had actually been getting up when she walked in, which embarrassed her a little, having more-or-less plowed into the room. It seemed he’d spent the extra hour attempting to organize his office—although he’d more ‘moved the clutter to different places’ instead of getting rid of said clutter. There seemed to be some new clutter as well– a stuffie was thrown dejectedly against the wall. Pomni went to retrieve it and sat it upright on Caine’s desk. It was a green and yellow crocodile(?), with a little hat that had fallen off somewhere between its trip across the office. It was cute—she’d never seen it before.

“You good to head out? I was thinking about calling some Chinese in. Some stir-fry sounds good about now.”

He spent a moment packing a duffel with the few things he had been using: a phone charger and his cell. Leaning up against the wall to keep himself from dropping his cane, he slung the bag across one shoulder.

“Hm. I can grab some as well. Would at least save you some money on gas.”

“Cool. We can call it in once we get downstairs.”

They left the office, navigating the fire escape staircase towards the parking lot.

“Wait. Should I use your phone to call in my order? Do I call in separately with my phone? I wouldn’t have put it up if I’d known that.”

“Oh, it doesn’t—it doesn’t matter. I thought we were going to call in separately but it doesn’t really affect anything.”

“We can’t call at the same time though—the line will be busy with whoever gets through first.”

“Yeah, and?”

“It’s just not very…ergonomic to split up the calls when ultimately we’ll have to go one at a time.”

“That’s a weird way to say you don’t want to get your phone out of your bag.”

Caine huffed with a stifled giggle.

“-Shut it! You know what I’m talking about!”

They made it out to Pomni‘s car, passing the phone back and forth to make dinner plans. When they finally finished, Caine leaned forward, looking up at the sky through the front windshield.

“It looks like it’s gonna rain.”

She was fiddling with the car’s aux cord.

“Shush. You’ll jinx it.”

When they pulled up to the Chinese Restaurant, he unbuckled his seatbelt, got his cane, and left the car before Pomni even had a chance to park. She hadn’t even had the chance to yell out, and he’d already ducked into the building, leaving her sitting by herself in the car.

She had half a mind to get out and follow him, but…the cold air that had shot through the briefly open car door convinced her otherwise. She’d just…keep the car warm. Pomni sat back in the seat, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

“This fucking guy…”

It was so dumb. Caine worked in an entirely separate department from her, and they didn’t even get to talk that much. Whenever they did have a chance to talk, he’d incessantly yap for most of the conversation, almost speaking too fast for her to keep up with what he was saying, and randomly changing topics at a speed to break someone’s neck. With a crooked gait, an overtly eccentric personality, and a height that was even shorter than her own, there was nothing about him that should be enamoring in any traditional sense.

And yet, this guy…something was so hopelessly, heart-poundingly… cute about him. The endless chatter, the childish whimsy, the way that a grown man in the modern day referred to her as ‘miss’ for so many weeks until finally confessing that he’d forgotten her name…

It should be annoying. It was annoying. But the longer it went on, the more she realized that it wasn’t some joke that hadn’t let up. He was really that earnest—unapologetically who he was, for the best and the worst.

It was… endearingly sincere. It was…unbelievably charming.

It had started like that. A bit of banter here and there, him introducing her to a lot of the other coworkers she now considered friends. Little sticky notes that he’d left on the edge of her cubicle with drawings of bees on them. That little ‘crush’, that ‘interest’ had slipped beneath her skin without her noticing. Only a few months ago she’d finally concluded that that ‘interest’ was romantic.

Every moment since then, the seconds they were alone felt as though there was an unresolved tension to them; she’d had a lot of daydreams to which she’d sooner die than confess.

But– that wasn’t his problem. He was her coworker and friend—anything beyond that wasn’t her choice to make.

Pomni’s wandering thoughts were pulled by the pitter of raindrops on the windshield, gradually picking up speed.

The restaurant’s front door finally opened again, and Caine stumbled his way back to the car, barely managing to hold onto both of their meals at once alongside his cane and wallet.

…wait a minute.

“Don’t tell me you seriously paid for both of us.”

“Why not?”

“—how much was mine?”

“I’m not telling you!”

He had the dumbest smile on his face.

“Caine, I have money, you don’t have to pay for me.”

“You’re driving me, I pay for food. Consider it as covering the electricity bill.”

It quickly became apparent that it was pointless arguing it any further. He didn’t even have the receipt—he likely chucked it before exiting the building, specifically because he knew she’d have this reaction. So off they sped, the rain turning to a delicate drum roll.

“Sorry to leave you sitting in the car for so long. Considering we were under the same phone number, I figured I could just pick up both.”

“It’s alright… I figured you just wanted me to keep the car running since it’s so cold out right now. I should’ve given you money before you ran in–“

Caine waved his hand, shrugging.

“What, I’m just trying to treat you! It’s Valentines’ Day—I can bear the expense.”

“But that’s like..a date thing! It feels like I’m obligated now.”

“Pomni, you’re speeding up.”

“-Oh my god.”

The rain had picked up to a substantial downpour, and she had lost some focus on the road. Thankfully, they hadn’t hydroplaned, although the thought briefly came to her that maybe it’d be better to crash and not have to continue the conversation.

“Jesus, the rain’s so thick you can barely see through it. Your apartment isn’t too far from here, right?”

He was trying to be lighthearted, but the car swerving just before had clearly left him a little rattled.

“It could be safer just to eat this stuff in the car and finish the drive there when the rain lets up.”

“We’re just like a few roads over, it’ll be fine.”

“Oh-Okay. By the way, do you have an umbrella in the back seat?”

Pomni almost slammed her head into the steering wheel, if not for the fact that might threaten the car to swerve again.

She did not have an umbrella in her car.

She’d left it at the office, bringing it in because of how stormy it’d looked that morning. But since nothing happened, and she’d gotten preoccupied with all of…this, it was still abandoned next to her desk.

“Nope. No umbrella. I’m afraid we’ll have to book it in—I left the damn thing.”

She pulled into the parking lot, not in a spot as close to her apartment as she would have liked, but not miles away at least.

“That’s fine– I don’t know if it’d help much in these circumstances, to be honest.”

They both unbuckled, Caine taking off his outer coat and getting the wrist strap of his cane on. Pomni reached into the back seat, bringing both of their bags to the front.

“Why did you take your coat off?”

“Figured you could put it over your head or something.”

Her confusion was palpable, and he picked that up from her facial expression.

“-you can bring the food in. You have the apartment keys, and I’ll be slower on getting up anyway. I can take our bags if you can’t carry both.”

“-I can carry them, it’s fine-“

“-But then you’d be the one carrying everything!”

Pomni ducked towards the door, hoping that he couldn’t see how frazzled she was.

This was all so corny! Giving the girl your coat, paying for her dinner…ugh! She was here to watch shitty rom-coms, not live through one!

She pulled the coat somewhat over her head, carrying the food in one arm and her keyring in the other. Caine gathered up the bags, hyping himself up to hop out the side door of the car into the pouring rain.

The experience could be described as no less than a torrential monsoon. Caine had been very much right in his assessment: an umbrella would have more than likely been inverted the second it was opened in this weather.

The coat, sweet of a gesture as it was, felt as inconsequential as a water balloon chucked directly into the sun’s surface.

Pomni tried to go as fast as she could to make it under the apartment awning, but the heels that were a part of the professional dress code meant she could only go so fast—lest she risk rolling her ankle and ruining all the food that he had just spent his money on. By the time she made it to said awning, she and the coat were completely soaked. The food not being completely drenched was a miracle.

It was freezing, and she was dripping, fumbling with her keys trying to open the apartment door, shivering all the while. The white blouse that was her office attire felt horrifyingly see-through wet–she needed to change into something else once she got inside.

Would that be rude? Changing into pajamas when you’re hosting other guests? Did she have extra clothes lying around that she could give him? What were the chances she owned any clothing that actually could fit him?

After what felt like minutes of fiddling, the key finally did its job, giving way to the quaint apartment space as she heard Caine coming up behind her.

“Should I…take off my shoes before coming inside?”

“There’s a bit of tile by the door, just leave them there. I’ll go get some towels and see if I have any dry clothes to change into.”

Pomni practically took out every towel she owned, with a particularly large beach towel getting some functionality it hadn’t seen in years. Caine loitered awkwardly by the door for a while, kicking his shoes off.

He finally moved onto the accumulating floor towels, taking a separate smaller one to dry off his head and feet. They’d left their shoes by the door—they both had to have been water-logged from sock to sole.

She continued digging in her room for any sort of spare clothing that she could have lying around. Unfortunately, living alone tends to mean most of the clothing there is in your size…and your size only. She’d changed into pajamas and new underwear, far more cozy than the soaking-wet office wear she’d already dumped into a laundry basket. She had something, surely…he didn’t deserve to stay on the floor all sopping and cold while she got to be nice and warm.

All she ended up being able to dig up was some pajama pants and a t-shirt that she’d gotten for Christmas a few years back, stuffed into the back of her bedroom dresser— she’d never gotten around to exchanging them for a pair her size, thankfully. She also got a bathrobe from her shower room. Just a little bit of additional comfort, considering she didn’t have extra underwear he could change into.

She more or less chucked them to him as she carried her own wet clothes to the dryer.

“Dry clothes! I can at least put the stuff you have on in the dryer..? Is that weird to offer?”

“Uh- Should I use your bathroom?” He balled up the clothing in his hands.

“…These aren’t yours, right? I don’t want to accidentally stretch-“

“—Never worn! Feel free to.”

He awkwardly shuffled himself off to change, while Pomni began unpacking the contents of their food. Because of the TV's placement in her living room, she usually just used the coffee table to eat. She took off some of the couch pillows and got more from the guest room to gather on the floor. Surely that wasn’t too bad? Sitting on the floor while eating is custom in some places…not just a habit of broke recent college grads.

In hindsight, giving him extra clothing was probably the strangest decision she could’ve made. It had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, more just her thinking about being able to tumble their clothes for a while during dinner, but– that wasn’t a thing most friends just casually offered each other, was it?

Caine emerged, with the pajamas surprisingly fitting him quite well. If anything, the pants seemed a little long on him.

“...Is it alright if I use your dryer for my office clothes?”

“Yeah, I’m tumbling my own. That was kind of the thought with the extra clothes.”

He seemed comfortable enough with that, dropping the bundle of wet into the dryer alongside hers—even going back to grab his socks he’d left by the door and throw them in as well.

“I’m surprised that those clothes actually fit you.”

“I’m surprised as well—and they’re very soft.” He chuckled. “Perhaps I should buy pajamas from the women’s section from now on.”

Pomni took the unpacked Chinese food from the kitchen, spreading it out on the coffee table.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, the sizing in the women's section is atrocious. The pants are weirdly tight sometimes, too. I’ve had to return so many pajama sets because of that.”

“-as in, tight on the upper leg, or the waist?”

“Suffocating on the ass. Like the thing’s trying to turn itself into a pair of underwear.”

He nearly keeled over with what sounded more like a violent coughing fit.

After a minute or so,Pomni found herself laughing as well—the atmosphere was infectious.

Warm clothes, good laughs, and (hopefully still) hot food…the evening was shaping up to be enjoyable.

They finally got around to eating, clicking through the romance section of every streaming service she had. Caine wrote down the most notable ones on a napkin so they could go back to them later.

“Why is a movie called ‘Bigfoot Comedy Cruise’ in the romance section?”

Another scribble down on the napkin.

After not finding the specific breed of awful they were looking for, they turned to Bollywood categories, and general B-movie selections, even googling on the side for the absolute worst of the worst to see if they could play it. They could barely focus on eating, with one or the other almost breaking into giggles every couple of minutes over a dumb movie title or recognizing the same actor from a bit of browsing ago. Finally, the napkin was covered practically front to back in jittery handwriting, with the only remaining duty being narrowing down the comprehensive list.

A loud crack of thunder made Pomni jump. The lights flickered briefly in turn.

“I think we should watch every Hallmark movie with a shared actor and gradually make the convoluted story of this man’s life.”

“I’m still gunning for ‘Bigfoot Comedy Cruise’. It’ll have to be a strong argument to convince me otherwise.”

Caine clicked the pen shut, pointing at a series of movies written on this list.

“Okay, so this one has the guy as a construction worker, it seems to be Autumn. But in this one, he’s a toy maker-Wintertime. But, next winter, he’s the bad guy–anti-Christmas CEO. Something happened between these two films.”

Another bright flash of lightning cracked outside her window, followed closely by the bang of thunder.

“So the story is that a guy gets a bunch of odd jobs while hooking up with dozens of newly single women?”

“The most romantic plot you could ask for.”

Suddenly the room was plunged into an absolute pitch-black state. You could hear the rain continuing to pour outside. The TV had also clicked off, and Pomni could hear the dryer come to a halt.

He struggled to hold in another fit of laughter.

“Did the fucking power go out?”

“Of course it did. Why wouldn’t it, Pomni. This the day we’re having.”

She stood up, blindly navigating around the living room and making her way back towards her master suite.

“There’s a big camping flashlight in my closet somewhere. I’m going to try to find it.”

“Do you want me to use my phone as a flashlight back there?” Or just open the curtains a little?”

She didn’t answer, already busy trying to figure out where exactly her closet was.

She’d lived in this apartment for how long now? Of course, this had to be the first time she’d ever had a power outage. She’d just have to keep rolling with the punches as they came—it wasn’t like the rain had let up any.

Seemed it was going to be an ‘awkward sleepover’ kind of Valentines’ Day.

After digging around a bit, she finally hit the handle working her hand around the bins. She went to flick it on and nearly blinded herself with the beam that practically reflected off the wall with how bright it was. She clicked it off again, not particularly enjoying her eyes hurting.

“Found it!”

She got up and went to make her way back to the living room.

“This thing is stupid bright, it should kee- fUCK!“

An ear-splitting pain shot through her left leg, sending her spiraling to the floor. In the moment, she couldn’t help but scream—at least from pure shock. She’d twisted her damn ankle on the doorframe to her bedroom.

“Pomni? Are you alright in there?” She could hear Caine get up in the other room, shuffling around in the dark. Meanwhile, all she could do was lay on the carpet, stretching her ankle.

“Did you trip on the bed frame or something?”

His silhouette was visible at the end of the hallway, making his way over.

He stumbled slightly, decking his shoulder on the entryway with a yelp of pain. He tried catching himself, but in trying to grab at the wall, had dropped the cane, leaving him crumbling under the weaker of his legs.

He barely managed to not land directly on top of her, instead falling a couple of feet away from where she was lying.

He cursed a bit through gritted teeth.

“Ow—it seems that my leg twisted a bit there.”

Now they were both on the floor in pain, and the realization of it all made Pomni break down into a fit of exasperated laughter.

“Well, we’re both on the floor now. Did I end up chucking the flashlight down there when I tripped?”

“I don’t know-“

He crawled around a bit, passing his hands over the floor and along the bottom of the walls.

“I can feel my cane, I’m practically sitting on it…oh!”

He lifted the flashlight, holding it above his head in celebration.

“Found it!”

He turned it on, blasting Pomni in the face with the military-grade beams. She didn’t even have time to shield her eyes.

“Jesus Christ, watch where you’re aiming that thing!”

“O-Oh my god, I’m so sorry—“

“That thing could kill a small child with how bright it is.”

They both were falling over themselves with giggles.

He pointed it up to the ceiling, using the ambient glow to find the cane he’d left discarded. Pomni finally clambered to her feet, with them both returning to the living room (and their meal).

The thick flashlight lit up the whole living room when pointed up towards the ceiling, the warm light contrasting the hum of the storm outside.

“Stuck in a coworker’s apartment due to the sudden onset of a torrential downpour, two singles find themselves in the middle of a power outage on Valentines’ Day—“

Caine’s theatrical ‘movie trailer’ voice couldn’t help but make Pomni snicker a bit.

“—It’s like its own shitty Valentines’ film. Call it ‘Murphy’s Law.’”

He ate a few more bites of lo mein.

“Hey, I haven’t gotten food poisoning, so that’s going well.”

“Why the hell would you say that? Now you’ve jinxed it.”

She could barely make out his doofy smile at her comment.

He bounced his right knuckle against the coffee table.

“Fine, fine, knock on wood.”

They sat in silence for a while, just focusing on eating the food that had now gotten slightly cold. The gentle roar of the rain outside was hypnotic—Pomni felt herself growing more sleepy by the minute.

Caine leaned back against the base of the couch, looking up at the flashlight casting on the ceiling. His expression was so gentle…it made her emotions flutter up inside her stomach. She supposed his comment earlier was right. The whole thing just continued to play out like a silly rom-com. But, that was just a joke; she wasn’t going to overstep a boundary like that just because of a series of coincidences.

But it all had started to feel less like coincidences, and some of the stuff that made her the most flustered wasn’t coincidental at all.

“I…I guess you’re right.”

“Hm?”

Pomni finally spoke, just to stop marinating in her thoughts.

“You’re right—It could be a lot worse. I mean, looking back, I could’ve crashed the car and we would’ve had to walk back here in the rain.”

“You almost did. Scared the bejesus out of me when you swerved like that.“

She picked at the little that was left of her food. Her hands were certainly shakier than they had been earlier.

“-Oh, but if we’d crashed, we could find ourselves lost in the rain, and stumble upon a dimly lit manor, with no choice but to wander inside for the night~”

“And then we get killed by an evil doctor with a chainsaw?”

Caine tilted his shoulders, snickering a bit to himself.

“Mmm…one of us would be seduced by an evil doctor, and the other Frankenstein’s monster. Then, after a night of scandalous rendezvousing, a pair of aliens kill the doctor and creature—leaving us abandoned in lingerie at the side of the road.”

Pomni blinked slowly.

“…did you make that up on the spot, or is it a movie reference I’m missing?”

“Oh, come on!” He slapped the table lightly. “You invited me over to watch crappy B-Movies and you’ve never seen Rocky Horror?”

“What kind of horror movies are you watching?!”

“it’s Musical theatre!!”

The argument quickly devolved into cachinnation from there.

“That has to be the stupidest movie plot I think I’ve ever heard in my entire life-“

“-The music is good! Who cares about the plot when a CD of the soundtrack is this good?”

“You have the soundtrack burned on a CD?”

“I did it when I was like 15-16, don’t knock me that hard! Don’t tell me you don’t have any weird songs or posters lying around from when you were a teenager.”

“No, no, it’s just that—I dunno, the plot just seemed really raunchy for something you’d have burned on a CD in your house somewhere.”

“It’s not that bad! —well. It is that bad. But! There’s a really good song sequence during that!”

“..I can’t believe that you of all people would be trying to convince me of the fidelity of a film with musical number sex scenes.”

Caine emitted a sound somewhere between a laugh and an exasperated sigh.

“Pomni, I swear to god; when the power comes back on I’m showing you Rocky Horror. I’m not leaving before you see this movie, you are going to know what I’m talking about-“

A loud crack of thunder cut him off. He looked around a bit and slowly came to his feet.

“What is it?”

He rubbed his hands together.

“Don’t you think it’s gotten kind of cold in here? I mean, the power went out how long ago?”

“Oh.” It had gotten pretty nippy. “Yeah, it’s definitely colder than before the lights shut off.”

That wasn’t much of a surprise—the heater must have gone out with the power.

“Do you have any blankets in a closet or something? If you’re done with eating, we can move the coffee table and get some pillows and stuff together and make a nest of sorts.”

“..a nest.”

“You know! Like a pillow fort you’d make as a kid.”

“I mean, I could grab the chairs in the kitchen and just try to make a fort.”

It was a silly proposition, but it had also been a very silly night. Caine’s face lit up at the sentence.

“-Really? Like, actually? I was just being comedically defensive, but..I haven’t done something like that since I was little-little.”

“Yeah- we could stack up the couch cushions and use the kitchen barstools. I have some old quilts and winter ‘just-in-case’ blankets lying around, and I could steal the remaining pillows off the guest bed. Might have a few extras in the closet, I dunno.”

Pomni looked over near the doorway, remembering her work bag.

“The power might be out, but my laptop’s not dead; I could try streaming movies with it since the TV doesn’t work.”

“Ah–oh, okay! That’s cool! What closet is everything in?”

“There’s only four doors in the hallway– the closet’s the door that isn’t the bathroom or the bedrooms.”

He shot a furrowed gaze back towards her.

“Well, okay—when you put it like that-“

She couldn’t hold in her laughter at the faux pouty expression.

Pomni gathered all the pillows for the most part, taking 4 from the couch, 2 from the guest room, and 3 more from her bedroom. The couch cushions made for a nice ‘corner’ setup, using the chairs to box in the two cushions on the sides of the third. A blanket draped over the chairs above, and a plethora more gathered up in the little nook—it was a pretty comfortable spot.

It was also…fairly cramped. She sat wrapped up with the computer in her lap, pulling up the streaming apps like she had on the TV. But now, Caine was more or less leaning into her, propping himself up with a hand on the ground behind her back.

It was enough to make a girl scream. Hell, they were sharing a blanket or two. If there was more company present, like Ragatha, or Gangle, it would have had a cozy ‘childhood sleepover’ sort of feeling. But just being alone like this, it felt rather…

“So you actually got internet on this thing still. Hm.” He tilted his head, amused.

“Yep. Oh…kay, I’ve got all the stuff from earlier back up on here.”

The arm that Caine had been propping up on curled about Pomni’s side, gesturing to the screen. She flinched a little, with his hand barely grazing her waist.

“So are we doing Rocky Horror first, or original plan first? I’ll probably need to find that napkin I wrote everything down on-“

He looked over, seeing that Pomni was still trembling somewhat. The little touch had sent a sharp shiver up her spine, and she tilted the screen down, hoping that that would mask the vermillion that shot across her face.

He lowered his hand back down and tried leaning around, just a little closer to her.

“…Pomni? Are you..okay?”

“Yeahh yeah yeah yeah yeah I’m fine, sorry! Just had a little ghost chill there-“

He pulled his arm back around to his lap, changing stance so that his shoulder leaned into the couch base. His expression had gotten a bit downtrodden.

“I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I? Forgive me, uh- I’m not too good at reading people’s emotions sometimes. I’ve upset more than a few people because I kept going after not picking up on their subtleties, and I’d rather not do that to you as well.”

If she could picture it, Pomni imagined that her blush had just shot up three times in intensity. Her fingers shook at the edge of the laptop, just barely holding it in place.

“No, no—not at all! It’s very sweet that you ask that, but I’m… fine-“

Words continued to just fall out of her mouth, like the most embarrassing leaky faucet.

“-I’m fine, it—it’s just that, uhm…well, it feels a little..funny. Y’know, it’s Valentines’ Day and all, and we’re kind of…kind of snuggled up like this, and you’re really close to me and I’m really close to you-“

Caine’s eyes widened slightly, and he scooted himself an inch from her—not that he had much of anywhere to go. His pupils darted from her to the floor, and back up at her. Pomni could feel her stomach plummet through the apartment floor.

“Oh! Oh- okay, I- I get it, I apologize, really— truly, sincerely. I wasn’t meaning to give you the implication that I was...I’m sorry, you must think I’ve been super creepy. You didn’t mean for this to be a romantic thing, and- I’ve probably been giving you that implication. I’m so, so sorry.”

His eyes just pointed down towards the ground, occasionally flicking over towards her, him wringing his hands in his lap.

His hands seemed shaky as well, and each breath had grown staggered and heavy.

She gently sat down the laptop, kneeling over to plant her face in her hands. It was frankly shocking that her cheeks didn’t burn a fever temp with how mortified she felt.

‘You never meant for this to be a romantic thing’ but she did! She wanted it to be and was trying so hard not to make it like that! It ‘wasn’t a romantic thing’, but god, she wished it was.

Maybe it was? Was that statement a confession, maybe? He’d covered her meal, gave her his jacket to run out in the rain, went to check on her when she’d fallen in the hallway—had proposed this stupid little fort thing that had put them in such close proximity. And now that she’s brought attention to it, he’d entirely shifted, a lighthearted and extroverted demeanor immediately turning inwards and nervous.

Was it? Was it just her being delusional? Wishful thinking? Or was all that intentional—even orchestrated to put her in this exact circumstance? He’d been the one who came in during her lunch break, moping about having no plans for the afternoon and generally having a downer of a day.

Was it presumptuous to think that maybe… he’d agreed to this with the same thought process that pushed her to initially propose it?

It felt like her palms might start to collect drool. The pang of each heartbeat made her head shake.

Caine leaned over slightly, pushing himself up in almost a crawl, trying to look over at her face.

“…hey…pompom? Are you— are you alright…are you upset at me? If you...if you need me to leave, I’ll leave. I don’t-“

She lifted her head slightly out of her hands, and the light of the laptop cast enough of a glint on her face to make out the pink crossing her cheek and brow. It was only visible for a second; she immediately shifted her face back away from him, covering it further with her hands.

She swallowed loudly.

“You’re such a moron, Caine.”

He could feel himself break out in a near-immediate fever, sitting fully up.

“…huh? W—huh? Wait, no, nonono..”

All he could manage was a collection of stuttered noises, each less resembling a word.

“Ah,, but..that’d—no, that’s..”

Pomni finally turned back to him, dropping her hands from her face.

He had moved more to sitting on his knees, almost covering his mouth with a hand.

His eyes darted off when she tried to make contact, the usually bright blue and green of his retinas subdued in the room’s darkness. In the dim glow of the laptop, it was clear he was also blushing—it was worse than how she looked.

She reached up, taking his wrist and pulling the hand away from his mouth. Raising forward to her knees, she pulled closer to him, gathering both of his hands in her own.

He was the quietest she’d ever seen him, barely whimpering out a few words.

“…you can’t be-”

She closed her eyes, turning her head just slightly. He was breathing heavily in staggered gasps—his breath slightly brushing against her face.

“-you can’t be serious.”

She let go, leaning forward and taking his jaw in both hands.

“..I’m serious.”

She fell into him. Or he fell into her. Either way—there was now an overlap in their bodies where there had been none before.

Caine’s balance fell back with how her weight had shifted into him, his back slamming into one of the propped-up couch cushions. It almost made the chair it was propped on topple over, with him grabbing the bottom rung to stabilize himself.

Pomni hung her arms sleepily over his shoulders, gripping a part of the T-shirt with a white-knuckled grip.

His mouth was warm, her tongue barely pressing through his parted teeth. His hand hovered just above her waist, fingers twitching.

He was leaning into her fully, trying to recenter his weight—she could feel his heartbeat pounding with each pulse against her chest.

She pulled out of the kiss, just barely, taking one hand out from behind him, setting it on his, and guiding it the rest of the way into her waist. Their eyes opened a little, but only half-way at most.

“..what is it? Are you scared to touch me?”

Her fingers lightly tapped on his hand, which was still shaking where it held.

Caine sat up a little and leaned forward. His eyes were almost black with how dilated they were; his head nodding lazily like he was too drugged to keep it upright.

The hand he’d been using to balance came up, snaking under her shirt, tightly holding just below her rib cage. He pressed forward into her, lifting on his knees slightly to put his head above hers. It was forcing Pomni to lean back, almost in a dip position with how her spine bent.

Full force, no hands barred. As if he could tear her open and make himself home. A bit of overexcitement, breaking the skin on her lower lip with bit-down teeth. Not letting up, even as blood entered his mouth. It was aggressive, almost unlike him—desperately pressing and pulling at any part of her he could reach.

She grasped tightly on his hair, elbows crooked about his neck and forearms leaned against the back of his head.

It must’ve only been a minute, but it felt like several hours. Just held there, in the gentlest of hands, which nervously curled over each inch of skin. She imagined that she must’ve stopped breathing, just falling deeper into his body—even her mind had gone completely quiet.

Possibly, for the first time in her whole life.

He suddenly pushed off, breaking away from her. He even scooted back, awkwardly scrambling to his feet. He cupped one hand in front of his mouth.

Pomni could feel her heart sink, the blood completely leaving her face.

“Caine? What’s-“

He staggered over, eventually propping himself up on the kitchen counter.

She could feel the start of tears welling up somewhere behind her eyes, slowly coming to her feet and walking over.

“…Are you alright? Was I- was I too forward, did I misinterpret-“

His eyes were atom-thin, gripping his chest.

“No, no I’m- it’s nothing with you. It- my heart feels like it’s beating so fast, it’s making my ears ring. It doesn’t...I don’t feel-“

He pushed forward, practically shoving her to the side.

He’d gotten up for a reason. Kneeling over, he threw up into the bin.

Pomni rushed back towards the bathroom. There were still some small hand towels she hadn’t used up earlier.

She ran one under the sink, wetting it and wringing it out.

He had sat down next to the trash can he’d thrown up in, clutching his knees.

“Here” she handed the washcloth over to him. “To wash your face off. If you need, I can get another to put on your neck-“

“..yeah, if you could.”

Go back, get another. There was some mouthwash left in the medicine cabinet, she brought that back as well. It took a couple of minutes for him to finally move from his spot, rinsing his mouth out in the kitchen sink.

He went back to where they’d been earlier, sipping water while resting his head on her shoulder. He was avoiding her eyes.

He sighed.

“I feel the need to apologize again.”

“You’re the one who threw up—I understand. So much for the no food poisoning bit, though.”

“No, that wasn’t—“ he took a deep breath.

“I was just…so nervous.”

Pomni looked over, seeing his eyes cast down to the floor.

“I don’t think I’ve actually kissed anyone before. Not seriously, not like..that. I really had…I’d come to grips with the fact that I wasn’t going to be attractive to other people. Not physically, anyway—probably not emotionally, either. And then, I’m proven wrong…maybe.”

“What..? Why maybe?”

“I don’t know. Just a sinking feeling; maybe Jax put you up to this, or something like that. I just know that I’m not anybody’s first choice, usually.”

She glanced down at his hands, folded neatly in his lap.

“I liked it. It felt good, even. Really good. I could’ve stayed like that forever. But that thought kind of hit me—it felt wrong that I should be here, doing that…with you.”

“-So you see me as out of your league?”

“I…guess that’s how you’d word it. That feeling made me start to think I was- that I was having an experience that wasn’t mine to have. That I was unsightly, even. Disgusting with how much I wanted to stay in that feeling. Like I was committing some unforgivable sin, and that any moment, the hammer would come down. Death row, gallows, the whole nine yards.”

“And that-“

“—I panicked. I didn’t want to, but it felt like every inch of me was firing off a million miles a second, and I could hear my heart pounding in my head faster and faster and faster. It was so nauseating, that…I guess it made me physically sick.”

They sat in silence for a minute or so. Pomni reached over, and took one of the hands in his lap, intertwining her fingers with his own–letting their arms droop to the small space between them.

After a few seconds, his grip tightened around her hand.

“You haven’t done anything wrong, and nobody put me up to this.”

He lifted her eyes slightly, matching hers.

“…this has…”

She took a deep breath, almost laughing out of sheer nervousness.

“…this has been going on for easily a couple of months now. Every time we were alone, every little gift and compliment that was thrown my way, made me feel like I was breaking out in hives.

I wasn’t going to be the one to ‘ruin’ a perfectly good friendship—one that you likely didn’t have interest in being anything more than that. So… I tried to keep every reaction subdued as I could, to pretend that I didn’t crave anything further whenever we were by ourselves.”

His fingers tapped lightly on the back of her hand.

“I was dreading this whole afternoon. Being stuck with the person that I couldn’t say anything to, couldn’t act on any impulses, for fear of ‘ruining’ it.

And then, you…you said that I probably wasn’t meant for this to be romantic. That, you were probably giving that kind of implication. And you apologized for it. For…making me feel cornered in a romantic situation when all I ever wanted was to be in that corner.”

After a brief silence, Caine snorted a bit, laughing through his nose.

“So you were dealing with that all evening? I’m surprised you didn’t crack sooner.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“…I know you usually split 50/50 on meals. I know that it isn’t unusual for friends to spend Valentines’ together. I know that it’s a silly movie trope to give a girl your jacket so that she doesn’t get rained on. To change in somebody’s bathroom. To hang out at someone’s apartment like this.”

He smiled, although a bit sadly.

“I just…wanted to tease you a little, I guess. Poke at the hypothetical apple of good and evil I knew I couldn’t have. Play along, pretend a bit—Like that you knew about my feelings already, or that this was always a romantic thing to begin with.”

“And then the power went out and you threw up in a trash can after making out with the girl of your dreams.”

“…yeah.”

Pomni laughed lightly, raising her arm to look at their clasped hands.

“Is all that why you reached around me when I was doing stuff on the laptop?”

“..no. That was accidental, actually.”

She spun her head to him, who looked like he was on the verge of cracking another smile.

“Seriously? So you ‘accidentally’ brushed my waist there? And didn’t realize how close you were getting to me? You were practically cheek-to-cheek with me.”

“My personal space understandings aren’t the greatest. Is there such a thing as a physical Freudian slip?”

She sighed.

“…Caine, you really are a moron. I just hope you know that.”

“I’m aware. The most aware I’ve ever been, actually.”

They had cuddled up together over the course of the conversation, with one of the blankets now wrapping both of them. The laptop had long since been shut and sat to the side—she couldn’t think of when that happened. Maybe when they were making out?

His gaze drifted gently across the floor.

“Well...what now?”

“..? What do you mean, what now?”

He lifted her hand in front of him, now clasping it in both of his.

“Like- is this..are we ‘a thing’ now? The kiss, confession, everything, was that a ‘last-ditch-confession-before-I-never-see-this-guy-again’ kind of deal or an ‘it’s-Valentines-day-so-sure-I’ll-humor-it’ kind of thing..or genuinely a serious ‘please-will-you-be-my-boyfriend-soulmate-whatever’ scenario? Just so I…don’t get the wrong idea, moving forward.”

“-Do I need to ask you formally? I thought the relationship thing was..kind of clear. Considering everything I just said, at least.”

“…Is that a yes?”

“I would literally make out with you again, right now, if you hadn't vomited less than an hour ago.

Does that answer your question?”

Wow–he really did blush easily. Add another item to the list of his best qualities.

Was it only with his guard down that he could get flustered like this? She was a bit disappointed she hadn’t gotten to see something like this sooner.

“Really? But- why? Why? I mean, I’ve kind of already gone over it, but…I have the charisma of a semi-truck, I have a hyper fixation on old cartoons that barely even exist anymore, I can’t shut up if someone had a gun to my head, I have the soundtrack for Rocky Horror Picture Show burned on a CD somewhere in my house!

I was too nervous to make the first move in any sense of the imagination, I have this stupid fucked-up leg that I have to carry a mobility aid everywhere with me because of it, it just…why? Why on all of God’s green Earth would you choose me? Me, of all people, to hopelessly pine after.

For Christ’s sake, I have a brother in the same building as me with a better build, more money, who actually knows how to talk to people without sounding like a total crackpot!”

“—It’s because you have the charisma of being hit with a bus, and the fact that you can’t shut up. You have this light-hearted gait—I’ve practically memorized what you sound like coming down the hall from your footsteps. You’re just—

…you’re warm. You’re funny, even when you’re not. You’re so sweet, just- bending over backward constantly for people who never asked you to, me included. You want to see people smile and do so much to try to make that happen. It’s so easy to be happy around you, to be comfortable, to feel…safe. Your blind optimism is infectious, and your laugh makes me want to laugh with you.

I genuinely feel happier when I’m around you. It feels- it feels good to be right next to you like this. It makes me feel warm— warm and fuzzy.”

Caine paused a bit, eyes wide. The smallest of smiles fleeted across his face, and he sunk into this charmed expression. ‘Stupidly infatuated’ was the only way Pomni could think to describe it.

The power suddenly kicked back on, the lights clicking to life–akin to staring directly at the sun. She stumbled over to the light switch, squinting, and went to turn off the lights again. They’d been in the dark so long that she was used to it now; plus, it gave a little cozy romantic atmosphere to everything.

She was happy to hear the heater hum to life again, though.

Caine had gone back to laughing like he usually did, having briefly screamed when the lights blinded him.

“Keeping the lights off?”

“Yeah, and turning the dryer back on. It’s more ambient.”

He stood up, putting her laptop back in the bag.

“Guess we can continue with the evening then? Crappy movies and all?”

“Crappy movies especially.”

Well past one in the morning, they had worn down for the night, collapsed on the couch cushions spread across the floor, and curled up into each other. It had shifted from a play date to more of a date date, but the atmosphere more or less remained the same. They were still the same people, she supposed—just people that had made out one time. And probably would again. Hopefully.

Caine ran a hand through her hair, brushing his thumb along the curve of her ear. He was on the verge of passing out himself.

Pomni was barely awake, head against his chest.

“…This has probably been the best Valentines’ Day I’ve had, you know. And it’s your fault…”

He barely opened his mouth to speak, the words coming out as mostly a whisper.

“It’s probably the worst Valentines’ I’ve had as well. Funny how that works.”

She tilted her head a little, planting a kiss against the bottom of his jaw.

“..Thanks for making this the best-awful Valentines’ Day of all time.”

She squeezed him a little bit in a hug.

“‘Mm-hm.”

“I love you, sweetheart.” He shuffled a bit, his hand pausing on its course. “...I feel like I could say that until my throat gives out. And then I’d probably still keep trying to say it. Good night, dear.”

She moved, tucking her head against his neck, and pushing a leg between his two.

“…Good Night, Caine. Happy Valentines’ Day.”

32 notes · View notes

seenoversundown · 6 months ago

Text

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Twenty-Five

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: 18+ Smut (you know the drill) Fluff, Mild Anxiety, Some sad themes momentarily, A LOT of tears, Jake is in it so the uncomfortably timed jokes are also in it, and it's just painfully cute and sweet and fluffy.

Smut Warnings: Fingering (f receiving) a slight depiction of masturbation (m), sexy phrases being moaned, and last but not least we are practicing safe sex!! (wrap that shit up guys)

Word Count: 7.1k

Summary: After Charlotte leaves the Anniversary Party at the bar, she spends a bit contemplating her choices while she packs and ultimately comes to her decision.

Author's Note: Hiii 🥹

I can't believe this is the last chapter, it feels like we just started this last week. I really hope this is the ending you were rooting for, because it feels very fitting.

I'm going to stick another note at the end to not spoil anything before you read.

Happy Thursday (and Halloween) 🖤

Sea Of Love - Cat Power "Come with me, my love, To the sea, The sea of love."

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“Drive safe, Red.”

“Will do, Captain.”

The second he walked away from my car, the tears I’d been choking back came out, and unfortunately, I hadn’t stopped the entire drive back to the house to finish grabbing everything, which seemed silly because I could have packed before I went to see him. I spent the whole day trying to decide if I should even go, with breaks where I would just cry because I couldn’t believe that I couldn’t just spit out what happened.

The way he still insisted on walking me to my car speaks volumes about him, and I really didn’t know what I expected, but I was mentally prepared for him not to want to talk to me after everything. I don’t deserve him by any means.

I couldn’t stop myself from hugging him. I knew he wasn’t going to try anything because he’s always concerned about whether or not I’m comfortable, and I’m sure he didn’t want to take any chances of getting rejected.

9:20 p.m.

I pull into the driveway, crying harder as I put my car in park. I don’t want to go home. I should have just stayed there. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to go inside. I set my bag and phone down on a chair in our kitchen, knowing that if I had my phone with me, I’d never get anything packed.

I wander around the house, silently crying as I grab my things and shove them into my bag. Changing out of my jeans and into some leggings, hoping that maybe being more comfortable will help. Even though I know the only thing that would help right now is him.

Knowing that he came here so we could still spend the night together is making this worse. The way he so happily changed our plans and drove out here. I sit down on the couch, thinking about how he somehow made my catching up on emails more enjoyable. Rewarding me with kisses every time I finished one, I don’t think I’ve ever worked more efficiently than knowing I get to smooch a cute boy every time I hit ‘send.’

He was so sweet when I started to fall asleep, wanting to make sure I was comfortable. I was a little surprised when he said he would stay since he wouldn’t be able to check on the bar. Feeling how warm he was when he got into bed with me. Granted, I also was teasing him as he took his pants off. Quietly laughing at the thought, even with tears rolling down my cheeks.

He always has a way of making things better, even when he isn’t here. When we weren’t together, he’d send me random things he was thinking about throughout his day or asking how my day was going. I don’t think we’ve gone more than a few hours without talking since I called him that night.

My throat tightened, and I remembered how he reacted to Cass. The way he immediately just pulled me into his arms, letting me take my time to explain. He fully just listened to whatever I had to tell him like he genuinely wanted to know her. I just know that if she could meet him, she would absolutely adore him. Especially considering how he treats me, she would be planning our wedding already.

I walk through the house one last time to make sure I have everything. I should just go back. My stomach turns at the thought. I don’t even know what I’d say; I’ll just text him tomorrow—shutting the lights off as I walk back towards the kitchen.

I bring out the bulk of my stuff, shoving it all into my back seat. Quickly walking back inside to grab my bag and lock it up, my chest hurts as I pull the door shut behind me.

I grab my phone from my bag to check the time, and his name is on my Lock Screen.

11:02 p.m.

Jacob: hi, just wanted to say thank you again for everything. I don’t know if you’re still driving or not, so don’t feel like you have to reply right away

Jacob: but I’m still down to keep you company tomorrow, if you are. 🖤

My eyes are full of tears when I laugh—my sweet boy. Dropping my phone into the driver's seat, I stand there with my face in my hands, letting out the sob that had been waiting. I need him. It was like I needed something to tell me that it was the right choice to just go back to him, and that was enough.

I look up at the moon, “Cass… thank you.” My voice shakes as I say it, but god, it feels good to get it out. “You were right. I needed to find my Scott, and now, I just wish you were here to meet him.”

I have to go get him.

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My heart races as I drive down the dark roads, waiting until I get a little closer to Portland for more street lamps. But as I’m driving, I swear every song that comes on just makes my mind wander.

Hearing him call me honey for the first time in his office. His arms pulled me in so fast I didn’t have time to think about it. Talking me down or trying to, at least. I felt so safe with him, and I had only met him once before. Something about him was so comforting in that moment, whether it was the way he knew I was about to break and brought me into a quiet space to have my moment. Or the fact that he didn’t let go until I was ready.

The look in his eyes as he wiped my tears away, gently holding the sides of my face like he thought I would crumble if he added any more pressure. And to think that was just a glimmer of how thoughtful he is.

I’ve never met a man who just wants to do things like he does. He walked me to my car every night when I was at the bar, opening my door for me like he was straight out of the fifties or something. Always asked me to let him know when I made it home; it was a soft level of protection that I didn’t know I needed.

Standing there next to the water, the street lamps barely gave us enough light to see each other, but the way his lips looked and how he kept glancing at mine.. I knew I had to take my chance.

“Is this okay?”

His smile into me as we kissed made it hard for me not to fall for him. The way he so sweetly giggled against me. Keeping me close to him because it was cold out, but not wanting to stop. Oh, the first of many ‘one more’ kisses. Which always meant another ten minutes trying to escape him, not that I ever really wanted them to end. I’m almost positive that both of us genuinely started contemplating quitting our jobs to hide away together a handful of times.

Going out of his way to surprise me so I could still go to Salem. Taking a day off, even if I had to badger him a little about not checking in constantly. It was for his own good. It was so adorable how he just happily followed me, looking at all the haunted sites and letting me tell him all the history as we walked around. I suppose it helps that he’s definitely into those types of things, considering the pirate knowledge.

His sweet face turned red when the girl told us our aura colors were pretty compatible. But I can’t blame her for assuming when he grabbed my hand while she explained them to us. I knew it was because of what she was saying, and he just wanted to make sure I was okay.

I’ve simply never met a man who understood emotions like he does. I don’t understand how considering he grew up with two brothers, he’s definitely the odd one out of the three. The way he can stay so calm in most situations is beyond me. Even tonight, when I showed up, he seemed nervous for a second, but the moment I said something, he came around.

I could park right outside the bar because there was nobody out, but I decided to park around the corner so I could mentally prepare.

Just see if he’s still in the bar, and then if not, he should be at home. I don’t think he’s supposed to see his parents until tomorrow.

Shutting off the engine, I sit there staring at the sky. Ever since he pointed out the moon that night, I’ve felt comfort in it. Whether or not Cass can hear me, I will keep talking to her through it. I’d like to think she knows.

I step out, feeling the wind against my skin, shit- it’s cold. I start walking towards the bar, taking a deep breath before turning the corner. I pulled out my phone one more time, just to make sure he hadn’t said anything while I was driving here. No notifications.

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11:35 p.m.

I round the corner, and he’s already standing outside as if he knew I would come back. I see him putting his phone into his pocket and looking down at his boots. It feels surreal to see him for some reason. He finally looks over as I get closer; I can see him trying to fight the smile growing on his face.

As I walk up to him, I whisper, “Hi.”

“Hey, you,” he whispers back, his voice alone made my eyes well up again. I look down at my feet, hoping to swallow the emotions, but fail miserably. Here goes nothing.

“Um,” I let out. I feel my lip quiver, so I tug it in with my teeth a little.

His voice was quiet, asking, “What’s wrong?” as he gently tilted my face up to look at him, which only made the tears flow faster.

“I don’t want this to be over, Jacob,” I choke out, pointing between the two of us. I have cried in front of this man far too many times in the last three weeks.

He sweetly wipes the tears before he finally says, “Hun,” Pulling me into him and placing a big kiss against my forehead. “It doesn’t have to be over.”

“I just want to be able to kiss you and be with you,“ I ramble out. All of the feelings I’ve been holding back started falling out of me.

He shakes his head slowly and calmly tells me, “I want that more than you know.”

“I don’t want to feel like we have to be quiet about it.”

“We don't have to.”

“Jake, I just,” I start, my voice sounded a little panicked at this point. “I have stronger feelings for you than I anticipated and—”

He quickly tells me, “I promise those are most definitely mutual, honey.”

“It scares me a little,” I admit quietly.

“Hey–” he cuts me off, “I will have you however you’ll let me,” holding my face in his hands, and then he says, “I told you before- whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“I don’t want you to feel like I’m interested in anyone else,” I start, “Because I only—.” My brain is moving faster than I can move my mouth while still trying to calm down from crying when he leans in. –Want you. The most relieving kiss I’ve ever felt; time slowed the second his lips met mine. My hands find their spot on his stomach; just having extra contact with him helps me slow down.

He pulls away, and his hands are still holding the sides of my face as he looks at me. He looks like he wants to say something, but I watch him swallow hard before he finally caves. I feel like I know what’s coming.

“Say the word, and I’ll forget about the ‘friends who maybe sleep together' thing,” he whispers. “I would do anything to call you mine.” His face is still so close to mine as we stare at each other for a second in comfortable silence. There is only one right answer in my mind.

“Please.”

His lips find mine quickly, smiling into me like a kid on Christmas morning. My heart pounds as we practically relive our first kiss. Not knowing how to stop, giggling as we take turns placing little kisses everywhere.

“You’re sure you want this?” He asks, his hands still holding my jaw. “Like absolutely positive?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure about something,” I tell him, a small laugh sneaking out. He stares at me for a second before looking up; his eyes close before he shakes his head a few times. His arms fall, sliding around my waist. When he looks back at me, his eyes are glistening. My hands quickly grabbed him, wiping his tears as they finally fell, “Aw, baby.”

“I feel ridiculous,” he giggles, trying to sniff the emotions away.

“I’ve cried enough times in front of you— I think you’ve earned it.”

He looks up again, letting out a small laugh, and then looks back at me. His hands grabbed mine, holding onto them tightly when his adorable little voice wavered, telling me, “I just really thought I had lost any chance with you.” He breathes in a shaky breath and, on the exhale, says, ��And I’m just so happy that I get to keep you to myself now.” A few tears sneak out as he tells me. He really is the most precious man alive. I steal one of my hands back from him, gently wiping his face again.

We stood there giggling like teenagers when the realization hit me, “I get to say you’re my boyfriend now.”

“Mhm,” He hums against me. “I’m all yours.”

Kissing him a few times before giggling against his lips, “Jacob, I’m your girlfriend.. we’re dating.” He just smiles against me, and I can’t stop the excitement from coming out as I bounce back and forth in his arms. “Did you ever think this would have happened?”

“Honey, you have felt like a fever dream to me for three weeks.” He chuckles to himself, “No, I never thought I would be lucky enough to find someone like you.”

After a few minutes of bliss, I finally have to come out with the truth, all of them.

“I want to tell you something,” I tell him. “Well.. actually, a couple of things.”

“Go for it,” he says; his smile might be permanent. Let me start with the least important thing.

“Cass made me promise that if I found some boy with long hair and nerdy interests, I had to try,” I admit. “I just didn’t know how to handle it when I found you because I haven’t been in a ton of relationships— but you made it so… easy.”

“I’ve never been more relieved to be a long-haired nerd in my life.” He giggles at himself, kissing my cheek when he mumbles, “I hope I make her proud.”

I don’t know how I could cry more at this point, but my voice shakes when I tell him, “Oh, she would have loved you.”

He tugs me back in for a hug; I just snuggle into him for a minute. Naturally, he would say something like that.

“What else is there?” He asks quietly.

“Well..um,” I hesitated. Just spit out, Char. “I have to go home, like up-north-home, or I’m going to get fired.”

His eyebrows pull together, letting out a small laugh before finally asking, “You? How would you get fired?”

“I sort of have been lying to my boss to be .. here,” I tell him, dodging his eye contact. It’s quiet for a beat before he finally speaks up.

“Wait– is that why you were so upset?”

I nod, “Mhm..he called when I was at Quinn’s, and I had been freaking out since because I was .. scared to tell you.”

“Oh, hun. Fuck, I’m so sorry,” his smile fades quickly.

“No, I’m sorry,” I tell him, grabbing his hands, “You didn’t know, and I was acting like a dick to you.”

“I still wish I hadn’t panicked so fast,” he says, the look on his face making my heart hurt. “I’d never say anything like that to you ever again. I thought I’d lost you as soon as it came out.”

The tears prick my eyes as he tells me. It makes even more sense now– he thought his heart was about to get shattered. The thought of not keeping him around had never crossed my mind; I would have figured out a way.

“I knew you didn’t mean it, baby,” I told him. “I forgave you the second you started crying.”

He pulls my hands up, kissing across my knuckles, letting out a long breath. Looking back at me, “So, if you have to go back home, what do we want to do?”

The way he says ‘we’ could make me cry.

“Well,” I start. “I don’t mind driving here. And I typically only work during the week, so I could come to you right after I clock out on Fridays.”

“I will never say no to that,” he tells me. Quickly following up with, “But I can also come to you during the week since the bar isn’t as busy.” His hands gently squeezed mine.

“Are you going to be able to handle not being here?” I tease him.

“Oh, shut up,” he laughs; oh, I love that laugh. “I’m gonna need to get over it at some point. At least I’ll have you as a distraction.”

I just hum back, “Mhmm.”

“We’ll make it work, hun,” he says; he sounds so sure of it.

“You really don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” he tells me, “I’ll do whatever I need to if it means getting to be with you.”

My hands hold the sides of his neck as I kiss him a few times, whispering, “You’re unreal.” Enjoying the butterflies as he giggles against my lips, finding it increasingly more difficult to focus every time I kiss him. I need to tell him first, and then we can have fun. I get a little chill just thinking about getting to spend the night with him after this. FOCUS CHAR.

“Um, there’s still more,” I spit out. “I sort-of-maybe-kind of lied to you.” Kissing his cheek a couple of times before looking at him with an uncomfortable smile.

He lets out a laugh, “Really just getting it all out there, are we?”

“I can’t start a relationship with you and not just tell you all of this!”

“Whatever you need to do, hun,” he laughs. “Go on.”

“I didn’t need to be here at all,” I start. “Melody could have just done everything in like a day and your paperwork had been sitting in my car already settled for the past two weeks.”

“I know.”

“What– You know?” I stared at him, my eyebrows pulled in immediately, wholly lost in how he knew what I was doing.

“Of course, I know,” he giggles. “Who do you think helped Josh get certified, honey?”

My mouth hangs open for a second, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, honestly— it took a few nights of you being here for me to realize, but also,” he laughs, his hands finding mine. “You really think I’m gonna out the most beautiful girl on wanting to be around me–” he pauses, looking at me with his eyebrows raised before shaking his head with a quiet, “Absolutely not.”

I can’t get anything out before he quickly adds, “I honestly had just forgotten about it when I hired Mel, so when you asked, I just assumed it was about to screw me more.”

“Wait— so, you just.. let me interrupt your schedule for like two weeks to vaguely help train Mel?” I ask quietly.

He nodded quickly at that, “Gladly.”

“But.. that’s so..” I hesitate.

“I think it paid off,” He lightly tips my chin up to meet his gaze, “Don’t you?” Leaning in and leaving a small kiss on my lips.

I can’t stop the giggle that sneaks out when I whisper, “Think you’re so smooth, huh?”

“Is it working?”

“I mean, you got me,” I laugh. “So, I guess I’m gonna have to say yes.”

Taking every chance I have to kiss him, like I’ve been deprived for so long. A bit dramatic of me, but how am I supposed not to kiss him at this point?

He shyly asks, “Do you still need to leave?”

“I can leave in the morning,” I tell him. “They can survive a couple of hours tomorrow without me.”

“So.. you’ll stay with me?” He asks, biting his lip subtly.

I giggle at how cute he is before whispering, “Yes, baby.”

“Thank the lord,” he lets out, pulling me into him.

My arms slid around his neck as snowflakes decorated us slowly. Pressing kiss after kiss onto his face and lips, dimly lit by the street lamp nearby. Fighting the urge to cry again, holding the back of his neck, I kissed his cupid's bow; the tears that had been threatening to fall made their escape. Pulling away, I start to lean back so I can compose myself again. Seeing the tip of his nose is red, and I can’t shake the chill in the air. Stopping this moment feels wrong, but I cave.

“Can we go inside? It’s freezing,” I asked, scooting a little closer to him. I traced my finger down his nose, tapping its tip a few times.

“In a minute—”

With no hesitation, his arm wraps around my waist, pressing me up against him. His free hand quickly wipes the tears away from my cheeks. I watch his eyes dance between my eyes and my mouth like he always does. His hands found my jaw, and just like our first kiss, he lingered a breath away before he whispered, “One more.”

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The moment his bedroom door shuts, I can’t stop myself. My hands pulled his face to mine, and his lips pressed into mine like we hadn’t seen each other in months. Our breathing is already heavy, and we’ve hardly made it past the threshold.

“I know I told you, but” he pauses to kiss me. “I’m so sorry for everything, and I promise—never again.” He litters my face with little pecks.

I slide my hands into his, pulling him towards his bed until I feel the frame hit the back of my knees. Tilting my head slightly as I lean into him, kissing him again.

“No, I’m sorry,” I tell him quietly. “I shouldn’t have lied to you— about any of it.” He leans forward, pressing his lips against my forehead a few times.

Sitting back on his bed, I grab the collar of his shirt, pulling him to me. Both of us smiled into each other; I couldn't stop myself from holding his jaw.

“Move back for me, honey.”

I never want him to call me anything else. I move myself up his bed, laying back on his pillow. He follows suit, watching his necklace swing as he crawls over me, making my mouth water.

The feeling of his body pressed to mine when I slid my arms around his neck, pulling him against me in a hug. Nothing could have stopped me from kissing the side of his neck a few times.

“This feels fake,” I tell him quietly, letting out a small giggle.

He kisses the side of my head before pulling back to look at me, “It does feel different.” Tucking the hair behind my ear as he just stared at me, the slight smile on his lips.

His eyes gazed down for a second before meeting mine again when he leaned in, his lips finding my bottom one. Every kiss felt more desperate until my hands found their way into his hair. I could see his chest moving from how heavy his breath was.

His hips shift against me, and it sends a little wave of pleasure through me, letting out a small ‘mmm’ into his mouth, and I can feel the smirk on his face.

He rolls his hips into me again, pulling another quiet moan out of me. I grab his bottom lip gently with my teeth, giggling as I let it go. His eyes are still closed, but that lethal smile of his beams at me.

“Hi, baby,” I whisper. I felt butterflies when he finally opened his eyes to look at me.

“Mmm.. honey,” he mumbled back. His hand slid down to the waistband of my leggings, hooking his finger into it. “May I?”

I lean up, kissing him slowly before telling him, “Please.” His hands waste no time, sliding my leggings off and tossing them on the floor. He lightly drags his fingers up the inside of my thighs, letting his right hand timidly run over the damp fabric.

“Oh?” He says quietly, popping an eyebrow up at me.

It’s hard not to blush when he’s hovered over me, looking the way he does. Sliding the fabric over, he rests his hand on me for a minute as he kisses my cheek.

I feel his finger as he teases me, only for a second before letting it slip into me. Even just his middle finger alone makes me fall apart. Slowly pumping it into me, making my body tingle with every time he grazes that one spot.

“You’re so pretty.”

I let out another ‘mmm,’ watching his eyes light up at the sound. He starts moving his hand a little faster, and the way his palm is pushing against my clit is making my head spin.

Snaking my hands down, I unbutton the rest of his shirt. Good lord— he’s so fine.. wow I’m so fucking lucky. Moving to undo his pants, when he giggles softly.

“Is that what you want?” He whispers, and even hushed, his voice makes me melt.

I nod a few times, “Please, baby.” I pulled the zipper on his jeans as far as I could reach before just letting my hand run over him.

Watching him slide his shirt and jeans off, I swear I can feel my pupils dilate. I’ve never been so attracted to a man in my life. He leans back over me, in just his tight boxers, feeling my thighs tense at the sight.

I just want to touch him constantly, letting my hands run over his shoulders before moving to his chest. His skin is always so warm and soft, and it takes all my willpower not to kiss every inch of him.

I’m still not used to the way his hair will brush against me when we’re in positions like this. But— he is so sexy when he pushes it out of his face, flipping it to one side. Or pulling it back before he goes down on me like he did the night we were drunk. I hope he knows how gorgeous he really is.

The way his eyes light up when he slides my sweater off will never get old. He’s always so gentle with everything, even when he slides my bralette over my head. His hands so softly grab at my tits, grazing his thumbs over my nipples. It’s honestly really adorable how much he likes that they’re pierced.

Littering kisses over my collarbones and then slowly working his way down until he hovers over one of my nipples, letting his tongue lead the kiss. Watching his plump lips wrap around it, a man surely doesn’t need lips like his, but lord, am I glad I’m the one he’s putting them on. It never seems like it could get better, and then he moves to the other side, and I get to relive it.

He sits up after a minute and reaches over to his nightstand, pulls out a condom, and quickly sets it next to me. Leaning back down, he starts peppering my neck and collarbones with little pecks, running his hand up my side.

“Babe, you know you don’t have to—” I whisper, glancing over at it.

He holds my chin, giving me a slow kiss and giggling to himself as he pulls away, finally saying, “Hun, as much as I’d love not to— I’m not taking any more risks right now.” I can’t stop the laugh that sneaks out of me.

“Plus, this is easier to clean up since Josh is down the hall,” he mumbles quickly, that sweet little smirk of his coming back. Letting my fingers lightly drag down his sides and over his hip bones as I look up at him.

He slides his boxers off, kneeling between my legs. He starts to stroke himself as he looks at me. My jaw falls open at the sight.

“What?” He asks through a laugh. You’re so fucking hot. Not only am I able to see his chest and stomach in front of me, but the way his arm is flexing as it moves and how his hair falls around his face when he looks down.

My brain stalls trying to answer because seeing how his hand is wrapped around his cock has me thoroughly captivated. He grabs the condom, ripping the foil, and quickly rolling it down the length of him; I’ve never seen a man make that sexy, but there’s a first for everything.

He leans back down, lining himself up with me and slowly pushing in. We both let our little moans at the feeling. He bottoms out in me and just sits there for a second, looking at me with his hands cradling my head, when he whispers, “I missed you.”

“Oh,” slips out. I pull him in, kissing his face as he starts to move his hips. Gently rocking them into me, fully engulfed in the moment, we take turns pressing kisses into each other. This kind of sex feels different.

Being able to kiss him and run my hands all over him, just enjoying the feeling of being so close. Holding eye contact while he pushes himself into me slowly, like he’s savoring every second of it. My heart pounds as we look at each other.

He starts to move a bit quicker, and I’m fighting every urge to moan, knowing we aren’t home alone. But nothing could stop me from letting out a quiet, “Harder, babe.”

Watching his lips curl up, he leans forward, kissing my forehead before sitting up on his knees. His hands wrap around my hips, pulling me closer to him. Thrusting hard into me, he slides one hand over, lightly toying with my clit. His mouth hung open slightly, necklace bouncing off his chest, that small trail of hair on his stomach, his hands touching me; the sight of him alone brings me closer.

A moan sneaks out; my eyes go wide at him.

“Does that feel good, honey?” He says, his voice lowered; his voice alone makes me wet.

I nod, pulling my lip in with my teeth. I tap his hip a few times so he’ll stop. He looks at me with his eyebrow raised.

“Lay down, babe,” I tell him. He moves back as we trade spots, except he leans against his headboard. His hands guiding me onto his lap, feeling so full as I sit on his cock. Taking a second to adjust to the position, I lean into him, letting my lips hover over his ear when I whisper, “You fit so perfectly inside me.” His delicious little groan as the goosebumps flood his skin.

I start grinding against him, feeling my own orgasm creeping closer, letting quiet whimpers out next to his ear, kissing down his neck. Anything to shower him in affection because he deserves it.

“Char,” he mumbles. “If you keep doing that, I’m not gonna last long.”

Resting my forehead against the side of his head, I whisper, “Touch me.” His hand snakes down, rubbing my clit quickly, pulling some quiet moans out of me. I sit up, and my hips start to lift off of him, bouncing slightly. The angle of being on top makes him hit every right spot as I move. My body is starting to feel warm as his hand keeps rubbing tight little circles.

“Jake,” I breathe out, my hand grabbing the headboard behind him. “Oh my god. Baby, I'm gonna—.”

His eyes light up, and I can feel how wet I am as I come down on him, over and over. He finally whispers, “Fuck me, honey.”

I’m seconds from losing it, and my body is tingling; I can feel the knot in my stomach, and even my nipples are peaked when he sends me over the edge, quietly moaning out, “Oh, my sweet girl. Wanna feel you come for me.”

It hits me as I come down on him, my legs refusing to lift me back up as my head drops back in pleasure. His hand slowed and joined the other, holding my sides to support me.

I lean into him, tucking my face into his neck, feeling our chests rise and fall together. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close.

“Hold on tight,” he mumbles, so I slide my arms around his neck quickly. Sitting up, he holds me against him with one arm, flipping us over. Making sure not to knock my head against the headboard, he sets me down carefully.

He leans into my ear, giggling, “This is gonna last like two seconds.” His hips start thrusting into me; he locks his arms behind my knees to hold them up. Driving himself into me quickly, his eyebrows pulled together as his mouth started to open slightly.

“Mmm, Jake,” I moan quietly, knowing it’ll only help him. “God, you feel so good.” Watching his face get a little red at the praise, his hips move a little faster, he's gotta be so close. I pull his face down to mine, hovering my lips over his, whispering, “Come on, baby. I’m all yours.”

I can see him suck in a breath before he lowers himself, tucking his face in close to mine as his hips start to struggle. His little jagged breaths next to me when he lets out a small “fuck.” His sweet face presses into mine, letting his lips rest on my cheek, lazily leaving little kisses on me while I’m just running my hands along his back, letting him have his moment to recover as he does for me.

“Char,” he whispers after we have been lying there for a minute.

I turned my face towards him, “What?”

“I’m so.. happy,” he says. “I can’t believe I get to call you mine, finally.”

I run my hand down the back of his head, “I’m happy too.” Holding him close for a second, it feels like I could cry just lying here with him. I can’t fight the giggle that comes out when I tell him, “Let’s go take care of ..that.. we have a night of cuddling to make up for, Sir.” Giving him a little double pat on his ass that makes him laugh.

“You’re right,” he giggles, moving off of me. I slide out of bed, standing up, and before I can grab anything to pull on, his hands grab my hips.

“What are you-“ I start to ask until I feel his lips against my ass. He sucks in gently, almost nibbling on my skin for a second before pressing another small little peck against it.

“Told you I didn’t need to try that hard,” he says, shooting a wink at me as I look down at him.

My jaw just falls open for a second, glancing down at the small bruise that’s forming. Something about him doing that lit a small fire in me.

“Um,” I let out.

He just smiled at me as he stood up, “What?”

“Since when have you liked doing that?”

“You like that, huh?” His hands slid around me, giving me chills. “Why don’t you stay here? I’ll bring something back to clean you up.” He mumbles, kissing the side of my head.

“Well, hurry up,” I giggle. “We have new things to discuss when you get back.” My eyebrows pull together for a second as I tell him.

I tap his phone to see the time when I’m caught off guard by his Lock Screen. When did he..? There sat a photo of me from our day in Salem, and I felt my eyes start to tear up over him again. He is absolutely everything.

He’s only gone for a couple of minutes, wandering back into his room, only wearing his little boxer briefs. I’m never going to complain about that. It makes me happy that he’s already comfortable enough with me to do it.

I sit up to take the towel from him, but he just holds it away from me, shaking his head.

“Absolutely not,” He tells me, fighting a small laugh when he says it. “I can take care of you. You’re my girlfriend now; let me have this.” He kneels on the floor, pulling me to the edge of the bed.

“So.. when you did it before was because..?”

His face starts turning red at the question, his little smirk as he clears his throat, trying to avoid it. Just quietly making sure everything is clean; he really is so cute sometimes.

“Oh, you have to tell me now. You can’t get all shy on me,” I tease him.

He looks up at me with those dumb brown eyes, “Definitely wasn’t because you were already mine.. in my head.”

“Ooohhh,” I coo, gently holding the sides of his face and placing a little kiss on the tip of his nose. Giving him a slow wink when I tell him, “Your secret is safe with me.”

I can’t describe the feeling I get when I watch him. Even with things as simple as him picking up a few pieces of clothes from his floor, I just want to stare at him as he does mundane tasks. Maybe it’s because of the slight chance he’ll glance over and shoot me one of those lethal smiles. Sometimes, he just looks at me, and my heart cartwheels. I’ve never felt like this about anybody I’ve dated.

My heart pounds as I sit here, watching him grab a sweatshirt for me from his closet. He turns around to hand it to me with that soft smile on his lips, a loose strand of hair falling into his face. I can’t help but admire his chest and stomach as he stands in front of me. But nothing prepared me for the look in his eyes when I reached out to take it from him.

I love you.

I feel the heat rush into my face at the thought. Is that crazy? I take the sweatshirt from him, but I don’t break eye contact until I pull it over my head, flipping my hair out from it. He’s still staring at me, which makes my whole body heat up.

I can’t help but laugh out, “What?”

“You,” he says.

My eyebrows raise, “What about me?”

He slides into bed, facing me, and grabs my hands. His eyes looked all over before saying, “I don’t want to say too much.”

I squeeze his hands a couple of times, telling him, “You’re never too much for me.” The look in his eyes changed when I said it. Almost like they softened a bit, and the corners of his lips turned up, we sat there quietly for a moment.

“Are you okay?” I cave, asking him as he looks down at our hands. His thumbs run over the backs of my hands.

He nods, his eyes moving back up to meet mine, the smile is still there. “I’m more than okay.”

“What is it then?” I move closer to him. He seems comforted whenever we’re touching.

He takes a deep breath, “I just want to make sure it’s clear that I still mean it when I say ‘whatever you’re comfortable with,” pausing for a second, “I never want to make you feel uncomfortable or pressured into anything.”

“I will tell you if anything is too much,” I tell him, “but I promise that I don’t think you could scare me away, babes.”

His sweet little smile at the pet name, “Is that a challenge?”

Both of us giggled at him, trying not to be loud since it was late. Sitting here with him, just talking and laughing, feels so natural with him.

“This is nice,” I tell him quietly.

He just looks at me, wishing I could hear what he was thinking. His arm slides around my waist, pulling me into him as he falls into the pillows. Trying not to laugh too loudly as he peppers my face with kisses, holding me hostage in his arms. Everything with him feels like a dream.

We finally settled into bed, and I’m curled up against him. Laying there in the quiet, it hit me that he was already outside when I got here. He wasn’t smoking.. I can’t stop myself from finally asking, “Why were you outside?”

“What do you mean?”

I prop myself up on my elbow to look at him, “When I got here, you were already out there?”

“Oh,” He looks over at me with a soft smile, gently reaching out and pulling me in close. His lips landed on mine gently, letting a little exhale out mid-kiss like it was what he really needed at the moment. Pulling back to look at me, his hand still holding my jaw, letting his thumb run along my cheek. The look in his eyes had me falling in love with him all over again— and then he whispered, “I was waiting for you to come home.”

My eyes well up as I look at him. Oh, I really do love you. I softly wipe my thumb across his lip, leaning in close to him.

“I’ll always come home to you, Jacob,” I whisper. Watching his eyes light up, and just before he kissed me, he quietly let out the two words that changed everything.

“Oh, honey.”

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Author's Note Part 2 :

😭🖤 my heart is so full. I'm so happy that you finally got to see them fall in love. I can't wait for you to see what else is in store for The Caravel Tavern Series. But please know, I'll keep writing Jake & Char as long as you want to read about them. 🖤

Love you guys so much xoxo

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Chapter Twenty-Four

Epilogue

FDOG Master Post | Masterlist | Playlist

Sam & Willa : Sparrow Of The Dawn

Josh & Quinn : Amongst The Stars

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