#unfortunately had to switch to a close match because i also needed cute hats

[thebramblewood]

Now, I know imvikai collects enough money from this community to make hat chops. 😭

[fanficimagery]

‘Cause We’re Gonna Be Legends; pt. 2

Summary: Imagine wandering the Boardwalk with your friends. A group of boys catch their attention and while your friends are doing everything to catch their attention in return, they are apparently more interested in the oblivious girl of the bunch who doesn't care to bat her eyelashes at them. You. [Part Two]

Words: 9.5K Warnings: This is why I don’t do sequels. I think they’re a good idea and then halfway through I lose interest/have no idea what the hell I’m doing. But I powered through and this was the end product. Enjoy. Also I forgot to mention in the first part that Max doesn’t really exist in here which is why he’s never mentioned.  Homophobic slur? It happens once, but it’s in there. There’s also a dash of spice, if you catch my drift. Lol. Implied (but it does NOT happen) sexual assault. And violence.

For a few days, your fever is up and down. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it once was, so you're able to actually wear the appropriate clothes for having guests over. Your girls are very apologetic for not being much help, but are excited when you start looking better and even planned a night to stay in with you. Unfortunately, but fortunately for them, the night they stayed in with you happened to also be a night the boys decided to drop in as well.

They squealed when Paul sauntered in and immediately pecked your lips. Their eyes widened when Marko pecked your left cheek and Dwayne your right. And then their jaws dropped when David brought up the rear, smirking, and pecked your forehead. The room was quiet- too quiet- and the girls were surprised whereas the boys were smug. Assholes.

So instead of movie night, you answered the questions your girls threw at you while the boys went out to pick up some food after everyone but you chipped in for because Marko wouldn't take your cash. Ruby was the only one extremely impressed with your situation while the other three remained skeptical. You and Ruby tried to make light of the situation, especially for afterward when you would be able to explore your relationship with the four boys, but you knew it would take a while for Emily, Becca, and Jessica to come around. If they came around.

Ruby had stuck around for as long as she could when the boys returned with the food, but the moment the other three girls ate they quickly made excuses to leave. Sadly, Ruby followed. You weren't able to hide the fact you were hurt by their actions, but Ruby assured you it would all be okay.

It wasn't. Not really. Because when you were fully recovered and called to hang out, half the girls were quick to make excuses. Only Ruby and Becca were fine with your decisions, and made attempts to hang out without Emily and Jessica around.

And Ruby and Becca? Those two were apparently a force to be reckoned with now that they knew you had four boyfriends. From one day to the next your entire wardrobe had been altered, and though it was nothing too bad you weren't exactly stoked to be comfortable in new clothes at the drop of a hat.

So walking down the boardwalk one night, you keep alternating between pulling on your tank top in hopes it'll become looser and tugging on the hem of your shorts in hope that they'll be longer. Your jackets had all mysteriously gone missing and you were going to punch your friends the next time you saw them.

Before you know it you're coming upon four familiar motorcycles. The boys are all missing, but you know it's only a matter of time before they come back. So instead of searching for them, you lean against the railing behind their bikes and wait for them to come to you. Fortunately, you don't have to wait long.

David and Dwayne spot you first, but in the few days you've gotten to explore your compatibility with each of them you noticed that these two were not into public displays of affection. So when they greet you, they smile and nod, and make sure to brush up against some part of you as they make their way to their respective bikes. Marko blows you a kiss from where he's got Paul in a headlock and then when Paul is set free he practically beams at you.

"Hey pretty lady, come here often?" He teases as he sidles up to you.

Your nose wrinkles as you laugh, accepting his loud smacking kiss to the lips. "That was so cheesy."

"But at least it made you laugh." Paul slings his arm around your shoulders, tucking you into his side, and you can't help but try to melt into his side to hide.

"Where'd your friends get off to?" Marko wonders, eyeing you up and down. "Your outfit doesn't seem like something you'd pick out yourself."

You sigh. "If they're smart they won't dare to cross my path for the foreseeable future. Those assholes switched out my entire closet and stole all my jackets so I couldn't cover up."

"Well if you ask me, those friends of yours are pretty smart." David lights up a cigarette, smirking around it before blowing out a steady stream of smoke. You flip him off.

"I could deal with it if I had a large flannel or something, but nope. They took everything that would offer a few inches of cover-up."

"Well why didn't you just say so, babe." Paul moves his arm from your shoulders, shaking out of his own jacket. The chains hanging from it jingle at all the movement and you smile as he drops his jacket over your shoulders.

You slide your arms through the sleeves, flexing your fingers from where they barely peek out. You grab both sides of the jacket and close it over your chest, crossing your arms over it to keep yourself hidden and are content when you realize the hem of the jacket falls a few inches further than what your shorts covered.

"Oh no," Paul mumbles. "I made a mistake."

"What?"

"You look so cute in my jacket." You huff a laugh but notice his gaze sweeping you up and down, and his tongue peeking out to lick the corner of his bottom lip. When he meets your gaze then, you gulp and shiver when you see the heat simmering there. "Come on. You're mine for the night." He grabs your wrist and tugs, and you stare at your other three boys in surprise.

David and Dwayne grin, and Marko cheerfully waves you off. "Don't get caught!"

You don't have time to process Marko's words before Paul's dragging you down the boardwalk stairs. You do your best to keep up, laughing, and then yank back against Paul's grip once you hit sand. "Hey, slow down! You have longer legs than I do and speed walking through sand is not easy."

"Sorry. M'sorry."

Paul whirls around, cupping your face in his hands and leaning down to hungrily press his lips against yours as he walks you backward. Your hands wrap around his wrists as you lean up on your tiptoes in an attempt to match his enthusiasm and you can't help but smile when you stumble along the way. His tongue sweeps across the seam of your lips and when they part he's quick to lick into your mouth before tugging your bottom lip between his teeth.

You moan quietly and then gasp when your back hits something solid. The moment you pull back to look around your surroundings, Paul attaches his lips to your neck. He tilts your head this way and that way so he can lick and nip to his heart's content, and down to your collarbone. Only then do you realize you're underneath the boardwalk now.

"Paul." Your hands delve into his hair, gripping and tugging when you feel him going lower and lower. "Paul!" You then laugh. He's already on his knees, face level with your stomach as he stares up at you with a hooded gaze. "All this because I'm wearing your jacket? Seriously?"

He numbly nods. "Yes. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to it."

His hands go to the button and zipper on your jean shorts, and you catch his hands with your own. "We're not having sex here. I'm not about to get sand in places it's never supposed to be."

He chuckles huskily, opening his jacket further and pushing up the hem of your tank top. He kisses you just below your navel. "No sex. Promise," he says just as he gives your stomach a kitten lick. You squirm and quietly whimper. "But I really need to get my mouth on you."

"Fine." You gulp, but then clear your throat and slowly release his hands when you realize no one's around. "But if we're called out by anyone, I'm kicking your ass after you kick theirs."

He laughs. "Deal."

Paul makes quick work of unbuttoning your shorts and yanking them down your legs along with your panties. They get caught on your shoes as you try stepping out of them, so Paul pulls those off as well. Your feet are only in the warm, damp sand for a couple of seconds before Paul's lifting your right leg and setting it over his shoulder.

You gasp as you're suddenly opened up and a little self conscious as Paul stares at what he's only heard about from Marko and Dwayne so far. One hand finds its way to the wooden column at your back and the other splays across your lower abdomen before sliding down to shield your pussy from his view. Though the moment your fingers brush over your tingling folds, your breath catches and Paul smirks up at you.

"Don't worry, baby girl. You've got absolutely nothing to be nervous about." With one hand trailing up and down the leg you're still standing on, Paul uses his other hand to pull yours away from his prize. He licks the wetness from your fingers and a whimper catches at the back of your throat as he groans in appreciation. "Fuck. Marko's right. You do taste good."

"Babe," you whine. "You need to- I need you to-"

"I got you."

Warmth covers your mound and you moan aloud, cursing when Paul's tongue then licks you from entrance to clit. Your right hand tries to find purchase on the column at your back while the other delves into Paul's hair, smoothing it back before gripping it so you can see his face properly between your legs. Teeth nip, his tongue swirls, and you can't help your thighs tensing before you're grinding against his mouth.

"Please, please, please."

Paul pulls back, obscenely licking the wetness from around his mouth as he chuckles. "You're really wet, Y/N. Do the others know just how much you enjoy screwing around in public?"

"Paul," you mewl. You try to pull his face closer once more, but he doesn't budge. Anger slowly rising, you manage to narrow your eyes at him. "If you don't get your mouth back on me, I'm gonna-" But while you were busy getting angry, you hadn't seen his hand moving towards your center. So when you feel two of his fingers tease your entrance, you pause and then moan when he slips them inside.

Slowly pumping his fingers in and out, Paul chuckles. "What was that?"

"N-Nothing. Just please. Make me cum."

"Well since you asked so nicely."

With his fingers slowly building you up and his mouth now working you over once more, you give yourself up to the pleasure and no longer care about being seen or heard.

Half an hour later, you and Paul rejoin the others, hand in hand. All three boys smirk knowingly at you and you roll your eyes when Paul refuses to let you go with any of them.

"Enjoy yourselves?" Marko wiggles his eyebrows.

Paul immediately assures them you did and you shrug, refusing to feed his ego or give the boys any details as to what exactly happened. You had a feeling they either already knew somehow or would know soon given how open they all are with each other.

The next few weeks are a bit of blur, but a good blur at that. You're a little sad that you hadn't seen your girls in a while since the boys took up so much of your time, but you eventually let it go when you realized they didn't make an effort to reach out anyway. So learning to let go, you busied yourself with working during the day and then spending the nighttime hours with your boys. You'd never been with someone who you actually wanted to spend every waking hour with, so you lived in the moment and just enjoyed the crazy shenanigans your boyfriends got up to.

You had figured intimacy with them would be weird, and in the beginning it was since there were four of them, but things just kind of fell into place after the first time you slept with each of them. Each boy was different when they got you alone, and you were pleasantly surprised each of them met needs even you yourself had no idea you had. None of them were jealous or possessive when it came to each other, but they made sure to let anyone else know you were off limits.

They'd even taken you to see where they lived and you were shocked. Given their styles and personalities, you didn't know what to expect of their living situation, but a sunken hotel was not it. But the more they showed you around and you realized they had water and generators for some electricity, the more you liked the seclusion of it all. And when you finally got comfortable being there with them, the boys made what was basically a nest for you- a mattress with numerous blankets and pillows, and sheer curtains hanging around it all. So now that you had your own bedroom of sorts, more often than not that's where you ended up with Dwayne since he was the only one who actually liked to roll around in your sheets and cuddle for as long as you'd let him afterwards.

Still naked and with sweat cooling on your bodies, you're laying in the crook of Dwayne's arm with your chest pressed to his side and a sheet covering you from the waist down. He trails fingers up and down the spine of your back, and he chuckles every time he runs across a ticklish spot that sends you arching into him with a sleepy giggle.

Just as you're drifting off, however, the curtain around your bed is pulled open and David appears with a cigarette dangling from between his lips. "You gonna stay in bed all night?"

"Hmm. You put out that cigarette and you can join us." Dwayne's hand freezes on your back and David raises his eyebrows at you. "What?" You huff. "Don't pretend like none of you haven't thought about it."

A moment passes and then David smirks. "Tempting, but the other boys are itching for a night on the boardwalk."

"A night on the boardwalk? More like Marko's itching for a fight," you muse. "He hasn't been chased off the boardwalk in about three days. He must be bored." David chuckles and flicks away his cigarette after one last drag, entering your little nest and crawling into bed so he's situated behind you. You groan as he starts to trail his fingers along your back, inching lower and lower until he's teasing just under the sheet at your lower back. "If we go out tonight, someone's gotta drive me home earlier than usual. I got work in the morning."

"What time?" Dwayne asks.

"I gotta be in the office by ten." You giggle when David's fingers walk over your waist, kicking back at him when he digs his fingers in a little. As you settle down, you sigh. "Why do I have to be an adult? You guys have it so easy here. It seems like you don't worry about a thing." Fingers cease their movement on your back, and David and Dwayne share a calculating look over your head. "Sleep all day, party all night. If only."

David smirks and hope sparks up in each of them. It couldn't be this easy, could it? It would surely take more convincing. But before David or Dwayne can ask you more about your sudden annoyance at having responsibilities, Marko and Paul are entering the main room from one of their dark tunnels they always disappear into.

Soon. We'll talk to her soon.

It's one of the rare nights that all the boys are busy and you have too much energy to remain in your apartment all by yourself. You haven't heard from the girls in weeks, even though you've seen them on the boardwalk when you were with one of the boys, but they never made an attempt to approach you even after you had smiled and waved at them. Apparently those friendships were officially over, so when the boys disappeared you had no one but your own self to do things with.

They had warned you not to wander the boardwalk or the beach by yourself at night, but you've been doing it long before you had met them so you didn't think anything of it as you headed out.

The boardwalk is busy so you find yourself heading down onto the beach where it's a bit quieter. It's lit up thanks to the many flashing lights from the boardwalk, but you find yourself wandering further and further down the beach. There's a party going on around a small bonfire and when you see the numerous surf-Nazi's, you head towards the water in hopes of skirting their group without being seen. Unfortunately, Fate has other plans.

The first catcall has your shoulders hunching. You know better than to rush away because it'll only encourage them to chase, so instead you hesitantly look over at them and offer a wave. After that, you face forward and continue walking.

More catcalls ring out and the flirtatious invitations to join them get louder and louder, which means some of them are getting closer and closer. Your anxiety spikes and dread fills you. You should have stayed on the boardwalk.

"Hey, sweet face, where are you going?" Someone asks, slinging an arm around your shoulders and turning you back around to face the party. "The fun is this way."

"Oh I'm sure," you nervously chuckle. "But I just came out here to clear my head. I'm not in the mood to party. Sorry."

"Aw. Don't be like that. The night is young!" The way he moves his free arm as he talks and the way he slurs his words a little lets you know you're in trouble. "Come meet my friends. A couple of them could use a pretty little thing like you to lift their spirits."

You make the mistake of not putting up enough of a fight and regret it the moment one of the guys around the fire somewhat recognizes you. "Hey, aren't you that girl those queers on bikes pass around?" You tense as his friends laugh and cheer. "You hoping to be passed around by some real men for a change, little girl?"

You grimace and hug yourself as if that would help protect you. "I'm not hoping for anything other than to get home. Your friend is the one who dragged me over."

"And yet here you still stand," he muses. "Sit. Have a beer before the fun begins."

"No thanks. I really should get going. My friends are waiting for me."

Just as you turn, a hand grips your wrist. "Oh, but we insist." The pressure of the guy's grip tightens and you gasp in shock.

You knew you were in trouble before, but now it's a lot more real and scary. The more you struggle to get free, the more the guys around the fire laugh and jeer. The fear in your eyes only eggs them on more and the two of the guys shove you back and forth, never letting you get more than a few steps away from them. There's a boombox playing music and the moment it's turned up to its max, you scream.

You scream for someone to help you when a couple of the guys toy with their belt buckles and promise you loads of fun, you plead for them to let you go when they pull at your shirt, and you sob when you're shoved into the sand. You attempt to crawl away, but you're quickly flipped onto your back and someone grabs at your ankles.

You scream again.. and then the impossible happens.

Something flies down from the sky, plucking the individual holding onto you before flying away with him. There's screaming, this time coming from up above, and then a shower of liquid. Your heart pounds furiously as you smear the droplets on your cheek with your fingers and then whimper when you make out its color. It's red.

All the guys who'd been so sure about themselves and what they were about to do moments ago are now screaming, being tossed around and ripped apart one right after the other. You scramble backwards, keeping low to the ground and hoping to not be seen by whatever is taking delight in their destruction.

Only one of the creatures fully steps into the firelight, laughing, and you freeze up when you recognize some of its- his features. It's David.

A whimper escapes from the back of your throat as you whisper his name in question and David's gaze snaps in your direction. His cruel smile falls and the others around the fire slowly turn towards you. Paul and Marko are bloodied around their mouths, their expressions falling when they realize what you've just witnessed.

As you slowly stand, you keep your eyes on them and inch backwards as if they'd attack you at any second. You cease breathing all together and then turn to run for your life. Only you get a few steps in before you run smack dab into a person, falling back into the sand on your ass.

"Please don't kill me!" You cry. "I w-won't say anything. I promise!"

The person squats in front of you and you realize then it's Dwayne. He's not as bloody as everyone else, but the evidence of what he's done is plain as day on his chin and down his bare chest. You whimper. "W-What are you?"

His throat bobs as he gulps, but instead of answering he asks, "What are you doing down here on the beach?"

"I- you guys just.." You stutter on a sob, shaking your head as if you can't believe what you just saw.

"You're in shock." David walks up on your left and you flinch at his close proximity. "Let me take you home."

"Why?" You sniffle. "You rather kill me in the comfort of my own home rather than on the beach with the rest of the scum?"

"We're not going to kill you, Y/N."

"No? You sure as hell had no problem killing these guys just now!" You say. When you realize just who- or rather what- you're talking back to, you snap your mouth shut and avert your gaze.

"I'll be taking Y/N home." The tone of David's voice brings a fresh wave of tears to your eyes. You're so sure that there's no walking away unscathed from this. "You boys are on clean-up."

When David reaches for your hands, you don't bother fighting him. You feel absolutely drained and it doesn't matter if you scream or attempt to run. Whatever the boys are, you know they could overpower you in a heartbeat. But the second you're standing shakily on your own two feet, you yank your hands out of David's grasp and cross your arms over your chest.

For a second you think you see hurt flash across David's expression, but it's gone within the next blink. His expression hardens and you flinch when he grabs you by your elbow to guide you away. His grip isn't hurtful, but it's obvious that if you try to yank away from him again you won't be going anywhere.

The closer you get to the populated boardwalk, the easier it is to breathe. Your heart even calms some, but when David leads you towards his bike you start to drag your feet. "My car. I d-drove here."

"One of the others will drive it back." You frown at him, but he doesn't see because he busies himself with climbing onto his bike. You take his moment of distraction to glance around at the people walking around you, part of you hoping to catch someone's eye, but David's voice squashes that hope right away. "Do you really want me to kill whoever it is you plan to tell about what you saw? Be smart, Y/N. We have to protect our secret."

"And what exactly is the secret, David?"

Though the situation is anything but funny, he smiles at you. His smile makes your stomach churn. "Get on the bike, Y/N. It's time to go home."

Your bottom lip wobbles under his intense stare, but you quickly put a stop to it and suck it up. Hesitantly reaching for his shoulder, you then cautiously climb up onto the back of his bike. You grab onto the sides of his jacket rather than wrap your arms around his waist, and shakily exhale when David doesn't mention it and starts his bike instead.

The ride back to your apartment is a tense one and you hop off the back of David's bike before he's even cut the engine. Your arms are once again crossed over your chest and your heart starts to beat faster when you realize he intends to follow you inside.

He stays one step behind you the entire way up to your apartment door, but he remains standing in the hallway when you enter your apartment and turn to face him. "What happens n-now?"

"What do you think happens now?"

"Goddammit, David!" Your frustration mixes with your fear and you end up crying again. "I just saw you-" you pause, angrily wiping away tears and lowering your voice, "-all four of you rip apart those surf-Nazi's like it was nothing. And you- it looked like you were eating them and I- I don't- I can't-"

"Hey. Hey, shh." David takes a step closer and moves to cradle to face in the palm of his hands, but you jerk out of his reach.

"I should be running for the hills and screaming at the top of my lungs about what I've just seen."

"Yeah? Then why aren't you?"

"I don't know." You blink the tears from your eyes and sniffle. "I wanna scream and I wanna rage and I wanna cry more than I already have, but for some reason- for some goddamn reason my heart hurts just even thinking about uttering a word of what I saw."

"What do you want from me? From us? Name it and it's yours."

"Time. And space." You gulp. "I need to process everything. I'll- I'll come to you when I'm ready."

David's barely given you a nod before you're shutting the door in his face. You deadbolt it and turn to walk further into your apartment, your resolve completely vanishing the further away from the door you get. You make it to the bathroom, hands trembling as you grab onto the sink, and when you glance at your reflection in the mirror you blanch and make a beeline for the toilet.

The splatter and smears of red on your face and neck is enough to make the contents of your stomach make a reappearance, and you spew it all into the toilet. Flashes of David, Dwayne, Marko, and Paul and their demonic looking features pop into your mind one right after the other, and you heave one heart wrenching sob after the other.

You don't know how long you spend in the bathroom, but by the time you leave it after having climbed into the hottest shower you could manage, your throat feels raw and eyes puffy. You take your time getting dressed in a set of pajamas and then fall into bed with a tired sigh. No matter how much you wanted to drift off into sleep and forget everything that's happened, you knew it'd all make an appearance in your dreams for weeks to come.

For the next few days all you do is sleep, work, research, eat, and shower. Staying away from the boardwalk was probably the easiest and hardest thing you ever had to do, but being alone gave you time to think about all that you've seen and all that you've read up on. You had managed to watch the evening local news for any reports of missing individuals, but were unsurprised when none were reported. After all, surf-nazi's were riff raff and the authority didn't seem to care about them.

Sleep was hard to come by because the more research you did, the more it made you paranoid. You became jumpy, were constantly nodding off when you were supposed to be working, lied to your co-workers when they asked if anything was going on, and by the end of week one your boss had had enough. So after such a long week, you're more than content to stay in and wait on the Chinese food being delivered to your house.

Several boxes are scattered around your living room, filled with articles of clothing and various other items you don't mind parting with so you can sell for some cash.

A knock sounds from the front door and you get up from the floor to go answer it. You grab some cash along the way and readily pull open the door with a polite smile. It completely vanishes, however, when you're met with Dwayne who's holding up your takeout almost as if it were a peace offering. "Um. Hi?"

He flashes a faint smile. "Hey, Y/N."

The sound of his voice makes your heart beat double, but surprisingly not out of fear. You're actually surprised and really happy to see him, even if he looks so unsure of his presence. So you fight off a smile and keep your tone neutral. "Dwayne, what are you doing here?"

"We're all worried. And we miss you. The boys don't know I'm here, so don't be mad at them."

"I.. I'm not." You gulp and finally grin at him. Sighing, you step aside and gesture him inside. "Come in. You don't have to stand in the hallway." Dwayne hesitantly steps in and you shut the door behind him. You pocket your cash, knowing he won't take it from you, and lead the way into the kitchen. "I hope you're hungry. I'm not gonna eat while you sit there and stare at me."

There's a huff of laughter behind you, but the following question asked is not one you're expecting. "You're moving?"

When you turn towards Dwayne, you see his expression is now completely closed off. Following his gaze to the various packed boxes, you shake your head. "Oh. Uhh, no. I was let go from my job, so I plan to sell some things. I have enough saved up to pay the bills for a couple of months, but if I don't find anything by the time that cash runs out then I could use whatever I make by selling my stuff."

The relief pouring off of him is obvious the moment he realizes you're telling the truth. He sets the bags of food down on the kitchen table and immediately sets out to distributing the food equally while you grab some drinks. Then seated next to you, Dwayne says, "Sooo, what now?"

Using a plastic fork two twirl some noodles on it, you shrug. "I'm not sure. I'm obviously not running for the hills, but I'm not sure of my welcome back into the group after being silent for so long."

"Well David is angry," he says. Your eyes dart to meet his gaze, hurt settling in your expression, but he's quick to soothe you. "He's not mad at you. Not really. He's more angry at the fact that you found out about us the way you did. He wanted to ease you into it. We all did."

You snort. "Yeah. Because finding out you're all murderous creatures of the night is something you can ease someone into." You shake your head. "Unbelievable."

"Marko is more hurt than anything. He thought you really liked us enough to be able to handle the monsters we are and Paul- Paul is doing his best to be indifferent about it all. But if I'm being honest, he's in the same boat with Marko. They're both lovesick idiots."

"And you?"

"What about me?"

You gulp. "How are you feeling about.. everything?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Dwayne flashes you a smile and something in your chest eases. You grin and finally take your first bite of food. "After everything was made official between us, I saw something in you. I knew our secret would freak you out, but deep down I also knew you'd come around."

"You were that confident, huh?"

"Yes."

"Fair enough."

The next few minutes passed in relative quiet, you eating and glaring every time you caught Dwayne staring. He'd smile at your glare and then take a bite of an eggroll so you wouldn't tell him anything or banish him from the kitchen while you were still in there. But eventually you finish and pack away anything left over for a midnight snack.

Then heading towards the sofa in the living room, you curl up on one end while Dwayne takes his spot on the other end. "If I ask you some questions, will you answer them honestly?"

"I can do my best."

"That's fine." Slowly stretching your legs out, you hesitantly tuck your toes under Dwayne's thigh and smile when his cold fingers dance along your ankle before wrapping around your calf. "So I think my main question is, is what exactly are you? I tried to do some research based on your features I saw that night, but I narrowed it down to two species."

"Which are?"

"Demon or vampire. The teeth, the eyes, the.." you pause and gulp, nose wrinkling, "choice of food. I guess it can pass for both, so.."

"Vampire." You immediately tense, but the moment passes and you exhale as you relax back in your seat. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Can I see-" Before you can even finish your question, Dwayne was already shaking his head. "What? Come on! I've already seen you at your worst. Well not you, but the others. Just.. show me."

"Why?"

"Because my apartment is nice and lit, and I can actually look at you in the face now rather than looking elsewhere."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Dwayne hesitates but eventually angles his body towards you. You sit up a little straighter, pulling your legs back towards you and curling them beneath you. He closes his eyes after taking a large lungful of air and you watch in fascination as his features seem to ripple right before your very eyes.

Quietly gasping, you find yourself leaning towards him. There are a few telltale differences, but the most prominent are his now slightly protruding cheekbones and brow line, and the yellow and red eyes when his eyelids fly open at the faintest touch of your thumb against his bottom lip. He seems to cease breathing all together when your thumb pulls down his lip and you huff a laugh of disbelief at the sight of his fangs.

"You still you?"

Dwayne takes a moment to answer. "For the most part."

"Can I try something?"

He hesitates in answering again, but his resolve crumbles when he notices your gaze stays locked on his mouth. Eventually he nods and you scoot in even closer until you're placing one knee on either side of his hips and your hands settle on either side of his neck with your thumbs just under his jaw.

Dwayne sharply inhales as you settle in his lap, his hands now lightly holding onto your waist. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing if I'm really capable of having non-human boyfriends." Slowly leaning in, you're very mindful of his fangs when you press your lips against his. Feeling the coolness of them makes you smile and you can't help the urge to run the tip of your tongue against one. But in doing so, it seems to snap any restraint Dwayne had.

You squeak when you suddenly find yourself on your back on the couch. Your legs have subconsciously wrapped around his waist, your hands on his chest beneath his jacket as he hovers over you, panting heavily. His eyes are back to their normal brown, but his other features are still on display even as he does his best to make them go away.

"Should I take this as a compliment?" You ask, nails lightly scratching at Dwayne's chest as he groans. "Do you have a fang-on for me?"

"You're making this incredibly hard for me, sweetheart."

"Ooh. I would hope so." You thrust your hips upward and smile as Dwayne finally laughs.

With one hand by your head to hold his weight just inches above you, his other hand is on your waist beneath your shirt as he runs his fingers up and down your skin. He turns his face so it's half hidden by his shoulder and hair, and when he faces you again all his vampiric features are gone. He lazily smiles at you, but his expression softens. "Are you sure about this? About us?"

You sheepishly nod. "I mean I can't guarantee I'll be super chill when you guys.. grab a bite to eat," you say, nose wrinkling, "but I can try. We'll probably have to come up with a system so I'm not with you guys when you do so."

"Being with us won't be easy. We're never-changing, Y/N. You'll eventually need to be too."

It takes a second for his words to sink in and when they do you momentarily stop breathing. You open your mouth to retort, but snap it shut a moment later and frown. You sigh when Dwayne starts to retreat and the both of you sit side by side. "I- I know. Okay? It's just a lot to take in right now."

"David won't want you to take too long."

"Of course he won't." Falling silent, you reach for Dwayne's hand and lock your fingers together. Then laying your cheek against his shoulder, you say, "I guess it's a good thing I lost my job then, huh? Cutting ties won't be so hard now."

"I'm sorry we dragged you into this."

You huff. "Are you?"

A moment passes and then, "No." You laugh and tilt your head so you can see Dwayne's face. "You had David hooked the second you smiled at him. The rest of us were obviously intrigued, but it was David who made it known that your friends were off limits because he wanted you."

You immediately sit up, eyes wide. "Wait. Were you guys going to eat my friends?!" Dwayne has the audacity to look nervous and you can't help but snort. "Seriously?"

He shrugs. "How else do you think we get our meals? But you were a loose end. You knew they were with us and it'd have been suspicious. They were lucky that we saw you though. Your presence saved them."

You shake your head in amused disbelief, chuckling softly. Slowly, but surely you end up leaning against his side once more. "I have a lot of apologizing to do, don't I?"

"Maybe not. The boys might appear angry at you, but believe me when I say they're not. I think they'll be happy if you show up."

"Tomorrow then? I'll meet you guys at the boardwalk."

"Okay."

Getting ready for the boardwalk the following night is a lot more nerve wracking than you thought it'd be. According to Dwayne, no apologies were needed because he understood that a secret such as theirs was mind blowing. But he only spoke for himself and you had no idea how welcomed you'd be with the other three. So dressing to impress, you cut up a black shirt that David left behind weeks ago. You cut it into an off the shoulder crop top and pull on a jean skirt you had hidden in one of your drawers. Next are some ankle boots that had been a recent purchase and you tease your hair a little to give it a messy look.

When you figure you've wasted enough time, you decide to just bite the bullet and go. The drive to the boardwalk is short but tense, and you feel like you're going to be sick the second you're standing outside your car and locking up. So after taking a few deep breaths, you pocket your keys and head for the boardwalk stairs.

You try not to wrap your arms over your stomach or chest, so you hook your thumbs into the back pockets of your skirt. You keep your head held high, ignoring the suggestive comments, and then almost chicken out the moment you spot your four boys. Dwayne is the only one who's actively scanning the crowd, so he's the only one to spot you. He grins and you narrow your eyes, and then one by one the others take notice.

Paul and Marko immediately cease their antics upon sighting you, and David's expression closes off as he smokes his cigarette. You stop just a few feet in front of them, nervously shifting from foot to foot under their stares. "So, um, I came here with every intention of apologizing, but on the drive here I realized I have nothing to apologize for."

David's icy gaze subtly narrows. "Is that so?"

"Yes!" You snap your mouth shut, gulping, and then take a step closer so you don't have to talk as loud. "I know I asked for time and space, but two or three days would have sufficed."

"If that was the case, then why didn't you come seek us out?"

David poses a pretty good question, but you shrug it off. "I had such a shit week that I didn't even think about it. It wasn't until Dwayne showed up last night that we talked about everything and I realized some things."

Marko leans forward. "What things?"

When your gaze darts to the curly haired blonde, you smile softly at him. "That if you guys are still interested, then I'm all in." The words have barely left your mouth before there's a vampire wrapped around you. You laugh, your hands grasping onto the sides of Paul's jacket to steady yourself. With his face shoved into the side of your neck, you maneuver the both of you so you can turn to stare at David while still holding onto the clingy blonde. "So what do you say? Are we okay?"

David stares you up and down, taking a moment to gather his wits and make sure you're not lying to him. "Just like that?"

"Um, yeah? I'd like a week or so to get some stuff in order, but I- I like you guys too much to just walk away."

Paul pulls away then, his hands grasping the sides of your face as he presses his lips to yours. You let him control the kiss, parting your lips just so, so his tongue can seek out yours. However, he gets a little too enthusiastic and bites down on your bottom lip with blunt teeth, and you groan just loud enough for him to pull back and let you collect yourself.

When your eyelids finally flutter open, you find that all four boys are looking a little smug at your reaction. So in order to knock one of them down a peg or two, you smile sweetly up at Paul. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure, babe."

"Do all vampires get hard when their fangs are licked or is that just Dwayne?"

Paul blinks at you in astonishment before letting you go to turn around and it's your turn to smirk. Dwayne is no longer amused, and Marko and David are not doing anything to hide the fact that their amusement is now directed at their brother.

The brunette frowns at you. "I hate you."

"You almost nailing me on my couch last night says otherwise."

Paul and Marko finally lose their composure, and you smile as the two boys have to lean on each other as they laugh. And though they're making fun of him, Dwayne finds himself fighting off a smile at how happy you seem to be. As the two of them pick on their brother, you look back towards David and step into his personal space.

The two of you stare at one another and the way he's looking at you, you feel the urge to apologize even though you said you wouldn't. But before you can utter a word, he's asking, "What happened that your week was so shit?"

You huff a quiet laugh. "I lost my job. I have some money saved for a few more month's rent, but I seem to recall an offer to move into the cave not too long ago."

David's lips twitch. "And if you really are all in, then having the apartment isn't necessary."

"It's really not."

In a move that normally goes against David's nature, he pushes off the railing and closes the distance between the two of you to capture your lips in a chaste kiss. You smile against him before he pulls back, his gaze darting between both your eyes. "Let's go for a ride. This is cause for a celebration."

Paul and Marko whoop in excitement, the both of them kissing either of your cheeks before they clamber onto their bikes. Dwayne has to walk behind you to get to his and when he does he leans down to nip your ear. You squeak and he wolfishly smiles at you, and you find your knees trembling in excitement for what later may hold.

It's no question as to whose bike you're climbing on the back of, but you do hesitate at David's side. When you take too long to climb on, he stares at you questioningly. "What's wrong?"

"I, uh, I didn't think this all the way through." You gesture to your skirt and groan when he starts to smile. "No one's going to offer their jacket, are they?"

"Nope."

"I figured." Sighing, you glance around before grabbing the sides of your skirt and inching it up your thighs so you can comfortably sit behind David. Paul whistles and you glare at him over your shoulder before climbing onto David's bike. Once you're settled and you realize no one is moving, you frown until you see Paul and Marko hungrily staring at one spot and one spot only. You follow their gaze and glance down, and realize your panties are on display with the way you're sitting. "Stop," you whine, practically plastering yourself to David's back in hopes of blocking their view.

Marko laughs. "It's nothing we haven't seen before."

"Yeah, but.. the staring. It's weird."

"Sweetheart, your whole life is about to become ten times more weird. Best get used to it." With that, David's bike roars to life, followed by the other three.

The ride to the cave makes something in your chest ease, and you find yourself letting your head fall back and letting the wind carry away your gleeful screams. David drives a little more recklessly than usual, but you know he won't do anything that will truly harm you. But all too soon you're arriving at Hudson's Bluff and are hurriedly climbing off of David's bike so you don't accidentally flash anyone.

"So what exactly did Dwayne tell you about us?" Marko wonders.

"I didn't really ask questions other than the main one," you say. "I know you guys are vampires and I'm assuming some of the folklore is true considering I've never seen any of you during the day, but I figured you'd tell me what I needed to know when I needed to know it."

"So you don't know all that we can do?"

You gulp under their suddenly amused expressions and take a step back. "No..?"

"Oh babe, you're in for a treat." Suddenly Paul is in front of you, arms wrapped low around your waist and clutching you tightly to his front. "Hang tight."

You're grinning at him until you feel the ground beneath your feet vanish and then your eyes widen. You glance down and your arms immediately wrap around Paul's neck. "You assholes can fly!?" All the boys laugh and then Paul starts to hover higher and higher. "W-Wait. Paul, don't!"

But your words fall on deaf ears and the next thing you know the wind is rushing by you. You shove your face into the side of Paul's neck and your legs wrap around his waist. Paul's laughing and you're laughing, but it's mostly to cover up your fear. And though you can't see anything, you can feel when Paul turns or dips in a dangerous maneuver to get you to scream.

But when he doesn't get the reaction he was hoping for, Paul eventually comes to a stop mid-air. "Look, Y/N." You shake your head. "Come on, babe. Open your eyes."

"I- I can't. I'm not normally afraid of heights, but there's just something about being so high and not being buckled in properly to anything that's really kind of terrifying."

"Is that why you're close to pissing your skirt?"

"Not funny, Paul!"

His hands smooth down your bottom, sliding lower until he's cupping the back of your thighs. "Come on. I promise I will never let you fall. At least not until you're one of us."

You huff a laugh and pinch the back of his neck. "You're an idiot."

"But I'm your idiot."

"Yeah. I guess you are." Slowly, but surely, you lift your head. Your arms tighten once more around his neck when you realize just how high up you are and you allow yourself to look around. "Oh." Twinkling stars and low clouds are all you can see for miles, but when Paul tells you to look in one direction you can see the boardwalk all lit up off in the distance.

"See? I'm not a total jerk."

"No, you're not." Looking at Paul now, you let your forehead rest against his and smile faintly at him. "You're probably my favorite out of the four, but after this little stunt you are not teaching me how to fly when it's my turn."

He laughs and chastely kisses you "I'll take it. Now be prepared. I'm flying us back into the cave."

You shove your face back into Paul's neck, but move just so, so you can actually see your surroundings fly past you. However, your eyes clamp shut when you see Paul enter the cave entrance and they only open when you feel yourself being dropped onto cushions. Opening your eyes, you realize you're in your nest.

You smile. "You kept it. I for sure thought you might have gotten rid of it."

"Dwayne wouldn't let us," Paul says and then guiltily cringes. "I'll admit I thought about tearing it all down, but Dwayne took to protecting it."

Your smile falters. "Well I guess I deserve that."

The boys go quiet and you awkwardly glance around at everyone. Eventually David gestures to the couches. "Come eat. While Paul was off terrifying you, Marko got some food."

As David takes his usual seat on the wheelchair, Dwayne leads you towards the couch where he immediately sits down next to you. Paul plops down on a crate and Marko distributes Chinese takeout containers.

"Chow time," Marko smirks. "Eat up, girl."

You and Paul are the only two to enthusiastically dig in, and you only become suspicious when Marko can't stop staring at you with his amused little smile. You're grateful there's nothing in your mouth because the second the words how are those worms, Y/N leave David's mouth, you lower the container into your lap and refuse to look into it. You do, however, feel the container slightly moving in your hand as if something inside was.. wiggling.

"David," you say through clenched teeth, "if I look down and there's anything other than noodles in my container, I'm going to douse you in holy water. Don't ruin Chinese noodles for me. You know they're my favorite." Marko and Dwayne both laugh, and when you finally chance a look downward you're relieved to see no worms. You sigh in relief. "Let me guess, vampires can mess with the mind?"

"More or less, but only humans."

"Duly noted."

David goes on to explain some things as you finish up eating and you find out that holy water, garlic, and the lack of a reflection in a mirror could be overcome in a private home should they be invited inside. That was good to know, especially the tidbit about the sunlight and the various way a vampire could die after being staked.

Paul puts some music on, and he and Dwayne take turns dancing with you. You end up spooking a few of Marko's pigeons, but make it up to him by kissing his pout away.

Later, you're not sure how much time has passed, you find yourself falling into David's lap. You're breathing heavy as you try to catch your breath and are even a little sweaty, but David doesn't seem to have a problem with it as he brushes the tip of his nose from your jawline to your neck.

You giggle. "Is this another one of your vampire things? I now realize you guys sniffed me a lot, particularly around my neck."

"You smell good," he says before moving upward and placing a light kiss under your ear.

"My blood?"

"Yes and no." David leans back so you're now face to face. "The scent of your blood is appealing, but there's another scent that's just.. you. I don't know how else to explain it, but you'll be able to smell us when you're turned."

"You mean you don't smell like decaying bodies?" You grin to let him know it's not really a serious question, that you're only teasing, but David still snaps his teeth at you in false admonishment. You squeak and then laugh, kissing his cheek in apology. "I'm only joking." As you settle down so your head is resting on his shoulder, you find yourself saying, "Now I'm curious as to what you boys smell like. You better not stink."

"If you're so curious, why not become half? You'll be able to pick up our scents, but you'll still be operating as if you're human until you feed from a human for the first time."

His words give you pause and you quickly sit up, blinking at him. "Half? What do you mean I can be a half?"

"Half vampire," he shrugs. You frown and David grins when you startle at Marko's sudden appearance behind him, a bejeweled wine bottle in hand. Only then do you realize the music has stopped and the only sound in the cave is the occasional cooing of a pigeon. "You take a drink of this," David says while grabbing the bottle from Marko and uncorking it, "and you become a halfling. You'll still be able to do what you need to do during the day, the only downfall being your eyes will become sensitive and you'll find yourself wanting to sleep the day away until the sun sets. You can power through it though."

You can't take your eyes off the bottle and you find yourself reaching for it, bringing the bottle up to your nose to sniff the contents. It smells fruity, almost, and just underneath that is a hint of copper. "So what," you gulp, "a swig of this and I'm a half vampire? Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Looking up and around, Dwayne and Paul have stepped closer to see what you're going to do. Everyone has neutral expressions and you realize you're suddenly anxious to join them sooner rather than later. "Are you sure you guys want me? If I become one of you, I have nothing and no one to turn to should you find yourself bored of me."

"Don't get insecure on us now, sweetheart," Paul muses. "If we weren't sure of you, David wouldn't have offered."

"Sleep all day, party all night," David says. "Never grow old, Y/N. Join us."

Sleep all day, party all night. If only. 

Your words, which felt like they were uttered so long ago, bring you some comfort. It reminds you that you once wanted what they had even if you didn't exactly know what that was at the time. So now- now you find yourself almost anxious for what the future will bring now that you're so close to having what they have.

Slowly smiling, you huff a laugh and then with a faint roll of your eyes you bring the bottle up to your lips. "What the hell. Bottoms up."

The second the too warm liquid hits your tongue, your eyes flutter shut and the boys cheer all around you.

[datingintampafails]

Chapter 15: Aaron*

After Roger*, I don’t completely leave the app game, but I don’t go on any dates. I talk to a couple guys for a short bit, but nothing really sticks. One guy is kind of creepy, and even drops the “love” bomb on me, and I straight up yikes him. 

I knew when I matched with Aaron* and saw “Conservative” listed on his Bumble profile, that it was not going to work out. However, I was still coming off my fucking with people state, despite this now being the end of June, almost a month after my last date, that had been with Roger*. However, he is a nice looking, all-American looking man. Blonde hair, blue eyes, decently tall, fit but not overly buff, also does jiu-jitsu, so I say fuck it let’s see what happens. 

I even started my first message to him about this: “oh shoot you’re conservative” he asks if that is a problem, which I respond with “depends.” He asks what it depends on, and I say “if you own a maga hat.” He comes back with “Am I in more trouble if I own 2?”

Why would a person need two MAGA hats? I don’t know. This is something I will never know, and I’m okay with that information. He jokes about us both being able to wear one. I say definitely not. He asks why. I explain my DJT sentiments, “He’s constantly running his mouth when he shouldn’t/he has no chill. He’s terrible to women. His interests are biased to benefit businesses/his rich buddies and not the people.” 

Expecting him to debate with me with some bullshit, instead, he says I have fair criticism and agrees with my first point. We talk more politics, I say the party system itself sucks, which he admits he thinks we are closer politically than he thought. He purposely changes the subject, with the all wonderful “what are you looking for on here?” question. Blah blah blah.

He said he says I have a good plan and he “matched with [me] cause [I’m] cute and seemed like [I’d] be fun to play some vidya with.” We then talk games and systems for a bit. He asks me for my Snapchat username, then our conversations continue strictly on there for the foreseeable future. He mentions something about feeding his dogs raw chicken, and due to my job working in veterinary medicine, I let him know that isn’t a good idea. He tries to mansplain me, and I clap back, saying that whereas raw red meat is fine for them, raw chicken isn’t and I’ve seen a lot of dogs get sick. He thanks me for the information and drops it. I respect how he backs off and listens.

We set up a date for a Wednesday, but then the day of, I get some news that my coworker I work closely with at one of my jobs, may have contracted coronavirus. I let him know that I don’t want to risk it, just in case I may have gotten it. Instead, I suggest we do a video chat instead. 

Video chat actually ends up being pretty fun and is a nice way to get to know each other without going out out. He has two dogs and I get to see them. He mentions that he played World of Warcraft and I’m surprised. He looks more like a pretty boy type and not nerdy like that, despite us talking about other video games previously. I then suggest we play some video games together for the rest of the night. We even add each other on discord/Battlenet (Blizzard Games) and play Heroes of the Storms together. He and I actually work very well as a team and opt to play a character together which requires complete teamwork as you share a body with different powers. It’s a difficult character to play, so normally I don’t play it, even with my friends. This gives me a glimmer of, hey maybe I could make this work: naive. 

I decide one day I should ask some non-superficial questions to get to know if the MAGA thing is something I can ignore for better qualities. I ask him about his goals and his future.

He mentions he wants to own a lot of land and grow his own food, have some cows. So basically he wants to be a farmer? Definitely not a life I could see myself in. I mention as well that my future doesn’t involve kids. He says he definitely would want to have kids. 

I ask him why he feels the need to have children. He simply says, “Idk it’s just what you do.” TO which, I intelligently let him know, “just because it’s what you do, doesn’t mean it’s what YOU do.” Essentially, fuck societal rules, live your life as your own. He sticks to his guns, which are his rights. I kinda just remove myself from the conversation as it doesn’t go anywhere. 

At the same time, I’m also chatting with another guy. This guy is way more compatible personality-wise, but he isn’t really physically attractive to me. I feel bad as I am practically stringing him along. I even had a video chat date with him around the same time as Aaron*, but whereas he is nice, I don’t see him as a romantic prospect, which makes me more confused. 

Despite our conversation that would seem like an end-all for the relationship continuing, Aaron* continues to send me Snapchats, which are nice eye candy. He goes to the gym and would send me pictures of him in the sauna, ie shirtless pictures. He asks me out again, and I confirm that he is still interested. He asks fairly if he has indicated in any way that he was no longer interested. Also adds he wants to see where things go and at least give it a shot and is willing to risk the possibility of my coronavirus exposure. Fair enough. 

We reschedule essentially the date we were gonna have earlier that week, going to the same Greek restaurant. I get there first and wait in my car. Somehow I am not paying attention when he arrives, and he says he is there but doesn’t see me inside. So I walk up to him in the restaurant and give him a hug. He is the only one there, so it is easy to spot him. We share a platter of hummus and veggies, just talk, and have a good time. I get a sense, as I did during the video chat as well, that he is more introverted than I am and on the quieter side. The restaurant is closing for the day, and we are done eating, so we head out. Walking to our cars, he asks if I wanna come over and meet his dogs since he lives ten minutes away. I agree. 

I half follow google maps with the address he gives me, half just follow him. Jokingly when we arrive and we start to walk in, I ask him if he’s going to murder me. He laughs and says no. As I add “not this time at least.” 

I get to meet his dogs, one is definitely a wild child. We play Super Smash Bros on his Switch, and after only winning one round and getting obliterated otherwise, I ask if we can play something more co-op. We bring out Mario Party but are kind of confused about how anything works. Instead, we opt to just watch a movie instead. We cuddle and watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

At the end of the movie, it is late and I say that I’m gonna head out. He walks me to our car and we kiss goodnight a couple of times. Unfortunately for me, I was happy to kiss him goodnight. I do ask him that he actually give me his number, though he had given me a similar story like Darren*, saying his service isn’t good and he chats primarily via Snapchat. 

We talk some more and set up another date. I invite him over for dinner. When he arrives he tries to kiss me at his car side when I greet him which catches me off guard. I’m not huge into PDA so I don’t really know what to do. He seems fine when I instead give him a kiss hello when we get inside. I make the food and all seems good. He gets along with my dog very well and they’re having fun. We eat our food then decide to go to the couch to watch a movie. We settle on Toy Story 4 as I determine that he should see it since he hasn’t. During the movie, he initiates kissing a few times. At some point though, it gets a little more heated as kissing becomes a true makeout session, and he lays me down on the couch. His kisses are a little more hungry, and honestly, I’m not super into his style and feel more like I’m just kind of there. I stop him and say “can w talk about something really quick?” I can tell that he is trying to lead up to things, and given the fact that we are on very different paths for the future, though it would be a good time to discuss where we are at. I pause the movie officially. I say I like him and ask him what his realistic expectations for us would be. He says that given our opposite feelings towards children, that “well we wouldn’t get married, but I definitely want whatever is the next step under that. Until I’m ready for something more serious with a person that would want kids” I simply respond that I am looking for something that would be potentially more serious, and don’t think we want the same things. I make a joke about him not wanting to get married, and that I already have the venue picked out, Sabrina has a flower girl dress, etc. Just to lighten the mood. He laughs and we continue watching the movies.

At the end of the movie he again initiates kissing me. I’m confused, I thought we had essentially ended whatever was going on via our conversation. He then just asks me, “hey would you want to fool around a little before I leave?” Again, given the conversation we had just had, I don’t think this man really understands where I am at. “No, I don’t really wanna do that now,” I say to him. We watch some short skits and then I say it’s probably time for him to go. I ask that he lets me know when he gets back home. 

We video game together a couple more times, he sends me more shirtless pics, I just kind of ignore him/don’t respond as much, as especially after his reaction of trying to sleep with me, I am officially no longer interested.

We went from #1 best Snapchat friends with a 12-day streak to nada, but oh well. He still looks at my stories sometimes but never initiates contact. I wish him the best and hope he gets what he wants.

[cotton-buds-writing]

Love Letters - Chapter Two

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20815151/chapters/49729598

Word count - 2760

     “David. It's only gonna take a second. Just smile.” Mayer was holding a camera and the three were standing in front of the house, David and Les were holding a chalk plaque each, one read ‘sixth grade’ and the other 'junior year', this was a tradition for the Jacobs family, at the beginning of every school year they'd stand in front of the house and take a photo with the children each holding a plaque that had whatever grade they were going into wrote on it. It was begun by their mother, Esther, and Mayer was reluctant to carry it on at first, after her death, but he decided that keeping her memory alive was what was best.     “Cheese!” Les gave a cheesy smile, scrunching his eyes shut and baring his teeth.     “Sixth grade and junior year, can hardly believe it. Okay, you ready to go?”     “One sec!” Les tossed Mayer the board and David his backpack, before rushing back inside, Mayer turned to David,     “Give me those. Okay, just drive safely. I gotta go.” The older man dumped the plaques on the passenger seat of his own car, then turning back to be met with David’s anxious and tired looking face, “You’ll be fine, David.”     “Alright.” He replied, not even paying attention, suddenly the ends of his sleeves were looking quite interesting,     “All set.” Les came out wearing a bike helmet, a few stringy cobwebs hanging off of the end, he clicked the buckle, already wandering over towards the car shared between the siblings, though it was mainly Sarah who drove, seen as she was the only one confident enough, and of legal age to.     “That's very funny.” David followed, walking around the driver’s seat, searching around his pockets for the keys, he found them after a moment, promptly unlocking the car and climbing inside, dumping the two bags on the backseat.     “Very necessary.” Les added, jumping into the passenger seat, the hat still firmly attached to his head, still grinning cheekily at his older brother.

-- ❀ --

     School was interesting to say the least, the different cliques roaming the halls, an array of posters covering the walls, the corridor was busy, infact one bin in the corner had already started filling up and overflowing, David had already collided with a few people, but both sides brushed it off with an apology, with the hallways this busy he assumed that everyone was bumping into each other, besides, it was high school, it's bound to happen. A head of bright ginger hair caught his eye, her curls bounced a little as she walked, and the way she snorted when she laughed simply drove David insane, he thought it was cute and he wasn’t the only one who thought that, and he knew this, which is why he kept his distance, sure they were on good terms but he wasn’t planning on getting any closer to her. But the fact that he thought her cute was something he was sure about, both personality and looks, there was no denying.     In fact, David was so caught up in his “glance” that he wasn’t quite concentrating on where he was going and collided with another student, he stumbled back a little but managed to find his footing and stood there with his hands stuffed into his jeans pockets,     They let out an “Ow!” sound, “Watch where you’re going!” Darcy’s eyes were glued to his phone but he snapped them up to look David in the eyes, but the height difference proved problematic, seen as he was at least half a head shorter than David.     “Oh, my God, Darcy- I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention.”     “Oh, it's you.”

Darcy, Darcy Reid. We used to be best friends, but post-middle school, for reasons having to do with his popularity and my lack thereof, we are decidedly not.

     David shifted awkwardly on his feet and raised an eyebrow,     “Cute jumper.” He looked at the basic blue jumper David wore, his collar was poking out at the top and the bottom of his shirt was untucked and sticking out the bottom, but he made it work, or rather, Les made it work for him. “Classy.”     “It’s vintage, I got it on Etsy.” He explained, shifting awkwardly on his feet. Darcy seemed to be desperately trying to keep eye-contact with David, much to his dismay.     “And it’s amazing! Not everybody can pull that sorta style off. Davey can rock it!” An absolute life saver, David’s friend came over, a goofy but somehow smug grin plastered on his face, “But for you, well, let's just say it's probably a good thing you're playing it safe with that... Superdry hoodie.”

Crutchie. Crutch… Darcy’s cousin, my best friend. My only friend, really.

     “Screw you, Charlie. You know how soft they are, and Katherine brought it for me-” Crutchie cringed at his real name, but kept his head up, he should be used to it by now, but somehow he wasn't.     “Hey, babe.” Speak of the devil. Katherine appeared just behind Darcy, the same bubbly smile on her face as usual, she pecked his cheek and intertwined their hands. Katherine was short, to say the least, she just about came up to David’s shoulder. She had a stunning head of curly ginger hair and a face of freckles to match, some of  her hair was pulled back and tied in a bun at the back, half up, half down, which was decorated with a pink scrunchie to hold it all together. She also had a similar style to David, clothing wise, she wore a pink jumper with a white blouse underneath - collar poking out, and a pair of jeans and brown ankle boots to go with it. Though, unlike David, she switched up what she wore every other day, while David played it safe, even if he didn’t want to admit it.     “Oh, Hi.” Darcy smiled back at her, but something about his smile wasn’t quite right, like it was fake but just not quite. The two of them were a power couple and Darcy knew this, and he definitely wasn’t afraid to flaunt this, and he definitely wasn’t afraid to flaunt Katherine. She had changed him, but in a negative way, Katherine was sweet, a kind girl, so of course she never meant to do this, but her status gave him power, confidence, a little too much confidence and so it went straight to his head. They’d only been together for a little over five months now, and they were going strong, it was well known that there was something going on years before the actual relationship came around. From what any normal person could tell, there was no sign of this relationship ending anytime soon, so people thought.

She was pretty. And yes, you're allowed to think someone is pretty without actually liking them.

     “How you doing?” She asked,     He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close, “I'm good. How are you?”     “Good.”

Remember Katherine? The second non-recipient of one of my love letters? That's this Katherine. Darcy’s Katherine. Seventh grade, my first real boy/girl party. Everyone knew that Katherine and Darcy, who at the time was still my best friend, only wanted to kiss each other. It was just a game of spin the bottle, and I just happened to spin the bottle so that it landed on Katherine, I knew something wasn’t quite right so I offered to spin again. “I can spin it again.” “You can't cheat the bottle.” So we kissed, I guess. It didn’t really mean much, it was just because of a game, but still, it sparked some feelings, and maybe they were still there, but I just ignore them and hope they go away, and I was nearly there with that, in fact, they were practically gone.

     “So I was just complimenting David on his… sweater. But I see someone I need to talk to so I’ll see you later,” He gave Katherine a kiss on the cheek, “Bye, Kathy,     “Bye!” Darcy walked away, leaving Katherine with the two other boys, they were looking at her, with a look of both confusion and disgust, she didn’t quite get it at first, “What…?” Then she realised what it was all about, “Look, he just stopped drinking caffeine for some diet, I think he’s in withdrawal.     “Are you sure he just doesn't have a chemical imbalance?” David joked, trying to at least get a laugh, but unfortunately he got nothing more than an awkward smile,     “Right…” She huffed, glancing sideways, but managed to crack a genuine smile, “I gotta go, see you,” she waved and made her way in the same direction as her boyfriend.     David turned to face Crutchie, “Really think my jumper is cool?” David finally asked after she left,     “If you ask, it ruins the whole vibe.” He paused, taking a breath. “Anyway, you think I'm gonna let my cousin talk trash about you?”

-- ❀--

     Lunch was problematic to say the least, Crutchie’s leg was aching too much so he stayed in the medical room for the from lesson three onwards, it was always awkward to sit in the lunchroom alone, though it wasn’t like David would be able to find a seat in there anyway, so he tried the library, which would have been fine, if he brought a sandwich for lunch, instead he bought carrots and only soft foods were allowed to be eaten in the library, which was fair enough seen as it was a quiet place meant for studying. So, he found himself at the bleachers outside, it was an old hang out spot for him and Jack, part of him hoped Jack was there, “Hey.” and he was. “Um, is this seat taken?”     “Yeah… Well, by you.” David nodded and sat down, Jack was sketching, probably just the landscape but he didn’t get a good enough look to say for certain, he closed the book and slid it into his bag, just so he didn’t seem too anti-social. There were a few minutes of silent, somehow both awkward and comfortable.     “I… I gotta ask…” Jack spoke up, “Did she tell you she was gonna do it? Because I just figured you guys talk about everything, right? So…?” It made sense, why he would think that, David and Sarah were always close, despite the age and gender difference,     David shook his head, “She didn't tell me about this.”     “We're still cool, right?” The other boy asked, turning his head to face David, “We can still talk and...you know, kick it?”     “Ugh... Don't say ‘kick it.’” David groaned, but the smile quickly flashed onto his face, “And yes, we are cool.”     “Good.”     “Good.” Jack repeated, bringing his sketchbook out, then David took out his bag of carrots from before, another awkward silence.     “Do you want a carrot?” He offered and held out the bag, there were still a few left,     “Sure, thanks,” So, Jack took one, then pulled out one of his ear buds, “Did you want to…?”     David nodded, shifting closer towards him and putting the ear bud in,

I know what you're thinking, but we really were cool. However I felt about Jack…

“New album?” David asked, maybe trying to start a little conversation and clear the awkward feeling that lingered in the air, Jack nodded,

...I would never do that to Sarah.

-- ❀--

     The end of the day came and the sun still shone bright, Les ran up to David, a smile on his face, "The middle school cafeteria is so enormous! Sally wanted to sit at lunch, but so did Smalls and Boots. I ended up rotating so everyone had time next to me, you know?”     “Yeah, I can totally relate.” David rolled his eyes, opening the car door, and just as this morning - throwing bags in the back, and Les put on his helmet, clicking the buckle at the side,     “Really?”     “Of course.”     After he made sure that the younger boy had his seat belt on, David started to reverse, he checked behind him for a split second then began moving, just a second later he felt a thud, he stopped quickly and looked again in the rear-view mirror, eyes wide, “Oh my fucking god... no, no, no, no-”     “Good thing I'm wearing my helmet!” Les cackled, two people, the ones he just bumped, walked around to his window, one looking more friendly than the other, he recognised both of them, Katherine, once again, and Spot Conlon, Katherine was muttering something to him about not being rude, or not being to harsh,     “It was only an accident,” She said, Spot ignored her,     He tapped on the window on David’s side, David cringed and rolled the window down, “Hi.” He spoke with a thick Brooklyn accent, Katherine glared at him again, a look of warning,     “Hi?” David kept looking forwards, starting to tap his fingers against the steering wheel.     “How you doing?”     “Good.”     “Yeah?”     “Yeah.”     Spot took a breath, trying not to laugh, “You know people usually check behind them before they reverse to avoid killing others, it's a... thing we do.”     “Yeah, I'm just not completely comfortable with using my mirrors yet, so…”     “Yeah, clearly.”     “Think you're gonna be able to make it out of the parking lot?” Katherine piped in, offering some help, maybe trying to cover up Spot’s approach on the matter,     “Yeah. We're fine. Really, seriously. Um- so you should just… go, seriously.”     “Sure, whatever you say, Jacobs. You're in charge.” Spot took over again, the two walked away, chatting as they went,     “Who was that?” Les asked, having stayed silent the whole conversation, he noticed how tough Spot seemed, and the contrary softness of Katherine.     “That was Katherine Pulitzer and Spot Conlon.”     There were a few moments of silence before Les spoke up again, confused, “What are we waiting for?”     “The rest of the cars to leave.”     “Oh my god-”     “Language.”     “I didn’t even- you swore two minutes ago!     "That was different."     "What-?”

-- ❀ --

     The room was silent and dark, just the television screen illuminating just in front of where it sat, Golden Girls was playing, the two boys sat, watching it, David cleared his throat, “What do you think Sarah’s doing tonight?”     “Crack.” Les replied casually,     “Les, why would you say that?” David glanced over, half amused, half shocked,     “It's how Scottish people say fun. Like, ‘You're a good crack.’ I looked it up.”     The older boy just ignored that comment, he spoke up after a moment of silence, “It's weird not having her here, huh?”     “It's weird not having Jack here, too.” Les added, “I miss his Pulitzer impression.”     “Careful what you say, I go to school with Pulitzer’s daughter,”     “How many boyfriends could that naive daddy’s girl possibly have had? Fifty-six?” Les quoted the scene that had just played, half mocking the woman on their screen's voice.     “Excuse me?” He half-laughed, a bit of a scoff.     “You know, Davey, if you had a girlfriend... or a boyfriend, maybe you wouldn't have to drive at all 'cause they would take us places.”     “If that's what it takes, I think you're stuck with me.” He tried to smile a little, it wasn’t like he was actively seeking romance, but the idea of a significant other to hold him seemed nice, even if he did develop a crush on someone, he knew he wouldn’t be able to confess, which is where the letters came in, ‘just keep the feelings inside’ he told himself, ‘that way you don’t need to worry about them, really’, he just found out that it was a simple and healthy way of dealing with it.     “I dunno. What about the girl you almost killed the other day?”     “She's dating Darcy.”     “The other guy?”     “He’s dating Racetrack,”     “What sort of name is that? Mhmmm, anyways...?” He paused, “It's not just that... Don't you find it kinda depressing that it's Saturday night, and you're having a Golden Girls marathon with your little Brother?”     “No. I love the Golden Girls, and I love hanging out with you.”     “Okay, I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad, but Davey, I'm eleven and I canceled plans to be here tonight. And well... you're sixteen, and I don't think you had anything else going on, am I right?     “That’s harsh, Les.” David scoffed, throwing a piece of popcorn over at Les, he swatted it away in response, then picked up a few pieces from the bowl and threw them back at David.     “The truth hurts, David.” 

[welcometophu]

Not Your Love Song: Chapter 12

Marked Book 2: Not Your Love Song

Chapter 12

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There’s a light dusting of snow on the ground, a few flakes still falling as Rory and Kit walk back to campus. Kit pauses, almost turning, before they reach the end of the block.

“I’m not going to be insulted if you go back for Serina,” Rory says. He digs a hat out of his pocket, crams it down on his head to keep the wind from his ears. He forgot gloves, so he shoves his hands in his pockets and does his best not to shiver.

“She’s closing tonight, so there’s no point. Especially since it’s getting busy.” Kit tries to match pace with Rory, taking an extra half shuffle every few steps. He’s at least half a foot shorter than Rory, which isn’t small, but it means Rory needs to shorten his stride to let Kit keep up easily.

It takes a little experimentation, but they find a pace that lets them fall into step.

There’s something comforting about the measured crunch of their footsteps like a cadence on the sidewalk. Rory taps his fingers against his thigh, testing it for rhythm.

“Are you going to ask her out again?” It’s awkward for Rory to ask about Kit’s relationship, but at the same time, switching topics abruptly would be even more awkward. When Rory’s phone buzzes, he takes it out and fishes it from his pocket, opening the text.

I had a good time yesterday.

Rory smiles slightly. In a strange way, talking to Darrik is easy. He’s not sure if he expects it to go anywhere: Darrik’s mourning, and Rory still has his unresolved soulmark issue. And that’s not even touching the difference in their ages, although Rory does have an understanding of life in the real world, unlike most college freshman. But he likes Darrik. He’s quiet. Knowledgeable. Enjoys talking about history, and the historical interactions between Mage and Clan. And Rory’s definitely interested in hearing more about where Darrik grew up, where the two interacted regularly.

He slows his steps, types as he walks. So did I. Unfortunately the weekend is over.

A small pause before the phone vibrates in his hand. We could do it again soon?

Yeah. Maybe that.

“You didn’t hear a thing I said,” Kit says quietly, a low laugh in his voice.

Rory types back yeah and leaves it at that, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “Sorry.”

“Whoever it was made you smile.” Kit shrugs one shoulder, gestures at the phone. “I’m not going to interrupt that.” He pauses before admitting, “And you didn’t miss anything. I didn’t say anything. You were obviously occupied.”

It catches Rory by surprise, and he laughs, his skin warming. “It was just Darrik. We went out last night.”

“He’s the guy you were thinking of developing a ritual for.” Kit tilts his head thoughtfully, pushes forward with one shoulder as if to say let’s walk a little faster, and Rory can’t disagree because it’s cold out.

A stray snowflake lands on his nose, a chill point that drips slowly after it melts. Rory rubs it away. “He is. I talked to him a little bit about it over dinner. He says as long as it doesn’t put Lora in danger, he’s in. Which means I should probably work on getting a group together.” He glances at Kit, but Kit’s looking straight ahead, as if he’s trying not to watch Rory at all. “Pawel mentioned I should probably talk to Dax.”

“Is Dax good at traditional ritual?” Kit asks. “Pawel thought your brother would be a good partner for me because he’s got one of the most traditional backgrounds, and a good handle on his natural abilities as well.”

Rory isn’t sure how much he can or should say about Dax. “Are you trying to get out of working with Thorne and take over my ritual for Darrik as your independent study project?”

Kit flushes. “Depends. Are you doing this because it’s about the ritual or because you’re trying to get in bed with Darrik?”

“I am not trying to get in bed with Darrik.” Rory shudders, shakes his head. “I’m not trying to get in bed with anyone. I like Darrik, though. I think the closure of doing this ritual would be good for him. But I also want my roommate to be safe. Alaric’s a good friend—pretty much family by now—and I don’t like the idea that there’s a thing out there that might still be hunting him.” It occurs to him that he hasn’t gone into detail about the whole situation yet, although Kit at least heard what Pawel had to say at Coven. Rory could explain. Maybe should explain.

“Relationships are complicated,” Kit muses quietly. He tilts his head back, sticks his tongue out to catch a snowflake.

“Serina?” Because now Rory wonders if Kit does want to talk about it after all. Especially if it keeps them from talking about Rory’s potential maybe possible relationship efforts with Darrik.

“Serina,” Kit agrees, the flush still staining his cheeks. “And you and Darrik.”

“I know why me and Darrik is complicated and there are a lot of reasons for that,” Rory says. “But you and Serina? She’s a cute girl and seems interested. You’re a cute guy and you seem interested in her. From an outside perspective, you seem like a love song waiting to happen.”

“You’d think so.” Kit hunches his shoulders, seems to curl in on himself. “I haven’t dated much. For reasons.” One shoulder rises, falls. “And every time I start thinking about dating someone, I have to ask myself: when do you have the serious conversations? Is it a first date thing? Is it a third date thing? Is it the kind of thing that waits three months and then she gets pissed off at me for not being up front about it?”

“I don’t think Serina’s the kind of person who’s going to not date a guy because he’s bi,” Rory says, because it seems obvious that Kit’s gun shy, and had people break up with him over his sexuality before.

Kit stops walking, turns to face Rory. He takes a step back so he doesn’t have to tilt his head as far to meet his eyes. “I don’t need to tell her I’m bi,” he says flatly. “I’m trans.”

Not what Rory was expecting when this conversation started, but okay.

He pauses as well, not looking away. Nods once, slowly. “I’m ace and gay, so I get complicated,” Rory says quietly, and Kit’s posture eases. “Some things are awkward, because you figure everyone’s expecting the typical status quo.”

“Straight, all guys have dicks, and looking to get into bed?” Kit quips, and Rory laughs dryly.

“At least you didn’t say all guys are dicks.” Rory takes a step sideways, rocks on his foot until he’s sure Kit’s going to join him. They walk more slowly now despite the cold, approaching the outer gate leading into campus. “I don’t think there’s an easy answer to that one,” he admits. “I mean, I like Serina. She’s on my floor, but she’s not one of the ones who keeps wandering into my room randomly, like Nik. So I can’t say we’re really close, and I don’t know exactly how she feels. She doesn’t seem to mind queer people, and she didn’t freak out when she realized that Nate wasn’t ever going to be interested.”

“But being trans isn’t like being gay,” Kit says quietly.

“Yeah.” Rory looks up at the sky, the snowflakes falling faster now, swirling through the darkness like a hyper speed special effect in a movie. “Maybe just play it by ear? Go out again. You need to trust her, right?” As he says it, Rory isn’t sure why Kit trusted him with it. “I don’t think she’d do anything bad, but she might feel hurt that you didn’t say something. But I think she’d at least get why you waited.” He glances down at Kit. “Serina’s good people. When are you going to go out again?”

“Guess I need to ask her that.” Kit pulls his phone out, looks at the screen like it’s going to give him answers. “I don’t think I’ve really got time this week. I need to finish that assignment with Thorne, and then there’s Coven on Tuesday, and we meet with Pawel for independent study on Wednesday and Thursday, and by that point, it’s just about back to the weekend. Carolyn’s sorority is sponsoring the Saturday movie. Maybe I’ll see if Serina wants to see that, if I don’t get roped into helping with it.” He hesitates, brow furrowing, mouth slightly open before it closes again.

“What?” Rory recognizes that look. When he sees it on Thorne it rarely bodes well for him.

“When are you seeing Darrik again?” Kit’s gaze narrows. “And is it personal or about the ritual thing?”

Rory licks his lips, huffs out a breath. “Both, I think, at this point. But he doesn’t know I’m ace. There really wasn’t a time to bring it up when he was telling me about his dead boyfriend.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Kit asks. His voice is low again, a soft note in it. Concerned.

“Do any of us?” Rory counters. Love is complicated. Relationships are complicated. He touches the out-of-focus mark on his wrist, because that’s just another complication on top of everything else. “We just go forward until we hit a wall, right? Or maybe we get lucky and it’s the right person at the right time doing the right thing. There are a ton of variables that make the difference between an epic love story and an epic fail.”

“We could double.”

Rory somehow expected a different reaction to his words, something more in-depth. Something more profound. “We could what? Double date? You and Serina with me and Darrik?”

Kit nods, adding a shallow, hesitant shrug. “It adds a buffer. A way to just hang out and not worry about adding in coming out stories. Right?”

That… makes a kind of sense. But at the same time, it adds yet another layer of complication over something that Rory isn’t even sure is a thing at all.

And still, he finds himself agreeing. “Okay, sure. Saturday. For the movie. If Darrik’s willing to subject himself to an on-campus movie when he escaped college campuses a couple years ago after grad school,” Rory agrees. “I’ll ask him.”

A half-smile from Kit. “Sounds good.” He’s quiet for a few steps, staring into the distance, before he asks, “Is Thorne always like that? I didn’t interact much with him our freshman year. He’s—”

“Hyper-sexual? Not as much as he says he is,” Rory says. “But yeah, he got all the sexuality in our family, and I got none of it. Mac’s right, though. If you make it plain that you want him to stop, he’ll stop, no questions asked. He might still flirt, but he won’t touch if you don’t want to, and he won’t be serious about the flirting. Just tell him what level of interaction you’re comfortable with, and he’ll adjust. Consent’s a big thing.”

“Okay.” Kit falls silent again as they pass through the gate. Rory isn’t sure where Kit lives, or even if he lives on campus, but Kit turns in the same direction when Rory does, heading toward Davison.

“Is there something else?” Rory asks. “Seriously, did Thorne make a move and I need to talk to him? Because I will. I love my brother, but sometimes—”

“He didn’t,” Kit says quickly. “I was just thinking that I think it’ll be good to work with him. It’ll put me outside of my comfort zone, which is what I wanted to do. It’ll make me interact with other people I normally wouldn’t, I’m sure, which is also good. I have a tough time reaching out.”

“Because—”

“Because I don’t want to have to explain, but at the same time, it’s hard being honest with people when you’re keeping a secret.” Kit’s voice twists, frustrated and tight. “Not that it’s actually a secret. It’s just me. But other people see it like a secret, and I’m tired of hearing that. That they think I’m tricking them. I’m not. I just want to be taken at face value and be allowed to be myself.”

“Then just be you.” Rory knows it’s not that simple, but he also knows it’s the best advice he can give. “I know that Thorne really doesn’t give a shit. Use him as a practice case for just being you and being exactly who you are, and don’t—don’t come out. Just be you.” He’s usually got better words than this, but he doesn’t want to say the wrong thing and this is new territory. “Are you introverted naturally?”

Kit snorts. “Yeah. Can’t you tell?”

“It has to be hard, because again, layers of complexity.” Rory touches his own chest. “I’m in a band full of extroverts, and I’m the only introvert. They keep me in touch with other people. It helps. So… use Thorne and me for a while.”

“Having a buffer seems to be the theme of this conversation.”

“We’re not an English paper in need of a thesis statement, but yes.” Rory smiles slightly, licks his lips. Reaching out has never been his strong suit, either, but Kit’s wariness makes him want to help in some small way. “I don’t want to use Darrik for your project,” he says. “This is personal, for him and for me, and for my friends. But if you want to help, I am okay with that.” It’s a small olive branch.

Kit presses his lips together, reaches up to push his hair out of his face. “I’ll work with Thorne for a grade, and I’ll work with you to help Darrik. That’s good.” The road splits, heading toward Townhouse Row in one direction. Kit wavers, leans in the other direction. “We’ll talk again on Tuesday?” he suggests.

“What’s your number?” Rory could get it from Thorne, but this is easier. He has his phone in his hands, sends a text as Kit lists off numbers. Kit’s phone buzzes faintly from his pocket, and Rory gestures with his own. “You’ve got mine now. I don’t remember if Pawel and I told you everything about what happened with Darrik and his friends, but I can send some things to you that you should look at. You really need to know what you’re getting into; you might change your mind.”

“I’m going to push myself this semester,” Kit says firmly. “So no, I won’t change my mind. Whatever you need, you’ve got my help. We’ll talk Tuesday.” He turns away, raising one hand to wave as he goes.

Rory’s fingers itch, and he’s not sure if he’s feeling a ritual or the words to a song. Either way, he needs to get back to the dorm and write it down. Maybe play a little, let it all spill out.

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[cannedapricot]

Decorating the Christmas Tree with! Ong Seongwoo

christmas collab with @alliwannado-w1 and @jihoonslattee!!!

y’all have heard of haunted house part timer! ong seongwoo

now get ready for

shopping mall part timer! ong seongwoo!11!1!

ong never has a proper job in my aus sobdvosb

he originally applied for the job of being the mall gaurd

because in his opinion, the uniform was made for him

also he gets to kick whoever he wanted to out of the mall

cough the annoying couples cough

but he unfortunately got the job of cleaner :’’)

well,, at least he was a good looking cleaner

girls come up to him 27394 times a day asking for his number

to which he gives out fake numbers 

the girls can’t even be mad when they find out it was fake

his blinding smile makes them swoon and they forget everything lol

what kind of witchcraft

is in charge of cleaning the shop windows and wiping the floor on the second storey

lowkey hates it

but it’s better than cleaning the food court :)

it doesn’t stop him from complaining to mcdonalds part timer! daniel after hours though

daniel just grimaces because,

he??? worKS??? AT MCDONALDS????? LMAO HE WOULD MUCH RATHER CLEAN THE WINDOWS

on multiple occasions niel has asked ong,

“since you hate it so much, you wanna switch? :)”

“hahHAHAHA NO THANKS”

ong gets coupons from some stores he’s in charge of and it’s basically the only reason why he hasn’t quit the job and gone broke

christmas used to be ong’s favorite holiday

but ever since he started working, christmas season is basically a nightmare

everyone’s suddenly off work and/or school

and the mall doubles in people

so more people ask for his number and more mess is made on the floor

i mean,,,, ong tries to get out of working,,,,, but he’s pretended to be sick too many times

and unless he actually faints nobody’s gonna believe him rip

also the mistletoe the mall uses makes him sneeze

“lol someone’s talking shit about you again”

“no someone’s obviously missing me”

tbfh if i found a mall that has seongwoo cleaning, daniel working at mcdonalds, jisung, jaehwan and sungwoon working at the toy shop i wouLD LIVE IN THAT MALL DONT STOP ME

for once!! you actually work with seongwoo!!!11!1 arE YOU EXCITED

but uh,,, you weren’t exactly on good terms with him

yeah sure he’s good looking whatever

but every time you see him, he’s always slacking off one way or another

AND HE’S NOT EVEN ASSIGNED TO THE FOOD COURT

and he would be flirting with the female staff and just????

you don’t understand how someone could be so shameless

ong knows that you have something against him

your glares give it away lmao

jisung from the toy store claims that’s ong’s not that bad of a guy

“y/n you’re just too focused on seeing his bad side,,,, give the guy a chance”

cue ong sliding by on the cleaning trolley

“yeeeeeaaaaah ok”

“,,,,,,,,,,,,, i sweAR HE’S BETTER THAN THIS”

sungwoon just tells you about all the shit ong’s done which makes you dislike him more???? 

jisung tries to stop him,,,, it doesn’t work

“ong once lead a girl on in highschool”

“suNGWOON,,,,,, THAT’S A HOAX”

ong has, on multiple occasions, tried to get closer to you

but you shut him down before he could say anything

“hey-”

“sorry i have important matters to attend to”

“oh ok :c”

seongwoo has complained to daniel 472974 times about you 

and daniel’s loWKEY SICK OF HEARING ABOUT HOW YOUR GLARE CAN KILL PEOPLE

“are you sure you don’t have a crush on them”

“????crush??????psh no????”

yeah ok ong doesn’t have a crush on you yet

but he’s curious as to why you dislike him so much???

he can’t remember offending you in any way

and you seem to always have a way to escape from him whenever he slides up to you

THAT IS UNTILLLLLL

y’all get assigned to put up the humongous christmas tree 

YOU GUYS THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A CUTE DOMESTIC FIC??? HA SIKE 

and you immediately come up with an excuse

but your boss isn’t having it

because,

“teamwork is important y/n!!! you can’t keep avoiding working with ong!”

BOVUBOSVBOSB 

YOU JUST HOPE THAT JISUNGS RIGHT ABOUT HIM NOT BEING THAT MUCH OF AN ASS

“oh hi y/n!!!”

after hours, ong was standing in the center clearing of the mall as the tree was getting put up

it was

h u g e

“it’s gonna take us all night huh?”

he smiles

yOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE CAN BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THIS

“i just hope we’re getting payed extra”

you mumble, gritting your teeth

as ong deals with the guys putting up the tree, you head to the storage

it takes a while to find the box labelled “christmas” but you eventually do

and you make the stupid decision to carry three at once

you trip because you couldn’t see anything in front of you

bUT!!!

ONG APPEARS????

lol no you trip and fall

ong appears a second later to witness your pain

anD HE LAUGHS 

YOU START FUMING OUT OF ANGER AND EMBARRASSMENT

ong then picks up the boxes after his laughing fit and says,

“i’ll take care of the rest of the decorations, you go check if you’re hurt”

????why is he suddenly so nice

he’s always been nice y/n you jUST DON’T KN O W

and you suddenly feel like hm he’s not bad

bUT THEN SUNGWOON’S STORY OF ONG LEADING THAT GIRL ON FLASHES BACK INTO YOUR MIND

shuffling out of the room, your eyes meet with his

and you send him a glare

onG’S JUST

auiKUVDISVB????WHAT DID I DO THIS TIME

yOU SLAM YOUR FIST ON ONE OF THE BOXES

AND ONG FLINCHES

“let’s get to decorating the tree. the faster we do this, the sooner we’re done”

“YES SIR”

and without saying anything else, you turn and start hanging up baubles

most of the time,,,, you two were working in silence,,,,

ong would be sending you glances and trying to start convos but you’d just straight up ignore him

it gets to the point where seongwoo thinks he’s gonna burst

THE TENSION IN THE AIR WAS INSUFFERABLE 

so when the parts you two could reach from the ground was covered and the ladder was set,

ong decides to find out exactly why you dislike him so much

how????? by pinning you to the ladder of course

an intellectual am i right

“??????ONG SEONGWOO WHAT ARE YOU DOING--”

“why do you hate me”

“I- WHAT- UM-”

he looks you square in the eye and you find yourself spilling

“SUNGWOON SAID YOU LEAD A GIRL ON AND THAT KINDA MADE ME THINK THAT YOURE A SHIT ASSHOLE”

“??????????THAT SNITCH I KNEW I SHOULDN’T HAVE TOLD HIM”

“SO YOU ACTUALLY DID LEAD A GIRL ON”

“NO!!!!! THE GIRL LATCHED ONTO ME I DIDN’T DO SHIT I REJECTED HER THEN SHE TOLD THE SCHOOL ABOUT ME LEADING HER ON”

oh

wow how petty of the girl

but thinking of it

you reasons for disliking him were quite petty too

and you just now realize how godlike his visuals were up close???

buT YOUR ASS AIN’T ABOUT TO ADMIT YOUR HEART WAS BEATING 24923 MILES A MINUTE

SO YOU DO THE MOST LOGIC THING

PUSH HIM AWAY

ong: pretends to be hurt

you: pretends to be busy

“you don’t hate me anymore right”

“wow lets not get too ahead of ourselves”

seongwoo cracks a smile

becausE WOW YOU WERE BLUSHING AND YOU LOOKED ADORABLE WHILE SO

back to the tree coughs

ong decides to climb the ladder because,

“i need to show you how manly i am”

but he’s also,

“doN’T LET GO OF THE LADDER MY LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS”

lets go

onG SCREAMS

while hanging up the sparkly tinsel, ong finds two santa hats

he chucks one down at you while he puts one on himself

“wtf?”

“wE CAN MATCH!!!”

“...how the fuck are you in your twenties”

ong sneezes every few minutes because of the stupid tinsel

you both get heart attacks when he does 

whAT IF HE FALLS DOWN

BRO YOU DONT WANNA GET CHARGED WITH MURDER OR SOME SHIT

it’s way past midnight when you’re nearly close to finished

all that was left was the star

ong pulls up your facebook profile picture and goes

“i should put you up there because you are my star”

UM

you shake the ladder in disagreement

SEONGWOO SCREAMS AND DROPS HIS PHONE

but thankfullly it lands in a pile of soft toys at the bottom of the tree :’)

he still makes a big deal out of it though :’)

screams at you to put your number in 

and keeps screaming until you do so and text yourself

just so he knows it’s your real number

after putting the actual star on top of the tree, climbs down so you guys can admire your work

“im gonna jump down”

“sure but i’m not catching you”

“how heartless :(”

so you turn off the mall’s lights and seongwoo turns on the tree’s lights

it was breathtaking

who cared if it was 5 in the morning

ong turned to look at you 

he had wanted to see your reaction but your beauty catches him off gaurd

and he ends up staring at you until your head suddenly drops on his shoulder

smiling even wider, ong whispers,

“good night”

bonus: y’all wake up the next morning to your boss looking at you two like, “ah young love”

daniel, jisung, sungwoon and jaehwan come in to see you jumping away from seongwoo

and they’re like,

“what did they fuck or something”

bonus x2: ong officially asks you on a date on christmas after weeks of flirting with you

he gives you a box, claims it’s your present while inside is a selfie of him with the words, “ong seongwoo, the most attractive man on this planet is asking you on a date. feel honored.” 

you still hate him

perhaps, just a little less now

i wILL NOT STOP PROMOTING MY TOY STORE WORKER! JISUNG OK LOVE MY SUNSHINE MAN

also this was written at 1am pls forgive me for shitty plot + shitty writing :’)