#what can i say i love a tough guy who gets nervous when he has to say what he wants or get direct with attention

[girl-lostconnection]

I just wanna say I love your fruit bat!reader and I just had to think about the boys further misunderstanding when reader maybe has a darker aesthetic, but reader doesn't get at all the connection cause like yeah black's just a neat colour, oh I guess vampires are cool. Wait me? *Mouthful of orange or something* me no fruits all the way? I don't know what you mean.

On one side it would be incredibly funny as misunderstanding but the devil is whispering in my ear so let’s walk the other way.

Imagine Reader freshly selected to join the team, nervous about meeting new people who they read EVERYTHING on, just to be ready.

And no one is hostile, right? They are friendly, almost too friendly, which grates on your nerves a little but you know, maybe you are thinking too much about it?

Works up until the first joke about the vampires, huge wolf operator (you find out later that his call sign is Ghost).

“Know why people don’t like workin’ with vampire bats?”, the question catches you off guard, your eyes snapping to the man’s eyes and you tilt your head to the side. You don’t know him yet, you aren’t sure how much of a reaction is allowed in this circumstance.

“‘Cause they are pain in the neck”, he announces, his brown eyes boring a hole into you, his tail wagging like he is waiting for you to start laughing.

You don’t. You stare right back at him, fingers flexing so the sharp points of your claws dig into your palm and you manage a smile that feels a little too forced.

Big wolf in front of you apparently sees it as well, because you can see the way his jaw flexes under the mask.

So for some reason he decides to give it another go. (Only months later you will find out that Simon was desperately scrambling for all the bat x vampire puns he remembered, thinking that the first one sounded a little too abrasive)

“What drink does bat order at the bar?”, he asks, his left ear giving in a small twitch that catches your eye. He sure is big for the wolf, most of their family you met in the past were tall and lean but this guy is built like a bloody tank.

“What?”, you ask, heart beating a little harder than you’d like it, anxiety coiling in your gut.

“A Bloody Mary”, wolf hums out, his ear giving in another twitch and corners of your mouth curl upwards. Cute.

Wolf’s tail starts to wag again, eyes satisfied as he walks off and you follow him to see your new space and unpack.

Isn’t so bad for the first meeting, right?

But in hindsight every interaction from then on felt…somehow forced. Recurring about blood and meat and fucking Halloween. Remarks about wearing too much black or the way Soap once chuckled at the silver chain with a beautiful red cross. Not a religious symbol but simply an accessory you liked.

It all was piling up so quickly you decided to just…stay on the outside. Maybe that would be better. Maybe they were trying to tell you that they didn’t want a bat and didn’t like bats.

That they didn’t like you.

It takes time to undo and the process is slow — you are a tough nut to crack, but they don’t try to crack you. Just…make amends, yeah?

Your relationship with Simon makes a cycle when he peels you oranges, eyes soft as you devour pieces of peaches.

“Do you know what’s a vegetarian vampire bat’s favourite fruit, luv?”, he hums out, placing a peeled orange in your bowl, something in his tone making you feel fuzzy.

“What is it?”, his tail is wagging and god the way he looks at you makes something tender in your chest ache, you mouth voluntarily falling open when he pushes a piece of peach in it, eyes crinkling.

“A neck-tarine”, Simon murmurs, his tail wagging harder when you laugh after a beat, juices from fruit dripping down your chin.

You shake your head at him in faux disbelief and he grins, popping a slice of orange in his mouth.

“Can do it all night”

You roll your eyes and instinctively smack his hand away when he tries to steal your bowl.

“That’s what I’m afraid of”

[termagax]

i hate when people make him insecure but i do love when people make him easily flustered. theres a difference but too many of youse on internet dot com conflate the two.

[mrsbarnesblog]

i am not the only one who saw that, right?

masterlist

summary: your friends find out that you secretly dating their enemy, but their opinion might completely change when they see Rafe from another point of view

words count: 2.2k

warnings: secret relationship, pogue!reader, attempted assault, mention of blood, soft and protective Rafe

a/n: inbox is open for requests💘

“You cannot be dating Rafe fucking Cameron, Y/N!” John B exclaimed, burying his hands in his hair and walking all around the place. 

“No, seriously, this is not a good idea.” Sarah looked at you, giving out a nervous laugh. 

You were currently surrounded by your friends, who were all practically yelling at you after they accidentally saw a message from Rafe on your phone. You were one of the pogues; you never hanged out around the kooks, but somehow, when you were visiting Sarah a few months ago, you got into a random conversation with Rafe, and since that moment, the connection between you two has only gotten stronger. 

It was an instant click and as much as you both tried to deny the spark, it was there. As you started going out, secretly from everyone, of course, you decided to keep it private until the right time. 

“Alright, guys, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I knew that this would be your reaction. It just happened, okay?” You rubbed the bridge of your nose, already feeling a headache from the tense situation. All of your friends were standing on the opposite side of you and it felt like they were just attacking you. 

“What were you thinking? You know that he hates people like us, like you. We are pogues, Y/N. How the hell did that even happen?” Kiara was standing with her hands on her hips, as her piercing eyes were studying you. You felt awful looking at Pope, who was the one who always supported you, but he just shook his head and stepped away. 

“I don’t know. It just happened. We talked once when Sarah left, then I accidentally met him a few times in town, and then he texted me. He’s not bad when you know him closer.” You sighed. “Look, I know Rafe was a lot of trouble for us. He did bad things; I know that. But he’s not like that; he’s sweet and caring, and he has never shown any sign of being disrespectful towards me. I just can’t deny my feelings for him.”

“Honey, Rafe is not a good person. He doesn’t care about anything or anyone; he’s evil, selfish and manipulative.” Sarah stepped closer to you, touching your hand. “He’ll play with you, hurt your feelings and just throw you away.”

“And he probably just wants to get into your pants.” JJ grumbled, also taking a defensive position. 

“I haven't even slept with him yet, JJ!” You desperately snapped at him. It felt ridiculous, like all of them turned against you at the same time. Sure, Rafe wasn’t the sweetest person to them before, but they didn’t even give you a chance to say something in your defense. “And you’re wrong too, Sarah. All of Rafe’s actions were just to get people’s attention and appreciation. All it took for me to get on his soft side was to just listen to him and give him some affection. Other people didn’t care enough, including you and your father. He needs someone who he can trust and open up to because he’s hurt.” 

“No, Y/N. If you think that he loves you, then he just got into your head. My brother doesn’t love anyone. It will end badly; I just know that.” 

Tears gathered in your eyes, and a lump in your throat made it difficult to say anything back, so you just stupidly stayed there. You had no strength to fight with all five of them at the same time. You turned around, silently getting back in the car, even though your head was filled with doubt and dark thoughts because of their words. 

For the next few days, it was tough for all of you. You and the rest of the group were still close, and even though they were completely against your relationship, you still met and hung out. The pit in your heart was still there, no matter how hard you tried to act nonchalant and not let their words get into your head. 

Rafe noticed the change in your behavior—that you were upset with something—but he didn’t put any pressure on you and allowed you to decide for yourself when you wanted to open up. 

Pogues decided to go to some party on the cut near the beach and as much as you tried to refuse, Sarah and Kiara managed to drag you there. You all rarely went to such places, preferring to hang out in your little circle, but apparently everyone wanted to clear their heads and saw it as the best opportunity. 

It was pretty fun with a bunch of people you did not know, some music, and drinks, and you mostly hung out with your friends. Though quickly it got overwhelming and made you want to go home or at least go outside of the house to get some fresh air. As you left your friends and wanted out from the backyard to a part of the beach, you didn’t notice the guy who had been eyeing you the whole evening. 

He came out of nowhere from your back, his arms wrapped around your waist, lifting you off the ground. You yelled at the sudden and unwanted touch, and your heart seemed to drop into your stomach when you realised that it wasn’t just a joke from JJ, who liked to scare you. You started wiggling in his hands to get free, but he was fighting you back, dragging you up when you fell to your knees on the ground. 

It was such a mess trying to scratch and punch him that you almost did not notice his hand coming into contact with your face several times. You screamed again, this time loud enough, until you saw JJ running towards you. The guy behind you pushed you away as soon as he saw someone, and you fell to the ground with a loud huff. 

“That fucking bastard!” JJ was right near you, helping you to get up as tears streamed down your face. He tried to comfort you, checking your body for any injuries, but you pushed his hands away, wrapping your own around yourself in a defensive way.

“Oh my god, Y/N!” You heard Kiara, along with your other friends, calling your name. “What the hell happened?”

“H-he attacked me.” You sniffed, trying to catch your breath and, with shaking hands, reaching to the pocket of your jeans shorts to get out your phone. All of them looked at each other, questioning your actions, until you pressed someone’s contact button and put the phone to your ear. “Can y-you pick me up, p-please?” You sniffed again, now trembling from the adrenaline. 

“Baby? Are you crying? Where are you?” You heard your boyfriend’s concerned voice through the phone, feeling how JJ tensed beside you. 

“I’m on the cut. Near the beach. There’s a party and... Please, Rafe.” 

“I’m coming, angel. Just wait for me, ‘kay?” You heard the sound of the car engine at the other end of the line. Rafe didn’t ask any more questions, and as soon as you mumbled quiet 'mhm’ he ended the call. 

You all heard him before you saw him. The sound of the tires drifting through the sandy street was loud, drawing attention to the expensive car that was unusual to see at this part of the island. 

Rafe didn’t bother to properly park, turn off the engine or even close the door when he saw you sitting on some old chaise lounge, with his sister and Kie trying to talk to you and your other friends arguing nearby. 

The girls stepped away from you as soon as they saw Rafe running towards you with a furious expression on his face and ready to deal with anyone who made you cry. It looked like he didn’t even care about the pogues, with whom he always had to get into arguments; he was fully focused on your shivering form.

“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” He squatted down in front of you, and you started sobbing again. Your hands immediately found their place around his neck, and, before he could even properly look at your face, you pulled him closer to get some sense of comfort from his warmth and smell. Rafe hugged you back, soothingly rubbing your back. His eyes shot towards your friends, who were watching in awe at the interaction. “Which one of you did that?”

“It’s not us, you idiot. Some guy jumped her when she walked outside.” Sarah said, rolling her eyes at her brother. “JJ heard screaming, and when we walked outside, he ran away.” Rafe pulled away, finally taking in your appearance.

Your knees were covered in dried blood mixed with the sand. He gently took your hands to see the palms scratched from you trying to catch yourself before hitting the ground. Rafe’s eyes were burning with fury, showing his side that he rarely revealed in front of you. His hand reached to move your hair from your face, noticing a red, now already turning purplish, bruise covering the side of your cheek.

“Holy shit, sweetheart.” He softly brushed his fingertips along your cheek and you leaned into the touch, closing your eyes. Your bottom lip started quivering and you bit inside your cheek to calm yourself down. “Sh-h im here, okay? You’re safe. Did you see him? What did he look like? Just tell me and I’ll deal with it.” He almost begged, but you only shook your head. JJ suddenly stepped closer, slightly hesitating to actually normally communicate with his longtime enemy,  but he thought that it was the least that he could do for you.

As much as he hated The Kooks King, JJ knew that Rafe was the best option to find the guy who hurt you. 

“Tall, with dark and curly hair. Never seen him before, probably someone new on the island, but I’ll recognize him.” They looked at each other for a moment, and Rafe just simply nodded, turning his attention back to you. 

“I’ll find him, ‘kay? I promise I will.” He gently took both of your hands in his, bringing them to his lips to place a soft kiss on your knuckles. “We should go now. I need to take care of your knees and that bruise, baby. You don’t mind going to Tanneyhill, yeah?”

“Thank you, Rafe.” You whispered, slightly bending forward to ask for a kiss. Rafe smiled at you, his thumbs gently swiped the leftovers of the tears under your eyes, and then he kissed you on your forehead, nose, and gently pecked your lips. 

Your heart flattered at his soft touches and for a second, it felt like you two were in your own little bubble. Rafe's eyes shimmered slightly in the moonlight, and the way he looked at you, soft and caring, made you want to kiss him again and again. You suddenly snapped out of the trance, looking back at your friends, who all had different levels of shock and uncertainty written on their faces. 

“C’mon, pretty girl.” Rafe stood up, lifting you in bridal style without an effort, carefully not to hurt your bleeding knees. He almost walked away, but then sighed, turning back to look at his sister. “You coming home with us or somethin’?”

“Um, no, I’ll be with John B. It seems like I would be third wheeling with you anyway.” She shrugged, not being able to keep a smile when you two met with your eyes. 

Rafe then looked at JJ, thinking his words over. “I appreciate it, Maybank.” 

They exchanged a tight nod, both slightly shocked that for the first time ever, they communicated without biting each other's heads off. You leaned closer to Rafe, comfortably nestling in his protective hands, and looked at your friends, who were still too shocked to say anything. 

“I’ll see you guys later, okay? 

Everyone agreed, saying goodbye to you and asking you to text them when you get there safely. They saw how Rafe made sure to slowly put you into the passenger seat, then circled the car and drove away. An awkward silence fell around them, everyone at a loss for words. 

“Okay, so I am not the only one who saw that, right?” Pope spoke first, looking around the place as if he were trying to find something. “Rafe freaking Cameron just was acting cute and didn’t threaten to do something to us?” His own body physically shrugged at the word ‘cute’.

“I don’t know, dude. We all just probably drank something and it’s messing with our heads.” 

[rafecswhore]

INTRODUCING DAD RAFE

dad! rafe cameron headcons include

dad rafe cameron who...

1. is overprotective (sometimes too much)

• he side-eyes any boy who so much as looks at his daughter.

• “who’s this guy you’re texting? do i need to meet him? or scare him?”

• he’ll drop a casual “don’t mess with her” vibe that makes everyone nervous.

2. has a surprisingly soft side

• he’ll act all tough, but when his daughter hugs him or says “thanks, dad,” he’s toast.

• he’ll stop everything to get her favorite snacks or help her fix something—even if it’s just a chipped nail.

3. is lowkey the fun parent

• he lets her stay up late watching movies or sneaks her candy when he knows she’s already had enough.

• “don’t tell your mom, but you can drive the truck—just don’t hit anything.”

4. but can be the scary parent when needed

• if someone upsets his daughter, it’s over. “who said that to you? tell me their name. right now.”

• he’ll show up at school like, “you want to repeat that?” but always makes sure his daughter feels safe and supported.

5. still has chemistry with you

• he calls you “princess” just to annoy you, but there’s something about the way he says it that makes your stomach flip.

• your daughter loves teasing both of you, especially when the tension gets obvious. “just date already. it’s embarrassing.”

6. is always in his daughter’s corner

��� if she’s nervous, he hypes her up. “you’ve got this. you’re a cameron, and that means you’re unstoppable.”

• even when she doubts herself, he’s her loudest cheerleader.

7. teaches her confidence, kook style

• “you walk in there like you own the place—because, honestly, you kind of do.”

• he makes sure she knows she’s capable of anything.

8. is hands-on, no matter what

• even with his busy schedule, he’s always there for school events, late-night talks, or impromptu beach days.

• he never lets her feel like she’s second to anything.

9. has a love-hate relationship with parenting drama

• he secretly loves being the parent other parents are intimidated by.

• if someone criticizes her, he’s the first to clap back. “maybe focus on your kid before worrying about mine.”

10. still values your opinions

• he’ll act like he doesn’t need your advice, but he does.

• “okay, fine. you’re right. happy?”

11. is the king of dad jokes

• no matter how many eye rolls he gets, he’s throwing in cheesy one-liners.

• “did you hear about the kidnapping at school? don’t worry—he woke up.”

[lyiswriting]

Plus size reader x stalker!OC

This is an original character! but I do get COD ghost and Ghostface vibes from him.

I finally caught him! The goddamn stalker that has been watching and freaking me out for months. I get that this might not have been my best idea but here we are! He's handcuffed to a chair and just looking at me. Watching my every move as I pace around the room indecisive if I should call the cops. Why do you do this? I ask sternly, I'm nervous but try not to show it but he knows better. Why not? Tilts his head, you're fucking gorgeous and entertaining. I scuffs that's not a good answer, there's a good answer to that?

Well...not exactly... I think you're precious, you hung the stars for me. Life has never been brighter, I love to watch your every move. How pretty you look asleep, cooking, reading, and writing. You fucking name it! His voice is rough and his eyes darken as he starts talking more. In the fucking shower he groans and throws his head back, even with his mask still on I can tell he's smirking. I look at him Your sick! Oh, but doll face you love every single second of it. I've read those books you fawn over, those are just fictional. He scuffs and shakes his head, maybe...but I laid in your bed, read your books when you didn't even know. I love your sheets and can't wait for when I get you in them.

You're a damn perv! As if that will ever fucking happen...I mumble as my hands shake trying to hold my phone steady. Once again, you love it. You love how I'm getting hard at just recalling all of this. That someone finally actually cares and loves you enough to lose his mind over you. To risk losing everything he has just because he can't stay away from you. Shifts in his seat look at how hard you have me, baby. I look at him shocked, how can he say that so casually. How can he be hard from all this!?

I don't get it, why go through all of this for me? I'm not special, not smart, not rich and totally not pretty according to society. Don't fucking say that! He suddenly barks making me jump. You are the epitome of gorgeous. He tilts his head as he starts to pant, I'm stupid for letting him keep talking. You think I would go through all of this for someone who isn't a diamond? For someone who looks like everyone else? He laughs and shakes his head no baby.

I'm being a nice guy to you and letting you fucking think you have the upper hand. So keep that little mouth of yours in check, he growls. I look at him and my body shaking in fear. Who the fuck do you think you are? I try to act tough, this is my house. You are the one that's handcuffed! I point at him as I walk closer I do have the upper hand! And what's wrong with me saying the truth? To the media I am not pretty,

I love your voice, he suddenly switched tones as he looks at me lovingly. I love the way you think, I love your body, no matter how big. I love every single mark and scar on it. You're my solstice. His soft tone suddenly goes rough again, but I won't let you talk about yourself in that way. I suddenly hear him grunt and something breaking. I back up as he stands the cuffs sitting on his wrists, broken.

[im-so-normal-iswear]

Hiii, could I request like the ‘06 gang (Sonic, Shadow, Silver) x reader (platonic or romantic is fine) that’s scared of vaccines/shots since I have to get ones soon and I like shake just thinking about it (I’m really sensitive (idk why) and my arm always hurts way longer than other people’s for some reason)

GRAHH SORRY FOR RANTING I LIKE NEVER EVER DO REQUESTS SO I’M REALLY NERVOUS ANYWAYS THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU DO THIS OR NOT‼️‼️‼️

A/n: dw lol, ur not rambling

Triple S x reader scared of shots

Sonic:

Sonic’s the first to notice your nervousness as you anxiously tap your foot. He gets it, sitting still isn’t his thing either, so having to go through something uncomfortable? No thanks! But he’s not about to let you do this alone.

Sonic want to make sure that you aren't just suffering the whole time, so he tried to keep things light hearted. Making jokes, random distractions, etc to get your mind off the shots. Maybe making you do trivia of him

He’s tossing questions at you like, "What’s my favorite food? Wrong! It’s a chili dog AND cola! Gotcha"

When you reach the clinic, Sonic sees how tense you are, so he offers his hand with a smirk. "It's fine, you can hold on if you need to!" He’s playful about it, but his hand is warm, steady, and there for you to grip onto if you need. He’s always right there, "You got this! Think of it as just a tiny pinch!"

Once it’s over, Sonic doesn’t let you dwell on the soreness. Instead, he’s already planning a day full of fun things. "Hey, I know the perfect way to forget about that shot, let’s go grab some food or go to an arcade!"

He’s all about making sure you end the day on a high note, reassuring you every time you wince. He’ll even make you laugh by pretending his arm hurts too, just to keep your spirits up.

Shadow:

Shadow is the quiet support type. He notices how your usual energy fades the moment you realize you need to get a shot, and he can see the worry in your eyes even if you try to hide it. He may not say much, but he’s not about to let you go through this without his support.

Shadow isn’t big on comforting words, but he has a way of grounding you when you’re feeling anxious. He’ll place a steady hand on your shoulder, looking you in the eyes. "You’re stronger than this. You’ve faced worse." A bit of a tough love guy.

He knows you’re sensitive and that your arm tends to ache more than others afterward. So, he might take some to reassure you that when you get the shot, it'll be okay, and it won't be as harsh as other injuries you've attained.

When it’s over, Shadow stays by your side, silently making sure you’re okay. He’ll help you find a comfortable way to hold your arm, reminding you to relax the muscles around the injection site to ease the soreness. He even surprises you by making tea. If you wince, he might mutter, "hm, humans and your sensitive bodies..." but he'll still massage your arm, it'll probably hurt more than just getting the shot tho tbh-.

Silver

Silver is the most empathetic. He sees how anxious you are about the shot and starts trying to comfort you to the best of his abilities.

He knows fear is a big deal, and he’s very vocal about it. "Hey, it’s okay to be scared!" Silver’s the type to assure you it’s natural to feel nervous, and he offers to be there for you.

Silver tries to create the calmest atmosphere possible. He takes deep breaths with you, even suggesting meditation or some grounding techniques to help soothe you. "Let’s just close our eyes and focus on something peaceful for a minute."

After the shot, Silver feels terrible seeing you in any discomfort, so he’s extra attentive. He’ll offer to massage your arm if you’re okay with it (it's way more gentle than Shadow) or bring you anything to help ease the soreness, will give cuddles to ease the pain.

All 3 of them:

He’s the one to keep you smiling, whether with jokes or challenges to keep your mind busy. He’d bet Silver and Shadow on who can make you laugh the fastest, anything to keep you from focusing on your anxiety.

Shadow’s calm presence is there as a constant reminder that he's there, I mean if he didn't want to be there, he just wouldn't, but he is there. He doesn’t need to say much, but the way he holds your hand or pats your shoulder speaks volumes. He keeps things practical, making sure you know that your strength is what’s helping you through this.

Silver would be the one to say the gentle words that help you accept your fear without feeling judged. If you’re feeling sensitive afterward, he’d be there. "You did amazing. You’re stronger than you think, and you’ve got us all here to take care of you."

A/n: sorry if you expected Archie silver, you’re getting idw

[moonlit-heartbreak]

Love Languages

Xaden, Liam, Bodhi, Garrick x Reader Warnings: Slight spoilers for FW and IF, some suggestive comments and themes but nothing too explicit a/n: I love these men a little bit too much, so now you all get to enjoy my takes on each of their love languages for my first post🤭. It’s a little short and all over the place, but once my finals are over expect some longer works. Definitely let me know what you all think!

Xaden - Acts of Service

Listen, he's an important guy both as wingleader and a lieutenant and now in being on the front lines of a war, so he has to make sure to keep everyone's respect, and of course keep them all a little scared of him, so he can't get all lovey-dovey with you in public

Instead I see him being big on acts of service. Leaving you an extra piece of bread he grabbed at breakfast that morning, sharpening your swords/daggers so you're set to go for training, things of that nature

He would want to be there for you and let you know that he's looking out for you and acts of service is the perfect way for him to do that subtly but still being more involved in directly making you happy

Don't get me wrong though, when you're alone the acts of service definitely don't stop and he's good at what he does. With this I don’t mean JUST sex (even though it’d be amazing), but he would also love to brush your hair, give you a massage, whatever he can do to make you feel loved and cared for after a long day of classes and training

If there’s something specific you liked back home like a specific snack or item just know that once he finds out he’s going to be bribing one of the fliers to get it for him during a supply run so he can surprise you with it just so he can see your face light up

It works out perfect for you because not only is he making you feel like the most special person in the world with everything he does for you and how well he knows you, but getting perks like him keeping you off the schedule for your least favorite chores doesn't hurt either

The moral of the story is that he would literally do anything to make you happy, and despite how tough he acts you've got him completely wrapped around you finger

Liam - Words of Affirmation

For someone who's experienced so much loss before, he still manages to be SO kind and caring and this would 100% come through in the way he acts with his significant other, especially in terms of how he speaks to them

In public this would probably come off more as supportive and encouraging comments, helpful tips for training, or even just a quick compliment thrown in here or there. He's one of the more laid back out of all of the guys, but he still knows not to let his kindness be mistaken for weakness or allow anyone to try and use you against him, so he's careful to keep a good balance of keeping his guard up and being sweet with you

With that though, neither of you really have anything to worry about. He's the strongest cadet in his year and he trusts that you can hold your own so he'd still be pretty open with you in public

He's the type of guy who would never want to say goodbye without an 'I love you" thrown in there, even if you'd had a disagreement or you're (somehow) upset with him. Words are so important to him and he's going to make sure to tell you how he feels no matter what

I mean think about it, with all those letter he wrote to Sloane this man is a master at communication and he knows how to do it well

SO good at reassuring you. Ever doubting yourself or your abilities? Worried you’re not being a good enough partner? Nervous about opening up to him about something? He knows exactly what to say to calm you down or make you feel better every single time without fail. He just has such a way with words, and when he speaks to you in that soft "everything's going to be alright" voice there's no way you wouldn't feel at least a bit better

I have no doubt in my mind that he would have the sweetest nicknames for you and know exactly what to say when you need it, he’s just the sweetest thing to grace the continent and you’ll be reminded of that every time he speaks his sweet words that make your heart flutter

Bodhi - Physical Touch

This man... I definitely see him lovinggg physical touch. He needs you like he needs air to breathe and he isn't afraid to let the rest of the world know it

He's a confident guy so naturally he'd love to show off his significant other; walking with an arm slung over your shoulder or around your waist, sitting right next to you during meals so that your arms and legs brush against each other, holding hands or even just loosely linking your fingers together while you study, he loves it all

You two have definitely been told to get a room once or twice during training when your sparring sessions get a little too intense (gods bless the innocent bystanders who have to bear witness to that, especially the poor boys who are practically his brothers)

Obviously he knows how to balance his leadership responsibilities with spending time with you so he knows when he has to take a step back and get serious, but trust me, every chance he gets he's finding a way to be right next to you

When you guys are alone... oh boy get ready to be next to him all night long. Whether you’re laying together on one of your beds just talking before you settle in to sleep for the night, sitting on his lap while you both work on your own assignments, showering together, he’ll find a way to make everything a team effort just to be as close to you as possible

Don’t worry though, he knows when to give you your space so if there’s ever a day where you simply want a little alone time he would never push any boundaries and would respect whatever you wanted. However, if you’re trying to avoid him because you’re upset or anything of that nature he’s going to figure out what’s wrong and make sure you’re alright

Bodhi Durran the man that you are... At the end of the day he would be such a sweet partner to you and all of his actions, from full on cuddling to just brushing past each other briefly in the hallway, proves to you every day that he adores you

Garrick - Quality Time

Garrick is definitely more on the serious side, especially in public, but don't underestimate him as a partner because this man knows how to make you feel loved

Being close to you serves multiple purposes for him; it lets him keep an eye on you to make sure you're safe, and it simply brings him the sense of comfort he always gets from being near you

He’s super secure in himself and you, not doubting either of your abilities or your love for one another but just getting to be around you makes him happy. Whether it be sitting together to study, you talking his ear off about whatever antics you and your squad got up to that day, or even just training at the same time even if you’re on opposite sides of the gym sparring with different partners. Spending time with you or just being near each other is how he shows that he's there for you and that he loves you so he'll take whatever time he can get

With spending so much time with you and the fact that he’s a very observant guy, he would be able to read you like a book. There’s no hiding how you’re feeling because he’ll pick up on all of your little tells and know exactly how to go about making you feel better

Along with how observant he is and how deeply he knows you, I also feel like he would give amazing advice too. Disagreement with a friend? Not able to get the hang of a new weapon you’ve been training with? Stressed about an exam and not sure how to study? He has advice for all of it, and he knows when to step in and help you but also when you’ll want to be left alone to figure things out yourself

Whenever you both get a day off (which wouldn’t be often, I mean you have a war to prepare for) it’s always spent together. When you’re able to get some time together in Aretia, he’d take you to some tucked away corner of Riorson House him and Xaden would hang out in as kids just so you could get a few uninterrupted moments alone together, which you both cherish more and more as you inevitably get busier

He might be one of the most intimidating out of all of his friends and arguably out of most other riders as well, but underneath that sexy muscly exterior, he’s got a crazy soft spot for you; and while it might not be fully apparent to anyone who isn’t looking closely enough, you know just how much he loves you and that’s all that matters to the two of you

[lee-laurent]

California Lovin' - Quinn Hughes

Summary: quinn's new fling has an... interesting history

content: CHEATING (it's like the majority of the plot, so...), implied sex but no smut, heavy make out, angst (lots of it), cliffhanger

wc: 6.4k

notes: hey! maybe this is cliché. idk... but i wanna state that you're not really supposed to like izzy or be cheering for her. you'll see!! she has some likable characteristics but don't let her fool you...

Isabelle Abbott was the kind of girl who turned heads without even trying. Sun-kissed blonde hair that seemed to fall perfectly no matter how she styled it, legs that went on for miles, and a smile so effortlessly bright it could make you forget what you were saying mid-sentence. She had that kind of charm that made her seem both unattainable and approachable all at once.

She wasn't just beautiful; she was magnetic. The type of girl you'd expect to see on the arm of someone like Trevor Zegras.

They'd been official for just over a year, long enough that her presence had become a constant in his life. She'd been there for the big wins and the tough losses, the nights out with his teammates, and the quiet nights spent on their sofa. Izzy knew all his quirks--the way he tapped his stick twice before every faceoff, the bad jokes he told when he was nervous (something that rarely happened), the playlists he swore were good.

And just as importantly, she knew his friends.

Trevor had wasted no time introducing her to the core group of guys who meant the most to him: his teammates, his childhood buddies, and the Hughes brothers.

She'd met Jack first, a whirlwind introduction at a bar last summer when Trevor had dragged her out to meet "the boys." Jack, all grins, had immediately taken to her, cracking jokes and trying to get a rise out of her like they'd known each other for years.

Then there was Luke, quieter but just as sharp and sarcastic as Jack. Izzy had a soft spot for Luke; he reminded her of Trevor in his less flashy moments.

And finally, Quinn. She'd only met him a handful times compared to his brothers, but he still stood out. He wasn't as loud or playful as Jack and Trevor, but that made him all the more interesting. He wasn't the kind to fill silences with mindless chatter. When Quinn spoke, it was deliberate, like every word mattered.

Trevor thought Quinn was the greatest thing to ever happen to the world. Always trying to make him laugh but also teasing him relentlessly.

So when Trevor suggested that the three boys come stay with them in California for a week during the offseason, Izzy had been all for it.

"C'mon," he'd said, leaning against the kitchen counter while Izzy poured herself a drink. "It'll be fun. You like them, right?"

Izzy laughed. "I've only met them a couple of times, Trev. But sure, it sounds great."

"Trust me, you'll love it," he nodded, crossing the kitchen to wrap his arms around her waist. "We'll hit the beach, throw a party... You can show them what California living is all about."

She'd agreed without hesitation, jumping at the opportunity to play tour guide. But she didn't realize that the week ahead would be anything but carefree.

~~

The boys had only been in California for three days, but Trevor had wasted no time planning a party that would be, in his words, "one for the books."

The house was packed. Music blared and energy seemed to buzz from every corner. Friends, teammates, and a few faces no one seemed to recognize mingled in the open-concept living space, spilling out onto the backyard patio where string lights twinkled over their hot tub.

Quinn sat on the arm of the sofa, nursing a beer and half-listening to what Jack was talking about with one of their fellow hockey players. His attention kept wandering, and somehow always landing on... her.

Izzy moved through the crowd like she belonged there, laughing at something one of her and Trevor's friends said as she brushed a strand of blonde hair over her shoulder. She wore a sundress, the kind that fit her frame in a way that was impossible not to stare at.

She was radiant, and Quinn hated himself for noticing. But it wasn't just her looks that caught his eye--it was her laugh and the way her gaze kept finding him, even when it shouldn't have.

Quinn told himself he was imagining it. Izzy was Trevor's girlfriend, for God's sake. She wasn't looking at him like that. But every time he'd catch her glances, there was a moment--a flicker of something dangerous.

It made him feel sick to the stomach.

"Yo, you good?" Jack nudged him, bringing him back to the conversation.

"Yeah... sorry. Zoned out. What were you saying?" He focused on his brother, on anything but the girl across the room who was making it impossible to breathe properly.

Hours later, the party was still going strong. Trevor was in his element, leading the crowd in some ridiculous drinking game while Izzy stood by his side, laughing at him. Quinn tried to keep his distance, sticking with Jack and Luke, but as the night wore on, the crowd thinned, and it became harder to avoid her.

It happened in the kitchen. Quinn had gone to grab another beer, hoping the cool air coming through the open window would clear his head. Instead, he found Izzy already there, drink in hand.

"Quinn," she smiled. "Hiding out?"

"Not hiding," he said neutrally. "Just grabbing a drink."

She smiled, tilting her head. "You don't seem like the party type."

"I... I guess I'm not," he admitted.

Izzy laughed softly. "I figured." She stepped closer, and Quinn's pulse picked up. She wasn't doing anything overtly inappropriate--just standing near him--but the air felt charged.

"You've been quiet the last few days," she said, her tone casual but her eyes anything but. "Is something wrong?"

Quinn shook his head, gripping the neck of his beer bottle tighter than necessary. "Nope. Everything's fine."

"You sure?" she pressed. Her eyes lingering on him, the corners of her lips turning up in a knowing smile.

"I'm sure." He took a step back, desperately needing the space to breathe. "Shouldn't you be with Trevor?"

Izzy shrugged. "He's busy winning at every drinking game ever. I don't think he's even noticed I'm gone."

Quinn didn't respoind, his throat tight. He could feel her eyes on him, searching, waiting.

"Quinn," she said softly. "You don't have to avoid me, you know."

"I'm not--"

"Yeah, you are." She smiled again, but this time it felt different--sharper, more deliberate. "I've noticed."

The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

Before Quinn could figure out what to say, Izzy stepped back, brushing past him as she moved toward the door. "I'll see you later," she said over her shoulder.

Quinn exhaled slowly, the beer in his hand long forgotten.

~~

By the time the party started winding down, the house was a mess of empty cans and discarded plastic cups. Trevor was out cold on the living room couch, one arm draped over his face and a lopsided grin still frozen in place from whatever dream he was having. Jack and Luke were somewhere outside in the yard, their laughter carrying faintly through the screen door onto the patio.

Quinn felt like a ghost, floating through the night with a dull buzz in his head. He wasn't drunk, not completely, but he wasn't sober either. He just wanted to crash. The beer he'd been nursing for at least the past hour dangled loosely in his hand as he trudged down the hallway, trying to remember which room Trevor said the brothers could use.

He opened the wrong door.

The overhead light was off, but the soft glow of a bedside lamp illuminated the room. Quinn blinked, realizing too late that this was the master bedroom--Trevor and Izzy's room.

"Quinn?"

Her voice startled him. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, barefoot, her dress wrinkled from the night. A half-empty glass of wine sat on the nightstand, her blonde hair spilling over one shoulder like Rapunzel.

"Shit, sorry," he said quickly, backing toward the door. "I didn't--uh--I thought this was--"

Izzy smiled faintly, waving him off. "It's fine. You're not the first one to stumble into the wrong room tonight." She studied him for a moment. "You okay?"

"Yeah... just tired."

"Me too," she admitted, gesturing to the wine glass. "Figured I'd stay out of the way while Trevor passed out. He's got a talent for snoring really fucking loudly."

Quinn chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. "Sounds about right."

"Do you not like me or something?" Izzy asked suddenly, her voice light, but with a certain edge to it. "I get the feeling I make you uncomfortable or something."

Quinn frowned, completely caught off guard. "What? No. It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

Quinn felt the familiar sickness in his stomach--the way she commanded his attention with such ease. The alcohol in his system dulled the part of his brain screaming at him to leave, to walk away.

"It's nothing."

Izzy didn't look convinced. "You're not a very good liar, Quinn."

He exhaled, running his free hand through his hair. "Look, you're Trevor's girlfriend. I don't--this isn't--"

She stood then, stepping closer, and his breath hitched. Her bare feet made no sound on the rug, but in his mind she might as well have been stomping.

"You didn't answer my question," she teased.

"I don't think I should be here."

Izzy reached out, her fingers brushing his arm. "Why not?"

The contact sent a jolt through him that made his heart race. "Because," he said, his voice rough, "this is your room. Trevor's room."

She didn't step back. If anything, she moved closer, the scent of her perfume wrapping around him, dizzying and sweet. "Trevor's asleep," she said, her voice low, like a confession.

"That's not the point," Quinn said, though his voice lacked conviction.

"You're so serious all the time. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, trying to focus on anything but her face.

"I kind of like it," she said, her hand dropping to her side but her gaze still fixed on him.

Quinn shook his head, trying to clear the fog that had settled over him. "Izzy, I should go."

"Then go," she said simply, but there was a challenge in her tone, like she knew he wouldn't.

And he didn't.

Before he could stop himself, his hand was on her waist, pulling her closer. The kiss was clumsy at first--driven by the alcohol coursing through their veins. Her hands found his shoulders, his neck, threading into his hair as he backed her up against the edge of the bed.

"Quinn," she murmured against his lips, her voice breathless.

His mind screamed at him to stop, to pull back, but his body wouldn't listen. He pressed her down onto the mattress, his weight pinning her beneath him as their movements grew more desperate, more frantic.

It was reckless. Stupid.

Unforgivable.

But in that moment, it didn't matter.

~~

It was months before they saw each other again. Months since the night at the party, since Quinn had told himself it was a mistake, a one-time lapse in judgement that would--could--never happen again.

He'd done everything he could to push it out of his mind. He didn't think about the way her lips tasted like expensive wine, or the way her nails had dragged across his skin. He didn't think about the way she'd looked at him in the aftermath, her chest rising and falling as if she'd won some unspoken challenge.

Quinn had convinced himself he'd moved on, that he could face her without feeling like his lungs had collapsed.

But now, standing outside the visitor's locker room at the Honda Center, waiting for the postgame media shuffle to finish, he realized how wrong he'd been.

He hadn't expected to see her. He wasn't even sure if she went to Trevor's games, but when he spotted her in the stands during warmups, it felt like he'd forgotten how to breathe. She'd been sitting near the glass with some of the other WAGs, smiling and waving at Trevor, looking just as amazing as he remembered.

Maybe even more so.

"Stop it," he'd muttered to himself, forcing his eyes back to the ice.

He hadn't said a word to her, hadn't even looked her way since he spotted her. But as the hallway finally cleared and Quinn started toward the bus back to the hotel, a voice stopped him cold.

"Quinn."

He turned before he could think better of it. She was standing a few feet away, dressed in a simple white blouse and dark jeans that clung to her legs. Her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders, and she had that same unreadable expression--the one that made him feel like puking.

"Izzy," he said flatly. "What are you doing here?"

Her smile was small, almost coy. "It's a Ducks game, Quinn. Where else would I be?"

He glanced down the hallway, as if Trevor might appear out of nowhere. "You shouldn't be here."

"Relax," she said, crossing her arms. "Trevor's still in the locker room. He takes a long postgame shower."

Quinn exhaled, shaking his head. "I don't have time for this."

"For what?" she asked, stepping closer.

"This." He gestured vaguely between them, his voice sharp. "Whatever you think you're doing."

Izzy's smile faltered, but only for a moment. She tilted her head, studying him with that same unsettling intensity. "You're still mad about the summer, aren't you?"

Quinn's jaw tightened. "I'm not mad."

"Really? Because you seem mad."

"I'm not," he insisted, though the heat in his chest told a different story. "I just--I don't want anything to do with this, Izzy. What happened was a mistake."

She took another step forward, standing right in front of him. "You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

"Then why are you still standing here?"

Quinn didn't have an answer for that.

Izzy reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against his forearm. It was a small gesture, but it sent a shiver down his spine. "You can tell yourself whatever you want, Quinn," she whispered. "But that didn't stop you last time."

His eyes looked into hers, sharp and conflicted. "I should have."

"But you didn't."

Then tension was suffocating. Quinn could feel any walls he'd built up crumbling down, one by one, every second he spent standing there with her.

"This isn't fair," he said, his voice strained.

"Life's not fair, Quinn."

She looked around, stepping even closer, her hand sliding up his chest. He should have walked out of the building without looking back.

But then she rose onto her toes, her lips brushing against his jaw, and his mind blanked.

"What about Trevor?" he asked weakly.

"I'll tell him I'm getting drinks with the girls... and we can go to your hotel," she murmured, her lips now at the corner of his mouth.

And just like last time, before he could think, his hands were on her hips, pulling her flush against him. Their lips crashed together, desperate and heated, all the tension returning.

Quinn backed her against a wall, fingers tangling in her hair as the kiss deepened. Somewhere, deep in the back of his mind, a voice screamed at him to remember who she was, who he was betraying.

But he ignored it.

He'd always ignore it when it came to Izzy.

~~

It became routine.

Every time Quinn and Izzy crossed paths, they found a way to each other. Whether it was after a game or an impromptu hangout the boys had when their schedules aligned, it was like clockwork. Quinn stopped pretending to resist, and Izzy didn't bother to hide her intentions anymore.

The thrill was addictive. Dangerous.

It wasn't just about the physical attraction anymore, though that part was undeniable. The heat between them was impossible to ignore, but it was the stolen glances, the late-night whispers, and the texts that came at all hours that made it impossible to walk away.

They texted constantly, their conversations ranging from innocent to anything but.

Iz: big game tomorrow... don't choke Q: Big game for Trevor, you mean Iz: aren't you just adorable when you're jealous Q: Not jealous. Just don't know why you're texting me when he's probably laying right beside you Iz: maybe i just like talking to you more

Quinn rolled his eyes every time she said things like that, but it didn't stop him from replying.

~~

It wasn't planned. It never was.

Quinn found her waiting for him in a dimly lit hallway leading to the parking garage, her arms crossed casually as if she belonged there.

"What're you doing?" he asked, glancing around nervously.

"Seeing you," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Trevor's gonna be looking for you."

Izzy smirked. "He won't notice. He's too busy bragging about the goal he scored."

Quinn frowned, but his resistance was already wearing thin. "Relax," she whispered. "No one's gonna know."

He sighed. "Iz, you need to stop doing this."

"Doing what?"

"This. You have to end it. End things with Trevor."

"We've been over this."

"And I'm serious. This isn't fair to anyone involved."

"You think I don't know that?" she blinked.

"Then why don't you stop?"

"Why won't you?" she countered.

Quinn opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, her lips were on his, silencing whatever argument he was about to make. It didn't matter how many times it happened--every touch felt like the first, and every kiss made it harder to remember why he'd even tried to resist.

~~

Trevor wasn't blind.

He'd noticed the way Izzy's phone was practically glued to her hand lately, the way she'd smile faintly at the screen before locking it when he asked what was so funny.

He wasn't the kind of guy to get jealous, though. Izzy loved him--he knew that. She'd been with him through the highs and lows of the past year, and she wasn't the type to mess around.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Still, the little things nagged at him. Like the time he caught her texting someone late at night and she brushed it off as her "group chat." Or the way she seemed to get a little too excited when they were scheduled to play in Vancouver.

"Everything okay?" he asked one night as they sat on the couch, her legs thrown over his lap.

"Of course, baby," she looked up from her phone.

"You've been on that thing a lot lately."

Izzy shrugged, setting the phone aside. "Just keeping up with people. You know how it is."

Trevor nodded, forcing a smile. He didn't want to push it. He didn't want to be that guy.

But later that night, as Izzy lay curled up beside him, her phone lighting up with a notification she didn't check, Trevor couldn't help but wonder who she was talking to so often.

~~

The next time Quinn brought it up, they were tangled in the sheets of a hotel room, the scent of her perfume still clinging to his skin.

"You have to end things with him."

Izzy sighed, propping herself up on one elbow to look at him. "We've talked about this."

"And I'm going to keep talking about it," he said, his jaw tight. "You can't keep doing this to him. Or me."

"I love him, Quinn."

"Stop saying that," he snapped, his voice harsher than he intended.

"It's true," she continued calmly. "Just because this is happening doesn't mean I don't love him."

Quinn stared at her oddly. "If you loved him, you wouldn't be here."

Izzy didn't respond right away, mindlessly drawing shapes on Quinn's bicep. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet. "Maybe I'm selfish," she admitted. "Maybe I want too much. But that doesn't mean I don't care about him."

Quinn looked away. He hated how easily she justified it, how effortlessly she made him doubt his own convictions.

And he hated that, despite everything, he couldn't bring himself to let her go.

~~

Jack's invitation to the lake house was supposed to be simple--just a week of relaxation before the grind of training camps began. It was a tradition, one Trevor always looked forward to. But when he told Izzy about it, her reaction was electric.

"A lake house?" she said, her eyes lighting up. "That sounds amazing!"

"You'll love it, Iz," Trevor promised, pecking her lips. "You know the boys are a good time. You'll get along great with their mom too--she usually comes to check on us for a day or two.

Izzy was already planning her outfits by the time Trevor texted Jack back with a yes.

For Quinn, the news hit like a punch to the gut.

The idea of spending days in close quarters with Izzy was enough to make his head spin. He knew how she was--playful, bold, and dangerously good at making everything seem innocent. She had a way of looking at him when no one else was watching, a flicker of heat in her eyes that sent him into fight or flight.

And now he'd have to spend days around her, watching her with Trevor.

He could already picture it: Izzy lounging on the dock in a bikini, laughing at Trevor's jokes like she hadn't cheated on him multiple times. The thought made him sick, but it wasn't just jealousy--it was guilt.

She acted so in love with Trevor, so infatuated with him, like she wasn't betraying him every tim she texted Quinn late at night or met him in hotel rooms after games.

It wasn't fair, not to Trevor, not to him, and not to her.

But Izzy didn't seem to care about fair.

~~

Izzy practically bounced out of the car when they arrived, her sunglasses perched on top of her head and her tote bag slung over her shoulder. "This place is fucking stunning, Trev!" she exlaimed, spinning around to take it all in.

Trevor laughed. "Told you."

Quinn hung back as they entered the house, his chest tight as Izzy greeted Jack with a hug and her perfect smile. Luke gave her a quick wave before disappearing into the kitchen, and Quinn could already hear voices floating around him.

"Quinn," Trevor said, clapping him on the shoulder. "This is gonna be fun, man. Loosen up a bit, will ya."

"Yeah... fun."

~~

From that moment on, Izzy played the part of the perfect girlfriend.

She was all smiles and affection, her laughter filling the house like sunlight. She and Trevor were inseperable--always touching, always smiling, always wrapped up in each other like they couldn't bear to be apart.

She sat on his lap at breakfast, stealing bites of his toast and feeding him pieces of fruit while everyone else groaned about the PDA. She looped her arms around his neck whenever they were standing still, leaning in to kiss him without hesitation.

When they lounged by the lake, she curled up beside him on a towel, her head resting on his chest while he lazily traced circles on her back.

It was infuriating.

To anyone else, they looked perfect together--young and in love, the kind of couple that made people smile. But Quinn knew better. He knew what it felt like to have Izzy's hands on him, her lips against his, her whispered promises that didn't mean anything but still managed to undo him.

And now, here she was, acting like none of it had ever happened.

~~

Quinn wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose at first.

The way she walked around in nothing but bikini bottoms and one of Trevor's oversized T-shirts, the hem just barely grazing the top of her thighs. They way she brushed past him in the hallway, her fingers grazing his arm like it was an accident.

But then there were the moments that felt too deliberate to ignore.

Like the time she came back from the dock, her skin damp and glistening from the lake, her tiny bikini barely covering her body. She passed Quinn on her way to the kitchen, her fingers toying with the string of her top as if she was adjusting it.

"You're looking a little sunburned," she said, her voice light and teasing. "Need some sunscreen?"

He gritted his teeth, staring at the table in front of him. "I'm fine."

Izzy smiled, lingering just long enough to make him uncomfortable before turning and heading toward Trevor, her laughter floating back to him like a challenge.

It only seemed to get worse as time went on.

She'd stretch out on the dock in the smallest swimsuits Quinn had ever seen, her body bathed in sunlight as she flipped through books or scrolled on her phone. When Trevor leaned down to kiss her, she'd reach up to tug him closer, her laughter sickeningly sweet as she teased him about his tan lines.

And yet, she never stopped looking at Quinn.

Every time he looked her way, she was already watching him, her eyes sparkling. When they passed each other in the house, she'd tilt her head just slightly, holding her bottom lip between her teeth.

The worst was when she leaned over him during a game of cards, pretending to reach for her drink. Her hand brushed his arm, her boobs were practically in his face, and Quinn had to pretend he wasn't staring right at them.

"Something wrong, Quinn?" she's whispered.

"Maybe you should worry less about me and more about Trevor," he spat back under his breath.

Quinn felt like he was unraveling. He tried to avoid her, but she was everywhere, always just within reach, always testing him.

Trevor, oblivious as ever, seemed the happiest Quinn had seen him. He spent hours attached to Izzy's side, partnering up for every game, whispering to each other. She laughed at all his jokes like he was the funniest man alive.

Quinn was starting to feel like he hated her. Hated her for what she was doing. But he hated himself more for letting her get to him.

~~

His breaking point happened the afternoon of the fourth day there. The others were down by the dock, preparing the boat for a trip around the lake. Quinn had stayed behind, claiming he needed a break from the sun, though really he just needed space.

He was sitting in his room, trying to focus on the latest book he'd picked up, when the door creaked open. He looked up, heart sinking the moment he saw her.

Izzy stood in the doorway, barefoot and dripping wet from the lake, her hair slicked back. One of Trevor's t-shirts was slung over her shoulder, but she hadn't bothered putting it on.

"What are you doing here?"

"You ask me that a lot," she teased, earning just an eye roll in return. "But I was looking for you." She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

"You shouldn't be here," he said, standing up.

"Ugh, you keep saying that too."

"Because it's true, Isabelle. They're all right outside. Trevor's right outside."

"So? He's not gonna come looking for me."

Quinn clenched his fists. "Do you enjoy this? Pushing me until I can't think straight? Watching me lose my fucking mind while you play house with him?"

Her smile fell and Quinn thought, for a moment, she might actually leave. But then she stepped closer.

"I'm not trying to hurt you, Quinn."

"Bullshit."

She flinched slightly, but didn't stop moving toward him. "You think this is easy for me?"

"Then stop," he said, his voice breaking. "Stop doing this. Stop looking at me like that. Stop--"

She placed a hand on his cheek and whatever argument he was building went out the window.

~~

Quinn didn't know how they ended up in the bathroom, their lips crashing together. Izzy's hands were on his chest, pulling him closer as the water from the shower rained down around them, soaking his clothes and her bikini.

"I hate you," he muttered against her lips, his hands gripping her hips like he couldn't bear to let go.

"No, you don't," she whispered back, her voice breathless and taunting.

He didn't. That was the problem.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as he pressed her against the tiled wall, the steam from the water quickly filling the air. Every kiss was desperate, frantic, like they were trying to drown out the real world.

Quinn knew it was wrong. He knew what it would do to Trevor if he ever found out, what it was probably already doing to him. But in that moment, with Izzy's body pressed against his and her lips on his neck, he didn't care.

When it was over, they stood in silence, the water still running as they caught their breath.

Izzy was the first to move, brushing wet hair from her face as she stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. She didn't say anything, just shot him a knowing smile.

"You should go find Trevor before he notices," Quinn said hoarsely.

She wrapped the towerl around herself and turned to face him. "You could've stopped me."

"I probably should've."

Izzy laughed, shaking her head. He leaned in to kiss him one last time before slipping out his room.

Quinn stood there for a while, the water still pounding against his skin as the guilt settled in. It wouldn't happen again. But he'd told himself that so many times before.

~~

It had been a long day, but a good day. Sun-soaked hours spent on the boat, laughter, and drinks passed around as they floated on the lake. By the time they returned to the house, everyone was tired, their energy drained.

Trevor was in the kitchen grabbing a glass of water when he heard voices coming from the hallway. At first, he didn't think anything of it. But then he heard his name.

"Trevor doesn't know, Izzy. But he's gonna figure it out eventually," Quinn's voice was low but firm, laced with obvious frustration.

Trevor froze, the glass halfway to his lips.

"You don't know that," Izzy replied, almost like she was trying to soothe him.

"Yes, I do," Quinn shot back. "You think he hasn't noticed how much time you spend on your phone? How distracted you've been? He's not an idiot, Izzy."

There was a beat of silence, and then Izzy said, "It doesn't matter. I love him."

Trevor felt queasy. He stepped closer, careful to keep his movements quiet as he strained to hear more.

"You keep saying that. But if you really loved him, you wouldn't be doing this."

"Quinn--"

"No," he interrupted. "You need to end this. You need to tell him the turth and end it, or I will."

Trevor didn't need to hear more. He turned and walked quickly back to the guest room, his mind running a mile a minute.

Izzy came into the bedroom about fifteen minutes later, her hair slightly damp from a quick shower. She was wearing a Ducks' t-shirt, the same one she always wore to bed, her expression calm, serene.

But Trevor didn't look at her.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Fine," he said shortly, sitting on the edge of the bed and staring at the floor.

Izzy frowned. "You don't sound fine."

"Who were you talking to just now?" he looked up.

Her eyes widened, barely, but it was enough. "What do you mean?"

"In the hallway. I heard you. You and Quinn."

Izzy froze. "Trevor, I don't--"

"Don't lie to me," he snapped, standing abruptly. "I heard you, Izzy. You think I haven't noticed? The way you've been acting? Who is it?"

"It's not what you think," she said quickly, her voice shaky.

"Then what is it?" Trevor demanded. "Because from where I'm standing, it sounds a hell of a lot like you're cheating on me."

"I'm not--" she started, but the words died on her lips.

"Don't. Do not lie to me, Isabelle. Just tell me the truth."

Tears welled in her eyes and she looked like she might actually come clean. But then she shook her head. "I love you, Trevor. I do"

"Stop saying that!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the room. "You don't get to say that when you're--" He broke off, clenching his fists at his sides. "Just tell me the truth. Who is it?"

Her silence spoke volumes.

Trevor laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair. "It's him, isn't it? It's Quinn."

Her head snapped up. "Trevor--"

"Don't," he repeated, his voice raw. "Just... don't."

~~

The shouting started quietly at first--muffled voices behind the closed door of Trevor and Izzy's room. Quinn was sitting on the couch with Jack and Luke, flipping through the channel guide, when the volume spiked.

"Are they fighting?" Luke asked, frowning as he turned his head toward the hallway.

"Sounds like it," Jack said, brow furrowed. "Weird. They've been grossly happy all week."

Quinn didn't say anything. His chest constricting with every shout that echoed down the hall.

"I heard you, Izzy!" Trevor's voice roared, loud enough to carry through the house now. "You think I'm stupid? You think I didn't piece things together?"

Jack and Luke exchanged a concerned glance.

"Should we like check on them?" Luke asked hesitantly.

Before Jack could answer, the door to the guest room flew open. Trevor stormed down the hall, his face red with anger, his fists at his sides.

"Trevor," Izzy called after him, her voice panicked. "Wait--"

But he wasn't waiting. He was heading straight for the living room, his eyes locked on Quinn like a heat-seeking missile.

"What's going on?" Quinn asked, standing cautiously as Trevor approached.

"You," Trevor snarled, pointing at him. "You've been fucking her, haven't you?"

The room fell into stunned silence. Jack and Luke froze, their eyes darting between Trevor and Quinn.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Don't play dumb," Trevor snapped, his gaze never leaving Quinn. "You've been sneaking around with her. Behind my back. Haven't you?"

"Trevor, you don't know what you're saying," Quinn started, his voice calm but strained.

"Don't!" Trevor barked, stepping closer. "Admit that you're a backstabbing piece of shit!"

Quinn's jaw tightened, his own anger bubbling to the surface. "It's not as simple as you think."

"Not as simple?" Trevor laughed bitterly. "What's not simple about you fucking my girlfriend?"

"Trevor--"

"Shut up!" Trevor's palm collided with Quinn's chest, shoving him back a step. "You don't get to talk. You don't get to justify this."

"I'm not justifying anything," Quinn snapped, shoving him back. "But maybe you should take a good, hard look at yourself before you start pointing fingers."

Trevor's face twisted in confusion. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you've been so busy treating Izzy like arm candy that you don't even know her," Quinn shot back. "You're too wrapped up in hockey and showing her off to even care about what's going on in her life. Do you even know her favourite book? Her favourite movie? Hell, do you even know where she grew up?"

"Don't you dare--" Trevor lunged at him, but Quinn sidestepped just in time.

"You don't care about her," Quinn spat. "Not really. You care about how she makes you look. About having the perfect girlfriend. And she knows it."

"You don't know anything about us!" Trevor roared, swinging.

The punch connected with Quinn's jaw, sending him stumbling backward. The room erupted into chaos as Jack and Luke jumped up, rushing to pull them apart.

"Z, stop!" Jack shouted, grabbing him by the arms and dragging him back.

"Quinn, are you okay?" Luke asked, standing between them.

Quinn wiped his mouth, tasting blood. "I'm fine," he said lowly. He straightened, his gaze locked on Trevor. "But you're not."

"Get the hell away from me," Trevor growled, shaking Jack off. "I don't ever want to see your face again."

"Trevor--" Izzy's voice broke through the chaos as she appeared in the hall, her face red and tear-streaked.

"Don't," Trevor snapped, his voice cold. "Don't try to talk to me."

Her stormed out of the room, slamming the front door behind him.

~~

The house was unnervingly quiet after Trevor stormed out. Luke had retreated to his room, clearly shaken by what had just happened, and Izzy had disappeared somwehere, leaving Quinn alone in the living room with Jack.

Quinn sat on the edge of the couch, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. His jaw ached where Trevor's punch had landed, but the pain was nothing compared to the heaviness he felt.

Jack stood nearby, arms crossed, his face stern. He hadn't said much during the argument, but now that it was over, the silence between them was deafening.

Finally, he spoke.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Quinn didn't look up. "Jack, I--"

"No," Jack cut him off, his voice sharp. "I don't wanna hear it. Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"It wasn't just me, Jack. Izzy--"

"Izzy?" Jack's laugh was bitter. "Don't trying to pin this all on her. You're my brother, Quinn. You're supposed to be better than this."

"I know I fucked up. I didn't mean for it to happen--"

"But it did," Jack snapped, stepping closer. "And now what? Trevor's out there thinking his friend and his girlfriend stabbed him in the back, and Luke and I are stuck in the middle of your mess!"

Quinn stood. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't feel like shit about what happened?"

"Good," Jack shot back. "You should feel like shit."

"Jack, you don't understand. She--"

"Stop! Stop trying to justify it. Don't try to make it sound like it isn't your fault, Quinn. It was selfish. All of it. You knew what this would do, and you did it anyway."

"You think I wanted to ruin things?"

Jack's voice softened, but the disappointment in his eyes cut deeper than his anger. "I don't know what you wanted, Quinn. But you ruined it anyway."

Quinn looked away, unable to look his brother in the eye.

Jack sighed, shaking his head. "Trevor doesn't deserve this."

Quinn didn't respond. What could he say? Jack was right.

"You need to fix this," Jack continued flatly. "I don't know how, but you do."

And with that, he walked away too, leaving Quinn alone in the living room to drown in the guilt.

[ljaylmaoo]

Only Yours

hook x fem!reader

summary: you and hook have a relationship that everyone wishes they could experience and someone tries to break you two apart

genre: very angsty, also extremely fluffy

warnings: hook is really soft in this lol, hickeyss, arguments, there’s a kiss without consent in this, I think that’s it

a/n: hii! this is my FIRST post and one-shot that I wrote out of pure boredom lol. if there’s any typos sorry, I wrote this from 2 am to 7 am in one go lol. please let me know what you think after, AND PLEASE feel free to send requests! as I had a lot of fun writing this and would love to write more! hope you enjoy! thank you :)

word count: 3.6k

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

To say you were nervous was an understatement.

At the moment, you were doing the final touches of your makeup in anticipation of Castlecoming. You weren’t very fond of wearing a dress. Sure you loved fashion, but dresses? Most certainly not. But you promised Bridget that if she got Ella to wear a dress, you would too. You also wanted to surprise your boyfriend James who would never expect you to actually wear a gown such as this one. So there you stood, admiring your figure in the gold, arched, full length mirror that sat in the corner of your dorm after brushing on some highlighter on the highest part of your cheekbones and tip of your nose. You cursed at yourself for liking the way the gown looked on you.

“Wow..”

The sudden low whisper like voice from the left of you made you jump a bit then relaxed when you recognized the comforting voice of your boyfriend which instantly washed away the nerves you previously had. You glanced over your shoulder, a radiant smile that couldn’t be hidden even if you tried crept up as you caught the sight of your breathtakingly beautiful lover carrying a bouquet of your favourite flowers in one hand and a box with a bow that held a corsage that luckily matched your dress perfectly.

He slowly made his way up to you, taking in every detail of the rare sight that lied in front of him. He gently set down the box on your vanity, “Art has no depiction that’s fitting of your description. Even the most ignorant would applaud and long for my loves radiance.”

A soft blush washed over your cheeks, “says you, my pretty boy.” You giggle taking the flowers he presented to you with a bow and placed your arms around his neck with him pulling your waist close to him. James has always been a romantic. Every compliment he gives makes Shakespeare’s poems seem dull. Everyone in the academy ached to have your kind of love. And the girls were envious of how James showed his love for you. Always showing you off every chance he gets. He was proud to call you his. He also could never keep his hands off of you, always had to be touching you someway twenty four seven.

Though you two were infatuated with love for one another, there would be the odd argument that would leave you not talking for a day or two which was usually due to his mean and sometimes cruel words that he really didn’t mean. He was still a VK after all.

“Doesn’t my darling look ravishing today?” Was something he would ask the VKs daily as he watched from afar with googoo eyes while smiling like an idiot as you were laughing and talking with your friends, not taking his eyes off you once. Even if you were in a fight and not talking that day.

“Aren’t you guys in a fight?”

“Doesn’t make her any less breathtaking and heavenly to look at.”

These days were torture for him. He tried to be tough and not show how much he was suffering without you, but it never lasted long. By the time he finally breaks he comes knocking on your door with a teddy and “I’m sorry” flowers with him apologizing profusely almost leaving him in tears begging you to take him back explaining how lonely his bed is and how he missed being tangled up with you in your bed every night having the ability to hold you close to him as you drifted off to sleep, and of course you can never stay mad at him. Especially when he’s making himself look like a fool in front of others as they passed by not caring if they judged him by how pathetic he looked, his mind only being set on getting you back.

He was also very protective and possessive of you. If anyone was mean to you or dared try to lay a hand on you flirtatiously, he wasn’t afraid to handle them himself or he would aggressively yet still carefully grab your waist, sometimes with his hook, and kiss you in front of them before smirking at them and watched with satisfaction as they rolled their eyes and walked off. He’d also sometimes give you a few hickeys, making sure that they were as visible as possible. you both wore a necklace with each other’s initials engraved and a diamond heart.

He had also gifted you a beautiful promise ring for your one year anniversary and you’ve worn it ever since.

His favourite pastime was gazing at you while you did your schoolwork or as you slept in his arms. “My heart is so full of you, I can hardly call it my own.” Is just one of the many examples he would say whenever you got insecure and were in denial. He always made sure you knew his devotion to you was for eternity.

You were soulmates without a doubt. Twin flames.

He kissed you passionately, hungrily placing his soft plump lips on yours. You melted into his touch, smiling at his desperation to get as physically close to you as possible in anyway he could. You tried to pull away to catch your breath but he wouldn’t let you, “James” you laughed with his lips still attached to yours, lightly pushing him away at his chest.

He finally pulled away, “yes, love?” He smiled still staring at your lips, lovingly

“I could barely breathe” you laughed again, “I’m sorry darling, I just can’t ever get enough of you.” He shamelessly admitted. You both stayed close admiring each other’s features, leaving no room in between. His hands still firm on your lower back as you stroked his hair. His hair was probably your favourite feature of his. It was soft and always the perfect length, swept back.

“I love you so much.” you whispered looking into his eyes while fixing his collar and necklaces after messing it up a bit from the kiss

“Not as much as I do you, sweetheart.”

“I don’t think so” you replied knowing you always lose the ‘I love you more’ arguments. He laughed, “oh darling, we both know that’s not possible. My love for you will remain as infinite as the stars.” He said while caressing your cheek. You placed your hand on top of his and smiled shyly. He grabbed the box off of the vanity and took the corsage out, he gently took your hand and slid it onto your wrist then kissed your hand softly. “There you are my love.” He said while looking up at you. You had your hand on your chest, “oh my goodness! Thank you, it’s beautiful.” You said while looking at it in awe. He smiled, “of course darling.” He gave you a quick kiss and lead you to the door and opened it, “after you, gorgeous.”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You and James entered the ballroom together with your arm wrapped around his and hands intertwined looking around the huge decorated room. It was everything you’d imagined it would be. Everyone dressed up in breathtakingly beautiful suits and gowns scattered around the room mingling with their friends or dancing with their loved ones as music played in the background. James watched you in adoration, the amazement in your eyes made them sparkle along with the light glistening from the chandeliers above. The two of you got some glances from your peers of course as you were named ‘Best Couple’ in the yearbook and everyone adored your relationship for the most part. Among the people who were jealous, there was one girl in particular that absolutely despised your relationship. That girl goes by the name of Aria. (if your name is Aria I’M SORRY LMAO) She hated how happy you guys were especially of how loving James was towards you and hated how much people adored your relationship.

She was also James’ ex girlfriend.

They were together for eight months and broke up just five months before you both officially started dating. During those eight dreadful months, they were extremely toxic. They would get into pointless heated arguments on a daily basis at school, some even resulting in James earning a slap to the face, but then would be seen back together by the end of the day making out by the lockers or something. You knew of James beforehand because he was part of Uliana’s crew and also because you had to pass his locker almost everyday in order to get to class and that was usually where they would have their fights. He never paid any attention to you at first, but when Uliana began tormenting Bridget, you caught his eye. He’d constantly try to flirt with you and you would often find him to be staring at you whenever you weren’t looking. One thing led to another and after four months of his many attempts to try and get to you, you finally gave in and decided to give him a chance and a month later, it was made official. You don’t know what changed in him for him to treat you the complete opposite of how he treated Aria and she hated you for it though she couldn’t do anything about it because she knew what he and the VK’s would do if she did. So she always judged from afar, only doing as much as giving you a glare everytime you made eye contact. She wanted to try and sabotage your relationship the night of Castlecoming and break the two of you up, so she came with a plan.

Aria was with her friends when one of them spoke up, “woah, they look grossly fabulous tonight..” she turned and her jaw dropped instantly when she saw the two of you on the other side of the room talking to Uliana and the rest of the group, James spinning you around to show off your gown. She boiled with rage and turned back to her friends, “yeah, we are definitely going to break them up tonight.”

As James was talking with Morgie, you spotted your friends Bridget and Ella so you lightly tapped his shoulder and leaned in to whisper making sure Uliana didn’t notice as she was currently talking with Maleficent beside you, “I’m going to go say hi to Bridget and Ella, okay?” He looked down at you and kissed gave you a quick kiss, “okay, love.” You gave one more kiss on the cheek before heading off towards your friends.

Bridget squealed with excitement as she saw you approaching them, “oh my gosh! Y/n?! You look amazing!” She came up and pulled you into a hug, squeezing tightly to express how proud she was. “I know, I know” you jokingly said after she let go while blushing a bit. You smiled and hugged Ella, “wow I didn’t actually think I’d see you in a dress, like ever.” Ella gave a small smile and laughed, “I could say the same to you.” You scoffed, “well of course I did. We wouldn’t wanna disappoint our girl here now, would we?” You said while patting Bridget on the shoulder who was bursting with excitement jumping up and down while clapping her hands, “okay we need! To take pictures, come on!” She insisted before pulling you both over to the Photo Booth.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

It was later into the night and you were dancing with James, Ella had to go home due to her strict curfew her stepmother gave her, and Bridget went back to her dorm to let you and James have some time together. Aria and her friends watched you with rage as you were gazing into each other’s eyes lovingly, waiting for the perfect moment to begin her plan. He spun you around as the song ended and kissed your hand before leading you off the dance floor, “could I get you another drink, my love?” He questioned, “yeah, sure. I’ll be over there I just have to go to the bathroom quick.” He nodded and the two of you went your separate ways.

Aria smirked at her friends as the first part of her plan had come. She slyly walked off to the fruit punch table and stood in front of it waiting for James to walk up. “Hi James.” She said suspiciously sweet, he only rolled his eyes and scoffed, “what do you want? Can you move, please?” Aria gave a fake pout, “what? All I did was say hi.” She said innocently, “oh did you want some punch? I’ll get them for you.” She turned and grabbed two cups, “two right? One for you and one for your little girlfriend?” James had his arms crossed and stood impatiently, looking away from her, “yup.” Aria giggled and poured the first one, “here’s yours” she smiled before turning to pour the other. James took a sip of the drink while he waited.

A few moments later, you finished touching up your make up after washing your hands in the bathroom and walked out towards the punch table but you stopped in your tracks. There, in front of the punch table was Aria who had forcefully pulled James into an unexpected kiss. Your heart shattered at the sight. You made eye contact with James who had a shocked and angry expression that you couldn’t see. Your eyes welled up with tears before you ran out of the ballroom. James pushed Aria off him, “get off of me! What the hell, Aria?” He scolded before shoving the punch into her hands and ran after you. She watched him run after you with a smirk taking a sip in satisfaction.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You came bursting into your room as you cried, slipping off your heels and taking the accessories out of your hair and throwing them onto the vanity followed by your earrings and necklace. You ripped the corsage off your wrist and threw it into the trash can beside you. You studied yourself in the mirror, hating yourself for deciding to wear a gown only to surprise the one you thought loved you most only for them to humiliate you and look like a fool. You went and sat down on your bed as you cried into your hands. James came into the dorm in a panic causing you to jump, “Love, I can explain!” You furrowed your eyebrows in anger while looking at him in disgust, “no! I don’t want to hear it, James!”

“No, no, no, really darling! It wasn’t what it looked-“ you got up from the bed, “Oh yeah? Cause it looked like my boyfriend was kissing his ex girlfriend by the punch table!”

“Well yes but-“

“Do you still have feelings for her, James?” You yelled as you walked closer, “were you only using me to get back at her? Did you even love me?!” He was stuttering as he tried to answer every question you threw at him, “what? No! Of course I do!” He tried but you continued to yell at him, causing him to get angry and the screaming match began. It never ever got this bad before. If the dance wasn’t still going on, everyone would for sure be able to hear every insulting and harsh words you were throwing at each other. There were hot tears streaming down your faces as you continued. But as bad as it was, and as much as you wanted to, neither of you had the willpower to officially call the relationship off. You loved each other too much to do so and you both knew that.

You took the flowers he gave you earlier off your desk and harshly shoved them into his chest, “Get out! I don’t want you here! Leave!” You pushed him out the door and slammed it in his face. You took a deep breath and turned around, and started towards your bed. You didn’t know what to think or how to feel. You knew what he was saying made sense and knew he loved you far too much to ever do something to hurt you. But you don’t know why you kept going at him.

You sat down and stared down at the floor, your mind so lost in deep thought that you didn’t even realize you had changed out of your dress and into your pyjamas. You looked down at the shirt you’d just finished putting on and sighed, it was his shirt. You shut your lamp off and lied down on your bed and stared up at the ceiling as the thoughts in your head continued to flow. Why was he with Aria in the first place for that to happen? He shouldn’t have let that happen. But after a while you felt really bad for what you had said to him and the names you called him. But was he mad at you now too? You heard something that was slid under the crack of your door, you sat up and looked at the little piece of paper that was on the floor. You turned your lamp back on and slowly walked over and picked it up. You opened the paper, “My Beautiful Darling Y/n, no matter how much we fight, the love I have for you will never fade. You will never be unloved by me for you are far too well tangled in my soul. The only feeling stronger than my love for you is the ache that comes with missing you. I’m so very sorry I let this happen, My Love.” You wiped a tear from your cheek as you finished reading. You set the note down on your nightstand and lied back down on your bed.

You tried to fall asleep but you just couldn’t. You missed the feeling of being secured and safe in his arms while he whispered sweet nothings as you drifted off to sleep. Your bed felt cold. Lonely.

After a few more minutes of attempting to force yourself to sleep, you got up and crept out of your room and down the stairs and proceeded down another long hallway before stopping in front of an all too familiar door. You stared at it, contemplating whether or not it was a good idea. But before you could make a decision, you were already making your way inside the dark room. You quietly walked towards the bed, softly and carefully getting under the covers making sure not to wake him. The warmth and familiarity of his body heat made you feel at ease. You looked over at his sleeping figure who was facing towards you and traced his features with your eyes, admiring everything about him and couldn’t help but smile. You really did love this boy with all your heart.

You turned away from him and sighed before closing your eyes to sleep, but just as you were drifting off, you felt an arm snake around your figure, pulling you close. You smiled and melted into his body as you felt the warmth of him engulf your backside, placing your hand on top of his that was placed above your stomach under your shirt. Well, his shirt. He pulled you closer and you felt him softly stroking your hair. Though it has only been a few hours since you’ve felt his touch, it felt like forever. You turned in his arms to face him and wrapped your arms around him scrunching the fabric of his shirt tightly in your hands while burying your face deep into his chest, he had managed to somehow pull you closer though it was physically impossible already.

“I’m sorry.” He heard your soft voice cry, muffled from being buried in his chest. He shook his head and stroked your head, “shh, no, no, no. Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong, my love.” You let out a quiet sob which was terribly agonizing for him to hear. He looked down and placed his hand on your cheek, bringing your gaze up to his. You looked into his eyes with a pitiful gaze, he saw how broken you looked. The moonlight that seeped in through the window above his bed glistening off your tearful eyes. “Don’t cry, love..” he tried but you rambled on, spilling everything your heart was feeling at that moment causing the pieces of his already broken heart shatter into a million more pieces. He stared at you not knowing what to say after you were done, only pulling you into a deep kiss, more passionate than ever letting his body do the talking without saying any words, pulling your waist close to his. He left sloppy kisses down to your neck, lightly gracing the sensitive skin with his teeth making you gasp in pleasure and gently pull at his hair before he continued to leave his mark with a smile while telling you how beautiful you were and how much he loved you.

This continued until both your neck and chest were covered with love bites. He trailed kisses back up and kissed you once more. He broke the kiss, breathing heavily while looking into your lustful, heavy lidded eyes that were threatening to shut and noticed as your breathing slowed. He pulled you back in and you cuddled back into his chest, “I love you.” You whispered, trailing off as you began to fall into a deep, well needed slumber.

“I love you too, Darling.” He whispered, leaving a delicate kiss on your forehead and rested his head on yours as you both drifted off to sleep.

[barcalover86]

Recovering with Pablo Gavi (x reader)

Summary: something similar about Neymar's video

Somebody requested it, but I accidentally deleted it.

You weren't allowed to be in the same room as Gavi while he had to do one of his most painful recovery for his acl injury.

It really hurt you that you couldn't do anything to help him.

Standing there alone was even harder than you imagined, especially since you had to listen to him screaming in pain.

You wanted so bad to make his pain go away or at least to be there with him when he needed it the most, but it was just imposibile.

The doctors told you that it is really traumatising to be next to someone who has to do that procedure.

But Pablo wasn't just someone.

He was your best friend.

It felt like millions of years had passed, and the boy was still crying loudly.

You were on the adge of tearing up, when the door suddenly opened and a nurse called your name.

"You can come in, now. Gavi requested you."

You smiled politely before you came into the room.

You were really scared to look into his tearful eyes, but if he wanted you there with him, then you had to stay strong.

He was laying on his stomach, not even moving a bit.

Everyone who was in the room left and now you two were alone.

You stayed silent for some seconds, not knowing what to do or what to say.

He seemed like he was sleeping.

When you moved closer to Gavi, he sobbed softly. He wasn't sleeping.

"Hi" you whispered.

With his eyes still closed, he took a big breath.

He didn't respond.

You stood there looking at him, not knowing if he wanted you gone.

"Do you want some water?"

He didn't respond, nor did he move.

You sighed, getting closer to leave the room.

"Stay."

You turned around to face him.

"Please."

You went back to him. He took your hand in his and you helped him stand up.

He immediately hugged you, kissing you on the neck.

You hugged him back, comforting him.

"Thank you for waiting for me, y/n."

"You know I'll always wait for you.." you whispered in his ear, which send shivers into his body.

Gavi, all the time, wanted to be the tough guy. You knew that he suffered a lot and that right now, he was about to cry in your arms. You also knew that he felt safe in your embrace, and that made you feel better.

He then kissed your cheek and nose and put you on his healthy leg.

Your head was now rested on his shoulder while he was playing with your hair.

"I hope you know that I love you, y/n."

Your heart skipped a beat when you heard him. You looked into his eyes and then smiled.

"Tell me this when you are sober enough. "

"I am sober enough."

You smiled, putting your head on his chest.

"Your heart is beating really fast.. are you nervous?" You played with him a little.

He rolled his eyes while laughing.

"Will you be here for me, love?"

It was his way of asking you to be his girl.

"Always, Gavi."

[shira-cosmic-star]

He’s Perfect

Twisted wonderland HC: First years over hears Y/N talking about then to their friends and family.

Tags: Romance, Fluff, maybe OOC(?)

Warnings: none

Word count:2K+ words

Ace:

When you first started to date. Ace was extremely rusty. The relationship started off just two friends hanging around. But then with the jokes, playful pushing and nudging, the pranks, the late-night phone calls, showing up to his games, and helping him study. You both finally made it official. Even though Ace comes off as cocky and stubborn. He was extremely nervous. Sweaty hands, heart racing, butterflies in his stomach, and him pacing around until you meet up with him. Now that it’s an official.  

You were walking around at the front of the dorm. Over the phone, others could hear the other person talking. Ace headed your way to spend time with you after practice. His body aches as he dragged his body over. 

“I’m telling you mom. He drives me insane! Ace is cocky, stubborn, self-center, sometimes rude, and sloppy.” 

Ace’s heart began to drop more and more as each thing you named that was wrong with him. He is fully aware that he has flaws. But hearing you say it, it hurts him deeply. Ace puts up a tough guy act, but he still has a heart. 

“But Great Seven, I love him mom. He is sweet in his own way. He stuck by my side ever since I came to the school. When I'm down, he knows what to do. If I say I want something like a snack. He would grumble as he hands you the snack. Of course, there is kiss taxes I’ll have to pay. I love the late-night calls, the prank wars, the study dates, his laugh, his smile, his eyes, all of it. Mom, he’s perfect.” You explained to your mother. “He makes me really happy.” 

Ace stood there frozen, ‘Perfect? I’m perfect?’ He thought to himself. After getting out of his thoughts and into reality. He slowly sneaks behind you. Your back was still turned towards him. So, he saw this a right moment to scare you. When he got closer to you, he screams. “BOO!” 

“EEEKK!” You then scream in fright. Quickly, you turned around to find your boyfriend. Ace bent his upper body downwards as he laughs. Embarrassed, you playfully pushed him over. Dramatic as he is, Ace falls over onto the ground. 

“Ow, I’m hurt.” He pretends his injury. You rolled your eyes and told your mother you have to go to attend your baby. Your mom laughs and ends the call after both exchanged goodbyes. 

Now, as you watch your boyfriend fake his injury or injuries. Spread out on the ground, he holds his ankle while rocking back and forth. Bending down to the ground, you slowly move his hand away from his ankle. You moved his ankle towards your lips and kissed the “Boo boo.” 

Ace eyes widen as if someone told him something shocking. His face red as Riddle’s hair. He once again felt his own heart race faster and faster.  

He’ll never tell you this, be he thinks you are perfect too. Too perfect for him. But damn, he is one hell of a lucky guy. 

Deuce:

Deuce can be a bit obvious to some things. Yet, he always tries his hardest. When you came into the picture. He could not stop himself from falling for you. It was everything you did. How you would encourage him to do his best. How you support him during his games. You, helping him with his studies. Stopping him from beating a few guys up. How you would help him with food shopping. Truly the list goes on forever. He couldn’t be happier. 

Deuce would call his mom quite often. Not that you mind or anything. You have spoken to her several occasions. Of course, that’s usually when he was busy at the given moment. He never minded it, if it was his mom. He would love for you two to talk more. 

On this occasion, you were speaking to your siblings about Deuce while he was in the shower. Earlier, you and Deuce got back to his dorm to wash up. Afterwards, you planned to watch movies since it was the weekend. Your phone rang as you checked to who is calling. It was your brother. You answered and began to the conversation. When you and Deuce were still just friends. You have told your brother how much you liked Deuce. Your own brother was like a best friend to you. Details after details, you have told your brother how sweet, kind, hardworking Deuce is. By speaking so much about Deuce. Your brother sounds like he is rolling his eyes over the other end of the phone. 

“I just can’t with him.” You told him as the sound of the shower turning off. 

“He’s just too much for me.” Deuce overhears, ‘Too much? Who?’ Deuce questioned as he dries himself off.  

“Deuce will be the death of me.” He hears what was said. “I just can’t.” 

Poor Deuce thinks you are tired of him. Or maybe you were fed up? He starts thinking to himself all the things he might have done wrong? 

“He’s so sweet, I need to go to the dentist.” ‘What? Dentist? What for?’ He focused on the wrong thing. ‘No stop it, focus.’ He leans towards the door to listen more. He knows what he is doing is wrong. But he was curious, and curiosity kills the cat. 

“He’s an odd duckling, but I swear he is perfect. He thoughtful, kind, hardworking, always supportive, brave, cute when he messes up by mistake. Just Perfect. That’s all, I love him so much.” Deuce hears what was said and blushes madly. His face feels hotter than the hot shower he just took. He finally steps out of the bathroom. 

“Hey Deuce, all set? Need any help with anything or want me to grab snacks?” You asked him as your turned to face him. You look at him so lovingly it makes him melt. 

Little did you know, he saw wedding bell and you. He knew, he wants to marry you. 

Jack:

Jack can’t wait to meet your pack. You could tell from the tail wagging and the smile on his face. He is nervous but super. He wonders what your family will think of him? Will they approve? Do they think he is scary? Will they say he isn’t good enough? Or that you can do so much better? Richer maybe? 

Over a million of thoughts runs through his mind as they travel to your home town. He really wants to make a good impression. Once you both arrive, you opened the door and called out to your family. 

“Everyone, we are home!” Your family rushed to meet you both by the door. 

“Oh honey, welcome home!” Mother hugs you and noticed a very large man behind you. Her eyes beamed with wonder and excitement. “Great Sevens you must be Jack?! You are so tall!” She smiled brightly and walked over to hug him. A little caught off but he relaxes and hugged her back. 

*cough* The sound of someone clearing their throat.  In front of the group was your dad. He stood with a stoic look. The room was silent and tense. 

“Oh ho! Boy where is my hug?” Your father spoke with a surprising attitude. Wow your family is so relaxing and welcoming. Once things settle down and everyone sits down in the living room. Jack has asked where the bathroom was located and left the room for a few minutes. 

Your parents asked how he was treating you and how you feel about the relationships. To which you answer with blush present on your face. 

“Oh mom, he is so sweet. He’s loyal, he keeps his promises, he protects me and makes sure I'm taken care of. Making sure I'm eating, sleeping well, safe, and healthy. He’s so amazing. He’s perfect.” You continue to ramble on about how awesome he is to you. 

Little did you know, he heard it all. He was proud that he was making you happy. Knowing he has been a good boyfriend to you. Made him more in love with you. He can’t wait until you meet his pack one day. They would love you

Epel:

For winter break. you visited Epel’s homeland. He can’t wait to let loose and show you how manly he is. He told his grandmother about you and how he wants to be a strong man for you. Excited and confident, he shows off his skills in the Harveston Sledathon. You were proud of him and the others. 

Now you all settle down and enjoy a nice warm feast his grandmother made to congratulate the boys for winning. Your phone rang, as you look to see who is calling you. Epel watched with curiosity. After telling him it was your dad. He simply nodded and lead you to a quiet room so you guys can talk. As you were left alone, your dad asks you how things are going. You tell him that everything is perfect. The little date Epel set up for you. How he won the race. His braveness, the confident attitude, how wonderful his grandmother is to you and your friends. Your dad was extremely happy to hear that you are safe, having fun, and happy. 

Epel’s grandmother went to bring you a plate of food. The boys were going ham on the food. So, she saved you a plate to make sure you have eaten. When she reached the door, she couldn’t help but overheard what you said. 

“Papa, he makes me so happy. I hope one day you all can meet him. He’s perfect.” This makes her smile sweetly. Her grandson is loved and in good hands.  

Whenever everyone was asleep including you. It was just Epel and his grandmother. She had asked him more about your relationship. As he answers, she tells him what she overheard. Epel blushed at first and then shows off his classic confident smile. “I’ll be nothing but a strong man for them!” 

Sebek:

You and Sebek has planned a movie night. You made a deal with Ace and Deuce to keep Grim for the night, you’ll help them study for the upcoming exams. As Sebek went to the store to grab snacks and other things you asked him to get. Your phone dinged; it was your cousin. You were close to them, and they were like your sibling. You didn’t have any siblings of your own, so you were close to your cousins. 

As you set up for the movie when your boyfriend came over with all the snacks. You were in the kitchen popping popcorn. Another ding from your phone was heard. As your phone was placed in the coffee table. He couldn’t help but look at your phone as he takes out the candies, chips, and pretzels out of the bags. 

Cousin: How are things with him? 

You: Amazing! He is so cute. I love making him blush hehe. 

You: One time I kissed his cheek before class and blushed so hard. 

Sebek was blushing on embarrassment. He knows better to invade your privacy. But the recent text caught his eyes. So, he continued to read it. 

You: He can be a lot to handle, often gets himself into trouble for being rude and loud. I didn’t like him at first. I didn’t think I could ever. Frankly, I thought he hated me. Since I was a friend of His Majesty. I thought he would forever hate me. Though, as time went by, and I got to know him more. He’s loyal to Malleus, he is dedicated to him and his willing to serve him. Not only as a protector, but a trusted friend too. That is why I feel for him. He would never turn his back on anyone he deeply cares about. 

You: Sure, he has his flaws as well as his own days. But it doesn’t matter to me. I love him for him. He’s prefect the way he is. 

Sebek chest felt warm, fluttery, and light. “I'm Prefect” he repeated to himself. Over by the conner of the room, right behind him. You stood smiling watching him read and blush over the messages. This cute loud-mouthed dork of yours, will be the death of you. I nice peaceful death. 

[Author's Note}

I'm so terribly sorry this is super late. I took a break, but I am better and back in business. I do hope this is too your liking. I tried doing different family and scenarios. I know Epel and Sebek was a little on the short side. I was running out of ideas lol. For those that took the time to read this thank you so much it means the world to me. If you can help us authors out, please like, comment or reblog this. Reblogging this helps authors work. Thank you, my lovely Starlings, there is a lot more coming. Stay tuned!

[ender-cloud]

HYDE IS IN THIS UPDATE!!! AND LANYON MY KINGS

Tgs spoilers under cut

Haha, you guys remember that one off comment i made last week

Ha ha ha……. Oh god, I’ll get to that when I get to it. Lets start with more of Jaspers good points and leadership skills first

Jasper makes a great point here.

The Lodgers are the society! They make the magic, the energy, the environment, Jekyll is just the ring leader of it all making sure things don’t get to out of hand, but in the end he had started to have a hard time being able to find that control and keep them in check.

This is why a type of “revolution” like this will do more good then harm in this situation because it will allow Jasper to take Jekylls place of keeping everyone together as the times turn and they need to protect themselves.

But uh… maybe the lodgers might not see this as I do

Ok ok, I get the Lodgers hesitants, Fritz brought to my attention that because Jasper is the newest lodger, despite everything they probably dont have enough trust in him.

Which I definitely get, they are in hard times right now and its hard to trust Jasper, even if they’ve known him for a while they were just betrayed by someone they’ve known for years, how can they trust someone they’ve known for a little over a month (I think)

Also theres a reason why I said that one off comment, not only because it was a trope I see a lot, but because I truly felt like it was a possibility

BUTTTT!! With this it doesn’t necessarily mean that they wont 100% not follow through with what Jasper is saying.

It is clear that they are unsure, yes, but they may need to think it over, and theres got to be a few lodgers who agree with his points.

Some who agree with Jasper that may help the other Lodgers get on board to. If they are truly Reluctant to Jasper leading them because they haven’t known him for long, if some people who they have been living with for years joining up may give them the boost to join.

Jasper made many great points in his speech, and with so many people not everyone could have disagreed with what he said.

I believe this moment of doubt will be just that, a moment, but once other people start agreeing and maybe adding their own points, then it will grow into what Jasper wanted before, the lodgers believing him and letting him lead them in this hard time

It will be the next part of this turning point into someone more confident for Jasper, because while motivating the lodgers with words might be easy, actually forming a plan and leading them through it will be harder, it will also teach him to not give up quickly when things look bad.

Hyde’s just casually acting like he didn’t just have a mental breakdown and immediately just teases Lanyon (I love them so much chat it’s unreal)

ALSO THIS CONFIRMS THAT HYDES MENTAL BREAKDOWN WAS HAPPENING THE SAME TIME AS JASPERS SPEACH!!!

Anyway, back to the actual pannel.

I find it interesting how in Hydes head, he also has a reputation to keep up, its not just Jekyll. The only difference is that hyde has his tough guy, bad boy rep (I hate myself for saying that) He cant let anyone see his weakness, not even Jekyll.

He clearly has mentally trained himself to be able to just change his mood on a switch, but even if he can change how he acts his face has to show some evidence of what happened, i mean we’ve seen him be a little bloody from the glass and Lanyon must have seen that too.

He might be talking about what Hyde looks like when he said he made quite a mess out of himself, not only the glass, which might make Hyde nervous, i feel like he wont be able to keep his facade up for long with how he was acting before.

It’s a little hard delve into the few words they exchanged but im excited for the next update, which may include some blaming of what happened to Jekyll.

(Also more Lanyon and Hyde which I’ll take anyday 🙏🙏)

Happy Holidays Btw!! I hope you have a great Christmas or anything you may celebrate!!

[mee3pp]

Farm house pt 5 

Price's daughter!reader x Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish

Warnings: swearing, implied masturbation

“Yeah” You nod at Soap “i’ve known Simon for 2 years, can’t fuckin get rid of him” your comment earns a scoff from Simon and he rolls his eyes at you. “Yav love havin’ me round” Simon jabs back as he takes a swig of his bourbon. Simon, Johnny, Mabel and you have all been at the pub together for around an hour or so. It was originally intended to be a girls trip with just Mabel and you but the two bulky men sitting with you are an added bonus. Poor Johnny is trying to figure out the relationship between you and Simon as you two seem like just friends, siblings even but he can’t believe Simon wouldn’t snatch up such a pretty thing like you as soon as he sees you because well that's exactly what Johnny wants to do.

“So uh lass you got anyone keepin’ ya company?” Johnny asks before he can even register what he’s saying after all he wants you and he wants you to want him. “No i’m single” You smile and shake your head “so is Mabel” you add with a grin as you look over at Simon then at Mabel those two have not been so secretly swooning over each other for months and never made a move. You find your eyes and all your attention being drawn back to the Scotsman sitting next to you.

Fuck he’s just so nice to look at his bright blue eyes, that impish grin and even that stupid horse mane he calls a mohawk. “What about ya self? Got a bird waitin’ for ya at home?” You ask your accent is rough and so much like your fathers it’s uncanny. “Nah all by m’self lass” the Scot shakes his head with a chuckle before taking a swig of his beer. So he is single, even better. You note down in the back of your brain to make sure to ask Simon more about Johnny later. “I gotta take a piss, you comin’ Mabel?” You ask sighing before standing up and looking over at your best friend. “Sure thing babe” she smiles her posh accent rings through the groups ears. Fuck Simon wants her… needs her even. “Girl that was not subtle one bit” Mabel groans once you are out of earshot of the boys on your way to the bathroom. “Oh come on m’ sick of watchin’ you two eye fuckin’ each other everytime you two are around each other” you huff back as you step into a stall and lock it. “Do you think he is ever going to make a move?” Mabel asks as she leans against a sink. “He better or m’ gonna slap some sense into im’” you chuckle from your stall as you flush the toilet.

“You aren’t any better by the way” Maybel so kindly adds with a teasing smile “you where practically drooling back there” She giggles and you roll your eyes stepping out to wash your hands. “Yeah yeah, can’t help it he’s so yummy have ya seen his arms… so fuckin’ bitable” you hum as you dry your hands before leading the way back to the table. 

“Come on Simon lets go get one more round” you order and Simon stands up instantly almost out of habit as when you want you have the same scary authoritative tone your father has. It’s uncanny really. You lean against the bar as you watch the bartender make the drinks Ghost stands next to you. “Girl i swear to God if ya don’t ask Mabel out soon i’m gonna fight you” you groan at Simon who rolls his eyes. “First off quit callin’ me ‘girl’ second i’m plannin on it just waitin” He huffs but you can sense the slight nerves in his voice and it makes you grin. “Oh. My. God. Is The Simon Riley, Mr tough scary guy, nervous to ask Mabel out?” you tease smacking his arm. Simon scoffs “i ain’t nervous” he denies and before you can pry more some man is offering to buy you a drink. “Nah i’m good” you say trying a polite approach first. “Awh come on sweetheart” the man whines. It's clear he hasn’t seen the behemoth of a man standing behind you. Not that Simon will step in yet he knows you can handle yourself. “No. i’m fine mate” you say more firmly putting some of that coldness your father taught you into your voice. “Come on darl” he whines “No thanks i’m okay” you huff “Awh come on darl one won’t hurt” the man whines again and then he spots Simon who looks at you in a silent question. “No, i’m sure my Boyfriend here wouldn’t like that” You say putting on your best smile. The man instantly backs up muttering drunken “of course.. Sorry my wife wants me”  as Ghost walks a little closer. “Do. Not. let that go to your head Simon” You chuckle as you fake gag after calling Simon your pretend boyfriend. “And definitely don’t mention that to Johnny or Mabel if either of us want a chance”.

5:34 am

“What the fuck?” yells Gaz as he comes down the stairs awoken by the loud barking of your great pyrenees from the sheep paddock. You are already in the living room yanking on your boots and coat, shotgun in hand. “It’s just Barbie, probably Steve's dogs again. Told im’ if his dogs attack m’ sheep again m’ shootin’ em” you growl as you walk out of the back door towards the sheep with a torch and shotgun just before Price and the others come out.

“What’s th’ problem?” Price asks groggily. “Uh she said somethin’ bout Steve’s dogs? Dunno who that is” Gaz shrugs heading back up stairs. You angrily trudge through the early morning darkness towards your flock of sheep spotting Steve’s dogs. Yep exactly what you thought was happening. “Oi! Fuck off” you yell as you jump the fence kicking one of the three dogs, two of them being untrained boxers and the third being a even more badly trained maremma. The bigger boxer lunges at your dog and Barbie attacks before you load your shotgun and take a rough shot at the dog hitting it in the side and it drops limp. You sigh the other dogs scurry off. “Ya okay?” Price asks his breath heavy after rubbing outside when he heard the gun go off. He looks at the ground seeing the limp most likely dead boxer on the ground. “M’ good Steve ain’t gonna be happy but i warned the fucker” You shrug lifting the gun over the fence to Price before walking over to the dogs body and kicking it to make sure it’s really kicked the bucket. You drag it by the back legs to your burn pile and you light it up. 

Holy fuck that was hot. All Soap can muster in his brain as he is now impossibly and very uncomfortably hard in his Pyjama pants. He watched the interaction from the window. The man loves himself as a woman who can take care of herself and can hold her own. But what's more attractive to him than that? A woman who can shoot a gun. “Close ya mouth ya droolin’ Simon grumbles. Of course he’s been up since 5:20 and despite his massive stature he can blend in damn well so it’s no surprise when his words make Soap jump. “I ain’t droolin’ just admiring” Soap scoffs making Simon huff out a chuckle “that what we are callin’ it?”. “Go focus on your little doll” Soap scoffs again Simon thinks if his teammate scoffs one more time he might get a tear in his throat. “She ain’t a doll” Ghost huffs although he didn’t deny Mabel being his. 

Price and you come back in both with the same grumpy and leader look etched on your faces. “Quite the show lass” Soap hums his eyes lighting up with that usual impish look. “Was it now?” you question trying to gauge his feelings towards your little ‘show’. “Aye never said it wasn’t enjoyable lass” Soap winks and Price shoots him a dangerous scowl. You shoot your father an equally mean scowl before smiling at Johnny.

Fuck poor Johnny is definitely going to have to fix the problem in his pants now. "excuse me gotta go take a piss" is all Johnny can manage to say before he scurries upstairs to his room to take care of the problem in his pants.

Tuesday 5/4/24 11:30pm 

Hey Johnny, just wondering when you’re free friday? Simon, Mabel and I want to go to the pub but I ain't feeling like third wheeling :)

11:32pm Nice to hear from you, Lass. I am definitely free Friday. I'll let Gaz know I'm busy. Poker night can wait. 

11:45pm Johnny! You can't just cancel plans like that

11:47pm I can and I will Lass ;)  One thing you can count on is Johnny beckoning to your every call. Do you know why? No. Do you tell him to stop serving you like a servant? Yes but he never listens. It’s been about a month since Johnny and the boys stayed at your house with you and your father and thankfully he was able to snag your number before leaving. He even managed to do it without his Captain knowing. Sneaky bastard.

taglist:

@tabbslouuformer @thepowers-kat-be

[dreamingofep]

Forbidden Love Pt. 9 💔❣️

Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Prompt: Reuniting with Elvis was supposed to be the highlight of your summer, but with unresolved tensions between you two, things aren't what they seem. [Fem! reader]

TW: Fluffy and angsty mixed in with some tension

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 4k

A/N: Hi everyone! Long time no see. I could never abandon this fic, life just got tough. But this series is back and I’m excited to show you where this is going. I’ve missed writing about ‘69 E and I think it shows🫣 More to come very soon, I’ve been writing a lot and will post more in the next few days 💕

As a refresher, I’d recommend rereading where we left them on part 8 ❣️

❣️

Just turn around.

Turn around and don’t ruin your life.

You wouldn’t listen to the voice of reason. You needed to see Elvis. You couldn’t stay away any longer and avoiding all the problems you two had wasn’t going to help anything.

The rod iron gates open for you and you slowly drive in. Your clammy palms gripped the steering wheel, nerves wracking your body. The biggest fight in your life had taken place here and the last time you saw Elvis, you told him you still didn’t want to see him ever again. It was terrible for you to say to him and you can only imagine how he’s been feeling these last few weeks. The crisp air washes over you as you try to act like nothing is bothering you. You gently knock on the front door and hope you don’t cause a scene being here.

The housekeeper opens the door and has a surprised look on her face when she sees you.

“Hi y/n, what a nice surprise,” she says gleefully and glances at the duffle bag in your hand.

“Hi, so nice to see you. Umm, is Elvis home?” You ask timidly.

“Yes, he is. Would you like me to go get him for you?” She asks.

“Yes please.”

“Okay, come inside honey it’s too hot out here.”

The cool air conditioning makes you sigh a breath of relief. It was so much better in here. You nervously walked to the living room, pacing a bit. You were nervous to talk to Elvis. You were fearful he would be the one who didn’t want to talk to you this time and tell you to go home. Then what? Where would you go? Most of your friends were in Memphis. You had no other place to hide from your shitty husband.

You hear footsteps come down the hall and come towards your direction. You feel your stomach drop and you have to breathe sharply before you see him. Elvis rounds the corner, dressed in an all-black suit, a blue silk scarf around his neck, looking dapper as ever even late at night. He gets closer to you and you start to notice different details about him. How he had some darkness underneath his eyes like he hadn’t been sleeping. He leans against the entryway of the living room, crossing his arms when he looks at you.

“Hey,” he says softly.

“Hi,” you respond shakily. “How are you?”

“I’ve been better,” he says matter-of-factly. “I haven’t slept very much,” he explains.

You instantly feel guilty. You knew it was because of you and whatever you wanted to call this situation you two had.

“Yeah me either…” you mumble.

“What are you doin’ here?” He sighs.

His serious eyes look straight through you, sending a chill right through your bones. His tone wasn’t the normal excited one he always has. He was giving you the same energy you’ve been giving him. Cold and reserved.

“Our power got shut off and I needed some place to stay for a bit,” you explain to him. He throws you a confused expression, not understanding what you mean.

“Your power got shut off? By the city? Why would that happen?” He asks.

“I don’t know… John wouldn’t tell me. He’s hiding something,” you murmur, looking down so he wouldn’t see your hurt eyes.

He walks closer to you and takes your bag out of your hand. You look up again at him, needing comfort from him.

“I’m sorry honey. You stay here as long as you need,” he tells you.

“What’s about Dianne, I don’t want to cause any attention. Or what about the guys…” you say apprehensively.

“Don’t worry about them. I’ll take care of it,” he says a bit peeved.

“Okay,” you say solemnly.

“Come on, I’ll take you to your room,” he says.

You follow closely behind him, still nervous about being here. He turns to the bedroom that’s next to his and opens the door for you. He lets you step in first and then sets your bag down on the bed for you.

“Is this room okay?” He asks sweetly.

“Yes, thank you,” you smile.

You both stand there looking at each other, unsure what else to say.

“Thank you for letting me stay here,” you say quietly.

“Of course, I love having you here,” he tells you.

His words rip at your heartstrings. He was always so genuine and loving even when things were difficult between you two. He takes a step closer to you and then retracts back almost immediately.

It was like he could feel that magnetic pull you had for him. He doesn’t want to be far apart from you, the closer he is the better. Neither of you could fight the attraction.

“I‘ll let you get some sleep,” he says as he starts to leave the room.

“Wait,” you say abruptly, “can we talk? I want to talk,” You ask nervously.

He nods his head, turning to quietly close the door.

You sit on the edge of the bed and look at him.

“Can we start over?” You ask softly.

“How do you want to do that?” He sighs.

“By just being honest with one another. No more lies or hiding anything from each other. That’s all I ask,” you tell him.

His eyes melt into yours, “Of course, I can do that,” he murmurs.

You’re happy he’s agreed to all that, you expected him to put up a bit of a fight and insist he hasn’t lied to you.

“Okay good… Is there anything else you need to tell me?” You ask him, quietly nervous for that answer.

“Yeah, there’s a few things,” he says with a cheeky grin.

You look at him expectantly, “like what?” You ask apprehensively.

“Just how desperately I’ve missed you these last few weeks. It’s like I can’t function without you here,” he admits. His eyes have you locked on him. They’re so seductive and beautiful that when they look at you, you melt away.

“I know. I feel the same way. I just needed time alone to deal with how I felt about the situation,” you admit to him.

“I don’t blame you, honey. I hurt you, and I’m sorry for that. That guilt has stayed with me for years. I was just too scared to tell you the truth,” he admits.

“It’ll take time to heal from all of that, I won’t lie, but I missed you. So much.” You say as you feel your throat become tight with emotion.

His eyes soften and you feel the heavy mood shift. You wanted him to hold you, tell you everything was going to be alright between you two. Honestly, anything would sound good coming from his lips.

But you don’t think you were ready for his touch. You two needed to work on being cordial again.

“Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?” He asks.

“Oh yes actually, I haven’t eaten since lunch,” you realize.

“Okay come on, let’s get you something to eat.”

You follow him to the kitchen and try not to make a noise. He still hasn’t told you if you two are the only ones in the house or if Dianne is here too…

You try not to let it worry you and try to act as calm as possible. Elvis opens the fridge and peers in, contemplating what to get you. He scratches his head and closes the door to go to one of the cabinets to grab a plate. He goes into another cabinet to grab a pan and places it on the stove, looking at it with concern.

You’re trying not to giggle because you know what’s going on; he has no idea how to cook and doesn’t know what to do in a kitchen. You sit patiently on the barstools and watch him continue to shuffle things around and act like he knows what he’s doing. He nervously looks at you then looks down immediately a bit embarrassed.

“I uhh… I really don’t know how to cook… I can make a sandwich for you,” he says unsure. You giggle softly and nod your head.

“Yes, that sounds perfect.”

He grabs the bread off the counter and grabs some condiments from the fridge as well as the lunch meat and pickles. You watch in silence as he articulately makes your food, spreading the mustard to the very edges of the bread and then stacking the pickles and lunch meat on top. He gave off nervous energy and thought it was cute that he was so desperately trying to impress you with something as mundane as this. He goes to sift through other drawers to find a knife and cuts the sandwich in half for you. You take the plate from him and he leans against the counter on his elbows, expectantly waiting for you to try it.

You try to wipe the smile off your face but it was impossible, he was being so damn cute. You grab one of the halves and squish it down a bit before biting into it. It tastes good, you can hardly mess up a sandwich. You feel his eyes burn into your skin and watch you take another bite.

“Do you want a bite or something?” You chuckle.

He looks down and shakes his head. His cheeks were tinged with pink.

“Oh, no, sorry for starin’. I just wanted to make sure you liked it,” he tells you.

“I do, thank you for making this for me. I had no idea you could make your own food,” you murmur cheekily.

He heard that last part and hiccups a laugh.

“Hey now, I’m not completely useless.”

“I didn’t say you were!” You joke, “It was just an observation.”

You giggle as he tries to hide his own smile from his face.

You finish the sandwich while you two mostly sit there in silence. You didn’t mind it, being near him was nice.

“Can I make you something?” You ask timidly. You weren’t sure if he’d take your offer but it could hurt to ask.

“Sure, I’d love that.” He says lovingly.

You get down from the barstool and make your way around the counter. You head to the fridge and turn around to see him.

“Well, what do you want to eat?” You ask.

His eyes drink you in, slowly and analytically, making your ears burn. He should not be allowed to look at anyone like this! It was absolutely heinous for him to do this! Especially to you! You should not have asked this man such a question. He’s already shown you what he likes to do with his tongue…

Don’t you dare say something coy you smartass, you think.

He bites the inside of his lip momentarily before speaking, “I think there’s eggs in there. I’ll take a couple of eggs.” He says as he leans against the counter.

You turn back around to grab some butter and the carton of eggs off the middle shelf. You sift through the drawers like he did since you had no idea where anything was. He watches your every move, moving when you move and watching how you’re cooking. It only takes a few moments for the eggs to cook and you serve them on a plate for him with a few pieces of toast.

You serve him the plate at the counter and he has a charmed look on his face. God, he’s so easy to love. That face makes you feel like a little girl in love with a boy you saw across the schoolyard. You were in love with his presence, in love with the way he looked at you. But were you in love with him? You don’t think your heart will let you. Everyone fell in love with Elvis, but actually getting to love him was almost impossible. His life was busy, chaotic at times, and something that didn’t have room for you. As much as his eyes pleaded for you to accept him, you just couldn’t. You’d get hurt sooner than later.

He doesn’t finish the whole plate and just plays with the remaining food on it with his fork. He’s looking at you while you’re deep in thought about him. He shakes his head and looks back down at his plate.

“What?” You ask him.

“Just had a funny thought that’s all,” he says low.

“Yeah like what? I’m sure you have funny thoughts all the time,” you joke.

He chuckles in agreement and looks back up at you.

“I was just thinking how I can get used to you making me food and being here all the time,” he hums.

Your heart stops and you stare at him for a moment. Was he insinuating that he wants something more from you? It just wasn’t possible. You had no idea what to call this relationship and it was still so messy with Daniel, that you didn’t know where you’re future led to.

You try to brush it off as if it was a joke. You couldn’t get attached and get your feelings hurt more.

“Oh, I’m sure you’d love that. Your housekeepers would have nothing to do then,” you joke and go to clean the pan. You can’t look at him to see the reaction of your blasé answer, you don’t think you can handle that right now.

After you were done cleaning up, you were met with his soft, needy eyes. God, how does he do that? He doesn’t even speak a word and he makes you weak.

“Did you want to go to bed now?” He asks. You glance at the clock and see it’s almost three in the morning. You weren’t tired, but it would be best to get some rest.

“Yeah I think I’ll take a shower and get some sleep,” you agree. He gets up from his chair and walks with you out of the kitchen. You don’t wait and see if he’s following you to the bedroom, you just pick up your duffle bag off the bed and head straight for the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

You take your time in the shower, letting your body relax and clear your cluttered thoughts. You knew you needed to figure out what to do about your future and if John fit into that plan anymore. So far, it wasn’t looking possible. He’s only grown more cold and distant through the years. He’s made it clear he won’t support you in your career choice. You just hadn’t been without someone to help you in so long. You’ve been married for almost eight years. It’s a long time to just get up and try to figure out everything on your own.

You knew Elvis would be there for you in some capacity. He’d probably insist that you stay with him until you’re comfortable moving somewhere else on your own. But you feel that would be too messy. There would be too much talk that Elvis has not one but two women living with him, neither of them being married to him. It just wouldn’t end well for him and didn’t want to harm his image.

After some time, you get out of the shower and put some pajamas on. They were simple cotton shorts and a button-up top. You open the door and jump startled to find Elvis standing by the window.

“Hi darlin’, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says.

“It’s okay, I just didn’t expect you in here that’s all,” you say timidly. You put your bag at the door of the bed and try to cover yourself. You didn’t have a bra on or anything and your nipples poked through the thin fabric. His eyes burned into your skin already and couldn’t bear the tortuous looks that he’d give you when he saw your thin pajamas.

You sit on top of the bed and bring a pillow to your chest, covering yourself quickly. You look at Elvis to see if he noticed your weird behavior but his expression didn’t wavier.

“I think I’m going to try and get some rest now,” you tell him. He nods his head understanding and doesn’t go anywhere right away.

“Okay honey, you need your rest. Do- umm, do you mind if I stay in here tonight? I’ll sleep on the floor,” he tells you softly.

Your heart aches for him. The parallel words he just spoke to you took you back eleven years when he said the same thing the night he was about to leave for the army.

“Yeah sure, Elvis.”

You grab the extra pillow next to you and place it at the foot of the bed.

Any other night, you’d love him to sleep with you. But tonight just isn’t the night.

You get underneath the blankets and watch Elvis get another blanket from the closet. He takes off his jacket, unbuttoning the shiny onyx buttons before lying down. He looks damn fine in nothing but his black slacks. You have to look away or else he’ll see your burning cheeks. You flip over and lay on your side facing away from him.

“Good night honey,” he murmurs softly.

“Good night,” you whispered.

*

Your eyes welled up with tears as you searched the house frantically. The sense of dread filled your veins and you couldn’t control your emotions. You try to yell out for help but your voice is hoarse and weak.

You feel like giving up and crumbling to the ground. There are double doors in front of you and need to be hidden from anyone seeing you have this breakdown. You quickly open the door and lock it behind you, trembling with anxiety. You try to take deep breaths to calm yourself down but it’s no use.

You realize all you want is him.

You want him to hold you.

To tell you everything is going to be alright.

“Baby?” A deep voice says coming from the corner of the room.

Elvis appears looking like he just woke up. His hair was messy and his eyes squinted at you in the low light. You run to him, needing to be close to him.

“Oh God, oh God I found you,” you tremble rushing to him.

He looks at you a bit confused and stays silent. You wrap your arms around him and find comfort in feeling his warm body pressed against yours.

“Where have you been? I’ve been so worried,” you tell him. He slowly puts his hands on your hips and looks at you concerned.

“Honey, I’ve been right here. I haven’t gone anywhere,” he tells you.

“No, you left me. You left me all alone and never said anything about why. Please don’t do that again,” you sob into his chest. He holds you tight, trying to comfort you the best he can. The scent of him intoxicates you, it is so comforting and alluring.

You wipe your tears before looking up at him.

“Love me. Please love me,” you whisper.

“Honey I-, you know I already do.”

“No, I need you to show me. I need you to show me how much you love me,” you plead.

“Baby,” he sighs shaking he’s head, looking away from you.

“Elvis please,” you try to say louder but your voice cracks.

You put your hands on his chest and play with the buttons on his shirt. You lean in and kiss his exposed chest. His skin was so soft and felt so good to touch. Your fingers quickly work his shirt off of him and wrap your arms around his naked torso once more.

“Love me,” you beg, placing kisses on his collarbones.

“Honey you know I want to,” he grumbles and places a kiss on the top of your head.

“Then do it,” you say scratching your nails along his back.

“No, honey.”

Your hands slither down to his belt and slowly start to unfasten it.

“Please I need you. I need you to make love to me.”

“God I want that, I want to so bad honey,” he groans as he holds onto you tighter, and his breathing quickens. His hands grapple onto your dress and squeeze tightly at your hips. You gasp and pull at his waist, leading him backward to the bed.

“Please love me,” you whimper louder.

He stands in between your legs and covers you head to toe with kisses, each one making you more breathless than the last.

“Yes baby, I love you,” he whispers into your ear, pressing his heated body against yours, aching and trembling in anticipation for him…

“Baby? Baby, are you okay?” Elvis’ voice says worriedly, lightly shaking you. You stir awake and flutter your eyes open. Elvis is kneeling at the edge of the bed holding one of your hands and the other hand on your shoulder.

“Oh, oh God, yeah I- I think I’m okay,” you say dazed as you sit up on your elbows.

“Are you sure honey? You were cryin’ and whimperin’ in your sleep. I got worried,” he explained. He raises his hand to your cheek and wipes away tears that gathered at the corners of your eyes.

You try not to blush as you remember the dream you were having about him.

Begging him for love.

For anything he could give you.

“Oh yeah I’m sorry for waking you,” you say quietly.

“It’s okay. Were you having a bad dream darlin’?”

“No… It wasn’t like that,” you say weakly.

“What happened baby, you can tell me.”

You didn’t want to tell him any of it. You couldn’t tell him how you secretly craved him to love you in every shape and form.

“It was just about something I couldn’t have.”

His eyes look like they could cry. He saw through the lie and felt your heartache.

“What did you want honey? Maybe I could give it to you,” he says softly.

Oh no this was too much. You felt the dam break and your tears fall down your cheeks. You squeeze his hand that hasn’t stopped holding yours and wish you could explain. You wish you could tell him what you want.

“It’s not something you can give me,” you weep.

He grows more concerned and gets up off the floor. He sits on the edge of the bed and brings you to his chest. He lets you cry, holding you tight and telling you it’s alright. You believe him everything is going to be fine. But there will always be that part of you that wants him to love you. It started that night, so long ago before he was shipped off to Germany. You desperately wanted him. You wanted those lips to kiss every care away and have him love you as much as you grew to love him.

Your love never faded for him, it was just buried underneath a pile of insecurity and doubt. Having him back in your life made it more complicated than ever and only made that love grow.

This love you had for him was a forbidden love.

You were married.

He was the biggest musician on the planet and was infatuated with a married woman; you.

Too many people were in the way to let you two fully love one another. There would always be a blockade that would hurt you in the end. So you had to love in secret, hiding how much you actually needed him to make you whole.

You pull the covers back and move over to make room for him to get closer.

“Please lay down with me.”

His eyes flash a look of apprehension, not sure if he should. You pull at his arm and plead for him.

“This is what I want, please give this to me,” you whimper.

His breathing falters and he nods his head, getting underneath the blankets and bringing you to his chest. You instantly feel satisfaction. He was your comfort and he didn’t have to do anything else. The sound of his fluttering heart doesn’t slow down the longer you lay on him. Was he nervous to be in bed with you again? Excited? You couldn’t decipher what he feeling at the moment but you didn’t want it to ever stop racing for you.

“Get some sleep baby. I’m not going anywhere,” he murmurs. You hug him, thanking him silently, and let yourself drift off into a blanket of dreams.

•

•

•

Tagging: @loving-elvis @neptuneismysister @velvetelvis @ccab @presleyenterprise @theresalwaysep

@sillybookmarks @dkayfixates

@ellie-24 @rktismylife-blog

@myradiaz @tacozebra051

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@austinswhitewolf@eliseinmemphis

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@idontwanttoputanything @ohjustpeachy-

@elvisalltheway101 @austinsmutler @kingdomforapony.

@generoustreemystic @claire-elvisgirl

@ashtag6887 @burnthheparaphilia @richardslady121

@jaqueline19997

@returntopresley. @iloveelvis @rjmartin11@that-hotdog @louisejoy86 @misspresley@cattcb @annapresley8

@arrolyn1114 @raginginkedslut @epthedream69

@mh777ep1938

@50sexyshadestashionista

@oldhOllywOod @hooked-on-elvis @livelovedilfs

@sloppiest-of-jos @thisis-theway @gatheraheart

@aphroditebabygirl @faeolwen

[irisintheafterglow]

Hey!! Can you write some fluff hcs of katsuki taking you to prom? Thank u so much! 🥰

AAAAAA YES I CAN I LOVE THISSS fun fact i didn't get to go to senior prom because i got sick on the day of :(( but i love any excuse to wear a fancy dress !!!

cw: swearing, implied fem!reader but no she/her pronouns or descriptions, this got super long because i got carried away oops :)) hope you like this!

likes, reblogs, and replies are always appreciated <3

alright let's be honest if y'all don't already know each other, there's no way he's asking first

he'll think you're super pretty but be too proud to break the tough guy facade and make a move first

buuutttt if you're already kinda in with the bakusquad then it's a little easier for him to ask

and by ask i mean just tell you that you're going to prom with him

you're sitting next to him in the common room doing homework and he just goes

"go to prom with me."

"huh?"

"go to prom with me, 'cause who the fuck else you gonna go with."

"you're a royal asshole, you know that?" and then you pack up your stuff and go back to your dorm and he's like wait shit fuck that's not how that was supposed to go fUCK

so then the next day he's like "go to prom with me."

"are you fucking serious-"

"please?"

and this man never says please so you decide to give him a shot

you've thought he was attractive since your first year but didn't think he would be interested

and then, when you became friends, it seemed abundantly clear that he was too busy training and going on missions to have a relationship

when really he's just terrified of losing you if you don't reciprocate his feelings

so after much convincing from the rest of his friends, he mustered up the courage to ask you tell you to go to prom with him

you already know he was in the group chat after the first attempt to ask you going like

"guys i fucked up"

"bakubro what did you do"

"i told them to go to prom with me and they walked away"

"i think you're leaving out a crucial part of the story"

"ok and i said no one else would go with them"

"dUDE"

"IDIOT"

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU SAY THAT"

"I WAS FUCKING NERVOUS"

if you don't already have a dress, he's going dress shopping with you

sits in the waiting area of the fitting room holding a stack of glittery fabrics and doesn't give one (1) fuck about it

definitely the type to whistle under his breath when you walk out in ~the dress~

he has no idea what the fuck he's doing so he's a little,,,,abrasive when it comes to shopping with you

"you need shoes? let's get you some new fucking shoes, then."

"that color is hideous. choose something else because you're too good-looking for shit like that."

"d'you think this color would look good with my eyes? no? damn, harsh crowd."

on the night of prom he's 20 minutes early to pick you up

so he just sits on the floor of your dorm in his suit with his arm propped up on his knee while he watches you finish your makeup

he's mentally taking note of the products you use and the colors you like so if you ever ran out, he could get them for you

you come out of the bathroom and ask him how you look and he genuinely feels like he's suffocating because he can't breathe

after like 30 seconds of staring he just

"damn."

is attached to you at the hip for the remainder of the night

i'm not kidding

his arm is around your waist at all times unless you go to the bathroom or he goes to grab a drink

brags about how good you look at any chance he gets

"yeah, see that dress? i helped pick that out, assholes," he says with a shit-eating grin and the rest of his friends are like 👍ok bro

they know how big of a crush he's had on you so they're amused by how smug he is now

if you force him onto the floor to slow dance he forgets all sense of rhythm

keeps stepping on your feet

tells you to move even though he's stiffer than a wooden board

has no idea where to put his hands and can't look you in the eyes without turning bright pink

you kiss him on the cheek and he fucking freezes LMAO

turns over his shoulder and sees his friends with their phone cameras out like paparazzi (he doesn't mind)

asks you out properly at the end of the night and it's not just a command

instead of "get lunch with me sometime" it's

"get lunch with me sometime? if you wanna, you don't need to if you don't want to-"

and then you kiss him! to make him shut up! and he's a feely mess for the next three days straight until he sees you again

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

[thegreatstoryteller]

The Great Shift: Speed Dating

Ok, so dating in your 30s can be hard. Even harder after the world has suddenly decided all of its inhabitants would suddenly swap bodies! If you thought it was hard to truly get to know someone before, it was nearly impossible now. You’d think that the differences and bodies people were exposed too would lead to more emotionally intelligent people, but no. Instead shallow just comes in all sorts of new flavors these days!

-

“Wassup I’m Aidan!.I’m 24, well now I’m 34 due to the shift. And well you can see I’ve got a lot of good assets to show.”

I rolled  my eyes as this wannabe tough guy was trying to impress me. Sure he had an incredibly built body and intricate tattoos, but it was all surface level!

“Nice to meet you Aidan. You go to all of these speed dating events without a shirt?” I asked gingerly sipping my water.

“Only when I’m talking to a handsome guy like yourself.”

Gag. If I had a dime for every post shift hottie said that. 

“Charming. So Aidan tell me about yourself. I mean before the shift what did you do for a living? What do you do now?” I asked.

He scoffs. “I used to be a computer programmer. You know boring office stuff. Then I swapped into this juggernaut and been living at the gym ever since. Quit my old boring work and been trying to become a trainer at my local gym.”

“So let me get this straight. You were able to sustain yourself on a safe indoor office job and now you’re trying to go into  a new occupation you have no experience in because you want to flaunt your muscles?” I inquired further arching my eyebrow.

“Um... when you put it like that...” Aidan stammered looking called out.

“Next!” I rang the bell on the table signalling the rotation and the next person to join my table. 

Aidan slumped his massive 6′5 frame away looking dejected, but as soon as he started flexing to himself he shrugged and moved on. Maybe another guy would like this wannabe muscle guy. I just hope he was so driven by those muscles he’d have the motivation to maintain them. So many people received huge powerful bodies, but without the knowledge to maintain them they just went to waste.

“Hey there sexy? Fred is the name, dating you is my game.” A beefy looking firefighter said, with a burgeoning gut about to strain his suspenders. 

“Wow. Coming on a bit strong Fred. Please. Start from the beginning.  Your name is Fred. Great. What’s with the fire fighter attire? Are you a fire fighter or was your body a fire fighter before the shift?” I asked wincing at this cringe intro.

He smiles and strokes his beard appreciatively while at the same time flexing his beefy arm. “Well I’m not... yet! This body used to be the best firefighter in the district! Then all of a sudden the shift happen and I go from university student studying engineering to the most buff in shape guy with 6 pack abs I’ve ever seen!”

I look down and notice the obvious lack of abs. “Ok. Makes sense... so now you’re trying to  be a firefighter? Just like your body before you. That’s... noble. I’m really glad to see you give back to the community.”

Fred smiled. “Thanks! I’ve been trying for awhile now, but I can’t get through the physical test! It’s like I’m not as strong as the guy who used this body. Weird. Right now I mostly play video games and stream shirtless in these suspenders. My viewers love seeing me. I’m FireXFighter69 on Twitch and YouTube! Check out my video on-”

“Next!” I say ringing the bell once more. 

“Damn. Didn’t work out... are you gonna finish your food there? You hardly touched it.” Fred pointed at the snacks provided at the table.

“Sure Fred. Good luck on your next date.” I said as Fred left with the plate of food.

Some people could be oblivious of their own faults and try way too hard. Am I asking too much for people to just be honest and not hide behind some sort of facade? I get people can be nervous, but it’s certainly better than trying to get to know a character who isn’t even real.

“Hey there bitch!”

“You’re hot as fuck and I know you need a real man to show you how it’s done.” 

I didn’t know how to respond to such an abrupt entrance. I thought Aidan was cringe, but this guy was a whole new level. Flexing in my face, flipping me off, calling me names? Was he trying to neg me in less than 5 minutes?

“I can see you’re stunned by my natural masculinity. I don’t blame you. I’m an older guy given a second chance in this buff young jock. I found myself out of shape at 50 thrown into this guy mid football game. I’m no stranger to the gym so i just buffed myself up even more than that kid could. Now I’m here and ready to fuck you. So. What do you say? Wanna get out of here and ditch all these idiots?”

“Next! Sooo much next! You don’t get to dominate the conversation like this And you are NOT the type for any reasonable person here. I hope you find some sub willing to put up with your shit.” I retorted with a glare.

I see the guy in front of me blanch embarrassed! “Bastard! You’d be lucky to have me. I oughta!” He raised his hand to slam the table! Or me! But soon security escorted him out.

“I.... wow. That’s the worst one to end on. But I might as well go. There are clearly not any guys for me here.” I was about to get up when this cuter guy came over.

“Hello! I... wow. I saw what happened. Great job for standing up to that guy. He seemed like such a creep. I’m Elijah by the way... were you heading out?”

I was caught off guard. This man was so handsome! He wasn’t posturing like the rest, but I still he was making an honest effort despite his trepedation. His voice faltered a bit, but its deep resonate tones made that sound sweet. He was holding himself in a reserved posture, but even as he nervously clasped his hands I could see biceps  raise and strain his shirt.

“I was... but I think I’d like to get to know you. I’m Omar. I just turned away a few guys who were being absolute jerks. How about you? Elijah was it?” I said a bit blushing.

“Yeah! Well I recently graduated post great shift. I finished my last semester at the local community college in a new body. I’m in my neighbors body. Big guy! Great beard, but I’m still getting used to maintaining it. I’ll admit. I’m working part time at the local library till I find a job more suitable for what I studied in school. I’m 22, but my new biological age is 35. I do some painting in my free time and love exploring new parts of the city now that a lot of it has been rebuilt since the shift.” Elijah explained.

“Oh! Have you checked out the bar across town? It used to be a gay bar called The Tank! Now it’s changed its name to The Sea! Since there’s so many more sexualities represented there!” I offered.

“Haha! Love that. That’s clever! The tank has gotten bigger! I get it! I uh... Maybe you and I could continue our conversation there, over drinks?” Elijah blushed.

“I’d like that. Let’s get out of here!” We both stood up and took each others hands. Gosh his were so warm. Not to mention they felt so strong. He’s got quite the grip! I took a few steps so enamored by him I nearly fell, until he caught me in his arms. My face went right across his chest as I looked up to him before standing back up.

“Thanks for the catch. I uh.. Wow. You’ve got quite the cologne. What’s that scent?” I asked so curiously.

“Oh! Sorry!” Elijah was blushing even more. “I’m not wearing any. That’s just how my body smells. Hope it wasn’t bad.”

My eyes widen again. “It’s fine. Perfect actually. I love it. Lead the way Elijah.”

Elijah giggled. Hearing such a deep voice let out something so whimsical was the cutest thing I’ve seen tonight.

“I feel so lucky walking out of this place with you Omar.” Elijah said.

“Oh come on. I’m sure you would’ve found an awesome guy to spend then night with. You’re quite the charmer.” I retorted.

“I’m not the one looking like Henry Cavil!” Elijah laughed.

We both laughed. It was true. Ever since I looked like a celeb dating has been so hard. People try so hard to impress me, that it was such a breath air to talk to Elijah like a normal person. 

“Well tonight I really do feel like the man of steel because you are making me quite hard.” I smirked at Elijah, now blushing to the max.

“I... I... normally cheesy lines like that don’t work on me, but coming for you I.... gosh let’s get to that bar!”

We ended up walking aware from that speed date very satisfied. Perhaps even the hot people need help finding love after the shift. Who knows. I never said I was perfect, but tonight I sure am excited to see how far Elijah and I go!