#when it's not selfies it's self-indulgent stories

[yuujispinkhair]

Hiking vacation with boyfie Sukuna

Pairing: modern!Sukuna x Reader (female) Genre: fluff + smut Warnings: 18+, lots of fluff and some smut, outdoor sex, praise. All characters are of age. This story is 18+. Minors don’t interact. This is super self-indulgent because I am on vacation atm and I can’t stop thinking about Kuna being here with me aaahhhh!!! ♥️

Being on a hiking vacation with your boyfriend Sukuna would include:

+ Holding hands with him the whole time during your hiking tours. Or he has one arm around your waist and his hand in your back pocket.

+ He looks so hot in his muscle shirt and hiking shorts and boots, showing his muscular arms and calves and his sexy tattoos.

+ He is so tall and so strong next to you, making you feel so safe and get butterflies just from looking at him.

+ His sexy smirk when he offers his hand to help you climb over a fallen tree or a slippery rock.

+ When he drinks water out of his bottle, looking so sexy when some droplets run down his chin, and you see his Adam’s apple bop enticingly.

+ He hands you the bottle afterward, always insisting you drink something too, even when you complain because you aren’t thirsty. His satisfied smirk, when you take a sip anyway, making him look so smug that you roll your eyes and have to get on your tiptoes to kiss that grin off him.

+ Sukuna always walks on the side of the hiking trail where the slope is. Swapping places with you by wrapping his strong arms around your waist and pulling you to the other side so he can take the more dangerous path. Making you smile because he is so protective.

+ When he smirks and puts a finger under your chin, and tilts your face up so he can slowly lean closer and kiss you. Making your heart race because you can feel his smile during the kiss, and it’s so sexy.

+ Long, slow tongue kisses while he holds you close.

+ Taking selfies where Sukuna stands behind you, tall and buff, hugging you tightly from behind and winking at the camera while he presses a kiss to your neck.

+ Sukuna laughing about the weird looks he sometimes gets from older people because of his face tattoos.

+ Sukuna giving your hand a gentle squeeze and leaning down to murmur in your ear how happy you make him. Telling you that he used to make fun of people who went hiking with their special someone, calling them boring. But now he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

+ Sukuna being so grateful for you and the life you give him. Thanking you for the way you love him. Being so smitten with how soft you are with him. Telling you in such a tender voice how deeply in love he is with you and that he wants this forever.

+ Strolling through town in the evenings after you return from your hike of the day, looking like the biggest lovebirds when you hold hands and laugh together about all the stupid little jokes you make and the shit-talking Sukuna does about all the other people.

+ Holding hands on the table during your dinner dates and only having eyes for each other. Deep, meaningful glances into each other’s eyes and lots of flirting. Sukuna leaning across the table to kiss you and tease you affectionately about giving him such hearteyes.

+ Riding him on your hotel bed later on, basking in the way he moans beneath you. And when your legs are sore from walking all day, Sukuna helps you ride him, lifting you up and down on his cock while he tells you how good you are for him, watching your face the whole time because he loves seeing how cute you look when you cum on his cock.

+ Going on a two-day hike with him and spending the night in a beautiful meadow in the mountains. Lying on a picnic blanket to watch the night sky, your fingers intertwined with Sukuna’s, your head resting comfortably on his chest.

+ Talking softly to each other and sharing slow kisses that gradually grow more intense.

+ Sukuna rolling on top of you, deepening your kisses and slowly undressing you, covering you with his tall, muscular body to keep you warm even in the chilly night air of the mountains.

+ Your naked bodies moving against each other, lips and tongues caressing as you gasp into each other’s mouths. Sukuna loving you with his hands and lips while you stroke his hard cock, until both of you can’t take it anymore and need more of each other.

+ Making love under the stars. Your hands in Sukuna’s pink hair and your legs around his waist, hearing his low moans against your ear, feeling him roll his hips into you, fucking you so deep and so good that you start crying.

+ Looking up at the stars sparkling in the night sky behind Sukuna’s broad shoulders while he makes slow love to you.

+ When you see a shooting star, your only wish is to always call Sukuna yours, to always be this close to him. And somehow you know at that moment that your wish will come true.

AAAAHHH I AM SO IN LOVE WITH HIM 😭😭💗💗 I was going insane because I couldn’t stop fantasizing about boyfie Kuna going on vacation with me, so I had to write all those thoughts down. I hope you enjoyed them too!!

Thank you so much for reading! Comments and reblogs would be super nice 💗

[mystic-headcanons]

the rfa at the eras tour

this is entirely self indulgent LMAO but here's how the characters would be @ the eras tour.

zen would love the concert. while he may not listen to all of her music, he very much enjoyed the entire set and especially loved how happy you were to be there. probably wouldn't join in on any of the chants or trade any bracelets, but instead looks at you with a smile every time you do. definitely takes a lot of pictures of you, and taylor, and then the both of you because your matching outfits are just the cutest. his favorite era would either be lover-- he can't help but look at you throughout the entirety of lover-- or 1989, because the visuals and the sound just completely enrapture him.

yoosung would just be happy to be there! knows her earlier stuff, but doesn't really know anything beyond 1989. goes feral over the fearless era, and screams almost as loud as you along to love story. if there's a proposal at your concert, you can bet he'd be crying while witnessing it-- and also a little jealous that he didn't think of the same idea. poor boy almost dies during vigilante shit-- his face is redder than a tomato and he chokes on his spit as he tries to look anywhere but the stage. you take many photos of this.

saeyoung is almost as excited as you are. he lives for anything that lets him dress up. he sat there making hundreds of friendship bracelets for you, spent hours shopping both online and in person for the perfect matching outfits, learned every chant and every song so he could fully enjoy the experience with you. and he did! however, any video anyone within five feet of him took would be unusable because he'd he screaming at the top of his lungs. holds you close during the lover and speak now era and definitely cries at one point during the show. fills up the entirety of his phone storage with only pictures and videos of you and him or just you.

jumin is. not having a good time. LMAO this man doesn't like huge crowds like that, and doesn't know most of the songs and craves the quiet comfort of his home. however, one look at you has him relaxing and a small, soft smile taking over his tense features. this was entirely for you, of course, and seeing you so happy and excited was enough to quiet any discomfort he might've felt. doesn't take any photos or videos, but he'll let you pull him down for selfies. the only video he has from that night is the one you sent to him of him kissing the crown of your head during lover.

jaehee is just excited to be there with you! she's a casual fan of taylor swift-- she doesn't really fangirl over anyone that's not zen-- so she probably won't know any of the chants, and definitely won't trade any bracelets, but she'll happily dress up with you. sings along under her breath to the songs that she knows, and just nods along to the ones that she doesn't. really likes the midnights era- and especially vigilante shit. blushes whenever you hold her hand or kiss her cheek or sing to her during the love songs. she takes one or two photos.

saeran absolutely refuses to go with you at first. attending a three and a half hour concert with thousands of people attending sounds like his own personal hell, but when you go to ask saeyoung to accompany you, saeran finally relents. "fine!" he'll grumble, "no need to ask my idiot brother. i'll go with you." you...hadn't suggested that to make him change his mind, but. a win is a win! he doesn't do any of the chants or any of the bracelets, and doesn't dress up. (or, at least, he doesn't wear anything he wouldn't usually wear, but. it's looks pretty reputation era, so you're happy.) despite his grumbling and his anxiety, saeran really did love seeing you so happy and carefree. is surprised by how much he enjoyed the reputation era, and ignores your smug look as he adds the songs to his playlist later on. refuses to take any pictures or videos, and will only be in a few for you.

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

WIP Wednesday

Thank you @jennaispunk for the tag.

I'm currently working on Elks, another Baseball Joel entry, and a totally self indulgent* piece where Joel takes you, Sarah and Sarah's friend Ellie (duh) to Disney World for Sarah's 16th birthday.

*I can't get the thought of Joel (discreetly it is a family destination) fucking someone on a balcony in the middle of the night while looking at the Castle. You know he's spending good contractor $$$ and getting two theme park view rooms at the Polynesian for his daughter's sweet 16.

Elks:

Two weeks, it’s only been two weeks, but it’s been two weeks of longing glances, shared stories over meals, quiet understandings, smart replies followed by laughter. Two weeks of thinking about him and missing him. You’ve wanted this since you saw him, the desire burning louder once he was no longer a handsome stranger. You’ve reached an ignition point, and Joel is right there with you, holding the match. 

His hands grab your hips, you can feel him against you, his pants tenting against your core. Denim rubbing against denim as you grind against him. 

Joel peppers kisses down your mouth to your chin, running his tongue down your neck, placing open mouth kisses against your collarbone. He explores you like he’s mapped his journey in his head before. You tip your head back and moan out as his hands drag up and cup your breasts. He licks his way back up your neck, your hands grab at his jaw, the desire in his eyes darkening them. 

“Joel…” you breathe out.

“What is it sweetheart?”

“I—I want you.”

“Heh,” his exhale hits your lips as he puts his forehead against yours, “I want you too sweetheart.”

————

Baseball Joel:

“I am, yeah, I will be. I’m sorry, it just really hit me how long it’s been and I guess I’m just nervous about everything we have to do. I don’t want to lose you…” and at those words and the fear that gets planted inside your heart, you pull your fingers away from your cunt.

“We’re going to figure it out sweetheart. M’not losing you.” Joel follows you and unwraps his hand from around himself. “It has been long, but we’ll have almost a week together next week.”

“Five games?”

“Five games.” The softness of his voice and the reassuring smile he gives makes your stomach twist. The slow realization of your true feelings for him speeding up inside your heart.

“I’m sorry.” An apology, you’re almost embarrassed by your juvenility, missing your boyfriend so much you almost started to cry.

“Baby, you don’t have to apologize, believe me, I understand.”

“Did you still want to…”

“I’m only happy doing what you want to, sweetheart.”

“I want to show you how much I miss you.” Your hand snakes up your body to start petting the area between your breasts, the place where Joel always like to nuzzle his face in and smell your skin.

“Fuck, okay sweetheart.”

————

Disney World:

“So there’s a ride in that big ball?”

“Yep! It’s all about the past and the future,” Sarah leans forward with her phone to take a selfie of herself wearing Minnie ears without skipping a beat. “It’s called Spaceship Earth, and the whole ride is in it.”

“Mm.” Joel cocks an eyebrow.  “Do we go to space?” 

“Nope,” you smile as you apply sunscreen on your shoulders, Joel’s eyes watching your actions. “It’s educational.”

You notice how his hands tense at his sides as he watches you rub the lotion up your neck and around your chest. You love being able to spend so much time with Sarah and Ellie but by the end of the day, when you and Joel lock the door to the connecting room, that’s when the best part of vacation starts.

“I think it’s bull there’s no space in something called ‘Spaceship Earth’ if you ask me. Super disappointed by the name,” Ellie laments.

“Well, cheer up kid, it’s where we’re headed to now,” you say zipping up the backpack Joel’s carrying after putting your sunscreen away.

“Let’s go learn something then I guess,” Joel grabs your hand and leads the four of you through the crowd. You love how people part for him, the broadness of his shoulders standing out amongst the herd of fellow tourists. 

[sonderwrit]

just realized how silly it is to play a self-insert otome and not post pics of your MC so here we go with selfies and default stickies lol

first off, rafayel!

i love all the range his expressions/poses have, he's definitely a brat but he's endearing in spite of that so stay winning. i have zero solar 4* solar pairs for him and basically neglect him more than the other 2 but i do love him as a character in my heart of hearts...i just don't see me paying taxes or doing laundry with him, you know (it'd all be me or his assistant pfft)

also he's a bit tsun and a bit butthurt from MC apparently forgetting him from before and basically acts like a rich spoiled temperamental artist brat with shades of gray morality (at least in the story so far) so it's hard to get a grasp on him (you can say he's slippery just like his tail hahaha) but i believe he's genuinely fond of this MC when not hopelessly pining for her past self somewhere so despite the intentionally overexaggerated self-pity act at times you can't help but indulge him and make him happy. because he's so beautiful and warm when he smiles with none of that subtle sharpness or bluntness he gives out on a usual day, and you think it'd be nice if he was like that more often (not just for you, but for himself and his own well being).

[vshoot]

Shining Bright: The Art of Commemorating Birthdays Through Professional Photoshoots/VShoots

Birthdays mark not just the passing of another year but the celebration of life, growth, and the precious moments that shape our journey. In the age of capturing every significant event, the trend of commemorating birthdays through professional photoshoots, or as we affectionately term it, VShoots, has gained immense popularity. Let's explore the artistry behind turning your special day into a visual masterpiece.

Every Click Tells a Story

Professional birthday photoshoots go beyond the traditional cake-cutting snapshots. They are a narrative, a story in frames that unfolds the joy, laughter, and essence of the day. From candid moments to carefully curated poses, each click becomes a chapter in the visual tale of your celebration.

Creating Lasting Memories

Gone are the days when birthdays were confined to a single day of celebration. A professional birthday VShoot allows you to encapsulate the magic and excitement, creating memories that will last a lifetime. These images become not just photographs but cherished artifacts, preserving the spirit of the day for years to come.

Expressing Your Unique Style

One of the perks of a professional birthday photoshoot is the opportunity to express your individuality and style. Whether it's a themed photoshoot, a glamorous portrait session, or a casual day-in-the-life documentation, these shoots are tailored to reflect your personality, making each frame uniquely yours.

Beyond Selfies: Capturing Group Dynamics

While selfies are a fun part of any celebration, a professional birthday VShoot takes group photos to a whole new level. It captures the dynamics, the shared laughter, and the camaraderie of your closest friends and family. These group shots become a testament to the bonds that make your life special.

A Gift to Yourself: Self-Love in Focus

In the rush of planning and executing a birthday celebration, it's easy to forget the one person at the center of it all – you. A professional birthday photoshoot is not just about capturing the external festivities; it's a gift to yourself, an opportunity to celebrate who you are at this moment in time.

Professional Touch: Elevating Every Detail

From the choice of venue to the play of light, professional photographers bring a level of expertise that transforms your birthday celebration into a work of art. Their keen eye for detail ensures that every moment is captured with precision and care, resulting in a collection of images that radiate professionalism.

Conclusion: A Celebration in Frames

In the era of social media and digital sharing, a professional birthday photoshoot or VShoot is not just an indulgence; it's a modern way of celebrating life's milestones. It's about transforming your special day into a visual symphony of joy, laughter, and love, a celebration that shines bright in the frames of time. So, the next time your birthday approaches, consider stepping into the spotlight and commemorating the occasion with the artistry of professional photoshoots. After all, life is a celebration, and every frame tells a story worth remembering.

[apaise]

it’s funny, but when remembering all the little barbie adventures she used to create with her cousins . . . a honeymoon in paris was definitely something she and mia would dream up. the two would giggle as they picked matching berets for barbie and ken, all while willa and jamie attempted to bring more exciting locations to the table ( the archaeological city of petra, the pyramids of giza, the reed flute caves of china! ).

now, actually living the dream for herself . . . all avery wants is to go home.

not home in california, but her first home in hillford. back with her cousins. avery had been all set to be a good wife today and do exactly what tatiana planned, but then she saw mia’s newest instagram story and it all unraveled. it was only a selfie with mia and willa and jamie getting soft pretzels at the old starcourt mall, but . . . that was all it took for avery to be struck by an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and regret. it was like seeing another life flash before her, one where she and her father had never left hillford. she would’ve been able to grow up with her best friends, and maybe . . . she would’ve been different, too. 

if she had mia, willa, and jamie at her side, she never would’ve made the choices that had her miserably honeymooning in paris . . . her husband flirting with high school girls at the pool, her mother-in-law snoring at the spa during her 4th treatment that day. although avery knows she still wouldn’t have been become as clever or talented as her cousins . . .  she would’ve been happy just to be with them and indulge in all their beloved rituals of christmas baking and halloween horror marathons. she misses luke and damian too; she was hardly able to even speak with the boys for more than a few minutes at her wedding before tatiana ushered her elsewhere. 

somehow along the way, her life had become not her own, and that slow realization in paris leaves avery self-medicating with far too much champagne. luckily, shane was at least content to leave her on her own today, calling her his silly wife before heading to brunch with his mom. they were supposed to take pictures in versailles this afternoon for tatiana’s website, but she thought avery’s face looked too puffy this morning anyway, postponing the plans for now. 

cocooned in the hotel comforters, avery drifts in and out of sleep for the rest of the morning, dreaming of barbies and soft pretzels and hillford’s halloween festival. after three hours, she blinks awake to nothing but all white, still safely encased in her blankets. she wriggles slightly to make a hole and gain some bearing, realizing she had slept in the bed upside down. but from that angle, she has the perfect view of the walk-in closet, as well as the safe inside, where . . . someone appears to be quickly emptying its contents.

it’s such a shocking thing to witness that avery becomes strangely transfixed by the sight, watching the girl carefully remove pouches of tatiana’s diamond necklaces and rings and slip them into her own bag. for a moment, avery wonders if she’s still dreaming, but . . . the slightest breeze from the balcony door feels too precise, too real. she’s actually observing a robbery in real time. but instead of feeling panicked or afraid as she should, avery feels the most peculiar pinch of envy, seeing someone who truly has complete control over her own life. 

sniffling and unaware of the tearstained mascara at her face, avery finally sits up, the comforter falling off her shoulders. ❝ don’t forget the watch, ❞ she mumbles softly, still a little dazed from the champagne. she drags herself out of bed over to the closet too, digging into one of shane’s jackets; he had taken off his rolex yesterday while they walked back to the hotel. avery holds it out in her palm like it’s a piece of candy, feeling almost at peace for making a decision of her own for the first time in a few days. this would make her husband and her mother-in-law furious. 

❝ are you a thief? ❞ avery sniffles, the remnants of her alcohol keeping her from thinking about how precarious this is to approach a criminal so nonchalantly. but after days of her life feeling so incredibly meaningless, there’s a little thrill in endangering it. ( @heartsechoed​ )

[byanyan]

@byaniel’s instagram story 10/07/21

[katsukikitten]

Have some word vomit from an idea that came into my head lol

Bakugo has always known he wouldn't get to experience love. In high school he barely had time for his friends, he poured himself into training and studying. His goal never faulted and was always unchanged. When he allows himself a break his friends would happily take that time and do something fun. He realized that in his line of work, romance wasn't a possibility. He wakes up hours before sun rises and comes home sometimes hours after midnight just drained and exhausted from the day. Few days he was home early or was off were dedicated to preparing everything for the upcoming work week. His one small joy that he never gives up is reading romance novels. He just gets lost in the stories of two people coming together and slowly falling in love. He loves reading about the dates and the nervous butterflies they get confessing their feelings. The first kiss scenes are his favorite ones for a part of him hopes it will just be as magical if he ever got the chance to experience it. 

Today he believed it would just be like any other day off. It was a simple routine: sleep in a few hours, go to the gym still before the sunrise, make some breakfast, clean himself up, pick up his place and laundry, and have a light lunch before heading to the grocery store. He didn't like to go out in the middle of the day. Too many crowds and no matter how hard he try to disguise himself he was always noticed. After annoyingly taking longer than he like shopping due to having to stop take pictures and sign autographs he decided to stop and get something cold to drink. Weather was hotter than normal and not helping his soured mood. The little store was mostly empty and making his way to the drinks he bumped into you. He swore that you were an angel and just so gorgeous, you had the most captivating eyes he let himself get lost in. 

You saying "sorry, wasn't really looking" brought him back to reality. He helped you up and said "No I should have been paying attention" and the way you just laughed it off and quickly brushed yourself off, treating him like he was an average person made his heart start to flutter. He offered to buy you your drink and snacks as an apology and when you weren't paying attention wrote his number on the receipt, in the hopes that you would text or call him. For the rest of the day you were the only thing on his mind and when you sent him a message and a cute selfie for a contact pic his heart stopped from happiness. 

He looks forward to your messages and makes time throughout the day to call you. Butterflies didn't go away. He loved hearing of your day while he did paperwork and he really liked hearing about the new show you started. You made his days brighter and it only took a few weeks to ask you on a proper date. 

ELLA HOLY SHIT ROMANCE NOVELS 🥺 HIS LITTLE SECRET SELF INDULGENCE and the first kiss scenes I'm 😭

STOP I LOVE THIS SO FUCKIN MUCH! Please please tell me he was nervous for the first date 👀 I bet he was nervous asking about it too. Wanted to call at the very least because texting, although nice, could never convey his true feelings and he liked hearing your voice

[ravenrune]

Call me pretty

I just wanted to write some self-indulgent Leon x reader fic, and this came to mind. Word count: 1336. It is SFW. :) Brief summary: You accidentally texted Leon instead of your friend. Leon is friendly enough to respond. Update: I meant to gift this to my lovely tornado twin @lunarastrobabe but I was a bit too shy because her stories are really good. Still, this one's for you, sis.

You’d just bought a new dress and even you, yourself, had to admit you looked fantastic in it. Excited to share your newest purchase with your friends, you took a selfie in your new dress and sent it to them straight away, along with the caption ‘Bitch, I got a new dress, call me pretty!’.

Two friends responded instantly with the usual compliments, but one of them did not. It struck you as odd for a second, but you figured she must be busy, just having moved to a different state and all.

It wasn’t until later that night that you received a text back.

While I have to admit you do look quite pretty in that dress, I think you might have sent that to the wrong number.

Shit. Had you really sent that text to the wrong number? You could’ve sworn you’d added the right number to your contact list when she’d changed it. You always made sure to double check, just to avoid situations like this. You decided to text back.

Ehhhh, are you messing with me, Jamie? You know I’m always careful when it comes to that sort of thing.

It made you feel a bit uncomfortable. If you really did have the wrong number, then what stranger had just complimented your new look?

A couple of minutes later your phone beeped. You picked it up, the stranger had texted you back again.

I’m not messing with anyone, you’ve got the wrong number. Name’s Leon, not Jamie. Sorry sweetheart.

Sweetheart? This had to be a joke, right? And Leon? You’d never met anyone named Leon, it sounded like the kind of name you’d make up if you didn’t want to tell someone your real name, for example at Starbucks. You couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious, though. Despite being a usually very mature woman, Jamie still had a tendency to pull stupid pranks on her friends every once in a while.

Leon? What kind of name is that? Jamie, I swear, if you keep messing with me, I’m taking the next plane over to eat all the food in your fridge again and will spend a week sleeping in your bed.

A bit annoyed, you put your phone away and opened up your laptop, ready to get some work done before tomorrow. You wanted to leave work tomorrow a bit earlier than usual because there were things that needed to be dealt with, but your boss wasn’t the easiest woman to get along with most of the time, so you hoped going the extra mile today would put her in a good mood.

Just as you were getting in the zone, making an effort to finish a police report on some stupid stolen bicycle, your phone beeped again.

Sighing, you reached for it and checked the screen. It was Jamie again. Or ‘Leon’, as she had apparently started calling herself tonight.

What’s wrong with the name Leon? People say it suits me just fine. Once again, I am not Jamie, name’s Leon. You definitely have the wrong number.

Rolling your eyes because you were getting a little bit fed up with Jamie, you texted back right away.

Fine then, ‘Leon’, prove it.

Another beep. Quicker than last time, maybe Jamie was finally done with her infantile little prank texts.

Prove what, exactly? You are the one that has the wrong number. If anything, you’re messing with me here, not the other way around. However, if you really think I am your friend messing with you, how about I give you a call?

You barely had time to finish reading the message, as your phone suddenly started ringing. The screen showed you had an incoming video call, and a sudden sense of anxiety settled in the pit of your stomach. With slightly shaky hands, you ran a hand through your hair, sat down in a spot with a bit more light and picked up the phone, half expecting Jamie’s face to pop up on the screen and half expecting the face of an angry, middle aged man.

“Hey,” you were greeted by the face of a man who looked like he was somewhere in his late twenties. He looked like the kind of guy that would be considered either the cool one or the cute one in one of those 90s boy bands you used to listen to when you were a teenager.

“Eh… Hello…” You could feel your face growing a bit hotter and looked away from your phone. It really wasn’t Jamie you’d been texting, it had been some hot guy instead. “I eh..”

Leon laughed, seeing you flustered amused him. “I’m Jamie, nice to meet you,” he joked. “Do you believe me now?”

You laughed out loud and turned back to look at the phone. Damn, that guy was cute. “Yeah, I do. I’m really sorry - eh - Leon. It’s a bad excuse, but I’ve been working a lot and I guess I wasn’t paying attention when Jamie gave me her new number.”

“It’s fine,” Leon said, smirking, “I get it, my job makes it hard to focus on the world around me sometimes, too. What do you do for a living?”

You hadn’t expected him to actually initiate a conversation. He didn’t even seem annoyed that a random stranger had been texting him tonight, possibly interrupting anything important he might’ve been up to. “I work at a police station. Not a cop, though, just some office job.”

“And a name? You got one of those, too?”

You chuckled. “Yeah, I’m Y/N.”

Leon nodded. “Good, nice to meet you, Y/N.”

“So what do you do for a living?” You couldn’t help but ask, you were starting to get very curious about this man who had just randomly appeared in your life.

Leon’s smile faded and was replaced with a more serious look on his face. He remained silent for a moment before trying to answer your question. “We are not exactly in the same line of work, but… I’m not sure how to explain this, but I do keep myself busy with keeping this country a safe place.”

You knew what that meant. Secret agent, FBI, CIA, whatever. They couldn’t just talk about what they did for a living, so you let the matter rest. “I see, I think I understand. I’m sorry, it’s none of my business, anyway.“

The smile on Leon’s face reappeared, causing a random butterfly to wake up in your stomach. “It’s fine, Y/N, don’t worry about it.”

“Ehh… Also sorry I texted you that picture and all, I really thought you were my friend.”

“Also fine. I was kind of bored just sitting around here by myself, so receiving a text in which a woman demanded I call her pretty and then threatened to come to my apartment and eat all of my food at least kept me entertained.”

You rolled your eyes and laughed. “Yeah… don’t worry, I won’t come over to…”

Your reply was interrupted by Leon, who seemed to be getting a call on another mobile phone. He briefly glanced at its screen and sighed. “Sorry, Y/N, work is calling, I gotta go. How about I text you again tomorrow, so we can continue this conversation later?”

“Eh…” That took you by surprise, but you managed to play it cool. “Yeah, sure, why not, right? That might be nice.”

Leon’s smile appeared one last time. “Good. Was nice meeting you, pretty, talk to you later.”

You nodded and smiled back. “Alright, later Leon.”

After ending the call, you got up from your couch and went to pick up your cat. ”Snoozy, did you hear all that? Did you? I shouldn’t be this excited, but I am!” Snoozy disagreed with being picked up and jumped back onto his favourite chair.

“Well, you’re no fun…” You turned around to look at the table and groaned something under your breath. “Damnit, how am I supposed to get back to work now?”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you liked it! If you did, let me know, I'm curious if people would be interested in more fics like this in the future.

[chronic-claire-universe]

The Haitani Cats

tumblr fuckin hate me and messed up with the post so I’m going to repost it! 

It has been an awful start of the week that’s why I’m going to post my self indulgent story. For the moots who followed my interactions with the Haitani Anon they know we adopted some stray kittens, so here some curiosities about them!

Who are they?

Aristotle Ribs - my favourite and the most defensive of the litter, he likes sunbathing on the bench in the garden and stay away from his brothers or attack them if they want to play with/near him. He scratches Ran because he doesn’t like his scent and think he is a menace for his exsistence.

Braids - He’s Ribs “twin”, they differ for eyes color and traits. Braids love posing for photos and he loves cuddles, especially from Ran. Ran always throw him from his lap if he seeks attention, but the kitten is stubborn and goes back to Ran’s lap and meow until Ran pets his head.

Christian Kokonoi -  the only female of the litter, Koko adopted her and send me photos most selfies everyday. Might become a cat influencer on social media cause she’s really cute and distinguished. She loves going on the shelves and look at you almost like judging you poor human. Koko wasn’t attached to her in the beginning but now he loves to talk to her about his daily complains and she replies almost like she understand what he’s saying.

Eugenie Copernicus - the shyest one - we have some photos just because he trust Sanzu and Rindou enough to sleep on them. He is always hidden in the cathouse or under the house furnitures. When he isn’t hidden he goes around the neighborhood with or without Ribs and he fights with other cats. Sanzu found him one night scaried because of a dog and he saved him, gaining his total trust, the problem is that Sanzu when high, bullies the poor creature.

Their Outdoor House

I builded this all by myself, they really love it and they stay most of the time there sleeping, since they have 3 weeks. A blanket keep them warm and when it’s raining I put it under the porch to avoid them getting cold or the rain to ruin it.

The Indoor Bed

When I feed them, they tend to nap after some minutes, they stay in there for a lot of time under the blanket and sleep peacefully, until the evening/night when they go out from the kitten’s door and go around to cause recks on the streets.

What does Ran do/think of them?

He “hates” them and I caught him threatening them to finish on the street again if they steal my attention from him 😂he’s just a primadonna and basically hates that there isn’t attention on him 24 hours a day. He’s also akward with them, he doesn’t know how to cuddle them and if Braids goes on his lap to nap he freezes not having the courage to move in a more comfortable position, basically he thinks the kitten is cute and doesn’t want to bother his beauty sleep.

What does Rindou do/think of them?

Rindou wanted to adopt Eugenie but he hasn’t the heart to leave him from his brothers, that’s why he is everyday in my place to play with them and cuddle them. He’s the opposite of Ran but he doesn’t want no one to see him like this, that’s why he comes when he thinks I’m asleep or out. He has an album dedicated to them, and Eugenie loves him cause he brings treats only for him, big doting father basically 💜

How I found them?

I was coming back from the hospital and decided to take a walk and went through the park and found them near there, the mother wasn’t there that’s why I decided to take care of them. I decided to bring Ran and adopt them when the temperatures drastically lowered, I was afraid they could die because of hypothermia or be attacked by stray dogs who roamed around there.

Their Names:

I gave the name to Ribs, Aristothle just because I love giving pets distinguished names, and somehow I affected both the brothers who called Eugenie Copernicus for the same reason - Christian has this name because she recalls a dress from the famous haute couture fashion house, and the surname just because Koko adopted her. Braids recalling what Ran said “He’s the cutest bet that’s me” he called him like this just because he wanted a brother for Ribs and Braids recalled of him, no big meaning beside this.

[cafedanslanuit]

for @quirky-and-kind ― a dive into your relationship, your love language, your astrology compatibility, romantic headcanons, your playlist, a small story and more [+ info on self-ships scrapbooks, here]

The first thing anyone learns about Zen is that he’s a tremendous flirt. But behind the selfies and the compliments, there’s a man who is very selective on who he shows his true self. He’s determined to always appear strong and collected― yet your connection was so strong, after a few days of meeting you, he let himself be vulnerable around you. To this day, he still can’t pinpoint which moment let him know you were a safe space for him to land― however, he knows it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. What’s most important is that he finally found a home in you, someone that will always be by his side. As long as he has you, he feels he can conquer the world.

ACTS OF SERVICE. If there’s something Zen has learnt throughout his life, is that words can be empty. At his school, everyone was fascinated with him and always talked high praise about his beauty. At home, his brother always had his back when his parents made crude remarks. Yet, where were they when he had to run away from home? From a young age, Zen understood words were just that, words. That’s why, when he’s in love, he wants to make sure his partner knows how much they are appreciated. It isn’t any different with Lea; if there’s any way he can be of help, he will. It doesn’t matter if it’s carrying all the bags from the grocery store or rubbing her foot when she’s tired, Zen will never waste an opportunity to show her how much she means to me― for him, actions are heavier than words.

♡ One of Zen’s worst fears was that his lifestyle and career choice would eventually push his partner away. Sometimes, it could be a little too much to handle, and he could understand that. That was why when you stepped up as his manager, for the first time in his life he realized “Hey, this could work.” Despite being told working with your partner isn’t always the best idea, he managed to prove everyone wrong. You two make it work, set boundaries and put communication above all else. His heart beats faster every time he remembers, despite his upbringing, he was able to build a nurturing and healthy bond with someone else. He did that. With your help, of course― but he can’t help and feel proud of himself too.

♡ Zen is a fan of the classics. Every month, like clockwork, he brings you a bouquet of different flowers. Even if he usually sticks with seasonal ones, he makes sure there’s a lot of pink in there, knowing how much you love the colour. He loves how brightly you smile at it and loves watching you put them in a nice vase before snapping a picture for yourself. More than anything he loves than he’s able to make you happy.

♡ His favourite way to start his morning is spending time with you. He usually likes to go for a quick run with you and then sit on your kitchen table sharing breakfast. You usually remind him if he has any events for the day, and even if he does remember them, he likes listening to you talk. Whether it’s this small TV show he’s supposed to make an appearance in or a funny picture Yoosung sent to you last night, he always has this soft smile while he sits back on the chair and smiles softly, remembering how truly lucky he is.

♡ For your first anniversary, still in Korea, he brought you back to the roof where you first had a heart-to-heart talk. There’s a small basket waiting for you, with some chocolates and a bottle of chardonnay. The true dinner is waiting for you downstairs, but for a moment you indulge in the memories of that starry night when he showed his vulnerability. You toast to a year together and, of course, he adds, “And many more to come.”

Zen does not only have an Aries sun, but he also has his Venus in Aries! This shows us he is very direct about what he wants romantically, and he will be upfront about it. He likes to take the lead, but at the same time, he’s also very aware of how much he feels. He has a Cancer moon, which makes him very sensitive and his feelings run very deep as well. This goes very in sync with your Leo moon, which is more emotionally constant. At the same time, your Leo moon also needs affirmation and love, sometimes that it’s very easy for him to provide. Zen needs the reassurance and stability he wasn’t offered when he was younger and he’s so glad he’s found it with you. The nurturing nature of your Cancer sun also resonates heavily with him, and he feels he can be his true, sensitive self with you.

♡ Broadway, Here I Come! (from SMASH) - Jeremy Jordan

But even though I fear it / I'm playin' all my cards… / Baby, you are gonna hear it / When I give them my regards

If there’s any song that perfectly resembles Zen, is this one. When he first listened to it while watching the show, he felt a connection and immediately added it to his repertoire. It talks about his hopes and dreams on stage, but also about the fear that comes with it. It’s one of his favourite songs to warm up, and you could listen to him softly humming it when, eventually, he was on a plane to Broadway itself.

♡ Run Away With Me (from The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown) - Aaron Tveit

Let me be your ride out of town / Let me be the place that you hide / We can make our lives on the go / Run away with me

When Zen’s opportunity to go on stage on Broadway finally comes, he couldn’t picture it happening with anyone else than you, Lea. Someone who had his back from the very beginning, even if the public eye wasn’t kind with him during his first scandal. He shouldn’t feel nervous, he thinks, but he feels his voice shaking a little when he breaks out the news for you. Every one of his doubts disappears when you jump into his arms.

♡ City of Stars (from La La Land) - Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone

I felt it from the first embrace / I shared with you / That now our dreams / They've finally come true

This beautiful romantic duet is personal for Zen. The passion and nervousness that comes from following your dreams are paired with the excitement of new love, and he can heavily relate to both of them. I see him being completely in love with the movie and make a silent promise to balance both his professional and his love life because he could never see himself letting you go.

Zen feels he’s dragging his feet as he opens the door to his apartment. He had his eyes closed during the elevator ride, which would have alerted more than one of his new neighbours if they had caught him― however, it was two in the morning. The whole building was asleep. The clean and bright premises still catch him off guard, even if it’s been months since he’s been living there. However, on days like this, he’s thankful he’s no longer at his basement apartment. Coming back tired to a faulty stove or a damaged AC was never a good idea.

He doesn’t make a noise as he steps inside, leaving his shoes at the entrance. The moonlight coming from the windows let him navigate his living room and walk to the kitchen, where he finds a sandwich wrapped in aluminium foil with his name on it. He devours it almost instantly. His body warms up, thanks to the food and the little heart you drew next to his name. It encourages him not to waste any more time and take a quick shower, change into his pyjamas and walk into your shared bedroom.

Zen is very careful as he crawls on the bed, his movements painfully slow, but it doesn’t take much for you to wake up.

“You’re back,” you mumble in your sleep. Zen grimaces, an apologetic look on his face.

“I am. And I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispers. You chuckle and turn your body so you’re facing him. Zen notices the pillow print on your cheek and he can’t help but press a kiss over it.

One kiss turns into two and three and soon he’s melting into you. His arms hold your body close to him as he buries his face on the crook of your neck and takes a deep breath. The smell of your shampoo makes him hum contently and he presses even more kisses on your skin. Your hands travel to his loose hair, still a little damp from the shower and you ran your fingers across his scalp.

“I’m home,” he murmurs, and you feel his lips against your skin.

“You’re home.”

It’s the last thing you manage to say before drifting to sleep once more― this time in the arms of the man you loved the most.

[obeyme-kaidii-writes]

Period Comfort

All Brothers x gn!MC

NOTE - obviously this story is about people with uteruses. But it’s still gender neutral because more than just females have them. This is based on my personal experience with my horrible periods. Some people may feel differently and that’s ok too. 👍🏻

Format - Headcanons / Scenarios

Words - 1895

Content warnings - talk of periods, but other than that just lots of fluff and cuddles

Prompt/Inspiration - self-indulgent comfort piece, (aka I’m on my period and feeling grumpy)

Summary - You’re looking forward to your date this weekend with your favorite demon when the unthinkable happens - your period starts. The boys drop by to check on you.

AO3

Scene -

Things had been going so well. The sun (well, the moon) was shining, the birds (crows) were singing (squawking). It was a lovely day in the Devildom. Who cares if you had been a little emotional the past couple of days? You didn’t. You had plans for this weekend with your favorite demon and you were not about to let anything get you down.

That’s when you felt it. It must be my stomach, you thought, so you ignored it. Then you felt it again. Is it a cramp? Nah can’t be a cramp, you argued with yourself.

And then you realized what you were doing - it’s the same thing you do every time your cycle rolls around: you try to convince yourself that your accursed uterus wasn’t deciding to shed it’s lining at the most inconvenient time. And you knew from experience, anytime you had that conversation with yourself that that is exactly what was going on, and only disaster awaited you if you continued to ignore your own intuition.

So you dragged yourself to your bathroom, inserted/applied the period product of choice, and popped a couple ibuprofen as a preventative measure, before crawling into bed. It occurred to you then that you should probably message the other residents of the House of Lamentation to inform them they were not to disturb you for a week or there would be...consequences. But before you could even turn on your DDD, there was a knock on your door and in walked….

Lucifer

You were relieved to see it was Lucifer, you knew he wouldn’t pester you.

He had come to check on you, and remind you of your upcoming date

Was immediately concerned when he saw you glaring out from under your bundle of blankets

He asks if you’re feeling ok, and you explain about your situation

He’s not all that familiar with human anatomy, but this isn’t the first time you basically went into hibernation mode

It occurs to him you’ll probably not be feeling up to your date, so he says you can reschedule when you’re feeling better.

Offers to bring you anything you might need, and promises to keep his brothers away so you can rest

Kisses you on the forehead before leaving, but you pull him back for a real kiss. He smirks at you because he knew that’s how you’d react.

No one else comes to your door for the rest of your cycle (except Lucifer when he brings your meals)

Lucifer had to string Mammon up a few times when he caught him trying to sneak into your room

Mammon

You love your precious idiot to bits, but he’s a little clueless sometimes. Like now when he didn’t immediately realize the death glare you shot him when he came into your room unannounced and started talking to you about your weekend plans

Finally stops to see why you aren’t responding and notices the look you’re giving him from under your blankets. His blood runs cold and he starts to panic internally...did he do something? Did he say something?

You have mercy on the poor boy and call him over, he sits on the bed next to you and holds your free hand while you explain what’s wrong

You tell him that you’ll need to reschedule your date, and he’s a bit disappointed at that, but he reassures you it’s fine

Huge sigh of relief from him when he realizes he didn’t screw anything up. Immediately switches gears to wanting to know what he can do for you.

You let him know you really just want quiet and to sleep, and he asks if he could stay, cue the biggest puppy dog eyes 🥺

You tell him he can, but he has to promise to sit still and not to talk. He swears that he can manage that.

To your great surprise, he does. He distracts himself by browsing Akuzon, and you cuddle up next to him for a nice, cozy nap, with him occasionally pressing kisses to the top of your head

Leviathan

Unlike Mammon, he notices you glaring at him immediately and freezes. He knew he shouldn’t have come. You might have been a couple but of course you wouldn’t want him around all the time, right?

Once you realize it’s Levi, you relax a little and smile at him. He’s still nervous so reach out your hand to him until he comes over.

He stands next to your bed holding your hand while you explain to him what’s going on

He really doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do here. Do you want to be left alone? Should he stay? It’s not contagious is it? You aren’t going to die right?!

You reassure your poor panicking otaku that you aren’t dying, it’s not contagious, and that you really just want to rest.

That’s when he realizes that you probably won’t want to go on the date y’all had planned and he’s really disappointed, he can’t even hide it

You kiss the back of his hand, making him blush, and promise you’ll make it up to him

Feeling a little better, he asks if you want to watch an anime or something with him instead and you agree.

He sits next to you in bed with your head in his lap while you cuddle up to his legs.

He gets so engrossed in the show he doesn’t even notice when you fall asleep until the episode is done. He doesn’t want to wake you, so decides he’s just going to be stuck like that forever and picks out one of his favorites series to binge watch instead.

Satan

He raises an eyebrow at you when he sees the look you’re giving him

He notices the bottle of ibuprofen next to your bed and quickly pieces together what must be going on

He does have a basic understanding of human anatomy, but the nuances like your food cravings and self comfort measures are unknown to him

He catches on pretty fast once you explain it though, he may make a couple odd suggestions that he read about once or twice

You let him know that you won’t be able to go on your date that weekend, and he is only concerned with comforting you

Gives you a sweet kiss to your forehead before asking if you need anything, which he’ll fetch immediately

You ask him if he’ll stay with you, just so you can have him close and of course he agrees. He heads back to his room to grab a couple of books for himself, and one for you too, just in case you feel up to reading.

By the time he returns, you’ve already fallen asleep. He’ll make sure you’re tucked in and comfy, giving you another forehead kiss or two.

Takes a seat in the large lounge chair in your room and quietly reads until it’s time for dinner

Asmodeus

He’s the kinda guy that has been tracking your cycle for you. He just can’t help it.

So when he opens the door, he already has some of your favorite snacks and a heating pad in his arms

You’re really relieved to see him. If there is one thing Asmo knows how to do, it’s pamper you! (Besides his other talents of course)

He makes sure the snacks are within easy reach of your bed, and sets up the heating pad for you so you can cuddle with it when needed

Tells you right away that you don’t need to worry about the date, he’s already had it rescheduled.

Asks you if there is anything he can do for you, and you ask if he can just cuddle with you

He’s happy to agree, and crawls into bed alongside you, with you resting your head on his chest.

If you’re feeling up to it, he’ll even brush and braid/style your hair. But if you don’t feel like being touched he’ll just gently hold you in his arms

While you’re sleeping, he does manage to sneak in a few cute selfies snuggling with you. He’ll send you the best ones...once your period is over and he knows you'll no longer be mad about it 🙃

Beelzebub

He is really confused when he walks in and sees how grumpy you look. It kinda reminds him of how Belphie looks when his naps get interrupted so he doesn’t take it personally.

You smile at him once you realize it’s Beel and not anyone else

He comes and sits on the bed next to you, brushing your hair out of your face so he can get a better look at you

You explain why you aren’t feeling well, and he immediately grows concerned. It takes a lot of convincing to assure him that you’ll be fine in just a few days

Realizes that your date will need to be rescheduled and tells you not to worry about it. He just wants you to feel better soon.

When you mention that you have some favorite foods that you crave during this time of month, he is all too happy to fetch them for you

Like seriously - he gets Beel-sized quantities for you, and you’ll probably get sick of whatever it is by the time your period is over, so be sure to ask him to share otherwise you won’t finish it all in your own

He asks if you feel up to cuddling or if you’d rather be left alone (he really doesn’t want to leave you alone though)

If you agree to cuddles, he’ll wrap you up in his arms, holding you securely. It’ll be so nice and warm and comforting you’ll fall asleep really quickly. He won’t be far behind you either.

Belphegor

Doesn’t hesitate to ask you who peed in your Cheerios

You have to laugh at that, and then explain how you’re feeling and why

He realizes right away you won’t be able to go on your date, but won’t say anything about it unless you bring it up. He doesn’t want you to feel pressured.

He also gets a little nervous at first about your health and safety, so expect to need to explain to him that it’s a normal part of human life

He’s still going to be feeling really protective of you though, and will make sure under no circumstances that his brothers bother you. Beel can come visit because he gives good cuddles, but that’s it.

When you mention that you really just want to sleep, his face lights up. Naps are only his favorite thing in the world to do with you, so he’s happy to be able to comfort you this way

You’ll lay on your side and he’ll spoon you from behind. He’ll even give you his cow pillow to snuggle as he holds you. It smells just like him, which you find very relaxing.

For once, he doesn’t fall asleep until he’s sure you’re asleep. Then he’ll give you plenty of gentle kisses to your neck and shoulders before cuddling up to you and falling asleep himself.

His arms will stay wrapped around you the whole time, making sure you stay warm and comfortable.

[hazel-light]

Chapter Word Count: ~7,400

Total Fic Word Count: ~30,000

Genre: (Wedding) Fake Dating, Friends to Lovers, lots of bed sharing and every self indulgent fluffy trope possible.

Warnings: None? Lots of fluff? Occasional cussing? Some suggestive themes, moments, and jokes I guess. No smut or anything!

Disclaimer: I am not Daniel Sharman, and I do not pretend to know how he would act, speak, etc. This is fiction okay, there’s a lot of creative license, and potential to be OOC. Ricky isn’t mentioned because I started writing this before we knew he existed, so apologies for that. Also, if you’re DShar himself, please do us both a favor and don’t read this, okay???? Same if you know him 🙈

Title taken from the song Yellow Lights by Harry Hudson which suits this story quite a bit!

A/N: You thought I'd skip all the possibilities and tropes that come with the holidays?! Of course not. This is the final part to Yellow Lights. Thank you all for making my return to writing and posting so wonderful. I am so, so, grateful. I hope the ending lives up to your expectations. <3

The next month and a half passes by uneventfully. I try not to spend all of my time thinking about how great Rachel's wedding was, and equally try to ignore the wistful feeling Henry’s wedding left me with. Having Daniel be my fake boyfriend in front of my family showed me everything that I’d ever wanted; someone who fit in seamlessly, who loved me for me, with the perfect balance of romance and friendship. Whatever crush I had successfully buried when Daniel and I first met is now achingly hard to avoid. I curse my active imagination and optimism for letting me indulge in the moments of pretend, leaning too comfortably into our façade.

As a result, I don’t talk to Daniel much. He is busy finishing filming his project in London, and I try to focus on my life in LA. I’ve become paranoid that every text I send him is one too many, too annoying, or too bothersome. I figure I can reassess things when Daniel comes home from filming, and try to find my footing in our friendship again.

This seems like a solid plan until I’m on Zoom with my family for Thanksgiving. Since I’ve already flown back once this year for the wedding, and I’m planning to fly back again next month for Christmas, staying put for Thanksgiving was the economical choice. The call is mostly uneventful until the subject of Daniel comes up.

“Where’s that boy?” Aunt Judith crows from her spot at the dining table.

“Hmm?” I ask.

“She means Daniel.” Ryan rolls his eyes, bringing the iPad closer to her.

“Oh! Right.” I try to recover. “He’s still away filming his new project, actually, but I was able to fly out to see him at the end of September for another wedding, actually.”

Aunt Judith frowns. “That’s a long time to not see someone that handsome—” I start to laugh, “Are you sure he’s not cheating on you?”

Oh shit. It’s in this moment that I realize Daniel and I had never “broken up” as far as my family knows. I hear the rest of my family start sputtering in the background.

“Aunt Judith— you can’t just—”

“That’s awful, I—”

“It is kind of a long time, huh?—”

I try to keep a straight face. “Guys! It’s okay. He’s an actor, it comes with the territory. I expected this.”

“So you aren’t sure that he’s not cheating on you?” Ryan frowns.

“That isn’t what I meant, Ry. Daniel and I are fine. We’re really good, actually.”

“Well I certainly hope you’ll be bringing him home for Christmas then.” Aunt Judith huffs.

“It would be nice to see him,” Rachel speaks up for the first time, and her husband Nick nods. “I didn’t get to talk to him a whole lot at the wedding.”

I clear my throat, my mind racing. “You know, we haven’t actually talked about what we’re doing for Christmas yet; I’ll have to see what he’s doing— if he’s going to spend it with his family.”

“But you’re still coming home,” Ryan states.

“Yes, I am still coming home, no matter what.”

Ryan and Rachel’s mom, my auntie Kim speaks up. “I think it’s pretty common for a boyfriend to defer to his girlfriend’s family for the holidays. I mean, Ryan splits the day with Katharine of course, but Nick always came here with Rachel.”

“I hear you, Auntie Kim, but Daniel never gets to see his family so I’m not sure— all I’m saying is I’m not sure. He may very well come, and I will let you all know as soon as I know.” I smile tersely.

“Well hurry up, and find out,” Auntie Kim chastises. “Christmas is only a month away.”

When I hang up with them, it’s 7pm and I’m feeling antsy. How could I have forgotten that my entire family still thought Daniel and I were together? I’m not sure how to get out of this one. Tired of panicking alone in my head, I pick up my phone and dial Daniel before I can talk myself out of it. It rings and rings, and my anxiety that he won’t answer grows with each tone.

Eventually I hear rustling on the other line.

“Lauren?” Daniel’s voice crackles through the phone.

“Hi.”

“Are you alright?”

“What? Uh— yeah, I just needed to talk to you about something—” I glance at the time on my phone. “Oh god, no. What time is it there? I’m so sorry— I didn’t even stop to think about the time difference, I—”

I hear him suppress a yawn. “Lauren. It must be pretty important if you’re calling me AND rambling like this.”

“No, no, it can wait, I’m sorry— uh, go back to bed. I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“Lauren,” he stops me softly and firmly. “Stop apologizing. What’s going on?”

I sit quietly, feeling like an absolute idiot.

“Lauren, come on. You can tell me.”

“I— we… we never broke up?”

He laughs. “Sorry, what?”

“We never broke up.”

“Am I still asleep, is this a dream?”

“My family still thinks we’re together and they asked me if you’re coming home for Christmas.”

We’re both quiet for a moment.

“Oh.” is all he says.

“I talked to them for Thanksgiving, and they were asking about you. I realized too late that they thought we were still together— because I never told them we broke up. I didn’t think it through this far.”

“Right, I didn’t either.”

My phone starts ringing, telling me Daniel’s trying to FaceTime me.

I accept, and I’m faced with a dark screen.

“Why are we FaceTiming?”

I hear a lamp click on and suddenly Daniel’s face is illuminated as he lays in bed, lines from his pillow still on his face.

“Figured we should at least be able to see each other if you’re going to break up with me in the middle of the night,” he teases.

I shake my head. “Not funny, this is serious, D.”

“I know, I know.”

“If I break up with you, they’re going to yell at me and tell me I’m a stupid idiot.”

Daniel laughs.

“And if you break up with me they’re going to hate you, which means they’ll hate that we managed to ‘stay friends.’ And if it’s mutual…..” I shake my head, thinking. “They’ll think we were lying.”

“Which we were.”

I sigh, “Which we were.”

“So,” Daniel pulls his blanket up higher. “What are our options here?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I called you.”

I watch him stare off into space and reminisce about when I got to see this sleepy Daniel firsthand in Cape Cod.

“I could come for Christmas…” he trails off and I frown.

“That seems like asking a lot. You’ve already given up a lot of your free time this year for me.”

He shrugs into his pillow. “Do you not want me to come for Christmas?”

I pause. “I mean, that isn’t really the issue here. You have to be tired of being in love with me by now.”

He laughs loudly — a stark contrast to the quiet of his room. “Yes, being in love with you is very exhausting.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I’m kidding. Being in love with you is not exhausting. At all.”

I roll my eyes and say nothing. “I don’t think I can bear to break your family’s hearts at Christmas of all times.”

“Man of the year.” I drawl. “What are you supposed to be doing for Christmas? Going home?”

“No, usually I travel somewhere, but I hadn't decided yet.”

I hum in response.

“Kind of leaning towards traveling to Massachusetts now, if I’m honest.”

I look at him incredulously, only to see a playful grin on his face, but I know he’s serious.

“I’m not going to stop you if you really want to come. But I—” I swallow. “Eventually we’re going to need to plan for whatever happens after Christmas.”

He nods. “I know, we will. Let’s just enjoy Christmas together, first.”

I smile. “Okay. We can enjoy it. Together.”

He clears his throat. “I hope I’m not too rusty at this boyfriend performance, it’s been a few months.”

“Daniel Sharman has performance issues… I hope that doesn’t get out to the press.”

His eyes flash. “Bold, for you.”

I shrug. “You walked into that one, baby.”

“Well, you’re lucky you’re cute, darling.”

We look at each other for a moment, and I hope my eyes don’t give away how fond I am for this man who is willing to commit to fake-loving me, and putting up with my family, and who is setting the bar way too high for any actual real relationship I could hope for.

So much for reburying my feelings.

I break eye contact first. “I’ll let you get back to sleep. Sorry again for waking you up.”

“Do Not Disturb doesn’t apply to you, Lauren. Call any time.”

I smile softly. “Sweet dreams, I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.”

—-

I’m standing in the Boston Logan airport waiting for international arrivals; specifically Daniel’s flight from London. According to the board, his flight landed 15 minutes ago, so he should be coming to the lobby any time now. I bounce on my feet, simultaneously eager and nervous to see Daniel for the first time since parting ways after Henry and Claire’s wedding.

Eventually I see the hat and sunglasses I recognize from a selfie he sent me earlier, and I can feel my heart race. I begin walking towards him, and feel my pace quicken as I get closer. Eventually he sees me too and he’s grinning at me with his signature toothy smile that I missed so much.

When we come into contact I don’t know what the appropriate response is, so I simply grin up at him.

“Hi,” I breathe.

“Hi,” he smiles back, and before I know it he’s closer than he was before and he’s ducking down to kiss me.

It surprises me but I respond quickly, leaning up to meet him.

When it’s over he pulls back just enough to nuzzle his nose with mine.

“Missed you,” he says softly.

“Missed you most.” I smile.

He stands up straight, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder, threading his other hand through mine.

I can’t see his eyes, but I assume he must be looking around when he speaks.

“Oh, are you by yourself?”

The question catches me off guard.

“Yeah— well, Ryan’s in the car, circling so he wouldn’t have to pay for parking,” I roll my eyes.

He nods, “Sorry, then—“ he makes an inconclusive gesture. “Suppose I didn’t need to kiss you quite yet.”

My stomach drops and I smile tightly, “That’s okay— better safe than sorry. I get it.”

He tugs on my hand pulling me into a hug.

“I did miss you, though.”

“And I still missed you most.” I tease.

Daniel shakes his head, but doesn’t argue, pulling back from me and reaching for his suitcase with his freehand.

“Let’s get this show on the road.”

—-

I bring Daniel upstairs to show him around, and so he can put his suitcase in my room.

“Welcome to my childhood bedroom,” I announce, opening the door and leading Daniel inside.

“Wow, where little Lauren grew up,” Daniel teases looking around. When I first arrived home yesterday, I was quick to tidy up, and hide anything that was too embarrassing, but my room is more or less the exact same as I had left it when I was 18 and moving to college.

I nod. “Yes, many secrets to my backstory can be discovered in here.”

Daniel laughs.

Ryan appears in my doorway leaning against the doorframe.

“Just so you know, Daniel, my bedroom is on the other side of this wall,” he nods to his right. “I can hear everything that happens in here. The walls are thin.”

I frown, blushing, “Ew, Ryan.”

Daniel just laughs and smirks, “Got it, bro.”

I look at him incredulously, “Don’t encourage him.”

The two share a look and shrug, seemingly equally enjoying my discomfort.

“Dinner’s ready!” Auntie Kim calls up to us.

I use that as my cue, brushing past both of them to go downstairs, leaving their laughter behind me.

—-

After Christmas Eve dinner, Katharine stops by and the four of us decide to watch the classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I’m the last to arrive in the living room, and when I enter I immediately notice that Ryan is cuddled up with Katharine, and sprawled out over the entire couch, leaving Daniel sitting in the only other seat— the armchair.

I narrow my eyes at them, “Are you guys for real?”

Ryan looks at us and hums innocently, “What?”

“You took the entire couch.”

I see Katharine bite her lip in amusement, as Ryan shrugs.

“I assumed you guys would cuddle anyway. Can you not share the armchair?”

Daniel intervenes, “Of course we can. C’mon Laur.”

He pats his lap. I hesitate briefly before nestling into his lap, tucking my head into his neck.

“Am I crushing you?” I whisper.

“Not at all, you’re keeping me warm.”

I huff a laugh as he puts the blanket over us and Ryan starts the movie. The steady rise and fall of his chest brings me a sense of peace and I have to try not to fall asleep, especially when his fingers gently caress my arm and my leg where he’s holding me to him. I exhale, turning further into his neck and nuzzling into him.

“Tickles,” he breathes, just shy of a whisper.

“You smell good,” I tell him, letting my eyes close.

His chuckle reverberates through his body. “Thanks, darling.”

I feel my eyes shut and sleep take over. I start to come to when I hear the ending song come on, and it drifts into whatever dream I’m having.

“She asleep?” I hear Ryan ask.

“Think so,” Daniel answers.

“You need help waking her up?”

“No, I’ve got it, thanks though. Nice seeing you, Katharine.”

I hear footsteps retreat and feel a series of kisses pressed to my shoulder, as Daniel’s long fingers brush hair away from my face.

“Time to wake up, pretty girl. You can go back to sleep once we’re in your bed.”

I shake my head no, clinging to him tighter.

“Like this bed.” I murmur drowsily.

He laughs softly. “Promise we can cuddle there too.”

“Promise?” I ask, peeking one eye open.

“I promise,” he confirms, pressing one more kiss to my shoulder.

I lift my head to look at him, rubbing my eyes.

“There she is,” he smiles gently at me.

I smile back sleepily, the words coming out before I fully think them through.

“Wanna know a secret?”

“Tell me.”

I swallow, letting my gaze flicker down to his mouth for just a moment. “I like cuddling with you.”

“You do, huh?”

I nod.

“Well the feeling’s mutual. Let’s go upstairs and brush our teeth so we can cuddle more in your bed.”

“Okay,” I relent, getting off of him. He stands up after me and I instinctively lace my fingers with his, leading us back upstairs. When we’re brushed and changed, we settle ourselves in bed and I claim my spot tucked into his neck again.

“Sweet dreams,” he says, kissing the top of my head. I echo the sentiment and gently kiss the spot on his neck I’m closest to. His arms tighten around me and I’m falling asleep again.

—-

For once, I wake up before Daniel. He looks peaceful as he sleeps on his stomach, his arm across my waist, face half smushed into the pillow. I turn my head to look at the clock to see it’s about 9:30 and know the others will be waking up soon. I turn back to Daniel and card my fingers gently through his hair. Eventually his breathing changes and his eyes flutter open, still clouded with sleep.

“Merry Christmas,” I whisper, our faces just inches apart.

He pulls himself closer to me, nuzzling into my side and closing his eyes again. “Merry Christmas.”

It’s quiet for a moment before he speaks again, voice raspy with sleep. “Is everyone else awake?”

“No, I don’t think so. I haven’t heard anyone up and around… they might be soon. Usually we kind of wander downstairs around 10, and it’s just past 9:30.”

He hums in response.

“You can go back to sleep for a little while if you want,” I offer, still running my fingers through his hair. “I’ll wake you when it’s time to go downstairs.”

I start to think he’s drifted off to sleep again when he opens his eyes and looks at me. “No, I can get up. I want to give you your present.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I told you not to get me anything; you coming here like this with me— twice— is more than enough.”

He rolls his eyes, detaching himself from me and rolling out of bed. “And look like the asshole who didn’t get his girlfriend anything for Christmas? Not a chance.”

I sit up. “We could’ve lied about it—”

“Lauren,” Daniel looks back at me exasperatedly, leaning over his suitcase. “It’s Christmas. Please just open your present.”

He pulls out a neatly wrapped, thin rectangle and places it in my lap, sitting next to me on the bed.

“Merry Christmas, Laur.”

I carefully unwrap the package to reveal a framed art print, with a circle of stars in the middle; underneath it says “The Night Everything Changed” with the coordinates of what I assume to be Los Angeles. I look up to him with soft eyes, and he gives a one shouldered shrug.

“Saw an ad for this online— where you can get the night sky documented of any night you want, anywhere you want. I thought it would be nice to commemorate this past year, for us…” he trails off, and I hug the frame to my chest.

“Daniel, I love it— Really, really love it. It’s so thoughtful.” I reach out and thread our fingers together. “I’m going to hang this in my room. I want it somewhere I see every day.”

He smiles and squeezes my hand. “I’m glad you like it. I actually wanted to talk to you about something— in relation to this. I—”

We’re interrupted by a light knocking on the door, and we both turn.

“Are you guys awake?” Ryan’s voice calls.

“Yeah, we’ll be out in a sec!” I answer.

I turn back to Daniel who squeezes my hand and moves to get up, but I pull him back.

“They can wait; this is special. I want to hear what you have to say.” I smile at him warmly, but he shakes his head, lifting the back of my hand to kiss it.

“It’s alright, I’d rather wait and tell you when we have more time to talk.”

I frown. “Promise me you won’t forget?”

He laughs. “Trust me, I won’t forget.”

He moves to stand, pulling me up with him to go downstairs, but I stop him, wrapping my arms around him tightly.

“Thank you, D. It means a lot to me.”

He returns my embrace, placing a kiss to the top of my head.

When we pull apart, I take his hand again. “Time for Christmas. Your present is under the tree, by the way.”

Daniel laughs. “A present double-standard.”

I shake my head and lead him out of the room.

—-

I think we’re done with presents when Ryan surprises me, coming over to Daniel and I on the loveseat.

“This is for both of you, kind of.” He hands me a thin, narrow gift.

Daniel looks up, surprised. “Thanks, man. That was thoughtful of you.”

He looks at me, silently asking, did you know about this?, and I shake my head no.

I unwrap the package to find a small frame, with a one hundred dollar bill matted in the middle. I look at Ryan and furrow my eyebrows.

“It's the hundred bucks I said I’d give you if you brought a real date to Rachel’s wedding. Seeing as the same guy is here for Christmas I figured you earned it. Thought I’d frame it— but you can take it out and spend it on a date or something, I don’t care.”

Auntie Kim squints. “Sorry, you told her what?”

I roll my eyes and try to avoid the way my stomach sinks at the reminder of how this all started.

I feel Daniel’s hand on my knee. “Clever, Ryan.”

I look over at him to see him flashing his polite interview smile, and I instantly know he knows exactly what I’m feeling.

Auntie Kim stands and stretches. “I don’t get it, but I’m going to go start breakfast. Your sister and Nick are picking up Judith soon and then they’re coming over. Katharine isn’t coming until dinner, right, Ryan?”

As Ryan confirms, she walks out of the room. Ryan turns back to us. “Mind if I shower first?”

I shake my head no, still lost in my thoughts, and I hear Daniel tell him to go ahead.

We’re left alone and I feel Daniel’s thumb brushing my knee.

“Thank you for my presents.”

“You’re welcome— I’m glad you like them; they don’t beat your present for me though.”

He rolls his eyes and we sit for a moment, the framed hundred dollar bill still in my hands.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

I look at him and shake my head. “I don’t know. Just an odd reminder of how this started, and that it’s going to have to end soon, I guess.”

Daniel frowns. “We haven’t really gotten to talk about that. Why don’t we table that for later— we still have a nice day ahead of us. Those are problems for tomorrow.”

I nod and smile at him, and he pulls me in to kiss my temple, and I hear the click of an iPhone camera. I look up to see Auntie Kim in the doorway.

“Sorry, I just wanted to tell you that the coffee’s on. It was too cute not to capture.”

Daniel stands up, offering me his hand. “Make sure you send me a copy. I’ll have to add it to my collection.”

I chuckle as I stand. “Let me guess; the album is called ‘Cute and Shit.’”

He grins. “How’d you know?”

—-

Christmas flies by. It’s filled with good food, wine, and everyone I love. It’s hours after dinner, and Auntie Kim has already driven Aunt Judith home before going to bed herself.

Ryan, Katharine, Daniel, and I are all still seated around the dining room table playing some kind of team card game, and everyone’s faces are red from laughter and wine.

I can’t help but watch Daniel, who is in some kind of hilarious argument with Ryan over some card he pulled. His eyes shine from the light of the chandelier, and his smile is big and bright, taking over his whole face.

It hits me in this moment that I’ve surpassed unlabeled romantic feelings; I am truly in love with this man. The realization consumes me until Katharine knocks her shoulder into mine giggling.

“Can you believe we love these idiots?”

“Sometimes it’s a hard pill to swallow,” I tease, giggling, catching Daniel’s eye mid-argument. He winks at me and I feel my already red cheeks flush even deeper.

“You two are so cute,” Katharine continues, watching our interaction. She lowers her voice, whispering to me behind her wine glass. “I was kind of worried that when you got a boyfriend he wouldn’t mesh well with our dynamic, ya know? But it kind of feels like Daniel’s always been here.”

Her words vocalize the thoughts that have been ringing in my head all day. “I know what you mean.”

Katharine dramatically clears her throat. “Are you two done? Is it our turn yet?”

—-

We part ways from Ryan and Katharine in the hallway, giggling and shushing each other in the wee hours of the morning. I shut my door behind me and waggle my eyebrows at Daniel.

“Uh oh, there’s trouble,” he teases. “Planning to seduce me?”

I shrug exaggeratedly and he laughs before looking around. “Fuck, where are my sweatpants?”

I giggle. “They’re literally right behind you on the chair.”

“Oh, thanks.” He grabs them before looking at me. “Can I change in here tonight?”

I flush. “Yeah, sure.”

After sharing a room together all this time, this is the first time we’ve changed in front of each other and the thought makes my skin tingle. I make my way over to my dresser, pulling out my own sleep shorts and t-shirt. I wiggle out of my pants and pull on my shorts, glancing over my shoulder to see Daniel, shirtless, adjusting his sweatpants on his hips. My throat runs dry, and I turn around to pull my own shirt over my head, reaching behind me to unclip my bra once it’s on. I bundle my discarded clothes in my hand, walking over to toss them in the hamper. I turn around to find Daniel already looking at me. He’s still shirtless and my eyes drift to his defined chest. He looks down as if noticing for the first time.

“It’s really, uh, hot in here.” He speaks again. “Would it bother you if I slept shirtless?”

I shake my head, mentally screaming. “No, it is warm,” I agree, reaching up to put my hair in a bun on top of my head.

He watches me intently, and I laugh self consciously. “What?”

“Nothing. Just thinking about how this was the best Christmas I’ve had in a while.”

My face lights up. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I see his grin quirk up, and know something else is coming. “I’d say it was almost perfect.”

“Oh?” I question, finishing my bun. “Go on.”

“We fit in a lot of classic traditions today, but we missed one that I’m quite fond of.”

I look at him, trying to think of what it could be, as he takes a step closer to me.

“There wasn’t any mistletoe.”

I swallow. “There wasn’t.” I pause, my mind racing. Before I can fully think it through I find myself offering, “But we could pretend?”

“Hmm?” He murmurs, taking a step closer to me so he’s right in front of me now. I know he’s giving me a chance to take it back, or make a joke; I’m nervous, but I don’t want to take it back. I just really want to kiss him.

“I’d really like it if you had a perfect Christmas.”

“And you?” He questions softly. “What would make it a perfect Christmas for you?”

Instead of answering him, I reach up on my tiptoes to kiss him for a moment, pulling back to look him in the eyes. His eyes meet mine in some unspoken understanding, and then he’s dipping down to kiss me again.

He kisses me softly, delicately, like all the kisses at the wedding. He pulls back briefly to look at me, as if he still expects me to change my mind. I kiss him again, wanting there to be no doubt in his mind, and he kisses me back with purpose and passion, and I’m caught off guard by the weight of it. I gasp, and Daniel uses this opportunity to deepen the kiss, pulling me closer. It reminds me of our very first kiss back on his couch. My arms move around his neck, pulling our bodies flush together.

Daniel pulls away first, but barely, breathing hard, kissing down from my jaw to my neck.

This is definitely new territory for us.

I move my hands to his hair, and he groans at the feeling. I can’t help myself as I sigh breathlessly, a shiver running down my back. He grins against my neck, his teeth scraping at my skin and I moan softly.

“Wait,” I say breathlessly, a thought somehow flitting through my mind. “Earlier, didn’t you say there was something else I should know about my present?”

“I can tell you tomorrow,” he murmurs into my neck between kisses. “It’s time for bed.” He tugs me down onto the bed so I’m underneath him, resuming his kisses on my neck.

“This doesn't seem like going to sleep to me,” I tease.

“It is, shhhh, you’re dreaming.”

“That I’d believe,” I laugh, and Daniel smirks, moving so we're eye to eye again.

“Dream about me often?”

“Shhh.” I pull him closer, turning his words back on him. “You’re dreaming, go back to bed.”

“Happily,” he murmurs, kissing me again.

I bring my hands down to his bare shoulders, feeling his warm, toned skin against my fingertips. I gently drag my nails down his chest to his stomach, and I feel his muscles clench at my touch. I can’t help but smirk to myself as he pulls away to rest his forehead on my shoulder, letting out a shuddering breath. I bring my nails around his back, tracing up his taut muscles and across his shoulder blades.

I feel one of his hands come down, pushing my shirt up, his mouth pressing hot kisses to my abdomen. His nose takes over pushing my shirt up, exploring every new inch revealed with his mouth, his hand now running over my thigh, fingers squeezing occasionally, slowly climbing higher. As his hand reaches the bottom of my shorts, he lightly tugs at the fabric. He pauses, his blue eyes tentatively peering up at me.

“Can I…?” He looks nervous, like I’ll reject him. As if I have ever rejected him, or could ever manage to deny him. I’m not even entirely sure what he’s asking but I find myself nodding quickly. As he goes to tug my shorts down we hear a bang on the wall we share with Ryan followed by a crash, a “Shhhh” and a “Shit.”

We both startle and look over toward the wall, before looking back at each other and laughing softly.

“Ugh, I don’t want to know,” I say, shaking my head.

“You probably, definitely don’t.” He smiles at me before pulling his hand off my shorts, and my shirt back down, letting his fingers trace along the waistband of my shorts before he clears his throat. “We should, uh, get some sleep.”

I blink at the abrupt change in mood before nodding awkwardly. “Okay, sure.”

He rolls off of me, and I reach over to shut the lamp off. I’m hesitant to cuddle up to him, unsure if what just happened changed something between us, but I’m relieved when I feel his arm wrap around me the way it always does. Neither of us say anything, and I try not to think about the last few minutes, the firmness of his body behind mine, or the way my body’s buzzing— closing my eyes to try and get some rest.

—-

The next two days with my family go pretty much the same way as Christmas did. Daniel gets on swimmingly with everyone, and my heart aches every time I realize that once the holidays are over, our charade is going to come to an end—a permanent end— this time. I try to ignore that thought and enjoy my time, basking in the coupley moments in front of my family, and leaning into every touch we share.

I never get a chance to ask about my Christmas present; the time never feels right, and Daniel doesn’t bring it up either. Nothing happens between us like Christmas night; when bedtime rolls around we change in the bathroom and go straight to bed. We cuddle, but there’s no after-dark kisses or wandering hands. I wonder if Daniel feels as self-conscious about that night as I do; if he does, he doesn’t show it.

—-

We’re in my room packing to go back to LA in an effort to try to beat the inevitable New Year’s rush at the airport.

“I need to find something to wrap this in so it doesn’t break in my luggage,” I frown, holding up Daniel’s present. “It’s my new prized possession— nothing can happen to it.”

Daniel looks over and laughs. “Want me to wrap it in my sweatpants? That's what I did on the way here.”

“Okay, thank you.” I pad across the floor and pass him the frame, our fingers brushing in the process.

“Of course.” His lips quirk up as he carefully arranges the frame in his suitcase.

A moment passes, and I wonder if now is a good time to ask about my present .

“Hey, I’ve been wanting to ask—“

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you—“

We both stop mid-sentence and Daniel laughs, “Sorry what were you saying?”

I shake my head, courage gone. “No— sorry, go ahead.”

He looks at me curiously but continues, “Henry texted me; he and Claire invited us to their New Year’s Eve party. They’re having it in LA this year.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “Us? They want me to go?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, Claire apparently requested your presence specifically.”

“Oh, that’s nice of her. I usually stay in for New Year’s.”

“It could be fun— if you aren’t sick of me yet,” Daniel teases.

“Ha!" I laugh, "If you aren’t sick of me yet, more like.” I shake my head. “And don’t mind sharing your friends with me.”

“They’re basically your friends now, too,” he argues.

“I’m not sure one wedding constitutes that, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

“You should come.”

I stop and look at him.

“I’ll call a car and pick you up on the way.”

When I hesitate, he softens his voice. “Please come.”

I swallow, “Okay.”

I’m not a big party person, but I also know I don’t have it in my heart to deny him, especially after everything he’s done for me.

He grins. “Really?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’ll go.”

“Cool, I’ll, uh, let them know we’re coming.”

I bite my lip to suppress my smile and start planning my outfit in my head.

—-

When we arrive at Claire and Henry’s house on New Year’s Eve, I try not to gawk at the size. It’s massive and sits high on one of the tallest hills in LA, away from the noise of the city.

The first person to spot us as we walk in is, unfortunately, Eleanor. I’d hoped she was in London, and away from us, but alas.

“Daniel!” she squeals, throwing her arms around him. “I was so hoping you’d be here.”

“Hi, El,” he placates her with a strained smile. “You remember Lauren?” He gestures back to me.

“Laura?” she asks, disinterested.

“Lauren,” I correct, forcing myself to smile. “Nice to see you again.”

“Eleanor,” Daniel intervenes. “Could you point us in the direction of Henry and Claire, perhaps?”

She frowns, but quickly covers it up. “They were in the kitchen last I checked— we have just got to catch up later.”

“We will!” He agrees graciously. “Let us get a drink, and I’m sure we'll have plenty of time to talk later.”

Daniel puts a hand on my back, guiding me forward and into another room, which turns out to be the kitchen. He’s immediately drawn into a series of bro hugs and handshakes by Henry and some of his other friends.

“Lauren! I’m so glad you came!” I turn to find Claire by a table of beverages.

“Claire! So nice to see you, thank you for inviting me.”

“Thank you for coming,” she says, pulling me into a quick hug. “I told Daniel he just had to bring you.”

I laugh. “He told me you were quite persistent— I usually have a low key New Year’s at home, but this is a fun change of pace.”

“Can I get you a drink?” She asks, already reaching for a bottle of champagne.

“Sure, thank you.” I catch Daniel’s eye across the room; he’s being clapped on the back and led out of the kitchen. I smile reassuringly, hoping to communicate that I’m fine here. He seems to understand, as he smiles back and nods before turning back to his friends.

Claire giggles, bringing my attention back to her.

“You look at him with such heart eyes, it’s cute.”

I try to keep my face from panicking. “Sorry?” She laughs like my reaction is the funniest thing in the world. “Oh don’t worry, he looks at you just the same, so you’re fine.”

I chuckle nervously. “I think maybe you’ve got the wrong impression—”

She shrugs like we’re talking about something commonplace, like the weather.

“Maybe, it’s possible... but I don’t think so. Now come! There’s some other girls I’d love for you to meet.”

—-

I spend a good portion of the night talking with Claire and her friends. They’re all very kind to me, but eventually I excuse myself to get some air out on the balcony.

I’m looking up at the sky — it’s dark, dotted with faint stars and a distant passing plane — when I hear somebody come out and join me. As they settle next to me against the railing I immediately know who it is just by how comfortable I feel.

“Whatcha doin out here, LaurLaur? The New Year’s only a few minutes away.”

I grin at him. “Just getting some air and admiring the stars. From up here you can actually see them.”

He hums, looking up with me.

“It reminds me of a certain piece of art a certain someone got me for Christmas.”

He chuckles. “I’m glad you like it so much.”

“It was very thoughtful…. I wonder if any of the stars are in the same places as they were that night.”

“Which night?”

“The night everything changed. Your birthday.”

Daniel leans against the railing facing me, and looks like he’s about to say something before he changes his mind.

Eventually he speaks again. “Things are going to change again soon, right? You said you’re sure about the break up?”

I swallow, scoffing my shoe against the balcony floor.

“I mean, we still need to figure it out, but you can’t keep fake dating me forever. That isn’t fair to you.”

He smiles wistfully. “It’s not like there was anyone else I was trying to date.”

“I’m a lucky girl,” I lament, and Daniel blushes and shakes his head. “It’s a real shame we’re over, though," I jest, trying to lighten the mood. "I’ve never gotten to kiss anyone at midnight.”

His eyebrows raise in surprise. “Never?”

“Nope,” I pop the p and look down at my feet.

“Well.” He clears his throat conspiratorially. “We can agree not to bring our fake relationship into the New Year if you want, but if the kiss starts before midnight, I think we’d get by on a technicality...”

I laugh. “You really want Eleanor to hate me, don’t you?”

He grins cheekily and shakes his head. “Nah, I think I saw her latched onto some other poor bugger inside. We’re in the clear.”

I roll my eyes, looking back up at the sky. I feel his finger trace my arm, gently using my elbow to turn my attention back towards him.

His voice is softer now, “It’s up to you, but there’s no one else I’d rather kiss at midnight.”

I look into his eyes and realize he’s being sincere. My heart’s beating out of my chest. Yes, I want to kiss him, but I want it to mean something. I keep giving in because I know one day this is all going to go away, and I’ll be left with just my memories and heartache.

He must see some hesitance in my eyes, because he’s taking a step back.

“If you don’t want to, it’s fine. Really.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Not trying to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.”

I shake my head. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I just…” I trail off, looking over the balcony, trying to swallow my feelings, which have manifested as anxious tears in my eyes. I feel a tear escape, and I hastily reach up to wipe it away.

“Hey,” Daniel says gently. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” I let out a watery laugh. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m…”

I feel his steady stare, and I come to terms with the fact that I’ve really gotten myself into a mess that I can’t just smooth over. I’m going to have to tell him.

I take a minute to compose myself, and Daniel stays quiet giving me time to put my words together as I look anywhere but at him.

“I do want to kiss you, D,” I start slowly, trying to keep my voice steady, “but I can’t if it’s just another part of our fake relationship.”

He tugs me closer by hand, gently, so I have no choice but to look at him. I swallow the lump in my throat. “I… know this wasn’t supposed to be real. But it has been, for me.”

He shakes his head and squeezes my hand. “So then stop trying to break up with me.”

I blink at him, and he continues.

“The night everything changed— your star map— I wasn’t referencing the story we told your family about my birthday.” Daniel looks at me long and hard like I’m missing something totally obvious. “It’s actually the stars from a night a month or so later.”

A month or two— Oh. OH.

“The night Ryan FaceTimed me?” I whisper, afraid to be wrong.

He takes my other hand in his, lacing our fingers together. “Listen— Fuck. I’m in love with you, Lauren.” He looks at me so intensely and my head is spinning. “I love you, and I’m in love with you.”

“What?” I ask dumbly.

He licks his lips. “A wise woman once said to me, you don’t confess to ‘kind of like someone’ when you’ve already been friends as long as we have.”

I stare at him for a second, my cheeks burning. “Well your friend sounds pretty smart.” I swallow. “Because I love you, too.”

He laughs, relief flooding his features. He pulls me to his chest, crushing me and squeezing the air out of my lungs. Eventually he pulls back, hands cupping my face.

He grins and shakes his head. “She is smart, so, so smart, but I don’t want to be her friend anymore.”

“What do you mean?” My brows furrow in confusion, worried that somehow I’ve misread this whole interaction, my relief quickly being replaced by panic.

“Well.” He steps forward, keeping our faces incredibly close. “I’m hoping she agrees to be my very real girlfriend— that is, if she doesn’t break up with me first.”

I hear everyone inside start the countdown to midnight. I’m still looking into Daniel’s eyes in disbelief, my hands clinging to the front of his shirt.

When the countdown hits one, I’ve finally found the words I want to say.

“Happy New Year, boyfriend.”

He’s grinning as he kisses me, and I am too. It’s not our most elegant kiss, a mess of teeth and giggles, and whispered “I love you”s. We never stray too far from each other’s lips, kissing again and again like we can’t get enough— and maybe we can’t.

Eventually, we calm down a bit, and when we kiss this time it’s all-consuming, sucking the air out of my lungs. It feels like my love is fizzling to the top of my skin, and I feel it. ‘It’ being every indescribable emotion in our kisses this past year, but this time I know what it is: true, unadulterated, uninhibited love. I am in love with my best friend, who is now my boyfriend, and I don’t care who knows it— as long as he does.

His fingers press bruisingly into my hips before he pulls back just enough to look at me.

“Can we go home?” He whispers sheepishly, brushing some hair out of my face tenderly. “I’m kind of tired of sharing you with the public.”

I huff a laugh. “I know exactly what you mean.” I lean forward to kiss him one last time before pulling back to lace our fingers together, squeezing tightly. “Please— take me home, D.”

I don’t have to tell him twice.

---

tagged: @rogershoe @heyrowena @yunsh-17 @trenko-heart @dylxnshxrmxn

[peach-pops]

Famous S/O HC

This is very self-indulgent cause I’m the type to make up fake scenarios where I’m famous and going on interviews and press tours asfjdks. If you guys want, I’ll make more of these! Oikawa+Tsukishima underneath the cut!

How The Haikyuu Boys Find out that You’re Famous

-Bokuto- (Pro-Athlete) 

Bokuto knew you were an athlete but he had NO IDEA that you were super famous. Like he always thought it was normal for people to come up to you after your game to ask for pictures or autographs ??? 

I mean that’s why he was so drawn to you because of how much passion you had for your said sport cause duh he could relate

One day when you two were out at the mall, he told you that he needed to get new shoes to work out in and so the two of you went into the Nike store so he could look around

He was looking through the shoe aisle and after almost two hours of looking through the same shelves, he finally found a pair he liked (shopping with him is so time-consuming but that’s for a different day) 

when he found a pair he liked, the two of you made your way to the cashier to pay for his shoes. As the cashier was ringing Bokuto up, his eyes traveled up to the large poster/banner that was directly behind the cashier’s area and smiled to himself

It was a colorful promotional banner with a bunch of top athletes from around the world and as he’s looking at the banner, he sees this girl and he nudged you like,” Babe, she looks like you!” 

You look up from your phone and sure enough, you’re plastered on the wall posing with other athletes

“ Oh yeah, I didn’t think this shoot would come out until next month.”

Bokuto didn’t even process what you just said but my dude behind the cash register stopped scanning the shoes to turn his head to the banner and he turned PALE. 

He even does a double-take cause hold up, is there seriously a pro athlete in front of him?

“ Oh my god...You’re Y/N L/N!”

“ How do you know my…” Bokuto furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the banner again and he even squinted like hold up

AND IT ALL SUDDENLY CLICKS FOR HIM

“ Y/N? That’s you!” 

“ Yeah-”

Bokuto can’t even believe it and he totally spaced out when you take a selfie with the guy behind the register with the banner in the background like UMMM HIS GIRLFRIEND IS FAMOUS WHAAAAAA

“ YOU’RE ON A NIKE POSTER OH MY GOD! LOOK YOU’RE ON THIS MAGAZINE WHA-”

Dude is totally making a scene in this store but he does not give a single fuck

As he’s walking you back home, he’s looking up all of your stats and even watches a compilation called “ 100 times Y/N L/N was a beast!” and he’s just shooketh 

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE A FREAKING PRO ATHLETE??”  

“ I didn’t think it was a big deal I mean, you’re pretty famous too babe.” 

“ I DON’T HAVE A PROMOTIONAL BANNER WITH NIKE!” 

He’s not salty at all he’s just a bit emo cause he felt bad that he never even noticed before

As your fame grows, so does Bokuto’s with his volleyball career. You and him are described as a powerhouse couple and it really hypes the two of you up like THE POWER YALL POSSESS TOGETHER ON AND OFF THE COURT/FIELD/WHATEVER

Lots of training together and joint interviews together like Wired autocomplete or your favorite ~THIRST TWEETS~

“ ~Bokuto could spike a volleyball in my face, crack my nose in two different places, and I’d thank him~ oh my god that’s horrible I would never do that.”

“ I mean, you’ve done it before haven’t you?”

“ That was different anyway, your turn Y/N!” 

*passes that clunky ass bucket*

“ ~Y/N L/N, please tie me up and- oh my god this is too dirty I can’t! My mom will watch this!” 

If you’re a pro volleyball player, you two get compared a lot and it bugged you at first since you felt like you two were two very different in terms of playing style but after a while, you both started to encourage the idea of your own playful rivalries like comparing stats and wins

But if you’re in a different sport, you two get asked questions like who’s sport is harder or what it would be like if you two switched sports like??? But because you two are in different fields, you both have such major respect for each other cause you can’t even imagine how much hard work it is 

He absolutely does not mind it at all when fans approach you two if you guys are on a date. He knows how important your relationship with fans are, especially if they’re younger girls who look up to you as a role model

Bokuto will fall in love with you all over again whenever you crouch down to a younger fan ughhhghgh

He doesn’t care for the paparazzi to be honest. he knows it comes with the territory but he will get a bit protective if they start to get too close to you 

“ Hey, we’re just trying to get back home so just let us through please,” but if it continues, he will not give a single fuck about being nice,” dude, what did I just say? Back off!” 

Mad!bokuto will be the death of me

He knows how stressful it is being a pro athlete but he will always remind you how proud he is of you and if he ever sees you overworking, he will make sure you take a day off even if that means just napping together all day

Long story short, Bokuto would be amazing to have by your side as you’re navigating being in the public eye and you may quote me on that

-Oikawa- (Actress)

This attention whore I swear 

So Oikawa knows that you act but he doesn’t know that you’re an actress (which is basically the same thing) 

Like as a kid you were in commercials and you had a small role in a tv show but it wasn’t like it was super popular. 

But what Oikawa didn’t know was that a couple months before you two started dating, you were flown out to America to star in an upcoming and highly anticipated movie 

since you were under a contract, you weren’t allowed to talk about it until the trailer dropped and it ate away at you because all you wanted to do was tell people especially your boyfriend 

ANYWAY He decided to take you on a date to the movie theatre and as you two were getting popcorn, these girls came up to you two 

“ Hi! Is it okay if we can get a picture with you?”

“Of course, how could I ever turn down my lovely fans-”

“ No, not you, Y/N!” 

Oikawa is just flabbergasted as the girls hand their phone to him so he can take a photo of you with your fans he deadass thinks it’s some prank

After the girls left, he gave you a weird-ass gaze and asked you what that was about but you just shrugged and told him that maybe it was because of ur mini part in that one tv show

So he thinks nothing about it and teased you that it was so cute how you had a mini fanbase and you weren’t going to lie, it was pretty freaking cool 

You guys entered your theatre and got settled into your seats as the movie trailers started to play. 

(Oikawa loves watching trailers like this dude is the type to take you 45 minutes before the movie actually begins JUST to make sure he doesn’t miss anything)

As you’re chilling in your seat, you see the trailer to your movie so you do your best to keep your eyes on your boyfriend and the screen at the same time cause you want to see his reaction

The trailer plays and Oikawa seemed to be interested in the movie but again, it’s like any normal trailer UNTIL he hears your voice coming from the screen and he immediately sits up in his seat 

“ Wait- was that your voice?”

“ My voice?”

“ Nevermind, I think I’m going crazy-”

AND THEN HE SEES YOU ON THE SCREEN! Since it’s a trailer it was just about five seconds of an intense/dramatic scene but it’s enough for Oikawa to lose his mind

“ OH MY GOD THAT IS YOU!”

This prompts some people in the audience to shush him but Oikawa doesn’t care

“ OH SHUSH THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND! Y/N! THAT’S YOU!”

“ Toru oh my god yes that’s me but stop screaming or they’re gonna kick us out!” You whispered loudly as Oikawa clamped his hand over his mouth 

He’s so happy and he’s beaming with pride so he pulls out his phone and  records the trailer to post it in his group chat cause duh he wants to show the boys how proud he is but when he sees you kissing someone else for .6 seconds, Oikawa just (ㆆ_ㆆ) and stops recording

“ Are you okay babe?”

“ Was that real or CGI?”

“ The building crumbling is all CGI-”

“ No...the kiss.”

THIS DUMBASS LMAO HE’S SO SALTY AND JEALOUS 

“ Why didn’t you tell me you were this good?” 

“ I- I was always this good! But I couldn’t say anything, I’m under a contract!”

“ But you could’ve told me! I wouldn’t have told a soul!” 

That’s a whole ass lie, if he knew, he would’ve bragged about it to Iwaizumi 

But foreal, Oikawa is such a supportive boyfriend like as months pass and your following gets bigger, he just gushes cause yep that’s his famous girlfriend ( he will 100% use you sometimes for clout)

this dude LOVES bragging to his friends that he’s dating a famous actress. Like he was always showing you off and hyping you up before but it gives him such an ego boost when people find out the two of you are dating

Oikawa is an attention whore like I said so you know whenever the paparazzi appears, he eats it up and will pose which is SOO embarrassing like pls why do u do this

But there are some days where you don’t want to get recognized and he 100% understands so the two of you will wear disguises as to not get recognized. One time you two ended up getting caught so he just grabbed your hand and the two of you SPRINTED back to the subway

He will have all of your movies on DVD and if your movie is on a streaming service, he will buy a membership JUST so he can watch your movie

Sometimes you’ll come over to his house and he’ll always try to make you watch your movie for the millionth time 

“ Toru, can we please watch something else?” 

“ But my extremely talented and beautiful girlfriend is in this movie why would I watch anything but this?” 

Don’t be fooled he WILL skip through any kissing scenes or scenes where your character shows any type of affection to another character

LOVESSS tagging along with you to photoshoots, interviews, red carpet events ALL OF IT

Red carpet events give him a chance to dress up and lowkey his outfit is always one of the best there. He won’t outshine you per se but fans actually look forward to see what he’ll be wearing and he’s not even in any of the movies I- 

Your schedule gets pretty busy once your career takes off and even though there are certain time periods where you’re across the world, it won’t stop him from sending huge bouquets to your set 

Basically, Oikawa is such a supportive boyfriend and is overall so proud of how you managed to juggle your studies with your acting career 10/10 best boy 

-Tsukishima- ( Musician/Singer)

You and Tsuki had only been dating for a bit and since it was all still new, he kept it on the down-low because the last thing he needed was his teammates pestering him about a girl 

Tsuki knew you liked to sing and write songs but you never told him about how well known you were simply because he never asked

He just assumed it was a side thing for you UNTIL he showed up to practice and some of his teammates were huddled around Noya watching something on his tablet

“ Move your elbow! I can’t see-”

“ Watch your hand-”

“ Shush! I can’t hear her-”

“ What are you idiots watching?” Tsuki asked as he craned his neck to look at the screen

No one answered him so he started to watch the music video and low and behold, your face popped up on screen singing along to your lyrics that he’s heard a million times

Tsuki is a bit taken aback cause why is his girlfriend in such a high production video and why is his heart feeling some type of way seeing you in that outfit

Like lemme just take off my glasses and see that again ( •_•)>⌐■-■

” Where did you guys get that video?”

“ What do you mean, it’s online? She’s trending right now-”

“ God all of her songs are so good I want to see her live-” 

“ I can’t believe she goes to school with us-”

“ I wish she would step on me-”

“ Hey, don’t talk about my girlfriend like that,” Tsuki said dryly as he glares at the back of Noya’s head, which prompted everyone to turn around

“ You’re dating Y/N L/N? Ha! That’s funny Tsuki!” Tanaka laughed as he slapped Tsuki in the back harshly

At first, even Tsuki was questioning himself like wait, is he even sure you’re dating? cause this girl in the music video was NOT the same girl he was on the phone with last night

 If you had asked Tsuki 10 seconds ago if he would ever reveal to the guys he was dating someone, he would say helllll no but now that he knew about this, he didn’t care about keeping the relationship a secret especially if they were thirsting over his girl

He had all the proof in the world that he was dating you but took the salty approach to prove it to them. He pulled out his phone and shot you a text even though you were in class

Tsuki: Come to the gym right now

Y/N: is everything ok?

Tsuki: just come quickly

You left your class to “use the restroom” and practically rushed to the gym thinking that something was wrong with your boyfriend. You slid into the gym, causing the boys to look up from the tablet and you ignored their shocked faces

“ Where’s Tsukishima?” 

The boys slowly did a doubletake from the music video back to you to make sure they were seeing correctly and even though you were a bit embarrassed to hear your song playing in the background, you were just worried about Tsuki

Tsuki walked out to you from behind the guys and you rushed over to him

“ Babe, what’s wrong?” 

“ BABE?!” 

The boys were shocked and the second years practically FAINTED in your presence 

Tsuki pulled the tablet from Noya’s cold, dead hands and showed you the screen,” Care to explain this?” 

“ I- Um, it’s my music video…”

“Well are you famous or something?” 

“ I wouldn’t say famous…more like upcoming artist?” 

And then the next week you’re a nominee for the VMA’s asjfkghdk

 honestly out of Oikawa and Bokuto, he probably handles it the best on the outside, he doesn’t make too big of a deal out of your fame but on the inside he’s can’t even believe it

He doesn’t go around shouting to the world that he’s dating the Y/N L/N but he has his own ways of supporting you. He’ll listen to your songs whenever he’s walking in the hallway or doing homework at home and he’ll catch himself liking tweets that are about you as long as they’re positive

He’s def the type to argue with people online if they say mean comments and will report/block them before you can even see it 

IDC how much he tries to hide it, he is deadass ur biggest fan. Tsuki will tease you about how nervous you act during interviews/award shows but he will ALWAYS go with you to ease your nerves even if he had prior plans

If you ever write a song for him, he gets SO RED AND EMBARRASSED so pls do that 

Will def call you baka for doing so but deep down, he’ll fall in love with you even more cause you’re able to put into words how he feels about you 

I don’t think he’ll be too comfortable with you posting about him but he knows he can’t do anything about people taking photos of the two of you out together in public

Tsuki would never be rude to your fans though like if you were recognized during a date, he wouldn’t make a fit and will take photos of you and your fans to speed the process along

He HATES HATES HATES the paparazzi’s like it’s one thing for fans to come up to you when yall are in public but he gets mad when the paparazzi harasses you with questions/pictures/comments

“ Y/N! Turn around and give a smile!” 

“ Not right now, I’m sorry.”

“ Oh come on, don’t be shy! Just show the camera a little skin!”

“ How about you shut the hell up before I smack that camera out of your face.”

Head empty, no thoughts, just thinking about Mad!tsuki

It’s a big adjustment for Tsukishima that he has a girlfriend in the entertainment sphere but he knows how hard you’ve worked for it and he would never tell you to stop living your dream 

Sometimes he’ll feel insecure because you’re so successful and he doesn’t want to hold you back but since he can’t imagine being without you, he just pushes those thoughts away and enjoys every minute with you 

[talkfastromance4]

when i’m dreaming--calum hood oneshot

yeah so i’m going through something so this is very, very self-indulgent. 

word count: 2.3k

warnings: drinking linked a little with coping, going through a depressive low, best friend!calum

feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

***

Calum notices something is wrong the minute she steps outside. He was about to take a drink of his white claw, but his eyes went to her nails when she pulled Crystal in for a hug. She typically paints them to match her mood and today they’re opalescent pink, barely noticeable but still there. In plain sight but still visible while she secretly wants to be invisible.

She smiles and cracks jokes with everyone she says hello to then when she steps in front of Calum, he sees the sadness in her eyes. They’ve been best friends for awhile now, they’ve shared secrets, stories of first loves and heartaches, their fears, their wildest dreams. But there was always something she kept hidden, tucked away in a box welded shut.

“Hey bud,” she sighs.

“Hey short stuff,” he grins playfully pulling her in for a hug. Her arms wrap around him and he makes sure to give her an extra tight squeeze.

“I’m not that short,” she grumbles in his chest.

“You’re shorter than me,” he reminds rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. Although her arms are loose around him he can feel the tension in her shoulders that she’s carrying.

“Stop hogging her! I haven’t seen her in weeks!” Ashton exclaims and Calum pulls away.

He knows it was too soon to break the hug but to keep up with her own façade he doubts anyone else sees, he does it.

“Hey, you’re the one who disappeared into the desert for all those weeks,” she jokes rising on her toes to loop her arms around Ashton’s neck.

He gives her a big bear hug that lifts her a few inches off the ground, Calum sees her nails digging into her arm as she squeezes him.

“Had to recenter myself, you should try it sometime,” Ashton teases right back. As if she was shocked, she removes herself from the hug then accepts a bottle of Mike’s from Luke.

“I can take something stronger than this, Hemmings,” she takes a large chug regardless.

“Yeah? Like tequila? I got some limes,” he jerks his thumb behind him towards the drink table.

“I said stronger not deadly. You know I can’t handle tequila,” she scrunches her nose.

Everyone else laughs but alarms are going off in Calum’s head.

“Yeah, the floor of my Tesla doesn’t like tequila either,” Michael chimes in with a tray of shots.

“I told you to pull over,” she shrugs lifting up a shot. She takes a whiff and nods in approval at his selected alcohol choice.

“I was going 75 on the freeway!”

“And that’s why I threw up. Ready?” she lifts her glass.

Calum meets her eyes as over the hands of their friends as Ashton gives an impromptu speech about friendship and long rides. He wasn’t really paying attention because when their eyes locked, he saw the panic, he saw the fear of whatever was going on in her head.

**

The next time he sees her is at the movies. Her eyes are darker along with her nails that are now a hunter’s green; camouflaged but still visible. While they’re waiting in line for snacks, he lifts her hand in his and runs his thumb over the color.

“This is a pretty color, I’ve never seen it on you before,” he says.

“Yeah, um…wanted to try something different,” she shrugs. “Do you want the blue icee?”

“Is that even a question?” he raises a brow, and she laughs.

Once they’re settled in the seats the previews start. Calum opens up the bags of sweet and sour treats while she opens the boxes of milk duds. The large bowl of popcorn (with extra butter) is settled between them, long red straws sticking out of their frozen drinks.

Throughout the whole movie, it’s an action romantic comedy, Calum keeps glancing at her. He watches her fingers disappear in the popcorn bowl, her hunter’s green nails appearing black in the dark theater. Calum’s seen enough movies to know this moment is foreshadowing the darkness she’s slipping into. He’s preparing himself for the fall but he’s not entirely sure she is.

**

Two weeks have gone by and he hasn’t seen her since the movie. Their schedules didn’t align so he decided to surprise her with takeout from her favorite Asian restaurant and chocolate cake from her favorite bakery.

When he opens the door, he hears Friends playing on her tv and he finds her horizontal on the couch. The hood of her sweatshirt is over her head, her arms wrapped around her torso, her black nails clutching the fabric.

Calum braces himself for what he’s walking into, sets the food on her counter and crouches in front of her. He pulls her hoodie back a little so he can see her face a bit better, her eyes are distant and staring off behind him.

“Hey,” he says softly then touches her hand. It’s very cold. “Y/N.”

Upon hearing her name does she finally look at him. Her eyes have filled and spilled with her tears in a matter of seconds. He links her fingers through his.

“Hi,” she mouths, her voice barely registering.

“Is this about…him?” he asks delicately.

About a year ago he chipped away at the welding on the box. He knows it involves a guy. He knows it’s about bad timing. He knows it’s about deep emotions.

She nods and the tears erupt more. She buries her face in her hands then adds another layer by hiding in the pillow.

“Nope, nope, hey,” he tugs on her arms. She’s pliant and allows him to drag her in a sitting position. He takes the place where her head was then brings her onto his lap. “I’ve got you, I’m right here.” He murmurs and pulls her hoodie down so he can rub at her hair.

She sobs loudly into his neck. Calum holds her as tight as he can, murmuring comforting words in her ear. Her sobs would subside, but he wouldn’t let go until she did. She’s very good at keeping her emotions at bay and even better at keeping people further away from her harbor. She doesn’t ask for help often, she doesn’t open up too much and when she does it’s always the footnoted version.

Three episodes of Friends later, her hold lessens, she gives a big sniff and peels herself away from Calum. He uses the sleeves of his shirt to wipe at her tears and nose.

“Have you eaten?” he asks, and she shakes her head. “I brought food. I’ll heat it up for you.”

She nods and falls back onto the couch. He rubs her knee then heads into the kitchen. When the food is prepared on plates he brings it to her and she takes it, scarfing down the first few bites heartily.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she finally speaks when her plate is empty.

“I know,” he nods looking over at her until she meets his brown eyes. “It’s okay.”

Calum ends up staying the night, his mind reeling from what the history is with this mystery guy. His thoughts get away from him as he stares at the ceiling above the couch. Was he some celebrity that kept her under the radar and broke her heart repeatedly? A Prince from some far-off country that got her hopes up and crushed them again and again?

He’s tossing and turning until he hears the shower turn on. Sad songs play over and over on her speakers, her voice singing along with the yearning words. Ghostin’ by Ariana and When the Party’s Over by Billie replay one after another.

She’s really hurting.

Calum bounds off the couch and opens the bathroom door.

“Y/N?” he makes sure his voice is a little louder than the music.

A sniff. “Yeah?” her voice is thick.

“Just want you to know I’m here,” he shuts the door and sits next to the shower.

His heart aches when he hears her crying again, the vocals echo and bounce off the tiles. Her sadness fills the room just as it’s filled in the hidden box of the guy who’s making her feel this way.

Four more repeats go by and the shower is finally shut off. Calum scrambles off the floor, sees her tug the towel from the door of the shower. Her shadow figure wraps it around herself and she opens the door. Her skin is red from the hot water, as are her eyes and cheeks from crying more tears. He grabs another towel and helps dry her hair while she stands there avoiding her reflection in the mirror.

“It’s been five years, why do I still feel like this?” she asks quietly.

“It hurts the most when it meant something.”

He left the bathroom after he dried and brushed her hair then waited for her in her bedroom. There’s pictures on her desk from high school. Her and some guy at prom. Her and the same guy a little bit older posing in a selfie on a couch, drunken smiles on their faces. Her and the same guy a little older again posed outside.

This must be from that box. She’s cracked it open and Calum is staring at some of the pieces that have broken her wholly.

“His name’s Henry,” she explains suddenly behind him.

Calum turns to her voice. The drastic change from the happy girl in the photos to the sad girl before him startles him. He remains silent to let her speak or to go into silence again. She moves onto her bed, sitting in the center and tucks her legs against her chest.

“We never dated. But we were always…together. Together in the physical sense for four years,” she continues. Calum joins her cautiously on the bed and listens. “Back and forth always. After every relationship we fell back into each other. He’s the longest relationship I’ve had, and it wasn’t even a real one.

“We cared about each other, and…I think he loved me. Time wasn’t on our side. It was too much or too little, I don’t know,” she shrugs. “Just when I think I’ve let go; I dream of him. Then he’s on my mind for days. And now this time…” she shakes her head and Calum pulls her against him. “I went on socials and I found out that he um…he’s a dad now. And I feel so stupid because that could have been me if we kept what we had. I feel stupid because a part of me wanted it to be me.”

Calum doesn’t fully understand the ins and outs of their relationship, but four years of physical affection and a rock to lean on, that’s a lot of history. He also doesn’t fully understand how this guy didn’t make it official with Y/N. She’s the perfect best friend with a big heart.

Calum wishes he knew her in school because he would have been the one to take her to prom. He would have been the one take her to movies and dinners and surprise her with flowers. He would have made it official rather than keep her guessing.

“I’m really going through it and I don’t know how to get out,” she whispers sadly.

“I think…” Calum heaves a big sigh and kisses her wet head. “I think you’re just cracking the surface of breaking free. I can tell he meant a lot to you and you meant a lot to him. Even if he never said it, you’ll always be a part of him just like he’ll be a part of you. Someone that important won’t just poof away.”

“But I want him to, it hurts.”

“I know it does, sweetheart. I’ll help you in any way I can, okay?”

“You’re so understanding and you’re so good, but I don’t want to cry over another guy when you’re here.”

“That’s what best friends do.”

She turns her head and gazes up at him. He notices the storm in her eyes aren’t as dark, her lips are chapped from the cracking of memories she spilled out.

“Calum, you’re more than my best friend.”

He hears a deeper truth in her statement, and it causes his breathing to quicken. The subtle yet very noticeable flick of her eyes to his lips causes him to react. He gives her a quick peck, but that smallest touch sent an enormous shock through his system.

They settle against her pillows, the kiss wasn’t awkward, but it filled them both with questions. Questions that will be answered at a different time because right now he wants to hear this most vulnerable part of her life. She takes his hand in hers first and plays with his fingers while she talks.

He makes comments and asks questions to try and understand a bit more. Calum kisses her head when her voice starts to shake. Hours go by and the sky starts to lighten, birds are awakening.

“Hey,” she says right as he’s about to fall asleep. They talked all night, but she quieted down about twenty minutes.

“Hm?” he opens his eyes.

“We match.”

He looks down at their intertwined fingers when she taps on his nail. His polish is chipped away from chewing on a hangnail then smiles at the black color. He lifts their hands and kisses their knuckles.

“I feel what you feel.”

“What exactly do you feel?”

“I felt you slipping. I can sense your emotions when no one else can, and I guess I painted my nails subconsciously because I didn’t want you to be alone in the dark,” he explains. She’s quiet for a moment and he thinks she really fell asleep this time.

“Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be this bad again.”

“If you are, I’ll be here. I’ll always be here.”

“Cal?”

“Hmm?” he sighs. It’s getting harder to keep his eyes open, but he doesn’t want her to stop talking. He doesn’t want her out of his arms.

“When I’m dreaming tonight it will be of you.”

**

Taglist: @calpalirwin @myloverboyash @loveroflrh @cxddlyash @princesslrh @spicylftv @notinthesameguey @itjustkindahappenedreally @calumance @thew0rldneedsmcreycghurt @sarcastically-defensive17 @another-lonely-heart @devilatmydoor @thatscooibaby @suchalonelysunflower @dead-and-golden @mymindwide @blackbutterfliescal @redrattlers @karajaynetoday @quasighost @i-like-5sos @creampiecashton @calpops​ @littledrummeraussie​ @sexgodashton​ @f-mu​

[lilithfairen]

A good story often starts with a strong starting image, one that sets the scene and establishes characters, one that builds up to the conflict of the story and hints at the underlying themes.

When I wrote the first chapter of Papillon, I had the perfect first scene come to me: the heroine staring at her phone, at a selfie of her teenage self with her friends, reflecting on the magic of her youth...in a very literal sense. That final sentence in that first paragraph, about how those five innocent-looking teenage girls held the fate of the world on their shoulders, serves as the first clue to the weight of Faye's past.

But that's the past—her present is now, and she's late for it even. A sign that Faye more fondly thinks of the past than the present. Nonetheless, obligations are obligations, and so Faye leaves for work. Normal work.

Then she hears a scream. The sort of thing that might hint at trouble and peril, the kind she might have faced, coupled with her own instinctive reaction to potential trouble. Alas, it's only an injured bicyclist, someone Faye can't really help.

But someone unexpected can.

The sylphid's arrival is sudden. She approaches, alien and mysterious, yet her presence among the humans of Garden City is unquestioned. She's not of this world, yet accepted in it—even with some distrustful stares. And even though Faye recalls others of her kind that she once fought, she doesn't react with hostility towards the Outsider's presence...but fascination and wonder.

But she can't indulge that curiosity, for she has a life to get to. The wonders of her once-magical life don't matter to her anymore. "Once-Magical"...I knew when I decided on the chapter naming format that it would pair with the final chapter's title. Book ends and all that.

= ~ =

The first chapter went through a lot of different versions and events, trying to figure out exactly how to reveal the world to the reader. The earliest versions included Faye watching the evening news at home for the sake of exposition, something I knew was poor for an opening chapter.

Faye going to meet her friend Elia for dinner was originally the start of Chapter 2, but I later decided that introducing Monara—and her appearance—was a fitting end to the first chapter.

The Fireside restaurant is meant to be evocative of Tim Horton's and other chain coffeeshops, a cozy place where one can enjoy a warm drink and a donut. Having Faye check the news on her phone was the best way I could think of to establish the necessary background information, to set up an initial understanding of what Faye did and what led to the world the reader has witnessed.

This, of course, comes to an end when an unexpected person asks to sit with Faye. Her fascination with this Outsider stranger's butterfly-wings links to Faye's own established butterfly motif—one of the first concepts I decided upon was having the former butterfly magical-girl fall for an actual butterfly-lady.

That concludes the first chapter. Whether it's an effective first chapter outside of those two fatal words in the tags, I don't know. I once posted it to a critique group, and they had...well, other folks told me that they didn't understand why that critique group was so negative on the story.

Maybe that critique group was right and my choices above were wrong. It doesn't really matter that much, does it?