#whoever points out the reference i made gets a big kiss and all of my love
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nothingbutnowhere · 5 months ago
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Hockey Player AU! Captain John Price Headcanons
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Center. Long time captain (obv.), long suffering captain. 1000+ games. Someone get this man a cup already ffs. Defensive offenseman; has like three Selke trophies.
Not a big goal scorer, under reactive cellies, does the stand and point at whoever was the assist. But he does tally a few good assists per year and his cellies for his boys are intense. A little slower these days but will not back down from a crushing hit or dropping the gloves when he makes the occasion call for it. MEAN slapshot.
Leads by example... which... can lead to some crowded penalty boxes- you do NOT cheap shot these guys. They can and will drop the gloves. Price holds his team to the same standards and isn't afraid to enforce it internally. He'll drag Soap out of a pile as many times as he needs to. They play hard and physical, but clean.
Similarly, he wants to hold the league to high standards as well. If he feels there's been too many bad calls by the refs he's ready to cut a check to the league for scalding criticism post game.
Loves his boys so much. Always yelling encouragement on the bench. Would and has run through a wall for them. Physically affectionate. Known to give a little kiss on the cheek during cellies or on the bench 🥹 Gif sets of those are very popular. We love to see it.
He's a hockey veteran though and though, made some deep playoff runs, knows his shit, knows they can win a cup.
His team may be down but they are never out. Do not turn off the game, do not leave the stadium early, because you will regret it. Price will lead the team though the most nail biting comeback you've ever seen. He's fully taken the clipboard from the assistant coach to draw up plays before and it WORKS. Down three with three minutes left? One goal per minute, easy (this is, in fact, not easy).
Gaz is set to be his predecessor for captain. Price could not be more happy about it; he took Gaz under his wing the second he was drafted. Even though their play styles aren't the same, Gaz learns a lot from Price's leadership skills.
The kids think he's trendy with the 'bucket hat'... has to explain it's not.
Not a media favorite. He doesn't use the stock hockey responses and is a little too real. Has accidentally sworn multiple times live on air :( Used to avoid interviews and pressers when he was younger, but once he took on leadership roles he had to make peace with it. He gets asked the 'why are you so pissy' comment that Drai did a couple years ago. Reporter got a death glare for that.
Yet a fan favorite. We can't help it he's so handsome!! Competency is hot!! He's loyal and passionate! What's not to love about him!
Locker room menace- walks around naked and does not give a fuck. Much to the chagrin of the media. (Pls one shot of his ass just one please we're begging you)
Hockey hair status: yes with his facial hair. Keeps the chops shorter during the regular season, but lets it all grow for the playoffs
Roster pic status: he's giving that one face. His promo videos are also 😵‍💫
Mic'd up: he'll do it and knows people like his voice (for some reason?) but he doesn't prefer it
WAG status: has been with the same women for years and years. She enjoys games with the other girls, but doesn't party as much as she used to. His family was SO cute at his 1000th game ceremony 🥹 
His number WILL be retired one day and I WILL cry at the ceremony.
After retirement will stick around to coach, probably after taking a few years off to be with his family.
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I do NOT consent for my works, part of my works, or my ideas to be used for ANY form of AI.
Note: WAG stands for wife and girlfriend or the plural, used to refer to sports guy's significant others. Yes it is heteronormative. (Read as self insert if you so desire). Hockey Price is somewhat based on my previous fav (now retired) player Mikko Koivu.
More hockey au: Ghost | Soap | Gaz
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sminiac · 1 year ago
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hii i was wondering if you could do bf!hyunwoo, like or similar to what you did with minjae and sumin??
💌 — Hello, I absolutely can!! I swear he’s not talked abt enough🙏
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Bf!Hyunwoo who 100% has this odd inclination for play fighting, and it always ensues from such a trivial topic that the two of you keep butting heads on, still, he’s finding an excuse to pin you down and tickle you until you’re barely able to form a coherent sentence, threatening you with empty promises, and he’d say it all without an ounce of seriousness, his laugh cutting through his struggled words. He always gets a kick out of it, laughs just as hard— if not harder, just loves seeing your smile, hearing your laugh :,)
Bf!Hyunwoo who is very serious about taking your pictures for you, Seeun’s offering to take them? No he isn’t, the phones already in his hand. He puts in the same amount of effort that a high in demand photographer does, and is always equipped with a multitude of angles to experiment with. Words of encouragement? Are you joking? He’s praising you so much, tells you how beautiful you look every single time, a lot of the pictures end up capturing how touchy he gets, absolutely unable to resist you + so, so many candid moments of you!! Whether it’s small videos or just pictures of your back they’re in his album dedicated solely just for you:b
Ex: There’s for sure some shots you sneak into your photo dumps of his hands grabbing at your waist, ass, face, neck to pull you into a kiss, you’re just so unreal, he can’t help but grab at you wherever he can, the photos after definitely have a little evidence of him literally jumping you with his lips, and per his request he isn’t cropped out of anything, loves the baffled reactions in your comments, eats them up every single time like “yeahhh, and what about it?”
Bf!Hyunwoo who loves keeping said pictures of you in his phone case, has a little collection that’s still growing, he switches them out occasionally and lovesss bragging about you to both people who don’t know you and the boys. Once he starts there’s no stopping him. Shoving his phone into whoever’s face as he goes on a tangent about how pretty you are, how kind you are, he’s also talking about whatever embarrassing habits you have that he finds adorable, it’s like whatever picture of you he’s pulling out there has to be a random fun fact about you too, he loves showing off that he knows you personally like that :b cause who else knows all of the little things you do like he does?
Ex: The back of his phone is a frequent guest in their YouTube videos, a big grin on his face as he points to the picture of you, “My girlfriend isn’t here to watch us perform today, so I cloned her and stuck her in the back of my phone. No she can breathe. I miss her a lot, I’ll do my best for her out there, I hope she’ll be watching from her phone.” He’s such a my girlfriend my girlfriend type 😣
Bf!Hyunwoo who admittedly sometimes gets a little shy calling you pet names in front of his members (Baby, babe, sweetheart, darling) instead he’d come up with a personal nickname for you, like a shortened, distorted, added letters that aren’t originally there kind of nickname, and it’s so cute because maybe it’ll sound a little unserious, a little silly, but he’ll say it with such a genuine tone when referring to you by it in a conversation (because he’s always talking abt you😋). And whoever he’s talking to will be like “Who?” And he’ll be like “My girlfriend??? Who else would I be talking about???” Since it’s something he created just for you he’d be a little bitter if his members started to use it, because they aren’t your boyfriend??? He is??? That’s why he made it???
Bf!Hyunwoo who doesn’t let you say ‘love you’ without the ‘I’ first, because if you don’t he’s immediately stopping you to ask if you’re okay, if he’s upset you in any way, and he always has this cute pout on his face, it’s his ‘serious’ face… that you can’t help but want to squish until his skin is stressed red. If it was merely just an accident, telling him it slipped your mind, he always lets out the biggest sigh of relief, carefully grabbing at your face to pull you into a kiss. Along with this he doesn’t like the word ‘too’ like, “I miss you too.” and “I love you too” it sounds forced to him, like you’re saying it back only because he said it first, he needs to know that it’s an authentic ‘i love you’ and not a pity ‘i love you’😞
Bf!Hyunwoo who is so stubborn that if you get into the smallest of disagreements he’s immediately quiet, face of stone, but is still bulldozing his head into your chest so you can cuddle. He’ll only hum his answers out if you’re asking him any questions, fingers threading through his soft hair, eventually he’d crash out from this and would wake up like nothing ever happened🙄 he’d start talking though, so you know it was never that serious, he just likes being dramatic so you’ll smother him in your love after.
Bf!Hyunwoo who sings/plays the piano for you any chance he gets, he loves being your background noise + it’s a good excuse to be in your presence while you’re studying, reading, doing any of your hobbies that don’t involve sound. I think he’d also make these silly songs for you that consist of what you’re doing at that exact moment, and he’d keep going until he gets a smile or a laugh out of you :,)
NSFW under the cut!
Bf!Hyunwoo who at random will only slightly lift your shirt up so he can press small, wet kisses to your stomach, you’ll be on your phone, one hand petting at his head in acknowledgment of his presence, he’d get a little carried away, purposely or not, shifting down the band of your pants so his kisses can reach lower, and lower until your phones shut off, thrown to the side and his tongue is dipping out to run hasty licks at your clit, he likes the way you whine, begging for “More, please.” Until he caves and is making the most obscene, wet noises with his mouth as possible as.
Bf!Hyunwoo who is always so, so vocal!! “Doing s’good baby” “Shit— ‘s embarrassing, gonna make me cum already” “God you feel so good, I love you so much” UGH. He’s so loverboy, heavy on holding your hand as he’s thrusting into you, his strokes heavy and paced just right. Wet kisses against your collarbone, neck, face. Eye contact always!! And he’s always got this little smile on his face when your eyes peak up at him, looks at you so lovingly🫠
Bf!Hyunwoo who loves the thrill of potentially being caught, @ntoniac who has plans to further delve into this hc sometime soon����
Bf!Hyunwoo who is so hallway/airport/cafe crush that it’s making my head spin😡
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finallydelight · 2 years ago
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helloooo, by any chance can you do a chapter or Drabble of bam, Jungkook and Maya? It can be anything— it doesn’t matter💗
The Favourite Parent | Maya Chapter
author’s note: hi ! thank you so much for the request, I’ve been in my bam x jk x maya feels since yesterday and this was the first thing that came into my mind. I hope you like it, darling ❣️
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October 5, 2022
''Does Bam have a favourite?'' Taehyung's question rang through the apartment, having everyone present look at the young couple.
Jeongguk proudly nodded his head, pointing at himself. ''Obviously me, I clean his poop and wipe his butt everyday.''
Jin, Hobi and Taehyung glanced at the woman sitting on the couch, who was visibly trying to hold her laughter in. Jieun looked down at her lap, a tired Bam laying across her legs. ''Yeah, you're definitely the favourite.'' She teased in a sarcastic tone.
The members laughed at her words, while the 97-liner pouted his lips. ''Hey! I don't see you cleaning that ginormous shit of his.'' Jeongguk complained, demonstrating the size of Bam's poop with his hands in dramatic fashion.
''When you got Bam, you said you would do all the dirty stuff and that I didn't have to worry about anything since you adopted him.'' Jieun defended herself.
It was early into their dating stage that Jeongguk had adopted the Doberman into his home. He had assured her that it was his dog and that he didn't expect her to take care of Bam in any way, but Jieun gladly helped out here and there. She didn't think her and Bam would get along as well as they did since Jieun was more of a cat person.
Bam quickly grew attached to the woman, always excitedly greeting her when she walked into the door and clinging onto her whenever she did anything. Jeongguk noticed and started referring to Jieun as 'mom' whenever he talked to Bam about her.
''Ji, you scold him too much, he definitely likes me more.'' Her boyfriend continued, not stopping until she admitted that he is Bam's favourite.
Jieun rolled her eyes. ''It's thanks to my scolding that he's so well-behaved, you're always wrestling with him.'' The two bickered back-and-forth, ignoring the three members and the dog watching them.
''Guys, there's only one way to end the entire discussion!'' Jin exclaimed, making the two stop and look at the oldest member. ''You two call Bam at the same time, whoever he comes to, is his favourite.'' He concluded.
Jeongguk got up from his chair. ''I like that, come on, Bam!'' He moved to the couch and sat next to his girlfriend, who looked unimpressed by the entire thing.
''Bam, come here.'' Hobi motioned for the boy to come to him. He got up from Jieun's lap and moved over to Hobi, who immediately started petting him.
''Ready to be proven wrong, Ji?'' Jeongguk glanced at her, a smirk already present on his face like he had already won.
She offered him a sarcastic smile. ''You tell me.''
''3, 2, 1, go!'' Taehyung counted down.
''Bam! Come here, boy!'' ''Bam-ie, sit next to me.'' The couple called him over, Jeongguk's voice towering over Jieun's. However, that didn't seem to have any effect as Bam swiftly made his way to Jieun's side of the couch and planted himself in her lap again.
''And we have a winner! Kim Jieun, everyone!'' Jin declared, heavily amused by their maknae losing the little competition.
Jieun put her arms around the big dog, kissing his face. ''My good boy! I know you love mom the most, my baby.'' She coddled him, looking over at a pouty Jeongguk.
''Hey, Bam! Without me, she wouldn't even be your mom, remember that.'' He whined, crossing his arms.
''You jealous hag.''
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Taglist: @stopeatread @sakuurra @seongwhaffels @cosmicwintr @smh-anon @cixrosie @allthings-fandoms @themalipirate
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fandom-blackhole · 3 years ago
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Fanfiction Trope MASH-UP
Din Djarin
53. Mutual pining, 41. First kiss, 6. Bookshop AU 👀
Hope this is enough of a distraction! ❤
First of all, how dare you make me think of how cute this little AU is, because now I'm yearning for modern Din and Grogu! Second, yes darling, this is going to distract me all night lmao
53. Mutual pining
41. First kiss
6. Bookshop AU
Din Djarin x Reader
Owning your own little bookshop had its pros and cons. Some of the cons, to name a few, was worrying about making enough to keep the store open, dealing with angry people when you shop didn't carry the book they wanted, the building you were in was old and leaked every time it rained, and just the entire business side of the bookstore bored you and made your anxiety raise just thinking about it. But the pros, those more then made up for the stress of counting each penny in order to order stock. And those pros came in the form of your two favorite customers, a young boy, always dressed in the cutest green frog sweater and his father who took your breath the first time he walked into you small store. Din Djarin was handsome in a way that was devastating. Not only was he physically handsome, with brown eyes that screamed of kindness, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, hands big enough to dwarf any book in your store, and scruff that was so patchy you couldn't help but find it cute, but Din was also handsome in the way that he acted, the way he would gently talk to his son as they picked out books or as he sat in the reading nook and read to Grogu, the way he would always ask about your day, how when he saw you struggling with boxes on more than one occasion he had stepped in and moved them for you not letting you lift another box. Din was sweet and kind to you, and with every small smile he gave you, you thought your heart would burst from your chest. And his son, Grogu, was obviously in the best hands. The boy was just as polite as his father, and just as devastatingly cute. The young boy, who you always joked about being your best customer, always ran into the store with an excites wave and a smile, and almost always ran and gave you the biggest hug he could. On occasion, the little cutie would bring you a present to add to a shelf you had cleared just for him. The presents were what you'd expect a kid to give, a dandelion, a colorful leaf, a shiny rock, and once a piece of candy that Din explained he had cried over for days after seeing it before Din went and bought it for him. You cared deeply for the two, and they brightened your weeks with each visit they made.
One week, it had been raining and storming every single day with no reprieve. You had all but written off seeing the two, knowing they always walked to your shop, but there you were shocked when a tiny frog rainbooted blur came dashing towards you and wrapped your legs in a hug, quickly followed by a hushed stern voice saying, "Stop it kid, you're gonna get them all wet!"
You could only giggle and lean down to give him a proper hug, looking over towards Din, saying, "If getting wet is the price I pay for my favorite and best customer's hug, then I'll gladly take it."
Din only shook his head and gave you his small smile, making you bite the inside of your lip feeling the rush of warmth in your chest and face. The two then disappeared into the children's section, you occasionally hearing Grogu's giggle, or Din's quiet rumbling voice, making you grin as you walked around organizing shelves. Eventually, you got lost in thought, humming quietly to yourself as you worked. You hadn't noticed the set of eyes watching you, and you barely caught the throat being cleared before you bumped into what you could have almost mistaken for a bookshelf with how solid it was. When you turned to look up, eyes wide and already apologizing, you found Din's soft eyes looking at you. Din took no time brushing your apology to the side, before furrowed his brows and saying, "There is a bucket full of water in the middle of the children's section."
You sighed painfully and nodded, before turning back to your work to both somewhat distract yourself from the way his eyes were boring into you, and to keep you hands busy from nervous fidgeting, as you said, "Yeah...it leaks back there whenever it rains super hard. I just... I havent been able to get it fixed yet."
Then Din shocked you completely, he grabbed your hand, stilling it and making you look into those soulful eyes before whispering, "I can fix that."
You had tried to argue with him, telling him you'd get to it eventually and making up reason why he shouldn't, but each time he shot you down, until he was paying for the stack of books Grogu had grabbed and he had set up a weekend day he could come over to do the job.
When the weekend finally came around, it was hot and muggy from all of the rain, and Din had shown up with everything he needed, and Grogu, who you agreed to watch while he worked, the least you could do considering he was trying to work without payment. But Din had also shown up in a white t-shirt that hugged his chest and showed off his softer middle, and jeans that fit right in all of the right places, and you couldn't help but feel your mouth go dry. You had closed the store for the day, and had made a lunch for the three of you the night before, so while Din made quick work with the roof, you and Grogu played games and read books in the little reading nook. Eventually, he got hungry so you let him eat, and shortly after he dozed off looking through a hidden images book. With a smile, you tucked him gently into a more comfortable position and draped a soft quilt around his shoulder. When you turned around though your heart stopped and you felt heat rush to your face. While you had been distraction, Din had snuck into the store and watched with an aching heart as you took care of his son, falling for the soft and loving smile that graced your features as you did. When you turned around completely, you took in his form, and felt a pang of guilt with how red his face was from working in the sun, but also a pang of something else entirely as your eyes soaked in the way Din's sweat shirt clung to his chest, leaving nothing to your imagination and how his hair curled so perfectly from the dampness of sweat and the humidity.
"I finished," his soft rumble broke you from you ogling, and the heat in your face spread to your chest as you cleared your throat. "Come sit down then, I made food last night and I imagine you're hungry so eat, and I will go get you some ice water to cool off."
You rushed away, as Din checked on Grogu before settling on the floor, and reaching for the plate that was on the coffee table. You appeared seconds later, setting a glass in front of him, before sitting beside him, grabbing your own plate.
"Sorry it isn't anything fancy, but I thought that the ravioli would be something Grogu and you both may like."
"It is perfect, thank you."
The two of you ate in silence after that, both of you stealing glances at the other while they weren't looking. When you finished, you took the plates and set them aside before shyly saying, "Thank you again, Din. You have helped me so much with this favor, and if I can repay you in anyway just tell me."
"It was nothing, and you owe me nothing, I promise."
You looked over at him, a soft and kind smile showing on your face, "I feel bad not doing anything for you or paying you. There has to be something?"
Din was quiet for a few minutes, his eyes taking in your earnest and open body language, taking in how your own eyes danced around his form, and before he could think twice about it, he said, "There is one thing..."
"Anything, you only have to ask."
Din took in how perked up you were, leaning towards him in the small space that separated the two of you. Taking a deep breath for courage, Din leaned in himself, and whispered, hot breath ghosting over your face, "A kiss?"
You swallowed thickly in shock, and met his gaze, finding no teasing look, only want so soft you thought you'd melt, so you replied by softly nodding and slowly drifting your eyes shut. Then you felt it, a soft brush of plush lips against your own, before they connected fully. The kiss was quick, and loving, and you followed his lips as he pulled away. Slowly, you both looked at eachother, taking in the other's reaction, before reaching out again. You buried one of your hands in Din's sinfully soft curls, as one of his broad palms cupped your cheek. This kiss was more passionate, but not pushing. The two of you finally just enjoying the feel of the other. The kiss expressed so much love and passion that it had you addicted and never wanting to pull away. But eventually the two of you needed to leave the other for air, and as your chests both heaved slightly, Din whispered while his forehead pressed against yours, "I also wouldn't say no to a date."
Send Me Tropes
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warrenwrites · 2 years ago
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Date Night
Date Night Eddie Munson x Reader
Summary: You and your boyfriend spend date night at the local pool hub and when playing against him, you learn that he’s an absolute cheater.
Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry this took so long! Hope you enjoy!
Word Count: 2.8k
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The two you came here a lot recently.
Date night had originally been an every other week occurrence before it upgraded to a weekly goal. After so long, it completely lost its scheduling amongst your busy lives. Nowadays, it was whenever the two of you found the time. Sometimes it was weekly, multiple days in a row, fortnightly or almost every night. It became a joke amongst your friends that when the two of you got married it would be referred to as ‘Date Night’.
Tonight, was just as special to you as it was the first night you both had two consecutive days off in over a month. You couldn’t be more excited as you found yourselves in the local billiard bar.
Eddie and yourself had been a few times before, having dragged or friends or Wayne along. Once, when no one could accompany the two of you, you made friends with some local bikers and convinced them to verse you in a game of pool, which you graciously won.
You found it amusing how invested Eddie would get in your silly, made-up tournaments. He’d constantly cheer you on and talk smack to the other players, pointing out their mistakes and cheering a “That’s my baby” with a big smile every time you made a shot.
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It wasn’t that Eddie was bad at the bar games, but you were undeniably better, having consistently improved in all your visits to this very pub.
Originally, the two of you would suck together but you found a secret talent in yourself for these games and Eddie was just glad to be on your team, pitying whoever was against you.
Tonight however, it was just you and Eddie, which excited you to no end. You were still in the first year of your relationship, so you were incredibly close but still learning new things about each other every day. Recently, you’d come to find his competitive side, noticing how his energy shifted when it was just the two of you. He was still playful, positive and enjoying himself but he was comedically sulking and a terrible sport when he’d realize he was about to lose. This became apparent at your most recent Date Night when you spent the night chasing tickets at the arcade. Anytime your score matched Eddies, he’d shove you about or slap at your hands to try and mess you up. It was all in good fun and never came close to putting a damper on the night as everything he did exuded the most intensely happy energy. 
With this in mind you’d suggested the billiard for your date night, eager to watch Eddie fall to his knees and watch as you demolished him in pool. It was pretty busy at the start of the night so the two of you began your date at the bar, nursing your drinks and eating appetizers while you caught each other up on your day and talked about the surrounding scenery.
You brought his attention on the stage in the corner of the bar. “You know, Corroded Coffin should play here sometime, it’s a nice venue.”
He scoffed at the remark, “I don’t have the means or the money to get a gig at a place like this.”
You hummed in feigned thought before continuing, “want me to flirt with the owner? Bet I could get you a good deal.”
Eddie leaned in, hand on your thigh as he got closer to you, “don’t you dare.” He smiled before grabbing your chin and pulling you into a soft kiss.
The moment was pleasant and kept up for a while before you grew antsy in your seat. 
Eddie noticed your shuffling. ”Bored of me already, Sweetheart?” He challenged.
“I really wanna play pool,” you faux sulked with a smile, knowing the table was currently occupied. “Ugh. C’mon, let’s go play darts until these amateur's finish their game.” You jumped from your stool and attempted to drag him by the arm, but just to tease you, he stayed planted.
“But baby, I haven’t finished my drink,” he sooked, swirling the remainder of Jack in his glass, tugging you closer and pulling the grappled arm from your grasp to wrap it around your waist.
You leant in to be nose to nose with your boyfriend. ”Edward. There is a perfectly good juke box in that corner. If you don’t get up and play darts with me, I will put Abba on.”
Sighing dramatically, he grabbed his drink and sundered over to the darts bored, dragging his feet to give the illusion that he wasn’t having a good time. It would almost be convincing had he not had a giant smile etched into his face.
 The game went exactly as expected, you in the lead playing Eddie for the 3rd time. For someone who pretended to be uninterested, he was getting very jittery at how many of his very close calls were outshined by your straight bullseyes. “Best three out of five,” he challenged, and you agreed despite having a feeling that this would drag out into a tie.
As you lined up to take your turn you felt Eddie wrap his arms around your waist from behind and lightly sway to the background music. As you started throwing your darts you felt his movement get increasingly more aggressive until he was forcing you into a little two-step motion, back and forth on the spot.
“Eheheddie, I’m holding darts,” you warned, looking over your shoulder to meet his eyes.
“And you’ve been drinking, yet somehow, bullseye.” He pointed his hand towards the board in emphasis.
You laughed in response and just as you were about to respond you looked over his shoulder to see the pool table had been vacated as the crowd had died down. You gasped and smacked his shoulder lightly, repeatedly to direct his attention. He followed your eyeline and shot you an excited look before rapidly nodding.
You glanced back to the board in front of you and tossed your last dart. It stunned the both of you when it hit the bullseye. You smirked to your boyfriend with an incredibly smug look plastered onto your face and felt a swift ‘wack’ to your butt, causing you to squeak and make a B-line for the table.
 After setting up the triangle and chalking your sticks you bowed and moved your stick over the table in a dramatic fashion. “After you, my love. Champion never goes first.” You teased, watching him blush at the nickname and hit your stick lightly with his before he stepped up and took the first shot.
You played until you were all tied up and there were only two balls left for each of you, but not without the frequent attempts to bug each other. You would lean down in front of him, bringing yourself into his eyeline to distract him from his move. He returned the favour by gasping whenever you tried to make a move, to which you followed by putting your stick down, casually on the table but blocking the balls from falling into the net. 
He soon countered by resting his weight against the table and began bumping his hip to shake the table. When it was his turn again you bent down close to tug at his hair from behind and he laughed at you, rapidly shaking his hair.
Throughout your game, Eddie sunk the que a fair bit. You weren’t perfect either, after embarrassingly missing the que all together Eddie let out a symphony of booming laughter before wrapping an arm around your waist. 
“Can’t win ‘em all, Sweetheart.” He laughed, holding you tight to his side.
You scowled and bent over to line up your shot, determined to make him eat his words. “We’ll see about that, Munson.”
You felt him rub your side affectionately and his light movement inched its way up your shirt, teasing the nerves in your side, making you flinch from your bent position. “Something wrong, babe?” Eddie felt you jump and bump into his side so he repeated the action and felt you scoot away from his hand.
You bit back a smile but when he did it again with slightly more pressure and intention, you couldn't help but jump and squeak, “Eddie!” You turned around to face him and tapped your stick on his nose, to which he flinches and smirked. “Don’t be a sore loser now”
“Ohohoo, I don’t think I’ll be losing tonight.” He challenged, nudging your waist for you to turn around. 
You followed his direction and leant back down to line up your shot. Everything seems fine until the moment you struck the que when you felt him prod at your side. “EDDIE!” You flinched as you squeaked and fumbled your shot, completely missing the ball you were aiming for. “That is cheating,” you accused.
Smiling, he seemed all too proud of himself, “sorry, sweetheart. That’s strategy.” He grabbed your side once more before jogging around the table to take his shot. You spent his entire round flicking his hair with your stick from the other side of the table, giggling to yourself as he blew the hair out of his eyeline.
Much to your dismay he got his ball in and missed his second attempt. Even still, it was two more for you and only one for him.
You remained tense as he stood behind you while you aimed. After so long he decided you were taking far too long to shoot so he began fluttering his fingers over your spine, around your neck, down your arms then went back to poking and prodding randomly around your sides. 
You giggled to yourself, twitching around but ultimately remaining focused as he wasn’t being too cruel. “Ehehehddie, I swehehear this will be our lahahast dahate ihihihf yohou dohohn’t stohohop.”
“Not a chancee, Sweetheart. I have you for the entire night and all day tomorrow.” He ceased his torment to rest his hand on your hip and you stood upright to turn and face him.
“It has been a while, huh?” You glanced down to his smirking lips as you spoke.
“I’d wait a century if it meant having you like this,” he promised, placing a chase kiss on your lips.
You sighed in content when he pulled away but before you could respond he pulled you close and began kissing all over your face; your cheeks, nose, forehead, temples. “Eheheheddie! Stohohop!”
He paused only to say, “you don’t mean that, Darling.” He kept this up for a moment until you heard the bartender call ‘Last Call.’ To which he kissed you once more on the lips before spinning you around. “Well, time for you to fudge these shots before they kick us out.”
You playfully glared at his smirk and leant down; it was then you remembered his new found fixation when you felt him poke at your sides again. You groaned and shifted yourself before smacking your stick forward. To your surprise and Eddie’s dismay, both your balls fell into opposite nets, “HA!”
“OH NO WAY!” He pouted, running around the table to check the nets, as if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. Eddie fell to his knees as you cheered and gloated, laughing at his dismay.
The last half hour of your night went relatively quickly, Eddie felt a burst of determination and just went hard trying to sink his last ball before just tossing it in with his hand. He tapped the cue and 8 ball across the table until they too fell into a net. You laughed at his mini tantrum and eventually moved to pat his shoulder affectionately to coax him into leaving.
 When the two of you arrived at his trailer, a place you’d grown to call home, Eddie opened the door for you and you turn around to face him in the living room. Like a magnet, he moved to wrap his arms around your waist and pull you as close as he could.
“I’m glad we could do this,” you wrapped your arms around his neck. “Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed tonight but I was mainly looking forward to this. Just spending some time with you.”
He kissed your nose and rested his forehead against yours, “I love you so much,” he didn’t know what else to say to perfectly capture what he was feeling in that moment. He’d said it before but it was still very new for the two of you.
“I love you too,” you whispered. “And I’m sorry I kicked your ass so spectacularly tonight. I promise I’ll never make you verse me again. For the sake of your dignity.
You felt his hands creep up to your ribs. “Now, don’t you think it would be in your best interest,” he paused to move his head to meet your eyeline. “To stop running your mouth? Hmm? especially after I found out your little weakness.”
He dug his hands in and started scribbling at your rib cage making you yank your arms down to your side on instinct, “NO! Eeheheehddie c’mohohon i’m sohohorry!” You protest, turning your body but only ending up with your back pinned to his chest.
“Sohorry you beat me or sorry you were a shithead about it?”
“Ihihihi dohohohon’t knohohohow juhust pleheheease,” he dropped his hands down to your hips and grabbed at your hipbone. “NOHOHOT THEHEHERE!”
 You quickly broke free from his hold and ran into the bedroom where he followed and tackled you onto the bed. He held you by your waist, facing up at him. “I cahan’t believe I didn’t know this abhohout you,” he smiled, staring deep into your eyes, occasionally glancing down at your smile.
“Wehehe have forever to kehehep learning thihihings,” you promised, holding his hands tightly to prevent any further torment.
“Yeeeeah, i’m gonna need to know them all.” He shook free of your hands and squeezed at your waist. “I mean this is the kind of thing I need to know. What’s worse, here or here, where’s your worst spot.” He spent his monologue grabbing and poking at your sides then ribs then hips then scribbling up to your neck.
“I dohohohon’t knohOHOHOW, EDDIE!” You begged, pulling your legs up and holding your arms tight to your sides.
“Oh, you just leave that up to me,” He kept up his explorer’s game, sadistically searching for the places that made you jump. Eventually he gently let up and held both your hands in his. “Now do you have something to say?”
“Sohorrry I kihicked your ass?” You batted your eyelashes and smiled sweetly.
“You’re lucky you’re cute.” He almost growled, smiling brighter than the sun. He maneuverer the tow of you so you were sitting up by his pillows and pulled you close to his chest. “Finally, something I can beat you at,” he breathed, looking up to the ceiling.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” You smirked. “Might turn out to be another game I always win.” You jumped and squealed when he dug back into your side in protest to your words, for a moment it seemed like he wouldn’t stop but evidentially he did relax back onto the bed.
“I’d watch your mouth, Sweetness.” He warned. “You know how much I like seeing you smile.” He was right and that alone sent a shiver down your spine.
You sighed in content and worried for a minute you might fall asleep before getting the chance to change into your pjs. “Should we set an alarm to get up tomorrow morning?” You asked, still not sure of what your plans were for the morning.
“God no!” He snuggled further into you, finding that no matter what, he just couldn’t seem to get close enough to you. “I have you for the day, I’m staying in this bed until we’re starving.
“Probably for the best,” you agreed. “The second I have my energy back I’m coming for you.” You warned.
“Next date night activity?” He teased, making you giggle into his chest.
“Oh, dear god, that’s gonna be an intense evening,” you laughed.
“I know one this for sure.” You looked up to meet his eyes and he interrupted himself by planting a kiss on your forehead before continuing. “I’d much rather have you on my team then be playing against you.” He confessed.
“That’s sweet, Eddie.” You smiled, “But that’s just because you lose at pool, right?” You knew exactly what was coming and braced for the tickles he dished out to your ribs. You screamed and fought him but came to the conclusion that this was going to be something that was a constant in your relationship, and if it meant being close to him like this, you were absolutely okay with it.
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the-swedes-knees · 3 years ago
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Time in A Bottle (Agent Mobius x Reader)
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Summary: Everyone has a guilty pleasure. For Mobius, it's a slice of pie in a very specific slice of time.
Word Count: 1.8k
Located in the middle of Downtown, bordering on the corner of old-time druggies and newly gentrified condos was a moderate sized building with an exorbitant monthly rent. 
It was a theme restaurant, if the theme was 'we opened in 1953 and we'll be damned if we change the decor'- done up in chrome and frosted glass windows that clashed against the surrounding brick and mortar. The neon sign bearing the establishment's name had burnt out years ago, but it wasn't the type of place one would seek out.
Unless you were Mobius, that is.
[09:45:00]
Technically, he shouldn't be here.
His unit was nearly a mile out, or, more accurately, they would be within the hour. Dates like this, where a simple flap of a fat pigeon's wing could ripple into Nexus event after Nexus event had a name. A proper designation in their severity and frequency of necessary resets.
But he just always referred to them as 'a real pickle'.
You glance up at the front door as the brass bell affixed to the frame jingles loudly. The man that enters looks around the place before making eye contact with you and smiles. He points to the empty bar and you nod your head.
Once you finish refilling the other customer's drink, you see that he's made himself comfortable in the middle stool.
"Hey there." You greet from the opposite side of the counter. He offers a sheepish greeting in response as you set a water down in front of him, balancing a plastic straw on the rim of the glass. "Can I start you off with some coffee? Just made a fresh pot."
"That'd be great, thanks."
You place the mug and matching saucer in front of him and pour. For a moment you look up at him, and he's smiling a very genuine smile- something very rare these days.
As soon as it's full to the brim you're reaching under the counter and grabbing a clean glass sugar pourer, placing it right next to his cup.
"How'd you know?"
"Customer service intuition, I guess." He thanks you before unfurling the napkin containing his flatware. Like someone with real proper manners, he drapes the napkin over one of his legs before stirring an ample amount of sugar into his drink.
You can't help but notice just how much he fits in to the whole aesthetic with his well fitted brown suit and slim tie. New York offered a multiplicity of personalities, and you'd become quite numb to anything and everything that would walk through that door.
Yet, someone about this man was intriguing, familiar in a way. Like in the past life he was a PI that you hired to confirm your husband's affair.
Both a confidant, and a stranger.
"Feel free to take your time, but, do you know what you'd like?" You note his closed menu pushed to the side. He raises his eyebrows and nods while mid-sip, and you pull out a notepad and pen from your apron.
"Sure do, could I get two slices?" He points the vintage rotating pie cooler to your left and specifies his selection.
Easy enough. You put two generous slices onto separate plates, and he declines your offer of whipped cream or ice cream on top.
"Good choice, this one's my favorite."
"You don't say." The knowing twinkle in his eye wasn't noticed as you busied yourself with refilling his coffee. He holds his hands up in mock defeat and sighs. "Well, I guess you'll have to join me." The ceramic scraped against the quartz tabletop as he pushed one of the plates across the bar, directly opposite himself.
"I'm on the clock-"
"Don't worry, another customer doesn't come in for-" He pauses to flex his arm, riding his jacket sleeve up just enough to check his wristwatch. "12 minutes and 43 seconds."
[09:52:16]
"Am I supposed to trust you on that?" You raise an eyebrow, and his only response is a slight head tilt and pushing the second slice a nudge closer to you.
It wasn't every day courteous men offered you a break in the form of your favorite desert. Your face screwed up in contemplation as you looked at the only other two patrons in the diner before giving in and grabbing a second set of flatware. "Well, it is slow-"
"For a Friday?" He has another bite before setting down his fork and dabbing at his face with his napkin.
"Is it Friday already?" You sigh, bent over the counter to take a bite of the pie. Delicious as ever. "Hardly feels like it, all the days are melding together."
"I think this one will stand out."
"What is the date, anyway?"
"May 4th." You make a hum of acknowledgement and he gives you a lopsided grin. "2012, incase you forgot the year too."
"I'll mark it in my calendar," You laugh, using your hand to cover your mouth as you continue to chew. "'The Day I Met-'"
"Mobius." He introduces himself, extending his hand over the counter and you shake it. His grip is firm, authoritative. Before you can reply with your own name, he refers to you by it while maintaining perfect eye contact.
You can't explain why, but it feels so right when he says it. Like it was perfectly made to be pronounced in his charming Texan drawl with just the faintest hint of gravel.
While you're fixed in a stunned silence his eyes deliberately dart to the lapel of your uniform. You follow his gaze and laugh at yourself for neglecting that you were indeed wearing a nametag.
"So Mobius... like, from maths?"
"Yeah, like math." He eyes his untouched water and picks up the plastic straw. His fingers move carefully, removing the straw from the perorated paper. You watch with curiosity as the man twists the paper once and pinches the two ends together with his thumb and index finger.
Mobius holds his opposite hand out to you, confident, waiting. With a bemused smile you allow him to guide your hand. His skin is warm, presumably from the way he had cradled his coffee mug, but it's comforting in a way. His rough hand guides you, your finger tracing the geometry of the paper-straw shape.
"A path that twists and turns... but always ends back at the same spot."
"I wasn't very good at math." You admit, and gesture around as if working in a place like this was a testament to that fact. "Why does it matter that it always ends where it began?"
"Well, that all depends on perspective. Maybe it doesn't matter. But to the one who observes it, it makes all the difference." You quirk an eyebrow, silently pressing him to elaborate. "Maybe that point's... where you got your first kiss, the feeling when your favorite football team scores a winning touchdown, a perfect sunset-"
Mobius catches himself trailing off, and looks down at his plate. He puts another bite onto his fork and cheers it to you.
"Or having pie in good company."
You look around the mostly empty diner before bracing your arms against the counter, leaning in as if you were to whisper some great secret.
"Has anyone ever told you you're a bit odd?"
[09:59:06]
"No-" His eyes crinkle as he laughs. "No, that's a new one. But you find it charming." He winked, actually winked, and leaned back in his stool, smirking into his coffee.
Your fork was halfway to your mouth as your just stared at him, frozen. You feel your mouth open and close a few times as you try to think of a somewhat dignified response.
"How would you know that?"
"I just know things." He shrugged.
"Like what?" You challenged.
"How about, Paul- over there." You crane your head to follow his line of eye, your coworker currently bussing a table that had just left. "Worked in this place five years, loves Coke- from the glass bottle, nothing else. Has a girl on the Upper East Side and runs a decent sized internet radio station out of his apartment."
"You're one of his listeners." You narrowed your eyes at him, a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"Oh, no. Hyperpop... not my style."
"Alright, BBC Sherlock-" You countered. You give a subtle head tilt to a woman sitting in a far off booth, papers spread out on the table around her pancake combo. Whoever she was, she definitely wasn't a regular. "How about her?"
"Mrs. Braverman. Youngest of eight siblings, English teacher at the charter school up the avenue. Actually prefers imitation maple syrup to the real thing."
You know very well Mobius could be talking out of his ass. But he's confident, nonchalantly so- like this was a game to him and he was obviously winning.
"What about me?"
"Thought you'd never ask." Your anticipation is palpable as he swallows his final bite, taking the time to wipe his face of crumbs before smiling softly at you.
"You are... a poem of a person. Charming, capable, when you walk into a room people notice- even if you convince yourself that they don't." His gaze is steady, patient, and he's looking at you as if you're the only person in the universe. "You have big dreams, far beyond all... this... and you're gonna make it."
[10:04:59]
The sound of the door chime breaks you out of whatever hypnotic state you had found yourself in. Sucking in a breath and blinking away the very beginnings of tears in your eyes you tell the new customer to sit wherever they like.
Mobius took this chance to check his handheld, sighing at the time and the ever-growing slope of the branch variation.
The reset charge would be set soon, with or without him there.
"Look at that. Duty calls." He stands up and pulls a billfold from his jacket pocket, not even counting as he puts the cash down on the counter.
Mobius turns to leave, but hesitates. He turns back around to face you and places his hands on his hips. Allowing himself to play into the fleeting illusion just a tad longer.
"One more thing I know about you-" Mobius rubbed his chin in careful consideration. "You have a date tonight."
"Ah-" You wag your finger at him and shake your head side to side, "got one wrong."
"Did I? Ah- well... How about we change that?"
You pause. The plates you had been holding found their way back to the counter as you set them down slowly. Once again in a very short time span, he had left you speechless.
"That... was possibly the lamest pickup line I've ever heard." Though you mean it to be snarky, it sounds more like praise coming from your smiling lips. "I get off at 6:30."
"Alright." He looks perfectly pleased with himself as he lightly knocks on the counter with his fist. "It's a date."
Walking out the door, Mobius gave one last look at the diner before reporting to the event site.
He knew would see you again, always at 9:45.
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westanthewaterman · 2 years ago
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Be Happy - Actor!Mark & Fem!Reader
Rating: SFW
Word count: 1300+
Request: 95 “I just want you to be happy, even if your happiness doesn’t include me, I just want you happy.” ~ With Actor and a fem! reader please? Look man if you watch the man of your dreams fall for someone else you just continue being their best friends anyways haha :,) - anon
Notes: The reader is referred to as a woman once, but is otherwise gender neautral. 
Contents: slight angst with a happy ending, unrequited love, drinking
You should be happy. You know you should be happy. You should be ecstatic. Your best friend is engaged! He’s marrying the love of his life! If only it was you. 
Marc shares the big news at one of his typical evening parties. He gathers the crowd, an arm around Celine’s waist as she shows off the ring he’d given her. It’s flashy, gaudy, absolutely not her style but she seems so happy to be wearing it. And your best friend turns to you, flashing you one of his signature million dollar smiles and what are you supposed to do? Tell him how you’ve been in love with him since you were children? Tell him you’ve hoped against hope that he would wake up one day and realize you were the woman he wanted all along?
“I’m so happy for you, Marc.” You smile and pray to whoever’s listening it doesn’t look as pained as you feel inside. 
Marc claps you on the back. “I’m sorry for keeping it a secret from you, old friend. I wanted it to be a surprise!”
“W-Well it certainly was. How long have you been planning this?”
“Is it cheesy to say I’ve been thinking about it since the day I met her? Because that’s what it feels like. Even before we were together, I think I always knew.”
You swallow the lump in your throat, turning away to hide your watery eyes. “Well congratulations, my friend, I know you two will be very happy together.”
“Thank you. Now I simply must go find Will, I need to ask him about some ideas I have for the wedding.”
Marc runs off and you weave your way through the crowd to get to the bar. You take one of the glasses of champagne on the counter and throw it back before grabbing another. 
“Whoa there, the party’s barely even started.”
Damien leans against the bar next to you, setting his cane down on the counter. He looks at you with gentle eyes, resting a hand on your shoulder. 
“I’m sorry, I know this must be hard for you. I wanted to tell you but he made me swear not to tell a soul before the announcement. You know how Marc can be with his dramatics.”
“You knew?”
“He asked for my permission.”
“And you gave it to him?”
“They would’ve just done it anyway, it’s not as if Celine cares about my opinions on who she marries. I doubt she even wanted Marc to ask me, but you know he’s a fool for tradition.”
Sighing softly, you tilt your head back to stare up at the ceiling. 
“Come now, old sport, you’ll find someone eventually.” He leans in to whisper quietly. “You could do better anyway, Marc’s choice of jewelry is absolutely atrocious.”
That pulls a laugh out of you.
“I suppose you’re right. That ring is awful. I’m surprised she accepted it.”
He shrugs. “Love makes you do silly things.”
“Speaking of which, where’s that attorney friend of yours?”
A blush spreads across his cheeks and he turns his head away.
“W-Why do you ask?”
“Nooo reason…only that I heard a rumor someone caught you two sneaking off together.”
“Th-That was purely a misunderstanding! I was…giving them some advice on a case.”
“I didn’t know you specialized in legal advice now.”
“W-Well…”
You chuckle. “Relax Damien, your secret is safe with me as long you introduce me at some point. Marc speaks very highly of them.”
“I suppose I can manage that. I’ll see if they can find time in their busy schedule.”
Over his shoulder, you see Marc and Celine smiling happily, chatting with a group of guests. He leans down to press a kiss to her lips, the look in his eyes one of unadulterated love and affection. It makes you feel sick. 
“I…I’m going to get some air.”
“Alright, but you’d better be ready to play me at the tables later. My friend has been showing me a few of their tricks.”
You grab a third flute of champagne and push yourself away from the bar, shouldering through the mess of people filling the room. The crisp night air is a welcome change as you step out onto the terrace, taking a deep breath of the cool air. It’s quiet out here, finally giving you space to think. 
You want to go home. You want to curl up in bed and never leave your house again that way you never have to see Marc or that lovesick smile that’s been plastered on his face ever since he and Celine got together. Guilt churns in your stomach. You should be happy for him. He’s your best friend, you want him to be happy above all else. But why couldn’t he be happy with you? Why couldn’t he love you?
Someone else steps outside and you sigh, hoping they’ll get the memo and leave you alone. 
“I’m surprised, usually you’re the life of the party.”
You spin around to see Marc standing behind you. You can’t meet his eyes, scared the tears will fall if you do. He moves closer, putting a hand on your shoulder. 
“Something’s the matter, I can tell. What’s wrong? Are you upset I didn’t tell you? I promise it’s nothing personal, I wouldn’t have even told Damien if I didn’t need to ask his permission.”
“I’m not upset, Marc, I just needed to get some air.”
“Which is only something you do when you’re upset. Talk to me. You know you can tell me anything, you’re my best friend.”
“I…” You shake your head. “Really, it’s nothing. Go back inside, I’m sure Celine is looking for you.”
“I refuse to leave until you tell me the truth. Tell me what’s wrong, please.”
Tears threaten to spill from your eyes and your hands ball into fists. You just want him to go inside and leave you alone. You want him to forget about you, because that would be easier than having to be reminded everyday that he could never love you the same way. Maybe it’s the stress or the alcohol in your blood, but you can’t take it anymore. 
“What’s wrong is I’m in love with my best friend. What’s wrong is I have to watch the man I love be in love with someone else. I have to spend the rest of my life knowing I was never good enough!”
As soon as the words have left your mouth, you regret them. He looks at you with something akin to pity but much more distraught. Marc speaks your name softly, reaching out for you but you pull away from him. 
“I-I’m sorry,” you say softly, “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not your fault. I…I just want you to be happy, even if that happiness doesn’t include me. I just want you happy.”
To your surprise, Marc wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace. 
“I’m sorry, truly I am, I can’t imagine what you must be feeling. But you can’t think for a second that just because I don’t…return your feelings that you aren’t a part of my happiness. You can’t honestly believe that.”
“I…well…”
“You are one of, if not, my oldest friend. You have been with me through thick and thin. The love I have for you may not be the same love you feel for me, but it’s still love all the same. And no one could take your place in my life, ever.”
There’s no holding back the tears now and you don’t want to. You smile despite them, looking at this man who has been such a huge part of your life. 
“Thank you.”
“Anytime, old friend. Now, I do believe Damien was setting up a round of poker and I may or may not have a few new tricks up my sleeve to make sure he loses.”
“You didn’t.”
He pulls an ace from his sleeve. “Oh I certainly did.”
“Alright, I’m sure between the two of us, we’re bound to rob him of every penny he has.”
“That’s the plan.” Marc offers you his arm. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
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highqueenofelfhame · 3 years ago
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I’m not posting a tag list for this part because it’s late and I’m exhausted and wanna get it out for you guys. If it does poorly I’ll go back and tag but right now I’m just very over tag lists. Follow the “#hqoe f&f” tag or “falsehoods & fistfights” or “Hqoe writes” tags to more closely follow my work. You can also follow @highqueenofelfhamewrites and turn on post notifications if you want to be notified of my writing! I’m not doing this to be mean, I’m doing it to save time and frustration when the tagging system fails (as it often does)
Hugest shoutout in the world to @punkassbookjockey26 for being the best beta in the entire world. She helped so much with this update!! Give her a pat on the back.
Part One // Masterlist
Rowaelin // 5681 words
~*~
For the last several hours, the clatter of her clicking keyboard and the flipping of pages had been on a continuous loop. At some point, Aelin had opened Spotify and forgotten to turn on any music, clearly content to keep to her rigorous work pace in near-silence. The door to her office was closed, and no one had stopped by to bother her since she’d arrived. Only a handful of phone calls had disrupted her this morning, which meant she had gotten plenty of work done.
Except that it wasn’t morning at all— it was two in the afternoon, and she couldn’t quite figure out how the hell that had happened. She was still squinting at the time on her computer screen when a firm knock sounded at the door, and she called out, “Yes?”
“Have you eaten today?” At the sound of Rowan’s voice, Aelin’s head whipped toward the door. She was unable to stop the smile that spread wide across her face or stop herself rising from her chair to meet him. Aelin perched against her desk, accepting the brown paper bag he held in his hands. No, she hadn’t eaten, not since her half a bagel and cup of coffee before she arrived at work. She’d left a banana in her car for a snack but hadn’t wanted to run back down for it.
“Barely. I didn’t even realize it was past lunch,” Aelin sighed, looking back up at his face. Rowan was grinning down at her as she tore a bite of croissant off and popped it into her mouth. The man looked criminally good, wearing jeans that hugged his legs in all the right places and a white button-up shirt. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, and her eyes lingered on his tattoo that swirled down to his fingertips.
“Can I kiss you in here?” His question caught her off guard, a laugh bursting from her lips. “Because this whole…” Rowan gestured to her outfit. “It’s really doing it for me.”
“You like librarian Aelin?”
“Yes,” he said, leaning down to press his lips to hers. The get-up he referred to was a pinstriped pencil skirt that hit just above her knees and patent black stiletto heels that had her only a few inches shorter than him. She had a red tank top tucked into the skirt and, at some point, had discarded her white cardigan over the back of her office chair. Her lips matched her shirt in a bright, matte, red lipstick that she’d neglected to touch up throughout the day. Still, when Rowan pulled away, his mouth was tinged with the outline of hers. “I like this a lot. Fuck.”
“For the record, you can kiss me anywhere you want to,” she told him. “Especially in my office, especially when the door is closed.”
“Noted.” Rowan tugged on her high ponytail before sinking into one of the leather armchairs in front of her. Aelin continued to munch on the variety of pastries he’d brought for her while his eyes seemed to be glued to her legs. Aelin wondered if he was thinking about laying her out on this desk and having his way with her here, but she also knew he wouldn’t let that be their first time. No matter how badly she wanted it to be.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Whitethorn?” She asked, nudging his thigh with the toe of her shoe. The way he raked his teeth over his bottom lip before looking up at her told her that, yes, he was thinking what she was thinking. The way he quirked his brow at her also told her that, no, it wasn’t going to happen.
They were kind of dating, in the sense that they had been on a handful of dates. They had shared many heated kisses against the door to her apartment when he dropped her off, but he was being such a godsdamn gentleman about all of it that they hadn’t had sex yet. Aelin would have fucked him in the bathroom of the bar that first night, and they both knew it. But something was holding him back. To be fair, she couldn’t place all of the blame on him. She was holding back as well. Whatever this was between them felt like something that could be extraordinary, and she didn’t want to be the one that fucked it all up because she couldn’t keep it in her pants.
“I have a fight on Saturday, and I was really hoping you would want to come. Obviously, I would give you tickets, plus however many extra you want to bring whoever.”
“Just Aedion, I think.” Her cousin would likely die to be personally invited to one of Rowan Whitethorn’s fights, the same way Aelin knew he’d been having a bit of a mental breakdown when he found Aelin with him at the bar.
“Not your friends’ cup of tea?” He teased with a grin.
“Not even really mine, but you get like, almost naked for these things, yeah?” Rowan’s head tilted back as he laughed, reaching out to catch her fingers between his own. He squeezed them, shaking his head at her. “I’m just saying, any female fans you have are not because they want to watch you fight. I Googled you.”
“Of course you did.”
“And if coming on Saturday,” she paused, fighting the twitch of her lips at the innuendo, “is what gets me to see you sweaty and naked, I will be there.”
“Apparently, you can find that on Google also.” Aelin started to jerk her hand from his, but he laughed again and tugged forcefully enough that she dropped into his lap, his arms settling around her hips.
They didn’t have sex on her desk by the time he left, but he did have a trail of lipstick down his neck and red smudges on his collar.
~*~
There had only been a few times where Aelin had seen Aedion this excited. He was practically jumping out of his skin, trying and failing to keep his wide grin at bay. The whole way there, he’d talked about Rowan’s stats and how likely it was for him to win this fight. Apparently, it was very likely, and according to Aedion, if anyone bet against Rowan in the gambling pools, they were going to lose a lot of money.
This version of Aedion was almost completely opposite the one that had shown up an hour late to the bar a few weeks ago, only to find Aelin perched in his personal hero’s lap.
By the time Aelin spotted a familiar head of golden blonde hair making his way through the crowd, Rowan had stayed true to his promise. He’d bought her not one but two drinks, and she had a very happy buzz flowing through her.
“Aedion!” She hadn’t bothered to get out of Rowan’s lap; she liked the way his hand felt on her thigh, the other twirling a piece of hair around his finger while he talked to the tall, broody one— Lorcan.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
“It’s okay; I made friends! And a fiancé!” Rowan laughed then, sticking his hand out for Aedion to shake.
“I’m the fiancé. Rowan Whitethorn. You must be the cousin she’s been waiting on.”
“I got held up at work. Aedion Ashryver, nice to meet you.” Despite the cool and collected exterior Aedion was giving off, Aelin knew without a doubt that he was dying inside. She spent several nights curled up on his couch while Aedion and his friends watched Rowan’s fights, though she’d never cared enough to pay attention. Usually, she disappeared to his guest room to read a book or snuck out after an acceptable amount of time to hang out with her own friends.
Aelin had heard about Rowan’s victories time and time again. When Aedion showed her different self-defense moves, he would say that Rowan Whitethorn took someone down with the same simple maneuver. To say that he admired Rowan would be an understatement. He damn near idolized him.
“Nice to meet you? That’s what you’re going with?” Aelin asked, mouth dropping open as everything Aedion had ever said about the man beneath her flooded her memory. Aelin looked at Rowan, shaking her head and pointing at her cousin. “All I ever hear about when you have a fight coming up is ‘Rowan Whitethorn this’ and ‘Rowan Whitethorn that.’ Yet now he’s here, and all he says is nice to meet you. Unbelievable.”
“Rowan doesn’t look like someone who particularly cares for fan service. Though if I’m wrong, correct me, and I will rectify that immediately. On my knees even, if he decides he’s interested in men at all.”
Aelin’s lips dipped into a drunk pout as she said, “I saw him first.”
“Technically, I saw you first,” Rowan interjected, a teasing tone in his voice. “And you rejected me.” A wrinkle appeared between her brows as she looked up at Rowan’s handsome face, disliking that she was already being ganged up on.
“I’m sorry— you rejected him?” Aedion sputtered in disbelief. Aelin flicked Rowan’s nose, and just like that, they settled into an easy banter that tugged on Aelin’s heart entirely too much.
Now, though, Aedion seemed to be nearly vibrating out of his skin with excitement. At will-call, they’d learned Rowan had set aside special floor seating just for them. When they walked into the arena, Aelin was pleased to see Rowan’s group of friends from the bar. She’d spent the most time with Fenrys than anyone else, and he welcomed her with a big hug, insisting she sit beside him instead of Lorcan. Aelin was more than happy to oblige, as Lorcan didn’t seem to have a taste for her. He didn’t even bother saying hello.
They settled into their seats, Aelin sitting between Fenrys and Aedion, both of whom had skipped the pleasantries and moved right into a conversation about the upcoming fight. Aelin leaned back into her chair and took in the surroundings. There were bits and pieces she remembered from her time barely watching matches with Aedion, but it was still different than what she expected. There was a large octagonal ring in the center of the room surrounded by black fencing that had to be about six feet tall. She wondered briefly if the fence was to keep people out or to keep the fighters in.
People were milling about, but Aelin realized that the arena itself was three levels high, and seats were piled around the room from floor to ceiling. There had to be thousands of them, and from the look of the crowds filing in, there wasn’t going to be an empty spot in the house. She hadn’t realized that MMA had such a following.
After about twenty minutes, the lights dimmed and the booming voice of the announcer filled the arena. People cheered wildly as the introductions for the fight were made and the sponsors were thanked. And finally, Aeling knew it was time. The announcer over-dramaticized the entrance for the first fighter and Aelin watched as a lean-muscled man walked up to the ring. He entered through a gate on the side, and people cheered as he made his rounds. Aelin sat on the edge of her seat for the announcer to start his next introduction, ready to see Rowan walking through the tunnel, when a different name was announced and a different man came strolling out. The confusion must have been all over her face when she looked at Aedion because he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
“Rowan is the main event,” he said. “Which means there are a few fights before his.”
“Seriously? You mean I have to wait?” Aedion nodded and her scowl deepened. “How long?”
“Looking at the schedule, Rowan’s fight is slated to start in about two hours.”
“Two hours?! I have to wait two hours!?”
“Come on, Ace. It won’t be that bad. Just try to enjoy it.” Aedion turned away and was immediately drawn into the fight that had begun in the ring just a few feet in front of her. Aelin pouted, remembering all the reasons why she never stuck around to watch these matches with Aedion previously.
“All I wanted was to see Rowan sweaty and half-naked. I literally don’t care about anyone else,” she grumbled, mostly to herself. Beside her, Fenrys chuckled and threw his arm around the back of her seat as she settled back. Aelin frowned down at her phone, opening Snapchat to get a quick photo of her expression, which she promptly sent to Rowan.
It took him a good ten minutes to reply back to her, and it seemed he knew why she was pouting because the text across his photo simply said be patient.
After that, she didn’t want to bother him, and whatever pre-match rituals he may have, so she settled for scrolling through various social media apps to bide her time. When she found herself restless, she gave in and opened her book app to continue reading a romance novel she’d started the day before. The male love interest may have been a boxer and may have been incredibly sexy, and she may have downloaded it after searching for fighting-related books.
She had just reached a particularly steamy part of the book when she felt Aedion nudge her arm. Godsdamn him, the leading male was just about to give the girl the orgasm of her life when he’d interrupted. Aelin scowled up at her cousin, but the expression morphed into one of incredulity and excitement when she heard Rowan’s name announced, and he walked out into the arena.
Aelin immediately perked up in her seat, sliding her phone between her thigh and the chair. Rowan strolled out like a king surveying his kingdom, and the cheers were deafening. He wore absolutely nothing but a pair of forest green athletic shorts that left little to the imagination and some sort of fist guards over his hands. A wicked grin formed on his lips as he jogged up to the ring and hoisted himself up over the side with practiced ease. There was a very dramatic introduction, one that had the entire crowd screaming and getting to their feet. Aelin couldn’t help but join them, giving a standing ovation to the man she’d spent so many stolen hours with lately. Beside her, Aedion was absolutely losing it. It only made her smile more.
Even as the arena quieted while the referee explained the rules, nobody returned to their seats. Everyone stayed on their feet, and Aelin could understand why. Once the fight started and the hits and kicks started to get thrown around, she found herself filled with a restless energy that she couldn’t push down. Every time his opponent’s fist swung toward him, her heart began to beat frantically in her chest.
But Rowan ducked and dipped out of reach almost every time. The way the muscles of his arms and legs rippled every time he took a swing at the other man, Cairn, her mouth went dry. She hadn’t walked into the arena tonight expecting to find anything about the fight beautiful, but it was. The way that Rowan’s body moved was like watching a dance unfold before her. Every swing of his arm or swift kick of his leg sending her heart racing just like it had when she’d watched ballets growing up. It felt like such a bizarre comparison to make, but Rowan Whitethorn’s body was nothing short of a work of art.
But there was also a ferocity in it. Where ballet was soft and demure, Rowan was a force of nature. His face was hewn from stone, each strike with his hands or legs precise and controlled, but with an element of chaos surrounding it. He unleashed himself on Cairn, throwing punches and kicks swiftly, so quick that Aelin could not keep up with where the next one was going to land. With brutal efficiency, Rowan managed to get past Cairn’s guard to deliver several painful-looking blows in quick succession that had the crowd collectively wincing. It seemed that Aedion’s idolization hadn’t been misplaced.
Rowan breathed heavily, sweat dripping down every inch of his torso. His abdominals flexed with every exhale, showing off every hard line and sharp curve. The tattoo that swirled down his left side glistened under the bright lights of the arena. He looked like a god, and Aelin discovered that she found it quite difficult to keep her mind from falling off into the gutter when he looked like that.
When he made the final blow, a hit to Cairn’s face that had him unconscious before he even hit the floor, Aelin was surprised by how wholly turned on she was. He dominated the fight and looked damn good while doing it. Rowan was announced as the winner, fierce triumph written all over his face as the crowd completely lost their minds. Pride swelled in her stomach, and she couldn’t help her wide smile as she cheered along with the thousands of people in the arena. Even though it was televised, it felt special when he made eye contact with her and grinned before exiting the ring and heading her way.
Of course, he was intercepted about a dozen different times by dozens of different people offering their congratulations. When he finally got to her, he dipped down and hugged her tightly to his chest, pulling her feet off the ground. She could feel the heat of his body through the thin layers of her clothing, scorching her skin. The smell of him, a musky scent of sweat and the pine body wash she had come to associate with him assaulted her nose and she breathed him in deep. She felt the want ratcheting up in the most delicious way and knew that she would no longer be content with a night of only being pressed against her apartment door. Their kisses, no matter how desperate they had been, wouldn’t be enough to sate the need she felt for him. She needed all of him, and she needed him as raw and unrestrained as he had been during that fight. He pressed a kiss to her cheek as her feet met the floor, and he stepped back.
“Sorry, I’m sweaty.”
“You were amazing.” Amazing didn’t quite cover it, but it was the only word she could think of that came anywhere close.
“Does that mean you’ll come out with me tonight? To celebrate?” She wanted to say yes immediately. But with him in front of her, covered in sweat and looking like the only thing she wanted her mouth to touch for the foreseeable future, Aelin shook her head as her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. The disappointment began to cloud his handsome face, but she shook her head faster as though it would dispel his negative thoughts.
“I was kind of hoping I could steal you away. Celebrate with you alone.” Her voice was low and sultry, and she almost laughed because she could see him calculating just what that meant. The two of them. A celebration. Entirely alone, with no one else around.
“I— yeah. Yes. We can— yes. I have to wrap up here and then we can go to my place?” At all of his stuttering, she couldn’t help the bright laughter that bubbled out of her as the usually confident man in front of her stumbled a bit. His attention was drawn away temporarily when Aedion clapped Rowan on the shoulder and began to spew his admiration and congratulations. Rowan took it with grace, thanking him for coming while trying to keep his eyes off Aelin’s face. The way she bit her lip clearly wasn’t helping because his eyes kept dropping down to her mouth.
When a member of his team told him he needed to hurry— he had a short press conference post-fight and still wanted to shower before— Rowan dropped a chaste kiss to her lips and headed back to the locker room.
Aelin waited not-so-patiently, standing on the outside of Rowan’s group of friends in the parking lot while they talked. Aedion fit right in, pointing out the highlights of the fight with renewed vigor. He still seemed to be riding the adrenaline high from watching Rowan fight , and Aelin was sure he would implement something of what they saw into her self defense training.
When Rowan finally came out, they all cheered and shoved him around their little circle in celebration. He was grinning from ear to ear as he reached for Aelin and pulled her into his side, dropping a kiss to her hair. It was impossible to stop the tug she felt in her stomach, something between excitement and nerves. Everything inside seemed to be tied up in delicious knots as she leaned into him, enveloped by the scent of his body wash, the smell of pine equal parts comforting and arousing. “Where are we going tonight?” Fenrys drawled, throwing his arm around Vaughan. The quiet, dark-haired man tried to shrug out of it, but it only ended with him in a headlock.
“I will actually be stealing him away,” Aelin said before Rowan could even get a word in. Rowan’s hold on her shoulder tightened as he squeezed, and she squeezed him back where she had her arm around his waist, secretly thrilled that he was as on board with this plan as she was. His friends groaned in protest but Aelin and Rowan laughed. Lorcan looked particularly displaced about the revelation and was the first to step backward out of the circle and bid farewell. It didn’t take long for the others to follow and for Aelin to lace her fingers through Rowan’s and tug him toward his car.
While their pace could be described as leisurely, Aelin felt anything but. Now alone, she felt that want from earlier return with a vengeance. Rowan squeezed her hand, and her mind immediately wandered to those strong hands touching elsewhere, all over. A quick glance up at him left her reeling when she caught his gaze on her, and swore she saw every dirty thought that crossed his mind. It excited her, knowing that despite his cool, calm exterior wrapped around all of that cockiness, Rowan Whitethorn was just as affected as she was by what was to come.
When they arrived at his car, a sleek, black sports car that was perfectly him, Rowan opened the passenger door for her, ushering her in. Aelin turned her head towards him, and under the parking lot lights, she could see where Rowan had taken a bit of a beating.
Ducking inside the car, Aelin turned to look at Rowan, her thumb coming to brush over a bruise that was forming on his cheek. It was already a blue-purple color, indicating that it would only look worse over the next few days. Luckily he hadn’t taken too many hits, so this seemed to be the worst of his injuries. There was one other place near his temple that had drawn a little bit of blood but it was already on the mend, cleaned by the medics backstage.
“I’m okay,” he reassured her, his hand coming over to rest on her thigh. Aelin pulled hers away, startled by the softness in his voice. Her eyes searched Rowan’s for the lie that he was more hurt than he let on, but she saw nothing. She supposed it should have comforted her that Rowan knew what his limits were, but still, it seemed crazy that this man before her was the same one that had attacked Cairn in the ring and ended the fight in the first round.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said, her voice echoing the softness of his own.
“You just saw me get pummeled a few times and you’re worried about hurting me?” His voice dripped with disbelief, remnants of a laugh bubbling out. Aelin shrugged, cheeks stained a rosy blush.
“I don’t want to accidentally push on places that hurt.”
“I can assure you that anything you inflict upon me will be the sweetest kind of pain,” he promised, lacing his fingers with hers and bringing them to his mouth to press a kiss to her knuckles as he started the car and drove out of the dimly lit parking lot. Those knots in her stomach unspooled themselves into liquid heat as her bottom lip slipped between her teeth. “Don’t do that.”
His voice was rough with want, and it scraped over her, leaving small goosebumps on her skin. She shivered in anticipation, and ached to hear more in that deep, rumbling timbre. Reaching out a hand, she coyly ran her fingers slowly, softly up the taut skin of his arm. “Do what?”
“Bite your lip like that when I can’t kiss you.”
“If you drove faster, you would be able to kiss me,” Aelin teased, leaning over the center console to press a lingering kiss to his shoulder. Rowan’s knuckles turned white where he gripped the steering wheel, glancing over at her as the car rolled to a stop at a red light. Soaking up the opportunity they’d graciously been given by the gods, he deftly captured her chin and crushed his lips against hers, kissing her in a way that stoked the smoldering want inside her into an inferno. She felt the sinful slide of his tongue brushing against hers, of his teeth tugging over her bottom lip like he wanted to take a bite out of her. Aelin hoped that he would.
When he pulled away, Aelin’s eyes stayed closed, her lips stayed parted. A shaky breath tumbled from them, filling the tense silence in the car. It took everything in her to sit back in her seat and let him drive. If she were to do what she truly wanted to do, she would have him pull over and climb with him into the backseat, his apartment and privacy be damned.
Aelin wasn’t so sure that Rowan would stop her if she tried to coax him into it. How they had managed to go this long without tearing each other’s clothes off was a mystery to her. As she looked over at him, her eyes lingered on those strong hands gripping the steering wheel, hands that she wanted gripping her in the same way. She desperately wanted to have his fingerprints bruised into her thighs, to see the imprints of his teeth all over her chest. The idea of his back being covered with the marks of her nails only fed that growing fire within her.
The drive seemed to take an eternity, consisting of stolen kisses at stop signs and longing looks. It was hard to keep her hands to herself, and that seemed to be the case for Rowan, too. By the time they reached his apartment, his hand had drifted so high up her thigh that it was burning a hole straight through her jeans.
Rowan held her hand loosely while they walked inside the building and to the elevator. As soon as the metal doors slid shut, however, he was tugging her toward him and pressing her back against the wall. His hands slid from her hands to her waist, dropping down to her thighs to lift her up on the railing. Aelin couldn’t help the moan that she breathed into his mouth, her fingers twining into his hair while he tugged at her lip.
When the elevator dinged on his floor, Rowan was dragging hot kisses down her throat. It seemed to be too much for him because he had to take a moment before he pulled away. Rowan’s mouth stayed against her neck while he caught his breath causing goosebumps to rise all over her skin. The doors were beginning to close again when he finally pulled away and shoved his hand out to stop them.
Aelin laughed then, sliding down from the railing and tugging him down the hall toward his apartment. At the door Rowan fumbled with his keys, pressing kisses to the side of her neck as the lock tumbled and gained them entrance.
Any restraint he had left seemed to dissipate as soon as the door was shut and locked. Once again her feet left the floor as he carried her to his room and laid her down on his bed. Their kisses were hungry, starving as he lifted her shirt and tossed it onto the floor. His hands made quick work of the rest of her clothing, and before long they were just skin on skin, his mouth drifting lower and lower down her body.
All of it was pure ecstasy, almost too much for her to handle. It didn’t take long before she fractured beneath his mouth, her nails digging into his back, scratching desperately over his skin as he moved back up her torso to press his lips against hers.
When he pulled back to look at her, something had shifted. Gone were the frantic kisses, replaced by deeper ones that stole her breath from her lungs. An impossible feeling was tugging at her heart as their bodies moved together beneath the sheets. This time when she fell over the edge, Rowan went with her. Their bodies were so tangled it was hard for her to think clearly enough about where he started and she ended. Their gasping moans were a harmony she wouldn’t soon forget as he collapsed on top of her.
Aelin’s heel pushed down the strong muscles of his thigh, his calves, silently begging him not to move. His lips ignited sparks over her collarbones as he settled atop her while her fingers ran softly up and down his sides.
Eventually Rowan rolled off of her, and she would have frowned had he not tugged her into his side a heartbeat later. Aelin draped her leg over his waist and nuzzled her face against his chest, pressing a single kiss over his heart.
The last thing she remembered was the feeling of his hands in her hair and his low humming of a forgotten melody as she drifted off into a blissful sleep.
~*~
Soft kisses were being dropped over her bare back, leaving a trail up and down her spine. Aelin hummed in approval as a grin spread across her face. Her eyes were still closed, ignoring the rays of sunshine that were likely illuminating her face, when Rowan pressed a kiss to her cheek and the corner of her mouth.
“Good morning,” she said hoarsely, her lack of voice another reminder of everything that had transpired last night. She had woken Rowan a handful of hours after their first time, rolling on top of him and placing teasing kisses over his neck and chest until his calloused hands guided her into position. That time, Aelin had been control, her hands gripping the headboard through wave after wave of pleasure. There was an ache between her legs that made her want to beg Rowan to touch her despite how exhausted she was.
“Hi, baby.”
Aelin’s smile widened as she rolled onto his back and looped her arms loosely around his neck. Rowan kissed her properly then, long and slow until she was sure they were going to go for a third round in under twelve hours.
“So beautiful,” he murmured, fingers brushing her hair back from her face. Aelin wanted to snort in response, knowing last nights makeup was likely smeared around her eyes and she reeked of sex and sweat. But there was such reverence in his tone that she couldn’t bring herself to disagree, his green eyes bright in the morning sun as they traced over every feature of her face. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Her hand moved from his neck to the side of his face, thumb brushing lightly over the bruise that marred his skin.
“You saw me fight. You watched me beat the hell out of someone and you didn’t turn and run. You didn’t balk. You still wanted me.”
Aelin was positive the confusion was written all over her face from the downturn of her lips to her furrowed brow, but still she said, “Has that been a problem before?”
“Yes.” Rowan pressed a series of kisses over her face starting at her temple and ending at her jaw.
“It’s not a problem for me,” she promised, voice barely a whisper against his cheek. Rowan was quiet for a moment, turning his face to look at her. “You’re a fighter. That’s what you are. I wouldn’t want you to be anything but what you are.”
A mix of emotions fluttered across his face, whatever he felt being a catalyst for kisses to her forehead, her cheeks, nose, and finally her lips. When he pulled back, he looked hesitant and unsure. It was the first time Aelin had ever seen him like that and it felt raw. Like he was exposing a part of himself he seldom did. She was ready to ask him what was going on when he kissed her so thoroughly she’d nearly forgotten the conversation at hand.
“What if I wanted to be something else?” Rowan gazed down at her, teeth grazing over his bottom lip. Again, she swore she saw uncertainty on his face and in his tone as the question rushed out in a single breath.
“Like what?”
“Like your boyfriend.”
She couldn’t help the joyful laughter that bubbled up and out like champagne. Rowan grinned too, so widely that his dimples were deep in his cheeks. Her thumbs ran over them as she kissed him, both of their smiles making it almost difficult. It was too cute, the way he’d seemed almost nervous and bashful in his delivery. It felt like high school all over again in the most innocent way.
“You can be that, too.”
233 notes · View notes
drabbles-mc · 3 years ago
Text
Tempting Offer
EZ Reyes x OFC (Aanya Reyes)
Request by @garbinge: Ok and 43 with whoever your heart desires as well cause I’m a sucker for a good ol true love trope (from This List)
Warnings: so much fluff
Word Count: 3.3k
A/N: I’m still not out of my writing slump. Still got a lot going on. But Anj sent me this request literal months ago and it’s been living in my brain ever since. Plus, I haven’t updated Remind Me in a hot minute so I figured doing a fluffy little prequel/spinoff would be a nice change of pace for a story that is so heavy with angst haha. I have a future chapter planned that actually references what happens in this story, so I’m excited to be able to share the real context for it all with you guys. Hope you enjoy! xo
EZ Reyes/Remind Me Taglist: @ly--canthrope @noz4a2 @queenbeered @sincerelyasomebody @sadeyesgf @thesandbeneathmytoes @appropriate-writers-name @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @kelpies-shed @louisianalady @gemini0410 @paintballkid711 @chibsytelford @yourwonkywriter @sesamepancakes @mayans-sauce @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @plentyoffandoms @georgiaaintnopeach @twistnet @themoonandthewicked @bucky-iss-bae @enjoy-the-destruction @encounterthepast @everyhowlmarksthedead @rosieposie0624 @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo @mijop @xladymacbethx @blessedboo @holl2712 @lakamaa12 @masterlistforimagines @kkim120 @toni9 @shadow-of-wonder @crowfootwrites @redpoodlern @punkgoddess-98 @black-repunzel99 @lexondeck @mrsstevenbuchananstark @berniesilvas @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindo @amorestevens @angelreyesisdaddy04​ @samcrobae​ @langiinspirations​ @bigcreatorwombatdreamer​ @lightblindingme​ 
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She knew who was at the door before she’d even heard the knock. She laughed as she made her way through her apartment, trying to slide her earring into place as she did. Pausing in front of her door, she took a moment to take a deep breath and get herself mentally prepared. It wasn’t their first date, but she still had the jitters as though it was.
Undoing the chain on the apartment door, she pulled it open. EZ was standing on the other side, hands hooked onto his belt since he hadn’t worn his kutte this time. Without a second thought his eyes scanned her over, a smile immediately taking over his features the longer that he looked at her.
“You look beautiful,” he nodded.
She bit down on her lip for a moment, her face heating up at the compliment, “Thank you,” stepping back, she waved for him to come in, “You can come in, I just gotta grab my shoes and purse and I’ll be good to go.”
“Take your time,” he lingered close to the door, glancing around her apartment.
It was the first time he’d ever stepped inside. He’d picked her up and dropped her off the last few times they went out, but he never went past the threshold of her place. She didn’t necessarily offer, and he wasn’t going to push it if she wasn’t ready or comfortable. However, as he stood there and looked around her living room and into what he could see of the kitchen, it seemed exactly like the kind of place she would live. It also made him very nervous to ever have her over at his trailer. Her apartment felt so fresh, all warm colors and walls covered with bookshelves. The one big set of windows that she had, had a bench with a few plants on it that were coming along well for being in a small apartment.
“Alright,” she was pulling the back of her shoe over her heel as she half walked, half hopped towards him. Standing upright as she landed in front of him, she flashed him a smile, “I’m ready.”
“You sure?” he chuckled.
“Positive,” she motioned for him to open the door, both of them walking through before she turned to lock it behind them. As she followed him, tucking her keys into her purse, she asked, “So do I get to know where we’re going tonight? Or is it a big surprise?”
He smiled at her as they walked down the flight of stairs to the ground floor of her apartment building, “It’s not a big secret.”
“Are we taking the bike?”
He shook his head, “It’s within walking distance.”
“Ooo,” she smiled over at him, “now you’ve got my attention.”
As the two of them walked along the sidewalk, EZ listened with genuine interest as Aanya recounted her day to him. He reveled in her stories of new books that she’d gotten into, and strange customers that she’d encountered during her day. Although if EZ was being honest with himself, he would have sat there and listened to her read every page of the phone book and he still would’ve kept his interest. She had more love in her words than most people had in their entire bodies, and he was captivated.
He stopped outside the door to a small diner, smiling over at Aanya before pulling the door open for her, “Right this way.”
Her face lit up, “I haven’t been here yet!” she walked through the door and turned around to face him, “I always meant to come here and just never made the time.”
EZ nodded as the two of them walked and found a booth to sit in, “My pops is really good friends with the woman who owns the place—she’s been buying from him for years.”
“You know,” Aanya casually flipped through the menu, “I’ve been to your father’s shop plenty of times and I’ve never seen you there.”
The statement got him to look up from the menu, “You’ve been to the shop?”
She laughed, looking over at him, “Of course. Only butcher in town, Ezekiel.”
“He’s never mentioned that he sees you.”
“Something tells me your father isn’t one for gossip,” she laughed for a moment before she paused, “You talked to him about me?” her lips curled into a smile.
“Well,” he drummed his fingers on the tabletop as he bit back a shy smile, “yea. Of course.”
They’d long since finished their dinner, but the two of them were perfectly content to just sit at the table and talk. The waitress knew EZ well enough and she very casually brought over coffee for each of them when she saw how good of a time the two of them were having. It’d been a long time since she saw EZ bring anyone around, let along someone who had him smiling the way that he was.
“I just can’t believe,” Aanya laughed between sips of her coffee, “that I’ve already met your brother. I should’ve known! I should’ve known that was him.”
“Why would you have known?” EZ chuckled.
“Because he was at your father’s shop! And he had on, you know the,” she gestured vaguely to her shoulders and chest, “the vest.”
EZ smiled, “The kutte?”
“Yes!” she pointed at him and nodded, “The kutte.”
“I feel like maybe I should mention that not everyone in a Mayans kutte is a Reyes brother. Angel just so happens to be both.”
She chuckled, nodding, “I figured that much.”
“I think Pop would lose his mind if there were any more of us,” he smiled.
Aanya laughed, “I think Felipe is usually on the brink of losing his mind anyway.”
“Raising Angel will do that to you,” he replied without missing a beat, both of them laughing.
“I’m sure you weren’t a cakewalk either, Ezekiel.”
“Well what makes you say that?” he leaned back in the booth, feigning offense before giving in and laughing.
Shaking her head and taking a moment to finish her coffee, she replied, “Your very sweet and handsome smile doesn’t fool me, EZ. I’m sure you’re just as much of a troublemaker as your brother.”
“You think I’m handsome?” he smirked.
Laughing, she nodded, “Of course I do.”
The two of them walked back to Aanya’s apartment. Along the way she’d casually linked her arm with his, leaning against his side as they walked. EZ tried not to get too lost in the sensation of it, trying to focus on what she was saying to him. He was trying to focus but there was something so comfortable, so right, about the feeling of her leaning into him the way that she was.
They made their way up the stairs, and EZ leaned against the wall next to her door as he watched her slip the key into the lock. The smile on his face was practically a permanent feature whenever he was with her, and it had been a long time since someone made him feel that way.
“I had a really good time tonight, Ezekiel,” Aanya leaned against her doorframe with a smile.
He adored the way his name sounded coming from her. With a slight nod, he replied, “Me too.”
“I’ll give you a call tomorrow when I’m done with work?”
“Yea, yea that works,” he reached forward and gently slid his hand into hers, “Let me know if any of the new deliveries look any good.”
“I always think they look good,” she chuckled, “If you want a real critic’s opinion, you should come in and talk to Laura. It’s…it’s hard for me to find a book I don’t like.”
“If you want, I can bring you some pretty terrible books.”
Rolling her eyes, she laughed, “Tempting offer, but I’ll pass.”
“Alright, but you’re missing out.”
“I guess I’ll have to live the rest of my life knowing that,” she laughed, shaking her head. Looking up and meeting his gaze, her smile softened, “Thank you for tonight. Get home safe, okay?”
“Always do,” he smiled before lifting her hand up and pressing a light kiss to her knuckles, “Talk to you tomorrow.”
Standing up onto her toes, she placed a brief kiss on his cheek, “Goodnight, Ezekiel.”
“Goodnight,” he smiled as she walked through the door and closed it behind her. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself not to linger as he made his way back down the stairs, replaying the night over in his head with a smile.
The next morning, both EZ and Angel had shown up to the carnicería first thing to help Felipe with a large delivery. Angel had immediately gotten on his little brother’s case when he saw what a good mood he was in. EZ had always been the biggest morning person out of the three men, but even with that being true he still seemed peppier than usual. After a lot of questioning from Angel as they carried in one box after another, he caved and told them about his date from the night before.
Angel shook his head, wiping sweat from his brow, “No way. No way she’s real, bro. I just don’t buy it.”
“What do you mean you don’t buy it?” EZ laughed and shook his head, “She literally stops here all the time. She’s seen you here!” he gestured to the shop in its entirety.
“Really?” Angel seem perplexed, “She talk to me before?”
“I’m assuming not if you don’t remember.”
“Not everyone’s got a memory like yours, Boy Scout.”
“Nah, but you’d remember her.”
Angel rolled his eyes, mocking his brother, “You’d remember her. Jesus, EZ. Two dates with this girl and you’re already in love with her?”
“Four dates.”
“But who’s counting?” Angel smirked, “Look, I’m very happy for you and your very real girlfriend.”
EZ gave his brother a shove, but before it could descend into an all-out wrestling match, Felipe started ushering them both towards the door, “Go finish this somewhere that I don’t need to pay for everything you break.”
“Love you too, Pop,” Angel laughed as he let his father push them both out the door, the sign on it still saying that the shop was closed.
Despite the fact that they didn’t get to talk for their whole ride over to the clubhouse, as soon as they parked their bikes Angel was right back to giving EZ grief for the girlfriend he was convinced didn’t exist. EZ shook his head and laughed, taking the jokes and low-level verbal abuse in stride the way he always did. He knew that arguing past a certain point just made it all that much more fun for Angel.
By the time the afternoon rolled around, Angel had moved on from making fun of EZ and has started going in on Coco and Gilly. EZ couldn’t say that he was upset about his brother’s shift in attention. He did, however, find himself frequently checking his phone to see if she’d texted or called. It wasn’t often that she messaged him while she was working, but it didn’t hurt to check.
He was just about to slide the phone back into the pocket of his kutte when it started to vibrate. Glancing down at the screen, he smiled when he saw Aanya’s name lighting up the screen, “Hey.”
“Hey!” her voice was bright, happy, on the other end of the line, “I’m just getting ready to leave—they got someone else in to close up tonight.”
“Oh, nice. I’m, um, I’m still at the scrapyard,” his free hand gripped the edge of his kutte.
“That’s fine, I figured. I thought of you earlier, though, when I was going through the new shipment of books that came in.”
“Did you?” he scuffed the toe of his boot against the dirt.
“I did. There’s one in here that I think you’ll really like. Can I swing by and drop it off?”
“You don’t gotta drive all the way out here. I can swing by your place if you want.”
“It’s fine, really. Besides, I have all this extra time on my hands now,” she laughed.
“Alright,” he didn’t have it in him to tell her no, “If you don’t see me, the guy Chucky who works the front office can come and get me.”
“Perfect. Alright, I’ll see you in a little bit.”
He knew that telling Angel that she was coming was only going to make the situation worse. If there was no time for him to prepare comments beforehand, there was the possibility that EZ could just do a normal introduction. It helped that everyone was relatively busy with club business.
EZ was walking back down the steps of the clubhouse, about to head towards the front office when he saw Aanya walking next to Chucky. The two of them were talking and EZ couldn’t help but to take on her contagious smile. He couldn’t hear what the two of them were saying but Aanya looked thoroughly amused, and knowing Chucky he had to assume it was something good. When she locked eyes with him across the yard, EZ could see her thanking Chucky before turning and heading in his direction. EZ immediately spotted the book hanging from her hand as she walked up to him.
“He seems so fun,” she nodded back over her shoulder in Chucky’s direction.
“Yea,” EZ laughed, “he’s somethin’ alright.”
EZ was too busy looking at the woman in front of him to see that Angel had seen her come onto the yard, watching intently as she walked over to his brother. Angel saw as the woman laughed at something his brother said, and for a second he really couldn’t believe that EZ had been being honest with them this whole time. Angel really thought that his little brother had just been exaggerating to get him and the rest of the club off his back.
“Looks like you’ve been working hard,” Aanya smiled as she reached up, cupping one side of his face in her hand as she thumbed a streak of dirt off his cheek with her thumb.
He felt like his skin was on fire at the contact, but he tried not to let it show, “Just trying to stay busy.”
“That makes two of us,” she laughed, “I hope you don’t mind me just popping up like this. I don’t want to intrude on everything you’ve got here.”
“You’re not intruding. If anything, you’re a very welcome distraction,” he chuckled.
“At least I’m welcome,” she smiled.
“Always,” he couldn’t stop looking at her.
The two of them stood there for a few moments before Aanya cleared her throat, remembering why she’d shown up at the scrapyard in the first place. She held the book close to her chest for a moment before handing it over to EZ.
“Just came in today, so I haven’t read it. But I read the first chapter or so while it was slow this afternoon and it seemed like something you’d enjoy.”
“I’ll be sure to write up a full report when I’m done with it,” he smiled.
“Lucky for you, I grade papers as generously as I review books,” she laughed, resting her hand against his chest. Her fingertips traced along the stitching of the leather covering his torso. Looking at his prospect patch for a moment, she looked back up at him, “Kutte.”
He laughed, nodding, “You got it.”
“It’s my one new piece of information for the week.”
“That and all the first chapters of books you’re going to be reading for the rest of the week,” he gave her a knowing look.
“Like you wouldn’t do the same thing if you worked there,” she lightly patted his chest.
“Maybe,” he rested the hand that wasn’t holding the book over hers, completely enveloping it.
“I don’t know how late you need to be here tonight, but if you want to come over later, you can.”
He raised his eyebrows, surprised by the invitation, “Yea?”
She nodded, “Yea. If you have plans with your brother or something I totally understand. Just thought I’d mention it.”
“I’ll be there,” he didn’t have plans, but even if he did he would’ve dropped everything for her, “I’ll give you a call when I leave here in case you need anything.”
“Sounds good!” she felt her heart beating a little faster in her chest, “Alright. I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll see you tonight?”
He nodded, “See you tonight.”
He was expecting her to flash him a smile and a wink before turning and walking away. But, much to his surprise, she gently cupped both sides of his face in her hands and pulled him down into a kiss. It took him a moment to really register what was going on, but once he did, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He could feel the way she smiled into their kiss and in that moment, he realized that there was nothing else in the world that he’d rather do. He’d drop damn near any and everything to be able to kiss her like that all the time.
She pulled away, hands still resting on the sides of his face. She smiled as she took in the slightly dazed look on his face. Tracing her thumbs along his cheeks, she gave him a soft peck on the lips, “Bye,” she let out a quiet laugh.
It was hard to get himself to force out the one-syllable word as he stared at her. He’d never been good at taking things slow, and as he stood there looking at her, seeing the way that she was practically glowing, he knew that he was very quickly falling in love with her. He wished he knew how to articulate the way that she made him feel, but instead he settled for getting his thoughts enough to say goodbye to her until he saw her again later.
He’d offered to walk her back to her car but she waved him off, insisting that she was fine and if nothing else Chucky would gladly escort her, which EZ knew was true. He watched her as she sauntered back towards her car and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. His fingers curled tighter around the book in his hands, pressing it against his chest.
The feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket snapped him out of his daze. He reached into his kutte and pulled it out, sighing when he saw that Angel had sent a picture to the group chat with all the guys. Not knowing what to expect, he opened the message and saw a picture of himself and Aanya, one hand on his cheek while the other held the book. The next message was a text from Angel, one that made EZ shake his head, “Guess boy scout wasn’t lying after all. She’s real”
Before EZ could try to respond and come to his own defense, Gilly sent a message to the chat, “Still don’t buy it. I wasn’t there. Didn’t happen”
Knowing that it was just going to descend further into chaos, EZ decided he might as well play into it, “Alright. Guess you won’t care if I leave early to go and see my not real girlfriend then. See you guys tomorrow”
Angel called out to him from across the yard when he read the message, “Hey, hey. I don’t think I said all that!” Angel walked over to his brother, laughing the entire time, “Nah, nice to see she’s a real person.”
“Yea, that’s one of my favorite things about her,” EZ chuckled and shook his head, tucking the new book close to his chest.
136 notes · View notes
suchalonelysunflower · 4 years ago
Text
You Said Forever (c.h)
Pairing: Calum Hood x Reader
Requested: Yes!
Summary: Based on the song “Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo. You did everything you could to get over him, you talked to friends, went on long drives and even wrote him a song. Why cant you just let him go?
Warnings: Angst. Language. Mentions of alcohol. Some grammar mistakes? (English is not my first language, I’m sorry)
Word count: 6.7 k
Author’s Note: I’m so excited someone requested this! I highly recommend listening to the song before you read, references are in the text and dialogs. Please remember that Reblogs, Coments, Feedback and Likes are more than welcome and encouraged! You don’t know how much they help me 💕 Hope you like it and Happy reading 🦋
Fic of the week // My Materialist // wanna be part of my tag list?
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@rime-warrior : Hey love! Has anyone requested an imagine for Calum based on the song “Drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo yet? I think you’re the only one who would be able to do it any justice 😭💕
“I still see your face in the white cars, front yards
Can't drive past the places we used to go to
'Cause I still fucking love you, babe”
You could hear the doorbell ring over the thunderous storm raging outside. It was late, probably closer to midnight than you imagined. Who could possibly be outside right now? especially in this kind of weather?
After four consecutive rings, you decided to get up from your spot on the bed and walk up to the door. It must be something very important for someone to startle you that way.
Once you got closer to the door you could also distinguish some strong bangs coming from the other side accompanied by the endless ringing “Okay, okay! I’m coming!” You called, but whoever was standing opposite to you mustn’t have heard you as they continued to disrupt the peace of a stormy night.
A shiver ran down your spine before you could reach the doorknob, almost like the ghost of a feeling, a warning for you not to open the door. Despite your common sense, you decided to open the door, already being too late to go back.
“Calum?”
He was standing in front of you, completely drenched from head to toes. His breathing was uneven, almost like he ran all the way over here, but his eyes were set on yours, unmoving as you both tried to take each other in.
“Calum-what is?-” Your words got stuck in your mouth as he pushed himself forward, grabbing your face delicately as he clashed his lips with yours.
You felt yourself melt into the kiss, making it everything you ever wished for. You wrapped your arms around his neck and deepened the kiss as you brought him closer to you. He was here, he was finally here with you. It all feels like a dream.
Your alarm clock marked 6 AM when you jumped from your dreams into reality. You should’ve known, everything was too good to be true.
You brought one hand to your face, trying to wipe away the tiredness of your eyes, but you found your cheeks were humid due to tears you didn’t even know you shed through the night, damping your pillow sheets once again.
It was always the same dream: Calum coming back to you. Night after night your mind drifted to another reality where you’d meet again, sometimes it was at a concert, other at the local café of your neighborhood that you used to love so much, but tonight was the first night where he appeared at your house. Which was funny considering that he hasn’t stepped foot in this place for almost a year.
You pushed your thoughts away as you tried to go back to sleep. And you did try, but the tossing and turning made you restless, you cursed your mind as the only thing you could see when you closed your eyes was Calum, standing at your door and asking for a kind of forgiveness you weren’t sure you could give. Although, who were you kidding?
Checking the clock once again you realized it was 20 past 6, still too early to go back to real life, but not too early to start and try to live a little.
Pushing yourself off the bed, you grabbed a big hoodie and some pair of sweatpants before putting on your running shoes and hopping into the bathroom to brush your teeth and clean your face before grabbing your keys and getting out of the house.
You sat on the driver’s seat, just like you did a thousand times, taking a big breath before starting the engine.
“You do know you have a perfectly good car in your driveway, right?”
You smiled at him and greeted him with a hug and a kiss as you climbed into the passenger's seat.
It was your usual morning routine. Ever since you met and he found out you lived nearby the studio he always volunteered to carpool with you. Since then, your mornings were filled with hugs, good coffee and stolen kisses you gave each other as the road to the studio became longer and longer thanks to all the detours you took.
“Hello, Calum. I’m very good, thank you for asking, how are you?”
Calum rolled his eyes and gave you a little peck on your lips “I would’ve been on time if I hadn’t had to pick your ass from the other side of town”
You lightly punched him in the arm “You know you love me” He smiled.
“That I do, darling. But I would love you more if you drove us from time to time”
“You know I don’t have a car!” Calum turned to you and pointed to the classic mustang sitting in front of your house, raising his eyebrows as if to ask if you were stupid “That’s my dad’s car!”
“That he kindly gave to you when he helped you move to LA so you could pursue your dream of becoming the next new sensation of music,” He said mocking a dreamy voice to try imitating you “He said it was yours, so it's yours! And honestly, it’s a pretty cool car if you ask me. A real chick magnet”
You mocked a gag at his old reference of movies from the 50’s “Sexist much?” You both laughed as he started the car and started driving “Anyways, he only gave me the car because mom was threatening to sell it on eBay if he didn’t get rid of it soon enough, so he could still come and get it whenever he wants to” You shrugged.
Calum started sniffing the air, “What?” You asked, sniffing as well in case there was something wrong.
“Do you smell that?” He asked with a concerned face.
“Smell what?”
He leaned closer to you and sniffed harder before whispering “The bullshit”
You scoffed and pushed him back “Haha very funny”
You waited until he stopped laughing, you never told him the truth, well two truths actually.
One: That you enjoyed the drives you had with him, it was a special time for the two of you to be yourselves without anyone to judge. You would laugh, sing, talk for hours as you sat in traffic under the city lights. It was the little moments that matter for the two of you, these were your little moments and you didn’t want to give them up just yet.
It was not easy being in a “relationship” that no one knew about, not even his bandmates, although you knew they were suspecting something. All the sneaking away while amid a recording session, hanging out in each other’s rooms, how adamant he was to carpool with you every day, even when he didn’t need to go to the studio… It was an easy tell, but it was also your private life.
You told yourself that it was for the best, that you shouldn’t mix work and personal life, especially when your personal life included Calum. He was adamant to keep whatever you had out of the public eye “What we have is good” He said, “Why ruin it with labels?” And you agreed, knowing that making everything official could just mess everything up. Calum was your best friend, after all, you would be damn if you lose him.
And for the second truth:
“I don’t know how to drive”
Just in time, the traffic light turned red. Calum turned to you in disbelief “Bluff” You shook your head, not looking at him just yet “Bluff! That can’t be right! Y/N how old are you?”
You shrugged again “I never needed to! I always enjoyed walking plus,” You said nudging your arm on Calum’s “I have the best driver right here!” You pecked his cheek with a kiss and saw how quickly they blushed, making you celebrate this tiny victory inside your head. You loved making him blush, it gave you some kind of security that he felt the same way.
Calum stared at you for a moment too long, making you self-conscious under his eyes. You could tell the gears were running inside his head “What if I teach you how to drive?”
You chuckled “Now I call your bluff”
“I’m serious!” He said, not taking his eyes from you “We have time before the tour starts, and that way you could drive us somewhere for once! You know? Picking me out and going on a date?”
Your eyes were set on him with an alarming tone, a what now? Was he serious? “You would do that for me?” You asked shyly, not wanting to fall into another of his pranks, but he seemed serious enough.
“Of course!” He said with a chuckle that accentuated all his dimples “Let’s get you your driver’s license, Y/N!”
Calum grabbed your hand and intertwined it with his, shaking it as a victory celebration and then placing a kiss on your knuckles. You laughed and reminded him where you were “Eyes on the road, Hood” even though the light was still red, you would rather him not noticing the red that tinted your cheeks and the loud beating of your heart.
You saw how the sun was starting to illuminate the coast as you drove by. Everything was so quiet this early in the morning and you were thankful, you needed this quiet so you could be alone with your thoughts once again. And, just like every day, that just meant you were thinking of Calum.
Could you blame him? Possibly, your friends said you should. But could you live with yourself knowing that you are holding a grudge towards someone who is probably unaware of it? Not in the slightest.
You were never official, not to the public at least, but in your heart, you knew he was the only one who could make you feel like this. He was the only one capable of making you laugh as hard as you did, cry the way that you did, and enjoy yourself to the fullest. You were your best when you were with him and now… How are you now?
Would he care?
You knew he loved you, he said so himself. The only thing you didn’t know was in what way. Did he love you like a lover? or just like a friend who he’d get to kiss and make love to from time to time?
The lump in your throat became stronger as you remember the last moments you had with him and all the promises he couldn’t keep. You tried to distract yourself, crying behind the wheel could be dangerous and you weren’t going to risk your life for him, not yet at least.
You turned on the radio in hopes that it would call your mind, at this point even the commercials would make you feel better if they made you think about anything but him.
“And now, Laurie. We have the hottest single of the year!” Said the radio host with the most cheerful tone a person could mutter this early “This up-and-coming artist debuted this single almost a month ago and it is still top of the charts in almost 34 countries all over the world!”
Now the lump in your throat came back but this time with a knot on your stomach as well. The first time you heard the song play on the radio you felt excited, after all this is why you came to LA in the first place. Yet the feeling became bittersweet in no time.
“My girls, boys, and non-binary folks; if you are in your car right now get ready to sing this at the top of your lungs with all the feelings you could muster and send a fuck you to your ex. This is ‘Driver’s License’ by Y/N L/N”
“I got my driver’s license last week, just like we always -”
You turned off the music and kept driving in silence.
You knew it was a bad idea to release the song you wrote about him. Maybe it was a petty move on your part, but… didn’t you have the right to be petty this time?
Either way is not like people would realize it was about him. It was your little secret, yours and Calum’s if he ever heard it, although you believe that if he did then he would’ve said something to you by now. Yet his silence was similar to the one in your car; deafening and heartbreaking.
“I don’t know Calum,” You said as you stared at your car parked in front of you “Is it safe to do it here?”
Calum was leaning on top of the hood, rolling his eyes at your indecision “Would you rather do it on the PCA?” You shot your eyes at him with a deathly glare, he just chuckled “I promise is okay, this parking lot is big enough and there are no cars left that you could accidentally hit”
You were both standing in the middle of the studio’s parking lot late at night. Calum insisted that this was the day you learned how to drive, so he spent the night at your place and today he drove you in your car, that way there would be no excuses left for you not to do it.
However, you were still hesitant. This was technically your father’s car, his other baby, and if you ever crash it you wouldn't know what you’ll do. Calum noticed your doubt and took a step closer to you, grabbing your hand in his to give you some sort of encouragement.
“Look, babe. It’s okay if you don’t want to do it. I won’t pressure you” He said softly “I just thought this could be fun for the both of us” He smiled “Fun and educational for that matter. But if you’re not ready then we can go home and-”
“I want to do it, Cal,” You said, “I just- I don’t know where to even begin!”
He chuckled and placed a kiss on your forehead, making all the butterflies in your stomach take flight.
“Tell you what,” Calum said confidently “You get behind the wheel and I’ll put us some inspirational music”
He walked back to the car to connect his phone to the speakers “You better put my song first!” You called after him as you walked towards the driver’s seat.
Calum laughed “God, I should’ve never told you that! Now your ego’s off the damn roof!” Soon enough he sat on the passenger’s seat next to you and buckled up.
“Not my fault that you think of me so often you want to put it into song” You teased, leaning in for a kiss that Calum was happy to oblige.
“Yes,” He said mid-kiss “It is completly your fault” Next thing you know ‘Kill My Time’ was playing on the radio, but Calum was not letting go of you just yet.
You wished this moment last forever, you wished every moment with Calum would last forever, but you both needed to breathe at some point “I wish I could kiss you all day long, I swear I could die on your lips and die happy” You said as you pressed your forehead to his, smiling like a fool in love.
“Soon, love,” Calum said as he crashed his lips against yours “Just wait until tour is over and then we’ll have forever to do just that”
You grinned at his words, a few days ago he promised to make your relationship publicly official once he came back from tour, that way you’ll have more time together as a fairly new couple. If he was willing to take that step, then you were more than ready to follow along. You knew you’d give everything for him if you had to and you still won’t regret it. You love him, and that was enough for you.
“Think I’m ready to start,” You said once you pulled away from him for the last time.
Calum nodded and patted his hand on your thigh “Okay, first you have to turn on the engine. Good, then you check all your mirrors and make sure your gear shift is on position-”
“My what?” You asked.
“Your gear shift, you know? The stick in-”
“Oh, you mean the PRNDL? You said, trying your hardest to stay serious, but failing to do so once you saw Calum’s face.
“You couldn't go one day without your references now, could you?” He said in amusing disbelief that had you both laughing.
The lesson was fairly simple, it just consisted of going forwards and on reverse a few times and practicing some turns in circles around the parking lot, and you were proud to say you were getting the hang of it pretty quickly. Calum turned out to be a great instructor with the patience of a god, he never got mad at you or showed that he was scared - even though it was pretty clear that he was, especially when you turned too far and almost hit a lamp post - and you appreciate him for that.
It was almost 2 AM when you decided to call it quits for the day and start back tomorrow. Calum was now behind the wheel driving you to your house so he could pick up his car and drive home.
“Cal?” You said once he parked in your driveway.
“Yes, love?”
“I’m really happy with you” You shyly admitted.
Calum’s heart beamed with love as he pulled you closer for a goodnight kiss “And I’m really happy with you”
You kissed him one more time before jumping out of the car “See you tomorrow!” He called before you watched him drive away.
The sound of a horn woke you up from your daydream memory. You didn’t know the light had just turned green until the car behind you started pounding their button and cursing at you to move.
You watched the white car from the rearview mirror as you drove away, it looked like his, all the white cars did, but you knew he couldn’t be here just yet, not until the tour was done.
A sinking feeling of hopelessness filled your inner thoughts once again. The promises he made faded like the wind in the summer once he stepped on that plane and decided that you were something he had to leave behind. It would’ve been good to know beforehand, that way you wouldn’t have wasted a year by the phone, hoping it would ring and that he’d be on the other line.
You glanced at the car’s clock one more time, it’s already too late to do anything, you’ve been driving around without a destination for hours when it only felt like minutes. Time is something you learn how to lose when you’re alone, minutes become meaningless once you realize there is no one there to share them with you, but it’s late and it was time to head home. You let out a sigh at the realization that your drive-through therapy didn’t work this time.
Deciding to take the long way home, you started to drive through the lesser-known streets of LA, hoping that you’d get lost somewhere and not knowing if anyone would care.
The dreams of running away came flashing down, more of an idea than an afterthought. Yes, you made it in LA, you have a hit song and your dreams are coming true. Why didn’t that feel like enough?
If you were gone, even just for a little bit, would anybody notice? If you just got up in your car and started driving somewhere unknown until the feeling of loneliness faded away. Could you drive your feelings away? Outrun them somehow?
You knew that if Calum could do it then so could you. It was so easy for him to just leave whatever you had behind, to leave you behind and hope that you were okay somehow. If he thought that you were okay then he maybe didn’t know you at all and you are probably better off without him, just like your friends say all the time.
But were you better off without him?
Tears started piling up in the corner of your eyes once again. No, you were not better off without him even though you want to be. And neither you are better off with him, if he ever came back to you, that is.
You swallowed a sob, trying your hardest not to break down again. It was useless, all the tears and all the songs and all the fuck him an attitude that you could muster… What was it for if not to dwell on your pain even more? You are still hurt and he still did not care.
You took a turn on the left, knowing the way like the back of your hand. You knew this path would lead you home, but you also knew it would lead you to his house as well.
The first time you did this was to practice how to find your way to Calum’s home without getting lost. You knew he wasn’t home and he wouldn’t be for many many months, but you wanted to surprise him once he got there, to pick him up and drive him to that date he promised you once he returned. Now, you avoided that road like a plague unless you had days like this, days in which missing him became everything you did, and now passing through his empty house gave you the reality check you desperately needed: He is gone. It also inspired you to write the song, it was a blessing and a curse.
You turned into the familiar street and looked to your right, you counted the houses passing by one, two, three, four… Until you spotted his old porch. Normally, that’s all you did. You would drive through his street and see the house dark and cold as his owner was out of town. But today there was a white car on his driveway.
Your breath got caught in your throat as you recognized the license plate, immediately stepping on the breaks and making the car stopped abruptly in front of the house.
That is his car… But how? You knew that Calum kept his car in Ashton’s place so they could drive up together to the airport every time they had to leave. What is it doing here? Tour didn’t end until a week from today and-
The sudden movement coming from the house pulled you from every rational thought as the front door opened. You held your breath as the person who stole all your sleepless nights came into view.
He was home.
Calum stepped out of his house with a bright smile on his face. His hair was shorter than the last time you’ve seen it, and he was less tanned, a fact that was easily noticeable thanks to the contrast of his leather jacket on his skin. But his dimples were intact as he smiled at whoever was inside the house.
A small figure came behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso as she was laughing at something he said. Her blond hair was falling down her back so elegantly, and her smile was bright as day as she hugged him, you wouldn’t have noticed that in the photos. She looked happy, but what broke you the most is that he looked happy as well.
He was home, but he was home with her.
You knew something was going on, even if there wasn’t anything official from either of them. You weren’t official, too. But seeing them was all the proof you needed to believe it. Believe that it was actually over and neither of you said goodbye.
You bit the inside of your cheek as silent tears started rolling down your face. You wanted to scream, to cry your hearts out, and let the world fuck itself over and over again. But for the love that you had on yourself, you promised that you wouldn't dignify him by making a scene. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve to know you cared.
With that in mind, you wiped your tears and floored the gas pedal, driving away from the scene.
“Hey!!!!!”
“Guess what?”
“I PASSED THE TEST!”
“I can legally drive on my own now :D!”
Read 19:05
“Calum?”
“Oh, you must be at the concert now, my bad!”
“Let me know when we can FaceTime again! I can’t wait to tell you how it went! I’m so excited we can finally switch places and let me be the one in charge of the road, lol”
Read 23:54
“Is everything alright, Cal?”
Read 04:32
“I miss you”
Read July 19th 14:49
Last week you sent your last text to him and he still hadn’t responded yet. You tossed all night waiting for at least a smoke signal from him. He was gone for two months now and he never missed one of your calls, it was so unlike him, especially when he promised you to call every day he was on tour.
You tried to distract yourself by doing everything you could think of. You watched videos, listened to music, played candy crush over and over again, and still, there was no answer.
You were starting to give up when a notification from Twitter graced your screen, it read: “Calum Hood, bassist from the band 5 Seconds of Summer, seen cozying up with a mysterious girl in a nightclub two nights ago”
You blinked twice and reread the headline, hoping that your eyes were deceiving you.
“The Australian bassist seemed to be catching up with some friends and letting it all loose at a wild night here in London after their sold-out show in the O2 Arena.
Hood was wearing-”
You skipped all that unnecessary information, scrolling down to the bottom where you knew all media kept the real gossip. A bubble of anxiety started forming inside your throat, as your fingers moved over the screen. The atmosphere became heavy while you could hear your heart thundering inside your chest, every little beat it made was hurting you, almost like it was banging your ribcages begging to be set free.
Time stood still as you looked at the pictures, not wanting to believe your eyes as they analyzed every detail of it.
There he was, hugging a blond woman from behind and resting his face on her shoulders just like he used to do with you. Even from the picture, you could tell she was gorgeous. The next picture showed her wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling at him. He had his hands cupping her cheeks, his face denoted a serious expression, but the look in his eyes was fixed on her.
He kissed her in the third picture, his hands still cupping her cheeks. It seemed like he was smiling through the kiss.
The last picture had them sitting on some kind of leather sofa. She was sitting on his lap and his hands were wandering very close to her butt, holding her close to him.
“The fans of the band wasted no time on identifying the mysterious girl. She seems to be the new tour assistant manager of the boys. Let’s hope that work and pleasure don’t get between this beautiful couple #goals<3”
The stream of tears was never-ending. You couldn’t understand what was going on, why Calum hasn’t said anything to you, why-why did he let it happen? Something was not right, and it wasn’t just your breathing getting heavy inside your lungs or your shaky hands as you typed the next text.
“We need to talk, please call me?”
You got no answers that night as you cried yourself to sleep, realizing that you had no one to comfort you cause nobody knew that you two were even together. You were utterly alone.
The next morning you woke up to no text from him, not even a call or a voicemail.
Read 08:45
You forced yourself to finish your nighttime routine. Ever since you came back home you did nothing but cry, but not of sadness, you were crying of anger.
With him being far away it almost didn’t seem real. You allowed yourself to create some sort of fantasy where he would come back to you, to start over where you left off and be together for everyone to see. How foolish.
You thought that he’ll hear your song and he’ll be running back to you to apologize, to ask if you still love him like before. But he won’t, because he is happy without you while you rot in your own pity party.
You grabbed hold onto the counter, trying to hold the tears as everything suddenly became clear as day. All the red flags you ignored were now shining as candy apples. He made a fool of you and didn’t even dignify you with at least some kind of warning or apology. He brought you down and now it was up to you to climb back up and even higher than before.
How could he?
All the memories you held close to your heart were burning in the pyre of your soul. You loved him, you knew you did. But all you meant for him was just a summer fling, something to waste time on before the real thing came along.
But he loved you…
Did he?
He spent entire days and nights next to you. He told you stories no one’s ever heard of. He sang to you to sleep and wrote you the most beautiful poems you’ve ever read. He picked you up every day and stayed with you until it was your time to leave. He made you feel welcome and there was not a day where you didn’t feel safe around his arms. He was your best friend. He taught you how to drive and what it meant to feel something real, something as important as the love you could have for someone. He loved you, he said he did, he promised he did.
Maybe love was not enough for him.
Your mind was divided, fighting over and over and over again about the same thing. Part of you cursed his name while the other part just wanted to be held by him, telling you that it will all be okay. But you couldn't even trust yourself on this one.
The doorbell rang, one, two, three times.
You were not going to answer it. One look in the mirror and you knew you couldn't answer anyone in this state. Your eyes were puffy and red, your cheeks were hollowed from not eating all day. There was nothing you could do to make you look or feel better, so whoever was behind the door will have to find another way to disturb the chaos in your mind.
However, they were persistent. With the ring of the doorbell came a few bangs. It seemed urgent.
You took one last look at yourself before deciding with a sigh to go and open the door. Whoever it was must have a good reason to come banging at your door a little past midnight.
“I’m coming!” You called, voice coming out a little hoarse from crying all night.
A shiver ran down your back and you felt like you were here before, in this exact moment where all your instincts told you to walk away. You decided to ignore them as you gently turned the doorknob and opened the door. Immediately wishing you didn’t.
“Calum?”
He stood in front of you, soaked from head to toe. Hands in the pockets of his jacket, not the leather one, but one more cozy. He was also wearing a pair of sweatpants and part of his hair was stuck on his forehead. You didn’t realize it was raining.
“Can I come in?” He asked, not even a hello.
You debated on whether or not to let him in. Part of you wanted to throw him back into the streets, but a storm was coming - much in the literal and subliminal way, and you didn’t want him to drive in this weather, you still care for him even though you shouldn’t.
With a simple nod, you opened the door wide enough so he could enter the house, a little “thank you” came out of his mouth as he stepped inside for the first time in over a year.
You closed the door and started walking into the kitchen with Calum following you like a stray dog. Your hands were shaking so you hid them behind your back as you slowly wrapped your arms around you in an attempt to comfort you throughout this whole ordeal.
Calum is standing in front of you on the other side of the island. He is not looking at you, but rather he is looking at his feet. You figured he was too scared to be the first one to talk and it broke your heart that he has suddenly become shy around you when you used to tell each other everything. ‘But whose fault is that?’ You thought.
Now you were just two strangers in a room.
“I thought you’d still be on tour,” You said, breaking the silence that has fallen upon you.
Calum looked up and he almost looked thankful that you spoke first “The last two venues canceled at the last minute due to weather conditions,” He said “So we came back earlier than expected”
You nodded and faced the other way. The fact that he was here in your home made your stomach turn and not in a good way. You always thought him coming back was going to be something joyful, but it became more painful as time went by.
“They closed café Mariannete while I was gone” He said, was he really going to talk about that right now? Did he came over here to reminisce about the café you used to have breakfast in?
“I didn’t know. I don’t go there anymore”
More awkward silence came upon you. You both knew he was bullshiting his way into the real conversation he was avoiding to have. He always used to do that and you have forgotten how much you hated it.
“Were you driving by my house today?” He asked and you froze on the spot. You didn’t think that he saw you.
“I was,” You cleared your throat “I was coming back home”
“And you didn’t say hello” It was more a statement than a question.
A sour taste filled your mouth. How dare he? “You were busy enough” You knew it was a petty answer, but what did he expect?
A flash of hurt came through Calum’s eyes as he said nothing in return. He knew you saw him with her, so he had no excuse to push the topic back to you.
The atmosphere was tense as the only thing you could hear was the ticking of the clock and the raindrops falling through your window. There was so much to say and yet none of you were brave enough to muster them.
You had every right to be mad and he had a right to explain himself, but you were not going to be the first one to cave in. Not without hearing from him first.
Eventually, Calum got restless of the silence.
“Your song is amazing,” He said, pleading for an answer that didn’t contain poison in your words “Ashton showed it to us the day it came out”
So he has heard it, you didn’t know if you should be proud or ashamed “Thanks”
“I forgot to congratulate you on your number one”
“You forgot to do a lot of things”
If there was ever a moment where you could give him the chance to redeem himself, this was it.
You saw how Calum shifted his weight from foot to foot, he had his lips pressed in a thin line and you could see how his eyes changed and fell into a deep pit of regret as tears were forming in the corner of his eye.
“I know the song’s about me-” He said.
“How did you figure that out?” You said sarcastically.
“Y/N…” He pleaded, running a hand through his face, but you were having none of that.
“Why did you do it, Calum?”
You needed an answer, something you could hold onto to eventually let go. Calum, however, was almost speechless.
The ticking of the clock became even louder as you counted the seconds until he spoke again. One, two, three…
Ten “I don’t know”
The answer cut right through you as you let a stream of tears roll down your cheek, not lifting your head to look at him in the eyes. It wasn’t what you expected, it was way worse.
Calum noticed your crying and started panicking, spilling every thought he had through his mouth “I-I don’t- I was drunk and she was there with our groups of friends and we were too drunk to even take notice of what was happening and we just kissed and- Y/N, I’m not perfect. We weren’t perfect, we weren’t even official and it was only a kiss and I thought it would be okay but then the tabloids and your message and I just- And she’s a great friend, she didn’t mean any harm but things happened and-” He stammered, unable to connect his thoughts as he desperately tried to fix something so you would stop crying.
“For me it was perfect” You cried “We were perfect in my mind, you made it perfect. God, Calum. Why didn’t you tell me? I spent months in agony trying to figure it out, to make it make sense! I beat myself up over and over again and there you were having the time of your life with a stranger!” Your voice was loud, not enough to yell, but enough to make it clear that you were fuming.
“What are you talking about?!” Calum said matching the tone of your voice “I missed you every fucking day but there was nothing I could do about it! You don’t know shit of what you’re talking about!”
You scoffed “Oh yeah! It surely seemed like you missed me! You never called me once, Calum. Not even to apologize and try to make it better”
“I didn’t know how!” He said, “I was scared that-”
“That I’d hate you?”
“That you’d forgive me,” Calum said in one breath, making you stare in shock “I-I didn’t want you to forgive me, Y/N, cause you deserve so much better. On tour I realized that I wasn’t ready for a relationship, no matter how much you mean to me and I didn’t know how to tell you that so-”
“And are you ready now? That’s why you are with her?” You interrupted, head filled with anger to even think straight.
“I’m not ready to be with either of you!”
The room felt silent once again.
You had no answer to that and you weren’t sure you wanted to hear more from him.
The rain outside your window started to calm down, only droplets of water were left as the memory of the storm that almost was.
Your legs gave out a minute later, sliding you down slowly onto the floor. Calum walked up to you and sat next to you, neither of you saying anything for what it seemed like hours.
“You said you loved me…” You said with a faint voice.
Calum sighed “I did. I do”
“And you love her too?”
He thought about it “I don’t know. I might” You closed your eyes as a tear fell down your cheek “She’s good to me, Y/N. And we really got close but-”
“I know,” You said with a soft sniffle “We weren’t perfect either”
“You do know I love you, right?” He said softly, turning his face towards you “And that everything we had was real. Every minute of it, every word in every song was true and it still is. All was real and it’s still there somewhere. I still want you in my life, Y/N, cause you make it better. I just,” He sighed “I need to figure my shit out”
“Yeah, you do” You said, making him chuckle darkly “But I can’t promise I’ll be here”
“I wouldn’t ask you to”
You sat there in silence for a few more moments, just enjoying each other's company before everything fades away.
“I love you, too” You said in a whisper, hoping that he won’t hear “I still fucking love you”
Calum sighed “I know”
“Guess that you didn’t mean what you wrote on that song about me
‘Cause you said forever now I drive alone past your street”
.
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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years ago
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What I Thought About "Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" from The Owl House
Wow. They are really pushing it for that secret message, huh?
Anywho--Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!
I think it goes without saying at this point that Season Two of The Owl House is setting itself up as a season without filler. Now, filler episodes aren't always bad. Yes, it hurts when a series turns away from the main plot for a week. But at best, they're utilized as a chance for the writers to play around with the characters and developing said characters without it relating to the overarching story. So, some people who see that consider it a bad thing that a series doesn't have that many filler episodes.
I like to call those people: F**king morons.
Don't get me wrong, I see where some of you are coming from. And I'd be willing to agree...if The Owl House was a plot-driven series. Which it's not. It is a character-driven series. Because for every plot thread and narrative that the show presents, they always relate to the characters and develop them further each time these threads get brought up. For example, look at "Knock Knock Knockin’ on Hooty's Door" (It pains me just to write that). Several narratives move forward, and it’s all done to make the characters grow. And to explain how requires going into spoilers. So keep that in mind as you continue reading.
Now, let's review, shall we?
WHAT I LIKED
Hooty: Might as well start with the character that this episode is about.
To tell you the truth, I wasn't a huge fan when I found out we're getting a Hooty-centered episode. I've grown to love him over time, but he is a comedic character that's best used in small doses. Primarily due to how his voice is grating to me (My ears are still bleeding...). With that said, I do really love his contributions in "Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" (Seriously, there couldn't have been a less awkward title?). Hooty's antics when trying to help everyone are as hilarious as they are heartwarming. He deeply cares for his friends but just doesn't understand how his plans could do some unintended harm, which is pretty lovable if you ask me. We also get some surprisingly great insight into his character, as he feels insecure about basically being the comic relief who doesn't really do that much other than being funny. Rarely do you get that level of dimension from a comedic character, and it's even more uncommon for that to work out as well as it does here. It once again proves just how competent the writing is in this series to the point where we get an episode about Hooty, and it's funny and heartwarming instead of being annoying. And whoever is responsible for that, you're the best.
Lilith’s Letter to Hooty: I mean it when I say that I love how Lilith kept her word about her and Hooty becoming penpals. Their friendship was something I would have never expected to love, and I'm still shocked that it works so well, so seeing it continue like this just warms me to the bone. Plus, it is pretty sweet that Lilith's kind words are what inspired Hooty to do what he's done in this episode...meaning it's Lilith we should thank here--SON OF A WITCH! Even when she's gone, she's still working her way into my heart!
King going through Puberty: What?! KING IS EVOLVING!
(There, I made a Pokemon reference. Do I get my cookie now?)
Eda Keeping Herself Awake to Train Herself: I'm willing to bet a large sum of money that this has everything to with Raine getting captured last week. If Eda was still the most powerful witch in the Isles, she might have actually saved them. But she isn't, and now the love of her life is in the clutches of a tyrant planning something that could potentially be the end of everything. So I can understand Eda pushing herself to her limit to get back on top again, as I would probably do the same. It's not healthy in any way, and Eda would be doing more harm than good. But when it comes to the people you love, logic doesn't always win out in the end.
Luz Wanting to Make her Way into Amity’s Heart by Making the Echo Mouse Happy: ...That's it. I Just...I just love everything about it, ok?
This was also when I knew that I was wrong to doubt that there would be zero Lumity in this episode. I realize my follies now, and I humbly apologize.
Hooty Teaching King About Demons: This was so funny. So, so funny. Probably doesn't come as a surprise, especially since The Owl House proves itself as a comedy before, but the jokes have never hit as frequently and as hard as they did here. From Hooty getting offended by King's dance to him and Dana's insert wanting a "DNA sample," everything managed to successfully make me lose my s**t. It does come at the expense of King suffering, but I can stomach that much more than if it were Eda or Luz. And, as a bonus, we get lore about how demons work, added with another great joke of King getting in trouble with Hooty for saying he already knows this stuff. Humor isn't always the show's strong suit, but when it works, it f**king works.
King Wanting to Know What he Is: But despite how funny King's vignette was, we still get to see more of his character grow. We learn that he's frustrated now that there's this big question mark over his life now, feeling extra angry that his father "abandoned" him to leave such a present mystery. It shows the hidden resentment he has that Lilith inadvertently brought out, made even worse when King's father hasn't responded to the video yet. King hasn't really gotten that much development until "Echoes of the Past," so it's pretty cool that the writers haven't really slowed down on it. Especially when it leads to these great moments of King venting his frustrations.
King’s Shouting Powers: KING learned FUS RO DAH!
(And now that's a Pokemon reference AND a Skyrim reference. WHERE'S MY GOSH DANG COOKIE!?)
Eda’s Nightmare: If King's vignette hits you hard with the laughs, Eda's will absolutely hit you harder with the feels (never make me say "feels" unironically again). Knowing that Eda's life got thoroughly screwed over by the curse is something we could figure out on her own. But seeing just how much the curse ruined her life and tore apart relationships that mean the world to her really does a swell job at ripping apart the soul. What's even more tragic is, technically speaking, it's all sort of Eda's fault too. She kept hiding the curse, refusing to be a burden to others who would do all they could to help. If she had only been open and honest, things probably wouldn't have changed much, but they most likely would have been better than they are now.
Eda Attacked her Father as the Owl Beast: ...I don't know what I was expecting when "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" hinted that there was some possible tension between Eda and her father...but it definitely wasn't this.
The fact that we see blood where his eye used to be doesn't make things any happier, either.
Raine Broke Up with Eda: Before we get into anything else, let's celebrate the fact that it's now confirmed that Eda and Raine really did use to date in the past. Because this show is just f**king phenomenal with its LGBTQA+ representation!
But, seriously, this is a fantastic reveal that goes far beyond just shipping...well, sort of. It shines a new light on Eda and Raine's interactions from last week, revealing that while they're not a couple anymore, they still very much love each other. It helps make their last interaction especially tragic, as they were both on the same page now and could very well be together again. Only for them to be forced apart for the second time in a way that's much worse than the first. And I frickin' adore that this series changes the impact of one episode one week later. Again, it shows just how competent these writers are, and kudos to them for making something so...perfect.
The Moon Person: WHO THE FU--Nope. Nope! We have more than enough mystery bulls**t to deal with through CreepyLuz and Philip Wittebane, so I am PUTTING YOU ON THE BACKBURNER FOR NOW!
(They're probably nothing more than a one-off character, anyway)
The Owl Beast and Eda are Connected: Through visuals alone, we, the audience, can clue into what the curse really means. The Owl Beast doesn't want to be a part of Eda as much as she doesn't want it to be a part of her. Whether they like it or not, and they very much don't, they're stuck together. The thing is, and this is what I love the most, they still decide to make the best of their situation rather than let it ruin their lives even more. This might be the best possible turn Eda's curse could have made. It'll still affect her, and there are probably more negatives than positives, but at least now, it's not the worst thing in the world. And I feel like that's all anyone can ask when in a position like her own.
Eda's “Pretty Dream”: I don't know what emotions are toiling inside me more with this moment. Awe and wonder over how beautiful Eda's dream is, or heartbreak over the implication that she has only had nightmares since getting cursed...I'm gonna say both. Yeah, it's definitely both.
Eda’s Harpie Form: Well, fan artists are gonna have a field day with this...especially the freaks.
(You know who you are. And you're weird!)
Luz Calling Amity a “Cotton-Candy Haired Goddess”: ...Have I ever mentioned how much I love this show?
Hooty Kidnapped Amity: ...Hooty, if your stupidity wasn't charming, I would be more than willing to call the authorities over how you kidnapped a girl in your version of a knapsack and locked her in the basement. For that is going to ring SO MANY alarm bells in people's heads.
Amity and Luz Stuck in a Tunnel of Love: *Smacks lips* Mmm. The adorable awkwardness of this moment is just *chef's kiss* magnifique!
Luz being afraid of getting made fun of:
Amity’s look of hope: I mean...just...f**king--LOOK AT HER:
Tumblr media
That is the look of a girl who, while embarrassed as hell, still is ecstatic to learn for a brief moment, everything that she is hoping for has a high chance of being real. Who, in their right mind, wouldn't go "Aw!" at something so pure and innocent?!
Luz Destroying the Tunnel of Love: This is how to effectively utilize dramatic irony. The audience can understand why Luz is tearing the place apart because she explicitly states that she's afraid of Amity rejecting her in the end. They also know that's bogus, thus making it extra painful to watch Amity's heart break more and more with each second (which is perfectly represented through Amity's expressions). You feel bad for both of them, and even worse when you know that it can easily be prevented by the simple art of communication. That's what makes it great dramatic irony. Knowing the point of view of each character results in a scene that evokes emotions in two different ways.
Hooty’s Breakdown: This was...genuinely hard to watch. Not that it was badly written, far from it. It just...hurt seeing how destroyed Hooty was when he realized he failed the people he has such an admiration for. On the upside, a wholesome moment follows soon after as the Owl House gang tries to reassure Hooty that he's done a lot of good that night. It's a pure action that shows even though Hooty gets on their nerves all the time, they still care about him...damn it. I think I'm gonna cry.
Eda’s Advice for Luz: ...Eda...You're the best.
You found out that your surrogate daughter wants to ask a girl out, and not only were you quick to deliver the best possible advice ("Just go for it!"), but you also quickly reassure her that it doesn't need to be perfect.
And you know what? That's it. Eda is the best cartoon mom! She might not technically be Luz's mom, but I don't give a s**t because she is the best!
Luz and Amity Ask Each Other Out: Shh-sh-sh-sh...
Do you hear that?
...
...
...It's the sound of dozens of Lumity fans collectively losing their s**t...and I'm one of them.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!
IT!
IS!
CANON!
AH-HAHAHAHAHA!
HOLY S**T! Holy s**t! Holy s**t...might just be the best way I could possibly describe this! Finally, after all the waiting, speculating, and praying, THESE TWO IDIOTS FINALLY GOT TOGETHER! AND IT WAS PERFECT! I mean, it was awkward as s**t, but that's what makes it perfect! You know why? You wanna--Hey! *snaps fingers*. You want to know why? It's because they're teenagers. Of f**king course, it's going to be awkward! This is their first relationship, so there will be a lot of missteps along the way. And that, in itself, brings me to the best (second best part?) thing about it happening in episode eight of the new seasons. Most endgame couples get together in the climax or even at the end of the series. But to have them get together this early on, means there will be quite a few episodes dedicated to showing them grow as a couple.
And better than that--EVEN F**KING BETTER THAN THAT--dozens of kids are going to see these two, a realistic depiction of young love that just so happens to involve two girls, and are going to learn once and for all that there is nothing wrong with being who they are. That fact alone is f**king incredible. Yes, it sucks that season three got cut short, and we'll have even less time with Luz and Amity, but knowing how many kids have felt seen today almost makes it worth it in the end.
And if I see one mother f**ker saying this was poorly paced, I might just hunt them down for SPORT...Sorry if that was an overreaction. I'M JUST SO HAPPY! Because they're happy! Look at them. Listen to them! It's so...GAH-HAHAHA!
“They’re adorable! And deserve all the happiness!”: You're darn right, Hooty! You're darn right.
King’s Father(?) Shows Up: What the--WHAT?! They're doing this now?! Here?! After everything else?
Oh, man. What could this mean? What dynamic changes will this cause in the main cast? How could the writers fit this in during the next two episodes? And what--
Hooty Eats the Letter: ...Pfffft--HAHAHAHA!
Oh, man...I should be mad, and I wouldn't blame others if they are...but that is too much of a brilliant f**k you that I can't help but appreciate it. Bravo writers. Bravo.
WHAT I DISLIKED
...Dislikes? Dislikes? You would honestly believe that after everything I witnessed in this episode, that I would have the gull to list anything wrong with it?!
HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THAT I WOULD BE SO CALLUS TO--Actually, I do kind of have an issue with the episode's title. It's just too much of an awkward mouthful for me to get behind. I understand that the writers wanted to sneak the K into the secret message, but were there really no other titles starting with K that they couldn't come up with?
But that's just a personal issue, and in no way do I think anybody else would feel the same way. Especially with how well-written everything else is anyway.
IN CONCLUSION
"Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" (title aside) is another A+ episode. It was hilarious, heart-wrenching, and downright adorable while keeping me entertained with every minute. I'm sure there are some issues I was willing to ignore due to how expertly written everything else was, but why bother looking for the chinks in the armor when I could just enjoy a perfect episode for being so...perfect! Some of you might be willing to disagree with me, but to that, I say: Don't knock it till you've tried it.
(Now, if you don't excuse me, I'm going to go lie down. It's...It's been a day.)
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oh-ranpo · 4 years ago
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mistletoe wishes.
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pairing: owen joyner x reader an: this is the first in my little Christmas collection that I have ideas for, so I hope you enjoy it! please let me know what you think! if you want to be added to any of my tag lists, please let me know!  word count: 3.7k+
The Christmas party was already well under way by the time you arrived. It had taken you over an hour to decide on which Christmas sweater you wanted to wear, as you had way too many, but you were happy to see that you weren’t the only one who was decked out in the holiday spirit as almost every single one of your friends were wearing an ugly sweater of some kind.
“Look who decided to show up,” a voice greeted you, and you grinned when you turned to see Charlie heading in your direction. He had a drink in his hand and a Santa hat on his head, so you knew that he was already having a good time.
“Sorry I’m late, my wardrobe decisions got the best of me,” you replied as he pulled you in for a hug, his hand holding his cup away from your body so as to not accidentally spill anything on you. 
“Well, it looks like it paid off. That sweater is amazing,” Charlie complimented when he pulled away and he saw exactly which one you had picked out. “Owen is going to die when he sees it.”
You had gone with your festive Star Wars sweater that had Darth Vader on the front wearing a Santa hat similar to the one perched on Charlie’s head. The red and green font across the front read, “I find your lack of cheer disturbing”, and it was one that you had adored ever since your other friend, Owen, had bought it for you the year before. 
“Is he here?” you asked, and Charlie nodded, the smile on his face growing as you both heard Owen’s voice fill the air. 
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine! I’ll just be hanging around the mistletoe waiting to be kissed.”
“I think he’s still a little bummed that he’s one of the few people here without a date,” Charlie chuckled, and you giggled yourself, despite your heart falling in your chest. You knew exactly how he felt as this was the first year in a couple that you were showing up to Christmas parties by yourself as well.
Your last boyfriend, Jake, had recently broken up with you in October just before Halloween. You had been devastated, as the two of you had already put together your coordinating costumes and you had been looking forward to the holiday season together. You were sure that, when he ended things, your holidays were going to be ruined, only to be proven wrong when Owen had shown up at your apartment that Halloween in his bright yellow jacket and short shorts, ready to pull you out of your own personal misery. Surprisingly, it had worked, and now you knew that you owed him a holiday saving grace.
“I guess I’m gonna go find him,” you told Charlie a few seconds later, and he nodded as you assumed that he went to find the girl that he had been talking to for the last few weeks that he had brought along as his date for the night.
It didn’t take you long to find Owen, as you headed down the hallway in the direction that you had heard his voice. The familiar blonde was leaning against the wall, his phone in his hands as his finger swiped across the screen, seemingly lost in his own little world.
“That doesn’t look like mistletoe to me,” you teased, as you referred back to his previously shouted words, and Owen looked up at the sound of your voice. 
“Yeah, well, I needed to say something to help myself feel better in the midst of this little Christmas love-fest,” he replied sarcastically, as his eyes trailed down to your sweater. A smile immediately formed on his lips as he pushed himself away from the wall and slid his phone into his pocket. “Wow, what a great sweater. Whoever picked that out must have great taste.” He was teasing now, and your heart lifted as it seemed that whatever little mood Owen had been in was starting to dissipate.
“I know, I’m quite the sweater connoisseur if I say so myself,” you teased back, and Owen rolled his eyes playfully.
“Right, cause you picked it out,” he drawled and you grinned even more.
“I did actually. Just a few minutes ago.” This earned another eye roll from your friend before he gestured back the way you had come.
“Did you want to get a drink?” he asked, and you nodded eagerly. Your first mission had been to find him, and now that you had, you were ready for a drink.
The two of you headed towards the kitchen while Owen started ranting at the lack of single people that had shown up to this particular party.
“I know it’s like, cuffing season or whatever, but come on. Does everyone have to be in a relationship?” he groaned as he leaned against the kitchen counter while you poured yourself some punch. You were thankful in that moment that he couldn’t see the look on your face, as your back was to him, because you were sure that there had been a quick flash of hurt that had formed on your features at his words. It wasn’t like you didn’t agree, but it was a painful reminder that you were also newly single, and you were one of the few that was spending the best holiday, in your opinion, alone.
“Come on, it can’t be that bad,” you replied when you turned around after regaining your composure. Owen had a red cup in his hands now that you knew was filled with the same liquid that was in yours, but he didn’t seem to pay it any attention as his eyes scanned the room. There were a few people hanging around, but they were all so engrossed in the conversations they were having with their dates that none of them seemed to notice either one of you.
“I mean, it’s fine, obviously. Like, good for them. But you can’t blame a guy for hoping for a romantic Christmas miracle.” There was a flash of something in his bright blue eyes when he looked over at you, but before you could place it, it was gone.
“Romantic, eh? Oh, Owen, I didn’t know you were into stuff like that,” you teased, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly as he finally lifted his cup so that he could take a small drink.
“A guy can dream sometimes. I blame the holiday atmosphere,” he responded coolly, and you nodded as you tried to quell the racing of your heart with a sip of your own punch. The feeling was one you had been experiencing a lot since Halloween night, primarily when you were in Owen’s presence, but you pushed it aside and ignored it, just as you had been for the last several weeks.
Eventually, the two of you moved into the living room where most of the rest of your friends seemed to be, and you took the next few minutes walking around and saying hello. You didn’t miss how Owen stayed close behind, though you were sure his reasoning for it was because you were one of the only other single people around, and he didn’t want to get stuck with a big group of couples where he had to pretend like he didn’t feel incredibly awkward being alone.
“Oh my god, look at you!” Savannah cooed when she saw you. “And look at your sweater! Wait, is that the one Owen got you last year?” When you nodded, a small gasp slipped from her lips as she grabbed your hand and quickly pulled you to the other side of the room, away from everyone else. The movement startled you, and the wild look in her eyes made you nervous.
“What are we doing?” you asked apprehensively, just as Savannah spun back around to face you.
“Is there something going on with you and Owen?” The question caught you off guard, but also made your heart clench at the same time. 
“No? Why would you say that?” you asked, and Savannah gave you a pointed look. You had no idea where all of this was coming from, and it seemed like a stretch to say that it was caused simply by your choice in sweaters for the evening. It wasn’t like it was the first time you had worn it out.
“Ever since Halloween, the two of you have seemed… different. I mean, I always thought that Owen had a thing for you, but Jake was always there. But now that he’s out of the picture-“
“Wait,” you interrupted, your hand coming up to stop her. “What do you mean, you always thought Owen had a thing for me?” Your heart was racing again, and when Savannah gave you a sympathetic look, you couldn’t help but glance over your shoulder to try to find the boy in question.
Owen was standing a few feet away, talking with Charlie and Charlie’s date, but the second your eyes landed on him, his eyes lifted to meet yours. It was as if he could feel you looking, and a smile immediately blossomed across his features just before you turned away.
“See, things like that! He’s always looked at you with literal heart eyes, and I was sure as soon as Jake broke up with you, he was going to make his move. I think he’s just been hesitant because he doesn’t want to rush you.” 
You couldn’t believe what Savannah was saying. You and Owen had been friends for a while now, and there was never a time where you thought he might like you. Sure, the two of you had grown quite close, but you just thought that your friendship was special. When he came to cheer you up, he was just being a good best friend. There were no other emotional motives, right? No, there couldn’t be.
“Savannah, I think you’re reading a little too much into our friendship,” you sighed, as you tried to reason with both yourself and her. “Owen doesn’t like me like that.” 
“But how do you feel about him?” she pressed, and that was the topic of conversation you really didn’t want to reach. While, before Halloween, you had never seen Owen as anything other than your closest friend, recently you had started seeing him differently. It all started with the fluttering in your chest when he was around, and slowly it had progressed more and more, but you had gotten quite good at suppressing it. You thought, at first, that it was just because you were lonely after having been in a relationship for over two years. But now, as the feelings grew, you weren’t so sure that could be to blame any longer.
“We’re just friends.”
It was clearly not the response Savannah was looking for, but just before she could protest further, she glanced over her shoulder, and another smirk formed on her lips.
“Hey, what are you guys talking about over here? I hope it’s more interesting than what Charlie and his date are carrying on about.” Owen’s voice made your heart stop, and when you felt his arm brush against yours, you did your best to hide your immediate emotional reaction.
“I was actually just about to go and get another drink. I’ll catch up with you guys soon,” Savannah told him before giving you a quick wink and walking off. You and her were going to have to have a serious conversation about subtlety later on.
“What was that about?” Owen asked, as you turned your attention to him. 
“Your guess is as good as mine,” you replied quietly, before lifting your cup to your lips once more. You hated that you felt a little weird standing alone with Owen now, and you did your best to shake the conversation you had just had from your mind. “Did you want to maybe go find a game to play?”
“I thought you would never ask,” Owen responded brightly, and you couldn’t help but smile as you both went in search of something to entertain yourselves.
There were several different games that were being played throughout the house, but eventually, you and Owen found a game of charades that you were able to insert yourselves into. Anytime you had played this game, it had always been with Owen because Jake thought that it was stupid. More times than not, you and Owen won, and it had become an almost unsaid rule that you would be partners anytime you played.
“This isn’t fair,” Tori groaned as you jumped from your seat on the couch in victory when you and Owen won. “It’s like you two can read each other’s minds.” 
You grinned as Owen lifted you from your feet and spun you around quickly in a tight hug before setting you down, his arm remaining wrapped around your waist as he turned to face his friend. 
“You just wish you had a connection like us,” he taunted, and even though you knew that he was just being cocky, you still felt another pull in your chest as you slowly moved out of his embrace. He didn’t seem to notice what you were doing, which you were grateful for, as you didn’t move too far out of his reach for it to be obvious.
“We’re just really good at being on the same wavelength with these things,” you added, and Tori gave you a look that was similar to the one that Savannah had given you earlier in the night.
“Clearly not all things,” you heard her murmur, but you didn’t ask for her to elaborate because you were sure that you could already guess what she meant.
“I’m not really ready to go watch everyone be all couple-y again just yet. Did you maybe just want to… walk around?” Owen asked when the rest of the charades group started to disperse. You nodded, though you weren’t sure where exactly you were going to walk as the house wasn’t that big, and it was too cold outside to walk around out there. However, Owen reached out to take your hand as he guided you back down the hallway, away from everyone else, and you didn’t pull away as you followed him.
“You know, I thought this party was going to be a drag as one of the few single people here, but it’s actually been quite fun,” Owen mused as you walked through the hallway. You nodded as you looked up at him, your fingers still laced with his. 
“You’re welcome,” you joked, and when he looked down at you, he laughed.
“I mean, obviously I’m having a good time because you’re here. We just hadn’t talked about the party or anything, so I didn’t know… I wasn’t sure…”
“Wasn’t sure of what?” you asked, as his voice trailed off and he seemed to get lost in his thoughts. Owen’s gaze was fixed on the floor in front of him while he walked, and he didn’t look back at you when he spoke again.
“I wasn’t sure if you would find someone else you could bring so you wouldn’t feel lonely too.”
Your heart jumped in your chest, as you let your eyes scan across the various pictures on the wall as you passed.
“And who in the world would I bring on such short notice? It’s not like I’ve been hanging out with anyone since Jake broke up with me. No one but you, anyways,” you replied, and it took half a second after the words came out of your mouth for you to realize how bad it sounded. “Which I’ve loved, of course. I love spending time with you.”
Owen slowed to a stop in the doorway for the stairs that led to the basement as he dropped your hand and lifted his to rub the back of his neck nervously.
“Actually, about that…” he started, but before he could continue any further, there was a gasp from behind you, and when you both turned to see what was wrong, you were surprised to see Savannah at the end of the hall, a wide smile on her lips.
“What’s going on?” you asked nervously, but instead of responding with words, Savannah just pointed above your head. You and Owen both looked up at the same time, and your stomach rolled when you saw the familiar green plant dangling from the doorway above you.
“Mistletoe,” you whispered, and Owen inhaled sharply from next to you. You hadn’t actually thought that anyone would have put up mistletoe, as it was incredibly cliché, but it was also no surprise that since they did, it would be over a high traffic area like this particular doorway. You hadn’t known about it, and it was clear that Owen didn’t know about it, and now, you felt stuck.
“Umm,” Owen started again, and you looked up at him to see that his cheeks were flooded pink, and you were sure there was embarrassment and awkwardness written all over your face.
“We don’t have to do this,” you replied quickly. “We can just pretend like we never saw it.” When you glanced back down the hall, you saw that Savannah was gone, which was also surprising given that you were sure she would have loved to witness this particular moment, even though you weren’t sure which way it was going to go. It was probably for the best that you didn’t have any kind of audience when you had your heart broken in the middle of a Christmas party.
“I mean, it is tradition,” Owen spoke up a moment later, and you gave him a quizzical look. “I mean, this isn’t how I really saw this happening, but now that we’re here…” His words only confused you more as you tried to piece together exactly what was happening.
“How you saw what happening? Getting a kiss under the mistletoe? Of course, I’m sure it wasn’t with me,” you laughed half-heartedly, and the small smile on Owen’s face quickly disappeared as his blue eyes bore into yours.
“That’s not what I meant,” he insisted, his voice serious now as he took a half-step closer to you. “You’re the only person I could ever imagine wanting to kiss under the mistletoe.”
A shiver ran down your spine at the look he was giving you now, and you found it hard to formulate a response. You had no idea what was happening, and even though Savannah had insisted there was something that Owen felt for you, you hadn’t really allowed yourself to believe it. However, if you truly had heard his words correctly, maybe you were the wrong one.
“I, I don’t understand,” you replied lamely, and Owen’s hand reached out for yours once more, this time more hesitantly than the first. You could see the conflict in his eyes, and while you were hopelessly confused, you could make this emotion out better than the rest. He was nervous. 
“You know that I would never, ever want to do anything to ruin the friendship that we have. But, I’ve pretended like I don’t have feelings for you since the first day we hung out, and I gotta be honest, kissing you here, right now, would possibly make me the happiest I’ve ever been.”
You didn’t know what to say. Savannah had been right. You thought that you were so good at reading him, and yet you had missed the mark completely on how your own best friend felt about you. Sure, he was an actor and you were sure that he was great at hiding his feelings, but you felt quite dumb that you hadn’t noticed before. Not that it would have mattered then. But it sure mattered now.
There were a few, long seconds that passed between you as his confession hung in the air before you made your next move. He was waiting for you to make the call on what happened next, and instead of spilling your heart to him with words, you leaned up onto your tiptoes, curled your free hand around the back of his neck, and pressed your lips tenderly against his. 
You could feel him kiss you back immediately, and his free arm snaked around your waist, pulling you closer to him as you smiled against his lips. It felt perfect, though incredibly cliché, but you wouldn’t have had it any other way. Owen had been the one that had always been there for you. He had been the one to cheer you up after your first heartbreak, and he had been the one to stitch the pieces of your heart back together. The connection you shared was deeper than friendship, and you saw that now. You could feel it pass between you as your kisses continued, and even when he pulled away to rest his forehead against your own.
“For the record, you make me the happiest I’ve ever been as well,” you whispered, causing an even bigger smile to form on Owen’s features. 
“Maybe coming to the Christmas party alone wasn’t such a bad idea after all,” he mused, and you giggled as you buried your face in his neck. “Even better, now I don’t have to leave that way.”
Butterflies raged in your stomach as he kissed you again, but then a few seconds later, the sounds of someone clearing their throat behind you caused you to jump. Both you and Owen turned to see who had just walked into your moment, and you were greeted, once again, by Savannah’s smiling face.
“Just friends, huh?” She asked simply as she slipped past you, and you hid your face in Owen’s shoulder. You could feel him look down at you and then back at your friend, but he didn’t say anything as the blonde disappeared down the stairs. 
When you looked back up at Owen, he was smiling down at you, and your heart skipped in your chest as you immediately smiled back. 
“What do you want to do now?” You asked, and Owen pulled you closer with the arm he had wrapped around your waist before pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.
“We can do whatever you want. I already got my Christmas miracle. I’m good to go.”
tag list: @alexpjoyner​, @crybabyddl​
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moldisgoodforyou · 3 years ago
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bahamas (iv)
warning: everyone is drunk ! , sexual references
wordcount: 6k
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_________
The next morning, Allie strolled out of the bedroom with a messy braid, a cheesy grin and a blush that started the second James began to whistle. Colin flipped him off immediately, still as sullen as the night before. “Nice of you to show up.”
“I was busy.” She retorted, then immediately shook her head. “Not like - I just showered.”
“Did loverboy join? What’s his name again?” James questioned, sliding Allie a full plate.
“Carloooooos.” Julia sang, laughing as Allie glared at her. “I saw him sneak out this morning. He said hello. Nice guy.”
“He said he had to get to his shift, he teaches scuba lessons during the day. If we’re interested he said he could snag us a discount.” Allie shrugged, popping a blueberry into her mouth.
“Does he teach underwater basket weaving too?” Colin asked dryly, scowling.
“Is that a real thing?” Rafe asked, looking like he was actually considering the activity for a moment.
Sophie glanced over at him, concerned. “Baby.”
“It’s not?”
Julia shook her head at the couple. “I thought we had a boat today?”
“We do. We’re going sailing.” Rafe confirmed, glancing at his watch. “We’ve got an hour, but we need to pack snacks and drinks. Colin, can you help me grab the cooler from the attic?”
“You can’t grab it yourself?” Colin grumbled, pushing away from the table to follow Rafe up.
“No. It’s too big.” Rafe glanced behind him, making sure they were out of earshot of the group as he led him up the stairs. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“My problem?” Colin repeated, immediately getting defensive. “What the fuck?”
“Yeah, you’re being a dick about Allie’s hookup. No one would say a word if you brought a girl home.” He coughed as he unlocked the attic door and a small layer of dust flew up, the house unused since the beginning of summer. “Actually, maybe you should get laid, you’ll chill out.”
“I don’t have a problem.”
“Then quit being an asshole to Allie. She doesn’t deserve that.”
Colin sighed, helping Rafe tug the Yeti cooler down from one of the shelves. Once it was down, he glanced over at Rafe. “I didn’t mean to be rude. Sorry.”
“Apologize to her, not me.” Rafe told him, looking Colin dead in the eye like he could figure out some hidden secret if he stared at him long enough.
“I will.”
“Good. Just because you’re jealous -”
“I’m not jealous, just don’t like this guy -”
“Ha!” Rafe pointed his finger in Colin’s face, eyebrows raised. “I knew it! You like Allie.”
Colin froze, immediately looking towards the door then lowered his voice. “You can’t tell.”
“Wait, shit, seriously? I was just trying to get a rise out of you...Colin. Seriously? You mean it?”
“The tiniest of crushes. She’s cute.” Colin affirmed, regretting telling him already. “Just - you can’t say anything.”
“I won’t. Brother swear.” Rafe nodded, extending his hand to Colin. “Don’t you dare fuck with her though.”
“I won’t, I won’t.” Colin paused, not taking his hand to shake. “That includes Sophie.”
“Fuck, Colin, for real? You know she doesn’t count.” Rafe whined, running his hand through his hair. “She’s gonna get it out of me. Somehow. She always knows when I’m hiding something.”
“I mean it.” Colin shook his head. “No Sophie. No James, and especially no Julia.”
“Damnit.” Rafe sighed, but grabbed Colin’s hand and shook it. “Fine. You’d better apologize and start making moves or shut the fuck up and let her do her thing, though. No judging.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Good.”
The door banged open, startling them both as James stood in the doorway. “Yo. You two can’t handle this thing?”
“No, we got it.” Rafe shook his head, lifting it easily on his own to haul downstairs. “They send you up here to check?”
“Yeah, Jules started asking questions about last night and Allie clearly didn’t want to gossip with me around, so Sophie sent me up here to get you guys.” James paused, thinking. “She muttered something about you probably getting stuck in some secret fancy passageway. You gonna tell her this house is your dad’s company house, not some family heirloom?”
“I’m pretty sure Sophie wants to know as little as possible about what my family owns. I think she cried for a solid hour on the first night here.” Rafe frowned, taking each step one at a time.
“You tell her about the deb thing yet?” James asked.
“Deb thing?” Colin echoed. “Sarah’s ball? What does Sophie have to do with that?”
“...No. I’m not sure. I think she’ll either agree or rip my head off, no in between.” Rafe sighed. “Sarah’s getting presented at the debutante ball in the spring, Rose suggested Sophie gets presented as well with me as her escort, and somehow my dad thought that was a good idea. Establish her with high society, or whatever. I don’t think he’s forgiven me for breaking up with Brooklyn a week before her deb ball. Apparently me being her escort would have been good for us. Our family.”
James cocked his head. “She broke up with you.”
“Whatever.”
“Huh. Well. That conversation should be fun for you.” Colin patted Rafe on the shoulder just as they got down the attic stairs. Rafe now sported a thin layer of sweat from hauling the cooler down alone, despite him already having no shirt on.
“Oh yeah. Looking forward to it.” Rafe deadpanned, then put on a grin as they all re-entered the kitchen. He didn’t miss the way Sophie’s eyes trailed over his exposed chest, the way she leaned forward on the counter and bit her lip a little. “Found it!”
“Excellent.” Julia clapped her hands together and began filling it with a selection of drinks she’d laid out on the counter. “Sophie, stop eye-fucking your boyfriend and help me out.”
Sophie snapped to attention as Rafe held back a laugh at Julia’s lack of tact. “I wasn’t -”
“Yes you were. Drinks.”
Sophie shook her head, handing Julia drinks with a rising blush on her cheeks.
“I don’t mind, sweetheart.” Rafe murmured to her lowly with a grin, trailing his hand down her spine ‘til he rested his palm on her lower back.
“Ew, we just ate.” Allie complained, pushing her plate away from her. “Thank you for pancakes, though.”
“No problem. It’s my specialty.” Rafe beamed, gathering up the plates and sticking them in the dishwasher.
“Only ‘cause you can’t cook anything else.” Colin pointed out, dodging as Rafe aimed a square punch at his arm.
“He’s not wrong.” Sophie agreed, reaching up to kiss Rafe’s cheek.
“Aw. Thanks for breakfast, Mom and Dad.” James grinned, patting them both on the head.
Sophie whirled on James immediately, only held back by Rafe slipping his arm around her waist (more to protect James than her). “Stop. I mean it.”
“What are you gonna do?” James taunted, grinning. “Hit me? Rafe won’t let you.”
“I will, if you don’t shut up.” Rafe replied, shaking his head imperceptibly behind Sophie’s back.
“What? You weren’t pregnant, it was just the flu - hey!” James took off running the second Rafe let Sophie go, who immediately sprinted after him through the house.
“Fuck off, James!” She yelled, chasing him down the hall.
“I didn’t mean it!” He yelped as she threw someone’s flip flop at him, nailing him in the shoulder with surprising aim. “I’m sorry! Rafe! Help me!”
Everyone else watched from the kitchen, thoroughly entertained. “You gonna help?” Allie asked, glancing at Rafe.
“Nah. He deserves it.” Rafe shrugged. “They’ll get tired soon enough.”
“She only likes fighting when she’s flirting anyways.” Julia added. “I swear all your arguments before you two were dating was just foreplay.”
“Doubt it. She could be pretty mean.” Rafe grinned at Sophie fondly as she strolled back into the kitchen with a triumphant smile, then looped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Who’s mean?” Sophie asked.
“You.” James informed her as he followed her back to the group, dramatically rubbing a red mark on his shoulder.
“Okay, both of you, knock it off.” Rafe took charge like always, glancing at his watch. “Everyone go get ready, we’re getting picked up in twenty to get to the dock. Don’t forget sunscreen.”
“You really make it too easy.” Julia rolled her eyes, but chose to refrain from calling him Dad again for the fourth time that morning.
“So everyone knows?” Sophie asked the group, frowning.
“For the record, I was team baby. I think you guys would have very cute kids.” James said, already flinching away as Sophie lifted her hand toward him.
“Yeah. Rafe accidentally let it slip when I asked why you looked like hell that weekend.” Colin confirmed. Sophie had stayed at Rafe’s instead of her house so he could take care of her, and Colin had found her sleeping on the bathroom floor curled up in a ball at 2pm when Rafe was in class. (He decided not to wake her up, thinking she was just wildly hungover, and had texted Rafe a photo instead.)
“Great. Fantastic. But if one more person calls me Mom this week, I’m going to rip your heads off.”
“I told you you’re mean.” James grumbled, clutching his shoulder. “I’m gonna have a bruise. How am I supposed to explain that to whoever I’m hooking up with tonight?”
“Tell her you’re into pain.” Allie suggested, shrugging when everyone gave her a look. “What? It could work.”
“...Alright. Everyone go get ready, I don’t want to hear another word from anyone about their sex lives.” Rafe instructed, shooing everyone out of the kitchen as he and Sophie made it toward their room. “Sorry, baby.”
“It’s fine. I’d be more upset if we actually had a kid on the way.” Sophie conceded with a shudder at the thought. “How much did you talk about it with the boys?”
Rafe thought about it, about how James kept going on and on about how he wanted to be a godfather and how their kids would be adorable, and how Colin said he wasn’t really a huge fan of kids but obviously their kid would be family. He thought about how he shared with the guys how nice it would be to have a big family and know their kids would have several metaphorical aunts and uncles, and how much love and support they’d be surrounded by. It made him excited for the future - the far future, of course, but still.
“Not much.” He finally settled on answering, giving her a small smile. “You gonna wear my favorite suit today?”
“The pink one?”
“No, the blue one with the daisies. The one you wore in Nice?” He grinned. “Or, I guess, didn’t wear?”
She blushed, shaking her head. “I think that one’s dangerous to wear around you with our friends.”
“Any bikini is, sweetheart.”
“Control yourself.” She flicked his shoulder in warning. “I have a surprise for you tonight. Don’t let me forget.”
He perked up immediately, smirking. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”
Sophie just shrugged. “You’ll see.”
“I’ll see...is it a leave-the-bar-early kind of a surprise? A need-the-house-empty kind of surprise?” He asked eagerly, his smirk broadening as she pulled out the light blue bikini from her suitcase.
She laughed, pulling off her shirt before she fumbled with untangling the bikini strings. “I think you can stay quiet enough that we’ll be fine.”
“Will you be able to stay quiet?” He teased, beaming in appreciation as she stood there shirtless in front of him, tongue in between her teeth as she concentrated on fixing the bikini. (He didn’t bother to help.)
Sophie ignored him, rolling her eyes, but glanced up and caught him staring. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”
“Don’t tempt me, you know I will.” He shot back. “I know you brought your film camera I got you for Christmas.”
“The last person I want seeing my nudes is the freshman art student that develops my film in the photo studio on campus.” She replied with an eyeroll. “Though I’m sure he’d enjoy it.”
Rafe’s face dropped as he immediately grew protective, grabbing the bikini top away from her and deftly untangled the strings. “Get dressed. We’re gonna be late.”
“Okay, Daddy.” She replied innocently, biting the inside of her cheek to hide back a grin.
He paused, considering, then shook his head. “No. Sorry, no, can’t vibe with that. Find a different kink please.”
She burst out laughing, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, James paid me $10 to tell you that.”
Rafe huffed, tugging on his swim trunks and shoved his feet back into his boat shoes, then promptly slammed open the door, striding back to the group. “James! Fuck you!”
________
Later, once everyone gathered their things and made it down to the dock after their driver for the week picked them up, the boat driver helped them all onto the boat, offering his hand. He was younger, around their age or a little bit older, and Rafe scowled as the driver’s eyes lingered maybe a little too long on Sophie’s bikini top. Then the driver politely leaned over to Rafe to inform him that Sophie had the tag sticking out of her top, hanging on by a thread, and he dropped his scowl quicker than it had appeared.
It only took them twenty minutes before they cracked into the cooler, everyone satisfied with a drink in hand, and two failed attempts to go head-to-head in a shotgun contest with James left Sophie drunk within the hour. She had her sunglasses perched askew on her nose, eyes closed as she rested her head in Rafe’s lap, lying down on the seat next to him.
“This trip is good for you. I think this is the most relaxed I’ve seen you all year.” Julia commented, snapping a quick photo of the couple.
“I do feel very relaxed.” Sophie hummed, taking Rafe’s hand and starting to play with his fingers. “Hm. Relaxed. Relaxation. That’s nice.”
“You’re hammered.” Rafe pointed out, but looked down on her fondly. “I want you to eat soon.”
“Snacks.” She affirmed. “You’ll have to feed me. I’m not sure my jaw works anymore.”
James giggled, more tipsy than anything, but still lacked any filter. “Better for dick sucking.”
“Hey.” Rafe warned. “Watch your mouth.”
“Sorry. Just came out.” James shrugged, having zero remorse. “Can we go swimming? I wanna see dolphins. Do they have dolphins here?”
“Some dolphins. I’ll take you.” Their driver interjected, changing direction of their boat.
“Dolphins can travel up to 80 miles a day,” Allie informed them, confused when she got weird looks from the groups. “What? I’m from Florida, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer growing up. Everyone did.”
“Aw. You would have been good at that, Al.” Julia told her, topping off her drink. “Sophie, no sleeping.”
“M’ not sleeping.”
“No drunk napping.”
“M’ not drunk.”
“Well now you’re just lying.” Rafe told her with a smile, gently nudging her up. “C’mon, I need you to drink water for me. Have some snacks.”
“Here, Sophie.” Colin waved the bag of Sun Chips under her nose, grinning. “Try some. Yummy.”
She batted it away, frowning as she leaned back into Rafe. “Everyone leave me alone.”
He pushed her back upright immediately, ignoring her frown, and pressed a water bottle to her lips. “Drink.”
“Do the thing.” She lowered her voice, challenging him with a smirk.
“Sweetheart, I’m not gonna -”
“Then I’m not drinking.”
He sighed, resigned. “Drink water or I’m not letting you go out tonight.”
“Let me? You don’t let me do anything.” She argued, grabbing the water bottle away and took a long drink.
Rafe just nodded, clearly not in the mood for a fight. He knew Sophie was in charge of the relationship, but the second he said he wasn’t comfortable with something, she listened right away. “Okay. Sure.”
“Trouble in paradise,” James sing-songed, only to receive a glare from Sophie.
“You’re still on my hit list.”
“Me? What did I do?”
“You and Julia are on it.”
Julia sighed, glancing over. “You’re really still hung up on that?”
Sophie sat up a little more, her eyes lighting up, and Rafe braced for an argument. “I told you no -”
“And we’re both grown adults, Soph, we can make our own decisions -”
“You don’t even like him -”
“Ouch.” James mumbled, shrinking back into his seat as if he couldn’t be seen.
“Hey!” Allie clapped, standing and putting herself in between the girls. “Both of you, let it go. We’re not doing this again. Julia, drink more. Sophie, no more drinking.”
“But -”
“No.” She crossed her arms, staring them both down until they sighed, mumbling apologies. “Thank you.”
The boys all watched in silence, impressed, until Colin spoke up. “Right, well, I’m gonna go swim.” He and James nodded, jumping off the back of the boat, and Allie and Julia took a second but followed suit.
Sophie moved to join in until Rafe grabbed her around the waist, protective as he pulled her onto his lap. “Hey. You okay?”
“Yes. I feel good.” She promised, but couldn’t fully meet his gaze and was swaying with the rocking of the boat. “Can we go swim?”
“Will you wear a life jacket?”
“That’s embarrassing.”
“It’ll be more embarrassing if you drown.” He pushed her hair back, out of her face, and kissed her forehead. “You’re way too drunk right now, you’re making me nervous.”
She frowned, placing her hand on his cheek. “I make you nervous?”
“No, I’m just worried something’s gonna happen. Life jacket? Please?” He pulled it from under the seat, offering it to her.
Sophie rolled her eyes but let him put it on, strapping it tight across her chest for good measure. “Now can we go?”
He scooped her up with a grin and stood on the seat, ready to jump. “Now we can go.”
“No, Rafe - wait no!” She screamed, grabbing around his neck as he jumped into the water with her in his arms, plunging down and letting her go to float back up.
James snorted, splashing water toward her. “Nice life jacket.”
“I’d like a life jacket.” Allie interjected, closing her eyes and floating on her back. “Wouldn’t have to do any work.”
“Hold on - Allie, are you high?” Colin questioned, swimming closer and poking her arm. She’d only had half of a drink since they were on the boat, but was still acting strange and zoned out the whole day.
“Carlos gave me an edible. I ate it before we got on the boat.” She mumbled in reply. “I have more if you want it.”
“You took sketchy drugs from a sketchy guy?!” Colin exclaimed, much louder than necessary.
Rafe swam over with a frown, shaking his head like a dog. “Who’s taking drugs?”
“The bartender -”
“Carlos.” Allie corrected.
“The bartender gave Allie drugs.” Colin cut her off. “And now she’s high and probably something else.”
Rafe cocked his head, looking over Allie. “Al? You good?”
“I feel nice.” She replied, moving to tread water and smiled at them. “So nice.”
“Jesus Christ.” Colin cursed, while Rafe kicked him under the water.
Julia swam over, tugging Sophie’s hand to drag her along. “Oh, it’s finally kicking in?”
“You knew?” Rafe questioned, pulling Sophie into his arms as she tried to be subtle and unclip the life jacket.
“Of course I knew.” Julia replied. “Don’t freak out, I looked at it, it’s fine.”
“Oh, you looked at it, great. Thanks, Julia, I didn’t know you were the resident expert on drugs.” Colin huffed.
“Just weed, actually, I haven’t done anything else -”
James seemed to finally realize the whole group was congregated instead of doing their own thing, like he was. He swam under the water, grabbing Rafe’s ankle - who immediately screamed like a child and kicked James in the face. James bobbed up straightaway with his hand clapped to his nose and blood trickling from it like a leaky faucet. “What the fuck?!”
“Why’d you grab me?!” Rafe defended, letting go of Sophie. “This is on you.”
James launched himself onto Rafe, grabbing at him, and the two promptly started wrestling in the water, despite everyone’s protests. Colin stuck his arm in between them to break them up after a few minutes, tugging Rafe off of James and being careful not to hit James’ nose again. “Hey! Hey. Everyone back on the boat.”
“C’mon, Colin.” James argued, but hauled himself back up onto the boat anyways when Colin tapped his watch and reminded them all of their dinner reservations.
Once they all clambered back onto the boat and James had a towel and a can of beer pressed to his nose, the boat driver started taking them back to the shore. Sophie had sobered up somewhat and Allie was asleep with her head in Julia’s lap, with Julia absent-mindedly stroking her hair. “Hey, Rafe? Do you have any good recs for somewhere we could go for dinner?”
Rafe furrowed his brow, confused. “We’re going to dinner tonight, what do you mean?”
“No, no, tomorrow. I was thinking it could be just the girls, you guys could do something else -”
“No.” He replied, firm. “None of you are going anywhere alone. I don’t trust any of you when you’re drinking.”
Allie stirred, finally opening her eyes as she’d been listening in on the conversation. “We could invite Carlos to chaperone,” she mumbled.
“Yeah, I’m sure he’d love to tag along. Drag you into some trafficking ring too.” Colin grumbled.
James pulled the towel away from his face, confused. “So that’s a no to guy’s night?”
“No one is splitting up.” Rafe insisted, firm, and reached over to press the towel back to James’ nose.
Sophie cocked her head at her boyfriend. “Where is this coming from?”
“Look, I don’t even let Sarah go out alone here, and we’ve been coming here for years, she knows this place like the back of her hand. I don’t want something to happen to you guys.” He slung his arm around Sophie’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Any of you. I mean it.”
“Man, even my own father isn’t this protective.” Julia remarked casually, then immediately regretted it upon seeing Rafe’s wince. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. But that’s final say.”
“Okay, got it.” Julia raised her hands in defense. “So. Back to Carlos. Do you think he’d get all of us drugs if we had a threesome with him?” She suggested, only for everyone to stare blankly at her. “Oh my god, I’m just asking. It’s not like I suggested meth.”
“Who’s in the threesome?” James questioned, cocking his head.
Julia ignored him, barreling on. “That’s, like, an appropriate thing to ask, right? It feels like an island vibe. He’s gotta know where to get something.”
“Something.” Rafe repeated.
“Yeah.” She directed her question back toward him. “Hypothetically, if he could get us coke, would you say no? That’s like a rich person drug.”
“Rafe hasn’t done coke.” Sophie interrupted, assuredly, then frowned as Rafe seemed contemplative. “Right?”
“...No. Had to think. Been in the room, though, so probably got something secondhand.”
“That’s literally not how coke works.” Julia dismissed.
“I wouldn’t. I’m pretty sure that ruins the lining of your nose.” James supplied helpfully - Julia nodded in agreement, considering this newfound information.
“I’d consider doing molly.” Colin added. “But not from him.”
“Oh, like that makes a difference.” Allie deadpanned, always quick with the comeback while the rest of the group registered their surprise, because - Colin? Drugs? Two words that didn’t go together.
“It does, actually, but I get drug tested at NASA every single week, so.” Colin shrugged. “Not worth losing my future job.”
“Right. No one answered my question.” Julia sighed. “I’m open to a threesome with Allie or James. Rafe and Sophie, you’re out. Colin, I -”
“Yeah. Agreed.” Colin nodded, then hurriedly added, “I’m not saying I’m down for a threesome -”
“Hold on, why are we out?” Sophie frowned. “We’re hot.”
“Neither of you would share. It wouldn’t be fun.” James pointed out, only for Julia to nod enthusiastically in agreement.
“Exactly. You two are too, like, in love or whatever. It’s sick.”
“We would be great in a threesome.” Sophie argued, crossing her arms.
“You are too damn competitive.” Rafe mumbled to himself, shaking his head. “No one is having a threesome, no one is doing drugs. Not until we’re back under American laws. I’m not bailing anyone out of jail here.”
“Boo, Dad.” James grumbled, making Sophie lean toward him and raise her hand.
“James -”
“Okay, Sophie, chill, you can be the only one to call him Daddy -”
“Oh god, gross -”
“Home again!” Their driver announced with a grin, bumping the boat a little against the dock. The group snapped to attention, with James and Colin grabbing the coolers and Rafe helping the girls off the boat. He clapped the driver on the back as he was last to get off, murmuring something in his ear and slipped a wad of cash into his hand.
_____
After dinner, the group was dropped back at the house with the same driver they’d had all week, who now knew them all by name and knew way too much gossip about each of them. He knew that Rafe always sat in the front, the girls crammed into the back and James and Colin shared the middle, unless the girls were too drunk to crawl all the way back safely, and the boys would trade. They were all tired from a long day in the sun and agreed to call it with a lowkey night back at the house.
Once they’d all changed into comfier clothes, rather than how they dressed up for dinner, they congregated in the living room, sprawled out on the couches.
“All right, games. I have...uh…” Rafe rifled through the cabinet under the television, coming up short with only a deck of cards. “There’s just this and a poker set. We didn’t exactly play family games growing up.”
“That’s alright. We can play B.S.” Julia concluded, clapping her hands together with a grin.
“Last time we played B.S. it ended in a screaming match, and you and Colin didn’t talk for a week.” Allie reminded her, wary. Drunken card games in their group usually resulted in made-up rules that were only kept on track if someone wrote down the rules to lock down any possible room for arguments.
James and Sophie returned from the kitchen with two bottles of Sprite, two bottles of lemonade, a handle of vodka and six shot glasses. “Okay! Ready!”
“What the - guys, I said a chill game night.” Rafe raised his eyebrows as Sophie passed out the shot glasses.
“Yeah, we decided it’s our only senior spring break so we want to enjoy it.” Sophie told him, smacking a kiss to his cheek. “We’re playing B.S? Whose rules?”
“Normal rules, for the first round. Second round everyone adds a rule as you get away with bullshit.” Julia declared, shuffling and dealing the cards out to everyone with a surprising amount of skill. “Next birthday goes first, and if you don’t get away with it you have to take a shot. Or chug your drink for five seconds?”
“That’s me. And player’s choice, I think.” Sophie decided, sitting up and angling her cards away from everyone, looking a little too contemplative. She placed her card down, and Colin immediately shook his head. “Bull.”
“Nuh uh.”
“Take the shot, Sophie.” Colin insisted, flipping her card to reveal a jack instead of the needed 2.
“Fuck.” She muttered, following suit.
Rafe shoved her cup of water closer to her before she could pour herself a vodka lemonade instead, shaking his head. “You’re not even sober right now. Finish this first.”
“It’s alright, I’m fine.” She waved him off. “You’re next.”
The game continued on, escalating dramatically as they kept playing. By the time the first big bullshit was called, Allie had to accept at least 30 cards, the group had all taken at least one shot, Julia had been banished to the corner for a whole round, James was wearing Julia’s pink sunglasses upside down and Rafe had made out with Sophie three times, due to a rule he’d made up.
“Total bullshit.” Allie giggled as James placed five cards down at once on top of a huge stack. She was rivaling Sophie for drunkest of the group by far, slumped on the couch with her arms wrapped around one of the pillows as she wore a happy grin.
“Is not.”
“Is too!”
“Challenge!” Julia exclaimed, setting up two cups at the end of the table and handed them each a ping pong ball. (No one was sure when this was added to the rules, but everyone accepted it easily.) “Ladies and gentlemen, please stand.”
The two stood and took each other’s hands, laughing as they followed the customary pre-pong rule of spinning each other three times before taking their aim. “That was four! That was four.” Allie protested, having to grab James’ arm for balance as the room spun behind her eyes. “You need an extra spin.”
“Wait, dude, you put five down.” Colin pointed out, cocking his head. “Fucking idiot, take the cards.”
“Julia said challenge!”
“But you cheated!”
“The whole point of the game is cheating, dumbass!” James retorted, shaking his head. “She said challenge!”
“I said challenge!” Julia cried out, tapping her shot glass against the glass table to regain order. “Now throw.”
Both of them missed their mark terribly, James’ ball falling short and Allie accidentally nailing Rafe in the forehead with hers. “Sorry! Shit, sorry!”
“Oh, no, baby, are you okay?” Sophie asked worriedly, smoothing her hand over Rafe’s forehead as she combed through his hair with her fingers.
“I’m fine. I’m not sober.” He replied, humming with a smile as he leaned into her touch.
Everyone stared at the two of them with grins as they realized Rafe’s mistake in his own rule that he’d made up. The couple took too long to realize, slowly glancing around at the group. “What?” Sophie asked, sitting up straight. “What happened?”
“James missed the shot.” Colin grinned at Rafe, way too smug. “Pucker up.”
Rafe’s face dropped as it clicked for him - he’d made up the rule that a missed shot from falling short meant that person had to make out with the player who’d gone before for at least two minutes. It was a carefully calculated rule, he’d played pong with everyone in the group countless times and knew that everyone besides Sophie tended to overshoot, almost every single time.
Almost.
James laughed at Rafe’s expression, crooking a finger toward him. “Come here, buddy. Do you want me to get chapstick? Soph, do you have chapstick?”
“Do I have to?” Rafe groaned, standing up and striding over to sit next to James on the couch.
“It’s your rule.” Julia pointed out. Sophie shrugged in agreement, not quite putting together all the pieces.
“I’m really honored to be doing this with you, seriously.” James joked. “Sophie, can I touch him?”
“Just the head.”
Julia snorted, and she and James exchanged equally delighted grins at Sophie’s accidental innuendo.
Colin pulled up the timer on his phone, flashing it toward them. “Okay...alright. Whenever you’re ready.”
“Fucking hell.” Rafe sighed, but leaned in to make the first move, eager to get it over with. Both of them had their eyes closed and the kiss was relatively tame, albeit impossibly long.
“Oh.” Sophie murmured quietly, unsure how she felt, but uttered a warning “hey” when James’ hand automatically went to Rafe’s face. She decided she felt mainly neutral about it, but would be a lot more neutral if it was James and Colin kissing instead.
Julia was quiet for the first time all night, unable to tear her eyes away as she watched. Allie couldn’t resist a quick photo but giggled, hiding her face in Colin’s shoulder.
“Hey. Hey! Hey!” Sophie yelled the second the timer went off, leaning over and grabbing at Rafe’s arm to tear him away. “No more.”
James had his eyes closed and had unconsciously chased Rafe’s lips with his as they were pulled apart, but made a show of wiping his mouth afterward. “Okay. Well. Mark that under something I thought I’d never do.”
“And you’ll never do it again, so I hope you enjoyed it.” Sophie scowled, wrapping her arms around Rafe from behind and pulled him back to lean against her chest. “Stupid fucking rule, Rafe.”
“Sorry. Wasn’t thinking.” Rafe laughed, clearly unbothered as he tilted his head to press a short kiss to Sophie’s neck.
She grasped his head in both her hands, leaning down to press a sound kiss to his lips, as if it was a mark of ownership. “There. No one kiss my boyfriend again, I’m getting more snacks.” Sophie declared, getting up and heading into the kitchen.
“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m lowkey horny right now.” Julia muttered much louder than she intended.
“Thanks for sharing, Jules.” Allie laughed.
Julia glanced toward James with a desperate look, pressing her legs together. “Are we done playing? Or do you guys want to keep going?”
Oblivious as always, James shrugged, unfazed, moving back to his seat beside Julia. “Whatever you want. I’m down to keep playing.”
“Fuck, I need to get laid.” Julia mumbled much quieter so only he could hear, and he straightened up immediately like a bolt of lightning had shot up his spine.
“Actually, I’m good. Tired, actually. Yeah. I’m gonna - yeah.” He stood, offering his hand to Julia. “You look tired too.”
“Guys.” Rafe warned, glancing toward the kitchen where Sophie was still raiding the cabinet for any leftover snacks.
“Night, y’all.” Julia grinned, ignoring Rafe’s warning as the two strode off hand in hand to Julia’s room, making sure to go around so Sophie wouldn’t catch them.
Rafe sighed, but bit back a smile as he saw a dirty text pop up from Sophie, with a very detailed idea of how they could use up the rest of the whipped cream in the fridge. “Alright. Night, guys.” He promptly got up and left, leaving Colin and Allie alone.
“And then there were two.” The tension hung thick in the air as Allie leaned on Colin, giggly. “Fuck, I am so drunk.”
“Yeah?” He didn’t dare move, especially as she took his arm into her lap and started tracing lines as she connected freckles on his skin.
“I think I’m gonna call the bartender.”
“No you’re not.” Colin frowned, shaking his head. “No. You need sleep.”
She yawned, blinking up at him. “I’m pretty sure my room’s occupied.”
“You can take my bed.” He offered immediately, resisting the weird urge to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “It’s fine.”
“Where are you gonna sleep?” She asked, reaching up and tracing her finger along his cheekbone. “Your eyes are pretty, did you know that? You have a freckle in your right eye.”
“A freckle?” He smiled. “I’m not sure that’s right.”
“It is.” She insisted. “I can go in your bed?”
“Yeah, I’ll take the couch.”
“Okay.” She agreed right away, hauling herself up. “I gotta brush my teeth.”
“Good thing your bathroom’s shared with mine.” Colin reminded her, following her down the hallway. “Unless you really want to go into your room while...that’s going on.”
“No, thank you.” She shook her head quickly, stretching and nearly smacking him in the face. “Sorry! Sorry.”
“It’s alright, just be careful.” He laughed, ushering her into the bathroom. “Do your thing, I’ll fix my bed.”
They’d all changed into comfortable clothes and showered before playing the game, anticipating intoxication, but Colin still wished he had a reason to offer her something of his to wear to bed. He re-made his bed, even fluffing the pillow, before tugging on a hoodie.
Allie returned a few minutes later, giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Colin.” She touched his arm as she passed, crawling into bed.
“Of course. No problem. Yell if you need something, yeah?” He told her, smiling back before leaving and turning out the light, resigned to a night on the couch.
taglist: @drewstarkey @lemur46 @jjmaybanksbaby @edgeofgr8 @quxxnxfhxll @obxtess @hoodpankow @vtgirl802 @outerbankies @messagesinthesky @nicolecarsley @svechnikolan @ilovejjmaybank @obxtess @abbyj1822 @oopsiedoopsie23 @g4bster @jjmaybankzz @freddymaybank @dontjinx-it @illbesafeforyou @moniamaybank @tovvaa @jailcalledlife @sunshineitsfine44 @randomficsandshit @outerbankspreferences @outerbanksbro @karsinner @kkmaybank @whoeveniskendall @lemur46 @outerbankies
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Text
Always There (Faramir x Gender Neutral!reader)
Request: I'd like to send a Faramir request! And I thought maybe just some fluff, confessing their love to each other? ~ @midearthwritings
Word count: 2249 (sorry I got carried away, it was fun lol)
Warnings: The teensiest bit of angst, fluff, and kissing?
A/N Alright, I thoroughly enjoyed making this one, I always love me some Faramir! Just for reference, I have not gotten to Return of the King yet, I have only watched the movie, so if something seems to be incorrect, my deepest apologies. And yes, I bent the story to match my thoughts. It’s fine. Thank you so much to @guardianofrivendell for helping me with some scenes! Also, a Quisby is a lazy-ass and a yaldson is the son of a prostitute. I looked up medieval insults and thought they were pretty funny. May or may not be using them on my friends...
Denethor was a quisby, a yaldson. You clenched your jaw, seething with anger. You couldn’t say much, for fear of upsetting the king, no, the Steward. But he was sending his only son left to battle. A battle that he could not win. No one would survive. Wasteful. And he sent the love of your life.
Faramir had always been special to you. When you were younger you were closer with Boromir, but as you all grew up, fitting the molds made for you, things changed. Boromir was always learning policy and diplomacy as his father’s right hand. Faramir was left behind with the lesser jobs, that most would consider unpleasant for someone used to a grandeur life. You bonded quickly, soon knowing even the most minuscule details about each other. And all was well. Until Osgiliath was taken again. With Boromir’s success came more criticism of Faramir. This also led to Boromir sent to a secret council regarding a weapon that could change the war. But Boromir never returned from the mission. He never made it back home. To Faramir and you. 
Denethor took the news horribly, but nothing compared to Faramir. He was distraught, hiding the most of his pain. He only confided in you, how lost and unappreciated he felt. He didn’t understand how those words also hurt you, carving deeper into the fresh wound of grief. He didn’t realize how much you appreciated him, how blind he was to your love. It was all you could do to not unravel then and there, piece by piece. But you held strong, for his sake. He had no one left but you. His father did not care for him. His brother who showered him with affection and praise was gone. It was just you two. 
And now he was gone, sent on a death mission, little chance of making it back. You found yourself in your room, not remembering how you got there. Tears were streaming down your face, slowing down to your chin. You went onto the balcony, luckily one that did not face the battle. It would be unbearable to see it. You curled up, your back pressed against the cool stone. You wished you had told him. Told him how you had felt. You relished the memories you shared with him. Even though he only saw you as a friend, no more. The day passed quickly, but you stayed where you were, hidden. And then, a horn sounded. They were back. At least whoever was left. But there were worse things heading towards the gates. Gondor was under attack.
You rushed to the gates, your thoughts clouded with panic. Only one thought was constant. Where was Faramir? You reached the guards at the front. 
“What happened? Who made it back?” You said hurriedly, seeing no signs of injury in the guards nearby. 
“Only the Captain of Gondor made it back ma’am, he was injured horribly. Taken back to the citadel is what I heard. Hardly going to last the night.” The guard looked at you, concerned. “Are you the one Faramir talked about? I was by his side all through Osgiliath. Pardon me if I’m mistaken, but you like precisely like what he described.”
You bowed your head, cheeks a hint darker than normal. It didn’t matter, he only talked about you as a friend. And besides, he was horribly injured. This should be the last thing on your mind. “Aye, that would be me. But excuse me, I must be on my way. I need to find him.” 
You turned from the slightly bemused guard and walked as quickly as you could without causing alarm. Although at this point, everybody had to have known about Faramir. Everyone except you. You turned a corner, quite distracted, and slammed into someone. 
“Oh, I am terribly sorry I- what on Middle Earth?” You stuttered. A child looked up at you, no, not a child, but he was small enough to be a child. Not a dwarf though. Something completely different. 
“Oh hello there! I’m guessing you have never seen a hobbit before! My name is Pippin, and don’t worry about accidentally running into me, it happens a lot. You look very in distress. What is wrong? Also, I am looking for a friend, so if you happen to see him please let me know.” The hobbit, Pippin babbled. You were a bit overwhelmed from everything you were going through but luckily found the patience to deal with this energetic hobbit. 
“Oh, I am looking for a friend as well, his name is Faramir if you manage to find him. And don’t worry little one, I am just worried for his sake.” You responded back quickly, hoping to move on your way. 
Unfortunately for you, the hobbit had different plans. “Oh yes, I am also looking for Faramir, as well as Gandalf. I saw him being led away, and I heard a mutter about the Steward going insane. I am trying to find him to help. But the trouble is brewing, and the fighting will start soon. I am worried, very worried.” Pippin babbled on as you searched the streets for this Gandalf. 
After a little while, he finally saw who he was looking for. He explained quickly what was going on and why he needed to check on Faramir. 
“Faramir is alive but Denethor wants to burn him. He thinks he's dead. ” Pippin spoke hurriedly, already rushing Gandalf along. 
You gasped. “You did not tell me that Denethor was trying to burn him! Why didn’t you tell me?”
Pippin looked confused. “I didn’t tell you? I could have sworn I did.”
You shook your head, your heart racing even faster than it had been before. To make things even worse, you could hear the sounds of battle. The city had finally been breached. Luckily you were far up enough that the orcs hadn’t reached you...yet. Gandalf was farther ahead of you, and you quickened your strides to match his. He turned and looked at you, his eyes piercing yours. You had the strangest feeling that your mind was being invaded. 
“Patience child. We will stop that lunatic before anything happens. He will be alright.” He turned away again as if he hadn’t said a word. You gaped, it was as if he knew exactly what you were thinking. He seemed familiar, but you didn’t know why. But alas, it did not matter at this moment, and you refocused your mind back on who you were trying to save. Faramir. 
As you hurried along, you tried your hardest to remember. His smile. The dimples on his cheeks. How much fun you two had together. Running through the markets when you were younger, causing trouble, but laughing all the way. How he would be publicly humiliated by his father. How you would be there for him, comfort him, make him happier. The hidden smiles in the throne room, the silent laughter, and inside jokes.
You were quickly brought back to the present as some stone shattered right behind you, showering big chunks of rock. You ducked quickly and grabbed the hobbit, making him run faster. You had to get out of there. Gandalf showed you two through a small alley, and all too soon you had arrived at the top. But Faramir and Denethor were nowhere to be seen. Somehow, Gandalf knew exactly where they were, and took you to a smaller room, that was barricaded. He slammed open the doors as if it were nothing, and you ran right into a horrifying scene. 
Denethor was standing on top of a pile of wood, and Faramir lay at his feet, both drenched in oil. Some soldiers had torches in their hands, and some looked hesitant. Everything drained away, all sound was muffled. All you could see was Faramir, and it was as if he knew you there. He rustled slightly and looked straight at you. His lips moved wordlessly, and you couldn’t move, an invisible force stopping you. 
A scream and then fire engulfed the wood, Faramir was taken from your view. Your feet finally decided to start moving, and both you and Pippin ran towards the pyre, grabbing Faramir before the flames could engulf him. Another screech and then you realized that Denethor had been taken by the flames. He ran off to who knows where, and the guards left quickly, helping to aid in the battle. 
It was soon just you, Faramir, Pippin, and Gandalf. Faramir’s eyes were closed, but his heart was still beating. You cradled his head in your lap, softly brushing his hair out of his face. 
“Gandalf, will he be alright?” You asked tentatively, not daring to even look away from Faramir. 
Gandalf sighed. “With time he will heal. But whether he will heal from the pain in his heart is unclear to me. He has been through far too much, as most have in such times, and for your sake, I hope he perseveres.”
You and Gandalf helped Faramir up, who at this point was able to open his eyes slightly. You both brought him to his room, as the medical wing was a greater distance. Pippin trailed behind like a lost puppy. The poor hobbit had probably never seen such violence in his life. You laid him in his bed, and Gandalf bid a quick goodbye, herding Pippin out. 
It was just you and Faramir. You knelt at his bedside and grasped his hand, waiting, hoping, for anything. More memories ran through your mind. He taught you how to use a sword, to protect yourself if need be. And then on your birthday, he had gotten you a sword of your own, beautifully crafted, and balanced perfectly. It was quite a gift to receive, and you protested, but to no avail. It was in your room, hidden so that no one could take it. You remembered how your hands tingled when he gave it to you, just the slightest brush of fingers. But you were young and naive. 
He stirred, and his eyes opened, looking at the ceiling. Then he tilted his head towards you and looked down at your intertwined hands. You stopped breathing for a second, nervous that you might have overstepped your bounds. 
“I am still alive. What happened with my father? I remember the smell of smoke.” Faramir’s voice was raspy still, and quiet.
You looked away, trying to figure out what to tell him. You were the bearer of bad news this time it seemed. “Your father thought you dead and was going to have you burned. I showed up with Gandalf and Pippin only moments before it was to happen. ”
He groaned and turned away. But he held on tighter to your hand, as if you were his lifeline, the one last thing keeping him there with you. “Faramir,” you said hesitantly, “I-I was so afraid of losing you. I never want to lose you again. I-” You broke off, too afraid to say what was on your mind. He was looking right at you, the ghost of a smile on his face. “Continue, please,” he said. He reached his other hand across his body, softly grazing your arm. 
You smiled slightly, taking in a shaky breath. “I love you Faramir. And I have for a long time. I am not creative enough to give a whole speech about my love for you, but my love for you is worthy of a speech if needed.”
Faramir smiled, the brightest you had ever seen it. “I love you too my dear, more than anything, and I am so sorry I never said anything before. Please forgive me.”
Then he slowly reached his hand up to your face, and you leaned towards him. But you went a bit too fast, and accidentally slammed your nose onto his, causing you both to cry out in pain. You felt like you were going to cry, you ruined the special moment. But then he smiled and started laughing so hard. You were so embarrassed, but you also started chuckling. 
In between breaths, Faramir choked out, “Clearly, neither of us have done this.”
You nodded, keeping back a grin.
He cracked a smile, trying to hold in his laughter. But then he sobered up. “Well, I think we should try that again. Help me sit up?”
You felt even more butterflies in your stomach as you propped up a pillow for him and helped him up. You leaned back to make sure he was comfortable, but he grabbed your wrist and pulled you back. You laughed again, and he smiled. He traced a finger up your arm and all the way up to the back of your neck. He leaned in first, making an emphasis on how slow he was moving, but you were too nervous to laugh. Softly, he pressed his lips against yours. You barely moved, not daring to. But you slowly melted as he moved his other hand to the small of your back. You moved your hands, knotting them in his hair, pulling you even closer together. His lips molded against yours, slightly chapped, making you shiver. Ever so slowly, he began to pull away, much to your dismay. But he still held you in arms. 
Slowly, you whispered, “We should have done that sooner.” 
Faramir nodded and pulled you closer. “Thank you,” he whispered back, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 
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skzfairies · 3 years ago
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happy birthday sooyoung !
summary: sooyoung finds out who is “truly interested in her”, with some embarssing memories being made on her birthday.
time: july 31st, 2021
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“today, she will be turning 20 years old, she’s an adult now! is she excited about this?” jisung asked, turning to look at the birthday girl.
“no. i am not, i’m getting OLD!” sooyoung complained to the camera, pouting and crossing her arms, causing the members around her to laugh and awh.
“if your old then what am i?” mark shrieked, and sooyoung smirked in his direction.
“your ancient, oppa.” sooyoung teased, high-fiving haechan who was sitting next to her. the members laughed for awhile, until jisung, the mc, continued.
“today, we will be doing a series of q&a games, where all of us have to answer questions about sooyoung noona, and whoever knows sooyoung best, gets to eat sooyoung’s birthday cake with her!”
“i did not agree to this.” sooyoung laughed, she was the one who came up with the prize, but it was fun to tease the members.
“will there be a penalty if we get a question wrong?” mark asked, and all of the members perked up.
“yes, when you get a question wrong you get an accessory of sooyoung noona’s choice.” jisung sighed, and all of the members screamed in agony, while sooyoung jumped up and down in joy. this will be fun.
“okayyyy first question, take out your white boards, boys!” sooyoung cheered, while some of the boys groaned. “who was the first person of nct that i became friends with? oh, this one is kind of hard, hehe.” sooyoung smirked, peaking to look at haechan’s white board, laughing when he pushed her away.
“time’s up! please turn over your white boards!” sooyoung clapped and stood up and walked down the line, looking at the boys answers.
“mark, no my first friend here wasn’t mark!” sooyoung laughed, and put jisung’s board down. jisung whined, while everyone else screamed in laughter.
“haechan, you werent my first friend, sorry dude.” sooyoung laughed and haechan screamed, which just made everyone laugh harder.
sooyoung continued her way down the line, and none of them got it right. jaemin said mark as well, jeno and mark said jisung, while chenle and renjun said themselves.
“the answer was.....dun dun dun! maria unnie!” sooyoung cheered, kicking her leg up behind her and smiling, while the boys screamed, “i knew it!”. sooyoung ran to the table to get penalty’s for the boys.
“okay, hmmm, fish hat for jisung-ah, blush for.... chenle! mustache for jaemin, money sunglasses for haechan, cat ears for renjun, watermelon bucket hat for mark, this is cute! and frog hat for jeno!” sooyoung threw the boys their hats, laughing at their complaints and walked over to chenle.
“i get to do your makeup, chenle!!!! smile! noona will do a good job.” sooyoung cooed and patted chenle’s head, and chenle furrowed his face in disgust.
“please don’t refer to yourself as noona.” chenle groaned, and sooyoung chuckled and started applying lots and lots of blush to chenle’s cheeks, returning to her seat when she was satisfied.
“oh my god, look at chenle! his cheeks are like tomatoes!” renjun yelled, and all of the members burst out laughing, while chenle just groaned.
“okay okay, next question! what is my bunny’s name? ohh, you all better get this right!” sooyoung said, looking at all the members. she would feel so betrayed if none of them got it right.
“times up, let’s see who truly loves me!” sooyoung said, and stood up and walked over to jisung again.
“hmm, that’s close! you forgot the “y”, i’ll give you 1/2 a point!” jisung cheered, while a few of the members groaned, seeing that they got it wrong.
“haechan! my bunny’s name is not bunny, i’m more creative than that! i cant believe you didnt know it...” sooyoung frowned, and quickly walked away from haechan, who was screaming that he was sorry.
“ohhhh jaemin’s interested in me! he got it right, he’s the only one here that truly love me!” sooyoung teased, and gave jaemin a hug around his shoulders, glaring at the rest of them. jaemin smirked and patted sooyoung’s arm, before sooyoung made her way to the last two boys.
“are you guys just not interested in me? only jaemin got it right!” sooyoung whined, while the members screamed in protest, and jaemin went, “ah ha!”.
“i got it right! what are you talking about?” jisung complained.
“you only got half credit, that doesn’t count!” sooyoung complained back, going back to her seat.
“i was about to say that this question would be an easy one, but seeing that my members couldn’t get the easiest question about me correct, i don’t know. what’s my favorite color?” sooyoung asked the question, and turned to haechan, shaking him left to right.
“haechannnn, i cant believe you didn’t know my bunny’s name! i talk about her all the time!”
“you never say her name!” haechan yelled, leaning away from sooyoung’s hands.
“yes i do!” sooyoung yelled, crossing her arms and pouting, haechan started giggling and patted her head, mumbling a quiet sorry.
“okay, times up! lets see who is interested in me, ha. ha.” sooyoung said sarcastically, and made her way down the line.
“all of you got it right! good job, no punishment for anyone, oh we didn’t give out penalties for the last round!”
“i think we should give sooyoung a penalty for failing at her job as an mc!” chenle yelled, and all of the members screamed in agreement.
“it’s my birthday! dont penalized me!” sooyoung screamed, but it was too late, renjun was already running towards the table and picking a penalty.
“look! they have the moving cat ears, lets do this one!” renjun yelled, and sooyoung quickly protested.
“nooooo, that’s not fair! i only gave you guys accessory’s!” sooyoung whined, for what seem the 100th time today, but it was too late. renjun was already putting the cat ears onto sooyoung’s head.
“who should we pick?” jisung asked, looking around her members.
“sooyoung likes jaemin the most, i think.” haechan teased, and sooyoung’s ears already started moving.
“they even moved at jaemin’s name! oh my gosh, sooyoung really likes jaemin!” jeno teased, laughing at the cat ears moving.
“no! that’s not it, i’m just embarrassed because this is happening!” sooyoung yelled.
“it’s okay soo, i’m extremely sexy i understand.” jaemin teased, and sooyoung groaned.
“sooyoung’s ears can’t be moving more than 30 secs in a minute, and the loser has to do aegyo!” renjun stated, and jaemin walked up to sooyoung, and stood in front of him.
“2,1, go!”
jaemin stepped closer towards the girl, and gently put his hands on her shoulders, and looked intensely at her.
“sooyoung.”
“yes, jaemin.”
“you’re so pretty, look at you!” jaemin cooed, pinching her cheeks, and sooyoung quickly slapped his hand down.
“no! you cant do that!” renjun screamed, and haechan was laughing hysterically in the background.
“it’s my birthday!” sooyoung yelled back, before looking back at jaemin, who was now smiling down at her.
she could feel her ears start to twitch, and she screamed, while the members started laughing and screaming.
“he didn’t even do anything!” chenle yelled, laughing at the cat ears that were still moving, while sooyoung covered her face in her hands and groaned.
she could feel jaemin’s hands prying her hands down, and before she knew it, she was wrapped into jaemin’s arms, and her ears were definitely twitching now.
“and done! sooyoung failed!” jeno clapped his hands, and sooyoung tried to get out of jaemin’s arms, but he would not let go.
“jaemin, jaemin, JAEMIN LET ME GO!” sooyoung laughed, squirming in the boys arms and smiled when he finally let her go, patting her head before returning to his seat.
“ohhhhh sooyoung has to do aegyo, i’m excited to see this.” renjun laughed, while sooyoung just mumbled for him to shut up, which made him laugh even harder.
“3,2,1, go!” chenle yelled, and sooyoung sighed deeply, before pulling the biggest pout she was capable of.
“sooyoung wants hugs and kisses, please hug me!” sooyoung whined, in a disgustingly high voice, and she threw her arms around herself, swaying around.
“awhhhh cute!” jaemin screamed, clapping his hands.
“oh sooyoung your so ugly, stop it!” haechan screamed, and sooyoung turned around and held her fist up at him.
“haechan, i swear to god!” sooyoung cried, before throwing her self down on the floor in embarrassment. this was the most embarrassing birthday she has ever had.
“we finished today with a very embarrassed sooyoung, as you can see. jaemin wins, with two points, and jisung comes second with 1.5 points, and the rest of us have one point, so jaemin, please say some words!” jisung said, returning as an mc while sooyoung sits back into her chair, still clearly embarrassed.
“thank you, thank you, i’m glad to see i know our lovely sooyoung the best, i’m clearly her favorite, as you just saw. yes, sooyoung, i love you!” jaemin smiled, sending a big heart her way, while she just looked back at him, with an emotionless expression.
“i hate you.” sooyoung mumbled, and the rest of the members laughed, this was the most traumatizing birthday sooyoung has ever had, she thought.
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say-narry · 3 years ago
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The Tonight Show
>> Versão em PT-BR
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Sorry, english isn't my first language! Hope you all like!
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"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our friend and singer Harry Styles and his friend and new Marvel's actress, Y/N Y/LN!" Jimmy raised his arms pointing to the stage entrance and Harry and Y/N entered side by side.
They smiled and waved to the audience, who returned the whistling and clapping.
Harry greeted Jimmy with a brief hug and Y/N did the same, giving kisses.
Jimmy pointed to the two dark armchairs next to his table and Y/N sat down next to Jimmy and Harry next to him.
The whistling and clapping ceased. They were both smiling for the cameras and sure enough, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon was scoring very high ratings.
"Great to have you here, everybody! " Jimmy started "We've been on this marathon interviewing friends in the business world and you're closing with a bang!" there was some applause "How long have you been friends?"
Y/N and Harry looked at each other and posed as if they were thinking.
"About three years, right?" Y/N looked at his friend, who agreed. "I wasn't so well known yet, I was participating as a co-star in This is Family, Harry was very nice to send invitations to everyone to his show. From that moment on, we started our partnership."
"Very nice that! And you must hear this question a lot..." a chill went through their stomachs, they knew what it was going to be "Nothing ever happened between you?" Jimmy let out a chuckle and their cheeks flushed.
It was more the discomfort of the question than the act that never happened. They were very close friends, nothing more than a tight hug and kisses on the cheek.
On social media, it was clear that Harry was the friend every woman would want to have, and to S/N fans, there was nothing going on between them since she had a few quick flings with Chris Evans, but only one person knew how much Harry was in love with his best friend, ever since he saw her in the sitcom she acted in, it motivated him to give input to the cast. He himself was that person. He wanted to see if the energy she conveyed on the small screen was the same, but it wasn't. It was simply much better. Y/N was Harry's fit, he had known that since they had spoken in person and Harry had already pulled strings to keep her around.
"No, we never had anything." Harry answered.
"Okay!" Jimmy joked making a funny face. "Kidding guys, it's uncomfortable this kind of question, but I think that just like me, your fans also think that you would make a cute couple."
"We see this a lot on twitter, I often take screenshots and send them to Harry, we laugh a lot, but we have a mutual respect. " Y/N tried to close the subject.
"And about your new song, Harry..."
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"We are back with our guests, guys, and they agree to play our "hit the target" game!" Jimmy pointed to three dolls with the picture of himself, Y/N and Harry. There were scores written on part of each one's body.
"It's just a game, but we want to test your aim!" Jimmy continued "As you can see, there are points on every part of our body. Whoever manages to get the five arrows with the most points can choose a charity to donate 50 thousand dollars!" Harry and Y/N clapped side by side again "The loser will have to answer a question from our little box." Jimmy waved a dark red cube and his friends agreed.
The game began with Jimmy aiming at the head height of his paper doll. He fired all five plexiglas and accumulated 100 points.
The next player was Y/N, who ended up taking off her heels to make her move firmer, being assisted by Harry, who made the audience gasp for the act of affection when he held her to take off her shoes.
Y/N shot the first one, hitting the heart of her dummy, starting with 300 points. The next two missed, and the last one hit his dummy's forehead, adding another 100 points.
Harry just looked at her amused. She was good at this, sometimes you guys played this at his parties, it was a game that got on his nerves, because he wasn't good at it.
"Come on, Harry!" The host handed the little arrows to Harry and he positioned himself as Y/N did, maybe if he followed her way, he would be able to hit more points.
Big mistake.
The first arrow hit his wrist, starting with ten points. He made a snapping motion of his neck, drawing a few laughs from the audience. Harry shot two more arrows, one of which hit his arm, and the other fell before it hit the dummy.
"I think it's those rings." He complained loudly and took them off, giving them to Y/N who put them on, showing his fingers to the cameras, making a joke to the home audience.
Harry pointed to the heart of his dummy. If he got it right, he wouldn't have to answer the question.
And he shot. The arrow made a turn and unfortunately stopped in his arm, giving him another 50 points.
Harry would have to answer the damn question.
He groaned in despair as Jimmy and Y/N celebrated their victory.
The announcer walked away and picked up the red box and waved it at Harry. Who pouted in disappointment, sure all his fanclubs would be commenting on his cute expression.
"Take a little paper and read it to us, Harry." Jimmy held out the box and Harry put his hand inside, feeling some papers on his fingers.
He moved his hand a little and brushed at a piece of paper. He unfolded it and read.
His breathing had suddenly become heavier. It seemed as if he was out of breath, his fingers holding the small paper trembled.
"Er... Your challenge is: declare yourself to your crush!" The audience let out a few shouts and Y/N, always very expressive, opened her mouth and her eyes widened. Harry denied it with his head, laughing sideways, trying not to show his nervousness.
As close as they were, Harry didn't mention his girlfriends. She followed his fans that were also Harry's fans and sometimes she saw news about him dating some woman, but if he didn't say anything, it could be just his friends and if it was, she wouldn't invade his intimacy, she would wait for him to say something. Nothing had to be heavy in that friendship, she was aware of that, sometimes they would rather spend their time talking about random things like constellations and signs than their boyfriends and that was fine with her.
"Is this really necessary?" Harry asked in a playful tone.
Jimmy laughed and nodded positively.
They had formed a sort of open wheel on the stage.
"Come on, H! You can do it, because that's what I want to know too!" Y/N teased him.
He looked at her, closing his eyes as if she had failed in some secret plan of theirs.
"Okay... The person I like is very special..." He took a breath, playing with the paper in his hand "I won't say the name, but I will tell the situation we lived."
Y/N squatted down next to Jimmy, who hugged him in a friendly way while they listened to Harry.
"We were at a party among friends. We drank a lot, which we never did. It was on our friend's yacht, it was really an exciting day. I remember that we drank so much that this person... vomited a green liquid on my feet." Jimmy made a face of disgust and the audience murmured with disgust as well, Y/N remained static, because she knew this story. She had been there. She had vomited on him, which got a good laugh when she sobered up. "It's disgusting, I almost followed this person, but seeing this person so vulnerable, so sensitive in my arms... It made me see how much she was the perfect person for me, showed me how completely in love I was with her."
Y/N's heart soared, but as an actress who had conquered Hollywood, she made the best expression of curiosity, pretending not to know what it was all about.
"Do you have any idea who it is, Y/N?" Jimmy asked.
"I have no idea, I wish I could use my mind reading powers right now." She joked, referring to her character.
On the other side of the stage, there was an embarrassed Harry. His heart was tight, because he knew his best friend wasn't stupid and hadn't forgotten that day on the boat, when he took care of her, so much so that she slept on his lap and thanked him for it. He knew how spontaneous she was, he was dying for her to run out of Jimmy's side and jump on his lap and kiss him in front of everyone.
On the social networks, there was no other talk. Both of their names were at the top of the world trends topics, and in the news of the famous as well.
Y/N had donated the amount to the institution that cared for homeless people in New York. In a game of scenes, she returned the rings to Harry and didn't look at him, just went along with Jimmy's antics, leaving her friend completely out in the cold.
She didn't want to even think about it. Harry had never given the slightest sign of interest, he had gone out with a woman in the last few days... She was just another friend, no?
Jimmy thanked them both for their presence. They posed for some pictures with the host and the fans in the audience, both of them swallowing dryly and not looking at each other.
Soon the Y/N's accessory called her over and they left. She couldn't look at Harry, couldn't imagine that her favorite teenage singer, her current best friend, was in love with her, a foreigner new to show business.
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It had been 15 days since the show had aired. There was still some murmuring on the social networks, Harry and Y/N had come in to check what they were talking about and most had picked up on Harry's words, they had even gotten pictures of them both from the day of the party on the yacht. It was clear from the whole thing.
But they hadn't exchanged a word, their friendship was shaken and Y/N couldn't stand it anymore.
On her day off in London, she took a coat since it was autumn and considerably cold in the late afternoon. She had always been a person who liked to dot the i's and cross the t's. Why was she running away this time? It was Harry there. It was Harry declaring that he was in love with her. What was the problem? She had been in love with him since she was a teenager, the Hollywood world was attractive and fantastic, but to whom could she be sincere, be herself, be the Y/N who left Brazil in search of opportunity and conquered the world? Except for her family, Harry was the only person fit for the job. Him. Only him.
Harry lived a few blocks away, she closed the apartment door and left the condo, there were no paparazzi, not that she had seen.
She pulled up her black hoodie and put her hair over her face, walking quickly through the cold streets of the chic neighborhood.
Braving some closed pedestrian signals, she arrived after a few minutes at the brown stone wall and black gate.
She had the key, they were so close at that point. They trusted each other.
Entering and closing it quickly, she saw some lights on. Y/N hadn't wondered if Harry was accompanied by someone else, his producers or his family.
Her finger slid between the detailed gold knob and opened the door, the wind and the smell of Harry's perfume went straight to her nostrils, filling her lungs.
She stepped inside and took a deep breath. Her heart seemed to throb close to her throat, and as cold as it was, she was sweating.
"Harry?" She called out. "H?"
No sound, no "I'm here!" The alarms hadn't gone off, he could be in the shower or in the studio composing something.
"Harry! It's Y/N, we need to talk!" She said a little louder "If you're with someone, I'm leaving..."
She walked to the center of the huge decorated room, there were some golden items, it was Harry's face. Y/N smiled as she touched a beautiful vase on the table. She couldn't lose him. She loved him, loved his way, his voice, his everything.
"Y/N." She heard Harry's husky voice, behind her between two sliding doors. It was his home office.
Harry was wearing a robe, his face had a sad, tired expression. His hair was not as she was used to seeing it. It was just the way it was. His nose was red, as if he had just cried.
That was it.
"Hazza!" Y/n murmured, walking slowly over to him, who bowed his head in shame.
"What was it?" Without denying his Aquarius side, Harry answered short.
The woman took a breath of air, until she walked more quickly in front of her best friend, stretching her hands until she held his face and joined their lips.
If you could see their stomachs, it would be something similar to fireworks in Copacabana on New Year's Eve.
Harry pushed the doors aside and took his best friend by the waist, pressing her against him.
How much he had dreamed of this. How much he wished it would happen. Their lips were warm, their tongues met, caressing each other, the sighs were audible, Harry couldn't help but smile at that.
"Forgive me." Y/N pulled away minimally whimpering, stroking between his best friend's jaw and neck. "I'm not afraid when I'm the superhero, but in real life... I'm a coward."
Harry shook his head negatively.
"I shouldn't have exposed us like that." Harry passed his hand over his girl's face "But I had to tell the truth."
Y/N agreed, putting her arms around her best friend's neck, hugging him tightly.
"I'm glad you came." Harry murmured. "I couldn't stand another day without talking to you."
"Not anymore, babe. I'm yours from now on."
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Any suggestions?
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To @leeroysdancer ;)
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