#why do I come home for the summer from college. what was bro thinking!!

[skyblueartt]

If ya can’t project onto fictional people WHATS THE POINT 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[dia-draws]

What if all the creeps were connected somehow? Even by coincidence

They’d all be connected through the same few towns/cities/the woods.

Jeff Jane Nina are easiest to connect.

Jeff and Jane went to the same school we can easily retcon Nina to have been a grade or two under them in the same school. (Jeff and Liu lived there for like a year before everything went down)

Jack is originally from the same town as them before he went to college and even passed by the kids during winter break while visiting home. (My version of Jack doesn’t age so brother is like stuck at mid 20’s until something kills him). And maybe Liu had a kid crush on him (16 vs 20, his gay awakening lol).

Jane working a summer at a summer camp where she meets clockwork before becoming clockwork and before Jeff hurt Jane.

Helen being bullied by the same kids that bullied Toby. Escaping into local woods to catch a fucking break. Maybe he’s on a small cliff and sees the Toby and Lyra accident happen. (He’d be in the same school as them but Toby and Lyra would be too focused on their own issues to worry abt rumors of a dude stealing a watch).

Ben drowns in the woods Helen likes to escape to. Funnily enough the lake Helen likes to sketch the most bc it’s peaceful is the lake Ben drowned in.

Perhaps his cartridge is bought by the Woods brothers at a garage sale before he starts driving people to die, they never get to play it because of what happened so it gets sold in a estate sale.

Tim comes from the same town as Toby. It’s his hometown and he avoids it like the plague. Having been put into the psych ward as a young kid.

This is the same psych ward Liu get put into after Jeff kills their family and tries to kill Liu, and Liu develops DID? Idk but bros going through it.

Brian and Tim meet at college (before Jack is in college) and Marble Hornets happens. I want to specify Jack and them would go to different colleges bc Tim tries to completely leave his past behind when he moves to Alabama.

In the city Jack goes to college there are 2 prominent cults. The one that sacrifices him to Chernobog. And the one that see’s Dina as the reincarnation/vessel for Belobog. These two are counterparts Chernobog of darkness and chaos and Belogo of light and goodness. One vessel forced to lose his humanity and struggling with the new life he has and the other raised and accepting of her role becoming the god she believes herself to be. These two do not get along Jack tries to understand her and her motivations in his anguish but she tries to kill him seeing him as an enemy and a stain.

Maybe Kate is also from the same town as Tim and Toby. Something about sourcing all his proxies from the same specific town… I think they need to have something overlapping though. Maybe they all explored the woods at young ages to escape their respective issues. Toby avoiding his step dad and bullies the woods being the only safe space he has that isn’t his sister. Tim stumbling upon Slender’s “resting” site he accidentally sets him free and that’s why Slender starts going after him first. Kate exploring the woods and mines getting slender sick from prolonged time out there.

[chibi-sedusa]

CHOSO - STEP BRO 18+

content: caring dom!Choso, stepcest, fingering, light orgasm control, oral (f receiving), kissing, spanking

Note: in this story I imagine the reader is home from college for summer break, it’s not explicitly said (except for one mention of being an adult) but both characters are of legal age!

Art by: umbra3terna (ig)

・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥・❥

You breathe a sigh of relief as your parents head out for their weekend getaway. Your step brother, Choso, is sleeping at a friend's house for the weekend. Two whole days, just you… or so you thought. You take a nice long shower and wrap the towel around your body, barely covering your butt, and head to the kitchen.

You grab your phone and order yourself some pizza, and right as you finish ordering, you hear the front door open. It startles you, you have no idea who it could be. Suddenly, you remember you’re only wearing a towel, and you grab a large knife, prepared for the worst.

“The intruder” steps around the corner into the kitchen and you scream, lifting up the knife. He grabs your wrist, laughing.

“Hey, hey, hey- y/n!” The shock dissipates from your body and you sigh, realizing the intruder was none other than your step brother.

“Jesus, Choso, I thought you weren’t gonna be home this weekend?”

He laughs, still holding onto your wrist. He looks down at your cleavage peeking out of your towel that’s ready to fall any minute now.

“Yea, well, my friend's girl wanted to see him so I decided to come home.” His eyes linger on your body for a moment before nervously looking away.

“Ahem… uh.. Nice outfit.” He laughs nervously, releasing your wrist from his grasp.

“Sh-shut up! I didn’t know anyone would be home!” Flustered, you drop the knife, leaving a small cut on your forearm. “Ouch, fuck!”

With a worried look on his face, he grabs your arm and checks how deep the cut is. Upon realizing it’s a small one, his expression becomes a bit more relaxed.

“Klutz.” He teases, leaning his head down while bringing your arm closer to his face. He licks the cut while staring you dead in the eyes, sucking up the bit of blood that escaped your wound.

“Y-you don't have to do that!” Your cheeks turn red and you divert your gaze away from him. He’s always been very caring, this isn't necessarily out of character for him, it’s just that the air around you two right now seems… different.

“What?” He pulls away slightly to talk, before going back to sucking on the cut, “I don’t see the problem. I’ve seen you do this before when you got a papercut. This is no different.”

“Y-yeah but that’s me! It is different.” You protest.

“Well, I’m your brother. This shouldn’t be such a big deal.” He pulls away completely and inspects your arm once more. You can’t help but feel like you’re being teased, which is also pretty in character for him.

“Step brother.” You correct him, getting an annoyed sigh in return.

“Why do you always do that, huh?” He tilts his head, curiously, “It shouldn’t matter, right? Either way… we’re family.”

Your cheeks get hot and you quickly turn around.

I need some water, you think to yourself.

You open the cabinet behind you and reach for your favorite cup at the top, standing on your tip-toes and bending over slightly. You can hear Choso chuckle lightly behind you.

“Let me get that for you, sis” You feel Choso’s large body press up against yours as he reaches for the cup you wanted. He hands it to you, hands on either side of you, leaning against the counter. Your breathing becomes heavy, Choso’s hands trail up both your arms until he reaches your shoulders, gently squeezing them.

“Wowww y/n… you’re pretty tense!” He starts massaging your shoulders, “loosen up a little, hm? It’s just me… Just… two siblings hanging out…”

His touch sends shivers down your spine.

“S-stop calling us… s-siblings.” You stutter.

“Why, hm?” He whispers in your ear, rubbing your shoulders harder, “What’s the matter with me calling you my little sister, huh?”

“Mmm..” You moan as his fingers dig into the knots in your shoulders.

“Could it be… because you think about me in a different way?” He gasps in playful shock, and you can feel his hot breath on your ear, your skin burning at his touch.

You’re speechless, guilt ridden, and so turned on.

“Well, I think about you…” He gently nibbles your ear, his speech becoming more seductive with every word, “all... the... time.”

His hands start to travel downwards, one reaching around, grabbing your breasts over the damp towel and the other lifting the bottom of the towel, exposing your ass.

You gasp, “w-what are you doing?”

“Shh… I’m just touching you, silly…” He grabs your butt and squeezes it, “mm… I’m just being a good big brother, taking care of his cute little sister.”

You’ve always wanted this. Countless times, you’ve laid in bed late, touching yourself to the thought of him doing something like this.

“S-stop calling me that…”

“Tell me why, y/n,” He growls, planting kisses on your neck, “tell me why you hate it so much, hm?”

You stay silent, not ready to admit your shameful desires.

“I said,” he talks in a serious tone as he spanks you hard, “Tell me… right now, y/n.”

The sting from his hand slapping your ass makes you yelp and whimper. He spanks you again, even harder.

“Now.”

“Ahh.. I just…” You bite your lip and mumble the next part, “I just… want you to see me… as something else… I don’t want us to be f-family…”

Choso smiles and undoes your towel, you can feel his hard cock through his sweatpants pressed against your lower back. His eyes look you up and down with the hunger of a wolf hunting its prey. He caresses your face and gets closer.

“Aw… that’s so fucking cute, y/n… My cute little step sister…” He chuckles, “is that better?”

He moved his index finger and middle finger over your lips, rubbing the bottom one gently. You open your mouth instinctively and he chuckles, inserting his fingers into your mouth.

“Yea, suck on my fingers, baby… you’ve wanted this for so long, haven't you?” He purrs, pinching your nipple with his other hand and pressing himself into your backside.

“M-mmhmm” You manage to say as you suck and drool on his fingers.

He takes them out of your mouth after a minute and brings his wet fingers down to your clit, just barely touching it.

“You want your big brother to touch you right here, don't you, y/n?” Choso’s whispers burn your ear as he ever so gently rubs your clit, just barely touching it.

You nod your head, anticipating his touch, aching for it.

“Say it. Tell me you want it. Say ‘please, big brother, touch my sweet little pussy.”

Your face turns beet-red and you divert your gaze from his eyes, only for him to grab your jaw and turn you back towards him. He stares at you intimidatingly, waiting for your answer and teasing your clit.

As if the taboo of doing this with your step brother wasn’t bad enough, you are already an adult, so calling him “big brother” is just… embarrassing. You shake your head in protest, and he moves his hand away, giving you a look that says “Your loss.” You whimper and give in reluctantly.

“P-please, big brother…” you struggle to get out the words, but need to feel his touch, “please touch my s-sweet l-little pussy…”

He starts rubbing your clit in little circles, “aww, good girl… Now was that so hard?”

You moan as his fingers start to pick up speed. You feel a knot of pleasure well up inside your stomach, instinctively thrusting your hips into his hand. He grabs your waist with his free hand and kisses your neck, sucking it and sending shivers down your spine.

“W-we shouldn't be d-doing this…” You whimper, clawing at his shoulders.

“You’re right, we shouldn't…” He agrees, yet continues to kiss your neck and reaches up to finally unravel your towel. His large hands hold the towel up, preventing it from falling, and he speaks in a low voice.

“I’m not going to stop unless you tell me to,” Choso says under heavy breaths, “so, if I’m crossing a line… if you don't want this… tell me now.”

A few seconds go by as you try to fight your desires, but it feels like an eternity.

“I…” You take a deep breath, shaking against his body, “I do want thi-”

He drops your towel before you’re able to finish your sentence, and turns you towards him, kissing you deeply. He grabs your thighs and lifts you onto the counter, wedging himself between your legs. You can tell he’s wanted this for a long time too. You wrap your arms around him as he holds you close, deepening the kiss.

Choso starts kissing down your neck to your chest, and slowly pulls you to the edge of the counter. You lean your head back as his kisses trail down your stomach. He spreads your legs as wide as they can go and gently kisses your clit, rubbing it in circles with his index finger. He looks up at you longingly. His usually stoic expression turned to that of a puppy dog begging for a treat.

“Can I?” He lightly kisses your clit as he waits for permission to feast on your cunt, “Please?”

“Y-yes…” You reply, aching for his touch.

His tongue swirls around your clit as he teases your hole with his fingers, just grazing them along your entrance.

“Mmmh… you're so wet for me, y/n.” He growls, lapping up your wetness and slowly inserting his index finger.

Your legs are shaking and your breathing is quick and heavy, almost animalistic. Your step brother eats your pussy like a man starved, fingering your tight hole as you moan louder and louder. Your toes curl and you tug on his ponytails, thrusting your hips into his face.

“G-god, Choso!” You feel yourself getting close to the edge when he suddenly pulls away, his tongue just barely stroking your folds. He still pumps his fingers into you, but agonizingly slowly.

“Call me big bro, y/n.” He demands as he kisses your clit, “call me big bro while I make you cum on my face.”

“Choso, please…” You whine, feeling your lower abdomen tighten with each thrust of his fingers, and throw your head back as he torments and teases you.

“Oh?” He smirks at you, and starts to slowly slip his fingers out when you stop him by grabbing his hand.

“Okay, okay… b-big bro…” You look at him with desperation, tugging on his hand.

Choso smiles widely at you and kisses your clit once again before completely devouring you. His thick fingers wiggle deep inside of you, hooking into your sweet spot as he sucks on your clit, moaning into your folds. The pleasure you feel from your step brother's touch is alarming, you never knew it would be this good.

“Ah- fuck-” You moan out as you feel yourself reaching your climax, “Fuck! Haah-”

“That's right, y/n,” Choso feels your walls tighten around his fingers and your juices flow into his mouth, “who’s making you cum right now, y/n? Hmm?”

“M-my big brother!” You cry out in ecstasy, “Haah- my big brother is- mmmmh- making me cum!”

He continues to thrust his fingers inside of you until your entire body twitches from the sensitivity, and slowly pulls them out before licking them clean. You feel your cheeks flush as he smiles at you, standing up to meet you face to face. He kisses your forehead and cups your face in his hands, still grinning from ear to ear.

Before you’re able to continue, the doorbell rings.

“Fuck, thats the pizza.” You say, disappointed.

Choso sighs and hangs his head for a second before looking back up at you. His eyes linger on you as he walks around the corner to answer the door, and before he disappears from your sight, he says three words:

“Don’t go anywhere.”

[hannie-dul-set]

send jay next to the reverse harem hell pls

[between a rock and a hard place]. jay park’s college experience has been relatively peaceful. he simply lets himself get carried along by the waves, gentle and languid and paired by a subtle breeze to match from his freshman year to sophomore year, exam to exam, classroom to classroom until the next checkpoint comes, the next curve in the stream, up until the waters simply bring him to where he belongs. the waves led him to join a frat on a whim on his third semester. the waves led him to switch majors on his fourth.

however, last summer, his boat ride became a little shaky— a little more turbulent than he’d normally like.

“i’m sorry. i don’t think we should keep seeing each other.”

there was a bit of a mess in the romance and social department. bridges had to be burnt for the sake of everyone’s peace, but he managed to breeze through that as well. he’s back on his little driftwood down the stream. all peaceful and all serene. now in his junior year, things can’t get any more smooth towards graduation.

or so he thought, because for some reason, the turbulence he’d experienced last summer decided to come back. but not in the face that he’d been used to. 

“let’s throw a welcome party for his return!”

jungwon’s voice rings dull in his ears. jay hasn’t seen you in a long time, but he still remembers the lipstick stains you’d leave on his neck whenever he decided to take a break from all that peace. he still remembers the citrus scent of your perfume. he still misses the feeling of his fingers getting tangled in the tufts of your hair whenever he’d kiss you.

“i can’t believe you have the guts to come crawling back here after the shit you pulled last summer, you son of a bitch.”

even with your hair short, new scent, and unpainted lips, it’s still very obvious that the person who just entered doorstep right now is you pretending to be your fucking brother.

it took everything in jay’s power to not land a punch on sunghoon’s jaw for calling you a son of a bitch.

“what the hell are you doing here?! why do you look like that?”

somehow, he managed to sneak you off in the middle of the welcome back party before heeseung or jake can drown you in any more beers. you were never a beer person anyway. why the hell were you just letting them get away with that? “it’s none of your business,” you sneer, shoving him off, and jay feels a sudden tremor, a sudden shake that he quickly swallows down to stay grounded.

“it is my business,” he manages to retort back, stern. “this is my family you’re trying to defraud. sure, you and your brother look similar, but did you really think you can fool me?”

he watches as you press your lips together, troubled and distressed with your arms crossed in front of your chest. there’s nothing jay wants more in the world than to kiss you right now just to stop you from frowning.

“listen, my piece of shit of a brother is MIA right now, and he’s gonna get dropped if he misses any more of his classes. i don’t expect you to help me. but the least you can do is shut your fucking mouth so i don’t get caught.”

that…that explains it. but you can’t just keep living in a house full of men. either he keeps your little secret and gets tortured every single day by your very presence within close proximity, or he spills everything and catches the brunt of your hatred even more. neither option is great. he’s caught between a rock and hard place, but for now the night gets settled with the former. until he finds a better, safer third option at the very least.

while waiting for that third, the peace that jay park had always found a home in is now nowhere to be found. especially when one of his best friends is wrongly directing his animosity towards you. especially when the other two are shoving you around, headlocking you, treating you as if you’re their bro. especially when the other one is getting a little too close with you. way too fucking close.

do they even realize you’re not the same person that they think you are?

that’s it. jay has had it. he’s jumping ship and diving headfirst into the turbulence of the waves.

send me a kpop boy (txt/enha/zb1/bnd/dream) to toss into reverse harem hell! [sunghoon]

[your-queer-dad]

Hi, I need some advice and I don't really know where else to turn to. If you don't wanna respond that's okay too. It's kinda long too.

So I'm dating the light of my life. We started dating in December, had to break up and take a break cause he had some personal stuff he needed time to deal with, plus he confessed to pulling away to kinda shield me from it, but I love hum and that comes with the things he has to deal with at home. We got back together in April, cause his reasoning was ridiculous and we both love each other. So we've been boyfriends again for two months on the 15th.

Now here's the issue?? A little bit ago he tells me about this friend, who we can call Lucy for this. I haven't met Lucy, but my boyfriends been telling me how she's really been excited to meet me, cause he's way happier when he's with me and stuff. So I was like aww that's so sweet.

Now me and my boyfriend also use pinterest. We have a shared board we can both see where we put pins that remind us of the other. Really sweet stuff, poems and all. I also can see his pinterest account and other boards and stuff, and every so often I'll pop my head in there cause I like seeing what he likes.

In addition to pinning poems about me he also writes them, and he changed his account where he was posting them on there as well, his bio said it was a place for his poems as well (again they're all about me) I look in today, and he changed it? Deleted the pins of poems he made for me and all.

It's now completely different, and it's a quote about taking people down with him or something. Now he also has a board for lucy. One with multiple sections and labels with just like, 'her voice', 'her laugh', 'her style', 'just lucy.' And under them saved was like, aesthetic photos and stuff. Completely different then my board.

A new category popped up, that was titled 'kisses' which is a bit of a red flag, I think, but oh well I know he's got platonic wives and husbands. Now he also gained a follower. One with Lucy's name in their screen name. I go like oh I'll check out her pinterest. She has a board JUST like my boyfriend has for her, but she of course has it for my boyfriend. And it's titled 'things that remind me of my prince'.

Bro first off he's my prince. And second she has boards titled with his name in them, so I know for sure it's about him. Her board names are like 'safety in his arms' and 'his smiles'.

Is this a red flag???? Should I ask him about it???? I know he's close with his friends, I don't think he would ever cheat.

Plus the fact she's so excited to meet me. And it's not like he's being less lovey either, I'm gluten free and he's learning how to bake gluten free sweets for me, he even brought me a snickerdoodle cookie to try. (It was great!!!)

Plus his friends love me, if they knew he was cheating there would be a huge conflict between them.

I know part of it might be that I'm worried about us breaking up again over the summer, I got accepted to college early basically, so I'm duel-enrolled in highschool and college, but I'm taking all my classes at the college so we won't be at the same school anymore.

So is it something you think I should follow up on? I love him more than life itself, but I'm very firm on the belief of "If it could be destroyed by the truth it deserves to be destroyed by the truth."

Ugh I just have no clue what to do.

Hey kiddo! Thank you so much for reaching out. It definitely sounds like a complex situation and I understand why you'd feel so conflicted by it. My best advice is to communicate and tell him how you feel about it- maybe then you can get some clarification on how their friendship is or what's going on between them? I'm always here to listen kiddo no matter what.

- dad x

[charliesinfern0]

my osomatsu-san oc, Ai! :D

more details for her under the cut! :3

She's 5 ft 4 in (i hc the matsuno bros to be 5 ft 7 in, so shes 3 inches shorter than them ^^)

Her outfits come in different colors! Her shirt and socks can be either black or white, and her dress can be blue, red, purple, pink, yellow, green, or black! :) (also her shirt can be short sleeve or long sleeve, and her socks can be thigh high, knee high, or ankle high!)

Initially did not intend for her to have connections to the moon (part of her last name 'Tsuki' means moon, the bunny charm on her phone) but in the middle of making this ref i was like 'eh why not'

Dekapan is the one that created her, so hes kind of like her weird dad

She has a big crush on Ichimatsu, but to be honest she has a crush on all of the Matsuno bros hehe

She moved away from Akatsuka to go to college, but moved back to do some of her studying and assignments back home (also she was feeling very homesick)

A running gag is that her major changes each time she talks about it (in the beach episode she says her major is photography, in the super detergent episode she says her major is painting, continues ad nauseam)

Her favorite season is winter! (fall is second, spring is third, summer is fourth)

I'm mainly refering to her with she/her pronouns right now, but she also uses they/them and it/its!

Her relationships with the characters:

Osomatsu: He just loooves hanging out with her lolol whenever they all hang out in a group Osomatsu is the first to try and take a spot next to her. They're usually on the same wavelength, always able to connect with each other, but sometimes Ai can get pretty fed up with whatever antics he tries to pull. He always ends up getting nervous whenever they have one of their deep one-on-one talks.

Karamatsu: Ai loves his "painfulness", but she sometimes has her limits lol. Usually tries to help him write songs, and they like to sing together. They're both very supportive of each other, playing off of each other's energy.

Choromatsu: He tries to be so polite and formal in front of her despite knowing her since they were kids. Ai tries to get him to loosen up, and he's gotten a bit better at being himself in front of her.

Ichimatsu: They're in loooooove, they wanna kiiiiiiss~ ehehe, but besides that they both connect with the fact that they love their quiet time, and also cats. Ai is very understanding and patient, and that both comforts ichimatsu and freaks him the hell out.

Jyushimatsu: Ai cannot keep up with him, but she tries. At least he helps her stay active! They just both like making each other happy, whether that means going out to play baseball, or staying inside and doing some paper craft (with Ichimatsu's assistance)

Todomatsu: Besties :3 they message each other a lot, and Todomatsu is always lowkey asking her out to do things with him. Usually though, either just the two of them go out or Totty's older brothers end up tagging along. They mutually vent to each other sometimes just to let out some frustration, and they trust each other enough to keep secrets between them.

Totoko: Good friends, though they don't always see eye to eye. But thats mostly because of confusion on Ai's part at the antics Totoko tries to pull. She thinks its really cool that Totoko is an idol, and Totoko always insists that Ai could be one too, but they both dont want her to be one for different reasons (Totoko thinks that Ai would be more popular than her, and Ai doesn't like the idea of singing in front of big crowds)

Iyami: She thinks he's skeevy as hell, not much else to say. Always finds a way to get angry at him, even if he hasnt done anything wrong (at the moment)

Chibita: Also good friends, they both admire each other for what they do. She always leaves a big tip whenever she eats at his oden stand to show her appreciation (and to hopefully make up for the sextuplets' tab they have yet to pay)

Matsuyo and Matsuzo: They love her, don't know what their sons did to deserve such a nice friend who is also a girl (kind of). They simultaneously hope that she could maybe start dating one of their sons, and also think that she could do so much better lol Ai is always bringing them gifts and helps around the house, she almost gave them a heart attack when they came home to a squeaky clean kitchen after Ai and the sextuplets had made dinner together for them ^^

Dekapan and Dayon: Her creator and his weird maid/friend/lover? They're basically her weird estranged dads. They barely interact, except for rare moments when she needs emergency maintenance

[castlebyersafterdark]

I don’t know if you’ve answered this before, but how old were you when you realized you were gay? And how old were you when you came out?

Hmmm, I think I've mentioned things in pieces maybe? Ol' Vinny lore rambling below. Giving some insight to the reality, because something oft repeated - life is a series of coming outs. There's rarely a one and done, and life changes over time. Riffing a little...

It's sometimes hard looking back on your own life to pinpoint why and how? Early elementary school, hard to say an exact age - but I knew something was different. There's a lot more to all of it, regarding the cloud of confusion and thoughts and urges in my little brain - but I remember the first time I thought something about a friend of mine rather than just the general concept of men - it had to be like 4th or 5th grade. Scariest moment of my life. Wanting to do something with a guy friend and I didn't even know what I wanted to do. Became very real then, not just this general confused feeling in my head.

I tried to force the compromise of being bisexual on myself maybe around 13 I think? It was getting unbearable to keep a secret - so I told my older sister. She's always been my favorite sibling and this is sooooooo fucking silly, but it explains a lot about how I got here: I knew she was chill with gay and queer people because she was huge into anime and all that nerdy stuff and I'd seen things on her computer. Her anime yaoi stuff that I didn't really get but totally knew what it was, that was what made me feel ok coming out to her 🤣🤣 True story!!! So I told her I thought I was bisexual and she was sooo supportive. She was the one who then got me into fandom and that's when I dove into my own stuff online - because I could be gay online and straight in real life!! I dated girls in middle school and high school. Really tried.

I came out to a close friend junior year because she confessed feelings for me and I didn't want to lead her on. She was kind of my beard the rest of high school. I came out to one other person the summer between junior and senior year because I found out he was gay and I was losing my mind and wanted to do something with a guy. So we became FWB all through my senior year. No one else found out. My sister also knew I was exclusively gay by then as well.

I came out to my college roommate the first week because I refused to live with some bigoted bro and had to find out if I'd need a roommate switch. He became my bestie for life and my biggest supporter. And so I was always out at college from the beginning, fresh start, far from home.

I cowardly made my sister tell my family about me the thanksgiving of my college sophomore year (19) because I couldn't live a double life anymore. It did not go very well. But, that was that. Fully out. No more hiding. Things are chill now with most of the immediate family, but there are reasons I no longer associate with certain family members.

That's life!!! Over it. I have my people 😘😘

[daxwritesstories]

College AU Part 50: Take Me Home

Scene 1: See You Again

(Scene title by Tyler, The Creator)

INT. Jayce & Leon's dorm - Morning

Jayce is packing his suitcase while Leon and Prince watch him from Leon's bed.

LEON: So, you're both going home for the summer?

JAYCE: Well... no.

PRINCE: I'm gonna stay at Jayce's house.

Leon looks surprised.

LEON: Oh.

JAYCE: We're still gonna visit Prince's family.

PRINCE: Yeah. I just don't wanna stay at my parents' house because my brother won't be there. It's kinda hard without him.

Leon nods.

LEON: Ah. That makes sense.

Prince smiles and wraps their arm around Leon. They pull him close and rub his arm affectionately.

PRINCE: What are you gonna do?

LEON: I'm gonna stay with my parents. I miss them.

Prince smiles.

PRINCE: That's good! I hope you have a good time.

Leon chuckles.

LEON: I'll try my best.

There is an awkward silence before someone speaks again.

JAYCE: We'll miss you.

Prince nods in agreement.

PRINCE: Yeah. It's been fun getting to know you.

Leon laughs nervously.

LEON: Well, I'll be here next year.

Prince winks at Leon and rubs his arm again.

PRINCE: Can't wait.

Jayce laughs.

Scene 2: Girlfriend

(Scene title by Avril Lavigne)

INT. Halo & Vir's dorm - Morning

Halo is packing her suitcase. Vir is sitting on her bed, drawing in her sketchbook.

HALO: I guess this summer won't be as exciting as last year's.

Vir smiles at Halo and shrugs.

VIR: It's what you make it. I'm gonna have a great time this summer.

Halo giggles.

HALO: Yeah? What are you gonna do?

VIR: I'm finally gonna get a girlfriend.

Halo laughs even more.

HALO: Of course you are!

VIR: You won't even see it coming, bitch!

HALO: Oh, I believe you.

Both girls start laughing.

Scene 3: Summertime

(Scene title by My Chemical Romance)

INT. Axel & Drew's dorm - Morning

Axel is kneeling on the floor in front of his suitcase. He's rearranging some things to make sure everything will fit.

Drew suddenly opens the door, holding an open takeout box with pancakes in it. Axel just glances over his shoulder for a moment before going back to what he was doing.

DREW: Oh, you're already packed.

AXEL: We have to be out of here by four.

Drew nods.

DREW: Right. I should probably get started, then.

Axel smiles to himself and continues packing. Drew stares at him for a moment, contemplating something. Then he walks up to where Axel is sitting and holds up his hand for a high-five.

DREW: Same time next year, bro?

Axel squints in disbelief but is still smiling a little.

AXEL: Uh. Yeah, sure.

Axel high-fives Drew, going along with it.

DREW: Hell yeah, man! Next year's gonna be awesome.

Axel nods and smiles at Drew.

AXEL: I'll see you then...

Drew smiles at Axel and heads to the bathroom. As soon as Drew is gone, Axel smiles to himself.

Scene 4: Take Me Home

(Scene title by Cher OR Cash Cash)

INT. Ace & Zayn's dorm - Morning

Ace and Zayn are both sorting through their clothes.

ACE: You still need to decide if we're going to see your family.

ZAYN: Huh?

ACE: Well, we're spending the entire summer together. If you're going to see your family, I wanna come too.

Zayn freezes, eyes widening. Ace pauses too when he hears Zayn stopping. His face is suddenly clouded by sadness. He holds his breath, bracing for Zayn to say no.

After an excruciatingly long moment, Zayn stands up straight and looks at Ace. His expression is that of pure shock.

ZAYN: You actually wanna meet my family?

Ace stares back unblinkingly at Zayn. His expression is uncharacteristically fearful.

ACE: Well... yes. But only if that's–

ZAYN: I would love that.

Ace seems taken aback. His eyes widen and his mouth opens in shock. He quickly collects himself though.

ACE: You... you're really okay with them meeting me?

ZAYN: Of course. Why not?

ACE: Well... you're not worried about...

Ace gestures at his outfit. When Zayn realizes what he's talking about, he shakes his head.

ZAYN: No. If they don't like it, then I don't care.

Ace furrows his brow.

ACE: They think you're straight.

Zayn shrugs.

ZAYN: So? I never actually told them I was straight.

Ace seems apprehensive. He grabs his arm in an attempt to calm himself. Zayn notices this and takes a step closer to him.

ZAYN: I want you to meet them. I'm sure they'll understand why I like you so much.

Ace takes a deep breath, not fully trusting Zayn.

ZAYN: You said you wanted to meet them.

ACE: I figured you'd say no.

ZAYN: Are you scared?

Ace thinks for a moment.

ACE: I'm not scared of them. I'm just scared of losing you.

Zayn takes another step closer to Ace and grabs both his hands.

ZAYN: You won't.

Ace stares at Zayn with wide eyes. He seems to be left completely speechless.

The pair stare at each other for a long while until a knock at the door distracts them. They both look over when they hear the noise.

Ace sighs and steps away from Zayn to answer the door. When he opens it, Cyra is there, looking dazed.

ACE: Oh, it's just you.

CYRA: Hi.

ACE: Now isn't a good time. We were kind of–

CYRA: Will you two come to Europe with me?

Ace and Zayn both look shocked by the question. Ace looks over his shoulder at Zayn. They both look at each other for a few seconds before Ace turns his head to look at Cyra again.

END OF SEASON 1

[foreverindreamlandd]

I'm Forever Yours

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

WC: 1.5k

Summary: Eddie thought it would be easier to break things off when you went to college. You deserved better than some loser who can't even graduate from high school. But now you're back for the summer, and if there's one thing you've learned this year, it's how much you need him.

A/n: This is my contribution for the lovely aphrogeneias 's Power Ballads Writing Challenge! I literally have not been able to stop thinking about this since seeing the prompt from Journey's Faithfully. We got a good ole exes to lovers with a lil bit of DnD thrown in because me lol. Be sure to go to Luiza's page to check out the other participants of the challenge!!

"two strangers learn to fall in love again"

Eddie’s knees were restless under the table.

His fingers tapped menacingly against the wood surface, eyes mindlessly scanning over the notes on the DM screen.

“Uh…you okay, Eddie?” Mike asked, his face contorted in confusion.

Eddie nodded, responding without even looking at him. “Yep. Yeah. Totally fine. Why?”

“You look like you’re about to shit your pants, dude,” Dustin said, pulling out his dice.

“That’s because his soulmate is joining us tonight,” Gareth mused, bumping elbows with Jeff as they shared a knowing smile.

The Dungeon Master of the Hellfire Club froze, eyes darting to his friends with a glare so deadly their smiles immediately dropped.

“Watch it, or disadvantage on all rolls tonight.” They muttered a sorry and Eddie grabbed his favorite d20 - the one you gave him two years ago - and fiddled with it in his hand. “She might not even show,” he said sadly.

“Bro, she’s gonna come,” Gareth replied. “She knows what night it is.”

“Unless being at college has made her too smart to remember a dumb nerd game,” Jeff murmured, and this time Gareth punched his arm. “OW!”

“Can someone please explain to us who this mystery girl is?” Dustin asked, arms crossed in front of him. 

“She’s just an old member,” Eddie said, running his fingers through his hair.

“Dude,” Gareth complained, then turned to Dustin and Mike. “Her name is Y/n. She’s the coolest girl there is, and when I say she’s Munson’s soulmate, you have no idea. Those two have been inseparable for years.”

“Used to be inseparable,” Eddie corrected, an ache forming in his chest.

“Right, well, she graduated last year and went to some fancy school in Canada. Hasn’t been back since, and now she’s home for the summer.”

“Are you two still together? I bet I can give you great advice on long distance relationships,” Dustin suggested with a smug expression.

Eddie’s eyebrows furrowed in discomfort before shaking his head. “We tried to make it work, but things got too crazy and I guess we just kind of lost touch.”

That was a lie. Eddie stopped answering your calls until you eventually got the hint and stopped trying to get in touch. He thought it would be easier for you to move on and realize that there was a much better life for you when you weren’t tied down by the loser of Hawkins High, whose legacy would only be the Hellfire Club and Corroded Coffin.

He hoped it would hurt less to cut the cord before having to look in your perfect eyes and see the realization of how much better you could do than him.

“That sucks man,” Mike said, giving him a sympathetic side smile.

Eddie nodded. “Happens.” He checked his watch one last time with a sigh. “Alright, you adventurers ready to get started? Quick recap from last session. The party had just returned a group of kids  to their families after being stolen by a Beholder, where-”

“Where they ran into a fierce cleric, Lyvia,” Eddie’s heart stilled at the familiar voice as you emerged from behind the curtain. “Daughter of the High Priestess of Lathander.”

He sat there, staring at your smiling face, wondering for a moment if he was dreaming.

But there you were, donned in your favorite denim jacket covered in pins, a Journey t-shirt, ripped jeans, and the black converse you bought with him last summer. His eyes flickered down, chest swelling at the sight of the heart shaped pendant around your neck.

Your eyes met his, and suddenly everything else in the room disappeared, as if there were a spotlight shining just on you.

Though no amount of time could make him forget how beautiful you were, seeing you in the flesh was almost too much for him. 

You were perfect. Radiant. Just as he remembered.

He wanted to run up and wrap you in his arms. To cradle your face in his hands and kiss you a million and one times. To tell you he was a bigger idiot than he could have imagined and he was sure this was the biggest mistake he’d ever made in his life.

He stayed sitting though, glued to his chair as Jeff and Gareth shouted your name and ran to tackle you into a hug.

You giggled as they collided into you, hugging them back.

Finally, Eddie managed to stand, his hands interlacing together behind his back.

His body bent forward into a bow. “M’lady Lyvia. ‘Tis good to see you have done well during your travels across the continent.”

You grinned, chin bowing down. “I have learned many things and have had many fun adventures, but I gotta say, DM, nothing feels as good as being with your party.”

Eddie took a sharp intake of breath, eyes widening slightly and your smile grew.

“Besides,” you continued, “something tells me this party is in desperate need of a lady to make sure y’all don’t fuck everything up.”

His brows rose in amusement, and the guys laughed as they escorted you to the table, shuffling their seats around to make room for you.

“Hey guys,” you said to Dustin and Mike with a wave. “I’m-”

“Y/n,” they said in unison and Eddie nearly decided to kill their characters in the first fight. “We know,” Mike finished with a smile. 

You nodded slowly. “Right. Okay…” You looked to Eddie.

He clapped his hands together, ready to be in any other situation than this.

Still, when you smiled at him again, he felt butterflies in his stomach. “Right. Let’s continue. You encounter the luminous, stunning, beefy dwarf cleric Lyvia…”

~~~~~~

“Y/n, you are a fucking legend,” Dustin praised as you all packed up your things. “I can’t believe you took out three direwolves in one hit!”

You shrugged. “Listen, Sacred Weapon is no joke. I’ve taken out larger packs than this with that baby many, many times.”

Eddie smiled to himself, slowly folding the DM screen.

“Hell yeah,” Henderson continued. “Are you going to play with us through the summer?”

You looked over at Eddie, a questioning look on your face. “That depends on what our mighty Dungeon Master says.”

Eddie beamed, giving you a grand nod and waving a hand in the air. “You know Lyvia will always have a home at our table.”

A smile spread across your face as the two of you held eye contact and Dustin grinned. “I guess I’ll catch you guys later,” he murmured as he followed the rest of the guys down the dark hallway.

Silence.

More staring.

You bit the inside of your cheek. “Hi, Eddie.”

He stood up, hands snaking inside his pockets. “Hey, Y/n.”

Your smile slowly fell. “You stopped answering my calls.” Your voice cracked at the last word, along with Eddie’s heart.

“I thought…I thought it would make things easier.”

Your head flinched back, face contorting. “Easier how? By not having my favorite person there for me?”

Ouch.

“I didn’t want you to feel tied down.”

You shook your head, taking a few steps forward. “Tied down by what? You?” His silence was answer enough and you scoffed. “Eds, you’re the one who has spent years teaching me how to live. How to laugh, how to fuck up and learn from my mistakes, how to never stop pursuing your dreams. I never would have gotten where I am today if I didn’t have you there.”

Tears welled in his eyes. “But what if you find out that there’s someone better for you? Someone who managed to fucking graduate from high school and isn’t trapped in Hawkins.”

His eyes went to the floor, and suddenly he saw your shoes inches from his. 

Your hands gently moved to his face, slowly lifting his gaze until they were on your perfect, mesmerizing, tear-filled eyes once more.

“Eds.” Your thumb stroked along the apple of his cheek and his eyes closed from the intoxicating feel of it. When he opened his eyes, you were smiling again. “I did my year, I met new people, did new things, left Hawkins, and you know what I learned?”

He swallowed, eyes flickering down to your lips as your face drew nearer. His hand reached up to hold the heart-shaped pendant between his fingers. “What?” he whispered.

“None of it matters if I don’t have you in my life. You make it all better. All I could ever really need is you.”

Eddie breathed out a small whimper, smile threatening to split his face in two and he inched closer.

“I’m forever yours, baby.” His lips ghosted over yours. “Faithfully.”

You groaned, pulling back and rolling your eyes with a smile. “Really? You’re gonna quote the fuckin’ Journey ballad?”

He scoffed. “Are you serious? You’re the one wearing the damn shirt!”

You looked down. “Oh shit, you’re right.”

Just as you started giggling, Eddie tucked his ring-adorned finger under your chin, pulling you closer until his lips found their way home to you, rediscovering your kiss with newfound joy and gratitude. 

Even if the world fell apart and completely turned on its axis, he knew he would never let you go again.

He was yours.

And you were his.

Faithfully.

[outerbankies]

what happens when rafe is having a bad day

new light: this love — rafe cameron

new light masterlist

summary: you can always tell rafe is upset when he’ll barely look you in the eye.

warnings: they are drunk, one of them is underage drunk, there is a shower but not like that, i wrote this in an hour and reread it once, ezra is rafe’s boss (like the CFO) at cameron development in case u don’t remember, carter is a new character (s/o to anon for the name!)

a/n: shoutout to harry styles for disrupting the flow of this by randomly announcing ten nights at the forum. i want to die

it’s one of those work days where time completely escapes you. emails and zoom meetings and even a few phone calls bleeding together until you swear you blinked for a second and your desktop is telling you it’s half past seven, and your boyfriend, who gets off work at five, is nowhere to be found in your shared home.

your personal phone, face down on your desk as usual, is your first move.

you have a few missed notifications, but rafe’s text catches your eye first.

Drinks with Ezra and the new intern. Pray for me. Be home around 8 hopefully. Love you bunches

you heart the message so he knows you got it, and you’re about to move onto the others when a phone call comes through. carter.

“hey cart, aren’t you with rafe?”

“dude, yeah, m’getting drinks with the bosses! isn’t that so sick?” he asks, with all the unbridled enthusiasm of a freshman in college who landed his first summer internship. you babysat carter and his two younger brothers for years when you were growing up in the outer banks, and they were definitely some of your favorite kids. parents who paid well and always came home on time, well-behaved kids that made your job easy most of the time—a dream in your babysitting career. so when he bashfully asked you about internships at ward’s company, you obliged to see what you could do.

“carter, rafe’s not really your boss,” you remind him.

“his name’s on the door,” he deadpans.

“fair enough,” you sigh good-naturedly. “what’s up? is rafe alright?”

“oh, rafe’s fine—”

“why did i hear my name? who’re you talkin’ to?”

“my old babysitter,” carter answers matter-of-factly.

“you mean my girlfriend?”

“she was my babysitter first.”

“and i’m your boss, now, so—”

there’s a bit of static and some shuffling noises for a second. “babe?”

“hey, you. corrupting the kid?” you tease. “you know you’re not his boss, right? does he know that?”

“he’ll figure it out if he’s meant to. drinks were ezra’s idea, swear it,” rafe says, his words slurred but only a little. “m’just along for the ride. team effort and all that.”

“ah,” you concede, smiling to yourself. “what’s up? why’d he call me?”

“hey, that’s a good question,” rafe realizes, and you can picture the crease in his brow. “why did you call her?”

“none of us can drive, and i still have a curfew.”

“bro, you’re loaded. can you go home like this?” rafe murmurs. you busy yourself grabbing your keys and wallet, tossing them into your bag while the two of them bicker back and forth. you have to wonder where rafe’s boss, ezra, is in all of this, but from what you remember of the few cameron development company functions you’ve been to, he was pretty good at playing life of the party.

“y/n, please just come pick us up. pretty please?” carter begs, and you feel like you’re having flashbacks to when he was eleven, begging you to order pizza instead of feeding him the paleo meal his mom set aside for dinner in the fridge.

“will you?” rafe asks softly, and you have to roll your eyes. you’re already in the driver’s seat of your car.

“duh. where are you? lucky’s? the old stowe? mc—”

“uh, we’re at the lodge,” he mutters quietly. and now his behavior makes sense.

“rafe cameron, you are so lucky i love you.”

“i know i am. and i love you, too. please hurry, i think ezra is trying to get a round of darts going and nobody is trying to stop him.”

—

you hate the kildare lodge—always have. it’s grimy, your shoes stick to the floor, and its patrons are nowhere near your crowd. and maybe that’s the reason all of your guy friends loved it, but you usually wouldn’t be caught dead here. and if you ever are, it’s usually to pick one or all of them up after a night of over-indulgence.

“howdy, miss priss,” someone greets you, oh-so-kindly, as soon as you push the heavy door open. his eyes rake your body and your attire, and you swear to god if some drunk got even a drop of alcohol on your new lulu, you’d wring your boyfriend’s neck. “you lost? take a wrong turn looking for the nail salon? y’know, the pilates studio is that way.”

“just looking for my boyfriend, but thanks.”

“she’s with us. settle down.”

rafe’s boss approaches you then, eyes bloodshot, his work shirt almost completely unbuttoned to reveal the undershirt he’s wearing, sleeves haphazardly pushed up to his elbows. his darts opponent looks relieved at his exit, and you just raise your eyebrows expectantly.

“ezra, where are the boys?”

“y/n!”

maybe your shoes being stuck to the floor is a good thing, because had they not been, carter’s hug might have sent you right down to it. you pat his back softly, trying to reconcile this teenager with the boy that used to be shorter than you. “hi, cart. how’re you? your brothers?”

“they both have girlfriends,” he laments. “i feel so old.”

“you’re telling me. i used to drive you to hockey practice. hey, where’s…” you sigh, standing on your tip toes once he lets you out of his grip. rafe’s trailing behind, looking about as worse for wear as his colleagues. he meets your eyes for only a second, eyebrows raising in apology. “hey, baby.”

“hi,” he says, shifting all three suit jackets he’s holding to one arm, bringing you into his body with the other. “thank you.”

“no problem, but can we please get out of here?”

“‘course,” he promises with a kiss dropped to your forehead. ezra looks headed back to the bar, and carter seems eager to follow, but rafe stops them with a whistle. “hey, no. already closed our tab. let’s go.”

“what? you knew i was gonna pay that, rafe,” ezra says, slipping his jacket on anyway.

“you can pay me back later,” rafe compromises, pushing the door open, the four of you stumbling out into the daylight. it felt good on your skin, the fresh air clearing your lungs of god knows what was swirling in the air of the lodge. but ezra and carter both groan, squinting their eyes, blocking the sun. your boyfriend, in his infinite wisdom, already has his sunglasses on. you forgot how much you love seeing him in his work clothes. “y/n/n?”

“hm?” you blink, staring at him where he sits with his hand perched on your driver’s side door handle. he tugs on it, showing it’s locked. “oh, sorry. wait, back up. you’re not driving.”

“i know,” he says, smiling lightly. he has his sunglasses on, but you can tell it doesn’t really meet his eyes. “unlock it, please.”

he tucks you in, hand low on your back before he closes the door, jogging around to the other side. the entire car moves under the weight of ezra stumbling into the seat behind you, and you see a brief confrontation through the window between rafe and carter. carter eventually rolls his eyes, getting in the backseat beside his boss. rafe takes his spot up front, and you’re finally on your way.

“why did i have to sit in the back?” carter complains. “i called her in the first place, so technically—”

“quit while you’re ahead, intern,” ezra says.

rafe’s hand goes to your knee, giving it a light squeeze to say thank you for putting up with all of this. but you turn to face him at a red light, and he’s looking out the window.

—

once everyone is dropped home, ezra to a wife who will be about as pleased as you are, carter to a back gate and a side entrance that you know he has about zero chance of entering without making a loud noise that will give himself away, it’s home sweet home for you and your love, who heads straight to the shower as soon as you’re both inside.

“rafe?” you call from outside. he ignores it, and you know he can hear you, so you push the door open, already shedding yourself of your clothes, your rings and necklaces plunking against the counter top in the steamy bathroom.

“hey,” he says, lips twinging just slightly as he draws back the curtain. he helps you in with no question about it, like he knew you’d find him wherever he hid. like he wanted you to. “lovely surprise.”

“hm. so was a car full of three grown men drunk off of their asses when it’s still light out. well, make that two. you know carter’s only 19, right?”

rafe shrugs, grinning a little mischievously. he reaches around you to tug your hair out of its tie. you don’t have the heart to tell him you were waiting to wash it until after your morning workout tomorrow, so you say nothing as his damp hands drag through the knots, and he shuffles you around so your head is under the spray. “he wanted the job. comes with the territory. i blacked out the first time ezra took me out after work last summer. we had a brunch date the next morning, i almost cancelled.”

“you never told me that,” you say, trying to place the event in your memory.

“i showered twice before i showed up. chugged three liquid IVs in the parking lot. good to go,” he jokes. one of his rings gets caught in your hair and he swears as he removes his hand gently, before taking the offending ring off and setting it on the windowsill and getting back to work. “you never knew a thing. i did throw up my eggs benedict as soon as you left, though.”

“rafe.”

“i was such a sucker, man.”

it’s quiet after that besides the spray of the shower, the sound of you two shuffling around and taking turns under the spray, the soft giggles and the smack of his lips against your neck, your back pressed into the tiled wall for a second.

“bad day?” you finally ask, unsurprised when he nods.

“the worst. carter’s a smart kid, but he needed help, and i had my own shit to do today on my dad’s end. got chewed out a lunch,” he admits, face dropped into your neck, arms constricting around your waist. “think that’s why ezra wanted to take us out in the first place.”

you hold him for a second, before pushing him back by his hips.

“c’mon, let me do you.”

“y/l/n,” he says, a real smile on his face. there he is. “i’m scandalized.”

“your hair, weirdo.”

“boring.” rafe still obliges, ducking his head for you, steadying your body with firm hands on your hips when you still have to stand up on your tip toes to wash his hair.

the two of you rinse off, taking turns ruffling each other’s wet hair with the fresh towels you’d set out before you hopped in. rafe wanders off to get dressed while you finish your skincare routine, and you smile when he throws an old t shirt and pair of panties into the bathroom for you.

rafe’s not really drunk anymore by the time you’re both in bed, the food you’d ordered already finished, the second fast and furious movie loading on netflix. so you know it’s not just loose lips when he rolls over into you, his legs tangling themselves even more with yours, his warm hands underneath your shirt, his fluffy hair that smells like your expensive shampoo tickling your neck when he murmurs, “don’t know what i ever did without you.”

[nimbus713]

I GOT HOME FROM WORK AND WATCHED THE NEW HSMTMTS EPISODE SO. SPOILERS AHEAD.

main thing. i noticed this before i even started the episode. this is part of the banner thingy on disney plus

first of all that lil man staring at ricky? bro i see you. and after seeing how you’re acting in the show rn… i see you. that small smile? bruh if ricky gets a boyfriend this season i will be sreamingggg love that for him. also i love how he broke up with lily in the first episode and also the way he acted showing up at camp was so adorable. i know they framed that scene like. ricky was gonna come between portwell but like i don’t think he will? that song about being free was amazing and i really don’t think he’d do that to them. “group hug?” was so fucking cute i love him. i hope this man gets to work on himself this season and then maybe fall in love with the sulky camp boy 👀

anyways idk what’s gonna happen but like i have high hopes? if anything happens to portwell i will cry i know theres probably gonna be drama but like if they break up i will not be able to handle it they’re already so cute

ej my baby boy i’m so sorry. like wtf they can’t dump this on him he just wants to be a kid for the summer before he has to go to college 😭 i hope he calls ms jenn and has her take over or at least help like what

speaking of ms jenn. WHY IS SHE GOING ON A CRUISE WITH RICKYS DAD. it’s been a minute since i watched season two and i think mr mazzara was planning on going to cal tech but like jenn baby. not ricky’s dad? i don’t like them together idk.

all i want from this season is for ricky to be happy and portwell to survive and get their sappy summer romance. i want me mazzara and jenn to be endgame too but like that’s a lesser point :/. alsoooo the way that girlies looking at ash is cute what’s that 👀

do those looks mean anything or am i getting ahead of myself. i guess we’ll see.

[asterlark]

ok. samwell college of music au. i wrote all four years let's go babey

eric bittle is this lovely southern tenor (sounds kinda like mitch grassi or ben j pierce) who posts covers (& sometimes originals, but always with neutral or no pronouns because he can't post anything that says he or him ☹) on his youtube channel and has major stage fright but is very talented; he also plays ukulele

he got into samwell college of music on a voice scholarship and his dad doesn’t exactly approve but eric was never the 6′2″ masculine football player he wanted anyway so why not go for his dreams

he auditions for the very competitive samwell men’s contemporary chorus (there’s like 20 choirs; chamber choir, jazz choir, a cappella groups (lax bros do a cappella), combined choirs, etc- smcc does contemporary pop/rock music) and while he’s very very nervous and shaky as he auditions, directors hall & murray see a lot of potential in him (with major grumbling from student director jack)

(the rest of this ridiculously long au under the cut)

the group is small, for a chorus, because the point of the group is not a wall of sound but a focus on all of the very talented guys’ voices coming together in these gorgeous harmonies and basically they’re like one of the best choruses on campus and all the male singers want in

so there’s jack zimmermann, who of course eric knows because everyone knows who he is, he’s the son of bob and alicia zimmermann, both incredibly talented and famous musicians, and basically those genes were in his favor because he’s mega fucking talented

(jack was supposed to sign a recording contract to be in a band with his best friend kent parson when he was 17 but something happened between them and the pressure was too much and jack overdosed on something- there’s so many rumors no one knows what’s real- and kent signed solo in LA & went on to win grammys for his albums about a mysterious ex and jack disappeared for a few years to be a counselor at a music camp and reappears at samwell, knocking everyone’s socks off again like he’d never left, except with a renewed vigor and intenseness that freaks everyone out)

jack is a contemporary writing & production major, freaky talented and sings like a modern day frank sinatra, and he plays like 20 instruments and can read music like breathing air and writes songs like if he stopped he’d die; his music is folksy and mournful and he plays all the instruments on his tracks himself- guitar, piano, strings, drums- it sounds like a full band but nope. just jack. he’s intense

“we all get nicknames in this choir,” justin informs eric on his first day, “we’re those kinda guys.” so he’s bitty, which he finds vaguely offensive (bc he’s not that short!) but still cute, & the rest of the group is introduced to him:

“shitty” knight (voice like colyer) is a musical education major and an enigma of a singer with this awesome, earthy, raspy voice that’s really interesting to listen to and a very.... unique style & look; he writes cheesy but shockingly good raps about social justice topics and he will sing-lecture you if you’ve said something offensive (he also plays banjo)

justin “ransom” oluransi is a music business & management major with an angelic voice you can’t help but listen to; he’s sultry and has an incredible range and does runs like nobody’s business (with a voice like daniel caesar or leslie odom jr UGH)

adam “holster” birkholtz is a voice performance major, wants to be on broadway and it’s all he ever goddamn talks about basically, he’s a belter and has a lot of charisma and starpower and he’ll charm the pants off of you within one note; can also play piano and irritates everyone constantly because his regular volume is like a level 11 (voice like the frontman of my brothers and i combined w/ x ambassadors lead singer)

larissa “lardo” duan is at the local art institute because performing arts is not her jam and she’d much rather paint; she’s a barista at annie’s and supervises open mic nights and keeps the annoying choir dudes from driving away all her patrons

“i’m not even in your dumbass choir,” she says when the group gave her her nickname. holster just told her that she was an honorary member and then started sing-shouting a song at her about how good she is

bitty’s first year is hard because he’s talented and he works hard but he shies away when anyone asks him to sing outside the group and like, he can sing to a camera by himself but being on a stage with everyone looking at you and the sole responsibility of the song on your shoulders is terrifying and no thanks

jack does not. understand this. he’s been performing practically since he came out of the womb and he doesn’t really get performance nerves (what he gets is anxiety about how he did after he gets off stage that follows him home and makes it so he can’t sleep) - so he bothers bitty about it constantly like “you just need practice, you just have to sing by yourself a lot and then you’ll get over it” which like.... that’s true but it’s also hella scary and bitty’s like “no thanks!!!!”

but jack’s annoying and intense so he makes bitty do open mic with him every saturday night and it’s going okay and bitty loves his choir and loves his school and these new friends he’s making and he finally feels comfortable enough to come out to them during his second term

then during their spring choral showcase at the end of his freshman year bitty has a solo and he’s worked really hard on it and he’s feeling good- okay he’s completely freaked out but he’s trying to feel good- but when he gets up on stage there’s so many people and the stage lights are so hot on his face and he flips out a little and maybe he passes out from anxiety and stress right on stage and it’s terrible and he’s so embarrassed and ashamed that he ruined their set at the showcase

of course jack blames himself because “we shouldn’t have given you a solo before you were ready, i misjudged it, i’m sorry” - and they all feel kinda bad bc holy fuck they didn’t know his stage fright was that bad like they didn’t know someone could pass out just by being anxious to sing

he practices all the time over the summer and goes to his local open mic at jack’s insistence and it actually helps a lot because instead of a sea of strangers judging him it’s a bunch of people he knows and they’re all smiling at him and when he finishes his song they cheer for him and it boosts his self-confidence a lot

his sophomore year they have three new members- chris ”chowder” chow (voice like ieuan), an excitable music education major with impressive rapping skills, derek "nursey" nurse (frank ocean or leon bridges type), a songwriting major who can also play violin and guitar, and will ”dex” poindexter (like tom west), a production & engineering major who tried out with chowder bc he needed moral support and didn't expect to get in but impressed the directors with his voice

the year’s going pretty good, bitty’s still pretty scared of singing alone but more confident now and the open mic nights with jack haven’t stopped, so he’s getting better. and one night they’re hanging out at annie’s after closing waiting for lardo to be done so they can walk her home, and bitty suggests that jack sing with him one of these nights, and jack says he doesn’t know any of bitty’s songs and bitty says they can write one together half jokingly but then jack is like “yes.” with that Intense Look

SO they get together a couple days later in jack’s room at the house they all live in together (bitty moved in at the beginning of the year after previous smcc member john johnson called him- how’d he get his number?- and told him he could take his room if he wanted), jack with his guitar and bitty with his ukulele, and it’s a little awkward until bitty says jack should play him one of his songs

and, okay, he doesn’t really know what to expect because the only music jack ever released to the public was that one single he did with kent parson when they were 17 so bitty doesn’t even know if he has anything to play him, but he does- he starts playing these soft, sad notes on the guitar and opens his mouth and sings about being lonely and scared and unsure, about false starts and shaky ground and not knowing where you stand with someone, about expectations and lying awake at night and wishing so hard you were someone else, and bitty watches him sing and just kind of... realizes he’s head over heels for this boy and internally Freaks Out a little

he tries to put that aside and they start to write this song, at first it’s weird because jack’s like “all your songs are love songs i can’t really relate to happy love songs” and bitty’s like “listen... i’ve never even had a boyfriend i just write a bunch of sappy love stuff because it’s not about me it’s about whoever’s listening to it, they’re gonna project their own experiences on my music anyway so it doesn’t matter if it’s my real life or not” and jack’s like “alright while fake af that’s smart and i respect you” (what bitty doesn't say is that he writes about what he really wants which is to fall in love & be in a happy relationship)

they say they’re just gonna write this kinda vague sad song but they both secretly write lines about their actual lives so it ends up being really personal and real and raw for the both of them

they sing the song at open mic that saturday and the crowd at annie’s is never that big but they’ve never got a standing ovation here before, and some girl shouts “MAKE AN ALBUM” (it may or may not be lardo) and they both blush furiously and bitty’s like “... that was really nice, jack” and jack’s like “... yeah it was good good job you’re really getting some confidence out there nice work” (bitty: “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT AAAAH”)

around this time jack’s really thinking about what he’s gonna do when he’s done at samwell, talking with his parents and his agent and looking into different record companies and deciding if he wants to sign with anyone or possibly start his own company- the head of a small company called falcon records in rhode island has been talking to him a lot, and jack talks to bitty about how he thinks it’d be nice to start small, and the record exec georgia and the producer marty had both been really nice and welcoming, and bitty’s so happy for him but also just... sad that he won’t be around jack every day after he graduates

THEN at a haus party celebrating their win of a local choral competition, who shows up but none other than pop star kent parson to Ruin The Fun

bitty sees the way jack pales when kent walks in, notices them disappear upstairs together and feels a little sick worrying about jack but chalks it up to the highly alcoholic concoction shitty and lardo had cooked up but nonetheless decides he’s sick of the party and goes up to his room and hears.... a little too much

and YIKES he’s standing right there and kent parson, pop star, two-time grammy winner, is looking a little rumpled and staring right at him and he puts his hat on and clears his throat and snaps at jack- “hey. well. call me if you reconsider. but good luck with rhode island. ...i’m sure that’ll make your parents proud.” and jack’s shaking, and bitty doesn’t know what to do but jack goes back into his room and bitty’s just kind of standing there like What The Fuck

so.... he kind of stews over winter break but tries not to think about it too much and he and jack text a bit and jack tells him to practice and bitty’s like “oh, you” and jack’s like “im serious” and bitty’s like “>:( it’s christmas”

spring semester starts and they're doing well in competitions and they go to semifinals and then finals for a prestigious collegiate choir competition and the pressure is mounting but they all are so optimistic and really feel like they're on the same page and bitty’s confidence is better than ever and then.... they don't win

jack especially takes it very hard, but then he also has signing to worry about, which everyone helps him with and he decides to sign with falcon records and start work on an album after graduation

speaking of graduation, shitty and jack graduate and it's hard for them but harder for bitty who feels like he's losing jack in a way, he knows how intense jack gets when he's making music and it doesn't feel like he'll have any time for bitty anymore so when they say goodbye bitty goes back to the haus and listens to his and jack's song and just cries

but, like in canon, dadbob has words of wisdom to impart and jack has an "oh" moment and races across campus to kiss bitty

they get together and the next few months are spent with jack working nonstop on his album (which tbh, he'd had many of the songs written already so it's mostly recording and producing) and texting bitty constantly and coming to visit him and playing him demos of all the songs

jack also asks bitty if they can record the song they wrote together & have it as a bonus track on his album & bitty says of course, so when jack visits they set up an impromptu studio and record vocals in the guest bedroom and this deeply personal song they wrote before they were ever together means so much more to them now

and bitty is so happy but so scared and sad too because jack is playing him these songs telling him "they're all for you bits, & a lot of them are about you" and he just doesn't know how he's going to keep all this love inside even though it feels like jack's career is at stake

he tries to shove it down and stay strong though, especially since he's now an upperclassman and they're taking on new members- connor "whiskey" whisk (voice like finneas or the male singer in valley), a music business/ management major who seems to hate bitty's guts and tony "tango" tangredi (like chaz cardigan), a jazz composition major who astounds everybody with his endless questions but also his ridiculously impressive composition skills & naturally perfect pitch (he can also play saxophone??)

i want ford in this au so fuck it she is a composition major with dreams to write scores for musicals and she stars training as a barista at annie's (aka training to corral the smcc)

the pressure of it all proves to be a lot and bitty and jack have their hi, honey moment where bitty's like i can't be this deep in the closet!!! and so they tell the smcc and also jack's label that they're together and that eases things a bit

jack's album comes out to much critical acclaim and shouting in the groupchat ("#1 ON ITUNES BRAHHHHH!!!!!!!!") and several months later, when smcc has already been eliminated from choral competition in an earlier round, jack is nominated for SEVERAL grammys including best album, song of the year, and best new artist

when the time comes he takes his parents and bitty on the red carpet which, everyone keeps being like "who are you here with jack?" and he's like "my family and my good friend :)" and yes it is awkward

jack wins... all three awards. it's the comeback everyone is stoked to see and when his third win is announced, he and bitty are so elated that they kiss before he goes to accept the award

his speech is basically just "um... wow. thank you. i just kissed my boyfriend on live tv. this is amazing and i'm so humbled. i'd like to thank my boyfriend and georgia and marty and my parents and my friends and my boyfriend"

obviously the press has a FIELD DAY with this but bitty & jack are honestly vibing and so happy that it doesn't matter untiiiillll bitty's mom calls and he has to tell her "mama i'm gay and i'm going on tour with jack this summer okloveyoubye"

the last few months of bitty's junior year pass quickly and he's voted student director which is a huge honor considering how much he struggled with stage fright and confidence & how he'll now be stepping into ransom & holster's shoes

r&h and lardo all graduate (the smcc basically crashes the art school graduation and all scream when lardo gets her diploma lmao), which is a bittersweet occasion and they all do a bit of tearing up

that summer bitty goes on tour across the u.s. & canada with jack and his touring band (snowy is a bassist, tater is a drummer and poots does backing guitar, he also brings nursey to play violin on a few songs) as well as georgia who's there to manage logistics

and tour is so fun & chaotic with many bi and rainbow flags in the audience that end up thrown on stage and draped around jack's neck and they spend so many nights in the bus drinking and laughing and fooling around on the guitars and bitty's uke and exploring new cities bitty has never been to before and it's the freest bitty has felt in a long time

summer ends though, and jack leaves for the uk/europe leg of the tour, and with the new school year brings a few new members- river "bully" bullard (voice like gregory alan isakov), a music therapy major who draws his own cover art for his songs, lukas "louis" landmann (like jr jr), an electronic production and design major with a penchant for EDM, and johnathan "hops" hopper (like keiynan lonsdale), a film scoring major who wants to write music for movies and video games

bitty meets and befriends some of the other student directors- shruti, sd of the women’s contemporary chorus; sharon, sd of the chamber choir; and edgar, sd of jazz ensemble (even chad l., sd of the all-male a cappella group)

senior year passes similarly to the comic; coach visits and sees one of bitty’s competitions, jack comes to madison for christmas, smcc does well in competition and goes to regionals etc

however… bitty keeps putting off and putting off gathering the songs for his senior recital

he has a hard time doing that because he’s so focused on the group and making sure they’re performing well and as they advance in competition, everything else starts to fall away

eventually the rest of the smcc has to lock away his uke and change his youtube password and FORCE him to choose songs for it and start preparing because he cannot graduate without doing this recital and doing well on it

he chooses (of course) a beyonce song, a few of his own songs, an ellie goulding song, and an adele song

with all that his breath hitches and his hands shake before he goes on stage, he does really well and his voice instructor prof atley tears up a little in the audience as does his mom

meanwhile smcc goes to semifinals, then finals, of the national collegiate choral competition they participate in

and i imagine bitty faces somewhat less homophobia in this au because i mean, he’s in the performing arts, but i think it’s still there and he also faces a good amount of classism from richer students and performers who think they’re better because they had the resources and money to be performing professionally from a very young age, and he has been practicing via filming himself on a shitty camcorder and posting it to youtube

but they still get there! and the national finals are fucking HUGE and a big deal and a little overwhelming

bitty’s stage fright is Present because this is the biggest stage and the biggest stakes he's ever had and he has a big solo in one of their songs so if he fucks up, he fucks up a national championship for his whole group and school

luckily though, when he steps on the stage with his best friends and sees his boyfriend and family and smcc alums in the audience and they perform their first song, a high-energy pop medley that always gets the crowd going, everything seems to melt away and it's just him living in this moment and singing his heart out

when it gets to the next song and his solo, he forgets to be nervous and belts it out, getting screams of approval from the audience when he finishes

(dex and nursey do have a duet together that they had to practice for many long nights in the practice rooms alone but that's neither here nor there)

their time on stage seems to last both hours and no time at all and then they're done, the crowd gives them a standing ovation and it's at least 30% r&h & shitty's hooting and hollering and jack's enthusiastic clapping that makes bitty & the others beam with pride

then it's just waiting, giddy and nervous beyond belief in their green room, for the judging to be over

after what feels like forever they're back on stage, arms linked together waiting and hoping for their name to be called and it is, they win and it feels like years have built up to this moment, and bitty tears up because years ago when he was fainting from anxiety at having to perform in front of people he never could've imagined that he'd do this, that he'd be the student director that led them to a championship

they get the trophy and a ridiculous amount of flowers from their loved ones and they all are just in giddy disbelief that this is happening, they're national champs!!! they are the best choir boys in the nation!!

they come home and the rest of the school year passes by so quickly that it's very suddenly graduation and bitty can't believe his college career at samwell is over 😢

(he and ollie and wicky take pictures together, o&w talk about how excited they are to devote full time attention to their band & wedding planning and bitty's just like wait you're gay??)

bitty got plenty of offers from record companies but he likes his freedom of creativity and he has a built in fanbase from doing youtube all these years so he decides to make an album independently (jack helps him produce & master it 🥰)

when bitty's album comes out about a year later, full of bops about being gay and in love and having struggled but come out the other side more confident than ever, it doesn't get any grammy nominations- and he didn't expect or need that.

what it does do is it resonates. it makes the rounds in youtube and queer internet circles; people his age reach out to him saying this is the music they wish they had as a kid and kids reach out to him saying he's a role model and they're so glad to have his music to listen to. his album is written about as an underrated gem that shines with queer brilliance and is sure to start a party when it comes on.

his parents may not fully understand the road he's chosen for himself but they're still so proud and promote the album as hard as any of his loyal fans (especially the one country-inspired song on the album that he wrote and dedicated to them).

and jack, jack who saw this album from its infancy to its release date, who took the film photo that ended up being the album cover, who worked with bitty to make sure his vision was realized exactly how he wanted it to be, is proud beyond words.

jack starts using his semi-abandoned twitter again to tweet "stream [album name]" every day and bitty retweets them sometimes, with just a "this boy. ❤"

and they're happy. they're good. they have come so far and they are reaping the rewards of all the hard work they put in to make the music that they truly love.

the end :)

[goldenroutledge]

stand still

pairing(s): jj maybank x reader, platonic!pogues x reader

word count: 8.3k

warning(s): angst, slowburn, swearing, mentions of alcohol

a/n: this has been a long time coming so i hope y’all enjoy it! grab a snack cuz its a long one oops. also, i could only use 250 text blocks so that’s why the paragraphs are a lot longer than my usual blocking. i even had to delete a small scene y’all it was heartbreaking but now i know.... PLS LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!! ily :)

wanna know (part 1); jj maybank masterlist

© goldenroutledge || do not plagiarize, repost, or translate my work in any way

Life in Los Angeles was far from what you had expected. The city was vibrant and bustling, quite the opposite of the island you previously called home. You thought a part of you might miss the Outer Banks. To your surprise, you liked the west coast more than you thought you would. A second thought never even crossed your mind to pick up your phone and call anyone at all. The only ones who you kept in touch with were your parents and older brother, keeping them updated on your new adventures here and there. The new chapter was the true refreshment you needed. There was no small town drama, no avoiding people in hopes to not run into them, and most importantly no JJ Maybank.

Not to mention the chance to live lavishly, considering where you were residing in. Your cousin Layla lived in Beverly Hills, and it was quite an upgrade from where you had lived previously. Your uncle had initially bought the house, but as he was traveling around the world it didn’t seem that he was home much. You were thriving. Amazing weather, designer stores, what more could you ask for at eighteen. For the summer at least. In the fall semester you were going off to college at UCLA. But you might as well live it up while you could. Your friends left behind on the island couldn’t say the same, not for too much longer at least.

The setting sun peeked through the windows of The Wreck, the restaurant at capacity with the dinner rush of tourists. “I’ll have that right out for you ma’am.” Kiara told the customer, legs taking her back to the kitchen before she could think twice. “Kie.” A voice muttered from around her, barely within her earshot. “Kie!” They repeated themself, louder this time.

She looked in the direction of the voice, met with her floppy blond haired friend. A sigh fell from her lips before she kept walking. “What is it, JJ? Can’t you see I’m at work?”

“You wouldn’t answer my texts or calls. I had no choice.” He reminded her, quick on her heels although the revolving door was marked ‘Employees Only’.

“Excuse me if I didn’t know you could function without your new girlfriend.” She retorted.

Although he didn’t reply right away, she could feel him roll his eyes. “That’s exactly what I need to talk to you about. I need you to come to the Chateau. Please?”

“I’m not off for another hour, my dad needs me tonight.”

“I can wait.” He agreed. “As long as I can personally escort you there.” She shot him a look of warning.

“Fine. Now get out of the kitchen.”

-

“Finally.” JJ sighed, following Kie into the Chateau. “I know you all are upset with me for bringing Clementine to our bonfire but we need to talk about it at some point.”

“Why?” Kie shrugged.

“You just planned on ignoring me forever?”

“Just like you ignored the rules? Since when do we bring randoms to pogue sacred hangouts?”

“I get it, and I’m sorry, alright! But now she’s afraid to even come around here because you guys were rude.”

“Rude? Bro, you brought her to my house unannounced. What did you expect exactly?” John B chimed in. “We hadn’t even heard of her until you just rolled up on us like that. I mean not even a heads up?” He continued. “I get it and all JJ, but that was a slap in the face. I mean did you ever consider how we might’ve felt about that?” John B added.

“You crossed the line with this one, man.” Pope muttered to his friend.

“Like I said, I’m sorry but I can’t change what happened. I just can’t stand all of you mad at me.”

“Well, it seems one of us still is.” Kie insinuated. “Y/n’s not here.”

“She won’t return any of my calls or texts either, and I’m not gonna beg her to talk to me. This is on her now. Still can’t believe she didn’t even have the audacity to show, though.”

John B looked up at his friend with an uneasy look on his face. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry too much about her anymore.” The rest of the pogues stared at John B, all displaying confusion on their faces. “She left town this morning.” He revealed, holding up your folded letter in his hand. JJ scoffed, taking the paper from his friend and reading it carefully, before his facial expression turned to one of anguish as his eyes scanned your handwritten words.

my fellow pogues,

thought y’all should know i’m going away for a while. i’m so bored here, i don’t even know what i’m doing with my life. you guys know i’ve always been curious as to what life would be like on the mainland, so i feel like i need to find out for myself and experience it. please don’t be mad, or feel like i’m bailing on you, bailing on our dream. i hope one day we can have our pogues 4 lyfe t-shirt company, maybe even go full kook. i hope that pope can pay off all of his student debt, i hope kie saves all of the turtles, and jb will prolly marry rich anyway so the hell with him. i’m kidding, i love ya, booker. i love all of you. thanks for everything, i can’t thank you all enough. i’ll miss our days on the hms pogue, the keggers, our surfing days, being juvenile delinquents. if y’all ever feel the same way, i’m one call away ;) and as for jj, i hope you can move to figure 8 and have that koi pond full of fish. i hope you find a beautiful wife and start a family, even though that won’t be with me. i dont think i’ll ever get over you, but i have to let you go. i’m sorry that i’m leaving because you’re my soulmate but i’m not yours. maybe i should’ve told you sooner. i guess there’s certain people you can’t unlove, and i guess there is truth to ‘right person, wrong time’. hopefully we’ll meet again someday. be safe. and when the time is right maybe i’ll come back, please don’t forget about me. a piece of me will always be yours.

y/n

Pope and John B looked melancholy, not finding the right words for the departure of their dear friend. They had read the letter before JJ and Kie arrived, but neither knew how to bring it up. Kiara read bits and pieces over JJ’s shoulder, but he was too engrossed in the print to notice, his eyebrows scrunching unconsciously as confusion and hurt overtook him. Time stood still, and he thought if he couldn’t tell you how he felt the world would stop spinning on its axis. He had been a lousy friend lately, to you especially. Regret washed over him as he remembered the terrible things you would say to each other back and forth, even if it was only for fun. You left because of him. And living with that burden wasn’t something he could bear. Without a word, he rushed to John B’s kitchen drawer where he kept the keys to the Twinkie. Before he could rush back out of the front door, Pope spoke up. “Where are you going?”

“To stop Y/n. She can’t just leave like this, I gotta go find her.”

“It’s no use, JJ.” Kiara sighed. “I doubt she wasted any time. She’s already gone.”

“She’s not gone.” He spat in return. “She’s just waiting for me to apologize, and stop acting stupid. She’s at home, I bet. She’s probably pranking us.” The group watched the blond ramble, almost feeling sorry for him amidst dealing with their own feelings. “She wouldn’t just leave.”

“Except she did.” John B stated disappointedly, wandering into another room.

“Did you know, Kie?” He looked at her in the eyes, the letter still firm in his hand at his side.

She returned his gaze guiltily. “No, of course I wouldn’t just let her leave.”

“I’m not talking about that part. Did you know she loved me.” Her silence as her jaw slightly hung open was enough of a response for him, before he chuckled heartlessly and began running his fingers through his hair in distress.

“She made me promise, JJ. It wasn’t my place to tell you.”

“And THIS was?” He shouted, holding up the piece of now slightly crumpled paper. “In a fucking goodbye letter? Without even giving me a chance to explain myself?”

A moment of silence hovered over the group, before Pope spoke up. “To be fair, you never gave her the time of day. She was miserable watching you leave her behind. Ditching her for random girls. I could see it.”

JJ sat down, his foot tapping aggressively. “You should’ve told me.” He muttered.

“You should’ve noticed, maybe she’d still be here.” John B interjected coldly. Tears pricked JJ’s eyes, but he had too much pride to let them fall.

“Someone should’ve told me.” He repeated in a lower tone. His hands remained tangled in his hair as he sat still in the chair. “So I could’ve told her that I love her back.”

-

Across the country, you weren’t sure what you were expecting from the pogues. The flight to Los Angeles was long but worth it, being reunited with your cousin wiped all of your traveling thoughts away. “I can’t even believe I was able to get you out here, this is so unreal.” Layla raved from across the restaurant table.

“Me either, but I was bound to leave the island eventually, right?”

“Sure, but living on an island is like my dream. Beverly Hills is amazing but an island? You have to take me back there.”

You picked at your food with your fork, not interested in talking about the past you had just tried to leave behind. “I don’t know, not much to see really.” You shrugged.

“Except your friends and family are there, you wouldn’t wanna see them? Did you say all of your goodbyes?”

“Yep. I don’t really think I need to go back, though. I mean I just left.” You reminded her.

“True, but I wanna meet these friends of yours, too. I’m sure everyone would love to see you.” She suggested.

“I don’t know about everyone.” You mumbled, but she heard it clearly.

“As in?”

“No one important. Just maybe a few loose ends that I didn’t have time to tie up. But I’m sure they’ll move past it.” Layla’s eyes bore into you, wiggling her eyebrows in curiosity.

“Who’s the guy?”

“I never said anything about a guy.” You chuckled nervously, heat rising to your face.

“Y/n, it’s so obvious someone’s been on your mind. Spill the beans, babe.”

“He’s just an old friend. Nothing more.” You admitted reluctantly.

“So there is a guy?”

“Not anymore. I’m focused on the future, Layla.”

Almost as if on queue, the ringing of your phone drew your attention to the name displayed across the screen. An incoming call from JJ. Before spacing out and staring at the contact photo for too long, you declined the call and turned off your phone. You were hoping your cousin had been too focused on her food to not see your face, but she did. “That’s him? JJ? What does it stand for?”

You rolled your eyes, taking a long sip of your water. “Like I said, an old friend. If I wanted to talk to him I would’ve answered.”

The calls from JJ didn’t stop for weeks, which you were fed up with. You debated blocking his number for good but to see his face on your screen for a few seconds as you stared at the call was worth the annoyance. Sometimes he would call just for the hell of it. When he missed you and wanted to hear the short but sweet message on your voicemail. When he had a fight with his dad, or an exhausting day at work. He knew you wouldn’t pick up, but he needed to hear the voice he adored and loved so much. Blocking JJ would mean cutting that tie even further and that wasn’t something you were ready for, because even if you had physically left the Outer Banks, he was still there. In your mind, in your heart, and now in your long list of missed calls. Not to mention the calls here and there from your other friends, although you had opened up your text messages with Kiara, John B, and Pope several times. Staring at the screen for a number of minutes, beginning to type a somewhat suitable explanation or apology. A normal ‘Hey’ didn’t seem appropriate, but neither did anything else in depth. Not after you had poured your heart out via letter on John B’s kitchen table.

Back in the Outer Banks, your old home was quiet. Was meaning until JJ came knocking the same night you had left, met with your big brother Chance on the other side of the door. “What’s up, man? JJ, right?” He nodded, and before he could speak up he was cut off. “Y/n’s not around anymore if you’re looking for her. She left earlier today.”

If JJ wasn’t already in a state of sadness, his face would’ve dropped again at the painful reminder. “Yeah, that’s why I’m here. Where did she go, exactly?”

Chance hesitated. “I wish I could tell you, but I told her I wouldn’t give that out. Gotta keep my word, man.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry to bother you.” He apologized slowly before turning around.

“If it’s any help, I know she cared about you a lot, though. Worried about you, too. So if you ever need a place to stay for the night, our door’s open.” He called after JJ, who had frozen in his stance before giving your brother a tight lipped smile and nod.

“I appreciate that. Take care.” On the walk back to his house, he couldn’t take Chance’s offer off of his mind. Had you asked him to extend the invite? But surely if you wanted to be that inviting you would’ve at least called back. Even texted. He contemplated the offer more than he would have cared to admit.

He wondered if your room still felt the same, even if it didn’t have you in it. If he could smell your scent on the sheets and pillows. If you still had those pictures up of you both in your fondest times together. Probably yes to all three, which made the offer seem so enticing yet repulsive all in one. He would give anything to see just something of yours, something that reminded him of you. On the flip side, he didn’t know if he could take anymore reminders. The memory of you leaving would come crashing down harder than ever, and he couldn’t take it. The letter you had written remained in the same spot for weeks on the table where you had left it. JJ often found himself rereading it over and over as if the words would jump off the page and change somehow, just to make sure he was seeing correctly. And he was every time. Eventually, his emotions pent up to the point where he burned the letter. He didn’t have the strength to leave that as the last remembrance he had of you.

The boneyard seemed like the perfect place for JJ to drown out his sorrows and shake things off with the help of alcohol. Not that he really had a choice, though. Clementine was hell bent on partying whenever possible, considering they met at a party. As hard as it was, JJ had to put a smile on his face to keep his peppy girlfriend at ease. She had noticed a shift in his energy, but he only brushed it off as family problems. Opening up wasn’t his forte, especially about a girl he had loved for as long as he could remember. Talking to you was so easy, knowing you would never even think about judging him or turning the other cheek. Talking to his own girlfriend felt like moving mountains and it was impossible for her to understand him as well as you did. JJ presumed the kegger would lift his spirits, and it had for the most part. He seemed to be downing beers left and right, and in the end he only felt emptier than before. Clementine suggested the pair dance together on the beach with the rest of the tourons and pogues, music blasting from speakers on the bed of someone’s truck. He almost did, too, until the song switched to one that was all too familiar to him.

Disco by Surf Curse. Your song.

Memories of the two of you dancing to it rushed through his mind. It was a staple on both of your playlists. It was your go-to song to put on if he was having a rough day, or needed some cheering up. The song never failed to bring a smile to his face, because he associated it with you. The image was so clear he could’ve sworn he saw it as a hologram, despite his vision being slightly bleary. How your face lit up at hearing the first few chords of the song. The genuine smile that spread across your face as you playfully sang some of the lyrics to him. The feel of your arms wrapping around his neck, one of your bracelet clad wrists twirling his soft hair in your fingers. And how your eyes twinkled in the reflection of his as you gazed at him passionately.

But instead, he only saw a duller looking girl pestering him to go dance with her. “No, Clementine. Didn’t we already dance a bunch when we got here?”

“You’ve barely paid me any mind all night, J. Come on.” She whined, attempting to tug on his arm.

“I said no. I’m not feeling so well, I wanna go home.” She let go of his arm and sighed.

“Fine. I’ll drive.”

The ride back was silent. JJ didn’t have anything to say to the oblivious girl driving. What could he say? As he clicked the latch to undo his seatbelt, his girlfriend did the same. “I think I wanna be alone tonight.”

She scoffed. “Of course you do. What’s gotten into you lately? You’re never yourself anymore.”

“Goodnight, Clementine.” He muttered at last, trudging inside his house as the words of the song replayed in his head.

‘Cause there's nothing like it, locking my eyes with you’

-

For your first spring break in California, Layla insisted on bringing you out everywhere. There were certainly attractive men throwing themselves your way, but you weren’t ready for a relationship even months after leaving home. Moving on sounded appealing, but things from back home were still fresh in your mind. Sometimes you’d find yourself staring at old pictures as time passed by. You could’ve swore you were seeing things, laying out on the beach with Layla and a few of her friends. A tall blond had been playing football on the beach with some of his friends, and you had to do a double take to make sure it wasn’t JJ.

You were so spaced out in fact you hadn’t noticed one of his friends checking you out, until Layla pointed it out. “Holy shit, Y/n, have you seen that guy over there?” She nudged your shoulder and tilted her head in his direction.

“Not really.” You shrugged, lifting up your sunglasses.

“Are you kidding me? You have to talk to him or something. He’s the hottest one over there, and clearly likes what he sees.”

“Nah, that’s alright. All of the hot ones are taken anyways.”

“Well, how would you know unless you ask him?”

You chuckled softly at her persistence. “I guess I won’t be finding out then.” She rolled her eyes and mumbled some faux insults.

Layla clearly wasn’t the only one who noticed the boy staring your way, as his friends were nudging him towards you also. Somehow, on your way to buy a smoothie from down the beach, you caught a glimpse of the football coming at you in your peripheral vision. Before your mind could catch up with you, your reflexes luckily caught the ball, causing you to let out a sigh of relief. The same boy who had his eyes on you earlier was on his way over to you, as you threw the ball back to him in the process.

“Hey, sorry about that. That was a poor attempt at my idiot friend’s trying to get your attention.” He apologized.

“Oh, it’s okay.” You reassured him, smiling softly. Up close he definitely was as hot as Layla had said.

His toned body glistened with a light coat of sweat, he was practically glowing. He wore a simple gold chain around his neck, which you had to try to peel your eyes away from to avoid drooling. The way his large hands held the football, tossing it side to side mindlessly.

“Believe me, I’ve seen stranger attempts to get my attention.”

He chuckled. “I’m Jordan.”

“Y/n.” You replied with a smile, accepting the hand he held out for you to shake.

“Well, Y/n, you threw me one hell of a spiral. Ever considered playing quarterback?” You giggled at his charm, although you didn’t know if it was his charm that flattered you or if it was the heat damaging your brain.

“No, actually. My big brother taught me.”

He hummed. “I could use you on my team, you know. Tyler has about as much coordination as a 3 legged donkey.” You laughed again.

“I’d love to, but my cousin is waiting on her smoothie. I was on my way to go get it.”

“Ahh, I see. The one who’s been eyeing us like a hawk ever since we started talking?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“How about, we ditch our people and I buy you a smoothie instead. I kind of owe you.”

The offer made you grin up at him widely. “What for?”

“Tyler almost slicing your head off with this football. It’s a good thing you have fast reflexes, girl. So, may I?” He held out his hand for you politely.

“If you insist.” You finally agreed, placing your hand in his.

“It would be my pleasure, Y/n.”

-

Over the last few months, your relationship with Jordan blossomed far more than you had anticipated. A serious relationship wasn’t on your radar at all, but you had to admit you were caught off guard by how much you enjoyed your time with Jordan. Conveniently, he played football for UCLA, and you couldn’t be prouder to be the girlfriend of a football player. If someone foretold you this position you would be in 2 years ago, you would’ve laughed in their face. Maybe the things unplanned made for the best surprises.

Not only your relationship, but your vacation destination this summer. In merely a few weeks, you would be off to the Outer Banks for the summer with Jordan and Layla. They both had been pestering you about going back to your home for months, and it was only right for you to give in. At this point, you had nothing to hide from at this place in your life, but Jordan’s request did catch you off guard.

“Do you ever miss it, being away from home and all?” He muttered into your hair as you laid down. You thought about what he said for a minute, drawing shapes on his chest before answering him honestly.

“No, not really. I think moving out here was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, California is beautiful. The company isn’t so bad, either.” You teased, smiling against him.

“Very funny. Have you ever thought about visiting, though?”

“Layla’s been pushing me to bring her. Have you thought about it?” You asked.

“Of course. I’d love to see where you grew up. Or were you raised by wolves and this island is just a myth?” His question made you chuckle, as you actually might as well have been raised by wolves.

“No, it’s very much a real place. I think you’d like it there.”

“So, let’s do it. Layla’s already offered to rent a place for the summer.” The offer was tempting, and you never thought this was something you would even be considering. You sighed heavily before giving him an answer.

“Sure, let’s do it.”

-

Before you knew it, you were on a ferry back to the island. Your parents had showed up to wait for you at the dock, insistent on meeting your new beau they’ve heard so much about over the phone. You took in the air with a deep breath. “Home, sweet home.”

Once you all had settled into the summer home Layla was renting, the questions started falling from her lips. “So where are these friends of yours? You did tell them you’re in town right?”

“We just got here. Everyone’s off doing their own thing anyways.” You shrugged it off. You had to decide not to consider the possibility of running into your old friends. Surely they had moved onto bigger and better things like you had, who knew if they were even still around.

“I guess we’re stuck with you as our tour guide, then. What’s good to eat around here? I need some real food.” Layla admitted in reference to the airline snacks they had been served throughout their long day. “How about that place called ‘The Wreck’? It looked busy on our way over here, so it must be worth trying.”

You would’ve almost said yes had the owners not been the Carrera family. “Oh, um. I actually got.. food poisoning! I got food poisoning at The Wreck once so I haven’t been back since...” You lied. “I could just cook for you guys instead?”

“You know I can’t resist your cooking, baby.” Jordan chimed in.

Layla rolled her eyes at the way you looked and smiled at each other, already regretting being the third wheel on this vacation. “Whatever, just hurry please. I’m starving.”

-

Staying on Figure 8 for the summer was certainly a different experience than what you had been used to. Especially with the neighbors. None other than Topper Thornton resided in the home just across from yours, much to your distaste. “Y/n Yl/n?” Are my eyes deceiving me?” Topper slowly approached the driveway as you retrieved a missing piece of luggage from the trunk of your rental car.

“Afraid not, Topper. It’s really me.”

“I thought you left the island ages ago. It’s good to see you back, though. You look good.”

You quirked an eyebrow. “Is it? Aren’t I technically still a pogue?”

“Aww, come on, Y/n. Why can’t we leave the past in the past?”

“I guess so. How has the Outer Banks been treating you?”

“It hasn’t. I moved down to Florida months ago, I’m just back for the summer. I see you had the same idea.”

“Yeah. Just a nice break from Los Angeles. Who knew Topper Thornton would be a Florida man? I never saw you leaving this island.”

“And who knew Y/n Y/l/n would be a California woman? I doubt we’ve missed much around here, though.”

“Probably not.” You nodded, a moment or two of silence falling over you before your boyfriend strolled down the driveway.

“Hey, babe.” You greeted him. “This is Topper, an old... person I know. Friend would be a stretch.” Topper laughed at your description of him, accepting Jordan’s hand to shake. “And Topper, this is Jordan. My boyfriend.”

Topper raised his eyebrows and faked a look of surprise. “Impressive. Settling down, already.”

“I forgot to mention he’s a smartass too.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Topper. Y/n doesn’t talk about her old friends much.”

“I’d love to catch you up if she hasn’t.” He grinned at Jordan slyly.

“I’m sure you would, Topper. But Jordan and I have a brunch date, maybe another time.” You told the boy, smiling and dragging your boyfriend away as he waved goodbye to you both.

The brunch date wasn’t a total lie, as you had promised to take Jordan to one of your favorite restaurants around town. Layla was a late sleeper and decided she would pick up some groceries later, as the restaurant brunch times didn’t necessarily align with her sleep schedule. The look of Kildare County really was the same, and it appeared as nothing had changed. Sitting near the window in the restaurant, you did a double take and nearly spit out your half chewed waffle at the sight moving along the sidewalk. Clementine, JJ’s girlfriend. And a very pregnant one at that.

“You ok?” Jordan asked, concerned. You quickly grabbed ahold of your napkin and drank a large gulp of orange juice. Your eyes narrowed as you took another good look at her, and this time you were unmistakably sure. You didn’t know the status of the relationship between her and JJ, but you were assuming it was his. The large, predictably 8 month baby bump set the timeline in place for you, and it seemed to all add up at that moment. JJ was going to be a father. You avoided letting the shock show on your face or in your mood, continuing your meal in peace.

Sitting down with your thoughts back at home about what you saw at brunch made your head spin. Of course things had to be a little bit different, right? You just weren’t expecting them to be that different. Those thoughts were soon interrupted by Layla chatting with someone outside, before she came in to talk to you. “Y/n!” She chirped. You hummed in response.

“Grocery shopping was a huge success. I went to this place called Heywards? I think?” She told you, her tone laced with confusion as she tried to remember the name. You nodded, motioning for her to go on. “Well, this cute guy offered to help me with the groceries and basically like deliver them, instead. Since someone rudely took the car.”

Just as you opened your mouth to respond, a guy came in through the door. “Hey, Layla? I can pack the seafood in your freezer for you if you’d like-” Once he looked up to lock eyes with you, he froze in his tracks like a deer in headlights. “Y/n?”

“Hi, Pope.” You smiled softly at the sight of him. You always had a special friendship with Pope, and you trusted him more than anyone. Ignoring him and leaving without a goodbye was the hardest to do out of everyone else’s.

“Don’t tell me you two know each other, too. God, I love this small-town island shit.” Layla muttered to herself. You got up off of the couch to give Pope a bone crushing hug, which he gladly returned.

“Wow. It’s nice to see you, Y/n.”

“You too, Pope. I’ve missed you.”

“I wish you would’ve returned my calls.” He shrugged. “But yeah, I’ve missed you, too. We all have.” You nodded in thought, not knowing how to respond to his last comment. “So, how long are you staying?”

“2 months. Then it’s back to UCLA in the fall.”

“UCLA? Congrats, Y/n. That’s amazing.”

“Thanks.”

“I wish I could stay but I have some more deliveries to do today. Maybe we can catch up later?” He suggested.

“Yeah, maybe.” You confirmed with a grin.

-

Little did you know, ever since your departure, the dynamic between the pogues had shifted drastically. They hardly shared glances with one another in public, let alone hang out together like old times. It wasn’t the same without you there, and the loss was too great for any of them to deal with. They individually dealt with it on their own instead, because together they only bumped heads. Pope was attending college as far as you knew, which was another thing you had to catch up about. Unbeknownst to you though, JJ had kept up a job at the Island Club for several months now. Of course Topper had been well aware of it, being such a frequent customer.

“Hey, Maybank.” He greeted with suspicious friendliness.

“What can I do for you, Topper? You can’t polish your own golf clubs?”

Topper let out a deep chuckle at JJ’s words. “That’s no way to treat a loyal client! I come bearing some information that might be of good use to you.” JJ quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh, really? Like what?”

“Like, your long lost love Y/n has come back to town, ran into her this morning in my neighborhood. She’s renting the Glisson’s vacation house for the summer. She looks good, too. Thought maybe you’d wanna know so you can take a look for yourself.” Topper winked, before walking off and leaving a bewildered JJ to himself.

He had hardly heard your name in months, let alone had the opportunity to see you stand right in front of him. As his shift finished up, he came to a decision. He was determined to see you before you had the chance to flee again, he just needed to explain himself. Even after all of this time, he needed to do it for himself. Rational or not.

His body felt too heavy and tired to put effort into his signature knock, ringing the doorbell of the large mansion instead. You had been napping, but just about to join Layla and Jordan for dinner. JJ didn’t know what he had been expecting when he came to pay you a visit, but it certainly wasn’t to be met with a man on the other side of the door. “What’s up, man? Are you the pizza delivery guy?” Jordan asked, looking around outside.

“Uh- I- no. Is Y/n here?” He stuttered out.

“Who’s asking?” Jordan questioned defensively.

“Oh, I’m just an old.. friend of hers. Wanted to see if she was around to talk. The name’s JJ.”

“Jordan. Y/n’s boyfriend.” He nodded with a tight-lipped smile before calling you downstairs. “Babe! There’s someone here to see you!” He turned back towards JJ. “Come on in, man.”

Making your way down the grand staircase in only Jordan’s larger t-shirt and some tight sleep shorts, you yawned. In fact, you presumed it was Pope showing up for that chat you had discussed earlier. When you were met with JJ’s sea blue eyes staring back at you, nothing could’ve braced you for that moment. Jordan pressed a kiss to your forehead before walking off, giving you both some privacy.

“Hi.” You swallowed harshly, your mouth running dry already.

“Hi. Long time, no see.” Despite your casual attire, you still looked absolutely beautiful to him. It was refreshing to finally see you, and not just on his phone or through a glass picture frame. The pause of silence felt like an hour, before he spoke up again. “I came here to explain myself, I was really hoping we could talk.”

You looked behind you towards the kitchen to be sure Jordan was invested in something else before responding. “Not here. JJ, this really isn’t what I came back for anyways. I mean we can just leave the past in the past, right?”

“Not about this we can’t. You keep slipping away from me, Y/n. I can’t let it happen again. You should at least hear me out.”

You shook your head, blocking away any other feelings you could still have for him besides heartache. “I’ve moved on, JJ. I have a whole new life. There’s nothing you can say that will change that.”

“I know. It was stupid for me to think you haven’t moved on after all of this time.”

“I already gave you so much of my life. You can’t ask anymore than that.”

“I know.” He admitted, moving back towards the door. “But, please, consider it at least. Promise me you’ll think about it?”

“Maybe, JJ. I’ll come find you if I make up my mind.”

“Ok.” He agreed.

“Ok.” You repeated, closing the door that was now in front of him.

It was a good thing you had napped that day, as you got zero sleep that night. You had pictured your first encounter with JJ over and over in your head, but never did you imagine it would happen like that. You had been so caught off guard that your heart took forever to stop racing. Jordan had to ask if you were okay from your excessive fidgeting and movements as you tossed and turned in bed beside him. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

-

If you were going to face JJ, what was the point in hiding from the others. No, you may have not decided to throw yourself in their faces, but you were familiar enough to know their patterns. Even after all of this time. Because in the Outer Banks, time really did stand still. “How about we try The Wreck for lunch?” You brought up to Layla.

“What about your freakish food poisoning story?”

“Ehh, maybe it was a little fib. Who cares who I run into, right? I don’t want that to stop us from having a kick ass vacation.”

“Alright, then, little cousin. The Wreck it is.”

Once you were seated, the face of your familiar waitress was priceless. She lit up with joy before practically shrieking. “Y/n!?” She dropped her pad and pen, pulling you into her embrace as you stood up in front of her. You both swayed back and forth for a minute, which made you both giggle. “How the hell are you? It’s been forever!”

“I’m great, Kie. You?”

“Even better now that you’re here, in the flesh! Wow. I’m actually shocked.” She expressed as her mouth slightly hung open. “Yeah, me too, I guess. Even though this isn’t really my stomping grounds anymore. It’s great to see everyone.”

“Are you kidding me? Kildare will always be your stomping grounds.”

You sighed. “Doesn’t feel too much like home, anymore. I, um- saw someone last night. They came by actually.” If there was anything about Kiara, it’s that she could read any and everyone. So by the look on your face, she didn’t even need any verbal affirmation as to who this mystery person was. Layla had said a brief hello before excusing herself to the restroom, probably feeling like a third wheel all over again.

“What did he say?” Kie inquired.

“Not much, just that he wants to talk. About my letter I’m guessing. But I don’t know if I want to, Kie. I mean, I just got a bit of security in my life. Found a real relationship and here comes you-know-who, trying to dismantle everything.”

She smiled at you sympathetically. “He can only dismantle your life if you let him. Does he know about your new man?”

You sighed once again. “Yeah, but what’s the harm in hearing him out? I think you might be interested in what he has to say.” Your expression was one of confusion, as you thought Kiara might know a little more than she led on.

“As in?”

“I’m really not sure. We haven’t spoken in a long time, actually. Just do what you feel is right, and it’ll be the right decision. Also, I hope you’re falling in love with the person, and not just the feeling of being loved back. I should get back to work, Y/n/n. But I hope we’ll have a chance to hang out sometime.” She told you.

“I hope so, too.” You agreed, though your smile faltered at one of her points. Falling in love with the feeling of being loved back. ‘Damn she’s good’, you thought. You could add that to your list of things keeping you up at night. Just as Kiara had turned away with a smile, Layla came back to join you.

“You good? You’ve been acting strange since dinner last night.”

“I’m just peachy, Layla.”

-

The kook party you had been invited to was just like ones you had been to as a younger teen, and it was nice that the parties were another one of the many constants in the Outer Banks. Jordan had started making friends already, which you had mixed feelings about. You had been too busy being whisked away by Sarah to know what he was up to. Unfortunately, Topper had a lot to do with it. He had been playing pool along with Jordan and some other kooks, when your name happened to be brought up. “You know, we were surprised at hearing Y/n has a real boyfriend and all.”

Jordan raised his eyebrows. “And why is that?”

Topper shrugged. “No reason in particular. Just her and the pogue, JJ Maybank, have some.... history.” He smirked, taking a swig of the mysterious liquid filling his solo cup.

“Really?” Jordan questioned. “I thought they were just old pals.”

“Old pals who were in loooveeee.” Kelce quipped childishly. Jordan hummed in response, keeping to himself.

“Yeah, man. I’d watch your back if I were you. Don’t put anything past that filthy pogue.” Topper spat.

Somewhere in the mix, you were able to spot JJ and drag him outside to the side of the house. The conversation between the two of you had weighed on you and you could hardly take the anticipation any longer. The alcohol in your system wasn’t a help either. “Talk.” JJ looked taken aback, but you just wanted answers. “You wanted to talk, so, spit it out.”

“Not here, let’s go sit down somewhere.” He led you by the arm towards a dock, legs dangling off the edge as you sat beside one another. He sighed, gathering his words together and choosing them carefully before he said them. “Ok, let me just start from the beginning. You shouldn’t have left so fast. You should’ve let me explain myself, things would be a lot different between us now.”

“Why would I set myself up for that kind of humiliation when you’d tell me you didn’t feel the same? I had no choice. You have a pregnant girlfriend anyway, I don’t see why it matters now.”

“It does matter now.” He paused. “Clementine and I broke up. Baby’s not mine. That’s why we broke up. But if it hadn’t been for that, it would’ve been for something else.” You refrained from sighing in relief at the confession and stayed calm, fidgeting with the jewelry on your fingers. “What I mean is, I couldn’t keep kissing her and pretend she’s you. No one ever will be.” Your eyes snapped up to meet his loving gaze, but you couldn’t bear to hold eye contact to too long. “And it always will be you.” You shook your head, closing your eyes to keep the forming tears at bay.

“You don’t get to tell me this now. I’m happy with my life.”

“You’re happy with keeping me out of it. And you’re upset that I’m telling you now, and if that’s any indication, you still love me too.” A tear or two fell from your eyes, as you had to take deep breaths. Your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest. “Tell me you love me, too.” He pleaded in a whisper. “Please? Just once. Y/n, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for those words to come out of your mouth.”

By now you were both standing up, as he looked down at you in the moonlight. You shook your head in denial once again, scurrying off after saying. “No, JJ. I- I can’t.”

The party inside the house was still booming, but your spirits didn’t match the vibes. Jordan’s didn’t either, not after what he had been told. While you were talking to JJ, he had still been inside getting stories fed to him about the never ending love story between you and JJ. He had seen you leave with him, and he didn’t know why he was so upset. But now his intuition told him the worst, and he couldn’t let this go on any longer. He saw the way you still looked at JJ, even after all this time. All when he had thought that he had been your first love, only to find out he was far from it. “Y/n, we need to talk.” He grabbed your arm, turning you to face him under the nearby streetlight. He could see the tear stains on your cheeks which confirmed his intuition had been right. You still loved JJ. You wouldn’t be crying otherwise. You attempted to wipe the still fresh tears away before he started talking again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” You looked at him innocently, which only made him angrier that you were still hiding the truth.

“About you and JJ. You didn’t feel like you should’ve maybe brought that up?” You attempted to cover it up, but he was successful at interrupting. “No, Y/n. You lied to me. If he’s just an old friend, do you still love him?” You tried to shake your head no but you felt frozen, as a new set of tears lined your tired eyes. You didn’t make a sound, only a quiet sniffle. “That’s what I thought.”

“I can explain-”

“Explain what? That he’s the reason you’ve been avoiding coming back here? That I’m just your rebound? Y/n I should’ve heard it from you, not randoms at a party.”

“Jordan, you were never a rebound. JJ is my past, you are my future.” You tried to reach your hand to cup his face, to which he only stepped away to avoid your touch.

“Then why do I feel like you’d be happier with him.” You scoffed.

“What do you want me to do, Jordan? Say fuck our relationship and run off into the sunset with him?”

“Either that, or I’ll be competing with how you feel about him for the rest of our time together. And I don’t want to compete with anyone. You’re either all in or not.”

“Like you are? It’s not easy to watch girls throw themselves at you, either. But I still deal with it, because I love you. Don’t you get that?”

He chuckled heartlessly. “It’s not that you love me, it’s that you still love him even more.” You didn’t protest his statement. The both of you stared at each other for a few seconds before he made up his mind. “Goodbye, Y/n. I’ll be gone by morning.”

Your feet took you to the only place you knew to go. A treehouse near the Chateau, a spot where you and JJ used to spend quite a bit of time. It held so many memories, and it was almost like a second home to you, oddly enough. Climbing the rope ladder to get inside and opening the trapdoor, a figure had already been sitting in the space. JJ. Of course he would be here now. You sighed. “Sorry, I-I can go.”

His head shot up at you from the position he held it in his hands. “No! Stay, please.” He let out the last part softly. Reluctantly, you pulled yourself up to sit in the treehouse in front of him, the small window to the side allowing the only source of light. Something snapped in you, and the floodgates opened as you let out quiet sobs muffled by the palm of your hand. JJ shuffled over to sit beside you, throwing an arm over your shoulder and holding you to his chest.

“Don’t cry, Y/n/n. You know I can’t stand to see you upset.” He muttered sympathetically, followed by some sweet nothings to calm you down.

“Jordan broke up with me.”

JJ would’ve smiled on any other occasion, but the circumstances already had his demeanor down anyways. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, I hope so. We had only been together 3 months.” You shrugged, leaning into JJ’s embrace. “Still hurts, though.”

“I’m sorry if I had anything to do with it, y’know.” He muttered into your hair.

“You didn’t. It had more to do with me, I guess.”

“Anyone would be lucky to have you. He’s a fool for not seeing it.” You chuckled, looking up into his eyes. “Of course you would say that.” You sighed, speaking up again after a pause. “Who knows if I’ll ever get over you, Maybank.”

“Who says you have to?” You only smiled, and sat in the comfortable silence, listening to the leaves rustle around through the wind. “I’m glad I told you that I loved you. Or, that I love you.” He corrected himself. “I always have, Y/n.” You felt so much younger again, hearing the words fall from his lips as you smiled foolishly. You didn’t know what you were doing, before you pressed your lips to his sweetly. It didn’t last long, you being the first one to break away. But he cupped your face and pulled you in again, this time with more passion. He couldn’t get enough of the feeling, he wanted this moment to last forever.

“I love you, too.”

It was his turn to smile foolishly, and your eyes couldn’t help but twinkle at the sight as he brushed his thumb across your warm cheek. The moment you each had been longing for had happened, and it couldn’t be more perfectly imperfect. Neither of you knew what the kiss meant for you two moving forward, or if you were just making up for lost time. But you had the whole summer to figure it out.

a/n: let me know what you guys think pretty please!!

taglist: @ilovejjmaybank @rosylinn @nxsmss @cameronsrafe @msgorillagripcoochie @bibliophilewednesday @tovvaa @freddymaybank @annab-nana @babeyglo @sunsetholland @moniamaybank @outerbankspreferences @laneybobeczko-g @jjpouggues part 2 taglist: @ifilwtmfc @iccyyyybitch @gwenthwips @obxmxybxnk @pen1s-parker-peter @lillymitl @canyoubuymetoast @mrsweasley05 @randomwritings

[mrkcore]

𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄 - 𝐥.𝐦𝐤

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: mark lee x y/n (ft. minor appearances of johnny)

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: college!au, aged down mark

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: mark said forever, even in his songs, but you should have known better. based off of olivia rodrigo’s new single, drivers license.

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: angst, i’m sorry in advance

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): cheating/infidelity, heartbreak  

𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨: drivers license - olivia rodrigo

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.2k 

𝐚/𝐧: this was finished at 2 am again, so please excuse me if this is incoherent 😌 also, i changed around the order of some lyrics and deleted some sections to fit the story, so it’s not 100% the same. feedback is always welcomed!

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @nakamotocore​, @astroboy-lele, @infnteen (comment here to be added!)

it was always so simple. even though mark was a year older, you guys planned it out. same university, same program, just different years. as simple as that. or so you thought.

i got my driver's license last week 

just like we always talked about 

'cause you were so excited for me 

to finally drive up to your house

but today i drove through the suburbs 

crying 'cause you weren't around 

mark started meeting you less often when he entered college. you didn’t think much of it, people always said the first year of college was the hardest. you just assumed the workload was catching him off-guard and he was too busy.

you didn’t tell him about getting your driver’s license. you wanted to surprise him. and you thought that if he was too busy, you’ll just go and visit him instead. before mark graduated, you guys would always be sneaking out at the crack of dawn in his white volkswagen, driving to the nearest mcdonalds, ordering whatever you craved. no cares or worries in the world. 

“hey, when are you going to get your license anyways?” mark asked you one night. “i’m always the one driving, am i your personal chauffeur or something?”

“hmm, what if you are?” you tease him. mark shoots daggers at you. “i’m kidding, i’m kidding! maybe next year, when i turn 18.”

“i’m excited.” he leaned back into his seat. “you’d be able to visit me whenever.”

“i’d annoy you.” you snort. he chuckles and playfully hits you.

“you know you’d never.” he looks at you, like he really meant it.

but he didn’t. because now, tears flow down your face as you drive home in your car from mark’s university.

and i know we weren't perfect, but i've never felt this way for no one 

and i just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that i'm gone 

guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me 

'cause you said forever, now i drive alone past your street 

mark was always super passionate about songwriting. and when you guys were introduced to each other in guitar club of your freshman year, he finally found a companion to confide his interest in. when you guys snuck out, he would always bring his computer, speakers, and guitar. he’d play you the demos and songs that he had made and would want your opinions on them.

“how does it sound?” he asked you, pressing pause on his computer. it was the last day before the summer of freshman year for you, and he said he wanted to show you ‘something special’.

“yeah it’s pretty good, i think you could do a more complex guitar riff though? it would sound sick if you used E minor and riffed off onto the E major.” you suggested and turned to face mark’s smiling face. “what are you staring at?” you poked him.

“i wrote this about you, you dummy.” he flicked your forehead. “could you not tell?”

“ow, no?” you rubbed to soothe where he flicked you. “its too cheesy, and ‘that sun shining on me, my heart alive and breathing i want only one with you, all the things you make me do for you’? nah, mark lee has a little crush on someone.” you wiggled your eyebrows.

“yeah,” you whipped your head around. “you.” your brain stopped and all you feel is your heartbeat racing. you had never been romantically interested in mark, only friends. but that day changed it all.

“ayo, stop playing the innocent freshman girl.” you huff out. “i have a weak heart.” he taps your chin and turns your face back around.

“dude, i’m not playing.” he gazes into your eyes. “i’m serious, no joke.” your heart starts beating faster, the butterflies in your stomach are wild and your breaths are accentuated by the silence in the car. 

and that’s when he leans in. pressing his soft, watermelon chapstick flavoured lips onto yours. 

you close your eyes and you feel like you’re dreaming. 

“did that prove it?” he says when he pulls away, grinning at you.

“you’re pretty bold making a move on a freshman, bro.” you roll your eyes but your insides feel warm and fuzzy. “and you stole my first kiss!” you exclaim as you push him lightly and he puffs out in disbelief.

“what else do i gotta do to prove to you that i’m for real?” he says, crossing his arms.

“pinky promise me,” you say. “that you won’t leave and you’ll love me forever.” reaching out your pinky. mark laughs, his pinky intertwined with yours.

“now who’s the one who’s cheesy?” he teases. laughing as you angrily attempt to hit him. “i’m joking, i promise, forever.”

you should have known better, promises were made to be broken. but the sticky sweet watermelon flavour stuck on your lips blind you.

and all my friends are tired 

of hearing how much i miss you, but i kinda feel sorry for them 

'cause they'll never know you the way that i do 

yeah, today i drove through the suburbs 

and pictured i was driving home to you 

you know your friends are tired of you rambling about mark. even though they’ve endured it for 3 years already, they don’t see why you’re still talking about him even when he’s gone. you don’t really blame them though. you ditch them to hang out with mark all the time, it was like he was the higher priority than they were, but you were just realizing.

but could they blame you? mark was the definition of dreamy. anyone in your position would understand and agree. all of the fun, secrets, journeys, songs you shared, you felt like nobody knew him like you did. you felt like you were on cloud 9. 

but now is too late, as you realized after mark left that there was no one else that you would, could drive and feel at home with. you feel empty.

and you're probably with that blonde girl 

who always made me doubt 

she's so much older than me 

she's everything i'm insecure about 

yeah, today i drove through the suburbs 

'cause how could i ever love someone else? 

you felt like you had been stabbed in the chest. you stood there frozen, heart aching and numb. 

mark told you the address and room of where he was living before he left. when you arrived, you met johnny, mark’s roommate. he said mark was at the production studio probably and he could walk you to where it was.

when you arrived, you saw the back of mark’s head and the back of the sweater you gave him before he left. and right beside him, a blonde girl. sitting comfortably with her head rested on his shoulder. you stood there shocked. forgetting that johnny was standing beside you, he notices the change in your mood and asks if you were okay.

“oh, yeah i’m fine. i was just checking up on him, his mom wanted me to, haha.” you tried to laugh it off. “he needs to call them back to reassure them he’s not dead yet.” johnny’s laugh echos in your ears as you reassure yourself that they’re just friends. nothing’s going on between them, mark is just a super nice person.

“that’s kim aera by the way. the TA for mark’s producing class. i think she’s in her third year? anyways, mark really enjoys working with her. it’s like he lives in the studio, he’s always asking her for suggestions and other stuff.” johnny explains. you tense up, you were the only person that mark had wanted to ask suggestions from. pause, you were. not anymore. but it makes sense, she’s the TA, she obviously had more knowledge and experience in the studio. and she’s more, accessible… “what’s the deal between you two though? mark never mentions anything to me, what’s your name?” johnny snaps you out of your daze. 

“oh, uh, i’m y/n, mark’s family friend.” you try to cover up the nervousness and cracking in your voice. “yeah. our parents are close, so her mom can count on me to report on him. haha.” you laugh lightly. “i’m going to get going now, mark is obviously intact, so that’s good. i’ll catch you around.”

“oh cool. see you.” johnny waves, and you walk out the door.

you try to convince yourself that there’s nothing going on between mark and this aera, but reassurance won’t make the truth disappear. 

you come back a few weeks later. you thought that after finals, he might be more free, and you guys could finally hang out for once. you thought that after hanging out again, everything would go back to normal. he’d go back to texting you, showing you new songs, and maybe hanging out more often as well.

“oh hey y/n, you’re back?” johnny answers the door once again. “he’s at the studio right now, do you need me to walk you there?”

“i think i’m good, i remember where it is. sorry for disrupting you. bye.” you smiled, and after johnny waves back and closes the door, you walk towards the studio.

you think of many different scenarios of how this will play out, but this isn’t what you expected. 

you walk into the studio, about to call mark’s name, but you see the blonde locks again. 

“thanks for helping me out with the lyrics, you’re really good with words.” mark says, smiling. “i think you’re a great role model.” 

you feel a little jab at your side. lyricism was never your strong suit. you could write beautiful melodies and harmonies, but the words never seem to come out.

your heart stops. right when their lips lock. with the way her arms are pulling mark in by his nape, you can tell that she’s more experienced. you felt like you had been stabbed in the chest. you stood there frozen, heart aching and numb. you bolt out the door, you feel suffocated. you really were naive. if this is what heartbreak feels like, you don’t think that falling in love is worth it anymore.

you don’t look back. that’s the last time you ever see mark again. 

apparently johnny asked mark about you.

“hey mark,” johnny calls out. “how was your meeting with your family friend y/n yesterday?” 

mark stops dead in his tracks and his heart sinks. you came to see him? how come he didn’t see you? how did johnny know your name? and, why were you his family friend?

“oh uh, yeah it went well, thanks for telling me anyways.” mark escapes to his room.

mk.l

hey

did you come to see me?

you

no

why?

mk.l

oh, nevermind then.

johnny probably got the name wrong.

red lights, stop signs 

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 

sidewalks we crossed i still hear your voice in the traffic

we're laughing over all the noise 

god, i'm so blue, know we're through 

but i still fucking love you, babe 

the world was quieter and stopped spinning. that feeling of being on top of the world all the time stopped too. you stopped going on your phone, you stopped socializing with people in general to be honest. you didn’t know how to face anyone. everywhere you went, everything you did, reminded you of mark. mark’s laugh, mark’s random nose scrunches, mark’s favourite songs, mark’s guitar, mark’s self-written melodies. you can’t go to mcdonalds, you can’t watch the sunset inside your car at the parking lot behind your local church, you couldn’t even pick up your guitar anymore. your melodies and harmonies didn’t come as smoothly anymore. you felt sick, you didn’t want to do music. it’s just not the same anymore. you didn’t feel like you had a purpose. 

but you slowly got back up. music became your way of coping. listening to other people’s songs about heartbreak, you felt like you weren’t alone. your first heartbreak, no one there to teach you about it, and no one there to comfort you. so you did it yourself. you had no musical purpose, but now, your music was for you, your own personal expression. all the harmonies, melodies, colours, came back to you. and unexpectedly out of the blue, the words came to you too. 

i know we weren't perfect, but i've never felt this way for no one 

and i just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that i'm gone 

'cause you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me 

'cause you said forever, now i drive alone past your street 

yeah, you said forever, now i drive alone past your street

the backing instrumentals fade out and the emotion in your voice trickles into the darkness of mark’s room as he closes his laptop. 

you found your words. he thinks, smiling sadly. finally.

©mrkcore, 2021.

[berrynarrybanana]

Me and You Together

A/N: Hello! I would like to say first of all that ^ is not my gif. I had it saved on my computer from somewhere and it just felt perfect for this. I do love my little sweet pea and frat boy Harry, but I also feel like I’ve done them dirty in this fic. I wanted to add more angst, but we all know I’m shit at that kind of stuff bc I’m soft at heart. Anywho, I really hope that you enjoy this and I just want to thank the lovely @stellarboystyles​ for putting together this little fic challenge. Congrats on 3 years babe! I hope that you like this story and that I have done this celebratory moment justice! 

Word Count: 11.9 k 

Warnings: Alcohol, smut, pining, Louis being a dickhead, a mean roommate

Trope: Best Friends to Lovers with Frat Boy Harry 

Prompt: “Just sit on my fingers. Yeah, just like that.” (this is all the way at the end tbh, just a heads up lol) 

P.s I know nothing about frat’s honestly and I just tried to avoid that the best that I could but fratboy!h lives in my mind rent free and I wanted to write it so....yeah.

September

Piper’s POV 

I rolled my head back on my neck, looking up at the ceiling as my roommate sighed. 

“Has anyone told you that you’re a selfish bitch?” Carli asked, her perfectly manicured nail resting on the cheap, wooden door of our dorm room. “I’m trying to unwind and relax after an extremely hard week and you’re ruining it for me.” 

“I live here too!” I felt my brows pull together in frustration as I adjusted my bag on my sore shoulders, shifting from foot to foot. “The least you can let me do is come in and change before you start fucking.”

“You’re killing my mood!” She groaned, holding her hand out. “Give me your fucking bag and tell me what you need.” 

“Carli-”

“Tell me what you need or I’m shutting this door in your face, I swear to god.” She snapped, her brows arching up as she wiggled her fingers at me. “You have five seconds.” 

“Fine!” I said, shrugging my bag off my tired shoulders. “I need my purse, a black t-shirt, and a jacket.” 

“Great.” 

She slammed the door in my face, flicking the lock as I brushed my hands over my face angrily. 

College was not supposed to be like this. 

The next four years of my life were meant to be spent making new friends and partaking in fun activities on campus. So far, the only person I knew was Carli and she most definitely hated my guts with a burning passion. I wasn’t sure why she hated me so much when I mainly kept to myself, hunched over my desk with headphones on for most of the night when I studied. I hardly ever talked to Carli besides the odd argument about my typing being too loud and my presence being too...obvious. I hated every second of college so far and this wasn’t helping me at all. 

I was moments away from having a breakdown, the build up creeping up my throat as I stood there in the hall, waiting for Carli as everyone else stared at my back. I tried not to let their prying eyes bother me, but I could feel the hairs standing up on the back of my neck as I crossed my arms over my chest. I tried to distract my mind, thinking about where I was going to go while Carli got her rocks off in our shared room. Maybe the library? Maybe a cafe?

Just as I started listing off cafes in my head, the door opened just a crack. 

“Here’s your stuff, don’t come home before midnight.” She stuck a hand out, her voice muffled by the door. I rolled my eyes, grabbing my things from her hands. “Bye, Pippi!”

“It’s Piper, you unbearable asshole.” I sighed, holding my stuff close to my chest as frustrated tears started to accumulate behind my eyes. “I hope you don’t have an orgasm.” 

I turned on my heels, ready to storm towards the communal bathroom so I could change and collect myself before leaving. I only made it halfway down the hall when I heard someone shouting behind me. I wasn’t sure they were actually calling out for me until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I stopped in my tracks, sniffling as I reached up to wipe at my cheeks. 

“Piper, hold on.” The girl who was calling my name stepped in front of me, letting out a shuddery breath. She only had eyeshadow on one of her perfectly shaped eyes and a makeup brush in her hand as she stopped. “I just wanted to say that I am so sorry your roommate just did that to you. You can use my room to change if you’d like? I know the communal bathroom doesn’t always offer the most privacy and my roommate is never home. I’ll stand outside and everything!” 

“You don’t have to do that.” I sniffled before offering her a forced smile. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with teasing right now. “But thank you.” 

“I insist.” Her brown eyes looked softer as she spoke, her hand falling to her side. “My name is Eleanor. I think we have Modern English together.” 

“Piper.” I said. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?” 

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I don’t mind it at all, babes.” 

Eleanor left me in her room to get dressed, politely standing outside as I collected myself. 

I took a few deep breaths, trying to compose myself as I stripped out of the blouse I had been wearing all day. I pulled my black t-shirt on, huffing when I realized that this wasn’t the one I actually needed. This one was meant for darker jeans and a pair of heeled boots. This top was meant for parties and bars, not a cafe. The criss crossed pattern was far too fancy for a late night cup of coffee and a lonely piece of cheesecake. 

When I opened the door, my old shirt bundled up in my hand, I smiled at Eleanor. 

She looked over my outfit, her eyes growing wide. 

“You look great!” She said. “Do you have plans tonight?” 

“I was just gonna go to Fitz and Co for coffee and dessert.” I gave her a nervous chuckle, clutching my old shirt in my hands. “Probably going to wander around campus after to kill time.” 

“Don’t take offense,” She gave me a sweet smile, her accent growing thicker with each word she spoke. I hadn’t noticed it all that much before when my emotions were on overdrive and my mind was swirling with anger. “But that sounds absolutely dreadful and you deserve to have a little bit of fun. It’s Friday night for fuck’s sake and we’re in Uni!”

“I don’t really know anyone on campus.” I shrugged. “I’ve not made a ton of friends yet, you know?” 

“I do, actually.” She nodded. “If I had to say, you’re the first person I’ve tried to make conversation with since I’ve been here. I’m going to a party tonight because my boyfriend’s frat is hosting it, and he’ll just text me all night if I don’t go.”

“That sounds like fun.” I said. “Thank you for helping me out and offering me your room. I really hope you have fun tonight."

“Why don’t you come with me?” She asked. “I know frat parties sound horrible after all the stuff you see in films, and a lot of them are pretty shit, but I would love to have a drinking buddy.” 

“I don’t want to impose.” I said. “I’m sure you want to spend time with your boyfriend.”

“Nonsense, he sees me everyday.” She shook her head. “I would love to have someone to chat with that isn’t one of his football friends from back home.” 

“Um, okay.’” I shrugged. “I guess that’s not too horrible and I kind of owe you one.”

“You won’t regret it.” 

                                         🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

“So the house shouldn’t be too crowded.” Eleanor pulled her flannel tighter around her body, hunching over as the wind whipped around us. “A few of the guys are still out getting alcohol and people aren’t supposed to start showing up for another hour at least.”

“That’s good.” I nodded. “So why did you decide to come to school here?”

“Louis.” She said. “I couldn’t stomach the idea of being away from Lou and there are so many opportunities in America for both of us. He’s here on a footie scholarship and I’m here on a performing arts scholarship.”

“That’s really cool!” I exclaimed, my eyebrows raising up. “I didn’t peg you for a theatre nerd.”

“Just a tiny one.” She chuckled. “I’m more into the costumes than anything. Fashion has always owned my heart and my Mum took me to so many musicals as a girl. I figured I would combine my love for both and make it my career.”

“I admire that.” I said softly, glancing down at the sidewalk as we turned a corner. “So how long have you and Louis been together?”

“Four years.” She smiled. “We met on a holiday to London one summer and we’ve never let go of each other. Last year we went to the same University for our first year before deciding to come abroad and it was….magical.”

“He sounds lovely.” I said. “He makes you happy?” 

“He does.” She nodded, her lips pursing slightly as she tried to hide her smile. “He’s a proper gentleman, even when he’s being a bit too laddie.”

“I don’t even know what that means.” I chuckled and Eleanor joined in. “What is a laddie? Is that like Lassie, the dog?”

“Not like that dog.” She scrunched up her nose. “I think you call them ‘Bro’s’ over here.” 

“Ah, I do understand then.” 

Eleanor and I continued chatting as we walked down Frat Row. 

The houses were large, but they looked a little plain and rundown. I imagine having a group of rowdy, drunk boys living in a house without supervision didn’t do well for wear and tear on a house. Eleanor told me that the last house on frat row in the cul-de-sac belonged to pretty much the entire footy team with a few odd guys sprinkled in. 

When we arrived, my jaw nearly dropped to the ground. 

I was living in a tiny dorm room and these men were living like kings and a gigantic and modern house that looked brand new. Eleanor laughed as I took in the dark, blue-grey exterior. The shutters and the porch were both painted a dark, charcoal grey. We walked up the stairs and I continued to look around like a kid lost in a candy store. 

Maybe joining a sorority wasn’t a bad move?

“So, that is the living room and just down that first hall is the bathroom. I recommend going upstairs to Louis’ room if you want to use a clean and unoccupied bathroom.” She chuckled. “I’ll show you around upstairs later if you’d like.”

“This is the cleanest Frat house I’ve ever seen in my life.” I said slowly, looking around. “How is it so pristine?”

“A few of the guys are really obsessed with cleanliness and organization.” She chuckled. “Also I spend a lot of time over here, so I do what I can.”

“I would spend all of my time here, too.” I said. “Why are you even in a dorm if you could be here?”

“Rules.” She rolled her eyes. “Technically women aren’t allowed to be housed in a frat, which blows, but I understand it.”

“Well, I’ll pretend to be you and stay in your dorm if you want to fly under the radar and move here.” I teased, patting her shoulder. “It’s a win win for both of us.”

“I might take you up on that.” She giggled, guiding me through an open archway. “This here is the kitchen-”

“Ellie, s’that you!” 

Eleanor flinched at the booming voice from upstairs, her eyes casting up to the ceiling as she grumbled. 

“Bloody hell, these men,” She shot me a sympathetic look and I tried my best not to laugh softly at her annoyance. “Yes, Niall?”

“I need help.” This accent was slightly different than Eleanor’s and it almost reminded me of the guy on the lucky charms commercial. “I don’t know what trousers to wear, should I do these dark jeans or these plaid one’s.”

The voice was closer and closer with each word and suddenly, a half naked man appeared in the doorway, holding two pairs of pants as he looked down at them. He was wearing white boxer briefs and white socks, the rest of his pale and freckled skin on display. I had to admit that he was extremely attractive, chestnut colored hair on top of his head and a soft stomach rounded out with a matching chestnut happy trail dusting under his belly button. 

“Oh, hello.” He looked up, smiling at me with piercing blue eyes and extremely handsome features. I tried not to blush, my eyes glued to his. “Which one’s do ya think I should wear, love? Good to have an outsider’s perspective sometimes.” 

The sound of a door shutting behind us caused my head to snap around. 

This was more of a man standing at the opposite end of the kitchen, his chocolate colored curls framing his face and resting on his broad shoulders as he looked up at me. His face was perfect, adonis like features catching my attention and his bright green eyes causing my breath to catch in my throat. He offered me a small smile, his features soft as he cleared his throat. 

“Hello.” He said softly to me before his eyes darted up, looking behind me. “For fuck’s sake, Niall. Why are you nearly naked!” 

“I needed help!” I turned my head back towards Niall as his brows pulled together, his lips turning to a scowl. “I can’t decide what trousers to wear and Liam is no help!” 

“We have a guest.” The green eyed god spoke from behind me, but I didn’t dare turn my head. I was afraid that if I did, I would be stuck staring at him for the rest of the night. “Don’t be rude.”

I glanced over at Eleanor who lifted her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. 

I tried, again, not to laugh at her misery. 

“I swear to god, Niall,” She sighed heavily. “The least you could do is introduce yourself to the poor girl before you flash her.”

“M’Niall,” He rolled his eyes, looking over at me. “What’s your name, love?” 

Harry’s POV

“My name is Piper.” 

I stared at the back of her head, trying my best not to think about running my fingers through her soft curls that nearly matched the shade of my own. I inhaled sharply as I pressed my fingertips into the marble countertop below me. I had seen this girl, Piper, around campus before. I saw her flitting from building to building with her head tilted down and her headphones tucked in her cute little ears. I had a huge crush on this girl and now she was standing in my kitchen with my half-naked roommate and my best friend’s girl. 

This wasn’t a good thing at all.

“S’nice to meet you, Piper.” Niall winked at her and I rolled my eyes, shooting him a glare over the girls head. 

His brows furrowed and I gave him a pointed look before mouthing, ‘That’s the girl’.

Niall’s brows lifted up and he shot me a cheeky grin. 

He was the only one I confided in about my girl troubles. 

He knew all about the mystery girl that I passed by every day on my way to physics class and he had suggested to me several times that bumping into her was the best way to catch her attention. I declined, rolling my eyes at his childish suggestion. I had to admit though, if she had been in my class, I would have tossed paper at the back of her head to get her attention. 

It was a trick that never failed. 

“Well, I’m gonna go get dressed then.” He cleared his throat, glancing over at Eleanor. “Lou is stuck on the phone with his Mum, babe. I think he might need some rescuing if he’s going to join the party at all tonight.”

“Oh,” Eleanor stood straighter, glancing over at Piper. “I don’t want to leave Piper-”

“I can stay with her.” I cleared my throat, reaching up to fiddle with my hair as both girls turned to look at me. “I’ve finished my part of party prep, so I don’t mind.”

“Harry, I don’t know.” Eleanor said. “I’m already afraid Niall’s neon white body is going to scare her off. I don’t need you turning on your Cheshire Charm.”

“Oi, I resent that.” I narrowed my eyes at her playfully, trying to fight off my smile as she chuckled. “I won’t be turning on any charm tonight, love. I’ve got a big match to play tomorrow, remember? Gotta save my strength and energy if I wanna do well.”

“Alright, fine.” Eleanor sighed, turning back to Piper. “Are you okay if I disappear for a few minutes? I promise I’ll be right back.” 

“It’s fine.” Piper smiled at Eleanor, gently nodding her head. “Please, go ahead. I don’t mind waiting down here.”

“You’re sure?” Eleanor asked, her face laced with concern. 

“Positive.” Piper glanced over at me. “I think I’m in good hands with ol’ Cheshire Charm back there.” 

My smile was so wide that it hurt my cheeks. 

She was funny and gorgeous.

Eleanor glanced between the two of us before saying a quick ‘be right back’.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Piper turned around, her hands pressing against the countertop as Niall wiggled his brows behind us. He disappeared behind Eleanor moments later, leaving Piper and I alone in the kitchen. “Would you like a Whiteclaw?”

“Oh, sure.” She nodded, her eyes dropping down to her hands. “I would love one.”

“You seem a bit nervous.” I said, walking towards the fridge. “Do you have a flavor preference?”

“No.” She said softly. “And yeah, I guess I am a bit nervous. I’ve had a pretty tough day and I wasn’t exactly prepared to come to a frat party.”

“Why are you here then?” I asked, my eyes scanning the shelves until I landed on the one filled with canned drinks. I reached for two lime flavored cocktails, pulling them out before I shut the door with my hip. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” 

“Um, Eleanor extended the invitation and I kind of owed her one.” Piper smiled, taking the drink with a soft ‘thank you’. “My roommate is a bit of a dickhead and she kicked me out so she could get laid. Eleanor saw me in the hallway on the verge of a mental breakdown and we just...hit it off, I guess.”

“Sorry your roommate was a dickhead.” I smiled, letting my eyes roam over the soft features of her face. “I’m glad you and El hit it off though. It’s nice to have a new face around here.”

I let my eyes trail over the features of her face now that she was up close and personal. 

Her eyes were hazel, a soft golden hue to her irises. Her brows were thick and wild, but perfectly shaped. There were soft freckles peeking out from under her foundation and her cheeks were a soft shade of red. Her nose was soft and rounded at the end and I couldn’t help but think of hovering over her, brushing my own nose against hers as I thrust into her. 

I hated being a man sometimes. 

She was a beautiful girl and even in my head she deserved better than to be thought of that way. She was more than just a sexual object and she didn’t need some creepy frat guy thinking dirty thoughts about her only moments after meeting her. I cleared my throat, reaching for my drink. I took a long sip as she raised her brows, offering me a sly smirk as she sipped at her own drink. 

“Eleanor is a really sweet girl.” I rested my can on the marble countertop. “She’s been having trouble making friends over here, so it’s nice that she’s found someone to hang out with besides us.” 

“I really like her.” Piper said softly. “I’ve been having trouble making friends, too. I’m not really the best at putting myself out there, you know?”

“I think you’re doing just fine.” I flashed her a reassuring smile, noticing how her cheeks turned a shade darker. “I don’t think I’ve fully introduced myself, love. I’m Harry.”

“I’m Piper.” She held her hand out and I took it, giving it a soft shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Harry.” 

Her skin was so bloody soft, her hands a little cold and damp from the can she was holding. 

“You too.” I said. “If you need anything tonight, please don’t hesitate to find me. I know how overwhelming these parties can be and I’ll be happy to keep you company or walk you out for some fresh air if you need it.” 

“Thank you.” She said softly. “The same goes for you. If you need any company tonight, I’m your girl.” 

Just like that, my mind was back in the gutter. 

All I could hear in my head was the echoes of her sweet moans, her voice chanting over and over again ‘M’your girl, Harry. Yours’. I cleared my throat, giving her a tight smile as I tried to avoid thinking about her tucked in my sheets, writhing and gasping as I licked into her. 

I was so totally fucked.

                                        🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

“Piper, babe,” I laughed, holding her hips tightly as she swayed. “I think we should sit you down for a minute, yeah?”

“If I sit, I’ll sleep.” She whined, looking up at me with her sweet puppy dog eyes. “Where did Eleanor go?” 

“Eleanor is going upstairs with Louis.” I said softly, digging my fingers into the fleshy skin above the waistband of her jeans. “Do you want me to take you home?”

She pursed her lips, shaking her head as she pressed her hands into my shoulders. 

I knew exactly how we’d gotten here. 

The party was still going strong around us, people dancing and shouting as Piper swayed in front of me. I wanted so badly to brush her hair from her face and stroke the soft skin of her cheek, but I would never do something like that when she was this off her face. Holding onto her hips was already too intimate for my liking, but I was afraid she would topple over without some form of support. She swayed forward, her eyes face pinching up ever so slightly before she pressed one hand to her forehead. I frowned, pulling her closer as a group of guys rushed by.

If Niall hadn’t suggested we play four drinking games in a row, Piper and Eleanor might not have been off their faces within the first two hours of the party. I had to admit that I didn’t exactly mind taking care of Piper. She was a funny drunk, silly puns and snide comments slipping from her lips carelessly as she leaned against me. It was when her eyes started to drift shut and her body started to sway, that I started to worry about her. I pulled her into the kitchen alongside a giggly Eleanor, handing them both bottles of water while I quickly cooked up some pizza rolls that Niall had hidden in the freezer. Both girls ate between loud laughs, knocking into each other as I watched them with a small smile on my face.

 Seeing Eleanor happy made me happy, but seeing her happy with the girl of my dreams made me feel like I was on cloud nine. 

“Mate,” Louis’ hand clapped down on my shoulder and I turned my head as Piper’s body fell into mine. “I can take her off your hands. El told me they live in the same halls-”

“She can barely stand on her own, Lou.” I shook my head, glancing down as she rested her head on my shoulder. “Gonna go put her to bed in my room. I’ll sleep on the couch after everyone is gone.”

“Lock the door if you leave her up there.” Louis said. “I’m going back up to El in a minute, but I figured I should get some painkillers and water for the morning.”

“Bring some up for Piper?” I asked him. “I probably won’t leave her alone in there, knowing all of these jackasses are around.”

“Tell me about it.” Louis snorted out a laugh, shaking his head. “I’ll be up in five.”

I nodded, watching him disappear through the crowd of people in our living room. 

“Hey, love,” I said softly. “Gonna take you upstairs and tuck you in, okay?”

“Kay.” She mumbled, turning her head until her nose brushed against the column of my neck. 

I made a mental note to have a talk with her tomorrow about going places with strangers when she was drunk. I knew that I meant no harm, but we were still getting to know each other. It set off a level of worry that I only ever felt when it came to my Mum or Sister. It was almost a primal need to protect, my arms winding tightly around her as I guided her to the stairs. 

It was no easy feat to get her up the staircase, but when we finally made it to my room, she snapped into a more alert mode. She looked up, her tired eyes growing as wide as they could before she brushed some of her hair out of her face. She looked up at me, her eyes searching my face as I pressed my hand lightly to her lower back. 

“Thank you for taking care of me, Harry.” She said softly. “I’m really sorry I’m ruining your fun.” 

“Nonsense, love.” I shook my head. “S’just another party, there will be plenty more.” 

“Still.” She mumbled. “I don’t want to take your bed. Sleeping on the couch is bad for your back and I overheard that you have a match tomorrow.”

“S’alright.” I said. “I’ve slept on a floor before a match and still kicked ass, Piper. I don’t mind giving my bed up for a good cause.”

She let out an aggravated sigh, rolling her eyes at me. 

I tried not to smile as she grumbled under her breath, reaching for the doorknob to my bedroom door. I followed in behind her, flicking the light switch on before I shut the door behind me. Piper staggered a little and I hovered, my hands waiting to catch her should she fall. Instead, she stumbled over to my bed on bambi like legs, collapsing on the foot with a soft groan. 

“You need some help?” I asked her as she lifted her leg, struggling with her shoe. She merely waved her hand at me, shaking her head. “You want something comfy to change into? I’ve got sweats, shorts-”

“Sweats sound lovely.” She mumbled, a soft ‘aha’ falling from her lips as she finally tugged the shoelace of her boot out of a knot. “You’re a true gentleman, has anyone ever told you that?” 

“My Mum.” I chuckled, walking over to my dresser in search of comfy clothes. 

“S’good,” Piper sighed out as her boot hit the floor. “Hard to find a proper gentleman these days, Harry. I think Jude Law was the last of them.”

“I won’t argue with you there.” I shook my head, trying to contain my laughter as I sifted through my sweatpants. I settled on my favorite pair, the light grey fabric soft and worn. “Do you want a t-shirt to sleep in or a long sleeve shirt?”

“Um, t-shirt.” She mumbled. “Your room is lovely. Did you do all of the decorating yourself?”

“I did, yeah.” I nodded. “Brought a few key things from home, but I spent most of my money in Target when I got here.” 

“Amen to that.” She hiccuped softly. “I like your record player. I’ve always wanted one of those.”

“One day you’ll have to come up and listen to some records with me.” I glanced at her over my shoulder, noting how the corners of her lips ticked up into a girlish grin. “What kind of music do you like?”

“All of it.” She said simply, her voice trailing off. “I’ve always been a fan of classical music for studying. My mom calls me a psychopath.”

“They are known for indulging in the genre.” I snorted, pulling out a white t-shirt before I turned around. “I think that’s lovely, though. I’ve heard some good stuff from Bach in my music theory class and I have to say, it makes for good studying music.”

“That’s what I’m saying.” She said. “I love me some cello, mate.”

“Look at that.” I hummed out, holding the clothes out to her. “Got you talking like a proper brit now, don’t we. Didn’t even know what footy was at the start of the night.” 

“Piss off.” She grumbled, trying to hide her amusement as she mocked my accent. 

“I’m gonna run to Louis' room while you get dressed, okay?” I said. “Gonna steal you some makeup wipes from El’s overnight bag so we can take your makeup off. I want you to lock the door and don’t open it for anyone besides me. I don’t care if it’s Niall or god himself, alright?”

“Alright.” She whispered softly. “You’re really fucking nice, Harry.”

I tried to resist the urge to brush my knuckles over the soft skin of her cheek, but I couldn’t. 

I inhaled sharply as she closed her eyes, leaning into my touch with a soft hum. 

“I’ll be right back.” I said softly. “Lock the door.”

                                        🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

Piper’s POV 

Falling in love with Harry took me all of five minutes. 

I decided that it was physically impossible not to love someone so perfect. He was a real gentleman, keeping his hands in respectful spots even when I was falling all over him, drunk off my ass. I felt a little guilty about being so touchy-feely with someone I hardly knew, but I was comfortable around him from the start. He stood by my side for most of the night, talking with Eleanor and I as we tossed shots back like water. 

I stood up from the foot of his bed, fiddling with the button on my pants. My vision was most definitely blurry and my fingers were shaking as I swayed on my feet, but I managed to pull the button from the loop before I shoved my pants down my legs. It took a bit of wiggling to get my ass settled into Harry’s sweats, an article of clothing clearly meant for a man with no….assets. 

With a soft hiccup, I worked on my shirt, tossing it to the ground before I reached behind me to take off my bra. My drunk brain didn’t care about etiquette or embarrassment anymore. That all flew out the window with my third shot of tequila that Niall handed over. When I settled the fabric of Harry’s shirt over my tired limbs, I heard a soft knock at the door. 

I stumbled over, pressing my ear against the wood to hear who was there. I was plastered, yeah, but I remembered Harry’s speech about not opening the door for anyone. 

“Who is it?” I called out, my voice breaking just a little. 

“S’me.” I heard Harry’s gruff voice. “S’Harry.” 

I flicked the lock on the door, opening it up with a soft smile. 

Harry held up some makeup wipes and a bottle of water, flashing me a cheesy grin. I laughed, shutting the door and flicking the lock behind him again as he walked into his room. When I turned around, my arms crossed over my chest, he was looking at my body with soft eyes. 

“Everything feel comfy enough to sleep in?” He asked. 

“Yeah, thanks.” I nodded. 

“Alright.” He nodded, looking up at me with glassy jade eyes. “Let’s get you tucked in, shall we?”

I smiled, walking over to his bed. 

I picked the side farthest from the door and closest to the window. 

Harry pulled back the covers, waiting for me to climb in before he rested them over my legs. He set the bottle of water on the bedside table, two painkillers falling to the wood next to the plastic bottle. He sat down next to my legs, ripping into the makeup wipes with ease. I watched him pluck a sheet out before closing the pack back up, tossing it to the nightstand with the other items. I rolled my lips in as he turned towards me, holding the cloth out. 

“Do you want me to do it?” He asked. “Just so you know it’s all gone?” 

“Yes, please.” I nodded. 

I could take my makeup off in my sleep. 

I’d done it before, actually. 

But there was something about being doted on by Harry that I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. 

I preened as he wiped the cloth over my skin with gentle strokes, swiping away concealer and highlighter with ease. I let my eyes slip shut when he asked, his index finger gently brushing at the small bit of liquid liner and shimmery shadow on my lids. When it got to my lips, he did a few quick dabs before his touch was gone from my face all together. 

“All clean.” He smiled, tossing the wipe towards the bin in the corner of the room. “Alright, I’m going to tuck you in and turn on a movie. I’ll just be on the floor next to you if you need anything at all. Bathroom is through that door right there.”

“Don’t sleep on the floor.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m okay with sharing a bed with you, Harry. Friends do that all the time, don’t they?”

“But you’re drunk.” He said softly. “And I don’t want you to feel pressured or uncomfortable-” 

“I don’t.” I said. “From the moment we met, you’ve made me feel very welcomed and comfortable. I promise that I don’t feel unsafe or pressured in any way, Harry. If you feel more comfortable sleeping on the floor, then I understand, but I’m okay with you sleeping next to me.”

Harry reached up to rustle his long strands of hair, his curls flopping about as he looked at me with a curious gaze. He inhaled sharply, nibbling on his lower lip as I stared back at him with raised brows and an amused grin. 

“I’ll put a pillow wall between us and everything.” I said. “If it makes you feel comfortable.”

“I just don’t want you to wake up in the morning and freak out.” He said softly. “You’ve had a lot to drink and if you don’t remember any of this tomorrow, it might be a little scary to wake up with a strange man in your bed.”

“Well, it’s your bed.” I said softly. “And I’ve been worse off than this and still remembered what happened the night before, Harry. I come from a very small town where drinking is considered a sport. This is a regular Tuesday for me.”

“Alright.” He whispered through a breathy laugh. “But if you change your mind at any point through the night, feel free to kick me out of bed.”

“I won’t.” I rolled my eyes. “Get ready for bed, yeah? You’ve got a big day tomorrow and I can’t have you losing a match because of me. People will think I’m bad luck.”

                                         🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

Harry’s POV 

When I woke up in the middle of the night, our pillow wall was gone. 

Piper’s cheek was pressed into her pillow, soft puffs of air escaping her parted lips as she tightened her grip on my shirt. Her hand was resting on my tummy and her foot was hooked over my calf muscle, but she remained on her side of the bed. I lay there for a minute, watching her peaceful face as she slept. I tried to commit her features to memory, my heart squeezing in my chest as she shuffled around a bit. I rested my hand over hers, softly brushing my fingers over her knuckles as her body moved just a little closer to mine. 

The dry feeling in my mouth pulled me from my peaceful moment, urging me to go downstairs for my own bottle of water. It was silent in the house, no more music pumping through the speakers downstairs, and I felt safe enough to leave Piper on her own in my room without the doors locked. I would only be gone for a few minutes at the most, running down for water before I ran back up to curl back up next to the sleeping girl in my bed. 

When I made it downstairs, Louis was already in the kitchen.

“Hey,” I grumbled, walking over to the fridge. “What are you doing up?”

“Same as you.” He said. “Thirsty.”

“Hmm.” I nodded. “Eleanor still knocked out cold?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Love that girl to death, but she snores like a bloody chainsaw.”

“That she does.” I laughed, pulling a water bottle out. “I’m glad she’s got Piper as a friend. It was nice to see her unwind tonight.”

“It was.” Louis nodded, pressing his hip into the countertop. “Piper likes you.”

I nearly choked on my water as Louis looked up at me. 

“What?” I asked. “How on earth-” 

“It’s obvious, mate.” Louis rolled his eyes, an amused grin on his lips. “She’s got a bit of a crush on you, but what girl doesn’t?”

“Lou-” I said slowly, my eyes narrowing. “Why do I feel like you’re about to give me a speech.”

“It would break my heart if Eleanor lost her as a friend, Harry.” Louis said softly. “She doesn’t have anyone over here and I at least have you and Niall, you know? If she lost Piper because you two decided to fool around and things ended badly-”

“That’s not what this is.” I said quickly. “And I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to say, either. I would never hurt Piper, or anyone, on purpose. She’s a very sweet girl and it just so happens that I’ve liked her for a while.”

“You know each other, then?” Louis brows arched up and I sighed. “Wasn’t aware.” 

“We don’t know each other, but I’ve seen her around campus.” I mumbled. “Always had my eyes on her, Lou. She’s fucking gorgeous.”

“Harry,” Louis said softly. “I’m asking you as a friend, please don’t get involved.” 

“That’s a shitty thing to ask.” My voice was hoarse. “It’s late and we’re both still pissed. I’m going to bed.” 

“Just think about it.” He said, knocking his knuckles against the countertop. 

Lucky for Louis, it was all I could think about for the rest of the night.

                                         🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃🔸🥃

Piper’s POV 

When I woke up the next morning, I could feel Harry’s heartbeat against my cheek.

The annoying beeping of his alarm had me groaning and turning my face into his chest. I heard him mutter a soft series of ‘sorry’s’ before it turned off. Harry’s arm draped over my back, holding me against his chest as I closed my eyes again. I let out a soft hum as he brushed his fingers up and down my back, his chest rising and falling slowly under my head. 

“I see that we’ve lost the pillow wall.” Harry’s voice was deep and raspy, causing a shiver to run up my spine. 

“Sorry.” I whispered, lifting my head up as I pressed my palm to his chest. “I guess I tossed it aside in the middle of the night.” 

“You did.” He chuckled softly. “You pushed it down with your feet and then you pulled it out and chucked it because you were trying to get comfortable.” 

“You watched me?” I asked, blinking a few times to try and focus my vision as I rested my chin on the back of my hand.

“I felt you flopping around like a fish out of water and I had to check on you.” He said slowly, his own eyes still shut. “I fell back asleep and when I woke up for a wee you were snuggled so tightly against me that I could barely pry you off.”

“I didn’t know that I was a cuddler.” I mumbled softly. “I’ve never really slept in a bed with anyone else before.”

“Well, you can tick that box off of your bucket list.” He smiled, his fingers still brushing over my back as I looked down at him. “You staring at me?” 

“A little.” I confessed, a small smile creeping up on my lips. “Think you’re pretty.”

“Love,” He let out a breathy chuckle. “Easy.”

“What?” I asked, dropping my head back to his chest. “Why can’t I say you're pretty? We spent the night together, I’m allowed to compliment you a little.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea to flirt with me?” He cleared his throat, shifting around under me. I groaned, falling back to the pillow next to him. “Do friends flirt?”

Friends.

I should have known better. 

There was no way on earth someone like Harry would want to be with someone like me.

“Friends can call each other pretty.” I said dejectedly, turning on my side. “And friends can cuddle, too.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re an amazing cuddler.” He said softly, pressing his palm to my bicep as he leaned over to kiss my temple. “You’re welcome to sleep more if you’d like, but I would love to take you out to breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” I turned my head, looking at him with furrowed brows. “I thought you had a match this morning?”

“I’ve got a few hours.” He rested his body next to mine, his head falling on the pillow next to mine lazily. “Eleanor will be at the match.”

“I know.” I whispered. 

“You should sit with her.” Harry smiled. “I would like that.”

“Okay.” I said softly as he snaked his arm underneath my own, curling it around my middle. I tried to fight off a smile. “Thought we were getting up?”

“Few more minutes.” He mumbled. “You smell nice. S’that your perfume or your shampoo?”

“Probably both.” I smiled, resting my palm over his forearm. “Both sweet pea scented.”

“Piper.” He mused. “Sweet pea.”

“What are you mumbling about?” I asked, trying to contain my giggles at his sleepy rambling. 

“Gonna call you sweet pea.” He mumbled. “Because your name starts with a P and you’re so sweet.” 

Fuck being friends. 

I liked this boy.

And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t ignore the fluttering feeling in my stomach. 

I was truly fucked.

                                           ⚽️🔹⚽️🔹⚽️🔹⚽️

December

Piper’s POV 

There were only a few seconds left in the match and our boys were killing it. 

Eleanor gripped my hand tighter as Louis shouted to Niall across the field. Seconds later, he was kicking the ball with the side of his foot. Harry was much closer to the goal, ready to land the winning kick into the goal. I looked at him, his chest heaving and his hairline coated in a thin sheen of sweat. His face was intense and it made my thighs clench ever so slightly to see him so serious. He was always so attractive in the middle of a game, his brows pulled together and his lips pinched tightly together. I loved watching him pull his hair up before a game, twisting the long strands around before he tossed it up in a bun on top of his head. 

“He’s got this.” I said. “Come on, Lou!”

“He’s gonna pass to Harry.” She shook her head. “He has to, babe. He’ll miss from back there.”

“They have five fucking seconds.” We always got a bit snippy during games, but never at each other. “It better be a flawless fucking pass.”

Louis passed the black and white checked ball to Harry with a swift kick and I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen. Harry pushed a guy on the opposing team gently with his shoulder, sliding low until his foot collided with the ball. Just as the last second ticked down, it collided with the net behind the goal and Harry collapsed on his back as players rushed around him. 

Everyone cheered loudly, Eleanor jumping up with a loud cheer alongside the crowd. I could barely move, my heart thumping so loudly that it was all I could hear. I watched Harry’s back flat on the ground, my eyes watering as he continued to stay still. When I saw him sit up, shaking his head, I finally took a deep breath. Moments later, Louis and Niall were lifting him up on their shoulders. 

“Thank, fuck.” I whispered, standing up next to Eleanor as I clapped. 

Harry’s eyes flitted to the stands, landing on mine with a wide grin. 

He was covered in mud and dirt, but he was fine. 

Eleanor grabbed my hand, guiding me down towards the field. 

She was quick to launch on Louis when her feet hit the grass and Niall was quick to run over and scoop me up. I patted him on the back, laughing as he shook me around in his arms. 

“We won!” He cheered. “We bloody won!” 

“I know!” I chuckled, brushing my hand over the back of his head. “I’m proud of you, Ni.”

He put me on my feet, pressing a kiss to my cheek before he turned around to Harry. He grabbed his best mate by the face, kissing his forehead before he ran off shouting something that was terribly hard to make out. I rolled my eyes, steadying myself on my feet. Harry walked over to me, holding his arms out with that same wide and cheeky grin on his lips. 

“Come give your best mate a hug,” He said. “Gotta thank my good luck charm.”

“Harry, no.” I said, holding my hands up. “You’re covered in mud and grass and- Harry!” 

I squealed, taking off on the grass as Harry chased me. 

I dodged a few members of the opposing team, apologizing profusely. 

It didn’t take very long for Harry to wrap his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. 

“I deserve a bloody hug, sweet pea.” He squeezed me tight. “I won!”

“I know, but you’re gross.” I groaned, dropping my head back. “You get to shower before we go to lunch and I don’t.” 

“You could always join.” He whispered, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “Know you’ve been dying to see me naked, haven’t ya pea?”

“I will elbow you.” I grumbled, spinning around in his arms. “Don’t be a prick.”

“Just like watching you blush, Piper.” He reached over, pinching my cheek softly. “Where are we going for lunch today?” 

“Where do we always go for lunch?” I rolled my eyes. “Go on, get cleaned up so we can go.”

“Fine, fine.” He sighed. “I’ll see you in ten?”

“I’ll be here.”

I walked back over to Eleanor and Louis, my mind stuck on Harry’s cheeky comment. 

I hated when he did stuff like that. 

He was always toying with my emotions, pulling me to and fro like I didn’t have any feelings at all. He knew that I had a crush on him and he knew that it sucked for me to be so close, but I had the power to stop it at any time. The truth was that I couldn’t stomach the thought of being away from him like that. I wanted him in my life, no matter how I could have him. I walked towards Eleanor with a heavy sigh, crossing my arms over my chest as she kissed Louis deeply. 

Being around a couple constantly was torture when you weren’t apart of one yourself. Especially when the person you wanted to be a couple with was always around anyways. When the pair were done kissing, Louis ran off towards the stadium to take a shower in the locker room. Eleanor smiled over at me and I gave her a blank stare, my lips turning down. 

“What happened?” she asked softly. 

“He’s done it again!” I tossed my hands up. “He was all ‘you should come shower with me, I know you want to see me naked’. Isn’t he the one who keeps insisting we should just be friends?” 

“He’s an idiot.” She rolled her eyes. “I hate that he keeps doing this and I hate that you won’t let me talk to him about it.”

“I don’t want to come between you and an old friend, El.” I shook my head. “He’ll grow up eventually, I guess. If he doesn’t, I guess I’ll have to start moving on.”

“I think you two would be so perfect for each other, babe.” She sighed. “I don’t know what his deal is!”

“Has Louis said anything?” I ask softly. “I don’t want to pry but-”

“Not a word.” She said, her sympathetic grin causing my heart to sink. “He spends all of his time with you and we both know that he’s into you, but something is holding him back.”

“Yeah.” I grimaced. “I like him so much, El.”

“I know.” She frowned. “I wish I could smack some sense into that thick skull of his. I mean, men can be so daft and then they say we’re the complicated ones!”

“I know!” I exclaimed. “Anyways, you and Lou are still coming to lunch with us, right?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Louis is dying for a turkey apple sandwich.”

“That does sound good.” I hummed out. “I was thinking about soup, though, it’s freezing out here.”

“Oh, soup.” She groaned out. “That’s perfect,”

                                                        ⚽️🔹⚽️🔹⚽️🔹⚽️

Harry’s Pov

I wrapped my towel around my waist, letting out a heavy sigh as I turned the faucet off. 

I hated what I was doing to Piper. 

My sweet pea.

I couldn’t help but rile her up like that, watching her face flush red as I whispered in her ear. 

Part of me was certain that I was riling her up so that she would make the first move. If that was the case, maybe Louis would realize that our feelings for each other were real. 

“Mate,” Louis said. “What was that on the field?” 

“What do you mean?” I asked, my brows furrowing as I walked up to my locker. “We won, Lou.”

“I meant when you were chasing Piper.” He said. “That was flirting, Harry.”

I snapped my mouth shut. 

If he heard the things that passed between Piper and I when we were alone, he’d be livid. 

It was borderline verbal sex with us sometimes, the tension so thick that it had her clamping her legs shut and me shifting in my seat. 

“Was just teasing her, Lou.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re not getting onto Niall for picking her up and kissing her face.”

“Niall means no harm.”

“And neither do I.” I shot him a glare. “Mind your mouth.”

“Why her, Harry?” He sighed. “You could have any bird or lad on campus and you want her, why?”

“Because she’s Piper.” I turned towards him. “She’s the one that I want, okay. I can’t tell you why I think about her every moment of the day or why I want to be with her, I just do. I want to be there for her and you’re stupid fucking fear for Eleanor is standing in my way.”

“You can do what you want.” Louis’ jaw tensed. “M’not standing in your fookin’ way, mate.”

“But you are!” I shouted. “You are because you know that I would never do anything to hurt you or El because you’re family to me. You asked me not to do something and I’m being respectful of that because I respect you. I can’t say that you respect me though, because you would never ask this of me if you did. Can’t you see that this is killing me?”

Louis let out a frustrated huff as I turned back to my locker. 

I grabbed my clothes, angrily pulling them on before I ran my towel over the wet strands of my hair. Piper would be pissed to see me pulling at my curls instead of properly scrunching them up with a soft t-shirt, but I couldn’t be arsed to care about that right now. I slammed my locker shut, hiking my bag onto my shoulder before I stormed out of the locker room. When I walked out onto the field, Eleanor and Piper were whispering amongst themselves. 

“I just don’t get it.” Piper let out a sad sigh. “I want-”

“I know, babe!” Eleanor interrupted her with a chipper voice, pressing her hand to Piper’s bicep with a wide smile. “I wish they still had pumpkin spice too, I already miss it.”

“You women and your pumpkin spice.” I grumbled, pressing my hand to Piper’s hip before I leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Know you miss it, Pea, but it’s peppermint season now.”

“You’re right.” She gave me a playful pout. “I guess I can survive with that for now.”

“Thatta girl.” I chuckled, pulling my hand back as she reached up to touch my hair. “What?”

“You didn’t scrunch your hair properly, H.” She sighed. “I’ve told you to take better care of these curls! They’re going to be frizzy when they dry.”

I licked over my bottom lip, resisting the urge to lean down and kiss the pout off of her lips. 

“Sweet Pea, I’m sorry.” I said softly. “I was in a little bit of a rush, yeah? Wanted to get my favorite girls to lunch.”

“In that case, I guess I can forgive you.” She mumbled. 

                                                    ☕️☕️☕️☕️

Piper’s POV 

I sipped at my peppermint latte as Harry tossed a french fry into his mouth. 

“So when are you all flying home?” I asked. “Only a few weeks left until Christmas and exams are almost over.”

“El and I are flying out next Friday.” Louis said, smiling over at his girlfriend. “I’m excited to see me Mum and sisters.”

“Me too.” Eleanor nodded. “Missed them all.”

“What about you, H?” I asked. 

“I decided to stay.” He shrugged. “I don’t want to disrupt my schedule mid year, you know? It’ll be hard for me to get back into things come January if I spend an entire three weeks vegging out with Mum and Gem.”

“Oh.” I said softly, my face falling as he cleared his throat. 

He was avoiding something and he was sad about it. 

“I’m not going home either.” I said softly. “Too expensive to fly around the holiday’s, you know? Don’t make nearly enough being a full time fan girl for the footie team.”

“Tell me about it.” Eleanor rolled her eyes playfully. “Who do I talk to about getting that raise I was promised.”

“Oh, you get plenty as it is.” Louis leaned forward, capturing her lips. “Pay you in love and other things.”

Harry let out a frustrated sigh, standing up from the table. 

“I’ve gotta go.” He pulled his wallet out, tossing twenty five dollars onto the table. “S’enough for both of us and the tip, Pea. I’ll see you later in Mcgregor Hall for our study session.”

“H-”

“Bye.” He leaned over, pressing a sloppy kiss to my forehead before doing the same to El. 

I watched him storm out with a confused look on my face. 

“Should I not have asked about Christmas?” I looked at Eleanor with soft eyes. “I can’t….El, I can’t do this anymore.”

“Babe, it’s gonna be fine.” She said softly. “He’s just a bit moody today, isn’t he? Misses his Mum a whole lot, it has nothing to do with you.” 

“What are you two on about?” Louis asked, glancing between us. “Is something going on between you and Harry?”

“No.” I shook my head. “That’s the problem.”

“They have this chemistry and Piper really likes Harry, but he told her that being friend’s was their best option.” Eleanor explained softly. “Sometimes he’s sweet on her though and it makes her sad because she wants him.”

“El.” I mumbled, my cheeks growing warm. “He doesn’t need all of the details.”

“You like that miserable sod?” Louis asked. “You’re not worried about a relationship with him ruining your friendship?” 

“Not really.” I shook my head at Louis. “Harry and I will always be friends.” 

“No, I mean,” Louis sighed. “You’re not worried about it ruining you and Eleanor’s friendship?”

“No.” I said slowly. “What are you talking about?”

“I feel like if you and Harry were to break up, you wouldn’t want to be friends with El because he’s always around.” Louis said softly. “Wouldn’t that be hard?”

“For a bit, yeah.” I shrugged. “We’re both mature, though. I think we could work through any differences and remain friends.”

“Why are you being so nosy?” Eleanor narrowed her eyes, looking at Louis. “What have you done?”

“Nothin’!” Louis exclaimed. “I’ve not done anythin’.”

“Louis!” She cried out. “You’re lying to me.”

“M’not.” He fidgeted in his seat, avoiding her gaze. “Swear I meant well.”

“Louis, what did you do?” I asked softly, my heart dropping as he avoided my gaze. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything, I just…” He licked over his bottom lip, looking between Eleanor and I with wide eyes. “I just asked him to consider your friendship with Eleanor before making any moves on you. I didn’t want to see her lose her best friend, you know?”

“You’re a sodding prick, Louis Tomlinson.” Eleanor snapped. “You knew that Harry would respect that if you asked. He thinks of you as a brother and he would do anything for you.”

“I have to go.” I grabbed my bag and my coat. “I have to find Harry.”

“Go on,” Eleanor said. “I’ve got a very naughty boyfriend to deal with.”

                                           ❄️💠❄️💠❄️💠❄️

The first place I ran to was the frat house. 

Harry wasn’t there and Niall hadn’t seen him at all. 

The second place I ran was the park on the far end of campus that we often spent weekends at.

He wasn’t there either. 

When I finally found him, I was only a little shocked. 

“You just played a match, mate.” I let out a relieved sigh when he snapped his head up, his eyes softening when he saw me. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just needed to clear my head.” He said as I walked closer. “Why are you here?”

“I had to see you.” I took a deep breath, swiping the ball from between Harry’s feet with a swift kick. It landed in the goal and Harry let out an amused, but breathy chuckle. “I’m getting good.”

“You’ve got a good teacher.” He snorted out a laugh. “Everything okay, sweet pea?”

“No.” I said. “You see, I’ve got this friend and he’s having some girl trouble.”

“Oh, yeah?” He asked. “What’s his deal?”

“He really likes this girl and he flirts with her all the time, but he hasn’t made a move.” I shrugged, glancing up at Harry. “There’s this other friend of theirs that asked an impossible favor of him and he’s being loyal, which I admit is admirable, but a little daft, as you would say.”

Harry’s Adam's apple bobbed up and down softly and he looked over my head. 

“He does sound quite daft, doesn’t he?” He let out a soft laugh, closing his eyes. “Piper-”

“It makes me love him more though.” I said softly. “The fact that he’s putting aside his feelings because he’s that loyal to the people he loves. It’s stupid, but really sweet.”

“You think so?” He asked, his eyes a little watery as he looked down at me. 

“I do.” I nodded. “Why didn’t you talk to me about this, Harry? We share everything with each other and-”

“This was the one thing I couldn’t tell you, pea.” He said softly. “I never wanted to hurt you and...I knew that this would.  I didn’t want you to feel like I was choosing something over you, because that isn’t the case.” 

“Harry, it’s okay.” I said softly. “I would have understood and I also would have had a very long talk with Louis about minding his own business, darling. You’re free to be with whoever you want and no one can tell you otherwise.”

“What if I want to be with my beautiful best friend, pea?” He reached up, brushing his thumb over my chin. “What if I want to be with the girl that stole my heart the moment I saw her?”

“Then make a fucking move, Styles.” I let out a breathy laugh as he leaned closer. “She won’t wait around forever. She’s a fucking catch and-”

Harry’s lips pressed into mine, cold and wet and perfect. 

I pressed my fingers into his shoulders, gripping his coat tightly with glove covered fingers. 

He tilted his head slightly, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my lips. 

“You’re perfect, Piper.” His breath washed over my lips as I shuffled closer, desperately seeking his body heat. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” I said. “Just be with me, H. Be mine.”

“I’ve always been yours, Piper.” He brushed the tip of his nose over mine. “Always will be.”

When Harry’s lips pressed to mine again, something wet landed on my cheek. 

We both pulled back, looking up at the sky with wide smiles. 

“Snow.” I said softly. 

“Christmas miracle isn’t complete with snow, is it?” He teased, brushing his nose against mine. 

“Shut up and kiss me.” 

                                                 🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️

Harry’s POV 

Louis looked like a child who had just been told Santa wasn’t real when Piper and I walked back into the cafe holding hands. He shot me a soft look that said ‘mate, I’m really sorry for being a dickhead’ and I gave him a tight smile in response. We still needed to have a talk about everything, but there was no use in fighting over something that was in the past now. It felt good, sitting next to Piper as her boyfriend and not just her best friend. It was sudden and my mind was still reeling, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I walked her back to her dorm that night with a pout on my lips and our fingers tightly laced together. 

“I don’t want to say goodbye, pea.” I mumbled, my thumb brushing against her cheek softly as we stood in front of her door. “Just got you.”

“You’ve always had me.” She snorted out a soft laugh. 

“Never been able to make out with you, though.” I wiggled my brows. “Think we can finally carry through on all that sexual banter we’ve been partaking in.”

“Yeah.” She said quickly, her cheeks getting pinker. “But not tonight, H. Think we should take some time apart to think about things before we jump right in. It’s going to be a bit different now and I need to get used to the idea.” 

“Take as much time as you need.” I pressed my lips to hers in a soft kiss. “I’ll be waiting.”

I was only slightly regretting my words now. 

Everyone had left for Christmas and we had the house to ourselves. 

We were in the middle of a movie marathon in the living room, a few bottles of wine and takeout boxes scattered on the coffee table as we snuggled into each other. Piper’s head rested on my chest and her fingers rested against my stomach, slightly drumming over the bit of holiday weight I had put on over the last week or so. She looked so cute all snuggled up in my sweater and a pair of fluffy sucks, my sweatpants tucked into them carelessly. 

“You’re thinking too loud.” She whispered, lifting her head up. “What’s going on in your head, H?”

“Just thinking about how cute you are.” I smiled down at her. “You’re all snuggled up in my clothes with your pretty hair and your pretty eyes. I just can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to call you my girl.”

Her eyes searched my face as I reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I want you.” She said softly. “But I’m scared.”

“I wasn’t…” I trailed off. “M’not trying to get in your pants, sweet pea. I just wanted you to know that I’m so in love with you.”

“And I’m in love with you.” She sat up. “And I would really, really like to show you how much I love you.”

“When you’re ready.” I said. “I know that you didn’t have the best first time and you’re a little nervous to dive back in, but I can wait. I want you to be one hundred percent ready when the time comes.”

She inhaled sharply before giving me a soft nod. 

“I love you.” I said, brushing my thumb over her bottom lip. “Get back over ‘ere, pea. Wanna snuggle you some more.”

                                               🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️

Piper’s POV 

Harry was snoring softly in my ear on the couch. 

The sun had long gone down and the credits for The Holiday were rolling on the flatscreen in Harry’s living room. With a soft groan, I flipped around in his arms, nuzzling my face into his chest as he tightened his arms around me. The scent of his cologne filled my senses, nearly lulling me back to sleep. I was moments from falling back into dreamland when I felt something firm pressing between my thighs, causing my eyes to snap open. I pulled back to look at Harry’s face, his eyes still shut as he continued to softly snore. He was still fast asleep. 

I let out a soft gasp, my walls clenching down as I shifted against his thigh. I let out a soft gasp, my fingers tightening against his sweater as I stilled my hips. I tilted my head back, looking over his face as he slept peacefully. I didn’t want to wake him, but was done waiting. I wanted him. I wanted everything with Harry and I especially wanted to indulge passion filled moments with frantic hands and desperate kisses with a christmas film playing in the background. 

“Harry.” I said his name softly, my fingers trailing up his throat to cup his cheek. “Harry, baby, wake up.”

“S’wrong?” He asked, tucking his head down. “You alright?”

“I want you.” I said it softly, my heart pounding against my chest. “I’m ready.”

“Sweet pea, s’late.” He opened his eyes. “Are you sleep talkin’?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I mean it.” 

I rolled my hips, grinding my core against his thigh to really send the message through. 

“Piper.” He gasped, his eyes wide open. “Darling, what….what’re you doing?”

“Was trying to snuggle up to you and you put your thigh between my legs, H.” I said timidly, my face heating up under his gaze. His lips were curling into a soft smile and I bit the inside of my cheek. “It felt nice.”

“S’that why you want me?” He let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head. “Needy girl.”

“Please.” I whispered. “I need you.”

“I’ve got ye’.” He leaned down, pressing a series of soft kisses to my lips. “Gonna push your pants down, okay?”

I nodded, but she shook his head. 

“If we’re doing this, I want to hear you.” He said. “I need you to say what you want.”

“Take my pants off.” I griped, tilting my head back.

“Good girl.” 

Two little words.

They sent a shockwave through my body, running straight to my core. 

I let out a soft whimper as he pushed at the waistband of my pants. 

“M’too tired to fuck you.” He said softly. “But I promise to make you feel so good, sweet pea. Gonna have you cummin’ fo’ me.”

“Please.” 

I shifted my hips as he moved the waistband of my sweats to my thighs, his hand brushing up the skin of my leg to my hip. He gave it a soft squeeze as our lips collided and I squirmed beneath him. He pulled back, brushing his nose against mine with his eyes shut tight. 

“Do you want my fingers?” He asked me softly. 

“I do.” I nodded. “My fingers are too small and I can never get the angle right when I try.”

“Fuck, pea.” He groaned, opening his eyes. “You’re killing me, my love.”

“Just want to love you.” I pouted my bottom lip out. “Wanna feel good.”

“I know, darling.” He sponged a few soft kisses over my hairline. “Let me get on my back, okay. I want you to ride my fingers.”

Harry wrapped his arms around my body, turning onto his back. I fumbled, my chest pressed tightly to his as he let one of his hands trail over my bum. I whimpered when he tucked his fingers between the crease of my bum and my thigh, brushing the pads of his fingers over my lower lips. His other hand maneuvered its way between our bodies, his thumb brushing swiftly over my clit before it dipped towards my entrance. 

“S’this okay?” He asked. “You feel comfortable?” 

“Yes.” I nodded. “I’m good.” 

He inserted his thumb, pulling it out quickly before he slipped it back up to my clit. 

He rubbed soft circles over it as his fore and middle finger brushed over my entrance in a teasing manner. 

I rolled my hips, desperate to have them inside of me. 

“Yeah, just like that.” He said gruffly. “Ride my fingers, sweet pea. Take what you want from me.”

I gasped when he pushed two fingers into me, my slick walls stretching around them as I moved my hips. I pushed down as Harry curled his fingers up, stroking over that spongy spot inside of me. I moved my hips up, his fingers sliding out slowly before I fucked back onto them. He cooed, brushing the pad of his thumb over my clit in quick circles. 

“You’re so tight, Piper.” He whispered into my hairline as I gripped onto his shoulders. “You’re clenching my fingers so tight.”

“Feels so good, Harry.” I whimpered. “Wanna cum.”

“Are you close?” He asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. “My girl is so greedy, isn’t she? Gonna cum before I properly fuck her with my fingers becuase she wants it so bad, isn’t that right?”

“Yes.” I gasped against his throat. “I need to cum, Harry. It feels so good and I can’t...I need it, baby. Please let me cum.”

“Take it.” He said, sliding his free hand up to my hip. “Take it from me, Piper. Make yourself cum for me sweet pea.”

I felt my thighs clamping as he pressed harder against my clit, my hips stilling against his hand as he stroked that spongy spot inside of me. I felt my walls clenching down around his digits, my whole body warm as my mouth fell open. It was better than any orgasm I had ever experienced on my own and it had me crying out into the skin of his neck. He brushed his hand up my back, slowly slipping my fingers out as I started to come down. 

“You’re so good.” he whispered. “That was perfect, darling. Did so well for me, didn’t you, pea?” 

“That was nice.” I mewled. “Thank you, thank you-”

“Gonna treat you so good tomorrow, darling.” He promised, a sharp edge to his voice. “Gonna spend hours with my head between those pretty thighs and then I’m gonna fuck you like you want. Gonna have you screaming for me, sweet pea.”

I whimpered into his neck, nodding. 

“I want that.” I whispered. 

My eyes felt heavy as he started to pull my pants back up. 

“I love you so much, H.” I whispered, my eyes slipping shut as he covered me up. “Love you, darling.”

“I love you more, pea.” he whispered. “Go to sleep, baby. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

I drifted off to the sound of Harry’s voice, my face snuggling into his shirt. 

This was all I ever needed. 

[sluttynaughtyjock]

Hey guys! So, after a long hiatus, I feel like I’m finally getting my mojo back again, so here is a new story I have been brewing in my head for a while. I’m not sure if this writing phase will last but I plan on keep giving you new chapters or maybe captions for as long as I can. I really hope you enjoy this new story and I’m anxious to know what you guys think, so please don’t forget to comment!

Like always, I would like to dedicate this to @daddysperfectjock, @dumbhornyjock, @manipulativebottom, @skywindsword and @milkinmycoffee1. You guys are the reason I do this! Thanks for everything!

Also, let’s celebrate @daddysperfectjock and @manipulativebottom long anticipated comeback... I’ve missed you guys, let’s show those dumb studs how it’s done!

As usual, this story will also be published at Nifty shortly.

Enjoy!

***

Dumb Jock Roommate

I knew I would probably get fucked in college, but I was not expecting it would be quite like this. Let me tell you how the whole thing started...

I had been setting up in my room for the last couple of hours, putting up some posters and photos on my side of the walls, organizing my clothes in the tiny wardrobe I would have to share for the next few years and tidying everything up when my roommate showed up. It was something that had taken a lot of space in my mind lately, thinking about my new roommate, this strange guy with which I would be living with from now on, not knowing if we would get along or not, if I would maybe hate him on the spot or worse, if he would maybe hate me.

Turns out that should have been the least of my worries.

I was bending over my bed in the tiny dorm room folding some clothes when I heard a warm, youthful voice yelling, “Hey, roomie!”.

I turned around and looked up to the door, just to see the most strikingly handsome guy I’ve ever seen in my life. He had straight, longish black hair, white skin with the hint of a fading summer tan and big, rosy lips, perfectly kissable, and was very tall, way taller than my medium height. His face was so proportionate and harmonious I bet it followed every mathematical rule of perfection, and his masculine jaw was smooth and sharp, almost as if it would cut my fingers if I touched it. He had green eyes and a youthful face, and he wouldn’t look out of place on a Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue or even, what the hell, a teen girl magazine. He had the looks of a male movie star, but at the same time I recognized the quiet confidence and humility of someone who maybe doesn’t realize how beautiful they really are, or their effect on people, for that matter.

His body, tho, was out of his world. He was only carrying two big suitcases, one in each hand, so I had the perfect view of his big, defined biceps flexing and the sexy flow of exposed veins in his arms. His big arms had an incredible development for someone so young. In fact, his whole body maybe seemed to be directly carved out from stone by an ancient greek god of erotic love.

He was wearing a short sleeved white henley t-shirt that was tight on his muscular pecs, and I could see every detail of his perky, dim-sized nipples and 8 pack abs even from afar. The buttons of his henley were open, showing a sexy expanse of tanned, jockboy chest, and the shirt was so ridiculously tight I bet it would ride up and expose his abdomen with any small movement he did. He wore beige khaki shorts, showcasing two muscular pairs of sexy legs and white sneakers. Just as I was ogling below his belt, I caught notice of what seemed to be a big, fat bulge in his shorts, so pronounced and forward that I couldn’t help but think if this guys had actually shoved a big piece of salami down there.

I didn’t have too much time to think tho, cause as soon as that teen stud had entered the room, he dropped his suitcases and jumped at me, giving me no time to react except for opening up my eyes wild and gasping when he engulfed me with his whole body and tackled me over on my bed, falling on top of me and hugging me by my sides.

“Oh my God dude, it’s so good to finally meet you, you don’t know how long I was waiting for this! I was so crazy about starting college and meeting my new roomie, I’m sure we’re going to be great friends! I’m Jon, what’s your name? I see you already...” he kept talking non stop while his huge body was pressed tight on top of mine, squeezing me with his huge arms every other time. He had nuzzled his face against my neck as he talked, and I went completely numb at the feeling of this sex god on top of me, huge hard body all warm and pumped up with joyful excitement, and I completely lost any sense of myself as he talked on and while pressed so close on top of me.

I couldn’t control myself, so I let myself go and enjoy this nice moment, thinking if college meant getting slammed to a bed within minutes of meeting a hot jock, then sign me the fuck up for it. But then I felt it: the big, fat bulge this jock stud had in those shorts was completely pressed against my right thigh and I could feel everything. Oh God, it’s big, warm and thick, and it feels so real it’s almost as if he isn’t even wearing any underwear. Just one thin piece of fabric between the smooth skin of my thigh and his big tube of meat. And now he’s humping me, oh my God, up and down, up and down and I can feel everything and I’m going to get hard and -

“Okay, big guy, okay, move over, please? You’re gonna suffocate me if you keep this up, come on!” I said, flushed on the cheeks and pressing both of my hands on his muscular chest, immediately impressed by feeling how hard it was and grazing his big, erect nipples faintly with my fingers. Oh God, it feels so good, I wish I could just pinch and suck on those big nipples, and... fuck!

He got up and took me me with him, and now we were face to face, him looking at me adoringly with a cute, goofy grin. He had perfect white teeth that I just wanted to suck on. Okay, who was this guy?

“Hey Jon, I’m Theo, nice to meet you” I said extending my hand to him. “That was quite a reception you threw me here, I don’t remember ever being attacked like this when I met someone before in my life”, I finished, still flushed.

“Oh, dude, I’m so sorry man! That’s just me, my big bro keeps telling me I’m too big to keep invading people’s space like that, but I’m a hugger, and you looked pretty huggable. Like I said, I’m Jon, Jon Fraser, I’m 18, I’m going to play football for the school’s team and I’m your new roommate, so let’s be best friends, yeah? Do you play anything? You look like a jock yourself, you’re pretty fit man!”

With that he didn’t give me anytime to think whatsoever, and he just started touching me on my shoulders, arms and chest, coping a feel of my muscles, as if assessing for himself if I was really a jock or not. His big hands all over my body were too much for me again and he was just so close that I could smell him, and fuck, now I noticed how good he smelled, young and masculine, a clean, citric smell, like sicilian lemons and salt water, so I just stood there and let him do whatever he wanted with me.

Well, if this fucking hot jock wants to touch me, I’m not going to be the one to stop him.

Eventually he stopped, and I figured he had finally put the idea on his head that I was a jock like him (which I was, but my sport was swimming, not football), and kept talking as he went to close the door, pick up his suitcases and start setting up his things, which I found so endearing. He quickly started a conversation, telling me fondly about his family and the farm where they lived, while I told him about my life in New York, where I came from. We had very different backgrounds, but he was easy to talk to, being humble and attentive to my questions and answers. I immediately decided I liked him.

From our conversation, I also figured out that Jon wasn’t really bright, and that he had minimal knowledge of a lot of common knowledge concepts, or even everyday social skills, which explained the way he had greeted me. He had a pretty recluse life in his farm and small rural town, one which was thoroughly centered on sports and athletic performance, which was why he was not only a star football player in his home town but also an accomplished wrestler and a basketball jock. He seemed oblivious about most things and was, frankly, dumb about any subject that wasn’t sports, and seemed as innocent as child. He didn’t mention drinking, girls, parties or sex at any moment of our conversation.

But, like I said, I had decided to like him, if only for his wholesome, kind, goofy nature, and his killer looks, obviously. I was watching from my side of the room his muscles flexing and his big bulge flopping around while he set up his things, sitting on my bed, just enjoying the damm view. This guy definitely wasn’t wearing any underwear.

He had his back to me while he was putting his clothes on our wardrobe, bending over a few times to fold them and to put them on the drawers, and I was transfixed on his big, muscular ass, barely contained on his shorts. When he turned over to grab some more clothes from his suitcases, which were now opened up on his bed, I raised my right hand to my mouth to silence a gasp.

Jon’s bulge was obscenely outlined on his shorts, pressing forward like it wanted to just flop out and greet the world, and it was actually just about to do that, because his zipper had somehow opened fully, and from the opening in his shorts I could see the shadow of a huge, thick and soft cock laying there. His fat prick was so big it went all the way down his thigh, bulging on his shorts, so I couldn’t see his cock head, just his massive length. Jon, apparently oblivious to it, didn’t notice his fly was open and that he was giving me such a thrilling show.

I noticed the solitary button of his shorts had somehow opened as well, so I thought it would be merely a matter of time before the weight of his huge cock just pushed his shorts down and exposed his whole junk to me. The way Jon was excitedly moving around didn’t help it, of course, and I saw his shorts were slowly slipping down on his legs with every movement of his. My theory about his tight henley t-shirt proved correct, and with every jerk of his body the hem of it would ride up on his muscular torso and expose to me a few inches of ripped, sun kissed abs. He had perfect proportion and definition, and his flat stomach was smooth, so there wasn’t any body hair obstructing my view. His shorts were slipping down more with every movement, and now I had a perfect view of his adonis belt and the top of his crotch.

“Fuck”, I thought, and couldn’t help but palm my rapidly hardening dick in my shorts as I saw for the first time his small, trimmed pubes showing over the hem of his shorts, which were now so dangerously close from slipping down completely I held my breath in anticipation.

Jon still didn’t notice anything, not realizing the button and fly of his shorts were opened and that pretty soon he would be naked from the waist down in our room. I tried to keep our conversation as I replied to whatever it was he was talking about, something about hoping the cafeteria would have good food, cause I couldn’t take my eyes off the hot sight in front of me.

I sat there frozen for a few minutes, making conversation with Jon as much as my baked, lust-filled brain allowed. It was incredible how this big, muscle-stud was such a goofball of a guy, never losing his naive excitement over things and talking as if he lived in a pink colored world. God, what a precious boy. I realized I was probably fucked at this point, so sucked in on his innocent personality and good looks. I was as fond of him as I was lusting for his body. My eyes were trained on the slow but sure movements of his slipping shorts, which had now uncovered his whole crotch, exposing his well trimmed bush and the first few inches of the fat monster barely hidden underneath. I wasn’t sure what would happen next, the only thing I knew was that I would be there watching the whole thing.

As Jon was moving back and forth from his bed to the wardrobe, he picked a pair of sneakers from one of his suitcases, ready to put them inside the wardrobe as well, when it all happened, fast and in sequence. I could not have anticipated it when one of his sneakers slipped his fingers and fell down, bouncing two times on itself before landing at the foot of his bed. I didn’t even think about it as I got up from my bed and went on my knees to retrieve it; the need to feel useful and helpful was automatic. I bent over and pushed my arm underneath his bed to catch it, Jon letting a little “Oops, sorry buddy, thanks for that”, and when I moved my arm to give it to him, still on my knees right in front of the teen stud, his shorts finally gave and slipped down completely to his ankles, exposing all of his godly frame to me.

The first thing I noticed was the whipping sound of something thick and huge coming out and flopping in the air, just to then feel it slap me across the face and land there, resting on my nose and lips. I blinked twice in surprise to see that, in fact, Jon’s big fuck stick had just slapped me across the face and it was just there, in front of me, warm, hot and heavy.

Fuck! The thing had to be at least 6 or 7 inches soft, cut and fat, with a big, pink cock head completely pressed against my shock opened lips. The second thing I noticed was Jon’s inebriating smell, as clean, pure and wholesome as him, but with an undercurrent of musk and sexual pheromones that travelled straight into my brain and just froze me. I was shaking with lust, my head was foggy and I couldn’t remember how to think or function properly in that moment. I opened my lips more to talk but I didn’t know what to say, so my tongue slipped out uselessly and swapped a taste of Jon’s meaty cock head, bringing it back to my mouth the taste of the most delicious boy I had ever seen or imagined in my life. Below his huge cock were a pair of equally impressive and smooth balls. Fuck me, the kid was made for sex. He looked like a proper porn star, all exposed like this, just for me.

With his shorts at his ankles, Jon’s movements were restricted, so he didn’t move. He stayed right there with his big dick pressed completely against my face and looking down at me on my knees, like a slut, eyes popped open in shock and looking back at him myself. He had a surprised look on his face about what happened but he seemed absolutely naive about any implications of the situation we were in, given the fact he did not do anything to take his dick out of my face. He chuckled.

“Ooh, shit, dude! I’m so sorry! I never meant to put my dick in your face, it’s just those fucking shorts, man, ever since I bulked up senior year my clothes got so tight that my pants always seems to be popping buttons and flyers these days, making me naked! I swear, it’s such a bummer! And back there in the farm we never had much money for new clothes, I was always getting hand me downs from my big bro, so this happens a lot, shit, so inconvenient! Anyway, meet Jonny, say hi to your new friend” as he said it kiddingly, his hips pushed forward a little, pressing his massive dick even harder against my face, and then I noticed he didn’t even do it on purpose, he was just retrieving the sneaker from my hand. His cock pushed up on my face until it touched my forehead and then got down again, smacking me one more time in the lips and leaving a subtle trail of precum on my face. Fuck, was his dick getting hard?

“Hum... It’s, hum... glurph, it’s okay, bro, just an, ah! Accident” I tried to mumble while in between his legs, enjoying being pressed against his crotch and inhaling as much of his sweet jock boy scent as I could.

“Dude, I can’t even walk with my shorts down my ankles like this. Say, since you’re already on your knees, can you give me a hand and push my shorts up, Theo, please?” He said innocently.

Fuck yeah, I can give you a hand stud, and a mouth, and an ass and...

“Sure” I tried to say against his cock.

Then things got even worse, or better for me, if I can say so myself, cause I was just about to realize how much of a clumsy boy Jon actually was. As I put both hands on his shorts and tried to push them up on his smooth, muscular thighs, destiny chose that exact moment to sprout what seemed to be a big cloud of hung, jock boy pheromones straight from Jon’s cock into my nose, his powerful scent wafting inside my brain completely and turning my insides into mush. I lost completely control of my body as my head fogged again and lost my balance on my knees, making me fall back against my ankles. But I never lost my grip on Jon’s shorts, so when I fell back I brought the big stud down on top of me, my head in between his legs and face close against his now half-hard cock.

I felt my head banging against the dorm floor as I fell back, aware of Jon’s weight on top of me; fortunately, the big teen stud put his athletic prowess to the test and put both hands forward before he met the floor, arriving in a push-up position, crotch positioned perfectly in front of my face. During this whole accident, I had opened my mouth to grasp a shout when I felt several inches of thick, jock boy cock lodging itself perfectly down my throat. I groaned at the feeling of Jon’s meaty dick inside my mouth, finally tasting him to the hilt, and just like that, in less than five seconds, Jon went fully hard inside my mouth, stretching my lips obscenely around his cock and taking all of my air out. I gagged and moaned, and I felt the pressure my pink, twink lips and mouth were exerting on Jon’s cock travel all the way through his body, making him groan and tremble.

My mouth was stuffed full of what seemed to be at least 9 or, hell, 10 inches, of Jon’s perfect, juicy boy cock. I was in fucking gay boy heaven!

“Fuck”, I heard Jon grumble above me. He stayed silent for a few seconds, as if he too had lost any sense of himself, as I had, and his fat balls slapped against my chin and neck. I immediately put my hands on the curve where his thighs met his muscular asscheeks, holding him gently, when Jon suddenly lowered his body towards my face, shoving his huge hard cock even deeper down my throat. He left it there for a few seconds and then pushed his powerful arms back to retrieve his dick from my mouth and end this marvelous confusion, but when I felt his numerous inches start to slip out of my mouth I immediately sealed my lips closely against his shaft, not letting him go anywhere.

“I’m so, so sorry Theo! Please don’t hate me, bud! I swear I never intended to shove my big fucking prick in your mouth like that man, oh, what a scene! This is such a terrible mistake man, I’m so sorry for being such a clutz and falling on you like that, and worse, making you take all of my 10 inches! Fuck! I can’t fucking believe this happened with me again, man, I can’t believe it, I’m such a mess, so clumsy! I haven’t been here for even a couple hours and I’m already embarrassing myself like this again! And now my cock is stuck in your mouth and I can’t get it out! My best bro Billy warned me against this, dude, he did, but here we are again, I guess” at that, the big stud slowly started doing real push-ups against my face, slowing getting down and shoving all of his thick teen meat all the way inside my throat, only to then come back to start it all over again.

He seemed lost on his own story: in his head this was all his fault, so he had to make it right. He kept talking as he pushed his dick in and out of my mouth, me doing my part to keep it tightly inside right before the point in which his inflated cock head would slip out of my lips. As he kept his back and forth motions, his body started to build up a rhythm slowly, going faster and faster. In just a few seconds, he would be fully fucking my face against the floor with his huge, hard cock, I could tell.

“You see, buddy, it seems by big dick is stuck in your throat, man, and no matter how many times I try to push it out, it won’t budge. So try to breath nice and easy through your nose, yeah? Breath in when I push my dick and out as I take it back, like this, yeah bro! Oh fuck, your throat is so tight. You’re just squeezing me so good... I see you’re gagging a little bit. That’s normal dude, don’t worry, it’s this fucking horse cock... I know this situation is terribly embarrassing for you and might seem terrible, but keep calm, I know exactly how to handle it!” As he talked, he had now perfected the rhythm of his dick inside my mouth, in an out, going faster by the minute and sometimes twisting around as if he was trying to discover uncharted territory inside my tight teen throat.

“The things is, bro, ah, fuck yeah, the thing is this has actually happened with me several times before, fuck. Yeah, I know, so embarrassing, right? But I’m such a clumsy idiot man. Back home, my best bro Billy seemed to get his mouth stuck around my cock at least once a week. Fuck, maybe even two or three times a week sometimes... He kinda looks like you, tho. Very cute, nice little body. I felt so bad every time one of these incidents happened with us, I felt almost like I couldn’t look Billy in the face ever again! To think about the fact that my cock got shoved inside his mouth so many times, all 10 inches of it... Fuck, man, and not only Billy, but with some other guys, too, but fuck, oh, ah, this is, hum, maybe a story for another time. It seems I’m always getting myself in those kind of situations, don’t even know why, it’s so fucking humiliating for me!” Jon was now breaking a sweat as he got serious on top of me, doing his push-ups perfectly like a young cadet in the army. I tried with all my might to pay attention to his story as his big hard cock slammed my throat harder and harder, almost taking me out with the pleasure of it all.

“So, after this happened a few times, me and Billy spent a lot of time talking about what we should do to handle this kind of situation if it ever happened again, so we found a solution for it. And it did happened again, Theo, over” THRUST! “and over” THRUST! THRUST! “and over, and over again “THRUST! THRUST! THRUST! THRUST! THRUS-

“So we had a lot of practice” he was panting now with the effort of doing his push-ups and fucking my face raw against the floor while telling his story, going so hard on me and pushing his massive dick so deep down my throat my head was banging back against the wood flor, making a “THUD” sound each time he speared me full of his huge jock cock. “And we agreed that, anytime that Billy’s sweet, young mouth got stuck around my cock again, or, fuck, oh fuck, yeah, aaaah! Fuck! Or, for that matter, if any other guy’s tight throat ever got stuck with my cock I would just fuck the guy’s face hard, just like this, just as I’m fucking your face, Theo, fucking it so, so good, you take my dick so well, it’s incredible, I would fuck it and fuck it and just ram my cock inside non stop until I fucking cum inside, so my dick can finally get soft and we can maybe use my thick cum as lube! I always cum so much, so it always work’s buddy! Oh yeah!”.

Suddenly Jon stopped talking for a few seconds and just concentrated on skull fucking me to oblivion, the quick slaps of his big balls sure to leave red marks on my neck due to his speed and strength. My head was hitting back against the floor as he wrecked my face on his cock, slamming me all the way on it, thoroughly fucking my face. I was gagging, gasping and moaning all the same time, his big cock and my chest completely drenched with my spit. His cock was so wet with it that it made his job easier, thick shaft slipping smoothly inside. The combination of the small pain on my head and the sensational pleasure of being stuffed full with such a big, perfect dick like this was like the most powerful drug to me, and I was having little orgasms all over my body. I had already came, my shorts and underwear sticky with the proof, and I groped both his ass cheeks harder with my hands, pressing my knuckles deep on his smooth, firm skin, and pushing his cock back against my mouth, signaling to him I was good with this, good with his plan. Hell, I was absolutely loving what was happening.

“Here it is, Theo, are you ready? Are you ready, baby? I’m going to cum, dude, cum all the way down your throat, yeah, stuff you full with it. Take my cock dude, I think it will finally come out man! Take it! I’m cumming, I’m fucking cumming!” Jon shouted, holding himself up with one hand while his other one came down to my hair to hold me tight on his cock as he spurted jet after jet of the most delicious, juicy cum I had ever dreamed of tasting. He was all boy, all men, all healthy and strong for me. Just for me.

We stayed there for a few minutes, Jon taking his time milking his cock down my throat, giving me every little drop of his perfect cum, holding my face gently as he pumped his cock in and out a few times to make sure he had drained himself fully inside of me. When he was done, we stayed there still for a few more minutes, waiting for the big teen stud’s cock to deflate so he could finally take it out of my mouth. I opened my lips, showing to him that the passage was clear, so he got down on his knees, legs spread on each side of my torso, and rested his steel hard ass on my chest gently, smiling at me. I smiled at him also, exposing to him what I knew was a mouth still filled with left over cum. Stud jock cum. Jon’s cum.

He took his now half hard dick in his right hand and tapped it gently against my lips, as if congratulating me for being such a good pal during this whole ordeal.

“I’m so sorry, bro, I hope you can forgive me for this. I’ll try to not let this kind of thing happen again, yeah?” He smiled softly, still gently slapping his cock head on my face.

“No way, Jon”, I thought. I’m going to make sure this happens again, stud. I’ll make sure this will never stop happening.