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foxtophat · 3 years

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i dont have much to say about this one!!! it’s just a story about carmina’s tenth birthday, and how the town of fall’s end is coping a decade after the collapse. uhhh there are some random children in it? bean is there! and of course john shows up, too, because that’s KIND OF THE POINT of mercyverse lol

technically there’s a story that comes before this, but i don’t have the vibe yet for it so i haven’t worked on it in a while. instead, i’ll probably just keep moving forward and throw up that one if the rest of the plot becomes at all relevant to the real main storyline. uhhh the next one will take place in the spring of 2029 and we’re going to start getting into some fun stuff that i’ve planned out for a while!!!

until then, uh, the usual: love you, please like/share/reblog/kudos/comment, whatever you feel good about doing, because i sure do love to share my universe with other people! hope you’re doing well and hopefully i’ll see you with another fic in a few weeks!

also as usual: the story text is below the cut for those of you who wanna stay on tumblr :)

It's Carmina's tenth birthday, and there's a party in town. The two things aren't exactly related, sure, but Carmina's used to sharing her birthday with the Collapse, and she's not about to turn down a bunch of free food. How can she not go to a real Hope County barbecue after her parents had hyped the experience up so much in the bunker? She'd hoped that her ninth birthday would have gotten a similar treatment, but the town just didn't have the food or people for it at the time. Her parents had told her that next year would be better; Carmina does her best to keep her imagination from blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

They leave a little bit after breakfast. Since John is coming along, mom has no excuse not to let Carmina ride in the back with him. He's not excited to be heading into town, but then again, the town isn't usually excited to see him, either. And considering what day it is, they're likely to be extra rude to him. Carmina doesn't get it, honestly, but she's just glad that she can ride in back without her mom grabbing onto her at every pothole and bump in the road.

The first surprise of the day comes as her dad parks just past the church, giving her a chance to stand up and look out over the town. She hasn't been here in a while, and so she's surprised to see that they've cleared out a lot of the dirt lot behind the usable buildings — and there are a lot of people hanging out there. Carmina's never seen so many people at once — she loses count around twenty and can easily guess double that. It's enough to rattle her nerves for just a second, before she catches the looks on her mom and dads' faces and realizes that this is probably a good thing. Sure, John looks like he wants to hop back in the truck and go home, but he always looks like that around strangers. Her parents, on the other hand, actually seem happy for once, and that's what matters to Carmina.

The second surprise is just how many of the adults seem to know her. Her parents move slowly through the mingling crowd, usually coming up with names for faces before Carmina's even looked at the strangers who call her by name. She gets lots of comments like, "I remember when your parents were expecting you!" and "I was wondering how the Rye's little girl turned out!" and even a few, "Glad to see you made it," comments that make her parents side-eye each other pretty fiercely. She doesn't need to introduce herself to anyone, not even people who her parents don't know so well — it's like everybody's always known her, and her family. It's kind of cool — but also kind of weird. Pastor Jerome always said that their family was a pillar in the community, but this is first-person evidence, right here in front of her.

Plenty of the adults wish her a happy birthday, too, but she knows their hearts aren't in it. It's one of the big drawbacks to sharing her birthday with the end of the world — nobody asks how old she is, nobody wants to know what she did on previous birthdays, and all of them have to make some kind of depressing comment. Like trying to get her to relate to birthdays before the Collapse: all they want to do is tell her about all the things she could be doing, or would be doing, if only the world hadn't ended. They want to share their birthdays from the past, but Carmina's never been to the movies, she doesn't know who Disney is, and she has no idea why they'd need a cake and candles for it all. Somebody tells her she should be graduating to the fourth grade, and she just stares back because what even is the fourth grade? What does that mean?

They mean well, so Carmina does her best not to upset anybody, but she knows that nobody appreciates how little she cares about life before the Collapse.

At least there are other kids in town today. Her mom had been telling her about some of them — kids who don't have families, who the town looks after — but Carmina's only ever met one of them, and that had been only for a few minutes. But Carmina can see them hanging out in the field, and as soon as her mom lets her, she heads right out to them. It's about time that she met people her age — she's getting tired of only ever talking to old people.

Of course, meeting strangers is still difficult for her, but she's saved from too much embarrassment as she recognizes the chicken brothers hanging out in the small group. She can't remember which one is Tom and which one is Matt, but they seemed really nice when they helped her pick out her chickens. She also recognizes the oldest boy in the group, although she can't remember his name at all. She's never seen the others before — two teenage girls, another boy her age, and a kid a couple years younger than her — but hopefully she won't make a total fool of herself.

"Hi," she says as she approaches, waving.

"Hey, Carmina," Matt-or-Tom says, stepping aside to make room for her in their makeshift circle. "I thought we would see you today."

"Yep," Carmina smiles, "Here I am!" She sees the teenagers' curious looks and tells them with little fanfare, "Today's my birthday."

"Oh," the oldest boy says. "That sucks."

One of the girls elbows him. "Don't be mean," she says.

"No, he's right," Carmina says. "It does suck."

"Well, happy birthday anyway. How old are you now?"

"Ten."

"Wow," the girl says. She looks at the boy, then back to Carmina, and says sympathetically, "You weren't kidding. That's rough."

Giggling with relief, Carmina waves once more. "It's okay. My name's Carmina, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

Being polite works like a charm, and the oldest boy is quick to go around with introductions. "Well, I'm Jason — this is Caroline, and this is Flower. The little kid there —"

"Hey!"

"— Is Bean, and... Sorry, man, what did you say your name was again?"

The other ten-year-old looking boy frowns and shoves his hands deeper into his pockets. "Luke," he says.

"Okay, Luke. And you know Tom and Matt."

"We were talking about the bison out in the field," Tom-or-Matt says. He points in the direction of home and asks, "Did you guys see the big one when you were coming into town?"

"The one that's all white?" Carmina asks, "With the big scar over its hump? We see that one all the time when we come out this way —"

"No, no," the other brother says, "Jason says there's a bigger one."

"I told you guys," Jason says, "I only saw it once, and it was late at night while I was up in the crow's nest. I don't think it comes out during the day."

Carmina frowns. "What big one? What do you mean?"

"Oh, boy," Caroline sighs, "Don't listen to him, Carmina, he's full of shit."

"Hey, language," Flower laughs.

"Look, I was pretty far away, but I had the sniper rifle and I wasn't sleeping on the job. Uh, so..." He points out over the field, towards a squat set of huts surrounding a tall, busted silo that's still standing. The view from up there must be great. "Jerome has me sit up in that tower sometimes, you know, to practice. So I was up there, looking around, and it was probably midnight or so... and I just see this glow out in the field. I think it's a fire, right? Maybe somebody made a camp out there on their way to town or something. So I look out through the scope — and it was a bison."

"A glowing bison?" Carmina asks skeptically.

"Yeah. Like, a monster bison. It was all dark and scaly looking, except for the way its belly glowed. I thought about shooting it, but..."

Caroline laughs. "He got scared. Or it wasn't real, and he's making it all up."

"I wasn't scared, and I'm not making it up! It's not like it could've hurt me up in the nest. It... just didn't feel right. You know, it was just grazing with the rest of the herd. And it moved off over the hill before I could change my mind or call anybody up to confirm it."

"Sure, Jason."

"I'm serious," Jason insists, "I really saw it, okay? I told Jerome about it and everything." He frowns at the dirt. "He said it might've been mutated after the bombs. Then he told me not to go looking for it."

"He's right," Flower says. "Even regular bison are pretty dangerous." She smiles. "That's why I like deer — they won't hurt you. If you sit really still, sometimes they'll even come up and lick your face."

"Oh," Carmina says. "I usually just shoot them. They eat all our vegetables otherwise."

"Yeah," Flower sighs, "Sometimes I do, too. But they're also nice to watch."

Tom-or-Matt looks to his brother. "I wonder if that's what we see outside at night?"

"What, deer?"

"No, dumbass." He turns to the group and explains, "Sometimes, when it's real late and I gotta use the bathroom, I'll see something glowing out in the woods. Dad's cut back a lot of space so it never gets very close, but... maybe it's another mutated animal."

"At least you'll see it coming when it tries to attack you," Carmina suggests.

"Gee, thanks."

Carmina knows he's probably teasing, but she still feels guilty for being so blunt about it. The least she can do is try to reassure him. "Well... most animals don't attack near houses, I don't think. When we first came out of the bunker, there were wild dogs and wolves that would watch us, and my dad was real worried about them — but now they mostly stay away from the property. I think it's because of the fence. You guys have a fence, right?"

"Yeah, plus a butt-load of chickens that freak out over anything out of the ordinary." Matt-or-Tom grins at her and asks, "Don't they wake you up with every little thing?"

Carmina briefly considers mentioning John being attacked, then decides against it. She also doesn't want to tell them that the chickens live mostly indoors at night now — the last thing she wants to do is kick off a whole big thing about the cult on her dang birthday! It's already hard enough pretending to care about them around her parents; she's not sure she could even force herself to bother here. And if she's not careful, the kids in town might start to think about her and her family the same way all the adults do.

"They're pretty docile, actually," she says, "And we only really see deer around our place... It's not like they eat chickens."

"Well.... maybe there's a mutant deer out there that wants to eat you," Tom-or-Matt teases.

Carmina rolls her eyes. "I'll shoot it before it gets past the hangar," she replies.

Of course, her dismissive confidence leads to a sprawling discussion on who might be the best shot out of the group. Carmina does her best to defend her skills, considering she can't prove any of it right now, but all three teens insist they're dead-eyes, and even Bean says he's "getting pretty good at the aiming part." On top of that, the kids from the town have gotten pointers from Aunt Grace herself, which means they might actually be better shots than Carmina expects.

"Maybe we should have a competition," Caroline suggests. "I bet Pastor Jerome and Aunt Grace would be okay with it."

"Sure," Jason laughs, "But you know they'd make us spend forty minutes disassembling and cleaning our rifles before and after. Like I don't know what I'm doing — I'm almost fifteen!"

"Have you guys been to Aunt Grace's?" Carmina asks. "She has a shooting range there."

"Maybe she'd let us use it!"

"I've never been to a real shooting range," Bean says.

"It's not a real shooting range," Jason points out, "Those all got blown up. Do you even know how to use a gun, Bean?"

"I just said I do! My dad taught me! I... just don't like the loud noises it makes."

Matt-or-Tom boasts, "We learned to shoot in our bunker. Mom collected Airsoft guns — they don't use bullets, so they can't kill you."

"What's the point of that?"

"I dunno, I guess practicing underground?"

Tom-or-Matt laughs. "Dad was convinced the Peggies were gonna get us, so he wanted us to know how to shoot."

The quiet kid, Luke, finally speaks up. "Lucky," he mutters, "Easier to learn underground, I bet."

"What about you?" Carmina asks. She tries not to cringe away when he stares back at her like he didn't expect anyone to hear him. Maybe he doesn't like people talking to him? "Um... my mom and dad had a bunch of gun magazines in the bunker, but I never got to shoot a real gun until we came outside. Mom and Aunt Grace have been teaching me, though, and I'm way better than my dad is."

Luke hesitates. "Kind of the same. We came up early, though. Had to."

"Me, too," Jason replies. "It was just me and my brother. I was five when we got stuck in the bunker — we went through our supplies in about three years, so we had to come back up."

"We... only stayed down until I could walk," Luke admits. "It was still really cold when we came up. And mom got real sick for a while."

"Yikes," Bean says, "That sucks!"

"Come on, bean," Jason snaps, "You don't say that."

"You just said it to her!" Bean shouts, pointing at Carmina.

"He's... right," Luke mumbles. "It sucked. It... still sucks. But things are getting better now." He looks up at them, then drops his eyes back to the dirt. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Carmina insists, "I asked first!"

"That's kind of the mood today," Caroline adds. "Don't worry. We can talk about something else."

The change in topic comes abruptly as Bean points towards the Church and asks, "Who is that with Pastor Jerome?"

Carmina doesn't need to look, but since the rest of the group does, she might as well too. John has his hat pulled low over his eyes, as usual, which makes him look suspicious, as usual. Knowing him, he probably didn't even leave the truck — just waited there for Jerome to come talk to him.

She can only hope that Tom and Matt keep their mouths shut since they're the only other kids who know what John looks like nowadays. Unfortunately for her, that hope is pretty quickly dashed.

"Oh," Matt-or-Tom says, like a jerk, "That's John, I think. Right, Carmina?"

"Wait," Jason says, "You're that Carmina?"

Carmina ducks her head. "Um... it depends, I guess?"

Flower, looking too sympathetic for Carmina's liking, tries to mediate. "He just means, well... Jerome talks about you sometimes."

"And he talks about that guy," Jason adds, pointing without any subtlety at all.

"Everyone talks about that guy," Caroline says with a sigh. She gives Carmina a sympathetic shrug as she does, as though she wishes she could stop the conversation from happening, too. That only makes Carmina worried that this isn't the first time the teenagers have sat around gossiping about John and the crazy people who decided to take him in.

"Wait," Bean gasps, way too loudly, "That's John Seed?"

"Oh my God," Matt-or-Tom sighs, "You gotta keep up with the conversation."

"Wait, what's he doing here? Why's he going into the church? I thought he wasn't supposed to come to town? I thought he was locked up!"

Carmina groans. "It's my birthday," she whines, "I don't wanna talk about John today!"

"We don't have to," Caroline says. "Guys, come on."

"I mean, he did kill a lot of people. Isn't he, like, a psychopath? Isn't it weird to live with a murderer?"

"Jason!"

Luke mutters, "I heard he used to cut off people's skin."

"That's true," Jason replies, "My brother has a huge scar from when it happened to him. Boy, I hope he doesn't see that jackass is here..."

Matt-or-Tom finally seems to realize what he's started, frowning as the conversation spirals crazily out of control. It's too late to stop it, though, and so he shuffles his feet and looks apologetically towards Carmina.

Fine. If she can't get around the subject, she's just going to have to tackle it head-on. Even if that sounds really scary. She doesn't think that these guys are going to flip out like the caravan last year did, but she's still a little worried that she might be in for a fight if she says the wrong thing about John.

"I know John used to be a bad guy," she says. "Like, really bad. My dad's got one of those scars, too. But he's not like that any more. All he does nowadays is help my parents with chores and stuff. And he's just like everybody else — he doesn't talk about what happened before the Collapse to me or anybody. So I really don't know anything more than you guys.

She probably knows less than them, honestly, but she's not about to say so and get a brutal lesson in everything John's ever done wrong.

"So he's just... different, now?" Jason asks, frowning unhappily at the church.

"I guess so," Carmina replies with a shrug. She looks over to make sure that John and Jerome are inside, just in case. "He's not... scary, or mean, or anything like that. Just quiet. Kind of... lonely, I guess. Ever since he found out his brother is alive but still crazy, he's been really beat up about it." He's also been literally beaten up over it, but now's not the time to try and make the others feel sorry for him. John would probably be irritated at the idea of a bunch of kids pitying him.

Matt-or-Tom is quick to help her out, which is nice. "She's right," he says. "The Father is still out there in the woods with all those crazies, but John's repented. Dad said he made amends with God, whatever that means. He... uh, still doesn't like us being around him, but when we helped him load the chickens in he seemed okay. Just real quiet."

"That's John, alright," Carmina sighs.

Bean looks seriously disappointed by the news. "You mean he doesn't talk about it at all?" he asks.

"No," Carmina says, snapping for good measure, "And he gets really upset when you ask about it, so don't."

"I'm not gonna go talk to him!" Bean gasps.

The idea that a kid might be scared of John is pretty funny, considering how uncomfortable he is around her, but Carmina's not about to say as much. John probably wouldn't like her sharing a weakness like that with a bunch of strangers, and she wouldn't want them using it against him later.

Flower slowly lifts her hand, looking embarrassed. "Some of the adults in town say the Bliss messed him up. Is that... true?"

Well, at least she's trying to be nice about it. "I dunno," Carmina admits. "He was super weird when he first started living with us, but that might've just been because he was stuck in his bunker for so long."

"Oh, that happened to a guy my dad knows!" Bean supplies helpfully. "Dad calls it bunker shock. Says living underground too long is bad for you when you're all alone!"

"Glad I didn't live in one long enough for that," Luke says. When everyone looks at him, he clams up for a second before continuing on. "A neighbor came up just this year. He's... real weird. I don't like him much. He still sleeps underground, hoping he'll wake up and it'll all be a dream." He scuffs his boot against the dirt, sniffing loudly. "That's what my mom says, anyway. I try not to be around when he comes by."

"He wouldn't be the first adult to be like that," Jason says. He gives the church one last look before nodding his head towards the party. "I mean, that's why we're all the way out here, instead of hanging out around the food. Right?"

"No," Bean replies, "I'm out here 'cos I can't eat another bite! I didn't know you could be this full."

Caroline laughs. "Yeah, the adults have been stockpiling for weeks, it looks like... I guess everyone was really looking forward to it — or, well, I guess that's what it is."

Flower gazes over at the gaggle of adults. Carmina recognizes her dreamy smile from the way her mom looks around the house sometimes, like she's getting a new, better look at the place.

"It feels like things are starting to look up," she says. "Maybe they can all be happier now."

"Hey, don't jinx it!" Tom-or-Matt laughs.

Bean looks around at the rest of them and for a second, Carmina is worried he's going to ask more about John and restart the whole ugly conversation. Thankfully, it looks like he's still a baby, so he's quickly distracted.

"So, what do we do now?" he asks, pushing his too-big glasses up his nose.

Carmina has never actually played with other kids before, so she doesn't have any good suggestions — especially when shooting is off-limits. Thankfully, she isn't the only one. The teenagers don't know where their soccer ball went, and Luke says he doesn't even know what soccer is. Bean says he usually plays word games by himself. When Tom-or-Matt suggests they play something called "capture the flag," it manages to make its way to the top of the list just because Jason and Caroline have both heard of it before.

Well, at least something is better than nothing. The older kids explain how capture the flag works, using Jason's shirt for their team's flag while the other kids band together around Matt-or-Tom's sweaty tank top. Carmina imagines that one of them should sit out for even teams, but the older kids seem confident that they can handle it. Too confident, in Carmina's opinion — maybe they need to be brought down a peg.

Capture the flag turns out to be more fun than Carmina had expected — and a lot harder, too. Trying to outmaneuver the older kids is tough work, but she and Tom-or-Matt figure out how to flank them pretty quick. There's nothing better than the moment when Carmina manages to dive out of the way when Jason tries to tackle her, and even if she gets dog-piled by Flower halfway back to Bean at home base, she holds Jason's shirt up for another teammate to take.

Unfortunately, the game ends without a winner as a sharp whistle pierces the air. Bean looks up and shouts, "That's my dad! I better go!"

He runs off at full tilt without so much as a goodbye, and Carmina has to squint against the setting sun to watch him go. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten.

"I should probably get going, too," Luke says, sweaty and almost smiling for once. "I want to get another plate of food before we go home."

"Ugh," Carmina sighs, "And the chickens need feeding."

"Just make John do it," Matt-or-Tom says, apparently not learning his lesson about mentioning John.

"It's supposed to be my job," she says. "And anyway, he already feeds them in the morning when I don't get up in time."

"They're gonna like him more than you," Tom-or-Matt laughs.

Jason frowns. "He feeds your chickens?"

"I mean... yeah. He does whatever we need him to." Carmina shrugs, glancing back towards the church. She hasn't seen Jerome or John leave — maybe she should go see them before she rounds up her parents? Nah, it's better to leave them alone until the very last minute.

"Just... didn't think you'd let him near livestock, that's all."

"What's he gonna do, poison the eggs?" Carmina huffs. "He's good with them. I think he likes them 'cos they aren't judgey."

Caroline frowns, which tells Carmina she might've been a little rude. But Jason's been rude about John all day, so she's not going to feel sorry about it!

"Well, I guess if your parents trust him..."

"Sure they do," Carmina replies, even if that's not... exactly right. She knows her parents trust John enough to help around the house, but she thinks they only want to trust him with all the other stuff.

"I really better go," she says, pointing towards town.

"Sure," Flower says. "It was nice to meet you, Carmina."

Carmina gives them her best grin, relieved when it's returned from the others. Jason even waves like there's no hard feelings. "It was nice meeting you guys," she says.

"Happy birthday again!" Matt-or-Tom says, "And be careful!"

"Yeah," his brother laughs, "Wouldn't want to have a glowing deer attack you in the outhouse tonight!"

Carmina laughs away the dumb attempt to scare her, waving goodbye before turning to head for the party. Halfway there, she glances over her shoulder and sees the group turned back to one-another in conversation. None of them are looking back, but as she continues on, she's chased by an unfamiliar sense of discomfort. She can't help but wonder if they're still talking about John in the church.... If they're talking about her.

At least she can distract herself while looking for her parents. There are plenty of adults who say hello; some of them even point her helpfully towards her mom's last known location, or towards the table with the cookies her dad really liked. Some of them check in to make sure her birthday has been going well, too, which is nice of them, but a lot of adults are pretty drunk and deep in their own conversations.

She eventually finds her mom and dad standing around a grill with Marjorie, one of the adults in charge around town. Carmina's met her a couple of times. She's nice, but she can talk a lot. There's no telling how long they've been talking for, and if Carmina doesn't interrupt, who knows when they'll finish. While she could probably grab some food for the road, first she has to make sure that they're actually going to be leaving sometime before the next Collapse.

Besides, it looks like her dad's already got a box of leftovers in his hands. If Carmina wants to eat, she's going to have to interrupt.

"Hey dad," she says as she comes up to them, "The chickens are going to need dinner soon."

Her dad grins at her before handing over the squat, open cardboard box. There's chicken, ribs, corn and roasted potatoes, and even a handful of cookies and flatbread; it takes everything in Carmina's power not to make a desperate grab for more food. She doesn't have to worry about going hungry tonight, so there's no need to eat everything put in front of her.

"Here," he tells her, "You take this, alright? My arms are gettin' tired."

Yeah, right. As soon as she takes the box, he uses one of those tired arms to grab one of the ribs. When Carmina frowns suspiciously at him, her dad only shrugs.

"I coughed on it."

"Uh-huh..."

Laughing, her mom reaches out to give Marjorie a hug. It might've run a little long, but her mom obviously enjoyed the talk. "We'll be back in a week or two with the tractor parts," she says. "You're going to get the fields back in shape in no time."

"Already got a good start," Marjorie replies. She shoots Carmina a warm smile. "Happy birthday, by the way! Don't think I got to see you much. Hope those kids weren't giving you a hard time."

"No," Carmina replies., "They're all really nice. We want to practice shooting together, maybe have a contest. Jason said he's better than anybody else."

"I bet you're gonna give him a run for his money!" Marjorie laughs. "Well, the better a shot you are, the better off you'll be. You won't see anybody here stop you kids."

"Yeah, but tonight, I have to feed the chickens," Carmina says, just in case her parents need another chance to get out of here.

"We've got a few other people to say goodbye to," her mom tells her. "Why don't you take the food back to the truck? We'll meet you there."

"Should I get John, too?"

As soon as she asks, Carmina decides she probably shouldn't have brought it up. Too late, though; by the look on Marjorie's face, there's no way to pretend she didn't hear it.

Her dad shrugs. "Probably oughta," he tells her, as if he doesn't see Marjorie staring at them like she is.

Marjorie definitely doesn't like that, judging by the way she squints, but she doesn't say anything about it. "Well, I hope you had a decent enough birthday for once," she says, "Hopefully we'll be having a party around this time every year from now on."

"That would be nice," mom says.

"Just you wait, we're gonna turn this ship around one way or another." Marjorie gestures with her hands and says, "Alright, you better go, before those chickens of yours eat each other."

Carmina frowns. "They don't do that, do they?"

"Uh, let's get moving," her dad says. "See you soon, Marg."

"Take care!"

Her mom and dad have to stop a few more times to say goodbye to people Carmina doesn't know, but she pushes on without them and nobody stops her for more than a quick birthday greeting. She catches sight of Luke packing up some food with his parents, but he's too distracted to notice her. At least she isn't the only one carrying a box of leftovers out of here; it would feel selfish of her if they weren't sending leftovers home with other people.

Her parents haven't caught up with her by the time she reaches the truck, and John is nowhere to be seen. She figures he's probably still in the church — he and Pastor Jerome always take forever when they're talking. They'll probably be there until dad goes in and breaks them up.

Eating by herself in the back of the truck doesn't feel right, especially not within walking distance of the church. Leaving the food tucked in the corner by the cab, Carmina heads for the building herself. Even if nobody was in there, she'd probably go wander inside for a few minutes; it's a comforting, quiet place in the dry, dusty town. But right now, she's pretty sure John is hanging around inside, and he probably hasn't eaten anything all day, either. She should at least let him have first pick.

She knows a lot of the adults dislike the church, but Carmina personally enjoys how its sun-bleached siding stands out against the sky. Besides the house, the church is one of the few places Carmina wishes she could have seen in one piece. She's seen old, faded pictures from ancient newspaper clippings, but it's just not the same.

The doors are open wide enough for Carmina to slip in without a sound. The air inside is cool, almost chilly, and it smells like dirt and grass. From the entrance, there's only a narrow gap keeping Jerome and John out of sight. She doesn't mean to hide, but she doesn't want to interrupt Jerome mid-sentence...

It's too late, she's eavesdropping.

"It might not be much, but it's something," Jerome's saying. "He even stayed a few nights, when the wind got bad and brought too much pollen over the river."

"It would be better for everyone if he stayed here permanently," John replies. "Wallace went further down the path than the rest of them, and they clearly don't know what they're doing."

"They're trying, John. And we don't have a say in the matter. It's got to be his choice. Remember?"

John grunts, clearly annoyed. Carmina doesn't think she's ever heard him say so much before. Does he talk to her mom and dad this much? Is he really only quiet around her?

"I don't like it," John says.

"For what it's worth, neither do I. But Sharky's taking things seriously — they all are. You're going to have to trust them."

"Trust isn't exactly one of my virtues," John grumpily admits.

Jerome chuckles. "You just need practice."

Well, Carmina definitely feels guilty now. She had only been waiting for an opening, but if she waits any longer, she's really going to be breaking John's trust. Pastor Jerome's, too, for that matter.

Thinking on her toes, Carmina pushes on the already open door as though she's just showing up. Of course, the hinges squeal in protest as soon as she does, so she stops before she breaks something.

"Are you guys still in here?" she calls. She's pretty convincing about it, in her opinion.

"Yes, Carmina," Jerome responds, apparently none-the-wiser, "We're here."

John regards her neutrally as she steps into view, but he's always wearing his poker face around her. She needs to get better at reading it.

"I guess it's time to go, then," he says.

"Yeah. Um — I mean, I can meet you back at the truck. Mom and dad will be here soon..."

Jerome speaks up before John can get the chance. "No, you two go on. I think we were just about done ourselves, and I'd like to sit here for a little while, before it gets too dark." He and John shake hands, and then he comes over to give Carmina a hug. "Happy birthday," he tells her. "You be good for another year, alright?"

"I'll try," she says.

"That'a girl," Jerome laughs. "Keep an eye on her, John."

Sometimes, it seems like Jerome is the only adult in Hope County that doesn't think John is a bad influence on her. Even her mom and dad, who are basically the only people on John's side, get uncomfortable if she tries to talk to him too much. But Jerome is a special case. He used to be weird about anything John-related, but nowadays? Honestly, Carmina's pretty sure he's John's only friend at this point — well, okay, other than mom and dad, but they don't count.

John waits until they've left the church to speak. He's chilly and dismissive, as usual.

"How long were you listening for?"

"I wasn't," Carmina begins — but she can't lie to him. Lying only ever makes things worse. So she corrects herself reluctantly and admits, "It was only a minute. I didn't mean to... it just sort of happened."

"Hm."

Normally, Carmina can't get a read on John's poker face, but... huh. She can't help but feel like she might've... hurt his feelings? She definitely wasn't being trustworthy, that's for sure. And now he's trying to casually out-pace her on the walk back to the truck.

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping," she says, picking up her pace to match his. "I promise, I won't do it again."

John glares at her, but she's pretty sure he's not angry. Maybe just confused? She's not sure, he's never looked at her longer than two seconds before.

"I... appreciate it," he replies instead, which makes it the first time he's ever accepted an apology of hers. Usually, he just tells her not to worry about it.

Carmina grins at him, but he's already looked away, so of course he doesn't see it. Instead, he looks to the field, where the three teens from town are still hanging out. Carmina can't tell if they're looking this way or not. She sure hopes they aren't; John would know immediately that they gossiped about him, and she's already messed up with him once today.

"Have you ever played capture the flag?" she asks, hoping to distract him. "The chicken brothers taught us the rules but I think they maybe made some of it up."

John cracks a small smile. Well, Carmina will pretend it's one, anyway.

"The chicken brothers," he repeats.

"You know, Tommy and Matt."

"Do they know that's what you call them?"

"I mean, I've never said it to their faces..."

"That's probably smart."

They reach the truck, which marks the invisible barrier that keeps John out of town. Of course, mom and dad still aren't here. If Carmina climbed up on top of the truck, she might be able to spot them, but it's not like she could get their attention from this far away. So, she's going to have to kill time until they get back.

"Did you eat?" she asks, climbing up into the truck bed.

"I'm fine, Carmina," John replies, a little wearily. Like she's not the first person to bug him about it today — or, maybe like he lacks energy from not eating all day.

She rolls her eyes, but John doesn't see. "Uh-huh." She sits down, pulling the box of food into her lap as she leans back against the cab. "Dad was surprised that there were cookies. Um, not exactly the same, I guess? But still really good." She's not going to give him a chance to turn it down, grabbing one and shoving it in his direction. "Here, try one!"

John, leaning against the side of the truck like he is, is clearly more interested in looking for her parents than humoring her. He definitely looks like he wants to say no. But to her surprise, he actually takes the offered food. It would be weird to stare at him while he eats, so she goes back to debating between a chicken leg or one of the last ribs in the box.

"Not bad," John comments, which is like, crazy, because Carmina definitely isn't goading him into talking.

"They're kind of crumbly," Carmina says, "I dunno if that's what it's supposed to be like. But all the food is really good." She counts the chicken legs out again, just to make sure there's one for each of them. "Um... hey, John? Uh... do chickens eat each other?"

John frowns, chewing the question over with the rest of the cookie. He swallows, then says, "Most animals cannibalize their own if they're desperate enough."

"Oh."

"They would need to be left alone for a lot longer than a few hours," he points out. "Or they would have to be sick. It's more likely a dog will get them before they turn on each other."

Well, at least Carmina can trust John to tell her the truth, even if it's probably not the way her parents would want him to do it. She doesn't even mind him being so blunt about it, either; she's just surprised he's willing to talk to her. She can't help but wonder if this is going to be a normal thing, now that she's ten — is he going to stop being so weird around her? Or is this just a special treat, because of the day? She sure hopes not. It'd be a lot less awkward if John didn't act so scared of her all the time.

Her parents finally join them at the truck. Her mom wrinkles her nose at Carmina sitting in the back again, but she doesn't say anything. Her dad doesn't seem to mind; once he spots the box in Carmina's lap, he reaches over to grab one of the shortbread cookies for himself.

"Sorry about that," he says, "We got held up a couple times. John, you try one of these yet?"

"I did."

"Crazy having home-baked goods again, right?" Her dad waggles the cookie in John's face; John rolls his eyes and circles back around to the tailgate, climbing up into the bed. "Here, Carmina, give me that box so the food doesn't get too cold on the way home."

"You're just gonna eat everything," Carmina objects, handing over the box anyway.

"Nah, come on. Here, you guys grab something for the ride home." He nudges Carmina's shoulder with the box. "You probably worked up an appetite bullying all the older kids out there — and I bet you didn't eat much of anything, either," he adds in John's direction.

"I had a cookie, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I'll bet nobody forced you into it, either."

Carmina grins as her dad winks at her. Her mom rolls her eyes, but doesn't keep dad from bullying John a little. "Grab something so we can get going," she tells John, "And make sure she doesn't stand up once we're in drive."

John reluctantly takes a towel-wrapped ear of corn and a single rib, while Carmina goes right for that piece of chicken she'd been eying from the start. That helps her make peace with sitting safely, at least this one time. Next year, she's definitely going to get to ride in back by herself, she can feel it, and she is going to do it standing up!

As Carmina watches the town shrink behind them, she congratulates herself on another successful birthday. It'd been better than she'd expected — she was a little uncomfortable around so many people at first, but now she's pretty sure she can say she's made some friends? And seeing the town full of food and laughter and music... It had been sort of what Carmina imagines Fall's End used to be like. Her parents probably wouldn't agree, but maybe that's okay. Maybe when she's older, she can try and prove to them that things can be just as good as they used to be — even if it's a different kind of good.

#far cry 5 #fc5 #fcnd #new dawn #john seed #nick rye #kim rye #carmina rye #far cry fanfic #my fic

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jamielea81 · 4 years

Text

Conversations

Chapter 10

Description: You accompany your friends on a day trip to Animal Kingdom Theme Park where you meet Scott Evans by chance. This one afternoon leads to a year long friendship with both Chris and Scott over text messages and phone calls.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Warning: Fluff and Angst, I’m sorry. Probably a swear or two.

Word Count: 6,157 (I know!)

A/N: I know nothing about the lives of the Evans family and mean no harm. This is purely fiction and for fun. Reblogs and comments are much appreciated! The tag list is now closed. Each chapter tends to get reblogged from me a few times, so if you’re following me, you can’t miss it. See additional note at the end.

*Italics are internal thoughts

Catch up with Chapter 9

A simple “I’m home” was texted to Chris when your feet hit your bedroom floor. You were slightly concerned you may have been too clingy about the “not seeing him again soon enough” comments you shared. What you really wanted to say was “I’m home and missing you already”, but you refrained. He replied with “glad you made it home safe, sweetheart”.

This was strange for you and you didn’t quite know what was going on with your emotions. With Ethan, it was all too much too soon. The spending nearly every day together was entirely too much. In the end, that relationship really made you lose sight of yourself. With Chris, your time together wasn’t nearly enough. And you couldn’t forget that fact that your relationship was undefined. It was new and not exclusive. You didn’t plan on seeing anyone else while you were seeing Chris, but did he feel the same way? You just needed to have the patience to see where it would go.

Before heading into work, you were stopping by Jana’s office to fill her in on your trip. She’d been busy as of late, more so than usual, so the two of you hadn’t seen much of each other. Up until today, you had successfully avoided Ethan on your two other trips to her office. Once by luck, and the second by careful planning. You hadn’t seen or talked to him since you ended it in your favorite coffee shop a couple of months back. It was still your favorite coffee shop, you just didn’t visit there on Sundays anymore. Jana had given you the heads up that she had already seen him that morning, so there was a chance of running into him as well. It was bound to happen sooner or later, might as well face the music now.

Grabbing two “I Love NY” coffee mugs from the shopping bag you picked up from the airport, you checked your reflection in the mirror once more before going to your car. In all honesty, you weren’t trying to look good for Ethan, not at all. But it didn’t hurt to look good in front of your ex. Besides, you really did have that new relationship and you just had sex glow going on.

“Could you be more cliché?” Jana asked, picking up one of the mugs.

“Most people would say thank you for the gift, Jana.”

“Thank you,” she says sarcastically, but offers you a smile.

You successfully made it from the lobby to her office without an Ethan sighting. Although, you kind of wanted to get the first run-in over with. You didn’t plan on ending your friendship with Jana despite her less than thrilled response to the souvenir you brought back, so you were bound to see him. Wasn’t like he was leaving the firm anytime soon now that he was partner.

“I don’t have Fifth Avenue money, woman. Besides, wasn’t like we did a lot of shopping. Figured that it was a classic New York souvenir,” you said, shrugging your shoulders.

“I really do appreciate it. It’s cute,” she said sincerely. “Besides, you know how much Brooks loves collecting coffee mugs.”

“Hence why I got you each one,” you said matter-of-factly.

“Suppose you didn’t leave the room much anyway.” Her eyebrows raising and lips forming a smug smile.

You leaned over her desk, smacking her arm lightly. Wasn’t like you were Instagramming all weekend. She apparently could read your mind.

“No comment,” you replied, leaning back in your seat, your arms crossing over your chest.

“You do know that no comment is admitting guilt?” she asked.

“Who says I feel guilty?” you replied.

“Good for you. Really, Y/N. I’m happy for you.”

You nodded and smiled slightly.

“It was a nice getaway. He makes me happy,” you said honestly. “I just feel so comfortable around him, you know? I mean of course, I was nervous. You know that. But when we’re together, it’s just nice.”

“It’s probably because you guys were friends first. You already had that existing comfortability.” She leans back in her chair with a soft smile. “That’s really great. When do you think you’ll see him again?”

That was the million dollar question.

You licked your lips and then chewed on the inside of your cheek. “Um. That’s a really good question and I’m still trying to work that out.”

“Well, hopefully soon.”

“I don’t disagree,” you replied.

You made it to the elevator with no Etahn sightings. Grabbing your phone out of your purse, you saw you had a text from Chris.

Chris: I like me better when I'm with you I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time 'cause I like me better when I like me better when I'm with you

“How does he even know that song?” you asked to yourself.

Y/N: You know that song?

Y/N: And I like me better when I’m with you too. 😘

Chris: It was on your phone. Played it a couple of times when I was at your house.

He’s got quite the memory.

Pressing the call button for the elevator, you wait patiently for it to arrive. There was one problem though, you couldn’t get out of your own head. It was going to become more difficult the more time passes without seeing Ethan. You didn’t want to be nervous every time you came to visit Jana. It was silly really; you had known Ethan over a year before you started to date. Taking a deep breath, you turned around and walked to his office.

He didn’t notice you at first. His eyes glued to his computer monitor while his pointer finger scrolls endlessly on the mouse. His door is open but you definitely feel like you’re intruding.

Just knock already! Say something!

“Knock. Knock,” you said while literally knocking on his door.

I’m such a dork.

“Y/N!” he blurts out. His face is one of surprise but he quickly straightens it and gives you a polite smile. “Please come in.”

“I’m not interrupting anything?”

“Just the usual.”

Surprisingly it isn’t as awkward as you thought it would be. Of course, Ethan is a lawyer and can keep a straight face when he needs to, so if he’s nervous, he isn’t showing it.

“I just haven’t seen you, so I wanted to say hi. Was just visiting Jana and on my way out,” you said in a rush.

Okay, so maybe this is awkward.

“What have you been up to?” he asks tentatively.

You’re still standing slightly in the doorway which is adding to your unease. Gesturing with your hand to one of the two chairs in front of his desk, he quickly nods. You sit down and you feel slightly better even though you are much closer to him now.

“I’ve been good. I’m doing more stories for the online edition of the paper lately and a few have been picked up nationally which is great.”

“That’s really great, Y/N,” he replied.

It’s sincere and you’re happy he’s lost that cocky demeanor he used give you before you were together. One fear of yours was that he’d put on the show again. Despite being together for only a couple of months, he really opened up to you during that time.

“How about you?” you asked.

“Good. Great actually. Works been busy but we’ve brought on quite a few clients. Busy is good.”

“I’m really glad,” you said. “So..”

“So, are you seeing anyone?” he asked.

Back to awkward then. You hesitated for a moment.

“Do you really want to talk about that?”

“Sorry. We don’t have to,” he replied. “Seen any good movies lately?”

You chuckled and then told him about the nature series you’d been watching on Disney+.

Were the two of you going to be best friends? No, but you never were and that was fine. At least now you felt that if you ran into Ethan, pleasantries could be given without running the other way.

For years, your boss has encouraged you to attend a writing conference. Every year you find an excuse not to go. Well, you went once, maybe six years ago, but you just hadn’t gone back. They were paid for by the paper except for food and spending money. That wasn’t the problem. Attending a conference took time away from your job. They were usually held in a ballroom at a hotel that had you holed up for hours, never allowing you to see the sun. And since they ran up until the time for you to fly home, it didn’t make much sense for you to travel to another city to attend one and never actually see the city. That is until you thought about seeing Chris. You could easily enough have your ticket extended to allow an additional night or two in order to spend time with Chris if you could get your schedules line up.

There were three upcoming conferences you could attend; Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and St. Paul.

You grabbed your phone and fired off a text to Chris figuring you’d bring it up to him before suggesting it to your boss.

Y/N: Any chance you’ll be in LA the week of August 2nd?

The conference was being held August fifth through the seventh which was a Friday. Staying until Sunday evening would make it a short weekend, but time together was still time together.

Chris: The short answer is yes. Taking a quick look at my calendar I have nothing scheduled, so I could be in LA then. What’s going on?

Y/N: I have to talk to my boss, but possible work conference. I’d be free the weekend though.

Chris: More time with you? I’m sold.

“I’m falling fast,” you whispered to yourself.

The truth was, you had already fallen and it scared you to death. If this were any other guy, it wouldn’t be as scary. You’d been in love once before but it ended on bad terms and you’d been afraid to give your heart away ever since. You were never in love with Ethan, but the relationship was rushed and you fell into it easily. But this was Chris. The two of you would never have a normal relationship and that’s what made you hesitant. If you were having a bad day, you couldn’t call him to come over. You couldn’t crawl into bed with him after working on a story late into the night. He couldn’t stop by to watch a movie with you. This was long distance to the extreme.

Chris: I still feel bad last weekend fell through.

Chris planned on flying into Orlando to spend a few days at your place, but something came up and he had to cancel. Sure, it was a little bit of a letdown, but his life was busy and he was in demand, you couldn’t fault him for that. You had seen him a couple of weeks prior so it hadn’t even been that long.

Y/N: Baby, it’s fine. Honestly. Hoping August works out. I should know soon.

While you and Chris still hadn’t discussed the status of your relationship, it had kicked into high gear. He was texting you more often, usually with sweet words and telling you that he missed you. Some of the texts had reached into that R rated category which made you blush, especially if you were out with friends or at work. There were no nudes exchanged or anything like that; neither of you trusted the security of your phones completely. But there were a few occasions that you needed to call him right after receiving one of those messages.

You fired off an e-mail to your boss explaining that you wanted to go to a conference next month. You gave him the dates and asked for approval. Now you just needed to wait.

It was quarter to midnight and you were in bed reading Circe. Looking to expand your reading beyond the latest Disney news as well as the articles published in your employer’s paper, you joined a book club a friend from college started. You were determined to finish the thing on time for once, even if it cut into your normal viewing of the late-night talk shows.

Just as you were getting into a flow with the chapter, your phone rang. Scott had impeccable timing. You had already had your almost nightly phone call with Chris, and no one else besides Scott dared to call you so late.

“Good evening Grumpy. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You seem to be in a fine mood. What’s got you so cheery?” he asked.

“Let me guess. You’ve talked to your brother?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Unfortunately, I know you both too well at this point. Might as well end the friendship now since there’s nothing new to learn,” you sassed.

“You’re such a brat!” Scott groaned. “Yes, I talked to my brother. It’s how we do.”

“Ahuh. I know you can’t see me, but I’m sticking my tongue out at you.” And you did.

“So, tell me about the trip,” Scott said in a cheery voice.

God, you loved Scott. You could give him shit and he could give it right back but at the end of the day, you both loved each other.

“Well, nothing’s official. I still need to wait for my boss to approve the trip and for the admin to confirm my travel. But if all goes well, I’ll be able to see Chris for a few days. So, hopefully.”

“I’m sure it will all work out,” Scott replied.

“Any chance you’ll be in town that weekend?”

“Maybe. I’ll have to check with Zach,” he said.

“Ooooh! Do I maybe get to meet the famous Zach?”

“Maybeee. If you’re good,” he replied.

“Hey! I’m always good.”

“Ahuh. Moving on,” he said dismissing you.

“You realize, if this all works out, this will be the first time the three of us will be hanging out.”

“That’s not entirely true. The day we met, Chris was there,” Scott reminded you.

“Yeah, but barely. I think he said hi to me and that’s about it,” you chuckled.

“My how the times have changed,” he laughed out.

Much to your delight, you had an e-mail from your boss approving the conference by the time you made it to the office. You quickly typed out an e-mail to your boss’ admin Patty, asking that she extend your flight until Sunday, but advised you wouldn’t need a hotel for those additional days.

Y/N: Guess who’s coming to LA in a couple of weeks?!

You spun around in your chair much to enjoyment of your co-workers.

“Sorry, just got some good news,” you said, smile on full display to Allie and Erin who looked on.

Your phone buzzed in your hand with a text from Chris.

Chris: Baby, that’s great!

In about two weeks, you’d be seeing Chris again. You couldn’t wipe the smile off your face even if you tried. Granted you had to attend three days of lectures and small group discussions, but you get to see Chris! You made a promise to yourself to try to enjoy the conference and learn something from it. By doing so, you would award yourself by being in the company of a man you really liked. It was well worth the reward.

Chris: We are so going to Disneyland.

You smiled at his response. The two of you really belonged together, at least you felt that way.

Y/N: Anything you want. Just excited to spend time with you.

Chris: I feel the same way. I’ll call you later.

Always the last-minute packer, you stood in your closet two nights before your flight to California starring at the clothes you no longer deemed good enough for such a trip. It was silly really, you wore business casual daily, even owned a couple of suits. Then your weekend with Chris, besides the trip to Disneyland, you probably wouldn’t be wearing much clothes. You smirked at that thought. It was a nice one to have and you hoped it played out that way.

Y/N: What should I pack for a writer’s conference?

Jana traveled a lot for work and her style was always impeccable. If you were going to trust anyone to help you pack, you’d trust her.

Jana: You’re not packed yet?

Y/N: Have you met me? Best friend of seven years.

Jana: I’m coming over, but we’re drinking after.

You could handle that so you quickly agreed to her deal. Who were you to argue with a high-powered attorney?

Jana’s idea of drinking was not from the bottle of vodka you kept in your freezer. No, she made you put on actually pants and leave the house. The sweats you were wearing were name brand, you did not see the problem. The central air in your house was set to ice cube, so you often lounged in sweat pants even in the dead of summer. Neither of you wanted to drive far for a drink, so you settled on a nearby chain restaurant with a bar. You were always down for chips and salsa with your margarita.

With chips stuffed to capacity in your mouth, Jana chooses that moment to ask your relationship status. As if she doesn’t already know.

“There’s no status, at least not yet,” you said, hand covering your mouth to avoid any crumbs from escaping.

“Do you think you guys will discuss it?” she asked, popping an overflowing salsa covered chip in her mouth.

You shrugged your shoulders. “I would like to talk about us, at least come up with a definition. Are we just having fun? Is this friend’s with benefits and I just don’t know it? Are we dating? Is he seeing other women?”

“And you have the right to ask that. What do you want it to be?”

“That’s a really good question,” you answered honestly. “I’m realistic about this whole thing, at least I’m trying to be.” Taking a sip from the frozen concoction in the oversized glass, you really thought about what you wanted. It wasn’t hard to figure out. “If we can make it work, I’d like to say that we’re together exclusively. I just don’t know if it’s too soon or if he’s not on the same page. I know he cares about me. He’s said it.”

Jana nodded along to your reasoning, stealing a few sips from her own glass. She set her glass down, placing her chilled hand over yours. “Be honest with him.”

You gave her a small smile and nodded in agreement.

The flight to Los Angeles was longer than you expected. Summer storms didn’t help with the time or the comfort of the flight. Patty was nice enough to get you a window seat since you hated having to let the others in your row out ever time they wanted to get up. But since it rained through the first half of the flight, you kept the window shade lowered.

Patty booked you at the Hilton Los Angeles in Glendale where the conference was being held. At least this way you didn’t have to pay for transportation to and from the conference each day, but once again it proved your point that you would never see the city. Hopefully Chris would be up for a drive this weekend so you could see some of the sights. You’d been to California twice. Once on a family vacation to San Diego when you were a kid and a trip to Disneyland with your dad shortly after your parents got divorced.

After settling into your room and doing a quick Google search for a place to grab dinner, you sent Chris a text to let him know you were in. The two of you discussed him joining you, your first night, but he wouldn’t be in town until late and the conference started bright and early the next morning. You wouldn’t have much time to see him in the evenings after each session, so you needed to deal with waiting until Friday like originally planned.

Y/N: I’m here. Lots of storms on the way out, so my nerves are pretty shot. Text me when you get settled at home.

Dinner was quick at Italian deli a few blocks away. You picked up a couple of snack sized bags of chips and freshly made rice krispie treats to bring back to the room. You almost let the guy at the counter talk you into a giant pickle, but you’d figure somehow the packaging would open and you have a mess in your room. Smelling like a pickle wasn’t the impression you wanted to make tomorrow morning.

Chris didn’t text until close to three in the morning. You’d kept the volume on your phone up when you started to fall asleep around eleven. You really wanted to make sure you received that goodnight text from him. The thought of it coming in at three in the morning and him being drunk off his ass didn’t cross your mind.

Chris: Baby!

Chris: You in my 2nd state home

Chris: 2nd home state

Chris: So drunk

Chris: Miss you

While you were glad he texted, you were a little pissed that he waited until the early hours of the morning to do so. A quick goodnight would have been great before he got drunk. Deciding that arguing with a drunk person didn’t get you anywhere, you put your phone on silent and went back to sleep.

On your lunch break, you sent Chris a text, but kept it simple. You almost called him before your eight AM welcome breakfast, but you knew he’d still be sleeping at that time.

Y/N: Hope you’ve slept off that hangover.

The morning sessions hadn’t been as bad as you imagined they would be. You met a couple of great people during your first breakout session and already agreed to drinks in the hotel bar later. Brooks had sent you a message that one of the senior writers from his new employer was there as well. He had given her your name and you promised to keep an eye out for her name tag since he hadn’t scheduled a meet up between the two of you.

You were already wrapping for the day before you were able to check your phone again. Chris had sent a text around two in the afternoon.

Chris: I’m so sorry about that. A buddy picked me up from the airport and we went out.

Chris: Hope your first day is going well.

Scott had also sent a text to check in with you. A week after the two of you discussed all being together in California, he let you know your schedules wouldn’t line up as he would be in New York that week. You were bummed but you knew you’d make it work eventually.

After a quick elevator ride to your room, you called Chris before changing into comfy clothes for drinks with your new friends.

“Hey,” Chris drawled out.

“Hey yourself. Just got done for the day.”

“How was it?” he asked.

“It was a lot better than I figured. A couple of really great journalists are presenting each afternoon, so I’m learning a thing or two. Most of it is pretty inspirational.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” he said.

“Me too. I’m actually meeting a couple of ladies I met today for drinks in the hotel bar before I crash tonight.”

“Speaking of drinks,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’m really sorry about last night.”

“You mean this morning,” you corrected.

You heard him let out a sigh. “Yeah, this morning. I apologize for texting to so late and for being a drunken idiot.”

You laughed lightly at his response. “It’s fine babe, just maybe text me before you start drinking next time.”

“Absolutely,” he chuckled. “Do I need to worry about late night drunken texts from you tonight?”

“Nope. Technically I’m working, so two and I’m done. Besides, don’t need to embarrass myself in front of people in my industry. There may be a lot of people employed in this field, but word travels fast. Before you can blink, I’ll be known as the drunko from Orlando.”

“The drunko from Orlando. I like it.”

“You would,” you chided. “But listen, I need to get ready.”

“Have fun, but not too much. I’ll be sure to keep a look out for drunko from Orlando trending on Twitter.”

“You’re such a brat. Lucky, I like you,” you replied.

“I could say the same sweetheart.”

“Two more days,” you muttered. “Two more days until I can kiss those lips to get you to be quiet.”

“That all you’re gonna do?”

“While I would love to delve into this conversation further, I need to get going,” you sighed out.

“Alright beautiful. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Chris said.

“Night handsome.”

You were on your second vodka sour, heavy on the lime, of course, when a woman had stopped at your table of three and smiled brightly at you.

“Are you Y/N? Y/N Y/L/N?”

You laughed nervously, might have been the drinks. “Yes,” you drawled out.

“I’m Asia Williams. I work with Brooks,” she said, offering you her hand.

“Oh my gosh, hi!” you replied, standing up to firmly shake her hand.

“Brooks had sent me a picture of you. Don’t worry, it was flattering,” she said with a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you. Would you like to join us?”

She looked down at your companions and then back to you. “I won’t be imposing?”

The other two ladies shook their heads.

“No, not at all. We all just meet today so we’re just getting to know each other,” you replied.

After introductions, Asia ordered a glass of white wine and chatted with the other women.

It was about nine when the other two ladies said goodnight. You all had ordered appetizers to munch on in place of dinner and you found yourself still picking at the humus and carrots, trying your best not to speak with your mouth full.

“I looked you up. Occupational habit,” Asia said, ducking her head slightly. “I really loved your piece on education in the climate change era.”

“You read that?” you asked, slightly embarrassed. It was one of those pieces that was really outside your norm, but you felt compelled to write after watching a nature documentary that you tended to get wrapped up in. “I know it got picked up by a few outlets, but I never hear feedback on my non entertainment pieces.”

“It was great. You actually have quite a few great stories in your portfolio. Ever think about writing that fulltime?”

The truth was, you had. You loved writing entertainment, it was fun and it barely felt like work most days. You however longed to be taken seriously outside your immediate area. The challenge of writing outside your comfort zone was thrilling and you often longed for that feeling again weeks after a story was published.

“Uh, yes, actually. It is something I’ve been thinking about. But I’m also hesitant because I’ve been writing entertainment for years. Even before I started working at the Sentinel, I worked the local beat for smaller papers. It’s a little intimidating. Kind of scary to go from being kind of a big fish to a small fish,” you answered honestly.

“Listen. Brooks is a big fan of yours and after reading quite a few of your stories, I am too. I’m going to leave you with my card. When you’re ready, give me a call. I’d like to bring you on.”

You’re sure you looked like a cartoon character at that moment because your eyes couldn’t possibly be any larger than they were. She stood up and you followed suit.

“Thank you. Are you based in Orlando?” you asked.

“No, I’m in New York. We have writers all over the country. If Orlando isn’t for you, you don’t have to stay there. We don’t offer a moving budget, but do offer a large signing bonus that many have taken advantage of. No pressure. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you.”

“Likewise. I’ll be in touch. And I’m sure I’ll see you at the conference,” you said with a smile.

Lots to think about. But that would need to wait.

Thursday kept you busy with non-stop breakout sessions. You had to switch tables at least three times and ended up with a table full of sports writers at the end of the day. You were never one to follow sports outside of school, so you mostly just nodded and pretended to understand what they were discussing.

Rather than going back to your room to change, you decided to walk to the deli for dinner first. You picked out a small table against the window and dug out your phone while you waited for your sandwich to be finished.

Y/N: I’m so excited!

Y/N: See you soon!

Chris would be picking you up promptly at three tomorrow afternoon. The hotel would hold your luggage after you checked out that morning to attend the final day of the conference. The last session was scheduled to end at two thirty, so you’d have a half hour to grab your luggage to change and freshen up.

Rather than text back, Chris was calling you instead.

“Hey you,” you answered.

“Hey sweetheart. Are you all done for the day?”

“Yep, just grabbing dinner from a deli down the street. I’ll probably watch a movie on my iPad and pack when I get back. I’m so excited to see you tomorrow.”

You heard him let out a big sigh.

“Somethings come up. I’ve a, I’ve got a meeting with a director tomorrow night. My agent set it up. It’s for a huge movie that they’re considering me for which is why it’s important I take the meeting.”

“So, so, I’ll just hangout at your place while you’re at the meeting? Do you need me to Uber to your place?”

“Sweetheart,” he breathed out. “Listen baby, the meeting is in New York, so I actually have to fly back out East tomorrow morning. It’s not going to work out this trip.”

Your heart hit your stomach.

I will not cry in public. I will not cry in public.

“Oh,” you said, it was the best you could muster.

“Sweetheart I’m so sorry. If I could move it I would.” When you didn’t respond, he continued. “I’ll a, I’ll set you up in any hotel you’d like. Have a car bring you there until your flight on Sunday.”

Oh right, my flight’s not until Sunday.

“Um.” You had to think for a moment. “No, no,” you said softly. “I’ll just change my flight to tomorrow night or early Saturday.”

“Y/N, I don’t want you to have to scramble to change your travel plans. Do you want to go to Disneyland still? I’m sure I could get you a room at the Disneyland Hotel. You could make a story out of it, comparing the two parks.”

He was trying, you had to give him that. It sounded like a good story idea, but your head wasn’t in it. You were just so disappointed at the moment that all you wanted to do was go home and get into your bed.

“That’s really sweet, but um, I think I rather just go home. My foods here so I’m gonna eat and then head back to the room. I’ll a, I’ll call you later.”

He groaned slightly. “Please call me when you get back to the room. I want to talk about this more.”

“Okay, yeah. I’ll call you. Bye Chris.”

“Bye.”

You numbly picked at your sandwich while you checked the airlines app regarding change fees. You didn’t want to stay in Los Angeles, not alone anyway. There goes your plan about defining your relationship. The reasonable part of your brain tried to reason that this was his job and sometimes you have to make sacrifices for work, but the part of you that was falling more and more for Chris each day wanted to be selfish.

Chris had texted you at some point during your walk back to the hotel. You fished your phone out of your purse once you kicked off your shoes and laid down on the bed.

Chris: I’m so sorry

Y/N: It’s fine

Chris: Don’t do that.

You could see that he was typing something out, but you clicked out of the text and back to the airline’s application. There was a flight out at six tomorrow night, you figured you could leave the session a little early and request an Uber to the airport. Before you could change your mind, you changed the flight, accepting the one-hundred-dollar change fee.

Rather than looking at the text, you called Chris back since you promised you would.

The phone rang only once before he was answering.

“Are you mad? I feel like your mad.”

“Hi to you too,” you replied. “I’m not mad. I’m disappointed.”

“I know. I am too. Trust me,” he insisted.

“What time’s your flight tomorrow?”

“Early, around seven I think.”

You let out a frustrated sigh. “This is twice Chris. Work is important and I’m not going to be one of those girls that wants to be put as a priority, but I don’t have the capacity to just take off and come meet you whenever. I can’t go to another conference for a year. This just sucks.”

“I know. I know!” he growled. “I’m coming over.”

“You’re what?” You started to do the math in your head. With traffic, he wouldn’t make it to your hotel for at least an hour, maybe two. It was already late. Then he’d have to turn around and go back to his place to get some sleep before going to the airport before dawn. “Babe, don’t. There just isn’t time. When would you sleep?”

“You’re right. You’re right. Please let me set you up somewhere nice. We’ll book a couple of spa treatments. It could be a mini vacation for you,” he offered.

“I’ve already changed my flight. I just don’t feel like being here alone. But I appreciate it. Just promise me you’ll make time and come stay with me. I’ll have to work, but at least we’d have the mornings and the evenings.”

“We’ll do that and I’ll stay until you get tired of me. I’ll be your pool boy while you’re working.”

“God, you’re such a dork. How’d Scott put up with you all those years?”

“Ma’am, watch your lip. It was I that had to put up with him.”

“You can be my pool boy as long as that means you’re shirtless while I’m home,” you said.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Walking into your house at midnight, you barely had enough energy to change into your pajamas. Settling for a t-shirt, you slipped under the covers and sent Chris a goodnight text.

Y/N: Back in Florida. Hope your meeting went well. Call me tomorrow sometime.

Waking up to a three text messages from your brother on a Saturday was pretty out of the norm. Granted it was almost noon.

Heath: Are you guys not together?

Heath: Call me when you wake up.

The third text was a direct link to TMZ. Clicking on the link brought you to an article titled Boozing It Up. Your phone screen was filled with pictures of Chris surrounded by bottles of beer and alcohol. He looked heavily intoxicated from what you could tell. A few pictures had who you assumed were friends holding him up. In one picture, a woman had herself draped across his lap with her arms around his neck. One of his hands was resting on her lower back, close to her butt while the other held a bottle of beer.

That talk defining your relationship was apparently not needed. Now you knew. You were just a girl he was seeing. You definitely were not exclusive. Didn’t mean it was any easier to swallow. You were in your thirties and really thought you’d left casual dating behind in your twenties.

Your phone started to ring in your hand.

Chris.

You hit the decline button. Wanting to take a chance to breathe and center yourself. You weren’t exclusive. You shouldn’t even be upset. Neither of you talked about what you were to each other. He said he cared about you and you cared about him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not allowed to care about someone else. Or more than one someone.

Chris: Please call me before you read anything today.

Chris: Some photos came out, but I want to explain myself.

A/N: I’m sorry! Just know I am a happy endings girl.

Chapter 11

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slapshot-to-the-heart · 4 years

Text

Flatbush & Atlantic: part x

part i part ii part iii part iv part v part vi part vii part viii part ix

And we’ve finally come to the end of Cass and Mat’s story! I want to thank every person who’s read this over the past few months, especially those of you who have reblogged, commented, and shared this with your friends. Your feedback means the world to me, and please tell me what you think of this final part! I’ve also got some ideas floating around for an epilogue, so don’t be surprised if that pops up in the next few weeks.

part x

May 21 (fri)

For once, it wasn’t Cass’ alarm that woke her up. Her internal clock didn’t let her sleep in past 6, but as she lay in her bed, comforter pulled up to her chin and curls up in a haphazard messy bun, a realization struck her. She didn’t have anything to do, and that was just about as far from normal for her as possible. Normally, she’d be hopping in the shower at this time, getting out and shoveling some cereal down her throat before running to catch the train, or desperately trying to finish some last-minute reading before an early lecture. Her grandparents’ flight didn’t land at JFK until 1, and she wouldn’t need to leave until an hour before that to get Mat and drive to the airport.

Padding out to the kitchen, she just caught Ryanne, who was about to leave for a clinical rotation. “What department are you in this month?” Cass asked.

“OB/GYN,” Ryanne responded. “I got to observe a birth the other day, and it was one of my favorite things I’ve gotten to do so far. Obviously I don’t know for sure yet, but I think I might want to match into it. You get to do a little bit of everything — there’s some surgery, some routine care, some deliveries. And with the Black maternal health crisis, I figure we need all the Black OBs we can get as a country.”

Cass smiled. “That’s wonderful, I’m glad to hear.” She knew that Ryanne had been a little stressed out with the prospect of trying to pick a residency; she hadn’t felt drawn to any of the other rotations she’d gone through quite like this one.

“What about you? What’s your schedule like today?” Ryanne asked as she poured coffee into her travel mug.

Cass flopped down on the couch, looking over at her. “It’s just...I have nothing to do. Nothing needs to get done. No cases to read, no essays to finish, no paperwork to file or anything. Chris gave me this week off for finals anyways, so I couldn’t even go into the office if I wanted to because there’s just nothing for me to do. Do you know how rare that is for me?”

Ryanne laughed. “Cass, I’m in med school. The last time I had a true ‘off day’ was two weeks ago, and even then I spent most of it studying.” She slung her backpack over one shoulder. “See you tonight, have a good day, babe!”

After some toast and a smoothie, Cass was back on the couch, trying desperately to think of something to do. She thrived on being busy, thrived on feeling like she was needed and contributing to something worthwhile. Pushing herself up, she walked back to her room, deciding to change and go out for a run. Cass liked to keep in shape and exercise as often as she could, even though it had been a few years since she had been on an organized sports team. She was usually able to make yoga classes at the school gym twice a week, but typically didn’t have the spare time in the mornings for a run. And by the time she got back it was almost always dark, way too late to even think about going out alone.

Lacing up her tennis shoes and grabbing her AirPods and keys, she set out, down the stairs and past the door. As she jogged down the streets, making familiar turn after familiar turn, Cass realized something remarkably profound. Every place she passed had played a part in the last three years. St. Lucy’s, where she had stumbled in with inconsolable tears after her abuelo’s stroke, lighting a candle and praying with some old Italian woman for his recovery. The bodega on the corner run by Carlos Gonzalez, one of the first people she met when she moved to the city and the only one who knew how to smoosh her sandwiches down how she likes. The Edible Arrangements where she, Stella, and Ryanne had bought Alicia a congratulatory fruit bouquet for finally asking out her coworker Juliette. They had been dating for six months. The high school she passed every morning on her way to the subway station. These were the people and places that had made her life what it was, and she owed them her thanks.

An hour and five miles later, Cass decided to call it quits, walking the last few blocks back to the apartment as a sort of cool-down. She jumped in the shower, throwing her hair up in a towel once she got out and resigning herself to watching whatever was on TV. Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives it was, apparently. Four episodes and one snack break later, it was time to get in the car to head over and pick up Mat. Cass drove down Manhattan Island, tapping her fingers in boredom as she hit yet more traffic. It was noon, why was there even traffic in the first place? She pulled into the visitor’s spot in the underground lot of Mat’s apartment complex, taking out her phone. Just got here! Mat popped out of the elevator a few minutes later, holding a bouquet of tulips. “Sorry I’m late, I was going back and forth between tulips and sunflowers for awhile, but I figured the pink was maybe a better choice? What do you think?” Cass started to laugh, and Mat looked offended. “What?”

“Babe, it’s so sweet that you want to impress my grandma, but have you thought about how the poor flowers will fare?”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Cass adjusted her seatbelt, leaning over. “We’re going to be out for awhile. We’re not going straight back to their hotel. So…” she prompted.

“They’ll wilt.” Mat finished, his face falling.

She covered his hand with her own. “Don’t worry. It’s a sweet gesture and I’m sure she’ll appreciate them. We’re all going out for dinner after the ceremony tomorrow, why don’t you bring them then?”

He perked up. “I’ll run up and put them back in a vase, be back in a few!” Mat gave Cass a quick peck on her cheek, leaving her with just one question. Mat owned vases? He slid back into the passenger’s seat shortly after, clicking his seatbelt in and connecting his phone to the speakers.

Cass rolled her eyes. “I don’t know a single guy your age who’s not obsessed with John Mayer. It’s kind of weird, honestly.”

“You don’t like him?” Mat asked curiously. Cass was usually into more guitar-based, acoustic stuff, so he figured she’d be into at least some of his stuff.

“Some of it,” Cass responded, pulling out of the lot and onto the street. “Go ahead and play it, I don’t mind at all. Not what I’d usually put on if I’m alone, that’s all.”

Mat nodded, looking absentmindedly out the window. “So, what should I know about your grandparents?”

Cass’ face immediately burst into a smile at their mention. It was always so clear how much she loved her family, and that was one of Mat’s favorite things about her. How hard she loved. “Alright, so it’s Dolores and Roberto Cabrera. They’re wonderful people, I genuinely think you’re going to like them a lot. They’re both super fluent in English, so don’t worry about communication. They originally immigrated to Texas when they were in their teens, abuela was a housekeeper at a few hotels in San Antonio and abuelo worked in the fields for awhile before getting a job at a little hardware store in town, where he worked until they retired. My mom’s the middle of four, two older sisters and a younger brother.”Mat listened intently. “My abuelo’s a little more rough around the edges, so don’t be surprised if he gives you a little bit of a hard time, but it’s not out of malice or anything. He’s always been very protective over us, my mom and her siblings, and now us three. He might do the whole ‘nobody’s good enough for my Cassidy” thing, but he’ll get over it. He means well.”

She glanced over at Mat, who was looking decidedly nervous. “Seriously, chou, it’s going to be fine. Abuela’s totally different, they’re like polar opposites. I can almost guarantee that she’ll say something to the effect of ‘if my granddaughter loves you, I love you.’ Very much go with the flow, she’ll probably want to come over to your apartment and cook for you.” Her expression softened. “As long as you’re kind and respectful, they won’t have an issue with you, Mat. They’ll see that you treat me how I deserve to be treated and love me like I deserve to be loved.”

Cass pulled into the garage by the international arrivals terminal, cutting the gas and checking the time. “The flight was supposed to land at one, so they should be getting out of passport control by the time we get inside.” It was a little after one thirty, but if there was anything Cass knew, it was just how long customs could take at an airport as big as JFK. Even in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, and even though her grandparents were travelling on their American passports and could use the citizen’s line, she had heard that it could take upwards of an hour or two to get through.

The concourse was pretty bare apart from a few kiosks selling “I ❤️ NY” shirts and a surprisingly busy Noah’s Bagels, so Mat and Cass made themselves comfortable on one of the rows of plastic chairs lining the room. The arrivals screen had marked their flight from Mexico City as having landed nearly an hour prior, so it was little surprise when Cass popped up from the chair, straightening her shirt and walking over to a couple that he could only assume were her grandparents. Mat quickly followed, catching up to her just as she threw her arms around her grandma. “Abuela, te extrañé,” she said, the sound muffled by Dolores’ scarf. She pulled back, kissing her grandpa on the cheek before stepping over to Mat, one hand placed reassuringly on his back. “Abuela, abuelo, this is Mat, my boyfriend.”

Mat stuck his hand out, shaking theirs. “Mr. and Mrs. Cabrera, it’s so amazing to finally meet you. Cass speaks so highly of you, and she always talks about her summers in Hermosillo.”

Dolores pulled Mat in, embracing him from the start just as Cass had expected. “Mat, it’s wonderful to finally meet you. Cassidy has told us so much about you, it’s clear she loves you a great deal.”

Mat ducked his head and blushed. “I’m not sure if she can love me more than I love her, but I’m happy to be in such good company.”

He took both of their suitcases as Cass gestured to the sliding doors. “I want to get back to the car before they charge me for another half hour,” she said.

Mat slid the bags in the trunk of the car as Dolores got in the passenger’s seat. With a gulp, Mat realized that meant he had to sit next to Roberto. He had been perfectly nice on the walk over, but as Cass had warned him, it was clear that he was a little guarded. Whether that was just his personality or whether Mat had yet to earn his trust hadn’t been determined.

Her grandparents had been to New York once or twice before, but it had almost always been just to fly in before driving up to visit Cass’ family in Connecticut; they had never really been able to see the city. Cass felt strongly that that had to change, so she had arranged for a mini-tour of Manhattan before they got dropped off at their hotel for the night. “So, Mat,” Dolores said, turning around in her chair, “Cassidy tells us you’re a hockey player? That must be so exciting, how long have you been playing?”

Mat nodded. “Yes ma’am. I play for the Islanders, so we’re right here in Brooklyn, but I live over in Manhattan. I’ve been playing the sport since I was four or so? Really little. But I just finished my fourth season on the Islanders. And it is exciting, I love being with my team and being on the ice, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.”

“That must keep you busy, though?” Roberto asked gruffly.

Mat froze. He couldn’t lie and say that he was home all the time, able to be there for Cass as often as he’d like to, because he wasn’t. But if he let on just how often he was gone, would that make him even more wary? “Oftentimes, yes,” Mat began slowly. “The team’s usually on two or so road trips a month, they’re usually about a week long. But they’re balanced out with plenty of home games, and there’s lots of guys who balance the job with a family and other responsibilities. I’m always excited to be able to be back in New York, I love it here. And to be with Cass.” Roberto nodded, not seemingly totally satisfied but content enough to not push the issue further.

“He’s really good about spending time with me, abuelo, even though we’ve both got busy schedules,” Cass added, catching Roberto’s eye in the rearview mirror. “We meet in the morning before a class to get coffee, or lunch in between studying if I’ve got time. I go to every game I’m able to when he’s playing here in the city, or over in Jersey. We spend plenty of time together, he doesn’t blow me off. You don’t have to worry.” He seemed much more at ease with his granddaughter’s response.

It was a whirlwind three hours around New York, Cass playing chauffeur as they went to the top of the Empire State Building — her pick — in St. Patrick’s Cathedral — her grandpa’s pick — and around Central Park, stopping at one of the many pretzel carts for a snack. They dropped them off at the hotel, Cass’ eyes getting misty as her grandma pulled out the serape stole from her purse. Her fingers danced over the colors, the stripes of red and blue and pink and green, and knowing that it was made by the hands of someone so important to her made it all the more beautiful. The rest of her family was driving in later that night, after Nick got out of school, so everyone wouldn’t be together until the graduation ceremony the next day.

The couple decided to get takeout on the way back to Mat’s apartment, Mat jumping out of the car to run in and pick up the order while Cass circled the block until he was out. As they sat on the couch, cuddled into each other as they broke into the boxes of Chinese food, Cass thought absentmindedly that Mat handled his chopsticks way better than she ever would have given him credit for. Her grandparents had been on her mind. More specifically, her grandparents and Mat had been on her mind. It wasn’t that she thought he had messed up in any way — she was positive he’d absolutely won over her grandma and her grandpa was slowly but surely coming around — but some lingering concerns about what they might think about their relationship. “I’m not sure that they’d actually care, but when you talk to them tomorrow maybe don’t mention how often I sleep over here? They’re wonderful people, but they’re a little old school about this stuff.”

“This stuff?” Mat asked curiously.

“Living together, sex before marriage, that kind of stuff.”

“And how do you feel about it?”

Cass raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you think you could ever get me to do something I didn’t want to do? I’m way too stubborn for that.” Mat threw his head back, laughing. “But seriously. I don’t make the decision lightly, because commitment and intimacy in that way is something really big and important to me. You already knew that I don’t do hookups, it’s just not my thing. But I can see this, us, going places. I want us to go places. And I’ve never been very good at listening to people when I don’t want to. So I’ve made my peace that my choices might not be ones everyone would be thrilled with, but it doesn’t really matter to me as long as I have you.”

Mat nodded, putting down his food to card one hand through her curls. “I get that, I do. Obviously that’s not so much the attitude with a lot of the boys, but your principles are part of what makes you who you are, and I love who you are. Every part of you.” Cass smiled against his neck, leaning down and kissing him on the shoulder. “I want us to go places too, I hope you know that.”

“Glad to hear.”

They ate without speaking for a few more minutes until Mat broke the silence. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

“With you,” Cass answered honestly. “Here, or we could get a nice brownstone over in Brooklyn.”

“Somewhere with a yard,” Mat mused.

“Yeah, a yard would be nice,” Cass agreed. “I’d like to get a dog, I’ve always grown up with dogs and it would be nice to have someone to keep me company when you’re gone.” Her family’s two dogs, Patches and Scout, were back at the house in Connecticut, and on more than one occasion, Cass had made the two-hour drive up just to see them. She paused, glancing down at her hands. “In five years? You’d better have put a ring on my finger by then, Mat. I’ll be almost thirty. Approaching old maid status”

Mat laughed, an easy, breathy sort of laugh that somehow erased all of the tension in the room. “I think you should double-hyphen.”

Cass looked at him doubtfully. “Cabrera-Shaw-Barzal? Yeah, I’m going to have to pass on that one.”

He shrugged, the corner of his lip pulled up in a half-smile. “Just saying. It’s got a ring to it.”

“Have you given much thought to what you’d want to do with your name when you get married?” Mat asked curiously. It really didn’t matter much to him, since it would ultimately be Cass’ decision, but he didn’t want to assume anything regardless. And it didn’t escape Cass that he said when, as if it was certain, as if it was a given. The surety made her heart flutter.

Cass shook her head. “Not particularly. On one hand, I do like the idea of the whole family having the same name. It seems nice. Unified. But I don’t want to feel like I’m erasing my culture and who I am just because I’m getting married. And all due respect, chou,” Cass poked Mat’s cheek, “but Cabrera Shaw’s the name on my degrees. Cassidy Barzal didn’t go to law school.”

“Very fair,” Mat said with a chuckle.

Cass took a deep breath. If it seemed like they were having the “future talk,” she figured it was best to go all in. “Do you want kids?” she asked, tentatively, hesitantly. It was obvious that Mat was good with kids, she’d seen as much, but being good with kids and wanting children of your own were two very different things. Cass had wanted to be a mom since she knew what a mom was, and even though they probably should have brought up the topic earlier, she wasn’t sure what she’d do if he said no. Thank God, she never had to find out.

“Definitely,” Mat said, nodding. “Not now, obviously, we’re young and haven’t really settled down yet. If you got pregnant we’d make it work, but I don’t think either of us is looking to be parents right away. But in a couple years, once we’re married and have a proper house with space...Yeah, I’d like to have kids.” He looked over at Cass. “What about you?”

“Always wanted kids,” Cass responded fondly. “I loved growing up with siblings, and I know my parents were the same way. Two or three, I think. I’ve thought about adoption too, but obviously that’s way in the future.”

Mat kissed the top of her head. “We’ve got time.”

May 22 (sat)

The graduation ceremony itself wasn’t until noon, so Cass had more than enough time to get ready after waking up at 7. Alicia barrelled into her room at exactly 7:22, throwing a shirt at her and telling her to get dressed. Cass stumbled out of the room ten minutes later, pulling on socks and grabbing her phone from the charger by her door. “What are you guys trying to pull?” she asked, yawning and trying to wipe the sleep out of her eyes.

“Uh, we’re going to the diner, duh,” Stella said with a smile, tossing Cass her purse. “Come on! You know it fills up early on weekends.” Glen’s Diner had become an apartment staple over the past few years, the restaurant having been the first place the four of them had eaten in the city when they moved, not having bought groceries yet and not wanting to pay the premium for delivery. It was cheap, open 24/7, and Cass would swear up and down that their blueberry pancakes were the best she’d ever had.

They were seated just after 8, happily slurping coffee and stealing bites of each other’s breakfast twenty minutes later. It was a nice day and hadn’t gotten too hot yet, so they decided to walk back after finishing the meal. In reality, “going back” meant Alicia stopping to buy a new necklace, listening to a busker for a few minutes, and petting no fewer than five dogs on the one-mile walk. There was still plenty of time before they had to leave for the ceremony, but after Cass did her makeup and tamed her curls, there was just enough time to watch an episode of Parks & Rec before having to actually get her stuff together. Not as flexible as she once had been, Ryanne helped zip up the back of her dress, a white lace bodycon from her sorority days that she had definitely worn to at least two semiformals. Hey, Cass thought as she straightened her hemline, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

She had ironed her robe and put it into a dress bag the night before, and gently folded her school stole and the serape from her abuela into her purse. Mat’s necklace hadn’t left its place since Valentine’s. Her dad’s parents had given her a beautiful pair of pearl studs for her undergraduate graduation, and it felt only right to wear them for her next step. She fastened the ankle straps on her heels, and popped her head out to the living room. “Everyone ready?” She was met with a chorus of “yeses,” and grabbed her keys from their dish by the front door.

“Let’s go get our girl graduated!” Alicia hollered into the street.

The girls had originally objected to Cass driving herself to her own graduation, but relented as soon as Cass reminded them that she was the only one who knew where to find the free parking, and the rest of them only drove sedans. “Cheryl has way more room. Y’all want to be cramped on purpose?”

“Fair point,” Stella had said begrudgingly.

Exactly twenty-six minutes later, Cass pulled into a spot about two blocks away from the arena where she would be graduating in an hour’s time, hugging each of her friends as Ryanne handed her the dress bag. “You’re going to kill it in there,” she said, rubbing her back.

Cass laughed. “Ry, all I’ve got to do is walk across a stage without tripping.”

She shrugged. “It’s a fine art that few have mastered.”

Cass entered through the side, flashing her ID to the security guard standing by the door. Half an hour later, everyone had been ushered into their seats, carefully arranged in alphabetical order. For the most part, Cass was friendly with everyone in her class; if they weren’t outwardly hostile to her, she saw no reason why they deserved anything other than kindness, but was relieved to see Robin sitting next to her. “You excited?” Robin asked, brushing a piece of her auburn hair behind her ear. The lobby doors must have opened, because as she asked, crowds started to mill into the seats, waving at anyone who would catch their eye.

Cass bounced her head. “I am, but it’s kind of surreal, you know? I knew we’d get to this point, obviously. It’s what we’ve been working towards for seven years, really. But the idea that it all essentially comes down to this…”

“An hour, a few handshakes, and a piece of paper,” Robin helpfully supplied.

She nodded. “Yeah. It’s almost anticlimactic in a way? Like sure, we’ve got our JDs after this, but knowing we’ve still got to pass the bar. We’re not over the finish line yet.”

“Columbia has a 97% pass rate, and you’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, Cass. And I’ve spent three years surrounded by the smartest people I’ve ever met.”

“Fair,” Cass said, “it’s just kind of a weird feeling, you know?” Robin nodded. “And plus, for most of us, we’ve pretty much spent our whole lives in school. Aside from positions as summer associates, or part-time jobs and internships, we don’t really know how to do anything other than school. It’s just a little bit of a daunting thought to suddenly feel like we’re being thrown out to the wolves without really knowing what to expect.” Cass’ phone, which she wasn’t technically supposed to have but had snuck in anyways, chose that moment to buzz with a text notification. It was from Mat.

Met up with the crew! Can’t wait to see you walk across that stage, Cass. I love you and we’re all so proud of you. Mat had attached a photo of everyone she had brought with her — both sets of grandparents, her parents and siblings, and roommates.

“Your boyfriend is nauseatingly cute,” Robin observed, looking over her shoulder at the message.

Cass laughed. “That’s true, but I knew what I was getting myself into.” The music started ten minutes later, and the ceremony began. If Cass was being honest, she didn’t really remember much of anything from the first half of the ceremony, before the conferral of diplomas. She was so excited and nervous and unbelievably ready all at the same time that all she recalled from the dean’s speech and the student speeches were vague comments about their “awesome responsibility” and “duty to pursue truth and justice” and “commitment to fight for what is right over what is easy.”

As soon as she realized it, her row was being ushered into line to receive their diplomas. “Cassidy María Cabrera Shaw.” She heard her name, but really had no clue who had spoken it. The dean? One of her professors? As Cass walked up the steps and across the stage, the only thing she could think was don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip. Then she was handed a diploma, flashed a brilliant smile for the photographer, and shook hand after hand after hand before walking off the other side of the stage. She was pretty sure she could hear Mat and Noah yelling their congratulations from her seat on the floor.

Having a name towards the front of the alphabet meant that Cass was almost always called on quickly in class, or on roll call, or at graduation, as the case was. But that meant that she had to sit, quietly and politely, for the other four hundred names to be called. And it took awhile. After Robin Cahill came Wesley Coleman, then Samuel Cogswell, then Fiona Chan. Cass didn’t mind having to sit through the whole thing, especially when Fiona, Les, Samaira, and her other friends crossed the stage — she cheered as much as anybody — but it was a long time to be sitting in a folding chair and the thousands of people packed into a small space didn’t help her temperature regulation.

There was the benediction and congratulations, and then the recessional of the graduates. Graduates, Cass thought. She was a graduate. She had finished, she was done, she had accomplished the one thing she wanted most to do since she was a little girl watching Legally Blonde for the first time, looking at Elle Woods and thinking I can do that. And she had. Her feet carried her to the back room of their own accord, where she picked up her bag and was engulfed in a flurry of hugs, congratulations, and kisses on the cheek from her friends, the people who she had spent countless late nights in the library with, bar hopping to celebrate the end of finals, and afternoons on each other’s apartment couches, yelling fact patterns at each other and trying to come up with an analysis before the timer went off.

Following the stream of sky blue graduation gowns, Cass walked outside, waving at her family when she spotted Eliana hanging off of a lamppost in the courtyard to get a better view. Her sister nearly tackled her as she made her way to the group. “Cass. I already knew you were brilliant, and I still think you’re the smartest out of any of us,” she gestured between the two of them and Noah, “but now you’ve got the degree to prove it. I’m so proud of you.”

Noah was next. “You worked hard, and I know how badly you wanted this. You’re a really good sister.” He wasn’t usually a big talker, and Cass’ eyes definitely got a little misty as he spoke. He had verbally committed to Minnesota State the week before, and Mat might have been more excited than even Cass when he heard the news. It was an incredible program that had a serious track record of sending players to the NHL, and she was so proud to see her little brother doing what he loved. Her mom and both grandmas were crying, as expected, and Grandpa Joe wrapped her up in a hug as soon as he got the chance.

Mat had been hanging towards the back of the crowd, not wanting to feel like he was intruding on family time, until her dad nudged him forward. “Go say hi to your girl, Mat,” Patrick said.

“Will do,” Mat said, squeezing Cass’ hand and pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head. “Sometimes it blows my mind how incredible you are,” he said. “Everyone’s already said how smart you are, and every bit of that is true. But you’re so much more than that, you know?” His thumb rubbed over her hand. “You’re beautiful, and curious, and you always keep me on my toes. You’re so passionate about your work, and you’ve got the biggest heart out of anyone I know. You’ve never met a person you didn’t want to help. And I promise I’m not biased just because I’m in love with you.”

Cass gave a watery laugh, blinking and thanking God she had the foresight to wear waterproof mascara. “God, I love you, Mat.”

Her dad had always been the picture type, insisting on documenting every waking moment. He was the living embodiment of “pics or it didn’t happen,” for better or worse. He took a few of her with her law school friends, then Alicia snapped one with just her immediate family, then there was one with everyone. Cass also got a picture with Mat, where he was bending down to kiss her, the tassel on her mortarboard just barely brushing his nose. Then she was in one with all of the seniors on the law review, and a friend pulled her away for a few with the Latinx Student Association. By the time they finally managed to tear Patrick away from his camera, it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for dinner.

Mat got Patrick to send him the photo of him and Cass, and was about to post it on Instagram when he hesitated. “Hey, is it cool if I post this?” Mat said, showing Cass his phone. Most people knew who she was, and he had posted pictures of her before, but they had never been this obvious, this clear, this real.

“Go for it.”

Mat pressed post. So, so proud of my incredible girlfriend @casscshaw for graduating law school. You’re one of the smartest, most empathetic people I know, and you’re going to make an amazing lawyer.

Cass grinned, a big, genuine smile as she was surrounded by her family, the people who meant the most to her — whether they were related or not. She looked up at Mat, who was smiling softly down at her as he reached one hand up to fix her tassel. “What’s next?”

#hockey imagine #hockey smut #nhl imagine #nhl smut #mat barzal #hockey #hockey imagines #hockey writing #nhl #nhl imagines #nhl writing #mat barzal imagine #disney prince mat barzal #New York Islanders

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elsaclack · 5 years

Note

for the kiss thing either 12 or 9 (love your writing btw

9. one small kiss, pulling away for an instant, then devouring each other

12. a hoarse whisper “kiss me”

hmmm once again this is 40,000 years late but honestly i’m glad i waited bc i didn’t have a clue what to do with this combination UNTIL i saw a post the other day talking about jake actually arresting the wrong person (accidentally) and it got me thinking,,,,,since he’s now canonically SO much more thorough when working cases, what would the circumstances be for him to a) do that and b) realize that he did that

so naturally i went full mob boss frames someone they want to get rid of LMAO

(I DON’T REMEMBER WHO WROTE THE POST OR WHO REBLOGGED IT AND I’M SO SORRY ABOUT THAT but if that concept sounds familiar and you know who did write it/if you are the person who wrote it please tell me bc you deserve 99% of the credit here!!!!!!!!!!!)

anyways here’s this i’m sorry it’s late and i’m sorry if it’s more angsty than you were originally hoping it would be but boy howdy this was. A Trip

also @startofamoment i wrote the thing

She can hear him in the bedroom when she gets home later that evening.

He’s crying something hoarse and ragged, something that jars her most basic, primal instincts; so focused on the noise is she that she barely registers the heavy thunk of her purse hitting the ground or the noisy whoosh of her sergeant’s jacket following suit. Their apartment is dark but there’s a soft glow coming from the bedroom doorway; she hurries toward it, kicking her boots off haphazardly as she goes.

“Jake,” she calls before she’s even made it past the threshold.

He’s perched at the foot of their bed, head hanging, back curved inward in the perfect image of defeat. His face is mostly covered from her view by his hands, and his shoulders shudder and heave as the storm within him rages. He makes no immediate acknowledgement of her presence, aside from a strangled moan slightly higher in pitch than the moans before it.

Amy rushes to him, dropping to her knees and scrambling forward until she fits herself into the scant space between his knees. She has a much better view of his ruddy, tear-stained face from here; without a conscious thought, she reaches up to grip his shoulders, his neck, her touch light and warm and soothing.

“Hey, hey, look at me,” she whispers, but his eyes remain closed. Now that she’s in his space she can see and feel just how violently he’s trembling; insistently, she presses her forehead up against his fingers, until he has no choice but to move them so that his forehead is flush against hers. “Sh, honey, it’s okay,” she murmurs, palms skating up his shoulders into the curve of his neck until her thumbs brush against the hinge of his jaw. “It’s okay.”

His hands fall from his face down to his lap, limp and still trembling, but after a moment he blindly reaches for her. His body shudders against a harsh, uneven inhale just as his fingers curl around the curve of her waist, and she keeps a steady stream of whispered reassurances going until she feels him stop trembling.

Slowly, his bloodshot, swollen eyes flutter open; she kisses the end of his nose to hide her pitying smile.

Pity is the last thing he needs.

“I fucked up,” he mumbles. “Majorly.”

Every instinct in her body wants to argue with him, but she bites her tongue and gently scratches at the back of his neck. “You followed the evidence,” she reminds him softly.

“The wrong evidence,” his voice is sharp and unfamiliar; she ignores the urge to flinch. “I fell right into the stupid trap like an idiot and - and -”

“You are not an idiot,” she admonishes, careful to keep her voice low despite the passion leaking into her words. “Literally any of us would have drawn the same conclusion -”

“But I’m the one who actually did.” he interrupts again, and the muscles in his neck are tense and straining beneath her fingertips. Slowly, she lowers herself until they’re able to meet each other’s gazes, and though his eyes are still brimming with tears, the rage there is unmistakable. “I’m the one who made the call and put in the arrest report - not just any of us. Me.”

“St. Clair and his mob have been terrorizing New York for thirty years - he’s beyond a career criminal, Jake, he’s an actual bonafide criminal mastermind. I guarantee that wasn’t the first time he’s framed someone for a crime they didn’t commit. What matters is that you figured it out. You knew something felt wrong and you trusted your instincts despite Holt and Terry and every other person involved in the case telling you that you were just being obsessive, and you got him. You got the right person, who happens to be a huge criminal the NYPD has been chasing for years, and you saved the innocent man he framed.”

“Saved him from spending the rest of his life in the prison I put him in,” he mutters, though with far less conviction than before. “I just - I’m so angry at myself.”

“I know you are,” Amy whispers around the painful knot of emotion in her throat. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. But please, please try to remember the way you felt about the officers who arrested you that day at the bank. You didn’t blame them, did you?”

He studies her face for a moment before answering. “No.”

“And us, the squad - did you blame us for not being there?”

“No.”

“Who did you blame?”

His gaze drops to his knees. “Hawkins,” he says after a moment.

“Exactly. You blamed the person who framed you, because she’s the one who tried to ruin your life to begin with. No one blames you for this, Jake. Especially since you’re the one who figured out it was a frame job two days after the case officially ended.”

Tears are springing up in his eyes again - though she suspects they’re far less angry than before.

“You are a excellent detective and an amazing person, babe,” she murmurs, framing his face between both of her hands before pressing her forehead against his again. “Richard Smith is lucky to have had you involved in this case - no one else would have thought to question the legitimacy of the paperwork on the bank accounts the vic’s money was drained to, no one else would have dug as intensely as you dug. You’re a good man,” she says slowly, “and I am so, so glad that you’re the one I get to spend the rest of my life with. I love you so much, Jake, more than anything in the world.”

His breathing has gone more shallow, tears beginning to drip down his face. “Kiss me,” he says hoarsely.

She hesitates for all of one moment before angling her head down and pressing a soft, chaste kiss against his lips. His hands are far more abrasive than before when he reaches round to pull her closer; she pulls away abruptly, gasping into his mouth, and then he’s yanking her closer, all but devouring her.

He kisses her hungrily, hands rough and restless where they roam the expanse of her back and tangle in her hair. He hums something high-pitched, almost absently, edging closer to the end of the bed and trapping her in place with his knees. She slings an arm around his neck for balance and cups the side of his face with her free hand, letting him take what he needs but still grounding him to reality with her thumb softly caressing his cheekbone.

It takes a long moment, but eventually he seems to come back to himself; his kisses soften and slow, like all the tension of the day behind him has finally leaked out of him. She keeps her hand on his face even after their lips part, thumb stroking steadily as he shudders and leans forward, past her face, head nestling comfortably into the crook of her neck.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles.

“For what?”

“I don’t know.”

“Me either.”

“Sometimes I just - I still can’t believe that this is real, y’know? Like - like you’ll wake up one day and realize you’ve made a horrible mistake with me -”

“Being with you is the single best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” she interrupts. “From the moment we first kissed in the evidence lockup, all you’ve done is prove to me how good and right and perfect you are for me. Time and time again, you’ve shown me how much you love me, how much you care about me, all the things you’d rather not do, but do anyways for me. You’ve brought so much joy and happiness and laughter into my life, you’ve made everything brighter and better. For all the anxiety and doubt and confusion I deal with on a daily basis, I need you to really hear me when I say that this - you and me? It’s the only thing I’ve never once doubted. You’re my orangina, Jake. You always have been, and you always will be, no matter what life throws at us.”

She feels the muscles in his jaw clench against her shoulder and he nestles closer, his arms around her waist cinching tighter. “I love you so much,” he whispers, sounding dangerously close to tears once again.

“I love you, too,” she whispers, finally moving her hand on his face up to gently card her fingers through his hair. “And I know you haven’t eaten in two days, so I called Sal’s on my way home from work. The delivery guy should be here in less than ten minutes.”

He releases a strangled groan, squeezing her so hard she can’t draw a breath for a moment. “You’re the best person I know,” he breathes.

She smiles and turns her head to press a kiss to the crown of his head. “And you’re the best person I know,” she murmurs into his hair.

And she means with with every fiber of her being - just as she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he does, too.

#brooklyn nine nine fanfiction #brooklyn 99 fanfiction #peraltiago fanfiction #jake peralta #amy santiago #my b99 fics #b99 #jake x amy #merp guess who didn't proofread #hope there are no glaring mistakes lmfao #Anonymous

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melonkooky · 5 years

Text

in love with the feeling [jung hoseok]

not requested

word count: 13563

genre: highschool!au, introvert!hoseok x extrovert!female!reader, brother!au (with jimin, not hoseok, this is not inc*st), fluff, a second of angst

author’s note: this turned out a lot longer than i anticipated and i think it’s because of the plot and the detail. there’s an oc (named irene) x jimin plot line that’s really a side story. the main story is hoseok x reader. i’m sorry that the plot is kinda long. i added the epilogue at the end because i felt that there wasn’t enough actual hoseok x reader moments. anyways, i’m sorry if the word count intimidates you but i still hope you guys read it and enjoy it. this is my longest one shot ever so i’m quite proud of it 💜💜💜

please do not copy my work. but please like and reblog it. thank you!!!

hoseok sighed as he gently rested his forehead on the textbook that laid open just in front of him. his eyes were beginning to burn and water slightly, and his eyelids were growing heavier by the minute. he had been sitting in this chair for two hours now, attempting to read his textbook in order to study for a major test. he wanted to stop. his body was telling him to stop. it was screaming at him, telling him to move, stretch, stand up, leave. but hoseok remained still. with a deep inhale, he begrudgingly lifted up his head. he looked around at the mess he had made on his desk and found his phone hidden under a stack of papers. out of curiosity, he turned on his screen and read the time. it was time for him to go to school.

hoseok began to clean up his desk. he was rather in a hurry, paranoid that he might be late. his mind wandered randomly as he cleaned up. as he stacked up some papers and closed his textbook, he hummed a song that randomly popped into his head. he should not have procrastinated. he knew the consequences, he had faced them before. but they never stopped him from doing it all over again. he could have been asleep all this time, getting rest before the test. now he was already exhausted, and the day had only begun. one of the consequences of procrastination.

hoseok put his earphones into his ears as he left his house and began walking down the street. his head bobbed lightly with the beat. he began to feel the melody flow through him, like a magical wave of energy that coursed through his veins. soon he was dancing on the street. his legs had a mind of their own as he casually danced to the music. after the song ended and a new one played, he continued to walk normally. now his body was feeling a lot more energized after that little dance session in the middle of a sidewalk.

the walk wasn’t too long for hoseok, nothing that he wasn’t used to. he walked onto the school grounds and looked around at all of his fellow students. he couldn’t help but sigh in a bitter manner. everyone had their respective friend groups, and he could easily decipher them. they were your typical high school cliques and gangs: the jocks, the cheerleaders, the popular kids, etc. it was easy to tell them apart.

hoseok felt his heart grow heavy. he wasn’t apart of a group. no, he felt that he didn’t belong in one. he felt different. he felt that he stood apart from everyone, that he was the only one and that made him feel alone. hoseok wasn’t as smart as the nerds, or as athletic as the soccer players, and he didn’t know how to play any instrument. and he definitely wasn’t pablo picasso or vincent van gogh. although, hoseok did enjoy writing, songwriting to be more precise. hoseok loved to dance the most, but songwriting was another hobby for him. because of his hobbies, he felt that he was an invisible alien to everyone. he had never seen or met someone of similar interests. it didn’t help that he had anxiety, and being insecure also made mingling with others difficult for hoseok.

moving on, hoseok’s hand softly gripped the handle as he pulled open the door and walked into the building. a cool breeze caressed his face as he entered. immediately he was met with the noise of socialization, different tones and levels of voices of conversation. hoseok sighed as he pushed himself through the hallway of students. how many sighs was that at this point? he just wanted to get to class. that’s all.

however, something, or rather someone, suddenly collided into his body. he heard a scared yelp and soon he was falling over with a heavy weight on his chest. he huffed as his back hit the ground, pain erupting in his spinal column. he slipped into a slight daze.

“oh my god!” he heard, bringing him back to reality. “i am so sorry.”

hoseok slowly opened his eyes. he found a girl, a very pretty one might he add, staring back at him. her face was only a few inches away from his own, and his muscles instantly tensed up at the close proximity. her expression showed concern and guilt. she smiled sheepishly, a light giggle escaping passed her lips. “i wasn’t paying attention.” she looked up, her innocent look transitioning to a glare. “look what you made me do, irene.”

hoseok’s eyebrows knitted together. irene? who the hell was irene? and who was laying on top of him? hoseok stared at the girl for a second before tilting his head back to find another girl standing a foot away from them. her cheeks were red as she laughed and pointed at the girl on top of him.

“i guess i should get off.”

hoseok waited for her to push herself off of him before sitting up. he groaned as he did so, a light ache pulsing in his lower back. gently, he reached behind to rub the aching spot. from the floor, he glanced up at the girl again. “are you okay?” she asked, crouching down to his level.

he nodded while pursing his lips. “i’m fine.”

she grinned. “that’s good. i’m sorry about that.”

“it’s okay.”

“well,” she paused and looked at her friend, irene. “i guess i’ll see you around.”

hoseok watched as the girl stood up from the ground and walked around him to the other girl named irene. despite them walking away from him, hoseok could still heard the girl’s laugh as she playfully pushed her friend away, “that’s payback for that whole scene you just caused.”

hoseok didn’t realize he was staring at then until moments later. he cleared his throat and looked around at all the students. all of them shared confused glances, many of them being expressions of judgement. he could easily read their expressions: ‘oh my god… why is he on the floor? what a weirdo’. in a heartbeat, hoseok was scrambling back to his feet, his face growing redder with each passing second. without sparing another glance, hoseok hurried away. he was embarrassed. he wanted to disappear from everyone’s eyes. he wanted them to forget what they had just witnessed. he was afraid to meet anyone’s eyes. all the attention was on him, and he didn’t particularly like attention, especially if it was because of a small mistake someone had made that happened to involve him and cause an accident. none of it was his fault, and it was a tiny and rather insignificant accident, and yet he felt as if it was a huge deal. he knew he was just overreacting, but it was becoming overwhelming. hoseok just wanted to escape, and he was almost there.

hoseok finally made it to the classroom. it was slightly empty - much to hoseok’s liking - with the exception of two other students. they must be studying for the test too, just like hoseok had been doing at home minutes ago. hoseok moved down the back row to his seat. he was thankful that the teacher placed him in the back row. he hated being anywhere else because then he felt that everyone was staring at him and it made him paranoid.

he sat down in his seat, but didn’t move after that. he was finally calming down. he could feel his heartbeat slowing down, and he began to feel his nerves slowly disappear. his mind was wandering to the incident, however. he pictured the girl - you. he remembered your face, your skin, your hair, your eyes, your smile. he felt like he had seen you before, and it was bothering him that he didn’t know who you were. you obviously went to this school. but he couldn’t recall ever seeing you.

hoseok shook his head to get you out of his mind. perhaps you were just from another class and perhaps he had seen you in the hallways at some point. he quickly pulled out his notebook and textbook and began studying once more. one final time wouldn’t hurt. and, it also managed to take his mind off of everything.

----

hoseok tilted his head to the side, feeling a slight crack in his neck. the bell had just rung, meaning that class was over. he had finished the test a long time ago, and it was easy. that last minute studying surely paid off. although there were still more classes coming up, he was glad that that particular class had ended. he remained seated in his chair, waiting for the next teacher to arrive.

once again being left alone with his thoughts, hoseok’s mind began to wander over to you again. it began to frustrate him. why did he keep thinking of you?

was it because you embarrassed him? was it because you had ran into him? what else could it possibly be? hoseok sighed, feeling exhausted. he was planning on resting his eyes when an idea popped into his head. these feelings he had, they were perfect for a new song.

hoseok pulled out his songwriting notebook. it was small, and had a simple black cover with a picture of a sun on it. it was something his mom had given him when he told her about his passion for music. it was a gift he cherished. he opened up to a new page and began writing what he was feeling.

----

the last bell of the day finally rang. it was the only bell that was music to hoseok’s ears. everyone in the classroom simultaneously stood up from their seats and began packing up their backpacks. they all started to converse once more, which only made hoseok feel worse. today had been quite an unusual day for him. perhaps he could dance to get his mind off of things.

the school had an old dance room from back in the day when the school had a dance team. the room hasn’t been used in quite some time, but it was perfect for hoseok. he didn’t expect anyone to stumble in when he danced. he knew that only a few people, mainly teachers, actually knew about the existence of the practice room. he didn’t even know about it until his school counselor mentioned it to him during a conversation about hoseok’s hobbies. he had a close relationship with his counselor.

hoseok walked into the practice room. he walked over to a small table that sat in the corner of the room. on top of it sat an old stereo. hoseok plugged his phone into the loudspeaker and played his first song. immediately, he felt his limbs begin to move. he felt the music, the flow of the melody coursed through him. it was as if he was a puppet, and the music was a puppeteer that was controlling him with a few strings. he loved the feeling dancing gave him. it was addictive.

after a few songs, hoseok was slightly panting and beginning to sweat. he felt better, relaxed. relieved. he went to the stereo and unplugged his phone, deciding that he should finally head home. but when he turned around, he was surprised to see two figures standing next to his backpack near the door. his eyes widened, and he immediately felt his face heat up. “w-who are you guys?” he asked.

the two seemed impressed and in awe. “man, i don’t even know where to begin.”

“your dancing, it was phenomenal. i don’t even think i can compare. you’re so good.”

hoseok’s cheeks turned a deep red in color. “you guys were watching me?”

they nodded apologetically, apologetic smiles on their faces. “we were on our way out and we heard music so we came to check it out. the door was unlocked, so yeah…”

hoseok nodded slowly. his eyes trained on the two figures in front of him.

“i’m park jimin, by the way. this is kim taehyung.”

taehyung smiled, flashing jimin a box-like grin. “you’re amazing.”

hoseok couldn’t fight the smile growing on his face. “jung hoseok.” he introduced. “and thank you.”

jimin smiled. “well, we shall see you around hoseok. bye!”

hoseok waved and waited for the two students to leave before releasing a heavy breath, one that he didn’t even know he had been holding. he was already breathing heavily from the dancing so holding in a breath made his lungs ache. hoseok walked over to his backpack for his water bottle. as he rehydrated himself, he thought, ‘this day really was the most unusual day.’

----

hoseok was sitting in the library, tapping his pencil along to the beat of the song that played in his earphones. he had been staring at his homework for a few minutes now, but he couldn’t get himself to actually work on it. he didn’t know what was wrong with him. usually he had no problem doing his homework (other than procrastinating, but even then, he still gets it done).

suddenly, he heard a loud laugh, cutting through the silence of the library. his heart skipped a beat at the sudden sound, nearly scaring him half to death. he whipped his head around, pulling out one earphone, to see you and irene walk in. you, the girl who had fallen on top of him, were the one laughing, probably at something irene had said. he glanced at the librarian who was glaring at you and your friend, but had a small smile on her lips. “ladies.” she scolded.

“sorry, mrs. kim.” you apologized with a wide smile. then you turned around and looked around the library, your eyes scanning the room. you seem to be looking for someone.

irene snickered once more, elbowing your side, forcing your attention on her once again. “i’ll be in our usual spot.”

you nodded before glancing at hoseok. that’s when he realized you were holding a small, square-shaped box. he met your eyes, and immediately his ears glowed red and hot. he turned back around. he was scared to move. he held his breath, until you approached him. “hey.” you greeted.

hoseok turned looked at you. “hey.”

“i was kinda loud, wasn’t i?”

hoseok didn’t reply. he watched as you presented the box to him. it was a simple, cardboard box, but it had a fitted lid. it was meant to be used as a gift box. it was small, and he couldn’t help but notice the red bow on top, how neat it looked. he looked at you again, surprise and confusion written on his face. you laughed. “this is for you, for hurting you yesterday.”

hoseok’s eyes widened. “you didn’t have-”

you pushed the box towards him. “please. i feel terrible.”

hoseok studied your face more, seeing the sincerity in your eyes, and the smile on your face. hesitantly, he reached for the box in your hands. he tried not to flinch or move weirdly as his fingers grazed over your soft skin. you didn’t seem to mind the skin contact at all, but hoseok’s heart was so close to leaping out of his ribcage. he nodded. “thank you.”

you smiled happily, causing hoseok’s heart to skip a beat. a blush crept up into your cheeks. “i hope you like it.” you were about to walk away, but you stopped. “by the way, what’s your name?”

he was hesitant to reply, but there was no reason for him to not answer you. “jung hoseok.”

“hoseok” you repeated with a small smile. “i’m y/n.”

“nice to meet you.” hoseok replied with a timid smile.

there was a small moment of silence between you and hoseok, and it was awkward. so, you looked at hoseok once more before saying, “well, see you.” and you walked away.

hoseok released his breath before looking at the box in his hands. he was almost too afraid to undo the neatly tied bow on top. but gently, he tugged on the end and it loosened and unraveled. he opened the box, and immediately a smile grew on his face. inside was a chocolate cupcake, homemade perhaps. nothing too dramatic or anything. just a simple cupcake. he couldn’t stop smiling. it was a really nice gesture. he really cherished this gift.

----

hoseok came to school the next day in a good mood. it was unusual for him. normally hoseok didn’t feel anything in particular. but feeling good only made him feel better and happier about himself. he walked into the school, earphones in, eyes forward, ignoring everyone. however, his moment stopped when someone wrapped their arm around his shoulder, nearly giving him a heart attack. hoseok ripped his earphones out of his ears, forgetting to pause the song, and immediately looked for a face.

his eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. he didn’t know who this person was. and he just casually walk up to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder as if they had been friends.

“hey hoseok!” he suddenly heard from the other side of his body.

he turned his gaze away from the one who had his arm around him and found jimin. hoseok stared at jimin before turning back to the other one. “sorry,” he said shyly. “i’m jeon jungkook.”

hoseok cleared his throat. “i’m jung hoseok.”

“jimin and taehyung told us about you.”

hoseok’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “wh-what do you mean?”

jungkook looked at jimin. hoseok followed his gaze and waited for jimin to give an explanation. “yeah, i kinda told everyone, my friends i mean, about you and your dancing, hoseok.”

“we think you would fit perfectly.”

hoseok’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. he closed his eyes as his brain tried to process what was going on. “wait, wait. what are you guys talking about? who’s everyone? and what do you mean by mean fitting perfectly?”

jimin laughed. “you don’t know?” he looked at jungkook before looking at hoseok once more. “me, jungkook, taehyung, and three others you haven’t met are trying to bring back the dance club in hopes of bringing back the dance team.”

jungkook nodded proudly. “yeah, we’re basically a kpop band. we like to dance, sing, and rap. jimin said that when he saw you dancing, you would be perfect for the group.”

hoseok was baffled, confused, embarrassed, but also...proud. he looked at jungkook and turned back to jimin. “so what are you guys saying? you want me to join your group?” hoseok pointed his finger at his chest as he spoke.

jimin nodded. “yeah. what do you say?”

hoseok gulped and thought hard. he was overwhelmed with emotions, but he was happy. “okay.” he replied.

jimin grinned. “hell yeah! you should meet the others then.”

jungkook began to steer hoseok in the opposite direction of his classroom. but the three didn’t get far. two girls - y/n and irene - were heading in their direction, and they stopped in front of them. “jimin.” you spoke, your arms coming up to cross in front of your chest.

irene clicked her tongue and tilted her chin up. hoseok stared at them with confusion. why were they acting like that?

“y/n, you can’t possibly still be mad at me.”

“you stole the last chocolate muffin this morning.” you accused, tilting your chin up as you spoke. “i am still quite mad at you

jimin chuckled lightly, “oh my god… you’re so petty. it was a single muffin.”

“yeah, but that was my breakfast. i haven’t eaten today, and i can’t stop thinking about that muffin.”

“what if you had gotten the last one? what would i do then?”

“i don’t know. figure it out, i guess.”

jimin smirked. “then you do the same. i don’t see how you’re any different from me.”

hoseok’s head turned between jimin and y/n after they spoke. jungkook was smiling at the matter. “jimin and y/n are siblings.” he whispered into hoseok’s ear as the two bickered in front of them. “twins, although they don’t necessarily act like twins.”

hoseok nodded, understanding the whole situation now. “oh.”

hoseok turned back to the arguers and found that they were now on the topic of who was the rudest out of the two of them. however, hoseok found himself solely focussing on you. yeah, you were arguing and complaining to your twin brother (that’s what siblings do), but he listened to you. it was amusing to him.

“y/n,” jimin finally said, his hands coming up to your shoulders. “you know i love you, right?”

you glared hard at him. “no.”

he sighed. “older brother will-”

“older? by twelve minutes.” you scoffed.

“and i’m still older. as i was saying, i will buy you a muffin after school. just us two will hang out.”

you stared at jimin, your anger slowly disappearing from your face. “fine. but what about your club thing?” as you asked your question, you glanced at hoseok and jungkook. however, you eyes seemed to linger on hoseok’s for a while. and hoseok couldn’t help but shift awkwardly. you remembered him, obviously. but why was he there?

jimin looked at hoseok and jungkook. “how about we don’t have practice today? since we can’t really work with members missing.”

“but, we have to introduce hoseok. we should teach him the choreography and where his spot will be. and we have to give him his lines and-”

jimin shook his head. “let’s just introduce him. is that okay with you, hoseok?”

hoseok nodded.

you spoke up. “hoseok is joining you guys? you only needed one more member, right?” now you understood why hoseok was with your brother.

“y/n, you should see him dance.” jimin spoke enthusiastically.

“you dance?”

hoseok’s cheeks reddened. “yeah.”

you smiled, and hoseok swore his heart skipped a beat. “that’s great. i can’t wait to watch you guys practice.”

suddenly, irene nudged you with her elbow. “we should get going, y/n.” she suddenly seemed shy, and her eyes kept looking at jimin. hoseok noted the red in irene’s cheeks.

jimin smiled at them both. “i’ll see you after school then, sis.” he smiled at them both and waved at irene as the two girls walked around them and continued their way down the hall.

hoseok turned his head, despite being in jungkook’s grasp. jungkook pulled him towards his body and they continued. “what were you looking at?” he asked mischievously, quirking up one of his eyebrows as he looked at hoseok with an amused look.

hoseok shook his head. “n-no one.”

“is it irene?” jungkook lowered his voice to a whisper. “or is it... y/n?”

hoseok remained quiet, and quite rigid. jungkook snickered and patted his shoulder, removing his arm afterwards. “i can’t wait for you to meet everyone.”

----

jungkook and jimin led hoseok to an empty classroom near the end of the building. it seemed like it hadn’t been used for years and had unintentionally been turned into a storage room for old and broken desks. jimin opened the door and gestered hoseok to go in first. as he walked through the doorway, he spotted four others. he recognized taehyung from the other day, but the other three were unfamiliar. having been in his own bubble for so long, he was beginning to think he somehow ended up in another school with new students. he hasn’t been recognizing his fellow student classmates.

one of the three stood up. he seemed extremely confident in himself. he also gave hoseok comedic vibes. “oh, jimin, who’s this?”

jimin suddenly appeared next to hoseok. “this is jung hoseok. the dancer i told you guys about.”

another stood up and walked towards hoseok, the other one as well as taehyung followed behind him. “welcome to our small dance club. i’m kim namjoon. this one here is min yoongi.” namjoon smiled while yoongi simply looked at hoseok and gave him a nod.

alright, so yoongi is a bit quieter than the rest.

“you remember me, right?” taehyung asked with a big grin.

hoseok shyly smiled in return. “yeah. i do.” taehyung seemed to be the one that brought the mood to the group. he was happy and quite outgoing. he was friendly.

“and i am kim seokjin. the oldest one here, but fortunately for me, i don’t look like it.” he winked. he also was flirty. confident, goofy, and flirty.

hoseok nodded awkwardly. “so, what do you guys do?”

“perhaps we should sit down.” namjoon suggested, walking back towards his seat.

everyone sat down, and hoseok took this time to look at everyone and make sure he had their names. namjoon began explaining, “yoongi and i write the songs, sometimes with the help of the other members.”

“i write sometimes too.” hoseok spoke up, his voice wavering a bit.

jimin looked at him, his eyes wide with surprise. “really? you have to show us your songs some time.”

namjoon continued. “taehyung, jin, jungkook, and jimin are the vocalists, leaving yoongi and i as the rappers. yoongi can also play the piano, and him and i also produce songs. have you ever sung or rapped before?”

hoseok shook his head. “not necessarily.”

“well, we can always figure that out later. so, as you know, we are a dance club basically. we are some kind of band, as others would call us. i don’t really know how to classify ourselves yet. anyway, all of us love music, so our goal is to bring back the school dance team, and hopefully begin competing.”

“do other schools still have dance teams?” hoseok questioned.

yoongi nodded, and for the first time he spoke. “we researched everything. our school only stopped because no one was joining the team or the dance club in general. so they decided to just take it away all together.”

hoseok nodded.

taehyung suddenly turned to him. he seemed a bit shy. “hoseok, we are all close friends here, and we hope that you can soon feel comfortable around us and think of us as your friends.”

namjoon nodded, his gaze falling on hoseok. “and we hope that you can get started practicing with us soon. we would like to get started on getting you into the group, as far as lines in songs and learning choreography and all that.”

“of course, though,” jimin spoke up, “if you ever want to leave or do something else, you can. this is fully your choice.”

hoseok smiled and shook his head. “no, i really like this. i truly like dancing, and sometimes writing songs. but i want to be apart of this.” he looked up at everyone. “thank you, guys.”

they all smiled. “of course, hoseok.”

----

you and jimin were walking home after spending time at a cafe near home. jimin had bought you that chocolate muffin, just as he promised. and now you were happy. and jimin was forgiven.

the evening was quiet, and the sky was transitioning from a light blue to yellow, orange, purple, and dark blue. you sighed contently as an evening breeze grazed your skin. you enjoyed evenings like so. when you could see the sunset and feel the cool breeze, when you can hear the crickets begin to sound, and how you can feel at peace.

unfortunately, your peace and quiet was interrupted by your twin brother. “hey, i noticed that you and hoseok totally had a staring contest this morning.”

you rolled your eyes at jimin’s exaggerated statement. “it wasn’t a staring contest, jimin. i was only looking at everyone.”

jimin laughed. “you think you can fool me, y/n?”

you turned to look at him. you glared at him. “nothing happened.”

jimin shook his head, not believing a word. “come on. i know you. i grew up with you, i know all your secrets. i know that something is going on with you. it’s like a twin connection thing.”

you rolled your eyes again, lightly slapped jimin’s shoulder, and continued walking up the slight hill. you and jimin were walking home, and were currently in your neighborhood. you were so close to home. if you hurry and beat jimin there, you could run up to your room and hide. before you even got a few feet away from jimin, he was already grabbing your arm and turning you to face him. “jimin.” you groaned. “your ‘protective older brother’ look is showing.”

this time, it was jimin’s turn to roll his eyes. “y/n, i’m just curious.”

you sighed and looked at jimin. a soft look was in your eyes. “and nothing is going on, okay? i swear. the only thing that has happened is that i accidentally ran into hoseok a few days ago and we both fell. i hurt him, so the next day, i have him a cupcake to make up for it.” little did you know, your reply was an attempt to more convince you that nothing was happening more so than to convince jimin.

jimin eyed you, as if he suspected you of lying or leaving information out. you stared at him, eyes half-lidded and an annoyed expression on your face, as you waited for him. “so that’s what that box was.” he suddenly said.

you nodded. “yep. now can we go home now? i have homework to do.”

jimin let go of your arm and you continued walking. “see? that wasn’t so hard. i don’t see why you hide things from me. it’s not like i’m going to tell anyone.” jimin stated as you and him walked alongside each other. “we’re siblings, we’re twin siblings. it’s okay to have secrets and to tell each other things. i don’t want you hiding things from me, okay?” jimin seemed really sincere, and you couldn’t stay mad or annoyed at him anymore.

your heart softened. “alright.”

jimin smiled happily. “yay!”

----

a few days had passed, and nothing much happened. usually that was okay with you, but you were beginning to feel restless, like you wanted to cause some trouble or be loud and energetic. it was in your genes, probably from your father who was never known to sit still for long. he was always doing something productive or always trying to get you and jimin to do something fun with him. you were naturally a fun person, and loved being goofy and energetic. but you haven’t had a chance to be that way. you sighed as you began to tap your pencil against your notebook. your head rested on your knuckle, and your eyes, though looking at the board, seemed glazed over and spaced out. you weren’t paying attention.

irene noticed, and looked over at you. “hey, are you okay?” she asked as quietly as she could.

you looked over at her. “honestly, i don’t know. i have a lot of pent up energy right now.”

irene nodded before turning back to her notebook. seconds later, she was leaning over to your desk again. “are the boys having practice after school?” she asked.

“yeah, they’re going to be introducing hoseok to everything.” you looked at your best friend as you answered her question. but then, you realized something and a teasing grin grew on your face. “why do you ask?”

she shrugged. “no reason.”

you held in a laugh, knowing you would be caught talking in the middle of a lecture if you laughed. “jimin is going to be there.” you whispered.

you knew about irene’s crush on your twin brother. it made you laugh because she was evidently head over heels for him, and she wasn’t very good at hiding it or acting normal around him. her cheeks reddened and you smiled. “do you want to watch them with me after school?”

she looked at you. “are you sure?”

you nodded. “yeah, i don’t think they’ll mind if i bring a friend along.”

she paused to think before nodding, a smile on her lips. “okay.”

you smiled and turned back to your notes, or rather some random, illegible scribbles with a sprinkle of weird doodles. you haven’t been paying attention recently. and thank the lord irene took amazing notes and got you caught up on the days you missed or didn’t pay attention. you were thankful for irene.

----

after school finally arrived, and you were exhausted from the day. but you were looking forward to watching the boys practice and help hoseok learn his parts and all that. as you were leaving the classroom, you spotted jimin. you ran up to him and yelled, “brother!”

he jumped and let out a small, slightly high-pitched scream. he moved away, trying to back away from the threat. but as soon as his eyes landed on you, he immediately sent you a glare.

you giggled in order to lighten the mood and pretended that nothing had happened. you looked at your brother, asking, “hey, which house are you guys going to practice at?”

“actually, we’re going to be using the school’s dance practice room from now on.”

your eyebrows knitted. “what? the school has one of those?”

he nodded. “we thought it was off limits, but hoseok said his counselor let him use it, so he’s letting us use it now.”

you slowly nodded and then glanced at irene. she was already avoiding jimin’s eyes, or rather his entire face, and was rocking back and forth on her feet. her hands were behind her back, probably to distract herself. you gently nudged her. “irene is coming with me, if that’s okay.”

jimin looked at irene and his posture suddenly changed. he straightened his back as if he was trying to make himself look taller. he glanced at irene, “yeah, that’s okay.”

you grinned and clapped your hands together, “great.”

you, jimin, and irene walked into the practice room together. the others, including hoseok, were already there. they were talking amongst themselves while do some stretches in order to get warmed up. you sighed, feeling slightly exhausted, as you sat down on the floor, irene sliding down next to you. you pulled out your phone to find something to do in the meantime. you didn’t think a lot of dancing was going to happen because they had to redo choreography to songs in order to incorporate hoseok. this was going to be a lot of work, and you knew that. but you had faith in all of them.

an hour passed and music began to play in small increments as they practiced and taught hoseok the first song. they already seemed tired, but much more mentally than physically. as you watched them every once in a while, you tried to watch every member equally, sometimes paying for attention to your brother. but your eyes kept going to hoseok. something about him was drawing you to him. you could see how interested he was, and how hard he concentrated when he practiced, how he paid attention when the members would describe a move and how they would move at a certain part. it was a lot of work, but hoseok showed no signs of quitting or giving up. you admired that.

soon, namjoon called for a break. half a song was done, and hoseok was getting the hang of it. as they sat around, jimin coming over to sit next to you, they talked. “so hoseok, what type of dancing do you do?” seokjin asked.

hoseok glanced at taehyung and jimin. “um, mainly like to hiphop or pop songs. it’s freestyle or dances i choreograph myself.”

the members nodded. you felt jimin jump next to you just as he yelled, “aha! hoseok, why don’t you do those songs you were dancing to when taehyung and i walked in?”

hoseok’s ears grew red. hesitantly, he stood up and plugged in his phone into the stereo. the members moved off of the floor in order to make room for hoseok. he inhaled deeply before playing a song. instantly, his body began to move. his moves were natural and almost hypnotizing. unknowingly as you watched, your phone slipped out of your hand and onto jimin’s lap. you were intrigued. all of your attention was on the man who was dancing so fluidly in front of you. the way hoseok moved, the facial expressions he made, the energy that radiated from him, it gave you a weird feeling in your stomach.

jimin laughed quietly when he felt your phone fall into his lap. he turned to look at you, seeing your eyes following hoseok’s every move. your mouth was hanging open slightly, and he was worried you were going to drool (of course, though, if that did happen, he would do nothing to stop it because it would be funny to him). your twin brother shook his head, a thought popping into his head, ‘and she said nothing was going on.’

as a matter of fact, you were developing a crush on hoseok. and jimin was the only one who could see it.

----

night had rolled in by the time practice was called off by namjoon. hoseok assumed he was the leader of the group. he seemed extremely knowledgeable and smart.

hoseok was tired and his muscles were aching slightly. he desperately needed a shower and he couldn’t stop thinking about his bed at home. everyone packed up their belongings, and everyone began to leave the school in one large group. some of the lights in the school were off, with the exception of major hallways.

hoseok looked around at everyone as they talked, he seemed to be the only one not engaged in conversation. or so he thought. he felt a light tap on his arm and he turned, finding you walking next to him. he smiled lightly. “hey.”

you smiled, “hey.”

slowly, unknowingly, you and hoseok began to hang back and separate from the group.

“um, i really liked your dancing.” you spoke. “that kinda sounded weird, i guess. it sounded a lot better in my head.”

hoseok chuckled. “it’s okay.” he looked at you. “thank you.”

you nodded. “perhaps i liked it a lot. jimin said i was staring at you as you danced.” you sighed, wondering if you should be admitting this to hoseok. “i couldn’t help myself. a weird feeling grew in me as i watched you. i don’t know how to describe it.” you suddenly laughed. “jimin said he thought i was drooling. i don’t know what he’s talking about.”

hoseok stared at the ground below him as you spoke. he listened intently, reacting to something funny every once in a while. he really didn’t know what to say.

you chuckled at yourself when you realized that you had been babbling to him, and hardly any reaction was coming from him. he had hardly said anything to you. “i don’t know what i’m saying. perhaps i’m just sputtering nonsense.”

“no, no, it’s okay. i… i like listening to you.” hoseok said as he turned to look at you.

a blush formed in your cheeks as you met hoseok’s soft gaze. “you do?”

“your voice, it’s very calming.”

you smiled shyly. “i’m glad you think so.”

hoseok himself blushed slightly. his heart was beating fast and he felt tense standing next to you. a comfortable silence fell between you and hoseok as you and him walked together. curiously you looked ahead at the group. you smiled as you saw irene and jimin talking to each other. irene seemed much more comfortable next to him. you sighed. jimin and irene looked good together, but your heart felt heavy.

you slowly turned to look at hoseok. you were having that weird feeling again, the same one you had when hoseok was dancing. it was deeply rooted in your gut, and you even felt it in your heart. this feeling was foreign, and you didn’t know what it was.

“y/n?”

you blinked and found yourself looking into hoseok’s eyes.

he looked at you with concern and worry. “are you okay?”

you laughed sheepishly. “yeah, why?”

he shrugged. “you seem sad or distracted, or just deep in thought. what are you thinking about?”

you averted your gaze to the concrete underneath you. “just...stuff.”

hoseok nodded, but he didn’t know what you meant by your vague answer. he didn’t want to push you though. he was afraid he would annoy you or make you uncomfortable. you and hoseok didn’t speak another word to each other for the rest of the night. as everyone began to break away from the group and walk home, soon it was only you, jimin, and hoseok.

“well, this is where i leave.” hoseok said, breaking the silence.

you and jimin looked at the street hoseok began to head down. “you live close to us. that’s cool.” jimin observed.

hoseok turned around, casually walking backwards, and smiled. “yeah.”

“well, we’ll see you later, hoseok!” jimin yelled.

you waved at hoseok with a shy smile before he turned around again and began to walk away. you sighed as you watched him. jimin looked at hoseok and then back at you. “what did you guys talk about?”

“nothing much. he’s kinda a quiet person.”

jimin nodded. then he took off his jacket and put it over your shoulders. you smiled tiredly at him, putting your arms in the sleeves and adjusting the jacket. it was slightly bigger on you, but it was warm. once you were comfortable, you followed him.

“i noticed you and irene talked.”

jimin smiled,a smile that you knew meant that he was in love. you noticed his light blush in the light of the streetlamps. “yeah. we talked.”

“what about?”

“nothing much.” he said with a shrug.

“wow, so interesting.”

“you said the same thing!” jimin defended.

you laughed. “i know, i know...”

a silence fell over you and jimin. you and him walked home in silence. once inside your house, you and him decided to eat some snacks. he was starving.

as you were eating, you asked, “hey, jimin. can i have hoseok’s number?”

jimin smiled mischievously. “why?”

you stuck out your tongue as a response instead of actually answering him. nonetheless, he handed you his phone. the screen was opened up to hoseok’s contact. you put his number into your phone before giving his phone back. with a sigh, you stood up and removed jimin’s jacket. you placed it on your chair and began to walk away. “i’m going to bed.”

“okay.”

you hurried upstairs to your room. after you changed into your pajamas and did your night routine, you finally slipped into your bed. you pulled your sheets up to your chin before turning on your side. you held your phone in your hand as you stared at hoseok’s contact. you wanted to do something, but you were scared to. however, after a lot of thinking and convincing, you hesitantly pressed the message bubble and typed out a message to hoseok.

‘hey, it’s y/n. i just wanted to say good night :)’

you pressed your eyes closed as you turned your phone off. you were anxious and nervous. your mind was racing. the typical feelings that accompanied a slight crush, especially when you just spoke to that crush. you felt like you couldn’t sleep now, because all you could think about was sending hoseok that message. fortunately for you, just as your brain began to jump into the pool of conclusions and outcomes, your phone lit up. it was a reply from hoseok.

‘good night, y/n :)’ was the reply.

you smiled shyly and pressed a hand to your heart. a simple reply, nothing special, and yet it was beating rapidly. with a heavy breath, you plugged your phone into the charger. then you rolled over in your bed. you tried to go to sleep with a clear mind, but your last thought was hoseok as you slipped into a deep sleep.

----

the sun was warm as it touched hoseok’s skin. his eyes closed as he embraced the warmth of the shining star. there was hardly a breeze in the air, which made sitting on the bench much more enjoyable. he sat there, feeling peaceful and happy for the first time in a long time. he had his earphones in, listening to a slow song, one that he loved. while in this moment of peace, he allowed his mind to wander as it always did. he thought about the past week, how much has changed in such a little time.

hoseok used be quiet and shy and insecure. although he was still like that now, he now had eight friends that he could be around. seokjin, yoongi, namjoon, jimin, taehyung, jungkook, y/n, and even irene. he hardly spoke to irene, but she had been around a lot more. and hoseok didn’t mind. she was y/n’s best friend.

having friends had changed hoseok. he felt like he could be more comfortable and open. he felt that he didn’t have to constantly think about what others were thinking about him. he felt that he had friends to talk to and hang out with. he wasn’t alone anymore. he didn’t have to be quiet and keep to himself anymore. he didn’t have to hide in fear.

suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by one of his earphones leaving his ear. scared, he opened his eyes but found you sitting next to him, a smile on your face, an earphone - his earphone - in your ear. he stared at you in confusion. his facial expression made you laugh.

“what are you thinking about?”

hoseok shrugged. “nothing.”

you looked at him. “that’s a lie. you were sitting here, a smile on your face, looking so peaceful. you couldn’t possibly be thinking about nothing.”

hoseok looked at you. he sighed heavily as you leaned closer to him, anticipating his response. “i’ve just been thinking about you guys. you, jimin, taehyung, namjoon, all of them.” he paused to meet your eyes. you could tell he seemed a bit shy about his response.

you smiled warmly, hoping that it would reassure him. “go on.”

“i never had a ton of friends, y/n. i was always the quiet, weird kid. the one that people never spoke to willingly. i was always too shy to initiate things, and i was insecure and anxious about everything. but then i met you, and the others. you guys are my first real friends, and now, i feel a lot better about myself. i have friends that like to dance and write songs too. i have friends that are loud, and comforting, and friendly, and supportive. i have friends that i can be myself around, where i don’t have to feel afraid.”

you couldn’t stop smiling as hoseok spoke. this was really personal, you could tell. but you were happy, proud even. you grinned widely, and subconsciously you were reaching for hoseok’s hand, which rested on his thigh. you were already holding hoseok’s hand in a comforting, reassuring manner, your thumb gently caressing his skin, when you finally realized what you were doing. your eyes widened, and you looked at hoseok who was staring at the hands. you immediately pulled it away. “i-i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to do that. i mean-” you stuttered, not knowing what to say.

hoseok looked at you. he saw you as the confident, outgoing type, he had always seen you that way, and he admired that. but seeing you now, stuttering and shy, he couldn’t help but smile. he slowly reached over to grab your hand. when you didn’t move away, he interlaced his fingers with yours. he continued to stare at the hands, and you, you were at a loss for words. you were blushing like mad. your cheeks turning into two red cherries. you were surprised.

“hoseok...” you whispered.

he looked at you and smiled, a reddish-pink tint coming to his ears and cheeks. he smiled happily. no words were said. no words needed to be said. you and hoseok sat there in peace and happiness, hands interlocked, earphones playing music. you couldn’t help but smile. holding hoseok’s hand was comforting, and his skin was soft and warm. you wished your could stop time to relish in this moment. it was something you had never felt or experienced before. holding his hand felt right, there was no denying that.

suddenly, the school bell rang, and students began heading into the school to get to class. you cleared your throat and returned hoseok’s earphone. you stood up, hoseok following. hesitantly you released his hand. “i’ll see you around, hoseok.”

he smiled, feeling slightly sad (and awkward… where did his confidence go?) about having to let go of your hand, and nodded. “see you.”

you and hoseok walked inside separately before going in opposite directions, since you and hoseok were in different classes. you sighed as you walked down the hallway. on your way, irene bumped into you. “there you are. i was looking for you.”

you looked at her. “sorry, i was outside.”

“why were you outside?”

you couldn’t help but smile. “because hoseok was outside.”

irene began putting the pieces together and a huge smile grew on her face. she linked her arm with yours as you and her walked towards the classroom. “oh my god!” she yelled. “you’re totally in love with him.”

you didn’t deny it. “perhaps i am.”

“my y/n has a crush.” she claimed happily.

you turned to her. “jimin does too.”

she froze, her smile disappeared. “what do you mean?”

you shrugged and continued to walk, leaving irene behind. “y/n, what are you saying?”

she hurried after you, just as you walked into the classroom. she remained confused for the remainder of class as you refused to answer her questions. seeing how she reacted amused you. she was definitely crazy for jimin, and you knew jimin was crazy for her.

----

lunch finally arrived, after what felt like decades of education, and your stomach couldn’t be happier. you were hungry. and irene was hungry for answers. “y/n.” she whined. “i have endured your silence, but i am dying.”

“i don’t know what else to tell you.” you claimed to her as she walked next to you.

she pouted. “who does jimin have a crush on?”

“it wouldn’t be a secret if i told you.”

she looked at you. an expression that read ‘cut the bullshit’ on her face. “y/n, you know me. i won’t tell anyone.”

you faced your best friend. you felt a bit guilty for teasing her, especially since it was a distraction in order to get her mind off of you and hoseok. now she seemed upset. you wondered if she was thinking that she wasn’t the one that jimin had a crush on. you sighed, “irene, trust me. just wait a little longer.”

she nodded. you smiled reassuringly at her because you had an idea. and you were sure it was going to work. you and irene walked into the lunchroom. together, you sat at a table, sitting across from each other. you and irene pulled out your lunches while waiting for the others to sit. some of the boys brought a lunch while the others were buying lunch.

minutes later, they all arrived and sat down. immediately they began to talk. as you ate, you glanced at irene. she was unusually quiet. and she was stabbing her food rather than eating it. now you were feeling horrible. you didn’t mean to hurt your best friend. but this was your chance. you nudged jimin with your elbow.

jimin looked at you weirdly, just as you aggressively gestured to your phone. he understood and pulled out his phone. you typed a message to jimin:

‘talk to irene. i told her you had a crush on someone and now she’s sad because she doesn’t think it’s her’ you explained.

jimin’s eyes widened. ‘what do you mean i have a crush? who do i have a crush on?’

you rolled your eyes and mentally facepalmed yourself. ‘come on, jimin. i know you like. it’s painfully obvious...’

you heard jimin sigh next to you. you smirked as you waited for his response.

‘alright’.

jimin glanced at irene who was still picking at her food. jimin sighed before slipping his phone back into his pocket. he seemed nervous, and you knew that was a good sign.

“irene, can i talk to you for a second?” jimin asked, a small smile on his face.

she looked up from her lunch in surprised. her eyes met yours before meeting jimin’s again. “s-sure.”

her and jimin left the lunchroom. with a happy sigh, you continued to eat your lunch, waiting patiently for them to comeback. but as you were eating, you felt like someone was watching you. curious, and slightly uncomfortable, you looked up and looked at all the members. and there hoseok was, immediately becoming flustered when you met his eyes. he immediately looked away flustered. his cheeks gradually turned pink, and yours mirrored his. you felt your stomach flip nervously. you looked at your food, trying to get your mind off of hoseok. but you remembered what had happened that morning, and you smiled.

it wasn’t long before jungkook, who was sitting diagonally from you, reached over and excitedly tapped your hand. “y/n, look, look, look.”

you turned around in your seat to see irene and jimin entering the lunchroom...holding hands. you smiled happily as you spotted irene’s radiant cheeks and happy smile. jimin looked similar with a large grin plastered on his face. as they walked closer, you began to clap. “look at you two go!”

irene was blushing crazily, and you smiled happily as you noticed the wide, bright smile on her face. you were a matchmaker, despite already knowing their crushes on each other. still, you were proud.

jimin grinned as he sat down next to you. “so we’re dating now.”

you grinned and pointed at the two, “i did that ya’ll.”

jimin shook his head while rolling his eyes, a smile on his face, and continued eating.

----

the day finally came to an end. you stood up from your seat and began putting your things into your backpack.

“hey.” you heard from next to you.

you turned to look at irene, who had a sweet smile on her face. she was packing up her stuff as well, but was looking at you. “thank you.” she spoke with a genuine smile.

you returned the smile. “it was nothing.”

she chuckled. “you told me to wait, and i understand why. turned out, you were trying to get me and jimin together. i still can’t believe it.”

you turned to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “whatever makes you happy, irene.”

she grinned and scrunched her nose playfully. “i love you.” she sang.

“i love you too.” you sang back.

you laughed when irene cringed a bit. then, you turned back to your stuff and zipped up your backpack. you and irene left the classroom together. as you and irene walked down the hallway, you spotted your brother jimin, down the hall standing next to hoseok’s locker. you grabbed irene’s hand and led her over there.

“hey boys.” you greeted.

jimin smiled at you before looking at irene. “hey.”

you smiled at the both of them.

“y/n,” jimin began. “are you okay with walking home alone?”

you looked at jimin, confused. “why?”

he looked at irene. “i want to take irene out on a date.”

irene was surprised, and a blush crept up in her cheeks.

you looked at the both of them. although you were fine with them together, you loved walking home with your brother. you didn’t necessarily like being alone. but, nevertheless, you smiled and nodded. “yeah. i’ll be fine. you guys go ahead.”

jimin nodded and leaned over to press a slight kiss to your cheek. “see ya, sis.”

you nodded and let go of irene’s hand. jimin immediately replaced your hand and began leading irene away from you and hoseok. they seemed to be happy, but now, you couldn’t help but think irene and jimin, your closest friends (and sibling) weren’t always going to be around you anymore. they were together now. you sighed, feeling your heart sink. you turned back to hoseok who was just closing his locker. the atmosphere between you and hoseok seemed a bit tense and awkward, and it was incredibly impactful after what had happened and the unspoken feelings that were felt. you couldn’t bring yourself to meet his eyes.

“are you okay?” he asked.

you hesitantly look up at hoseok, attempting at a smile but it faltered. “honestly, i don’t think so. my best friend and my twin brother are dating now. i love them to death, and i am so happy that they’re dating, but now, i feel like they…” you paused, unsure of how to word your next sentence. “i feel like they won’t have time for me, or that i won’t see them anymore. perhaps… perhaps i’m jealous that they’re a couple, while i’m here, a loner.”

hoseok stared at you. “i don’t think irene and jimin are capable of leaving you alone and abandoning you. they love you, y/n. jimin is your twin brother, there isn’t a relationship that can beat a twins’ relationship. they are just starting out too, so maybe over time, things will die down and return back to normal.”

you smiled slightly, knowing that hoseok was just trying to cheer you up. “i don’t think things will ever go back to normal.”

“do you want me to walk you home?”

you met hoseok’s eyes. hesitantly, you nodded. “if that’s okay with you.”

“i don’t have any plans.”

hoseok smiled and you smiled in return. “okay.”

you turned around and started heading in the other direction, hoseok following next to you. the walk to your house was kinda quiet, with only a few instances of small talk here and there. you didn’t mind. you enjoyed hoseok’s presence. but there was one thing that was bothering you. you and hoseok haven’t talked about the whole hand-holding thing from earlier, as if it was an unspoken rule to not talk about it.

your heart was beating faster than normal, and you knew it wasn’t because of the slight hill that always managed to make your legs sore no matter how many times you climbed it. it was because of hoseok. you knew that.

you looked at hoseok. “did you not like this morning?” you bluntly asked.

hoseok looked at you, his eyebrows coming together. “what do you mean?”

your heart sinks. he had already forgotten about it. “that thing we had, what we felt... we held hands, and not in a platonic way. it was,” you paused, “romantic.”

hoseok turned away. his body suddenly seemed rigid, and he seemed nervous. “oh. that.”

you sighed, feeling a pain in your chest. you felt angry, upset at yourself. you looked ahead, wanting to not look at hoseok anymore. you noticed that hoseok’s street was coming up. you turned to face hoseok. “you can go home now.” you said monotonously.

“what do you mean?” hoseok asked, pain in his voice.

you shook your head. “you don’t have to force yourself to be with me.”

“y/n-”

“it’s okay. i’ll be fine. go home.”

you turned to walk away. you couldn’t get him off of your mind, and it was almost agonizing. you were beginning to realize that you had strong feelings for hoseok. and you thought he liked you the same way you liked him, in a romantic, in love kind of way. and this morning, you were sure he felt it too; the connection you two had, the feeling that was shared. but, after that short conversation you had with hoseok just now, how he had already forgotten that moment, the moment that had impacted you so much. you were wrong.

as you walked away, forcing yourself to keep going, you heard footsteps behind you. your heart sank even deeper. he really was going home. hell, you told him to. but every girl sometimes says something when they want the opposite to happen.

leave me alone. you don’t want them to leave you alone.

go away. you don’t want them to go.

go home. you don’t want to be left alone.

however, just as a stray tear slipped out of your eye and fall down your cheek, a hand grasped your arm and spun your body around. your heart pounded at the sudden action, and your eyes widened. for a second, you thought that someone was attempting to kidnap you. but you saw hoseok’s face as he stood in front of you, his hand on your arm. you were shocked. “hoseok?”

he seemed surprised by his own actions. “i’m-i’m sorry.” he whispered.

your eyebrows knitted together as you tried to figure out what he was talking about. “why? for what?”

he shrugged his shoulders. “for everything.” his voice was deep and quiet. hoseok was nervous, you could tell. his eyes would bounce from your own to the concrete ground beneath him. his feet would shift and he would bite his bottom lip every few seconds.

you were worried about him.

“y/n, i like you...a lot.”

your eyes widened. were you hearing this correctly? were you so deep in denial and pain that you were imagining what you wanted to hear?

he continued, “that moment we shared this morning, it was something that i have never felt in my entire life. it was unusual, but i liked it. i like how it feels to be with you, to talk to you, to sit next to you… just seeing you, i get that feeling. my stomach gets weird, like i have butterflies or something. my heart beats quite fast when i’m next to you. i think it’s the same exact feeling you had a few days ago when i danced in front of you.” he met your eyes finally, as if he was feeling a sudden burst of confidence, and he smiled. “at first i thought i was having a stroke, but i soon realized that i was just falling in love with you. ever since that day when you collided into me, i could not get you off of my mind.” his voice gradually got quieter and softer.

you were blushing. your entire body felt hot, but you seemed to be frozen. “hoseok,” you began, “i’m so happy.” you mentally slapped yourself for your response, but you continued to speak. “i was suspecting that you liked me too, if we’re going to be honest, and i think that moment we had this morning proved it. but, for a second there, i thought you had forgotten about it, as if you didn’t think anything of it, as if it meant nothing to you.”

hoseok shook his head and released your arm in order to grab your hands. he held them tightly. “no, no, i think i was still processing it. i was also feeling extremely nervous about the whole thing.”

you smiled. “well, this definitely changes things between us, doesn’t it?”

hoseok was blushing too, and you couldn’t help but stare. he looked absolutely adorable, so innocent, and sweet. the man you had fallen in love with. suddenly, you were taking a step closer to him, with caution in case you accidentally made hoseok uncomfortable. his eyes were on yours, and slowly, you were getting closer to him. you stood up on your tiptoes. “is this okay?” you whispered.

hoseok swallowed hard. “i mean, yeah, but i must warn you-”

before he could finish his thought, you were gently pressing your lips onto hoseok’s. you let go of his hands to wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him down. hoseok was shocked at the action. he didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t stop himself. soon he was wrapping his arms around your waist and kissing you back.

you pulled away with a pink-toned blush on your cheeks. you looked at hoseok, staring into his eyes. he seemed extremely flustered, and it made you smile.

“that, uh, that was my first kiss.” he admitted awkwardly.

“yeah, it was mine too.”

hoseok smiled, a wave of reassurance washing over him, and nodded. “well, should we get you home?”

“i guess.”

hoseok nodded and began to walk in the direction of your house. you followed after him.

you couldn’t fight the smile on your face. everything seemed to be a dream, despite you knowing that it wasn’t. as you walked along the sidewalk, you glanced at hoseok. “can i… can i hold your hand?”

hoseok was slightly surprised by your request, but his mind pictured that morning again. that moment that was shared between you two, how you two held hands under the sun. that feeling, it was special. it was something that hoseok wanted to feel with you, and only you, forever. hoseok hesitantly reached for your hand, holding it for a second before intertwining his fingers with yours. you looked down and smiled happily.

no words were shared for the rest of the walk, until you arrived at your house. you were a bit sad that you couldn’t spend more time with hoseok. as hoseok stood in front of you at the door, you and him didn’t seem to want to let go. “i’ll see you tomorrow, hoseok.”

he smiled and nodded. “yeah, i’ll see you.”

you hesitantly released hoseok’s hand and smiled at him before turning around and unlocking the door. you slipped inside your house and closed the door. that was when you released your breath. you couldn’t stop smiling at everything that had happened today. the moment with hoseok, getting irene and jimin together, hoseok confessing to you, and that kiss… everything was magical. today had been magical.

----

a few hours later, you were sitting on your bed, attempting to read a book that a teacher had assigned for everyone to read as homework. but you kept getting distracted. your mind kept drifting over to hoseok. you just couldn’t focus. you have probably read the same paragraph four times.

you heard a knock on your door. good! a distraction. you looked up just as jimin peeked his head in. “i’m home.” he sang.

“took you long enough. that was quite a long date.”

jimin blushed. he couldn’t defend himself, so he just shrugged. he was about to turn and leave, but you called out his name. you had a wide grin on your face, and it made jimin suspicious. he eyed you with narrowing eyes, “what happened?” he asked, coming inside and closing your door behind him.

he walked over and sat on your bed.

you replied, “i walked home with hoseok.”

jimin seemed to understand everything just with that statement. “oh…”

“but that’s not all. but, i won’t tell you unless you tell me about your and irene’s date.”

jimin glared at you before sighing. “fine.”

and so it began. you told jimin about everything that had happened. you knew it was personal, but jimin was your twin. you and jimin had an extremely close connection after all, and that meant that you and jimin shared everything with each other. when you finished, your cheeks were radiating heat, and you were squealing happily. jimin couldn’t help but laugh. “oh, well, sit tight. my story is a bit…eh.” he inhaled deeply. “so i took irene to the noodle shop that’s only a few blocks away from the school. nothing too serious or anything. we ate some noodles, talked about ourselves and shared stories and got to know each other more. i swear, i fell in love with her, like, ten times in a span of ten minutes.” jimin smiled passionately. “but, after that, we didn’t want to go home yet. so we went to the park and found a nice tree to sit underneath and pass the time. again, nothing too serious or anything.” you laughed lightly as you listened to your brother. “well, as we sat there, this weird, intense silence fell between us. we were just sitting there, looking at the sky, and she turns to me. and i don’t know what to do other than stare at her. and suddenly,” jimin paused as a blush crept up in his face. “and suddenly she’s kissing me. but, this isn’t just some kiss. okay, it made me feel weird, happy, rebellious even. i don’t even know how to describe the feeling i got. but that isn’t all, y/n. we started to make out, like, intensely. we were just there, casually making out under a tree in a park.” jimin had to pause to recover, he still seemed to be in a daze. “so yeah, that’s kinda why we were out for a long time.”

you were absolutely shocked at jimin’s story. “oh my god!” you screamed.

jimin immediately hushed you. “shhh! mom and dad might hear you.”

“jimin, this is a big deal. i mean, hoseok and i just kissed, and it was short. but you and irene had a fucking makeout session. that’s just… damn. i am so proud of you.” you were surprised and happy.

jimin shook his head. his cheeks were red in color, probably from remembering what had happened and from being embarrassed about it.

“you and irene, i swear.” you continued, “i never took your two for the type.”

“what do you mean by that?” jimin asked.

you shook your head. “never mind.”

a comfortable silence enveloped you and jimin as you and him sat on your bed. as you were left alone with your thoughts, however, you couldn’t help but smile. “look at us go.” you mumbled.

jimin looked at you. “what?”

you gestured to the general air around you. “look at us, i mean. both of us. we both have someone in our lives now. you have irene, and i have hoseok. almost at the same time. how funny is that.”

jimin chuckled lightly. “yeah. that’s pretty wack.”

you laughed at jimin, before getting serious. “when do you think we should tell mom and dad?”

“maybe when things gets settled and more official?” he suggested while wincing.

you shook your head. “yeah. let’s wait.”

----

the next day, you and jimin arrived at school together. as you walked onto school grounds, irene came running towards you. “y/n!” she screamed happily and threw her arms around you.

you laughed and held her tightly, spinning her around playfully. jimin laughed at you and irene. after irene let go, she shyly went to jimin’s side and he grabbed her hand. “hey.” he greeted.

she smiled. “hey.”

“hey,” you said, grabbing their attention. you immediately felt like a third wheel, and you were not having any of that. “just because we’re all dating someone now doesn’t mean we all should stop hanging out, okay? we should go on double dates, and all that couple-y stuff.” you eyed jimin in particular, a threatening expression on your face. “and i would like to hangout with my best friend still.”

jimin’s cheeks flushed. “yeah, yeah.” he mumbled, earning a laugh from irene.

suddenly, though, irene was hitting your shoulder and forcing you to turn around. “there’s hoseok.”

you blushed slightly before turning back around to look at her. “i forgot to tell you, we had a moment last night too.”

her eyes widened. “you did? i need details.”

“i’m sure jimin can enlighten you. i’m going to go.” you said, gesturing behind you (in particular in hoseok’s direction).

jimin and irene grinned and watched you walk away before turning around and heading into the school. you remained outside where hoseok was. he had walked onto the school grounds and sat down on the bench, the same bench as yesterday. you wondered if he had seen you or not. still, you decided to go to him.

you practically skipped over to him. as you sat down, you nearly scared hoseok… again. he jumped and leaned away, ripping his earphones out of his ears. you laughed at his reaction.

once he realized it was you, he pouted. “you’ve got to stop doing that. it isn’t funny.”

you looked at him, a smile still on your face. “i’m sorry.”

he eyed you before sitting up straight and putting in one earphone. he offered you the other one and you took it, putting it in your ear. it was the same song as yesterday, from the morning when you and hoseok held hands and first realized your feelings for each other. it was a soft, summery song. it was growing on you. and, of course, now it symbolized a special moment.

“hey.” hoseok suddenly said, turning his body to you. “do you want to hang out after school?”

you stared at him. “yeah, i do. do you have anything in mind?”

he sighed as he fished his brain for ideas. “no.”

you laughed. “we’ll figure it out when we get there.”

hoseok nodded and turned back, sitting on the bench properly. “how’s everything with jimin and all them?” you asked out of curiosity. “are you getting accustomed to everything? do you had parts, lines, etc? do you know the choreographies yet?”

“that’s a lot of questions.” hoseok laughed. “but yeah, everything is going great. it’s beginning to feel like i had been there forever. it’s as if we’ve been friends for years instead of weeks. and i’m a fast learner, so everything is going okay.”

you nodded. “that’s good. when’s the next practice?”

hoseok shrugged. “i don’t know. namjoon can’t really schedule them anymore since jimin and i have recently became...” hoseok looked at you with a slight blush in his cheeks, “occupied.”

you rolled your eyes. “yeah… occupied.”

there was a moment of silence, between you two as a song played in your ears. “hey, hoseok.”

he looked at you. “hmm.”

“can i call you my boyfriend now?”

hoseok began to blush. “is that what i am?”

“i would hope so.”

he laughed. “yeah. yeah, i’m your boyfriend now.”

you were the one blushing now. “well, i’m your girlfriend now. i just felt that we had to establish that or else i would be paranoid about it.”

hoseok nodded understandingly. after a few more minutes outside, the bell rang. students began to file inside and head to class. you pouted.

hoseok grabbed your hand and stood up, taking the earphone out of your ear and putting away his earphones. “let’s go.”

you and hoseok walked inside hand-in-hand. you earned some stares from other students. you didn’t mind, but when you glanced at hoseok, you noticed that he was uncomfortable. you pulled him closer to you, and squeezed his hand. “hey, it’s okay.” you reassured. “it won’t last long.”

he looked at you before nodding.

you got to your class first, since hoseok wanted to be a gentleman and drop you off. you kissed his cheek. “i’ll see you later.”

he smiled. “at lunch.”

you nodded. “yeah, at lunch.”

after one last squeeze of his hand, he turned around and headed down the hall to his classroom. you sighed contently and made your way to your seat. irene was already there. you sat down and pulled out your things. while you opened your notebook, she nudged your side, her eyebrows wiggling up and down. you rolled your eyes in a playful manner.

she grinned before turning to her own notebook. you smiled lightly as you stared at the board in front of you.

the chatter around you seemed to be tuned out as you escaped into your mind. you were happy with the way things were going. you never expected it. you thought back to the day you fell onto hoseok by accident. back then, you didn’t think you would ever talk to hoseok ever again, let alone have feelings for him. but that was the kind of life you liked to live: one where you had to expect the unexpected, one where things could happen out of nowhere.

---

[epilogue]

two months later

you could the crickets chirping outside. a light breeze blew into your bedroom from your open window. it caused you to sink lower and tug on the blankets. you sighed happily before tightening your embrace and cuddling into hoseok’s side more. he laughed quietly and pulled your closer. his arm was wrapped around your neck, and your head was using his bicep as a pillow.

hoseok had snuck into your window that night. it was something that he had been doing since you haven’t told your parents about him yet. you liked the feeling it gave you. like it was a big secret, like you were doing something bad, sneaking around illegally. really hoseok was just coming over at midnight through your window to cuddle with you.

you stared mindlessly at your desk across the room. your fingers traced weird shapes and random words on hoseok’s chest. meanwhile hoseok was staring at the ceiling, but he was thinking.

“y/n.” his quiet, hushed voice sliced through the comfortable silence.

you hummed as a response, letting him know that you were listening.

“what do you like about me?”

you paused, your eyebrows knitting in confusion and concern. you adjusted yourself to look up at hoseok. he was still staring at the ceiling while you got a nice view of his chin and jawline. you inhaled deeply, “well, where do i even start? you’re kind, warmhearted, respectful, goofy, bighearted. i like a lot of things about you, hoseok.”

hoseok sighed.

“what’s wrong?” you asked him, moving off if his chest to see his face.

he shook his head as he met your eyes. “nothing.” he replied with a smile. “just thinking.”

“might i add… you’re also very attractive. you got this very sharp jawline,” your index finger traced his jawline, “you have very fluffy hair,” you moved your body to lay on top of hoseok so that you could use both of your hands to run your fingers through his hair, and brush his bangs out of his face, “and you have the softest lips in the world.” slowly, you pressed your lips onto hoseok’s.

you pulled away, a light popping sound resonating from your lips. you blushed as you smiled down at hoseok. he reciprocated your smile and simply stared at you.

“do you want me to continue?”

he nodded.

you smiled. “well, i also like how you’re also, like, my polar opposite.”

“explain that.” hoseok said with a confused laugh.

you blushed. “what i mean is, we are the epitome of opposites attract. i’m outgoing, you’re rather reserved. i can be quite loud, and i sometimes won’t hear a peep from you. i don’t mind attention, and you despise attention, under certain circumstances of course. but i think we’re really good for each other.”

hoseok smiled passionately. “i love you.”

“i love you too.”

you leaned down to press a kiss to hoseok’s lips. but just as your lips touched his, there was a tiny knock on your door. your eyes widened. immediately you rolled off of hoseok as he tried to sit up. “hurry. go.” you whispered yelled as hoseok grabbed his shoes and tried to leave out the window but it was too late.

“y/n, why is hoseok in the window?”

you turned to see jimin. he must of just woken up, judging by his swollen and squinting eyes, along with his hoarse voice. you gulped. “what are you doing up? and why are you here?”

“i heard mumbling in hear, assumed you were talking to someone. hey, hoseok.” jimin casually greeted.

hoseok, still frozen in window, waved. “hey.”

you looked at how casual they were acting. you shook your head. “please don’t tell mom and dad.”

jimin scoffed. “who do you think i am?” he began closing the door. “you can stay hoseok.”

you were surprised. perhaps it was because jimin was half asleep. but you weren’t complaining. hoseok awkwardly climbed back inside. “well, he ruined that moment.”

you nodded. “yep.”

“do you want to sleep?”

you eyed him with a suggestive look on your face. “if you’re here with me.”

hoseok smiled, but it didn’t last long. “if i sleep here, though, i could be caught.” hoseok moved over to your side. “keep in mind my parents don’t know that i’m sneaking out.”

you sighed. “well, i guess you shouldn’t stay then.”

hoseok looked at you. “but, tomorrow we’ll go out for breakfast.”

“okay.” you replied with a blush and a smile.

hoseok pecked your lips before climbing out the window once more. “good night, y/n.”

you laughed lightly. “good night.” you whispered.

you watched as hoseok slipped away from your house with ease. you sighed tiredly and closed your window. you slid back under your covers and got comfortable. with a slight smile on your face, you closed your eyes. you thought about hoseok. the talk you just had with him about what you liked. it made your feelings for him stronger. and you knew it reassured him, especially since he was still on the insecure side of the scale. finally, you slipped into a deep sleep, once again with hoseok on your mind.

#bts #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #bts jung hoseok #jung hoseok #bts jhope #jhope #bts one shot #bts imagine #bts scenario #bts fluff #bts au #jung hoseok one shot #jhope one shot #kpop

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kanasmusings · 5 years

Text

[Translation] StarMyu Season 2 Vol. 4 Special Drama Track 2 - “Hachiya Sou”

Oh~ I forgot I had this lying around and I said I’d be posting it so, here it is finally~! I love this boy so much and I hope to see more of him in season 3 of the anime XD

※ Please don’t re-post these translations without permission. Instead of reposting, please just like/reblog instead ^^

Under the cut, enjoy~!

Act 02: [蜂矢聰] “Hachiya So”

[0:00]

HACHIYA: My first meeting with Ageha was so vivid.

HACHIYA: After I got accepted to the specialized Vocal Course, I got to see a lot of wonderful people like Tatsumi-kun, Sawatari-kun, and Tsukigami-kun but, being able to do the same steps as them, sing the same melodies they do made me feel very special for the first time in my life!

HACHIYA: If I’m with him, I know I can go anywhere. I felt my heart become one with my teammates’ hearts.

HACHIYA: That’s what we all thought. We would treasure and protect our Ageha.

HACHIYA: That we’ll support him so that he could always be his best.

HACHIYA: But, how would we be able to do that…

HACHIYA: Back then, I wouldn’t have known the answer.

HACHIYA: This is a story from before we were second years in Ayanagi Academy. A story from the previous spring from before Ageha and I became friends.

HACHIYA: Volume 4 Special Drama CD: Hachiya Sou.

[01:31]

(door opens)

HACHIYA: I’m back.

HACHIYA: Ageha, do you want something to drink?

AGEHA: Don’t need any.

HACHIYA: Ah… U-um… I-it’s such a coincidence that we’re sharing the same room and are on the same team…

HACHIYA: I’m happy that we both got into a Star Team, too!

(Ageha ignores Hachiya and continues reading)

HACHIYA: Ah… U-um… You’re always reading that pamphlet, huh?

HACHIYA: Is it something important?

HACHIYA: That’s the pamphlet for the graduation performance, isn’t it?

HACHIYA: “Shadow & Lights” I remember you mentioning going to its performance this year.

HACHIYA: I hear that you’re planning to audition for Alexis’s Shadow in next year’s “Shadow & Lights”, too!

HACHIYA: It’s so amazing that you already have a dream you’re aiming for! I’m sure you can do it! You definitely wi—

AGEHA: So noisy. Don’t bother me.

HACHIYA: I’m so sorry…

(Ageha continues to read)

[02:33]

HACHIYA: But, um… Aren’t we teammates?

HACHIYA: Aren’t we both aiming to be in the Musical Department? Shouldn’t we build a friendship for that? We’ve already decided that we’ll follow you.

HACHIYA: That’s why… I want to know what you like… Like, your favourite things or…

HACHIYA: What kind of musical actor you want to become, anything. I’m sure everyone else also wants to—

(Ageha puts the pamphlet down)

HACHIYA: …!

AGEHA: Don’t need. I’m not interested in any of you.

HACHIYA: Eh…?

AGEHA: I don’t need things like teammates and friends.

AGEHA: They’re just a bother.

HACHIYA: E-eh, but… It would be bad if you were alone.

AGEHA: That’s why, I’ll bear with it. I have no choice anyway.

HACHIYA: That’s not good… If you say that, your teammates won’t follow you…

AGEHA: I don’t need them anyway.

HACHIYA: Eh?

AGEHA: You don’t have to follow me either.

AGEHA: Even if everyone hates me, I’m not really interested.

HACHIYA: A-Ageha…?

AGEHA: I just have to be brilliant. Even if I’m alone.

AGEHA: Right?

(Ageha leaves and closes the door)

HACHIYA: N-no way…

[04:04]

(Hachiya pouring some water)

HACHIYA: (takes a sip) (sighs) It’s already this late… I already finished eating but… Ageha’s in the room and it’s kind of difficult to go back…

HACHIYA: I guess I’m left with no choice but to wait here until Ageha goes to sleep…

(Hachiya trips and spills the water)

HACHIYA: Ah… ow, ow… I did it again… I’m drenched in water…

EIGO: Excuse me! I heard a loud sound. Are you okay?

HACHIYA: A-ah, yes I’m okay! Oh?

EIGO: Oh my, Hachiya-kun!

HACHIYA: Sawatari-kun!

[05:03]

(Eigo uses a hair dryer on Hachiya)

EIGO: There, it seems like your hair and clothes are dry now.

HACHIYA: I’m so sorry. Ah, I’ll return the hair dryer for you.

EIGO: Yes, please.

HACHIYA: Um, what are you doing in the 2nd Dorm, Sawatari-kun? Weren’t you in the 1st Dorm?

EIGO: One of my classmates in Class C is in this dorm. We were just discussing a bit on tomorrow’s agenda for homeroom.

HACHIYA: Are you the class representative this year, too?

EIGO: I was simply nominated by most of my classmates since we were in middle school together. I accepted because of the way things were going.

HACHIYA: You’re very qualified! Sawatari-kun’s a very reliable person!

EIGO: Thank you very much.

HACHIYA: Ah, how is Tatsumi-kun doing? I haven’t seen him since he helped me fix my number during the newcomer’s auditions.

HACHIYA: It’s amazing that both of you are Star of Stars! As I expected.

HACHIYA: Though, Tsukigami-kun’s was a bit… unexpected.

EIGO: (smiles) Aren’t you in a Star Team, too, Hachiya-kun? I’m very happy for you as your former classmate.

HACHIYA: Ah, th-that’s… (chuckles nervously) There’s still so much that I have to work on.

EIGO: Hm? Is there something that’s troubling you?

HACHIYA: Um… You’re always together with Tatsumi-kun, aren’t you?

HACHIYA: You’re his knight who’s always ready to support and protect him, right?

EIGO: Eh? Ah, no—That’s only what people call me—

HACHIYA: Please tell me how you managed to do that!

EIGO: Ah… Pardon…?

[06:57]

EIGO: I see… It’s about Ageha Riku-kun, huh?

EIGO: If I remember correctly, he was the one who was transferred from a regular class to a music class in middle school, wasn’t he?

EIGO: I do remember feeling a lot of enthusiasm from him but… He seems like quite the difficult person, huh?

HACHIYA: Ageha is a very talented and wonderful person but… He’s a little… rather, quite the strange person.

HACHIYA: Ageha is Team Yuzuriha’s top star! It won’t do if I can’t be able to support him.

HACHIYA: But… I feel like he doesn’t even want to look in my direction… It’s a little bit sad…

EIGO: Hm…

NANJO: I think that it’s impossible to actually understand that guy~

EIGO/HACHIYA: ?!

NANJO: Sorry for eavesdropping. I was on the way back to my room but I heard an interesting conversation.

EIGO/HACHIYA: Nanjo-kun?!

NANJO: Hello, Princess Tatsumi’s Knight~ Is this the first time we’ve talked properly?

EIGO: Indeed it is. Of course, I know you by face.

NANJO: Me, too. You were famous back in middle school after all.

NANJO: Um, you are…?

HACHIYA: Ah, I’m Hachiya Sou. I’ve always admired your work when you were the student council vice-president!

EIGO: Hachiya-kun is in the same special music course like I am.

NANJO: Oh~ So he’s amazing? Does that mean you’re in a Star Team, too?

HACHIYA: Yes, I’m in Team Yuzuriha.

NANJO: Ah, I see now~ That’s why you were talking about Ageha, weren’t you?

EIGO: Nanjo-kun, do you know Ageha?

NANJO: I was in the same class as him before. From first year maybe?

NANJO: I haven’t seen him since he got transferred to the music course though. Is he doing well?

HACHIYA: I-I wonder… I can’t really tell…

NANJO: Oh, you can’t? Well, he doesn’t show much expression anyway~

NANJO: By the way, for me personally, being in the same team as that guy would be a disaster to my mentality.

HACHIYA: E-eh…?

EIGO: That’s exactly what we’re troubled about right now.

NANJO: No need to be troubled about it. Just give up.

NANJO: That guy’s out of this world, you know? There’s no way he can communicate with other people.

NANJO: He hated me a lot during middle school, too.

HACHIYA: Eh?

EIGO: Is that so?

NANJO: To me, it’s sort of a thrill but I don’t really care about him. Can’t say for sure about Ageha sharing the same dorm as me though. Well, I guess he can just ignore me or something~

EIGO: You’re pretty savage, aren’t you…?

HACHIYA: He hates you…? Even so…

AGEHA: (from Hachiya’s memory) I’m not interested in any of you.

HACHIYA: (sighs) And here I thought you would be more respected…

NANJO: Hmm… Want to do a simulation?

EIGO/HACHIYA: Eh…?

HACHIYA: What kind of simulation?

NANJO: Something like this…

[10:08]

(they begin to imagine a situation)

REN: Hey Ageha, you bastard. You just bumped into me, didn’t you?! Guilty!

NANJO: Oh~ You got caught by someone troublesome, Ageha~

NANJO: Ren has gotten into an agency, you know? If there’s a single scratch on him, you’d have to answer to the scary people at the top~

NANJO: By the way, I think it’d be wise to go pay for his doctor right now.

AGEHA: (shrieks in such a forced way)

HACHIYA: Please stop!

NANJO/REN: Hachiya!?

HACHIYA: You’ve got some guts picking on my important friend! Take this!

(Hachiya punches Ren)

NANJO: (with a bored tone and fake concern) Ren!

REN: Tch…! That bastard Hachiya… So he was hiding his real strength all this time?!

NANJO: You can’t win against this, Ren. Just apologize to Hachiya and let it slide.

REN: Y-yes!!

HACHIYA: Please raise your head. I’ll forgive you today. But, I won’t forgive you if you bully Ageha again!

REN: This guy…! What a huge heart he has!

NANJO: Ageha, there’s no other teammate who’s this kind, you know? Trust in him and get along, okay~?

AGEHA: Yeah.

AGEHA: (to Hachiya) Thank you, my friend!

HACHIYA: Ageha!

(simulation ends)

[11:22]

NANJO: Or something like that~

HACHIYA: There’s no way it’ll go that smoothly!

EIGO: And I doubt that Kitahara-kun will play along without any complaints…

EIGO: Will that plan really be okay?

NANJO: That guy’s quite an actor, you know?

HACHIYA: Wait, the difficulty’s too high! Do you have any other ideas?

NANJO: Hm… No good, huh? How about this?

(they imagine another situation again)

HACHIYA: (with a smooth tone, like he’s hitting on someone) Ageha.

AGEHA: Ah…

HACHIYA: We need you. Without you, we won’t be able to enter the Musical Department.

AGEHA: …! Kabe-don…?

HACHIYA: Ageha… Please let me be of service.

AGEHA: Yes, please do.

(simulation ends)

HACHIYA: I don’t understand what’s going on!

EIGO: I also feel like it’s out of character for Hachiya-kun.

NANJO: No good? Hmm, then…

HACHIYA: Nanjo-kun, are you perhaps enjoying playing with my troubles?

NANJO: (laughs) Was it obvious?

HACHIYA: You really were?!

HACHIYA: (sighs) Is it really impossible?

HACHIYA: Can I really do well as Ageha’s teammate and roommate…?

HACHIYA: I’m losing confidence now…

EIGO: Hachiya-kun…

NANJO: Like I said, better give it up. He’s always been like that anyway.

NANJO: I’ve always thought that he was the type to do what he could on his own without relying on someone else.

HACHIYA: That… That may be so but… I’m Ageha’s ally.

EIGO/NANJO: Hm?

HACHIYA: No matter what Ageha thinks, my other teammates and I feel that way.

HACHIYA: We don’t just rely on him to get into the Musical Department, we really respect Ageha!

HACHIYA: I love Ageha that’s why… even though he says he hates us or that he’s not interested, we… We’ll support our top star and protect him.

HACHIYA: I mean… Ageha’s really amazing. He has his own goals and dreams and he’s doing his best to make them happen.

HACHIYA: I want to make it happen… If we could be of use to him, I’d like to make it happen.

HACHIYA: A-ah… I’m so sorry for raising my voice. (chuckles nervously)

NANJO: (chuckles) You’re kinda a strange guy, too, aren’t you?

HACHIYA: Eh?

NANJO: You say that you have no confidence and stuff. Even though we’re telling you to give it up, you’re still desperately trying.

NANJO: You’re kinda stubborn, huh?

HACHIYA: …

EIGO: (smiles) Indeed. It’s as Nanjo-kun says.

EIGO: “You don’t know unless you’ll try.” Aren’t those strong feelings for Ageha-kun enough answer for your worries?

HACHIYA: Sawatari-kun…

EIGO: Your life as teammates and roommates has only started. You have a lot of time.

EIGO: The more time you spend, the more it will grow stronger. I’m sure that your genuine feelings will reach him.

EIGO: The moment that he realizes your kindness might make your current situation a lot different.

HACHIYA: It’s only just begun… There’s still… I see!

HACHIYA: I have a lot of time, don’t I? It’s okay if I don’t give up, isn’t it?

HACHIYA: That was a story from the spring when Team Yuzuriha only started.

HACHIYA: And now, Ageha and I are second years!

[15:30]

HACHIYA: I’m so sorry for the intrusion.

TENGENJI: Hachiya?

EIGO: Oh my, good morning.

HACHIYA: Good morning, Sawatari-kun and Tengenji-kun. Are you having breakfast together?

TENGENJI: What’s up? Did you have something to do in this dorm?

HACHIYA: Ah, yes. Yesterday, Hoshitani-kun and Nayuki-kun let Ageha stay with them.

HACHIYA: They got the futon from our room so I thought I should help with bringing it back. I’m here to pick him up.

TENGENJI: Heh… He’s using you a lot, huh?

HACHIYA: I’m indebted to Hoshitani-kun for what he did during training camp and I think that Hoshitani-kun’s feelings managed to reach Ageha.

HACHIYA: Ageha’s really likable, I think.

TENGENJI: Likable? Him?!

EIGO: (chuckles) I think it’ll take a while before they arrive. Do you want to drink some tea while waiting?

HACHIYA: Yes, please. I’ll take you up on yo— (Hachiya hits the table)

EIGO: Are you okay?!

TENGENJI: Ah, geez…

HACHIYA: Ow…

AGEHA: What are you doing, Sou?

HACHIYA: Ageha! I came here to pick you up and just hit the table when Sawatari-kun I was about to sit down.

AGEHA: Klutz.

EIGO: Ageha-kun, is Hoshitani-kun and Nayuki-kun not with you?

AGEHA: They went to get breakfast. They said they’ll bring some snacks, too.

AGEHA: They said they saw some in the refrigerator?

TENGENJI: Snacks in the fridge?

AGEHA: Yeah. Sou, we’ll be eating over there for a while so please, go get my futon.

HACHIYA: Ah, yes.

TENGENJI: Just because he gets along with Hoshitani now doesn’t give him the right to be that impudent.

TENGENJI: You say something to him, too.

HACHIYA: Eh?

EIGO: (chuckles) Compared to when we were first years, you’ve really gotten along quite well.

EIGO: Though, there are quite a small amount of things that I dislike seeing.

TENGENJI: True.

HACHIYA: (chuckles) It’s alright. It’s just how our relationship is after my feelings have reached him.

TENGENJI: Huh?!

EIGO: (chuckles)

AGEHA: Yuta! Is that the snack?

TENGENJI: AH! It’s really…!

EIGO/HACHIYA: Hm?

TENGENJI: Hey, Hoshitani! That’s the one I received yesterday!

TENGENJI: You boor! Don’t think that this is something— (his voice fades into the background)

EIGO/HACHIYA: (chuckles)

HACHIYA: But sometimes, I admire those kinds of brazen people, too.

EIGO: That’s… Giving up on doing that is the correct choice, I think…

==END==

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission.

If you like this, please consider buying me a ko-fi here to support my work. (o^▽^o)Thank you!!

#starmyu #high school star musical #Hachiya Sou #my translations #starmyu translations #lol the pic i had for the DVD cover was so low-res that i just used the soundtrack cover #i have a lot of mixed feelings about this drama track orz #queued post

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ehkw1989 · 6 years

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Four Loves - A Choices Crossover Imagine

Pairings: Michael x MC (High School Story), James x MC (The Freshman), Liam x MC (The Royal Romance) and Drake x MC (The Royal Romance)

Ratings: NSFW, some swear words, fluffiness, angst, some hints of smut

A/N: The basis of this imagine came about from a conversation I had with my friend a long time ago. We were discussing the different types of romantic loves they are and how sometimes, if we’re very lucky, the people that we share the four romantic loves with are the same person. Please like, reblog or comment if you’ve enjoyed this imagine. Italics are flashbacks and tags are at the bottom. As usual, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Love, Edith

Word Count: 3308 words, not sure what happened.

A soft knock on the bedroom door interrupts Evelyn’s routine as she prepares herself for bed. She is about to call out to ask who it is but before she could do so, she can hear her daughter’s voice through the door, “Mom, are you still awake?”

“Yes, Astoria. Come on in, my love.” Evelyn turns to face the door as it opens.

“Am I interrupting anything? Is Papa here?”

“Your papa is here and of course, you’re not interrupting anything. Is everything alright?” Evelyn reaches for her daughter, her forehead creased with worry.

“I just . . . I just wanted to ask you something. Nothing’s the matter.” Astoria smiled at her mother, wanting to put her at ease.

“Ask away.” The older woman smiles back, waiting patiently as her daughter gathers her thoughts.

“It’s about . . . love. I . . . don’t know what . . . How . . . how did you know what you had with Daddy was love?”

Evelyn looks at her daughter thoughtfully, gathering her thoughts before she could answer. “I didn’t know what kind of love it was until I realized it too late.” She admitted.

“What kind of love? Isn’t there only one kind when it comes to romance? It’s . . . isn’t it Eros?”

“Eros is one of them. But there’s four types of romantic love experiences that most people go through. Your Uncle Thomas once told me that there were four kinds of romantic love. There’s Phileo, Eros, Storge, and Agape.” Evelyn looks at the photograph on the bedside table wistfully before continuing. “And I’ve experienced all four.”

“Was the love you had for Daddy eros?”

“No, love, it was storge. It’s the kind of love you have when you’re in a long-term relationship. It’s a very powerful love. It’s one of the most passionate and best loves that I have ever had in my life.” She smiles at her daughter. “It was the best love that I have had in my life because you were born as a result of this love.” She brushes her daughter’s hair away from her face lovingly as they share a smile.

“What about the other ones? Phileo, eros and agrape?”

“No, darling, agape. Is this about Eddie? Isn’t he the son of Ezekiel and Penelope?”

“Yes, the future Duke of Portavira. It’s not just about Eddie; it’s about Eddie and me.” Her daughter blushes. “I was dancing with him and we were talking about love, future and relationships. I wasn’t sure what to think so I wanted to talk to you about love and all the experiences that you have had”

“I’m glad you came to me.” She kissed her daughter on the forehead. “I wasn’t sure about anything when I was in my relationships. Well, maybe except for one. Anyways, which love of mine do you want to hear first?”

“Whichever one you want to tell me first.” Her daughter snuggles up to her as they lay together in bed.

“Well, I can start with phileo love. That’s what most people experience first; it’s also known as puppy love or your first love.” Evelyn continues to tell her daughter the story of the puppy love that she had experienced at Oliver M. Berry High. “His name is Michael Harrison.”

“Michael Harrison? The Michael Harrison, the famous director? He just won an Academy Award!”

“Yes, that Michael Harrison; I actually received an invitation to the awards but I turned it down. I don’t think your Papa would have liked that but let me continue.”

“Evelyn, come quick! There’s been an . . . umm . . . accident at the school parking lot!” Evelyn hears as Luis runs towards her.

“Oh really? What kind of incident?”

“A . . . huge one!”

“Good or bad?”

“You just really need to come see it, okay?”

“Luis, you’re not great this whole ‘lying’ thing, are you?” Evelyn smiles at him.

“You just need to come quick; just come!” Luis looks sheepishly at her.

“Of course, Luis. I’m just pulling your leg. Lead on!” Evelyn follow Luis towards to parking lot where she can hear a familiar song playing in the distance. They turn the corner to see Michael holding a stereo standing next to his motorcycle, smirking at them.

“Michael Harrison, what are you doing?” She laughs.

“Paying homage to one of the most iconic teen movies of all time while asking you to prom.”

“So, even when he was at high school, he was already directing people around to set up scenes?” Astoria grins at her mom. “You sure know how to pick them.”

“I do, that’s how I picked your daddy.”

“But what happened to you guys? Because Michael Harrison is definitely not my father.”

“Michael, I got accepted to Hartfeld University.” Evelyn peers at him anxiously as she tells him of the news.

“That’s great! That’s what you were going for anyways. I . . . ahh . . . I got accepted to USC. Just got the letter today!” He waved the package in his hand excitedly.

“We’ll be so far apart.” She whispered sadly as moved to embrace him.

“I know . . . but don’t you think it’s time? We knew from the beginning that this might have happened.” He kissed her forehead gently.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t believe in saying goodbyes. Can I say I’ll see you later, Evelyn Carter?”

“Not yet, Michael. Afraid you’re stuck with me for the rest of this summer.”

“Well, most puppy loves don’t last long.” Evelyn sees the worried look in her daughter's eyes, “What you and Eddie have isn’t phileo love, darling. It’s deeper than that, more emotional; I don’t know what it is but I know you’ll find out together.” She smiles at her daughter. “But to answer your question, Michael and I came to an understanding that we couldn’t love each other thousands of miles away and that we had to say “see you later” eventually. And to this day, whenever I hear “In Your Eyes”, that song from the famous teen movie he’s talking about, I still thank Michael and the innocent love that we shared.”

“Aww, Mom, that is so sweet.” Astoria wipes some tears from her eyes. “You’re right though, Eddie and I don’t have phileo love, that’s for sure. I can’t see myself living without him. So that’s phileo love, how about eros? Isn’t that supposed to be the love of your life?”

“Eros love is what you experience when you think you found love. It’s not so much as a emotional love, rather than a sexual love.” Evelyn blushes as her daughter smirks at her. “It’s influenced by . . . um . . . physical attraction. Oh, honestly, you’re 21, I will go ahead and say it. It’s really like a lusty kind of love? After all, eros is the root word for erotic.”

“And you had eros love with?”

“James Ashton.” Evelyn blushes at the memory of some of steamy encounters she had with James. “We went to Hartfeld University together.”

“Wait! The James Ashton! Mom, how do you know all these famous people? Didn’t he write Working Title? And Rosethorne Park? And his Victorian gothic romance series are so . . .” Astoria fans herself as she prattles on.

“Well, as the Duchess of Valtoria, I’m famous too, you know! I actually co-wrote Working Title with James.” She admits. “It was the last play that I ever wrote with him before breaking up with him after graduation.” Evelyn smiles at the memory of James and her collaborating on Working Title.

“I can see it now. Our characters sweep across the stage and introduce the world through the magic of song.” James gestures towards the stage dramatically.

“That sounds like a solid opening. I’m glad I’ve got a veteran at my back here.”

“I was born in a theater, my dear.” He grins at her. “Perhaps later, we can go backstage for some walkthroughs?” He winks at her as Evelyn blushes.

“Focus, James Ashton!” Evelyn scolds him before breaking out in laughter at her pretend seriousness. “Or you can take me here. Have you ever been ridden in a theatre seat? There’s a first time for everything.” A flush began to appear on James’ face, her hand began to trail up his thigh only to draw away before continuing. “So, our play needs a protagonist. And I’m imagining a heroine. Okay, she’s a good girl gone bad. She’s had enough of life giving her lemons, and she’s building a lemon bomb now.”

“What made her so sour?” He asks as he kisses her neck. “I don’t think this protagonist is based on you. You’re too sweet.” He sucks on her neck leaving a small mark.

“You’re going . . . to leave a mark.” She tries to not moan. “Can we please focus?” She moves a seat away from him. “She’s sour because of the horrible socioeconomics but then she does the worst thing anyone can do . . . she falls in love.” She smiles at James noting the desire in his eyes.

“Strong opener. And what shall we call this badass diva with a heart of gold?” He moves towards her, gently nudging her legs apart while nipping at her collarbone.

“St . . . Sella. Are we done? We can go to the backstage now, right?” Evelyn rubs his hardening length through his pants. “ I can’t wait!”

“Afraid not, darling. It’s my turn to build a character then.” He moves back to his seat; she whines in disappointment at the lack of contact. “And his name is . . . John. Or Gabriel. Or Casper.”

“How did I pick a name so fast? Did I do it wrong?” She moves to straddle him, her hot core rubbing up against his.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. We’re about to do something very, very right.” She giggles as he leads her towards the backstage.

“Mom?”

Evelyn blushes before clearing her throat. “Sorry, what was I saying?”

“That you co-wrote Working Title with James Ashton?”

“Yes, the four years at Hartfeld were some of the best that I have had in my life. My peers were amazing, Professor Valdez was a great mentor to me before he passed.”

“Sounds like you and James did some amazing stuff together. What happened?”

“Hey! Are you ready for some exciting news?” Evelyn calls out as James opens the door to their shared apartment.

“I’ve already got some. Ruth Gunderson extended a formal invitation to Icebreakers. She’s going to send the paperwork later tonight. I can’t wait to see you all bundled up in Alaska.”

“Right . . . in Alaska. James, I . . .”

“What’s the matter? I thought you would have been excited to go to Alaska.” He tilts his head in confusion. “Is everything all right? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just burst in like that. What’s your exciting news?”

“I may have just gotten an interview with Quills in London.” She whispered.

“That’s great! But it’s just an interview, right? I mean,” He swiftly corrected himself seeing the crestfallen look on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know but I know I want to go to London if I get it.” She took a deep breath.

“We’ve done long distance before, we can handle it.” He draws her into his embrace. “What do you say to a celebration?” He kisses her deeply on her mouth.

“I say, lead the way, Mr. Ashton.” She allows herself to be pulled in the bedroom.

“Well, he got an offer to go to Alaska for an authorship circle and I got an offer to write for Quills in London. James and I couldn't see each other that frequently and the love we had . . . well kind of fizzled out.” Seeing Astoria’s watery eyes, Evelyn reached out for daughter’s hand and patted it reassuringly. “James and I weren’t meant to be. Our love would have withstood thousand of miles apart if we had an emotional connection. We supported each other through some really difficult times like Professor Valdez’s death, your grandparents’ separation, and other adventures. We even put away an evil fratority like Nancy Drew.”

“Fratority?”

“A mix between fraternity and sorority. Sometimes I feel like your daddy and I didn’t give you the college experience given the circumstances.” Evelyn sighed, feeling disappointed at herself.

“From what I read, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on much.” Astoria looks amused at her mother. “You and Daddy did your best. I love you both so much.” They both turn to look at the photograph on the nightside table and for a moment, a sorrowful silence filled the room. “I think the next love is storge.”

“Storge love. Storge love.” Evelyn repeats as she mulls over what to say to her daughter. “Well, like I said before, it’s a long that you have when you’re in a long-term relationship. And that’s the love I had with Liam. It was very passionate and we cared for each other a great deal.”

“Just cared?”

“I’m sorry, we loved each other a great deal but we also cared about one another. The sexual-” Astoria cringes. “Sorry darling, but the sexual attraction was still there but not as much as there was with James. It never fizzled out either when we had problems; we pushed through it all together.” Evelyn lost her trail of thought as she thought about the night she told Liam about Astoria.

“Liam, I need to tell you something.” Evelyn looked at him as they stared at the statue of Lady Liberty together.

“What is it, Lady Evelyn?” Liam looked at her, his eyebrows pinched in worry. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m . . . I’m pregnant. About four months along. I’m so sorry. I just thought that my cycle was irregular due to stress and all the travelling. I took a test last week and the doctor just sent me the results.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s yours, Liam.”

Liam smiles at her, “You mean I’m going to be a father? Why would that be bad news?”

“It’s not bad news. I’m so happy you are excited about being a father. I was just worried that Cordonia wouldn’t accept this baby and well, us. Considering all the things that had happened, I didn’t know how you would feel.”

“Lady Evelyn, you’ve opened my eyes . . . it has been a true honor to witness your strength in the face of every challenge you have overcome And I am so sorry that I was the reason that you had so many challenges during our time together. But your strength during our trials and challenges lends me courage. The courage to do the right thing. The courage to a better man. And I am a better man because I have you by my side. All I want to do for the rest of my life is to dedicate my life to being the best man and king that I can be . . . for you . .. and the baby too.” Liam sinks to one knee, his eyes locked on Evelyn’s. There is an intensity in his gaze, so loving, vulnerable, passionate and protective as well. He reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Lady Evelyn, queen of my heart, I have yearned to say these four words for a very, very long time . . .”

“Liam!” Evelyn covers her mouth in surprise, tears of joys trailing down her cheeks.

“Will you marry me?”

“So, what you and Daddy had is storge love. So did you have your agape love with Papa Drake?”

“Yes,” Evelyn admits to her daughter quietly.

“What’s the difference between storge love and agape love?”

“Well, you know how I said storge love is the love that you have when you’re in a long-term relationship. It’s a very powerful love.” She pauses before continuing. “Darling, Liam was perfect and I loved him so, so much but what I didn’t tell him and I hope that this doesn’t change how you think or feel about love . . . what I never told him was I fell in love with someone else during the engagement tour. I fell in love with Drake.”

“Drake, I need to tell you something.” Evelyn smiles sadly at him as they rode on the ferris wheel together at Coney Island.

“What is it, Carter?” He replied as Evelyn drinks in the view of him, knowing that this will be the last time she could be alone with him. She couldn’t bear the thought of being alone with him but not being able to love him.

“I’m pregnant with Liam’s baby. I’m so sorry; we were so careful but I . . .”

“I know.”

“How?” She gasped at him.

“You were throwing up a lot the last month or so. I just thought you didn’t want to tell anyone else because of Madeline and Liam. But now that they’re no longer engaged, I guess, well, Congratulations.” Drake whispered bitterly.

“Drake, I.”

“It doesn’t matter. Liam will propose to you and well, it doesn’t matter what happened between us.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” He reached across the gondola and squeezes her hand. “I’m going to leave after the wedding. I’m going to go home.”

“I’m so sorry. I should have left with you when you offered.”

“Carter, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the here and now.” He moves her hair out of her face and kissed her for the last time.

“Drake.” She sobbed as his lips left hers for the final time.

“So how come you stayed with Daddy?” Came Astoria’s question. “I’m glad you did though.”

“I loved Liam but also because Cordonia needed us. After the assassination attempts, the people needed a show of strength from the monarchy. And what better way than a marriage? Your birth only cemented Cordonia’s strength.”

“So you got married because of Cordonia?”

“No, I got married because I loved Liam. I also love Cordonia enough to let Drake go. You must always remember that you are Queen of Cordonia first, and Astoria Rhys second.”

“I know.” Astoria sighed, “So how come you and Papa Drake never married after Daddy died?”

“It didn’t matter, darling. The love that we shared and still share is enough. Cordonia needed me after Liam’s passing and I visit him as much as I can and he comes to Cordonia for six months a year. Although, if you become Queen, I may just move there permanently; it may be too scandalous for this court though.” The mother and daughter shared a laugh together. “Well, does that clear your head a little bit more, darling?”

“Yes, you’ve given me a lot to think about. I’m still not sure how I feel about Eddie but I hope that we can figure it out together.”

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you and know that you guys can figure it out together. Just remind him that if he breaks your heart, there will be an army waiting for him. Papa Drake and I will be leading it, followed by a few others I know.”

“Thanks, Mom. I better go to bed; I took up a lot of your time tonight.” Astoria winks at Evelyn. “Thank God that Papa Drake has more patience.”

“He wasn’t that patient when we were younger, believe me. We still have five months together, my darling. Never apologize for talking to me. We love you so much.”

“Good night, Mom.” Astoria kissed her and opened the door, only to see Drake. “She’s all yours, Papa!”

“I’m only the Queen’s visiting head guard, I have no idea what you are talking about.” Drake kissed Astoria goodnight and walked in the room. “What were you two talking about? We got lucky that it was Bastien on the rounds tonight.”

“You get to design the rounds the entire time you’re here. Poor Bastien never gets any vacation when you visit.” Evelyn draws Drake into a kiss. “Never mind what we were talking about. I believe you were going to remind me how much you miss me.”

“Always, my Queen. Always.” Drake smirks at her as he closes the door.

Tag List:

@darley1101; @boneandfur; @everythingchoices; @drakewalkerwhipped; @walkerismychoice; @hellospunkiebrewster, @angstymarshmallow, @mrswalkerwritesagain @pbchoicesobsessed@choicesfanficlibrary @choiceswreckedme; @parkerattano, @simplyaiden-blog, @snyggflicka, @drakewalkerfantasy, @drakelover78, @theroyalweisme, @confessionsofabrokegirl

#choices fanfiction #choices trr #trr fanfic #trr drake #trr liam #drake x mc #drake walker #liam x mc #james x mc #michael x mc #high school story #the senior #fanfic #choices library

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sarahboseman · 6 years

Text

WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT (PART 5)

CHADWICK BOSEMAN X READER

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4

WORD COUNT: 2600

WARNING : None

TAGLIST:

@greenswishbish @wakandanmoonchild @tchallaswife@sisterwifeudaku @captiansaveasmut @heyauntieeee @royallyprincesslilly @wakandanblogger @wakandawinning @wakandankings @kumkaniudaku @airis-paris14 @ashanti-notthesinger @zforzathura @90sinspiredgirl @imgabbyrae @brownsugarcocoabutterwildflowers @skysynclair19 @ljstraightnochaser @zxddy-panther @stressedgyal @bubbleboss17 @ovohanna24 @starsshines-blog @leahnicole1219 @texasbama @maverickabull @blue-ishx @yaachtynoboat711

I HOPE THE TAGS WORK!!! LET ME KNOW PLEASE! Reblog if you like it ❤❤❤

“Well done Y/N, it's time to look ahead, it's time to stop thinking about the past, it's time to try starting a new life and not think about him anymore"

You say to yourself taking a last look in the mirror of your bedroom to check if your outfit is ok.

"Five months, almost five fucking months and he didn’t bother to unblock my phone"

Yes, because he had blocked you on all fronts, not just as a whatsapp contact, but as a phone contact. So you couldn’t call him or even send a normal message.

You know all this not because YOU tried, but because Aisha and Jason have tried, many times, seizing your phone without your knowledge.

"It really sounds like a revenge to me too. But you can’t blame Y/N ... even if I'm a man and I wouldn't have behaved like that. "

"Or … that bitch of his girlfriend found your conversation and blocked you. Maybe he doesn’t even know you’re blocked!! Y/N have you thought about that? Give him the benefit of the doubt. Boseman is really cool, I would give it to him ... "

"Aishaaaaaaa !!!!!!"

“A CHANCE Y/N!!! I would give him a chance! The benefit of the doubt!"

Yes, Aisha was able to put this idea into your mind, but ... You don’t know, you just didn’t want to think about him anymore.

You agreed to go out for dinner with Kevin, a Jason’s friend. He introduced him to you a few days ago and he's not so bad. Smart, witty, sense of humor, and a very good looking guy, nice body, broad shoulders, mysterious eyes, full lips as you like and a nice ... smile.

You put yourself on fire tonight, short tight dress, stiletto heel, but low neckline, perfectly shaved smooth legs. Your natural curls loose, a little bit of make-up on the eyes and betting everything on the lipstick, waterproof without trace, let's hope for the best … You turn around again to check if everything is ok, take your bag and get out. He's already down there waiting for you ... He also has a nice car, you don’t really know what you want more.

He takes you to an Italian restaurant near St. James Park, where food is really good, you went there some time ago when your parents came to see you. Dinner is very pleasant, as is the conversation and the mild flirting between you. Winking looks, sweet smiles, your foot that accidentally touches his ankle and calf ...

Kevin caresses your hand and at the end of the dinner he asks you if you want to go for a walk and have a drink, but you (impudent and impatient) ask him if he wants to come back to your place and have a drink there.

“Of course, with great pleasure …"

"Ok then ... let's go then"

At that moment you try to remember if you have paired your underwear ... "Set with black lace, yes it can fit" you say to yourself while you open the front door.

The last man who came into your house was ... No, you don’t have to think about it! No Chadwick tonight, no thoughts and no guilt.

"Anything to drink?" You ask him as you approach him getting rid of your heels that are driving you crazy. He shakes his head and, as an expert, he takes your hips and approaches you, kissing you deeply without warning. His hands flow on your back and your caresses first his neck and then his shoulders, while the kiss intensifies more and more you let yourself go.

"Where is the bedroom?" He asks you after making sure that what is happening is good for both. "On your left ..." you nod your head while using the weight of your body to guide him in the right direction.

You unbutton his shirt while he pulls down the zip of your dress letting it fall down on the floor. Throwing yourself on the bed, he tries to get rid of your pants while you try not to think about anything and enjoy this moment of transgression. You’re not the type of person who sleep with someone on the first date, but right now you don’t care, because you would do anything to try to forget Boseman and distract yourself and this seems like a good distraction. It's perfidious, petty and very selfish, but you've decided to follow Aisha's advice and also your sister’s "You know, the most beautiful love stories came from a night of sex" So why not ...

Kevin is doing a great job, his lips are on your breast, over the lace of your bra, his big hands caressing your legs making you arch your back for the good feeling. You close your eyes and inhale. His mouth on your stomach and on your belly button teases you on the edge of your panties and when you feel his tongue over the lace of your panties, you exhale and moan "Chad ..."

You widen your eyes as soon as you realize you said that name "Fuck!", Kevin doesn’t seem to have noticed it, fortunately, but your mood suddenly changes.

You try to enjoy his love effusions, his attentions, he’s fantastic, but as soon as you close your eyes, it’s not his face you see in front of you.

"What the fuck!" You suddenly say, banging your hand on the bed.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no absolutely ... It’s not your fault. I'm the problem” you confess, exhaling loudly and looking at the ceiling.

Kevin looks at you from the middle of your legs, waiting for your sign to go on or to stop.

"Ok, I get it ... Jason explained me a couple of things. No problem"

"Kevin I ... I'm terribly sorry, forgive me"

“No worries. There’s nothing to forgive. But let me say something. You’re beautiful, you’re wonderful inside and out, he’s a jerk to behave like that, so the right thing you can do for yourself is to start a new life. Give it up, forget him quickly ... you don’t know what you're missing. Maybe we'll meet again soon"

He gives you a wink, ends up getting dressed, kisses you on the lips and goes away, leaving you half naked on your bed.

You don't know whether to be desperate or furious.

You throw your head on the pillow, look at the ceiling and write a message to Jason.

- "I'm sorry Jason, I messed up. Kevin was really nice “

- “FORGET THAT DAMN BOSEMAN! But I love you anyway, try to get some sleep. Good night”

A FEW DAYS LATER …

"No! Absolutely not! I can’t afford TWO months of vacation. It’s not going to happen"

"Of course you can Miss Y/L/N. You have about ... 4 MONTHS of unused vacation time and you start making it 2 NOW. It's an obligation, otherwise I'll fire you. Go, rest. See you in September”

Your lost eyes looks at your boss who is forcing you not going to work for 2 months straight. Actually you’ve worked so much in the last few years that you haven’t stopped for a moment, accumulating days of unused vacations and permits that they don’t intend to pay you in excess.

"Ok ... so regarding my work, documents to prepare, those to be sent, phone calls to the clients ..."

"Miss Y/L/N! Your colleagues will take care of your work, get out of this office before you have to do 3 months straight!” His tone is obviously not despotic, you know he says it for your own good. You've known for a long time.

"Ok ..."

"Y/N ... listen, don’t take it as a punishment. You and I have known each other for a long time, we started working here together. I see that lately you’ve got some problem"

“I always try to keep my personal problems out of work”

"And you do it great. I'm not insinuating your failings at work. But what you think? I can see your lost and sad look some time. As I told you before, we've known each other for a while and I've never seen you like this before"

You nod and smile, you know he's right, maybe these two months of forced holidays can help you.

"Go home, go home to your family, it's so long that you miss. Search for distraction. Or do a beautiful trip. Two months are a lot of time, do you know how many places you could see? Go and relax, relax for me too. Spend all those damn money you earn!” He jokingly tells you.

Even the idea of doing a long trip is not bad, you've always enjoyed traveling and you like to see new places …. Once again the picture of you lying in front of the ocean in a beautiful resort, teases your mind.

You greet your boss, go to Aisha's office and tell her the situation … Obviously she goes crazy

"Two months without you at work ????? How can I do??"

“Don't shout Aisha, we'll talk about it this evening. I couldn’t argue, the boss forced me. And then maybe it's not bad ... maybe I’ll take a trip or I'm going on vacation “

Aisha is very upset, her looks tells everything. "Ok ... we'll talk about it tonight, but woe to you if you go on holiday without me” She says pointing out at you

You meant to do her no personal injury, but ...

You have decided, in 3 days you leave and go on vacation. You have just left the travel agency, where you spent a fortune on a breath-taking itinerary to envy everyone, but now you want to enjoy these two months of vacation until the end.

After several chats with Aisha, your mother, your sister and your father, you convinced yourself to leave alone.

“Dear baby, travel opens the mind and enriches the soul. Do it. You’ve always been afraid to be alone, inner thoughts are scary, but if you learn to be alone and tame your thoughts, there will be nothing that can harm you. You know that dad loves you "

You've never been so close to your father, he was always around for work, he made huge sacrifices to support the whole family, especially after mom lost her job and you and your sister were still little girls. You spent just little time together and as a result your relationship also became a little bit cold. But although you didn’t tell him your secrets, he always knew everything and when you needed him, he was there, always. It was also thanks to his enormous sacrifices that you could afford the best schools and the University.

Even in this moment, you would never have expected his phone call, but these are the words he told you so sweetly on the phone. Surely he also did it secretly from your mother. And very probably you really convinced yourself after his words.

"Did you get everything?" "Yes Aisha, everything I need" "Call me when you land" "Of course I'll call you" "Please, be careful and do not talk to strangers ... no, talk to them, maybe you know someone interesting"

You laugh at that joke typically hers. You can see she’s sad because you leave without her, but you have to do it, you need it.

"Aisha, I keep you updated on the itinerary, which you have by the way. Then …" "I know, I know, I can reach you when I want and spend a few days with you. Maybe I think about it for Bora Bora"

"Last call for gate 32”

"It's mine, thank you for taking me to the airport and for waiting with me, I'll call you as soon as I land" "I love you, have fun" "I love you too, don’t work too much" you say sticking your tongue out "Bitch" she says smiling

You hug your friend and reach the gate, first destination Greece, Santorini.

Before you queue up, you take a selfie pointing to the destination and place the picture on your whatsapp story with caption “My two well-deserved months of vacation start here".

The moment you place your picture, you realize that Chadwick's profile pic has returned to its place.

*****

FEW HOURS LATER SANTORINI - GREECE

"Everything is breathtaking here, you should see the view from my room and ... even my room. Do you know what's in the room?"

"A beautiful naked man?"

"No Aisha ... but .. why????"

"Because that's what I'd like to find!"

"No, I have a pool in the room”

"Are you kidding?!!??"

"No, I swear, do you want to see? I wouldn’t be bitchy sending you a picture"

"Send me those damn pictures, come on!”

"Fuck, I hate you, I hate you so much. It's not true, I love you. I’m so jealous Y/N!!! what do you do now? "

"Now I unpack my bag, take a shower and then go down to eat something and look around"

“You’re fantastic you know that? I could never do it "

"What Aisha?”

"This ... leave alone, try to fix your thoughts, distract yourself …”

"I'm not doing anything special and it wasn’t really planned … I just thought it was a good idea. But it’s not the first time I leave or I go on vacation alone. The first few days are bad, then you always know someone"

"Well, but I would never have left alone"

"Aisha you don’t even go to the toilette alone!"

"it's true! damn”

You both burst out laughing on the phone, then you say goodbye and start thinking a bit about yourself. You unpack your bags … you have underwear, swimwear, shorts, tank top, some cute dress, shoes with heels, flat shoes. Your agenda, your notebook and your professional SLR couldn’t miss ... your make up, cosmetics, sunscreens, and the usual women's thing.

You didn’t tell Aisha about Chadwick's profile picture, you honestly didn’t even think about it during the trip.

You try not to think about it even during dinner; the resort is very nice, since you’re alone you have spared no expense. The restaurant is quite crowded, almost all the tables are full, people of all ages, couples, families, singles, groups ... you feel a little uncomfortable, but you know very well this feeling, it happens often when you travel alone even for work, then this feeling disappears after the first day. You just need some time to settle in.

You take a walk outside, where there’s a large illuminated pool and a little further on there’s the small road that goes down and leads to the beach through the village.

Air is different, it smells new and smells of freedom. It smells good, clean, serenity and tranquility. Peace. The noises, the sounds, the lights, the sunset, the sea, the sound of a different language spoken by the people who walk beside you, the light music you can hear coming from the center of the town.

"I hope it was a great idea, because right now I just feel so lonely" you think to yourself because watching the sunset now dripping on the sea makes your eyes fill with tears.

You check again your phone, reopening whatsapp because your thoughts go to him once again, you can’t do without it. His profile picture is still there, not gone. You don’t understand.

You take a picture of the amazing sight in front of you and add it to your story, writing “Wherever you are, goodnight”

THAT NIGHT - 3.35 A.M

- "I'm an idiot, you'll be hating me and you're absolutely right. But I had no idea SHE had blocked you everywhere. I was so pissed off with you until yesterday because I thought you had disappeared another time. I’ll have sent you dozens of messages I think never arrived, the unanswered calls even, because you were blocked on my phone. I apologize, I ruined everything this time, I lost you again and it’s my fault now… Always yours - Chad”

TO BE CONTINUED ...

I HOPE THE TAGS WORK!!! LET ME KNOW PLEASE! Reblog if you like it ❤❤❤

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the-caleb-landry-jones-blog · 6 years

Text

For your weekend pleasure, it just came to my mind to reblog this fanfiction story that was submitted to us last year! For those who haven´t read it yet: enjoy!! For those who write: we want more!!

Nightswimming

It was a burning hot August afternoon in L.A., the sun twinkling on the heated tarmac of Sunset Boulevard. I had been in town for almost a week now, and attending business meetings and visiting sites over the last five days had worn me out. Thank god, I could board my plane tomorrow and go home!

I had virtually done no sightseeing during my business trip this time, but I had been to L.A. before and knew the city a little. On my last afternoon, I wanted to finally do some shopping. Some vintage records maybe at Amoeba Music? I had to take a look and strolled through the door, feeling the coolness of the AC on my sweaty skin, my eyes, coming from the bright sunlight outside, only slowly adjusting to the dimmed lights in the shop.

I slowly strolled through the aisles, casually pulling out a record here and there to take a closer look, when a group of guys struck me, one of them catching my eye immediately. Now that couldn´t be, could it? But I was pretty sure it was Caleb standing there with a group of friends, discussing some old Bob Dylan record. His hair was longer now, put into an unkempt men bun, some red strands tucked behind his ear, his grey shirt too big and worn out.

I felt like someone hit me on the head. Hard. What was I supposed to do? Stand there and stare? Approach him? Talk to him? No, I couldn´t do that… Otherwise: people say he´s nice to fans… Now or never I thought, and the likeliness that I would hate myself for the rest of my life if I´d let this change pass suddenly seemed to weight heavier than my fear.

Before I could have second thoughts, I felt my shaky legs walking straight over to him. What was I supposed to say? I wasn´t prepared, not the slightest! So, I was surprised when I heard myself talk with a somewhat unfamiliar, trembling voice:

“Hey! Sorry to interrupt… Ahm… You are Caleb Landry Jones, right? I ahm, I wanted to say something clever, but it´s totally gone now, so…” - I laughed nervously.

“I, I guess that I only wanted to say, ahm, how much I admire your work, your ability to totally dissolve in your characters…It´s soo amazing!” - Oh dear, was this the best I could come up with? I felt my face turn red and hot with embarrassment. How could I just have done that?? What kind of idiot says something like that?? Stupid, stupid… But to my surprise, he looked a little embarrassed himself, his eyes pinned on the floor, a slight smile on his lips.

“Oh thank you, that´s very kind of you.” - He mumbled with an utter sobriety, his voice quiet and gentle. “So you like the Chili Peppers?”

“W - what?” - I stammered. How could he know? He nodded to the record I clenched in my hands, which I had totally forgotten.

“Oh, oh, yeah, love´ em” - I managed to press out.

“The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, hmm? The only studio album to feature all four founding members.” - he said, now his eyes firmly pinned on the colorful cover.

“It´s thirty years old by now, can you imagine?” - I replied. “I thought I use the chance to look for some vintage stuff while I´m in town.”

“Oh yeah, it´s a great place here”, he said, his eyes now moving over the shelves and finally locking mine. “So, where you´re from?”

“XXX.” - I answered. “I´m only here for a few days. Business trip…”

“What´s up Caleb, come on!” - a guy from his group yelled from behind, obviously, they were ready to leave the shop, but he didn´t react to it at all.

“So, wanna take a picture?” - he asked, and it somehow sounded “business”. That´s what all the girls ask him for. Those damn other girls flashed through my mind.

“Ah, nope, thanks! I´m not the selfie taker, really…” - I answered.

He gave me a surprised look, and I instantly regretted my answer. How impolite and gruffly this must have sounded! I must have completely lost my mind by now…

”Well, it´s not like, I mean…!” - I stammered - “I just want this moment for myself, not showing around a picture of it later, bragging…It’s, it’s so very special to me…”

“Man, let´s go!” - some other guy from his group yelled, and this time Caleb raised his arm to signalize them he´s coming.

“Ok, ahm, nice to meet you, so, enjoy the rest of your trip!” - he said and I could not quite read his face. Was he hurt by my response or bugged by his friends?

“Nice to meet you, too!” - I said hastily, cause he was already turned around halfway.

Oh, what a bummer, I was thinking by myself as he was walking away towards the exit. I turned around, too. How did I just manage to make such an utter, complete fool of myself?? I should´ve said nothing. Not approach him. Not stammer around this nonsense. When has this been a good idea? Never! I was caught up in these kinds of thoughts, when felt someone walk up behind me.

“Hey!”

I turned around. It was him again, and now he seemed somewhat sheepish.

“I was thinking… Tomorrow night some friends of mine play at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go and… Maybe you wanna come? They are quite decent…”

What the fuck was happening here? I was completely caught off guard. His eyes were again pinned fiercely on the floor in front of me.

“Sure, yeah!” - was all I could manage to say.

“Ok!” - that was all he replied before he turned around again and joined his friends, but he had a little grin on his face now, the one I love so much.

“What the hell did just happen?”, I thought. I must have stood still for minutes right in the middle of this busy record store, my sweaty finger still clenched around the old record, trying to process what just had happened. Did Caleb just invite me to a concert? Was he fucking around with me? Was I supposed to go to that club? My return flight was scheduled for tomorrow morning, so I couldn´t… I could re-schedule… That´s ridiculous…The thoughts shot through my head like crazy, and I think I never felt this agitated before.

The following night came and went, with zero sleep. I couldn´t take my mind off what happened, not even for a second. I needed to make a decision. “Act like a grown woman, board this fucking plane today”, a voice in my head screamed. “You are only making a fool of yourself! At best he was trying to be polite when inviting you, nothing more!” - What was I expecting? Probably he had already forgotten about the whole encounter. Likely, even.

My plane would leave soon; I had to make a decision. I grabbed my phone and called the travel agency to re-schedule my flight to the afternoon of the following day, and then I wrote my boss a mail with outrageous explanations why I had to stay another day. I regretted it immediately, but it was too late now. So I would go to that damn club. I spent the rest of the day in my hotel room, thinking about this mess, thinking about what to wear, what to do… In the course of the last 24 hours, so it seemed to me, I had become a wretched, insecure teenager again, and I hated to feel this way. Like I was 15 again and my mum drives me to the concert of our school band, with whose drummer I was madly in love back then. The thought of it made me grin bitterly, as I sat in the taxi to the club, dressed as casually as possible with a shirt, jeans and sneakers. Don’t make a big thing of it!, I told myself.

The club on the corner of Sunset Blvd. and North Clark St. was already crowded when I made my way in. A band I didn´t know played Alternative Rock on the stage. It was dark, much too loud and I felt unbelievably cramped, yet so alone. I didn´t belong here, it was evident. Ok, get yourself a beer, stay a few minutes and then leave, if Caleb is even here, you´ll not gonna find him anyway… I thought, let go! You tried!. Somehow this felt consoling and I slowly made my way to the bar.

I must have waited there for some minutes when I felt an arm casually touching mine. My first reaction was to step back to let the person pass, but when I turn around, I saw it was Caleb standing close by my side. Holding a cup in his hand, he wore the same shirt as the day before, and his hair seemed even more tousled. Regardless he looked adorable.

“You came!” - he said with a big, somewhat cocky smile.

He was definitely drunk or high or both. His speech seemed even more slurred than usual, and I realized it would be hella hard to understand him over the noise. But he seemed much more laid-back than the day before.

“Wanna drink something?” he asked.

I nodded and he seemed to ask something pointing at his cup, which I did not quite hear over the music. I nodded anyway, and he went off, only to come back a minute later with a second cup he handed to me.

“Thank you!” I tried to scream over the noise and he indicated at toast.

Jesus, I needed alcohol now! Lots of it! I drank a big swig, to find out it was an incredibly strong Jacky Cola, and I started to cough immediately. Caleb looked on with an amused, cocky smirk. It was senseless to hold a big conversation, except for shouting some vanities at each other, so for a while, we just stood next to each other and watched the show.

It was a strange feeling, but I started to relax a little. Maybe it was the booze I felt burning in my chest, that made me tipsy much too fast, especially since I couldn´t bring myself to eat anything since our encounter the day before. But maybe it was also him occasionally looking at me out of the corners of his eyes, smiling.

Suddenly a brunette girl flung her arms around his neck, greeting him effusively. Is that his girlfriend? My heart almost stopped for a moment. They exchanged some words I could not understand over the music, and seemed so familiar with each other. Again, I asked myself what the heck I was doing here. Shall I excuse myself and leave, before this was getting even more embarrassing? I started to feel uncomfortable again. He might have sensed that, cause after a few more words to her, he gestured I should follow him outside.

We made our way through the crowd, and I thought I´d recognized one or two of his friends from the record store, grinning stupidly at me. Probably they see him picking up girls like that all the time and feel pity for me…Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my heart. On the sidewalk outside the club, Caleb lit himself a cigarette and offered one to me, too.

“Soo” - he started - “didn´t ask for your name yesterday…”-

“It´s XXX”, I replied.

“Well, XXX, how´s life in XXX?” - he asked, leaning his back on the wall of the building, pulling deeply on his cigarette. So he remembered what it told him the day before, and I couldn´t stop myself from smirking. We stood there talking for a while, when some very drunk guys approached him, bawling:

“Ehhh, yooo, Jonesyyyy!” - clapping on his shoulder and trying to hug him. He looked visibly uncomfortable, stating calmly:

“Hey man, I don´t know you!” and trying to get away from the grip.

“Jonesyyyy…”, they continued brawled incomprehensible words, not indicating that they want to leave anytime soon. The fuss attracted the bystanders in front of the club, and only then they seemed to realize who was standing next to them. Some looked over, some pulled out their mobile phones to take pictures. Caleb rolled his eyes.

“Let´s get out here!” - he said, pulling me around the corner, away from the crowd. “I´m so sorry”- I replied - “some people have no respect!”. He shrugged.

“Where would you like to go now?” - he asked.

“I don´t know, someplace quieter, I guess. I really love the Griffith Observatory, but I guess it´s closed now…” - I answered.

“Doesn´t matter, let´s go there - he replied.

Obviously, he had parked his car only a few steps down the next street, cause after walking for about a minute, he stopped by an old, brownish Chevy and fumbled in his pocket for the car keys.

“He wants to drive? He really shouldn´t!” - flashed through my head, but I held my tongue. The heck with it! I did so many unreasonable things lately, why not get in a car with a drunk, too?

He opened me the door on the passenger’s side and I got in. I could instantly tell he smoked in that car, and not only tobacco. His mug shot crossed my mind, speeding and possession of drugs… Just what the heck was I doing?

He started the engine and off we went to the canyons, our hair blowing in the still hot breeze coming in through the open windows. He did drive fast, but not so much that a felt unsafe. I had been afraid of awkward silence, but we kept talking during the whole ride up the hills. Our families, his dogs, our love for Kubrick and guitar music were just some of the topics we touched. The question that weighed most heavily on my heart, if he had a girlfriend, was the one I couldn´t bring myself to ask. Perhaps I was afraid to ruin the atmosphere, but perhaps I was afraid of the answer, too.

He stopped at the now empty parking lot in front of the Observatory. Do they have guards on patrol here at night? - was another question that crossed my mind briefly, but I didn´t say anything, as I didn´t want him to think I was the sissy that I am.

It was dark and although a few cars came down the road as we drove up, no soul seemed to on the premises now. We strolled past the majestic building to the terrace overlooking the brightly lit city and sat on a wall. It was a breathtaking view, and sitting here next to Caleb was nothing short of mesmerizing.

“It´s so beautiful” - I sighed.

“It is” - he agreed softly, lighting another cigarette.

We sat there for a while not saying anything, and suddenly it didn´t feel awkward at all, rather appropriate, somehow. We sat close, out shoulders casually touching another, but neither of us made a move. Did I pressure him by wanting to go to a so obviously romantic place? Was this too clichéd? I couldn´t get this new thought out of my head now. Oh god, maybe it had been a mistake…

Suddenly, as if he read my mind, he turned to me and asked;

“Wanna go for a swim?”

“Now?” - it was well past midnight. “Where?” - I replied.

“Lake Hollywood, it´s a reservoir in the hills to the West.”

“And everyone is free to go there for a swim at night?”

He chuckled - “Not exactly, we might have to climb a fence or so…”

Once again I couldn´t believe that I said: “Ok, then, let´s do it!”.

About 15 minutes later we arrived at a dusty kind of turning basin.

“Gotta walk from here” - Caleb stated.

He grabbed an old woolen plaid and a flashlight out of the trunk and started walking towards the barbed wire fence. Once again I couldn´t believe what I was doing. He has obviously been here before, with God knows whom, and what he was going to do was clearly against the law.

“Don´t be a sissy tonight” - I reminded myself and followed him. He threw the plaid over the fence and climbed it in no time. Oh, he did that before, I was sure.

“C´mon!” - he shouted after jumping down the fence on the other side onto the dusty ground. Hesitantly I started to climb.

“I´ll catch ya!” - he said, and my already racing heart beat even faster. This can very well end with a sprained ankle or worse, it crossed my mind quickly, but I tried not to dissemble. I crossed the fence and let myself slide down on the other side slowly. About halfway, I suddenly felt his arms around my hips carrying me down the rest of the way and softly putting me on the ground. His arms felt stronger than I had expected. For a short moment, he remained in this position, and I wished I could have read his face, but it was too dark where we stood.

“See, wasn´t that difficult, hm? Now be careful, terrain´s a lil rough!” - he said softly and after lifting his arms from my hips he took my hand. For a moment I was taken aback by the sensation of my hand in his. He gently pulled me forward, lighting the uneven ground with the flashlight. I could see the premise slope down to the narrow sandy shoreline of the lake about 30 yards in front of us when we approached the last stony terrace on our way down.

He jumped down first, then reaching up to me. I grabbed his hand but must have miscalculated the height of the stone, and the shine of the flashlight in his hand was rather pointed upwards, so I couldn´t see the ground. I headed down the terrace, half jumping, half stumbling, and probably I would have fallen if Caleb wouldn´t have caught me. We collided rather hard, as I clenched onto his shoulders while he tried to stop my fall by grabbing my hips.

This was the closest we had gotten so far, and for a moment my face touched the naked skin of his neck. The faint mixture of smoke and sweat, well, of just him, was intoxicating. My heart started racing so fast that I thought my legs would give way. To my surprise, he remained in this position this time, showing no intention to let go. Neither of us said a word. I slowly lifted my head from his neck and he let his forehead sink onto mine, his eyes closed, our noses gently touching each other. He lifted one hand and placed it on my cheek, slowly caressing it. It felt surreal, but at the same time strangely profound. Suddenly I realized that pressed so close together, he must feel my heart racing like crazy, and I felt a rush of blood to my cheeks.

Isn´t that embarrassing? I mused for a second, but as I slowly traced down my hand over his chest, I felt his heart beat just the same. In a flash of boldness, not knowing whether this was pure adrenalin or sheer idiocy clouding my judgment, I let my lips touch his. Tenderly, hesitant at first, not knowing how he would react. His lips were softer than I had imagined, I faintly tasted cigarettes, Jacky and a trace of salty sweat on his upper lip. He did not seem surprised nor did he pull away the slightest. On the contrary, after a few seconds, he pulled me closer and let his tongue slip into my mouth his one hand still on my cheek, the other on my hip.

That was all it took for me. I felt my underpants getting soaking wet embarrassingly fast. I could feel him gripping my hips tighter after a few seconds, and I felt his erection through his pants on my stomach. Once more, my head started to spin, this time worse than before. This couldn´t be happening for real. Suddenly I was afraid of my own boldness and pulled away from him.

“Didn´t you wanna swim?” - I said, trying to sound playful, but was well aware how shaky my voice must have sounded. Again, it was hard to read his expression in the darkness, but his eyes were pinned on me firmly. I needed to cool down. This was going so fast…

I started to take off my shoes, jeans and shirt, and in another move, I thought I wasn´t capable of, also my underwear, and headed into the lake. The water felt ice cold on my heated body. I needed to come to my senses again. I was just taking a plunge, when I heard Caleb jumping into the lake with a big splash, surfacing from the water after a few moment just inches away from me.

This time, he wasn´t hesitant. He pulled me close vigorously and let his tongue slide into my mouth again. I felt that he was completely naked now, too, and the sensation of his wet skin pressed against mine was the most gorgeous feeling I could have ever imagined. Despite the cold of the water, I felt him getting hard again instantly. His kiss became more and more demanding and his hands slipped down and firmly grabbed my butt cheeks, pressing my body even closer to his. The sensation of it left me completely breathless. His breathing was heavy, too, and for a moment, he pulled away, as if to catch his breath. He didn´t say a word, but he looked at me half appetent, half inquiring as if he wanted to make sure I´m fine with what happened next.

He must have read my face again, because he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the water, towards the lakeshore. He had already spread out the woolen plaid on the ground, and before I even realized it, we were both lying on it, I on my back and he on top of me. All the sensations were overwhelming I wished I could have stopped the time then and there.

The still warm breeze on my wet skin, the scratchy plaid, faintly smelling of weed and his old car, between my body and the soil, some smaller rocks stinging in my back, the chirping of the crickets nearby…Once again our eyes locked and I brushed strands of his wet hair out of his face while my legs entangled his hips. He stabilized his body above me with one arm; his other hand firmly entangled in my hair and let his member slide inside me with one smooth move, effortlessly.

Instantly a soft moan escaped his mouth and he pressed his forehead against mine, his eyes closed, kissing me voraciously. His moves picked up pace before I even could process the sensation of feeling him inside of me. It was dazzling, surreal somehow, but felt so naturally right in the same moment. Also, I tried to suppress it, I couldn´t help moaning at each of his thrusts that steadily got deeper and more relentless. The intensity of the feeling was compelling. He could have torn me apart, I wouldn´t have minded. I never wanted this sensation to stop.

His breathing was even heavier now and he buried his head deep in my neck, his hips moving back and forth even more insatiable. Moments later I could feel his whole body trembled when he came inside me with a muffled groan that came from deep down. He stayed in this position for a while, not pulling out of me, and rested his forehead and nose against mine, eyes still closed.

The feeling of having him, all of him, so close to me was so overwhelming in that moment, that it was almost painful. I let my hands wander through his hair and down his back to his butt. Neither of us said a word, when he finally rolled his body over and was now lying close by my side, his arm tightly wrapped around me. I rested my head on his chest, feeling his soft skin, and his heart still racing.

After a few moments of remaining like that, Caleb started to fumble with his free hand inside the pocket of his jeans that lay next to him and lit a cigarette.

“Want a draw now?” - he asked, still a little out of breath.

“Sure!”

He drew on it deeply, then handed me the cigarette and I lifted my head a little not to burn him with it.

“So you come here often?” - I asked before handing the cigarette back to him. I immediately regretted the question, because it made my jealousy and unsettledness so apparent. I might as well have asked him if he bangs girls here regularly, and I suddenly felt pathetic for asking.

An amused smirk flit across his face for a second, like he knew what I was thinking, and he took another deep draw before answering:

“I´ve been here with my brother a couple of times when he visited me this summer.”

“He still lives back in Texas?”

“Hmm… In Princeton with our parents.”

“You miss home sometimes?”

“I miss our dogs…” - he said musing, and after another draw, he continued - “yeah, I miss my folks, too. People here are different. I just can´t relate sometimes…”

“But you have friends here!”

“There´s a difference between not being alone and not being lonely” - he answered, putting out the cigarette in the grass. I put my head back on his shoulder, wrapping one arm around his hip, and he kissed my forehead, letting his cheek rest on it.

Did he feel like he doesn´t belong? Did he feel lonely? Those thoughts had never occurred to me before. But now they felt like a million needles sticking in my heart. We lay there in silence, watching the night sky for quite a while. I listened to his heartbeat, that was calm now, his breathing peaceful. His eyes were closed, his cheek still resting on my head, and I wondered if he might have dozed off.

The thought that this situation, this night would inevitably end started to feel like a heavy stone on my heart. I wanted this to last forever. I brushed out some strands of his drying hair gently out of his face and started to let my hand wander down from the cheek to his chest and stomach slowly, caressing every inch of his soft, snow white skin. Was he still dozing or just laying still, taking in the sensation? He neither moved nor made a sound. I decided to go for it, my hand tracing his landing strip down to his pubic area. He let out a quiet humming, which I interpreted as approval. I traced the outline of his member softly, before taking it in my hand more firmly, slowly moving up and down. Again, he was hard in no time. I lifted my head a little and my lips met his, but I pulled away quickly, kissing his neck instead and moving slowly further down his chest and stomach, not stopping the movement of my hand around his member. He raised his head a little to watch me, his breathing became faster again, as I traced down his landing strip with my tongue.

Finally, my tongue reached his member and I let it slip gently over its tip before I took it deep in my mouth. I tasted myself on it as I gently started sucking it, never stopping to move up and down with my other hand. Caleb let his head fall back on the plaid with a deep moan, his one hand firmly gripping the woolen fabric, the other entangling in my hair again. I could have done this forever, teasing him with my tongue, listening to the sound of his muffled moans, but I wanted to feel him inside of me again. I straightened up and lowered myself on his member.

Again I was so wet he entered me smoothly. I started to move slowly back and forth when our eyes met. Normally I would have felt ashamed and exposed, but with Caleb it was different. Our eyes locked and he watched every one of my moves, his cheeks flushed, his breathing labored, while he let his hands run over my upper body caressing it gently.

Finally, he sat up and our lips met again. His kiss was passionate, yet softer this time. Slower, more considerate, in the rhythm my hips moved on him, while he wrapped his arms around me. I buried both of my hands in his red curls, again overwhelmed by the feeling of him being so close. A wave of emotions flooded my body as he dug his fingernails into my hips, trying to press them even closer to his, and finally released himself into me while looking me straight in the eyes. We remained a while in this position, our foreheads rested against each other, his hands caressing my cheeks.

“Dawn´s coming”, he said after some time, and only then I realized that it indeed got lucid around us. Was there a hint of sadness in his voice, or was it only me wanting to hear it?

“We should pack up, yeah.” - I said, trying not let him know about the desperation that overcame me.

“I gonna drive you to your hotel, maybe you can even get some hours of sleep before your plane leaves.” - he said, casually, while we both got dressed again.

The pain in my heart only grew stronger. I didn´t want this night to end. I didn´t want to leave his side ever again. How pathetic was that? What was I even thinking? That I would be able to play cool? That I would get anything more than a badly shattered heart? He could have so many girls, why would he choose me for anything more than… this? The thoughts flew through my head as we made our way back to his car.

We didn´t talk much on the ride back, maybe he was in thoughts, maybe he was just tired, it was hard to figure out. I kept thinking all the time how to tell him what I felt without making a complete fool of myself. The time was running out, I knew that, and I started to feel utterly hopeless. I made a mistake. I had the most amazing night in my life but the price for it would be an awful pain. I felt tears boiling up, but I didn´t want Caleb to see me cry, so I swallowed hard. Still, I knew I couldn´t keep them down much longer. I stared out of the passenger seat window to avoid his gaze, but I felt him looking over to me a couple of times. Yet he said nothing.

Finally, he stopped the car in a small alley next to my hotel. That´s it, I thought. Get out of the car before he sees you crying. Get away from here and try to continue your life the best you could. Try to forget… no, that was impossible, and I knew it.

“Hey…” - his voice was soft and sounded somehow worried. He leaned towards me and gently ran his hand through my hair and down my cheek. “You ok?”

I forced myself to smile and nodded: “Sure!” - I love you so much, I wanna be with you forever, I… all those things I wanted to tell him, but couldn´t. Leave now, it will only get worse, the voice in my head screamed, you are wretched, don´t let him see!

“It was beautiful” - he said quietly, bringing his head close to mine, “thank you”.

His voice sounded a bit shaky and he looked me straight in the eyes after placing a last soft kiss on my lips. In his eyes, I saw sincereness and sorrow. He knew it would never work out, he knew it was unfair to make promises he couldn´t keep. He was right after all.

“Goodbye”, I said, trying to get out of his car before the tears blurred my vision. I closed the door hasty and crossed the alley, hurrying to the entrance of the hotel. I didn´t hear him starting the car, he must have sat there for a while. Through my tears, I saw the sun rising, the beginning of another hot August day in LA.

#fan fic #fanfiction #caleb landry jones #submission

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theunexpectedhappened · 7 years

Text

Chapter 96

So first of all thanks for all the likes and reblogs. I apologise for not posting earlier. I forgot about it due to personal reasons. I hope you’ll like this chapter though.

The first part of our week back in London after our weekend in Windsor was quite a relaxing one, the meetings for our tour of Asia started, seeing what Harry and I would be interested in. I spend a day with Daphe, Natasha and Kate as the both of us needed to start in making decision of what we wanted to wear, our final decisions would be made when we had the full itinerary of both our tours. But for now we had to make decisions on designers and what we thought would be great.

From there it would be decided afterwards. I’d had some meetings with some of my other 13 organisations I still had to announce I was their Patron off. they were planned for April and May.

But on the Friday Kate and I would be combining forces for two engagements. The first one was to open a new children’s play park in St. James park. People had been building on it for nearly six months now and it was ready for use. It was the first one in an entire group of new playparks. The old one’s in the city were up for renewal and moderation.

“You ready?” Kate asked, getting into our place through the secret door between the two places. “yep.” I said, stepping down the last steps. “great.” She smiled. “you’re chipper today.” I pointed out with a smirk. “had a great start of the day.” She noted with a smirk. “lalalalala.” I said, covering my ears. “I do not need to know about your sexlife.” I said, holding up my hand as she laughed, throwing her head back.

“I don’t need to know about yours, but yet so far we’ve walked in on you guys twice now.” She nodded her head, looking at me accusingly. “Why do you always have to walk in on the most inappropriate moments?” I asked, getting in the back of the car that would bring us there.

“maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the kitchen and in Harry’s office.” She accused, before both of us burst out laughing. After last years incident they’d walked in on us another time this year, just after new year and before we left on our tour.

We’d been working pretty late in Harry’s office, reading over things when things had gotten pretty heated and they’d walked in on us. “Why is everybody walking in on us, anyway?” I asked, getting my laughter under control.

“maybe you should stop having sex in the places you’re having it.” Kate pointed out, not even bothered that Christophe and Kenneth were sitting on the front seat, I motioned my head at them and she just shrugged her shoulders. “unbelievable.” I whispered under my breath. “and by the way when Autumn and Pippa walked in on us we were doing it in my bed. Unless that’s an inappropriate place as well?” I questioned, looking at her.

“No, that’s their sense of interruption.” She nodded her head. “can we please stop talking about our sex lives in front of them?” I asked, horrified we’d been talking about like it was another random thing.

“I’m sure they have it as well.” She shrugged off, mischief written all over her face. “God, how am I going to survive this day?” I asked out loud amused. I quite liked this side of Kate, not many people got to see it and I was glad I got to see it.

“have the pictures been released? “I asked her, I knew she’d be posting them on the website of us and on Twitter and Instagram. “yep, just before I came to yours. Jason would put them on our website.” She told me.

“mmm. So you don’t know what they’re saying about it?” I asked, “no and since when do you care?” she asked with a chuckle, normally it would be kate worrying about these things, but then the shoot had been a lot of fun for us, some casual and private moments, but fun non the less.

When we arrived at the playground, we arrived to the cheering and singing of the kids.

***

“Merida, are you ready?” Harry came in my walk in closet, dressed in casual jeans and shirt. “Yea, just need to put in my earrings.” I told him, looking at him in the mirror. “Gabby and Rebecca are getting impatient.” He chuckled, resting his hands on my shoulders.

“mmm, don’t really care.” I chuckled, looking up at him. “well maybe we could let them wait a bit longer.” He suggested, biting his lip, his one hand on my shoulder moving down towards my cleavage.

“as much as I’d want that. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” I told him, looking at him, through the mirror. “ooh come on.” He said, winking at me, his hand slipping inside my dress. “Harry.” I warned leaning my head back.

“Ooh come on you want this.” He whispered, leaning down to kiss my lips, whilst his hand grasped my breast. “Liv we need to leave.” I heard Gabby yell from our bedroom. Harry’s hand slipped out of my dress quickly, leaving me with a want for his touch.

“we’ve been sneaked upon enough.” He chuckled. “I’ll see you downstairs.” He whispered, kissing the side of my cheek. “god how I want to take him back.” I whispered at myself. Maybe I could.’ I thought to myself. When I walked into our bedroom I was happy to see no one was there. Sneaking in Harry’s closet I took three of his ties and put them on his pillow. Scribbling down a quick note putting it on top of that. ‘Maybe I could tease you a bit later.’

He’d probably wait on me to go to bed, but I’d send him a text to go to our room or something.

Going down the stairs quickly, we were already running late, I saw Kate in her evening gown. “sorry.” I muttered, trying to hide a chuckle as we made our way to the Jaguar.

***

“You’re Royal Highnesses.” The director of the museum and Vanity fair greeted us outside.

“we’re delighted to welcome the both of you here;” the director said, shaking our hands. “We’re delighted to be here.” Kate and I said.

We were led inside to see all the pictures going in the special edition of Vanity fair. “I think the pictures worked out amazingly.” Russell said as we were standing in front of the 18 pictures of us, it truly had been an amazing day and the results were fantastic.

“they did. We’re very happy with them.” I smiled at Russell as Kate agreed with me. We toured around the museum, watching all the photograph taking for this edition of Vanity fair.

We spend the evening talking with people part of the edition as well, having dinner in the halls of National gallery. It was fun to have Kate by my side for once, it was her first visit since George had been in the hospital.

***

em*

“you sure about this?” I smirked, straddling Harry holding up the ties between my hands. “Yes, if you are. I trust you Merida.” Harry said, sitting up and clasping my face between his hands, rubbing his thumbs back and forth. “I trust you with my life.” He whispered, resting our heads together as he looked into my eyes.

“Okay.” I whispered, closing the gap between our lips. “I love you.” I whispered, caressing his cheek with the knuckles of my hand. “I love you to Merida” he whispered, pecking my lips before he leaned back. I wrapped his ties around both his wrist and securing them, before wrapping the other tie around his eyes. “you okay?” I asked, leaning forward so I was nearly touching his lips. “yea.” He breathed out, his breath warming my face.

closing the small gap between our lips, I nudged his lips open with my tongue, he kissed back like he always had, no matter him being tied up to our bed and being blind folded. I broke away from his lips, letting my hair fall on him intentionally as I started kissing my way to this side of his neck.

My lips turned up when I heard and felt him pulling on the ties. “you’ve got me, merida.” He groaned, making me chuckle softly. “all for myself.” I smirked, sitting up, trailing my finger from his collarbone to his chest across both his nipples, I felt him get harder underneath me as I continued my trail down to his navel and to where our bodies touch, pushing down on his hard manhood, making him groan out as I ran my nail back up again.

“Merida.” He warned, his voice thick with desire, want and need. “yes.” I answered, innocently, rubbing my crotch against him again. “I think we need to get rid of these.” I smirked, pulling on the fabric of his boxer.

“Yea,” he breathed out. Throwing my leg over him, I hooked my fingers in the band of his boxers, he lifted his hips for me to pull them down. But instead of crawling back over him, I started kissing my way down from his collarbone down his stomach, avoiding his hard and twitching cock, my hair was the only touching his member as I kissed my way down his leg, when I reached his shin, I began making my way up his other leg.

Looking up I could see the strain on the ties. His twitching member and his hips softly moving from side to side. “Merida?” he said in a strained voice, apparently I was succeeding in my cause, driving him mad with teasing;

“yea.” I whispered, reaching his tie, he moaned as my hair trailed over his member. “please.” He begged, trying to look down at me. “You want me to untie you?” I asked, I knew if the roles were reversed he’d go out of his way to make sure I was still okay, whilst still being playful. He was always aware that my past was what it was and he needed to be mindful of it and I loved him all the more for it.

“No, just stop the teasing, please.” He begged, trashing his hips from side to side. “where would the fun in that be?” I teased, blowing on his member, making him groan out and twitch.

Deciding to show him some mercy, a little I started drawing patterns around his twitching member, closer each time. I hadn’t done it that many times, but I tried to give him back what he did to me from time to time so as I reached down, I took him in my hand and put him in my mouth. “ooh fuck.” I heard him groan as I felt his body react. “don’t stop.” He begged as I continued my torture, until he was nearly there, his muscles starting to tighten.

“no, please.” He begged when I pulled away and from the bed. Removing my own panties I got back on the bed and lifted my leg over him, placing him at my entrance and sitting down, groaning out as he filled me up, both of us were groaning as I sank down. Taking a moment to adjust to how deep he was. “Merida.” He whispered. “yea.” I said, hearing how heavy my own voice was.

He bucked his hips, trying to get some movement, but I pushed myself down to stop him from moving, squeezing him from inside of me, making him throw his head back and groan out.

I started moving up and down, his hips pushing up into me, going so deep as he pushed into me. Both of us panting and moaning at the feeling being created, resting my hands by the side of his head.

“Liv.” He yelled out as I felt his body stiffen and I knew he was there. “cum, love.” I whispered in his ear as I sat down on him, feeling him push as deep as he could into me, sitting back, I was sure he’d never been this deep. He yelled out as he came, I think half Kensington had heard, his back arching, pushing into me still as I sat back, leaning back a little.

He came down panting like crazy, his restraints stretched, sweat covering his body as I saw him trying to catch his breath. “You okay?” I asked, leaning forward, my fingers caressing the side of his face on either side. He nodded his head still trying to catch his breath as I kissed the side of his neck, before reaching for the knot behind his head, still inside me. “hey.” I smiled, when his eyes fluttered, I was almost knocked over when I saw the look in his eyes. Love, care, passion, desire and need all in his dilated eyes, the blue had almost disappeared. “you’re amazing.” He whispered, still panting softly.

With a smile I reached a bit forward so I could untie his hands, but what I hadn’t counted on was him whispering stay, before taking my nipple in his mouth sucking hard on it, as I felt everything go back down to the place where we were still connected. I managed to untie his hands whilst he sucked my nipple.

“I still need to take care of you.” he pointed out when I pulled back, looking in his eyes. “no, this was all about you.” I whispered, carrasing both sides of his face. “no.” he shook his head as he turned us around in one swift movement, still connected. He hadn’t softened one bit as he pushed into me, pushing me higher up the bed and making me wrap my legs around him. “Harry” I moaned as he pushed into me, wrapped up in his arm, his hot breath in my neck.

“come for me, merida.” He whispered, nipping the side of my neck as he pushed me firther up the bed. He reached between our bodies, rubbing my clit, whilst he nipped the side of my neck and shoulders. “harry.” I yelled out, arching my back as he collapsed on top of me cumming again.

When we both came back from our high, both panting and covered in sweat, his head still in the crook of my neck. “are you okay, merida?” he asked, pulling away and resting our heads together. “yea, more than okay. That was.” I shook my head, not finding the words;

“I know.” He smiled, kissing my lips, before slipping out of me, “I love you.” he whispered in my ear as he pulled me against his side, snuggling together after a very intense love making session.

EM*

***

the last days of March and first days of April it was quite relaxed in comparison to how crazy the last few weeks had been. Sure I had a couple of engagements, but not as many as I’d had in March.

The photographs had been wildly accepted and applauded and the rumours that things between Kate and I were forced and fake disappeared along with them. everybody could see how much we cared for each other in the pictures and loved each other as sisters.

Everyone had their own favourite picture for their own reason, I loved them all to be honest and they were hanging in a multiple photo frame in our living room. I liked every picture cause it reminded me of the day. But the picture of me and kate in evening gowns and tiara’s whilst painting the tree house on a small step was by far the most funniest, Harry was in there covered in specks of paint along with George and Nathan covered in paint and then there was us all dress up.

The picture of Kate and I trying to bow to each other had just been hilarious as well, both our eyes sparkling, there wasn’t a picture that didn’t have a special place in my heart. And the people loved every one as well.

The dinner with Madeline and Chris had been pushed ahead, normally we had planned to have dinner on the day I left for Ireland but the speedy things had made it push ahead and we’d done that four days ago. I was glad to catch up with them. Madeline really was a sweet person, no matter how people said she was a bitch and angry women.

She wasn’t at all. She was very sweet and protective of her family. She had the same problem as Kate and Will had, trying to keep the press out of their private lives, they’d succeeded a bit by having a Facebook page and posting private moments from time to time and that night Harry and I had agreed to do the same starting from now on. If we could strike a deal with the media to really leave us be in peace when we wanted to retreat in privacy.

We’d succeeded and the four of us, even Kate and will had agreed had made our own page on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, only to be controlled by us and post pictures we wanted.

In five days’ time it was my 26th birthday and I feared what Daphne, Autumn, Jens and Mia had planned. ‘it’s a surprise” I would always get, harry was in the complot and I hated it. from there it was only a couple more days for our climate expedition, so we still had a couple of busy days on our sleeve.

But tonight it was time to be with friends again. Mia, Glen, Harry and I were going out to dinner, before heading to the Andre Rieu concert. “Merida, Glen and Mia are here.” Harry yelled up the stairs, I’d done another engagement today announcing my patronage of Victim support, an organisation helping people having witnessed traumatizing situations.

So I was running a bit late, only having arrived back an hour ago and then I’d had to go to the office first. Picking my blazer from the back of the chair, I walked out of the room and down the stairs.

“Sorry.” I apologized walking in to the living room; “there always one late comer.” Mia teased. “yea, yea;” I muttered under my breath. “are we leaving for the restaurant or drinking something first?�� I asked, looking between the three of them. “We’ll drink something at the restaurant.” Harry said, kissing my lips. “alright then.” I agreed as we left our place. Me getting behind the driving wheel as we drove to the Indian restaurant near Wembley.

“You know everyone at school has been talking about your pictures.” Mia pointed out as we sat down in a secluded corner. “They’re just pictures.” I shrugged my shoulders. “everyone’s in love with them and you know, ever since they were published.” Harry pointed out with a nudge of my shoulder.

“we had a lot of fun making them.” I agreed, smiling as I thought about that day. “I like the one where you’re helping paint the tree house.” Glen laughed. “Yea, I think that’s a lot of people’s favourite.” I agreed with a fond smile, remembering that moment.

“classical you.” Mia pointed out. “why?” I asked with a chuckle. “all dressed up, but still needing to get into a mess.” Mia explained. “blame the kids.” I accused, “they asked us to help, you should have seen the dresses afterwards.” I told her.

“true.” Harry agreed. “thanks.” I smiled at him. “so you looking forward to the expedition in two weeks?” Glen asked. “yea, very much. Wish it was there already. It will be fun” I said, excited about it all.

“have you talked with the three others?” Mia asked. “yea, all the time, we call and text regularly.” I told her.

In the restaurant it was good to catch up again, it had been a few weeks since we’d had some catching up time. We laughed, talked and made fun of each other as we were in the restaurant.

Mia and I walked out of the restaurant arm in arm, laughing about something Harry had said. “they’re ganging up on us again.” Harry warned behind us. “we’re not.” Mia and I said in unison.

“they’re just scared.” I whispered to Mia as we walked up to the car of us. we got in the cars and I drove to the arena. “Glen, you know where the back entrance is?” I asked, I had been instructed to ride there, so we wouldn’t have to go through the crowds. “continue riding and the last gate you have to go through.” Glen instructed from behind me.

I followed his instructions as the security guy let us through and we parked underneath the arena. “why is that when I travel with the three of you I feel like going to war?” Mia asked, looking at the three of us with a serious look on her face. “Not with me, only when we’re on tour and then it’s even less;” Glen tried to save his skin and he was right they had a security guy sure, but with us it was extreme.

“Don’t look at me;” I said, holding my hands up and pulling the key out of the ignition and opening my door and getting out. We were led upstairs to our box from where we’d be looking at the concert.

It had been pretty fun and all four of us enjoyed the night. Even Harry although he didn’t want to admit it had been smiling and clapping along when the moment arrived.

***

“Your Royal Highnesses. It’s nice to meet you.” André bowed in front of us as we were led into the backstage area where all his musicians and crew was. “Please call us Liv and Harry.” Harry said, waving his hand as to say forget about the titles.

“These are our friends Glen and Mia.” I said, motioning to them standing beside me. “I’ve heard lots about you.” André said, shaking Glen’s hand. “yea, so have I, it’s great to finally meet you.” he replied as we continued making our way through the room. Them not to far behind us.

we stayed for over an hour, meeting all of them, before being led back to our cars. “You guys want me to drop you off at your place, you could come collect the car in the morning?” I asked, looking at them through the rear view mirror, not that I could see them in the dark.

“Yea, that be nice.” Glen replied as I could see in the dark that he wrapped his arm around Mia as she nearly fell asleep in his arms and it made me smile, despite their low point in their relationship in the last month, they were coming back to being themselves again and it was great to see them so happy again.

“you guys want us to come at noon to pick up the car?” Glen asked when we were parked in front of the lobby on the U driveway of my old apartment, Glen and Mia were out of the car, looking at me through the window.

“Whenever you want guys. There’s no hurry.” I told them. “aren’t you going to honiley?” Mia asked. “no, we’re staying here this weekend.” I told them. “okay. You’ll see when we come and pick up the car.” Glen smiled, before they turned around and left in the lobby.

“now, we’re going home.” I smiled at Harry, driving down the driveway. “mmm.” He smiled, kissing the back of my hand from the one he was holding. “did you enjoy yourself tonight?” I asked, taking my eyes of the road for a split second. “yea,” he admitted sheepishly. “It was actually kind of fun.” He tried not to smile, but failed at it.

“and he played the song.” He pointed out, looking at me. “he did, maybe we should ask gran if he could play it at the dinner.” I suggested. “I’ll suggest it.” he smiled. The drive home wasn’t long, only taking about 5 minutes before we drove through the gates of KP.

***

“Nathan are you listening to me?” I asked, pulling on his arm. Today was the day that we were taking George and Nathan to The Chronicles of Narnia exhibit and the movie premiere. But the day had started off great. The two of them had a sleepover last night, something so usual by now, that no one even thought about it anymore and the two of them had gotten up mischief written all over them.

Kate was in the other room warning George to behave, it would be his very first ‘engagement’ except for his balcony appearance. “yezzzzz, Liv.” He dragged out. “I mean it Nathan. No sassy altitude, listening to us and no running off.” I warned, my finger wriggling in front of him.

“Yes Liv.” He replied. “you better or you’re not going to the premiere tonight.” I said, hoping it would have some effect and it did at least here. “no, I’ll behave, I want to see the movie.” He immediately yelled out.

“well you know what to do then, behave and listen or no movie.” I told him, just as Kate entered the room with a calmed down George. “let me guess, behave or no movie?” I whispered when she walked up to me. “exactly.” She nodded her head with a chuckle.

“let’s hope it has its effect.” I noted. “come on boys, we’re leaving.” Kate yelled when Gabby and Rebecca came in the room. We got in the cars, me getting in the passenger’s seat, Kate was sitting in the backseat with Nathan and George.

“you know the deal boys.” I said, turning in my seat, looking at the both of them. “Yes aunty liv. Yes Liv” I heard in reply and I smirked at Kate, maybe our threat would work after all.

I rounded the car and met up with Kate as she was still waiting for the two rascals to get out of the car. “come on.” I nodded my head for them to walk in front of us. “Your Royal Highnesses.” The director of the exhibit greeted us after having shook the two boy’s hands.

“we’re very happy to welcome you at the exhibit.” He added, shaking my hand, last in line. “the pleasure is all ours.” I smiled as he motioned for us to go inside, where the cast of the last three movies were waiting to greet us, they would be at the premiere tonight as well.

“oh my god it’s peter.” George nudged Nathan’s side. “we love you.” they both admitted in a hushed whisper as they stood in front of him. Making Kate and I smile at each other. “we’re very happy to welcome you into Narnia.” He said to them, looking up at us. “we can’t wait to see it.” they both yelled out to everyone’s amusement. “Mom and aunty liv read us all the time.” George told them.

“is that so?” the actress playing Susan said. “that’s very nice of them.” she added.

“yea, Will and Harry do as well, but Kate and Liv are the best at it.” Nathan complimented, looking up at us. Kate and I shaking our heads at them with amusement. Two little girls handed us a small bouquet as the actors playing Peter and Edmund handed George and Nathan a sword similar to theirs in the movie.

“oh boy.” I muttered, Kate laughing as she probably imagined what damage they could do both here and at home with those things. the two of them definitely made sure the entertainment was provided when they saw the closet they had to go and see of it it led to Narnia and this closet did lead out to the lamp post. Laughter had filled the room when they discovered the snowy landscape and lamp post. “Look Nathan we’re in Narnia.” George announced full of amazement and awe. “I know, that’s so cool.” Nathan smiled.

“we’ll be hearing about this for days and weeks to come.” I announced, looking at them as they had their fun discovering every bit. “I can imagine.” The actors agreed.

We were talking to some of the actors when we heard the clashing of their swords. Kate and I immediately excused ourselves, walking in a quick pace to the source of noise. “Nathan.” I said, not raising my voice, but he’d know the tone all too well. Kate doing the same with George.

“what did we say?” I asked, looking between the both of them. “to behave.” They replied, looking down. “come on, you can play at home with them.” I said, holding out my hand for them to hand the swords to me.

“can’t we keep them; we won’t do it again.” George tried. I only had to raise my eyebrow at them and tilt my head a little bit for them to hand it over in a split second.

I took them in my hand and Kate took over, motioning her hand for them to go in the direction of where we came. The two of us looked at each other with an amused smile, we should have know and taken them away earlier. But we also knew they were boy, spending their time in ‘Narnia’

“it was such a pleasure to be shown around by you guys.” I said, as we were about to leave the exhibit. “it was our pleasure to welcome Your Royal Highnesses.” They said. With the swords still in my hand Kate took George one way of the crowd, while I pulled Nathan along with me to shake and greet some of the people, he wasn’t a royal but I could hardly let him stand there on his own, he was little brother and apparently the people didn’t mind as they shook his hand very enthusiastically as he mimicked my actions.

“come on Nate, we have to go.” I said, holding out my free hand as we walked to the car, Kate took the swords in the backseat with her. “are we still going to the premiere?” George asked, looking between Kate and I.

I looked at Kate to reply. “Yes, but you’ll have to listen. Not like this afternoon.” She said, we weren’t angry at them, it was typically them. but that didn’t mean we shouldn’t have scolded them about it.

***

“You ready Merida?” Harry asked, standing behind me as I was pulling on my dress for the premiere. “Yea, will you zip me up?” I asked, looking over my shoulder. “Of course.” He smiled, kissing the crook of my neck, the hair on my body standing on end, just by the contact. “Harry, we can’t.” I said, tilting my head to the side to give him more access, I couldn’t help but respond to him. “then why does you body tell me to continue?” he asked, his hands running up and down my sides. “You know why.” I muttered, getting turned on by his touch.

"Harry, we really can’t. Unless we want someone to walk in on us again and we’re going to be late.” I told him, finding the courage to pull away from his touch. “Will you zip me up?” I asked, hoping he’d just zip me up, without any other intentions as much as I wanted it. “You’re no fun.” He teased, pulling up my zipper.

“just think that when we come home, we’ll be looking forward to it all the more.” I told him with a chuckle. “are we getting the ties out again?” he asked, grabbing my waist with his hands and pulling me against his front.

“if that’s what you want.” I chuckled, turning around in his arms and wrapping my arms around his neck. “maybe.” He smirked, kissing my lips. “come on, we should probably go downstairs and leave.” Harry said, taking my hand and pulling me with him and downstairs.

“that colour looks great on you.” Will said, motioning to his lips, looking at Harry I noticed that my lip-gloss was on his lips as well, it was a bit more of a noticeable colour than usual. “we don’t need to ask what they were up to again.” Liz teased, which earned her with a slap on her arm.

“shut up.” I muttered. “have fun.” She laughed as we made our way out and to the two Jaguars, the one of the Cambridge’s and ours. Nathan was squashed between me and Harry as we left KP and drove to the Royal Albert Hall.

“you know the deal?” I said one last time, when I realised we’d be arriving shortly. “yes.” He muttered. “mm.” I mumbled, hoping he did, Harry was smiling at me over his head. “You know the deal?” I smirked, referring to our moment in my wardrobe.

“ooh, most definitely” he nodded his head with smirk on his face. “you better behave as well then.” I teased with an equal smirk. “I will, Merida. I want to get my present for behaving later.” He stated, making me roll my eyes.

I was surprised to see how many people had showed up for the premiere. Jim parked behind the Cambridge’s car as Liam opened my door. “thanks.” I whispered with a smile, it had become a sort of ritual whenever one of my three RPO’s would open the door I’d always thank them out of respect.

A mutual respect we had for each other build from now each other almost a year now, from growing close over that year, to me they weren’t just the people providing my safety I considered them my friend and I hoped they did the same.

The director of the movie and several other people greeted us below at the stairs, smiling at George and Nathan dressed in their mini tuxes. It was pretty cute to see them walking around in them. “come on guys.” I heard Kate say as we started walking up the stairs. They were the lasts to start walking up the stair, but were the first ones to arrive up the stairs. The four of us having a chuckle as George’s RPO Jake ran after him.

We walked down the line of actors, more than the one’s we’d seen this afternoon. Some of them I’d met at the awards ceremonies in Los Angeles and greeted me with a fond and remembering smile.

After greeting every one of them we were shown to the room where we’d see the movie, the four of us chuckled when the two of them settled down as quickly as possible, their popcorn on their laps, ready to see the movie.

***

“that was awesome.” Nathan said as we got back in the cars.” Yea, did you like it?” Harry asked looking down at Nathan. “Duh.” Nathan sassed; “of course, did you not see the movie?” he asked, filled with sass. “Nathan.” I scolded.

“Of course I did, I was sitting next to you. I thought it was pretty cool” Harry smiled, high fiving him. “I loved it, when can we see the movie again?” he asked, looking up at me. “not in a little while, we have to wait until the movie comes out.” I told him.

“that sucks.” He said, crossing his arms, both harry and I had to contain our amusement. When we got home I put Nathan in bed, still dressed in my evening gown, but for once he was to tired to ask for a story. The hyper mode of today getting to him. Falling asleep as his head hit the pillow.

And when I got into our room Harry immediately swept me up in his arms, claiming his present for his good behaviour as he put it.

***

“you sure you don’t want me to come?” Harry asked, wrapping his arms around me. “I’ll be fine Harry. It’s just the thirteen of us.” I assured him, caressing his cheek with the knuckles of my fingers.

“I know, but...” he ended. “we just need this. Just the thirteen of us who were there.” I explained. “okay, just know that I’m here if you need me.” He smiled, wrapping his arms a bit tighter around me. “I know.” I smiled up at him, wrapping my arms around him.

“Liv are you ready?” Liz yelled out from somewhere in our place as we stood in our living room. “yea.” I yelled back, turning my head back. “we have to leave. I’ll be back soon.” I promised, kissing his lips a bit more then I normally would have. but I know tonight would weigh a bit more on me than any other dinner.

The thirteen of us who’d been there in Africa were meeting up for dinner. We’d done it a couple of times since it happened, and always and still they would look up to me like I had all the answers. Everyone had and was still dealing with it their own way.

I still had the nightmares from time to time, lesser then when I had just returned. They were still there, once every two months I’d still meet with the psychologist who’d helped me through my downfall. Like he’d put it, PTSD is a lifelong mental disease, you’ll never forget what happened there. You’ll have good periods and bad days. There’ll always be things triggering another downfall.

He was right. From time to time I’d still have a bad day. There were still things that reminded me of that faithful day. Some smells would remind of being locked in that house and being on my knees at gunpoint. Certain sounds would still make me flinch and think back to it.

It would always be imprinted on me, no matter how much I wanted to forget it all, both Africa and my abusive past at the hands of my father. Ryan, the army doctor who’d helped us through it and a good friend of us by now would be there as well. He’d seen it first hand and had been my doctor since the start and through the process.

He was a person I considered my friend and still a person I turned to for medical advice.

"see you tonight, Merida." Harry whispered, kissing my lips, breaking away just when Liz entered. “ever heard of knocking?” I asked, turning to face her. “no, didn’t learn that.” She replied, with a sigh I faced a smirking Harry. “Don’t encourage her.” I slapped his arm softly. “I would never” he smiled, kissing my lips one last time before letting me go. “Have fun with the guys.” I said, walking over to my sister.

Harry was going to go and play football with our male friends, apparently this was becoming a tradition as well, Jens, Danny, Glen and Mark would be joining them as well apparently. Maybe I should be happy he had his evening planned when Steven had asked to meet up again.

“you’ll be okay seeing Michael again?” I asked my sister driving out of KP’s gates. “I’ll be fine. We’re both adults.” She noted. “and it’s not like we haven’t seen each other since then.” She added, looking at me.

“I know, I just wanted to make sure.” I told her, taking my eyes of the road for a split second.

***

we’d been sitting in the restaurant of to the side for nearly two hours when Steven approached the subject for which he had really asked us together. And once again all eyes turned to me for the first answer. ‘why do they always look at me’ I thought to myself, but I guess it did make sense to make sure I wanted that. I was a public figure now a member of the Royal Family.

“I’ve learned a long time ago Steven that everyone handles trauma and events like this in their own way. We’re here with thirteen people and I’m sure we’re all handling it different. If this helps you I’m okay with it. write the book or continue the book. I trust you to tell the things how they went and from how you saw it, but don’t take it wrongly when I say that I don’t want to read it” I explained carefully, looking at him wanting to make sure he wasn’t offended by what I was telling him.

“yet,” I added. “there’ll maybe come a day when I’m ready to read it, but it’s just to fresh and the wound hasn’t been healed yet for me.” I explained, when I saw several people around the table nod their head. It turned out everyone was alright with him writing a book and it being published.

“but what about the profit, sure I always wanted to write books, but this is about what happened to all of us. shouldn’t I share the profit of that book.” He explained, I’d learned back in Africa that he wanted to become a writer, so I guess I shouldn’t have been to surprise about it when he approached the subject to write it in a book as a healing process.

“I don’t want it. you can keep that for yourself.” I was the first one to say. In the end some agreed to accept the share of the profit while the others didn’t. “it doesn’t seem fair though.” Steven said. “if it makes you feel any better, give it to an organisation helping people in similar situations.” I suggested and those who didn’t want the share, agreed to give it to an organisation, so other people could be helped.

But who knew as far as we knew it wouldn’t be a success. Or maybe it would. None would be able to predict what the book would do.

***

“and you’re okay with that?” Harry asked, rubbing the fingertips up and down my spine. When I came home from the restaurant I’d needed to be close to him, I know that a bad day was coming, it was great to see them again and see them all recovering. But like I’d told them, the wound wasn’t closed and meeting up with all of them and discussing it all again had been like tearing the wound open and pouring salt in it.

so when I’d come home I’d wanted to be as close to harry as I could possibly be, in the most intimate way possible. I’d barely said anything to Harry since coming home, but he’d understood what I needed the most and given it in the sweetest way that he could.

“I know everyone deals with it in their own way, I guess I just didn’t expect for anyone to write a book about it” I admitted. “I know merida.” Harry whispered in my hair, kissing the top of my head.

“but it happens quite a lot.” He started. “how many books have been written as part of that recovering process.” He explained, his hands continuing its way up and down my spine. “I know that and I guess I should have seen it coming, he wanted to become a writer after all.” I admitted, drawing a pattern on his chest as I listened to his heartbeat beneath my ear.

“so everyone agreed to let it be published?” he asked. “yea, we did. Some will accept the profit of the book, the others agreed to let the money go to an organisation for people with PTSD, I mean from the thirteen, 11 have been diagnosed with PTSD.” I explained, and harry knew all to well what it meant to get that diagnosed with that. I wasn’t the only one who’d sometimes wake up from night terrors.

Two tours in Afghanistan had left its mark on Harry as well. “that’s great love, they’ll be able to use the money.” I felt him smile against my head. “I know.” I agreed, snuggling closer into his body.

“thirteen.” I snorted. “talking about an unlucky number.” I stated with disgust. “I know merida.” He said. “none could have known that would have happened?” he told me, now his full hand running up and down my back.

And then I thought about the one thing that hadn’t been discussed tonight, it had been on other dinners. Shortly, I’d been trying not to think about it all night, trying to push to the back of my head, but laying in Harry’s arms after making love and discussing that horrible day, I felt the tears coming to my eyes.

Trying to mask, but to no avail. Harry knew me to good and the sobs building up in my throat had to come out as I thought about that day, the smell of the burning flesh, the screaming people, the warm air as they burned everything, the beatings I’d received, the guys being shot in front of me as I hung on the tree after being beaten.

The two couples being shot in front of us as we sat on our knees, guns to the back of our head, the kids screaming as their parents were shot in front of them, the gunshots when the army arrived and I got shot running to bring the kids back to safety, their crying while we were trying to hide ourselves, seeing the team I’d led over Africa break down, being broken in front of me cause I’d failed to protect them and then the miscarriage I’d learned about at the hospital.

“Merida?” Harry asked, the sob leaving my throat by hearing his caring and sweet voice. “ooh Merida.” He whispered, sitting up and pulling me in his lap trying to comfort me as I sobbed my heart out.

“I failed them all.” I said through sobs. “no you didn’t, hadn’t you done what you did, some of them might not have come home.” Harry tried to assure me. “that doesn’t matter, none of us came home the same.” I objected, trying to catch my breath.

“Merida, take a deep breath.” Harry tried to get me back as I started hyperventilating through sobs. “Liv, please.” Harry begged, I could hear him in the back, but I couldn’t come back as my mind flashed with images of that day. “Olivia, listen to me.” I heard him say over and over again.

“I’m calling the doctor.” I heard him say and felt him reach. I heard him speak on the phone as I tried to get back my breathing, I’d managed to get some deep breaths. But I was still crying so much, not hearing anything going on around me. I didn’t even notice Harry getting out of bed and pulling on clothes, helping me in a shirt of him and underwear.

All whilst he tried to get me back from breaking down and trying to calm me down.

So that was the chapter. I hope you liked it. let me know what you think.

Liz playyard

Liz at party for pictures.

Liz at exhibition

Liz at premiere

#phffcentral #phff #Prince Harry #prince harry fanfiction #prince harry fanfic #royalfanficcentral #royalfanficcollection

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sexxmacfarlane-blog · 7 years

Text

Hungry Eyes, Starving Heart

A Seth MacFarlane Fan Fiction

Warnings: Cursing

A/N: Hey everyone! I decided to make a fan account because my personal was not meant for writing. Its just random posts that I reblog. I honestly had no idea Seth had this many fans on tumblr. I used to write Teen Wolf fan fiction about a year ago so I’m a bit rusty but please leave feedback and if you want more chapters. Right now its PG but smut is to come in later!

What do most students do their senior year of high school? Party and have fun. They stay busy planning their prom dates, saving for senior trip and enjoying their last year as a child. But me? I am busy trying to make sure I get into my dream college, University of California-San Diego. I want to major in biology and spend my life studying various diseases then ultimately finding a cure for them. In order to achieve this sort of feat I am literally pushing myself to limit. Obtaining every possible credit I can get my hands on and perfecting my only extra curricular activity, choir. I am up to my eyeballs in things I have to get completed and if it weren’t for my best friend I wouldn’t know what to do.

“Top of the morning love!” Nora’s voice chimed into my ear. I shook my head out of my day dream.

“Morning you. Did you bring me one of those?” I asked while eyeing the large coffee she had in her hand.

“This one is yours, I already downed mine. Wow you look like shit El. What’s wrong?” She sounded like a total mom.

“Thanks and I appreciate the compliment too. I didn’t sleep much last night. Was up late finishing my summer projects. I had so much I couldn’t finish everything in time. My dad made me go on vacation for 2 weeks and that took up a lot of valuable time.” I finished with a shrug.

“Elise you have always been the smartest girl in school. Your grades are fine. Why so much worry? Its our senior year! Let’s relax before we both go off to big bad college.” Nora said sweetly. She honestly means well but simply doesn’t understand.

“Nora you know I have to get into San Diego. Its my dream. I have to earn my keep, I just can’t waltz in! Now please quiz me.”

I handed her a deck of flash cards for English and had her quiz me on the definitions. She showed me each word and I stated the definitions with ease. We were almost done with the deck when something, or someone I should say caught my eye. Entering the cafeteria was a man I had never seen before. He carried a brief case and was wearing a teacher I.D. badge. I couldn’t stop myself from watching him as he went through the line and grabbed a quick meal. He thanked the cafeteria clerk with a bright warm smile. My lips automatically twitched into barely noticeable a grin. He was contagious.

“Earth to Elise, hello? You mean to tell me you can’t tell me the definition of personification after acing the college level vocabulary in the first half of the deck?” I could hear Nora but I wasn’t able to speak. The mysterious man had me completely entranced. Finally she noticed what I was staring at.

“Oh okay, I bet that’s the new English teacher, you know Mrs. Holloway is on maternity leave for the rest of the year right?” Nora asked.

“Yeah he must be, I have never seen that man before in my life. Wow I had no idea she wouldn’t be coming back?” I replied.

“Oh yeah she said 6 weeks wasn’t long enough and she wasn’t ready to leave her baby just yet. I doubt she will ever come back! So I guess you did most of this summer work for nothing.” Her tone was playful now, she found this funny.

“Well hopefully he will pick up where she left off. I want to stay above the game regardless. Was it just me or was he kinda cute ?” I asked. Nora snorted and almost choked on her spit.

“What? That old guy? He’s was like what 40? No way El. What’s wrong with you? He is old enough to be our dad for christ’s sake!” My face instantly turned red. Yeah she’s right I thought to myself, too old and I was crazy for thinking he was cute. Get a grip Elise.

“Never mind I mean from a distance he looked cute.” Nora nodded and just like that brushed the whole situation off. She was too busy scrolling through her phone to continue caring. I nibbled at the rest of my breakfast while reading a book. After what felt like an eternity the bell rang out to dismiss us to 1st period. I had AP physics and had no idea who my classmates were going to be. Nora was my only real friend and no offense she didn’t care about school as much as I did. And all of my classes were AP besides choir of course which was the only class I had with her. The first 4 classes went by slowly. They were spent handing out books and going over the syllabus. I was starving by the time lunch came around. Unfortunately Nora and I didn’t share the same lunch period either so here I was stuck defending for myself while trying to find a seat. The indoor cafeteria was absolutely full, the tables outside were also. I wandered the grounds until I found an empty picnic table by a tree. It was vacant thanks to its distance from the school. I didn’t mind though, I always left lunch early anyways to ensure I wouldn’t be tardy. I sat down with my tray and continued reading in my book since I was alone. I popped earbuds in to better concentrate on the words in front of me. Mindlessly munching down on a cheese burger I was startled by a tray dropping on the table. I quickly jumped up while yanking my headphones out.

“Oh my apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just looking for a spot to eat, apparently this is the most crowded lunch period and I noticed you had this whole table to yourself. Mind if I join you?” I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was the new teacher that I spotted from this morning. He was even more breath taking up close. His dark brown eyes that resembled coal earlier were now like honey in the sunlight, his smile was beautiful thanks to his spotless white teeth. His jet black hair was styled very casual in a sort of messy quiff. I noted then he was very tall too, especially compared to my short stature. I must have looked like an ant through his eyes. I struggled to find my words but eventually did.

“Oh of course pl…please sit. I was just really into my book and didn’t see you. No one ever bothers me when they see I have headphones in.” I replied with a small smile.

“Thank you miss. I’m new here so I’m not too keen with all the rules. I’m Mr. MacFarlane by the way. You are?” He said while extending his hand out. I softly grabbed it as he shook softly.

“I’m Elise Goodman. You are the new English teacher correct?” I said curiously. I tried not to sound nervous. He was so gorgeous that it was becoming intimidating.

“Pleasure meeting you Ms. Goodman. And yes I’m Mrs. Holloways replacement. I must say I’m pretty nervous. I have been subbing at the college for quite sometime. High schoolers? That’s a whole new world.” His voice was beyond beautiful, it was deep and elegant. He sounded like someone who should talk on the radio or voice the previews in movie theaters. I was hanging onto every word that fell from his lips. He spoke about moving here from a neighboring town, he said most of the teachers here weren’t very welcoming. He claims because of his previous position but I think it’s because of his physical appearance. He looked like a model in comparison to the rest of the staff. Most of the teachers here were either old or super nerdy. His profession didn’t fit his appearance at all.

“Richard Dawkins? Really?” He asked while pointing down to my book.

“Uh yeah I am kind of a biology freak. Mr. Dawkins is my hero.” I said with a blush. He noticed and smiled at me.

“Why are you embarrassed? That is something to be proud of. You seek education. Do you know how rare that is these days?” He sounded like an angel speaking to me. Once again my cheeks told on me.

“Well I…I’m a dork. That’s not something to be proud of. I am literally teased for being myself which just so happens to be a huge nerd. I love science more than most 18 year old girls.” He laughed at my reply. I felt hurt, that wasn’t meant to be funny at all it was the truth.

“You shouldn’t care what your peers think. In 10 years you will be successful and they will be assistant managers in a super market down town. You will go places while they are stuck with minimum wage.” Wow he was blunt. Not really in a rude way but in a literal manner. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and I envied that. I was always too scared to say anything in fear of making someone mad.

“I have never really thought of it that way before?” I bit my lip and looked down at my watch. I gasped and gathered my things up.

“I am so sorry but I have to leave now, I can’t be late for 5th period. I’m always early for class and this one is on the other side of the building. It was great talking with you Professor MacFarlane! Thank you for sitting with me.” I pushed my glasses up onto my nose and threw my bag over my shoulder. I dropped my book on the ground and quickly bent over to pick it up when I realized my skirt had climbed further up my waist. Damn uniforms were always messing up. I grabbed the book up quickly and threw it into my bag. I shimmed my skirt down hoping he hadn’t seen my underwear and half my ass. He cleared his throat loudly, I spotted a grin and I knew at that moment he had seen everything. How embarrassing! Great, I flashed the hot new English teacher after just meeting him. My face was now the color of a ripe tomato. I wanted to turn around and apologize but I couldn’t face him after that. I scurried away and bolted through the side door. Nora just so happened to be at her locker as I ran to her she laughed seeing me in my current state.

“Elise what the hell are you running from? The first bell hasn’t even rang yet.” She asked while I tried to catch my breath.

“Okay so the new English teacher his name is Mr. MacFarlane by the way, he joined me for lunch outside. And uh well I accidentally flashed him my whole ass! I bent over to pick up my book that fell and my skirt had slid up over my hips and bam. It was just on display. I could have died Nora! I was so embarrassed! He was way cool and now I ruined it.” Her eyes grew wide then she burst out into laughter.

“Only you El, only you. I swear that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day. Now every time he sees you in class he is going to think about your ass! Wait you had underwear on right? Or was it a thong?” She asked in a serious tone.

“Fuck Nora I have regular underwear on! Thongs are very uncomfortable.” She rolled her eyes at my response.

“No they’re not, virgins don’t wear thongs. I forgot you have yet to be deflowered my little friend.” She patted my shoulder.

“Oh hush. I just haven’t found a guy I’m attracted to in that way yet.” I grumbled while digging around in my locker.

“I think you have. You’re hot for teacher aren’t you! No need to confess, I know you are, after your little statement this morning. You want the English teacher! God that’s so gross. He is ancient Elise. I mean at least settle for a college guy.” Nora went on ragging me into the next century.

“I am not hot for teacher! I mean he is insanely attractive, nice, intelligent and…fuck it. I am. Kill me now Nora!” I admitted defeat.

Nora and I parted ways, I had 2 more classes before AP English. It was my last class of the day and I am not going to be able to look Mr. Macfarlane in the face. The next 2 periods went by too fast for my liking. I was biting my nails in AP European History just knowing when the bell chimed I would have to enter his classroom. I gathered my books for 7th period and made my way inside. Of course I was early, but thankfully he wasn’t in the room yet. I took a seat in the back of the class near the window. Within minutes the room started filling up. I watched the door anticipating him to be next. Then finally he stepped in. He had an large coffee in hand and a stack of papers.

“Afternoon everyone. My name is Mr. Macfarlane. I am the new English teacher. I was working at the college but took this exciting new offer. High school is a whole new ball park but I look forward to this opportunity. Especially the fact that this is an AP class so that means you all actually give a shit. Pardon my French but I am simply being truthful.” We all laughed as his comment. We knew exactly what he meant. He passed out the syllabus and went over it. He was picking up where right around where Mrs. Holloway left off and I was relieved. He told us the summer projects needed to be left on his desk at the end of the week. Thankfully he was easy on us since it was the first day and we spent the rest of the class talking amongst ourselves. I didn’t really like anyone else in this class so I went straight to reading. I was alone in the back corner and that’s how I liked it. Everyone else chattered in groups and my ears picked up on a nearby conversation. It was Laura Compton and her friends. They were the class bitches. No one liked them but every guy wanted to sleep with them. And they were known for getting around town. Okay now I sound like a 70 year old man. To put it bluntly they were just a bunch of whores. Laura was going on about how hot Mr. Macfarlane was. So I wasn’t the only one…Nora just has bad taste. Anyways the way they were talking about him was making my blood boil. Like he was an animal up on the auctioning block. They were only interested in a fuck. I actually wanted to get to know him better, he was so sweet and interesting. I ground my teeth at their words. I couldn’t focus on my book anymore. I looked up at the clock and it was almost time for the dismissal bell. When I looked up Mr. Macfarlane’s eyes were glued to me. I quickly looked back down. Then he stood up and made an announcement.

“I need to see Elise Goodman after class.” Hearing him say my name made my heart skip a beat. Laura and her clique casted their glares at me. I could feel their eyes burning into my skin. Minutes then passed like seconds and the bell rang out. I stayed seated while everyone else filed out of the room. I couldn’t help but squirm when I heard his footsteps. I looked up to see him smiling as he sat on top of the desk in front of me.

“Look about earlier, I’m so sorry. I am beyond embarrassed and ashamed. I swear it wasn’t intentional sir. I’m not like that at all!” I spat out before he had a chance to even say anything. He chuckled at my distressed state.

“Elise please, you don’t have to apologize. Accidents happen. I know you aren’t “like that” And I’m not mad at you, far from it actually.” He said with a sweet smile.

“Really? I was worried all day about the whole situation. These old skirts are not easy to work with sometimes. And I didn’t want to make a bad first impression. “ I replied quickly stammering on before realizing the last part of his reply. He said he wasn’t mad, far from it…was he hinting to something else? He had liked what he had seen? No way I’m overthinking it. I was now silent. I looked up to see him grinning. My face flushed bright red. That is when I felt something between us. Almost like a magnetic force. With every fiber of my being I wanted to jump at him and just kiss those perfect lips. How I kept myself restrained I’ll never know. That’s when I could feel my underwear soaking by the second. Never before in my life had I felt this way towards someone. Of course I’ve have had crushes before but that was the extent of it. I never pictured myself pouncing one of them. If I were being honest, I wanted to do more than just kiss the man in front of me. I remained silent though, I was afraid to speak.

“I look forward to reading your summer projects. You can tell a lot about a person from the way they interpret classic works of literature. The way a book speaks to a person is a reflection of their mind and some say even their soul.” He spoke like a true poet.

“I couldn’t agree more sir.” I replied in almost a whisper. I was completely drawn to this man whom I just met. Could he possibly feel the same way? No….stop it Elise.

“See you tomorrow Ms. Goodman.” He said while gathering my books up for me. He held them while I stood up and threw my bag over my shoulder.

“Uhm thank you, see you tomorrow Professor Macfarlane.” I walked out of the room holding my breath. I skipped to my locker to put my books away. The hallways were almost empty. Aside from Nora who stood by our lockers with her arms folded.

“What took you so long El? I’ve been waiting on you forever!” She said in an annoyed tone.

“Sorry I had to stay after class. Mr. Macfarlane needed to ask me something about the summer project. I hope he goes easy on the grading.” I tried to act casual.

“Oh. Well I bet you liked that. One on one time with your crush.” She winked at me. I had to be inconspicuous about this. I didn’t want to start anything that could cause trouble.

“It was okay. I mean he’s cute but you’re right. Definitely too old. I do need to get out in the dating game, we just have slim pickings in our class though so it won’t be easy.” Nora slammed her locker and stared at me.

“Are you serious? Little miss book worm is wanting to try dating?” Oh no Nora was going to take this too far.

“Well not exactly. But if a guy asked me on a date I wouldn’t be so quick to say no. I mean it is about time I gave in.” She was literally jumping up and down. I could already tell she was going to make this a big deal.

“Say no more! If I find you a date you have to go on it okay?” She asked while tugging on my arm.

“I guess. I mean it depends on who it is. I have high standards you know!” She nodded and squealed. We left the building and made our way to the parking lot, Nora always had her brother pick her up after school, he went to college on the other side of town and I walked home. I only lived a few minutes from the school and I enjoyed the scenery.

“Want a ride El?” Nora’s brother Jake asked. I politely declined. I had to work this afternoon at the local book store. It was on down in town which was a 10 minute walk past my house. I didn’t want to make them go out of the way. The siblings pulled out of the lot and I began my journey towards the book store.

#seth macfarlane #seth macfarlane fanfiction #seth macfarlane imagine #seth macfarlane smut

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