#not to be dramatic but that's the kind of thing that sounds like a sorority rush week clique setup | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jungblue · 4 years

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aphrodite in war | 01

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader

genre: comedy, fluff, angst, eventual smut / greek life, fake dating, roommates, lovers to enemies and back to lovers au

word count: 11,022

description: Everyone knew about the war that had been brewing on the edge of campus for the past two years. Sorority versus Fraternity; a showdown for the ages. However, when the escalating antics between them yields the consequence of possible suspensions for both chapters, the presidents of each house must come together to try and figure out how to end this battle... Which is kind of hard, considering they were the ones responsible for it in the first place.

note: here is an audio post of a beautiful song with lyrics inspired by AiW, which was written by one of my lovely readers!

→ part 02

Hostility bleeds deep. The rivers of resentment collide violently as they carve a divide so saturated in disdain between the parties involved that you don’t even need to be told that there is something more to the story. It doesn’t need to be said out loud, but is just instinctively felt.

You didn’t need to be told that the ominous house at the end of street was sketchy and should be avoided at all cost; you just knew it. You didn’t need to be told that there was bad blood between the guy and girl whose jaws suddenly stiffened as their lips transformed into a firm, straight line when they caught sight of each other at a party; you just knew it — And you most certainly didn’t need to be told that there was an absolute war brewing at the end of Greek Drive between the Tri Delts and Lambdas; you just fucking knew it.

In the beginning, their rivalry was small. It was simple antics such as egging each other’s houses or fucking around with the letters that they so proudly displayed on their lawns. But then it turned a bit more intense. Egging the houses turned into spray-painting them and fucking with the letters on their lawns turned into completely trashing each other’s lawns. It was because of this that the once harmless pranks turned infamous. Everything that happened between their houses had constantly been circulated around campus for the past two years, or at the very least among their Greek counterparts… Which was probably how the two newly inducted presidents of Delta Delta Delta and Lambda Phi Epsilon, on the very first week of their final year in college, found themselves sitting in the office of a much higher power than their own titles — The president of their university; a single word spilling past his lips that had their stomachs twisting.

“Suspension!?” They both yelled in disbelief.

It was a word no organization wanted to hear. It branded your chapters with a shame that would be painted across the local news stations and even across the country. The lines would blur, only to lump them in with those terrible hazing stories that constantly flooded the media.

“P-president Kwon,” Jungkook finally stuttered out after a moment of coming to terms with the seriousness of the situation they were being faced with. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I promise the very... minor pranks that go on between our houses are probably much less problematic than what you’re thinking.”

“Mr. Jeon, do you think that we would threaten something of such dramatic action without several instances of confirmed proof?” President Kwon asked in a clipped tone as he leaned forward in his chair.

You could see the way that Jungkook blanched next to you, clearly not expecting this harsh treatment from President Kwon. Lambda Phi Epsilon happened to be President Kwon’s former fraternity, so it was well known that there was a good relationship there. However, in this moment you could make out nothing except for a glaring, red warning shining off the president’s ice-cold eyes.

“I — no, sir,” Jungkook whispered, dropping his head slightly to hide the sudden flush of red that was rushing to his face.

“It is more embarrassing than I can possibly describe to the two of you, receiving dozens upon dozens of phone calls and emails over the incidents involving your organizations. Garbage littering every inch of your front yards, obscene images drawn onto your houses, several instances of animal control having to be called due to rodents being set free in the house as a… as a prank? All of this is happening while visits from prospective students and their parents are being conducted. Donors who help this school are wandering the campus and seeing it. Tell me, did the incidents I just mentioned not actually transpire, Mr. Jeon? Ms. Y/L/N?”

The air was so stiff that you barely managed a shaky inhale in order to respond to the juvenile antics being laid out before you. “No, th-they did transpire, sir. And I don’t know what to say besides that I’m so, so sorry that we’ve embarrassed the university this way.” You bit at the inside of your cheek, President Kwon’s relentless glare of disappointment cutting you through and through.

“Yes, so completely sorry,” Jungkook added.

Nothing was said for a few moments after that. It seemed President Kwon wanted to make the two of you squirm for everything that you had done, and it was definitely working. Every movement made you feel self-conscious, the judgement permeating the office air felt as if it were sticking to your skin.

“I know that what we’ve done is completely unacceptable, President Kwon,” You began, not being able to take the silence anymore. “But I promise if you give us just one more chance, we’ll clean up our acts. No more pranks, just cordial neighbors. As the new presidents of our chapters this year, we’ll make sure the members understand that this behavior isn’t something that will be tolerated anymore.”

Jungkook was nodding his head next to you in agreeance. But once again the room was plunged into silence. It was honestly torture, sitting there under such scrutiny as someone held something so dear to you in the palm of their hand. It would break your heart if the suspension actually went through… Considering it was yours and Jungkook’s fault that tensions had gotten to where they were in the first place. The bad blood between the two of you had seeped into the minds of your members as well, which was ultimately how it got so ugly. But it had gotten especially bad this year now that you were the respective presidents of each of your houses and had allowed things to escalate further. Harsh feelings between two people couldn’t do much damage, but when it was dozens versus dozens, well that was when things got messy.

Eventually though you found yourself being pulled back to reality. President Kwon cleared his throat, the sound making your heart stutter in your chest as you prepared yourself for the worst.

“You’re exactly right. It won’t be tolerated any longer.” He paused for a moment, probably for the added effect of letting anxiety seize its way around your lungs. “Probation for the next three months. One more incident and it’s over. Do you understand?”

At that there was a simultaneous sigh of relief from you and Jungkook as the looming consequence faded… At least for now.

“Thank you so much, President Kwon.” Jungkook stood from his chair, reaching across the table to shake his hand. “I promise we won’t mess this up.”

You lifted yourself up from your chair as well, following his lead. “Yes, we promise.”

“I hope that’s true,” Is all President Kwon responded with as he led the two of you towards the door of his office. “Take care.”

With rather mumbled and rushed goodbyes you exited his office, the two of you shuffling quickly down the hallway until you were sure you were out of earshot. Both of you stopped as you turned the corner, insults already resting on the tips of your tongues.

“This is all your fucking fault!” You yelled in a hushed whisper.

“My fault!?” He whispered back, equally as intense. “You’re the one who started this shit, Y/N. No one would even be fighting if you hadn’t opened your mouth to your friends.”

“I was just venting to them! I had no idea that they would go and actually do something about it. And it was a harmless prank. They planted fucking flowers in front of your house for god’s sake, and your loser friends retaliated by digging holes in our yard. You guys are the ones who escalated it, and now it’s this out of control thing that’s going to get our chapters suspended!” Your chest was rising and falling, anger boiling inside of your blood. You had never even partaken in any of the antics that had gone on between the two houses nor had you baited any of your members into participating.

Jungkook rolled his eyes, tongue pressing at the inside of his cheek. “You know what? It’s whatever. We’ve been arguing about this for two years now, so I’m not expecting you to be reasonable any time soon.”

Your fists clenched at your sides, the painful reminder of how long this had been going on searing a deep cut across your chest. But it was like Jungkook had said, this had been going on for a long time and there was no point in arguing about who was right, because it wasn’t as if it actually mattered. So instead, you just didn’t respond. You stared at him for a moment, sneer fading into this sad downward turn of your lips. And surprisingly you watched the way his expression softened as well. His brows were furrowing a little less, his jaw not as hard and brooding.

You gave him a tiny nod before you turned away and headed towards the exit. It was a few seconds before you heard his footsteps start to follow you. Every time his sneakers would squeak against the linoleum floor behind you, it felt like this tiny pressure was beginning to build at the base of your throat. You weren’t sure why you still got these feelings of… longing, even after all of this passed time. It was pathetic. Jungkook apparently didn’t long for anything from back then, so why did you?

Eventually you were able to breathe a little clearer once you pushed your way through the exit and away from the tight and tense space of faculty meetings and suspension threats. The fresh air filled your rattled lungs — too bad it was murky and humid beneath the gray storm clouds that were currently drowning the campus in a depressing drizzle.

“Goddammit,” You muttered beneath your breath.

You didn’t drive here since this building had been so close to your last class of the day. The Tri Delt house was about a ten minute walk from here, so it looked like you needed to get going before the light sprinkle of rain turned into a thunderstorm. You were about to step out from underneath the overhead of the roof and down the steps when you felt a light tug of someone pulling at the back of the belt loop on your jeans.

“Do you need a ride?” Jungkook asked before you had even turned around to fully face him. His expression was neutral. It didn’t seem annoyed or concerned, but he had always been good at hiding his emotions like that.

Of course you didn’t want to walk home in the rain, but sitting in a confined space with Jungkook after you’d both just gotten done yelling at one another didn’t seem like the greatest time either. But in the end, you decided that a few minutes wouldn’t kill you. “Yeah, I guess,” You whispered, motioning for him to go ahead so you could follow. His car was parked in one of the first spots at the bottom of the steps. You were both silent as you opened the doors and climbed inside.

It was weird. You hadn’t been in Jungkook’s car in years. You watched him pull out of the parking space, one hand on the wheel, the other leaning against the center console. It felt all too familiar. You blew a heady sigh past your lips, hands wringing in your lap. It didn’t seem to matter how much time passed, the tension between you and him never seemed to lessen. It was a constant, palpable stiffness in the air.

“Do you think we’ll be able to get them to stop fighting?” Jungkook finally asked once they turned onto Greek Drive, giving some mild relief to the strain that the two of you were so highly aware of.

“If suspension doesn’t do it, then I honestly don’t know what would.”

He nodded, seeming to agree. “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll cut it out.”

“Yeah, they can’t be that dumb—” However, your words seemed to disintegrate along your tongue as the car approached the Lambda and Tri Delt houses that stood side by side.

“Jesus Christ,” Jungkook muttered, pulling into the driveway which currently had a Lambda named Jimin running down it towards his truck that was completely covered in saran-wrap and a laughing Tri Delt named Joy who was holding said saran-wrap.

“Get back here and take this shit off my truck right now!” You heard Jimin yell.

“Nope, I’m good.” She smiled, shrugging and taunting him as she jogged away.

“This… This might be harder than we thought,” You said.

Jungkook rested his head against the steering wheel, eyes closed. “Yeah, way fucking harder.”

---------

It was several mass group texts later, demanding that every Lambda and Tri Delt come to their houses immediately, that all forty-two members of the combined organizations who actually lived in-house finally arrived… Yeah, there was no way that this could go terribly wrong or anything… Right?

You and Jungkook stood in front of the members as they gathered on the grassy area that separated your two houses. As expected there were dozens of mumbled conversations transpiring, all speculating on what the hell was going on here. You looked to Jungkook, giving him a nod to tell him that they should start.

He cleared his throat, clapping his hands together, resulting in large boom that got everyone’s attention. “All right, listen up. We have something important we need to discuss.”

“Jungkook, why the hell are the Tri Delts here?” A Lambda named Yuta yelled out.

“Because we can be, asshole.” It was Jennie.

“Who’re you calling an asshole?” Taehyung asked, even though he had nothing to do with it.

“Your dickhead friend,” Sana responded, again even though it had nothing to do with her.

And then Chanyeol chimed in, followed by Momo, which then got escalated by Johnny and continued by Dahyun. After that you lost track of who was arguing because it just became a giant clusterfuck of people yelling and this was the perfect example of how this entire war started — people getting involved in the business of others that didn’t even concern them.

You started rubbing at your temples, fingernails digging into your palms. This was enough. “Shut the fuck up!” You yelled, a loud echo that reverberated through the air and hushed everyone into silence. “This is why you’re all here.” You motioned towards them.

“What do you mean?” Someone asked from the back. “What’s going on?”

“Me and Y/N had a meeting with President Kwon today,” Jungkook paused, releasing a deep sigh before continuing. “He said that if we all keep publicly fighting the way we have been… that our chapters will get suspended.”

There was a small pause, as if it didn’t immediately click with everyone what had been said — and then the panic set in.

“What?!”

“No fucking way!”

“He can’t be serious!”

“That’s bullshit!”

“This is just another prank, right?!”

Having forty-two people publicly shouting expletives, wasn’t the best start to this image reset that President Kwon wanted, but there was no way either of the chapters would have been okay with the other house coming into their own, so this little outdoor set-up was the best option they had.

You and Jungkook sort of just stood there for a moment, letting the members get their gut-reactions out. Then he turned to you, motioning towards the mob of angry Greek lifers. “You were always better at yelling than me. You wanna quiet them down?” He smirked, a jab that had you clenching your teeth.

“Great way to start off this so called peace treaty, but sure, I’ll gladly calm them down and get straight to the point. I wouldn’t want to let them drown in their own heads without knowing what’s going on because someone won’t just be upfront.” You stared him straight in the eyes, making sure he got your double meaning since he wanted to play dirty and bring up the past. He simply clenched his jaw and averted his gaze back to the crowd of hysterics laid out before them.

“Quiet down and we’ll explain.” You yelled as loud as you could, hoping it would reach everyone so that the chatter would die down quickly. Luckily it seemed they were all on the verge of a mental breakdown and needed answers, so the volume was almost instantly brought down to a hush. All eyes were now on you. “To make things simple, President Kwon thinks that our little prank war or whatever the hell you want to call it, has brought too much negative attention to the school. Visiting students and their parents, donors, and apparently a lot of other people have noticed all of the antics that we pull on each other, and they don’t like it.” You paused, gauging the reactions, but everyone was just frozen in place, waiting for more details. “He put both of our houses on three months of probation and said that if we don’t clean up our acts and stop with all of this petty bullshit that he would suspend our chapters. So, really it’s that easy. We just have to let this feud die down...” You paused, not wanting to say what you were going to say next, but you thought that it would be the best way to diffuse the situation. “And I know that it was the venting of my personal feelings that started this entire thing, so I wanted to say… I’m sorry for causing it.” You didn’t look towards Jungkook, but you could feel his stare burning into the side of your face. You didn’t want to see his expression. Didn’t want to see the smugness or whatever the hell he was feeling towards this forced public apology. You were about to continue, but before you could, a high-pitched voice cut in.

“No, why are you apologizing?” Sana said, stepping past the front lines of the two groups. “It is not your fault.” She shot a glare towards Jungkook who simply rolled his eyes and kept his stare straight ahead.

Then it was Jennie pushing to the front to join in on your defense. “She’s right, Y/N. It’s not your fault. We’re the ones who planted the flowers as a joke. Even though it was a harmless joke,” She turned towards the Lambda boys, venom coating her words, “that made their trashy house look a little bit nicer. Yet, they had to escalate it into something else.”

Oh, this was not good.

Jimin broke through the front line for the Lambdas, a scowl etched across his face. “It’s not the issue of what you did. It’s the fact that back then you blindly fucked with the house that all of the guys lived in, not only Jungkook, just because of Y/N being upset over their relationship — which, he did nothing wrong since you wanna start glaring at people for no fucking reason Sana.”

It was this violent concoction of anger and sadness colliding inside of your stomach that had you simultaneously fighting back the urge to bite off Jimin’s head or crying pathetically in front of everyone.

Multiple people were stepping to the front of their groups now, various arguments splintering off as people began defending the heads of their respective houses. Y/N this, Jungkook that. You stared at the second story of the Tri Delt house, focusing in on the bedroom window all the way to the right (your bedroom), so that your hearing would blur out. You didn’t want to listen to these arguments any more, but you also didn’t have the energy to both somehow defend yourself while also admitting that Jungkook’s feelings from back then were also valid. So you stood there, eyes glazing over at the sight of the room where this entire feud spawned from. Though, maybe that wasn’t exactly correct. According to Jungkook it had started in no particular place and at no particular time that he could actually pinpoint. That was just the place where it had all finally been verbalized.

You weren’t sure how long you zoned out for, just reminiscing on the conversation from that night, but it was Jungkook’s voice thundering through the air that halted everyone’s arguments once again, along with your torturous thoughts.

“All of you just fucking stop!” He yelled. “It doesn’t matter whose fault it is or how it started. If we keep doing this we’re gonna get our chapters suspended. Do you guys want that?” There was an awkward moment of silence where everyone was just sort of looking around at one another before the members finally grumbled a unanimous ‘no.’ “Okay, so then you guys are just gonna have to get over this bullshit, just like how me and Y/N are,” Jungkook paused, one brow arched as he turned to face you. “Right?”

You felt your face heat up as you clamped your teeth down onto the inside of your cheek. “…Right.”

“Good.” Jungkook smiled, seeming very happy with himself for getting that out of you — smug asshole. He turned back to face all of the members, clapping his hands together before saying something that caused the entire group to erupt into hysterics. “Now, apologize to each other.”

“Fuck that!” Someone screeched from the back. “Baek let the air out of my tires last year. I was late for my final.”

“Because you put a pair of panties in my car and my girlfriend thought I was cheating on her!”

“You probably were!”

Everyone was screaming and calling out various incidents, saying there was no way in hell they were ever going to apologize.

“Fine! Fucking fine!” Jungkook cut in immediately before it could devolve again. “How about if me and Y/N just apologize to each other and it’ll count for the rest of you? And then this war is dead. Sound fair?”

No one said anything concrete in response, just unintelligible grumbles rippling through the crowd. Jungkook apparently took this as an okay, because he was suddenly turning toward you. “Alright, you go first.”

You scoffed. “I’m not apologizing first. It wasn’t even my idea. Besides I already apologized to everyone earlier.”

“It wasn’t an apology to me though.”

“I don’t think I owe you an apology.” You shrugged. “I apologized for my friends fucking with your house. What else do I need to apologize for?”

He just looked at you, with those eyes that were unreadable. Though you could see a slight shift, as though there truly was something that he wanted you to apologize for from back then, but he could tell that you weren’t going to back down, so he went for something that cut deep as punishment.

He huffed in annoyance. “Fine, if you wanna be like that. I’m sorry that I broke up with you, Y/N.”

Your entire body flared with anger that had a pool of sweat instantly swelling at your hairline. You stepped closer to him, only a foot of space between you, but he didn’t back down and you weren’t going to either. “And I’m sorry I wasted three years of my life with a lying, cheating piece of shit!”

His eyes went wide. The word that never failed to strike a nerve whenever this argument was brought back under the light. His response was quiet but firm, everyone, all forty-two members watching in silence. “I never cheated on you, but if you want to think that just so I can be the bad guy in your head, fine.”

His final word felt like a sharp cut across your chest, but you stood firm, not backing down. You didn’t break eye contact with him as you voiced your final sentiment to the two groups of warring Greeks. “I don’t care whose side you guys fall on when it comes to this overblown drama between me and Jungkook. The fighting, the pranks, all of it, it’s over.”

“Agreed.” Jungkook bit out before turning and walking towards the Lambda house, a silent command for his Brothers to do the same.

You didn’t stand there for a single second longer and began walking toward your own house, your fellow Sisters following. Your best friends, Sana and Jennie, instantly threw their arms around your shoulders. “Vodka?” The universal distraction from all things awful in life.

You shook your head. “Tequila.” The universal eraser to all things awful in life. “Lots of tequila.”

——-

“He’s lucky that we’re in a truce now or I would’ve thought up something diabolical for his arrogant ass,” Jennie said as she dusted some blush on her cheeks.

“I know right, ugh!” Sana made a disgusted sound as she handed you the necklace she was letting you borrow for the night. “Telling you to apologize first. Like fuck you. You haven’t even done anything.”

You simply sighed, jumping to get your jeans past your thighs. “It’s fine guys. As long as no more issues pop up we can just ignore them and act like none of this ever happened.”

“I know, I know, but it just pisses me off that they always bring your name into the argument. Like you didn’t tell us to go and mess with them. We did it ourselves, and sure, looking back on it now we shouldn’t have done it — even though they were some nice fucking flowers — but regardless, they pushed it to another level.” Sana let out a final huff as she hopefully released the last of her ranting for the night.

“The point of the tequila,” You said as you filled three shot glasses, several wedges of lime waiting beside them, “Is to forget the problems. Not continue thinking about them.”

Sana snapped her fingers and pointed at you with a smile as she picked up her shot. “You know what, you’re right. Fuck the Lambdas. They no longer exist. In my head we live next to a vacant patch of grass.”

“Exactly.” Jennie picked up her glass, leaving the final one for you. “Cheers to no longer having to deal with the house that must not be named.”

The three of you let out a little cheer before clinking your glasses together and forcing your bodies through the post-shot shivers that followed.

After the front yard meeting fiasco you knew immediately you would be going out. However, it had still been quite early, so you, Sana, and Jennie decided to indulge in several glasses of wine to bide the time before it was late enough to feel like an appropriate time to be downing shots. Tequila at six in the afternoon, even on a Friday, just didn’t feel right, so alcohol juice it had been. Though, the warm feeling that was already radiating through your legs as you walked over to the mirror to do one last once over of your outfit indicated that the so called alcohol juice had done its job as the pre-game to the actual hard liquor pre-game a little too well.

“Okay, I’m only opting for one more round while we’re here or else we will be having a repeat of St. Patrick’s Day.” Too many green beers that day. Too many.

“Senior year wisdom.” Jennie placed her hand over her heart. “Our freshman year brains would never.”

“Our freshman year brains didn’t have an aversion to six different types of alcohol yet.” You laughed as you motioned to take the next round of shots. “And I would like to still be able to look at a bottle of tequila without going into a full-body sweat after tonight, so we’re pacing ourselves.”

“Oh, Fireball. The days when I could still drink you were so simple.” Sana grabbed her face and grimaced as if Fireball was a long lost god, while you audibly gagged from the name of the cinnamon flavored whiskey alone.

“Sana, stop. You know Y/N can’t even look at a churro anymore without looking like she’s gonna yak everywhere like a dog.”

I faked a sniffle. “God, I miss being able to eat churros.” Cinnamon was now inedible to you thanks to your now forever connection between the delectable spice and the previously mentioned unspeakable liquor. A break up that rivaled that of yours and Jungkook’s.

“Uber’s gonna be here in three minutes,” Jennie said as she returned to your bedside table to grab her shot glass once again.

The three of you raised your glasses together with a clink. “Let’s fuck it up.”

——----

The bar right next to your college, simply referred to as “Pub,” was a weird place to be on the first Friday of the new semester. It was a mix of underage freshman trying to slyly sip at their alcohol while attempting to hide the X’s marked on their hands, and of age students that felt a little too old to be at Pub, but who could argue with free drinks for girls until midnight? Definitely not you, Sana, or Jennie.

The three of you found your temporary home at the tables on the deck right outside of the entrance, the fresh air much preferable to the stuffy atmosphere of the dance floor that you would soon find yourself on given the right song choice to send you flying through the door.

You watched as Sana shimmied through the crowd of people to return to your table, three tiny plastic cups in hand. “You get a vodka Sprite, you get a vodka Sprite, and I get a vodka Sprite!” She yelled as she set the cups down on the table.

You laughed. “People may call that basic, but we still get drunk and don’t have to drink Jack and fucking Coke.”

“The Devil’s combo.” Jennie sipped her drink. “You see a guy drinking that: run. He thinks he’s so fucking cool.”

Sana raised her plastic cup. “Cheers to the truth.”

“Cheers,” You all agreed collectively.

“But speaking of guys who don’t drink Jack and Coke, I ran into Namjoon when I went to the bathroom a minute ago.” A blush crept across Jennie’s cheeks.

“Are you finally gonna see if he’s interested? He’s not your TA anymore, so it’s not sketchy.”

Jennie shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s weird. He seems so uninterested that it’s intimidating. Like I’ve imagined thirty-seven different scenarios for our first date and he’s only like ‘Hi, Jennie. Bye, Jennie.”

You and Sana couldn’t help but laugh, however, the amusement was cut short by a decently sized group of familiar males.

“Fuck me,” You said under your breath, which was enough for Jennie to turn around and see the pack of Lambda boys climbing the wooden steps onto the deck of the bar, Jungkook leading the way.

“You try to forget your problems and they just walk in on two legs.” Sana groaned. “It’s rude really.”

The group got caught in the line to get into the bar, which unfortunately left them idling uncomfortably close to your table, and of course something had to be said.

Jimin glanced down at them sitting, a fake grin plastered to his mouth. “If it isn’t our cordial neighbors.”

Jennie snapped her head up to look at him, mirroring his forced smile. “Cordial can also mean that we’re pretending you don’t exist. In fact, we no longer acknowledge that we even have neighbors.”

“That’s fantastic, actually. It means I can forget that awful blowjob you gave me freshman year even happened.”

Jennie’s jaw clenched for all of a millisecond before responding. “Awful? Say that to my untouched vagina after you came in sixty seconds. Though again, we’re pretending you don’t exist, so I guess I can forget the most underwhelming sexual experience of my life. Thanks, Jimin.” She turned back to you and Sana, not sparing a second glance as if she’d simply given someone directions to the nearest Denny’s.

But Jimin wasn’t through. “That’s not what happened—”

You could see in your friend’s face she was already squaring up another jab, and as much as you found it entertaining you knew it was setting a bad example.

“Jennie,” You said at the same time that Jungkook sighed “Jimin.”

You both looked at each other, a silent message of gratefulness passing between the two of you at trying to actually make this work.

“Guys, neither of us want to get our chapters suspended. If ignoring each other is the best route, do that, or maybe even be friends. Whatever results in no fuckery between our houses, okay?” You reminded them of what was at stake here and everyone nodded, letting any planned animosity fall away as the line to get into the bar began to move.

You tilted your head, watching as Jungkook’s back disappeared into the building, his eyes crinkling as he smiled brightly at some girl who noticed him the second he made it past the threshold.

Again, that stupid feeling of longing for something that was clearly dead and gone. But you didn’t want to get too down, so before you could spiral too far you turned back towards your friends. “So did he really last sixty seconds?”

“No,” Jennie smiled, “But I definitely still have the texts of him telling me the next day it was the best suck of his life. He’s the one that lied first, so I get to bend the truth too.”

“Freshman year is so weird to think about. Everyone was actually friendly. Jennie and Jimin might be dating right now if it wasn’t for our little war.” Sana laughed as she batted the napkin away that Jennie tossed at her.

“Absolutely not. I want someone like Namjoon, who’s smart and respectful. Not Jimin, who… who…” She trailed off simply finishing her thought with a wordless grimace.

Jennie said that, but you knew it wasn’t exactly true. You remembered very well when Jennie and Jimin were involved and she actually seemed to enjoy the Lambda’s presence quite a bit. But then things went to shit the summer after your freshman year was over, and well, this was the reality now. Snide comments at every passing instead of mutual invites to beach days.

You were beginning to let a little slideshow of memories from that first year cloud your head when a song that already had you lifting out of your chair clamored inside the bar. “We dance till dawn!” You pulled your friends by their arms through the entrance, waving your wristbands at the bouncer before pushing your way to the middle of the dance floor.

“Drinks!” Jennie beamed, remembering that they had finished the others outside. “I’ll be back!” She yelled over the music, pointing towards the bar.

You and Sana gave her a thumbs up as you began to dance together, singing the lyrics so loud your throats would certainly punish you by night’s end. But you didn’t care. Today had been absolutely disastrous, ripping up old wounds that you wished would just stay permanently beneath their flimsy bandaid, so you were thankful for this music that was blaring so loud that thoughts weren’t even an option, the alcohol that was so potent you could barely remember Jungkook’s smug face from the house meeting today, and your friends that allowed you to be this happy on days this bad.

A few songs passed and you and Sana were still dancing and getting so hyped up by every new spin that it took you a second to remember that Jennie definitely should’ve been back by now. You looked around, only to find a sight that made you let out a slight scream that was completely concealed by the music. You tapped Sana and began pointing towards the bar. She turned and immediately mirrored your excitement.

Namjoon was leaning into Jennie at the bar, whispering something into her ear and you could see her smiling, redness once again blooming on her face. In your drunkenness you pulled out your phone and snapped severa blurry pictures, which were sure to be a great topic of discussion in the group chat tomorrow. You watched Jennie nod her head, smiling and pointing to the three drinks in her hand, and then she started back towards where you were.

“Bitch, the drinks could’ve waited!” You tried to say over the music. “Go back and talk to him.”

Jennie actually looked giddy as she handed over the drinks to you and Sana. “I am. He’s leaving soon though, but he asked if I wanted to grab something to eat with him at the diner down the street.”

Sana jumped up and down in excitement. “So he basically asked you to marry him? Got it.”

“Oh yeah, he’s totally gonna propose to me over my omelette.” She joked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Are you guys okay if I go?”

“Of course, but I will be checking your location in fifteen minutes and if you are not at that diner I will hunt Namjoon’s ass down in two seconds,” You warned. “—Except if you decide you wanna skip the diner and go straight to fucking that’s cool too, just let us know.”

Jennie threw out another giddy expression at the thought. “I’ll text you guys. Love you!” She said, kissing her hand and throwing it out to you as she weaved back towards where Namjoon was waiting for her at the bar.

“Fuck Disney,” You shouted to Sana. “Dreams come true at Pub too.”

She bent over, laughing as she tried to sip her drink. “Ugh, if only we could be that lucky. I’ve never had a TA even close to that hot.”

“Same, but maybe we’ll find something else tonight.” You motioned toward the back where you could see some of the soccer players hanging out. You eyed Jung Hoseok. The two of you had hooked up a few times last year, and getting laid would be a perfect ending to this bad to actually decent day.

“Oh, I see.” Sana wiggled her brows, giving a knowing look. “Let’s go bump into them.” She grabbed your hand and began leading you through the crowd until you reached the area that the soccer players were idly standing around and sipping their drinks. You started a conversation about something random right behind Hoseok, and it was only a minute or so before he turned around and noticed the two of you.

“Oh, look who it is.” He smiled, hugging you. “Been a while.”

“I know your summer must’ve been so dull without me,” You flirted, sipping at your drink.

“No question.” He leaned back against the wall, pulling you by the waist so you weren’t halfway on the dance floor and constantly being bumped into. Sana noticed the gesture and took that as her cue to let things simmer between you and Hoseok.

“Y/N, I see Nayeon and Joy over there.” She pointed towards the other corner of the bar, where you saw the two Tri Delts mingling. “I’m gonna go over there, okay?”

“Sounds good.”

She leaned into your ear, whispering, “If you wanna go home with him just text me. I’ll catch a ride with them on the way back to the house.”

“I’m ninety-five percent sure I will, but I’ll text you to make sure,” You whispered back.

She squeezed your shoulder before pulling back. “Take care of her Jung. I’ve heard you’re very good at that.” Sana smiled like a tiny devil before running through the crowd, leaving you slightly slack-jawed.

You bit your lip, a small warmth creeping into our face. “Please, ignore that,” You bit through an awkward laugh.

“Why’re you embarrassed?” He smiled, shrugging before leaning next to your ear. “I mean I have taken care of you every single time we’ve been together, right?”

His breath was hot against the side of your face, leaving you tingling. You lifted your hand, cupping his jaw as you pulled him back to look him in the face. “You can’t say things like that to me when we’re in a bar and you can’t do anything about it.”

He smiled, eyes drifting to your mouth. “I mean we could always leave. It’s almost closing time anyways.”

You smiled. “One more drink, after I finish this one.”

“Perfect.” He leaned in, gave you a small peck on the lips before ruffling your hair a little and turning to say something to his friend. Presumably it was something about him getting laid tonight, which was exactly the same conversation you were about to have with your friend.

You: the hookup is secure

Sana: quick work. i’m proud

Sana: joy and nayeon said that lisa is sick in the bathroom and they’re about to take her back to the house, so i was just going to catch a ride with them if you’re going with hoseok. sound good?

You: oh really? i hope she’s okay. make sure she gets water at home. and yes i’ll be fine. we were gonna have one last drink and then go. i’ll text you when i make it to his place

Sana: sounds good. love you!

You slipped your phone back into your pocket after returning the sentiment.

“Everything good?” Hoseok asked.

“Yeah, one of our friends is sick so Sana was just letting me know she was gonna go home with her.”

“Damn,” Hoseok tsked, jokingly. “Does that mean I’m stuck with you for the night?”

“It would seem so.” You smiled, and then he pulled you beneath his arm and adjusted the backwards cap on his head.

“You know, I’m all for just fucking or whatever, but you’re really never gonna say yes to a date, are you?”

You paused before answering, remembering that time last year that he’d asked about actually taking you out to dinner. You had thought about it, but in the end you just decided you had no desire to even slightly pivot in the direction of being any more than friends with benefits with someone. Though, if anyone were able to sway you away from that mindset after Jungkook, it would be Hoseok, but just not yet.

“If I let you take me to Steak n’ Shake after this, will that suffice?” You giggled at the way he rolled his eyes while still smiling.

“I have leftovers in my fridge better than the food from there, so I’ll let you have that.” He paused, a slight glimmer filling his eyes. “Maybe I’ll light a candle, make it romantic, sort of like a date.”

Your skin prickled slightly at the mention of the candle, a call back to one of their more… unconventional hook ups from last year.

“Is candle wax being melted onto my naked body and drunkenness really a good mix?” You asked, even though it had been one of the best feelings you had ever experienced.

“Not that drunk, but it could always wait until the morning.”

You tapped your finger to your lips as if you were pondering it. “Let me get my last drink and I’ll let you know my answer.”

“I have a tab open.” He motioned towards the bar. “Just get it on mine.”

“Thanks,” You said, even though you planned to pay for it yourself. Random guys you didn’t mind hustling a few free drinks from, but not guys you were actually sort of friends with.

You walked up to the bartender. “Vodka Sprite,” You said over the thumping music. He nodded and then stepped to the left and made your drink. He handed it to you as you slipped him your credit card, motioning to close the tab out.

You were already halfway done with sipping on the drink when the bartender returned a slight look of awkwardness on his face. “Uh, it declined.”

Your brows furrowed. Your financial aid refund for school had definitely been deposited into your bank account. You knew this because you had jumped for joy when it hit and you were finally able to return to the sanctuary that is no-ads Hulu. There was enough to cover your dues for staying in the Tri Delt house this semester, so there should certainly have been enough to cover a four dollar drink. You were pondering what to do, maybe just put it on Hoseok’s tab like he said you could. It was probably just your actual bank having issues and it would sort itself out in the morning anyways. You were just about to say to put it on his tab when someone slid their muscled bicep right in front of your face with a credit card in hand.

You knew that it was pathetic that you knew exactly who that bicep belonged to before he even turned to look at your face, black strands of hair hanging over his forehead.

“I got it,” Jungkook said to the bartender.

“Why’d you do that?” You asked.

“Because I was right behind you and heard him, and I know how embarrassed you get about things like that.” He shrugged, grabbing the paper and pen that the bartender slid back towards him.

He was right. You had terrible secondhand embarrassment, let alone actual first hand embarrassment. “Well… thanks. I don’t know why it did that. I got my refund already.”

“Just check your bank account. If the money’s in there then the bank system is probably just fucked up right now.”

“Yeah…” You slid your phone out of your pocket and immediately went to your banking app and pressed your fingerprint down onto the login. You waited a few seconds, and when your balance appeared on the screen, you felt your heart drop. “What in the actual fuck?” You said, staring at your bank account with a whopping dollar and twenty cent in it.

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook asked, brows furrowed as he rounded to your side to look at your screen to see the low number that was not at all what it was yesterday. “I thought you said you got your refund?”

You were shaking your head. “I… I did. I don’t know what the hell happened. Oh my god, I’m gonna freak the fuck out. I have to pay my housing cost for Tri-Delt with that money. Like what the fuck is going on—”

You felt Jungkook’s on your back, rubbing light circles. “Just breathe.” You stiffened at the touch, but didn’t try to pull away. “It’s probably just a financial aid fuck up. Call them tomorrow. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

You knew that he was probably right, but a creeping feeling was telling you otherwise. This was your fourth year in college dealing with the same exact scholarships every single semester and this had never happened before.

“Fuck.” You brought your hands up to push at either of your temples. “That really just fucked up my whole mood. I’m not even horny anymore—” You cringed, realizing what you just said. “Please, just ignore me I’m drunk.” You shook your head, squeezing your eyes shut, not wanting to see the expression he’d made at your admission.

“What’re you doing now? Where’s Sana and Jennie?” He asked, ignoring your flub and finally lowering his hand from your back.

“They’re not here. Jennie left earlier and I told Sana I was gonna go home with… Hoseok, but now I just wanna go lay in bed by myself so I can spiral into every negative possibility of why my bank account looks like that.”

“It’s gonna be fine.” This time he placed his hand on the back of your neck, cupping it slightly. It was a motion that had always for some reason calmed you down when things got overwhelming. It seemed he remembered. But even though you appreciated the comfort, the feeling of his hand there made something in your stomach flutter — that stupid feeling of longing seriously needed it’s wings shredded. You gripped his forearm, pulling it away from you, and you saw something shift in his eyes as you did so.

“I guess I’m gonna go tell Hoseok that I’m just gonna go home—” But then you suddenly remembered something. “Fuck! I can’t Uber because I don’t have any money on my card.” You pinched the bridge of your nose. “This day was so bad and then actually pretty good, only to turn out fucking awful.”

There was a couple of seconds of silence between the two of you, but you kept your eyes closed, trying to clear the fog in your head from all the alcohol to figure out what you were going to do. However, Jungkook finally let out a sigh before speaking. “Come on.”

“What?” You asked.

“All of these people are trying to get out of here at once and they’re ordering Uber’s at the same time.” He flashed his phone screen, showing that it was not only almost closing time, but that the next driver wouldn’t be available for thirty-two minutes with everyone having already ordered their rides. “It’s a twenty minute walk back to your house. I’ll just walk you there.”

Even though Jungkook was currently the president of the Lambdas, he actually decided not to live in the frat house this year and instead opted for a cheaper apartment that was still near campus. You and Jungkook both relied on scholarships to pay for most of your schooling, and fraternity and sorority dues on their own were not cheap, and living on Greek Drive only made that burden a million times worse.

But the point was that Jungkook had no need to go to campus because he lived in a completely different direction now.

“You don’t even live there anymore. How’re you gonna get home?” You asked.

“I’ll just sleep on the couch and get Tae or Jimin to drive me to my place in the morning.” He shrugged.

You weren’t exactly keen on the idea of having to walk all the way back to campus with Jungkook, considering just a five minute car ride earlier in the day had been sufficiently awkward all on its own. But you also were unfortunately no longer in the mood for sex, leaving Hoseok’s house out of the picture, and your bank account was for some reason drained, which resulted in you only having one option really.

“Alright,” You finally said. “Just let me tell Hoseok and then we can go.”

He nodded as you walked back towards the group of soccer players, tapping Hoseok on the shoulder. It seemed your dismay was painted plainly on your face because he immediately asked what was wrong.

“I actually can’t hang out tonight. I just found out my bank account is fucked up and I can’t really think about anything else right now, so I was just gonna head home, but I wanted to let you know. I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re fine,” He said, shaking his head. “Do you have a way home then?”

You glanced towards Jungkook, releasing a heavy sigh. “Uhm, yeah, Jungkook was gonna walk me.”

Hoseok’s eyes darted toward where you pointing, narrowing slightly. Most people knew about the feud between the Lambdas and the Tri Delts, which meant most people also knew the details about why there was a feud in the first place.

“Are you sure you’re good with that?” Hoseok asked.

Not really, but a twenty minute walk wasn’t going to kill you. “We’re fine, promise. Actually we’ve been… cordial lately.” You tried to say it like it was actually the truth, but you thought maybe if you spoke it into existence then it would actually come to fruition.

Hoseok tilted his head, giving you a look that said he didn’t really believe you, but regardless he pulled you in for a hug. “Okay, let me know when you get home.”

“I will,” You assured him before waving goodbye and making your way back towards Jungkook.

“Ready,” He huffed, a slight annoyance seeming to coat his words as he pushed himself off of the wall and started towards the entrance.

“Are you really gonna have an attitude?” You asked as you did a little jog to catch up with him. “I would’ve found another way if I knew you were gonna act like an ass.”

“I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m just tired.” He placed his hand on one of your shoulders, moving you in front of him so the two of you could move through the mass of people more quickly until you were walking through the entrance and down the wooden ramp that connected to the outside deck.

“Then why’d you offer? I could’ve called someone to pick me up.”

“Because,” He paused, motioning towards the crosswalk that already had dozens of drunk college kids filing through it. “I couldn’t just leave you there, and I thought just taking you home would be quicker than you calling people to try and find a ride.”

Ouch. He was just trying to be nice and you were calling him an ass. Heat flushed beneath your skin from embarrassment. “I’m sorry…” You finally said as you made it to the sidewalk and began the straight shot down the main road towards Greek Drive. “Thank you for making sure I got home alright.” You added, avoiding any eye contact and opting to walk a little bit in front of him.

After about five entire minutes of silence you thought to yourself, yeah, this was going pretty much as expected. But you were thankful that at least there wasn’t any hostility. You didn’t want any more arguments like the ones from today. You had seethed at each other after the two of you left President Kwon’s office. Had thrown insults at one another at the meeting between your houses. Like sure, maybe the silence hurt more than it should’ve. The idea that the guy you started dating and fell in love with when you were a junior in high school not even being able to fake a conversation with you for twenty minutes was mildly heartbreaking to say the least. But again, the silence was better than the anger that had fueled most of your interactions since breaking up the summer after starting college.

You had become somewhat content with the lack of speaking. You were still a few steps ahead of Jungkook as he walked behind you, but he suddenly picked up speed and joined you, shoulder skating against yours before he was curving his hand around your waist and nudging you to go to the side of the sidewalk that wasn’t closest to the main road that was currently buzzing with post-bar traffic.

“Wouldn’t want you falling face first into a Camero that someone’s Daddy bought them, Drunkie,” He said, offering a playful smile as he dropped his arm back down to his side.

You were caught so off guard by the positive expression from Jungkook that it took you a second for your head to actually realize what he had even said. You pushed his shoulder. “I’m not even drunk anymore.”

“Well, considering I can literally smell the tequila on you, I’d rather not take any chances of you falling into oncoming traffic.”

“You’re being nice.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “Too nice.”

“What?” He chuckled. “I’m just making an effort to try and fix things between us so that the members don’t see us constantly fighting and think it’s okay to do the same.”

Ah, that’s what it was. He didn’t care if you guys actually patched this up, just that it looked like you did.

“Well, we could always pretend to like each other, since the appearance is all that actually matters apparently.” You forced a smile and began walking a little bit faster. Ten more minutes. Ten more minutes of being alone with him and his stupid presence that overwhelmed you with thoughts that you wished would just disappear.

“That’s not what I meant,” He said almost immediately, not letting that unbearable plunge into silence return. “I would love it if we could be nice to each other and actually mean it… I just…” He trailed off, seeming to hesitate in whatever he was trying to say.

“Just spit it out.”

There was one more second of a brief pause before he spoke quietly. “I just don’t think that’s ever going to happen, because I know you still blame me for everything.”

You tensed up, still keeping your pace of being slightly ahead of him. You inhaled a deep breath through your mouth before turning to look over your shoulder at him, his eyes already waiting to meet yours.

“I don’t blame you.” You smiled, but with a sad furrowing of your brows. “I… resent you.”

Jungkook’s mouth fell open, his eyes widening in surprise. “I mean, that’s… that’s even worse than blaming me.”

You shook your head. “No, it’s not.”

His expression turned more puzzled. “How is you resenting me better than you blaming me?”

“Because, blame implies that I think it’s your fault… Resentment just means I’m angry and upset, regardless of whether I think you were right or wrong for what happened.” You felt the bridge of your nose begin to tingle with that telltale sign of tears, so you quickly looked forward and urged them to stay hidden until you were at least in the comfort of your own room. “I’m just resentful of the things I now think and feel about myself, but that isn’t your fault. It’s my issue to deal with.” You shrugged.

“What things do you think and feel about yourself?” He asked, and you could tell that he had hurried his pace and was a little closer behind you now.

You closed your eyes, shaking your head. You didn’t want to talk about this. The two of you hadn’t had an in depth conversation like this since you’d first broken up. But things were different now compared to that first conversation. Back then it was raw and fresh, the pain too intense to notice what was growing underneath. Now it was a scar, and you were left with all of the emotions, feelings, and implications of how and why things ended.

“I… I don’t really wanna talk about it honestly.” You said that, but you also wanted Jungkook to understand that you were perfectly aware of how you had acted the past few years. You may have said and acted in ways that seemed bitchy and ridiculous, but it was because of these disgusting emotions that were now plaguing your mind constantly, and maybe it was time he knew. “I kind of wish we had broken up over this giant fight that was about something unfixable. Something where we both clearly did things wrong and we were both through with each other because there was no way either of us were going to change our minds. I think I could’ve dealt with that so much better than what you actually broke up with me for. Which was just the fact that you thought I was...” You trailed off, the word that bombarded your thoughts mercilessly landing on your tongue. “Boring.”

You heard the way his shoes scratched against the concrete at his screeching halt, and he clearly thought that that was going to stop you as well, but you kept going, not actually wanting to hear any response from him. You said your piece and now maybe he would understand. But of course you knew that he wasn’t just going to let it end like that, which was made apparent when you felt him suddenly gripping your arm, trying to get you to slow down for a second.

“I never said or even thought that about you, Y/N, ever.” He tried to pull you to look at him, but you twisted your body and threw a hand over your face to cover your eyes that were already glistening.

“No, stop,” You said firmly, and he ceased with trying to get you to look at him. “I told myself after that night in my room I was never going to let you see me cry over you ever again, and if I look at you right now, I will. I just know I will, so please just stop.”

He didn’t say anything for a minute, leaving just the sound of grasshoppers and the random gust of cars passing by. You thought maybe he would just let it go and you could continue the last few minutes of the walk without speaking, but you had verbalized your thoughts and Jungkook was without a doubt going to respond.

“I know how it’s easy to think that,” He started, his voice a whisper with his hand still wrapped around your arm, as if he was afraid you would bolt down the street without letting him finish if he let you go. “But that’s not why I ended things. You were the first girl I ever actually dated, and when we got here I just started thinking about—”

“—All of your new exciting options.” You cut in, anger flaring before you could stop it.

“Y/N…” He trailed off, squeezing your arm. “That’s not what it was—”

“—No,” You said before he could try and dance his way through some explanation of how he just wanted to go crazy in college without actually saying it out loud. “You don’t have to explain it again. I’d rather you didn’t actually. I remember in excruciating detail the way you explained it that night. I understand, I get it… So, p-please,” Your voice cracked, finally being too overwhelmed by this entire situation. “Let’s just keep walking and not talk about it anymore. Please.”

It turned so quiet I could even hear how hard Jungkook was breathing. It sounded heavy but unnatural, like he was trying to forcibly steady his heartbeat. And after a few seconds you felt him finally drop his hand from your arm and you didn’t wait for him to say a single word before you started down the sidewalk again.

The Tri Delt house was five minutes away, leading to five minutes of complete and utter silence between two people that was so palpable it blocked out the scratching of your shoes as you walked and the rustle of tiny animals running through the trees next to you. It engulfed you in this tunnel of noiselessness.

Eventually you saw the bend at the end of the street where yours and Jungkook’s houses sat next to one another. It was only a little bit away, yet it felt so far. Twenty minutes. All it had taken was twenty minutes of the two of you not partaking in your back and forth hostility from the last few years for you to break down again. It felt pathetic. It was completely pathetic.

You were finally approaching the point where the Tri Delt and Lambda house split into opposite directions. All you had to do was keep walking straight while Jungkook veered to the left and—

You felt the light tug at the belt loop of your jeans, stopping you in place, just like from earlier today after the suspension meeting. You were about to tell him to let you go, when he beat you to the punch.

“You’re not boring, Y/N. You never have been.” He was so close you could feel his breath hitting the back of your head. “It was one of the millions of reasons that I loved you. I just wanted you to know that.”

And then he was gone. The pressure of someone tugging you in place disappearing, leaving you to catch your balance as you finally stood alone. You forced yourself to stare straight ahead as you walked towards your front door, not daring to look at him as he walked to the Lambda house. You shoved your keys inside the lock, forcing it open and then taking the stairs by two’s until you were collapsing in your bed, fingers crushing your pillow as you finally let yourself cry.

——--

A phone was ringing inside of your dreams. It was ringing and ringing and ringing until you realized the sound was coming from some otherworldly place — oh yeah, that would be the current hell that is your life.

You blinked a couple of times, blindly reaching for the source of the noise that was lost somewhere in your bed. You finally felt your hand slide across the leather of your phone case. You brought it up to read the name and you felt your stomach curl.

‘Jungkook the Jackass’ was calling. And if it weren’t for the fact that he was calling you at seven in the morning you probably would’ve just sent him straight to voice mail in order to avoid any further conversations about what transpired last night. But alas, it was seven in the morning and just seemed to be too early of a time for him to be calling about something mundane.

You regretfully lifted the phone to your ear. “Yes?” You grumbled, voice scratchy.

“We have a problem.” No mention of last night. It was just a clear cut declaration that did not sound good.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, sitting up from bed.

“Come outside your house. Now.”

Your eyes widened and you instantly jumped from bed. He sounded urgent enough that you decided your flimsy nighttime apparel was going to have to do. You hurried down the stairs and opened the front door, revealing Jungkook in the front yard staring at something.

“What is it?” You asked, arms crossing over your chest as you tried to hide your bralessness.

Jungkook pressed his lips together as he pointed towards the front of the Tri Delt house. “My idiot Lambda Brothers.”

You followed the direction of his finger, your mouth dropping at the sight before you.

Dozens and dozens and dozens of boxers covering every inch of the first story of the house. You turned towards Jungkook, so angry and anxiety-riddled that someone from administration had already seen this, that you could hardly speak.

“I’m going to murder them,” You finally managed to spit through clenched teeth.

“No,” He started, turning to you, mirroring your own frustration. “I’m going to murder them.”

→ part 02

#bts #jeon jungkook #bts fanfic #bts fanction #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fanfiction #kpop fanfic #bts angst #jungkook angst

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vanderlustwords · 4 years

Text

Under the Sheets

(not my gif)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Prompt: 9) There’s only one bed, and we sleep as far away as possible from each other but wake up cuddling

Requester: Anonymous

Summary: Bucky spends more time out of his dorm than in it with how much his roommate amorously makes love to his girlfriend. Luckily, his cute across-the-hall neighbor is generous about lending her place to him. Bucky’s unsure if he wants to hug or kiss his roommate for putting him in the situation he is in now.

Note: Thank you for sending this in! :) This trope is the OG.

Count: 3948

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You would say that every meeting you've had with James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is always a series of unfortunate events.

The first time was when you were locked outside of your dorm room because you're an idiot without a roommate. Since it wasn't your first incident, you were very reluctant to call the campus security guard to let you in. You're pretty sure he hates you.

Luckily, across the hall, you had some new neighbors.

"You must be James-"

"Bucky, please," he offers you an easy, charming smile.

"Bucky, nice to meet you," you smiled back.

You had been standing outside your door for quite sometime when Bucky came back, explaining how Steve was out with his girlfriend. As it would be, Bucky knew how to pick a locked door open. You only got a laugh when you asked him about such questionable skills he had.

The next time you met Bucky was when you spilled your grocery bags all over the floor before entering into your building. Bucky seemed to just arrive home from his afternoon classes.

"This is so embarrassing," you muttered with flushed cheeks as Bucky helped you pick everything up.

"Well, no use crying over spilled milk."

"I haven't bought milk," you joked, causing him to laugh. Bucky had helped you carry your groceries in.

"No roommate?" He looked around the place, seeing how the extra room you had turned into a study room.

"Nope! Well, I mean, I had one earlier in the year, but she moved out after 3 months to transfer to another university. They didn't assign me with anyone else."

"Lucky," Bucky sighed.

"Roommate problems?" You raised your brow. You had come to know that Bucky and Steve have been friends since they were in diapers, now seemingly grown and going to university together too.

It seemed hard to believe the two friends would not like rooming together.

"Not problems, per se," Bucky licked his lips. "Just Steve likes to bring Peggy over a lot, and she stays the night often. I guess her roommate is kind of a psychopath."

You nodded slowly and understandingly. It was probably difficult to get studying done or sleep with hearing your roommate fuck at night.

"Well," you offer him a nervous smile, "you are always welcome here if you need the space to study."

"Thanks, doll."

It seems after that, Bucky took your offer quite seriously. Over the next few weeks, he would show up to your place in the evening needing some quiet to work on his papers and upcoming tests.

You certainly didn't mind the company, sometimes having the place to yourself could be a little lonely when everyone else had their roommates to hang out with.

It was almost kind of nice—an easy friendship brewing between the two of you.

The thought of dating never really crossed your mind because you weren't ignorant of the fact that Bucky was wildly popular across campus. Steve was too, but Peggy Carter was also wildly popular herself, making them a dream couple.

So, all sorts of people were trying to put themselves on Bucky's radar.

And, well, you were just you.

You were just flittering through your university life. You had friends, of course, game nights were on Friday, and went out on the occasional weekend to drink.

Really, the only time you got to spend time with Bucky was within your dorm building.

"I brought takeout!" Bucky holds up thick bags with food. You can smell the contents right away and smile.

"Thai food?" You smile, hopeful, in case you're somehow wrong.

Bucky grins at you as you let him in. He puts the bags on the counter, and you help him take the things out.

"Yeah, I saw you staring at their building while I was on the way to class the other day," he laughs. "How long did you stand there?"

You felt your cheeks warm at being caught by someone.

"Only ten minutes," you mumble.

Bucky licks his tongue against his bottom lip, smiling at you as he takes a seat.

You moan, almost a little inappropriately when you take your first bite.

"God, it's been way too long," you sigh happily as you munch away.

Bucky laughs, "For someone who likes Thai food so much, I don't see you eat it too often."

You shrug. "Thai food is one of those things where there's a lot of dishes that are shared. My friends, unfortunately, don't share my love for Thai food."

"Blasphemous!" Bucky gasps dramatically and jokingly, but you follow along with a firm nod.

"That's what I've been saying!"

Bucky grins. "Alright, how about your boyfriend?"

You roll your head over to Bucky with a look. "I think as often as you spend here, you should know by now I don't have one."

"Just checking," Bucky shrugs. "Any particular reason why?"

You quirk your brow at him. "Well, I'll tell you if you tell me why you haven't got a girl. Lord knows you don't have a shortage of options."

Bucky chuckles as he looks at you, scooping more food into your mouth. His eyes soften for just a moment.

"Just waiting on the right girl is all," he says, looking back at his food when you look up at him.

"Ah, then we're two peas in a pod," you smile, "I'm also waiting for the right person, and unfortunately, the only guys on my roster right now are frat boys."

You scrunch your face a little, and Bucky lets out a burst of laughter at your expression.

"Any particular reason for that?" He asks.

"One of my friends is in a sorority," you sigh. "She thinks she can get me to join if she shoves hot guys my way. I'm actually going to get dragged to a party on Saturday."

"Well," Bucky licks his lip, "is it working?"

"Not even in the slightest," you smirk.

Bucky grins.

⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶✞⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

"I don't want to study anymore, my brain is melting," Bucky groans as he leans back against your couch with his head facing the ceiling.

His eyes shut as he tries to make all the words disappear from his head, and you laugh at him.

"It's only been two hours," you point out. "Don't you have a huge test on Saturday afternoon?"

"I can't," Bucky moans dramatically. "I can't anymore. I should accept my inevitable doom and fail."

You roll your eyes with a smile as you lean forward and close his books. "Alright, drama queen. I think you just need a break. Why don't we just put on a movie?"

"Annnnd, now my brain is unmelting," Bucky sits up with an excited twinkle in his eye.

You end up watching three movies, but by the third movie, you fall asleep.

Bucky sits there, eyes drifting to you with ease as the movie plays on.

You snored a little, causing him to smile involuntarily.

Alright, Bucky admits, you were just beyond adorable to him.

But finding the right person also takes time.

⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶✞⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

Friday night is game night.

Your friends get much too rowdy as you try to quiet them down, knowing Bucky is probably trying to study across the hall.

One of your friends drinks way too much and ends up passing out on the couch, dead to the world.

"Alright, let's call it a night," you yawn as you stand up and stretch. It's well past 1 AM as your friends get up.

"Should we wake him?" One of your friends asks.

"Nah, just leave him. I don't even know if he will wake up," you and your friends share a quick laugh as they leave your building.

"Don't forget we have the party tomorrow," your friend, Mary Jane, pulls you in for a hug.

"Right," you drawl, "Another attempt to find me a gross, frat boyfriend?"

"I mean, show me another guy on your roster, and I won't try to drag you to these parties," Mary Jane laughs.

You made some noise of agreement as you pat her back before she lets go, walking to the door and giving you a little wave before leaving.

You stretch again before you go to your closet to bring out an extra blanket and set it over your friend. You grab a glass of water and some Advil because you know that poor sucker will feel it tomorrow.

You look in the fridge and groan when you see you've run out of eggs. Typically, you wouldn't mind getting them in the morning, but your friend was someone who needed food immediately when they were hungover. You weren't willing to wake up any earlier to get the eggs in the morning, so you closed the fridge and got ready to head to the 24-hour convenience store down the block.

You were casually scrolling through your phone as you left your apartment. When you opened the door, you could hear some...sounds from Bucky's apartment, and you felt instant pity for the man. You were ready to leave the building when a figure sitting in the lobby scared the shit out of you.

"Holy fuc--Bucky?"

Bucky looked up with slightly bleary eyes, and it looks like he was still studying as he had his textbook in his lap along with his notebook.

"Oh, what are you doing down here?" He asked, sounding rather tired.

"What are you doing down here?" You retorted. "It's almost 2 AM. Don't you have a huge test tomorrow?"

"...Steve and Peggy had a fight..." Bucky pressed his lips together, and you don't need to ask further that the noises you heard earlier were them making up.

You wheedle from foot to foot while you look at Bucky. He looks exhausted, and you feel awful he's been sitting out here for God knows how long.

"How long were you out here for?"

"I don't know," Bucky shrugs, "Couple hours?"

You sigh. "Why didn't you just let me know. You could've come over."

"It was game night for you, wasn't it?" Bucky blinks because he was pretty sure he saw your sorority friend leave about 10 minutes ago.

You let out a pretty deep sigh, holding your hand out in front of him.

He scrunches his brows.

"C'mon," you wiggle your fingers, "come get some eggs with me, and you can crash at my place tonight."

Bucky gives you a light grin as he closes his textbook and grabs your hand as you put very little effort into pulling him up.

⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶✞⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

There's a body.

In the place where Bucky thought he was going to sleep.

You don't seem to pay any mind to it as you put the eggs and orange juice away in the fridge.

Bucky is thinking a mile a minute.

The couch was taken, and the extra room you had was turned into a study room.

Was he supposed to sleep on the carpet? Were you going to give him a sleeping bag?

"Hey," Bucky grabs your attention, "Where should I crash?"

You shut the fridge door, running your hand through your hair as you make your way to your room.

"We can just bunk in the same bed," you say with a shrug, and Bucky thinks he might have a heart attack.

"You're okay with that?" Bucky asks slowly.

You shrug again, "Yeah, I bunk with people all the time. Don't you? It's like part of the university experience."

Bucky doesn't know how to say that he's probably doing more than just sleeping when he bunks with someone.

You turn around and lean at your doorframe, quirking your brow with a smirk.

"Don't tell me you aren't enough of an adult to share a bed with me."

Getting a rise out of Bucky seems to work as Bucky stalks into your bedroom.

"I'll show you an adult," he mutters childishly, and you roll your eyes with a smile.

And although Bucky says such big words, he's lying stiff as a board on the bed. He lies as close to the edge as possible without falling with his back turned to you, and you can't help but chuckle a little.

"You can unclench, you know. I hardly doubt you'll get some rest if you lie there like a metal rod," you say, but you're also lying pretty close to the edge with your back turned to him, though not as stiff.

It's silent for a moment, but eventually, you feel the bed shift a little as Bucky relaxes.

It's silent again, and you feel yourself starting to fall asleep.

"Who was that on your couch?" Bucky asks, breaking the silence.

"Hm?" You hum, opening your eyes slightly. "Oh, just a friend. He usually doesn't come to game night, but his boyfriend is visiting back home this weekend. He went a little too hard on the drinks."

"He's gay?"

"Yeah, got a problem?" You ask almost daring Bucky to say he does.

"Definitely not," Bucky smiles.

It's silent again.

"So--"

"Go to sleep, dumbass, you have a test in the morning," you say without opening your eyes. You hear Bucky chuckle softly.

"Goodnight, doll."

"Goodnight," you smile.

⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶✞⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

Warm.

Bucky felt warm. Maybe a little too warm.

He hasn't opened his eyes yet, but he can feel sunlight hitting his face and hear the birds chirping outside.

Bucky takes a deep breath in and feels shifting in his arms. He moves a little, pulling the warmth in closer.

He roughly hums in the back of his throat when he feels lips press against his collarbone.

It hits him like a freight train.

Bucky immediately opens his eyes, his body becoming rigid again as you come into view.

What started with the two of you sleeping at the furthest edges of the bed with your backs turned to each other ended up being the very opposite.

Sometime during the middle of the night, the two of you gravitated towards the middle of the bed. You were wrapped up in his arms, head just under his chin. He could feel your breath on the base of this throat, and it was giving him goosebumps.

Your hands were wrapped around his back, gripping his shirt slightly. Bucky couldn't even move too much with your legs intertwined with his. A groan wanted to escape his lips with his thigh wedged between your legs.

Bucky tried to move slowly without waking you.

He really did.

But then you let out a whine, holding him tighter and clenching your legs to lock his thigh in.

"Stop moving," you whined.

God, Bucky doesn't think he'll make it. He's already got morning wood, and this is too much.

He calls your name in an attempt to wake you up.

"Doll, you gotta get up, I have a test soon," he says instead when you hardly react to him calling your name.

This time, you do blearily open your eyes with a huff.

You untangle yourself from him as Bucky lets out a quiet sigh of relief. Sitting up, you let out a yawn and let out a big stretch, your shirt riding a little up as you do.

You look at your clock.

"Alright, there's about an hour before your test. Eat some breakfast before you go."

"It's really fin--"

"Break. fast."

You leave the room, and Bucky is left sitting there by himself. The morning passes quickly as you make breakfast. The sounds nor the smell seem to wake your friend up.

"Good luck on your test!" You smile at him as you make him a breakfast sandwich for him to go.

Bucky smiles back with a 'thanks' before he leaves your place confused.

Did this morning not affect you at all? Did you not see him as a man?

Bucky was distracted during the whole test.

⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶✞⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

You held your smile until you heard the footsteps fade from your door.

After that, you nearly screamed. You stalked over to your hungover friend and whipped a pillow into his face.

"Ack!" He wakes up, nearly falling off the couch. He groans instantly when he sees your face.

"I'm so hungover, oh my god," your friend moans.

Your face feels hot as it's flushed in embarrassment. "This is all your fault for drinking too much and crashing on the couch! I should've pushed you onto the floor!"

You let out a groan before you stalked off to the washroom, closing the door.

Your friend sits up, looking at the plate of eggs and bacon on the table.

"What'd I do?"

⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶✞⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

The entire day leading up to the party is spent with you trying to contain your embarrassment. You're trying to repress the memory of being pressed up against Bucky and clingy.

You didn't hear from Bucky after his test, and you were much too mortified to say anything, so you hadn't texted him either.

"You look constipated, please take some shots and relax," Mary Jane hands you tequila with a lime slice.

You shoot back the shot without hesitation.

"Alright," Mary Jane whistles, "Do I even want to know what's got your panties in a knot?"

"Nope," you shake your head.

"Alright, fair enough. Get some more drinks and mingle!" Mary Jane turns her attention past you. You look behind and see her current boyfriend, Harry, enter the room with kegs.

You sigh when Mary Jane looks at you with puppy eyes.

"Go," you tell her. She squeals and kisses you on the cheek before rushing off.

You do flitter through the party, catching up with some friends, and getting some drinks.

As embarrassed as you are, the last thing you want is to get sloppy, so you don't overdo it.

But as you already know, luck is never on your side.

Especially when you see Bucky walking into the party. People are getting excited and rushing up to say hi to him because Bucky rarely goes to frat parties.

The two of you lock eyes instantly, and the memory of this morning rushes back, and you wished the ground would open up and swallow you.

'Play it cool,' you tell yourself as you turn back to the group of people you're standing with.

You're not even sure what they've been talking about, and there's no way you could focus on that now.

Bucky doesn't seem to be rushing up to you either. He's drinking a beer with Harry as a crowd surrounds them.

You can see girls in the back looking at him and whispering, and you feel the burn in your gut now for some reason.

God, were you such a cliché that sharing a bed with Bucky actually made you think that way about him?

The night seems to continue on, and even though you keep catching eyes with Bucky, neither of you seems willing to make the first move.

You head over to the bar to get more drinks when someone approaches you and orders you a drink.

You internally groan.

Brock Rumlow.

A real piece of work.

He made it into Theta Chi, well-known to be a troublemaker.

He was known to sleep around and make unwanted advances towards girls and was hardly passing his classes.

Brock had turned his attention to you lately, which you flat out rejected him. It helped that you were friends with Mary Jane, who was dating Harry, the president of Theta Chi, and could tell Brock to back off.

But Brock Rumlow liked to push his boundaries.

"You look pretty good tonight, did you dress pretty for me?" He smirks at you, and you roll your eyes.

"Fuck off, Rumlow. I already told you I'm not interested," you look away, not bothering to take the drink he ordered for you.

"Now don't be like that, you haven't even gotten to know me yet," Brock leans against the counter close to you.

"And as I've explicitly told you, no," you whip your head back and glare at him.

You're about to walk off and see if you could find Mary Jane and Harry when Brock grabs your arm.

"What the fuck-" You start to say when another arm comes into view, grabbing Brock's wrist.

You look over to see Bucky standing there with his lip pressed into a thin line as he grips Brock's wrist hard enough until he lets go.

"Ow--what's your problem, dude?" Brock holds his wrist before shaking the pain off.

"Keep your hands off her," Bucky cocks his brow as he stands in front of you.

"How about you mind your business," Brock glares at him. "What? Are you her boyfriend?"

Bucky is standing so close to you that you can see his muscles tense, and you find yourself wrapping your arms around him from behind.

"Yes," you interrupt as Bucky lifts his arm over you and then around you so that you're tucked by his side. "He is my boyfriend."

You look up with a loving smile, trying to play the part when you find Bucky's steel-blue eyes gazing back at you.

He licks his lips, teeth dragging over his bottom lip, you swear so slowly before he smirks and looks back at Brock.

"So," Bucky keeps smiling, "fuck off."

"You could've just said you had a boyfriend," Brock grumbles at you like it's your fault somehow.

"My girlfriend doesn't have to say anything. Do you need to be taken back to elementary school to understand what 'no' or 'I'm not interested' means?" Bucky cocks his brow, and Brock sneers at him.

He looks like he wants to cause a scene, but Bucky is a well-known guy around campus, even if he's not in a fraternity house. Brock knows nothing good would come from starting a fight with Bucky, and he's already on thin ice with Harry.

And Bucky knows that.

So, he turns to you with a smile.

"C'mon, doll, let's get out of here."

As you get ready to leave, Bucky turns to Brock once more with a steely look on his face.

"Stay the fuck away from my girl."

Bucky actually leads you out of the party, saying a brief goodbye to Harry and Mary Jane, who wiggles her brows at you, and you're so grateful to have left.

The two of you walk silently but slowly back to the apartment, and you've got your arms wrapped around your midsection.

You cough, bringing Bucky's attention to you as you come to a stop under the streetlight.

"Thanks," you say a little awkwardly, "for you know, playing along."

Bucky smiles lightly.

"If those are the kind of guys on your roster, I think you should expand your horizons a little."

"Not all of us can have a guy like you on our list, but I'll take that under advisement."

You laugh, trying to play it off as a joke because even though it was all just pretend for a moment, being pressed up against Bucky as his girlfriend shouldn't have felt as good as it did.

"You can add me to your roster."

The words were said so smoothly you had almost missed it. You turn your head to Bucky, who's standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"What?" You say unsurely, convinced you might've heard him wrong.

"I told you I was waiting for the right girl," Bucky smiles, "I'm waiting for you, doll."

You feel an explosion of butterflies in your stomach, cheeks heating up as you process Bucky's words.

Every meeting you've had with Bucky is a series of unfortunate events.

And perhaps between every moment, while waiting for the right guy to come along, it only took waking up in his arms to realize maybe he was there all along.

#v.myfic #g.fluff #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fluff #avengers imagine #modern avengers au #avengers au #marvel fanfic #marvel imagine

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amphtaminedreams · 4 years

Text

Paris Haute Couture Week S/S 2020 Plus a Little Jacquemus: Okay, Dior DID Suck (Part 1/2)

Hi to anyone reading,

Oh my god. I completely forgot there was also 2 haute couture weeks. I FEEL SO OVERWHELMED. Here I was getting all geared up for the F/W 2020 shows and suddenly it’s Jean Paul Gaultier’s last show and everybody’s (predictably) buzzing about the Jacquemus collection. I can’t keep up. But Haute Couture week is a lot less intense than the RTW shows so I suppose I should be enjoying this relative peace whilst I can.

I remember my last post about Haute Couture week opened with me defending Maria Grazia from the wrath of the internet; if Jacquemus is social media’s Lord and Saviour, this woman is the Antichrist. She’s Michael Langdon minus the dramatic flair. But the thing is, I genuinely really liked the Dior collection last time. Maybe because I was newer to the discipline of scouring Vogue Runway, but the lack of originality didn’t bother me; it was still something I’d die to wear, gothic yet delicate and relevant for 2019.

That being said, this time round, I have to open by doing the exact opposite and concurring: this time round, Dior was in fact, utter shit.

I feel mean saying it but...really? These were the slightly more salvageable outfits and my favourite of the bunch, and to be honest they don’t really capture the full extent of how outdated this collection was to me. I know that the concept behind the show was this idea of the divine feminine but Greek Goddess has been done SO many times. If you’re gonna go down that route, you have to bring something new, elevate it in some way. It can’t be THIS generic.

I can’t believe that in 2020 we’re really seeing plaited hairbands. The individual dresses are basic, but not so much the problem as the styling; they look like outfits I would’ve put together back in 2012. That’s not an exaggeration. I think even 2013 me would appreciate that you need to make things a little twisty.

The colour scheme is pretty, don’t get me wrong, and I like the cowl necks-the white dresses are the highlights. I think the concept of this collection was conceived with all the best intentions. But as a designer you need to take risks and I don’t see one single risk here; there isn’t anything that wouldn’t already be sold in your local H&M. Dior is such an established brand, Maria Grazia has room to do whatever she wants. And yet it just comes across like she’s out of ideas.

You’ve got to look at a designer like Ulyana Sergeenko:

When I say elevated (but still in the vein of wearable), I mean something like this. To be completely honest, I hadn’t heard of Ulyana Sergeenko until I saw shots of this show on Twitter. But what a perfect mix of kitsch and glamour. The influences are clear: Priscilla Presley, Barbie, Jackie O, Valley of the Dolls, the rich stay-at-home wife of the 60s, the Alessandra Rich/Scream Queens-esque sorority girl, Paris fucking Hilton. It’s exaggerated and it’s tongue in cheek with total grounds to call it trashy-there’s a corset resembling a Benjamin Franklin, ffs-but it’s all done with a wink and a nudge. And in all honesty, I just think it’s beautiful. Can you imagine Frances O’Sullivan (@Beautyspock on IG) in one of these looks? It would be worthy of the Rose McGowan cultural reset meme ten times over.

Everything is feline, from the very literal cat silhouettes and cat headed boa, to the makeup and the hair clips. It reminds me of the last RTW Ralph and Russo show but with even more attention to detail. And look at the STAGE. If this collection were a song, it’d be Disco Tits by Tove Lo. And no, I’m not just saying that because one of the dresses actually does feature a (cat shaped) disco tit. Like these are the clothes I dreamed of putting my Bratz dolls, and for null I’m sure, myself in. Absolute perfection. Plus, I’ve loved Coco Rocha since she was on The Face with Naomi Campbell; she is, after all, to thank for the iconic “check your lipstick before you come for me” line. Girl is really the martyr for all purple lipstick lovers, cut down in her prime by a pissed-off Naomi.

Onto Alexandre Vauthier, which I also really liked. An interesting yet effortless blend of the old and the new, the masculine and the feminine, if I could sum this collection up in one word, it would be cool. I know, it’s not the most descriptive, but it pretty much sums up how I feel; I’m not AS gassed about it as I am about Ulyana Sergeenko or this season’s Elie Saab (wait for it), but it’s a fresh offering, even if the styles aren’t the most groundbreaking. Stand outs for me are the almost petticoat like, debutante dresses which have Elle Fanning’s name written all over them.

I was hard pressed to find favourites in the Armani Privé collection if I’m honest. I’m not saying it was awful, all I know is that it just isn’t my style. It’s all a bit TOO tailored for my liking, and kinda reminds me of the Zara pantsuits my Spanish teacher used to wear. In other words, I find it to be a bit dowdy. On a positive note, the colours, fabrics, and beading are all stunning, so I see that a lot of craftsmanship clearly went into it; I think my biggest issue is the styling and the shapes (or lack of) on show. I’m very much getting a 20s, flapper vibe and whilst that’s an era that fascinates me and that I appreciate was cutting-edge at the time, I’ve yet to see it be bought into the 21st century in a way that doesn’t look stiff or costume-y.

Then there’s Azzaro. At the complete opposite end of the scale to Armani, it doesn’t look expensive, which I’m sure isn’t something any designer previewing their collection at haute couture week is striving for. BUT that being said, I’d be much more likely to wear something from this collection than I would from Armani Privé. I mean, I have no shot at ever wearing either but ya get me.

Whilst I’m sure it or something similar has been done before, the mesh diamanté dress is exquisite and I’m a huge fan of the stacked gem chokers and belts. The whole collection looks like something a London socialite who parties by night but (deep breath in) plays in a shitty band so fancies herself a bit of a rockstar by day would wear (exhale) and as much as that doesn’t sound like a compliment, I mean it as one. I’m talking about the kind of person you’d see smoking outside a bar and think “I wish I was them but I am potato lol”. I mean, as far as faux fur and fedoras are concerned, I’m gonna find it hard to completely slate a collection so this is pretty up my alley.

Chanel was a huge step up from their last RTW collection, imo, and probably on par with their last haute couture offering. It’s that same blend of preppy Chanel detailing (i.e the exaggerated collars, the checks and the lace) and practicality, only even more austere this time round.

It’s funny because when I looked back on original notes on this collection, before I’d even done any research into the context, I saw that one of the things I’d written was “giving me Victorian orphanage madame” as well as “something something Amish” and I wasn’t THAT far off base. The collection is, after all, supposed to be a tribute to the nuns who raised Coco Chanel at the beginning of the century in an Abbey-cum-orphanage. This makes me really happy; I know not everyone’s a fan of Virginie Viard’s nods back to the past and the brand’s origins but as a history nerd, I definitely am.

There’s also definitely a lot of things that can be translated into high street trends here: the combination of decorative white socks and black shoes is something I’ve seen making a comeback already, tulle is always a winner (I actually don’t mind it as an overlay, I think it’s pretty, sue me) and I have no doubt we’ll be seeing these dramatic collars creeping back onto tops and jumpers throughout the year. It’s been a while since they were a thing anyway and we all know how cyclical fashion is.

Another high note for Elie Saab this haute couture season; if I was an expressive person, I probably would’ve audibly gasped as I looked through this collection. It is SO FUCKING MAGNIFICENT. The colour scheme, the baroque prints, the floral sequinned embroidery, these are Cinderella style ballgowns taken to the next level. Elie Saab really is the definition of opulence and I’m not at all mad about it. Please, somebody put Lana Del Rey in one of these, PLEASE. Remind her how much of a princess she is and get her out of those “soccer mom” looks.

I’m so stuck between this collection and Ulyana Sergeenko as my favourite, and the latter might just pip the other to the post, purely because of the staging and extravagance of the presentation itself.

Georges Hobeika was predictably phenomenal. Like, I’m not going to lie, I am easily won over by some sequins and tulle, I’ve never claimed any different, and if you can expect that from anyone, it’s this guy (ignore that phrasing making me sound like his proud mother). The colour scheme is very spring appropriate and so is the 3D flower detailing, and if there’s anything good to take from Ascot and English royal weddings, Georges Hobeika knows it’s the hats.

It was another strong year for Givenchy too:

Though Claire Waight Keller is also fond of the extravagant details along the lines of feather and tulle, it’s always done in a more organic way; the details are always more reminiscent of nature, something created by accident, than they are suggestive of painstaking attention to detail, the image of someone hunched over a dress beading for hours on end à la Georges Hobeika or Elie Saab. That is not a bad thing at all; if anything, it makes Givenchy more interesting to study and gives you more to think about. Sometimes a dress takes you a bit longer to fully appreciate, but I’d say that only lends to its memorability. This year’s willowy, billowing, and at times coral-esque structures remind me of something I can see being worn down an Iris Van Herpen runway, set apart by that delicate Givenchy finesse. And side not: I know this post is to talk about the clothes, not the models, but I got super excited over seeing Sora Choi and Adut Akech walk too.

Guo Pei is always fun to look at. I mean, this collection is giving me half Matryoshka dolls, half It’s A Small World Christmas edition and I can’t hate on that.

And then there’s Iris Van Herpen, who knocked it out of the park once again. At this point, I wouldn’t expect anything less. Every outfit looks like something that could be exhibited in the Tate Modern (I know, it’s a basic opinion, but it’s true: TATE MODERN IS THE BEST MUSEUM IN LONDON), or honestly, the Design Museum, just for the genius that must go into the way these dresses move. Honestly, if I can see a goddess wearing anything, it’s more one of these looks than anything in the Dior collection. Like wife of Poseidon or something; I know it’s not very feminist of me to not know the Greek Goddess of the sea’s name but I only know who Poseidon is because I was a Percy Jackson fan back in the day so let me live.

It’s not like the whole under-the-sea theme is particularly new, Zimmerman did something similar last RTW (I think? Correct me if I’m wrong), but these constructions could’ve grown out of the sea bed themselves, which is more of an original take than “oo, blue and white and frothy hemlines!”. Additionally, we’ve got these dresses with the overlapping almost plaited fabric that are-we’re sticking with the goddess references here-fit for Persephone ruling over hell. As for the Grudge-looking dress (fourth down, far left), I could be reaching, but is anyone else seeing that as a nod to the oil spills polluting our oceans? Because that would just add yet another layer to this collection.

Regardless, it’s all impeccable and I’m in love. Iris Van Herpen as a MET Gala theme. Make it happen.

Anyway, to end on a high note, that’s it for this post!

Sorry it’s such a sudden cut-off but Jean Paul Gaultier was due to be my second to last to review and due to it being the final show, there’s an onslaught of photos that would not fit with what’s already in this post. Plus, I’d rather start a post with Jacquemus then end it as I feel like there’s a lot of hype around his collections online right now so 1). it’s clickbait (for what, I do not know, as I’m not exactly making any money off this blog, just losing my sanity as it transpires when Tumblr accidentally terminated it earlier today and I had a minor breakdown) and 2). this Steve Buscemi meme is the most accurate representation of only 21 year old me to grace the internet:

I will aim to post part 2/2 in the next week, including JPG, as I just mentioned, the Jacquemus co-ed show, Margiela, Valentino and more, and as always, thank you for anyone who read until the end! You are an angel:-)

Lauren x

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tuanhood · 4 years

Text

delta

pairing: professional frat!jackson wang x reader

genre: lot of fluff, pining from afar, professional frat

warnings: none

word count: 3,700+

summary: when you joined your school’s co-ed professional frat all you had wanted was to get valuable business connections and resources that could help you in your future career. you really didn’t think you would end up with a huge fat crush on mr. popular.

a/n: soooo this one is a little different because I know everyone always writes fics about jackson being the guy who throws the party or the kinda party boy type so I wanted to do something less expected and lil more soft. also this is unedited and lowkey a mess but :) yeehaw a post.

You weren’t sure whether to scream or cry.

All you knew was that you wanted Jackson Wang. Badly.

Most of the girls that tended to crowd around him simply fell at his feet for his ridiculously good looks – which you had to agree was true – but you wanted more than just that. You wanted everything that Jackson was and is. His looks, his sense of humor, his kindness and his brain. You had been addicted to him since you joined Delta Sigma Pi at the beginning of the school year and you had to do something before you overdosed.

It hadn’t been your intentions to fall so head over heels for someone who you had mostly admired from afar and talked to in passing, but you really couldn’t help it. You had become a part of Delta Sigma Pi only for the possible connections it could bring you in your future. If you had wanted to join something more social you would have rushed a sorority like some of the girls in your dorm Freshman year.

In fact, you were pretty against everything the Greek system stood for and advertised, but when you had heard of co-ed professional fraternities that aimed to help students make connections in their chosen profession and encourage advancement, you changed your mind. Instead of an organization that prided itself on binge drinking and toxic behavior, you joined Deltasig – a business fraternity for male and female students that centered on “professional” activities and fundamentals.

Of course, there were still “social” gatherings amongst the conferences, workshops and service activities that filled most of the members’ schedules. The social events were never really your thing – you’d much rather focus on advancing your future then drunk on a dance floor and squished in between two of the brothers you took a startup workshop with. You started to avoid and skip that aspect of Deltasig until you had taken notice of Jackson.

To be completely honest you had noticed Jackson long before you started getting little butterflies in your stomach every time you were in a room with him, but it wasn’t until two months into the school year that things changed.

You had shown up rather early to one of the weekly meetings – finishing class an hour before and not wanting to go all the way back home, then back up to campus. You had settled down at one of the tables and decided to take out your sketchbook to kill some time, not expecting anyone else to show up until at most thirty minutes before the meeting start time. With your hectic schedule this year and a heavy class load, it wasn’t often anymore that you could find time to work on your clothing sketches. It was your dream to have your own fashion label and company – an avenue where you could be creative through designing and also be a ball busting career woman with her own business to run. You hoped joining Deltasig would help you there.

It wasn’t until you had finished the shading of a winter coat that you realized you weren’t alone.

“Nice design.”

The deep voice had startled you – so much so that your pencil had fallen from your grasp and made its way to nearly the other side of the room. “Shit. Sorry about that,” you looked up from the table to be met with probably the brownest eyes you had ever seen. Your minimal encounters with Jackson before hadn’t prepared you for this up-close moment where all you could focus on was every little detail on his perfect face, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Immediately, you positioned your eyes down and back to the sketchbook not wanting to creep him out at how much you apparently now loved staring at him.

“Totally fine,” you mumbled, still not daring to look back at him. You had heard so many girl – not just in Deltasig but all over campus talking about how mesmerizing Jackson Wang was. Legend has it that once you make direct eye contact with him, you’re placed under an unbreakable spell and become his forever. That kind of talk had always made you laugh. How could a human being – just a person has the capabilities to make another human being feel that way? Maybe it was because you had never been into the social partying thing or really ever had time to date due to your focus on designing clothes, but you couldn’t understand it. That was until that day.

More silence had settled between you and Jackson. You figured that by the way you were reacting, he probably thought you were rude. Somehow in your mind you had comprehended that maybe Jackson hating your guys would actually help you. If he didn’t like you then he would ultimately spend less time around you, therefore you would no longer have to feel whatever it was you were feeling as a result to being around him for less than two minutes.

“Let me get your pencil for you,” it was like you couldn’t make use of your body properly. As soon as he said it, you found your head whipping up to look at him go to the spot where your long-forgotten drawing utensil had landed. Your brain had repeatedly said “no look away” as Jackson leaned down to grab it, but your head remained stagnant in its place, eyes fixated on his back and the way his shoulder muscles moved.

Luckily you found yourself snapping out of the Wang induced trance as he stood up and turned back to return the pencil. To you it felt like you were being obvious and acting like a complete lunatic, but to sweet clueless Jackson he thought nothing strange of it.

“Here ya go. Sorry again,” Jackson smiled as he placed the pencil down on the table near the sketchbook, “you’re really good by the way. Is fashion design the reason why you joined?”

As much as you had wanted to respond to him, your mouth felt dry and your stomach churned in anxiety, afraid of saying the wrong thing. Instead, you nodded in response and despite your clear hesitations in conversing with him, Jackson smiled once again, “well that’s awesome. We’re really happy to have you in the frat Y/N.”

That was the last thing he had said to you before heading to his seat to also wait for other members to show up and start the meeting. The fact that Jackson Wang had knew your name made you want to blush and hide under a rock all in the same moment.

Ever since then you tried to push down your feelings for Jackson. You had heard crazy things about him – that he was very much into the small “social” part of Deltasig and even partook in a partying life outside of the org. That life wasn’t necessarily for you and that gave you more reasons to shove your daily fantasies of you and Jackson married with two children and successful companies out of your mind.

Despite all that talk of the kind of life Jackson led, you couldn’t ignore the way he acted at meetings and frat events. The way he would always encourage whoever had the floor to share an idea or concern, the way he would make sure to laugh twice as hard at someone’s joke if no one thought it was funny and especially the way he carried himself during workshops. He went from kind and alluring goofball to professional businessman. You loved a man with duality.

Then you started going to the Deltasig mixers and no longer could you ignore your feelings. It was all downhill from there.

They weren’t the average frat party where hundreds of people would show up and overall chaos would occur. Instead, the parties were more on the scale of just friends getting together to have a good time. Discovering that notion made you feel more open and comfortable in this kind of setting and you told yourself that was the reason you started going. Not because Jackson would always be in attendance.

You tried to be the average partygoer, but every time you would find your eyes drifting over to Jackson who was always in the middle of telling a story, dramatically using his arms to emphasize certain points. The smile he would get on his face when the person he was talking to would nod and laugh along made you feel even more sucked in. You weren’t even apart of the conversation but you felt Jackson’s charisma and just overall goodness in every part of you.

Then at a certain point during the party – every single time – you swear you could sense Jackson looking at you. You never look to see if you’re right and you’re unsure of what scares you more – being wrong or being right.

And now as you stood here, at probably the seventh Deltasig social you had been to, you once again watched the countless other girls in your frat fawn over Jackson. The girls obsessing over him and trying to get his attention wasn’t a new thing, after all this was the seventh time you were experiencing it. Only this time it was getting to you a lot more than before.

It was mostly being caused from the fifth – or was it the sixth? – “special” mixed drink Mark had made you in the kitchen.

“I don’t know I just throw in whatever sounds like it would be good,” he had said.

That had been good enough for you.

“Let me know if you decide to go for the MBA, my dad’s on the board of admissions at Northwestern and could totally help. Anything for that extra edge, right?”

It’s difficult to ignore how loud Hana is trying to sell her connections to Jackson. As if that’s what’s going to make him interested in her. Why would you want to be with a guy if all he liked about you was the fact your dad could write him a cushy letter of recommendation? She’s not the first however, and she’s certainly not the last.

Jackson smiled at her and you can’t help but smile in return from across the backyard. You’ve identified practically every different type of Jackson Wang smile and based off the way his mouth stretches across his face along with his eyes fixated downwards, it’s the “I’m smiling just to be nice” smile. It makes you satisfied.

“I’m good for now, but I’ll definitely let you know if anything changes. Thanks Hana, you’ve always been so helpful.” It amazed you how he could be so genuine with everyone about nearly everything. It certainly didn’t fit the picture of the Jackson who apparently always parties. But what did you know?

Hana smiled once more at Jackson before she cut her losses and headed back into house. You waited to see who the next contestant would be to try their tricks on Jackson. You watched and watched, looking at Jackson and surveying his every move. It wasn’t long before you realized that you had been staring at Jackson for an unfathomable amount of time – a clear sign that the alcohol had hit you. You didn’t drink ever and it felt like the effects of Mark’s special mixed drinks had come all at once.

“Y/N are you okay?”

It felt like you were getting lost in trance after trance, as though you couldn’t focus on one thing entirely. Your thoughts were so scattered you didn’t even notice Jackson’s approach.

“Y/N?”

Since you had started coming to the Deltasig socials you had never directly spoken to Jackson. Sure, during meetings and workshops there would be a word or two that would be exchanged between the two of you, but never a real conversation. Those were also under more professional circumstances and even though this was still a “professional frat” event, it didn’t have the same implications.

Blinking, you snapped out of your daze and looked at Jackson on your side, “y-yeah. I’m fine… just- why does it seem like I’m not okay?” Rather than the teasing tone you wanted to convey; you came off as genuinely concerned for yourself. Which was… good?

He sipped from the red cup he was holding and you feel yourself lose focus once again – this time on his pink heart shaped lips. “You were just kind of staring at me… for like a long time.”

Sober you would be embarrassed, but drunk you smiled at his words. Despite staring – something that was weird – Jackson still made you feel comfortable, like it wasn’t a strange thing to do.

“Oh yeah sorry. I was just enjoying the view,” you almost want to bite your tongue at how candid you are, but you figured that the Jackson that everyone knows and loves would just smile and shrug it off like he always does.

Instead you ended up being surprised, “oh really… and what view is that?”

You swear that the alcohol is playing with your mind, because even if Jackson is saying that to you, then it certainly can’t be in the tone that you think it is. It was hard to distinguish what was real and what was in your head.

“Just you,” drunk you is very surprising, but you kind of liked her.

You tried to read Jackson’s face, but for once you couldn’t. Instead of one of the smiles you had memorized and etched into your brain, you were taken aback to be met with Jackson’s blank face. For someone who was always smiling, it made you feel like you had whiplash at his out of character demeanor. “Y/N… I think you’re drunk.”

You were drunk? Okay yes… maybe you were, but after spending the party staring at Jackson and all of these months watching is every move it was clear that you were drunk on more than just alcohol. You’ve been drunk for months and right now was the tipping point.

“No. YOU’RE drunk.” You couldn’t believe that out of all the things you could say in response, you had chosen the one where you accuse him of being drunk. Jackson furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and looked down at the cup in his hand, “that would be impossible considering the fact that I don’t drink.”

Now you were the one left confused. After all the things you had heard surrounding Jackson, him not drinking didn’t really match with that, “are you sure?”

A smile stretched across his face and he lets out a little laugh. Your heart warms when you realized it’s one of his better smiles – his “that’s so funny, please tell me more” smile. If you had to spend the rest of your life seeing that smile, you’d never have a reason to be upset ever again.

“I’m sure I don’t drink alcohol.”

Your eyes widened at his reveal, “what? You don’t drink? The Jackson Wang? Party animal?”

It’s then you notice that most everyone else has left the backyard to go inside. The table that had once been full of drinks and surrounded by groups of people was suddenly cleared and deserted. You could still make out a hum coming from inside the house where people were still continuing the kickback, but from the empty backyard you suddenly felt so removed from it all.

Jackson takes a step closer to you, and frowns. At this point your mind is too hazy to analyze what kind of frown it is. Whether it’s a genuine frown or one of Jackson’s pouty frowns he wears when he gets teased by his friends, “Party animal? Where’s that coming from?”

You shrugged, “it’s just what I’ve heard… ya know through the grapevine.”

“Well I’m definitely not a party animal, so let’s clear that up now.”

“I just thought since everyone always-” you began, but he abruptly cut you off seeming a bit annoyed – something you hadn’t seen from him before, “Well not everyone knows what I’m actually like. They just make assumptions, I guess… I didn’t think you were like that though.”

The way he says the last part isn’t out of anger or annoyance, instead he sounds disappointed which makes you feel even worse. You grow quiet, your head beginning to hurt – unsure if it’s from Jackson’s reaction or the alcohol, you crouch down to the ground and place your head in your hands.

Jackson crouches down beside you out of concern and you’re barely able to make out his question of whether you’re okay or not. All you hear is an annoying ringing sound and Jackson and the yard in front of you begins to spin.

“I’m never drinking again,” you mumbled mostly to yourself, but you hear Jackson chuckle.

You feel yourself freeze and the ringing go away when Jackson reaches forward to tuck a strand of hair behind your hair, “you probably shouldn’t have had any of Mark’s drinks. They’re known to be lethal.”

“How did you know I had Mark’s drinks?”

This time it’s Jackson’s turn to freeze, his cheeks heating up, “just… took notice I guess.”

Jackson Wang had noticed you? You knew that he was attentive, the caring kind of guy who always looked after his friends, but this was different. It made the world stop spinning and your headache magically disappear as if you had been granted some sort of clarity.

You felt words on the tip of your tongue that could embarrass yourself further in front of Jackson. So much so that it could drive you to drop out of Deltasig and kiss your hopes and dreams of making connections in the business world goodbye. But the haze of the alcohol and Jackson’s big brown eyes right in front of you provoked you to let the words out.

“I always notice you Jackson.”

As soon as the words are out in the open, you look down at the ground not wanting to meet Jackson’s gaze, just as you had the day, he caught you drawing in your sketchbook. The silence that looms between the two of you feels heavy as it’s not often that Jackson’s left speechless. Even in awkward situations he always has something to say or a way to break the tension. You had seen it countless times before with all of the groupies in the frat that hang around him, so why now did he have nothing left to say?

You cleared your throat, “anyways… maybe I should get going since I’m drunk and all…” Despite your words you made no effort to get up off the ground, instead you felt yourself nervously tug at the grass around your feet still waiting for a word from Jackson.

Finally, after what felt like forever you felt like you could breathe.

“Is it the same way that I notice you?”

You know what he means, you know exactly what he means and it makes your heart stop. Your fingers leave the newest tuft of grass that you’ve pulled out of the ground and look back to Jackson. You’ve never seen him look so small and shy before; the alcohol makes you want to wrap your arms around him. Nodding at his question, you see a smile appear on his face. A smile that you haven’t seen before, one that you haven’t memorized and analyzed.

He licks his lips, “Y/N… I’ve never really been interested in parties or these stupid socials… I only really started going because I thought you would be there. I wanted to come up to you so many times, but… I just chickened out. I know we don’t know each other that well, but ever since you joined Deltasig I can’t get you out of my head. I only joined the frat to keep in mind what’s really important to me – my future – and I never thought much about making friends or,” he paused, “dating… It just wasn’t on my mind. But then I met you and I don’t know what it is… whenever I’m in a room with you I can’t stop looking at you. Ugh, that probably sounds psychotic, doesn’t it?”

You’re hanging on every word of his confession and soon find yourself laughing when he reaches the end. This entire time you had thought Jackson was this super cool, unattainable guy who paid you no mind. That he was the kind of person who was nice to everyone and had an aura to him that caused him to be labeled as one of the members of Deltasig that loved to party. But that was all wrong… Apparently, he was just like you.

“Are you laughing because you find me creepy or is it because of the alcohol?”

When you finally catch your breath, you fan yourself feeling hot from your intoxicated state and the laughter that had consumed you, “actually neither. I’m laughing because I’ve felt the exact same way.”

His face lights up and you once again catch a glimpse of that new smile. It makes you position yourself closer to him, leaning in until you can feel his breath and he can hear your heartbeat.

Just as you lick your lips and are about to close your eyes, you feel him move his hand forward to brush your hair out of your face for the second time of the night. Jackson looks at you with such a fondness that he almost convinces you that you’re a fragile doll that needs to be protected.

“I really really want to kiss you… but not while you’re drunk.” His words make sense, but they cause you to pout. You wanted his lips on yours as soon as humanly possible.

Jackson looks at you shyly once again, “can I walk you home instead?”

You felt like this was the beginning of something, the beginning of something so big and so important that never seemed fathomable before. All you had really wanted was for Jackson to look at you the same way you looked at him. It was a simple request that you never thought would be fulfilled, but with your new favorite smile etched on Jackson’s face, you felt a new kind of electricity run through your body.

“I would love that.”

#got7 fanfic #got7 #jackson wang #jackson wang fanfic #got7 fic

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captainscanadian · 4 years

Text

Reputation | Bucky Barnes x Reader (Part 1)

My Masterlist

Summary: Freshman year was all about the failed friendships. Sophomore year was all about the lack of a social life. Junior year was supposed to be about focusing on school, until Bucky Barnes came along.

Word Count: 3245

Pairing: College!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: SMUT (18+), FUCKBOI BUCKY, MINORS FUCK OFF!

A/N: Reputation, as a title, was heavily inspired by Taylor Swift’s iconic album of the same name. This is my entry for @buckysmischief‘s 1K Writing Challenge. I know I’m a few days late but I started a fic with smut in the first chapter so... it took some time to perfect it. I’d like to thank my boo @baezen for being a good beta and for the constant love. Lastly, the reason why this whole fic (and my blog itself) exists in the first place was because I was reading @i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend‘s College AUs and wanted to write one of my own. It’s been 11 months since then and I finally did it. This fic is an unofficial AU of my own fic, Better, but you don’t have to have read it to read this fic. Same characters, but they meet in a completely different time of their lives, under completely different circumstances. Better!Bucky is back, but he’s at NYU now. I DON’T OWN THE GIF & I DON’T DO TAGLISTS.

Whoever made the claim that college was the place where one would meet their lifelong friends was most definitely the biggest moron on this planet. You firmly believed that when you first arrived at NYU two years ago. Leaving your small town just outside of Philadelphia for the Big Apple, you had so many hopes and dreams when you got here. Education was your priority, but you had been so eager to meet new people and try new things just as much. After all, it’s all anyone who knew had told you. College is the place where you would meet your lifelong friends.

Bullshit. It was all bullshit.

Freshman year was all about newfound friendships. New kids huddled together in an unfamiliar environment, leaning on each other because being on your own for the first time in your lives was not easy. It was inevitable. It was human nature. A new environment meant the search for a sense of belonging. You had found that for yourself too.

A large group of friends, all ten of you being freshmen, you would claim one of the large round tables in the dining hall after your late afternoon biology lab. You ate, you talked, and you walked back to your dorms together. It became a ritual. But expecting that this kind of ritual would last until the end of your undergrad was a naive judgement to make.

By the end of that year, half of your friends had managed to switch to a different program and found another group of people to hang out with. The ones that remained in your group had managed to join their preferred extra-curricular activities and made more friends who shared the same interests. While you did manage to find the time to volunteer with the UNICEF chapter on campus, you hadn’t managed to make any close friends from that.

Sophomore year was to be the loneliest of years. The one friend you thought you would have for life had managed to ditch you for her sorority sisters – not that you had a problem with that. Your friendship had been hanging on a loose thread for a while before it came to a rather abrupt end. People grew up within the first two years of college, and people who grew up also grew apart from each other. It was inevitable. Margaret Sykes was also a complete fucking moron as she was, but that’s a story for another time.

Now in your junior year, you were starting to get back into the swing of things. After landing an on-campus job as an office assistant, you were hoping to keep yourself busy with your full-time course load. No time for fake friends, or real ones at that. You were finally moving on with your life, leaving behind those who had left you behind for good. After all, college was also supposed to be the best time of your life even without those lifelong friends. You might as well make the most out of the experience and build yourself a career.

It was the weekend before classes were to begin, and you found yourself sitting alone in the dining hall with a slice of pizza that was now getting cold. Having picked up your textbooks from the campus bookstore earlier that day, you decided to grab a bite before you would retreat to your dorm room for the remainder of the night. Perhaps you could get a head start on your readings.

Your lack of a social life seemed to be a blessing when it came to how you had planned ahead for the semester. When you weren’t working or volunteering, you would be studying and sleeping. One thing you had learned the hard way from your years of pulling all nighters – they did not work for you as they did to most people. Micro-planning might just be the way to survive the next two years.

From the corner of your eyes, you could see a large group of friends sitting at the same table you used to sit at during your freshman year. You could not help but roll your eyes, an exasperated sigh escaped your lips. Naive freshmen, you assumed they were. They’d learn the harsh truth in the next few months.

You took a bite of your pizza slice as you looked out the window that you had been sitting by. The breathtaking view of Washington Square Park reminded you of your first day in New York when you had stepped out of your dorm room to take a stroll. The summery weather of New York City had brought students, tourists and locals alike to the heart of campus. You loved this city and campus for how lively it was – a true multicultural land of opportunity.

New York had become home to you in the last two years, despite the dull memories of lost friendships. Moving to New York had been the right thing to do for your education. NYU really was the place for students to be. You had no concerns about the academics here as you did the social aspects of your life. But you wondered if you really wanted to stay in the city after graduation. You had no reason to stay, no one to hold you down in the Big Apple. Moving back to your parents’ house in Philadelphia was an option for you. Your father had been hoping that you would return home after graduation and take over the family business from him, but you wanted to do more than just blindly follow in your parents’ footsteps.

Speaking of footsteps, the sound of someone approaching your corner table made you turn back from the window. Your eyes landed on a familiar pair of blue ones, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips as you recognized the dark haired man who was walking up to you. He donned black skinny jeans and a red Henley, his long brown hair parted down the middle. It was a few inches longer than the last time you had seen him. A part of you had often wondered how hard it must have been to maintain those luscious locks of his. The shine and volume alone put the ladies to shame.

“James.”

James Barnes, or Bucky as he was referred as by his closest friends, had been your neurobiology tutor during your freshman year. After failing your first quiz on the effects of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin on the brain, you had approached your professor in desperate need of help. You needed to pass that class in order to complete your degree and failing your first quiz was not a great start to your freshman year. But you had been so determined back then to succeed academically. You still were.

Professor Van Dyne had been gracious enough to assign one of her best upper year students to help you get your grades back up. According to her, James was the teacher’s pet in the biology department and the best person to study with. His photographic memory had allowed him to maintain a consistent 4.0 GPA since his freshman year. As impressive as that sounded, his reputation precedes him. He was known around campus, or at least within the biology students, as the Casanova of New York University.

Rumours across the Greek life circuit on campus – Bucky was the resident fuckboy. It was an untold truth around NYU that he had slept with at least one person in every sorority. According to Margaret, one of the sororities even included having a one-night stand with Bucky as part of their initiation. He was apparently the best night anyone could ever have, and even if he never called any one of his flings back, he would still be found lurking around the next party and leaving with someone else later that night. It was apparently a rite of passage - a rite of passage that you had managed to avoid for as long as you had.

“Hey, doll.” He pulled the chair across from you before sitting down at the table. “Long time, no see...”

You raised your eyebrow at him as you set your pizza slice back down on your plate. Picking up a napkin to wipe your mouth and hands, you shrugged your shoulders at him. “What do you want, James?” You asked him, holding up your hand before he could answer the question. You had known him along enough to know what he was going to say. “I know, it’s been two years since I took my first year neurobiology class. And no, you don’t have to show me how oxytocin affects the human brain.”

“You’re really going to break my heart like that, Y/N?” He asked, feigning hurt with a dramatic sigh as he bought his hand up to his chest.

You rolled your eyes at him, laughing softly before shaking your head. He’ll never learn. “Why are you even here right now? I thought you graduated last year.”

“Hey, just because I’ve graduated... summa cum laude, by the way, it doesn’t mean that I’m not welcome here.” Bucky remarked with a smirk plastered across his lips. “I have my own reasons for being here. You don’t own this campus, you know?”

You crossed your arms against your chest, still not breaking eye contact with him. There was no way you would fall for his charm. You had not done so in freshman year or sophomore year and you were not planning on doing it now. “Enlighten me.”

“Did Steve not mention that I got into NYU Med?” He asked you, his smirk not leaving his face.

Steve Rogers was Bucky’s best friend since childhood and the former president of the UNICEF chapter on campus. You had volunteered together for a few charity fundraisers over the years, but you were not as close to him as Bucky was. “Why would he have a reason to mention it?” You asked him as you leaned forward in your seat. “I would have placed my bets on you going to Columbia with him, if I’m being honest. You two seemed to be so inseparable. I can’t believe you just ditched him like that and let him take off.”

It was true. Bucky and Steve were inseparable. After all, they had grown up together since they were young kids. They were always together on campus, having taken a majority of their classes together. It was so rare to see one of them without the other.

“And did you really think that would impress me so much that I would actually end up sleeping with you?”

“Why?” He asked, almost in a whisper as he leaned forward in his seat. “Is it working?”

As the sun was finally setting over the New York City skyline, you found yourself perched up naked against a penthouse window in Brooklyn. The view from up here was much more breathtaking than the view of Washington Square Park from the dining hall window. But that was not the reason why you were so out of breath now. You were panting for air as you stared at the reflection of the man who stood behind you. After a heated make out session from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn, you wound up undressed in his bedroom that had a view like no other.

“I can’t believe that actually worked on me... you obnoxious asshole.” Your heart was pounding out of your bare chest as you felt the moisture trickle down your inner thighs, and you tilted your head back.

Bucky had a smug look on his face, one that was filled with just as much lust as it was filled with pure satisfaction. You had finally fallen for his charm, after two years of fighting it. He had seen the way you glanced at him every time he volunteered with you and Steve. He knew that you must have felt attracted towards him, even though you denied it every time he had brought it up.

He licked his lips as he gently pulled you towards him, turning you around so that he could kiss you on the lips rather roughly. “Playing hard to get doesn't suit you, doll.” His hands grasped your bare ass before his fingers slipped between your folds slick with your arousal. “You want me so badly, don’t you, Y/N? Don’t lie to me now. Your soaking pussy speaks the truth.”

You bit down on your bottom lip as you trembled to find the right words to say, your cheeks growing hot as did the rest of your body. A soft moan slipped out of you as you felt his cold fingers slide right into your entrance, sending shivers up your spine as you forgot how to stand still. You felt defeated by your own desires, having given in to his advances after fighting it for so long. You really thought you could get through your entire undergrad without being yet another one-night stand on James Barnes’ tally. But tonight, your strike was added to the drawing board with the rest of them.

“Are you going to keep talking or are you going to fuck me like you fucked every fucking sorority sister on campus?” You gasped. “They all say that you’re the best night they’ve ever had, Barnes. I won’t believe it until I have proof.” You asked him as you began to unbutton his Henley.

“Getting desperate, are we? You made me wait a few years for this, doll. I’d have to make you wait a little longer now than a few minutes.” He was such a tease. “I didn’t fuck Margaret Sykes though.” He pointed out, a teasing look on his face as he pulled his fingers out of you and motioned you towards his bed. “You two were close in freshman year, weren’t you? And then last year, you purged your Instagram of any photos of her. I noticed.”

You rolled your eyes at his mention of your former best friend, lying back in his bed as you still tugged on his Henley. He was fully clothed while you were naked and exposed – the power that he had over you now, it was astonishing. But you could not deny how desperate you were for him. After all, your own body had lost that fight against your attraction towards this man.

“Don’t bring up that bitch when I’m lying naked on your bed, James.” You told him, shaking your head at him. “If I could purge my own brain of any memories of her, I would.”

He chuckled as he sat down at the edge of his bed, his large hands firmly holding your thighs apart. “You act as though Margaret was the Antonio to your Bassanio, Y/N. It’s not like she would have cut out a pound of her flesh for you if you were ever in debt.” His bright eyes glanced down at your soaking core, his tongue peaking through his parted lips at the sight of just how aroused you were. He liked that he had such an effect on your body, knowing that you were attracted to him as he was attracted to you despite having known each other for years now. He pulled at your folds to get a glimpse of your throbbing clit, brushing his thumb over it in a quick teasing manner as he watched for your reaction.

“I wouldn’t have taken you for a guy who reads Shakespeare.” You told him, giggling softly as you placed your arms above your head. It was a sign of you giving him full control of this ordeal; let him do what he was known to do best. After all, he did have a reputation. “But I think it’s so fucking hot that you do.”

Another moan as you felt his thumb over your clit; you bit down on your lips not to make any noise. Bucky had warned you that Steve’s bedroom was just down the hall from his and the last thing you wanted was to have an awkward run-in with the blonde haired man who had taught you all about volunteering for charitable organizations for the duration of your undergrad.

“I can recite Hamlet’s soliloquy in its entirety while I fuck you, if you would like me to.” He joked, his fingers now drenched with your wetness as he slipped them through your entrance once again. His thumb rubbing circles on your clit as his eyes watched eagerly for your reaction.

“To fuck or not to fuck... that is the question.” You laughed at your own joke before looking up at him, rather seductively, your left hand pinching your swollen nipples as you began to feel the pain between your thighs relieve with his touch. Moaning once again as he slipped another finger inside of you. “Oh fuck, James... you really want to waste your time reciting Shakespeare with me when you could be putting that mouth to better use? What even happened... to your so called reputation of... being the best night everyone’s ever had?”

Bucky chuckled softly as he continued to finger you for another moment, pulling them out only to remove his Henley. “Desperate.” He pointed out with a wink, unbuttoning his jeans and taking them off as well. “Is that what they’ve all been saying about me now?”

“Are you telling me.... that you’re unaware of your own reputation, James?” You asked him as you sat up against his headboard, feeling the moisture between your legs now seeping through the clear white sheets on his bed as you gasped for air. “Your reputation... precedes you.”

He walked to his nightstand to retrieve a condom, hand slipping below the waistband of his boxers to slowly stroke his cock. A tantalising smirk played on his lips. “Well then, why... don’t we... put an end to it?” He asked you, pulling down his boxers to reveal his half-hard cock.

Your eyes perked up at his length. “Damn...” You gasped. “They really weren’t lying.”

James Barnes raised his eyebrow at you before tossing the condom at you. “Do the honors, doll?”

“Don’t mind if I do.” You giggled, rolling over in bed so that you could reach him. Your hand wrapped around his manhood before stroking him until he was fully erect.

Bucky hissed at the feel of your touch against his length, shaking his head at you. “Desperate.”

Removing the condom from the package, you put it on him before you looked up to meet his lusty eyes. “Are you saying that you’re not desperate for me at all, Barnes?” You asked him before you pulled yourself on all fours, moving your hair out of the way.

“Two years was a long time, doll.” He admitted, his hands caressing your ass before he let himself slip though your entrance. He took his time to position himself, not wanting to hurt you in any way. “Let me know if you feel like I’m going too fast or you need me to stop, okay? I don’t want to hurt you.”

You nodded, eagerly. “Just fuck me already, James!”

“Desperate.”

Whoever made the claim that college was the place where one would meet their lifelong friends was most definitely the biggest moron on this planet. College was the place where one would have the best sex they ever had, and Bucky Barnes really did live up to his reputation that night.

#gabs1kwritingchallenge #reputation #aj writes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes smut #Better!Bucky #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n

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mikkomacko · 4 years

Text

In The Shadows 2

Part 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/n wishes she was more outspoken. As much as she'd love to be able to say whatever she's think or feeling, she can't. She's always been more of an observer rather than a contributor. That's why her and Jess get along so well. It's never really bothered her before, at least not to the point of tears, but as Jess smiles and motions to the girls-sorority girls-behind her, y/n really thinks she can cry.

"This is my way in Y/n!" Jess quietly squeals, throwing her purse over her shoulder. "We can read together any other time, yeah? But it's not always that Tina Walt invites you to go shopping with her, right?"

Y/n's lip tries to wobble, so she quickly forces a smile. "Of course, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Jess practically leaps into the air, leaving her copy of The Great Gatsby on the bench as she throws an arm around y/n's shoulder. "You're the best! I'll see you later!"

She's gone before y/n can even say bye, skipping over to the group of girls she so desperately wants to be a part of. Y/n takes Jess' book in her hands, staring at the cover blankly. She's not really sure what to do. In the all the years they've been friends, Jess has never missed out on important things like book club. She's never picked anyone else over y/n. And it stings. Really badly.

She's taking deep, slow breaths, as she stands up from the bench and slips her backpack on when the best possible person stops her.

"Hey peanut, whatcha doing?"

Harry comes up behind her, and she quickly blinks away her tears before turning to look at him. "Just heading home." She says, awkwardly shifting the books in her hands. Harry glances down at them, eyebrows pinching together when he sees she's carrying two copies.

"What about ya book group?"

"Book club," she corrects softly, "and uh, Jess had to go." Y/n nudges her head in the direction her best friend took off in. She looks over, seeing the girls still walking across the courtyard towards the sorority houses.

"With Tina?" Harry asks, incredulously. "She chose Tina over the great adventures of..." he leans in closer, taking a peak at the book cover, "Gatsby? No taste in that one, I swear."

Despite the heaviness in her stomach, y/n giggles, reaching up to rub her eye because a little drop of water is trying to sneak out. Harry grins proudly, running a hand through his hair before returning it to the pocket of his Green Bay hoodie. Y/n looks over him, an endeared smile taking over her lips when her eyes move from his skinny jeans to the brown boots on his feet. She remembers when the only shoes he owned were either TOMS or low-top Converse.

"Who needs to read it when you've seen the movie, right?" Y/n jokes quietly, even though the words are like salt in a wound. Her and Jess watched the movie once, and Jess loved it so much it was her idea to read the book.

"I've never seen nor read it." Harry admits, shrugging. "S'it a good read?"

Y/n nods, moving her hands when he reaches for the top one. She watches him inspect the cover and then turn it over to read the back, eyes squinting a bit as he focuses. She wonders if he does that in concentration or maybe he has a hard time seeing the little letters.

"I'll read it with ya." He finally says, tucking the little book into his hoodie pocket. "Have ya already started it?"

Eyes wide, she shakes her head. "N-no today was the first uh-you really want to read it?"

Harry chuckles at her surprise. "Believe it or not, I do read peanut." Y/n smiles sheepishly. Of course she knows he reads, she just wasn't expecting him to want to read with her.

"Come on, book group at my house. I've got pizza rolls!"

Before she even think about what she's doing, y/n is walking by his side towards the frat house, grateful for Harry. If she hadn't bumped into him just now, she would've spent the walk home holding back tears, and the rest of the day trying to read through blearily eyes.

The frat house isn't so bad to be at when there's not a raging crowd of college students and alcohol on every available surface. It's actually fairly quiet, the occasional sound of Niall yelling reaching theirs ears, but for the most part, it's perfect for reading.

With the backyard empty, the only sound is the shuddering of leaves when a breeze comes through, and the shuffling when her or Harry turn a page of their books. They didn't decide on when to stop reading, and y/n's glad because she thinks she can stay here all day. Harry had brought out a large hammock from the camping supplies, tying the ropes between the posts on the porch, and they'd squished together. At first they had lied opposite ways, but after Harry shoved his sock clad toes into her neck for the sixth time they moved.

Harry had to stretch his arms out behind her head because it was too annoying that his elbow kept bumping hers. Now she just has to help him turn pages since he's only got one free hand. Y/n is nearing the end of chapter four when Harry sets his book down on his chest, breathing out a soft sigh. He doesn't speak, so she quickly finishes up the chapter before closing her book as well. She turns her head to look at him, eyes falling over the slope of his nose and the dip between his lips. After a moment, he finally speaks.

"Remember when we used to have sleepovers all the time?"

It's not what she was expecting to hear after reading The Great Gatsby, but she smiles fondly.

"Of course I do. We had them at least once a week."

Harry hums, eyes locked on the sky above. She wonders what he's thinking about, what made him recall the numerous sleepovers they had.

"Think that's what I missed most when I moved here." He said quietly, as if he's not exactly sure about the statement. "Sleeping on the living room floor. Always had to put ya between Jess and me 'cuz we would kick the fuck outta each other."

Y/n giggles, eyes fluttering shut. She can still see the glow of the tv in the room, and Harry sprawled out in a sleeping bag that was always bigger and fluffier than hers or Jess'. She remembers that he liked to tuck his face into his pillow or the top cover, burrowing until all that was visible was the mess of curls on his head. He always slept the complete opposite of Jess, who always slept on her back, hands on her tummy as if she were a recently petrified mummy.

It's funny that they would kick each other, because she only remembers being a squirmer when he sleeps. Maybe Jess only moved if he moved; a kick for a kick type of thing.

"Never kicked me," she finally says.

"Didn't need to kick ya," Harry replies, "you weren't the one sleeping like a bloody corpse."

She laughs at that, and it makes Harry chuckle too. "God, she's terrifying sometimes," he whispers, a secret between the two of them, "I used to think she didn't have a soul."

It's petty and dramatic of her, but y/n can't help but mumble, "I'm starting to think the same thing."

As soon as it leaves her lips she wants to take it back, even if her chest feels lighter for saying it. Her eyes snap open, alarmed and ready to take it back. Until she's met with Harry's soft gaze, eyes beckoning her to say whatever's on her mind.

"Oh," he simply says in a quiet breath.

"It's just, the past few weeks she's been so obsessed with Tina and her sorority, it's like I don't even exist anymore." It feels good to say, and Harry's still looking at her warmly, so she continues.

"I mean, I knew college was gonna kinda split us. Of course she's going to have different friends, we have different majors, but like....it seems like she got so many so fast and I'm still in the same place."

"And what place is that?" Harry asks, curious and genuine.

"Watching. I'm always watching. I'm watching her become the captain of the volleyball team, and the top lawyer on the mock trial team, and valedictorian, and now I'm watching her become the poster college girl while I'm sat on the bench with two copies of The Great Gatsby." She knows she sounds pathetic, but it's the truth.

"And me," Harry adds sincerely, "you've got me on that bench waiting for one of those copies."

Her heart beats in her throat at his words, and she thinks she might cry again, so she just shuts her eyes and wiggles closer to him until her nose is in his ribs. Harry's arm moves to cradle her head, fingers rubbing over her shoulder soothingly.

"Know m'her brother, and I know what it's like to be left in her shadow," Harry whispers, another secret for just them, "grew up in her bloody shadow. If you get lonely there, you can always come find me."

She moves her arm to hug him, smiling at how soft his hoodie feels under her palm, and she squeezes him in thanks. "It'll be us, then, just sat on a bench, huh?"

"Having book group of course."

"Book club."

"S'what I said peanut."

The next few weeks bring lots of changes to y/n's life. Jess officially decides she wants to pledge Tina's sorority, which y/n is kind of hurt about because they can't live together if Jess is living at a sorority house, but she refuses to be an unsupportive friend. She can live in the shadow, she reminds herself, because Harry will be there too. So she wishes Jess luck, and tries not to act too. annoyed when Jess leaves her during studying hours to go with some girls from the sorority, or when she stops having root beer floats with her because "these girls are all size ones." Y/n really doesn't want to ruin her best friend's dreams, even if they make her rude and a little shallow, so she ends up spending root beer floats night by herself. She can handle some alone time if it means Jess succeeds. After all, she was always alone before Jess showed up.

The final straw comes on a Saturday. It's grocery day, and the four girls all agreed last week that they'd take Jess' car to the store around 12 to buy food. That however, is not the case when y/n walks out to the kitchen, fully ready to go only to find a note on the fridge from Jess.

Had to drive the girls to the east side. Be home later! -Jx

Y/n can't help but scoff, fists clenching in anger. She snatches the note off the fridge, crumpling it and tossing it in the trash. Tia pokes her head into the kitchen, and if she notices how angry y/n is, she doesn't say.

"Jo and I are going out since Jess got busy. See ya later!"

She's once again on the verge of tears as she stomps back into her room, grabbing her phone and unlocking it. Her finger hovers over Jess' contact, ready to scream at her for ruining their plans, but she can't press it. Instead, she finds the contact belonging to Harry.

Hey Har, you busy?

His reply is almost instant.

No ma'am! What's up?

She can't help but smile, wiping at the few tears on her cheeks.

The shadows feeling lonely.

She wonders what he was up to, because he replies just as fast as the first text.

I'll get my hammock ready peanut :)

The clouds hang low, deep dark puffs in the sky that let y/n know it'll probably rain soon. Well, that and the smell of the rain. A sharp gust of wind blows in her face, making her eyes water and teeth chatter. She tightens the strings of her hoodie, looking down at the sidewalk to keep the wind out of her face.

"Hey peanut!" Her head snaps up at the sound of his voice, finding Harry steadily walking towards her

"What are you doing Har?" She asks, sighing in relief when they get close enough for his body to block the wind. He shrugs, looking around sheepishly.

"Didn't want ya walking alone."

She can't help but blush, digging her chin into her hoodie to keep him from seeing her undoubtedly red cheeks. "I mean, m'almost there already."

Warmth pools in her stomach when he shrugs again. She knows it's not right of her to be looking at her best friend's brother so fondly, as if he were the sun breaking through the clouds, but she can't help it. She spent so many of her teenage years blaming her attraction to Harry on teenage hormones, simply because she knows how Jess is. She never wanted to hurt Jess or risk losing her by admitting that she likes Harry, but the more Jess pulls away from her, the more she's starting to realize that maybe she shouldn't be guilty about her feelings.

"Well let's go before it starts raining!" She laughs, playfully shoving Harry in the direction he came. He chuckles too, nodding his head a couple times, and she huddles by his side as they walk. With his elbow bumping hers, she can't remember why she even texted Harry in the first place, but she's glad she did.

"Do you think I'm being a baby?"

Harry drops his spoonful of Spanish rice back into his bowl, head tilting like a curious puppy as he looks over at y/n.

"No, I don't think you are." He says sincerely, and maybe he's saying it just to validate her, bit either way it's nice. "If ya had plans for today and everyone dropped them, it's not on you peanut."

She nods, looking back towards the living room TV, though she doesn't focus on it. She lets his words sink in, repeating to herself that she's entitled to her emotions and that the girls are being bad roommates.

"I guess, just sucks that we're all gonna starve for the next week because Jess took her car."

She smiles pitifully, taking another bite of her rice. Harry sets his on the coffee table, swallowing the bite in his mouth and turning towards her. "Could take mine."

Y/n can't help but laugh, cupping a hand over her mouth and turning her head so he can't see the food in her mouth. "Harry, I'm terrible at driving." She says after swallowing her bite. He rolls his eyes at her because obviously he knew that.

"I meant with me driving, you muppet."

His teasing tone makes her blush, and she sets her bowl on the table too just so she has something to do other than looking into his pretty eyes.

"Y-yeah okay. If you don't mind."

Harry lightly shoves her shoulder, eyebrows raised. He doesn't even have to speak for her to know what he's saying. 'Do you really think I mind peanut?'

"Then let's go!" She says, jumping up from the couch. She digs her shoes out from under the coffee table, slipping them on while Harry takes their dishes to the kitchen and grabs his keys.

She waits for him at the door while he gets his shoes and hoodie on, and they squeeze through the doorway of the frat house out into the drizzling sky.

Harry's car is parked across the street, an old Ford that belonged to his grandma. She had given it to him for his 17th birthday, and while it was old and leaked oil, a car's a car. Y/n hurries into the car so she doesn't get to wet in the rain, and sitting in the passenger sheet switches something in her. She remembers riding to school in this car, munching on toast in the backseat or downing a yogurt smoothie. Harry had put a little trash bag in the backseat for her because she was always eating in the car.

The car roars to life, and y/n turns on her seat warmer while Harry gets settled in. "Haven't been in this car in awhile." She says.

Harry hums. "You get to ride in the Queen Bee's carriage."

She knows he's trying to joke, but the underlying tone is obviously a little bitter. Y/n frowns, remembering when Jess turned 18 and Anne presented her with a brand new Toyota Camry. Harry was so mad that night he didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the night, and he didn't join them on their first drive around the block. He even refused to ride in it.

"M'not buying their groceries," y/n suddenly decides, "just mine. And I'm keeping my snacks in my room. If they want theirs, they can go get it."

She's not looking at Harry, but he still smiles his usual pursed lipped smile. "Good," he says with earnest, and her shoulders feel lighter.

It may be stupid for y/n to be so bothered by it, but she's unable to stop thinking about Jess abandoning their book club, and then not even remembering the book. It'd be one thing to ask for the book back and her read it on her own, but she hasn't even asked y/n for it. It's been weeks and Jess is always on her phone, doing homework in her room, or out with Tina. She can't help but think she's being stupid and dramatic, and while that adds to her annoyance, it also pushes her to do something she doesn't normally do.

"It's only a couple hours, and we'd really love it you'd come with."

She's sat in the campus cafe with Zoe, the two of them sharing a basket of fries and getting ahead on homework. The soccer team has an away game this weekend, travelling about 2 1/2 hours east to play one of the school's biggest rivals. Harry had mentioned it quite a few times at book club, reminding her he might get behind this weekend but telling her to not slow down for him.

She thought it was just a team trip, until she met up with Zoe. Apparently the team reserved two buses, one for them and one for students to go cheer them on. Zoe has already reserved herself a seat for two, but the girl that was originally going with her had to back out last minute, leaving the seat open. And for some reason, she thinks y/n is the best filler.

"But wouldn't it be weird?" She murmurs, nibbling on a fry, "I mean, pretty much just the girlfriends are going and I'm just Harry's sister's best friend."

The mention of Jess makes her stomach twist, so she quickly pushes the thought away. Zoe rolls her eyes, smiling at y/n endearingly.

"You're so cute," she laughs, "it's obvious you and Harry are really close, and I know you're mad at Jess. Maybe you need to step away for a bit and clear your head."

"I guess that makes sense."

"And other's go too. Greg's best friend and sister is going." Zoe offers as reassurance.

"What if Jess is upset that I didn't invite her?"

Zoe shrugs, sighing. "You care too much about people who don't deserve it. If she asks, tell her I invited you because we're actually friends."

Maybe she wants to get back Jess or maybe it's the excitement of having another friend. Either way y/n doesn't put anymore thought into it before nodding. "Okay."

Harry checked over the clothes laid out on his bed, double checking that he's got everything he needs for his game. Cleats, socks, shinguards, compression shorts, shorts, jersey, extra deodorant, cologne.... everything.

He starts to nearly pack it in his bag, jumping when his bedroom door is suddenly thrown open, so much force behind it it smacks into the wall.

"What the fuck?" Harry asks, brow furrowing as Niall strolls into his room and sits at his desk.

"Talked to Zoe." He says, lips quirking up teasingly. Harry knows he's got something else to add, so he just nods.

"She found someone to be her seat buddy," Harry hums, not really listening as he continues to pack. "and that someone happens to be y/n."

His neck snaps up so harshly he's surprised a crack didn't resound throughout the room. "Y/n?" He asks, blushing when his voice cracks.

Niall smirks. "Your little peanut? Yeah. Guess they've been hanging out when we're at practice."

Harry swallows thickly, heart racing. He feels kinda stupid for being so flustered that y/n is going to his game. She's gone to all three of the past home games they've had, always wearing his shirt and carrying her sign for him. But she's going out of her way for him. She's willing to take a bus ride with a bunch of college kids for him. And she's making new friends! Friends that care about her, that encourage her to be a better person. Not friends that use her to make themselves look better.

"D-do you know what bus they're on?"

Niall shrugs, but his shit-eating grin let's Harry know that Niall knows exactly what bus they're going on. "Niall come on! Please"

He chuckles at Harry's urgency, folding his hands in his lap like as if conducting important business.

"Told Zoe I'd grab an extra seat on our bus for them." He says it nonchalantly, but Harry's heart flutters with interest. "Figured I could sit with my girl and you could sit with yours."

Niall calling y/n his girl definitely has him grinning, and his stomach erupts with giddiness, but he shakes his head. "She's not my girl," he says mournfully.

"Not yet, but she will be."

Harry huffs, falling dramatically onto his bed. Harry's been waiting his whole life (at least it feels like his whole life) for the opportunity to tell y/n how he feels. He had planned too when they were in high school, longing to spend his formative years with the girl he knows would've made them memorable, but he couldn't. Not with Jess and y/n so codependent on each other. Because Jess will definitely rip his head off if they end up together, and he couldn't do that in a time when they need each other.

"Ya think so?" He asks pathetically.

Niall's nod is firm and encouraging. "Of course. Everyone can see it, Zoe thought you lot we're already dating at the tailgate and that was before you gave her your shirt."

Harry perks up, head tilting like a hopeful puppy. "Really?"

"Yeah, just watching you too talk and look at each other is enough proof. There's something good there, and now's your chance to go for it."

Harry's eyes flicker over to the shelf of pictures. He finds the black Halloween frame right away, smiling at the photo. It was taken in middle school, the age when kids stop dressing up at school for Halloween, but somehow Jess, y/n, and him all did. Of course his and Jess' costumes were subtle; him being a professional soccer player and Jess bring Cher from Clueless. But y/n had shown up as Mr. Peanut, throwing away her hat and glasses when she'd been stared at. Harry had found her sulking outside, and immediately told her that he really liked peanuts, and from then on out, she was to be known as his peanut.

"What about my sister?" He mururms, lips falling in defeat when his eyes lock on her in the photo.

Niall sighs deeply, rising up from the chair and shrugging. "You know her best Harry. Would she be able to get over you dating her best friend?"

He's right. Harry does know Jess. He knows she's strong and confident and determined. And he also knows she's close-minded, selfish, and bratty. A weight settles in his stomach, and he wishes he could lie about Jess, but he can't.

"No," he whispers sadly, "no she wouldn't be okay with me dating her best friend. And she really wouldn't be okay with me being in love with her best friend either."

Best friend, his brain repeats. Some best friend she is. As if he'd been struck lightning, Harry bolts up from his bed, grabbing his jacket and throwing it over his head.

"What? What's wrong?" Niall asks worriedly.

Harry tugs his shoes on. "I've gotta find a way to tell y/n I love her."

#in the shadows #harry styles #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #harry styles imagine #one direction #harry imagine #harry styles au #frat boy harry styles #soccer harry #college harry #alternate universe #best friend's brother #forbidden love

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raleighcarrera · 4 years

Text

different

the royal romance | drake walker x mc (riley brooks)

~16.9K | mature language and themes/suggestive scenes (18+)

if we'd met somewhere else… anywhere else. at a club in new york, or in an airport, or at a party…

...do you think things would have been different?

drake and riley meet at a frat party in college. they’re not, like, dating dating, okay? they just... party together, and study together, and sleep together every night. and he thinks about her a lot. and then there’s an assassination attempt on his best friend, and drake has to go back to cordonia. a fluffy look at scenes from a drake x riley LDR that becomes just a plain old R when he invites her to spend the summer with him at the palace.

someone was banging on his door. impatiently, the knocks increased in volume and frequency, until it was an almost continuous stream of thump - thump - thump, ruining his morning. it was too early for this. it was sunday, for chrissakes, and they’d been out so very late the night before. resolving to ignore whoever it was, drake shoved his face further into his pillow, grimacing when the movement stuffed his mouth full of long, curled hair. from beside him, riley groaned loudly.

“i will kill whoever that is,” she threatened, elbowing him in the arm. drake winced; her voice was low and gravelly, but it still made his head throb. “if that’s fucking simmons and pierce trying to be funny i will kill them, drake, and i won’t feel bad. make it stop.”

he heaved a loud sigh and slowly sat up in bed. the movement made his head spin, and he wondered if riley felt as deathly hungover as he did. if she was suffering even half as badly as he was, it was a miracle she had the presence of mind to threaten anyone like that -- but that was his riley. a multitasker.

drake stumbled to the door in his boxers, flinging it open with irritation. “what?”

it wasn’t simmons and pierce. it wasn’t anyone who lived at the frat house.

it was leo.

drake gaped at him, completely in shock. “hello, drake,” he said, which, on its own, was already a lot to process. drake wondered what time it was, and if he’d managed to get more than four hours of sleep since the record-breaking keg stand he’d pulled off the night before.

before he could say anything, riley strolled up beside him, the sheet from his bed wrapped around her. her eyes were squeezed shut tightly, one hand holding up the sheet and the other fumbling for the door frame. “we don’t want any breakfast,” she huffed, “it’s not even eleven yet, what the fuck is wrong with --”

“riley.” drake put his arm out, stopping her from slamming the door in leo’s face. he glanced nervously at liam’s brother, flushing when he saw that leo was looking back and forth between the both of them, his grin wide with delight.

finally, she opened her eyes. her mouth dropped open into a round o of surprise, and drake grimaced as she adjusted the sheet under her arms. “what’s going on?”

this was not the conversation he wanted to have now, when it already felt like his head was going to split in two. “it’s kind of a long story...”

“indeed,” leo said grimly, stepping into drake’s bedroom and closing the door behind himself. riley managed to look both confused and pissed off as she walked to drake’s dresser and bent low towards the bottom drawer.

leo arched an eyebrow at him as she dug around inside of it and then stepped into the bathroom. drake was silent as she turned the shower on, feeling his whole face go red. “i didn’t give her the drawer,” he felt compelled to defend, “it was empty and she noticed and put her stuff in it. it wasn’t like -- i didn’t say, here, have a drawer.”

the expression on leo’s face looked as though he was doing everything he could to avoid smiling. “we can talk about that on the plane.”

plane? “is everything alright? what are you doing here, anyway?” his stomach sank as he considered all the reasons why leo, of all people, might show up at his college. “did something happen to liam?”

leo sighed, and for the first time, drake noticed how tired he looked. “everyone is fine. but... something did happen. look, you need to come back to cordonia. tonight.”

riley watched him shrewdly from his unmade bed as he frantically stuffed his suitcase full of clothes. she was eating a burrito, but for once, he couldn’t be bothered to tell her off for doing it in bed. it’s not like it mattered if she got crumbs in his sheets anyway, after today. “give it to me one more time,” she said between bites.

he sighed with obvious frustration. “liam is the crown prince of cordonia,” he explained, as though he were talking to a toddler. he looked at her over his shoulder and waited for her to nod before he continued. “cordonia is where i grew up. liam is my best friend.”

“and the guy who was here is his brother.”

“yes.”

“but he’s not important.”

“he’s -- leo abdicated awhile ago. he’s important enough.”

“so the person who got shot --”

“no one actually got shot,” he interjected, pulling out his sock drawer and emptying the entire thing into his suitcase in one go.

“then why do you have to go?”

drake turned and met her eyes. god did she look pretty, sitting in his unmade bed in just one of his t-shirts, her hair wet and curling over her shoulders. he could see the smooth skin of her thighs peeking out from beneath the hem and let himself yearn, for a moment, to stop what he was doing entirely and crawl back into bed with her.

was it so selfish, if he didn’t want to go?

“because liam needs me. he’s always been there for me, and now i need to be there for him.”

“okay -- sure,” she said, in a way that definitely meant that she didn’t agree with him, “but -- withdrawing from school? in the middle of midterms? so you can go do -- what, exactly? what’s your role over there?”

drake rubbed at his forehead with annoyance. “i don’t know, riley, professional best friend? does it matter?”

“don’t get mad at me,” she snapped, glaring at him, “you’re the one who never told me about any of this.”

“because i wanted to be normal!” riley frowned, her eyes still narrowed from her position on the bed. “i didn’t want to be prince liam’s friend. i didn’t want anyone here to know. and i didn’t realize i had to share my life secrets with every sorority girl i hook up with.”

his eyes shut as soon as the words left his mouth. he regretted them instantly, and he didn’t want to see what her face was doing. “riley...”

drake dared to let himself look at her. she’d stopped chewing, and she was staring at him as though she’d never seen him before. hurt flashed over her face lightning fast and then disappeared. “go to hell.”

“riley, listen --” she stood up and angrily started getting dressed in her own clothes, whipping his shirt over her shoulder so fast he had to duck out of the way. “i didn’t mean --”

riley turned around and threw what was left of her burrito at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. drake watched as it fell down into his open suitcase, sighing at the perfectly round circle of guacamole she left on his shirt. “have fun in budget greece.”

her voice sounded tight. drake winced as he jogged to follow her out of the room, racing down the stairs after her. several of his fraternity brothers politely averted their eyes as she rushed through the hallway and out the front door.

“riley!” she stomped off down the sidewalk without hesitation.

leo was waiting beside a black town car idling on the curb. he hung up his cell phone as drake slowed to a stop next to him. “ready to go?”

“yep,” he grit out, “just -- one second. i’ll be right back.”

he ran down the block to catch up to her, grabbing her arm to stop her from getting any farther. “okay, i deserved that,” he allowed, catching his breath, “i’m sorry. i didn’t mean that, i don’t know why i said it.”

“is that how you think of me?” she demanded, her eyes shining in the low light of the street lamps, “some sorority girl you hook up with?”

“no,” he answered emphatically, “this is just -- the weirdest day of my life. please cut me a break, i have no idea what i’m doing.”

she pursed her lips, and then nodded once. “you know, you don’t have to go back there if you don’t want to.”

drake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “yes, i do. i don’t expect you to understand.”

“well, i don’t.” she looked and sounded more upset than he’d ever known her to be, even after last semester when her favorite literature professor tore her critical analysis of great expectations to shreds. “i think it’s bullshit. of course i want you to stay.”

he reached out and put his hands on her arms. “hey, it’s not forever.” without realizing it, his voice had dropped to a reassuring timbre. “the semester will be over in eight weeks. you could come to cordonia for the summer.”

riley exhaled shakily, averting her eyes. fuck. “please don’t cry.”

“i’m not going to cry,” she insisted, sniffling dramatically. “but i just -- i don’t know. it’s going to be weird, not having you around.”

“it’s going to be weird not being around. but it’s barely two months, and then...” his hands rubbed slowly up and down her arms. “you could spend the summer at the palace with me. i’ll take you to the beach, teach you how to ride a horse... show you off to all of my friends...” he could see her softening. “you could work on your writing. think about what a good story it would be.”

riley sniffled again. “that’s true...”

“see? it’s not that bad. plus, you’ll be so busy with your schedule you’ll hardly notice i’m gone.”

she shot him a look that let him know he shouldn’t push his luck. “come on,” drake needled, “smile, brooks.”

she just bared her teeth at him. “a real smile.”

instead of doing what he’d asked, she threw herself at him for a hug, sudden and fierce. drake’s arms tightened around her, and he lifted her up off her feet. she always liked that.

predictably, riley laughed. when he set her back down, she was gripping his shirt tightly in her hands. “don’t be a stranger, okay? get the international cell phone plan.”

drake smiled back at her. “i promise.”

to his credit, leo waited until they were almost back to cordonia to ask about riley.

the trip felt longer than he remembered, even with all the comforts of flying private. it felt like he couldn’t get his thoughts in order -- he went from being worried for liam, to annoyed with the situation, to missing riley already so quickly it made him nauseous.

fortunately, leo had provided a distraction by going over every detail of the assassination attempt with him. drake had peppered him with questions until he’d heard everything twice, and then there was nothing left to do but dwell.

“i just can’t believe someone would do something like that,” he said again, for what must have been the fourth time. “i can’t imagine how liam must feel.”

“i know. it’s awful.” leo shook his head. a long moment of silence passed between them. drake stared out at the dark void of the sky through the airplane window, cringing when he heard leo start, “so...”

drake was pretty sure he knew exactly where that sentence was headed. “oh, we don’t have to do this.”

“we really do.” he grinned at drake from his seat across the plane. “come on, i was almost murdered earlier this week. indulge me.”

“fine, but you’re not allowed to do that again for the rest of the month. it’s... not that serious. honestly.”

leo looked at him in disbelief. “she has a drawer.”

“she pulled a hostile takeover of that drawer.” again, his voice was defensive. he sighed. “we met at a party in august, at the start of last semester. we were at the house, in the backyard... she bumped into me. we got to talking... stayed up all night...” he trailed off meaningfully, shrugging at nothing. he could feel his face turning red. “one thing led to another, and now it’s... seven months later and... she’s always around. in a good way.”

“then i’m happy for you, drake.” leo’s smile faltered. “i’m sorry it had to come to this.”

“don’t be. you know i’d do anything for liam. college is terrible, anyway.”

“mmmm.” leo seemed not to believe him. at any rate -- “looks like we’re landing.”

as the plane touched down on the tarmac, he pulled out his phone. his fraternity group text immediately rushed back to life with dozens of incoming text messages, but he ignored it in favor of his thread with riley. she’d texted him hours ago, after they’d already taken off. have a safe flight. don’t do anything stupid

he was already smiling. just landed. tonight’s probably going to be crazy. call me after class tomorrow

as she always did, riley answered nearly immediately. isn’t there a time difference?

he wondered what she was doing. riley always insisted on getting a good night’s sleep on sundays, and they usually parted ways after dinner so she could make her way back to her own apartment to get ready for the week. he’d often found himself blowing up her phone, pestering her for attention while she caught up on the homework she’d neglected over the weekend, holed up in the library or inside her bedroom.

privately, he let himself wish he were back in boston with her, just for a moment. i’ll wait up.

it was hours before he and liam were finally alone. despite the somber mood that filled the palace, everyone seemed... happy to see him, and he spent far too long letting liam get him reacquainted with everything, even though it hadn’t been that long since he’d been home in cordonia, last summer.

after a final security briefing and one last drink, bastien left them alone in drake’s old bedroom.

“it’s really... good to see you,” liam sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “i’m glad you’re here.”

suddenly, he felt guilty for ever missing boston -- for even entertaining the thought of not coming, for even one second. “of course. i came as soon as i heard, i... would never not be here during something like this.”

liam nodded, his gaze out the window and in the courtyard. “when do you have to go back?”

drake’s brows furrowed. “liam... i’m not going back.”

that startled him. “i thought you had another year before you could graduate?”

he did, but... “it doesn’t matter. i’m not leaving you.”

as he said it aloud, he realized it was the right decision. earlier, when he’d been talking to riley, he hadn’t been so sure, but after tonight... he knew it was his only option. he couldn’t believe things for liam at court had gotten so bad -- that everyone around him had let things get so bad. and now -- an attempt on his life? what kind of best friend would he be if he left liam now? drake knew instantly that if their roles were reversed, liam wouldn’t even hesitate to do what he was about to.

“you don’t have to do that.” drake watched him pretend like he wasn’t pleased. “i’m fine.”

“well, it’s too late,” drake shrugged simply, “because i already withdrew and moved out all my stuff.” liam still looked uncertain. “hey -- ride or die, right? what did you think i was going to do with a degree in world history, anyway?”

liam barked out a laugh just as drake’s phone buzzed in his hand. it was riley. just wanted to say goodnight

drake mentally tried to calculate the time difference between cordonia and boston, unable to stop himself from from picturing her burrowed into the twin bed in her apartment. there was nothing he loved to complain about more than that stupid, tiny bed, but at that moment, he would’ve given anything to be crammed in it with her.

liam smiled at him. “is that your girlfriend?”

drake flushed as he put his phone away. “she’s not my girlfriend.”

“that’s not what leo said. come on, i’ve seen her on your pictagram. dark hair? brown eyes?”

drake gave in and nodded. “her name’s riley.”

“i assume you told her... about all of this?”

drake hesitated, then slowly confirmed... “yeah. i invited her to spend the summer here.”

“drake, that’s amazing! i can’t wait to meet her.”

liam’s excitement was infectious. maybe it would be good to have brooks here, after all. she could be a distraction for... all of them, from this mess. she was good at that. she was the only person drake knew that could effortlessly pull him out of one of his sulking bad moods, just by being herself. so -- around this place? she’d be a welcome breath of fresh air.

he nodded, finding that he couldn’t wait, either.

remembering her text, he pulled out his phone again. night, brooks.

“drake,” maxwell practically screamed from the other side of the room, “get. off. the phone! we’re about to start a dance off.”

drake ignored him. riley had sent a photo of herself pouting at a sig chi pregame. i hate hanging out here without you

he bet she’d already had a few too many, despite the fact that it was still early in boston. below that text, she’d written, come homeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

miss me that much already? there was no denying how good that felt.

the party going on around him hardly interested him. he was only here for liam, after all, and at maxwell’s insistence -- drake hardly thought that something as chaotic as a beaumont bash was what his best friend needed right now, but liam had wanted to come, and so -- there they were.

the sight of riley’s downturned bottom lip in the photo was drawing him in. missing that hot bod, she’d written back. he snorted.

maxwell had jogged over to where he was standing. “come on, you can talk to her later. she’ll still be awake in a few hours. don’t you want to spend time with your friends, who’ve missed you?”

not really. he wanted to lock himself in the beaumont study and call riley before she left the house for a bar. he wanted to reach her now, before she was too drunk to know she was even talking to him.

“maxwell, i’m here, aren’t i?” with great self restraint, he slipped his phone into his pocket. “what do you want?”

maxwell slung his arm around drake’s shoulders. “i want you to take some shots with your friends. is that too much to ask?”

he heaved a heavy sigh, pretending to consider it. back in boston, at this hour, riley would already be slamming on the bartop wherever they’d wound up, demanding another round of tequila shots. his lips quirked. he should really have a drink or two in her honor. “alright, alright. lead the way.”

it wasn’t long before maxwell had him ridiculously, wonderfully drunk. “okay -- okay. one more.” maxwell had his chin on drake’s shoulder, looking down at the phone between them. “this is her at the a-e-pi luau after she won the hula hoop contest. it was on fire.”

maxwell gasped as he swiped left to the accompanying video of riley swinging her hips. “that’s so badass.”

there was pride in his voice. “i know, right? she’s the coolest. she’s so good at everything, it’s honestly annoying.”

“i want to meet her!” maxwell exclaimed, as drake continued to swipe through his camera roll. a majority of the photos he had were of riley doing something ridiculous, drunk and pulling silly faces at the camera. drake pointedly sped up as he reached the selfies of the two of them she’d insisted upon late one night on the roof of his house.

without thinking too much about it, he called her on facetime. it seemed simple enough, to his addled brain: maxwell wanted to meet her, and he wanted to talk to her. more than that, he wanted to look at her.

riley declined his call, though, making him frown. a second later, she’d texted one sec !! lemme go outside !!

her beautiful face came into view within moments. behind her, drake could see the main street lit up with activity, the college bars they’d used to frequent coming alive in the distance. riley was grinning -- she had glitter on her cheeks. “babyyyyyyyyy!” she exclaimed, throwing her arm up. she was drunk.

“hey, you.” maybe he was too drunk for this, too. “don’t you look nice.”

riley beamed, pulling the phone in close. “i miss you.”

from his shoulder, maxwell sighed. “awwww, stop it. i’m going to get a cavity.”

“riley, this is maxwell. maxwell, riley.” he angled the phone to let maxwell in frame. immediately, he waved wildly at her.

“hi! drake seriously does not stop talking about you. it’s so cool to finally see you!”

riley smiled widely at him. “he talks about me?”

“oh, yeah. every five minutes, he’s all -- riley would love hiking here. riley’s read that book, she said it was good. riley’s the reason i had to stop drinking vodka. it’s seriously --”

“okay, that’s enough.” he put the phone back on his face. “i might’ve mentioned you once or twice.”

maxwell scoffed loudly from beside him, but all of his focus was on the way riley giggled from the screen. his heart was pounding. they’d talked on the phone every night for the last four weeks, but this was the first time he was seeing her outside of photos or social media. for the life of himself, he couldn’t understand why they hadn’t done this sooner.

“you staying out of trouble, brooks?”

“well, duh! my partner in crime totally ditched me!”

maxwell was waving his arms beside him. “hey, liam! riley’s on the phone! drake’s girlfriend!”

drake reached his free hand out to push maxwell away. “shut up.”

riley was laughing wildly on the screen. “is that what you told them? that i’m your girlfriend?”

he rolled his eyes. “more like that’s what they told me.” his gaze softened. “i can’t wait until you get here.”

“me too, drake walker. you have no idea how much this place is starting to suck.”

suddenly, liam appeared behind him. “is this the riley we’ve heard so much about?”

she gasped theatrically. “you must be liam. you look like a liam.”

liam grinned, leaning down closer to the phone. “got it in one. it’s great to meet you. you’re every bit as pretty as drake said you were.”

riley laid a hand on her heart, miming like she was swooning. drake elbowed liam good-naturedly. “hello, i’m still here.”

riley winked at him. moments later, maxwell crowded in on drake’s other side, squishing into the frame. “riley, when you get here, we’re going to party so hard,” he promised. she seemed to like the sound of that.

“you guys are so lucky drake’s there hanging out with you,” she sighed, pouting into the camera again, “he’s the world’s best drinking buddy.”

maxwell’s eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of his head. “drake? our drake? this one right here?”

drake rolled his eyes, but riley didn’t seem to pick up on his sarcasm. “yeah! we’re unofficial beer pong champions at sig chi. and i’m not playing with anyone else until you come back. we’re not gonna be dethroned that easily.”

he winced, aware of the look maxwell and liam were exchanging behind his back. so -- he hadn’t exactly told her, yet, that he wasn’t planning on coming back for his senior year. but he was going to, okay? he just thought it was a conversation they’d be better off having in person.

he scoffed with false bravado. “as if any of those clowns could dethrone us, anyway.”

“i’m saying,” she agreed, spinning around on the sidewalk. he watched as she slowed to a stop at the corner, and then sighed. “will you walk me home?”

drake nodded, looking around the ballroom for a quiet corner. “you sure? it’s gotta be pretty early there.”

“i want us to be alone.” instantly, he could feel his face flushing. maxwell and liam laughed from beside him.

“i think that’s our cue,” liam said politely, reaching out to grab maxwell’s arm and pull him away. “nice to meet you, riley.”

“yeah -- get over here soon!” maxwell shouted, waving enthusiastically again.

drake was already heading off towards the study. he slipped inside, unnoticed, and closed the door behind him. riley was humming as she crossed the street, the signal and the darkness making her blurry on his screen. “did you have fun?” he asked, “where’d you guys go? sam’s?”

she nodded, the glitter on her cheek reflecting in the moonlight. “uh huh, but it was beat. the pregame was way better.” riley wrapped her free arm around herself, pulling her jacket in tighter. a moment of silence passed between them. “it’s weird not sleeping at the house.”

“i know. i think all the bruises i had from you kicking me in the shins every night have finally faded.”

riley laughed loudly as she ducked inside her building, tapping her id card to unlock the main door. “shut the fuck up. i only sleep-kicked you because you were a blanket hog.”

“we both know that’s honestly just not true.” her building was loud as groups of students prepared to go out, the night early enough that people were just now thundering down the stairs and heading for the door. he watched riley stab at the elevator button with amusement. “seriously? you live on the second floor.”

“mind your own business,” she snarked back at him as she slipped inside, “this elevator is for people in boston only. if you want to have an opinion, you’re going to have to leave europe.”

god, did he miss her. “you got your flight info, right? i gave liam your email so he could set it up.”

she nodded slowly as she stepped out into the hallway. drake watched her wobble adorably towards her front door, and heard her fumbling with her keys. “uh huh. m’already counting down the days. ‘til you pick me up at the airport and i can jump on you.”

drake sunk down into one of the leather armchairs in front of the bookshelves. “is that right?”

riley moved out of frame briefly as she struggled to get her jacket off. he heard the telltale sound of her kicking off her shoes, and then she bounced down onto her bed, making the old mattress creak. her face finally lit up as she leaned over and turned on her bedside lamp.

“yup.” her excitement was contagious. “i can’t wait to see you in person. ‘cause i can’t believe it’s been a month already and i haven’t gotten a single picture of you.”

“you want pictures, eh?” he grinned, mentally flipping through the catalog of images riley had been sending him. he’d hardly had time to wonder what she was doing, her selfies had been so thorough. “like the ones you’ve been sending me? because i’m a lot less exciting than you are, brooks. liam and i spend most of our time here doing nothing.”

“noooo...” she laid back against the bed, flopping down against the pillows. “i want you to be naked.”

drake barked out a laugh, shaking his head at her. “i am not sending you a nude from maxwell’s house.”

“why not?” she whined, batting her eyelashes. “i want to see your abs. i forget what they look like.”

he smirked at her, leaning back in the armchair. “now you know how i feel about your boobs.”

her eyes narrowed. drake swallowed hard -- he was very familiar with that particular glint in her eyes. deliberately, riley pulled her shirt up and over her head.

she was wearing a simple, lacy white bra. drake stared at her as she sat up and reached behind her back to unclasp it. “brooks...” he said warningly, his voice low. “i’m at a party.”

“so go home.” she mimicked his voice in a way that made him roll his eyes at her, just like every other time she busted out her winning impression of him that, in drake’s opinion, sounded nothing like him.

“i can’t, we’re all staying over.” and if she got him hard in the beaumont study he didn’t think he’d ever be able to come back in here again. he’d have to find a new place to hide out from the rest of court.

“then go to your room,” riley countered, shifting like she was going to wiggle out of her skirt.

drake averted his eyes desperately, trying to think about anything else. he was officially too drunk for this. “can’t we just talk about something else?”

riley groaned. when drake dared to look at her, she was frowning. “why?” she demanded, “why can’t we get each other off? don’t you miss me?”

“brooks, of course i miss you.” he sighed. sometimes it seemed like over the last few weeks he’d done nothing but miss her. he couldn’t help but to imagine every mundane detail of the summer ahead of them, from camping out under the stars to getting lost in the hedge maze together.

but riley still looked hurt. “well, it seems like you don’t.”

“riley...” he was trying not to stare at her. “come on. everyone here is fucking sick of me because i’m always either on my phone, talking about you, or annoyed because i didn’t get enough sleep because i was talking to you. these people know more about you than they know about me.”

that shut her up. after a moment, she asked, “...really?”

“really. and i can’t wait until you get here. i want to show you... everything. i want us to wake up in the same place again.”

riley smiled at him. it was the same soft, sleepy smile she used to give him just before their last kiss goodnight. “you should go back to your party. i bet your friends miss you, too.”

he nodded, making no move to hang up or stand from where he was sitting. “you’ll call me tomorrow?”

she yawned, her nose scrunching up childishly. “uh huh. goodnight, drake walker. cutest boy in cordonia. probably.”

the affection he felt for her in that moment was almost overwhelming. drake covered it up with a laugh. “sweet dreams, brooks.”

the next four weeks dragged on at an agonizingly slow pace. drake did everything he possibly could to fill his time, but he was hyperaware of every minute leading up to riley’s arrival. it only got worse as the end of the semester drew closer, and he knew that most of his friends were growing tired of him, but couldn’t seem to find it within himself to stop.

he needed to get it together. he had never been so hung up over a girl before, and definitely not one that he wasn’t even dating.

but... riley was riley, and if she wanted his attention, then she deserved all of it. for some reason, she’d decided to give up her summer for him, and drake wasn’t dumb enough to convince himself she was interested in being in cordonia for any reason other than spending time with him. as scary as it was to admit to himself, he knew the situation would be the same if he’d gone back to texas and she went back to new york at the end of the semester -- just with a cheaper cell phone plan.

so that meant he had to find a way to show her a good time.

...and let her know that he wouldn’t be going back to boston with her in the fall.

easy peasy. sure.

step one was simple enough: all he had to do was pick her up from the airport.

maxwell had volunteered to drive, which left him with idle hands as they rode out of the capital. he checked his phone restlessly, alternating between staring out the window and up at the ceiling of the car. after he’d sighed for what had to be the fifth or sixth time, maxwell finally said, “drake. relax.”

“i am totally -- relaxed.” he didn’t even sound convincing to himself. “this is... perfectly fine.”

“what could you possibly be nervous about?” maxwell asked. he sounded irritatingly amused. “you already know she likes you.”

“it’s complicated.” over the last two months, he’d done his best to avoid filling in all the gaps regarding their... relationship, if that was even what he would call it, despite maxwell and liam’s persistent questioning. “even if brooks was my girlfriend, or whatever... it’d still be weird, bringing her here.”

“why?”

he really didn’t want to get into it, especially not with maxwell. no one needed to know that he was wildly anxious about bringing a girl he liked around liam, who girls had always preferred over him for pretty much their entire lives. he was comfortable with harboring that insecurity alone until the end of time, thankyouverymuch.

“i just think that all of this is a lot for anyone to take in. i don’t want it to change things between us.”

there. that was vague and generic enough, while still not being an outright lie. he was worried about things changing between them. he wasn’t sure he could stand to watch riley grow to prefer liam to him.

shaking his head as if to clear it, he looked over at maxwell in time to catch him rolling his eyes at drake. “if anyone knows how to not let this change them, it’s you. i think you’ll be fine.”

drake shrugged silently. maxwell drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

“besides, it’s too late now. she’s already here. so help me find a parking spot.”

drake let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. okay. he could do this. they were still only on step one.

he stared at maxwell when he got out of the car, too. “you’re coming in with me?”

maxwell looked at him like he was the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. “uh, duh.” he shot finger guns at drake from across the car. “moral support, baby. now come on, stop dragging your feet.”

she was taking an inordinately long amount of time to get off the plane.

drake watched as passenger after passenger filed out of the door and into the airport terminal, heading to their next destinations. surely, she was doing it on purpose.

maxwell kicked his ankle, jolting him out of his thoughts. “you need to calm down.”

what was happening to him? he couldn’t recall ever being this nervous, not even around any of the literal royalty or supermodels that seemed to be perpetually following liam (and by default, him) around. maxwell was right. he needed to get a grip.

but then he saw her.

she hadn’t noticed him, yet, so he had a moment to watch her as she stepped out into the airport and looked around curiously. she was struggling with a giant, overstuffed duffel bag, and the sight of her jacket tied around her waist and her hair pulled up off her face made him think that maybe he wasn’t alone in his nerves. she always overheated when she started to panic.

riley turned and saw him, and her face split into a brilliant grin. drake started to make his peace with the fact that it was the last thing he was going to see before he had a stroke and died. as far as untimely demises were concerned -- there were definitely worse ways to go.

“oh my god,” maxwell mumbled from beside him, “this is so cute, i’m going to cry.”

she pushed through the crowd and rushed the rest of the way up to them. without a word, she dropped her bag on the ground and, as promised, launched herself directly into his arms.

drake laughed as he caught her, lifting her off her feet. no one had ever told her to act like a lady in case there were photographers around before, so riley wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight.

“you’re here,” he said dumbly, hugging her in close. the longest eight weeks of his life had officially come to an end. his throat felt suspiciously tight. “it’s really good to see you.”

riley’s hands were on his shoulders, and she pushed him back enough that she could look at him, still smiling that stupid, goofy grin. her eyes swept his face, and then she leaned in and caught his lips in a hungry, desperate kiss.

drake stumbled briefly, but recovered quickly enough. he squeezed her sides encouragingly, and riley shoved her hands into his hair, kissing him as though they were about to be ripped away for war at any moment.

maxwell coughed pointedly from beside him, breaking the spell. her legs dropped abruptly to the ground with a thud, and then she stood up straight and laughed. she didn’t look embarrassed in the slightest. she took both of drake’s hands in hers and squeezed them. “you have no idea how much i missed you.”

“i think everyone here has some idea,” maxwell mused. “it’s nice to finally meet you in person, riley.”

“likewise.” she turned her unabashed grin on him, then. to his credit, maxwell smiled right back at her. “thanks for taking care of drake while he’s been here.”

maxwell laughed. “trust me, no one here has been taking care of drake. we have a lot to fill you in on.”

drake rolled his eyes as he bent down and hoisted riley’s duffle bag onto his shoulder. he couldn’t quite bring himself to be bothered by maxwell’s remarks, now that she was here.

riley leaned over and laced her fingers through his as they headed towards the door. huh. she hadn’t done that in... awhile, even back in boston. fuzzy, alcohol-addled memories reminded him that it was halloween, the last time she’d slipped her hand into his, just to lead him around a party.

“this is freaking me out,” maxwell said, as they made their way back to the car. “riley, just so you know -- drake never smiles this much. i don’t think he’s smiled this much in all the time i’ve known him.”

“what? drake totally smiles,” she argued, squeezing his hand. “he smiles all the time.”

“it’s true,” he agreed, completely deadpan. “a man can smile if he wants to, maxwell.”

he opened the door for riley when they reached the car, and she took her bag and slid into the backseat. before he could close it, she reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him into another kiss. this time, her lips were much sweeter and softer, and she kissed him like they had all the time in the world to get reacquainted.

maxwell was pretending not to notice as he texted from the front seat. “you’re going to have to stop doing that,” drake murmured lowly, his lips still brushing hers with every word. “or we’re never going to make it back to the palace.”

“hey, you can’t blame me for finding you irresistible.” her fingers hooked in the belt loops of his jeans. “it was a long eight weeks. of course i’m hard up for it.”

he bit back a shiver, swallowing the groan that was threatening. “you can’t possibly imagine what i’m going to do to you later tonight,” he promised, the words spoken lowly into her ear.

riley’s eyelids fluttered prettily at the same time that maxwell started the car, the sound of the ignition turning over shattering the silence between them. drake shot her a smirk and closed the backseat door, joining maxwell in the front.

riley immediately slid into the space between the two front seats, leaning over the car’s center console. “so, what’d i miss? you guys have to tell me everything. maxwell, make sure he doesn’t leave anything out. drake is the worst storyteller.”

“liam, it was like something out of a movie. you should have seen him.” maxwell’s voice was insistent, and the only reason why drake was tolerating the direction the conversation was going in was because of the way riley was giggling beside him as she rotated her marshmallow over the fire. “it was like aliens replaced drake with a pod person. they made out at the airport.”

liam was laughing at him, too. drake leaned over and threw a marshmallow at him, sighing as he turned his attention back to riley. “look what you did. you’re ruining my reputation.”

she pulled her marshmallow from the fire, blowing on it to extinguish the tiny flame that’d caught on one of the charred edges. she didn’t look sorry when she slid her gaze over to him. “oops?”

he sighed again as he held a graham cracker out to her. it was worth the inevitable teasing that would follow when riley beamed as she slid her gooey marshmallow off the stick and onto the cracker, leaning over him to fish around for the chocolate on the far side of where he was sitting.

“riley, you have to tell us more about what drake is like at college. it’s honestly like you’re describing a totally different person.”

drake glared at maxwell as he set himself up with a new marshmallow. “it’s really not,” he said, though all three of them acted like he hadn’t spoken.

“well -- for the most part, he’s always been really nice to me,” she shrugged, “but he was pretty drunk when we met.”

“i wasn’t pretty drunk,” he argued, “i was... regular drunk.” again, the three of them ignored him.

“i bumped into him at a party -- like full-on smacked into him and spilled my drink -- and i remember exactly what he said. he looked me up and down and was like, i would remember if i’d ever seen you here before.”

“actually, i think it sounded a lot cooler than that.” his protest fell on deaf ears. liam and maxwell leaned in closer to the fire, hanging on her every word.

“and i was like, uh, i kind of make it a point not to hang around in gross frat house backyards, and i swear to god he actually said -- so what if we went upstairs instead?”

“i think i’d honestly be okay with dying right now,” drake said, though he doubted anyone heard him with the way liam and maxwell were howling with laughter.

“so -- did you go with him?”

“yeah.” her smile softened, and she shot drake a fond look that made him feel perfectly at peace, being the butt of the joke. “drake’s room has a really cool balcony. we stayed outside all night talking and watched the sunrise together. then in the morning it started raining, so we ran inside... and he asked if i wanted a towel but i just kissed him instead.”

“and then?”

“you really don’t need to --”

“honestly, i didn’t know if i’d see him again after that,” riley shrugged, glossing over the part he was desperate to keep private. “it’s a big campus, you know? and he didn’t even ask for my number. but i... kept thinking about him. so i asked around, and i figured out which of the girls in my sorority were dating guys in sig chi.”

that was news to him. “what? you did?”

“uh, yeah?” riley laughed, as though it should have been obvious. “how else would i have known about that pregame you had before the homecoming game?”

he was stunned. it’d never occurred to him before that seeing riley again might’ve been anything other than dumb luck. “i don’t know.”

“so -- that was what happened. i went to the pregame and it was pretty small so obviously he was there and we saw each other right away, and i couldn’t have cared less about the homecoming game so...” a grin spread slowly across her face. she shrugged. “we found something else to do with our time.”

his brain was still stuck on the part where she actively sought out seeing him again. when he first started hooking up with her on a semi-regular basis, drake had assumed riley was just killing time with him between classes and parties -- she was so obviously out of his league that it seemed ridiculous to think anything else. drake spent most of the time he was with her trying to make her laugh or come so he could convince her she had a reason to keep coming around.

but... she liked him. since the first time they’d met. she didn’t need any convincing.

“then i just kept bugging him and dragging him to stuff he didn’t want to go to -- study groups, movies on the quad, bar crawls in the city, red sox games. i kept waiting for him to say no, but -- he never did.”

she was staring at him in the moonlight, biting down on her bottom lip. riley looked suddenly... shy, or as shy as she could look with thready gobs of marshmallow stuck to her fingertips. he had no idea what to say.

“you and i remember that... very differently,” he settled on finally, hardly able to believe she was serious. she had to be embellishing, right? telling the story in a way that’d make it more interesting for liam and especially maxwell, whose eyes were so wide as she talked that drake was actually concerned for him.

“is that right?”

“yes,” he said emphatically. “first of all, i felt like an idiot for forgetting to get your number. i thought i totally blew it, and i couldn’t believe my luck when you showed up at the house again. i’d kind of just been hoping we’d have a class together or something and i could figure out how to talk to you then. and after homecoming i was the one to ask you out.”

“asking me to meet you at a bar you were already at is not asking me out,” she laughed. “you said ‘come to tri-bar, there’s a lot of people here.’ is that how you guys would ask a girl out?”

liam and maxwell both obligingly shook their heads no. traitors.

“i was the one who asked you to come home with me, and then when we got there, you were like -- ugh, a twin-sized bed? i didn’t even think you liked me. so then when i saw you at the student union and asked you to go to the marina... i thought you were going to say no, honestly.”

maxwell interrupted before he could think of something to say. “so you asked drake out? twice?”

“i asked him out, like, a hundred times,” she laughed, “most of the time i figured he just said yes because he was bored.”

“okay, you are out of your mind.” it felt like he was living in an alternate reality. “i mean, i was definitely trying to play it cool, but i couldn’t have been that cool.”

“it would be incredibly out of character for him,” maxwell mused.

drake ignored him. “i was always following you around. i couldn’t believe a girl like you would even look twice at me.”

riley frowned, like she didn’t understand what he was saying, either.

it was hard to pinpoint exactly when things started to change. gradually, they’d just become... two people who were always together, constantly in contact, never without their next outing on the horizon. she’d started to spend every weekend sleeping over at the house and he’d memorized her coffee order and her class schedule so he could have a few extra minutes of her time walking around campus together.

when he and savannah had gone to texas to spend christmas with his mom he’d made sure to text her every day over the holiday break. he’d gotten back to boston earlier in the day the sunday before the spring semester started, and went to pick her up from the train when she got in later that night. it was snowing, and she was freezing cold when she hugged him tight.

drake still remembered the way she’d said i was worried you would forget about me. at the time, he’d thought she was joking.

“so -- assuming that drake planned absolutely nothing for the entire summer, i have a list of everything you have to see in cordonia before you leave.” maxwell broke the silence, pulling out his phone. reluctantly, riley looked away from him and back across the fire. liam shot him a look before drake averted his eyes, too.

“sounds fun,” riley smiled. “i’m ready for a summer full of adventure.”

she stretched, making a show of giving the biggest, most fake-looking yawn he’d ever seen. he stifled a smile. “i’m pretty exhausted now, though. it was a long flight.” riley turned and looked directly at him. “will you walk me to my room?”

she held his hand as he walked her back up the stairs. “so,” she started, looking around at everything, “how come we don’t get to share?”

share a bedroom? as if. he snorted. “this isn’t exactly that kind of place. plus, i figured you’d want your own space. but you’re right across the hall from me, so... i’ll be close.”

she nodded. he couldn’t remember another time she was so quiet. “are you okay?”

riley squeezed his hand. “yeah. just taking it all in. i can’t believe you really grew up here. i mean, you’re so -- normal. is this weird for you?”

“very. but you get used to it. savannah adapted a lot better than i did.”

“you said she’s with her friends, right?”

“yeah -- a few of the girls from court went to paris for the weekend. i think it was one of their birthdays. they should be back in a couple of days, and then you can meet her. maxwell said something about having a big party.”

“i can’t believe i actually scored an invite to an infamous beaumont bash,” she mused playfully, “it’ll be nice to finally have some idea of what you’re talking about.”

“honestly, there’s tons of other things i want to show you first. tomorrow i’ll take you on a real tour of the palace -- show you all the secret spots i’ve found. stuff you’d never read about in history books.” he couldn’t wait to see her face when he showed her the view of the courtyard.

“that sounds nice.” but riley looked distracted, her thoughts somewhere else. he waited patiently for her to get around to it, and she did. “can i ask you something?”

“anything.”

“why did you invite me here?” he looked down in surprise and found that she was already staring at him. “i mean -- for the whole summer? aren’t you worried we might get sick of each other?”

he shook his head. of all the things he’d worried about and agonized over, that was one thought that had honestly never crossed his mind. “not at all.” he slowed to a stop as they reached the door that said ms. riley brooks in looping script.

“i invited you out here because i wanted to spend time with you,” he said honestly, for once unafraid of saying something that might scare her off. since the moment they’d met, it’d been an annoyance in the back of his mind, the thought that she might decide she’d had enough one day and walk away. tonight, it seemed like riley was doing everything she could to make him feel secure -- so he tried to let her, just this once. “honestly, when i knew i had to come back here... at first, i didn’t want to.”

he felt guilty to admit it, but pushed through anyway. “because of you. the thought of not being able to see you every day... made me not want to go. i didn’t -- i could never forgive myself if that’s how i left things with you. and i could see how you would think that maybe i just said you should come in the heat of the moment or whatever, but... that’s how i always feel when i’m with you, so. it was a no-brainer. i feel like if none of this ever happened, i still would’ve invited you out, or planned a trip to new york or... something. those three weeks i didn’t see you over christmas break were awful. i don’t know if i could do a whole -- woah!”

he cut off abruptly as riley shoved him hard into the wall beside her bedroom door. before he had time to ask what she was doing, she pushed up on her toes and kissed him forcefully, gripping his shirt tightly in her hands. drake tangled his hands in her long, dark hair, kissing her back just as aggressively.

god. had they really not done this in eight weeks?

drake heard riley fumble with the doorknob to her room and shuffled to help her get them both inside without breaking their kiss. the door to the hallway slammed shut as she pushed him back into it again.

on any other night, he might’ve teased her for her impatience -- reminded her that they had no where to be and then dragged it out for as long as possible. but tonight, he felt her urgency. he pushed forward and walked them both back towards her bed, leaning over her until she finally laid down onto it and dragged him on top of her.

in between kisses, he pulled off his shirt, doing his best not to actually rip any threads of riley’s clothes as he tugged at them in turn. once he’d slipped her out of her jeans, he almost choked on his own tongue when he saw what she was wearing underneath.

“did you have that on all day?” he demanded, his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. her bra and panties were lacy and see-through, in matching dusty shades of pink.

she grinned at him, completely pleased with herself. “uh huh.”

he groaned as he looked her over, his gaze trailing down her body. “jesus christ, riley. warn a guy next time.”

she lifted one leg to hook around his waist, pressing him closer with her heel at his back. he exhaled slowly, giving into the urge to grind his hips forward against hers.

if it was at all possible for riley to look any more smug, she managed it. “where would be the fun in that?”

he was still panting as they laid side-by-side under the canopy of her bed. the sheet was pooled low over the both of them, but for as hot as he knew they both were riley still cuddled in as close as she could get, leaning her head on drake’s chest. his arm wrapped around her, stroking her shoulder mindlessly as he worked to get his actual thoughts back on track.

she was the one to speak up first. “i want you to sleep in here with me.” the tone of her voice implied she thought he might actually say no.

“okay,” he answered breathlessly, glancing around the room that would be hers for the next three months for the first time. she’d hardly had time to unpack before liam and maxwell had monopolized her afternoon, but her things were already scattered around the room in a way that reminded him of her apartment back in boston; riley had a few t-shirts already spilling out of her half-zipped duffle bag, and her curling iron sat on top of the vanity next to her phone charger.

for some reason, the sight of her things around here -- in a bedroom at the palace, where he’d grown up and spent so much time feeling completely alone and out of place -- made his heartbeat speed up arrhythmically.

“i really am so glad you’re here,” he murmured, feeling inexplicably tender towards her. “i know this has to be weird for you. but it means a lot that you’d do this just so we could hang out.”

“i would literally walk from new york to cordonia if it meant we could spend an hour together.” she nudged her nose against his sternum, and he wondered if she could feel how hard his heart was pounding.

he covered up the rush of affection he felt for her with a joke. “you would literally walk across the atlantic ocean?”

“i would figuratively do it just so i could literally kick your ass.”

drake chuckled, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes so he could smile down at her. “riley... seriously.”

“i’m being serious,” she insisted, “you always act like i don’t like you as much as you like me, but the truth is that i like you more. it’s like you haven’t noticed that i’ve been the one chasing you around since junior year started.”

he scoffed. “what? that’s not true.”

riley pushed up onto her elbow, frowning at him like he was a complete idiot. she usually reserved that look for what she considered to be ice cold takes of his, like meat lovers is objectively the best pizza in existence or they should have never cancelled heroes, the plot was just starting to get good. “drake -- it is true. if i weren’t always, you know -- showing up at your house or dragging you out to stuff we’d probably never see each other. i think you inviting me out here is the only time you’ve ever made a plan for us to do something.”

“no way,” he argued, racking his brain for an example of a time he planned a date. there had to be at least one. “what about when we went to that concert at fenway park?”

“i got the tickets from work,” she reminded him. he frowned.

“how about when we slept over on that houseboat in the marina?”

“that was daniel’s dad’s boat. i asked him if we could borrow it.”

“i took you to that early screening of the last most wanted movie.”

“you needed an american express card to access the pre-sale. i sent you the link and asked you to do it. drake -- it’s not a big deal. i’m just saying --”

“hang on, what about all those times i made you dinner? i invited you over, i cooked for you. those were dates, weren’t they?”

riley shrugged. “sure. look -- forget i said anything, okay? the point i was trying to make was that... i like you a lot. and you don’t have to worry about that.”

but he barely heard her, his thoughts somewhere else. “well, i did plan stuff for us to do this summer. there’s so much i want to show you. it’s going to take us the entire time to get through it all.”

“and that sounds great.” she smiled at him reassuringly, but he couldn’t help but feel like he’d somehow majorly fucked up.

there was so much more he wanted to say. he needed her to understand just how crazy about her he was -- how insane she made him feel, how he never stopped thinking about her. he’d never known anyone who single-handedly had the ability to make or break his day.

and he’d never had a girlfriend before. he’d never even wanted one. but... riley was different. she made every day so much better, just by being around.

so why were the words that would let her know that stuck in his throat?

“okay,” he mumbled finally, still frowning at the ceiling.

she was already dozing off against his chest, seemingly content, but he knew it would be a long time before he fell asleep, too.

it only took a day before they settled into a routine. riley always preferred running to being in the gym -- especially with him -- (“drake is so annoying about his workout” she’d not-whispered to liam when he’d invited her to train with them) so she’d spend the morning jogging laps around the palace grounds in an infuriatingly small sports bra and shorts while he and liam made use of the palace gym.

he tried valiantly not to stare at her when she ran past the bank of windows that looked out into the courtyard, but she drew his gaze every time without fail, to the point where he was mentally timing her laps, perking up when he figured she’d be coming around again.

he and liam were taking turns hitting one of the heavy bags lined up in the corner of the gym as he complained. “she thinks i’m not thoughtful,” drake insisted, even though riley had never said that -- at least not in so many words. “she said i’ve never planned a date for us. i didn’t even know that was something i was supposed to do.”

liam gave him the same look riley did when she thought he was being wildly out of pocket. “you didn’t think... you were supposed to take your girlfriend out on dates?”

“i didn’t even think she was my girlfriend,” he admitted helplessly. “we never said -- i mean, i never thought...” he sighed in frustration, and liam wordlessly switched positions with him so drake could be free to hit the punching bag they were sharing. “we’re always together. it wasn’t like -- we had a saturday where we weren’t hanging out and she was waiting around for me to ask her to do something. i swear i spent more time with her than i did in class.”

“look, she obviously likes you,” liam pointed out, holding the heavy bag steady as drake punched it again, hard enough to rattle the chain hooking it into the ceiling. “the way she talks about you... it seems clear she’s crazy about you just the way you are.”

“yeah,” he sighed, “i just want to make her feel special. she deserves it.”

while he’d definitely made a list of everything he wanted to show riley before she left cordonia, he knew then that he needed to translate it into solid plans. he was determined to show her how much she meant to him, so if riley wanted dates, then she would get them -- so many she’d be sick of him by the end of the summer.

riley popped her head in, then, grinning and flushed. “god, it’s hot out there. you didn’t tell me a cordonian summer would be this hot.”

“it’s been unseasonably warm,” liam agreed, moving to the cooler to grab riley a water. “you know you can always run in here with us, right? there’s plenty of treadmills.”

“thanks, but i like being outside. you two should try keeping up with me.” she drank deeply from the water bottle in her hands, eyeing drake’s shirtless torso with the same interest he was paying her.

they were just about ready for the next part of their routine --

“shower?” riley asked him, inclining her head towards the stairs. her lips quirked up into a grin.

“definitely.”

the three of them would have breakfast together before whatever adventure they’d decided upon for the day started. liam wasn’t always able to join them -- sometimes bastien put his foot down if drake suggested something too far or dangerous -- but maxwell would tag along on occasion, and sometimes they’d spend the day blissfully alone.

over the next few weeks, he showed her... everything. they went to the beach. to the woods. to the mountains. he took her to the stables and showed her how to ride a horse -- really ride, like when he first learned in texas -- and they broke into the kitchens late at night to make snacks together, sneaking around with whispered voices so they wouldn’t wake anyone else up.

he took her camping, and hiking, and fishing, and tried to teach her how to navigate the hedge maze. that one was still taking her a few tries, but riley took to everything else with natural grace, being as infuriatingly good at everything as she always was. drake showed her all the secret spots of the palace he’d always wanted to share with someone, and brought her into town, and stuffed her full of every single apple-related snack she could handle.

they had sex just about everywhere he thought they could manage to get away with it. as it turned out, that was... a lot of places.

he introduced her to savannah and the members of the king’s guard that felt like family to him, pleased when she charmed them as easily as she’d charmed everyone else. savannah thought she was just about the greatest thing she’d ever seen, and bothered her incessantly about everything from life in new york to what college in america was like to how riley braided her hair.

life felt pretty much... perfect. now that he knew what it felt like to have riley’s eyes light up when he brought her somewhere special, drake constantly found himself trying to outdo their last day out, chasing the high that came when she gave him her sunniest smile and bounced happily on the balls of her feet.

he found himself doing and saying things he never thought he’d do before, like talking about his dad, and growing up at the palace, and even opening up about how nervous he’d been to bring her around liam...

but riley never judged him. she never made him feel stupid, even though most of the time he thought he sounded pretty stupid.

she always listened. she was patient and thoughtful and she just got him, in a way he hadn’t even realized he’d been looking for until she made it happen so effortlessly. the more time he spent with her, the more he was amazed at how well they really seemed to mesh. in boston, they’d been friends who got along swimmingly, but here... they felt like a team. like partners. like something more... solid, and real.

they still drank and went to parties and snuck out early to find somewhere quiet to make out. by the third or so time, maxwell had started collecting bets on when they would make their leave together -- not that he cared, as long as they found that quiet spot.

but it felt like they had an understanding, now. so much so that he barely even noticed he’d started introducing her to anyone who looked their way as riley, my girlfriend.

eventually, things started to wind down. august snuck up on them before he had time to prepare, and drake found himself face-to-face with the reality of time and the guilt of knowing that he still hadn’t told riley he wouldn’t be flying back to boston with her at the end of the month.

it wasn’t like he hadn’t tried. it was just that... other things always seemed to come up. to take precedence.

he’d been lying on her bed while she flipped frantically through the clothes she’d brought along with her, whining, “i didn’t bring anything i could wear to a ball. you didn’t tell me there was going to be a ball.”

drake shrugged apathetically. “we don’t actually have to go. everyone will be in the ballroom, so -- the rest of the palace would be pretty much ours. or we could drive out to the beach... camp out under the stars again...”

“of course we have to go. in fact, your sister specifically said make sure drake doesn’t skip this one.”

“you know, i didn’t introduce you guys so you could team up against me.” riley smirked at him over her shoulder. “the end of summer ball is, like, the lamest one, anyway. we wouldn’t be missing anything.”

“we’re going,” she said firmly, “i just need to find a dress. maxwell said something about a boutique?”

drake nodded. “i can show you where it is.” he drew in a deep breath. now was as good a time as any, right? “actually, there was something i wanted to talk to you about...”

she hummed encouragingly from where she was still bent over her bag, rifling through her things.

“well... it’s about --”

“riley!” the door to her room banged open abruptly. drake sighed as savannah burst in. “you have to come with me to the boutique. i put three different dresses on hold for the ball this weekend and i need you to tell me which one i should go with.”

“you know, you could knock,” drake said pointedly, glaring at savannah from behind riley’s back. he was trying to let her know about the important talk she’d interrupted with just a look, but savannah didn’t seem to pick up on it, her brow furrowing at him with confusion.

“you can’t blame us if you walk in on something you don’t want to see,” riley teased, finally standing up and dusting her hands off. she smiled at savannah, and then turned back towards drake. “i’ll see you in a bit?”

as if it were possible to feel any guiltier, drake found that he was actually relieved they’d been interrupted. “yeah,” he answered weakly. you are the worst. she is going to freak out. “definitely.”

riley was adamant about getting ready on her own. she said something about wanting to surprise him when she’d shoved him out of her room and told him to meet her at the bottom of the staircase before the party. drake spent his newly discovered free time resigning himself to a night spent in his one suit, carefully avoiding the nobles he had no interest in talking to.

he was barely dressed before savannah came barging into his room, squealing and clapping her hands excitedly. “drake! come on, come on. it’s time to go downstairs.”

“savannah, the ball isn’t going anywhere.” neither was this little song-and-dance they somehow managed to perform before every single party. usually, she let him drag his feet for at least a few more minutes than she was tonight.

“i can’t wait to see the look on your face,” she grinned, reaching for his arm and dragging him out of his room. “you are going to die.”

“what are you even talking about?” they descended the stairs together and stopped at the bottom. the foyer was chaotic, with guests arriving and greeting each other, the doors to the ballroom open just beyond the hallway. he could already hear the music that was playing.

“riley, stupid,” savannah said, elbowing him in the side. “she looks amazing.”

he rolled his eyes at her. “riley always looks amazing.”

“i’ve never wanted my phone more than i do right now,” she sighed, “you’re going to look like a complete idiot in 3... 2...”

maybe she had a point. riley appeared suddenly at the top of the stairs looking like an angel, holding the long skirt of her dress in one hand. the gown she was wearing was grey and low-cut, with sequin detailing and a simple cinch at the waist. when she started to walk down the stairs, he could see that there was a high slit in the front, exposing flashes of her bare legs to him as she moved.

as she got closer, the dainty necklace that dipped tantalizingly into her cleavage caught his eye. his mouth felt very dry.

from beside him, he could distantly hear savannah say, “this is the best thing ever,” but she felt very far away.

it felt a lot like riley was walking towards him in slow-motion. she was like something out of a fantasy, and while he knew he was gaping, drake couldn’t quite bring himself to care. finally, she stopped at the bottom of the steps, right in front of him.

she shot him a wide, sunny smile. “hi.”

drake released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. his gaze slid down her body again. he couldn’t remember ever feeling so tongue-tied in his entire life, and riley had dressed as catwoman for halloween.

“hey. you look amazing.” there. that was more or less what he’d wanted to start with. “that dress...”

“yeah? you like it?” her grin let him know she already knew his answer.

“i think it’s going to look amazing on my floor later.”

“aaaand, that’s my cue,” savannah said abruptly from behind him, her face contorting with distaste. “i’ll see you in there.” he hardly noticed as she walked away.

“seriously, riley.” now that he’d found his voice, he wasn’t sure if he was capable of talking about anything else. “you’re gorgeous.”

and he was in love.

wait --

no, he was. he was certain. that feeling -- that thing that he always seemed to be overtaken by whenever riley was around, whenever she smiled at him or he made her laugh or she kissed him -- that feeling that made him want to tell her things, anything -- that was what it was. he was in love with her. oh, god.

he tried not to let his revelation show on his face as she inclined her head towards his own outfit. “thanks. you look really handsome, too. i didn’t even know you owned a suit.”

her teasing made him feel more like himself, and drake managed a genuine smile as he leaned down to press a brief kiss to her lips. the contact calmed him down enough to pretend like the earth hadn’t just completely shifted on its axis. “a man has to have some secrets.” he offered her his arm, and she stepped up to his side. “ready for the lion’s den?”

“it can’t be that bad.”

he snorted as they stepped into the ballroom. a quick glance of the room confirmed that riley had absolutely no idea what she was in for. the place was crawling with nobles and a majority of the faces he recognized were people he had absolutely no interest in talking to -- girls who were desperate to get on liam’s radar now, before he started courting for a queen, and pompous dukes and earls who’d want to pretend to be his friend for a spot in his inner circle once he became king. not a single one of them had ever had a polite word to say to him.

“let’s at least get a drink,” he settled on, resting his hand on her lower back to guide her towards the bar. hopefully he could keep most of the nastiest people here away from her.

unfortunately, riley was hardly dressed to lay low. drake noticed every eye in their path following them as they made their way across the room, whispers breaking out behind her back from both men and women. it hardly surprised him. if he had seen her for the first time tonight he was sure he would have been one of the people staring, too.

as they got in line at the bar, she swiped a glass of champagne from a passing tray, lifting it to her lips. drake glared at a man staring at her from over her shoulder until he held up his hands and walked away. “this is really fancy,” riley noted, looking around the room. “is this what your summers are usually like? all these balls and parties?”

drake shook his head. “honestly, i try to avoid stuff like this unless liam really needs my support. savannah likes it, but most of this... isn’t my scene. in a few years, when liam starts looking for a queen -- it’s going to be awful. there’ll be a ball like this every week, and an international tour, too.”

“oh, no,” riley said sarcastically, “a free trip to other beautiful countries? it sounds terrible.”

“traveling with the royal court is hardly a vacation,” he sighed. “the security alone makes it impossible to do anything fun. it’s basically exactly what we do here -- crowded dinners filled with pretentious people and tiny portions of fancy food -- except that you’re jet-lagged and tired on top of it.”

she shook her suddenly empty champagne flute at him before setting it down on the bar. “at least there’s alcohol.”

“that one, i’ll give you.” he gave both their drink orders to the bartender, passing riley her vodka soda -- three limes -- with one hand and drinking deeply from his whiskey with the other. riley leaned up against his side as they stepped away from the crowd, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her in closer.

she surveyed the people filling the ballroom with interest. “okay, so give me the rundown. who’s who?”

“most of the people here are cordonian nobility,” he explained, “their parents run duchies throughout the country. you know -- like how maxwell’s brother runs his?”

riley hummed, nodding her head. she took another sip of her drink. “and is being really, really pretty a requirement of coming to these things? because most of these girls look like supermodels.”

draked laughed. “most of the girls here are some of the meanest people you will ever meet.” his fingers drummed on her bare shoulder to catch her attention, and he lowered his voice as he inclined his head to the far right of the room. “that’s madeleine. she was engaged to leo before he abdicated. now that liam’s set to be king, she’ll be all over him.”

riley’s face displayed her disgust. “after she was engaged to his brother?”

“it was never really like that, for them. i’d be surprised if she and leo ever even kissed, outside of public obligations.”

“that’s kind of sad, don’t you think?”

“yeah. especially because she’s pretty much the favored choice for liam, and... not a very pleasant person to be around. i hope he picks anyone else, honestly.”

a flash of red hair caught his eye, and he looked across the room to see olivia and liam dancing together. he grimaced. “well... almost anyone.”

“who’s she?”

“olivia nevrakis, we grew up together. her family has a long history in cordonia. she’s been in love with liam for... pretty much our entire lives. ever since her parents died, she’s been running their duchy alone, in lythikos.”

“ahh.” recognition dawned on riley’s face. “that’s the place maxwell calls the elephant graveyard.”

“what? why?”

she looked at him like he was crazy. “from the lion king? it’s the place simba isn’t ever supposed to go. because... of the hyenas? have you seriously never seen the lion king?”

maxwell appeared beside them suddenly, two champagne flutes in his hands. he passed one to riley. “did i hear someone say the lion king?”

she clinked her glass against his with a grin. “drake’s never seen it! isn’t that insane?”

drake nodded at the glass in maxwell’s hands. “don’t worry, i didn’t want one.”

he scoffed. “you already have a drink! riley’s was looking low.”

“thanks, maxwell,” she said primly, leaning her head briefly on drake’s chest. “don’t be so grumpy, you.”

drake rolled his eyes. “i’m just saying -- we’re going to need about a thousand more of those, if we’re going to get through tonight.”

“aww, come on. this is pretty fun. i love that you have all the gossip.”

he sighed heavily, his gaze drawn back to where olivia seemed reluctant to release liam, even as the song changed. “i need to go rescue liam. will you be okay for a few minutes on your own?”

riley nodded, waving him off. she set both of her empty glasses down on a passing tray. “yeah, i’ll be fine. go save the day.”

“i’ll introduce you to some people,” maxwell offered, “maybe we can even teach you the corodnian waltz.”

it was longer than he would’ve liked before he made his way back to riley again. he’d seen her out of the corner of his eye, dancing with maxwell, talking to savannah, meeting some of the other ladies from court. whenever he glanced her way, she seemed to be handling herself remarkably well -- better than he ever had. he was impressed.

he came armed with another drink for her when he finally appeared to pull her away from maxwell and the girls she was talking to, assuming she’d need it. surprisingly enough, the small group that’d gathered around her actually complained when drake pulled her away.

drake led her out onto the balcony and handed her her drink. riley accepted it gratefully, laughing when he said, “it looks like you’ve made quite the impression.”

riley shrugged, holding the cool glass against her flushed cheek. she’d probably danced more tonight than he had in his entire life. “most of them aren’t so bad. but i do see what you mean about olivia. she’s a nightmare.”

he laughed. “what -- no way! american, commoner, here with me? you should have been her favorite person at this party.”

she grinned out at the courtyard below them, bracing her hands on the balcony’s railing. “she’s lucky we’re here and not at school, or i’d slap that stupid smirk off her face.”

drake whistled. “someone’s feeling feisty.”

riley shot him a sideline look. if he didn’t know any better, he’d almost think that she’d been out there defending him. after a beat, she said, “you didn’t tell me you had admirers here.”

his eyebrows arched high as he took a sip of his own drink. “probably because i don’t.”

“hmmm.” she pursed her lips and then turned around, leaning her back against the railing. drake followed her gaze back into the ballroom and found that she was looking at kiara. “she likes you.”

drake rolled his eyes. “that’s not funny.”

she folded her arms under her chest, turning back towards him. “i’m not laughing.”

“she doesn’t even know me. and i’m not interested in her.”

riley sighed. he wondered if there was something else he should say -- but before he could start to overthink things, she leaned in for a kiss.

drake pulled her close and kissed her deeply, the way he’d been wanting to all night. he’d been thinking of this moment and this moment alone since she’d descended the grand stairs, and he swept her into his chest, carefully weaving his hands into her hair so he could tilt her face up to kiss her harder.

riley wound her arms around him in turn and shivered as their bodies met, humming happily against his lips when his grip tightened. the muffled sound of the party behind them faded away as all of drake’s focus centered on her and the crazy way she made him feel.

when they finally broke apart, he tipped their foreheads together, staring down at her. riley was breathing hard, her lips swollen and her cheeks pink. she looked so happy.

before she could speak, he said, “i have to tell you something.”

she held his gaze. it was now or never. in a moment, she wasn’t going to look this happy anymore -- she was going to be so fucking mad at him.

he shut his eyes with a sigh. her hand was sweetly stroking his side under his jacket and over his shirt, her voice gentle and encouraging when she asked, “drake? what is it?”

“i’m not... going back to school with you, riley. i have to stay here.”

he could feel her freeze in his arms, tensing up. the words hung in the air between them, creating distance that was unavoidable, even though she didn’t move. he opened his eyes.

“you’re... what?”

“i’m not going back to boston,” he said again, his voice low. “i’m sorry... but i can’t. liam needs me here.”

predictably, she looked upset. drake watched as a series of emotions flickered across her face before her expression set into one of stony resolve. he didn’t try to stop her as she pulled away, taking a step back from him. “when did you decide that?”

he knew his answer wouldn’t be popular, but at least it was the truth. “as soon as i got back.”

she flinched. “and you didn’t think it was important to tell me before now?”

“riley -- i wanted to tell you,” he rushed to explain, hating that everything out of his mouth sounded like an excuse. “but it never felt like the right time, and --”

“that is such bullshit.” it felt like the ground was falling out from beneath him as angry tears sprang into her eyes. “you knew all fucking summer you were just going to ship me back there by myself and you acted like we were -- and then what? what was supposed to happen for us?”

“hey, no. that’s not what i -- riley, we can still... be in a relationship. of course i still want that. i know the long distance thing isn’t easy but i thought we could... try. and then after you graduated -- i don’t know, maybe -- you could move here, or... we could talk about it then? i don’t know. i didn’t get that far.”

“so those are my options?” she looked like she wanted to throw something at him. he couldn’t blame her. “move to cordonia, or break up with you?”

“no,” he emphasized again, trying to pinpoint where, exactly, this talk had gone horribly wrong, “that’s not what i want. i want you to be happy, riley. and these last few months... it seemed like you were really happy.”

“of course i was! because you were acting like -- like --”

“like what? help me out here, please.” he knew he sounded desperate, but if he could just understand what exactly was making her so upset, maybe there was still a chance they could fix this.

riley sighed. she looked devastated. “you’ve been acting like you’re in love with me. of course that made me happy, drake.”

the world slowed to a stop. he didn’t say anything -- he only stared at her in surprise. finally, he found his voice. “riley... i’ve never been ‘acting’ around you. everything i’ve said -- everything i’ve done... all of this has been because i am in love with you.”

that seemed to be the absolute last thing she ever thought he would say. “what?”

drake couldn’t hold back his laugh. “brooks -- riley. did you seriously not know?”

her eyes went wide. “no! how was i supposed to know?!”

“well --”

“oh my god. drake.”

he’d lost the ability to tell whether this conversation was going terribly well or just plain terribly. it felt like his grip on the situation was deteriorating rapidly. confusion clear in his voice, he asked, “are you still... mad at me?”

riley smacked his shoulder. “yes! i can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were staying here sooner.”

drake winced. “i know... and i’m sorry. you deserved to know as soon as you got here, but... i didn’t want it to ruin our summer. i wanted to give you the time of your life.”

she heaved a loud, long sigh. he watched as she looked out over the courtyard, and then up at the stars. before he could apologize to her again -- and really start groveling -- riley rushed forward and kissed him.

he held her waist to keep her steady, decidedly going with it. even though he still wasn’t exactly sure what was happening, he was cautiously optimistic that he hadn’t ruined everything beyond repair. it didn’t feel like a ‘goodbye’ kiss.

she was stroking his cheek when she pulled away, cupping his jaw in her hand. the warm glow from the party still going on behind the double doors lit her up like a dream. it felt like the only explanation for what the hell she was still doing here, with him -- he had to be dreaming.

“drake... i love you, too.”

he yanked her in and pressed their lips together again, crushing his mouth against hers. riley moaned as he lifted her up off her toes and held her as close as he possibly could, spinning around to press her against the balcony’s ledge. it felt like forever before he managed to drag himself away from her -- like maybe they kept kissing until the party ended or even beyond that, into the next morning.

riley was smiling widely at him. “you’re such an idiot.”

he nodded, still marveling down at her in wonder. somehow, the amazing girl in his arms loved him. him. the giant fuck-up that he was -- riley loved him. “i know. you’re gonna have to go easy on me sometimes.”

“oh, this isn’t going to be easy,” she promised, lifting her hands to his face. she seemed to be just as in awe as he was.

“that’s fine, too. you know i like a challenge, brooks.” his hands slid down her back, over the fabric of her gown. he hoped she wouldn’t be too angry with him for tearing it off of her as soon as they could make their way back upstairs, piece by piece. “and i promise i’m going to do everything i can to make you happy. not just next year. but forever.”

her fingers brushed softly through his hair. riley’s gaze was warm as it searched his face. whatever she found there kept her smiling. “you don’t have to try so hard. i’m happy with you just the way you are.”

the rest of august flew by in a flash.

in the blink of an eye, it was time for riley to leave. they stayed up all night on her last night in the palace, talking about everything and nothing, kissing until they were short of breath.

so she looked tired, when she finally started packing her things, even after they showered together for the last time -- something that usually filled her with seemingly boundless energy.

the mood was somber as she triple-checked her room for anything she might’ve forgotten. drake sat on the bed and watched her walk around in silence; the room looked bizarrely bare without her t-shirts and hair ties and underwear thrown all over it.

she stopped silently in front of the bed and cupped his face in her hands, tilting his chin up so he would look at her.

“you’re pouting.”

he was. “i’m not pouting. this just sucks.”

riley’s lips twitched. “you’re sulking.”

“no,” he answered petulantly, “i’m rightfully sad that the best summer of my life is coming to an end.”

she sighed, stepping closer in between his spread legs. “yeah.”

riley dropped one hand to his wrist, which she lifted to eye-level so she could look at his watch. “i should probably start saying goodbye, if i ever want to make my flight.”

she’d said a round of goodbyes last night, to everyone -- doling out hugs and then hugging everyone again, exchanging her number with anyone who hadn’t already gotten it and swapping social media handles, promising to visit at christmas break. but he knew they wouldn’t let her sneak out so easily. she was riley. she’d wormed her way into each and every last one of their hearts.

“i could just refuse to let you go,” he mused, balling his hands up in the back of her shirt tightly. “keep you stuck up here forever.”

she hummed as though she was actually considering the idea. “what would we eat?”

“i would bring snacks.”

“you would leave to go get them?”

he leaned forward and buried his face in her chest. “so i haven’t worked out all the kinks yet. but the core of the plan is solid: you stay here forever.”

riley ran her fingers through his hair. “it won’t be so bad, you know. christmas is only a couple of months away.”

“i feel like i should be the one doing this for you. when did you turn me into this?”

she laughed. it spoke volumes to how upset he was that it couldn’t lift his mood, not even a little. “you won’t even have time to miss me,” she murmured. he squeezed her tighter. “i’ll be texting and calling you constantly. and you’ll be busy being a professional best friend.”

he finally lifted his head, standing so he could hug her the way he wanted to. “riley, there isn’t going to be a single minute that i’m not thinking about you until you get back here. i think you’re seriously overestimating just how busy i actually am. i might do nothing but miss you.”

riley managed to look both surprised and delighted at the same time. “promise?”

“i promise.”

he carried her bag downstairs and stood around while she said one last goodbye to his friends. despite how sad he was, there was something he loved about seeing all the people he cared about -- liam, savannah and even maxwell -- hug her so hard, like they were going to miss her as much as he would.

drake drove her to the airport, trying to pretend like everything was fine. if he allowed himself not to think about it for a few moments, it was almost like they were back in boston and on their way to dinner or a movie or the grocery store -- though riley always drove when they were at school, because she was the one who had a car.

reality started to set in when he walked her inside. he found that he hardly wanted to hand her bag over to her -- if he did, then this was real. she’d be leaving.

he swallowed hard as she threw herself at him again for another big hug. drake squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried to memorize everything about her -- exactly the way she smelled and felt in his hands, the soft thump of her heart beat, the small noise she made into his ear. tomorrow morning he was going to wake up without her stupid hair in his mouth, for the first time in months.

when he set her back down on her feet, he was eternally grateful to find that she wasn’t crying. if she started, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to actually do it -- to say goodbye.

but her voice did wobble precariously when she said, “hey, i’ll be back before you know it.”

drake clenched his jaw, trying not to let himself get too emotional. he bent down and scooped her up into another tight hug. “i don’t think i can do this,” he admitted, tucking his face into the juncture between her neck and shoulder. “i’m sorry. you’re going to have to stay.”

she laughed, kicking her feet until he put her back down. he stared intently at her as she wound her arms around him. “thank you for the best summer of my life, drake walker.” the sad smile on her face was breaking his heart. she was so beautiful -- it wasn’t fair. none of this was fair. “don’t forget about me, okay?”

“it’s gonna take a lot more than this to get rid of me.” he reached out to stroke his fingers across her cheek, hardly able to stop touching her. this was the last time he would touch her for the next fifteen weeks.

riley reached up and wrapped her hand around his wrist. “i’ll hold you to that.”

he exhaled heavily. his chest felt tight. there was so much he wanted to say to her. he needed her to know how much she meant to him -- how he could never forget her, how he could never have even a hope of forgetting just one thing about her -- but he’d never been good with words. he’d always had much better luck showing riley what he meant than telling her.

drake pulled her in close and pressed their lips together. he meant for the kiss to be soft and sweet, but riley kissed him that same way she had when she first arrived in cordonia: desperate and hungry, passionately moving her lips against his. she kissed him like this was the last time they’d ever see each other -- like she wanted him to know the way she felt, too. without her having to say a word, he understood.

he was breathing hard when they broke apart, and he silently bent down and grabbed her duffel bag, helping riley hook it onto her shoulder.

“i love you,” he said, squeezing her free hand once before letting it drop. “have a safe flight. call me when you’re settled.”

“look!” riley’s voice was filled with wonder, as though this wasn’t already the fifth time she was exclaiming so. “mistletoe.”

drake’s eyes followed her pointing finger to the ceiling above their heads. sure enough, there it was. “you know, you didn’t need to plan this. i’ll kiss you whenever you want.”

“i don’t know what you’re talking about,” riley shrugged, like she and maxwell hadn’t been on ballroom decorating duty. he arched an eyebrow at her, but she stayed resolutely silent.

maxwell walked past them in a santa hat, a long rope of garland draped across his shoulders. “you know, it’s bad luck not to kiss.”

riley nodded solemnly at drake. “he’s right.”

“you’re acting like i didn’t let you bring me to all the other spots you hung it,” he huffed, but obligingly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, anyway. riley hummed happily as he did so, winding her arms around his neck. seriously -- it was the fifth time he’d kissed her in the last ten minutes. “are you going to be able to make it through this party?”

she shook her head. “no. i almost didn’t even make it through my flight. or my finals. do you know how hard it was to make it through my finals?”

“you might’ve mentioned it once or twice.” that was an understatement. he was sure he had permanent hearing loss after listening to riley scream over the phone for the last month.

not that it mattered, since she was here, now. and he had her all to himself for the next three weeks.

it hardly felt like enough time, but it was better than nothing. he’d been hoping the distance would get easier, the longer they were apart, but he missed riley more and more every day, with everything he had.

“i can’t believe i get to wake up with you on christmas,” she beamed, pulling him out from under the mistletoe and continuing their walking tour of the room. “that’s going to be the best gift ever.”

“as long as you don’t let it slip in front of my mom that we’re not each staying in our own rooms.” because she’d be here, too. in just a few days, she’d be meeting riley for the first time -- and they’d all get to spend christmas together. everything he’d ever wanted would be in one place. it was hard not to feel tremendously lucky as he considered his good fortune.

“us? sleep together? in the same bed? no way,” she declared theatrically, her face twisting into an over-exaggerated grimace.

he was so distracted by the way she looked that he didn’t even notice where riley was leading him.

“drake, look!” she exclaimed again, prompting him to roll his eyes.

“let me guess. mistletoe?”

he swiveled his gaze upwards. sure enough, the sprig of mistletoe stared back at him.

he sighed. “you’re lucky i kind of like you.”

the look on her face spelled trouble. “like me?” she repeated, “you looooooooove --”

before she could finish teasing him, drake bent down and kissed her, hard enough to shut her up. he knew that when they broke apart she’d be dazed -- that she’d pull him right back in for another kiss.

not that he minded, since it was tradition and all. he assumed she wouldn’t, either.

just kissing her felt like an early present. having her here was the greatest thing to ever happen to him, and he couldn’t stop himself from picturing a series of christmases exactly like this one...

...and his mom would be bringing his grandma’s ring with her...

...and riley had no idea. she smiled at him when he pulled away, already tugging on his hand to lead him to the next sprig of mistletoe she and maxwell had hung up earlier.

drake spared a brief moment, as he followed her to the other end of the ballroom, to reflect on all the crazy events that had led them here. for once, it felt good not to think about something he would’ve done differently.

#drake walker #riley brooks #drake walker x mc #drake walker x riley brooks #the royal romance #drake x riley #drake x mc #myfic #jeez this got so long and out of hand #i know drake isn't a popular LI on here but i still like him okay !!#the idea for this got stuck in my head and wouldn't leave me alone :\#i hope some of you like it !!

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tenderlyrenjun · 3 years

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Your last reblog.. I still think about your Yangyang F.R.I.E.N.D.S series even when I’m focusing on my studies, like, wth, it keeps haunting me, like that one part where yy said smth about wap tiktok challenge and asked oc to go upstairs with him... I’m like “☹️” and I would just slam my pen and groan and complain myself about how hopelessly frustrated I am and that i have to get my shit tgt lol sorry I’m not even exaggerating i keep telling my sister about that fic every single day she’s prolly sick of me saying that rn 🤒

yooooooooo, thank you 🥺 I really like that fic ha .. it got me back into writing after a slump. I’m glad that it left an impression ! I think that ... I got a bit ... overly ambitious with it, considering that the plot is overused; I wanted to kind of have some twists and turns and a bit of suspension and tension sprinkled throughout the entire thing, but it came across more ... um, tender (?) than I intended. I hope you are a good-kind of frustrated lol, kind of like in a yearning way >.< I write with a bit of yearning; it is a bit too dramatic but I like writing in that style. Sometimes, I kind of wish that I had lines that linger with people but the plot is a good thing to just think about occasionally too !

The part you’re probably talking about (lol) from The One with the Halloween Party:

“What are you doing?” [Yangyang] whispers in your ear, fast, grabbing your waist to guide you over his pelvis. He gets dangerously near your cheek, excusing it as a way for you to hear him better, since you two stand adjacent to the speakers, where the music is above talking decibel. His eye catches onto Lucas’s, and he winks, hands tightening above your skirt, because, despite all the teasing, this is not actually how he wants your entanglement to get out. “Wanna head upstairs? I just found a new TIkTok challenge you can practice on me, like the WAP one.”

The One with the Morning Classes

Preview for The One with the Roommates under the cut

Xiaojun blinks rapidly, stretching his eyes. Man, fuck his roommate. He needs to use the bathroom and splash water on his face or something. This is ridiculous.

The nearest building with a bathroom (because porta potties are gross) is between stage A and a merchandise tent, on the left most side of the entire event, making Xiaojun resent his roommate furthermore. He manages to drag his body past the festival newbies, through the drunk sorority girls (it is literally 1 P.M., who the fuck is already plastered), beyond the Instagram influencers (whatever the hell that means), then finally into the shade. It should not feel as relaxing as it does, to stand in the dark, but God, he is so exhausted, and if he has any chance of meeting up with a certain philosophy major, before the rave portion of the evening starts, he needs to freshen up.

And oddly enough, he jolts awake, outside the bathroom.

Because Yangyang slams the door, more forcefully than an alarm.

“Xiaojun!”

“Uh, hello?” That is his name; don’t wear it out. Or use it as an alarm. Yangyang’s tone sounds exactly like that air horn prank the frat pulled on him and Ten after one specific New Year’s party that he cannot entirely remember. The noise resembles the initial alarm that people set to sleep through, and soon, Xiaojun’s eyes flicker, like a drained battery light. He really needs to wake up, otherwise he is going to pass out on the grass. “Um? Excuse me?”

“Sorry, Xiaojun,” Yangyang emphasizes his name again, not relenting a death-grip on the door handle. “I’m going in there.”

Xiaojun matches his roommate’s posture, glancing from their near touching hands to face. “I just saw you leave.” His voice maintains some control, albeit moderately slurred by fatigue and the alcohol from earlier. Still though, he likes to think that he is plenty aware, to remember seeing Yangyang walk out literally a second ago. He might actually echo a personified question mark, at this point, second-guessing his own unreliable memory. “Alright, whatever. I’ll find another bathroom.”

Yangyang leans away from the door, anchored, still, by the handle, until Xiaojun disappears around the corner, muttering some incoherent sentence about illusions, whatever meme that relates to. His chest starts to feel free again, to breathe, exhaling when he knocks his head on wood, as if a bubble pops air through his diaphragm. And it takes him a little bit, to get out of the headlight, scrambling back into the bathroom. He seems to be slamming doors in your face a lot, as of late. Although, today was somewhat necessary, compared with Monday when he was just teasing you. Hopefully, a kiss mollifies any confusion, or exasperation. He also really likes kissing you. There is always a sense of purpose with his embrace, he thinks. This one calms his nerves and brings him closer to you. Insensitively, as you open your mouth, his hands adorn your face, like applying a faint blush, his fingertips brushing along your cheekbones to pass along his excitement.

And that excitement manifests as momentum, propelling his long legs slightly past yours, making you stumble with him toward the middle of the room.

“What the hell?” you breathe into his mouth.

Yangyang left the bathroom first because his outfit is easier to adjust. Yours has too many components, all of which he complained about earlier, before he tugged you closer by the thigh highs, yanked your skirt up, and nearly ripped your jacket. He vaguely recalls you telling him that your outfit prepares you for cold weather, but (1) it is barely less than 35 degrees out, and (2) you’ve already pleated your socks down to your ankles. It is funny – the difference in your attires: he is dressed cozily, with a signature oversized hoodie and black skinny jeans, while you dressed like Ariana Grande during fall, or at least he thinks so. His frame of reference for style is torn between streetwear and night life, neither really suitable for summer but very wearable for a date. Maybe he is an exhibitionist – having sex when he can be easily caught, showing off his relationship behind a sheer curtain, always being one of the first people to speak during Socratic seminars. All of that gets clouded though, because you are the only person who he really wants attention from.

“You mean who the hell,” he clarifies for you, in a joking way, poking fun at the situation to alleviate your nerves (and his). It is not the right time to reveal this relationship yet, a thought shared mutually between the two of you. Give it a week or two. He wants to date you in a nice little bubble for now, not necessarily a secret, just … without anyone threatening what you two have. You roll your head, like a morning stretch, and he takes it as an agreement, letting you push his back into the wall while standing on your toes a little bit taller to dominate him. He smirks responsively, squeezing out a real answer, “Xiaojun is here. Thought he’d never leave.”

“Mhmm,” you hum, agreeing quickly to keep kissing him. But his smile is too wide, and you really enjoy looking at it – his happiness is easy to emulate, brightening the mood, relieving your nerves. Then you recede and square your hands over his pecs, matting down the grey hoodie across his shoulders. He slowly peeks open his eyes to find you scanning his face, licking away the taste of his cherry chapstick (haha, just kidding, he had a very dehydrating americano forty minutes ago). You peck his lips deeply one last time and remember, “Not even Ten is coming to this thing.”

“I know,” he confirms, nodding his head. He brushes a few loose hair strands over your ear, to suction another brief kiss on your jugular, hoping that it is more soothing than sexual. And it is, given the way that you slouch forward, into his chest, wrapping your arms around his small waist for a second. Instictively, Yangyang returns the hug, his arms circling your neck. The new position puts him close enough for you to hear him whisper. It is comforting, especially with his soft voice. He really knows how to control his tone. “But when The Struts play, you can expect Xiaojun to come.”

#the one with series.#anon asks #/previews

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annab-nana · 3 years

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It’s Just Not My Thing - Peter Parker

Empire State University looks like the epitome of all things Valentine’s Day which just so happened to be your least favorite holiday. In fact, you hated the day and with good reason, so Peter plans something special to get you away from all the love and hearts.

A/N: Happy Valentine’s Day @jellyfishbeansontoast! This is my gift to you from @killingbxys and @earthlyholland’s Valentine’s Day Fic Exchange! I tried to add little details about you that I’m sure you’ll notice hehe and side note: this is the longest thing I have ever written so I really hope you guys like it!

Warnings: some curse words

Word Count: 12.3k+ (kinda sorry, kinda not)

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“God, it looks like Cupid threw up here,” you groaned as you looked around at the campus that surrounded you when you and Peter walked out of the main science building. Splashes of red and pink and small bits of purple littered the outsides of all the buildings around Empire State University and the walkways were heavily decorated as well.

“Yeah,” Peter chuckled from beside you when he caught sight of the disgusted face you made on upon noticing the immense amount of love-centered holiday décor. “ESU really outdid themselves,” he mentioned, his brown eyes falling upon the pink and red twinkly lights that were twisted together and spiraling around the trees. Heart-shaped balloons swung beside the entrance of the dorm across the way. People had drawn on the sidewalks with chalk several little hearts and flowers, words of love written in the same hues as everything else. Even in the water fountain at the center of everything, they had turned the lights pink giving the water a rose tint.

“A little too much,” you shuddered after speaking. Valentine’s Day was very obviously not your cup of tea when it came to holidays. You never understood why people needed a whole day to show their love and appreciation for their significant other when it was really something you should be showing your person every day. It also bothered you a little because you never had someone to show all your love to on the damned day of hearts and flowers. The one time you had a boyfriend for a long period a couple years ago, you two broke up on February 13th so that only further encouraged your hatred for the day. “I think I’m gonna puke.”

Peter chuckled from your side at your dramatics, amused by your clear disdain for all things red and pink that surrounded you as you walked. That was one thing he loved about you. You always brought a smile to his face no matter what you did. He could come to you after a stressful week of tests or after a bad night on patrol and you would make him laugh and feel better within seconds. You did not even have to say anything. Maybe it was just your aura or your presence, but it made his mood rise tenfold.

“Why do you hate Valentine’s Day so much anyway?” he inquired. You two had only become friends since college, meeting in your biology class last semester after you asked if someone was sitting in the free seat next to him on the first day. Sitting next to each other led to snide remarks about your professor to each other and asking questions when things didn’t make sense. One day, he asked if you wanted to study with him for the first test at the library and you’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t want to spend more time with the cute curly-headed boy from your biology class. That opened the door to more study sessions and then sometimes y’all would study at the coffee shop across the street. Soon those turned into hanging out at the coffee shop and somewhere along the line, you two became really good friends.

“Valentine’s day just isn’t really my thing, you know bad experiences and all. I also don’t really like how it’s being shoved down our throats,” you told him simply, gesturing to the sheet signs that some of the sororities had made and hung up. You shrugged slightly before speaking once more. “I just don’t like it.”

Peter nodded slowly and you could visibly see the gears turning in his mind. You really knew he was thinking hard when he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth with his tongue and his cinnamon brown irises danced around at everything in front of him. His eyebrows drew together as you both continued your walk to the coffee shop, and you could not watch him anymore without knowing what was going on in that big, beautiful brain of his.

“What’re you thinkin’ about, Parker? I’m scared you’re gonna exert yourself if you think any harder,” you giggled when the words fell from your lips. He let his lip go from its captivity between his pearly whites and his eyes found you again, his signature smile showing on his face.

“I just had an idea,” he mentioned before leaning across you to press the button on the pole to signal traffic that you two were about to walk across the street as soon as the light changed. It was your turn to furrow your brows, but you did it in confusion instead of hard thinking.

“And would you like to share what it was or leave me in mystery?” you inquired with a quirked brow. He playfully rolled his eyes at you before beginning with his idea.

“So, this is just a thought and we don’t have to if you don’t want to, but what if we got out of the city for the weekend?” he proposed before he noticed the light change from an orange hand to the white outline of a man, signaling him that it was okay to walk. He looked both ways still before his hand found your lower back and he guided you across the street with him.

“Just you and me? Why?” you questioned further as you tried to ignore the warmth you felt inside you at the small but kind action he had just shown you.

“Well, you obviously hate Valentine’s Day so we could get away from all this stuff,” he told you as he gestured back towards the floral-colored campus that sat on the other side of the street.

“That I do,” you nodded in agreement as Peter pushed the door open for you and let you go in first. The overwhelming scent of coffee hit your nostrils like a train when you fully entered the building, Peter close behind. The coffee shop was always slightly busier on Friday’s but today was a bit much. The line was basically backed up to the door, leaving you and Peter squished against each other and the door. Somehow, y’all’s favorite spot in the corner was still available. “Do you want to stay here or go to the library?”

“We can stay if you want. You can go ahead and sit down so no one else steals our spot and I’ll get our drinks,” Peter suggested into your ear after you turned in the small space to face him properly.

“Okay, I want a-” you started but your words were cut off by the boy with who you were sharing your personal space at the moment.

“A hot chocolate with no whipped cream with those little marshmallows on top. I know. I got it,” he chuckled as his hand rested on your shoulder for a second. “Now go sit down before someone takes our spot.” You rolled your eyes at him before turning around and sitting in your seat, placing your book bag in the opposite place just in case someone tried to sit with you.

A few moments later after you and Peter shared a few glances while he waited in the lengthy line, he finally got to the counter and began to order your beverages. You had pulled out your laptop to see what all you needed to do over the weekend and surprisingly, there was not that much to do in comparison to the last few weeks that had been hell and you never really caught a break. Now it looked like you might be able to take a breather and do something fun rather than being holed up in your room writing a paper or studying for a test. All you had to do before Monday was two quizzes and a quick essay and you would be all done.

“Your hot chocolate ma’am,” Peter spoke jokingly as he presented the heated beverage to you. You rolled your eyes, taking the cup and setting it on the table.

“Shut up and sit down, Parker,” you quipped before moving your book bag so that he could do as you asked of him. He smiled at you and took the seat that he always sat in every time you both came to the small coffee shop.

“I don’t even know why you come to a coffee place so often if you don’t like coffee,” Peter mumbled as he took a small sip of his drink, grimacing as he pulled away when the caffeinated liquid was too hot to handle at the moment.

“For starters, that bean juice is disgusting. I don’t know how you drink it. Secondly, it doesn’t do anything for me as far as waking me up or getting me energized. Third, they make really good hot chocolate. And lastly, this is our spot, Peter. Of course I am going to come here all the time,” you informed him while you opened up a blank document on your computer, setting the font to Times New Roman, twelve-point, and making sure it was double spaced before you began typing your two-page essay on why technology is important and how it helps us every day. “Tell me more about this idea you were talking about earlier.”

“Oh yeah.” The boy across from you perked up and took another sip of his drink, forgetting that it was still too hot and burned his tongue. “So, this is what I was thinking. We finish all our schoolwork so that we have all weekend free. We can get out of here and find some place to explore, you know? Like we could find a hotel and just look around and go to new places. It would distract you from all the Valentine’s Day stuff and we could use the break from school since we’ve both been so busy lately.”

“I like that. Let’s do it! All I have is this small paper, our chemistry quiz, and a trig quiz and it shouldn’t take me more than a couple of hours,” you said with a smile, excited for this weekend trip with your best friend and away from all things Valentine’s and school-related.

“I just have the chem quiz that I was waiting to do with you, so I can look for a place to go and a hotel,” he stated while sipping on his now cooled down coffee.

“Sounds like a plan.” So, then the searching began. You’d glance up at him from time to time to see his eyes trained on his computer screen, nodding his head as he read whatever information he was taking in from the device. The way his eyebrows were furrowed and how focused his brown eyes were on his laptop was a little funny to you, but you also thought it was cute. While you were watching him, his eyebrows shot up and his eyes diverted to you. “What?”

“I found the perfect place,” he told you with a big grin.

“Well tell me where, you idiot,” you chuckled but he shook his head, not quite ready to give you that information just yet.

“No, it’s a surprise,” he spoke softly as he typed at his keyboard. He then pulled out his phone to dial a number and put it up to his ear.

“Who are you calling?” you pondered aloud, tilting your head at him.

“There are two hotels near there so I’m calling one right n- Hi, I was wondering if you have any rooms open for this weekend.” He paused to let the person on the other end talk but based on the way his shoulders slouched, you could tell that this one was a bust. “Okay, that’s fine. Thank you. You have a nice day.”

“No luck?” you asked though you knew the answer. He shook his head at you before looking back at his computer screen. “You going to call the other one?”

“Yep,” he sighed as he brought his phone back up to his ear and waited for someone to pick up. “Yes, hi. I was wondering if you had any rooms available for the weekend.” He shot you a smile when you heard the mumbles of whoever was on the other line, so you assumed it was good news. “Yes, it is two people, and we will be staying tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday night.” You heard more mumbles from the other end before Peter’s voice cut them off. “Okay, we will take it! Thank you, sir.”

“That went a lot better,” you chuckled at the boy’s wide grin.

“Yeah and we’re lucky too because he said that was the last room they had.” You nodded at him as you finished up your paper.

“Proofread this for me? You always catch things I don’t,” you asked him when you turned your laptop towards him. He gladly took it and quickly skimmed over it, typing here and there at your misspellings or overbearing use of commas that he always picked on you about.

“Looks good. Ready for the chem quiz?” You nodded your head as you both opened the quiz and began to take it together.

...

“So, we’re leaving tonight?” you asked Peter as you both left the coffee shop after being there for a few hours. The sun was beginning to set behind the buildings of ESU and it made the campus look so pretty from across the street where you two stood, waiting your turn to cross.

“Yeah, we’re gonna go to our dorms, pack enough for a few days, then we’ll leave. It’s about two hours outside of the city so we will get there at around ten if we leave within the next hour and we’ll probably stop somewhere for dinner too.” You nodded along to Peter’s words as his hand found your lower back again to lead you across the street when the light changed.

“You’ve got this all figured out, don’t you Pete?” you grinned at the boy while walking next to him as you two approached the central water fountain, the lights illuminating it an even brighter shade of pink in the darker time of day.

“Of course I do. Anything for my best girl,” he chuckled when his arm slipped around your shoulders and pulled you into him. That nickname didn’t come often but it always brought butterflies in your tummy, but you knew there was nothing really to it. Did you really want something more with your best friend? Yes and no. You didn’t see a future with anyone else, but he’s your best friend and you also couldn’t see him and you in a romantic kind of relationship. Well, you could but you didn’t think it would ever happen, so you’ve pushed it into the depths of your mind.

After passing all the lovey-dovey shit that somewhat led to this whole weekend getaway, you both made it back to the dorms. You both went up to the fourth floor and parted ways at the elevator since your dorms were in different directions. Upon entering your room, you quickly emptied your bookbag of all its books and school things so that you could put some clothes in it.

“What are you doing?” your roommate, Raelyn, asked as she leaned against your door frame.

“Peter and I are going on a trip for the weekend,” you told her before you walked past her to get to the sink, grabbing your toothbrush and other things you needed from that area.

“Ooo where to?” she perked up. She was always so interested in your relationship with Peter, waiting for you and him to finally get together. She honestly thought you two were together a long time ago but was disappointed when she found out that you were not.

“I don’t know. He said it’s a surprise. All I know is that it’s about two hours outside the city and there are two hotels near it,” you filled her in as you packed the items that were just in your hands into the smaller pocket on your bag.

“A surprise trip where you stay in a hotel with Peter?” she gushed while wearing the biggest grin.

“Calm down, Rae. It’s just me and Peter going to explore some place to get away from school and all this Valentine’s shit and speaking of Valentine’s, what are you and Florence going to be doing?” You changed the subject effectively and watched the girl’s cheeks flush at the mention of her lovely girlfriend. They have been together for a few months now and this was their first Valentine’s Day together, so you knew she was excited. The girl loved love and she loved Florence, so this was perfect for her.

“We’re going to recreate our first date,” she spoke softly as she watched you go into the bathroom to get your shower things.

“Didn’t y’all do like a cute little picnic on a cliff and stargaze and stuff? Flo’s gonna love that,” you grinned at Rae while she childishly bit at her bottom lip to keep her smile from growing too big.

“Yeah, she’s making chocolate covered strawberries and I’m gonna go down to her favorite bakery and get some goodies as well. It’s gonna be a night to remember for sure,” she giggled before tucking some loose strands of her dark hair behind her ear. “I was actually putting together a little scrapbook for her when I heard you come in, so I’ll let you finish packing for your Valentine’s trip with Peter-“

“It’s to get away from Valentine’s, Rae,” you corrected her as she playfully rolled her light-colored eyes at you.

“Anyway, I am going to get back to what I was doing, and you have fun with Peter. Be safe and use protection!” she shouted when she went back to her room.

“We won’t need it!” you yelled right back.

“Y/n, you dirty girl!” she joked, causing you to groan and roll your eyes.

“Not like that, you dumbass. You are starting to sound like his aunt!” She just laughed in return and you finished your packing when you heard a knock at the door. “I’ll get it!” you shouted as you slung your bag onto your shoulder.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Peter asked when your eyes met his. You nodded your head before turning to say goodbye to Rae.

“Bye Rae. Have fun with Flo this weekend.” You shot her a wink and she giggled as she taped a heart to the corner of a picture of the two together on the page of the scrapbook she was currently working on. “You too! Bye y/n. Bye Peter!”

“Bye Rae!” Peter said loudly before you shut the door behind you and followed him out.

...

“How much longer?” you asked, getting antsy. It was almost ten and you really wanted to know where you would be spending your weekend.

“Like ten minutes. Chill out and eat your pringles,” he chuckled as he pointed to the green can of pringles that he had gotten you earlier when he stopped for gas. You huffed before grabbing some chips, placing a few in his opened hand, and keeping some for yourself. Peter kept one hand on the wheel while he munched on the chips you had given him in his other hand. You capped the can of pringles and leaned your head against your seatbelt a little.

“Okay, we’re here,” Peter told you as he lightly shook your shoulder since you were nearing sleep. You stirred a little, looking over to him while he unclicked his seatbelt and leaned over to do yours as well.

“Thanks,” you mumbled before bringing your hands up to your eyes to wipe the small bits of tiredness out of them, ignoring the slight fluttery feeling that took over your stomach at Peter’s action. You got out, slipping on your jacket that you were using as a blanket in the car to shield yourself from the crisp air of the cold February night. Both of you grabbed your bags from the back seat before Peter locked the car behind him and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into him to provide some warmth for you both.

The hotel looked more like a large home or mansion, older looking too but it had a charm to it. It gave off a cozy and welcoming feel and you have not even entered its doors yet. Peter pushed the door to it open and let you in first, him following soon after. It looked even more comforting and homey on the inside as well. It was clearly a family business as there were family pictures hung upon the wall and the couches that sat around a small coffee table reminded you of your grandparent’s house, making you feel more at home.

“Hi, how can I help you?” the sweet voice of an older lady broke you from your thoughts when you looked over at her. She wore a pale yellow apron tied around her waist and a gentle smile upon her lips. You sent her a kind grin as well before Peter turned to you.

“You go sit down. I know you’re tired. I’ll handle this, okay?” You nodded at his words, an insuppressible yawn escaping your lips when you turned to go sit on one of the couches you noticed earlier and resting your head on your hand.

“Hi,” Peter started as he walked up to the front desk that the lady stood behind. “I talked on the phone earlier with a man. He said there was a room available for two.”

“Oh yes, that was George. Let me go get him right quick.” Peter nodded nicely at the woman before she left through a door behind the desk. He turned around to look at you close to sleep again. He didn’t notice the small smile that crept onto his face, but it was definitely there.

“He will be right here in just a second,” the woman spoke softly when she noticed the way Peter was looking at you. “She’s as cute as a button that girl. I’m sure you love her very much.” His head tilted slightly as to what the lady was referring to, but he shook it off.

“Yeah, I do.” He meant it in a friendly way, but the woman clearly thought he meant romantically based on her next words.

“Y’all make an adorable couple. I’ve loved seeing young lovers pass through here over the years. It’s cute.” Before Peter could protest her words, a man, George assumingly, walked in through the door that the lady went through earlier.

“Mr. Parker?” he asked as he searched on his computer for a moment.

“Yes, that’s me,” he chirped, feeling slightly awkward about the woman’s assumptions but did not let it bother him too much. Of course, Peter loved you and he would love to love you in that way, but something always held him back. Fear probably as he wouldn’t dare risk losing you as a best friend. You’re his whole world and if he confessed how he felt and it ruined your relationship, he would hate himself for it.

“Alright, you paid online, and everything is set for you. Here is the key and we hope y’all have a nice stay,” he grinned while passing over the key that had a red heart attached to it. So much for staying away from Valentine’s related things. The heart read ‘214’ so Peter took that as the room number.

“Thank you and have a nice night,” Peter returned the politeness back before turning to go get you. The sight of you sleeping was absolutely adorable to him and made his heart soar. You had shifted from leaning on your hand to hugging your book bag and leaning against that instead. He hated that he had to wake you up when you looked so precious.

“Hey, y/n,” he whispered when he crouched down in front of you and lightly shook your arm. You stirred awake, your tired eyes meeting his big brown ones, and hummed in response. “I’ve got the key. Let’s go upstairs and you can go back to sleep.” You nodded as you stood and stretched before slipping your bag back onto your arm.

“Good night you two! Y’all have fun,” the kind woman you smiled at earlier spoke softly as she shot you a wink and waved you two off. You and Peter both waved back to her and sent sweet smiles her way before you headed up the stairs, choosing to ignore her playful but peculiar gesture. After making it to the second floor, you let Peter lead the way as you leaned into him, his arm where it always was wrapped around your shoulders.

“Okay, I think this is it,” Peter announced when stopping in front of a door numbered 214. You yawned and nodded while watching him fiddle with the key that had a heart charm dangling from it. You found it to be quite cute, just another little thing to add to the allure of this whole hotel. After a second, Peter finally turned the key and opened the door, letting you go in first like the gentleman he always was. He stepped in behind and flipped on the light switch, illuminating the room that was decorated in a way you both least expected.

You busted out laughing at the sight before you. A rather large white circular bed sat against the wall which was normal, but the rose petals that littered the sheets were far from what you were thinking when it came to sharing a hotel room with Peter. Red curtains covered the windows, a large red chair sat in the corner by a tv, and candles sat on the bedside tables. The light that Peter had turned on was quite dim compared to normal lights but was perfect to set the mood for a couple looking to have a fun night which you and Peter were not. You turned to look at Peter whose cheeks were the reddest thing in the room and only laughed a little harder, tears springing to your eyes.

“Y/n, I am so sorry. I was trying to get you away from Valentine’s stuff, not bring you somewhere intended for it. God, I am an idiot. I’m so sorry, you gotta believe me,” he rambled on as you gripped onto his arm to steady yourself, your laughter making your knees weaker. You leaned your head against his shoulder, continuing to giggle but also trying to calm yourself down.

“P-Peter,” you stuttered through chuckles and took a deep breath to calm your laughter before looking up at him. “Peter,” you repeated a little more seriously and stared into his eyes with your tear-filled ones. You could tell he felt so bad, but you did not mind the room that much. It was really funny to you honestly. “It’s okay. This is okay. It’s hilarious actually so lighten up and laugh about it, but this is alright. We needed a place to sleep and this works so we’re good.”

“People have probably had sex on that bed,” he groaned before his eyes flickered over towards the petal-covered sheets and then back to you.

“People would have fucked on any bed at any hotel. Did we get the bed that a lot more people have probably had sex on? Yes, but I’m sure they changed the sheets and cleaned up.” Peter shuddered at your words before pouting again. “What?”

“I feel bad,” he muttered as he looked around at the room and then back to you, the girl who wanted to get away from campus because it looked similar to this. You sighed before wrapping your arms around his waist and pulling him into a hug, nuzzling your head under his chin.

“It’s okay, Pete. It doesn’t bother me, and we only have to sleep here. We have got a whole place to explore tomorrow and Sunday, right? So, don’t worry about the room. So far, it has been the highlight of my trip,” you told him before lifting your head up to look at him, a grin on your lips.

“You’re the best, you know that?” he mumbled, squeezing you tighter against him.

“Yeah, I know,” you joked just to hear his amused giggle, making your words worth it.

“Are you okay sleeping together or I can sleep in the big chair if you want?” Peter asked when he pulled away from you. You rolled your eyes at the boy before you.

“Peter, we’ve slept together on those tiny ass twin beds in the dorms. I think we can handle sharing the bed. It’s much bigger and probably much more comfortable as well,” you mentioned as you walked to the bed and sat your bag down on it, ruffling through your things to find your charger. “Unless you’re scared of the sex that’s been had on it,” you teased, wiggling your brows at him tauntingly, “then the chair is all yours.”

“Shut up,” he quipped when he followed your actions and rummaged through his bag for his clothes. “Are you showering tonight or in the morning?”

“The morning. I am too tired to shower right now,” you spoke and yawned as if on cue.

“Great so I’m spending the night with a stinky girl,” he joked while your jaw dropped.

“I do not stink,” you playfully pouted while slipping your hefty jacket off your arms.

“Well,” he shrugged as if he was trying to tell you that you really smelled bad without hurting your feelings.

“Peter!” you frowned, crossing your arms in front of you.

“I’m kidding, y/n. You always smell nice,” he reassured as he collected his clothes and walked towards the bathroom before shutting the door behind him. You took the opportunity to pull out your pajamas which was an ESU sweatshirt and some pink pajama pants you had stolen from Peter. As soon as you heard the water start, you changed and pushed the rose petals to the side, letting them fall to the floor before you hopped in bed and got comfortable under the covers. Though for some reason, you were not as tired as you were previously and couldn’t just fall asleep as easily, so you got on your phone for a moment. Not long after, the water shut off from in the bathroom and a damp, curly-headed Peter Parker emerged from its door.

“The bath is shaped like a heart,” Peter told you before he walked over to his bag to set his dirty clothes beside it.

“You’re kidding,” you giggled, setting your phone down next to you to properly look at him, his wet curls making you feel some type of way though you wouldn’t show that.

“I’m not,” he chuckled, running a light hand through damp hair. He walked over to the light switch to turn the dim light off before he walked back to the bed and climbed in next to you.

“You really got the lover’s suite, didn’t you? You know you could’ve just asked me to be your Valentine. I probably would’ve said yes,” you teased the boy who you laid beside, hearing an exasperated sigh leave his lips.

“It was the only room they had,” he protested while you turned to face him, though you could not see much in the darkness. “And probably? You better say yes if I were to ask you such a question.”

“I’d say yes, you dumbass. We were likely to spend Valentine’s Day together anyway. We’re together all the time,” you pointed out and he hummed in response.

“Yeah, you’re right, but you really aren’t mad about this? I planned this whole thing to get away from all the hearts and flowers and love and stuff,” he brought up, shifting in bed to face you as well. You could hear the worry in his tone, so you reached out your hand to find his and rubbed your thumb over his knuckles.

“You also said it was to get away from school and take a break. We’ve both been busy bees these last few weeks and we needed this, so don’t worry. The room is fine,” you spoke calmly. Though you could barely see in the dark, you could just hardly make out a smile on his face, or at least you could feel the presence of it.

“Now that I think about it, it makes a lot more sense as to why that lady downstairs thought we were a couple,” Peter thought out loud. You chuckled thinking about how she winked at you and told you to ‘have fun tonight’. Silence overcame you both and you let go of Peter’s hand to turn the other way to hopefully fall asleep.

“Hey y/n,” Peter mumbled after a while of no speaking.

“Yeah,” you whispered, tilting your head slightly towards him.

“Can I ask you something?” His words filled the void around you, and it was all you could hear. He sounded serious, but not like it was something about him but more of a curiosity question.

“Of course,” you muttered, laying on your back and facing the boy.

“Earlier when I asked why you hated Valentine’s Day so much, you mentioned something about bad experiences. Can I ask what that was?” You knew it was your curious Peter just asking a random question as it normally was, but you understood why he used an earnest tone.

“Yeah, I, uh, used to date this guy my senior year of high school and I was like head over heels for him. We had been dating for almost ten months and then the day before Valentine’s Day, I found out he cheated on me with my best friend at the time, so I lost the two people I loved and trusted most all in one day. The last few months of high school weren’t fun, and I was ready to get to college so I applied to ones that I knew they couldn’t get into. That led me to ESU and then I met you,” you explained, “and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”

“Oh y/n. I’m sorry about all that. I know that had to suck,” Peter softly spoke before his hand found yours to help comfort you this time.

“It’s okay. It was high school, so I kinda expected it to be hell. I was just lucky enough that I didn’t have to experience the hell of it until the very end. And on the bright side, I have you and Rae and Florence is becoming a good friend of mine too so it worked out for the better.” Peter repeated your actions from earlier and rubbed his thumb over the back of your hand in a soothing manner.

“Yeah, that’s a nice way to look at it,” Peter mumbled while drawing little circles into your skin. The motions of it had brought you a sense of great peace and comfort and were helping you feel sleepier. You were getting closer to a nice long slumber when you felt him pull his hand away.

“Wait, give me that back. It was helping me go to sleep,” you whined. Peter’s chuckle sounded throughout the room before his hand found yours again and began the circular motions with his thumb on your hand. With that, you were asleep in seconds.

...

You were slightly awakened when you felt something move on top of you. Then the fact that something moved on you made your eyes shoot open because last you checked you fell asleep with nothing on you, but now there was definitely something there. You also realized you felt something around you as well. When you opened your eyes, you saw the brown shade of Peter’s nest of curls resting on your chest and put together that he cuddled into you in his sleep. You lifted your head slightly to look at the clock that sat on his nightstand and saw that it was almost nine, so you decided to get up and shower, letting Peter sleep in a little longer. Slowly, you tried to slip out of his grasp without waking him, but as soon as you tried to move, his arms pulled you in tighter. Chuckling lightly to yourself, you tapped at his arm.

“Uh, Peter,” you whispered softly. He stirred a little but did not wake up. “Pete, I need to get up.” He squinted one eye open and saw what you were talking about.

“Oh yeah uh sorry,” he stammered while lifting his body off you. You smiled and rolled your eyes as you slipped out of the warmth and comfort of Peter and the bed to get some clothes for the day. Peter rubbed at his eyes before turning in the sheets, placing his face into the pillow, and trying to fall back asleep. Heading to the bathroom, you chuckled at the boy and opened the door. Once your eyes fell upon the heart-shaped bathtub that Peter was talking about last night, another giggle escaped you as you thought about the events that happened before you fell asleep. Only Peter Parker, the smartest person you know, would get the lover’s suite on a trip to get away from all that stuff.

“You ready?” Peter asked once you were all showered and dressed, appearing to be ready for the day that you knew nothing about.

“I think so,” you told him as you followed him out the door, shoving your phone into your jacket pocket.

“Good morning lovebirds. Did the lovely pair have a nice night?” the lady from the previous night asked you both when she saw you two coming down the stairs.

“Yes, we did, Mrs. Milly,” you answered, completely disregarding the ‘lovebirds’ part, as you read the name that was printed on the different apron she was wearing today. “I love your name. I have a cat named Milly.”

“Aww thank you, but you can just call me Milly or Mildred. Whichever you prefer,” she spoke kindly as she sat in the desk chair.

“I like Mildred,” you mused, leaning against the counter.

“Thank you,” she grinned at you before she asked, “How long have you two been together?”

“Oh, we’re n-“ Peter started but you cut him off with the jab of your elbow into his side, the whole action being shielded from the older lady with the counter.

“Six months,” you answered before turning to Peter who gazed at you in confusion. “Isn’t that right, Pete?”

“Y-yes,” he agreed, nodding at Mildred. She smiled warmly at you both before speaking again.

“Well, I won’t keep you cuties any longer. Y’all probably have a whole day planned.”

“That we do. We’ll see you later, Mildred,” you told her as you and Peter both waved at her before leaving the cozy hotel.

“Uh what was that?” Peter asked as soon as you two got in the car.

“What? Why I elbowed you?” you questioned, reaching up to grab your seatbelt and clicking it in.

“Yeah, and why you pretended we were dating,” he stated while placing the keys in the ignition and turning them, the car roaring to life in response.

“Do you really want to explain to that poor old woman that you’re a dumbass who got that room for a weekend with his best friend?” He instantly saw your point and did not bother arguing any further. “Yeah, I also didn’t want to break her heart because she really seems to like us, even if that may be as a couple.”

“That makes sense,” he hummed, pulling out of the parking space and beginning to drive on the main road.

“So where to Parker?” you asked since you had literally no idea what he had planned for the day.

“Okay so there’s a little diner between here and the nearest town, so I was thinking we go to the diner for breakfast, then there’s a cool science museum that looked interesting and it has a planetarium too so we can check that out. There is a somewhat rundown mall that looked like something you’d really like. There’s a really pretty park too that we can go to. Does any of this sound good or should we go somewhere else?” Peter asked when you had stayed quiet throughout his whole explanation.

“No Pete, it sounds perfect. I’m really excited,” you said with the hugest grin on your face.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he chirped before further explaining some more things that y’all could do.

...

“The planetarium was the best part for sure,” you told Peter as you walked beside him in the mall he brought up earlier. There were a good bit of people there for a place that was considered to be rundown or abandoned, but it was probably just one of the attractions of this lovely town. While some of the shops were closed, others were open and the food court still had some running businesses as well. The whole building itself was older but the inside was pretty alive and well. It was an interesting sight to see. “So where do you want to eat for lunch?”

“You pick,” he stated quickly. He always let you pick, but this time you didn’t want to.

“No Peter. You have planned this whole trip and made me happy. You pick lunch at least and you know food’s on me since you paid for the hotel so don’t even try that.” He chuckled lightly at your words before his big brown eyes scanned his options for your next meal. His options were limited to a Chinese restaurant, a pizza place, and a soup and sandwich spot.

“I think soup and sandwiches would be pretty good,” he mentioned as he met your eyes to see if you agree. With a quick smile and nod, it was evident that you did agree so the two of you walked toward the small soup shop and got in line behind a few other people.

“So, I was thinking that for the rest of the day, we could…” You let Peter’s words drown out as you looked around at the people that you could see outside of the window that showed the mall. Several different shoppers walked around the old place, but the back of someone in particular looked oddly familiar to you so your eyes darted to who they were talking to and that person was more familiar than you would have liked. The face of someone you had hoped you would never see again stood across the mall and your eyes basically bulged out of your head. On instinct, you grabbed Peter’s arms and shifted his body to stand between you and the guy, hoping he did not catch your gaze.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Peter’s soft and concerned voice broke through your thoughts for a moment before they resumed. How? How could this be happening? You tried so hard to get away from him? And of course, you would find him on the same day he broke your heart two years ago.

“I- yeah. I need to hide and it’s either you stand there and block me, or I go under that table,” you told him, giving him not a clue as to what was going on. Peter slowly turned his body to look at the source of the problem and you caught his eyes, the blue ones that you used to think everything of staring right back at you. “I used to eat playdough under the table as a kid,” you blurted out, your hand quickly slapping over your mouth at your sudden confession.

“What?” Peter mustered, a small smile cracking on his face in amusement.

“Sorry, I say random things when I’m nervous. You know that,” you reminded the curly-headed boy who stood before you with a teasing grin illuminating his features.

“I do know that, but seriously. Playdough?” You slapped at his chest when he laughed at your despair. Out the corner of your eye, you could see your ex and his friend wrapping up their conversation and it appeared like he was leaning towards your direction and anxiety filled you.

“Stop, this isn’t funny. Laugh about that later but right now I need a favor.” Peter’s giggles subsided at your serious tone and he was attentive to whatever you needed. “Act like my boyfriend.”

“What?” he questioned, dumbfounded with wide eyes.

“Just put your arm around me and make me laugh or something,” you instructed of him. Though it was normal for him to have an arm around you, he was a bit hesitant to it now but nonetheless, his arm found its normal spot around your shoulders, nice and friendly.

“No Peter. God, you’re helpless,” you sighed before you grabbed his hand that rested on your shoulder and placed it on your waist. A light dusting of red scattered upon Peter’s cheeks when you leaned your head on his shoulder and let out a sigh.

“He’s here. That guy I was looking at, that’s the reason I hate Valentine’s Day so much.” He nodded understandingly at your words when you looked up at him and his thumb absentmindedly began to rub against your waist, the minuscule action bringing you much comfort. On your way to put your head back down on his shoulder, your eyes caught the blue ones again and you saw him say goodbye to his friend and step in the direction of the soup shop. Your breath hitched and only one thing came to mind as a way to get him to leave you alone or give him some hint that you weren’t available.

“Peter, kiss me,” you half asked, half told him while his eyebrows shot up and brown eyes widened.

“Wha- y/n, I don’t know,” he stammered, gazing deeply into your eyes to make sure you were being completely sure about this, not joking or pulling some funny shit. “This doesn’t seem-“

“Shut up and kiss me,” you spoke sternly before your hand found his cheek, cupping his beautiful face. Your eyes darted between his for a bit of consent and he slightly nodded so you went for it. Your lips connected with his while his other arm wrapped around your waist as well, pulling your body closer to his. Your free hand found the nape of his neck, trailing upwards to thread your fingers through those soft brown locks of his. Kissing Peter was something you never really saw yourself doing, but it was nice. He was surprisingly good at it and he seemed to be enjoying himself as well.

“Next in line,” the man behind the counter repeated himself since you two were too involved with each other to hear him the first time. You both jumped apart, Peter too in a trance to understand what was happening while you grabbed his hand and walked up to the counter.

“Oh sorry, hi! Can I get a cup of broccoli and cheese soup and a grilled cheese? Peter, what do you want?” you asked him, lightly tugging at his hand that you held.

“Uhh,” he stammered as his eyes trailed over their menu but he couldn’t focused on reading the words after what had just happened. “I think I’ll have the same.”

After you ordered and paid, you two found a spot to sit and finally had to face what had just occurred. Peter’s eyes were trained on you while yours were darting all around to see if you could find your ex, but thankfully, the coast was clear.

“He’s gone,” you sighed before meeting Peter’s gaze. “Thank god, I hated that,” you chuckled before pulling out your phone to scroll mindlessly through it.

“I mean I didn’t think it was that bad, but it has been a while since I’ve kissed someone so I-“

“No Pete,” you breathily laughed. “I hated him being here, not the kiss. You aren’t half bad, Parker.” His cheeks tinted pink at the compliment and yours warmed up a fuzz as well. Before you two could continue the conversation, someone came up to your table with your food.

...

“You two must have had a busy day. I haven’t seen you two since nine this morning and it's almost eleven now,” Mildred stated warmly when you and Peter walked in through the front door, chuckling about a deer that was staring at him funnily before y’all came in.

“We did,” Peter grinned at the kind woman, walking behind you as you stepped up to the desk. It was something about this woman that you loved, and you felt like you could talk to her about anything. She just had a cozy aura about her that matched the hotel’s atmosphere perfectly.

“Yes, we did. We went to the science museum, the planetarium, the mall, a park, walked around the town a bit, and then we watched The Sound of Music at the theater,” you explained to Mildred.

“Oh, I love that movie,” she gushed with a wide grin, her eyes just as wide as she took in your words. You could tell she genuinely loved hearing about your day and she truly was a really sweet lady.

“She does too. It’s one of her favorites,” Peter spoke from beside you, your eyes meeting his when your lips curved upwards at his thoughtfulness.

“You both are so precious! And I am sure you are tired too, so I won’t keep you any longer. I should head to bed myself. Good night y’all,” Mildred told you, her words followed by a yawn as she stood from the desk chair.

“Good night,” you and Peter said simultaneously before Peter’s hand found the small of your back, leading you towards the stairs.

“I really like her,” you told Peter when you made it to the top of the staircase.

“Mildred? Yeah, she’s a nice lady,” Peter agreed as you both walked towards your room, his hand still guiding you there.

“She reminds me of a really nice grandma and it’s a plus that she has the same name as my cat,” you chuckled while Peter’s hand left your back to place the key in the door.

“We should go visit Milly some time. I haven’t seen her in a while,” Peter mentioned, swinging the door open and letting you in first.

“Yeah, I miss her and she probably misses you too. She really liked you and so did my dad which was surprising,” you chuckled before flopping down onto the circular bed, the replaced rose petals jumping up when your body hit the mattress.

“He did? He did not act like it. He actually scared me a bit,” Peter told you as his hands fumbled through the contents of his bag, looking for something to sleep in. You let out a yawn after nodding to answer his question. “I assume you’re showering in the morning again?”

“Yeah,” you yawned out as you rolled over to find yourself some pajamas. “Let me brush my teeth before you get in there, okay?”

“Okay, but you’ve got ten seconds,” Peter teased, eyes gauging your reaction.

“Not all of us have superpowers, dork. I can barely get my toothbrush ready in that time.”

“Twenty seconds,” he offered like that was somehow better and you rolled your eyes before walking into the bathroom.

“I’m gonna brush them slower than I ever have before, so you’ll just have to wait.” It was his turn to roll his eyes at you, knowing you were lying. While you glided the toothbrush over your teeth, you heard Peter yell something from in the bedroom.

“Ew!” he shouted and that was followed by the sound of something falling.

“What?” you asked while still brushing your teeth when you walked back into the room. Peter’s face showed nothing but pure disgust and a slight embarrassment as he pointed down into the open drawer of his nightstand. Your eyebrows furrowed when you walked over to the scene to see a pair of fluffy red handcuffs in the drawer. While laughing, you rolled your eyes at Peter. “You wanted the lover’s suite,” you joked, turning to go back to the bathroom.

“It was a mistake! He said they only had one room left and you would think on Valentine’s Day that this one would be taken but obviously not. I am never going to live this down, am I?” Peter exasperated as you finished up in the bathroom.

“Sorry Pete, but no. This is the funniest thing and I will never let it go. Wait until I tell Flash in physics Monday,” you told him while exiting the bathroom. He wore a frown when he passed you, trudging on his way to take a shower. Unlike the night before, you were able to fall asleep pretty quickly after you changed and got in bed.

...

This morning, you did not wake up with Peter on top of you. You were in fact cuddled into him, your arm around his torso and head against his chest, but you were far too tired to care or move.

“Are you awake?” Peter whispered upon feeling you move slightly.

“No,” you mumbled, hiding your face in his chest. His laughter sounded above your head before he spoke up again.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think our plans for today have been canceled. It is supposed to rain really badly all day like practically monsoon out there, so we’re stuck,” he muttered into the space around you. At that moment, you did notice the sound of the pattering rain outside the window.

“That’s okay. We can just have a movie day like we normally do on Sundays and we can sleep in a little more if that’s okay with you,” you spoke with your eyes closed, really dreading waking up since the comfort of the bed and Peter felt too good to leave.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” he softly spoke, his arm that sat around your waist tightening for a second.

“Do you want me to move?” you muttered before picking your head up to look at him. You knew your hair was all over the place, but you didn’t have a care at all for its tangled state. Peter’s lips turned upwards into a soft smile as his hand came up to push some of that hair behind your ear.

“I don’t mind. You can stay if you want,” his gentle voice spoke, calming and sweet. You nodded your head before laying your head back on his chest.

“Say less.”

After a few more hours of shut-eye, you finally got up since it was nearing lunchtime, but you made sure to leave Peter sleeping. You reached in your bag for those pringles from the other day and quietly tiptoed over to the large comfy chair to sit there and eat chips while you scrolled through TikTok, the volume incredibly low as not to wake him.

“You left me,” you heard Peter’s pouty voice speak from the bed. Your eyes shot up to meet his as you held up a chip.

“You were sleeping and I wanted to eat these without waking you.” Peter rubbed at his eyes and laid back down for a second before his legs swung over the bed’s edge, sitting up. He came to sit next to you, the chair just barely big enough for you both, and stuck his hand in the Pringles can. “Let me see,” he mumbled, referring to the TikTok you were watching so you shifted in the seat so that your back laid against his front, your head on his shoulder so you could watch the short videos together. The both of you seemed to be substantially clingy since waking up, but you both also didn’t mind it.

It had been about an hour or so of sitting there, eating chips, and laughing at tiktoks before one of you checked the time.

“Shit, it’s already one o’clock,” Peter mentioned as his eyes flittered back to you after looking at the clock.

“Really?” you asked before you checked the time on your phone. “I guess you’re right.”

“Are you hungry? I’m not after the pringles,” Peter asked as he looked down at you still rested against his shoulder.

“Yeah, me neither,” you added, “so we can stay in our pajamas a little longer.” You stood from the chair you shared with him and went to the window to look outside. “You weren’t kidding when you said it was gonna monsoon out here. It’s basically flooding,” you announced after pushing back the red curtains to get a better look. Peter hopped up and followed your previous footsteps, standing behind you and peering over your shoulder. A huff came from him before his head plopped onto your shoulder, you looking down at his grumpy expression and trying to suppress a giggle.

“Hey, it’s okay. We can have a super fun movie day. Cheer up buttercup,” you chuckled as you kissed his cheek. You had never done anything like that before with him but felt bold in the moment. It was just a harmless little kiss and meant nothing, so there was nothing wrong with it in your eyes. When you pulled away, he wore a face of pure surprise as he watched you walk over to the remote. “Let’s find something to watch and we can sit in the chair or lay around in the bed and it will be really fun, okay?” Reluctantly, the still-shocked boy nodded his head before crawling into the bed. You followed suit and channel surfed until you found a Star Wars movie, the perfect thing to lift his spirits.

About an hour into it, you were beginning to get cold. You started to realize why each of you gravitated towards the other the past two nights. It was to seek out warmth and now you really wanted to cuddle up next to him, but you felt weird for asking that and you definitely were not just going to do it on your own.

“Y/n, your teeth are fucking chattering. Get over here,” Peter spoke up at the perfect moment. You hesitated for like a second before sliding into his open arms and wrapping yours around his torso.

“My teeth weren’t chattering, asshole,” you quipped as you relaxed against his body, finally feeling warmer.

“No, but I could tell you were cold and I was a little too, so I decided to fix both our problems.” You giggled against his chest before your eyes settled back on the TV screen, watching Leia talk to her brother. After watching one of his favorite movies, y’all watched one of your favorite movies which was Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban, and then a couple of Grey’s Anatomy episodes until you heard Peter’s stomach rumble beneath your ear.

“Maybe we should go get something to eat,” you suggested with a giggle as Peter’s cheeks reddened from embarrassment. “You could’ve told me you were hungry.”

“Yeah, but I know how much you love this show and I was going to wait until the end of this episode before saying something,” he told you while you sat up from his embrace. “Do you have anything in mind about what you want to eat?”

“Not really,” you answered when you stretched, reaching your arms up towards the ceiling. “All I know is that I don’t want to change, but I don’t want Mildred to pick on me for these,” you told him as you pointed to the pink pajama pants you have worn the last two nights.

“Hey, Mr. Stark got me those and you seemed to love them the one time you wore them so I gave them to you,” Peter explained as he sat up himself. “And I doubt she’d pick on you for those. She’d probably say you look cute in them or something.”

“She does think we are cute, doesn’t she?” you smiled, thinking of the nice old woman downstairs. “I’m gonna miss her.”

“I’m sure she’ll miss you too,” Peter chuckled at the fast connection you had made with the woman in a matter of a few short conversations.

“We should make this a tradition. Like every year on Valentine’s, go to a different place and explore or I would not mind coming here just so I could see Mildred and we could always get this room as a joke. I have had a lot of fun this weekend, Peter. This was a great idea,” you told him as you slipped your shoes on and Peter pulled on a dark blue sweatshirt over the hoodie he was already wearing.

“What would we do if we get boyfriends or girlfriends?” Peter inquired, grabbing his car keys.

“Go the weekend before or after. We will still be best friends, Parker,” you giggled at him after you put your coat on and followed him out the door.

“There you two are! I was beginning to think y’all passed out up there,” Mildred spoke as her eyes fell upon your outfits, Peter in a sweatshirt, hoodie, and sweatpants and you in your pajama pants, a sweatshirt, and your coat. “Well did y’all just wake up?”

“No ma’am,” Peter lightly laughed. “The rain kind of ruined our plans so we stayed in and watched movies and now we’re going to pick up something for dinner.”

“Oh, that’s nice! Y’all are just cute as a button in your pajamas. Y’all are probably starving so you two go ahead. I won’t keep you any longer,” Mildred spoke and shooed you two closer to the door. You both said your goodbyes before stepping out the door and onto the porch. Peter wrapped his arm around your shoulders, and you ducked your head into his chest before you both ran together towards his car.

“We never decided on where to eat,” you brought up as soon as you both were in the car.

“Oh yeah. What about pizza? Or burgers? Both sound really good right now,” Peter offered, his mouth practically watering before you at the thought of some food.

“Either sounds great to me.” So, he looked up which one was closer and drove to a local pizza parlor. The place was not but fifteen minutes away and since Peter called ahead as soon as you two got in the car, it was ready when you had arrived. All y’all had to do was pick it up and you did exactly that. Now, you were on the way back to the hotel and though you had a warm box of pizza resting in your lap, you were quite cold.

“Are you freezing?” you asked the driver whose brown eyes flickered to yours for a moment before finding the road again, squinting a bit to see through the heavy rain that persisted to fall.

“Yeah, a little.” At the same time, you and Peter both reached for the knob that controlled the temperature of the air that flowed through the vehicle, your hands brushing against each other. Immediately, you both retracted your hands and heat rushed to your cheeks. A second later, Peter reached out again and turned the knob to the right to get some warmer air.

“Um, I think we should talk about something,” the boy announced while something in the air shifted, feeling thicker and slightly more suffocating. You kept your eyes trained ahead of you as well before you spoke up.

“Uh, yeah. I guess we should.”

“Something has definitely changed between us this weekend. We don’t act like the same two best friends that we used to,” Peter mentioned, not sparing you a glance. You looked over at him to see his face, but not even his face showed you any indication of what was going through that pretty little head of his.

“Yeah,” you chuckled, trying to make the conversation a little more light-hearted and less serious. You didn’t see much of a big deal. Yes, you both had been clingier and you two shared a kiss, a damn good one at that, but that was to distract someone who had broken you with no remorse from coming your way. Peter, on the other hand, seemed to think there was more to this and his serious tone frightened you a tad, not really ever being so pensive about anything other than school. “I don’t see an issue.”

“So, you’re okay with cuddling and kisses and stuff like that?” The way he said that and gave you the most incredulous look made you feel as if your presence was not wanted by him. Maybe you were not wanted by him. It wouldn’t be a first in your life. No, your brain fought itself, he wouldn’t have planned all this for you if he didn’t love you.

“We only kissed once,” you stated while his normally soft brown eyes stared coldly through the windshield. “I’m sorry if I messed something up by doing that, but you didn’t exactly fight it, Peter.”

“No, that’s not- never mind that kiss, but the one this morning. You kissed me on my cheek.”

“Because you seemed upset!” your voice rose ever so slightly as you fought your point, a feeling you have never felt about Peter bubbling in your chest. It was a mixture of anger, hurt, and sadness. You were also growing annoyed with the conversation as a whole and were ready to get back to the hotel which was mere minutes away. “I didn’t think there was that much to it.”

“It’s not something friends do,” Peter argued not sparing you so much as a glance or some hint as to what he was trying to get at.

“Why do I feel like you are blaming me for how we’ve gotten closer over the past few days? You’ve been acting awful cozy as well,” you tried to calm your voice a little as you spoke, but you hated being blamed for things, especially stupid things like this. “We’re best friends, Peter. It’s okay to be a little closer than normal. It’s okay to cuddle, hold hands, or kiss each other on the cheek. I will admit that the kiss yesterday might have been a bit much, but all the other stuff is perfectly normal. I’ll back off if you want, but don’t come at me when you have been doing the same thing and initiating it sometimes too.”

“Those are things that couples do. I have never done that with my best friends. Granted, you’re my first girl best friend that isn’t terrified to touch or interact with another person, but that’s beside the point,” Peter said as he turned into the hotel lot and found a place to park. “I’ve only ever done this kinda thing with a girlfriend and we aren’t dating. I couldn’t date you, y/n.”

That last sentence struck a nerve in you. I couldn’t date you, y/n. Why the hell not? What was so wrong with you that he couldn’t date you? The words brought you back to a place you were a couple years ago when everything that made you hate today happened. You were so easily replaced by both your boyfriend and best friend. You were never really wanted around by them, and you hated yourself for not noticing sooner. Well, you did notice, but you had hope that it was all in your head until you were proved otherwise.

Was the same thing about to happen with you and Peter? Were you going to lose the only person outside of your family that you loved and spent all your time with? If he couldn’t date you, then how could he be your best friend? The two things were terribly similar with the only differences being sexual intimacy and a different kind of love. Peter was your soulmate for sure, maybe not romantically, though you had hoped otherwise, but he was meant to be with you. Now he did not seem to want to be near you.

You didn’t recognize it, but tears had pooled in your eyes, not yet fallen though. Your breathing felt different, quicker, and you felt like you were losing all that was important to you, him. You had always hoped that sometime in the future you and Peter would get together. You two had made a pact a while ago that if you hadn’t found someone by the age of twenty-six, you two would start dating and then get married within the following year or two. That idea was now seemingly being thrown out the window since he couldn’t date you.

“Y/n…” Peter sighed, his hand reaching out to grab yours but you were quick to pull it away.

“I thought friends didn’t do that,” you threw his words right back at him before you got out, leaving the pizza in your seat and slamming the door shut behind you. Now that you were in the rain, you let your tears flow since they now just appeared to anyone else as raindrops on your face. You tried to speed walk towards the hotel for two reasons: to get away from Peter and to get out of the rain. However, the damn arachnid abilities of your best friend made him much quicker, his hand catching your arm and spinning you back to face him.

You hated yourself for the thoughts running through your mind. The rain on his face that dripped down his cheeks and nose was insanely attractive, and the water made his curls droop onto his forehead, another thing that made him look irresistible. You wanted to kiss him so badly, but how could you after the last one caused so much damage obviously since it was one of the things behind this argument.

“Y/n, that’s not what I meant,” he spoke, his honey brown eyes darted between your own. You wondered if he was thinking the same thing you were. Did he think the water droplets sliding down your face looked pretty? Did he think you were pretty? He had commented on your appearance before, saying you looked beautiful on random occasions but now it all seemed meaningless.

“What did you mean, Peter? How else was I supposed to take that?” you argued with the boy. You didn’t care if he could tell the difference between the freshwater drops on your face and the saltwater tears because his words hurt you and he should know that.

“Of course, I could date you. I would love to date you! You are the most gorgeous girl I have ever laid eyes on and I’m still shocked that you choose to hang out with me every day. Why do you think I made that pact about us dating when we’re older? I can’t wait until then because we promised we’d get together. You do not know how much I hope you don’t find someone before then because my only chance to be with you will be gone because I certainly don’t have to balls to ask you out. The only reason I am telling you all of this now is because I’m scared I’ll lose you, y/n. I can’t even bear to think about that right now. I am an idiot and I’m sorry. I’m so sorr-“

“Peter!” you snapped, tired of hearing his rambles as you desperately wanted to feel his lips against your own.

“What?” he asked, brows knitted and eyes locked on yours.

“Shut up and kiss me,” you repeated the words that you said before your first kiss with the boy as you watched a smile grow on his lips. His hands were quick to cup your cheeks as he brought your face to his, lips connecting and a fire ignited within you both. His left hand slid from your cheek down your shoulder and arm until he found your waist and pulled you closer to his body. You gripped onto his bicep with one hand while your other found the back of his head, your fingers running through the dampened curls. A thought immediately popped in your head and you acted on it, tugging on the strands which resulted in his lips parting. Your plan was achieved successfully, and you slipped your tongue into the entrance. He followed suit and after a little bit, you both needed a little oxygen.

“Um, wow. That was um-“ Peter stumbled over his words, trying to muster up the perfect ones to say in fear of screwing up again. “Nice.” You chuckled at his awkwardness, leaning your head on his forehead and looking up at him.

“Yeah, I agree,” you breathed as your eyes scanned all over his features, taking in every bit of this beautiful moment. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Pete.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, y/n,” Peter responded with a grin, happy he could make you see the holiday as a little more enjoyable for you. The sound of his stomach growling interrupted the moment, and a laugh left your lips. “I’m gonna get the pizza.”

“You do that,” you chuckled at the hungry boy as he walked to the passenger side door, swinging it open to grab the square cardboard box. “You know Mildred is going to kill us. We’re out here drenched in our pajamas in the cold.”

“Yeah, she definitely will,” Peter agreed while walking up the steps with you, “but we can do it together.” He held his free hand out to you for you to take which you gladly did, interlacing your fingers with his. You got up on your tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek as well.

“Together.”

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

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#kjs fic exchange #peter #peter parker #peter imagine #peter x reader #peter fanfic #peter fanfiction #peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader #peter parker fanfic #peter parker fanfiction #spiderman #spiderman fanfiction #marvel

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highgaarden · 4 years

Text

The One Where Caroline Rides A Horse And The Salvatores Win Top Chef

many moons ago, i was lucky enough to be involved in a massive writing ficathon project with a handful of absolutely talented writers. i stumbled upon it by chance when i was traversing my dusty, abandoned livejournal, laughed to myself way too many times, and decided that i simply must share it here. so without further ado...

Title | A Chinese Whispers Fic; Or, The One Where Caroline Rides A Horse And The Salvatores Win Top Chef Authors | catteo, swirlsofblue, cranmers, jane_wanderlust, kwritten, bogwitch, kachera, steph2311, ovariesofsteel, nereemac, lizwontcry, jeremy_finch, elenarain and waltzmatildah Artist | pamsblau Fandom | The Vampire Diaries Characters/Pairings | Rebekah, Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Klaus, Elijah, Finn, Bonnie, Elena, Jeremy, Katherine, Alaric (Klaus/Caroline, Rebekah/Damon, Katherine/Jeremy, Bonnie/Finn) Rating | MA Word Count | 10000 Summary | This fic was written by a team of authors who were only given the several hundred most recently written words to work from each time they added a new section. It doesn’t make sense, it’s not supposed to make sense! It’s supposed to be crack, and it is! Crack, glorious crack! The title says it all, really… .

ONE: The Part Where Caroline Rides A Horse And Rebekah Rides Damon

The clock on the kitchen wall tells him it’s four twenty seven. AM or PM is anyone’s guess as the little hand fails to tick a languid journey around the circular face. Damon makes a brief mental note: must buy batteries. Amends: rechargeable batteries. From the inky black that still shrouds the windows, drapes pulled slightly askew as he wanders back into the living room, he guesses the harsh light of morning remains hours out of reach. He takes to cataloguing the damage done as a means to pass the time. A resounding crack in the plasterboard where his shoulder-blades had connected roughly with a support beam. Jagged fragments of vase and lamp and picture frame, shattered, confetti-like, along the length of one hallway. He winces as he bends to collect the larger shards. Notes he can no longer tell the Ming from the Portland and offers up a soft sigh of relief that they’d only been replicas of the real things. There’s a dent in a silver serving tray that looks suspiciously like the curve of Rebekah’s ass. Which is odd because he doesn’t remember them making it as far as the liquor cabinet. Which is empty so… Hmm. Okay. ------ “What are you doing?” He double-takes at the sight of her, naked and dishevelled at the base of the staircase. Imagines glass shards pricking at the soles of her feet and shudders at the inevitability of bloodstains on his oriental carpets. “I’m vacuuming.” His reply swallowed by the airy roar of the device’s motor. “It’s the middle of the night.” He doesn’t really see her point. Tells her. “I don’t really see your point.” “Come to bed.” Which is funnier than it should be but only because, by the smell of her, she’s been rolling around between Stefan’s sheets since they parted ways at the top of the stairs. Naked and breathless and, admittedly, kind of sore. Jesus. “We could have sex again,” she offers. As though she can read his mind. And he must admit, the thought of fucking an Original in his brother’s bed is seven levels of tempting, but… “I’m vacuuming.” Because this mess won’t clean itself up. And it’s not like he can trust anyone else to do it for him. At least, not properly… She pouts, but then… “I’ve never used one of those before…” ------ With a degree of reluctance that is only almost embarrassing, he finds himself handing over control. And when exactly was it that he became this person? This person that could enthusiastically share cleaning tips with his naked sexual conquests. He thinks there must be something about this particular one and the almost wistful way in which she’d regarded the newest member of his collection. The Dyson DC39. Purchased especially because Ric has allergies… Also, the lifetime (heh) HEPA filter warranty and the latest in Radial Cyclone technologies had also been a top selling point. But she’s not quite doing it right he notes. Her sweeping motion with the nozzle entirely too haphazard to ensure optimum debris collection. And he arcs his chest around her bare back then, slides one arm along the length of hers and grips the handle just below where her fingers are tightly entwined. Guides the head of the cleaner into a more fluid motion that is easier to maintain. “Oh,” he hears her whisper. Soft against the side of his neck. “I think I understand it now…” Which is lucky. Because that’s the moment Caroline chooses to ride in. ------ “Is that a - ”No. Ridiculous, he thinks. I’m obviously drunk. Vaguely, he feels his grip loosen on Rebekah’s hand. Notes out of the corner of his eye that she keeps up the fluid, efficient motion he’d taught her moments ago but is too busy gaping at Vampire Barbie 2.0 sitting atop her rather large black horse. Side-saddle, he notes. As if it matters. “Yes. It is a horse. No, you’re not drunk.” She rolls her eyes. “Okay, maybe you are drunk. But this is still me. On a horse.” “In my living room.” Ask him later, and he’ll tell you this is the most hilarious scenario to be part of in almost a century. Right now he’s too busy thinking about the possibility of the animal making a mess on his new Persian rug. Because there is no other logical action that he can think of, Damon rubs a hand over his face and heads for the liquor cabinet. He’s almost there when he remembers it’s disappointingly empty. Luckily, he remembers he keeps a bottle hidden in his room especially for the rare instance in which he runs out downstairs. “Excuse me.” He doesn’t wait for an answer before speeding up the stairs. “Nice ass, Damon!” “Bite me, blondie!” ------- A still naked Rebekah continues vacuuming as if nothing awkward has happened. “Well. I see Niklaus is going for big and bold. He always did seem to overcompensate.” Caroline laughs, despite herself. “What the hell am I supposed to do with a horse? And why are you naked?” “That’s rather obvious, isn’t it? You ride it. Which works as an answer for both questions, doesn’t it?” “But I have nowhere to keep a horse. Or money to pay someone else to keep it for me. Or the desire to own a horse! They’re pretty, yes, but that’s it! When your crazy sociopath hybrid brother asked me if I liked the horse I was looking at, I didn’t think it was so he could make up his mind to buy me one!” The Original gives up on the vacuum when she hears the younger blonde’s hysterics. Notes, rather proudly, that she’s managed to make the carpet look quite like new. “Caroline, this happens to be a very beautiful horse. You happen to look fabulous riding it, as much as it pains me to say, but if neither of those things matter to you, then just give it back.” A rather loud plop, followed by a rather strong odour, serves to punctuate Rebekah’s words of wisdom. ------ Rebekah rolls her eyes as she realises that it doesn’t matter how proficient she is at naked housework, the Persian rug is done for. Damon’s going to be furious. He still hasn’t gotten over Stefan’s sorority girls breaking his crystal decanter during a particularly vigorous game of ‘Twister’ last month. Apparently he was saving it for an especially significant dramatic moment. She realises she’s probably going to have to keep him occupied. Also, she really needs to find out what ‘Twister’ is. “Where are you going? You can’t leave me!” Caroline’s looking a little wild around the eyes. Rebekah wrinkles her nose in distaste as she navigates her way around the rug. “I’m going to distract Damon. You should probably get rid of this. And maybe that.” She gestures vaguely towards the horse. “No hurry. We’ll be a while. I’m sure that Nik would be only too happy to keep you…” She pauses a beat. “Busy.” She blurs upstairs to the sound of Caroline’s new horse snorting in perfect tandem to Caroline herself. Rebekah gives a passing thought to the parquet floors as she goes – manure is so tough to remove from wood. She’s spared any further rumination on the finer points of housekeeping by Damon, wrapping his arm around her waist and tackling her to the bed. “God, you’re sexy when you vacuum.” Damon lifts an eyebrow, pouts slightly, picks up a twenty-five year aged malt and slowly pours it over her body. Busies himself for the next twenty minutes licking it off. It’s the most fun Rebekah’s had since she learned that vinegar could remove lime-scale. Damon’s teaching her a lot. Her back arches as Damon buries a head between her legs, fangs bared. She forgets all about housework. ------ Meanwhile, downstairs, Caroline is finding that there are a lot of things that a horse won’t do. Make a tight turn in a crowded sitting room for example. There are all kinds of things trodden into the carpet and she decides that it’s probably best to leave whilst she still can. The last thing she needs is an irate Damon sprinting down the stairs. The back view was quite enough to be coping with for one day. Besides, she has an original hybrid to deal with. She aims the horse towards the French doors and discovers, as they crash through a window, that the steering is nowhere near as good as her Dodge. She’s not sure if the screaming coming from Damon’s room is pleasure or fury. Decides not to stick around to find out. She flicks the reigns and feels a thrill rush through her as muscles bunch and flow under her, racing towards Klaus’ tastefully renovated home. READ MORE ON LJ

#tvd fanfiction #tvd crack fic #klaroline #debekah #keremy #hannah writes things #WITH THE HELP OF MANY OTHER PEOPLE!!!!#oh livejournal days

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talltalesandbedtimestories · 4 years

Text

A View To A Winchester (Part 8)

Series Page

Summary: Julie’s starting a new life after divorce in a home with a very nice view.

A Dean X OFC story. I got this idea staring out the view of my home office window and thinking how nice it would be to have Dean Winchester to ogle.

Section Word Count: 5,483

Section Content: fluff, flirting, arousing, kissing, R-rated language, drinking, more Spice Girls references

~~~~~

The doorbell chimed at 8:03 pm. Julie had been pacing in the entryway since 7:50 pm. Unsure as to which entrance Dean would choose, she’d closed the curtains to the sliding door. Mood lighting had been set to a somewhat romantic minimum. She still wanted to be able to ogle the man.

Every thought and decision that day had in one way or another circled back to Dean. She’d even dreamed about him that night. The mild annoyances of work texts and emails, when she made the mistake to check her inbox, did little to sidetrack her from the tasks leading up to this moment.

There’d been no calls, no texts from Mr. Winchester since the night before. And she’d made a point to avoid staring out her office window or back door every five minutes. A quick trip out to the backyard to toss some garbage found the Impala still in his driveway. Tingles of excitement rushed over her skin. There was a very real probability that Dean could be keeping an eye out for her. That he’d been doing it for weeks produced a grin on her face throughout the day.

Now, her gaze lingered at the imposing shadow outlined against the beveled glass of the front door. A check in the mirror produced a nod. She inhaled and took in the surrounding scents. The perfume was not overpowering. The other aroma filling the air had her the most anxious. She couldn’t wait to see his reaction.

Julie pulled on the door and braced herself, leaning against the edge for support. Thank goodness she had. Spotlighted in a golden wash of technicolor, Dean stood at the base of the step up in a radiant glory. The man was actually glowing.

He was still taller than her by a few inches, even with her temporary height advantage. It afforded her the opportunity to only tilt her head up in a slight nod to gaze at his face.

His mouth cocked up the side in a sassy grin. It fell away as he gave her a once over, top to bottom. Have at it, Mr. Winchester. I’m going to revel in the constant blushing you’ll be causing tonight. There it is, that damn lip licking. Good God. His gaze rode its way up her body back to her face. His grip on the neck of the wine bottle tightened. “Evenin’.”

“Hi.” Her mouth managed to spill out the one word greeting. She stepped aside to welcome him in.

Dean stepped up into the entryway, now towering beside her. He took the lead to close the door with one hand, offering the bottle with the other. “Wine.”

She grinned. “Thank you.” She grabbed the bottle at the base, intent on avoiding any skin. She might jump his bones right there if they made contact. “Have a seat if you’d like.” Her nod pointed to the living room.

His nose twitched. A deep inhale followed. His posture straightened, gaining inches of stature. Julie pursed her lips and squashed a grin. “What’d you make?” he asked, eyes wide and hopeful.

This man standing in front of her was so other level, so beyond reachable and enigmatic in terms of attractiveness and attitude. Top shelf and bottom of the barrel somehow all at once. A tailored three-piece suit mixed with a leather jacket worn out to perfection. But there was also something so approachable and knowing, as well, that made her willing to put herself out there.

Is this what they mean by chemistry? It’s been so long, I forgot what it felt like. She ripped the imaginary censor tape off her mouth. “You may have entered this house a single man, Dean, but, by the end of the night...” She trailed off.

A genuine, unadulterated smile lined his mouth. “Don’t tease, sweetheart.”

She laughed. “Why not? Can’t take what you so easily dish out?”

“Not where pie is concerned.”

“Sit. Please. Make yourself comfortable.”

He nodded and wandered toward the sofa. Those damn bowlegs and swagger getting all her attention and throwing her off her train of thought. Dark, midnight blue jeans and a deep forest green button up shirt, with sleeves rolled up to the elbow, hugged his figure. And the man was wearing cowboy boots. Fucking cowboy boots. Kill me now.

Before he could turn around to catch her staring, she ducked into the kitchen to catch her breath. The white wine went into the fridge. Cool air from the open door skirted over and bathed her already goose-pimpled skin. “Can I get you something to drink?” She called out.

“Sure.”

“Bourbon?”

“You’ve got bourbon and pie?!” She couldn’t quite make out the muttering that followed the quizzical exclamation. “That’d be great,” he said in a louder volume that carried clear into the kitchen.

Julie came back with two tumblers a minute later.

“You drink bourbon?” he asked. His fingers wrapped around hers as she passed the glass. His eyes lifted in what looked to be mild surprise with the touch.

She let the warmth of his rough hand permeate and wash under her skin. “No, actually. But, I figured you did.” She sat next to him on the couch, careful not to spill the small amount of liquor in her glass.

“Was it your goal to check off all my favorite things tonight?”

She shrugged and crossed her legs. “Wouldn’t say goal. Hope.”

Dean toasted in mid-air and took a sip. Brows rose. “Hm. Well done with the bourbon.” His gaze trailed over her floral print dress. The fabric had the right amount of flutter over her sleeves and flounce around her chest for Julie. The knee length skirt rested a tad high up her thigh, thanks to an intentional tug of her fingers when his eyes got to that destination. A lick of his lips, when the stare halted at the revealed skin, had been the hoped-for reaction. She sipped to hide the giddy grin. The liquid sliding down her throat was velvet fire. It forced her mind to concentrate on the sensory effect of something other than Dean Winchester.

His silent assessment resumed. But whether it had been seconds or minutes Julie could not be a reliable witness. He stopped again at her favorite nude-colored, closed-toe, strappy heels. She twirled her foot. Only one of Dean’s eyebrows rose that time.

The ensemble had been the easiest decision she’d made that day. It made her feel sassy, sexy, confident, and every ounce a woman.

An unexpected dart of his eyes shot back to hers. Held breath zapped out of her lungs like a popped balloon. She hoped the reaction didn’t look as ridiculous as it sounded. But there was no laugh or throat clearing from him. “You look really nice tonight.” He added, in that beguiling baritone, “But, I don’t think I’ve seen you not look nice.”

She smiled at how good he was at covering all bases. “Thank you.” Her fingers danced over the tumbler’s etched glass. “You mentioned asking me out on a proper date, but having no clue what that was.” She shrugged. “I’m a little rusty in that department. Thought this might ease us both into the idea.”

He smiled and thumbed the rim of his glass. “Rusty is not how I would describe it. So, why no dinner?”

She laughed. “Hey, I made dessert.” He returned her laugh with a chuckle. “I don’t know. Don’t tell Brigida I flat out refused to make you dinner. I’ll get my wooden spoon taken away as punishment.”

That produced an even deeper laugh out of Dean’s throat. Composure regained after another sip, he studied her through a side stare. “It’s almost like you had something else in mind that would be occupying our time.”

“Just talking.” She tried to flash him her most innocent smile.

“Riiight.” He dragged out the word. “Did your friends have a lot to talk about when I left last night?”

“So much… I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Hm. Catherine’s cute.”

Julie smiled. “She is.”

“So, I got the stamp of approval?”

“With some cautious reservations.”

“Sound like good friends.”

“They are. I don’t see them as often as I’d like to… you know, everyone always seems too busy to get together. But, Karen’s been checking up on me since she heard about Steve and...” She trailed off. Great, already mentioning the ex.

Dean nodded and cut her off, “Were you all in a sorority together? Did you have sexy sleepovers?” He raised his brows in a quick and comical gesture.

Julie laughed at his levity and the obvious attempt to bail her out with a topic change. “No sorority. We just all ended up in the same hall of our dorm. Bonded over Spice Girls and Sambuca one night. That was all she wrote.”

A frown. “Spice Girls?”

She shrugged. “I’m a Pop girl. But, I do appreciate classic rock.”

“Appreciate? Do you listen to it? Make a concerted effort to seek it out? Speak the truth, sweetheart.” His tone was serious, demanding, and kind of pushy. Damn. If he gets this worked up about music…

“Not really.”

He sighed. “Can you name me one Zeppelin song?”

She shook her head.

He clutched at his heart. “Confirms it. You aren’t the perfect woman.” Another sigh escaped those full lips, longer and drawn out this time. A heavy nod followed the resolved expression. “I should go.” Forlorn, puppy dog eyes met hers.

Jesus. Dramatic much? “If that’s really the deal breaker, then I guess you should go.” Julie played along.

He raised a finger. “How about this? You let me give you a crash course in classic rock one day. And, you promise never to subject me to the Spice Girls.”

Julie laughed. “I can’t promise that. But, I won’t intentionally play it in your presence, how about that?”

He produced a “Meh” and downturned his mouth.

“Are you quite the professor of rock and roll?”

“Oh yeah.” She found his eyes gazing with intent at her lips. “I could teach you a lot.”

The static charge was catapulting a frenzy of sexy into the room. Her body was drawn to his like a dowsing rod to water. Her ass shifted. Fingers rubbed over her neck, feeling the warmth. I’m probably beet red.

Dean’s hand that held the tumbler rose. One of the fingers popped free from the grip and did a swinging point at her face. “No glasses.”

“I went with contacts tonight.”

He grinned, “And, you wore your hair down again.”

“You said you liked it...”

He leaned in a few inches. Her thought cut off at the action. His visage turned to stone; eyes almost primal in their focus on her mouth. Again. “I like a lot of things.”

Holy shit. She froze in place. Could only stare at the beauty. Freckles. How did I not notice those before?

“This is dangerous, Julie.” He pulled himself back.

“W-why? What’s dangerous?”

“You are doing everything in your power to push all my buttons.” He shook his head. “It’s sexy as hell. But it’s only going to end one way.”

“What way is that?” Please say sex on this couch.

“Told you. Me turning into a jackass.”

Way to be a downer, Dean. Her lids narrowed. “Do you really believe that?”

He shrugged. “Decades of experience.”

“Can we just enjoy this?” Her plea was firm in its tone. “I’ve been through a crappy divorce from what turned out to be a turd of a husband hiding his yearlong shitty and adulterous behavior.” She closed her eyes. “I’d like to believe that we are two damaged adults that deserve some flirting and feel good times right now. I’m trying not to ‘what if’ you into the circling drain of catastrophic proportions.”

When she opened her eyes after the rant, she found him smiling.

She nodded. “Pie?”

His grin spread. “Pie.”

~~~~~

Three more glasses of bourbon on Dean’s end had loosened him into a comfortable heap on the sofa. He was on his third piece of pie, too. Julie had been mindful and stuck to the one glass. The pie, however, called out for a second slice to be cut. The conversation had shot into that wonderful galaxy of transitions and rabbit holes, where struggling to find the original thought only led to more discovery.

“Okay,” Dean shifted in his seat, “tell me one good thing about your ex.” He dusted some crust from the side of his mouth back onto the plate.

“Ugh,” she frowned.

“You just said you try to find one good thing about anyone and anything.”

“I didn’t think you were going to call me out on it.”

He smiled. “I’m sure you can. It was ten years, right?”

She eyerolled, turning pensive. “Steve always put the seat down.”

Dean laughed. “Gotta give him more than that.” He pointed at her. “Or, I blame you for staying that long.”

She sighed and plucked an apple with her fork. “He was a hard worker. He loved my mom, even though she always rode him for not being ‘the man’ she thought he should be. Not that my mom has a great grasp of a healthy male/female dynamic, mind you. He always tried to make her happy. And, by extension, me happy.” She went deeper. “He was romantic, even when I’d try to mess up his plans and be a grump. He was big on romance, for a long time.”

She caught Dean inspecting whatever reaction washed over her face. His gaze softened. “What happened?”

Julie shrugged. “Maybe I took him for granted. Maybe he took me for granted. Maybe a mid-life crisis turned his brain to mush and he thought he’d find happiness with a twenty something yoga instructor. I don’t know. He never offered an explanation. And, I didn’t want to hear one, anyway.”

“Yoga instructor?” Dean grinned.

Julie grinned at Dean’s grin. “You’re thinking about how bendy she is, aren’t you?”

He chuckled. “I dated a yoga instructor. I know how bendy they are.”

“Do tell.”

His eyebrows rose. “You want details?”

Her bare feet, having long kicked off the heels, slid onto the sofa cushion and nestled under her ass and skirt. “All the details.” Another bit of pie slid into her mouth.

“She was pretty amazing.” He grabbed at the glass on the floor beside his spot and took a gulp. His reminiscent stare into the liquor heated Julie up again. He grinned, not meeting her eyes. “She could get into these positions… well, it was… awesome.” He returned the glass to its spot and focused on the pie plate. “Lisa was great on lots of levels.”

There was a palpable warmth to his memory. How long will it take me to think of Steve with even an ounce of that fondness? Will I ever be able to again? “Were you with her long?”

“Little over a year.” He stretched a bit and brought his eyeline back up to meet hers. “When I tried the normal life thing.” His eyes rounded like saucers. “God, that was like... over a decade ago. Ben’s in his twenties now.”

“Ben?”

“Lisa’s son.”

“Do you keep in touch?”

“Nah. It was better to cut ties. Have them move on, like I’d never messed up their life to begin with.”

“I’m sure you didn’t…”

“I did.” Dean nodded with certainty. “But, it was better after me, I guarantee it. What about you, though? Ten years. I mean, how are you doing with that kind of change?”

“Does it sound bad if I say it wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it would be?”

Dean smiled.

“I mean, the betrayal, the dishonesty, the collapse of my marriage. Yeah, that was devastating and had me on the fast track to a pint of Ben and Jerry’s every night. I cried for weeks… tried to keep my work life together during the day just to come home, wrecked, to an empty, fucking huge house… because he was staying over at Chelsea’s apartment until he got a new place.”

His face deadpanned. “Her name was Chelsea?”

Another eyeroll. “Yeah. And, our ‘marriage’ friends hightailed it out of existence… probably because most of them had known and didn’t want me to know that I knew that they knew.” She watched Dean try to process her ramble. She laughed at how absurd she sounded. “It was tough. I started to go to therapy again.” She waved a hand in the air. “Then, I found this place.” She slowed her breathing. “I had something that was mine again. Just mine. I don’t know, it kind of centered me.”

His cocky grin returned. “I hear the view’s pretty great, too.”

“The view is awesome.” Julie giggled.

“Oh, man.” He let out a huge yawn and leaned into the crook of the sofa’s corner. He slid like a serpent on his back, molding into the cushions. His legs draped over the edge. The empty pie plate and fork rested on the center of his chest, teetering a bit. “I’m feeling really good right now.” A beefy, muscled arm raised over his head. He clutched the armrest. His eyes closed.

“I bet.” Julie mumbled, staring.

An eye shot open. “Open invitation to come on over and find out.” He teased and knocked a knee against one of hers.

The ping pong game of flirting had been ongoing, with neither one missing a return yet. “But, I might take advantage of you, in this drunken state of yours.”

“Take, woman, take.” He grumbled and shut his eyes again. “Seriously, though…”

“Hm?” Julie deposited her empty plate on the side table.

“Did your husband not eat? Did he hate sweets? Cause, just as an act of self-preservation and I don’t know… non-stupidity… to give up ever eating your mom’s food… or, taste your baked goods again…” The brows twitched suggestively above his closed eyes.

Dirty, cheesy jokes. He’s lucky he’s so damn good looking. “Maybe Chelsea’s a good cook?” Julie offered.

Dean’s eyes batted open in a lazy gesture. “Yeah, and I’ve won the Nobel friggin’ Peace Prize.” He wagged a finger. “Now, if he’s anything like my brother, I might understand the short sightedness on his part.”

“Is your brother an asshole?” Julie grinned.

He chuckled. “No. He’s very fond of kale, though. He could resist your food charms.” Dean licked his lips, his chin to his chest, eyeing her. “But, he’s not blind. And, if he wasn’t already in a committed relationship…”

Julie gave him her best sexy side eye. “What?”

“We’d probably have to rock paper scissors for it.”

She tilted her head. “For what?”

“The chance to try out our best moves on you.” Dean rose up in slow motion to a sitting position, mansplaying into her half of the couch. He slid the fork and plate onto the nearby coffee table.

You got this. Julie was keenly aware of how her entire body thrummed to her heartbeat. And how soaked her panties were. Just talking to him and being in close proximity is wrecking me… what would happen if... She readjusted her sitting position as well, crossed her legs, and clenched her thighs together. Got me slippery enough to slide off the damn couch. “Do I have a say in the matter? What’s your brother like?”

“Oh, he’s a total nerd. Living in San Jose, trying to finally get a law degree from Stanford.”

“Lawyer material, huh?” Julie gave him an impressed nod.

“Okay, calm down.” Dean raised a hand in jest. “Like I said, he’s taken. And, you wouldn’t like him.” Dean shook his head with certainty.

Julie giggled. “You don’t know that. I consider myself somewhat of a nerd. Maybe we’re kindred spirits. What’s he look like?”

Dean sighed and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Julie marveled, realizing that neither one of them had glanced at a phone over the past hour. The television had remained off as well. His finger tapped and scrolled for some time before showing her his screen. “That’s him and his girlfriend, Eileen.”

Julie’s eyebrows rose. “Wow. Your family gene pool is quite impressive.”

“Well, thank you.” He smirked. “But, still, I think I’d have a better shot. I mean, look at his hair.”

“Very bouncy. Really cute.” She noted some slight agitation from him as she continued to stare at the picture. He pulled the phone away and slipped it back into his pocket. Pushing ALL of his buttons was turning out to be very entertaining. “My brother and his family live in San Francisco. Not too far from San Jose. Maybe I should pay him a visit the next time I find myself over there.”

“Yeah, well… he’s a bit high maintenance. Me, on the other hand… ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

“So, you’re easy going?”

His lips jutted out into an exaggerated pout. “I don’t know if I’d say ‘easy going’. Easy maybe.” He winked.

“Love ‘em and leave ‘em type then?”

“Pretty much. But, there was an underlying reason. It wasn’t all about me being an ass.” He took another swig of his drink. “That’s why…” his tongue smacked against the roof of his mouth, “I really shouldn’t be here. The family business I was in for so long... It put anyone my brother and I got close to in danger. It was better to stay unattached.” He tilted the glass in her direction. “And, you haven’t lubricated me with enough liquor, or dessert, to get more info outta me on that.” The gaze dropped into his glass.

You’ve got me lubricated enough, you full time fucking flirt. Julie screwed her lips together. She took some time to gather her thoughts. “Is that what happened with Lisa? She ended up in danger?”

He clenched his jaw. That was enough of a response.

“But, your brother has a girlfriend now.”

“Yeah. Goin’ on two years.”

“Something changed then, when you moved on from the family business?”

He nodded, a grin slow to form as he looked back up. “You could say the family business went out of business. Our services weren’t needed as much.”

“So, he isn’t worried about his girlfriend’s safety? Your brother?”

“She was in the same business for a long time. Can take care of herself. I don’t think she’s a Spice Girls fan.” A wicked smirk unfurled.

Julie took silent offence at the dig. She nodded, processing the information to continue her original line of questioning. “Danger still out there?”

He shrugged and dropped the glass. “No, not really. I mean, not like it was. Every so often there’s a blip. But, I’d say it’s been the quietest I’ve known in… well, forever.”

“You are only making me more curious, you know that, right?”

Dean leaned in. One hand dragged along her dangling calf. Those rough, calloused fingers lit her up like flint against a match. Her nose scrunched as she tried to maintain some composure. The smile on his face sparked up into his eyes. Those damn crinkles multiplied. “Are you getting frustrated?”

“No.”

“Cause I’ve seen you make that face when it looks like you were frustrated.”

She sighed. “Maybe a little frustrated.”

He slid along the seat, bending his leg like snipping scissors to get closer. The oh so warm calf wedging along her thigh. An arm snaked behind her on the couch. Nostrils flared, sniffing the air like a hungry bloodhound. “I can take care of that for you, Julie.” He whispered. “All you gotta do is ask.” He teased out a smile. “Tell me what you want.” He paused. “What you really…” Another long pause. “Really.” Even longer. “Want.” The word slipped out of his mouth, slow and tasty, with a click of his teeth at the end for even more dramatic effort.

Awareness of what he had just done made her grin.

His head tilted. “I may have come across ‘Spice World’ on cable a few times while channel surfing. Being in the middle of a Baby and Ginger sandwich might be fun.” He inhaled deep again and a quick dart of his gaze fell to her lap before coming back to scan her facial features.

Shit, can he smell how wet and excited he’s making me? “What do you want?” She held his stare, desperately trying to keep some control of her faculties. Even though every cell in her body was begging to give in to the temptation that was Dean Winchester. “Are you looking for a woman that knows this mysterious family business like your brother’s girlfriend?”

The focus of his hypnotic green, glassy eyes traced over different spots on her face. She admired his ridges and furrows and planes up close. The slope of his nose was a perfect angled dream. Evidence of a hard life lived was scattered all over amid the youthful, sin-full lips and speckling of freckles. There was earned wisdom in his eyes behind the golden flecked irises. She couldn’t remember the last time she was in the presence of anyone so very handsome and beautiful. And? There was something else she’d been trying to pinpoint since she chanced on him, in the dark, that first night. The words slammed into her mind. Tragic. But, not just that. Heroic.

He remained quiet, stoic. Not answering her questions. Only wrecking her with his inspection, intent on getting her to concede. She pushed through, answering her own query. “Cause, fun little fact, I’m probably not that kind of woman. I’m guessing that woman is badass.” His fingers traced the skin by her sleeve. She was melting, drowning. And it was heaven. Ah, fuck it. “Now, if you’re looking for a one and done type situation…?”

He shook his head. “No. Not with you. I’m pretty sure I want to have you all sorts of ways. Not just one and done.”

The vocal confirmation made her lips twitch up. “Don’t tell anyone, but I kind of like your chauvinistic, caveman style.”

“Oh, I’m telling everybody.” He whispered, even closer now. Bourbon and cinnamon-apple breath danced over her lips. “But, for clarification,” the tease was still stroking her calf, “what exactly is my chauvinistic, caveman style?” He gave her a little head tilt. “You know, when I tell everybody.”

“Hm, well, you walked me home that one night.”

“That’s just looking out for your safety. I’d say that’s the opposite of caveman. Otherwise, I’d just drag you back by your hair to my lair.” He urged for more details with a roll of his fingers on her shoulder.

“But thinking I can’t look out for myself could be considered…” She slammed her mouth shut. I really don’t want to get into a debate on feminism with this man right now. His stare was far away and centered all at once. One finger stroked the upward curve of her neck, just under her earlobe. The gaze broke from her eyes, now interested in the same spot as that finger. His entire body leaned into her right side. So fucking close. “Um,” she hesitated.

“Come on. You gotta give me more than that.” His nose nuzzled into the wavy curls against her neck. He inhaled. An almost imperceptible moan emerged from his throat on the exhale.

She sighed and leaned into the enticing action. “I guess it’s not a style exactly. More like an aura?”

His posture tipped back, enough to brush his cheek along her jawline. His scruff rubbing like fine grit sandpaper. And, goddamn, his lips were so close to hers for a fraction of a second. “Aura?” The one word released in a jagged, hot breath. He dipped back toward her neck.

“You’re very… male…”

He chuckled against tender flesh. Goosebumps formed. She twitched at the almost touch. “I hope so.”

“I don’t know. You seem so… strong… capable… take charge. I think you’d make a very lucky lady feel safe. If you gave yourself the chance to try.”

And then, she felt it. The pressure of his soft, full lips rested at the base of her neck. They sizzled, lit the fuse. His hands wrapped around her in an instant. He gripped her into a bear hug of the hottest proportions. Their chests melded together, his muscles pressing into her soft curves. Firm, unmoving. Even his lips remained still. His heartbeat, however, that pulsed through her own skin.

She jolted at the sensation of his tongue teasing out from his lips, tasting her. His smile seared into her skin. Then, light kisses ran up her jaw. She tilted her head up, providing him full access to whatever the fuck he wanted. He trailed the outline of her chin with his lips. She dared open her eyes when his mouth retreated.

She had not been prepared for the look of want. His fingers tangled into her hair and clutched the back of her scalp. He moaned, low and deep, a second before his lips crushed her mouth with a coveting force and ownership. He brushed into the red and raw underside of her own lips, producing a wet, slick heat and easy undulations. The sway of his mouth back and forth, slow and prodding, opened her to him. The introduction of his probing tongue had her gasp. She felt the sound travel down his throat.

She hooked arms under his massive biceps and latched onto sharp shoulder blades, holding on for the ride. The stronghold manipulated her like a ragdoll with every kiss and suck and lick. He broke from her mouth and rested his forehead against hers. “You OK?” She smiled at how out of breath he sounded. He leaned back and inspected her face. She nodded, noting how fast her heart was beating. “Cause, I can stop… like, right now. It’s probably better if I do that. And, maybe, we try that proper date… before things get too out of hand.”

“Is that what you want to do right now?” She tried to catch her breath.

“Hell, no.” He smiled. His fingers massaged her scalp and pressed into the small of her back. “But, maybe… I should give myself the chance to try.”

She groaned. “Don’t use my own words against me.” She bit her lip, then mumbled. “You feel really good.”

“So do you, sweetheart.” He brushed his lips along her forehead. “So do you.”

She unfurled her arms from his back. “Going to be all adultish.”

“I know. Adulting sucks.” He sighed. “When do we do this date thing?”

“Soon.”

A childish grin curled up his lips. “Sweet. Well,” he licked his lips, wiping away any innocence, and peeled his body from hers, frowning as he did so. “Let me take you out to dinner one night, maybe next weekend? No food or dessert prepared by you. And, I’m not going to even think about taking you to an Italian place.”

She smiled. “Good call.”

“Steak?” His eyebrows rose.

“Sounds good.”

“Awesome.” He stood up and grabbed his drink, finishing it, then picked up his dessert plate. “I’ll make a reservation and let you know when.”

“But, you might have to cancel if work…”

He raised a finger. “Then you have permission to slap me if I stand you up again.”

She laughed, then frowned realizing his current intention. “You’re leaving?”

“Too much temptation if I stay.” He stared down at her. “I mean, all I want to do right now…” He shook his head. “Going to go put these away.” He darted to the kitchen.

She stood up and adjusted her skirt. “I was going to give you a piece of pie.”

“Ohhh, I know you were.” He called from the other room and ran some water in the sink. When he rounded the doorway, he donned a wide, toothy grin. “Save me a slice for later?”

“Let me just...” She started to walk toward him and the front door.

He raised his hands. “Nope. Nope. Safer if you stay there.” He rubbed his hands along his thighs, drawing Julie’s attention to the rather impressive bulge in his jeans. “Cause I’ll want to give you a kiss goodnight…”

“And, it won’t end there?” She strolled over.

“Really, Julie.” He backed toward the front door. “I won’t be responsible for my actions if you keep it up.”

“I’m supposed to consider that a threat?”

He laughed. “Thank you. Good night.” The door opened from behind his back and he slid out with a wave and a wink.

Julie pressed her lips together. The phantom tingle of his mouth lingered. Her tongue ran over the top lip. Bourbon puckered her taste buds. She sighed and headed to the kitchen to clean up with her half-eaten pie slice. She could feel the stupid smile settling into her face for the rest of the night. “I’m in such delicious trouble.”

Part 9

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xaphrin · 5 years

Text

Abuse My Love a Thousand Times

“A clean bill of health.” Shirayuki placed the form in front of Obi for him to sign, making notes in his file. The pen scratched almost loudly against the pristine paper, her handwriting looking like awkward, loopy swirls. “As always.”

“I’m not entirely sure why we’re made to have these weekly check-ups. It’s not like I can even get human diseases.” Obi sighed and handed the paper back to her, his eyes flashing a bright gold before he adjusted the cuff on his ear. The spell flickered for just a moment, before settling back into place, showing his olive skin and dark, almond eyes. He cocked his head to the side and stared at her. “It’s just costing the house more money to keep having you come out here.”

“It’s the law for human and fae. Fairness across the board for any redlight workers.” She paused and made another note, glancing back into his face with a stern expression. “And you aren’t immune to magic diseases, you know. Don’t forget about the outbreak of Dark Dust two years ago. Two of your workers ended up at the clinic and it took them nearly a month to treat them.” Shirayuki checked off her notes. “Besides, it’s not just illness we’re worried about. Mental health is just as important, and you’re not one to admit when something happened, or something is upsetting you.” She glanced over at him, a heartbeat’s pause resting heavily between them. “I worry about you. You need to take better care of yourself. Let me know if you need… help. I’m here for you.”

“I take care of myself just fine. I’ve been here two years, and I’m all together - as far as I know.” He gave a one-shouldered shrug and looked away, pretending to be more interested in a faded picture on the wall. “My job could be worse. At least I’m not working in the docks down by the river, and I have my own money and my own place, and sometimes I even have friends. Which is way more than I had two years ago. Plus, I get to eat my fill every single night… no more prowling around university bars looking for sorority sisters blasted out of their mind. People come begging for a taste of paradise.”

Shirayuki watched him, her eyes wide as he spoke. It felt like he was trying to remind himself that there were good things in his life, and that the darkness he worked so hard to conceal wasn’t real. Standing there, she felt like she was trying to discern who he was before this moment. She could hear strange notes infiltrate his voice, almost like a longing, but also a bit like a pep-talk. It sounded almost as if he was reminding himself of all the things he did have, just to make him forget about the things he didn’t. He adjusted the cuff on his ear again, and the spell flickered. Shirayuki found herself questioning whether it had been damaged during a particularly rough client, but then realized it was none of her business who he slept with. It was his job.

“And what about you, Mistress?” His voice dripped with curiosity, to the point it nearly stung her. “What about taking care of yourself? You could work in any of the fine human hospitals in the rich neighborhoods, and yet you’re over here slumming it in the fae redlight for pennies - checking cocks and pussies for Dark Dust.” He let go of a cynical bark of laughter. “Honestly, you’re much better than this, and I’d have thought you’d run far away by now.” He pitched forward and rested his chin in his hand, as if expecting a secret. “Come on now, tell me that you’ve finally found somewhere more interesting to go? Tell me you finally caved and signed that big contract for Wilant Memorial.”

“I haven’t and you know that, so stop teasing me about it.” She gave him a tilted smile. “Besides, you’re the most interesting part of my day.” She glanced at her phone, checking the time. Yuzuri had another twenty minutes left on her tab with Suzu.

“She’s still upstairs.” Obi cocked his head to the side as if he was listening through the walls. “They’re finished if you want me to go grab Yuzuri?”

Shirayuki flushed and shook her head. It was unnerving how adept fae hearing was. “No. Absolutely not. Let them have their time together, she doesn’t get to see him as often anymore.”

“Not since she transferred to a human hospital?” His voice held a low, questioning lilt. “Like you should?”

Shirayuki ignored the jab. “Your shift doesn’t start for a bit, right?”

“Mm…” Obi checked his phone and nodded. “I have an appointment in an hour or so. So, i’ve got a bit of time I can kill.” He offered a broad, teasing grin. “My first client is a half-orc with-”

Shirayuki held up her hand, her heart dropping into her stomach. She hated when Obi teased her like this. “Please don’t. Spare me the details. Besides, you know I’m not supposed to know about your clients. You have an NDA, and I… I don’t want to hear about it anyway.”

“I’m only teasing.” Obi Shrugged and stood up, shoving his hands in his jean pockets. “A human, actually. Some kind of bachelorette dare, I’m sure.” He pitched his voice high, a pantomime of a girl. “You just gotta try an incubus at least once. They’re the best.”

“People do not say that.”

Obi scoffed. “Mistress, you can’t tell me that when you were all stressed and tensed up from studies in med school that there wasn’t at least one girl suggesting you head down to your local redlight and take a tumble with an incubus?” His grin widened and he pitched forward, resting his hand on the table. “I’m told it’s better than really good weed. High for days with a nice, slow decline back to earth.”

He… actually wasn’t wrong. There had been one of the girls in her undergrad class who spent her all her free time with an incubus a few grades below them. She ended up flunking out of pre-med, and Shirayuki had vowed never to come within ten feet of an incubus. Her eyes flicked to Obi’s playful stare, and she flushed. That resolution hadn’t exactly worked out in her favor. Now, she spent time with him every week, and it was getting harder and harder to remember why she shouldn’t get involved with him. Especially when he gave her that tilted, knowing smile.

Shirayuki rolled her eyes and closed his file, pretending to ignore his comment. “Well, you’re free and I’m waiting to walk home with Yuzuri, so… let’s do something together. Let’s get out of here for a bit then. I’ll buy you a drink?” Shirayuki placed the file in the cabinet in the back of the office, locking it. “It’s been awhile since we talked… outside of the house. And as friends.”

Obi gave a dramatic gasp, pressing his hand against his chest. “You’re looking to talk with me? Outside of the house? Be still my heart.”

God. He could be such a drama queen sometimes. She started for the door. “Are you coming or not?”

“I’m coming. I’m coming. Hold your horses.” He chased after her, and Shirayuki turned around to see his cuff fall from his ear. Obi cursed and he snatched it up from the carpet with a low growl, examining it to see how he could jerry-rig it together for a little longer. “Dammit. I’ve been having the worst trouble with this stupid thing since last week. I’m going to have to ask Ryu if he can make me a new one. The spell is getting testy too.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Shirayuki rested her hand on his wrist, stopping his movements. “Leave it off. We’ll go to a fae-friendly bar. You don’t need to wear it, I know the spell itches anyway.”

“You’d be willing to go out with a fae?”

“Obi, we’ve been friends for years now.” She leaned closer to him and rubbed her thumb along the pointed tip of his ear, as if she was trying to smooth out the indent the cuff had given him. “Besides, you look fine just the way you are.”

Beautiful, actually.

“You’re one of only a handful of people who think that, you know.” Obi looked down at his forearms, his skin a dark blue-gray and flecked with the same shimmering gold that matched his eyes, like freckles masquerading as constellations. He glanced back at her, lifting an eyebrow in a low tease. “Typically I charge extra to take the cuff off. My skin isn’t the only thing that changes.”

Shirayuki flushed and turned away, knowing that he could never let her live it down if he saw the embarrassment in her face. “Now you’re flaunting like a peacock.”

“Exactly.” He snapped his fingers. “My cock.”

Ignoring him, Shirayuki made her way down the street, feeling him follow her, his steps nearly silent on the pavement. His eyes darted around them both, as if he were expecting someone to come out and make some kind of off-handed comment or slur. In the few years since Shirayuki had known Obi, he had been overly cautious of going out without a glamor spell. There was a history behind him that she tried to understand, but he kept himself as closed off as possible. It was easy to fuck someone and drain them of their sexual desire, but opening to a friend seemed damn near impossible for him.

She’d only seen him without his cuff a few times, but he was beautiful. His skin reminding her of a dark night in the mountains, galaxies painted onto his skin. He was just so… otherworldly. Which, she realized, was a bit of a slur.

“You’re deep in thought.” Obi’s voice cut through the noise in her mind, a low rumble of noise running down her spine. “Anything interesting going on in that head of yours?”

She forced her own mind up for air, pushing a few locks of hair from her eyes. “Mm, just thinking… about you.” She followed him into the bar a few doors down from the house, taking in a diverse crowd. Two dwarves were playing a card game in the back, yelling at each other about rules, and a tall, graceful elf was unfolding herself from a booth. A sign above the bar noting Sirens not allowed to perform on karaoke night! “You never take your cuff off. I was just thinking about it.”

“Ah, Mistress. It’s probably best if you just leave that particular thought be. You know as well as I do that there are stories you shouldn’t ask.” He settled them down into a small table tucked in the front corner, by the window. A gorgon waitress wearing ultra-dark sunglasses took their order, and she stared at Shirayuki as if she was trying to place her from somewhere.

“She’s the girl on the bus benches,” Obi supplied helpfully, his grin widening. “You might have seen her with a sharpie mustache of some kind. Or big glasses.”

Shirayuki flushed, giving Obi a sharp stare. That was not what she wanted to be known for, to become some kind of token in the mayor’s campaign for more robust human-fae relations, but Zen had talked her into it. He said it was good to place a non-political face with their campaign, but Shirayuki had doubts. Putting her face on their campaign made it political, and that was not what she wanted. She didn’t want to be a token character just to make the Wistalias look good, she just wanted to help out the neighborhood.

“Ah.” Thankfully, the gorgon seemed completely disinterested, took their order and turned around, leaving them without another word.

“You don’t have to point that out to every fae.” Shirayuki sighed and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, glaring at him. “It’s not that big of a deal, you know. And I didn’t even really want to be a part of it. Zen is just… persuasive sometimes. And it’s hard to say no to him.”

Obi looked like he wanted to point something out, but managed to keep his thoughts to himself. “Ah, come on, Mistress. You’re like a local celebrity around here - brilliant doctor with ties to political royalty, but who spends her time in the fae neighborhood clinic, working for chump-change and checking the redlight district for STIs.” He propped his chin up on one hand and smiled at her, as if he knew a secret no one else did. “And yet somehow keeps her purity.”

Shirayuki burned and nearly choked on her water. Color curled up her neck and she looked away. “Obi!”

His grin widened, almost playful, and his white teeth practically shimmered against the darkness of his skin. He pitched forward, the playful glint in his eyes brightening. “Incubus, Mistress. You can’t keep anything from me. Not when it comes to sex, anyway.”

Shirayuki sniffed, suddenly feeling indignant. “I’ve… been with people before.”

He lifted an eyebrow, as if he didn’t quite believe her, but knew better than to press. “Oh, I’m sure, but… not for a while, right? Not since… mm, let me guess…” He took a deep breath, as if tasting something on the air. “...undergrad?”

Her cheeks burned darker, her stomach twisting. He could be a real jerk when he wanted to. She looked away and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about having sex with someone, she wasn’t completely oblivious to her body’s needs, it was just that she hadn’t really met the right person. She’d get back at it when someone interesting came along. Her eyes flicked to Obi’s angular face for just a moment before looking out the window. It would be better not to travel down that path.

“What I don’t get…” Obi’s voice turned conversational, and the gorgon returned with their order, placing it on the table. He waited until she had left before speaking again. “...is how you spend all this time at the house, examining up learning our ticks and preferences, and yet you’ve never once… sampled the wares. I mean, we’re literally there to be used. Come in, pay your dues, and get a ride. That’s how it works, Mistress.”

“That’s not true, Obi. And, I wished you wouldn’t it say it like that.” Shirayuki’s face scrunched up and she gave him a firm look, letting him know that his self-deprecating attitude needed to stop. Her heart ached when he talked about himself like that - like he was just a thing. And not for the first time, she wished she knew more about it, if only to understand him a little bit better. “You’re not just some kind of tool meant to be used and then tossed aside. You’re a person, with your own feelings and emotions, not just a thing used for sex.”

Obi made a face as if there was something to her words that might have hit their mark. He glanced away, letting silence slide over them as he tried to control the conversation again. “That still didn’t answer my question though.” His eyes darkened a shade and he leaned forward across the small table. “Why don’t you sample the wares?”

She sighed, her eyes lifting towards his again. “I’m your doctor, Obi.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He shrugged. “Yuzuri left the clinic, and she still returns to tumble in the sheets with a frost elf.”

Shirayuki’s face fell and she laughed. “She likes Suzu, you know.”

He looked out the window, pretending to be interested in something on the other side of the street. There was a heavy silence that settled over them before he spoke, his words muffled by the sound of the dwarves arguing again. “You could find someone to like too.”

“I like you.” That came out far too breathy and wistful. But if Obi noticed, he chose not to point it out. It was a small kindness.

“Ah, Mistress. That’s not what I mean. Friends are different than lovers.” His smile tilted to the side and he paused, as if running through a few scenarios through his head. They were likely the kinds of things she had seen shoved on corner store shelves - My Daring Incubus had been one she bought on a whim, but couldn’t find the nerve to crack it open. He met her eyes and hummed. “Though I’d be happy to show you around the depths of my room, if you ever get curious.”

Shirayuki shook her head, giving him a flat stare. “You’re just looking for a free meal.”

“You’re not wrong.” His smile never faltered, but Shirayuki noticed the flecks of gold along his skin turned an iridescent silver, and she stared at them watching the thin light of the bar catch the change.

It was with a strange and sudden clarity that she realized why he wore his cuff at all times - his skin was a tell. Under the cloak of the spell, Obi could charm and lie, and make everyone believe whatever he wanted. But without the spell, there was nothing to stop her from reading the bioluminescence flickering along his skin. She blinked and stared along his forearm, watching as the silver turned pale yellow, and then back into bright gold. When she glanced back into Obi’s face, he was looking away from her, pulling the long sleeves of his t-shirt over his arm.

“We should finish our drinks and head back.” His voice was soft, as if he knew that she figured out his tell. “I’m sure Yuzuri is almost done, and I should wash up before my client shows. You know humans, they like a clean boy.”

“Right.” Shirayuki muttered and swallowed most of her drink in one gulp, if only to avoid looking at Obi and talking. What did all of that mean? Did he not think of sex with her like a meal? It should have been. She was just his doctor, and barely his friend - although that wasn’t due to lack of trying on her part. In all the time she’d known him, he had never quite opened up to her. She thought that he just wasn’t interested, but maybe it was more than that. Maybe there was something else. Maybe he really was trying to guard himself from her.

The walk back to the house was awkward and tense, but Obi did his best to try and fill it with some kind of conversation. Shirayuki felt as though her world tipped on its side, and she watched him from the corner of her eye, chattering away like nothing had happened in the bar. Of course something had happened, and now it felt like it was changing everything between them all over again. She didn’t want that, not when she wasn’t ready.

She’d be damned if she let him throw up walls again. It had taken nearly two years to get him to feel comfortable around her, and she didn’t want to lose that connection. “We should go out again.”

Obi jerked, stopping mid-sentence. There was a long moment as he turned toward her, obviously trying to understand her meaning. “Like, on a date?”

Yes. But maybe she shouldn’t admit that yet. Shirayuki gave a thin smile and shrugged. “As friends. Your whole life doesn’t have to be the house, and our relationship doesn’t have to revolve around the clinic.”

He blinked, still surprised. “Wouldn’t the mayor and his brother… not like that? That you’d be out on a date with a redlight incubus, and not just checking his cock at the clinic?”

Shirayuki reeled back a little, surprised at the question. Her mind suddenly felt tangled, as if she was trying to find the reason behind that question, but her thoughts just kept getting tied up in knots. What did Izana and Zen have anything to do with her personal life? “They’re the one campaigning for better fae-human relations. Besides, I don’t see how it matters. I’m not even in their immediate thoughts most of the time.”

Obi’s eyebrows knit together, as if he didn’t quite believe her. “Aren’t you dating Zen?”

Shirayuki jerked back, her heart falling into her stomach. “What?”

“Dating Zen.” He kept staring at her, as if waiting for her to admit this whole thing was a joke. “I mean, that’s what the whole city thinks, you know.” He paused outside the side door to his house, shoving his hands in his jeans to search for his cuff. It was like a security blanket to him, and he and shoved it on his, his blue-gray skin instantly glamored by magic - and masking his tell. “It’s the whole, beautiful prince saves sweet human princess from an attack, and she returns by healing his injuries. I mean the whole city has been talking about it for months. That’s why the neighborhood thinks you’re going to close up the clinic and head out to Wilant hospital. We’re all talking about it.”

“You are not. And that scenario is ridiculous.” Shirayuki gave him a flat stare, shifting her purse on her shoulder. “I doubt that anyone really thinks that, and I can’t imagine that anyone would be all that interested in my personal life. Zen is just a friend, and this whole campaign is so Izana can score a few more points in the polls.”

Obi just shrugged, but there was a tension sliding under his skin, as if he didn’t want to talk about Shirayuki and Zen together. “Suit yourself.”

“I’m not dating Zen.” Frustration bubbled up in her chest as she repeated herself. “I’m his… his token human.” She flushed, fidgeting again. Saying it out loud made it even more awkward, but it was the truth. “I’m just there to make him and Izana look good.”

“Mm.” Obi’s response was noncommittal.

That made her angry. Obi was never at a loss for words - unless he wanted to be. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. It’s just an mm.”

Shirayuki sighed, and she crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. “With you, it’s never just an mm.”

“I just think that based on the way Zen dotes on you, he probably thinks there’s more to the two of you than you do.” Obi shrugged. “Besides, think of how good it looks - his mother was a charming wood-elf socialite and philanthropist, his father a human from a political dynasty, and now he’s got a brilliant human girlfriend who helps the poor, disenfranchised fae. It’s political gold. Even if he doesn’t have feelings for you - which he probably does - you’re the perfect little campaign accessory.”

Her lips twitched, and her eyes narrowed. His words hit too close to her heart, and it nicked something inside her. She could feel her emotions start to bleed out, mixing with poison, and she took a slow breath, hoping he didn’t see the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “Now you’re just being a jerk. I don’t even know how you come up with these dumb ideas.”

“Yeah? A dumb idea?” His anger spiked and he glared at her, his eyes dark. “Any idiot can see this for what it is, Shirayuki.” He reached up and adjusted the cuff on his ear, as if worried the spell would wear off and she could see his tell. “At least I’m not the one wasting her brilliant life by being a white savior to the poor fae.”

Shirayuki stepped back, feeling a bit like she’d been slapped. Her ears burned with the force of his words and she wasn’t even sure if she heard him right. Obi couldn’t… couldn’t really think that. Could he? His words cut deep, and a tear roll down her cheek before she could stop it. She rubbed the heel of her hand over the trail, blinking and swallowing his words as if they were poison. “Is that… is that what you really think? That I’m just in this to try and save you? From what?”

“Why else would you be here? You have a million other opportunities outside of this hellhole.”

“I’m here because it’s the right thing to do. Because this neighborhood needs help and care just like the rest of the city.” She glared at him, feeling another tear roll over her cheek. She wiped it away and glared at him. “Because I care about you.”

Obi winced and turned away from her, clenching his fist at his side. There was a long stretch of silence and she started for the door, ignoring the mess he’d left in his wake. Shirayuki wanted to chase after him, to demand he apologize, but she didn’t. She just stood there hoping that maybe he’d realize what he’d done before he crossed the threshold of the house.

He didn’t.

“Look, I’ve got to get to work, and Yuzuri is waiting for you in the lobby. Go home.” Pause. “Or, better yet, go back to your socialite not-boyfriend and leave.” It was a command for her, a warning that he was upset and angry and hurt, but like her. They had both said things that had a painful amount of truth, and Shirayuki was left guard her suddenly tender heart. Without another word, he disappeared into the entrance, but Shirayuki didn’t follow. She knew better than to chase him when they were both mad.

And right now, they were both furious.

#obiyuki #shirayuki #obi #urban fae au #xaph's birthday 2019 #in which this is a day early #and I quote Led Zeppelin ... because why not?

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