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#BUT HOW IS SHE EXPECTING ME TO LIKE. SAY TO HER FACE NO BRIANNA I KNOW U JUST SAID UR TOO BUSY TO DO IT BUT I WONT HELP YOU
teruthecreator · 1 year
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i shouldn’t have come i think
#in neg city#first breakdown of the weekend! likely more to come#i’m just so uncomfortable and anxious i don’t wanna be here i feel like everyone hates me or is mad at me#and i’m just gonna make the celebration worse by being here#my mom tried confronting me in the car and she was like ‘i didn’t do anything wrong idk why ur not talking to me’#which is clearly like. she’s done no self reflection in the two weeks i haven’t spoken to her#hasn’t thought at all about how much her words hurt and how little she seems to care#and now my sisters mad at me bc i forgot to get my dad a gift when she asked but like i only agreed to do it bc she#literally said she was too busy to. and she was telling me last night if i didn’t wanna do it i should’ve told her#BUT HOW IS SHE EXPECTING ME TO LIKE. SAY TO HER FACE NO BRIANNA I KNOW U JUST SAID UR TOO BUSY TO DO IT BUT I WONT HELP YOU#LIKE THAT WOULDVE ENDED UP AN ARGUMENT ANYWAY!!!! IT WAS A LOSE LOSE SITUATION#BC WHAT THE FUCK DO U EVEN GET MY DAD ANYMORE HE DOESNT DO ANYTHING!!!!!!!#and like i get it i forgot it’s my fault but now i feel like i can’t talk to her and she hates me and i messed everything up#they’re having like a little party for him over at her place and she hasn’t texted me abt what time it starts at all and i’m not going to#ask. honestly i feel like if i go over there i might throw up#i just. i really dont feel i should’ve come. i wanna go home i don’t feel safe i don’t feel comfortable
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bbrissonn · 2 years
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𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐒 | ʙʀᴇɴᴅᴀɴ ʙʀɪꜱꜱᴏɴ
disclaimer: english is not my first language and this is not proofread so please excuse any errors and if any words are missing add them in your head :) also this is a work of fiction, this doesn’t reflect how these boys act in real life, and it isn’t how i imagine them acting 
warnings: slight swearing, not proofread,  
pairing: brendan brisson x brianna garcia (my oc, she doesn’t have a face claim so imagine her however you please) 
wc: 7.2k (including the lyrics) 
bold italic are lyrics, italics are either flashbacks or text messages (some parts of the story don’t along with the part of the song that it is under and that is totally normal!!) 
this takes place from march 2022 to january 2023 
au masterlist
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movies, movies 
i want a love like the movies 
brianna watched from her seat as the boy all cheered together, taking off their helmets and hugging each other. they had done it, they were going to the frozen four, one step closer to winning the championship. the garcia girl hugged all of the boys’ girlfriends, along with some of the parents she was close to, like brendan’s and luke’s.
the bordeleau boy had wanted her to be there, she was his best friend after all, and he had made sure it was okay with brendan if she came before asking her. thomas was over the moon when she accepted, but he knew deep down she wasn’t only agreeing for him, but for brendan as well. but he didn’t blame her, thom would do the same thing in her situation, getting any chance she has to spend the slightest amount of time near brendan. 
the two had exchanged a couple of smiles and looks through the last week and some small hello’s, but no conversation we held. brianna had texted him before the team left, wishing him good luck, to with he answered with a thank you and a small heart, which was way more than she expected from him. 
contrary to what brianna thought, brendan didn’t hate her, he never did and he probably never will, he loved her too much to ever feel the slightest amount of hatred towards her. she had done so much good in his life, helped him grow as a person and change bad habits he had, and even though he went back to how he was before, he would still forever be thankful for what she had done. 
“shit, sorry.” a voice said as brianna ran into a solid chest almost an hour after the game had ended. she didn’t see who she ran into, but she’d recognized that voice from miles away, making her quickly look up with big eyes. his brown eyes met with her’s and he gave her an awkward small smile, rubbing the back of his head.
“it’s… okay. don’t worry ‘bout it.” she whispered, her eyes still locked with his. 
“i-i didn’t know you were here.” 
“thom asked me to come so… here i am.” she answered with a small smile her face, finally looking away from his brown eyes. brendan didn’t know why, but a pang of jealous hit him when he realized she had came because of his best friend, well at least he thought so. that pang increased even more when said best friend wrapped his arms around her waist, pushing past brendan. 
“you came!” 
“of course i did, tommy.” she said with a laugh as he picked her up. brendan knew he shouldn’t be this jealous about thom, the two of them had been friends before he ever met brianna, but it still annoyed him. seeing bordy hugging her like that instead of him, bordy making her laugh like he used to. it was all too much for him, so without saying a word, he walked away, going to find his parents. 
“hey, where’d bren go?” brianna asked once thomas pulled away from her and she realized the brisson boy was no longer standing in front of her. 
“probably went to his parents. doesn’t matter, we won, bri! we’re going to the frozen four!” thom said with a big smile on his face, and brianna could tell how truly happy and excited he was about it. she let out a small chuckle as he hugged her again, seeing the hughes making their way over to them. 
the garcia and hughes families has a very tight connection, being neighbors ever since the hockey family moved next door to them when jack started playing at the ntdp. even though brianna was a year younger than him, and a year older than luke, she helped them settle into school. and soon she met all of his hockey friends, and quickly became good friends with them. which meant that when the ‘02 ntdp team arrived, the garcia girl was also introduced to them, which led to her and thomas becoming best friend. 
i look at you like you’re perfect for me 
if you are the diamond, then i am the ring 
all of our friends think of us jealously 
we’re so sweet, so sweet 
built us a world and i gave you the key 
still can’t believe that this isn’t a dream 
falling in love with a damn fantasy 
that’s so me, so me 
when the team got back from allentown, they of course decided to throw a big party, just for them. they were all over the moon about their win, something that didn’t go unnoticed by all of the cheers and yelling in the senior house. brianna noticed that brendan wasn’t trying to avoid her anymore, she’d even catch him staring at her a couple times throughout the night, but neither of them tried to approach the other. 
brianna felt like she was having deja vu when she walked out the bathroom and ran into brendan’s chest once again, making him let out a small groan from the contact. 
“i’m starting to think i need to by a bell or something so you know where i am.” brendan joked as he placed both of his hands on her shoulders so she didn’t fall backwards because of the contact. brianna let out a awkward chuckle as she played with the end of her sweater. 
“yeah, sorry about that.” 
“‘s all good.” he said with a small smile as the two of them stared at each other for the second time in less than 24 hours. well that was until brendan coughed a bit, and pointed between the girl. 
“i, uh, i need to use the bathroom.” he said awkwardly, looking at the floor, making brianna snap out of whatever weird trance she was is. 
“right, yeah. go ahead.” she said with a small cough, stepping aside so he could enter the small room. he did after a couple of seconds, before turning around and sending her a small smile. 
“hope i didn’t ruin your plan of sneaking out the window again.” he said with a small laugh before closing the door, making brianna’s check flush. she knew it was a joke, not only from his laugh but the way he said it, the way there was no anger behind it, no frustration, nothing. it just a simple joke he made, something he hadn’t done to her in what felt like months. 
the girl stood in her spot for a bit, smiling and blushing, feeling small butterflies in her stomach, before walking back over to the living room. her change in mood was something that didn’t go unnoticed by anyone, especially the younger hughes. 
“why’re smiling so much?” he asked, grabbing her arm as she walked past him. 
“don’t worry about it, lukey. listen, i’m gonna go home, so i’ll see you tomorrow alright?” 
“make sure to tell, bords!” he called out as she walked away, deciding to just drop the whole smiling situation. brianna made her way over to her best friend, who was clearly wasted, before tapping his shoulder lightly.
“bri bri!” thom yelled with a loopy smile once he realized who was standing in front of him. the garcia girl let out a small laugh before answering him. 
“hi, t. i’m heading home for the night, i’ll text you when i get home, and you do the same for me, okay? i’ll come by with breakfast tomorrow morning.” she explained, and the bordeleau boy nodded his head a bit before drinking the rest of his drink.
“mkay, see you tomorrow.” he said hugging her, before letting go and going to fill his cup back up. brianna shaked her head a bit before going to find the hoodie she had been wearing early and making her way to the front door. she was about to grab the handle when someone caught her arm. 
“you’re leaving?” brendan’s voice asked from behind, making her turn around with a small smile on her face.
“i have class tomorrow morning.” she answered, her voice small and soft, making brendan’s heart skip a couple of beats. it was a phrase she’d use often when they were dating and brendan tried to get her to do something fun late at night, which meant they’d always end up just cuddling in her bed, him on his phone as she slowly drifted off to sleep on his chest. 
“it’s late, i can walk you back–” 
“it’s okay, brenny. it’s 5 minutes, i’ll be okay.” she cut him off, using the nickname no one had used for him in months, making him almost fall backwards because of it. 
“i can’t let you–” 
“bren, please, i appreciate it, i really do. but it’s okay. i’ll text you when i got home, alright?” she cut him off again, placing a hand on his arms as she did so. he looked down at her hand when he realized where it was, he blinked a couple of times, staring at it, before looking back up to her.
“o-okay. just, be careful, alright?” 
“always.” she answered with a small smile before letting go of his arm, grabbing the handle of the door, and leaving the house. once she had made it home, she texted the brisson boy, just like she had said, changing clothes and getting in bed. 
back in the senior household, brendan took out his phone when he felt it vibrate in his pocket. a smile grew on his face as he read the text on his screen. 
got home safe, enjoy your night :) 
“why’re you smiling so much?” mackie asked, slightly hitting briss on the shoulder. the california native didn’t look away from his phone as he typed back and answered mackie at the same time. 
“nothing.” 
i will, good night bri xxx 
it only took a couple of seconds before the girl answered him, and the text made his heart skip a couple of beats again.
night night xxx 
but i’ve been livin’  
life ain’t fiction 
the next night when brianna walked back into the senior household, she felt good. for the first time in months, she felt good, her interactions with brendan the previous night being the reason for her mood. she felt good as she hugged all of her friends, greeting them all with a big smile, all of them noticing how happy she was. 
but not all good things last forever, and that was proven when she walked into the kitchen, brendan being the only other person in there, and as she was about to say something, he pushed past her, leaving the small room. brianna stood in her spot for a bit, confused about what had just happened. 
“you alright?” thom asked his best friend as he walked into the kitchen as well. brianna turned around at his and blinked a couple of times before answering. 
“yeah– yeah i’m okay.” she lied, making thom scoff a bit as he leaned on the counter and crossed his arms, staring at her with a ‘are you kidding me?’ look. the gracia girl sighed a bit before speaking a bit. 
“i guess– it’s just– we only have 2 weeks left. like no matter what happens in boston, we’re never gonna be able to see each other every day after that.” brianna said, her words hitting her exactly as she said them. she hadn’t realized that was she was saying was actually true, meaning thom believed her this time. his face fell a bit as he also realized what she had said. they had spent the last 4 years seeing each other almost every day, and now he was moving across the country in two weeks. 
thom had never actually told her he’d be leaving after this year, because he didn’t need to, she knew. she had a feeling during the beginning of the year that this could be the last one, and as the year went by, she could feel his energy and the way he reacted everytime she mentioned san jose, and she just knew. 
“i guess so, eh?” bordy sighed, and suddenly he didn’t want the frozen four to come so quickly. ever since they won, all he had been thinking of was the frozen four being so soon, yet in so long, and how he wished it could be right now. but now he didn’t, he didn’t at all. he wasn’t ready to leave all of his friends, he wasn’t ready to leave michigan, he wasn’t ready to leave. but he was ready to turn pro, and that was what’s more important. he’d still be able to come to michigan during the summer and once during the season, he’d be able to call all his friend any time he wanted. but it wouldn’t be the same. 
“i’m gonna miss you.” brianna whispered, her eyes welling up a bit, making the bordeleau boy open his arms. she walked into his chest, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as his wrapped around her waist, the bottom half of his face leaning on the top of her head. 
“i’m gonna miss you too, bri.” 
“promise we’ll talk every day? i don’t care if it’s just a hi, i just– i don’t wanna lose you too.” she said as tears started falling down her face. thom wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by ‘lose you too’ but he had a feeling this was about brendan. he had seen what happened earlier, he knew she wasn’t okay when he asked her, he just wished she would’ve told him the truth. 
“you won’t lose me, bri. never.” 
“pinky promise?” 
“pinky promise.” 
in my head, we’re dancing under the dark 
in my head, we kiss under the stars 
but we know that’s not what we’re doing 
‘cause, baby, this ain’t like the movies 
2 weeks later, brianna found herself walking into the senior house yet again, but under such different circumstances. the boys were leaving. not all of them, but a lot of them. the first she had noticed was thom’s, fully packed with everything that he had in his house, parked in front of the house. he was leaving before everyone else since he had to drive down to montreal to leave his stuff at his parent’s house, before flying to san jose. 
when she stepped into the house, she could already feel how different the energy felt than normally. there was usually always music playing, or people yelling, but not this time. it was quiet, dead quiet. the first person she noticed was brendan, since he was sitting on the stairs right in front of the front door. his elbows were leaning on his knees, his head in between them as a loud sigh left his mouth. brianna hesitated for a couple of seconds, before going over to sit next to him. 
“hey.” she whispered, making him look up a bit, but his eyes didn’t look in her direction, instead staring at the wall in front of them.
“hey.” 
“when are you leaving?” she asked in a small voice, not wanting to ruin the silence that had set over the senior household. brendan let out another sigh before finally looking over at her, their eyes locking together. 
“monday.” 3 days. brianna let out a shaky breath before speaking again. 
“i’m sorry. for everything. i shouldn’t– asking you to be friends it was– i’m sorry, bren, i’m so fucking sorry. f-for hurting you and just fucking everything up between us i–” she started, but she cut herself, not knowing how to say what she was feeling. but brendan could hear the honesty in her voice, making him smile a bit. 
“it’s ok–” 
“no it’s not, b. i-i thought breaking up with you would make me happier because i wouldn’t have to deal with you coming home drunk every night, but i was wrong. i was so fucking wrong, bren. i missed you, but i knew that it was the right thing to do ‘cause it wasn’t heatly anymore, b. and that’s why i wanted to stop with the gifts because i knew that i’d go back to you as soon as you asked me and i couldn’t let that happen, i couldn’t do that to myself, bren. you truly did nothing wrong, i just can’t keep up with your lifestyle. i want to, i really do, but i can’t, it’s not who i am, and i can’t ask you to just stop being you for me, i cann’t.” she explained, a couple of tears falling from her eyes as she looked away from the boy and down at her lap. 
“bri, i understand. i want you to be happy, and if that means us not being together then i’m okay with it. i mean, of course i wish i could make you happy, and i like to think i do, but i can’t make you as happy as you were before we were together, and i’m okay with that.” he answered, making the girl nod her head a bit. it was silent after that. then, brianna felt the sudden urge to rest her head on his shoulder, something she had so many times. so she did, her breath stopping until she felt the brisson boy lean his head on top of hers. 
“it’s gonna be weird without you next year.” she spoke after a couple of seconds, making the boy laugh a bit. 
“you’ll be okay.” 
“no i won’t. i’m gonna be stuck taking care of mackie alone, and steve’s gonna want to show me all his weird little homework.” she answered with sass, making the both of them laugh a bit. 
“you’ll be okay, i know you will.” brendan said with more confidence this time, making all of the nerves inside the garcia girl disappear, something she considered a bad habit of hers. she’ll always believe him, she trusts him too much to not believe him. 
“it’s still gonna be weird.” she sighed, making the brisson boy let out a small sigh of his own. 
“i’ll be in town at some point, if im with the team for the game.” he said with a little bit of excitement, but there was also some small sadness behind it. 
“you will, i know it.” brianna answered the same way the brisson boy had done only a couple of moments ago. 
“can you– can you be there at my first game, whenever that is?” he asked quietly after a couple of seconds, his voice breaking a bit at the beginning. 
“gimme a place, time and day and i’ll be there.” she spoke back with a smile on her face, making a brendan grow a smile of his own. the boy was about to say something else when bordy’s voice echoed through the house. 
“bri?” he said loudly, making brianna and brendan jump a bit. thom’s footsteps came closer and closer to where the two of them were sitting, but neither of the two showed any signs of wanting to move. when the bordeleau boy arrived at the bottom of the staircase, his jaw dropped a bit at the sight of his two best friends, making both of their cheeks turn red a bit, but his jaw quickly closed when he remembered why he had came in to find the girl.
“i’m leaving, like right now.” he whispered softly, making the garcia girl stand up and walk down the couple of stairs to wrap her arms around his shoulders. a couple of tears fell from her eyes as they hugged each other. 
“i’m gonna miss you.” the garcia girl whispered as her grip around her best friend’s shoulder tightened. 
“i’m gonna miss you too, bri.” 
“you’ll come back this summer, right?” she asked, talking about michigan but more precisely about plymouth. 
“of course i will.” he said, before the two of them let go of each other and brendan walked over and hugged the smaller boy as well. 
“take care, bro. i’ll see you soon.” 
“you too, bro.” bordy answered before the two boys let go of each other as well and bordy slowly made his way out of the door, sending a small smile to the two of them. brianna let out a sigh, making the brisson boy look over at her. he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and brought her into his chest, pressing a small kiss to the top of her head. 
“it’s gonna be okay, bri.” 
movies, movies 
i want a love like the movies 
brendan’s couple of weeks in the ahl went pretty good, signing his ecl just days after their season ended and with his dad being an agent, he thankfully already knew the type of contract he would be signing after college before his first one. he easily got along with the other guys in the team and he felt great about the way he was playing.
brianna had tried her hardest to stay up late at night and watch his game, but he played at the same time as bordy a couple of times, and sadly wasn’t able to watch all of his game completely, having to switch from one game to another. but the two had stayed in touch quite a lot, the girl helping him adjust to his new life, while he helped her prepare for her end of the year exams. 
when brendan returned home, he invited the girl to come stay just for a week or two, but the gracia girl told him it would be a bad idea. now brendan understood that, and he agreed with her, but a part of him still hoped she would’ve said yes. instead, he spent all of his days training and all of his nights going out with his friends, making out and hooking up with girls almost every night, but brianna was always in the back of his mind. 
none of them were like her, they all wanted every boy’s attention, while brianna always preferred to just blend in with people and be more discreet. all the girls liked to take charge and be rough, will brianna was a more slowly and steady type of girl, taking her time with everything and wanting the both of them to have equal power over what was happening. in short, they were the complete opposite of her. 
and brendan used to love that, but now he hates it more than anything. hates how none of them really know how to seduce him, turn him on, and overall just don’t know him and don’t really care about him. hates how none of their lips feel the same way as hers, or how none of them can make him melt just by resting their hand on his arm. but he doesn’t want any of them to make him feel the same way she does, he only wants her. but he knows he can’t have her, so his mind just tells him to settle for what he can get. 
he likes to tell himself that it’s karma for the way he used to act, leaving girls early in the morning without a word, giving most of them fake hopes of seeing him again, giving all of them a fake phone number. tells himself he deserves it and it’s just the way his life is supposed to be and that he can’t really complain because he doesn’t have to worry about money, getting paid to play the sport he loves. 
but it wasn’t exactly like the previous years, he never stayed over at a girl’s house anymore, always leaving right after and going to sleep in his own bed, making sure to text the garcia girl to tell her he got safe home, along with a ‘goodnight xxx’. he’d wake up to the message being liked the next morning along with a ‘good morning sleepy head xxx’ and then he’d answer her, but no other communication would be done until night time. although there was a couple of nights or afternoon here and there where the two of them called just to catch up or talk about any problems they had, but that was about it. and it was for the whole summer, until the whole 2021-2022 team came to michigan to be celebrated during one of the football games. the two of them were so excited to see each other again, and had promised to talk more, which surely happened the second brendan left for vegas. 
we go to parties with people we know 
we’re holdin’ hands but it’s all just for show 
‘cause monday through friday we both barely spoke 
they don’t know, they can’t know 
that just on the drive here, i was lookin’ through your texts 
i was scremin’ my damn head off “how you still love your ex?” 
and you say that it’s over, but why does she call you 
at 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.? that’s a funny way of staying friends 
the season had started a little over a month ago, and brendan had already found himself at a team event. now, yes, it was only for the silver knights, but at least he was playing pro. to be more precise, this was a couples team event, meaning brendan had to bring someone with him, and he had picked the girl he was currently “seeing” but he knew it wasn’t gonna go any further than them hooking up maybe once or twice. they barely spoke during the day, only when one of them was bored and wanted to have sex. 
hell, brendan barely even remembered his name, which he knew was bad, but he didn’t care, she wasn’t brianna. but people didn’t need to know that, his teammates of course though that the two of them were way more than they actually are when he told them about the girl he was bringing, but brendan didn’t care yet again. he knew it’d be too complicated to explain everything to them, and quite frankly, he didn’t want to. 
which lead to him and jessica, at least that’s what he thinks her names his, he knows it starts with a ‘j’ but there’s so many options that he just went with the first one that came to mind. the two of them were sitting in his car on their way to the event when brendan received a text. 
“shit, can you check that for me please? just like put the phone in front of me to open it.” he asked her, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him. 
“sure.” she said before doing what he had asked. 
“it’s more, she just said to have a good time.” she spoke again after a couple of seconds. 
“k, can you like the message and sent a thank you, please?” 
“yeah, sure.” and she did, but before closing his phone, another message popped up, but this one didn’t make any noise, meaning brendan had no idea it was there. the contact name was ‘bordy’ and she knew who that was, making intrigue as to what they were talking about, but the message itself made her even more intrigued. 
does bri know abt this? 
it said, and the girl couldn’t fight the urge to just click on it and read their conversation. 
yooo have you figured out who ur gonna bring tonight bro 
yeah dude im taking this girl jessica i think, idk we’ve been hooking for a bit so yeah 
…  
bro it’s not like that, you know i still love bri 
dude i know im not stupid, does bri know abt this? 
was their latest conversation, and the blond girl wasted no time to tell the brisson boy to stop the car. 
“what’s up?” he asked once they were in the side of the road, and the girl sitting in his passenger seat simply just shoved the phone in his face angrily. 
“what the fuck is this?” she asked, her voice full of anger. brendan sighed a bit before moving the phone back a bit for he could read it. 
“why the fuck are you going through my phone?” he asked her, his eyebrows furrowed– in anger, as he grabbed his phone out of her hands. 
“my name’s abby! do you not know my name?” she yelled, making brendan roll his eyes. 
“you’re being dramatic.” 
“oh, i’m being dramatic because you asked me to go to an event with you but you don’t even know my name? babe–” 
“don’t call me that.” brendan cut her off harshly, no one had called him babe in years except for brianna. 
“what–” 
“i’m bringing you home.” brendan cut her off again before starting the car again and driving the girl home. the car was silent the whole way until she started getting out of the car. 
“don’t bother texting again.” brendan said with no emotions in his voice. 
“are you breaking up with me?” 
“we were never together. i don’t know who told you we were or what made you think we were, but we weren’t.” he quickly said, still no emotions behind his voice. 
“whatever.” she answered harshly before slamming the car door closed and making her way into her apartment. brendan let out a long sigh before texting the guys to tell them he wouldn’t make it to the event and then driving home. 
later that night, when he was all comfortable in his bed, he felt the urge to talk to brianna. so he called her, he realized how late it was on the east coast, but he just needed to talk to her. 
“bren?” she asked sleepily as soon as she picked up the phone. 
“hi. i’m sorry for waking you up.” 
“it’s okay, bubs. is everything alright? how was the event?” she asked, sounding a little more awake then she had a couple of seconds ago. 
“i, uh, i didn’t go. i was on the way there, with the girl i told you about.” he started, but he stopped, waiting for an answer. 
“yeah.” 
“and she went through my phone and saw my conversation with bordy… a-and she saw some things i said and then she got mad. b-but then she called me babe and i just– fuck, bri, i miss you so much. i miss you so fucking much, you have no idea bri.” 
“bren–” 
“no! i– let me talk, please. i need you with me, bri. it’s like i don’t know what i’m doing without and i hate it. i hate it so much. i’ve tried to move on like you told me to, but i can’t. i only want you. the girls, they’re nice and all, but they’re not you, none of them even come close to making me feel the same way you do and i just– i need you here with me, bri.” he said, slowly breaking down. brianna heart ached more and more as he kept going, trying to keep her tears. 
“brenny, i miss you too, so so so much, but i can’t. you know i want to, but i can’t.” she answered, finally letting her tears fall down her cheeks. brendan let out a small sob before speaking again. 
“i know, i know. but i don’t know what i’m doing anymore, bri. everything makes me think about you, everywhere i go, everything i do, i see something that makes me think of you and it hurts so much. just– just give me one more chance, please! i’ll stop drinking, i’ll do anything, just please, bri, i need you.” 
“goodnight, bren.” she whispered softly, after a couple of seconds of silence. 
“please–” he tried to beg but it was too late, she had hung up. brendan let out a sigh before letting his phone fall on his face. he was feeling numb, numb from all the pain and anger he had inside of him. he just wanted his old life back, being in michigan, having brianna by his side, being surrounded by his best friends everyday. he wanted it all back. 
in my head, we’re dancing in the dark 
in my head, we kiss under the stars 
but we know that’s not what we’re doing 
‘cause, baby, this ain’t like the movies 
in my head, we never grow apart 
in my head, you never break my heart 
but we both know that’s not what we’re doing 
‘cause, baby, this ain’t like the movies 
“bri, you really don’t have to.” thom argued with her over the phone. it was now mid-december, the holidays were coming up which meant brianna soon had a couple of weeks off from school. she loved the holidays almost as much as she loved books, and just winter in general. the softness and coziness the season brought to the world made her feel in her element. being able to just stay home all the time, reading with the fireplace on because of how cold it is outside, she loved it. 
and thomas did too, being able to go home and see his family for a couple of days, but he couldn’t have that this year, his schedule didn’t allow it. which meant he would be spending christmas away from his family and friends for the first time of his life. he’d probably be spending the whole day alone in his apartment, face-timing people and just watching movies like he used to do as a kid. and brianna felt bad for him, so she had bought a plane ticket to come see him for a couple of days, something the bordeleau kid appreciated a lot, but didn’t think was necessary. 
“yes i do. i can’t let you spend christmas all alone, t. i’m coming, whether you like it or not, you better be ready to have a roommate for a couple of days.” she answered him with a smile on her, he rolled his eyes a bit before smiling at her through his phone screen. 
“fine, i guess you can come.” he said jokingly, making brianna let out a small laugh. 
“oh, silly you. i wasn’t asking to come, i was stating that i’m coming. i already bought the plane ticket and everything–” 
“i’ll pay you back for that.” 
“thom, it’s okay. i want to come see you, you don’t have to pay for anything.” she spoke softly with a smile on her face.
“okay. i have to go to practice, but i’ll see you soon. love you.” he said with a smile on his face as well. 
“love you too, drive safe.” she replied before hanging up the phone and going up the stairs to her room to start packing her suit case. 
~
“why is it so hot here?” brianna complained as she threw herself down on thom’s couch. he let out a laugh before sitting down next to her head and running a hand through her hair. 
“you’ll get used to it.” he shrugged making her look up at him with a death stare. 
“i’m sweating, thomas. i’m sweating in fucking december.” she said seriously, making the bordeleau boy laugh again as she sat up properly on the couch, leaning her head on his shoulder. 
“welcome to california, bri.” he smiled at her, holding in another laugh when she sent him a fake smile. the room was silent after that, well besides the movie that was playing on the tv screen, until bordy spoke up again. 
“i bought you a plane ticket.” 
“what? thom you know i already bought the one to go back home–” she started but the boy cut her off, his eyes staring into the tv. 
“to vegas. to go see briss.” he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, making brianna look at him confused. 
“thom–” 
“he’s alone too, you know. okus, i think it’d be good for the both of you to see each other and talk about that night.” he explained calmly to her, rubbing her shoulder with the arm he had thrown over the back of the couch. 
“i-i don’t know.” 
“yes you know, bri. you want to be with him, i know you do. and i’m not just talking like physically being with him, you want to date him again and don’t even try to deny it. you guys love each other and i really don’t understand why you refused to go back to him, he makes you so happy, he treats you well, and yeah maybe he fucked up before, but he’s changed so much, he’s changed for you. he wants to be better for you, bri. i get that maybe you’re scared, but he loves you more than anything. and i know for a fact that you do too. so just, please, go see him and talk it out.” he argued, and brianna let out a shaky sigh before slowly nodding her head. 
“o-okay.” 
movies, movies 
i want a love like the movies 
movies, movies 
i want a love like the movies 
“bri?” brendan asked, shocked, his jaw slightly opened as his eyes stared at the girl in front of him. 
“hi.” she whispered, a small smile on her face. 
“what are you– what are you doing here?” he asked, a small smile of his own growing on his face as well. 
“i came to see you.” 
“but– i thought you were in san jose with bordy.” he said confused as he opened the door fully and stepped aside so she could walk in, her suitcase following behind her. 
“i was, but now i’m here.” she answer shyly, taking a look around his condo. 
“in my house.” 
“in your house.” she confirmed with a small laugh as brendan shook his head, still a little confused but clearly happy at the same time.
“cool. cool, cool, cool. i’ll, uh, i’ll give you a tour.” he told her as he turned his back to her, but she quickly grabbed his wrist and turned him back around. the two of them stared at each other, their faces barely inches away. brianna tried to keep her breathing normal as one of her reached up to cup his cheeks, slowly stroking his cheekbone. 
“i’ve missed you so much, bren.” she said softly, staring into his brow eyes, making brendan smile at her. brendan was about to say something when brianna pushed herself up onto her tippy toes, her other hand reaching for his other cheek, before pulling his face to her, pressing their lips together for the first time in what felt like years. 
brendan let out a small gasp and blinked a couple of times, before letting himself get taken away by the kiss. his eyes slowly closed as he finally kissed her back, smiling to himself about it while his hands reached for her waist and pulled her closer to him. then, after about a minute or so, the two of them pulled away, brendan leaning his forehead on hers, their eyes locked together. 
“wow.” brendan said after a couple of seconds, a big smile plastered on his face making brianna laugh a bit. 
“i want you to be my boyfriend again.” brianna admitted in a small, soft voice, making brendan’s heart flutter inside his rib cage. his jaw dropped a bit as his eyes filled with happiness before he talked. 
“really? like, you’re being dead serious right now? ‘cause i swear bri if this is some sort of joke–” 
“it’s not. i love you, bren, so much.” she said, making brendan’s smile even wider than before. 
“i love you.”   
baby, we lost all this love we have 
and i can’t pretend that i’ll never come back 
and i think you’re seeing right through me 
but, baby, this ain’t like the movies 
“hey, what’s wrong?” brendan asked later that night as the two of them laid in bed together. brianna head was resting on brendan’s bare chest, her arms wrapped around his torso while his were keeping her closer around her shoulders. 
“nothing’s wrong, babes.” 
“don’t lie to me, bri.” he said softly, making the gracia let out a soft small sigh. 
“it’s stupid. i– it’s just– you haven’t ask me to be your girlfriend yet…” she trailed off, trying not to make it sound like she cared too much. but she did, she cared so much. 
“oh. i thought– i thought that after this afternoon we were kinda just like dating already.” 
“bren, have you ever read a book where the boy never asked the girl out?”
“no?” he answered confused as to what books had to do with any of this. brianna let out a small sigh, shaking her head slightly. 
“you really clueless aren’t you?” 
“you love it.” 
“mmm, do i?” she teased, making him push a shoulder a bit as a laugh slipped past her lips. brendan moved around a bit in the bed, so the two of them would be laying face to face, before cupping both of her cheeks into his hands. 
“do you, brianna garcia, agree to be my beautiful, incredibly smart and amazing girlfriend?” he asked her seriously, making her blush a little. 
“yes.” she answered shyly, her cheeks fully turning red before brendan leaned in and connected their lips together. when the two of them pulled apart, brendan wrapped his arms around her head and pulled her into his chest, pressing kisses all over the top of her head. 
“i love you. i love you. i love you. i love you.” brendan repeated over and over again after each kiss that he pressed to her head, making brianna laugh against his chest. 
“idiot.” 
“you love me!” he said in a singing tone, making brianna roll her eyes with a small smile on her face.
“you’re still an idiot.” she stated in a duh tone, making the brisson boy roll his eyes as well. 
“yeah, but i’m your idiot, so…” he said before leaning in again and connecting their lips together. the garcia girl hummed in agreement before grabbing his chain and pulling him closer to her. 
i want a love like the movies 
“so, you guys are like back back together? like dating and all?” thom asked face-time the next day as the couple was laying in bed together, both of them wearing the other’s hoodie. 
“yes. but, we don’t really wanna tell people like right now, you know.” brendan answered his best friend, hinting to him that he better stay quiet about this. 
“yeah, no, dude. i won’t say anything.” 
“thanks, tommy.” brianna answered with a thankful smile on her face. 
“you guys are stupid, though.” the bordeleau kid sassed, making brianna let out a gasp. 
“rude!” she exclaimed before hanging up the face-time. 
“babe. why?” brendan asked with a laugh. 
“he was being mean. he called us stupid!” she said in an accusing tone, making brendan laugh even more. 
“stop laughing!” 
“please never change.” brendan said through his laugh, making his girlfriend a bit confused, but instead of asking questions, she simply just pressed her lips to his for a couple of seconds before pulling back. 
“only if you don’t.” she whispered before connecting their lips again.
taglist <3 @mack-samo @hugheshugs @nickblankenburgg @studsccsnackavoybambi @blanksbae @doyouevenplayhockey @dracoswhore007 @bemybinarystar @ancient-remnants-of-love @power2myheart @emsully2002 @jamiedryssdale @jayda12 @marcoskasper @mackieraymonds @bowen-power @sidcrosbyspuck @arianabordeleau @bordeleau @sslafkovsky @dora-the-exploraah @sophia-bordeleau @ellabellabus07
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awwyeah107 · 4 months
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So, I decided to answer some questions from this ao3 writers' wrapped ask game for my writing in 2023! I don't have my asks open on this blog BUT if anyone did happen to want to send asks, you can do so on my sideblog @fandomsandfairytales :)
In this post, I'm answering #2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 14!
2. How many fics did you post this past year?
Two, and they were my first ever published fics! I am honestly so, so proud of them. I had a beta-reader for my first one, which was fantastic. "Mending the Tears" was for the Inkheart fandom, and "A Lack of Education" was for the Six of Crows/Grishaverse fandom. Here are the links and descriptions:
Mending the Tears (1,402 words, T, oneshot) - “She looks at you when she thinks you won’t notice. She follows you with her eyes as if looking for herself in your face. And no doubt she wishes both of us would tell her what it’s like among the dead, and whether we saw Cosimo there.” “I saw two of him,” said Dustfinger softly. “I expect she’d gladly exchange me for either of them.” He turned and looked down at the lake. - Mo and Dustfinger have a talk about Brianna—particularly about Dustfinger’s complicated relationship with her. Takes place during Inkdeath, at the Castle in the Lake.
A Lack of Education (1,454 words, T, oneshot) - Matthias wakes up one morning to see blood on the sheets he’s sharing with Nina. Or, Matthias Helvar gets an education in menstruation.
3. How many fandoms/pairings did you write for this past year?
Two fandoms: Inkheart and Six of Crows (aka Grishaverse). I wrote one romantic pairing (Nina Zenik/Matthias Helvar from Six of Crows) and one platonic pairing (Mo Folchart & Dustfinger from Inkheart).
5. What fic surprised you with how much interaction it got this past year?
Well, both did, to be honest. But I was surprised and touched by people's comments on Mending the Tears, which was my first published fic. Inkheart is a much smaller fandom than Six of Crows/Grishaverse, so I didn't think I'd get a lot of interaction. However, I got a few thoughtful comments on it—one from my beta reader (who was super awesome & helpful and complimented my writing!!!), one from a guest who said that they never thought they'd comment on ppl's fics but they were so impressed by my fic that they had to (I nearly cried over that one), and one that said the way I write has a poetic feel and felt so true to the characters. When first publishing, I reminded myself multiple times that interaction was a bonus, not the reason I was putting my work out there; yet the comments I've gotten have been so rewarding and encouraging, and I treasure every one of them. I don't know how to describe how amazing it makes me feel to know people enjoy my writing, but suffice it to say, it's pretty great :)
7. Share a line/paragraph/snippet that you were especially proud of from a work this year! (@brievel, you asked this of me in your response to my ask.)
From "Mending the Tears": "And I think you need to tell her—and Roxane—the truth.” This last came out rather forcefully. “You think I haven’t?” “I know you haven’t. I can feel the tension in your heart.” Dustfinger was taken aback. Despite the fact that he and Silvertongue were on friendly terms now, and that they were bound together by their return from the White Women’s Halls, he still wasn’t fully comfortable with how closely their emotions were tied.
I love Dustfinger and Mo's friendship, and much of their dialogue in Mending the Tears came easily! This specific exchange between them flowed quite naturally, and I love it and am quite proud of it. I personally hold the opinion that "You think I haven't?" "I know you haven't." slaps, and it's probably one of my favorite bits of dialogue I've ever written.
9. What are you most proud of accomplishing in your writing goals this past year?
Hmm, well, I hadn't started out the year specifically *planning* to publish any fics. To my memory, that is. I had been slowly working on Mending the Tears and A Lack of Education since 2022, when neither of them had names yet. (They honestly didn't have names until the days I published them, lol.)
But anyway, whether or not I had planned any writing goals, I am proud that I finished both fics AND published them. I've never published any of my writing anywhere, ever, so it's a big deal to me.
10. What are your writing goals for the upcoming year?
Generally, to write more! :D Lol. I would love to finish and publish two of my current fanfiction WIPs (both Tolkien). I also want to work more on my other fanfiction sort of-WIPs that are really rough right now, which are Tolkien and Inkheart based (separately, not a crossover). I have so many ideas, but only so much time and Writing Stamina™️.
I tentatively would like set a goal to work on other, non-fanfiction writing projects/stories. However, I'm not sure how motivated I'll be to do that. It would be mainly picking up old projects I've worked on, and it wouldn't be stuff I'd publish.
14. Give us a sneak peek of one of your upcoming works!
This is from the first chapter of "Lost and Found" (which is one of the few WIPs I actually have a proper name for XD). It'll probably be my next published fic. It's a Tolkien fic (specifically focused on Silmarillion characters).
He should have known it would not be a good night for Maedhros, and yet it still surprised him when he heard the sounds of furious cursing and stomping on the floor above him.
Maglor resolved to leave him alone, for it was rare that his presence would help on nights like these, but once a particularly loud crash reached his ears, he sighed and left his room.
Steeling himself, he took a deep breath and thumped on Maedhros’ door.
“It’s Maglor,” he called through the door. “I—”
The door abruptly swung open to reveal Maedhros, looking unkempt and wary. “What?”
“I just…” His words caught in his throat. I wanted to check on you.
Maedhros sighed and walked back towards his bed, leaving the door open for Maglor. He came in and closed the door carefully behind him, before turning to see Maedhros stalking back and forth—presumably what he had been doing before Maglor arrived. The flickering fire in the hearth cast long shadows across the floor, and the room was in disarray with clothes, armor, and papers everywhere. A glance at the broken pieces of an inkwell on the floor next to Maedhros’ desk told Maglor where the earlier loud sound had come from.
“It was my fault.”
Maedhros’ low mutter drew Maglor’s gaze from the scene. “The inkwell?”
“No—yes, well—that too.” Maedhros sat down heavily on the end of his bed.
And there you have it, folks :) Hope you enjoyed!
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theawkwardterrier · 1 year
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WIP Wednesday
Tagged by the wonderful @walkinginland! I feel simultaneously like I still want to be lowkey about the fact that I'm even writing at all because there's always a chance that I'll just give up and I don't want to raise any expectations, and also like I've somehow managed to share half of this fic via tumblr previews ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
They are halfway to home before she takes in a breath and says, "When you were readin' the bible there, what were you thinkin' about?" Da looks surprised to hear her voice for a moment, then contemplative in a way that makes her wonder whether he is going to answer. "I was thinking of yer mother," he says finally, a filtered version of that smile coming over his face once more, and Bree finally knows why she came today. "If ye can look like that when ye think of her," she asks, "then how could ye do what you did?" She is no longer speaking in the aggrieved, demanding way she has been since that first day, but with a true curiosity, a yearning to try to understand how this could have happened. Da seems to realize that. His eyes move between her and the road, and his mouth takes on a thinking sort of firmness. Finally he says, "There are things about what happened, things about that time, that I canna tell you. Some because it's no' only my story to tell, and some because…because it’s something about the world that I dinna want you ever to have to know. And perhaps I put ye at a disadvantage, no' teaching you about it myself, no' preparing ye for life as a parent should, but…" He stops, swallows, stares ahead without speaking. The sky suddenly fills with starlings once more, and in the middle of the empty road, Da slows and stops, the two of them watching through the windscreen until the last one is gone and they can no longer hear even the sounds of their wings or their cries. "You've such a–a brightness about ye, Brianna," Da says into the quiet when it is only the two of them again. He keeps his hands on the wheel, fingers tight, but he looks at her with great gentleness. "I saw it on the day you were born. I’ve seen it every day since. And I hope that my word and yer mother's on this matter can be enough, because the thought of givin' you the answers you want and seeing some of that brightness drain away frightens me. So, please, a leannan, try to make yer peace with it, because I dinna ken that I can ever be the one to tell ye what you're looking to know." She nods, her words gone for now, and settles her head back against the window, closing her eyes. She is suddenly conscious of what has been beneath the anger for so long: an understanding of her father’s fear, a knowledge that there was evidence of his fallibility in the story that he had been keeping from her, and her own horror over facing such a thing.
Not sure who's writing something these days (other than @flyinghome-againstthewind, who's already been tagged), but if you are, consider yourself tagged and shaaaare
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abbatoirablaze · 1 year
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The Understudies, Season 2, Chapter 3
Word Count:  1.4k
Warnings: violence
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“Lila-help”
Brianna remained stopped halfway up the stairs, after having followed the women that came with the odd, yet familiar man.  There was something about the interaction that she and Grace had shared with him.  There was something strangely comfortable about him.  So much so that she needed to investigate.  She felt a tad bit nervous, as the woman looked like an older version of herself, but she followed her regardless. 
She could hear the noise in the hallway at the top of the steps, and she watched as Lila grabbed the knife and made her way towards the right side of the hall.  There was a loud thud, and Brianna didn’t pause.  She began to worry for the man and woman that she felt drawn to.  She needed to protect them in any way that she could.  So, she ran straight up and looked to the right. 
A boy roughly her age was fighting a grown man.  The woman who looked like her was running towards them.  Confusion filled her, and for a moment she didn’t know what to do, but to the left was the familiar man, the one who had run into her and Grace.
“Where are you going?” Grace asked, as she went to grasp at Brianna’s hand, “you can’t leave!  Your father doesn’t want us to get separated, remember?  It’s a big place and there are a lot of people around that are unfamiliar to the both of us.”
“I’m just going to see if he’s upstairs or not!”
“Brianna…he already told us that he was going to talk to some men, and you saw him going upstairs,” she reminded the younger woman, do you really think the best use of your time is snooping around in an unknown place, using a party as cover?”
“I promise I’ll be back before he gets to you!”
“People are starting to leave, Brianna…I don’t want you to get lost in the confusion.”
“I won’t, mom…I promise…”
Grace stared at her for a minute, watching her, “you know something is going on up there, don’t you?”
“It’s better if you don’t know!” she admitted nervously, “I’ll be honest, things feel off…don’t they?” 
Grace nodded and pulled Brianna towards her chest, “you better come back to me…”
“I will mom…I promise.”
She’d followed the familiar man on a hunch.  The main reason being that he knew their names, and they’d never said them.  She knew that he had to have something to do with her father. 
But she didn’t expect when she looked to the left to see him being restrained by one man and being hit by another.
“HEY!” she called out. 
The two men stopped momentarily, both of whom looked at her.  She glared at the two of them.  Noticing that they were dressed as waiters.  The one had his belt wrapped around the familiar man, while the other had been hitting him in the stomach.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to bully people?” she taunted, charging towards them.  The two men turned their attention back towards Diego, and she suddenly appeared behind the one man, landing a blow to his kidney.  He grunted, his grip releasing just enough so that Diego could turn him and slam him into the wall.  The man that had been striking him, stopped and went to whip Brianna across the face, surprised that she’d had a similar ability to number five.   
“BRIANNA!”
She disappeared, instead reappearing a second later, to the side.  She kicked the man hard enough that he slipped backwards, a heavy thud resounding in the hallway as his back hit the wall. 
She turned, surprised to hear him say her name.
“Who are you and how do you know mine and my mom’s names?”
Diego rushed her, all of his emotions clouding him as he caught her in his arms, his lips crashing against hers.  Brianna melted into the kiss, her body nearly falling slack against his. 
“Diego…” she whispered against his lips once he pulled away.  Diego nodded, his hair falling into his face, while his nose brushed against hers.  She whimpered against him, her heart beating wildly in her chest as memories of him came flooding back to her.  She reached up, her hands cradling his face.  She was shaking like a leaf, disbelief in her voice, “-I-I thought I lost you…all of you!”
“You could never lose me, Brianna…”
“The others?” she asked nervously, her eyes shooting to see Five staring down at the window towards the entrance.  Her gaze shifted to the window as well, where she saw Reginald and Grace together.  Grace looked worried.  Her eyes went wide, “Shit. I have to go!”
“Wait!” Diego begged, “You can’t leave!  We need your help!”
“I’m sorry, Diego…I-I’m so sorry!” She shook her head furiously and backed away from him, a blue light taking her as she disappeared.  She shook her head to herself and stumbled around the corner of the house, rushing up to Grace and her father.
Grace cradled her against her chest, “my god…you’re a mess.  What on earth happened to you?  You look like you were trampled by party guests!”
“We need to leave…”
“CAR!” Reginald called, hailing Abhijat.  When the car pulled up, he opened the door, ushering Grace in.  But he stopped Brianna, staring her down, “something happened upstairs that caused my meeting to…disengage.  That wouldn’t have anything to do with you, now would it?”
“It’s not safe here…”
“What is going on?”
“I’ll explain it when we are home, but the long and short of it is that we need to make a plan,” she said quickly, “my memories-they…came back…someone or multiple someone’s from the future came back along with me.  I’m not the only one.  And I think they’re here to adjust the past.”
“Were you spying on the meeting?”
“No,’ she said quickly, shaking her head, “But I know who was.”
“Get in the car,” he urged, “you’re not safe here little one.  None of us are.”
She nodded, getting into the car.  Right as Reginald was about to get in, someone began to yell in Greek at him.  Reginald stopped, knowing that he’d only taught Brianna to quote things in Latin and Greek.  His eyes snapped to hers and she inhaled.
“Reggie, what are you waiting on?” Grace asked impatiently, “we need to go.”
“Right,” he nodded, getting into the vehicle, “Abhijat…”
“Who was that?” she asked, eyeing Reginald.
“No one important,” he lied, looking back at Five through the mirror on the car.  His eyes met Brianna’s and she looked away from him, “no one important at all.”
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“Dad we have to talk about it.”
Reginald looked to Brianna and shook his head, “What do you mean?  No, we don’t.  There is nothing to talk about, Brianna.”
“First Luthor…and now Diego and Five…”
His jaw tightened, “they’re just names…they mean nothing to me.  And you didn’t even remember this ‘Luthor’ when he came to us, years ago…now all of a sudden you remember them all!  It seems a bit out of place to me!”
“Dad…they’re from my dreams…the bits and pieces…I didn’t remember everything, but pieces are coming back,” she admitted, “when we talked about Pogo…and mom…and how to come up with everything-“
“BRIANNA ENOUGH!” he called firmly, “look, I know you seem to think you have everything worked out in your head, but it is a farce.  I feel a kinship with you, but I hardly doubt that I’d adopt over a dozen other children…that big one alone seemed like a big, whiny baby.  No son of mine would be so…pathetic.”
Brianna stopped speaking and looked at the man she looked at like a father, “but it’s all coming true.  Even down to the grassy knoll…why do you keep having doubts?”
“Because if what you’re saying is true…then I have failed,” he finally admitted, “if this is all true…then the Umbrella Academy, the children that I adopted will not save us.  They will cause the end of the world.  Brianna, you have proven of great use.  You helped me advance what I wanted.  We have Pogo.  And Grace.  Two of the best things in my life because of you!  But them.  They have done nothing but humiliate me and let me down as far as I can see.”
“We need to see them, dad…we need to find out what exactly it is that causes this!” she said in earnest, “because there’s a very good chance that the end followed us back…”
“So the end of the world came back with all of you?”
“Possibly…”
“Where did they find you then, little one?” he asked softly, “because we need to go back to the very beginning then.”
“I think you’re right…we need to go, dad…we need to find them.”
Chapter 4
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renee-writer · 2 years
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I Loved Her First Chapter 13 A Slight Misunderstanding
AO3
“Sooo now that we have settled everything, well settled it as well as it will be, do you mind if I go to town to get some school items?”
“No, just be sure to drive carefully.”
“I will.” She pressed a kiss to her Papa’s cheek and gathered her papers. 
Jamie dismissed his daughter and groaned as he sat down in the chair once she was gone.
He looked at Claire with a slight smirk on his face.
“So, was this type of thing normal in your time Sassenach?”
Claire sat down in his lap and kissed his lips gently.
“Not at all, there were jokes about it, but no one really thought that…” She shrugged.
“Honestly Jamie, they seem to like each other. Ian hasn’t asked to court her yet, so maybe we just let this be for now, see how it plays out.”
He said nothing for a moment and then nuzzled her neck.
“I saw them. Outside the window, the way he had his hands on her, very improper, I decided Ian bore watching. But I didna even consider Faith.”
Claire smiled and kissed his lips. “Sometimes it’s the quiet ones.
He puffed out a breath and looked at Claire, some pain in his eyes.
“I just got her back, I didna think I would lose her so soon.”
“Well, we haven’t lost her at all yet. She is not getting married next Tuesday, and Ian hasn’t even asked to court her yet. You’re not going to put a gun in his back to walk him down the aisle, are you?”
Jamie was silent for a long moment.
Claire tilted his head up. “Jamie…”
“No, no of course not.”
“Then don’t worry.” She pecked his lips gently, once twice, and then deepened it.
They were in that position when the door opened.
“So here you two are! Ye spent the night rutting like two wild beasts, no caring if the whole house heard ye! And then didna even decide to show your faces at breakfast!”
The pair broke the kiss and looked up at an irritated Jenny.
Claire rubbed her hand on her kiss swollen lips.
“Ahem, Morning Jenny.”
“Morning?! It’s nearly dinner!”
Jamie shifted his wife so he could see his sister. “Is there a reason you are shouting so Mrs. Murray?”
Jenny narrowed her gaze at him. “Very funny James. I sent Jeremiah and Brianna berry picking. Mrs. Crook wants to make Cranachan for after dinner. Faith went to town; I told her to take a companion. She said she already had one selected, but thanked me.”
Jamie stood up so fast Claire spilled out of his lap like a sack of potatoes.
“Ye did what?”
“A young woman shouldna be traveling to Inverness alone ye ken.”
Jamie didn’t even let Jenny finish the sentence, before he was running out of the Laird’s Study.
Jenny looked at Claire and helped her to her feet.
“What on Earth?”
Claire huffed out a breath. “Sit down Jenny, we have to talk.”
 
Faith held the reins in her hands, the horses that were harnessed to the cart were very gentle. Her Uncle Ian had selected them for her, saying that Posy and Rose would get her to Inverness just fine.
She looked over at her companion and smiled.
“Thank you for accompanying me.”
Her companion smiled sweetly. “Thank you for inviting me.”
She smiled and pressed a playful kiss to his cheek.
“You are going to be very helpful with getting supplies.”
“I don’t know if I can carry everything.”
“Well, you don’t need to really carry-”
The rest of her words were cut off by the sound of loud hoofbeats, and then a loud thump.
Faith shrieked; her companion grabbed her arm trying to steady her as she got the horses to the side of the road.
She turned around and looked in the back of the wagon, half expecting to see a mountain lion or a bear.
Instead, it was her Father.
“Daddy! What the h-heck! What are you doing?”
“I came to stop him, yer going to town. Ye could get married! I had to stop ye-”
He looked up, expecting to see Ian’s eyes on him, but it was the dark eyes of Michael.
“Michael?! You brought Michael?”
“Well, I- y-yes. I needed the size of his hands to measure the items I need to get the younger children. For the older kids I can use my own hands…I-”
Her voice trailed off as her Father got to his feet and hopped out of the wagon to fetch the Horse.
He bowed to the pair politely, got back on the Horse, and road back toward Lallybroch.
Faith said nothing for a full 10 seconds before she sighed.
“That was weird.”
Michael nodded, his eyes wide.
Faith clicked her tongue to get the horses moving.
“Well, either way we have to get to town.”
“Aye Faith.”
 
“So that’s the gist of it.”
Jenny stared at Claire, her mouth hanging open.
“I-”
“I know this was not what you were expecting, but as I told Jamie, we should see how this works out. They may not end up being interested in each other.”
Jenny rubbed her hands together and stood up to pace.
She looked out the window and puffed out a breath.
“I agree with you.”
Claire was surprised by this omission.
“Really?”
Jenny nodded. “Aye. Tis not common, but it has been done. And, you are right. We don’t know what they want. Shall we cross each bridge?”
Claire smiled.
“Sounds like a good plan to me.”
The pair hugged and Jenny smiled.
“If your daughter hurts my son, I will kill her.”
Claire smirked. “Same.” 
7 notes · View notes
pilothusband · 3 years
Text
All Hail The King
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Rating: Explicit (18+)
Pairing: Frankie Morales x f!reader
Warnings: Alcohol, oral sex, p in v sex, praise kink. I’m a horny bitch, okay? This is purely indulgent.
Word count: 5k
Author’s note: Special thanks to @wyn-dixie​ for reading this over before I posted it and for enabling this filth. ❤️ This idea entered my brain randomly and I had to write it out. Please let me know what you think! I want your feedback. If I had Photoshop I would have made an edit of Frankie with a crown for this but I don’t have it so here’s this gif instead.
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The bar is humming with activity, but the table you’re nestled at in the back provides enough shelter to allow you all to converse without having to yell at each other.
You’ve been nursing a glass of water for a while now, since you’re the designated driver this week. It doesn’t bother you, though— you’re just happy to be out with your friends.
Every once in a while you steal a glance over at Frankie, who’s sitting diagonally across the table, next to Santiago who is directly across from you. Benny is to your left, his large body crowding you into the wall, and his brother Will is at the head of the table.
“Hey Fish,” Benny claps a hand on his shoulder. The force of his hand jostles Frankie’s solid body backwards a little, but to his credit he doesn’t flinch. “How are things with that girl you were seeing? Jennessa? Jennifer?”
You take a sip of your water and look down at the table to mask your interest at the sudden change in conversation.
“Jessica,” Frankie clears his throat. “They aren’t. We didn’t have much in common so she broke it off after a few dates.”
Queue the internal cheering. Jessica was a bit of a wet mop, to be honest. She never had anything to say when Frankie brought her around and she would scoff at everything that was slightly unsavory in her eyes. Deep down, you had to come to terms with the jealous twinge you felt in your gut every time she would squeeze Frankie’s shoulder affectionately, her immaculately manicured nails pressed harshly into his jacket.
“I’m sorry, Fish,” Benny said, slinging his arm around the man, the clumsy movement knocking his hat slightly askew. “Her loss, brother.”
“Here here,” Santi agrees, raising his bottle in the air. “To the king!”
Benny cheers clinks his bottle against Santiago’s echoing his sentiment. Will huffs out a laugh and Frankie groans, hiding his face in his hands.
You gape at the two men in question, but they just giggle like a couple of school girls.
“I didn’t realize I was in the presence of royalty,” you say, trying to figure out what they’re talking about. You look over at Frankie as he takes an impatient sip from his drink.
Benny just about spits out a mouthful of beer onto the table.
“Shut the fuck up, guys.” Frankie warns his friends. “Seriously.” Santi and Benny give him an innocent look. Will focuses his gaze on the bottle he’s holding, picking at the paper label, damp and curling at the edges from condensation .
Santiago leans towards you, his breath hot in your ear.
“We call him the pussy eating king.”
You thank the powers above you weren’t mid-sip, because the choked sound that emits from your throat was both involuntary and sudden. Heat blossoms in your stomach and your thighs clench together as you make eye contact with Frankie. He looks away nervously, embarrassed even. 
“So was this a self coronation or..” You trail off, grinning at the flush on Frankie’s cheeks.
“It was that really talkative chick he was seeing for a while,” Benny says, turning to you. “Brianna?”
“Brenda,” Frankie sighs.
“So Brenda crowned you the pussy eating king?” You ask Frankie, who still refuses to meet your eyes.
He grumbles in response, waving off the subject.
“Yeah, she went on about it in detail for the whole night one time. I think you were away for a work trip or something” Santiago is absolutely smirking, loving the way Frankie is physically shrinking under the group’s attention. “Come on Fish, don’t be so modest. You’re a beast in the sack, it’s a good thing!”
You smile, but it doesn’t quite reach your eyes. You remember why you weren’t there. It was because you couldn’t stand seeing Frankie so happy with another woman, so you feigned sick.
“Well, I can see why things with Brenda didn’t last,” you respond, knowing Frankie was kind of a private guy. “But hey, at least she can tell all her friends she got the royal treatment while it lasted.”
Benny, Santiago and even Will all roar with laughter, fists banging raucously on the table. Frankie huffs out an embarrassed laugh, despite himself.
“Yeah, yeah,” he takes a swig of his beer, emptying it. “I need another drink.”
“Hey Ben, what time is your fight next week again?” Will calls over to his brother. You’re grateful for the change of subject. Frankie’s had enough torture for one night and you aren’t sure how many more details about Frankie’s sexual prowess your nether regions can take.
Benny turns towards Will to talk about his upcoming match and you take a sip from your glass to try to hide how flustered you’re feeling. Did this bar get hot all of a sudden?
The glass lands back down with a dull thump and you look up to find Santiago studying you, his eyebrow raised.
“What?” You don’t mean to sound aggressive, but his gaze is unnerving, as if he’s trying to suss out something you’re hiding.
“Nothing, nothing at all.” He smirks and tips up his beer, taking a long gulp. You roll your eyes at him and look down to pick at your nails.
A few moments later, Frankie returns with a fresh beer and you can feel Santiago turning his face in your direction again to read your body language. You school your reaction, fingers digging painfully into your pint glass. Sometimes Pope is too fucking nosy for his own good.
He must lose interest after a moment though, because he turns his attention back to Benny, who’s still talking about his upcoming fight.
The topic doesn’t come up again, thankfully, and you’ve dropped all the boys off at their separate destinations, save for Frankie, who lives the closest to you.
The car ride alone with him isn’t as tense as you were expecting, since his tongue has been loosened with the fair amount of alcohol he’s had tonight. You both chat easily about the upcoming week and how much you’re dreading going back to work on Monday.
You can’t resist one smart remark though, as you pull up to Frankie’s house.
“Your castle awaits, my liege,” you quip, trying and failing to hide your amused smile as you look over at him.
Frankie throws his head back and laughs freely, opening the car door with a wink.
“Goodnight, my queen,” he bows exaggeratedly before shutting the car door.
The butterflies don’t tamp down until you’re securely inside your own apartment, locking the door behind you.
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That night was a month ago, which means it’s been a whole fucking month since your brain flew the coop. Every time Frankie does just about anything with his mouth, everything else around you ceases to exist.
Take last Thursday, for example. Frankie dropped by after work to help you change your porch light, since the fixture is too heavy and the light is too high up to easily reach.
He steps up the ladder with ease, unscrewing the fixture and holding it with his left hand. He puts the screwdriver in his mouth so he can hold onto the ladder as he gingerly hands you the fixture. You grab onto it and hand him the replacement bulb so he can swap them out.
He gets the lightbulb in and gestures towards you to hand the fixture back, which he screws back in before stepping down.
“Blegh,” he wipes his mouth on his sleeve, an action that has your last two brain cells screeching to a halt. “Screwdrivers taste awful.” 
His statement is cute, self-deprecating, and you try to respond appropriately but all you can do is gape at him like a fish out of water.
‘Get your shit together, he’s wiping off the taste of rust, not your pussy,’ you try to mentally shake yourself out of your stupor, but it does no good.
He turns back towards his toolbox to drop the screwdriver in and close the lid.
“All set,” he says, dusting off his jeans. He sounds a little uneasy, probably because you’re acting like a complete weirdo.
“Thank you so much, Frankie. I really appreciate it.” You find your manners and pull him in for a hug, secretly reveling in how good he smells.
“Any time,” he tells you as he wraps his arms around you and squeezes softly.
Before he pulls away you make a spur of the moment decision, and reach up to give him a small kiss on the cheek. He’s so impossibly warm and so inviting, you can feel your heart flutter in your chest. The sparse hairs on his face tickle your chin. 
Frankie clears his throat and ducks his head down, mumbling a hurried goodbye before he heads back to his truck, toolbox in hand. You don’t miss the way his lips are turned up and the crows feet make an appearance in the corner of his eyes, nor do you miss the brilliant flush that spreads over his face and down his neck.
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It’s Saturday now and your torment knows no end. You decide you’re too tired to go out and opt to invite the guys over for a movie night, to which they all agree. 
You decide you’ll just have to look away every time Frankie takes a sip of a drink, or eats a handful of popcorn. Or God forbid, if he licks his lips.
The group chat has been a nightmare, with everyone trying to come up with a movie to watch. Benny wants to watch The Expendables, Will mentioned something about wanting to see Dunkirk for ages now and Santi is playing devil’s advocate, disagreeing with all of their choices but not coming up with one of his own.
Frankie has been quiet in the chat, besides initially agreeing to come over initially.
It’s 9:00 PM, you have a 30 rack of beers in the fridge and some popcorn set out for everyone. All you have to do now is wait for the guys to arrive. Your phone chimes with a notification from Benny.
Benny and the Jets 🥊: Sorry lady, I got called in for a last minute practice. Raincheck?
Ironhead 🦸🏼: I gotta duck out too. The lady wants to have a date night. Sorry!
You type out a reply to them, a little disappointed but bidding them a good night all the same.
A knock sounds on the door and you rush over to answer it. The door swings open to reveal Frankie, wearing the softest looking navy blue hoodie you’ve ever seen, along with his Standard Oil cap. He looks as unsure as ever, holding a bottle of red wine.
You chirp an over-enthusiastic greeting, internally cringe at it, and step aside to welcome him in.
“I know you like red wine, so I got some for you on the way here. I hope it’s the kind you like.”
You accept the wine and look at the label. It’s a California Zinfandel. You can’t believe he remembered your favorite wine.
“I love it, thank you so much.” You pull him into a hug, nuzzling into the soft material of his sweatshirt. He returns the hug just as enthusiastically, pulling away to kiss your forehead.
“Is Santiago on his way?” You ask, padding into the kitchen to grab a glass from your cabinet. “Do you want a glass? Or I have some beer if you’d prefer.”
���Beer is perfect, thanks,” he says a little breathily as he looks over at you. “Santiago said something came up and that he’s sorry.”
Something feels a little fishy with the three of them ducking out all at the same time, but you don’t mention it as you hand him a beer and search through your drawer for a bottle opener. A few minutes later, you’re both set up on the couch and are scrolling through Netflix for a movie.
“I have no idea what to watch. Do you?”
“Want to watch Civil War? I know the guys will bitch we’re continuing the rewatch without them but they can deal.”
You tip your head back and laugh, navigating over to your Disney+ app.
Frankie takes off his hat and sets it aside while you spread a blanket over your laps, braving a chance to scoot closer to him. He takes the hint and wraps his arm behind your shoulders, nestling you closer to his chest. You settle in and try to pay attention to the movie, despite the wild fluttering that is taking place in your stomach.
Frankie shifts uncomfortably and winces a little. You can tell he’s trying to hide it, but little does he know you’ve been watching every single movement he makes like a hawk. Or a nervous lap dog.
“Does your back hurt? I can move,” you start to get up but Frankie grabs onto your wrist and pulls you back in.
“No, stay. I just need to find a comfortable position.”
You make a soft noise of surprise when he lifts you up and pulls you towards him, settling back so he’s spread out on the couch. You’re settled on top of him, your legs stretched out over his with your back to the cushion, half draped over his torso.
This position has your heart thumping hard in your chest. His face was just a few inches from yours. All he’d have to do is tilt his face towards yours, and you’d be practically kissing.
Focusing on the movie is harder than ever. Your left hand rests on Frankie’s chest and your right is near his head. Without even thinking, you reach out and start stroking your fingers through his soft curls. He hums contentedly, the pleasant sound rumbling through his chest.
A hand makes its way up your arm leaving goosebumps in its wake, landing on your shoulder.
You brave a glance at Frankie and feel your heart stutter in your chest when you realize he’s been looking at you. His eyes are as dark as ever, twinkling against the flicker of your TV.
He closes the gap and captures your lips in a tender kiss. His lips are warm and soft, melding to yours perfectly. The brush of your mouths together is intoxicating. Your tongue darts out to lick at him and he complies, letting out a guttural moan at the sensation as your tongues meet languidly.
You shift your leg so it slots between his and both of your hands find his shoulders and squeeze them, eliciting a soft mewl from Frankie’s mouth. His hands are hot on your back and he slides one down to your ass, kneading the soft flesh over your leggings.
Your hips press into his, rutting into him, soft pants falling from your mouth– mingling with his. You need to be closer, closer, closer. He tightens his grip on your ass in response and rolls his hips so you can feel how hard he is against your belly.
“Fuck, baby,” he rasps, breaking the kiss, words tumbling out between his ragged breaths. 
You can feel yourself throbbing for him, wetness rushing to your core as his hushed baritone makes your head spin with need. Somewhere in the back of your mind you’re convinced this is a dream. That there’s no way you’re dry humping the man of your dreams on your couch right now.
You duck down to hide your expression, not wanting to ruin the moment with your anxiety and doubt. You’ll take whatever this man gives you, even if it’s just this moment. 
You busy yourself by peppering small kisses on his neck, trailing them up to his jaw.
“Hey,” he slows your movements and holds your chin with his thumb and forefinger, tilting your face up gently up to look at him.
“I want you. I want this. Do you?” 
You feel the urge to look away, his gaze is intense and laser-focused on you. Eye contact has never been your strong suit, so this was a lot for you to handle. But you fight the urge to flinch and stare back, searching to see if there was anything that will give away any trepidations. His expression remains hard set, serious but not unkind. It’s just like Frankie to have eyes as clear as day, giving away all of his secrets. They’re just like him— strong, unrelenting in their hardness and softness.
“Yes,” you reply. Your voice cracks a little, thick with emotion. “I’ve wanted this, wanted you, for so long.” 
You feel embarrassment wash over you with the admission, but Frankie doesn’t let it last long before you crushes his lips to yours in a searing kiss. He breaks it off after a moment, lips swollen and pink.
“Baby, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that.”
He strokes a hand down your jaw, his thumb caressing your skin as a goofy smile blooms over your face.
“I want to make you feel good, baby,” he whispers, his thumb catching on the swell of your bottom lip. “Will you let me make you feel good?”
You blink and swallow heavily, a fresh wave of arousal flooding to your center as the deep rasp of his voice utters those words, smooth as caramel– dousing over you like kerosene on a fire.
You nod, not trusting your voice at this very moment.
“I need you to say it out loud, honey,” he says, his lips brushing against yours ever so lightly.
“Yes, Francisco,” you breathe out. “Make me feel good.”
He bites your bottom lip and tugs, then growls playfully before he grabs your shoulders and flips you over. You let out a delighted shriek, giggling as he lifts up the hem of your shirt and kisses every inch of skin that’s revealed.
“Wait,” you call out. He stops his movements immediately. “You first.”
Frankie grins. You want to press your fingers into the dimple that appears and feel the scratch of his beard under your nails. He leans back and lifts his sweatshirt over his head, the grey t-shirt he’s wearing sticks to the inside of it and he rolls both garments down his arms. 
His chest is bare to you now, smooth except for a smattering of hairs in the middle of his chest, and a patch leading down into his jeans. You want to reach out and run your hands down the planes of his torso and follow the path of hair,  but your arms aren’t long enough to reach. 
You remove your shirt, leaving you in your leggings and bra. It’s a soft lace number, a delicate pink with no underwire. You watch as his hungry gaze roams over your chest. To your surprise, he doesn’t motion for you to take it off. Instead, he leans over you, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.
 He moves downwards, tongue darting out to taste the salt of your neck. He continues his path and mouths between your breasts, one of his hands reaches out to squeeze the plump flesh in his large hand. You nipple instantly pebbles under his ministrations and he pulls the fabric aside to tease it with the pad of his finger. You moan softly at the sensation and yelp in surprise when he sucks it into his mouth and bites it, soothing the sharp sting with a flick of his tongue.
 “Mmm, love how responsive you are already,” he hums, moving down. Your back arches as his mouth makes a hot trail down the rest of your torso. You look down and notice he’s left wet patches where his mouth has been, coating you in saliva and leaving goosebumps in his wake.
 He reaches the waistband of your leggings and pushes them down, letting out a strangled groan when he gets an eyeful of your panties, the same shade of pink that matches the bra you’re wearing. 
“So fucking sexy,” he breathes.
He peels your panties down your legs and pulls them off along with your leggings, leaving you completely bare from the bottom down. You start to cross your legs to hide yourself, feeling self-conscious at how exposed you are, but Frankie grabs your thigh to halt the movement.
“You better not hide this pretty pussy from me,” he says, licking his lips.
You half expect him to dive in, but he takes a moment to look at you. He’s resting a hand on your hip. His pointer finger makes a path down, tracing an invisible line up and down your slit. You hiss at the ghost of his touch and thrust your hips towards his hand, seeking out more friction.
Frankie lets out an amused chuckle at your reaction and leans forward to plant a wet kiss to your inner thigh. You let out a shaky breath in anticipation– your heart feels like it’s beating out of your chest. He kisses up your thigh until he reaches the apex between your legs, then licks a stripe through your folds with the flat of his tongue, pulling a surprised gasp from your parted lips.
He sucks your clit into his mouth and you can’t help it– you buck up into his mouth and grab onto his hair and tug at the strands. He grabs onto the flesh of your hip and whimpers into your pussy. Despite being almost dizzy with need, you feel a rush of power knowing you have this effect on him.
“You taste so fucking good. So wet for me,” he punctuates his words with bold licks up and down. “Never want to stop.”
He changes patterns, making tight circles on your clit with his tongue. The sudden switch has you mewling and your legs clamp around his head involuntarily. Frankie grabs your thighs and wrenches them apart, hooking them over his shoulders as he latches onto your pussy. His hands are on your ass, holding you up as your back arches off the couch.
All you can do is scramble at the cushions below you for purchase as Frankie buries his face into your cunt, lapping at you with abandon. His tongue licks into you with an intensity you’ve never experienced before; it has you seeing stars.
You have no idea how he knows exactly how to manipulate your body to pull the pleasure from you so naturally. Every lick feels like it’s searching for treasure, every suck hits somewhere deep inside, reverberating through the muscles of your thighs and up in your abdomen.
He gently places you back down to the cushions and rubs at your entrance with his pointer finger, looking up at you for permission.
“Yes, please–“ you whimper brokenly. He complies immediately and plunges it into you, following with a second finger, and curls them up. His pace is slow at first and he flicks his tongue out to play with your clit at the same time. He’s soon spurred on by your moans and sets a brutal pace. You once again feel the urge to clamp around him to increase the pressure, but Frankie uses his broad shoulders to hold your thighs apart.
 Seeing his shoulders, bare and perspiring from his intensive movements, so wide and flushed, coupled with the furrow of his brow, his eyes pinched closed, makes something primal within you awaken. You barely have time to feel your orgasm coming before it’s hitting you– thighs shaking, back arching, hands in his hair. You don’t even realize it, but you;’re shrieking his name, chanting it like a prayer. He’s groaning in reply, milking you through it with his fingers and tongue, lapping up your release, syrupy sweet and indulgent.
 He doesn’t stop until you’re flinching from overstimulation. He kisses up your body lazily, taking his time before capturing your lips. You kiss him back, licking into his mouth and tasting yourself on his tongue. He grinds into you, his jean-clad erection rubs against your aching cunt and rekindles the fire, molten heat shooting through your entire body.
 “Wanna fuck you so bad, baby,” he says, panting the words into your mouth.
 You moan and break the kiss.
 “Want to take this to my room?”
 He doesn’t reply, but instead swings his body off the couch and picks you up bridal-style. He stumbles a little with the first steps and you both laugh, kissing each other with each step he takes towards your bedroom.
He tosses you onto the bed softly and you let loose another delighted giggle when Frankie flops over you dramatically, caging you in his arms. Your tongues tangle together in an impossibly sensual kiss. He’s momentarily distracted, caught up in the feel of your body underneath his with the soft touches of your tongue, and you take the opportunity to roll him over and straddle his hips.
Frankie is looking up at you as if he’s in awe, like he can’t believe you’re here right now, naked from the waist down and grinding down on his hard cock, tenting his jeans.
You move down his body and zip his fly down, pushing down the denim along with his boxer briefs. His cock springs free, hard and hot and leaking at the tip. You can’t help but lick the bead of precum, and a broken whine rips from Frankie’s throat. His hands are clenched into the sheets, knuckles white with how hard he’s gripping the mattress beneath him.
You’re bobbing your mouth up and down his length, tongue licking around his shaft and cheeks hollowing out. His moans are loud, constant. He’s babbling praise, telling you how fucking amazing your mouth feels, how badly he wants to fuck you. It’s a heady feeling, bringing a strong and quiet man to his knees like this. You love that he’s letting you know how much he’s breaking for you.
Your tongue finds its way down to his balls and you suck them into your mouth, moaning at the musky taste. His moans are high pitched now and his hand is squeezing your shoulder.
“Baby, you gotta stop,” he grabs onto your hair to pause your movements. “I need to feel you.”
You give him one last broad lick up his shaft and shift back up, and look down at Frankie to catalogue the number you’ve done on him. He’s absolutely wrecked– brown eyes blown wide, chest rising and falling rapidly with his uneven breaths.
 You remove your bra, stretching it over your head and throwing it to the side. Frankie follows the movement and lets out a needy, staccato moan at the sight of you, completely bare before him.
 You reach down and kiss him soundly on the mouth, lining his cock up with your entrance.
 “I’ve got you, baby boy,” you coo, sinking down on his length.
 “Fuck,” he grits out between his teeth.
 You give yourself a moment to get used to his size and rock into him. His hands fly up to your chest, squeezing lightly and rolling your nipples in between his fingers.
 “So fucking big,” you pant out. “So good for me.”
 It seems Frankie loves praise as much as you do, evidenced by the twitch of his cock inside you.
 Your pace is agonizingly slow. You’re trying to tease out the moment, stretch it out so it lasts forever. It doesn’t last long– you can’t stand it anymore. You bounce up and down on him, snapping your hips when they meet his.
 “So fucking perfect,” he pants out. “Wanna fuck you from behind.”
 You breathe out a moan and stop your movements. Frankie mistakes your pause for hesitation and reaches up to brush the hair out of your face.
 “We don’t have to,” he says, voice gentle, brow furrowed in concern. 
 “No, fuck. No, Frankie. I want to.”
 You gingerly get up and whimper at the loss when he’s no longer inside you. Frankie sits up, shoulders rocking forward and cock bobbing with his movement as he settles onto his knees. You watch him and bite your lip, getting on all fours and lifting your ass up in the air to present yourself to him.
 Frankie can’t help the groan that falls from his lips and sinks forward to lay an open-mouthed kiss on your pussy from behind before he lines himself up. He enters you without hesitation, hips slapping against your ass rhythmically, setting a decisively fast pace. 
 All you can hear is the filthy sounds of your wet pussy as he pounds into you, along with your strangled moans, and his heavy breathing, laced with whispers of praise you can’t discern. The waves of pleasure are too much, too strong. You can feel the familiar build up of an orgasm. Your head is in the clouds as it climbs and climbs– then crashes.
 His fingers on your clit is what does you in. Your whole body shakes and all you can do is whimper and moan around his cock while he fucks into you. The strong, practiced rock of his hips become sloppy as he chases his release, muttering words of adoration into the air as he pulls out and cums, spilling onto your back. He pulls every last drop out of his cock before collapsing over you, forehead resting on your spine as he catches his breath.
 “Fuck, baby,” he says, once he’s caught his breath. “Should have done this ages ago.”
 You both laugh and Frankie gets up to grab a wet face towel from the bathroom
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A little while later, you’re both in bed, blissed out and wrapped up around each other. The movie, drinks and snacks are all forgotten. All that matters is here and now– your breaths mingling together as you kiss each other lazily, tongues probing slowly. 
In the other room, both of your phones ping on the coffee table with unheard notifications.
The first text is from Santiago.The other boys follow suit, not a minute apart.
Pope 🤦🏻‍♂️: 👑
Benny and the Jets 🥊: 👑
Ironhead 🦸🏼: 👑
Neither of you see the texts until the next morning.
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 The following weekend, it’s Santiago’s turn to be the designated driver. He’s parked outside of Frankie’s house, waiting to pick both of your asses up. He starts to tap his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel after the first 15 minutes. 
“What the fuck are they doing in there?” He asks Will and Benny. They all know the answer, but don’t say anything.
Meanwhile, Frankie has you crowded against the front door, your sundress is hiked up and his face is buried in your pussy. Neither of you can hear the sound of Santi’s impatient honking over your moans.
And if you end up going to the bar sans panties because you can’t find them before Santiago is pounding his fist on the door, well that’s just a secret you and Frankie will have to keep.
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Taglist: @tenderclio @softdin @darnitdraco @freeshavocadoooo @recklessworry @wyn-dixie @manalg14 @codenamewife @comphersjost @princessxkenobi @manalg14 @comphersjost @a-skov @sheresh0y @greeneyedblondie44 @blackmarketmummy @brandyllyn @gracie7209 @bootyliciousbilbo @dobbyjen
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liaromancewriter · 2 years
Text
I Want You
Premise: It’s the night before their wedding. Their friends have everything planned, but Max and Sienna only want each other.
Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairing: Sienna Trinh x Max Valentine (M!OC). Feat. Ethan Ramsey x Cassie Valentine (F!MC) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Trope: Bachelor and bachelorette party Words: 1,580
A/N: I was missing Maxenna and decided to remedy the situation. Submission for @choicesficwriterscreations CFWC Celebrations event. I’m also participating in @wackydrabbles​ prompt 141, which will appear in bold.
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The din of voices competed with loud music pumping through the speakers. Everything from gritty rock to jazz and blues; the proprietor of the establishment located in the heart of New Orlean’s Bourbon Street didn’t discriminate.
On Friday nights in early May, the revelers were interested only in drinks, some flirting and dancing, and good-natured fun. And the servers were happy to rake in the generous tips left by happy patrons.
The ceiling fan tried its best to spread the air, but it was a losing battle against the crush of warm bodies filling the narrow space and spilling out onto the courtyard out back.
Max Valentine slouched on an uncomfortable chair, nursing his whiskey while wondering how he’d let his friends drag him out here the night before his wedding. Post-wedding reception technically.
The big society affair tomorrow on the grounds of Oak Alley had been the original plan for his and Sienna’s wedding. But after his accident last December, they hadn’t wanted to wait, marrying instead in a small ceremony in the presence of their immediate family.
Given the Trinh family ties in the New Orleans community and the Valentines standing in society, there were expectations on both sides for something more formal than saying their vows in his parents’ living room.
Max knew that Sienna had always dreamt of a big wedding, and he hated that she’d given up on that. So, he was happy to go along with the post-wedding plans their families made. His sister and hers had even organized a bachelorette weekend for Sienna a couple of weeks ago.
As much as he was looking forward to tomorrow, the last thing he wanted was to spend tonight getting plastered and having his ear drum blasted. He would rather be back at his hotel making love to his wife.
Of course, she wasn’t there since her friends had dragged her out for a girls’ night out on the town while his cousin Tony and his friends, along with Ethan, Rafael, Bryce and Elijah, led him in the opposite direction.
He rolled his eyes at the thought of their friends pretending this was a normal wedding where the bride and groom enjoyed their last night of freedom separately. Instead of what it was: a glorified party for a couple that had already celebrated four months of wedded bliss.
“Tell me you changed your mind,” he heard Tony call out and looked up to see who he was talking to.
And then he was smiling when he spied Sienna in the group of women heading towards their table in the corner of the courtyard. She hadn’t seen him yet, engrossed as she was in a conversation with her sister Brianna, their heads next to each other.
“We didn’t,” quipped Cassie, a rueful smile on her lips as she walked over. “Didn’t know you guys would be here.”
She came to stand behind Ethan, wrapping her arms around his neck and bending down to kiss his cheek.
“Hello, Doctor Sexy,” she purred, making Ethan blush and sputter when the whiskey he had been drinking went down the wrong way.
“Stop flirting with your husband,” said Max, rolling his eyes.
“Never!” retorted Cassie, parking herself on Ethan’s lap and nuzzling his neck.
All of a sudden, the crowd cleared and there was Sienna, a smile breaking across her face when their eyes met across the room.
Tony and Bryce dragged over extra chairs and tables from wherever and soon their section of the courtyard expanded to double the size as everyone crowded in. 
Unfortunately for Max, Sienna was sitting too far away for his liking; Aurora and Jackie on one side and her sister on the other. Brianna sent him a wicked, sideways grin as if sensing his frustration at being separated from his wife and taking great enjoyment from it.
He watched his friends having fun with Sienna and Cassie’s Edenbrook friends as if they’d all known each other forever. Samantha was swapping home decor tips with Kyra while Tony, Bryce and Jackie challenged each other to tequila shots.
His Wharton buddy Del asked Aurora to dance and she took his hand. Brianna chatted animatedly about food with his friend Theo, who owned a Michelin-starred restaurant in DC and was opening a second location in the French Quarter.
It was a strange meeting of their two worlds, he supposed, but it seemed to work. His friends, her friends, and now their friends.
And yet all he wanted was her.
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Max craned his neck to see if he could spot Cassie, but there were too many people blocking his view. She had dragged Ethan off to the bar a few minutes ago and given the crowd they would likely be a while. Figuring it would easier to text, he pulled up her contact in his message app.
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Sienna tapped her feet in tune to the music booming through the speakers overhead, listening to Raf and Elijah talk about happenings at Edenbrook. She watched Max slip out of his seat and head nonchalantly inside as if going to the men’s room rather than making his escape.
She was wondering how she would know what the signal was when Cassie rushed over.
“I love this song,” she said, pulling Sienna out of her seat. “Ethan refuses to dance, but I told him I have my fellow dolphin as a willing partner so he’s exempt.”
Sienna let Cassie drag her inside where a makeshift dance floor had been cleared out. Instead of heading in that direction, she found herself in a sea of strangers as the crowd cut her off from Cassie.
Anxious, she started to turn around and head back when someone grabbed her from behind. She almost screamed before she realized it was Max.
“The expression on your face,” he said, chuckling as he folded her in his arms and whispered in her ear. “Ready for an adventure?”
She nodded against his shoulder, raising her head to smile up at him, his lips inches from hers. He bent his head, their mouths connecting in a kiss that was meant to be light but became deeper, more carnal. They broke apart when someone bumped into him from behind.
“Let’s go,” he said, grabbing her hand.
Once outside, they left the crowds behind, ducking into a near empty alley. The cool breeze blew over them, a welcome respite from the heat inside the bar and the warm bodies milling about the French Quarter.  
“That feels so good,” said Sienna taking a deep breath. “I thought I was going to pass out in there from the heat.”
“We definitely don’t want a repeat of what happened the last time you were here,” said Max, leaning back against the wall. “You’ve been so tired lately, more than usual. As far as I’m concerned, this wedding can’t be over fast enough.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said, making a face and then shaking her head as he grinned to show her he was joking.
When he reached for her hand, she let him draw her in, stepping between his legs. His hands framed her face and she nuzzled her cheek against his palm.
“You know I’m excited for tomorrow, right?” he said, his tone serious in case she had doubts.
“I know,” she said with a smile of acknowledgement. “Thank god we’re already married or else the stress from an actual wedding might have turned me into Bridezella, even with our moms and Cassie doing most of the work.”
“You mean that woman obsessing over seating charts these last couple of weeks has been the regular you?” he teased, eyes widening in pretend shock.
“You’re suck a jerk!” she shoved against him as he doubled over with laughter.
His amusement was infectious and she found herself wheezing in laughter, her arms crossing her belly as they fell against each other.
Even she could admit there had been times these last few weeks when she had tried her own patience. Like him, she just wanted tomorrow over with and get back to enjoying being newlyweds.
“I believe you promised me an adventure,” she said when they managed to get themselves back under control.
“I know what I want,” he said mysteriously. “But it’s your night. Tell me what Sienna Trinh wants to do on a Friday night in the Big Easy.”
She nibbled on her lower lip as she thought about where they could go that wouldn’t be too crowded. An impossibility in New Orleans this time of year. The last thing she wanted was to go to another overheated bar and fend off drunken partygoers.
What she really wanted was some quiet time with her husband before the circus tomorrow. But how to persuade him that her idea of adventure was returning to their airconditioned suite.
“You’re overthinking it, Si,” he said, smiling gently at her. “Shall I tell you the adventure I had in mind?”
She nodded, grateful to him for taking the lead.
“It involves you, me, and our very comfortable bed back at the hotel,” he smirked. “You game?”
She laughed, not at all surprised that they were completely in sync. It had been like that between them almost from the start and she should have known he wouldn’t want to bar crawl any more than she did.
After all, that’s why they had made their escape, leaving their friends to have a good time without them.
“Lead the way, Mr. Valentine.”
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justreadingfics · 4 years
Text
It’s a Deal (Chapter 12)
Chapter Summary: Bucky romances the shit out of you. In his own way.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader
Words: 5.4k
Warnings: drinking, cursing, old friends partying together, smut, semi-public sex, oral sex (f), face fucking.  
A/N: I shouldn’t tease you guys as much as I do when I respond the comments, lol! Thank you so much for all the feedback, btw. Be nice to Bucky, he’s never been in love before. Thank you, @lesqui​, for sparing me some time even when you have so much in your plate. Love you. The link to my masterlist, where you can find the other chapters, is on my description. Feedback is highly appreciated.
Tag list for this story is closed.  
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*no Alpine in this particular chapter, but the art is just too amazing and fitting for the two of them in this story not to seize the opportunity to use it when the talented @muffinshark​ gave me permission. 
The sour taste of lemon eases down the burn in your throat after the second shot of tequila of the night. Laughs and chattering sounds mingle with the beats around you in the dark place.
“So, how’s single life treating you, Y/n?” Brianna asks raising her voice to be heard, making the attention of your other friends, Maddie and Taylor, turn to you as well with expectant looks on their faces while the four of you stands around a tall and stylish table.
Since they all wanted to dance, you ended up choosing a restaurant that turned into a club later in the night. The place is a bit too fancy for your taste, but the music is good, as well as the drinks and the company. 
At college, they were your little gang, but with time, as your relationship with Eddie became more and more serious, the group ended up drifting apart, shrinking the relationship into occasional text messages and even more rare encounters. Maddie is the exception, since her fiancée, David, is friends with Eddie, which led to the four of you keep hanging out as couples.  
You feel guilty and stupid for letting them aside, because you missed this, so much. And so did they, for when you called them, they were all on board to start seeing each other more.
“Pretty good, actually,” you answer, taking a sip of your bottle of water. You don’t mind getting a bit tipsy that night, but you need to get an uber by yourself back home and you definitely don’t want it to escalate to you ending up drunk on a stranger’s car, “I mean, I’ve been seeing you guys more often, I’ve been reading a lot, watching all my favorite films-”
“Don’t you miss banging?” Brianna asks, frowning at you.
“Bri,” Taylor scolds, but turns her focus on you, anyway, waiting for an answer, as does Maddie. 
You clear your throat, making some time before answering. You haven’t told them about Bucky… you’re not even sure why, but you suspect that it’s just because you don’t know exactly how to define him in your life. For a reason you still don’t have clear in your mind, you can’t just refer to him as a guy you had a deal with to bang, “Ahm… I’m not focusing on that right now.” You shrug, not telling a complete lie.  
“Ugh, girl, you should,” Brianna grimaces, “I mean… we all know Eddie was your first and only,” She huffs, “Now that you’re out there in the world, there’s so much you could explore. I mean… so much.” She smirks.
“You better hurry up, though,” Maddie says, gulping down some water, “Eddie is determined to get back with you, he’s been talking to David a lot about it and, I mean, he proposed and all.”
The grimace on Brianna’s face twists hard, while Taylor smiles sympathetically at you.  
“I know…” You sigh, looking down for a second, “I just don’t know how I feel about it.”
“You know what? It was about time that relationship of yours with Eddie to be over-“
“Alright, alright,” Taylor, ever the peacemaker intervenes, shooting a warning look at Brianna, who stays quiet but doesn’t seem too happy about it, “Enough about exes and fiancées.” Taylor looks past your shoulders and nods, just when a small smirk curls up her lips, “Look at that guy right there… a damn greek God, he would be perfect for you to explore, like Bri said.”
You chuckle lightly, not really getting as excited as you are expected to be.
While Maddie stands on her toes to look for the guy, you spot when Brianna’s face light up right before she shrieks, “Holy shit, that’s not just some hot guy, that’s The Winter Fucking Soldier.”
The air catches in your throat as your eyes widen, “Bucky?” You swiftly turn towards the direction they’re looking at. And there’s the man himself. Sipping from a glass of whiskey while listening to what one of the two girls he’s talking to is saying. Before there’s a chance of his gaze lock with yours, your face snaps forward again.
You ignore Brianna squinting at you, and bring your bottle of water to your suddenly dry lips. Seeing him there made you, all of a sudden, a nervous teenager who spots a crush at a party. You do need to figure out your damn feelings soon…
“Oh, yeah…” Maddie says, realization running over her face, “That’s him. Damn he looks good… Y/N, oh my God, do you often come across him at work?” She asks, excited curiosity on her voice.
“Sometimes, yeah…” you mumble, biting your lip, still a bit shook by his presence. Could it be just a coincidence? You remember telling him you were going out, but you don’t remember telling him where you would be…
“You’re so lucky to work there,” Taylor sighs while your mind runs at full speed, “The Avengers… holy shit, why are they all so hot? That Falcon dude…”
“What about Captain America? That ass…” Maddie says, with a dreamy tone, “And Thor… Tony Stark…the damn Hulk...”
“Bucky?” Brianna finally speaks, squinting harder at you and interrupting Maddie while she went over all the Avengers names and hotness, “Bucky? When did you two get so intimate… and why are you so flustered to see him here?” She tips her chin and waves all over you. Her eyes go bigger before she smirks, “You sneaky little I’m not focusing on sex right now bitch, you’ve been fucking him, haven’t you? You’ve been boning the Winter Soldier.”
You’re sure you look like a deer caught in headlights, because Maddie and Taylor gaping expressions now match Brianna’s. Seeing no point or really no good reason to hide the blatant truth from your friends, you allow you initial fluster to mold into a smirks, “A lot of fucking, actually,” you admit.  
After the squeaky reaction, you tell them all about the deal you had with Bucky, just leaving out the part when he confessed his feelings. That’s still a sensitive topic to you and you’re not sure how much Bucky would be ok with having such an intimate situation exposed. The sex bits, though? You’re pretty sure he wouldn’t mind whatsoever.  
“Oh my god,” Taylor gasps when you’re done, “I’m gonna need another shot after that.” She fans herself before calling for a waiter.
“Make it four, we’re all pretty thirsty now,” Brianna wiggles her eyebrows at you, “Holy shit, and here I was thinking our girl was moping around and drying out from the inside of that vagina out.” She scoffs to herself, ”You go, you glorious bitch.” She reaches out for a discreet high five under the table, to which you quickly respond with a laugh.
“Ahm, guys…” Maddie calls, frowning at the screen of her phone after looking up with an apologetic expression, “David just texted me. He and Eddie are at the door to come in.” She cringes.
“Oh…” You frown at the news.
“Shit…” Brianna laughs, while the waiter arrives with the trail of shots Taylor had ordered, “This sure is going to be an interesting night.” She catches two glasses from the trail, handing one directly to you.
“Maddie, did you tell David to come? Of course he would bring Eddie…” Taylor tilts her head in a chastising way while the waiter places the other two shots on the table. 
“I didn’t know,” Maddie looks helpless, before turning to you, “Y/N, I swear… I can call David and tell them to go somewhere else, he will understand-“
“Shh,” you wave and shake your head at her dismissively, “Don’t worry, Mads, it’s fine.” You soothe her, “But my plans of going home sober have just gone down the drain.” You shrug, right before turning down your shot.
Grimacing at the sower taste, you glance behind your shoulder. You don’t spot Bucky there, anymore. You doubt he has left the place, but you catch yourself wishing that was the case. Eddie being there doesn’t bother you as much as the possibility of Bucky thinking you had made plans with your ex. 
Damn… you really need to put your feelings in check.
“Alright,” Brianna turns down her shot and claps her hands, “Come on, let’s dance, we can fix ourselves another shot in our way,” she decides, pulling you by the hand, to which you offer no resistance.  
You have no idea what Eddie or Bucky are doing there and of course it puts you off a bit, since you weren’t expecting an encounter with the two of them that night… but you know one thing, you came here to have fun and you might as well do exactly that.
While Taylor and Maddie choose to stay by the table, you and Brianna go to the dance floor. There’s a lot of dancing, drinking and laughs… so much laughing. The DJ puts on a playlist from your college decade and you two go wild with that.
“I need some water, be right back,” Brianna pants in your ear at some point, and you just nod, too involved in the music to stop dancing. This is one of the perks of staying single. You discovered a lot about you and just how much you enjoy dancing was something you’ve never been aware of yourself before.
A few minutes pass after Brianna left and you keep swaying to the music until you feel a pair of arms around your waist. A smile pops in your lips as an instant flashback surges in your mind: the first time you went out with Bucky… met his friends… danced with them until he came to get you… circling his arms around you just like that.
Chuckling, you turn around but the smiling face your gaze meets is not the one you saw back then.  
It’s Eddie.
“Hi,” he greets, keeping his hands on your waist.
You sure hope the disappointment isn’t etched on your face when you greet him back with a weak but friendly enough hello. You take a step back, unraveling yourself from his hands.
“Ahm…” He clears his throat, letting his arms fall to each side of him, “I saw you dancing when I came in.” He smiles, tilting his face closer to you and speaking loudly so you can hear him, “You looked beautiful…”
At the compliment your eyes shift to the floor and, not really sure how to respond, you just let out a small and breathy laugh. 
“I hope you don’t mind me being here, David called me and I… I’m not gonna lie, I really wanted to see you.” He leans even closer.
“Eddie…” you sigh, taking another step back as your eyes, almost involuntarily, roams around, trying to spot if anyone is watching you. And by anyone, your mind means Bucky. You find him. He’s up there in one of the mezzanines, engaged on a conversation with a group of people. You’re not even sure he’s seen you there. He’s not looking at you and he hasn’t come to say hello…
“Ahm,” Eddie brushes the back of his neck and your attention is on him again. He presses his lips in a tight smile before speaking again, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen the girls, I’m gonna go say hello and grab something to drink.” He nods towards the direction of the table you were with your friends before.
“Oh, ok, ahm, I’ll go with you,” you say and his whole face light up, “I need something to drink, too.”
He nods with a smile and gestures for you to lead the way.
Despite some initial wariness of Eddie’s presence among the girls, the night plays out pretty smoothly, actually. The little group you’re a part of engages in a jovial and light conversation. It seems like college all over again and it’s so much fun. You like that. Every once in a while, your gaze meets Eddie’s and, for that split of moment, it seems like nothing’s changed, but at the same time, it’s all different. Going out with your friends and having so much fun with Eddie at your side weren’t something that was a part of your relationship. But you could get used to that…
At the same time… more often than you dare to acknowledge, your gaze navigates unbidden to search for Bucky, to see what he’s doing, to check if he’s looking at you, to see if he’s still there or maybe has left… with someone else… Every single time your eyes find him, but not once he looks at you.
It makes you feel some kind of way… some longing kind of feeling.
When the shots and the water become a bit much, you excuse yourself to the ladies room, to where Taylor goes with you.
“So… it seems like you’re dealing pretty well with Eddie being here, huh?” she says, looking at you through the mirror while you both fix your lipsticks by the sink.
“Yeah…” you frown and shrug, “I’m kinda surprised to be honest. We almost never did this while we were together. I thought he didn’t like it, but maybe it was just us being too accommodated into a routine, I guess…” You look to your lips and resume to apply your lipstick.
“Yeah…” she closes her lipstick and places back in her purse, “Or he’s just making an effort to win you back…”
You sigh, watching her through the mirror, “Maybe… I don’t know…”
“What about…” she looks around the bathroom, there’s only a couple of other girls, but Taylor has always been the more discreet one, “the other guy? What’s really there? The way you talked about him, the way you looked at him… it didn’t seem like just sex to me…”
Oh… the million-dollar question. You put your lipstick away and turn to face her, “I don’t know…” You lick your lips after letting out an exhale, “He did tell me he was feeling something more,” you admit.
“Ah… I see…” She smirks. “What about you, huh?” She pulls you away from the countertop and to a small lounge area there in the restroom.
“I don’t know.” You shake your head, while a small smile curls your lip, “I mean…he’s… incredible… such a free spirit…” You grin wider as you think of him, “I had never met anyone like him before. I guess it’s impossible not to end up feeling something, but…” Your smile falters a bit, “I’m not sure how much he would be up to everything else, all the drama, I mean, that comes with a relationship… with experiencing a feeling deeper than just… sex.” You shrug and look down, crossing your arms in front of your chest.
“I see… but… Can I tell you something?” She asks, tilting her head.
You look up at her, nodding for her to continue. 
“Don’t get me wrong but, I feel like maybe you’re feeling and thinking that way because in your relationship with Eddie, you’ve learned that love, freedom, fun… all of that couldn’t work together and… I’m not sure that’s the rule of every relationship, though. It can be light, fun, meaningful and still be a committed relationship. It sure seems like you enjoy yourself with Bucky, and that’s what really matters in the end, right? They way you feel about yourself when you’re with someone?”
You just ponder her words for a second. You’ve been thinking about it a lot… the time you spent together makes you wonder how a relationship with Bucky would play out and… it makes your heart so light and hopeful… But it doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t lead to hurt or even that you have your feelings all figured out, yet.
“Anyway…” You shake your head, “He didn’t even look at me tonight, so…maybe it was really just an infatuation all along…” You run your tongue inside your lips, trying to suppress the heaviness suddenly in your chest, “Come on, let’s not spend the night in here.” You chuckle, nodding and walking towards the way out as Taylor just eyes you but follows you nevertheless.
The sight you come across as soon as you step out of the restroom makes you stop on your track.
He’s leaning by the wall of the alleyway, both hands behind his back, one leg folded up, his foot pressed against the wall. Dark grey t-shirt and blue jeans. Short fluffy hair in a combed back style. Perfect enough to grab… just how he likes it. Plump lips shadowed by a light scruff and soft blue eyes trained on you.  
Damn… He takes your breath away.
“Ahm, ok… yeah…gotta go, see you, later, Y/N.” Taylor says and swiftly leaves the scene.
All the while, you just don’t seem to be able to move your gaze away from him. When you spot the smile starting to curl his lips, you feel the tug on yours, too. And there you are, looking and smile at each other… the sounds of music and chattering muffled by the big door that separates the bathrooms area from the rest of the club.
Without uttering a word or parting his eyes from yours, Bucky extends a hand to you. An invitation…
Your gaze drops to the tempting hand, and then you glance at the door to the club. In your chest, your heart beats fast and almost louder than the music, like it’s making you notice it, telling you loudly and clearly you what it wants. When you look back at him, you have your lower lip pressed between your teeth and you step closer.
Your hands barely touch before he gently envelops yours in his. As the heat of his skin covers yours, his smile widens at you and he moves away from the wall he’s been leaning onto, moving towards the opposite direction of the music, leading you with him by his hand.
You hadn’t even seen the small black door by the end of the hallway, but he opens it and you follow him. Walking behind him, never letting go of his hand, he walks you through what seems like a storage room, until you find another door that leads you to a flight of stairs. Your breathing increases and you gulp down as you climb up the stairs with him. No questions. There’s no need.
When you get to the end of the steps, he stops in front of a two-leaf door and lets go of your hand to open it. He turns to you and, with that sweet smile of his, gestures for you step to the other side.
You breathe in the fresh outside air and step into what seems like a roof deck in construction. The sound of the door shutting behind catches your attention before you feel his heat on your back and his arms around your waist.
You lean back and your eyes flutter shut once he breathes in through your hair, making your arms go slack. Shit … you really missed him.
“It’s going to be pretty when it’s done, don’t you think?” He talks to you for the first time that night. His voice comes out in a low and raspy sound while the warmth of his breath covers your neck. Your thighs clench against one another, “I had a survey around the area once I got here and found this place. I thought it was perfect...” He whispers, tightening the hold on you.
You just let out a hum in response… The faded beats of music sound distant from where you are, but his hips start swaying, leading you with his rhythm... You sigh as a small smile pops on your lips when you cover his hands on your waist with yours. 
 “How’s your night so far, huh, having fun?” His low voice vibrates through the skin of your neck.
“Lots of it,” you let out a long exhale, leaning further against him.  
“That’s good.” A faint of a kiss lays on your shoulder.  “I saw you having fun down there with your friends…” He keeps the slow sway of his hips with yours, “So sexy, and beautiful,” he praises, and you lick your lips, “I hope you don’t mind me crashing in.”
A sharp gasp leaves your lips once he turns you around in his arms and you catch yourself by circling yours around his neck.
The intensity in his eyes is almost unbearable in a delicious way and his gaze roams around your face, carefully scrutinizing every single detail. With a will of its own, your lips part when your eyes drop to his, and next thing you see, you’re caged between him and the nearest wall.
He doesn’t relent to the silent plea in your parted lips and eyes focuses on his lips and, instead of locking them with yours like you can’t for a second deny that you want, he drags them over the bare skin of your neck up to your jaw.
“I thought that maybe I could add a little something to your night,” he whispers right above your pulsing point before his tongue darts to lick the skin there.
A wanton moan escapes you at the feeling… the sweet feeling of having him so close to you again. This time you spent apart from him… not for a second you forgot about the effect he has on your body… on you… and there he is again, turning you into putty under his touch.
“You look so sexy in this dress,” he continues and, without parting his lips from your neck, his hand skims up your bare thigh towards the hem of your dress, “Made me eager for a taste…” He whispers into your ears, turning your senses into a blurry fog when he drops on his knees in front of you.  
His both hands continue their ascend on your thigh and underneath your dress when a stubborn reasonable thought slips through the cloud of your senses.
“Bucky…” You pant, looking down at him, “I don’t…”
His hands stop right before they get to your underwear, “You don’t want it?” He asks, staring up at you.  
“No…I do...” you admit, completely unable to lie to him while you run a hand over your face, “Fuck, I do... I just…” You sigh, trying to organize your thoughts and words, “You said you’re…” You let out another frustrated breath by not being able to be straightforward with what you’re saying. He’s said he’s in love with you. You still don’t have a clear picture of your feelings, you’re afraid that if you go further with this, you might end up hurting him, which you absolutely do not want, “I’m still…” You shake your head, “I don’t wanna complicate things…”
“Shhhh,” he soothes, placing a long kiss on your thigh and then the other, which makes butterflies fly in your belly, before he looks up at you again, with a smile on his lips, “Don’t you worry, sweetheart… I told you before…” He brushes his hand lightly up and down your thighs, “I’m a grown ass man, I can handle my feelings…” He licks his lips and takes a piercing bite on his lower one, before aiming you a devilish dark gaze, “A grown ass man who wants a taste of that sweet pussy of yours... It’s just a taste. I missed it so bad…” he pleads, nuzzling into your mound through the fabric of your dress.
“Fuck…” your head falls back into the wall. If this is going to complicate things… you’re both adults who can deal with complications… right? You’re not that sure. All you’re sure about is the aching throb in your clit and your hands moving to lift up your dress.
Taking it as the yes that he needs, Bucky wastes no time, hastily helping you pull up the skirt of your dress up your waist. He swiftly drags the base of your underwear aside and digs in with an open mouth.
At the sensation of his wet and warm tongue on you again, shivers run up your skin to your nipples and your face contorts in a silent cry. Your hands close into tight fists, bunching tightly the fabric of your dress.  
He hooks a hand under your leg and places it over his shoulder, opening you up to him and you gasp, sneaking your fingers on his hair. He laps at your clit with a furious desire that makes your thoughts faint and your eyes shut, focusing your mind solely on the delicious mouth on you and how it brings an inferno upon your core and skin. The kind of feeling that only him can bring you, making you moan like that and kicking the air out of your lungs.
Bucky lets out a hum that vibrates all through your core and your eyes snap down to see his face shoved deep into your pussy, back and forward, while he grabs your ass and presses you harder against him. It’s like he’s desperate to taste you, to feel you, to have you all over him… and, damn… that makes you feel hotter and sexier than ever.   
 “Fuck,” you whisper under a heavy breath and grabs his hair harder.
That’s when he moves away and rests his cheek on your thigh, seeming on a fight for air himself while his stare remains on your exposed sex right in front of him, “Damn you taste perfect,” he pants before turning his face to grab the soft flesh of your inner thigh in a piercing but delicious bite that makes you yelp, “So good,” he breathes again, before flattening his tongue and licking a long stripe of your pussy.
“Bucky…” you whisper, letting your head fall back while your knees shake.
“Fucking perfect,” he moves to bite your other thigh sharply, which draws out a breathy and delighted laugh out of that dies shortly in a gasp when his tongue comes back to lick your pussy with renewed hunger.
You breathe erratically and stars appear behind your lids, shut in a dreamy state while he devours you out. He doesn’t use his fingers… only his mouth is enough to bring you to a little paradise in a roof deck under construction in the middle of the city.  
Your face snaps down at him with a glare once you can’t feel the wet and soft touch of his lips anymore. But the plea that comes out of his lips in a low and seductive tone makes it all worth it.
“Fuck my face, sweetheart…”
“What?” Your eyes widen a bit, in sheer disbelief, but with a hint of eagerness speeding up your breathing even more.
“Fuck my face,” he repeats, brushing his nose on your mound before laying a kiss on the spot, “You wanna come on my mouth don’t you? I want you to come all over my face, sweetheart, please...”
Fucking please? Does he really think he needs to beg you for that, “Oh…Yes, fuck yeah, I do.” Your voice comes out almost in a grunt.
He smirks and groans in response before digging in again and pushing your hard against his face.  Propped by a frenzy that rushes up your whole body, you do exactly what he asked of you. Positioning your hands on the back of his head you grind your pussy harshly up and down against him, feeling all of his beautiful face against your dripping and sensitive flesh.
His growing beard rasps against your thighs and it only makes the sensations even more intense. You can’t hold your loud moans back, that mixes up with his muffled groans, while you properly fucks his face. It’s all too much and it’s not long before you let out a strangled cry and your whole body shivers in a potent climax while you come all over his mouth and face, just like he asked.
Bucky tightens the hold on your thigh and ass, grounding you on your spot at the same time he peppers soft kisses on your mound, thighs, pussy… Your body spasms at the feeling and the aftershocks of your pleasure, until you can’t take it anymore and gathers the strength to grab his collar and pull him up to you. 
As soon as his face – glistening in your pleasure- levels yours, you steal his lips in a furious kiss. His taste is all yourself and, fuck, it drives you wild. You reach a hand down and cups his cock, moaning at feeling it hard and throbbing against your hand through his pants.
When you start gently palming it up and down, he grabs your pulse with his metal hand, stopping your moves.
Parting your lips from him, you frown, to which he answers smiling and bringing your hand to his lips, to place a kiss on it before lacing his fingers with yours and trapping your joined hands between your chests. The gesture itself is enough to make your face soften while you take in a deep breath.
“I’m gonna go home now,” he says, leisurely wiping his face with the back of his flash hand.
The frown comes back to your face, “Huh?”
He chuckles, having his face delightfully close to yours, “I’m not here to disturb you night, sweetheart. You go back and have fun with your friends, they seem great,” he brings his lips to your forehead, “You look so sexy in this dress,” he speaks with his lips on your skin, while your hands are still linked between the two of you.  His flesh one, he dips beneath the hem of your dress that now has fallen over your thighs again.
You’re suddenly out of breath one more time and can’t part your eyes from him, completely in lack of words.
As for him, he skims up your thigh and leans back to look down at his hand, “You go show this whole club how beautiful and hot you are. Dance with somebody,” he suggests, nonchalantly, like he’s not just now hooking a finger under the base of your underwear that he had pushed aside, to put it back in place and cover you up.
You watch, completely entranced, while he brings his finger to his nose, his eyes fluttering shut as he sniffs and hums, before his dark blue gaze is on yours again, “Let them know how good you smell… how perfect you are.”
A strangled noise comes out of you.
He chuckles, and cups the side of your neck, placing another kiss on your forehead, “I’m getting down first, and don’t worry. I know how to be invisible… don’t wanna bring any kind of drama to your night,” he says with no sign of bitterness or anything like that on his tone.
He doesn’t mention Eddie, but you swallow dry because you know he has him in mind when he mentions “drama”.
With a smirk on his face, he winks, before locking his lips on yours in a chaste but intense kiss. Too soon he parts away, walking through the same door you two hat gotten there by, leaving you completely speechless and wrecked behind.
~~~
When you were finally out of your daze and deciding that only tomorrow you would think of the many possible consequences to what had just happened, you managed to climb down the stairs and, after a quick stopped by the bathroom to put yourself as together as one could be at that situation, you walk your stubbornly wobbly legs towards the table with your friends again.
“Where the hell were you?” Once she spots you, Maddie shouts, with no control on the volume of her voice, looking quite a bit drunk with a margarita in hands, no sign of David or Eddie around the table.
“Ahm,” you risk a glance at Taylor, who avoids looking at you and focuses on sucking her own drink from the straw, “I saw a friend from work, I went to say hello.” You clear your throat.
“Don’t you bullshit us, bitch.” This time Brianna shouts, stepping forward and pushing you on the shoulder, making you almost fall ass-first to the floor if Maddie hadn’t helped you out by grabbing your arm. “Look at you. You look thoroughly fucked. Literally.” She starts laughing loudly, as the others follow.
“Shhhh,” you shush them, holding back your own laugh, “Holy shitballs, you guys. The whole club doesn’t need to know.”
The three of them start a drunken mess of applause, cheers and shrieks at your little slip. You’re too involved with them to notice that a particular pair of ears isn’t really that far from the table and hears the whole interaction. 
~~~
To be continued...
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shijjii · 3 years
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5 alarms that woke Chad up and 1 that didn't
Pretty self explanatory, noh?
(also, Chad has three siblings, two siblings that are two years older than him (twins, Fynn and Esi) and a sister younger than him by one year only (Adia), and he has two mothers Brianna Johnsons and Aimee Danforth (Fynn, Esi and Adia are Brianna's children) wow this is a long explanation I'm so sorry, please enjoy this thing)
One; cookies and lavenders
Sophomore year was something that he was supposed to enjoy, or at least, that's what his older siblings had told him.
Chad groaned as he sat by the window and waited for someone to sit beside him. Troy was somewhere near his dad, it was Mrs. Bolton's request that her baby boy not be separated from his father while travelling, so Chad was left to his own device, sitting by himself in the bus, looking outside the window as if he's in a movie
The others were already paired off when Troy told him his mother's request, making Chad unable to ask anyone else to sit with him
"you okay there, man?" he looks up to see Zeke standing from behind him. He was paired with Jason, who was already catching his sleep. It was way too early in the morning to even be awake but he did not complain as he knew how long the trip would be
"yeah, man. Just a little bummed, I guess?" Zeke hummed, disappearing into his seat for a moment and popped up once more with a Tupperware in hand "here, help yourself with these. I-Mom made it last night for me" Chad stared at it and took the container from his teammate's hand, thanking him before settling down as the bus started to move
He was too focused eating the cookies that he didn't notice someone sitting beside him until someone elbowed him due to the fact that the person beside him was almost tangled up with his bag
"oh, sorry" Chad looks up to see Ryan Evans, adjusting his lavender newsboy cap
"ish okay" he replies, mouth filled with cookies, Ryan was almost out of the bag's grip on him but he made one mistake and all of a sudden, it seemed like he was back to square one, making him click his tongue in annoyance. Chad settled the cookies in his lap and helped the boy out of his misery
"thanks" once the bag was now on the floor, Ryan thanked him and Chad just quietly hummed as he stared at Ryan and his lavender cap and lavender pants. He looked at the container in his hands before offering some to Ryan, who smiled and took one. He thanked Chad once more before Chad decided he had enough of the cookies and rest his head on the window to catch some sleep
He woke up when something was ringing and vibrating underneath his butt, groggily looking for whatever that was, he finds a phone that was definitely not his, he turns off the alarm and looks at Ryan who was asleep, with his arms crossed and head facing up the ceiling as his newsboy cap covered his face
Chad also noticed that he was shivering slightly and took off his jacket to put it on the boy, adjusting it a couple of times so that it won't fall off, he had to tuck in some of thr fabric and smiled to himself once he was satisfied with it
looking at the phone that was in his hand, he wasn't sure where he'll put it so he puts it inside the pocket of his jacket, hoping that Ryan will notice the phone once he wakes up
Two; illegal
Chad was waiting for Taylor to finish her daily 'light' reading in the library, he didn't really have anything else to do since Troy was off canoodling with his girlfriend
he made an impatient noise once more, making Taylor put her book down "if you don't want to read then just sleep" he looks at her for some time before deciding that she was right. He can just take a nap, so he made himself comfortable and crossed his arms, tilting his head down and closing his eyes. Tuning out the quiet chatter of some students who were discussing the theory of general relativity
He was startled awake as he hears a loud ring from somewhere inside the library, Taylor was almost finished with her reading when she too, was startled by the loud ring
"what the heck" she mumbles under her breath as she looks at the source of the noise, only to see Ryan scrambling to look for his phone to turn off the alarm
He was hatless and one side of his face was red, there were outlines on that side making chad presume that the boy had fallen asleep with his head on the table
The way Ryan rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and look for his fedora that fell on the floor when he was woken up by the alarm was doing things to Chad, and he didn't mind being suddenly woken up if the view was like that
"keep staring and he might melt" Taylor smirked at Chad as she closed her book, he huffs out in annoyance "let him melt then, it's illegal to look that good when you've just woken up" Taylor lets out a breathy laugh and stand up "come on, lover boy. Gabriella just texted me, saying that Troy's looking for you"
They both make their way out of the library, completely unaware of the eyes that trailed after Chad's back
Three; dreams don't count, but if it feels real...
The face Ryan had after he saw the enormous amount of collection of DVDs in their living room was amusing and cute, he had invited the boy over to watch some recorded musicals and Ryan said he'll bring some over, not expecting to see tons of playbills and DVDs. Chad explained to him that his mothers, Aimee and Brianna were quite the theater nerds themselves
The musical that they were watching was long finished and Chad had said something about Troy that just made the blonde burst out laughing, holding his stomach with his hands as he bent over. Chad laughed along with him, but he did not let this opportunity to look at Ryan go to waste. He just stared at Ryan, laughing with him, in hopes to not get caught. The way that the sun shine on him through the window made him look like an angel
After Ryan had calmed down, Chad only noticed how close they were together. He looked at the bright cerulean eyes that seemed to shimmer as the setting sun disappeared into the horizon through the open window
Chad doesn't know who leaned in first but the next thing he knew was that Ryan's lips were on his-
RING RING RING
Chad groaned and opened his eyes. He was just having a good dream when his alarm blared out through his room
"fucking-" he sat up and annoyingly stopped the alarm on his phone. As he sat on his bed in the quiet room, he thought back to his dream and smiled as he remembers the last part before he was rudely woken up by his alarm
"Chad!" snapping out of his trance, he hears Brianna call for him for breakfast
"coming, ma!" he shouted, finally getting up and fixing his bed quickly before making his way downstairs where he hears his mothers and sistsr, singing along with a song that he knows Ryan had sung once under his breath
sitting down on the table, ignoring his family's singing, he had a smile on his lips while his thoughts were filled of Ryan's face and laugh. Ever since the baseball game, Ryan would invade Chad's head at any point in time and it would sometimes get annoying because he can't focus but honestly, it was better than anything else
"mooom, Chad is smiling creepily at the table" Chad snapped out of his trance and kicked his younger sister under the table
"mom, ma, Adia is being offensive" Adia lets out a dramatic gasp and sets her spoon down with a slight thump "what?! I'm not offensive!"
"your face is offensive!"
"alright children, settle down" Aimee said with a snort and put down the food on the table, then they discussed that next week both mothers will have to travel to Chicago to visit their older siblings
Four; let the nightmare pass
Chad asked Mrs. Darbus for a quick break time as he was tired, he was surprised that she allowed an hour of break time. He had not slept very well yesterday night as his mothers got into a car crash. They were lucky that Brianna did not have any major injury but Aimee was the unfortunate between the two mothers as she has a broken arm and a couple broken ribs
the jock lays down in between the seats at the back, not even caring if someone sees him there, he just wanted to sleep somewhere quiet and far away from people. He set a quick alarm on his phone and laid there quietly
with his eyes closed, he thought how were his mothers doing? Were his mom doing okay? Did they eat? And if so, did they eat enough? Was Adia doing okay? He was sure that she was just as sleepy as he was feeling right now but how was she feeling? Was she scared? Of course she's scared, it's their mothers
and before Chad could even worry more, his mind and body has shut down
Ryan was tasked to search for Chad as they were going to start their rehearsal again, he searched every part of the theater for him, only to see the jock laying down at the very back, in between the seats and it was pretty obvious that he was having a nightmare, with the way he was twitching, the way his face would scrunch up and the occasional whimpers that he'd let out
Chad looked very vulnerable to Ryan at that time, he heard from his mother that they shouldn't wake up a person who's having nightmares, you have to let it pass. So he gently raises Chad's head and puts him on his lap, softly pushing his curls away from his forehead and with his other hand, he held Chad's, hoping that the nightmare will go away with the soothing actions that he was doing, not even noticing that he himself was falling asleep
They were both woken up with the alarm that Chad had set, Chad felt something quickly raise his head, a small thud and a sharp intake of breath
He opened his eyes to see Ryan's eyes tightly shut, holding the back of his head with one hand, he had his lips pursed. Quickly turning off the alarm, he then focused on Ryan
"what happened?" Chad rasped out, slowly sitting up and noticed that they were holding hands. He gently squeezed it to get Ryan's attention "I was so startled by the alarm that I hit the back of my head on the chair" Chad snorted and used his free hand to gently caress the back of his head as if it will relieve the pain
Ryan subconsciously leans into Chad's hand and softly smiled at his attempt, he feels Chad's hand carefully move from the back of his head to his cheek and he finally opened his eyes to scan the jock's face "you still look tired" Chad slightly opened his mouth to say that he was fine but closed it when he realized he didn't have to hide anything from Ryan
He smiled and put his forehead on Ryan's, closing his eyes "I am. Stay here for a little while, so I can recharge and everything will be okay again" he hears the blonde hum and lay his hand on top of Chad's, sitting there in the comfortable silence between them.
Five; apologies for the intrusion
Chad slowly opens his eyes as he reached out to his phone that was ringing, he looks at the time and sees that it was nearing the time to attend the last graduation party. They've already graduated and Troy was hosting one last party for their batch before they all go their own ways
Before Chad could even think of sleeping more, a message from Troy came in then suddenly his phone rang with Ryan's name
he dismissed the text message and quickly answered the call "what's up?"
"I had a feeling that you're going to sleep more so I've taken the liberty to come to your house right now and give you a ride to the Bolton's"
"what?" Chad sat up and made his way to his door but then he hears Ryan knock the same time someone knocked on their door
"Coming!" he hears his ma, Brianna, shout and walk to the front door
"wait, ma!-" too late, Brianna had already opened the door, looking at Ryan who was smiling brightly at her, phone still up to his ear
"oh!" Ryan's smile turned into a grin, he did a curtsy and said in his most posh accent
"Apologies for the intrusion, Madame. I'm Ryan Evans, I'm here to take lord Chad to lord Troy's party" Chad groaned as he ended the call and made his way down, he sees Ryan's amused expression, he was assuming that his hair was a mess and he did not care one bit that Ryan saw him like this if he get to see that amused cheshire smile on the blonde's face
"so this is Ryan Evans?" Brianna asked, smiling at the blonde who was standing by the door
"yes, ma. This is Ryan" Brianna opened her arms and hugged the boy, thoroughly surprising him "I've heard so much about you! Come in, come in" she ushers the blonde inside their home, Ryan regained his composure and followed Brianna inside
"Aimee can't greet you since she's resting right now"
"that is completely fine by me, I'm the guest and unannounced too, you don't have to inconvenience yourself because of me" Brianna chuckles "I like him" she points at Ryan and grins at Chad who was rubbing his face
"alright, you two go and get to know each other. I'll just get ready" he mumbles under his breath, waving his hand and not even looking at the two who was beaming at him as he make his way back upstairs
As he goes back downstairs, fresh out of the shower with a new set of clothes, he sees Ryan and Brianna talking about musicals and theater, quietly leaning on the wall as he observed the two talk in a quick manner. Chad just can never get enough of Ryan
Ryan finally notices him and stopped, smiling at Chad "you ready?" Chad nodded, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek and bid her goodbye
"take care of my son" Brianna says and waves them goodbye as Chad and Ryan get into the blue convertible
"so what did you two talk about?" Ryan chuckled under his breath, as he put up the hood of the car and closed the windows as it looked like it was about to rain "you ask as if you didn't listen in our conversation"
"yeah, but I wanna hear you talk. More so, I want to hear you talk about it because I know you two talked about musicals and that makes you excited" he sees as the tips of Ryan's ears turn red and started to talk about what he and Brianna discussed. He liked making Ryan blush, he liked it more when he sees him excited over something and happy
Ryan finally parked near by the Boltons and looked at Chad who was staring at him with love and adoration, there was a soft smile on his lips as he raise an eyebrow at the thespian
"nothing" Ryan said as he shook his head, answering the unspoken question
"sure?" Chad asked, Ryan hummed in response, there was a long comfortable silence between them, they were just staring at each other as if it was a competition but then Ryan made the mistake of looking at Chad's lips, and all of a sudden he leaned it. When he realized midway that he was going in for a kiss that may or may not destroy his friendship with someone he really got along so well, he decided to kiss Chad on the cheek
"you missed" the jock said, he managed to sound teasingly and breathless at the same time and that did things to Ryan
"did I? Where should I have kissed you?" he smirked at him, both eyes were challenging each other
"here" Chad whispered and leaned in, giving Ryan a kiss on the lips. They both sigh in relief, Ryan's hands snake up to Chad's arm, gently squeezing it, slightly opening his mouth, kissing Chad Danforth was not something he expected to be doing but his whole body felt like it was on fire and Ryan deepened their kiss more, making Chad groan
Before they can even do anything else, someone knocks on the window of the car making the two slightly part away from each other and Ryan click his tongue in annoyance
"later?" Chad asked, not really letting go of Ryan
"later" Ryan smiled and gave him a quick kiss before they made their way out of the car to greet Sharpay (she's the one who knocked on the window) and Zeke
+One; my knight
there was a ringing in the room, making him sigh and quickly turn off the alarm. Finally opening his eyes, he scanned the room that he has been sleeping in for the past six years. His eyes landed on the body that laid beside him, breathing slowed and relaxed, lips slightly agape and both their hands were intertwined. The two golden bands on their ring fingers glinted in the morning sun that was peaking through their curtains
Ryan smiled as he caressed Chad's cheek and sat up so he can become more awake. He remembers the day that Chad gave him a promise ring back in 2012, doing a wedding vow because they knew it wasn't legal to get married yet, and when they both proposed to each other back in 2015 when same sex marriage was finally legalized then got married in 2016, Ryan thought that getting into Juilliard was a happiness that cannot be replaced by any other, but now, with his memories with Chad, waking up beside him, were memories that Ryan will never get tired of.
Chad groans and snuggles closer to Ryan's body warmth, he can't believe that this man has stayed with him for thirteen years and that they're married for six years now.
the door of their room slowly opens and two children popped their heads in, Amara and Aidan Danforth-Evans blinked at Ryan in surprise. Clearly not expecting for their father to be already awake
Ryan smiled at them and motioned for them to come into the bed with him and Chad
Aidan quietly moved but Amara had different plans as she ran and jumped on Chad's sleeping figure, making both Aidan and Ryan snort
Chad made a sound as if he was dying "oh nooo, the horrible horrible monster has me! My knight, save me" Chad rasped, reaching out to Ryan
"you can save yourself"
"hey!" they all laugh at their antics, Chad maneuvers himself and had Amara up on his shoulder as he stood up from the bed
Aidan was now trying to save his twin sister from the horrible dragon as Ryan just watched them from the bed. If someone asked him thirteen years ago where he sees himself in the future, he'll probably say that he'll be alone and happy, dedicating his time and life to work
If someone told him that he'd get to marry his long time crush, Chad Danforth and get to take care of two adorable little monkeys, he'd probably laugh at them and tell them they were crazy
But looking at the scene that was unfolding in front of him, the way Chad slowly went down to the ground with equal amounts of drama, and the twins laughing at him, Ryan would not trade this for anything in the world. It was not something he had foreseen in his teenage years but it was definitely better than anything
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nofrndofmine · 3 years
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OK SO
None of the main four in Butterfly Soup are neurotypical and there’s like? A lot of evidence to support it?
(I have ADHD and I am mostly just pointing out things about them I see in myself, I’m aware Brianna has said she didn’t write them this way but there is so much evidence you simply cannot convince me otherwise you cannot)
Starting with Diya, I believe she’s autistic and has ADHD
Brianna has said she doesn’t like to wear anything that isn’t comfortable and she wears gloves more often than not which makes me think she has sensory issues
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(This is from the art book, if you’re wondering)
In most of her sprites she’s looking to the side which makes me think she has problems with making eye contact
The way Brianna describes her relationship with her parents sounds like RSD to me (the whole “people actually talk to their parents for fun” and “every time I talk to them it just turns into a lecture” things)
Brianna’s also said she falls asleep studying a lot. As someone with ADHD, I tend to stay up extremely late trying to do homework as my executive dysfunction doesn’t allow me to do it at like. Regular times so this makes me believe she also has executive dysfunction and often has to stay up late doing homework/studying
Diya has a hard time conveying certain emotions and will go non-verbal or play dead instead of doing so. There is no neurotypical explanation for that there simply isn’t man idk
Also!!! Special interest in animals!!! You cannot convince me otherwise
And sidenote, while I do hc her as being autistic and having ADHD, it is important to note that she has social anxiety which is mostly caused by her being HoH and that that’s a big reason she is the way she is. I feel it’s really important not to ignore that fact about her when discussing this
Secondly, I think Noelle is autistic
She often gets upset with people touching her which I know is like, canonically her being her but I think she has sensory issues personally. I’m also going to point out she’s a picky eater. I know that that doesn’t have to mean you have sensory issues but if she eats like, exclusively plain food and rejects anything too sugary or salty it just seems like sensory issues to me, like combined with everything else
The way Brianna has described her relationship with math and science feels like a special interest to me, she acts like she talks about it a lot because she thinks she sounds smart but actually she just. Really likes talking about math and science
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Her social skills in general are just not very good and the fact that her only friend was Diya for literally a decade before becoming friends with Min and Akarsha doesn’t help either. The way she responds to Akarsha’s jokes makes me believe she doesn’t understand sarcasm very well (and god me too). I also overreact to jokes as I just don’t understand it most of the time which to me seems like what she does
Min has ADHD and the fact that it’s not canon is so confusing like what ❤️
I feel like Min is so used to failure and getting berated for being a bad student/kid that she closes herself off and just puts on this persona of being a delinquent, but she doesn’t really want to be that, not really. The way she acts with Diya, Jun, and Akarsha leads me to believe otherwise. Brianna has said she’s “a bro at heart” if you’re nice to her and people... aren’t. She isn’t used to people being immediately nice to her so she acts mean to make people steer clear of her, she puts on this persona so that people already know what to expect of her before they even talk to her (Brianna has said she dresses the way she does on purpose, to intimidate people). She doesn’t want to get hurt by people not liking the way she really is so she makes it really obvious as to not get rejected. This is all just a long-winded way of me saying she has RSD. Plus the fact that Min “feels like Jun is betraying her” when he sides with their parents instead of her? The way she got extremely defensive when Noelle was berating her for failing her math test? The scene where she tries to denounce her and Noelle’s rivalry and Noelle immediately turns her down and Min gets all defensive and takes it back? Yeah
As someone with ADHD, I get like. Angry, like really angry. I know Min gets angry because of the way she was raised but I think she does because of her ADHD as well, she really just... can’t help it. You know that scene where her, Hayden, and Jun are at McDonalds after Min threw her and Jun’s GameBoy out the car and then Hayden asks her “why are you so angry all the time?... Just like, calm down. Try not getting angry” And she gets defensive and says “I AM trying” And after he keeps insisting she was in the wrong she kinda like, shuts down because he just Doesn’t Get It? Yeah
I also feel her defiance to doing school work stems from executive dysfunction, she just doesn’t Know that and just really Can’t do homework, she Can’t study. No one in her life really Gets it (but I like to think that changes when she finds Diya again and becomes friends with Akarsha)
Also! I am most likely over analyzing this (which I am with all of this but shhh) but I have reason to believe she had a hyperfixation on cars as a kid. Her whole thing with Hot Wheels and her comment about “driving you around in my Corvette” to Diya at their dog park date as kids, it just feels like a hyperfixation to me
And then Brianna has also said Min Tried learning guitar but “didn’t have the patience for it” which is extremely relatable. Not being able to learn how to play instruments because it’s just So Much work and memorization is a big problem for me because of my ADHD and just. Yes. She has ADHD ok
She’s very hyperactive in general, there’s a scene where she’s bouncing her leg up and down and Noelle tells her to stop. That’s ADHD man it just. Is man
And finally, Akarsha has ADHD as well and the fact that it isn’t canon confuses me!!!
The way Brianna describes the way she feels about her parents SCREAMS RSD to me. How heavily it weighs on her that her parents have these extremely high expectations of her and expect her to be something she isn’t? She sees it as an attack and shuts down when faced with any questions about her future (ie the auditorium scene)
I feel like her situation is similar to Min’s in which she puts on a class-clown, jokey persona so people can’t be mad at who she Really is. And she doesn’t joke around when it comes to serious things like when Noelle was sick to the point of nearly fainting and Diya coming out, she is just making jokes so people don’t take her as seriously as her parents. It’s RSD it just. Is
There’s also the thing with her overthinking (again auditorium scene). If this isn’t a burnout gifted kid I don’t know what is
Then there’s the thing where she cheats on tests which makes me think she has executive dysfunction and can’t study but she still wants to pass
And she 1000000% gets hyperfixations!! Mostly on anime and video games and stuff, Ace Attorney would likely be a big one
She’s also very hyperactive, if this isn’t two kids with ADHD idk what is
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And that’s it!! There is most likely things I’m missing but this is the majority of everything I wanted to point out. Again I’m mostly just pointing out things I see in myself. These are simply the most neurodivergent kids I have EVER seen and the fact that it’s not canon is really crazy to me???
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let-the-dream-begin · 3 years
Text
A Family of Our Own: Chapter 2
Chapter 1
Read on AO3
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May, 1754
Claire was in her garden with Maggie. Brianna and Kitty were supposed to be helping as well, but they were a bit preoccupied chasing chickens and making the dogs bark their heads off.
“I don’t want to hear it if either of you get bitten!” Claire called over her shoulder.
“We won’t, Mummy!” Brianna said, exasperated.
Claire turned back to face Maggie again, and the girl shook her head.
“Ye canna stop them,” she said. “No’ until it’s too late.”
“You’re too right.”
Claire was just about to demonstrate something for Maggie when the sound of a horse’s hooves caught her ear.
“Girls! Get the dogs inside!” They obeyed, turning it into another game of sorts to corral the beasts. She didn’t want the dogs spooking the horse and throwing whoever the rider was to the ground. It was midday, and they weren’t expecting any visitors. Claire squinted down the road, wiping her hands free of dirt on her apron, her throat clenching on instinct at the sight of a flash of red. Her nerves settled however, when she remembered.
Once a quarter.
Apparently it was time for Jamie’s first visit from Lord John Grey.
“Who is it, then?” Jenny appeared on the porch, flanked by the girls, including Janet this time, all having realized that getting the dogs inside could only mean a visitor on horseback.
“It’s Lord Grey,” Claire said, returning to Maggie’s side.
“Lord ha’ mercy,” Jenny breathed. “Inside, girls. Now.”
“He won’t hurt anybody,” Claire said, furrowing her brow. “There’s no need to worry. Jamie trusts him.”
“That makes one of us,” Jenny said, her jaw hard, and her eyes fierce. “Inside,” she said again, and Maggie trudged past Claire to obey her mother.
“Wait, Brianna,” Claire called, stopping her from joining the throng.
“Are ye mad, sister?”
“I want her to meet him,” Claire said lightly. “It’s about time she meets a respectable Englishman,” she reasoned, with no little disdain directed at the assortments of horrible Englishmen they’d been harassed by over the years. “Besides, he’s a friend of her father.”
“Respectable and English dinna belong in the same sentence,” Jenny grumbled, ushering the girls inside.
“Should I take offense to that?” Claire said testily, putting one hand on her hip and the other on Brianna’s shoulder.
“I’ll let ye know in a bit.” She gestured with her chin, and Claire turned around to see the horse crossing the threshold of the archway. She was surprised by his appearance; she didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because he bore little to no resemblance to the scrawny young lad from all those years ago. His face was kind and gentle; his eyes held both quiet mirth and an impenetrable sadness. He was slender but still finely muscled, the makings of a good soldier.
“Good day, Madame,” he said, slowing his horse to a stop. “Is this Broch Tuarach?”
“That it is,” Claire answered.
The man paused for a moment, blinking back something that was seemingly shock, his lips parting silently, then closing. “Well,” he said, awed. “I do believe I’m in the presence of the Englishwoman I’ve heard so very much about.”
He dismounted, keeping hold on the reins. He bowed lowly, bringing his tricorn hat to his chest, maintaining eye contact all the while. “Lord John Grey,” he said. “I am entirely at your service, Ma’am.”
“Claire Fraser,” she answered, curtsying, keeping one hand on Brianna’s shoulder. “And I do believe it is I who is at your service, my Lord. You’re the reason I’m no longer a widow, after all.”
He smiled, almost seeming uncomfortable as he put his hat back in place. “Yes, well, it was the least I could do,” he said. “And this is?”
“Brianna Fraser,” Claire said proudly, nudging the girl a bit so that she’d curtsy. “My daughter. Jamie’s daughter.”
“My God,” John breathed, his eyes wide with wonder. “No wonder she’s his spitting image. He never mentioned…”
“He never knew,” Claire said sadly. “I wasn’t showing until after Culloden. She was quite the surprise.” Claire gripped both of Brianna’s shoulders.
“Indeed,” John said. “Well, Mistress Fraser, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Brianna answered, her normally hybrid speech entirely posh, her nose stuck in the air. Claire briefly contemplated that perhaps her daughter was mocking John’s Englishness, but she quickly dismissed the thought.
“She doesn’t have the burr, then?” John said, amused.
“She has whatever she wants in the moment,” Claire said with a chuckle. “She’s quite the impressionist. Isn’t that right, darling?”
“Indeed, Mother,” she said in the same tone, staring John down, or up, rather.
Both of the adults chuckled, perhaps a bit uncomfortably.
“This is one of Da’s dearest friends, Brianna,” Claire said cheerily, squeezing her shoulders and looking down at her. “He’s the reason that he came home to us. I’d like it if we were all friends. Wouldn’t you?”
“I should indeed love to make the acquaintance of one of the King’s finest,” Brianna said rather obnoxiously, drawling the vowels like a veritable fop. “Even if he’s a bloody Redcoat,” she added, not skipping a beat, her accent remaining perfect.
“Brianna — !”
“John!”
Before Claire could scold her daughter’s behavior, Jamie came running from the side of the house, trailed closely by Rabbie, likely along to take care of John’s horse. John smiled uncomfortably at Claire before turning to greet Jamie as he quickly approached. Claire was rather shameless in how she admired her husband, glistening as he was with sweat from a long day in the fields, curls damp and wild, shirt slightly stained at the collar and clinging to him despite its loose fitting, exposing the overworked muscles beneath. She had to remind herself there was company, including that of their small daughter.
Dragging her eyes off of her husband’s beautifully made body, she immediately noticed she was not the only one aware of said beauty.
John immediately changed when Jamie came into view, in ways that Claire could not exactly put her finger on. He seemed lighter, as if being fed for the first time after months of starvation.
Christ...this isn’t attraction.
This man is in love with my husband.
“Christ, man, it’s good to see ye,” Jamie said enthusiastically, shaking John’s hand with fervor. “Ye’ve met her then? Ye met my wife? And my child?”
Any insecurity that had just seized Claire’s heart upon her realization melted away, and she strode contentedly to meet Jamie, pulling Brianna along by the hand. She smiled, standing at Jamie’s side and settling herself into him, warming to her core as Jamie draped an arm over her shoulder. She reveled in the smell of him; dirt, manure, sweat, and Jamie, his general masculinity.
“Yes, I’ve had the pleasure,” John said, smiling more genuinely at Claire. “Beautiful, both of them.”
“Thank ye, a charaid.” Jamie was warm against her, flushing with pride. “Can ye imagine? I had a bairn all those years and I hadnae a single clue.”
“I can’t imagine,” John said. “You must have been overjoyed.”
“Aye.” Jamie looked down at me, catching my eye sweetly, then winked down at Brianna. “She is...they both are my greatest joys.”
“It does my heart good to see you so happy, Jamie,” John’s voice became soft and light, his eyes glistening. “To have seen you through such pain, then to see you like this…” He stopped himself, seemingly overcome. Claire threaded her arm around Jamie, grasping at his side. “It’s overwhelming.”
“It is,” Jamie agreed. “There are still days I canna believe it’s true. I’m overwhelmed near every day at my luck. And it’s because of you, John. You are the reason I’ve got them back.”
He grasped John’s hand, tightly. Claire felt herself go flush, and she tightened her grip on Jamie’s side despite herself.
“I’d do it again and again, Jamie, no matter the risk.”
Their hands remained clasped together, and they maintained eye contact, and Claire suddenly felt like an unwelcome voyeur to something she did not fully understand.
He told me nothing happened. He told me nothing happened. He—
“Mummy,” Brianna piped, still not dropping her put-on airs. “I would quite enjoy something to eat.”
“Christ, a nighean, why’re ye speaking like yer mother?” Jamie wrinkled his nose down at Brianna, finally releasing John’s hand.
Brianna shot a look at John, her nostrils flared. “I’m hungry.”
“Alright, lovie. Go inside and ask Mary MacNab for something from the kitchen. We’ll be in.”
Claire briefly brushed a few curls away from Brianna’s face before the girl scampered inside, apparently all too eager to get away.
“I’m sorry…” Claire said once Brianna was inside. “She’s not normally so rude.”
“She was rude?” Jamie furrowed his brow.
“Before you got here, she called him a bloody Redcoat.”
Jamie snorted, then smiled crookedly at John. “Well, she isna wrong.”
Claire pinched Jamie’s side, causing him to jerk a bit.
“She also was most certainly mocking his speech,” Claire said. “She does that sometimes, impersonates the Redcoats that come by. To make her cousins laugh. I suppose she thought she’d try doing it to your face since she knows you’re a friend.”
“Yes, well,” John dipped his head a bit, clasping his hands behind his back. “I can’t say I blame her. I’ve heard brutal things.”
“Aye. My family suffered many an indignity in my absence at the hand of some Redcoat or another,” Jamie said, tightening his grip on Claire. “My brother-in-law told me Claire was beaten.”
“Oh, Jamie,” Claire said. “I wish he hadn’t…”
“No, I’m glad he did. Because if he ever returned — ”
“I know Lord John is a friend,” Claire interrupted quickly. “But perhaps it’s best either way to...refrain. From what you’re about to say. Or anything similar.”
Jamie nodded, tight-lipped. “Aye. Well, ye get the idea. The wean’s trust has been broken. Hers and the rest of my family, unfortunately. My sister is none too pleased ye’re here.”
“Brianna has had to lie to protect me, us, all her life,” Claire said softly. “She saw me bruised and bloodied after that beating. She’s...she’s only eight. Back then she was only six. It’s...difficult to conceptualize a ‘good Redcoat’. For everyone, not just her.”
“I understand,” John said. “Believe me, I do. The last thing I want is to make anybody uncomfortable. I’ll just fill out the report and be on my way.”
“Ye mean just leave?” Jamie said, incredulous. “I’ll no’ have that. Ye’ve been traveling fer days, no doubt, no’ a home-cooked meal in sight.”
“Well, yes — ”
“And beds at an inn arena so comfortable, I ken it well.”
“Stay the night?” Claire said, perhaps a little too abruptly. “Do you think that’s the best idea? You know...Jenny?” she added quickly.
Not because I’m threatened...because of Jenny.
“Jenny can hang,” Jamie said, genially. “This man sacrificed his own safety to see me home. Right this minute he’s putting himself in danger, knowing as he does I’m no Mister Malcolm. The least we can do fer him is give him some leisure, good food, and a warm bed. Fer one night.”
Claire sighed. “Alright. But you are talking to Jenny.”
John chuckled, oblivious as to just how much he should fear Janet Fraser Murray.
“Speaking of Mister Malcolm, should I mention a Mistress Malcolm in my report?” John asked.
“Well...the other officers who’ve come by know me as a Fraser cousin, and a Scot at that,” Claire said uneasily. “Elizabeth Fraser.”
“I suppose I could say Mister Malcolm was made a widower during his time in prison, and that he’s remarried to the previously unmarried Fraser cousin. Would that make it easier for you both to live your lives together?”
Jamie and Claire exchanged a look. “What d’ye think, mo ghraidh? Any interest in being Mrs. Malcolm?”
She hummed an amused laugh. “It would be an honor.”
He leaned in to kiss her sweetly, and Claire was so swept up in the moment, she nearly forgot John was standing right in front of them.
“I thank ye, John,” Jamie said warmly.
“We thank you,” Claire corrected, smiling at John while embracing Jamie, “my friend.”
“It is a privilege to be known as such by such a woman,” John said with a small bow of his head.
“Shall I show ye around the grounds, then?” Jamie said, excited. “The lads are in the fields waiting fer me to return, but they can surely wait. Fergus can lead.”
“Fergus. Your son?” John said, as if recalling.
“Aye,” Jamie said, swelling with pride. “Ye’ll meet him at supper.”
Claire nearly offered to show John around herself so that Jamie may get back to work, but she knew that he was proud of his ancestral home and that he would find great joy in showing his friend all there was to see.
But she was too curious to pass up the opportunity to be alone with John for a few minutes.
“Why don’t you tell the lads you won’t be back so they’re not waiting for you? The last thing we need is Jenny’s wrath that productivity was slowed for all this,” Claire said.
“Aye, ye’re right.”
“We’ll wait for you in the stables, I’ll show him the stock.”
Jamie made a Scottish noise of approval, squeezing Claire to him and kissing her temple before darting off to the fields.
“Shall we?”
Claire looked up to see that John was offering her his arm. She curtsied slightly before accepting, fitting her arm in the crook of his elbow before heading off around the house and toward the stables.
“You have no idea how often he spoke of you,” John said, seemingly out of nowhere. “He loves you dearly.”
“I know,” Claire said. “I can assure you it is equally returned. Believing him dead was...nothing short of horrific. For eight years.”
“I am sorry,” John said, sincerely. “If there were a way to get word to you safely…”
“Please, don’t. You’ve risked yourself enough as it is.” Claire gave his arm a squeeze, offering him a reassuring smile.
A small silence passed between them, nothing to be heard but the bleating of the goats, the clucking of the chickens, and the leaves rustling around them.
“You love him,” Claire said.
John stiffened against her, nearly stopping in his tracks. “No, I hardly know what — ”
“It wasn’t a question,” Claire said, strengthening her resolve a bit, hardening her jaw. “Jamie told me of your predilections.”
He made to pull away, panicked. “Madame, I — ”
“It’s alright, my Lord.” Claire tightened her grip, not letting him get away. “Where I come from...such things are not so taboo.”
He gawked at her. “I’d certainly like to know where that is.”
“It’s...hard to explain,” Claire said wistfully.
John cleared his throat. “How...how much did he tell you?”
“He told me of your friend that you lost. Which…I am sorry for that loss.”
“Thank you,” he said, his voice tight.
“And he told me how you...looked at him. And now that you’re here...I see it.” Claire looked away, staring ahead at the stables as they came into closer view. “You look at him the way he looks at me.”
“I…” John sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I��m not sure either.” Claire kept her gaze ahead, uncomfortably aware of their closeness. “In a way, selfishly...I’m glad you love him so much. Because that’s what brought him back to me. But it’s...cruel, isn’t it?”
“How is that?”
“Because he...he’s not…” Claire almost stopped, as John nearly had before. “He isn’t. Is he?”
John chuckled softly, smiling sadly. “There were a few times where I thought perhaps he might be. But his heart belongs to only one.”
Claire could feel his eyes on her, so she turned her head, making uncomfortable eye contact. “So you really never…”
“No, Madame, I did not. We did not.” He did stop then, looking at her seriously. “I’d never met you, of course, but I’d not be able to live with myself if I was part of betraying you.” He started walking again, his more serious point made. “I confess I hardly even had the desire, knowing as I did how madly he loves you.”
“Hardly?” Claire’s brow furrowed.
“Well…” She could feel the heat from his blush radiating off of him. “I couldn’t say never. That would be a lie. And I do pride myself on my honesty.” His words were clipped and terse; Claire almost regretted bringing it up. “You could say the mind was willing, but the flesh was weak. In a way.”
Claire nodded slowly, staring ahead again. “If it...weren’t for me. Would you have?”
She felt him stiffen again. “No. It would be an abuse of my power over him. Such a thing would be despicable.”
Despite his discomfort, Claire could hear the genuineness in his voice. It was a comfort to know, but that still wasn’t what she meant.
“What if...that wasn’t an issue?” she pressed further. “Would you have?”
She heard him swallow. “Well...yes. I’d have tried.”
Claire nodded. “Would he…?”
“You know him better than I do,” John said, not a hint of malice. He meant it.
“I’m...I’m not so sure about that,” Claire said, sounding more sad than she’d meant to. “I just mean it’s...it’s been eight years. A lot of things can change in that time. People change.”
“While that may be true, Madame Fraser, one thing has not changed,” he stopped again, turning to face her, taking both of her hands in his, “and that is the love he bears you. That I can assure you.”
Claire forced a smile, gratefully squeezing his hand.
“God, you are a dreadfully forward woman,” he said, chuckling.
“I’ve always been terribly honest,” she said sheepishly.
“While frightening, I don’t find that necessarily a detriment,” he said lightly. He offered his arm again, and she took it much less hesitantly, leading the rest of the way to the stables.
“Do you know that I bear you no ill will?” John said rather suddenly. “I realize how shallow of a promise that may seem, given that you have everything I’ve ever wanted and could never have. But it’s true.” Claire felt shame burning in her core to think of her initial reaction to the depth of John’s feelings. “Do you know what I said to Jamie after he was freed?”
“Cherish that wife of yours, Fraser,” Claire quoted fondly. “He told me.”
“Did he tell you why I said it?”
“No?”
“He asked me what he could do to repay me,” John said.
Claire felt an unexpected rush of tears, suddenly overcome with something resembling pity, mixed with immense gratitude. She squeezed his arm and looked at him.
“Thank you, my Lord.”
“John,” he corrected lightly. “Please.”
“Then I’m Claire,” she echoed, “John.”
“Alright, Claire.”
They finally reached the stables, and Claire took the initiative to introduce him to all of the horses. Rabbie was in a stall with John’s horse, still brushing the beast down as he gnawed on his hay. John was absolutely tickled when Claire introduced Alastair as Brianna’s horse.
“Takes after her father, then?”
“Quite. She’d been begging me to ride since she could talk. I delayed it for years because of her condition.”
“Condition?” John’s brow furrowed, concerned.
“Oh, she’s perfectly healthy. Just...leftover complications from a difficult birth. If she fell it could kill her. I’m just...paranoid.”
“I see,” John said, though he still seemed concerned. “Does Jamie know?”
“Do I know what?” Jamie appeared in the doorway of the stables.
“Brianna’s condition,” Claire said, welcoming Jamie back into her arms.
“Oh, aye, I ken all about that,” Jamie said. “She’s a fighter, my daughter. Braw wee thing.”
“I can tell,” John said, smiling knowingly.
“Alright,” Jamie said, taking the place that John had just had, settling Claire’s arm in the crook of his elbow. “Ye’re acquainted wi’ the beasts, aye? Shall we move on to the rest of the land?”
Claire and John exchanged a fond look before both looking up at Jamie.
“We shall,” John said.
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baobaojng · 4 years
Text
when icarus falls (jung jaehyun) - act two (final)
when icarus falls - act one, half time interval, act two
jung yoonoh (jaehyun) x reader - college athlete!au , crush!au
themes: angst, fluff, (super tiny tiny tiny implied smut)
reminders: YOU HAVE TO READ THE HALF TIME INTERVAL BEFORE YOU PROCEED TO THIS PART!!
summary: some tragic story of you sharing one class with your long time college crush jaehyun who never notices you until he accidentally reads your work and he gets curious— oh, and he uses lame excuses to get to talk to you.
note: AAAAA here we finally are! thank you so much for the kind words and the support y’all gave during the entire process of this fic, i’m so grateful! hope to see you guys read my fics in the future! from here, this has been ‘when icarus falls,’ thank you.
wordcount: 15,375
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Chittaphon and Doyoung did not ask any questions when you asked them to drive you home, but since you spilt your own feelings to them - they already knew that something bad happened between you and Jaehyun. You were silently holding sobs in the backseat, not even wanting to make any semblance of a sniffle, but it caused more pain to your windpipe that felt like it was swelling. When they reached your apartment an hour and a half later you immediately got out the car, wanting to vomit on the sidewalk. Although you knew that what had happened with Jaehyun punched the sobriety back into your senses, your body seemed to protest otherwise.
“I’m so fucked.” You managed to say in between breaths, your mouth tasted like acid. You hated yourself for ever drinking and for ever setting foot in that place, your two friends worried behind you - Chittaphon having to pull your hair back. And then you cried in full volume, like putting yourself on mute pented up even more of your emotions. They didn’t know how to respond, but you couldn’t blame them for that. There was always an assumption that they would never really understand you even if you told them how you felt, and they really wouldn’t. In fact, at this point, not a soul could understand what you felt for Jung Jaehyun.
They don’t walk you inside your apartment; you assured them that despite your puffed up face and the strained feeling of your throat that you could make it to bed safely. It did not feel like the right time to be coddled by your friends. You just wanted to be alone.
Buzzing sounds were coming from your phone, and Jaehyun’s contact photo was flashing across the screen. Your eyes squinted at the light, but it hurt more knowing that he was trying.
Jaehyunnie: let’s talk (3:04am)
Even in text, it seems, you’ve rubbed off of each other; he even typed the way you did already.
Jaehyunnie: please (3:05am)
Jaehyunnie: just answer me, please (3:05am)
Jaehyunnie: y/n please (3:06am)
Tears dripped out of your eyes continuously, it was going to be hard trying to fall asleep.
-
Jung Jaehyun’s number was officially blocked on your phone. For hours you tried convincing yourself that this seriously wasn’t chickening out - this was more about you knowing that there wasn’t going to be good conversation about what had happened, plus your ego would not want to be compromised by immediately jumping at his request of talking. Your emotions needed to mature a little bit more, and until when you didn’t know. Space was needed and even more so the time for you to really think things over. For once you did not allow yourself to point fingers at the alcohol or the circumstances of that night; it was meant to happen then anyway. The world was cruel in so many different senses that it reminded you that you couldn’t uphold the friendship you established with Jaehyun. It had to end the same way it started: where your world crashed down around the idea of your feelings for him.
When Monday rolled around, it took a lot of guts deciding whether or not you were going to end up going to your Literature class, but you painfully forced Chittaphon to vacate his seat next to Jaehyun and sit next to you - afraid that you would have no form of protection if Jaehyun were to try and approach you in class.
“You’re about to drill a hole through the floor with your foot if you keep on thumping it up and down like that.” Chittaphon commented, all while you didn’t notice how nervous your body was reacting.
“Drill a hole through my head, won’t you? I seriously don’t want to be here.” You agonized in your seat, covered in about three layers of clothing in an effort to make yourself believe that it would be a good disguise against Jaehyun. Maybe, just maybe, he would flat out forget you existed if he could not see you in the mounds of sweaters you tried to concoct this morning. It was some delusion wanting for him to not notice you and for you to run away from this with no feelings at all.
Chittaphon seemed a little sad for you, the downwards slope his lips were going to was enough of a sign anyway. “Cheer up, won’t you? If he did the wrong thing at the wrong time and you know you were wronged somehow, shouldn’t he be the one to suffer like this? It’s really Jaehyun’s loss, not your’s.”
The comment was a little too soon to make, especially when Brianna Chang wrapped herself around Jung Jaehyun’s arm like jewelry as they walked in Literature at the same time. She sat down where Chittaphon normally sat, and Jaehyun didn’t seem like he even noticed that his friend wasn’t sitting there. She did not even take this class, but to be fair it wasn’t even twenty minutes till the class started.
Suddenly you regretted the layers of clothing you wore; they felt like a boiling prison chamber.
When Brianna Chang (very loudly) laughed at something Jaehyun had said and placed her hand on his forearm, it sent an echoing pang into your chest. So this is what it felt like looking at him from afar, lest you forget where you were before the two of you had become close. This is how it felt like seeing him not care about everybody else because he could hang out with whomever he wanted despite the dirty looks thrown his way. Quite literally, this is how it felt like taking the backseat. And when Brianna Chang left five minutes before the professor’s arrival, Jaehyun walking her to the door, his eyes searched for yours. Only a split second of surrender occurred until you stripped yourself away from his gaze; you weren’t playing this game.
Jaehyun looked like he didn’t care anyway, and it hurt more to know that he just looked at you and walked back to his seat. You expected him to carry on his efforts at trying to talk to you, but you should have known that he wasn’t one to prolong things.
This was foul two, the first he committed that night on the beach.
Maybe you were just that disposable.
You finally decided to answer Chitapphon who looked just as puzzled as how you felt. Unfortunate how he was debunked so quickly. “You were saying?”
-
Dinner became an issue you thought you would never think about. It seemed that you’ve grown so used to having Jaehyun ask you to dinner everyday, him waiting for you by the tree you claimed in the quad. Now it was just straight walks back to your apartment alone, not realizing you needed the evening sustenance until your stomach started growling while you were trying your best to distract yourself with all the reading requirements you were digesting in advance. Maybe it was metaphorical for how you were trying to avoid Jaehyun, you could only go in for so long before realizing how much you needed him now. The harder you tried to avoid him physically, everything else would remind you that you couldn’t forget him or dodge the idea of him. It was diabolical how you were so used to this routine before you became friends with Jaehyun, only for it to be hijacked now because you built most of your time around him.
A video call request from Lisa chimed in, you suddenly had to dig through the multiple pages of books that buried your phone. Right, there was a mixer she was trying to invite you to but you declined. You answered her call anyway.
“Hey.” You spoke to the pixelated mess on your phone the audio already chiming in, mashed up sounds of music and other people.
“Y/N! Are you sure you aren’t free tonight?” She said, the lighting over on her side a little bit weird, but the signal came in better and you could see her clearly.
You switched your camera to show her your table, “yeah I’m sure, I have to write about Persephone tonight.”
“Oh, I thought Jaehyun would be keeping you preoccupied.” You loved your friend but you did not have half the heart to admit to her what happened, you knew she’d find a way to try to get you to talk to him and you were not yet capable of doing that.
“Nope, just me.” You reminded her, switching back to front camera.
“Yeah actually never mind,” Lisa said, this confusing you. She quickly switched her camera this time and zoomed in to someone. “Jaehyun’s right here partying too!” She remarked, and now you could make out the figure she was trying to capture on camera.
It was Brianna, her perfectly colored hair indicating it was her, and Jaehyun dancing on each other among a small crowd.
Suddenly, you did not want to eat. You had no appetite at all.
Foul three.
-
It was quite odd for Johnny Seo and Mark Lee to ask you to hang out with them after class. Not that they were difficult to be around, they were actually really fun guys - except you never really got super close with them. They were probably the closest ones to Jaehyun if you were to make estimates.
“I made a class outline for you so you wouldn’t pass up on getting some chow with us at the very last minute.” Johnny handed you a neatly written reviewer; he probably took some of the same units during his pre-law.
“And I’m here too so you probably can’t resist me and my fun charms.” Mark announced.
You could very easily try and pretend to match their energy, but you would be lying if you did and that on its own wasn’t fair. It was half true that you would pass up on hanging out with them (also because Johnny was one of the key people during the beach party), but only because they reminded you so much of Jaehyun— too much of him to rub off on every single thing and make your mind go back to him.
So you just smile and take the outlined paper and nod along, silently telling them that you were down to go wherever they wanted to.
Now, their idea of a fun time was to go to an Ikea to have food and look at furniture. You didn’t expect it from two goofballs who seemed to probably have zero knowledge on home care, but they proved you wrong.
There was no real idea when they asked you to hang out with them; you originally thought that when they walked up to you, they’d immediately allude to wanting to know about why you and Jaehyun weren’t hanging out as much and why you didn’t go to their practice for the past two sessions. Chittaphon and Doyoung had promised that they wouldn’t tell any other soul about the incident at the beach, and of course anything related to the feelings your harbored for their team captain. Instead they just went up to you out of the blue and told you they wanted to go out.
It would have been way too optimistic for you to expect that they wouldn’t brush on the topic either.
“So,” Mark said with a mouthful of meatballs, “why don’t we see you around much?” He asks cautiously.
“What do you mean? We see each other in school all the time though.” You try to be passive about it, because you very much know what he is hinting at.
“Why don’t we see you around much with Jaehyun then.” Johnny clarifies, and you nod once as you put away the drink you were holding.
The expression on your face is blank, and you realize now that you’ve mastered using it to really avoid how you felt inside. “You two really have no clue, do you?”
A ‘pft’ sound escapes Johnny’s lips, “of course we know something, but it would only be fair if we asked you. Especially when Jaehyun’s been whoring around trying to fool himself into believing he likes what he’s doing.”
“Let’s all just let him be. Besides, I’m sure there’s a reason for what he’s doing and maybe we think he’s unhappy because we don’t like his choices. If we all regard him the way we really do, then we should respect him and whatever he does, right? I’m respecting him by keeping my distance.” You shrug, maybe you had to leave it alone; you had no fighting chance.
“Don’t you think it’s worth trying getting through to him though?” Mark asked you with hopeful eyes.
Your nose crunched into different creases, “see, I blew him off way too many times for that to be possible. I don’t think he’ll want me to talk to him anymore either.” No, you wanted to talk to him for sure. You were just so scared of being confronted with the truth: you crossed lines that should not have been crossed. “Besides, it’s enough that I’ve liked him for as long as I have. And way too much that I was the one that messed it all up too, I should leave it alone.”
“If you say so, then I won’t force it. You’re your own boss.” Johnny respectfully said in defeat.
Walking around looking for blankets, the three of you caught up on how you all were. Your mind could not pin together how they had some sort of idea of what happened - maybe Doyoung and Chittaphon did snitch on you or worse, Jaehyun could have told them something. In that case, you wouldn’t know what he had said or what he had conjured up.
It should not have surprised you when you saw Jaehyun with Brianna, him whispering something a little too close into her ear. He was holding a basketful of home items. ‘Wow,’ you thought, they were going domestic now.
You were caught stuck in your tracks upon seeing it, and thankfully Johnny was behind you so you were able to lean on someone and not fall from losing your balance.
“Out of all the damn days he could have gone to go out and out of all the damn places.” Johnny huffed under his breath, but instead you tried to set him back into a calm mood by tapping at his shoulders with your palms.
“It’s alright Johnny.” You assured as Mark kind of just stood there to awkwardly assess the situation at hand.
“I don’t think it is.” Mark spoke and you noticed that Jaehyun had spotted the three of you. It felt like the first time you ever laid eyes on him, but the great feeling didn’t last long— certainly not lasting as long enough as you would have liked.
“Hey.” Johnny stepped out to pretend to be glad to see his friend, you noticed Jaehyun trying to make his way closer to all of you with Brianne just trailing behind him.
With the basket of duvets the three of you had selected earlier, you tapped at Mark to signal him to follow you away from this running into each other incident.
Had Jung Jaehyun the nerve to ruin Ikea for you, fucking Ikea.
Foul fucking four.
-
Jaehyun made you sick, he was some ritual that you embedded deeper in than the dermis of your skin - every single thing reminded you of him, even if they weren’t memories you shared together. It seemed that every single thing that had attached nostalgia to it had a little bit of Jaehyun. That’s why you decided that you were willing to forego your common routine in order to avoid even the slightest idea of him. He was like salt that degraded the metal away from you; it hurt even hearing the syllables of his name.
Doyoung usually accompanied you to your trips to the common lounge in school, as you insisted that you felt uncomfortable with the idea of being alone in public in some way. He happily agreed to being your study buddy, wanting to catch up on learning from you because apparently it was easier.
There had to be some way for you to simply avoid and adjust: the measures being taken to the extreme when you figured out that maybe now you took a better liking at Mediterranean food because you never ate any with Jaehyun, you did not take walks by the same route going back to your apartment— hell, you didn’t even want to hang around your living space because everything that used to be so organized was all messed up the way Jaehyun had left them. It felt like you were evacuating the storm that he was, and it was devastating.
For a while you were able to successfully carry out this goal by snubbing him in any sense that you could. Except, you had to admit that it left a pit open in your stomach each time you saw his back during Literature. Sometimes you could tell you were shaking from the wrist to your fingertips just because he made you wary.
Your success did not last long, like any other attempt at trying to avoid him.
He committed foul five when he entered the common lounge with Brianna, seeming to hold matching paper cups of coffee - distracting you from your productivity.
Jung Jaehyun never used to step foot here in all the years you’ve liked him, and even now he was getting in the way of your routine.
-
Four grown men had to convince you that the only way for you to get over whatever it was you were feeling was to flat out face it and try your best not to care. ‘Try your best,’ still did imply that you did. It implied that Jung Jaehyun still had some effect on you. Although you were still trying to convince Johnny, Mark, Doyoung and Chittaphon that you were fine with ‘leaving it alone,’ they could see right through you.
“You’re beating yourself up about him.” Chittaphon warned when the four of them practically barged into your apartment one afternoon. It was an argument you couldn’t win and a situation you couldn’t convince them out of. Thankfully you were surrounded by sensitive fucks who could really feel how terrible this was affecting you— you expected them to be more indifferent, to just not want to put up with your constant passive-aggressive answers and just agree even if they knew you weren’t truly speaking what you felt.
The real reason why they came over was to tease you with an ‘open invitation’ to having a friendly group dinner, with beers if your mood allowed, because they felt like you needed a little bit more fun and to stop being so paranoid all the damn time. There was a catch though: you’d have to sit through their basketball practice. On that note, you were about to jump out of your own skin in order to tell them ‘no,’ and that you did not want to even set foot in the basketball gym. Johnny thought way ahead though, telling you that Jaehyun has been negligent with practice these days and that he wouldn’t be there.
What Johnny didn’t tell you in full detail though, was he most likely wouldn’t be there.
So that meant while you were sitting by the bleachers- eyes roaming around at the spacious gym, wondering how you could sit here before almost all the time and not feel bored out of your mind, your friends were a little panicky about Jaehyun’s possible arrival. The place smelt like it used to, if humidity had a smell in this sense it definitely would be sweaty - mixed with all the different sprays each of the guys had. They were pretty surprised you showed up too, Yukhei and Donghyuck genuinely pestering you with tight hugs as they were convinced you passed away. Good for you, they had no idea at all about the context.
It felt like you were revisiting a dream: a little unreal, and a little melancholy. Never expecting you’d find yourself here.
Even the time you spent apart from Jaehyun felt longer than the time you spent almost everyday with him. Sadness could do that.
Foul six was even worse, when Jaehyun came in with Brianna again - smiling like he always did when he was with her. Your mind trying to recall if he ever smiled at you as much, or if he smiled at you as brightly.
He looked at you for three seconds, you could count with how slow your heart beat. But when he did see you, he lost his smile and he looked away.
Needless to say, you requested so many beers when your four friends took you to dinner— Johnny footing most of the bill.
-
It was a Monday when it happened, you were walking out of class alone (this time you were the one to want to try and savor the feeling of familiarizing yourself with yourself again, after what had happened in the gym and after another terrible hangover - you figured that maybe it was yourself that you were missing.) You thought that maybe it was time to breathe deeper and try different things out, although it still hurt you that Jaehyun seemed to be doing much much better at recovering than you did.
Well, who’s to say there was anything to recover from, right?
“This is one of the last requirements you’ll ever submit in this class. No, it isn’t in usual analytic format— rather, I want all of you to write up how you feel like you can related to Icarus in the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. Deadline is in two weeks.” You professor had announced right before you were dismissed, you simply took a note in your phone about it and waited for everybody else to exit so you could steer clear of walking with groups of friends that would obviously make you feel uncomfortable.
You were just about to walk out of Literature when you stopped in your tracks to notice that Chittaphon and Johnny were cornering Jaehyun outside the lecture hall. Morally, if you had any in tact for the sake of yourself, you would have gone and ducked your head down and brisk walked the hell away from there. Though, right now, you did not even have the guts to walk past them. So you decided to stand where you were behind the big doors and hide. Yes, eavesdropping was a terrible idea but you couldn’t help but wonder why the two were cornering the team captain; they very clearly discussed their dismay towards his insensitivities toward you and his negligence towards the team lately, but they knew much better than to ask for some confrontation. Besides, you’ve never seen them hold serious faces like that. Not ever.
“Jaehyun,” Johnny said deeply, he wasn’t speaking in the manner of a team member or a classmate, but more as a friend, “what the hell’s going on with you?”
You don’t see Jaehyun shrug, but you can hear the dismay in Chittaphon’s whine when there is no vocal noise that expressed Jaehyun’s answer.
“You said you were willing to talk to us! Can you at least give us a little more than that? You’ve been shrugging and giving one worded answers these days and it’s really getting on everyone’s nerves.” Johnny demanded.
“Nothing, nothing’s wrong at all.” Then there it is. Jung Jaehyun finally speaks, but you think that as you hear his voice - you’ve missed this voice so much - that it does not sound like him. Technically, it does, but it does not feel the way he really speaks. Jung Jaehyun used to speak in a way that even the way his voice vibrated at the bottom of his tongue, you could feel every pronounced expression that he was trying to put out. This Jung Jaehyun sounded flat, dense, as if his words were thrown around in a void. It felt cold.
“Seriously? You’re going to keep acting this way? Isn’t anything important to you right now?” Johnny raised his voice, you could tell the answers he was getting frustrated him.
“What? I can’t go around and have some time for myself now? Is that not unfair Johnny?” To no avail it seemed, it was even more challenging that Jung Jaehyun kept his monotone voice.
“I’m not saying that it’s wrong for you to take some time off but this isn’t you Jaehyun. Bigger games are around the corner! And what? You’ve been disregarding Y/N’s existence like she didn’t even mean anything to you? It’s fucking bullshit.” The tallest exhausted, and you couldn’t help but feel cramped up in a tight spot when he mentioned you.
“What do you want me to say? That she matters? I think I’ve done more than make it clear at this point, Johnny. If she doesn’t want me to matter, I’m done. She doesn’t matter.” Fuck, that hurt.
With hot tears dripping on your cheeks, you walk out of where you were standing. To this, Johnny’s eyes go wide and Chittaphon tries to reach out and console you. But Jaehyun’s face is something else; it crumbles and it falters down to the realization that you had heard everything.
It feels like you are retracing your steps on the beach when you walk away.
“Y/N! Wait!” Like how he sounded before, it was ringing. How his voice claimed the ceiling of the hall. He was chasing after you this time, and he was getting closer faster.
You have guts this time, even if you know you look like hell. Turning around you face him, “I don’t matter, right?”
His brows furrow in distress. “It isn’t like that.” Oh, but to you it was.
“I know what I heard,” you exhale a deep breath, “just leave me alone Jung Jaehyun.” You shrug him off, but he grasps onto your forearm.
“Can you just please listen to me for once and not run away?” There’s a lump on your throat you can’t swallow, but you stand where you are and you nod slowly. It hurts that you want to hear him out.
“What else is left to say?” You try to exhale deeply, even through ragged breaths you were taking in.
Jaehyun drops all his things on the floor, despite the deep loud sound of them falling, there is no commotion made. Only now warm lights of the campus are turned on because it is late, it is quiet, and your knees are about to clump in together to freak you out. But he breaks you even more when he pulls out some stapled sheets out of what he was attempting to rummage along his items. At first you don’t recognize the thing he is holding; it looks worn out with many creases and dog ears at the sides and you wonder what is it in his hands— but then you recognize the detail in spacing: it was your paper. Somehow it made sense now why it had gone missing right before you were to show it to Doyoung, and how Jung Jaehyun couldn’t get off your hair.
“I’ve always had this,” he tries to explain even with all the layers of hesitation, “except I never got around to explain it to you.”
You are caught in a trap, and you cannot respond. Only with silence and your teeth pressing against each other in anticipating agony.
“These words have kept me drawn to you. I think I’ve gone out of my way so many times to make these words come to life. And those months being friends with you I just can’t help but feel like I haven’t completed what I was supposed to. I just can’t explain why, but I don’t regret reacting how I did on that beach.” Jung Jaehyun is still unimaginably confident as he tells you this.
But you tear up even more, “that’s where you’re wrong.” The voice in your throat croaks and falters.
“How can you say that?” He asks as if he is hurt, which is a very big leap from how he had sounded when he talked to Johnny. You take a very deep breath.
“Because I’m not a fucking charity case, Jung Jaehyun. What you feel isn’t real if that’s all that’s kept you with me for these past few months. You just confuse your pity for an entirely different thing, but you should know that I never needed you help.” You cannot look him in the eye as you look for anything else to distract you: the floor, your heartbeat, the edges of your worn out Converse. “It just sucks that I know I’ll love you even if you think of me that way.” It feels like your throat was choking up on its own, suddenly you wished you were swallowing the words you had uttered.
Jung Jaehyun doesn’t answer you, and he looks like he cannot, not when his eyes were wide as they were - and the rest of his expressions just glitch onto you.
Then you walk away with salty tears fitting themselves into the crevices of your lips as you try your best not to let him or Johnny or Chittaphon to run after you. There was already enough running.
-
Perhaps you expected way too much of Jung Jaehyun to have the tiniest hope to even believe that he would get out of his way to try harder to talk to you, because he was doing the exact opposite of that. It seemed he had traded you in, in exchange for the life he had before the two of you were friends. Although it was a little odd to see him divulge back into a lifestyle he swore he hated, it never dawned to you how much it suited him. Jung Jaehyun was in his natural state of a dream around everybody else, and you were burying yourself even deeper in all the aged terrible literature that would piss you off just because you wanted to distract yourself. Who were you kidding? It had only been two days, and to be honest to yourself - you weren’t really holding up great because your choice of strategy did anything but distract you; it only reminded you that you were forcing yourself to be distracted by him.
You’ve lost any avenue of focus, so you decided it would be fair to end up just not attending your classes anymore. It wasn’t like you were dropping out of class, you had a few weeks left into the semester and you could pass a lot of your requirements over e-mail - it was easier to just decide not to go and wait until Jung Jaehyun graduated.
~
“I heard she’s dropping out of her units.” One of the girls from the table said, Jung Jaehyun only now arriving to Brianna Chang’s lunch invitation, overhearing this. He sat next to Brianna, who was replying sadly to one of her friend’s new gossip.
“What a shame, she’s really intelligent too.” She commented, and Jung Jaehyun had to raise a brow.
“Who are we talking about?” He asks.
“Aren’t you close with her?” Brianna asks him, and he feigns any knowledge of the sort. “Y/N?” She asks again and he couldn’t believe his ears.
He pretends he doesn’t really understand the situation, “she’s dropping out?” Trying to suppress his own worry, he just keeps quiet.
For as long as Jung Jaehyun remembers, he’s always noticed you. Even before you got close to the mutual friends you two had shared, he always noticed how intelligent you were for ranking up at the top of your classes and how you never seemed interested in what a traditional college student would. Instead of taking yourself the entire way by drinking your nights out like a majority of people he knew did, you always seemed to keep things under a minimum and just go with the flow. What was even more interesting was how you were still able to say ‘yes’ to your friends’ invitations as well as study your brains out, and always attend his basketball games. To Jung Jaehyun, it sure was intriguing. He made sure he read all the paper work you submitted in class whenever you gave the teachers your permission to post them for reference sake (he heard a rumor that you were just that good to be used for reference) - and it never failed to make him even more curious. Even if he had all the chances in the world to try and introduce himself to you and get to know you because you were always around Doyoung and Chittaphon, he never wanted to force anything out of it.
During the first time your Literature professor called in for a meeting regarding the trip to Greece, he was a little bit intimidated to find out you had signed up— but it shouldn’t have surprised him because of course you would sign up, he did not have to know you well to know that he would probably find you where there was a trace of learning and extra credit or some challenge at such. He could tell how uncomfortable you were sitting next to him though, rummaging your papers all too quickly to pass in an assignment to be the first one to leave, causing you to not notice a couple of documents fly off of your compilation.
Jung Jaehyun was kind enough to pick them up to give back to you just to be, well, kind. But when he looked up to hand them back to you, you were simply gone from the room. For days he tried his best to give your papers back, and he never dared reading them. Each time he did try giving your papers back you always misread the situation, assuming he was nearing you because you were always with your mutual friends (he thought it would be easier to talk to you this way because he wouldn’t know how he could muster any courage up if he went up to you alone) and you would leave. Jung Jaehyun swore millions and millions of times in his head that no matter how long it would take to bring back your personal belongings, he would not read them. Not a single word. He did not triumph from this promise, curiosity taking over the best of him, and he ended up reading these papers. The letterhead was written for one of your classes, in perfect format he might add. Jung Jaehyun read each word as if he were digesting them, bit by bit in each space and in each phrase - he found it curious: how the almost always uptight seeming person he had always seen around school felt the way that they did. If his mind were to tell him that maybe you wrote out of compliance, he wouldn’t believe it either; it was all too perfect and all too feeling for him to say you wrote out of the sheer need to.
The most striking thing was, it made him feel lonely— or, lonelier, if that were possible. Maybe you perfectly resonated the same feelings onto him through words, and it was apparent to him that he was a bit more frustrated at the thought that he did not know how to change your mind, he did not know how to be close to you.
It was definitely out of his hands when Chittaphon arranged a night out to drink after they had won that game when Brianna Chang confessed to him in front of everybody. He recalled how he saw you in the bleachers when he was switched out during a time out called by the other team’s coach, and how he didn’t care for the ‘major’ confession he received after they had won; he was too busy wondering why you disappeared along with the crowd, because he kind of knew that you would typically stay behind a little longer not to jam yourself in with the crowd. He had thought it would mess him up for the rest of the night which made him want to drink to forget about the girl he barely knew anyway, but to his surprise you were sitting there by the haphazardly arranged set of tables just put together - and he knew that after he accompanied his friends to order by the bar counter that it was definitely his chance to sit next to you.
It was another thing to text you the next morning, him trying his best not to write the most awkward greeting - considering that he did bring you home the night before. But he thought he’d never have any other chance to get to talk to you and try to be one of your friends too, and so he just did what he could even if it meant that he would plow through his own embarrassment.
The boy kind of proved that he had balls of steel when he asked you to have dinner, having a strong feeling you would turn him down because you probably would be busy. But then you had agreed to him anyway - to him it was just an invitation to dinner, but when Doyoung was there with you and asked what the two of you were up to, Jung Jaehyun thought that maybe it wasn’t ‘just dinner’ especially since his heart was beating faster than he would have liked.
You won him over without even knowing when the two of you talked over dinner, and even more so when the two of you had walked to your apartment just so he could take a look into your work. Jung Jaehyun realized that at the very least he was interested in you, but he was sure he harbored a little bit of feelings. From there everything had just blown into proportion.
He couldn’t imagine what it would be like without grabbing dinner with you, having you sit in the bleachers doing your paperwork but also surprisingly giving him constructive advice on the sport (this was honestly just the icing on the cake), dragging you out when you least expected to - or just seeing the smile on your face whenever you’d exit your dazed expression.
Jung Jaehyun never thought he could ever easily open up to anyone as much as he could to you, it was like spreading out a velvet map over a creaseless table - all his edges seemed to fall perfectly out of his lips and into your own words. He could listen to you recite your poetry all day. He only wanted to see your face after every single practice and every single draining game. He wanted to clasp his hands around your wrist just to catch you off guard, but also only because he had no other excuse to touch you. He knew he loved you since the first time he asked you to eat Chinese food with him for dinner, and he knew he would love you even more when you were so willing to show him your collection of literature. Jung Jaehyun knew he never loved anyone the way he loved you.
Something had scared him though, the idea that he did not want to risk romance with you. To Jung Jaehyun, he always received too special treatment from females - often receiving confessions, making it easier for him to know if someone did like him or not. So in his eyes, you seemed to treat him in no more difference than the rest of your friends. Many times had he longed to bring up the possibility of something else between the two of you, but he did not want to ruin what was already there. Maybe if he didn’t risk it, the routine he built around you would stay and he wouldn’t have to deal with the idea of ever losing you. Even if it was against his own heart, he decided to try and feel something else for someone else. That’s why he had chased after Brianna.
Imagine his surprise when you had told him that you loved him, Jung Jaehyun felt like he threw up his own heart and tried swallowing it down. When he kissed you, he wanted you to kiss him back and he wanted you to keep telling him that you loved him because he so desperately wanted to tell you that he loved you too.
But you ran away, because he knew that things weren’t in the right order for you to continue. He had just told you that he was pursuing Brianna, and here he was kissing you only because you told him that you loved him.
-
Guilt ate away at Jung Jaehyun for the next few days. Deciding it was only ever fair now for anyone in the situation, he called anything off with Brianna before things got to serious and before he could regret anything. He waited for you to walk through the doors of the lecture hall for Advanced Literature, but you never came in. He heard people talking about your absence in annoyance, knowing that to them it only mattered that they were talking about somebody else for the sake of gossip. If you were around anyway they wouldn’t bat an eyelash at you, and here they were talking about all the different possibilities as to why the school’s academic ace wasn’t attending classes anymore. To Jung Jaehyun, he was willing to listen to hearsay if only to feed his mind and to try and reassure himself that you were probably doing fine. At least he had hoped so.
“I heard she’s transferring to a different university to take her masters in advance,” the girls behind him were talking about you, “I mean, she’s always been offered many scholarships from a lot of the good arts schools. It isn’t far from happening.” Wrong, he thought. You always swore you would get your diploma and attend your own graduation to feel the payoff of all your hard work. It wasn’t the most likely case.
“I heard she’s going somewhere for extra credit?” Another suggested, and obviously Jaehyun knew this wasn’t true either; you had every extra curricular and extra credit related thing listed down for the semester - and you never mentioned anything.
“I heard she hasn’t been going to classes because something upset her. My dad works at the hospital, and apparently she went into one of the therapy clinics in their wing. She didn’t look so good either.”
Now, this scared Jaehyun, as it was the only real possibility in his head.
He waited for class to be over to be able to talk to Chittaphon, his friend treating him with a little bit more caution since the last time you had a confrontation with Jaehyun.
“Why isn’t she coming to class anymore?” Jaehyun felt like he started breathing after holding in his breath, deciding to get straight to the point already.
To his dismay, Chittaphon could only shrug. “She hasn’t been talking to any of us, we haven’t had contact with her since— well, yeah, you should know.” This seemed even harder for him now, only realizing how difficult he made this entire situation when he could have just grown the balls to tell you that he loved you even before you did.
“Oh.” Was the only thing Jaehyun could say, staring down as he fiddled with his thumbs. He was guilty guilty guilty.
“Jaehyun, I love this reform you’re putting yourself on, but allow her to be lost. Maybe she needs it, in her own selfish way.”
-
Jung Jaehyun realizes over the course of the next few days that he misses you, and that nothing has really changed that. He thought that he had already known how it felt like to be so painfully in love with somebody, having been in a long term relationship that everybody had pinned for ever since he started off in college. He had remembered dating Kristen Sy mainly because it only made sense to everybody else for them to be together. There was love there, definitely. But the difference it made with loving you meant that he did not have to love somebody just because it felt like they were perfectly made to be cut out for them. In a way, because you were so different from Jaehyun, it made you perfect. Now his mind was kept wondering about all the different possibilities and all the chances he had with you and what could have happened if only he knew how to speak up and to realize much sooner that he loved you too.
He’s been in the middle of wracking up a storm in his head trying to write the paper on Icarus, noticing that (even though that’s exactly the writing assignment) he isn’t any different at all from the character.
Jung Jaehyun, always caught up in his own world where he is always praised an loved by everybody else, but he is left in these moments of vulnerability because he loves you.
-
It is the championship game of the season, the last game they’ll ever be playing for college basketball, when Jung Jaehyun tries his best to get his mind off of you for just one second. Big scouts are there to watch the game, and he can’t fuck it up for himself or for any of the other boys.
He couldn’t say that during the time outs that he didn’t look for you in the crowds of people, because he did. Trying to imagine that you were somewhere there with Lisa and Chittaphon and actually watching the game. Although he could not locate you, and it was very difficult trying to control his sadness. In his mind he pictured your face, and how intently you would watch the game as if you knew how to play it in the flesh, and how you would clasp your hands together each time you would slightly panic at the possibility of a foul or a missed hoop.
His imagination was not enough, that was for sure, but the idea of you cheering him on and telling him you were happy kept him going. Remembering how you were so genuinely happy for him when he would tell you about how excited he was about being scouted by one of the largest Leagues there was, he couldn’t help but smile his way through the quarters of the game.
Except Jung Jaehyun never prepared for the times when he would remember your face through all the different memories you had shared, even at the final twelve seconds on the shot clock when he was running to their basket— shooting a three pointer with a sure win score, he could remember the way you walked away. And the look on your face when you had cried and told him that he did not understand what he felt.
He stared off of a blank distance his eyes not locked down on anything specific, as the rest of the boys cheered and some got off the bench - Jung Jaehyun’s last time playing for college basketball. Though, the pieces couldn’t fit - even as Johnny Seo smacked him in the arm out of the pure pride he had felt for his captain, and when everybody handed him the championship trophy and carried him from each limb to raise him up as the most valuable player, it simply did not feel complete without you there. Even when their coach told them that SM League would be scheduling an official dinner for him and his team to talk business.
They were all roughly packing up at the locker room now, everyone tired. Through the dreadful noise of Yukhei’s screeching, he placed his items carefully in his duffel bag; realizing now that he was going to have to eventually totally empty up his locker. The metal only felt as cold as how he’d like.
“Jaehyun hyung,” Mark snapped him back into reality, “somebody left this for you a while ago.” His eyes travelled down to see Mark holding a plastic bag, and so he nodded in confused curiosity as he accepted it anyway. It was food? Maybe?
Written in an oddly familiar puppy designed sticky note were the words ‘congratulations, i knew you could do it.’ He couldn’t mistake it for anything else, it had to be your perfectly curved handwriting. Inside there were cans of  convenience store beer and a single-sized pizza, reminding him of the times you two used to park by the bay and talk about life in the cold of the hood of his car. You watched his game. More than ever it hit him that he missed you.
-
Growing up and getting into all school levels, meeting new people and keeping old ones, Jung Jaehyun knew that he just wasn’t the type to really gravitate toward pain. He grew up an only child, with his parents’ undivided attention given towards him and his future - and although he did not make all the friends he wanted, he made really good ones and never had a hard time letting any of them go when time dictated. He learned that every time he used to scrape his knees, it wouldn’t make it feel any better if he cried about it— like every time he failed to make the perfect shot he expected to make in the first place, he never dared to cry.
But with you all he wanted to do was get rid of all the pain - the stupid sensation he felt all over his chest that he could not explain. It was all so alien to him, how you could matter so much to the point where he had to realize now over and over again how stupid he was.
Throughout all the stages in his life he knew that life came easy to him, and he was some how gifted with the charms of reeling other people in, and never having to worry for his impressions onto others. But when he met you, he was always nervous and afraid of saying the wrong thing. When he became your friend he was always thinking about how you must have thought that he was a big distraction and that you had better ways to spend your time. And in those short moments where he could not grasp the events in his own life, he knew he loved you and that’s what mattered anyway.
Jaehyun was writing his paper on Icarus, trying not to divide his attention into anything else. For days he hasn’t seen you in class and his mind wondered what it would have been like if the two of you were fine, and if he had told you earlier on that he loved you too. So now maybe he understood the text a little bit better, maybe he needed to take more chances like Icarus did - even if he knew the repercussions of his actions. And maybe if he did crash and fall, then fail like Icarus, it meant that he took a chance with you anyway.
There was no telling now that he’d broken your heart and his own if he were going to drown in some sea of regret or burn into the sun, but what mattered was that he knew something now that he couldn’t comprehend back then.
He was not afraid of loving you. Not anymore.
-
His heart was racing, as were his feet and the surprisingly heavy luggage he was dragging around as he and Chittaphon were tailing the Literature professor around the airport in order for them to be admitted to their respective gate. He had his passport lodged between the confines of his lips, trying to keep the thing from touching too much saliva. But then in between his fingers he tried to balance his identification card and his phone, and everyone else wasn’t of help because their hands were all pretty stuffed too. Apparently their flight wasn’t until two hours but since this was a school related thing, they felt the need to panic about being late or potentially getting lost around the airport.
They were going to Thessaloniki now, and there was still no word about your presence - not even your professor mentioning any such detail about an appearance from you on the trip. Jung Jaehyun wouldn’t dare lie and say that he was really bummed that you really weren’t showing up, guilt eating him alive, he hoped over the course of your friendship that the trip to Greece would be a fun thing to enjoy between the two of you. But now, part of him sort of expected a no show from you; no one has heard from you in two weeks, and how was he even able to hope that you were going to show up.
After checking in at the gate, Jaehyun and Chittaphon decided to get some food - as it was about 2 in the morning and they haven’t eaten anything. And there was a twenty our flight in total, the next time they were going to be on land was going to be the layover in Istanbul. Leaving the professor behind to look after all of their things as she claimed an entire bench to the three of them, they set off in a quest to look for some coffee.
“I’ll have two large Americanos please.” Chittaphon told the barista behind the counter.
Jaehyun raised a brow, there was so much caffeine in question, “two? Are you trying to wake yourself up or are you trying to get yourself killed? It’s that, or wasn’t I in charge of buying miss Kim’s coffee?” He asked his friend.
To which Chittaphon responded with a chuckle, “what? It’s not like I’m going to go all berserk on the plane ride after I drink this much coffee.”
“Oh but you’ll have to give me a hard time when you literally get pissy.” Jaehyun joked.
“Who says I’m even sitting next to you, Jae? I’d much rather sit next to miss Kim and tell her how extremely grateful I am to her for allowing me to go on this trip.” His friend jabbed at him.
“Well, whatever suits you Chittaphon.” Jaehyun looks at the barista who was ready to take his order. “Two Americanos and a small box of bagels please.”
As they walked back slowly to find the benches where they set up, talking about how in just a three weeks they were going to graduate, Jaehyun noticed that somebody was talking to their professor. Although, he doesn’t remember seeing anyone they knew when they settled in the gate, so he decided that maybe he mistook a stranger for miss Kim.
“Jae? Where are you going?” Chittaphon asked, three steps behind him as Jaehyun was close to stirring away toward another direction. “Miss Kim is right there.” In Jaehyun’s confused plight, he did realize that he wasn’t seeing incorrectly, and that he was really seeing their professor talking to somebody. But he could only see her back. Miss Kim noticed that the two of them have arrived back and she waved over to beckon them in.
And then the stranger ran a hand through her hair slowly, and a little nervously if his assumption was right by the way her fingers twitched. The thing that gave it all away was that ring around the index finger, one he was accustomed with, something he always saw you wearing.
It couldn’t be.
The stranger turned around, and it was a face he missed a lot. This was no stranger, it was you - little bit more tired looking, and your hair cut shorter. In a way, you did look a little strange; he held a lot of memories in your hands when he took them, scents associated with how he smelt your hair, and each reflection of himself in those doe like eyes. Now your hands were a little bit more frail, and your hair framed your face in a way of change, and your eyes were set in no shock compared to the way his held so much - they were empty. But this was you.
It was, it really was.
Chittaphon was going to have a difficult time trying to explain himself, especially since he and miss Kim knew you were arriving and coming with them to Greece. Also, how he bought you that extra coffee in advance. But most importantly, how he knew the strict seating arrangements of the plane in advance as well. Jaehyun wasn’t going to deal with his piss because you were designated seat mates.
-
You would have thought that you knew better than to decide to catch up from your apartment, missing two weeks of attending actual lectures - you relied on your professors’ emails. There was some unspoken advantage of acing all of your classes, and being known to be a little more advanced for your age. None of them seemed to second guess your request of asking for all the compliance work you had to accomplish because you had to explain that you had to take a short leave of absence due to ‘medical reasons,’ which was a blatant lie by the way; it was just something you thought was easy to fake since you found your way around to ask for a certificate of an old illness you had when you were younger - that now somehow resurfaced out of thin air. Nevertheless, you put your mind into work and said fuck it.
It was one of the stupidly relieving things you’ve done. It seemed, each time you got your mind off of understanding lessons yourself, your mind always drifted back to Jung Jaehyun - and the answer to avoiding those thoughts were always related to just sleeping it off. The cycle was sluggish, tiring, a terribly perfect way for you to try to grasp the idea of rest.
Until one day after stressfully running your hands through your hair millions and millions of times as the stray pieces disturbed your focus at the pages you were highlighting, you guessed that it was a terrific idea to cut your hair. Surprise, it felt like it freed much needed space somewhere you couldn’t quite pinpoint.
A couple of days on this hiatus you found yourself in, and a ton of coffee consumed later, you were palpitating beyond comfortability. Frustratingly, the facilities got it all wrong when you were trying to explain what you felt one of the men listening by the reception was the father of a girl you had some classes with (you remembered that face from her graduation last year, before she was now taking up her masters), and you were transferred to the therapy unit to make sure they tried all sides of trying to assess your situation. Funnily enough, it took a certified psychiatrist to figure out that you were drinking way too much caffeine.
Then a few days later, you knew that it was the final (final, final) basketball championship game for the collegiate level. Although you were gravely sleep deprived with less tense muscles clinging onto your nerves, you figured that you had a heart somewhere still hidden away tucked beneath Jung Jaehyun’s sweaty strands of hair. You argued with yourself that you should have stayed away, because you knew that it was inevitable for them to win. But you were not going to pass up the final time you were going to see the legendary basketball team you watched all the damn time since you were a freshman, and you weren’t going to throw all of Jung Jaehyun away. Maybe now you were calmer, hiding behind scarier, more intimidating looking people in the bleachers - clumsily balancing the pizza and beer you bought between your fidgeting fingers each time the other team would make a clean steal at the ball. It still hurt somewhere to see him. Jung Jaehyun looked tired on court, and it was the first time you witnessed him looking so disheveled in the place you’d usually find him to be shining. But when the crowd went ballistic when the margin was far off and he took a final shot just for the sake of it, you stormed out to leave your little gift behind. It all just felt happy in your head; you were happy for him, you were very much sure that he would be playing for the big leagues.
Even though you had this whole debacle on how you were secretly catching up with your classes, of course your participation in the trip to Thessaloniki wasn’t out of the picture. Part of you was awfully assuming that you wouldn’t see Jung Jaehyun on the trip because maybe he had half the mind to give it up because you were going as well. But then again from the absence you took, to which you did not respond to any of your friends at all about their worried queries, you thought that maybe it would be a lot more logical for him to go on the trip assuming that you were gone from university. So you asked for a special consideration from your professor, miss Kim, if she would still count you in as part of the trip - to which she answered with ‘as long as you are able to pass, and as long as you are able to commit to going.’
That, if it weren’t for your deep and utter need to be able to hold on to your love for writing, you had to commit to. Sure it was quite difficult to put a little bit of yourself aside in order to really catch up, but unfortunately that was the only path you could take.
-
Nothing could ever mentally prepare you for this trip. Not even the two weeks you took of intensive studying by yourself, or that time you learned French for a semester and was put on the spot for it by touring a French transferee around your campus. It wasn’t like you did not know that you were going to likely suffer through his presence; it was hard enough as it is to basically put yourself into isolation - and now he’s one of the first people you were going to see.
You had assumed over text with Chittaphon and miss Kim that your rather late arrival was absolutely fine, since they gave off the vibe that only the two of them were patiently out to wait for you at the gate. So when Chittaphon asked you if you wanted a cup of coffee during the wait, you immediately said yes - as you thought that you looked like such a monstrosity, the caffeine boost was very much appreciated. Except, when you arrived to have a brief catching up with only your professor who was surrounded by a sea of luggage, you felt oddly alarmed.
Alarms did sound off in your head when you turned around to notice Chittaphon and Jung Jaehyun holding excessive amounts of coffee, a very bland look dawned by the boy mentioned in the latter. It was as if he was wiped off of all emotion in one whole sweep of just spotting you, and it hurt to see him that way. It hurt to just see him at all.
How did you even get here a few hours later? Basically melting into your seat next to Jung Jaehyun, you felt like you were slowly going to disappear into a little pile of goo. The feeling in the air was terribly odd, especially when you were trying keep your composure - and you weren’t sure whether the feeling was angry or sad. And you wished your body was capable of turning itself into goo; it could save you the immense torture of the awkward tension that filled the air. Because he was there, he was real, he was sitting right next to you. All your eyes could do was try and distract your brain by looking at all the little cracks between the airplane seats in front of you, not minding that it looked like you were staring at the same cartoon projection of your destination from the small television screen from behind the seats. Chittaphon had betrayed you: admitting earlier that he was responsible for booking these tickets last minute because he took on this responsibility. Apparently you and Jaehyun were meant to sit at least ten rows away from miss Kim and Chittaphon, next to each other, with you seated by the window seat. This was a set up, and clearly it wasn’t working.
The hours between the flight it took for you to get to the layover in Istanbul was mildly uneventful. You weren’t able to really sleep it all off because the coffee kicked in at the wrong time, and it seemed the same way for Jaehyun. Who only took to wearing his AirPods, not sparing you a single glance at all. The way you retaliated was through watching a movie that was available in the files on the little television, not giving in to having to ask him if you could pass and pee in the lavatory - or just so you wouldn’t resort to breaking the ice because it was awfully silent between the two of you to the point where your throat felt tender. When you two got out your chairs to get your luggage in the compartment above the seats, it was basically the same thing. Just beelines to get the hell out of there.
You could see the hopeful look on Chittaphon’s face as he and miss Kim were waiting for the two of you to exit the plane. It was the kind of look that expected you and Jung Jaehyun to be chummy, or to at least have spoken over things and have an air of comfort between the two of you. But the three feet distance between the two of you was pretty explanatory, and your Thai friend had nothing to expect.
“We’re grabbing some breakfast here on the ground before our next flight,” your professor checked her wrist watch, “which is in about four hours? So we have a lot of time to wait and to eat.” She said, oblivious to the drama between her students.
When the four of you left the gate of the plane, Jung Jaehyun quickly grabbed your carry-on bag, which left you a with imaginary question marks planted all over your face. If you had any guts to even say anything, maybe you would ask him what the hell was he playing at, but the thing is - you really, seriously had no guts at all to spare and even try to face him at the moment. So you could not contest the action.
Even when all of you found a restaurant to eat at around the airport, it was odd sight to see having Jung Jaehyun carry only his and your orders back to the table - considering that he and Chittaphon were carrying the orders, and Chittaphon was the person to buy you coffee before your flight to Istanbul. Your hands brushed against against that of Jaehyun’s when he handed you your drink, the the surge of electricity left you even more puzzled.
But when Jung Jaehyun asked you if you were okay as you walked to your next boarding flight the few hours later, you decided you couldn’t do this. You could not understand why you did not feel like you wanted to rip his head off, and instead it even hurt you some place in the chest that you did not know could feel that way. You did not feel angry, and it scared you the most how seeing him could change everything so quickly for you.
“Y/N.” He drawled out, he sounded tired trying to come up with reason.
You didn’t have it in you to answer him, so you rushed on over to sit next to your professor instead - with Chittaphon seeing the look on your face. You were horrified, and you weren’t ready to face Jung Jaehyun.
Needless to say, you were sniffling in your plane seat for the first hour until you fell asleep and tried to keep the tears away.
-
When you arrive in Thessaloniki in Greece, your brain tries to wrack up all the million different beautiful details of the city. You could go on and on to describe the sight that lay before you, but at the moment you simply could not. It was a place that birthed so many different links to human life, and the many things you have read over the years.
You wished you could say that you could smoothly sail through the beauty of the place without having any bothersome thought in your heart because of the boy you were with on this trip, but you could not say that.
It was interesting to think that you’ve liked him for the longest time, and at some point you realized you were the closest friends - the countless times you would text, share the lamest jokes, watch him play in court and worry about basketball after, share meals, take pictures. He was like your poetry collection: you know it for many things and then you realize that all the tears and smudges meant something deeper. Like how he imbedded himself into your skin, and now it’s way different than what it all was.
After a long day of venturing out on the city alone, since you were given the privilege of time, you found yourself walking through the Promenade of the city - where the bay marries the platforms of concrete, stone, and wood. Even in the cold evening air you painfully wonder what went wrong, and how it all got here.
You knew you loved him still, for sure. It was going to take mountains and seas to change that. You could smell the air of the sea, could feel how your feet tried to balance off every uneven step. It reminded you of loving Jaehyun and being his friend, it just all made sense.
Reaching the White Tower of Thessaloniki, you decide that since it doesn’t close for two hours you could spare some time checking out the museum within the monument. It was built in the fifteenth century during the Byzantine fortification, the structure still standing tall on the waterfront of the city. No doubt it’s been tweaked a bit of times throughout all the years, the lights installed inside screamed anything but natural. But you led yourself through the maze of screen heads to be able to try and find your way to get on the top of the tower in hopes to view the sea in a different way.
You reach the top of the tower, only the lights below you truly light up the night. And once again, farther away from comfort, you are alone.
“Can I stand here?” A voice threatens you out of your melancholy, and you were drawn back to that night at the bar - when Chittaphon and Lisa basically abandoned you at the end of the makeshift long table. It seems that Jung Jaehyun asks you these kinds of questions as if you have property rights over all basic human commodities of chairs and floors, and now bricks and concrete. Even his politeness bothers you.
“Sure.” Is the same answer you pose. And he stands three feet away from you, like he has so far during the duration of this trip.
After a few moments of silence, he speaks. “It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?”
You nod, but it’s not like he is looking at you - because you are trying your best not to look at him. “Thessaloniki is, yes.” But he doesn’t respond to you, and you weren’t expecting a response from him either. Small talk worked that way, and it was hard to maneuver yourself into this ‘conversation.’
“No, not this place.” He says, gently. Before you could even respond, you quickly take a glance at him to try and confirm through his expression what he means to say.
And Jung Jaehyun is looking right at you.
“Jaehyun, I—“ You try and reason out that you aren’t ready to face him like this, not when your heart is shattered into a million pieces. And especially not when you don’t care that your heart is broken because he is right there.
“Remember when I told you about getting scouted by that big league for basketball?” He manages to misdirect you just when you were about to step away, so you end up staying in your tracks. “I was so fucking happy holding you then and there when we were looking over the bay on top of my car, and I realized just how scared I was about the future but you made me feel like it’s an absolutely normal thing to feel scared of the unknown. And maybe I wasn’t so scared after all. The view kind of reminds me of that, but we’re standing so far apart, and I can understand why.”
You don’t know what to say, except to keep the bunch in your throat bundled up in nervousness - how you cannot pinpoint what he is trying to lead to. But you find yourself tearing up at his words, and it is salty when your tears find their way to fit into the crevices of your lips.
“Conversely, I think what makes me more scared is that the only reason why I feel like things will go fine is because I believe you. I always really have, and maybe I’ve been too caught up in trying to preserve our friendship to the point where I simply never wanted to tell you that I’m absolutely stupidly in love with you. You aren’t some charity case of some social sciences paper that fell of the file and landed to my hands. It was a lucky thing that allowed me to get to you, and to realize that my admiration must have meant that I’ve liked you for the longest time. I love you because you complete me, and not because I’m trying to complete you. You’re the three-point shoot that makes me win the game by a landslide, Y/N. Now the only thing I know that really fucking scares the shit out of me is losing you and knowing that I hurt you because I tried falling in love with someone else. It’s you.” Jung Jaehyun explains, then pauses. “You can tell me I was stupid for kissing you on the beach like that, I just thought you meant that you loved me and I didn’t know how long for. You can even tell me to fuck off and never talk to you again, and we can try to be civil and enjoy Thessaloniki for as much as we can fake comfortability. I just want to say I love you for as much as I can before I make you run away from me again, because it sucks to know all too well that I love you and that I hurt you. I’m just, I’m sorry.”
You do not speak for as long as you please, because you are trying to absorb what Jung Jaehyun told you.
“Jung Jaehyun, you’re such a fucking bitch.” Are the last seven words you say until you come closer to him and kiss him as hard as you can. He doesn’t expect this at all, obviously - by the way you could feel his face lift in surprise, and the short lag time it takes for him to kiss you back. It’s as if it’s only the two of you there, and you feel yourself unfold in his touch - like the pain drains away from you slowly.
Then, you think, was it so quaintly beautiful to kiss Jung Jaehyun in a historical landmark. Even more beautiful (and kind of confusing) when you forgive him right away; you have been just as stupid as he has.
“So, you’ve been at home all this time, huh?” He asks, as the two of you awkwardly find your way back to the city’s promenade to buy yourselves some time before heading back to the hotel, the distance between you not so far away - but enough for you to feel the cool of the air.
“Yes, I have.” You answer sheepishly, he has you caught guilty of your preference of a flight mechanism.
You turn to face him and redirect the topic back to him, “congrats on your game, by the way. You really nailed that last shot.”
Jaehyun smiles, “you really went on over and watched?”
“I mean, I had to sit somewhere I knew you wouldn’t see so that it wouldn’t be awkward if you did.”
“Well you know what? It was more awkward when Mark gave me the food you got.”
It is your turn to laugh, “I wouldn’t say much about that. All the other boys caught me and I had to make the delivery a little discrete, it was up to them to assign somebody to give the food to you, Mark was just a little unlucky.”
“I’m only a little disappointed,” he pouts, “I really thought you’d be there to hug me first and to tell me I did a great job after my last collegiate game. I should have told you earlier how I felt; this was all really dumb.”
“In my defense, you know I couldn’t just go up to you and hug you after what happened.”
He smiles sadly, “yeah, I know.”
“Jaehyun, it’s really okay. I mean I did say ‘I love you’ first, so it’s on me.” You try to reassure him, but he tries to compete.
“I loved you first though.” It comes out of his mouth with no tone of doubt.
“No, wrong again.” You hold up a loose hand.
“I loved you ever since we had dinner together for the first time, I think it was really there. I know I’m right.” He justifies, but you raise your voice in comparison.
“I loved you first.” You throw the argument back at him.
“No, I believe I loved you first.” He tries to say, and before a loop of argumentation could even happen you start to babble.
“Jaehyun, I’ve loved you since I saw you smile at Johnny from the back row when we became classmates in English for the first time - I don’t see how you can top that. Besides, you just said that you weren’t sure how long I’ve loved you for.”
He looks confused for a moment, and he doesn’t respond. He takes both his palms and clasps at your arms to stop you from walking and to keep you in place.
“Say that again.” He demands
“I have loved you since freshman year? Is that what you wanted me to say, or?” You try not to sound like you don’t understand why he needs to hear this again. But what you don’t know is, as he holds you a little bit tighter, he never knew you’ve loved him for that long - assuming that when you told him you loved him on the beach shore, you meant only recently.
He looks at you in a way you cannot explain, but he kisses you so deeply. And when he pulls away his eyes are filled with question, “I’m so stupid, god.” He says to himself, but you laugh it off instead. “You’re always a step ahead of me, huh?”
-
Johnny and Doyoung wake you up for a video call request the next morning, you wake up at the annoying notification sound. Neither miss Kim nor Chittaphon encountered you and Jaehyun together last night as you two took a bus back to the hotel after walking through the promenade, so there was no logical reason in your mind that could link back to why these two out of all people were calling you.
But you answer the video call anyway.
“What?” As the pixelated video connects you ask in a grumbled voice.
“Is Jaehyun not with you?” Doyoung says choppily.
“Huh? Why would Jaehyun be with me?” You are confused, as you’re only really waking up alone in your hotel bed.
“Am I not getting transmissions right, or haven’t the two of you made up or something?” Johnny asks this time.
“And when did you hear that?” You pretend you do not understand.
“Dude, I seriously asked Jaehyun to go and talk to you last night because he was planning on doing it anyway but he was chickening out. He texted me a smile emoji at like three in the morning and I thought that it meant that things were fine, but it must have been a sarcastic smile.” He explains.
“So basically you’ve been tailing me through Jaehyun, and now you’re asking me about it? You have real balls, Seo.”
“Are you and Jaehyun okay or what?” Doyoung demands an answer.
You break character just to piss him off a bit. “Yeah we are, dumb ass.” Johnny sighs out of relief from the other line, at the same time you hear knocking on your hotel door and you lazily scramble to answer it. Once you do open the door Chittaphon decides to just barge in.
“Why—“ You don’t even bother continuing your question, instead you change what you were going to ask. “Am I missing something here, or are you all just inviting yourselves to be part of my morning?”
“I don’t know, Y/N. Aside from the fact that Jaehyun woke up way too early for it to be normal and I could hear him singing in the shower. We aren’t even sharing the same room! He’s staying right next to mine and his energy is annoying. What happened? Did you suddenly profess your love for each other or something.” Chittaphon rants out of frustration, but you can only really laugh at this.
“That is precisely what happened, yes.” You answer him, as your Thai friend notices you’re on call with somebody.
“Oh hey Johnny, Doyoung,” He greets as he unsuccessfully waves his hands in the air, “guess we really are the fundamental bridges to their union.” And Johnny is quick to agree on the other end of the line just by the looks of it.
“Don’t get too ahead of yourselves.” You roll your eyes. It doesn’t take long until the entire basketball team goes on to flood your inbox about how happy they are that everything is suddenly alright. You suppose this is a cute thing, how all of these guys have been delicately concerned with what has been going on. You kind of feel like they are the lost boys of Neverland, wanting Peter and Wendy to kiss and make up. This is something you miss. Much to your dismay during that morning, when Chittaphon finally gets back into a good mood after napping on your bed for thirty minutes - in which you’ve already prepared for the day - you haven’t seen Jaehyun yet.
When you go down to the hotel lobby though, there he is, with his hair a little bit damp but his face thrown into a smile once he lays his eyes on you.
“Good morning, sunshine.” He greets, and it even looks like the sunlight is in chorus with his smile. Unbelievable.
“You look way too happy for it to be comfortable.” You comment, but he pulls you into a hug.
“We’re okay now, right?” He asks, and you chuckle into his chest.
“Jung Jaehyun, if we weren’t okay I wouldn’t allow you to do this to me.”
He hums. “I just wanted to say that I love you,” you laugh at him again like it’s the silliest thing in the world to hear— but you are surprised to know that Jaehyun is serious, “I have to make up for the years we could have been in this position, and I could have said it sooner.”
And that’s what Jung Jaehyun does, in every single alleyway and every corner you walk in Thessaloniki. He reminds you that he loves you. When your fingers trace through beautiful words written on the walls of museums, and look through the art piled up in random streets - he tells you he loves you and how you write, and how you tend to overanalyze everything of art you see. He takes notes of this when he takes pictures of you when you are not looking, and you smile when you take unflattering photos of him in return. When he takes your hand, and realizes you are all there is. When he is inside you, and you see how his eyes glint with each time he says that it’s you.
-
It doesn’t scare you when you get home from Greece. When you have to finally face the music and go back to school, people gawking at the sight of Jung Jaehyun being so outwardly open about the two of you being a couple. It doesn’t scare you to wait for each other after class to go back to getting dinners, and this time spending more and more time with each other. When Jaehyun asks you to be his girlfriend that time when he shadily asks you to go into the court because he said he wanted you to watch him throw his last hoops before the two of you get out of school. It doesn’t scare you when the two of you graduate a while later, and he’s automatically placed into professional basketball, while you’re assigned to do field work for a publishing company that offers travels abroad to investigate history and to simply absorb the world. College turns out to be way faster than you thought; one day you’re crushing on this basketball champion from the bleachers, one day you become hopelessly inseparable, and the next he’s your boyfriend.
Just a few days ago you handed him perfectly straightened envelopes filled with letters you want him to read for each day the two of you would be separated. He was going to intensively train for a while to condition himself in one of their facilities a few states away, while you were off to Crete to take note of significant landmarks and events there. It seemed that you could never have enough of Greece.
“You aren’t coming with me this time.” You talk to him on the phone before you were to board your plane.
“Unfortunately,” he says with a little bit of sadness, “but I’ll see you sooner than you know it, okay?”
“I know, Jae. It isn’t like we’re going to die without each other, this is the fifth time we’re going to be apart for the year but we’re fine. We have to get used to the set up.” You kid, and you practically feel his deep laugh from the other line.
“Oh don’t jinx it, please!” Jaehyun exclaims. “I feel like my heart is going to burst into pieces not being able to hold you.”
“Again, you aren’t going to die Jaehyun, so you better take care of yourself while we’re apart.” You recall the first time he had to go into training and you had to stay behind, Taeyong called you multiple times to say that Jaehyun would refuse to eat because he wasn’t used to the sudden quiet (even though he was with the noisiest bunch in the planet.) He wouldn’t sleep well either, and stay up all night reading because he said it reminded him of you. It took a lot of convincing but eventually you got him to get back on track, which honestly meant threatening him. “If you don’t take care of yourself, I’m going to make sure to beat your ass in return, and you should know that I mean it.”
“Breakfast and dinner don’t taste the same without you.” He whines like a child.
“You’re such a child Jaehyun—“
“I love you.”
Even if he’s said it a million times, it still puts you at a loss of words sometimes.
“My uh, my flight’s boarding. Love you too.” You’re forced to end the call before he can say a goodbye, and although you tell him not to miss you so much - you cannot tell him that you probably miss him more, if not as much.
Crete’s sun is only a little forgiving when you arrive, it is not to hot - but hot enough to bring your face into a scowl. It’s a little bit more calming in Crete than it is in the city you’re from; the streets aren’t as crowded as you would have expected upon your arrival, and the air feels just fine. For a few seconds you think that it might be a little bit easier not to miss Jaehyun, but then you realize that every single little thing you see you automatically remember him - and you want to bring him here just so the two of you can spend more time with each other.
On your first three days in Crete, you try to familiarize yourself with the place. Opting to really try and take a feel at how things are here and how life is, you find yourself exploring places in a quest of getting out of this loneliness you feel. The sun has left your skin in a reddish tint, and the looseness of clothing you carry around just screams how you’re ready for adventure. Chittaphon sent you a link to a few places he heard of from other friends, and that’s how you decided to go around. Eventually, you find yourself in an odd library that offers the sight of artifacts and statues, this is after scouring around looking for some place to eat. You haven’t heard from Jaehyun for the past three days either but you text him a good morning and a good night message each day, you think that the reason why he hasn’t been responding or updating you is probably because he’s too busy training - and it’s happened a lot anyway. So you resort to being on your phone less and try not to think about how much you miss him.
That is, until your phone starts ringing.
“Hello?” You don’t have to look at caller ID twice to know it’s Jaehyun, but the other line is silent. “Jaehyun?” Still no answer, but you don’t have it in you to end the call because it’s him calling.
“You’re looking at the displays of Artemis.” He says after a while.
“Hm,” you look around, and you think he’s only joking but you do notice the display incased in glass, “stalker.”
“And you’re holding a red leather bound book?” Jaehyun continues on but sounds unsure.
A ‘tsk’ leaves your lips, and suddenly you’re on panic mode. “It’s getting a little bit creepy.” You comment and he laughs, but this time it sounds louder than it’s naturally supposed to. So when you turn around to wonder what the hell’s wrong with your phone, you see Jaehyun standing there with his phone pressed up against his ear. You jump on to hug him, and you can feel the vibrations of his laughter. This is the last thing you ever expected. But apparently Jaehyun had to lie about having training; he was given some time off after exceeding his expected performance for the season, and this would be a good way to surprise you.
“Hey.” He peeks over to the book you’re holding: the myth of Icarus and Daedalus.
For a while you wonder if he’s really here, and in a deeper sense - you wonder how he’s your’s and how you ever ended up here. “You’re here.” You say, out of breath.
“I am, with you.” He smiles the smile you love the most.
“I love you.” You bury yourself into his chest, you want to bask yourself in his presence. How he’s here.
“I love you.”
Jung Jaehyun could never say he regretted flying too close to the sun, if it meant falling for you.
fin.
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footballfanfictions · 3 years
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The thrill of the chase - Chapter One
Pairings: Mason Mount/OC, Ben Chilwell/OC
Warnings: None for now but you know me, I like a little smut here and there...
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"If I have to edit and upload one more post about golden boy, I'm going to scream" I groaned, rubbing my temples. It's not even 10am on Monday morning and I already want to quit my job.
Brianna is sat on a chair, flipping through a magazine opposite my desk, and although her job doesn't require her to be in an office, she spends most of her time here.
"At least your job involves more than just washing and folding sweaty socks with your dad." She mused.
I rolled my eyes at her. She didn't quite get how annoying it is to be a graphic designer and social media manager that is only given the same images to work with over and over. My eyes flick back to my computer screen and the grinning Male on it. He isn't completely unattractive but him being a footballer and what all the praise he has been getting lately must be doing to his ego was enough to put me off. I would go as far as to say I disliked the guy.
"So if you don't like Mason, who do you watch from this window?" Bri was suddenly up on her feet and standing at my office window. It was floor to ceiling and had a good view of the training complex and sliding door access. The office had used to belong to Jose Mourinho both times he had been the manager here, shunning the actual managers office for one where he could see the pitches clearer. The first team trained about 5ft from where she was standing and if one of them were to look up from their drills they would see her staring out at them.
I pulled her away from the window by her arm.
"I don't sit here looking out of the window all the time, I have a job to do"
Occasionally, if I was on a particularly boring phone call I would let my eyes wander over to the window just to see what they were up to, but never watched any one player in particular. I didn't even know who some of the new faces were.
"Personally I think all the ones around our age are really hot -" Bri then started listing the names off and it sounded like she named the entire 23 man squad by the time she was finished.
We were then interrupted by a knock on my office door and Bri's father Dave stuck his head round it and said "sorry to interrupt girls but Bri and I have some kits to organise." He looked more amused than angry, being pretty used to his daughter avoiding her duties by now. "You wouldn't mind bringing us two of those fancy coffees of yours would you Katie?" He asked.
One of the other perks of having Jose's old office was the coffee machine. He had it installed and compared to the muck that came out of the cafeteria's coffee machines, it produced gold.
"Will do." I replied as Bri scurried over to her father and out of the door.
I decided coffee delivery was a good way to get out of having to stare at all the social media channels for a few minutes.
Once the coffees were made I tipped them from the plastic cups into two mugs from the cupboard beneath the machine, it felt nicer to take them to my friend and her dad that way.
It was tricky negotiating opening my office door with each hand occupied by a steaming hot mug, but I managed to nudge it open with a combination of my elbow and the heel of my shoe. I was just praising myself internally for getting the door open when something knocked into the side of me, tipping the contents of the mug into my right hand over whatever it had been.
"Oh shit, I'm so sorry."
I looked up from the hallway carpet which I was worried was stained with coffee, into the smiling face of someone wearing a training kit.
"No that was me, shit sorry. Have I just poured boiling hot coffee all over the star striker or something? Marina will kill me." I put both of the mugs down on the floor and ran back into my office, coming back out a few seconds later with a wad of tissues. I tried to dab the stain on his top with the tissues but they were pretty useless and he knew it too because he put his hand over mine to stop me.
"Don't worry about it love, I'm not star striker, I'm just the left back."
He didn’t seem mad about having coffee thrown all over him. Being a footballer I was half expecting him to throw a fit and go all ‘do you know who I am?’. But he didn’t. Instead, he gave me the nicest smile.
“Please let me get you another training shirt at least? I was just heading to the kit room with the coffees.” I balled up the wad of tissues and put them in the bin in the hallway just to the side of us and picked the mug that I hadn’t dropped back up. Brianna would have to go without and it served her right really for avoiding her job for most of the morning.
“Alright then.” He agreed. “Lead the way, I haven’t been here long, so not sure where to go if I’m honest.”
“Oh right yeah, of course.” I pretended like I knew who he was and that he had only just signed, unsure of whether he could actually tell that I had no idea. He probably did know that as I asked if he was the star striker, when in fact he’s a left back.
He followed me silently down the corridor to the kit room. I knocked once before entering.
“Is that you Katie?” Dave called from inside.
“No, it’s Starbucks” I laughed.
He opened the door, a pair of socks slung over his shoulder.
“Cheers love, come in.” He said.
I looked back at the footballer behind me and gestured for him to follow.
“I had a bit of an accident on the way here Dave and ended up pouring Brianna’s all over…” I was about to ask his name when Dave cut me off.
“Ben Chilwell! I was so chuffed that you’d signed. It’s about time we got an English core to this team back. God Katie did do a number on your shirt didn’t she?” he laughed, clapping Ben on the back, before he went over to a stack of the blue and white training tops.
Ben. Yeah he looked like a Ben. Undeniably he was quite handsome. I saw Brianna out of the corner of my eye, she was sat gawping at him with her mouth half open.
I tried to gesture to Brianna that she needed to put her tongue back in her mouth. She seemed to get the hit and straightened the way she was sat, playing it cool. I tried not to laugh.
Dave passed Ben a fresh shirt, and I got a whiff of the freshly laundered scent as it passed in front of me.
“Thank you so much.” Ben said, accepting the new shirt gratefully. “I’ll try my best to watch where I’m going in the future.”
He gave us all a smile and apologetically said that he needed to get back to training before he left the kit room.
“Blimey!” Brianna sighed once he was gone.
“What?” I asked.
“Sorry that you have to hear this dad, but bloody hell he was fit. I’m disappointed that he didn’t want to change here.” we both started laughing and Dave shook his head, muttering a ‘you two’ under his breath before going back to matching the socks up.
“I’m going to go too, do you want to get lunch later Bri?” I asked, hoping that she would want to walk to the shops with me. I needed a few things and I wouldn’t have much time after work to go.
“Only if we’re getting it here because I want to be in the canteen when they all come in from training.” she was gazing toward the tiny window in the kit room dreamily as she spoke.
I rolled my eyes but agreed.
I spent the walk back to my office wondering if Ben Chilwell actually was as fit as Brianna was making him out to be.
Sitting back down at my desk, I logged back into my computer. I had new emails sat in the inbox. One of them happened to be pictures of the new players for me to edit. I had an edit of every player in the team that I had ready for match days. On a match day I would be in charge of adding time stamps for any goals and then uploading the goal scorer’s picture. Recently, more often than not I had been having to upload the same few pictures of Mason Mount and it was getting a bit boring. The fans loved it though, he was our most retweeted player and often I would read the social media comments, all singing his praises. Especially the young women.
———————————————————————————————————
By the time it got to lunchtime I was sick of photoshop. My program wasn’t running very smoothly, probably in need of an update and I had grown more and more frustrated as the morning went on, having to restart it twice.
Brianna came to my office just before 1 and waited for me to finish off my last edit and lock my computer.
“Good morning?” she asked. “Because no offence you look mega stressed and we don’t need that kind of vibe if we are going to be around fit footballers for the next hour.”
I wanted to eye roll for the millionth time but I cut her some slack. She had recently had a really bad break up and her ex had been a proper bellend. Unfortunately for Bri, she didn’t have the greatest amount of luck when it came to guys. Her ex had broken up with her for another girl and had then continued to hook up with Bri, who had stupidly let him until I had convinced her what a bad idea that was. She was clearly feeling really lonely.
“Someone will come along you know, it doesn’t have to be a footballer.” I said, putting my hand on her arm and squeezing reassuringly.
“But Liam supports Chelsea, so how mad would he be if I got off with one of his favourite players? He’d be begging me to take him back then.” she smirked.
“That’s not what you want though right? To get back with him I mean.” I opened the door and we started to walk down the hallway towards the canteen while we chatted.
“No, I just want him to feel the sting of rejection and know how it feels for once.” she shrugged.
When we reached the door to the canteen there was a young lad with mousey brown hair kind of hanging around. His face lit up at the sight of us and I was slightly taken aback by it.
“After you.” He said, opening the door for us. He had a really strong Scottish accent that I hadn’t heard before. I guessed he must be part of the youth team. He’d probably end up out on loan after loan and we’d never see him again.
“That was strange.” I mumbled to Bri.
She shrugged, walking over to the back of the queue to get food. I followed her and grabbed a tray for myself.
I reached into the chilled drinks cabinet and picked out an iced coffee placing it on my tray.
“Glad to see that isn’t a hot coffee!”
Turning my head to the side, I saw that it was Ben again, standing behind me in the queue and then just behind him, my favourite person of all, Mason Mount.
“Yeah I’m on a final warning about spilling hot drinks over footballers so I’m only allowed cold coffees from now on”. I joked.
“I’m sure Benj will keep you warm in the winter.” Mason piped up.
I tried not to curse under my breath that he was butting into our conversation.
“Mate.” Ben said to Mason, shaking his head.
“What? she is fitter than you said.” Mason bantered back, looking at me rather than Ben.
“Thanks but I don’t need validation from you.” I bantered back, before moving along to the next chiller and picking out a caesar salad and an apple.
I heard the word “feisty” from behind me, but couldn’t tell which one of them had said it as I caught Brianna up in the queue.
She gave me a puzzled look and I shrugged, simply mouthing the word ‘boys’.
As employees we didn’t have to pay for any of our food which was a nice perk of the job and saved me a lot of money in eating out and packed lunches.
We took our food over to one of the tables that we usually sat at whenever we used the canteen and we were joined as usual by some of the other members of support staff.
Brianna was filling them in on my mishap with the coffee that morning while I scrolled through twitter on my phone. I liked to check how our social media platforms looked from the perspective fo the intended audience.
“You’re such a workaholic” Bri scolded me.
I looked up and apologised, tucking my phone away into my pocket.
“You two are polar opposites” Jane, one of the physios said. “I do agree with Brianna to an extent about some of the new faces. If I were a few years younger…”
Jane was a bit like our work mother. She was in her mid 50s and happily married with two teenage boys of her own to contend with. Because she had never had any daughters, she took particular care of me and Bri and loved to join in with our girl talk.
“I don’t think it would be worth the hassle personally” I shrugged.
Jane grinned. “You’re so sensible Katie, and probably right. Young men with too much fame and money probably don’t make the best partners. I tried to say that about my Martin too, back in the day. He was in the army and you know what they say about them!”
We both looked at her waiting for her to give us the answer.
“You know, a girl in every base town.” she laughed. “I tamed him though. Maybe don’t write them off completely.”
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to attempt to find a partner at all. I had been single since things that fallen apart with my ex when we both left uni. At uni we had a lot more time for each other, despite the different schedules and studying. When I had started working for Chelsea I put everything that I had into my job, desperately wanting to make a good impression. Hundreds of people had applied for the position and I wanted to make them feel like they had made the right choice in hiring me. So long days in the office turned into long days and evenings in the office, especially when Chelsea had late kick offs. I just found it easier to be in my office with the radio commentary on, sending out the tweets as the goals went in.
“Katie, are you listening? You zoned out a bit again.” Jane said, waving her hand in front of my face.
“Sorry just thinking about my to do list” I mumbled, trying not to admit to them that I had been thinking about Rory again. Sometimes it isn’t the person that you miss, just the feeling of having someone.
“I was just making you aware that are three young men constantly looking over here.” she said, trying to keep her voice low.
I was curious so I looked, there were a few of them sat at the furthest table, but none of them were looking in our direction.
“Who?” I asked.
“Oh I don’t know the names, I just deal with the injuries.” she shrugged.
“Well that’s helpful then” Bri said, pouting. “I wanted to know which ones fancied me so that I could target my flirting.”
———————————————————————————————————
Ben
“Go and talk to her.” Mason encouraged me.
I shook my head, trying to focus on eating my food, although I hadn’t really been able to. I had just been using my fork to move it around my plate aimlessly.
“No.” I mumbled. “I barely even know the girl. She spilt her coffee on me then got me another training shirt.”
“Oh yeah.” Mason smirked. “Did she help you put it on too?”
“She got you a new training shirt?” It was Billy that spoke now. He looked really nervous and was pretty much doing the same as me, forking his food around rather than actually eating it.
“Yeah from that room with all the kits in” I responded.
“Oh.” he said quietly, looking down.
I caught on then. Billy had been ahead of us coming off the training pitch and I had seen him wait and then open the door for the girls with a big grin on his face. I had thought he was just being polite, but I now realised it was more than that. He had waited on purpose and obviously liked one of them.
“It was the brunette one. The little blonde was in the room too but it wasn’t here that me and Mase were talking about” as I explained I watched Billy brighten back up again. It was the other one that he fancied, not Katie, and for some reason I was relieved.
Mason caught on then too.
“Hang on, do you like that one or something? The kit man’s daughter?” Mason asked him.
He had raised his voice a bit in excitement so I gestured for him to speak quieter.
“Yeah only for the last few years, you know.” Billy responded, blushing a bit.
Mason would probably take the piss out of him for the rest of the afternoon and god forbid if Tammy or Jorginho found out, poor Billy would absolutely never hear the end of it.
“Have you ever tried to tell her?” I asked him.
“Only once, but I chickened out because I heard she had a fella” he shrugged.
“When was that?” I pressed.
“Couple of years ago, but then I kept being sent out on loan so couldnae’ really have asked her out any way” he sighed and put his fork down at the side of his plate.
I decided then that I was going to make it my mission to get Billy to ask that girl out. The worst she could say was no and he wouldn’t be any worse off than he was now. I could even use it to my advantage and casually speak to Katie about the two of them.
I looked over at her table again, she looked a little sad.
I had promised myself that I would focus on my career for a bit and not get involved with any girls for a bit, but here I was on day bloody one simping over a girl I’d only just met. I cursed myself for it.
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renee-writer · 1 year
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Loved Her First Chapter 15
A/N Yes, it has been forever. @omgbarbiegurl is having a bit of writer's block. Prayers that it is soon resolved as she is a extraordinary writer. As the opening line until ' calming almost immediately ' are hers.
AO3
Faith's cheeks went red at her Father's words, and tears filled her eyes before spilling down her cheeks.
"S-So you're saying you would prefer us to be sons because it would be easier? Well Heaven FORBID you actually appreciate the daughters you h-have."
Claire started to move to Faith but Jamie beat her to it, and cupped Faith's face gently.
"Faith, my lass. Please don't cry. I didn't mean it like that. Just that...sons have more liberties in this time."
As she opened her mouth, Jamie pressed on. "Which is not right at all, and we will all learn together how to find a proper balance. But do I regret the beautiful clever girls God has blessed me with? Not once, not ever."
Before more is said, Faith threw herself into her Father's arms, calming almost immediately.
Claire smiles, her husband sure has a way to honor the lasses in his life. It is one of a million reasons that she loves him so. He draws her into his arms also, as well as Brianna. Holding all his lasses close, he feels like the most blessed man ever. He won’t let himself think about losing them, not right now. He simply longs to enjoy the feel of them in his arms.
Later, before he goes to have a talk with his nephew and his mate, he asks Claire to explain this concept of ‘datiing’ to him.
“It is courting but without the expectation of marriage.”
He frowns, his eyes narrowing. “You mean the lads just escort them about without any responsibilities for their future?”
“Well yes. It is more seen as fun, as testing the waters, you see. A way to decide who and what you want in a spouse.”
“There will be none of this dating for my lasses! No! Any lad that wishes to be escorting Faith or Brianna about will be thinking about marrying them.” Claire struggles not to laugh. Jamie sees and his eyes narrow farther, becoming just slits on his thunderous face “This is nae laughing matter! It is our daughters future we are talking about.”
“Jamie,” a wee giggle escapes, “I know. It is just, all the ways I pictured you with them, this,” another bit of laughter,” Viking dad, this stern, no one will dare harm my girls, way, it is just so, sexy.”
His face transformers in an instant. He goes from furious to slack jawed, in a blink. “What?”
“I had to be both daddy and mama after Frank’s death. I raised them to be strong and independent. I forgotten, you see, how much I loved your protective side. How nice it is to have a pair of strong arms to lay my burden in. To not have to be everything for them.” Her gaiety turns to tears. He draws her close.
“Mo chridhe, never, ever again. They are our children. You have done a fine job of seeing them grown. Now, let me see them settled.” A lump enters his own throat. His wee ones, his baby lasses, wives? Sighing against his wife’s head, he reminds himself that this is the way of the world. It is time to speak to the lads, to see about their intentions.
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Some People Wrap Their Lies Around a Cocktail Glass | Damian Wayne
And You Sit Wondering Where You’re Going to Turn
✦ pairing — older!Damian Wayne x female!Plus Size Reader
✦ word count — 3.3k
✦ fake dating AU
✦ summary — you need to cover up the fact that your boyfriend broke up with you a week before your step-father’s Christmas party, and Damian needs a date for his father’s New Year’s ball. Both of you are experts at pretending, what could go wrong?
✦ warnings — some angst, mentions of food, Damian and reader are neighbors, a little bit of awkwardness, sprinkles of fluff.
✦ mini series masterlist
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Every time your phone buzzed, you hoped it was him. Such a naive and sick logic, one of a teenager waiting for her crush to text back, was nothing compared with the sobering truth.
Your ex-boyfriend was your ex for a reason. And you would have to face the music on your own.
Your mother was going to be disappointed. Not more than you were. Travis had been a good boyfriend, goofy and nice. He hadn’t been the gentlest person in the world, but you learned to accept that he wasn’t perfect.
You could have fallen for him if he had given you enough time.
Your cellphone rang and the fact that it hadn’t buzzed startled you. A handful of people called you instead of texting you, yet you didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know who it was.
That was your luck. What a horrible week. And it was only Monday noon.
Taking a deep breath, you nodded to yourself and swiped your finger against the screen to take the call. “How is everything going?” you softly greeted your mother.
She sighed. “I will be relieved when the planning is over.” She changed the subject, “Did your boyfriend clear his schedule?”
You breathed out a small laugh. “He did,” you lied. Not even sure if Travis had truly wanted to attend, you lied some more, “He’s excited to meet you.”
“We are excited too. Your uncle said he won’t believe it until he sees it.”
You and him both. As she told you about every guest she was skeptical about showing up, you mentally went through your list of feeble romantic relationships.
Jordan was in town, you had heard about them a few days ago. But asking them to be your date out of nowhere would be embarrassing when the last thing they knew about you was that you were happy in a new relationship.
Liam’s bright blue eyes came to your mind, and you almost had the answer. You hooked up a couple of times after breaking up, and you were friendly enough for you to feel comfortable telling him the truth. The problem was that your mother hated Liam.
The list continued getting shorter and shorter, your anxiety levels higher and higher. You shouldn’t have lied to your mother, but pride was a marvelous and twisted thing and you shared such a stupid little thing with her.
“Have you spoken to your father?” she asked, unbeknownst to her only adding to the pile of regrets and worries.
“Brianna said he’s out of town.”
Your mother grunted. It was clear that both of you knew Brianna had lied. “Well, you’ll see him for New Year’s.”
“I suppose, yes.”
She said your name sternly. “He’s your father.”
He didn’t act like he was. “He hasn’t called in weeks,” you explained. “I am not sure he wants to see me.”
”Your father is a busy man,” she told you. It was like a reflex to her, excusing him even though she had divorced him when you were eight.
Adults and their busy lives, wrapped in their lies and inane promises. You had really tried to be different, but caving in was too easy. What a mess.
“I have to leave you,” she lamented. You could hear that she meant it by the emotion that seeped into her voice. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Have a nice day,” you wished her, voice trembling as anxiety fully kicked in.
The moment the line clicked, you dropped your cellphone onto the sofa. Sniffing, you walked into your bedroom in search of a hair tie.
You needed to keep your hands busy so you could come up with something to say. Or somebody to date.
════════════════════════
Damian’s scrutinizing gaze greeted you as he opened the door. You analyzed his stance and attire, trying to assess whether you had interrupted anything or not.
He stepped back without taking his eyes off you, hand still on the door handle. His hair was damp, and he looked extremely comfortable, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
He would also have looked approachable if his eyes weren’t so sharp.
“Are you coming in or not?”
You reacted, extending your arms to offer a container to him. “I made cookies earlier.”
He looked down at the container in your grasp, then back up at your face. “Get inside.”
You stepped into Damian’s apartment, used to the minimalistic style that you secretly wished you had chosen for your own place.
At the same time, you liked your apartment. Your mother helped you decorate, and she had impeccable taste.
He placed the cookies onto the coffee table, motioning for you to sit.
Sitting down, you watched him do the same just in front of you. His gaze was still sharp, but he waited for you to speak.
When you didn’t, he said, “I know you bake when you’re stressed.”
“It calms me.”
“You baked a pie two days ago. In the middle of the night.”
“And it was good,” you said immediately. “Right?”
He nodded. “Delicious,” he assured you. “Yet I can’t help but worry.”
You gripped your hair, exhaling harshly. “Holiday stuff.”
“Did you finally come to terms with the fact that all those ornaments look awful?”
“They do not,” you said, quite offended. You had spent an entire weekend decorating the living room. Sighing at the memory of choosing Christmas decorations and ornaments with your now ex-boyfriend, you explained your problem, “Travis broke up with me this past Saturday, and I don’t know how to tell my mother.”
Confusion was clear in Damian’s features. You had expected a comment about how you could find someone better, but not this.
“He was going to attend Leonard’s Christmas party with me.”
Leonard was your step-father. Your mother married him when you were a pre-teen and since then you had never skipped one of his parties or events.
He was the only reason why your mother and you were rich, and your biological father hated you for choosing him.
Money hadn’t been the reason why you took a liking to Leonard, although having everything you wanted and needed was nice, but your father wouldn’t have understood even if he tried.
Damian lifted an eyebrow. You could tell he wished you were joking.
“Too soon, I know.”
“I’m just shocked you planned to take him from all people to such event.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You met him on a dating app and your first date was at a bar,” he reminded you as though that explained everything. Your semblance must’ve shown skepticism because he added, “You are not supposed to take somebody like him to your family’s house unless you hate your family.”
“A lot of people do that and their relationships succeed.”
Damian inhaled sharply, shaking his head. “Does Travis even own a suit?”
“I was going to buy him appropriate clothes, a matching tie, get him a haircut... He hates formal attire.”
“I thought you liked your step-father.”
“I do. That’s why I was finally going to take somebody with me so people wouldn’t ask him why I’m always single and make him uncomfortable.”
He hummed, nodding slowly. “So you wanted him to try and explain why his step-daughter was dating a bad boy caricature. Very reasonable.”
“First of all, some bad guys are attractive. Have you seen The Phantom of The Opera?”
“You didn’t just insult Erik’s skills like that,” he said, offended.
“I’m not comparing him to Travis. It was an example.”
“A poor one at that unless Travis smells as bad as Erik.”
You shook your head. Damian was exaggerating when he said Travis was a bad boy caricature — apart from the fact that he loved wearing leather and sometimes took part in street races, he was a normal guy.
“Besides,” he continued, always eager to be right, “a bad boy and a bad guy aren’t the same thing. I thought you were literate in media.”
It seemed like he would never let go of the fact that you had switched careers when film school got unbearable.
“The point is,” you tried to go back to the topic at hand, “that it could have worked.”
“If you say so,” he said sarcastically. “You didn’t tell me what is it that Leonard usually says when people ask about your love life.”
“That I’m focused on my career or that I like to keep my private life separate from big events.”
Leonard had always been nice to you. He never planned to have children of his own, yet he never complained about you. From the day you met, he tried to befriend you, and eventually, he started to treat you as a daughter. He never made you call him dad unlike your father’s third wife who cried when you refused to call her mom — he never forced you to do anything.
Damian offered you a cookie, but you shook your head and he motioned for you to continue speaking as he took a cookie for himself.
“I lied to my mother earlier and I don’t know what I’m going to do or say, but I would rather eat my own foot than tell her my boyfriend chose to break up with me a week before the day he was supposed to meet her.”
Damian bit into the cookie, and you waited for a comment about how good or bad it was. He stared at you, brow twitching, before he once again made a movement with his hand so you would continue talking.
He knew you too well for your own good. And he also seemed to know that leaving you alone with your mind wasn’t such a good idea when you were in distress.
“I considered calling up an escort and have them pretend to be my partner, but I’m nervous,” you admitted, dropping your hands onto your lap for a second before moving them to rest on the couch, one at each of your sides. “What if that ruins it even more? Such a waste of money. And the embarrassment…”
He silently chewed, eyes focused on you. As he swallowed, he pinched his nose with his free hand. “I’ll do it.”
“You want to pay for the escort?”
Unamused, he clarified, “I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend.”
“I can’t ask that from you, Damian. You have your own events to attend! You said you would spend the holidays at your father’s house.”
He stayed silent, not taking his eyes off you. He then licked his bottom lip and said, “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll be your sweet and loving boyfriend in front of your family and Leonard’s acquaintances, and you’ll be my mysterious and charming girlfriend in front of my family and my father’s acquaintances.”
His offer was reasonable. Pretending was easy for you, meaningless. Leonard and your mother were always clear when they asked you to dress in certain ways or attend boring events — they weren’t expecting you to change, just to fool other people into thinking you were different.
They did the same, and that was enough for you.
Leonard’s smile was fake and tight in public when the only thing you could think about the smiles he gave you around the house was how warm they were.
Your mother was the opposite. You had seen her the happiest with Leonard, but she had always been rather cold as a person. In public, she was a lovely woman, always smiling and laughing.
“We can’t be in two places at once.”
“Father doesn’t celebrate Christmas publicly,” he explained blandly. “You just need to buy a new gown and cancel your plans for New Year’s.”
“For your father’s annual ball?”
“Exactly.”
“I can do that,” you assured him. Or yourself.
That night, as you stepped back into your apartment, you couldn’t help but make a face of disgust.
The ornaments were truly awful. You had gone overboard with everything — at the moment it had felt so good, laughing and drinking with Travis as you filled the living room with colors.
But that wasn’t your style. You didn’t even like colored Christmas lights.
════════════════════════
Despite your best efforts, you couldn’t keep yourself from being nervous. The last time you took somebody to one of Leonard’s big parties had been awkward and uncomfortable, a high school boyfriend who was too eager to impress your family.
Everybody understood because teen relationships usually are awkward and over-the-top. Now you wouldn’t have an excuse, you were an adult with a job and so-called social skills.
The first one was spot on. You had a job, you loved your job — and you didn’t need a job so you never felt pressured.
Your social skills, however, worried you. It was the anxiety playing tricks with your confidence, you knew, yet you couldn’t do anything but indulge it.
A part of you wondered if you would be this nervous if Travis was the one accompanying you. Perhaps you would be in a worse estate, or perhaps he wouldn’t have allowed you to worry.
But you didn’t have time to think about the what if’s. The party would take place the next day.
Time had flown by, you had been busy buying gifts and attempting to wrap them while balancing work and your friends’ own Christmas celebrations.
As though he knew you were a ball of nerves, curled up on the couch with a blanket over your shoulders and hands around your fourth —or was it the fifth?— cup of coffee that evening, Damian knocked upon your door.
You weren’t surprised to see him. He had said you would need to go through a few details before Leonard’s party.
You had barely interacted with Damian throughout the week, but he had assured you he was ready. He even sent you a picture of the tie he bought for the party, wanting to make sure the color was the right one.
His eyes scanned the living room as he made himself comfortable. He didn’t make a comment about the new ornamentation, but the fact that he hadn’t scowled was a good sign.
“I assumed you would be baking in preparation.”
“I’m not that stressed.” You folded the blanket and rested it onto the arm of the couch. “Can I offer you something to drink? Water, coffee, tea, alcohol...”
He shook his head. “Thank you. So, you don’t bake for your family?”
“Oh! I do, but on other occasions. Birthdays, anniversaries...” You sighed, shrugging. “Private things.”
A few times your mother had encouraged you to bake your father a birthday cake, but he rarely spent his birthday in town so that was even rarer.
“Have you already made our story up?”
“I suppose we should stick to the truth for the most part. Neighbors, then friends, and then...”
“Are you going to awkwardly tell your mother you’re dating me or are you just messing with me?”
”it’s hard for me to lie to my mother,” you explained, abashed. “It’s even worse if I have her in front of me.”
Damian stood up and opened an arm. “Come here.”
“I don’t need you to comfort me.”
He scoffed. “I’m not trying to comfort you. Come.”
You stood in front of him, looking down at his hand. “You want me to take it?”
“No. Well, perhaps...” He pensively looked at your form. “We have never been close physically.”
It had escaped you that you would need to touch him in order for your relationship to be believable. “So we’re going to practice.”
He hummed. “I’ll have my arm around you for most of the night,” he emphasized.
You stood beside him, expecting him to rest his arm behind your neck. Damian placed his palm on your upper back first, tentative.
His hand slowly slid up, tracing your shoulder blade. As he wrapped his arm around both your shoulders, he grunted.
Turning to look at him, you asked, “What?”
“It’s rather awkward to walk around in this position.”
“Okay,” you breathed out. “So?”
He slanted his head to face you. “Waist or hip?”
You considered the question, thinking about the way your dress would fall down your body. “Which one do you think would look better?”
“I have no clue.”
At least he was honest. Moving his hand off your shoulder, you lightly took it in your grasp. “Let’s stand in front of the mirror.”
Damian didn’t withdraw his hand from yours as you guided him into your bedroom. He curiously stared at the walls, quickly glancing at everything his eyes could fall onto.
He knew so much yet so little about you... you were friends, yes, and he trusted you with things he had never even imagined he would say out loud. At the same time, he was still getting used to his new life.
It wasn’t drastically different, but it was freeing in ways he never expected. With his new life came you, and he was astonished over the fact that you hadn’t met before when you had been forced to frequent the same places. Your presence was refreshing — welcomed from the very beginning.
Damian blinked rapidly. Getting reflective over being at a friend’s bedroom for the first time was new, too.
Standing in front of the mirror, you let go of his hand. Damian surrounded your body with his arm, delicately resting his hand on your waist.
“Is that okay?” he asked, watching you through the mirror as you shifted.
“Yeah. You can lower your hand if you want.”
He did so, pressing his palm against your hip.
“I think,” you mumbled, “your hand on my hip accentuates my stomach a little too much.”
He slowly trailed his hand upward, stopping at your waist once again. “Like that?” he asked in a whisper.
“Like that,” you agreed.
The two of you stood there for a long moment, facing your reflections. You moved first, and regretted it as the temperature changed over your form.
You hadn’t realized Damian’s body was that warm.
Sitting down on your bed, you followed his movements with your eyes as he sat on your vanity’s chair.
“Speak your mind,” he commanded.
“What if Leonard doesn’t believe... us?”
“I believe he has attended a few of my father’s celebrations.” He was stiff as he spoke. “But,” he added, “I have never crossed paths with him.”
“At least he doesn’t hate you.”
“Has he hated people you’ve taken to his parties?”
“Mmmmh...” You tilted your head as you made yourself comfortable by crisscrossing your legs. “Not to one of his parties per se, but he hated the boyfriend I had in college. They had met before.”
Damian’s eyebrows shot up. “You only had one boyfriend in college?”
“No,” you laughed as you confessed, “but my family only met one.”
“I’m more worried about your mother.” He tried to be nonchalant as he said it, but it sounded like a confession too.
But you weren’t. Damian was easy to like. You would have worried if he had to meet your father — he always seemed to think the opposite your mother did. Your father would have told you not to date somebody more attractive than you, or mocked you for supposedly dating a rich guy too.
“Don’t mention her age and everything will go smoothly.”
“I honestly can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”
You shrugged. “Just to be safe, assume I am not.”
He huffed a laugh, mouth twinging before he sighed.
As he stood up, you did too. Damian looked at the time just to be sure that he had to leave already and said, “I should let you get some sleep and get some rest of my own.”
Agreeing, you silently walked him towards the door. You wanted to thank him for doing this, ask if he was sure he was willing to not only do this for you but trust you with returning the favor.
Words didn’t come out of you. They did from him. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Yeah, you would see him in the morning for what would probably be one of the longest days of your life.
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