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brunchable · 2 years

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2319 : Chapter 3 Florentine Valley || Young!Stephen Strange × F!Reader.

Word count: 5.1K Genre: Innocent Love, Diary Entries, Fluff. Special mentions: Donna Strange, Victor Strange, A/N: This story is inspired by the Korean Drama called "2521"

***Strictly to not post, translate or copy my works to other websites!!*** Masterlist || Previous | Next

June 16 1999

The next morning I wake up to find Dad in the kitchen and on the phone with brands offering sponsorship for my training.

They say once you turn eighteen, you can have all the freedom you want because you are officially an adult—but not me. I’m stuck with my parents forcing me to live their dream.

To be honest, mom and dad weren’t this ‘strict’ before Kirra passed away, well at least that’s what I can remember when I was six. . . but we don’t talk about that. They don’t want to remember and it makes me sad because it feels as if he didn’t even exist. I still secretly keep Kirra’s photos in my wallet though, I like to believe he keeps me safe. My older brother who’s stuck at the age of thirteen.

June 20 1999

"Not again!"

You tossed the pen onto the desk and stood as the roar of a motorcycle filtered upward through the floors of your room. Your eyes narrowed and your hands clenched.

Stephen was being a jerk next door, that guy somehow suddenly decided it was a great idea to 'check' his engines everyday—was down there making way too much noise and thoroughly crushing your concentration.

Irritated by the racket, you stalked to the door and then went out then down the stairs.

You took the shortcut toward the garage to get to his house quicker. You emerged from the sliding doors mad as a hornet. How dare he crank and throttle those chrome and steel machines like that? His household could die of carbon monoxide poisoning or something for all he knew!

As soon as you stepped out onto the pavement, the heat hit you like a tonne of bricks, which not only made your mood even more miserable but also caused your carefully arranged wavy hair to become unruly. You were even more irritated as a result of the unruliness of your hair, you repeatedly slammed the table in the garage to get Stephen's attention, you were prepared to fight.

You noticed that Stephen had the exhaust of the motorcycle facing away from the house. There went your carbon monoxide death argument, you thought as you stormed farther in, to come closer to Stephen who was bent over his motorcycle.

Your footsteps slowed.

Jesus. The jeans he wore were, as usual, slightly clinging to his skin. The faded denim clung to his well-rounded ass, highlighting just how high and firm it was. In addition, the jeans cut down on the length of his legs and accentuated the narrowness of his hips. Furthermore, the waistband of the jeans was tucked around a tight waist, which further contributed to this effect.

The unbidden heat that surged through you distracted you from checking this man out behind his back— the heat irritating you even more. You took one more step forwards, your fists clenching into tight balls as your nails scraped across the palms of your hands.

You yelled, "Hey! Hey!"

Stephen stood up and turned with a grin on his handsome face. His bright blue eyes, a striking contrast to the messy black hair that swept over his high forehead—latched right onto your face then swept downward in a cocky and arrogant way that not only ticked off the last box that held your anger in check but made you suddenly and painfully aware that your stomach was producing its butterflies again.

He purred, "Can I help you, neighbour?"

Your lips went flat. His eyes landed right on your lips when he said that too.

Fuming now you said, "You know that I'm trying so hard to make art. I need you to stop being an a-hole right now."

He cut the bike off. Silence echoed through the large garage. He leaned against the bike and his sweaty tee shirt clung to the washboard abs and broad shoulders below it.

He lifted an eyebrow. "How am I being an 'a-hole?'" Stephen quotes with his fingers.

"I can't hear myself think up there!"

"I see."

Your teeth ground together so hard you heard her molars squeaking, "I am sure that you do. Now how about you keep it quiet for a little while?"

Stephen laughed, "You do know that I have to run my motorcycle in order to make sure that they run?"

You grunted as your eyes narrowed to slits, "You do know that I'm trying to get a scholarship and my future is at actual stake here?"

Stephen pushed away from the bike in one long and lither motion that sent your heart crashing around your chest. Your tongue quickly crosses your lips. Your legs went liquid as he walked toward you, his body moving with a feline grace that made you wonder if he moved like that in—STOP IT (Y/N). HE'S DONNA'S BROTHER.

Goddammit! The man had been the bane of your existence since he had moved in next door and now here you were, dealing with him all over again when you damn sure had too much to handle as it was that day. Not just that, now your concentration would be shot for at least an hour even if you did get the stubborn jerk to stop making all that racket.

"I'll make you a deal."

You gaped at him, "A deal?'

"Yes, a deal. Surely you understand the art of making a deal."

The man was infuriating! Sexy, and totally infuriating!

"I absolutely understand deals," you said stiffly, "I try to never make them because someone always ends up on the losing end of something."

He chuckled. That chuckle was low and rumbling, it sent little streaks of fire running along your skin.

Stephen pushed a lock of his dark hair off his forehead. His blue eyes swept over you again. He said, in that throaty growl of his, "Oh I doubt either of us would lose anything at all in this deal."

Your foot tapped into the concrete of the floor. Your eyes narrowed. The last thing you wanted to do was make a deal with him. Hell, just coming down there and even bothering with him was a huge waste of your time and you knew it.

"What is it?" The sharpness in your voice didn't make his stupid grin diminish a single bit. He tucked a thumb into a belt loop. His finger pointed downward, and naturally your eyes had to follow that pointing finger to the front of his jeans.

You jerked your eyes back up and glared at him. Stephen's smile not only got wider, it held a mischievous edge that made your pulse careen upward into a hard and fast rhythm.

He said, "I'll keep it down if you agree to go to St. Claire Mountain."

Was he nuts? He had to be!

No way was you were going to agree to go hiking alone with him. Your father will ground you until the day you get married.

Your arms came up and crossed over your chest, "Alone with you in the middle of nowhere? No."

"I didn't say anything about being alone—but you seem to always jump into that conclusion"—Stephen narrows his eyes—"suit yourself but I have to warn you, I really need to get this bike finished and I'm going to need a damn good reason not to."

"You're blackmailing me?" The incredulity in your voice was real.

"I call it bargaining."

Your cheeks went scarlet as anger and a thrill you did not want to admit to feeling coursed through you. "I call it illegal."

Stephen roared laughter, "I'll keep that in mind, so are you in or out?'

"You're serious? I mean, you're really serious! You honestly think I am going to agree to go hiking with you just because you promised to do the right thing, the thing you should be doing anyway?"

Stephen dusted his long slender hands off. "Yup."

"Ugh! You're so annoying!" You grunted and stormed out and back to your house, muttering the whole way.

The nerve of that guy! To think you would go out with him just because he would keep down the level of noise, which he should be doing anyway?

Your shoulders tensed as you got back into your room and right when you sat back down at your desk, Stephen began his racket again.

"Ah! Seriously! I'm going to lose it!" You covered your ears and flailed around on your chair.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

June 21 1999

You were grounded from driving your car for a while even though it wasn’t your fault the stupid fuel line dislodged—your father used the reason ‘it’s because of the treacherous terrains.’ What treacherous terrains? The campsite wasn’t even in the mountains.

You had no choice but to use your sky blue cruiser bicycle, of course with a cute basket at the front to put Figaro in whenever you take him out with you for errands. You just finished your shift at LYLY’s and in your basket an assorted bouquet of flowers, consisting of pastel pink peonies, hydrangeas, magnolias and baby’s breath.

You parked your bike in the opened garage, carefully carrying the bouquet in your hand as you passed through the laundry room and into the kitchen, “I’m home.”

“Hey honey! Welcome home.” Vanessa greeted you back and instantly noticed the bouquet in your hand, "Oh my, what beautiful flowers you got there. Who gave them to you?"

"Mom! No one, it's from LYLY's I thought I could bring some home to liven up the place." You went around the counter and gave your mom a kiss on the cheek.

"Have you had afternoon tea?" Vanessa asked when suddenly the doorbells rang, "I'll get it."

"Okay." You crouch down to find a vase for your flowers. You then separated the hydrangeas from the rest and soaked its petals in cool water.

"Donna's here, love," Vanessa announced as she walked back into the kitchen with your friend, "Do you want any drinks, love?" She asked Donna.

"Oh no, I'm fine. Thank you Mrs. (L/N), I'm just here to pick up (Y/N)."

You whirled around, "Huh? For what?"

"Did you forget? I booked us both for an art workshop this afternoon." She says very casually which causes you to question your own thoughts.

What workshop?

Donna could notice the confusion on your face and when Vanessa turns her back on Donna, she mouths, "You-me-hike," she points at you, then herself and makes her fingers walk in thin air. Vanessa turns back around and Donna flawlessly acts innocent in front of your mother.

“Oh! Riiiiight, the workshop! Yeah, It totally slipped my mind because of work.” You clapped your hands and nodded exaggeratedly, causing Donna to thin her lips and widen her eyes at you for being so obvious.

“Will you be back before dinner or will you be eating outside with Donna?” Vanessa asks and turns to you.

“I don’t know, we’ll see. Well I better get ready, Donna, do you want to come with me?” You asked as you dried your hands on the kitchen towel.

“Sure!” Donna beams, “Don’t worry Mrs (L/N), I’ll return (Y/N) before curfew!”

“Alright, be careful both you and enjoy!”

You dragged Donna up the stairs and into your room, only addressing your friend after you closed the door, “Hiking?!”

“Yeah! You, me and Stephen to be more specific,” Donna curiously goes around your room before dropping down to sit at the edge of your bed.

“I don’t think I’m even built for that.”

“Sure you are, you’re an athlete, aren’t you?” Donna raised her eyebrows and pointed at your trophy case and medals that hung on the wall, “Don’t worry, it’s not going to be pure hiking, they’ve built trails for us to walk on, you don’t need to get changed. You look cute in that dress.”

“It’s not going to be cold?”

“We’ll be walking, you’ll get hot.” Donna stands up, and grabs the backpack that was leaning against the foot of your desk, “Grab your stuff and draw—You can steal Stephen’s jacket if you get cold.”

“Hey!” Stephen’s muffled voice filtered through your window, “Are both of you ready?”

“Speaking of the devil.” Donna chuckles and turns around to see her brother putting on his dark sage waterproof jacket, “YEAH! Hurry up and pick us up! It takes one hour to drive from our house to (Y/N)’s place, you know!”

Stephen chuckles and spins his keys around his finger before waving at you from his room, as if he was teasing you, “Meet you there in five.”

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

The peaks of St. Claire Mountain are visible from Devonport on a clear day, and after looking at them through the window of Stephen's car for so long, you could no longer resist the fascination of the lush green cathedrals that St. Claire Mountain is known for. You put your hand out the window to get a feel for the wind as the vehicle started to make its way slowly through the winding roads leading out of the Devonport Valley. At the back of the car was filled with art supplies, probably for you and Donna.

The walk begins in a parking lot that is located. There is just one dirt route, and that's it. There are no other options. This is the point at which you will first become aware of the presence of nature. At first nature has to adjust to your presence. The squirrels scatter away as you walk towards them, and scurry up atop the trees. The birds silence their chirping simultaneously. Nature is hiding and watching, as an outsider is near, but it isn’t long before Nature continues what it was doing.

As you go down the trail, you will see that a group of birds have gathered together and are chirping in a variety of pitches and tones. The sound of the streams flowing slowly and steadily is soothing to the ears. You may experience a wide range of scents thanks to the abundance of plants and trees in the area. The aromas seem to be mingling with one another, producing a clean atmosphere that makes it appear as if it is simpler to take a breath.

It is when you get to the larger boulders that you know you are getting closer and closer to the top—but before you could follow the trail, the siblings prompted you to stop as they told you to follow them through the uncharted looking woodland.

You both gave them a look of reluctance.

“C’mon (Y/N), me and Stephen’s been here lots of times—We’ll take care of you.” Donna smiles and urges you to come, “The view this way is much prettier than the lookout, I just know you’ll love it.”

“It’s not that—it’s just. . .”

Stephen could see that you were struggling to find the words, “If it’s personal then don’t pressure yourself to say it if you’re not ready—Trust us, you’ll feel inspired when you see it.”

You look at Donna who smiled at you encouragingly, and reached her hand out for you, “Oh what the hell?” You shrugged and took her hand.

“Did you just say a bad word? That’s the spirit.” Stephen chuckles as Donna pulls you past him.

With Donna leading the way, she never let go of your wrist to make sure you don’t go astray even though Stephen was right behind you.

As the terrains get a bit rockier, Stephen both helps you and Donna walk through uneven terrains. Climbing up the small cliffs gives a bit of an exercise, but not an excruciating one. While Donna effortlessly jumps through a shallow rocky creek, you on the other hand need Stephen to assist you. You regretted wearing your converse instead of your runners since the soles didn’t have the best grip.

“Whoa!” The slightest misstep caused you to lose your balance and fall off a rock, but Stephen's quick reactions and strong hold ensured that you didn't even have the opportunity to fall to the ground. With Stephen's hand pressed firmly around your waist, you were sure that your heart will combust in any minute.

“Whoa. Have I got you trippin’ now?” Stephen asks teasingly while he pulls you up to your feet.

“Oh please, don’t flatter yourself—but thanks for catching me."

"Anytime."

“Alright you two, we’re almost there.” Donna chuckles, helping you get to her side of the creek and when you weren’t looking, Donna gave Stephen a suspicious gaze for his endless teasing of you.

"What?"

"I'm watching you." Donna squints her eyes and points two fingers at her brother, "Alright (Y/N)! It's just over here." Donna skips towards you and hangs her arms over your shoulder.

Once you get to the end of the tree line you know all of you have arrived there, but you don’t want to rush because you want to experience every bit of Nature possible.

The moment you and Donna stepped out of the forest, your eyesight was met by a meadow that looked as if it had stepped from the pages of a storybook. The grass was Eden-green and thigh-high to a thrush. The mountains in the distance had twin peaks that looked like Figaro's ears. It completes the view, as if the meadow and the rocky mountain in the background was a match made in heaven. It was paradise.

The aesthetics were not the only thing that appealed to the senses. Even the noises, scents, and tastes were completely out of this world. The sky that hung above the field was a beautiful sight to see. It was as far as the eye could reach, covered in a cocktail-blue dome that was punctuated with fluffy clouds. Squeaking swallows engaged in a game of life and death by chasing after whirling dragonflies. A lake the colour of neon blue was located somewhat off the centre of the meadow, and in it was a family of egg-yolk yellow ducklings who were swimming about after their mother.

The music of the meadow came to your ears above the sound of the water: the dawn chorus, buzzing midges and the whispering of the wind. You could smell the sweetness of wisteria and the caramel soft scent of wild flowers in the air. Your breath was stolen as well as the words you wanted to express.

"What do you think?" Donna asks, looking proudly at the scenery in front of you.

As soon as you took in the breathtaking scenery in front of you, Stephen couldn't help but crack a faint smile since he could see a gleam of delight in your eyes. When compared to the times when he sees you upset in your room, crumpling paper after paper on your overflowing trash can, it is almost as if he saw you become filled with life.

You cover your mouth, "I. . .I love it—saying it's beautiful is an understatement. I want to see this every day."

Stephen, who carried your backpack, pulled your sketchbook and stationery out and offered it to you, "Draw it then."

"Let's go to university together and be roomies." Donna locks her arms into yours and leans her head on your shoulders.

Donna brought a large quilt which she spread over a flattened grass area where all the two of you can sit and draw while Stephen enjoys the solace and takes a nap.

"What’s the name of this place again?" You asked while your focus still remains in sketching.

"I believe it's called Florentine Valley." Donna replies. She was setting up her new polaroid camera and she did the honours of snapping a photo of you candidly.

You gape at her, "Thanks for the warning."

Donna laughs softly and fans the film to quicken its development, "Don't worry, I never take any bad photos."

"Liar, you can't even take a photo of me properly." Stephen mumbled with his eyes closed.

"It's not the photographer, Stephen, it's all in the model. Unfortunately, you look like a hammer-head shark." Donna says through a giggle.

You burst out into a boisterous laugh as you leaned forward and back clutching your stomach, "A hammer-head shark!" You look at Stephen who looks nothing but amused and bursts out laughing again as you can sort of see the resemblance until tears are running down your cheeks.

Donna lightly hits your arm as she finds your laughter very contagious, "S-stop!"

"I-I can't—I," You look at Stephen again and fall on your back, "I can't breathe!"

"Glad my face brings joy into your souls." Stephen says sarcastically.

Donna calms down and wipes the side of her eyes, "Oh look!" She hands you the square film for you to look at. If you were being completely honest, Donna has shot a great candid photo of you.

"See, I told you." Donna utters as she leans close to you after noticing the softly smile on your face.

You looked at the image more closely, and then you discovered that Stephen was included in the picture as well. He seemed to be having a restful sleep with his hands folded behind his head, giving him a very handsome appearance.

"You can keep it if you want."

"Really? Thanks!"

"Hey sharkboy! Can you take a photo of us please?" Donna asks Stephen but gets ignored, "Stephen!"

"Hm, were you asking me?"

"Duh, who else?"

"I don't know. No one here's called sharkboy so. . ."

"Oh stop being a sulk and just take a photo of us." Donna shoves her camera onto Stephen’s chest and scoots beside you, putting on a wide toothy grin.

Stephen obliges to his sister's requests and peaks through the lens until he notices you with nothing but a tight-lipped smile, "(Y/N), smile. Look at Donna, she's smiling like a horse."

"HA-HA, shut up and take the photo." Donna threw some grass towards her brother.

Stephen chuckles and peaks once more before counting down, "(Y/N) big smile! 5. . . 4. . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1. . ."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

A polaroid slipped out from the pages of the diary and onto Sasha’s chest as she flipped onto the next page. It was you and Donna, sitting at a beautiful meadow with a big smile on your faces, just as you described in your diary.

"Oh so that's Donna." Sasha tells herself, after seeing Donna in most of your photos. Sasha flips the diary in search of the candid photo Donna took but nothing else falls out.

June 24 1999

Donna and Stephen took me home right on time that evening. Mom just finished cooking dinner and Dad. . . Well he was home late again. It's kind of a bummer though, I seemed to have lost the photo Donna took of me. It probably slipped out of my pocket when we were making our way back down. Such a shame.

I really owe those two a lot. They were right, after spending time out of this room and this house, I felt much more inspired and with a rough sketch, I can finally start painting. Ever since I came to St. Claire Mountain with them, Stephen never made that annoying racket again. . . and it makes me wonder. . .

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

As Stephen enjoys his late breakfast, Victor ambles into the kitchen while he is still only half awake and plops down on a chair.

"Morning Vic. Are you sleepwalking or are you awake?" Stephen asks Victor who lazily pours froot loops in his bowl.

"I'm awake."

"I have a question and I think I need expert advice on this one."

Victor rubs his eyes before opening them with a big yawn, "Go on."

"My friend wants to help out this girl but the girl is a bit hesitant to go out, he wants to ask her again but she always stays at home. So what can he do?"

"Just knock on her window again and ask her."

Stephen scoffs, "Knock on the window, who are they? Romeo and Juliet?"

Victor blinks and looks at his brother dead in the eyes, "I'm not stupid Stephen, I heard you and (Y/N) talking when I got a drink in the kitchen last night."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Just."

"Ugh," Victor threw his head back, "Then annoy her into coming down to see you, that's what I do to all of you." He shrugs.

"Annoy her? Hm. . ." Stephen thinks while Victor takes a few spoonfuls of his cereal, glancing at his older brother from time to time. A cunning smile grew on Stephen’s lips, "I know just what to do. . ."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪

Stephen and Victor are the only ones who aregoing to be at home for the next four days while the rest of them are at work, so Stephen decided to only purchase one pair of earmuffsto muffle the noise that he will be making forVictor's benefit.

For the past four days in a row, at the same hour, he has gone to his garage and revved the engines of his motorcycle in the hope that you will come down and show yourself so that he could ask you whether you have made up your mind.

And it worked.

Soaked in his own sweat because of the heat, he ignored you when he heard you slamming on the table behind him. 5. . . 4. . .3 . . .2—

"Hey! HEY!" You yelled at him, so he turned around with a victorious grin on his face which, to you, came off as cocky and arrogant at that time.

"Can I help you, neighbour?" Stephen asked innocently while his eyes raked over your irritated features and noticed your lips twitch as well.

"You know that I'm trying so hard to make art. I need you to stop being an a-hole right now."

He chuckles and reaches for the key to cut off the engines which was rewarded with complete silence in return while he leans against the motorcycle, hands pressed down on the seat, veins protruding against his skin because of the heat.

"How am I being an 'a-hole?'" Stephen raised his brow quizzically while quoting with his fingers.

"I can't hear myself think up there!"

That's the point. Stephen thought to himself.

"I see." He shrugs nonchalantly which seemed to have ticked you off some more.

"I am sure that you do. Now how about you keep it quiet for a little while?"

He laughed as if it was the most ridiculous thing you've asked him to do, "You do know that I have to run my motorcycle in order to make sure that they run?"

You grunted as your eyes narrowed to slits, "You do know that I'm trying to get a scholarship and my future is at actual stake here?"

I know. Stephen lets out a chuckle as he pulls himself up from the seat of his bike. He was able to tell that you were suddenly nervous just by observing the way that you batted your eyelashes. All because he approached you without breaking the connection between your gaze as he moved closer and closer to you till the very moment that he halted a half metre away from you.

Why did he feel such a strong desire to help you? Even he was at a loss for an answer to that question. It's possible that he was doing this because he wanted Donna to have a close friend when she goes to college, but it's also possible that he didn't want anyone else to be forced to do something they don't want, just like he had been forced to study medicine.

"I'll make you a deal."

You gaped at him, "A deal?'

"Yes, a deal. Surely you understand the art of making a deal."

"I absolutely understand deals," you said stiffly, "I try to never make them because someone always ends up on the losing end of something."

Stephen chuckles as he smoothes a strand of his dark hair away from his forehead. Once more, his icy blue eyes wandered over you. He said, in that throaty growl of his, "Oh I doubt either of us would lose anything at all in this deal."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

Present Day — 2013

Stephen went through his closet looking for the stethoscope that his father had given him when he graduated from medical school. He had misplaced the stethoscope that he had purchased for himself, and he refused to use the one that was provided by the hospital. When he opened the next box, the contents appeared to be things that had been hidden away ever since he had moved into his lavish apartment. The stethoscope had been placed inside of that container.

When he opened it, he was surprised to find some memorabilia inside, as well as a polaroid photo adhered to the side of the box. Stephen took it out with great care and examined it. As a wave of relief washed over him, he slumped to the floor; he never imagined that he'd see this photo ever again.

While you were drawing a view of the valley, he traced his hand over the candid photo Donna had taken. It's been fourteen years since this picture was taken, and since he decided to keep it after you left it in his car after he and Donna dropped you back off at your home.

His reminiscent thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing, "Hello, Doctor Strange speaking."

"Good morning Doctor, this is Luke from Hastings Real Estate, is this a right time to speak with you?"

"Yes, yes definitely."

"Awesome. My assistant received your inquiry about a house in Devonport and I'd love to let you know that the property is for sale—"

"How much?"

"Er— It’s for sale via auction, Doctor. The auction will be held in a weeks time–"

"Do you have a date?"

"23rd of July, Doctor. Would you like me to put you down as one of the buyers?"

"Give me one second. I'm just going to check my schedule." Stephen gets up, keeping the polaroid snapshot he was holding in his hand as he makes his way into his study to check his journal. As he turns the page, he notices that he is scheduled to have dinner with his colleague Christine, "Yeah, put me down as one of the buyers please. What's the time of the auction?"

"4PM, Doctor. I've listed you down. We'll see you on the 23rd of July, 4PM. Do you need the address?"

"No need. I know how to get there. Thank you."

"Alright, Doctor. Thank you for your time."

"Thank you. Bye, bye." Stephen hung up the phone and instantly dialled his colleague's number, "Hi Christine, listen, something very important came up,"—Stephen looks at the image of you in his hand—"and I'm going to have to cancel next week—I don’t know when I'll be available next. I will let you know. Bye."

He lets out a sigh and continues to look at your photograph for a little while longer before placing it on his desk. When he caught a glimpse of the time, he realised that he was going to be running behind schedule for a medical meeting, "Shit!"

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oscarhopeful · 9 months

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if you’re hearing WONDER by SHAWN MENDES playing, you have to know GABRIEL DE LA CRUZ (HE/HIM; CIS-MALE) is near by! the TWENTY-SIX year old ACTOR has been in denver for, like, SIX MONTHS. they’re known to be quite PRIDEFUL, but being DETERMINED seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble TAYLOR ZAKHAR PEREZ . personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those, FRESHLY PRINTED SCRIPT, ENJOYING AN ICED VANILLA COFFEE, and WEARING HIS SIGNATURE BLACK TOM FORD SUNGLASSES vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the DOWNTOWN DISTRICT long enough!

○ ′ ✨ loved by taco

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𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 gabriel ángel rahal-de la cruz 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 gabe, gabby ( best friend & sister ), ángel ( parents ) 𝐃𝐎𝐁 october 31, 1996 𝐀𝐆𝐄 twenty - six 𝐙𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂 scorpio 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 cismale 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒 he/him 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 bisexual, demiromantic ( closeted from the world ) 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 los angeles, california 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 denver, colorado 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒 english, spanish 𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 actor

○ ′ ✨ ––––––––––––––––––– 002

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌 taylor zakhar perez 𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 black 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 honey brown eyes 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 6′1″ 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 none 𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐒 none 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 white shirts, button up, cardigans or sweaters in the fall, tom ford shades

○ ′ ✨ ––––––––––––––––––– 003

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 protagonist ( enfj ) 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 hardworking, vibrant, charosmatic, loyal, determined 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 self-critical, selfish, prideful, perfectionist 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 acting, photography, hiking, baking, writing, soccer, tennis, working out, watching movies 𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 cheetos

○ ′ ✨ ––––––––––––––––––– 004

𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 juliano de la cruz, sixty-one, senator 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 yasmin rahal, fifty-eight, writer 𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 two siblings ( twin or older sister & older half brother )

○ ′ ✨ ––––––––––––––––––– 005

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐋𝐒 alex claremont-diaz ( red, white and royal blue ) , finnick odair ( the hunger games ) , peter kavinsky ( to all the boys ) , luke patterson ( julie and the phantoms ) , harry styles , kit connor , noah beck , charles melton

○ ′ ✨ ––––––––––––––––––– 006

growing up in a household where following your dreams end up being a reality, gabriel rahal-de la cruz really felt like anything he strived for he could easily achieve. and gabe had a lot of different interest, from playing soccer, to playing tennis, writing like his mom, and then there was acting. he never thought acting would be in the picture, but when he starred in his first role for a franchise, it felt like a dream come true. until real life came at him and the dream seemed just that, a dream.

realizing that he was going to always be remembered for his one role, casting for something else as a teenager was much more difficult than he thought. and with both his parents busy with their own careers, his mom on her third hit book, and his father winning the ticket for a senate seat in california, he felt like the focus had shifted to represent them. and now he had a new role to play, of the perfect younger son.

but there was still a bit of wild child in him, even when he went to a boarding school in los angeles. he became the golden boy, the athlete, the party boy. but throughout those four years, he came to a realization that he was losing himself, the closer he was reaching the end of his high school years. he had missed the one thing that brought joy to him, and he knew that acting was the one thing that gave him that.

so when he graduated, he decided to study film while also doing auditions. as years went on, one of his mother's books got auctioned to become a film, and he auditioned for the main role, which he couldn't believe he had gotten the role. there was a part of him that felt that nepotism was involved, but he always worked hard in whatever he did, and he knew he would kill it in this role.

mixed reviews. it had gotten mixed reviews, many critics calling it a good adaptation, but the acting could have been better, and well, he took it personal and to heart reading that he got this role because he was the son of the author. but did that stop him. no.

he graduated university, and he kept auditioning. and he got another role, a huge one. a love story, and he couldn't believe how much people loved the film. but the reason for their success was because of the rumors that gabe was dating his co-star. the thing is, he was secretly hooking up with one of the camera guys. once the studio found out, they highly recommended that gabe not lean into his sexuality, even though he was bisexual. they wanted bigger success, and that meant leaning into the romance that was already on screen. he didn't realize that hollywood was still like this. but if he wanted a bigger career, he had to play along.

gabe was feeling all sorts of ways. he didn't like the fact that he was hiding his sexuality, but he didn't want to stop acting. but was it a lie if he was dating women, he was still attracted to them. and he was so excited for his next role. so he decided to play the part, and eventually he picked up another role. his new role dealt with immigration, and it was close to home, knowing that he had family members that were immigrants, his own grandfather being one. so taking this role, he felt close to it. and the buzz going around that this could easily get some big award noms put a little more pressure, but he knew he'd give it his full attention and make sure he gave his character justice.

○ ′ ✨ ––––––––––––––––––– 007

currently living in denver where he is studying up background for a character

he has been casted for a role that starts filming in denver in the fall.

currently writing a script of his own, which has been more of a hobby and isn't sure if he will ever finish since he's so self critical about everything he writes.

been seen at the local library more often, with a stack of books at a table while he reads and writes in a notebook.

has officially fell in love with denver that he is debating if he wants to buy a home and grow roots there.

if he ever meets guys, they don't last long, and if they do, they are sent an nda, but it never goes far than the one night stand.

○ ′ ✨ ––––––––––––––––––– 008

WANTED CONNECTIONS

you are my blood: ⦗ older half brother (35-40) or older full/half sister (30-32) ⦘ this could be either one that may already be living in town. they had moved here years before gabe did. he isn't close to his older half brother, because of age difference, but perhaps this is their chance to finally be. his sister on the other hand, gabe is much closer with. either character can be from their dad side who is latin, or their mom side who is middle eastern.

best friends for life: this is someone who has been best friends with gabe since they were kids. it so happens that they moved to denver a year ago, and when they realize that gabe was going to be out there to film his next movie, they planned the entire move together, excited to be in the same city again.

we are each others found family: so this person was someone that he befriended later in life. perhaps in college or after he graduated. this person is someone he feels like a twin to. every secret, every love, every heartbreak, they knew all about it. and when gabe got this role, he told them to move out with him to denver. now they both are living together in an apartment downtown.

can't stand this costar: this is someone he has worked with, and perhaps they work together now in this new film that's filming in denver. it's usually the two of them always fighting for similar roles. they were once friends before, but jealousy has come between them. they know gabe's secret about him being bisexual, as they may have hooked up in the past.

can you be friends with a fan?: it's a question that's always been asked. would you befriend a fan, would you date them? the real question here though is, could the fan have an obsession. who knows. and maybe this fan might be a little obsessive, or maybe just admires them for the work they do. but either way, gabe ends up befriending them. will he regret it later, time will tell.

i would leave it all for you: this is someone that gabe never thought he'd get close to. they had crossed paths in the past, but now they are here, and there's something about him that he likes. gabe at first isn't sure if they are just trying to get close to him because of his fame or for him. and even after denying the feelings, he realizes that he may be the one for him. but would he risk outing himself to the world for him? // taken by @allexei

OTHER CONNECTIONS

friends

fwb/flings

other costars

film crew

photographer/fashion friends

writing friends

#○ ′ ✨ this is all the information you're going to get ⦗pinned ⦘#chq;intro

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pruzan · 1 year

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tag game !!!

tagged by @paintedvanilla!!! thank you my beautiful lettie!!! i love you i love you i love you!!!

nickname: technically liv is a nickname but i use it like my name now!!!

height: 5’8!!!

last thing I googled: can you use regular coffee beans to make espresso? (you can!!!)

amount of sleep: usually between 6-7 hours... give or take... you know how it is!!!

dream job: i wanna model so bad put me in magazines please!!!

wearing: a grey calvin klein sweatshirt that i thrifted!!! it was 7 dollars!!! also cute & comfy shorts with clouds on them!!!

movie/book that summarizes me: 13 going on 30!!!

current fav song: wonder by shawn mendes!!! bad omens by 5sos!!! about you by the 1975!!!

aesthetic: this blog!!!

fav authors: charles dickens you have my whole entire heart and soul

random fact: one time i met a movie producer friend of my mom's and we ended up hitting it off so well that he promptly went home and wrote an entire screenplay about me

tagging: @timelesslyjune @slothu @diantha & @offbeat-the-clownlord (only if they'd like to!!!)

#if i tagged you and you do not want to do this pls do not STRESS!!!#you just came to mind bc i appreciate you <3 #live

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mendessimp · 2 years

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your "ending wonder era" comment was very unnecessary you are a fake fan you don't understand his feelings because of people like you he is cancelling tour new little 12 year olds in the fandom ruining it for others

first of all i don't like addressing hate, but this one is necessary.

Shawn Mendes is cancelling tour because he isnt in the best place health wise and not for his fans or anything. He's putting his mental health and physical health first which is taking a toll on him for the intensive touring he's doing. Touring isn't the easiest thing to on earth, and considering the fact we all sat in our homes for a year, it's hard to go back to the real world and continue with our old routines like nothing has changed.

Shawn has toured, non-stop, since he was fifteen. He was used to the weight of tour. He did stop for two years and i believe it's not easy to meddle into so quickly. Sidenote the world is also in a really weird place health wise.

I not happy about the fact that Wonderland tour is cancelled. I was supposed to go to the Europe leg next year. It's equally heartbreaking and saddening for me too. but I'm so glad shawn chose this.

If i ever get to watch him perform live, i want to see him in his happiest state and best health.

about the 12 year comment; I'm only four years younger than him rn. And a new to the fandom? girl I'm laughing.

Also this, i understand why everyone reminisces the 2018-2019 era. We're really living our best lives in the fandom. I remember the hype around him, it was really quite a good moment to be in the fandom. The gp response to everything he did was so epic. Everything really was different until señorita hit.

I know it was his peak in the career but it divided the fandom. I remember reading comments how him dating - made him unattractive. I do agree things changed a lot and the comfort and safety of the fandom was low-key gone. At a point I almost felt like i didn't know him anymore.

I love Wonder, it has done wonders to me. But it also feels like a fever dream. I can promise sometime into the future it'll be like wonder never existed. It's a mean thing to say but it true. I don't wish this but we all know deep down it wasn't the best era specially after we experienced that SM3 era.

I almost wish we can go back to that If i can't have you release time when tour was happening and pretend none of it after that never happened.

But it is what it is.

Please don't hate on shawn for this and this also means not to harrass his fans. It's tough for us too.

But on the bright side-

we have Lye Lye crocodile 🐊 coming soon and new music!

#shawn mendes #wonder the world tour #mendes army #mendes #shawn peter raul mendes

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fanmoose12 · 2 years

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Question for you fanmoose! What famous singer's voices would Levi and Hange have?

I always thought about those Levihan singing Aus, and I wonder... what would Levi and Hange's singing voice sound like?

I think that Levi would be a Tenor when he sings, it would be surprising that someone who has a somewhat deep voice when he speaks then sings with a soft and high-pitched voice, if he were a singer I think it would be more of pop music. I think Shawn Mendes' voice suits him very well. Is kind of high, soft and slow.. People would be surprised and doubt if Rivaille is the one who is really singing. I also think it would be the other way around, him having a slightly deeper voice, although I haven't thought what singer it would be. What do you think? Can you imagine Levi singing with a voice of a famous singer that you like? which?

And Hange?

I'm still not sure what it would be like, I think Hange would be more rock and pop, and would have a somewhat deep but sharp voice, maybe a mezzo-soprano? I still haven't found a famous singer who hits her, but if Hange sang I'm pretty sure she would have Marcela's voice, she's a youtube singer, and if you haven't heard her yet I recommend you listen to her cover of "I wanna Be your Slave Cover by Marcela" here is the link if you want to hear it. Her voice is deep and she puts a lot of force into the tone, I'm sure that's how Hange would sound!

I would like to know your opinion too! Any singers that would sound like Levi and Hange? if that so which ones?

hmmmm, when i imagine levi's singing voice i think of someone like damiano from maneskin? someone with deep and incredibly rich voice? although, i'm also all for a complete opposite and thus levi having a voice very similar to mika? surprisingly high pitched but still beautiful

hange is a bit harder for me to figure our but! i really liked the singer you've sent! the singer from the band dorothy has a very nice voice as well, and i also think that hange would have a very distinctive voice, like florence and the machine?

thank you for the question!

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yeah-sure-why-not-you · 2 years

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I went to the Wonder Tour in Seattle! Here’s my experience.

Backstory:

I became a fan of Shawn Mendes at the beginning of my freshman year in college, back in 2018. This was during the time he was promoting Shawn Mendes the album. I saw YouTube videos of him performing and was like “Wow. He’s amazing at performing.” And then I spiraled into watching his other recent performances and interviews. I found myself going through his Instagram page. I knew of his music before (mostly the radio hits) but I never really paid any attention to Shawn as an artist. After falling into my Shawn Mendes rabbit hole, I was instantly hooked onto his music. Moving through college, I kind of fell out of my freshman year obsession with Shawn. But when he announced the Wonder Tour, I had to get tickets. On the first day of my final year in college, my friend and I ditched class to buy tickets. The concert would be on June 28 of the next year and that date felt so far away - it was after our last finals as undergrads and it was after our graduation ceremonies. But June 28 came by way faster than I had anticipated!

Concert:

I got the silver VIP package. Those with VIP waited in line separate from general tickets. The silver VIP package included a nice tote bag, a tour passport, and a poster. We had the opportunity to go through an interactive museum that displayed articles throughout Shawn’s career - outfits, guitars he owned/played, awards, etc. There were also backdrops and props from album covers that you could take pictures with. It was cool but honestly, it was underwhelming. I only got the silver VIP because of the seats. I would have bought the VIP tickets that included meet and greet but they were out of my price range in Seattle. I’m sure those are more worthwhile.

I sat right next to the catwalk of the arena stage setup. When I got to my seat, there were already fans standing right next to the barricades. Security made them sit down until the show started though. It had something to do with the fact that people who didn’t pay to sit in that area were taking other people’s space (from what I heard). When Dermot Kennedy (who was the opening act - his voice is insane) finished performing, the lights came back on. But when the lights dimmed again and Wonder album Intro played, we were all screaming with excitement! Fans rushed to the barricade. The lights began strobing in tandem to the intro music. And at the center of the stage was a dark silhouette growing taller. Once Shawn appeared, I could feel tears forming in my eyes. I didn’t cry. But damn, this was something that I had been dreaming about since I was a freshman in college. Now I was fresh out of undergrad, experiencing a Shawn Mendes concert for the first time. Based on videos and pictures, you can see that Shawn is an attractive person. But on stage? In real life? That man is absolutely glowing. He’s beautiful.

I’ve been to other concerts where there’d be backup dancers and large choreographs. Those are always super fun to watch. Still, I would have to say that watching Shawn perform was even better. You can tell he loves what he does. He just has so much energy on that stage. He fills up the entire space with that energy. And he goes ham on that guitar. I’m surprised the strings don’t snap. And his VOCALS? Don’t even get me started. His voice is absolutely amazing. All of the songs sound even better live than in studio. Those high notes are killer - and he hits a lot of high notes. You don’t have to be a fan of his music to admire his talent. He’s magnetic on that stage. He also looks so comfortable on the stage. And it’s not comfortable in a bad way or a lazy way. Shawn looked like he was home.

Shawn uses up the whole space during his performance. At some points, he performed solely on the main stage. During some songs, he walked up and down the catwalk. For other songs, they were sung at a smaller stage at the end of the catwalk. He performed one song (Can’t Imagine) in the middle of the catwalk. He also engages with fans a bit! Some talking while transitioning songs. It’s the usual that you would get from a performer - thanking the city and the audience for being there, explaining what a certain song meant to them, etc. He also touches fan’s hands as well and engages with any props that fans bring. Also, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll come home with a guitar pick he tosses into the crowd.

The final song was In My Blood. Near the end of the song, Shawn got off the catwalk and went by the barricades to touch fans, hug them, etc. I wasn’t lucky enough to have the chance to touch him but my friend did! She hasn’t washed her hand since then. She had it vacuum sealed.

Overall, it was an incredible experience. Shawn Mendes is an amazing performer. It exceeded my 18 year old expectations. It also launched me back into my Shawn Mendes fangirl phase.

My only wish is that he interacted a little bit more with fans. Take Harry Styles for example. I think he does pretty well with interacting with fans while he’s on stage. There are points in his show where he’d have a short and funny interaction with a fan and they’d even talk! Or he’d respond to a funny poster. I think that would be fun!

Also, I just want to add something here about the postponement of the Wonder Tour: take the space you need for yourself, Shawn.

Tips:

- If you want to hug or touch Shawn at a concert, buy tickets next to the catwalk and be at the barricade. He interacts with fans a lot there.

- If you want to stand out even more at the catwalk barricade, make a funny poster. My friend did (it was my idea! I think it was pretty good) and I’m sure that’s why he started at her area when he came off the catwalk to hug fans.

- If you bring a poster and you want Shawn to interact with it or you, make sure it’s something easy, like “blow me a kiss” or something. He doesn’t engage too much with fan posters. He’ll definitely see it though.

If you have any questions about my experience of about his concert in general, comment!

#wonder tour #shawn mendes #wonder the tour #wonder

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mercerislandbooks · 10 months

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50 Years of Island Books: Kay Wilson

Kay Wilson worked for Island Books from 2000 until 2016. Now Kay and her husband live on Lummi Island, surrounded by a field with two big gardens and many fruit trees. She helps raise money for the local library by running a book sale in the summer, partly to help the community and partly to feed her need to be buried in books. Their three children and old friends are scattered around, and Kay says going to visit them is a lovely way to be out in the world.

Miriam: Can you tell me about how you came to work at Island Books? Who did you work with, and what was happening in the world then?

Kay: Around 1982, I joined the Red and Black Books Collective, a politically progressive store that had been really important to the Seattle queer and feminist community since 1973. At first I volunteered, eventually becoming a paid staff book and card buyer. It was an incredible place to work and I was there for 16 years, but when the store was clearly not going to make it, I quit around 1998 and in 1999 went to work in a tiny green grocery that was in my Ballard neighborhood. I didn't want to work at another bookstore, partly because our family was fishing in the summers in Alaska and it seemed hard to find any bookstore that would accommodate that schedule. This little grocery served a sweet little Ballard neighborhood and it was full of regulars. Among those regulars were Roger and Nancy Page living as they did right around the corner. Roger and I especially hit it off. We had lots of things in common—roses, gardens, cooking, and so it happened, books and the selling of them. Eventually he asked me to come work at Island Books. Did I want to go to Mercer Island from Ballard every day? Did I want to mend my book-selling broken heart and do it again? I went over there and took a look. I was introduced to the staff and said okay.

This was an era when Amazon was eating independent bookstores for breakfast. So many everywhere. Roger clearly understood that in order to survive and thrive, his bookstore had to have really smart, thoroughly engaged booksellers who truly knew about both books and people. Staff there when I started were Cindy Corujo, Lori Mitchell, Wendy Crawford, Garry Jarman, and another part timer, Nancy Watkins. Not too long after, wonderful Nancy Shawn came (also a Red and Blackie) and then the unforgettable Marni Gittinger. These people each had their special way of making sure the customers got what they wanted, and many books they had no idea they wanted. We loved each other, had each other's backs, sometimes drove each other crazy. We had a lot of fun, insisted upon a whiskey in the backroom at 5pm if we weren't too busy (thank you Roger for keeping a bottle of Irish in the cupboard).

Miriam: It was such a fun time. As I recall, one of your specialties was the cookbook section. Do you remember any particular cookbooks you hand-sold time and again?

Kay: I started collecting cookbooks long before I came to Island Books, so it was always fun and easy to help folks find a good one, either for themselves, or as a gift. One of my favorites was and still is Tender by Nigel Slater, or really any of his glorious cookbooks, which can easily be used as lovely books to just sit and read, like getting a long letter from your auntie, the fantastic cook. Also, the books of Laurie Colwin, Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. These have recipes, but also stories that make you feel like having a dinner party or making an impromptu lunch for a surprise visitor is no big deal. James Beard's American Cookery is still in print and is so fantastic, a classic for a reason, and more fun than The Joy of Cooking, but fills a similar place on your cookbook shelf. Dori Greenspan's wonderful French cookbooks, books by Madhur Jaffery for her beautiful Indian cooking, Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables, as much for the illustrations as the recipes. The brilliant locals, Renee Erikson, Tom Douglas. Ottolenghi for his gifted many-ingredient recipes (forget making something with three or four items!)

Miriam: This is making me hungry. Let's walk out of the cookbook section. Will you give me a tour of the rest of the shelves? Tell us some of your favorite hand-sells of all time.

Kay: Of the other books I love and sold to many customers over the years, here are a few:

The books of Louise Erdrich, really almost anything, but I think The Master Butchers Singing Club is so very beautiful and original. It's not that her books don't have sorrow in them, but they are books of humanity and hope in the end. And if you want a whole universe to enter into, you can start with Love Medicine and just keep going.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Her first book was so exciting, historical fiction in a way, written with such exuberance for the words on the page.

Small Island by English writer Andrea Levy. Written from the point of view of four people deeply affected by World War II whose lives intersect, it's a moving story about who belongs and why, with insight into race and class without at all being a polemic.

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin. Magical realism for those who think they won't like it. It's a riot, a huge, passionately told story of New York City, as if Dickens and Garcia Marquez decided to write a beautiful love story about an orphan who lives through all the ages of the city.

In the Fall by Jeffrey Lent. Historical fiction that begins at the end of the Civil War, about an escaping enslaved woman who rescues a wounded Union soldier and goes with him home to Vermont, where they marry. Lent has a few more books, all worth reading, but this one is memorable.

The poetry of Mary Oliver, especially White Pine. Just stand there and read the poem "William." If you don't buy that book, you might be dead to poetry.

Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. (The movie is good, but oh, the book!)

Pema Chodrun's When Things Fall Apart. Life saving help for someone going through difficult times. Simple, a way in towards kindness to yourself and others, even the difficult ones.

Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez. His writing about the natural world and himself in it is just enthralling.

A Midwife's Tale by the American historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. This book, about Martha Ballard, a midwife in late 18th century Maine, alternates between Ballard's diary and Ulrich's commentary about life then, insightfully revealing how much the world has changed materially, but still we recognize ourselves as not so different.

Anything by Oliver Sacks, especially Musicophilia. As is his usual, multiple stories about people who have had amazing neurological conditions that are affected by music.

Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox. Cox's memoir about her open water long distance swimming is just a great inspiring read. Imagine swimming the English Channel in 38 degree water in record time with just a swimsuit on. What a woman!

The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson. This book about how it was finally figured out how cholera and the London water system were interconnected will make you deeply grateful for that glass of water you can drink right out of your tap, at least if you live in the right place.

Miriam: Thank you for sharing these, Kay, and it's so good to hear from you. We all get numb to book recommendations sometimes, but this is such a cultivated list! I bet Island Books customers will find great pleasure in those books and can confidently pick them up knowing you have a lifetime of expertise informing the recommendations. You're a cherished part of Island Books' history, and we are all sending you bookstore love.

To our Island Books community: If you are interested in ordering any of Kay's wonderful recommendations, please email [email protected]. We ask for your patience, as it may take a little extra time.

In the next 50 Years ofIslandBooksinstallment, I’ll be talking to local legend and Mercer Island children's concert musician Nancy Stewart, the founder of Sing With Our Kids, who has been involved with Island Books for forty-some years and continues to lead our regular childrens Story Times.

—Miriam

#miriam landis #kay wilson #island books #book recommendations #bookseller #50 years of island books

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jasonblaze72 · 2 years

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tessandscottforever18 · 2 years

Text

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/charlottefive/c5-things-to-do/article263224433.html

July 8

Shawn Mendes dishes on the tour he’s bringing to Charlotte — and on being a crocodile

Shawn Mendes has come a long way since he appeared on stage at live-music club Amos’ Southend seven years ago, at age 16, to play for a crowd of just over 1,300 fans.

The best proof of that? When he returns to Charlotte later this month, for the first time since that 2015 show, the now-23-year-old pop star responsible for monster hits like “Treat You Better” and “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” will need a venue that can hold more than 13,000 concertgoers this time.

Here are a few of the most interesting things we learned about Mendes during a recent teleconference with reporters to promote his upcoming “Wonder: The World Tour,” which supports his 2020 album “Wonder” and stops at Spectrum Center on July 22.

ON THE ALBUM THAT INSPIRED THE TOUR

While the rest of us were making viral pasta from TikTok and learning TikTok dances during the pandemic, Mendes was working on creating the “Wonder” album.

Mendes started working on the album right after his previous tour — “Shawn Mendes: The Tour,” which ended in December 2019. “I started making it and then the world went into pandemic, so it was definitely a fun time to make music, so I felt very called to write about things that really mattered to me.”

Specifically, he referred to his since-ended relationship with fellow pop star Camila Cabello, too, saying, “I was experiencing what it felt like to be in love for the first time, writing about that. And my process was really just trying to get as honest as possible and ... there was nowhere to go so I spent a lot of time just kind of writing in a journal and keeping track of all of kind of internal dialogue.”

ON RETURNING TO TOURING

“It’s been a long time and playing live is something that’s really been a life force for me since I was 15,” he said. “So I’m excited to feel that energy again and connect with people and see the fans. But I can’t say that I don’t have a lot of also anxiety surrounding it, too, because ... I spent a lot of time at home, I’ve gotten used to spending time around friends and family, and road life is definitely a different thing.”

“I think I’m looking forward to really just connecting to the fans again,” he continued, “and connecting to music and connecting to this whole thing that was lost for a couple years, and finding that beauty, because it really is the most special thing I’ve ever experienced — and I’m excited to feel that again.”

ON THE VIBE OF THE TOUR

“I really, with all my heart, think that it’s never been more beautiful,” he said. As much as anything, Mendes hopes fans feel a sense of humanity at the end of the show, saying: “Do you know that feeling when you watch like a really good movie, and it just kind of touches on all the very, like, small, nuanced pieces of what it is to be human and it kind of touches the heart in all the right ways? That’s the kind of thing that I’m aiming for, is to kind of touch the heart in all the right ways and have people feel very just like connected to love and sadness and all of the heavy stuff and the great stuff in between.”

As for the setlist, he said, “It’s really just about an ebb and flow and bringing people up at the right moments, letting them come down to take a breath and feel something deep. And then bringing them back up to kind of peak euphoria and just letting that roller coaster.”

ON HIS PLANS AFTER THE TOUR

For one, he said he’d like to find a home and put down roots. As for where that might be? “All my family’s in Toronto so I’d love obviously to be around them, but ... it’s just generally too cold in Toronto for my liking, so I really — I’m not sure yet. That’s the hard part for me.”

Also, he’d like to try his hand at acting. “I think I have an interest in what that would maybe be like for me,” he said.

Meanwhile, he will make his voice-acting debut in “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile” — as the movie’s titular singing crocodile — when the animated film is released this fall. It’s based on a children’s book where a boy moves to New York City and meets a crocodile who loves singing, baths and caviar.

“Seeing my voice come through the face of a CGI crocodile was bizarre,” Mendes said. But “I think it’s gonna be something I’m so proud of, especially as I get older.”

Mendes said the movie will affect kids in a positive way, which was the main reason he agreed to star in it. The film is set to be released in theaters on Oct. 17.

#shawn mendes #wonder the tour #lyle lyle crocodile #charlotte observer #interview: charlotte observer

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sultrybaby · 2 years

Text

TREAT YOU BETTER- A P.S.H. FIC

Inspired by Treat You Better, Shawn Mendes.

notes: tagging @dreamtonin and @goldenhypen and @verifiedsunghoonsimp (all I noted down sorry :[[[) I hope y'all liked it I worked a bit more on this than I would like to admit and the word count is a menace I cant believe I wrote this much LMFAOOOO

Word Count: *sighs* 4.7k

TW: TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS

I won't lie to you

I know he's just not right for you

"Okay but Ben that's literally what happened like- imagine how amazing it would be?! Running across a field, wind in your hair, chilly air, parrots- isn't it just wonderful? I wonder if this is what a pigeon feels like-"

"Can you just shut the fuck up, ___? Wouldn't have dated you if I knew you were such a filthy chatterbox."

Sunghoon was pretty positive he could've punched Ben then and there.

This wasn't the first time Sunghoon had witnessed his friend treat his girl like crap, and it annoyed him more than he thought it would. He had seen this countless times- it was a never-ending cycle. You would be happy about something you had all the right to enjoy, and Benjamin had to shut you down. Sunghoon's heart cracked a little every time he saw you go more and more into yourself, he hoped you didn't beat yourself for it, he hoped you realized that you had all the right to be happy about all the simple things that made you you, but he knew better. He knew his friend, and if the way he treated you in Sunghoon's presence was any indicator, then it was predictable how bad things were between you two. Sunghoon hated how this was what a relationship meant to you- you didn't deserve to be treated like this.

It had been no less than fifteen minutes since Benjamin had dragged you, pure fury blazin in his eyes, and Sunghoon had all the right to be worried. He had been overthinking about every bad thing that could happen to you- and none of them were far off considering how much of an asshole Ben could be. For not the first time, Sunghoon wonders why he's still friends with him. And, for not the first time, he knows the right answer- you.

You were the reason Sunghoon had even approached Ben. You were the reason Sunghoon stayed with Ben. He admired you for putting up with him. And when the two of you started dating, Sunghoon felt like he should be there for you even more.

His worry takes over and he starts for the parking lot.

Sunghoon had known the two of you did not possess the most ideal relationship, but the sight he was met with next to Ben's car was worse than anything he could come up with.

"I'm sorry, Ben I am so, so-"

"What were you THINKING?? Do you think I'd ever let you wear this?" Ben's pull at your skirt was nothing short of rough. He's been shaking you impossibly harshly by your shoulder, his hold on you was painful to even watch.

You were crying, but it was hard to tell considering how tired you looked. Ben was no weak man, and all that pulling seemed to have taken its toll on you. You seemed close to fainting and Sunghoon didn't realize how hard he'd been balling his fist until a knuckle cracking. Not that he cared. He watched as you were barely muttering sorry a million times for something that wasn't even wrong.

"You're nothing but a little attention-seeking bitch- what were you trying to accomplish wearing this rag you fucking-"

Benjamin doesn't realize he has been hit until he looks up, now eye to eye with his best friend- whose hand firmly grips his collar.

Sunghoon surprised even himself when he lunged at Ben. But he had it coming, and as Sunghoon pushes his friend out of his sight to gently place your now limp body inside the car, he realizes that he will never have the same relationship with Ben again. And he's happy about that.

But then he realizes, he might also lose you.

And you can tell me if I'm off

But I see it on your face

When you say that he's the one that you want

Of all the times Sunghoon could have been paired with you on a project, it had to be when he had the worst possible relationship with your boyfriend.

He hates how his heart leaps in excitement as he hears you pull up, but it's gone and replaced with worry as soon as he sees you and Ben having a conversation. He doesn't miss the glances thrown at him or the way Ben is insisting on the jacket. Sunghoon can't hear the two of you, but he knows it's nothing good as Ben grabs at your chin and pulls it at him roughly.

Sunghoon has been getting better at not taking any of his ex-friend's shit now.

"You're here!! How about you leave her, I can take care of her, y'know," Sunghoon doesn't fake any excitement in his tone, he doesn't bother to hide how annoyed he is at the scene. After sending one last glare towards him Ben lets go of your face- which you immediately massage, sending daggers down Sunghoon's heart- and hops into his car. Sunghoon waits at the door till he leaves before gently inviting you in.

Sunghoon makes sure the first thing he does is hug you.

He pulls you in gently, placing his arms around your waist. One hand comes up to rub your head. He always longed for a moment like this with you. And as he feels you sniff, he says nothing, but holds you in closer, swaying slowly. He wonders if he's ever felt better than he does now, with you in his hold, he pecks your forehead every minute.

After minutes of staying in the embrace, Sunghoon pulls out and cups your face in the most delicate way one could imagine. He looks at you, deeply, lovingly- something he knew you weren't used to, but also something that came to him easily. He did not bother to hide how much he cared anymore.

He finally sees the ___ he loved, the ___ that has her head in the clouds, the one that doesn't hide whenever she finds something she loves. He reminisces all of the times you came to him excitedly, telling him everything like a little child. But then you were also the one that cradled him when he cried over a bad grade, the one who told him that he could do anything, and brought comfort like hot chocolate on a lonely Christmas day. You were the one that gave him a gummy bear every time he broke down, the one who stayed with him and heard him through and never judged him. You were the one who made him fall in love with falling in love. And it pained him to realize you have never loved the way you dreamed to be.

But that isn't all. He also sees your cheeks that are still red as ruby from when Ben touched you. He stares at your swollen lips as he gently takes off your jacket. He places his hands at your sides and lightly pulls your hands and as he sees the marks on your shoulder from the day he saved you, he feels a hurricane threaten to burst within him. He sees all how Ben's impact is physically shown and it fucking hurts him. This wasn't what you deserved. You didn't deserve to be hurt, you didn't deserve to be shut off when you talked of the stars that he once saw in your eyes. You didn't deserve this. He feels a tear run down his nose as he once again pecks your forehead, and then rests his own against yours.

"Does he give you love?"

"He's the one I want, Sunghoon. I know it has to be true. It's just my fault for ruining it"

Sunghoon's heart breaks at your reply, but he also sees hope. He sees your face fall, he realizes that you've begun to doubt it.

You've started to doubt if you're loved, and maybe, Sunghoon can finally show you and give you what you deserve.

And you're spending all your time

In this wrong situation

And anytime you want it to stop

'Sunghoon please come I dunno what's gonna happen

Ben's place

Please'

Three texts- Sunghoon has never been more worried. He has been staring and he knows he should make a move but he can't seem to be able to budge.

His senses finally take over and he reaches for his car.

The car ride feels so slow, which is ironic considering he is on the verge of breaking a speed limit and driving past a red light. The roads look eerily normal, the bustling in the background is nullified and yet it has never sounded louder to him. He can feel his arms turn the steering but his mind can't concentrate- the route to Ben's house being second nature is the only thing holding him back from getting into a major accident. All he can think of is you, and how bad it could be if you had thought of reaching out to call him.

He finally spots the familiar brick and paints as he leaves his car at the gate- he couldn't care less about it at the moment.

He finds the door to the house left open. In any other situation, he might have been concerned, but now he is relieved. He hears muffled yelling.

Almost tripping at the seventh step, he runs up the eighth and ninth and tenth. Reaching for the door, he bends the handle and rattles.

The door's locked. Shit.

Once the deafening beating of his heart subsides into the depths of his being, he pays attention to whatever he can pick up from the commotion inside the door. Should he be listening in? No, but he was worried and his heart loved ___ more than his conscience loved the right thing to do.

"Ben this can't go on- it just can't! I just want to be loved..."

"You ARE being loved, you're just ungrateful. I could leave you on the streets in the rain- HELL I COULD STAB YOU IF U DONT LISTEN!! THAT'S WHAT SOME DO!! Do you see me treating you that way??? I love you, and you belong to me,__. You have to learn to accept my desire-"

"WHAT DESIRE, BEN? I know people who love me better than that. Even Sunghoon-"

The mention of his name causes Sunghoon to lean in closer. Close enough to hear a thud boom through the room.

"DO YOU HAVE TO BRING HIM INTO EVERYTHING?? HE'S DONE NOTHING CLOSE TO WHAT I HAVE"

"HE'S MADE ME FEEL MORE LOVED IN AN HOUR LAST SUNDAY IN A WAY YOU HAVEN'T DONE IN MONTHS"

Painful, deafening silence echoes through the entire house.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you meet him. I shouldn't have given you permission. I was careless- you don't.."

"Just STOP!"

Your scream sends chills down Sunghoon's back. Every syllable has months of pain and suffering etched into it that causes Sunghoon's eyes to prickle.

"I can't do this anymore, Ben.." your voice grows closer. Sunghoon's back steadies itself as he tries to unlock the door again, in vain.

"I'm leaving," is the last thing you say before the door bursts open and you fall right into Sunghoon's arms.

Sunghoon's wide eyes meet your tired, tear-worn ones seconds before you stumble into his hold. He feels your head wiggle, causing his hands to raise by instinct. He places one hand on your head and the other on your back, rubbing gently.

"Sorry I'm late, baby.."

You mutter something incoherently from the midst of his chest, which causes him to giggle, despite himself.

Neither of you spares a glance at the fuming Ben as you leave his house.

Despite the number of times Sunghoon had imagined driving you somewhere in his car, he had never thought it would be after you broke it off with Ben. He still couldn't believe there were no strings attached. He glances at your sleeping figure- he sees your messed up shirt, your darkened eye bags, the messy lip gloss- you were the most beautiful being he had ever laid his eyes on. He focuses on the road again...his thoughts wandering. He wants to be there for you, through everything.

He remembers all the times you had been there for him- even without his love for you, he feels as if he needs to pay you back for everything you gave him. He remembers the endless conversations where neither of you would judge the other, what had happened?

He wasn't too sad, though, because now you were back. You were by yourself, living for yourself again- and Sunghoon couldn't wait to love you.

I'll stop time for you

The second you say you'd like me to

Sunghoon had always been a man of the 'little things,' as some put it. His love shone brighter that way. What he didn't realize was how his tiny showers of affection were more than what you had ever asked for, a strong flower blooming between either of you with roots stronger than steel and flowers as ethereal as the moon.

Sunghoon cradled you into his chest as he rested his head on yours- a position both of you had grown to love and cherish. Sunghoon pecking the crown of your head and you reaching out for his fingers to hold on to while a movie plays. It felt so perfect, neither of you could ever ask for more.

Until your spoon clanked onto an empty bowl.

"Damn ___, you're downing that shit like rent is due tomorrow," Sunghoon chuckled, his deep voiced comment echoing in your ears given your proximity.

You scrunch your nose at the comment, which automatically causes Sunghoon to peck your nose. He thinks of how he pecks you everywhere. Blush coated your cheeks, like vapour coating a cold glass. Slowly, Sunghoon raises his hand and cups your face, which fits perfectly into his palms.

He thinks of how much he loved the dynamic the two of you possessed. You weren't dating- oh Sunghoon couldn't even think straight when it came to that. And yet, he found himself having the most loving relationship with you. As much as he would love to ask you out, he knew you got overwhelmed- and considering your previous relationship and how it had affected your view on relationships in general, you would think you required to do certain things that were straight up illogical- so it was most sensible to not bring it up. Anyway, he didn't need it, what you had right now was more than enough, he wouldn't trade it for the world.

Sharp cold wind hits his stomach, waking him from his trance, and he realizes you have gone to get more of your sweet delicacy. He wastes not a second before pausing the movie. Turning around, he lies on his stomach, waiting for you to come back.

"Why d'you stop the movie?"

Sunghoon unplasters his face from the couch and looks at you with another bowl of ice-cream.

"I didn't stop it, I paused it while you were gone."

"Why?"

"Because you were gone?"

"So?"

"I didn't want you to miss out on anything"

Sunghoon swore the smile that broke out on your face was the most precious thing he'd seen. A grin covered the lower half of your face as you ditched your ice cream and you ran behind his view.

Seconds later he feels you lie on his back, wriggling your hands into the space between the couch and his stomach.

"What...why- what are you...you do...what are you doing?" He managed between giggles.

"Thank you for waiting for me"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah.."

Sunghoon does a little bit of twisting and turning, having you lie on his stomach.

Three inches of air separated your faces as the two of you blatantly stared into each others' eyes, neither of you backing down.

He didn't know if he was inching forward, or if it was you- but seconds later he felt foreheads connect. A wave of happiness went down his chest as his hands held onto the back of your waist.

"I've never had anyone do something like that for me," you started, all boldness gone as you looked down, the ends of Sunghoon's t-shirt a sudden pinnacle of your interest, "It felt...nice? Like, you were ready to wait for me- and, I liked that.."

"I would stop time for you, ___" he said before he could even stop himself.

Your hand smacks his torso.

"Stop that was so weird, you dork"

"Are you blushing?"

"SO WEIRDDDD~"

"Oh goodness your face is steaming"

"WEIRDO I CAN'T HEAR YOU-"

Your cute antics and angelic, flushed face causes his ability to make good decisions to go through the roof. Before he knows what he's doing, he ropes you into his chest and gently locks his lips onto your own.

I just wanna give you the loving that you're missing

Baby, just to wake up with you

"___ are you coming to Julia's gathering?"

"I don't know, are you free?"

Sunghoon chuckles, "Of course I'm free- why do you ask?"

"Well what if you aren't okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay with it?"

"I don't want to burden you by asking you to look out for me"

It was the casual nature of the statement that made it harder for Sunghoon to process.

He walks up to you, who was reading on the couch, and snakes his arms around your waist. It was a lovely position, until Sunghoon pushed you in with quite a bit of force, causing you to land on his lap.

"Sunghoon you scared me-"

"You'll never be a burden for me, you know that?" Sunghoon sounded dead serious, and he meant it to be so.

He felt you turn around on his lap, and soon you were holding gentle eye contact. Sunghoon takes the opportunity and connects his lips to your cheek. He’s been even bolder about it since the day you kissed on his couch.

"You deserve all my love, and care- and I just want to give it to you baby," he mumbles between kisses aimed at the space where your neck blends into your hair.

Sunghoon thought you were in some atrocious dilemma with the seriousness of your tone- due to which the actual problem you seemed to be needing help with looked helplessly mild.

"Seriously, ___? Baby I love you but did you really need to call me here to help you with your outfit?"

Sometimes Sunghoon wondered if the pet names were annoying given you guys were not dating (yeah, they still aren't sorry), but you didn't seem to mind, and he loved the reaction you gave to it, however subtle, so it seemed a win-win. What he did not consider, was a situation where you would say it back.

"But love, your 'baby' needs your approval, and I'm not a mind reader so I don't know what you like"

Sunghoon was far too flustered at this point. He felt color (however imperceivable) rise to his cheeks, and he was quite positive his ears were being cooked. Convinced you were playing with him, he tried to shrug it off.

"___ you don't need my approval, just wear whatever. And stop teasing me!"

"What??"

Sunghoon finally tore his eyes away from the floor to look at you, and found you looking genuinely confused ( which was quite a cute sight, he thought, with your pout and those two aimlessly held up dresses in your hands). Have you not heard him?

"I said you don't-"

"No, I heard you, Sunghoon...did you mean it? Will you really let me wear whatever I want?"

LET?

Left speechless, he moved towards you and in one quick motion, picked you up (effectively spilling all the dresses to the floor).

"You don't need me to tell you what to do with your body, you know..."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, and on that note- don't trust anyone who tells you that," Sunghoon said, looking up at you who was still in his arms. He saw something in your face change, your forehead was weirdly creased, your eyes almost nullifying, until a tear ran down.

Were you crying?

"I, but he..," you started, but the rest of your sentence was drowned by your sobbing. You hadn't cried in so long and it broke Sunghoon inside to see you like this. Lifting your legs so that he was now carrying you bridal style, he sat down on your couch. And he just sat with you, and let you cry it all out. He understood you needed to cry, and that he just had to be there.

He would always be there.

The gathering was quite draining for someone like Sunghoon's whose energy was derived from his personal time. His back had an uncomfortable ache to it, and his arms were begging to lie down. Regardless of how tired Sunghoon was, he could say with confidence that you had it worse- considering you were knocked out next to him in the front seat of his car.

He really liked the dress you picked for yourself- the blue was a beauty, and the half skirt on your left thigh was filled up by a knee-length boot (he found it phenomenal). Combined with your hair that had nothing but an elegant clip-on, you were quite easily the attraction tonight. His heart wells up at the thought of how he was the one who got to be with you (almost like your 'date') and thinking of all the times you came to him for the smallest things throughout the event sends an immediate blush to his cheeks. Even in the lone, quiet atmosphere of the car, he couldn't help but smile at the thought. He also thinks of all the people that tried to make a move on you- guess the news of your break-up from Ben reached the masses. It made him quite mad- but he couldn't ponder on it, because it immediately made him think of how you held onto his hand every time someone weirded you out.

Damn, he's in fucking love with you.

He gently picks you up from the car and places you on the couch, when he feels you shift in his arms. You wriggle out of his hold and stand and look at him, your half-open eyelids fluttering at him, effectively sending his heart into a flurry.

"I'll go to sleep now..."

"Don't you have to undress," he states, trying not to laugh at your helplessly drowsy state. His hand unconsciously holds your back, in case you fall.

'No...it's fine...maybe I'll look pwetty when I wake up...," you mumbled, causing Sunghoon to scoff.

"You're always pretty- now take that shit off bae,"

"Alright..."

Fifteen minutes later, and Sunghoon now finds you lousily sprawled across your bed, in a hoodie he knows you barely even looked at considering you're wearing it upside down. Also, it was his hoodie.

Sighing, he walks over and lightly lifts you to position your head properly on a pillow.

"God, baby…” Sunghoon is amused at how lazy you are- your makeup is still on. He likes how he's seeing all these vulnerable parts of you, he loves you for it.

But you still need to take care of yourself.

Propping your head upon the headboard, he takes a wipe and some micellar water, attempting to wipe your make-up off as lightly and gently as he could imagine. He carefully places his hand beneath your neck, cupping a bit of your cheek, and starts to wipe.

He knows he's staring, but he couldn't care less. He's fascinated by the shape of your eyes as he wipes off the winged eyeliner. Wiping off your blush, he personally finds your face much prettier without it. His hands slowly rub circles with the cotton pad on your face, and as he reaches your lips- his cautiousness intensifies. He loves your lips, as he slowly wipes off the lipstick, he sees the dull, natural fade of them. He finds it kissable. He keeps rubbing until it's all off- but he can't stop looking. He remembers the kiss the two of you shared a while back- how it was fun, intense, passionate, but soft- and it arouses his desire even more. Although the two of you had reached a unanimous decision to never speak of it, he couldn't stop thinking about it. You were beautiful, and he couldn't hold it in anymore.

Slowly, Sunghoon leans in and presses the most delicate of kisses onto your lips.

It's Saturday morning, and Sunghoon feels a little body wriggle in between his arm and torso. Drowsily looking down, he finds you already looking up at him, causing your eyes' to meet.

"Good morning, babe"

"I had a dream, Sunghoon," you blurted out.

"What was it about?"

"You."

Oh.

Gently moving his arms down to your waist and pulling you in to distract you from the smile that threatened to form on his lips, he managed,

"What about me?"

"We were on the bed"

"We're always in bed-"

"And you kissed me."

OH.

Sunghoon hoped he didn't look as panicked as he felt. His face heated up and he broke eye contact with you, so yeah, subtle.

"Well, maybe your brain was still processing what happened last week on the couch-"

Anything Sunghoon planned to say in that sentence (or the next thirty minutes) was cut off as he felt you place the sloppiest kiss on his mouth. His hands worked faster than his brain to hold you as you sat up straighter to deepen it. He sat up and placed you on his lap with vigor as one arm tilted your head, the other rubbing circles on your hip. The thudding of his heart harmonized with the working of his mouth as he kissed you as if it's his last and you were his only.

Would be everything I need, and this could be so different

Tell me what you want to do

Sunghoon probably shouldn't be reading your texts, but as he sees your burned-out figure on the kitchen floor, he can't help but stare in shock at the texts you'd sent to your friend.

Melina:

Sweetie im sure sunghoon doesnt need all that

You:

I need to do this

When i was with ben i would be doing EVERYTHING and he still didnt like it

So sunghoon having nothing to say just doesnt sit right with me

I want to do something

I dont wanna be a useless slut

Melina:

A WHAT

Babe Sunghoon would NEVER think of you like that

Hes not like Ben

You:

But Melly

Im never doing ANYTHING

Something's off i know it

Sunghoon doesn't realize he's crying until he can no longer see weeks' worth of texts of you doubting yourself and coming up with plans to make things better for him. He was foolish to think that Ben wouldn't make his way in between them.

"Sunghoon...baby are you crying?"

He hears your strained voice ask him, and as he turns to look at you try to push yourself off the kitchen floor after spending the entire day cooking for him, he says nothing, but brings you in and hugs you, sobs leaving his throat as they cut down on his heart. He can't believe he made you feel like this.

Your arms snake around his back, and he remembers the days you would comfort him when he failed. He feels your hand pat his head and ruffle his hair.

"___?"

"Yeah sweetie?"

"You're everything I need, you know that? Please...please don't ever think you have to do more to make me happy, when," he looks up and meets your moist irises threatening to burst,

"When I fell in love with you for existing, and all I wanna do is be here for you."

'Cause I know I can treat you better than he can

And any girl like you deserves a gentleman

Tell me why are we wasting time

On all your wasted crying

When you should be with me instead?

I know I can treat you better

Better than he can

303 notes · View notes

perfectlywrongformend3s · 3 years

Text

Little Mendes on the way-Shawn Mendes

“I’m going to be a father!” With Shawn Mendes

“I can’t hide my bump any longer. I think we need to tell people.” with Shawn Mendes

Requested: Yes

Words: 1497

Warning: None

A/n: I put the two requests that I got together because I thought it would make more sense. Thank you so much for the request. I am so sorry I am getting it out so late. I just haven’t really been motivated to do much writing but I am back. Enjoy.

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

Your POV

I felt tears forming in my eyes while I was staring at the two pink lines. I think they were tears of joy but maybe some of them were tears of worry too. I got interrupted by my phone going off. I whipped the tears off my face and answered the call.

“ Hey Angel.” Shawn said

“ Hi.” I said

He gave me a look before asking… “ You okay dear. Have you been crying?”

I tried to hold in my sniffs but one got loose when I gave him a small smile. Shawn let out a sigh.

“ Want me to come home, so we can talk about it.”

I gave him a small nod and he smiled before saying…

“ Alright give me a couple minutes and I’ll be there. I love you so much.”

“ I love you too.” I whispered

I ended the call and started panicking a little bit due to my thoughts about him leaving and not helping me with the baby that’s literally growing inside me.

I was pacing the bathroom when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked over at the door to find Shawn leaning against the door frame.

Shawn’s POV

I just finished recording a song when Andrew told me I could go on a 10 minute break before we started talking about the new song. I obviously took my break to call my beautiful wife Y/n while also getting some water. While the phone was ringing I took a long sip of water. I stopped drinking my water when I heard her answer the call. I smiled and said…

“ Hey angel.”

She then gave me a quite “ Hi” back

I looked at her closely to find her eyes all red and puffy looking so I gave her a concerned look before asking…

“ You okay dear. Have you been crying?”

I could hear her trying to hold back her sniffs but she gave me a small smile without answering the question. I let out a long sigh before asking…

“ Want me to come home, so we can talk about it.”

She gave me a small nod which made me smile.

“ Alright give me a couple minutes and I’ll be there. I love you so much.” I told her

“ I love you too.” I heard her whisper before she hung the call up. I rubbed my face with my hand before stuffing my phone back into my pocket and collecting my things so I could talk with Andrew.

“ Hey Andrew, um I got a request for you.” I asked

He turned around and faced me. He nodded for me to continue..

“ Um, so Y/n/n’s having a hard day so I was wondering if we can…”

He held his hand up and said…

“ You were wondering if you could go be there for her.”

I nodded my head to the question he said. He gave me a smile and nodded his head.

“ Yea go for it man. She needs you, so we can pick this up another day. Just give me a call to tell me when.”

I let out a sigh I didn’t know I was holding in and before I left he gave me a bro hug. I then walked out and headed to the house where she was.

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

I walked inside the house and put my stuff right next to the door and made my way to where she was. I saw the bathroom door crack open so I pushed it open trying to be quiet. I then leaned on the door frame watching her for a little before making myself known by clearing my throat. I saw her jump which made me chuckle. I stood up straight and held my arms out for her to walk into.

Your POV

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. I felt another wave of tears hit me which made him hold me tighter. He was swinging us back and forth slowly and rubbing up and down on my back.

“ You want to go sit down dear so we can talk.” he whispered to me

I gave him a small nod so he let go of me and we headed over to our bedroom to sit down. Once we got to the bed I looked down until I felt him move my head to look up at him. He gave me a look.

“ Please talk to me. You know you can tell me anything right.”

I nodded and let out a shaky breath before pulling out the test from my pocket. I held it in my hand while looking down at it. I heard a gasp which made me look up with a worried look.

“ Can I see it?” Shawn asked

I gave it to him and got a little scared of what he was going to say, so I thought of a plan to leave just in case.

Shawn’s POV

I grabbed the test out of her hand and smiled when I saw the two pink lines. I looked up at her and grabbed her face gently. I looked her in the eyes and said…

“ I’m going to be a father.”

She gave me a small smile and nodded her head. I saw tears well up in her eyes and I could feel tears well up in my eyes too. The both of us hugged each other due to the excitement. She then pulled away from the hug and I put my hand on her belly and whispered to it.

“ Hi, buddy. I’m your daddy. Your mom and I are so excited to meet you little guy.” I then looked up and saw Y/n/n giving me a smile. I pulled her in for a passionate long kiss.

Third Person POV

Three months later

Shawn and Y/n just got back from picking up their new family member Tarzan when one of their fans came up to them and asked some questions. Y/n and Shawn tried their best to answer her questions but got stuck when she asked if they were expecting a baby soon. Both of them denied the question saying that they were not ready to have one yet. The fan just nodded and thanked them before walking away. Y/n and Shawn both let out a huge sigh they were holding in before heading back to the house.

When they got Y/n headed for the kitchen because she was panicking. Shawn on the other hand was fine and messing with Tarzan.

Your POV

I was pacing in the kitchen which was probably not good for the baby but what the fan said made me anxious. I heard footsteps so I looked up from the floor to find Shawn and Tarzan following him.

“ Hey, don’t worry about her, okay. If things get under control then we can state that its true, but for now relax please.” he told while giving me a hug

I relaxed in the hug, but he could tell I was still nervous about what the fan said. Before he could open his mouth to say something I blurred out…

“ I can’t hide my bump any longer Shawn.”

He then said…

“ So what are we going to do. We can always get you larger clothes for you to wear so your more comfortable or we co…”

I stopped him by saying…” I think we need to tell people.”

Shawn’s POV

Right when I heard those words come out of her mouth I stood in shock. I sighed and closed my eyes before opening them.

“ Are you sure?” I asked her with concern

She nodded her head. I then asked…

“ It's not what the fan said, is it?”

She sighed but responded with… “ No it’s not Shawn I promise you it's not.”

I gave her a nod and we got to work on our post for instagram. While I was trying to find a good picture I saw Y/n/n watching me or more like staring at me. I turned my head to look at her which made her blush. I let out a quick chuckle before saying…

“ I know I’m handsome but please continue watching angel.”

I smiled when I saw her blushing more. I pulled her to my side and said…

“ You're adorable, but please help me with this.” I gave her a quick kiss on the side of her head before we went back to work on the post.

#shawn mendes #shawn peter raul mendes #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes imagine #Shawn Mendes fluff #Shawn Mendes x reader #shawn mendes x y/n #Shawn Mendes x you #Shawn Mendes x #Shawn Mendes fanfic #mine #requested #fluff

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princecharmingmendes · 3 years

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Invisible String | Werewolf AU | Raul Mendes

Raul is a werewolf and his mate turned out not only to be human, but his best friend's little sister. And as much as he tried, he could not ignore that invisible string tying her to him.

Hello hello! This is a bit of an experimental thing and I'm really excited about it, I've always been highly interested in everything about alternative universe and fantasy in general, and ever since I received the first ask to write a werewolf piece I've been wanting to do it but also a bit nervous. So hopefully this meets your expectations and you guys like it! Let me know if this was any good and if you guys would like to see something else like this!

*Word Count: 8K+;

*Warnings: a few curse words, a little angsty (i guess), minor drinking;

*Posted: March 28th, 2021.

-*-

Raul felt like life liked playing sick little tricks on him.

Like the fact that werewolves had a very strict hierarchy and normally it worked nicely. The Alphas are the ones in charge and responsible for keeping the pack safe and in order. Betas normally were kind of the strength of the pack, trained to listen and do whatever the pack needed and physically skilled to fight off anyone. And the Omegas were the glue to all of it, the sweet and naturally more caring ones, and it was an ancient thing that was followed to this day. Until Raul and his twin brothers were all born Alphas. It was hard informing the pack that they’re all going to be the Alphas of their pack. And since normally it was only allowed one wolf to claim that position, it was harder to make older ones respect their decision and actually accept, but at the end of the day, they didn’t have much of a choice. The Alpha genes ran in the Mendes family for generations and thankfully their dynamic was actually great and the triplets formed a great group of wolves.

And that was just an example of the things Raul blames on fate or whatever for making his like a bit more difficult. But maybe the hardest one was having mated with not only a human, but his Beta’s younger sister. His best friend’s and right hand’s sister, one of the only girls that was off limits had to be his mate.

And it wasn’t even his choice. Mating is a common thing between werewolves and other creatures, often seen as a blessing, a reason to celebrate. It’s similar to what most people have as a soulmate. It’s two souls that were meant to be together and are deeply connected to the other. Sometimes it’s harder to notice, it can take a few years and sometimes it’s almost instantaneous, and it can’t be undone or ignored. And even though sometimes it can be denied by one of the sides, according to the ones who’ve been through it, it’s an awfully painful experience. Some even go as far as describing having a piece of you being pulled out of your heart.

It also doesn’t have to be necessarily tied to a romantic relationship, you can simply be friends with them for the rest of your lives, even though it doesn’t happen most of the time. Most of the time it isn’t even something to think about, it just feels natural, you feel whole when you’re around that person, they’re meant to be your other half and normally it just clicks. And when you grow up surrounded by wolves, it’s normally a beautiful connection to witness. Raul always found their parents relationship amazing, and deep down longed for a similar deep relationship with someone, finding his mate and falling in love. He just didn’t expect it to happen the way it did.

It was over four years ago and he was running a bit late to Mike’s, his best friend, nineteenth birthday he was having at his parents’ house. Raul got caught up sorting through some pack stuff and when he was finally done with it, he was already half an hour late and it was outside their little secluded “neighborhood” in the wooded area. It was a bit far from the town so the wolves wouldn’t have a problem with the humans since their existence was still a secret. Only very few and selected humans knew about them. So it was best for everybody if they built their little community on the woods just beside the town, and keep their presence among humans only when seen necessary.

Mike’s father, who is a werewolf, fell in love with a human (Mike’s mom) and they decided to move into town to be closer to her job since she was a nurse and needed to be near the hospital in case of an emergency. And when Mike was born a wolf, they decided that he was going to be raised like his dad was in the wolf community and would make his decision in joining it or not when he was older. And he did choose the pack life since it felt more natural to him. But Y/N, his younger sister, was actually born a human and was raised by his parents like any human kid, and she was never taken to their community since she was three years younger than her brother and Mike was very protective over her, not knowing how his pack would treat her or react to her.

So when Raul parked his car right outside the address that was sent to him and ringed the bell, he wasn’t expecting to be met with his mate. But there she was, Y/N stood with the door open as her eyes widened the slightest bit and he was sure he wasn’t breathing. He felt like he was floating and her sweet scent of something like Roses and Strawberries was all he could feel. All his other senses were clouded by her presence just a few inches away from him. He didn’t know how to react or what to say, and for the first time in his life he was completely speechless. Raul was normally a very socially skilled person, he was good at talking to people and reading someone’s expressions like a book, always had a sharp answer at the tip of his tongue and knew what to do at most situations, but Y/N caught him off guard.

She seemed a bit confused as well. Her mouth slightly a gape as she held to the wooden doorframe. Y/N was really happy she was finally meeting all of her brother’s friends and getting to know a bit more of this part of his life she was deprived of. And she was a bit shocked to notice how big and strong all of his friends were, specially Shawn and Peter, who Mike explained to be the Alphas. They were also incredibly nice to her, she suspects it was her brother’s doing since every time they would say something or curse, they would always look at Mike first. But when the doorbell rang again, she knew it was Raul, he was the only one missing and they knew he was late due to “pack stuff” as they explained. She felt a bit jittery and basically ran to the door from the spot she was sitting next to it on her phone, wanting to get to know her brother’s best friend for a while now. But she wasn’t prepared to meet him.

Sure, he was identical to his twins, but there was something different about him that hit her hard. Of course, he had more tattoos and a few more piercings, he looked a bit rougher in the edges with his leather jacket and wild golden eyes, but there was something that wasn’t about his appearance that took her breath away. And suddenly she didn’t know what to do, they’re both stuck in their place staring at each other. And even though her mind was screaming at her to stop being awkward, invite him in and actually act like a decent being, Y/N couldn’t move a muscle, and he’s probably thinking she’s an idiot and too polite to invite himself in. And in the middle of her internal turmoil, he regained some self control for the sake of both of them.

Raul cleared his throat shaking his head a bit “Hi, I’m Raul, you must be Y/N” he said and she swore she melted at the sound of his voice “it’s really nice finally meeting you”

He offered his hand to her to which she swiftly grabbed, feeling his warmth seeping throughout her palm, his fingers curling around her much smaller ones. He had a beautiful design tattooed on the back of his hand and she got a little lost in it.

Y/N sighed relief he broke the awkward moment and looked up back at him, trying to control her thoughts “Yeah, that’s me, nice to meet you too, would you like to come in?”

Raul smiled as he let go of her hand a bit reluctantly “sure” was all he said as he stepped in closer to her, being hit with a fresh wave of her sweet scent, forcing him to take a deep breath.

“The boys are outside in case you’re wondering” she said placing a strand of hair that fell out of her little updo behind her ear.

Raul held back the urge to do it himself “Oh, so they annoyed you into staying in the living room?”

“No no” her eyes almost budged out of their socket “I was just- I was just waiting for you since I knew you were running late and they’re all talking, so I didn’t want to intrude and I-“

“Y/N it’s just a joke” he said through a chuckle as he saw her face flushing “relax a bit, honey”

Y/N giggled softly as she closed the door “I’m sorry, I-“

“Hey, dude!” Mike called from across the room, making their heads snap towards him “how’s everything back home?”

“All settled” Raul said taking a step closer to his Beta “just arrived actually”

“Oh, so you met my little sister” and even though it seemed like a normal sentence, Raul knew Mike and knew his posture like the back of his hand, he knew this was a reminder of the conversation they had back home about staying away from her.

“Yeah, she opened the door for me” he said and from his peripheral he saw Y/N nodding confirming his line.

“I see, the guys are outside, let’s go grab a burger for you” Mike said patting him on the shoulder and dragging him away from the front door where Y/N seemed to be frozen in place.

Raul remembers vividly every little second of that night. Remembers how he decided he should keep his distance for the sake of his friendship and for Y/N herself. She was only sixteen when they met and she is human, which means the bond isn’t too strong for her, specially at first glance, and dating a werewolf was hard. He lived far into the woods and didn’t necessarily mingle with people in town, who were probably her friends and she wasn’t raised with his type, so maybe it would be too much for her. And Raul’s sure Mike wouldn’t be happy about it, at least not now where they first met and she’s that young. So he kept his distance, only talking to her when extremely necessary.

And that was a pattern he kept for the remaining four years of their limited interactions (which he intended keeping that way).

As older as Y/N got, the closest she got with the pack. She was always close to Mike, but since she was young she wasn’t allowed to walk or drive alone to the community, but as soon as she was old enough she was always around on the weekends and important dates. And she was just lovely, so everyone adored her, always wanting to have her around for monthly movie nights and even going as far as inviting her to spend the night. Raul couldn’t really blame anyone for wanting her around, he did too, but he couldn’t, so he didn’t say a thing about it. And he knew he made her hesitant on accepting those invitations, cause at every attempt she ever made to get closer to him, he shut her off. And he could see Y/N was hurt, but it was for the best.

He even tried dating someone else for a while and he noticed Y/N didn’t like it even the tiniest bit. The girl he was dating was a Beta that was temporarily living with them as her pack solved something around the area, and she was nice. But it didn’t last long, she was only staying for a few months, and on the day she left, there was a barbecue in celebration to one of the older wolves and of course Y/N was there. Raul was late since he was taking his ex to the airport, and Y/N didn’t even look at him when he stepped into the little location they were all settled. He found the act odd but didn’t say a word, only walking towards his brother’s and Mike who were laughing probably about something dumb one of them said. Raul spent a few minutes with them, but he kept looking over his shoulder where Y/N was sat, noticing after an hour she was missing and he instantly started trying to find her.

He dismissed his friends as he walked into the pack house, trying to clear his senses to track her in case she was hurt (since she was a bit wobbly on her feet already), but only to be met with her staring at her phone while sitting on the couch with a huge pout set on her lips. Raul was about to turn and leave when Y/N looked up, noticing his presence and he swears his heart stopped at that moment. She had tears filling her eyes and her lips were trembling slightly, a deep frown set on her brows.

“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t be here” she mumbled sniffling softly “I just needed to clear my head a bit”

Raul nodded with softer eyes as he walked closer to her “it’s okay, are you hurt? Are you in pain?”

Y/N shook her head “I honestly don’t know why I’m so upset, I didn’t even drink that much or anything, I just-“ she sighed heavily and looked up at the celling.

“Tired?” Raul offered gently and she nodded her head slowly “want me to drive you home?”

“No, please, just go enjoy the night, isn’t Samantha here?” she said as he sat down beside her, still keeping some distance.

“We broke up, she left today” was all he said and she looked up at him with wide eyes, but before she could start apologizing, he just pressed his hand to her knee gently “it’s okay, it wasn’t anything serious, no need to apologize, sweetheart”

“I- okay”

“Still wanna stay?” he pressed gently “I can still take you home”

“No, it’s okay, I was supposed to spend the night anyway” she shrugged.

“Wanna go upstairs and take a nap?” was all he asked and she shook her head.

“The thing is I was supposed to stay at Stacy’s room tonight, but her boyfriend showed up, so I guess I got the living room” she explained “which is totally okay, and I don’t want to seem ungrateful, I know you don’t like me much, and I don’t want to make things worse”

And at that his heart shattered “wait, what?”

“Oh no, I really don’t mind, I can call a cab too, I can leave in twenty minutes too, I’m sorry I-“ she started breathing a bit heavily as he picked up her heart racing more than usual.

Raul shook his head, turning on the couch to face her better “No, it’s not that, I’m not mad at you or anything, I just- who said I don’t like you?”

“I- no one” she opened her mouth a few times before closing it until she said something that shattered his heart in a billion pieces “no one, it’s just something I’ve noticed throughout the years”

“What do you mean?”

Y/N sighed deeply as she glanced down at her lap, fidgeting the bracelet she always wore, which Raul caught on a long time ago to be a nervous habit “I know you get uncomfortable when I’m around and Mike told me it was probably something about you not being used to have humans around, and I totally get it, it’s just sometimes it seems like my presence is enough to put you in a sour mood and I don’t think it’s because I’m human or anything, and I shouldn’t be saying this to you, I’m sorry”

Raul took a deep breath as he squeezed her knee gently and seeing her relax a bit at his touch “stop apologizing for everything, you did nothing wrong, sweetheart, well, besides assuming I disliked you”

“Oh” was all she managed out as her brain ran a million mile per hour.

Y/N has had a crush on him for years now, ever since the first time they met. He was the literal description of her type, but the dreamy part ended there. Of course Raul was always polite and never made anything to directly hurt her, but he kept pushing her away and avoiding her like the plague, and maybe it was all in her head, but he didn’t seem like that whenever he was around others. And that did nothing to help her case. She knew nothing would ever happen between them, he made it pretty obvious he wasn’t attracted to her, but she’d like to try and be friends with him but even that didn’t seem to interest him. And it wasn’t his fault, she didn’t even knew the reason as to why she felt the need to have him around, but she just did. So Y/N just lost hope after all the attempts to make him like her, but he was always so distant and it still affected her after all this years.

In the other hand, Y/N had no idea how hard it was to push her away. Raul was certain she knew exactly what to do to get to his heart, she had to. Every little thing she did made his heart flutter and she was just so good at having people wrapped around her fingers that she made her way through all of his friends lives. He thought they were mates at first glance, her scent was a great clue, but as they got to know each other better, even indirectly, just made him sure of it. Y/N meant much more than what he thought was possible, seeing her stressed over school stuff or sad about whatever reason was enough to put him in panic, not knowing how to keep his distance and stop her from hurting. And all his cold exterior wasn’t necessarily his choice, he knew Mike confessed he hoped his sister would not get with an Alpha, that meant she would have to give up a few things in her life and that would herself in danger for having Raul’s scent all over her. And Mike also told him he would do whatever he could to avoid that to keep her safe.

So he did it for her, to keep her safe from the problems that came along with living in a pack, dating a werewolf and being a human. But it was getting harder, and tonight he decided to ignore it, that she needed him more than she needed to stay away from him. And that’s what pushed him to wrap his fingers around her wrist, making her look up at him

“Do you want to watch a movie or something?” he offered in a lower voice “maybe it will help you clear your head a bit” and Y/N seemed a bit shook, looking up at him with wide eyes and she nodded slowly.

Raul smiled fondly at her as he got up with her following him up the stairs to the little movie room the pack out together for movie nights. They sat down side by side as he offered her to pick something for them, then Raul proceeded to reach for a fluffy blanket that was thrown on the corner of the sofa. When he turned back to her she still looked a bit lost, so he offered to put on a show he knew was her favorite, and she just nodded in response. Y/N was too nervous to do anything wrong that would push him back into being his closed off distant self, and she knew she looked ridiculous all tense and barely breathing by his side.

Raul noticed her stiffness right away and decided to turn off the lights hoping this would make her relax even a little bit. And as the episode progressed he noticed she was getting more and more loose. An hour later, in the middle of the second episode, he felt her leaning closer to him, probably searching for a bit more warmth, so he lifted his arm to rest on the back of the couch and to make room for her in case she wanted. It only took a couple more minutes for her to be basically leaning most of her weight on him, and when her arm slipped, she fell mostly laying on his chest. And as soon as Y/N was ready to start apologizing, Raul shushed her softly, asking her to relax and pulling the covers up both of their bodies, and so she did.

He didn’t notice he was falling asleep until he woke up many hours later with the sound of voices downstairs from his brothers. Raul looked down at his chest to find Y/N cuddled to him, sound asleep as his arm wrapped around her waist held her still. He took a deep breath and almost chose not to wake her and just go back to sleep, to deal with the stiffness due to the sitting position he held and the consequences of sleeping there with her in the morning. At least until he heard the door cracking open slowly and Shawn’s head popping in.

“Are you two okay?” his brother whispered as he noticed the girl asleep on the couch, and to that Raul nodded in response, afraid to wake her up “take her upstairs to your room, dude, Mike will find out you like her sooner or later and he’ll deal with it, just don’t let her sleep on the couch”

Raul sighed and nodded. Shawn bid his goodnight and closed the door with a soft click. Peter, Shawn and his mom were the only ones to know about his mating situation, and he liked it better that way. They tried convincing him to tell her at least, but they understood that maybe it wasn’t the right time just yet and let him decide what to do with his feelings.

So he ended up taking his brothers suggestion and as gently as he could, he rearranged the girl in his arms to he could carry her upstairs to his bedroom. Y/N grumbled softly in protest, nuzzling her face further on his neck as she quieted down. Raul had to stop himself from cooing at her. As he walked out into the bright hallway she mumbled something unintelligible before calling his name.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m here, it’s just me” he whispered as they walked into his room, before placing a kiss to her hair, gently lowering her to his mattress.

Y/N slowly opened her eyes “Raul? I’m sorry, I fell asleep on you” she mumbled quietly.

“It’s okay, just thought a bed would be a better place for you to sleep other than the couch” he said standing up to his full height and bringing the covers up her body “that’s why I brought you to my room”

“Thank you” she said grabbing his hand and he just nodded at her with a gentle grin on his lips “why are you up?”

“I’m going to crash downstairs on the movie room” he stated caressing the back of her hand with his thumb and she started shaking her hand.

Her hold on him tightened “No, not a chance, I’m not taking you out of your bed for you to sleep on the couch, please stay here with me, please”

And how could he possibly say no to her looking so sleepy and so sweet?

He breathed a chuckle with a nod “just let me change first, do you need a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt instead of what you’re wearing?”

“Yes please” she murmured feeling a bit embarrassed for making him do all of this for her.

And as if he could read his mind “Don’t look at me as if you’re being a headache, yeah? It’s okay, sweetheart, let me just grab you some clothes” he squeezed her hand before letting go of it in favor of picking up what he promised.

He came back from his closet in only a pair of sweats and a thin white t-shirt, a similar paring folded in his hands for her. She got up to change on his bathroom as he climbed on his bed, trying to contain the excitement of the prospect of having the girl he’s been fond of for over two years, the possible love of his life. Y/N quickly returned in his clothes, following suit and diving under the covers, laying on her side away from him as he stayed on his back, trying to control his breathing after turning off the lights. A few minutes passed and he’s sure she was asleep, the room dark enough so he could only see the silhouette of her body by the faint glow of the moon seeping through his curtains. But then he heard the soft rustle of his sheets as she turned to face him, and he only turned his face on the pillow to properly look at her.

“Can I ask you something?” she whispered almost as if she was afraid to break the comfortable silence that fell over them.

Raul hummed in response “anything you want” his voice a soft and raspy tone, making her shiver slightly.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” her voice barely audible as if she was nervous to ask, or maybe the answer frightened her more.

“You don’t have to worry about it, you should just rest for now” was his response and she sighed in defeat, nodding her head before facing him away again.

The clear defeat on her features, despite the darkness was enough to make him regret his words. So Raul turned on his hand, raising a careful hand to caress her exposed bicep. She flinched at first, not expecting his touch, but quickly relaxing to it as he felt goosebumps raise on her skin. He decided to scoot a bit closer almost as if he were testing the waters and she shuffled closer in response. Soon the hand on her arm slid to wrap her waist gently and Y/N sighed happily in return, finally resting her back on his chest. Raul placed a kiss at the top of her head as she melted under his sweet gesture.

When she was in transition to dreamland, she swears she heard him whisper into her hair, the place he decided to muzzle his face “I’m sorry I made you think I disliked you, Y/N that’s not the case at all” he took a deep breath and she was far to gone to say anything back “You just seemed like you needed me tonight, and I’m sorry if I ever made you think your presence here was unwanted, you’re just too good and I don’t deserve you, sweetheart”

And not knowing if this was true or not, his whispered confessions with that slightly raspy and almost honeyed at the same time voice lulled her completely to sleep.

-*-

In the weeks prior to that event, neither of them said a thing about that night, not even in an indirect way. Raul barely spoke to his brothers about it, but they already knew what happened, and Y/N didn’t feel like telling Mike would be a genius idea, so she decided against it. And to her disappointment things got back to the old normal, at least for the most part. She felt like Raul was a bit more comfortable around her and didn’t try so much to stay away, but it wasn’t like that day, and it still hunts her that she actually caught a small glimpse of what their relationship could be. But it was also taking its tool on him, that night he slept like a baby and allowed himself to daydream that this could’ve been their reality if things were a bit different.

He woke up that morning pretty early as usual, for his perimeter check, but only this time Y/N was sound asleep on his chest, and maybe he stalled a bit to enjoy her sweet scent a bit more before slowly peeling her off of him and gently laying her back down on the pillows. There was only a bit of resistance in form of a whine but she ended up pulling his pillow to her chest before settling down. It was harder than he thought leaving her on his bed as he quickly changed and jogged downstairs to go on his run, but maybe it was better like this, this way he could run and put his head at ease and actually come up with his next moves. So that’s what Raul did, but as soon as he was back on the house, already in two feet only, she was already wake and preparing something in the kitchen as she chatted with Peter.

Raul leaned on the doorway as he watched her, back on the clothes from last night, talking about her next college project as his brother sipped on his coffee mug, so he cleared his throat not to scare her as he walked in “good morning”

“Morning, Raul, can you keep her company as she eats her breakfast? I actually need to run to Sam’s house to pick up some stuff before he leaves for work” Peter asked, a knowing look on his face as Raul just shrugged it off “thanks, got to go, Y/N, good luck with that sheet!” his brother said before leaving the kitchen completely.

“Hi” she said, eyes trained on the eggs she was making as he stood beside her, his hip leaning on the kitchen counter “would you like some?”

“Sure” he said looking around the room “did you sleep well?”

Y/N’s body visibly stiffened as she cleared her throat before answering “yeah, thank you about last night, by the way”

Raul nodded before changing the subject and seeing her relax at that, knowing it was for the best, mentally deleting the speech he came up with. And that’s where the whole conversation died.

-*-

Months later Raul found himself in an equally as hard situation.

Y/N was spending the weekend at the pack house that was a bit more empty than usual, since a few of the wolves (including Mike) decided to go on a little getaway to run from the cold that was arriving sooner than expected, and since her parents were out of town, his best friend asked if she could stay with them so Y/N wouldn’t be all by herself for four days during the possibility of a storm that was estimated for that weekend. And of course they couldn’t deny it, specially since she was very sweet and everyone loved her.

And tonight was the second night of her in the house and Raul was pacing back and forth on his room, probably about to open a hole on the floor from pacing too much, but he didn’t know what to do. She was downstairs on the living room working on some sort of paper for college and he decided he was going to bed, but as soon as he reached his room, the storm that was expected to happen finally arrived and he literally heard her heart rate speeding up exponentially, but didn’t know how to approach her or even if he should. However, when he heard her curse under her breath when a lightning lit up the whole house he knew he could not do nothing, so he opened the door to his room and basically ran down the stairs.

As Raul reached the bottom of the stairs, he identified Y/N to be the little ball wrapped up in a fluffy blanket in the middle of the couch. He took a deep breath before carefully walking towards her, he tried making enough noise so she wouldn’t get caught off guard but not enough to disturb her. But as soon as he reached the side of the couch she looked up at him with wide teared eyes from the little cocoon of blankets she was. Raul physically stopped himself from cooing at her and pulling her to his lap.

Y/N gave him a little sad laugh as she rubbed her eyes harshly “I’m sorry we always end up meeting like this, I must seem like an idiot, right?”

Raul shook his head sitting down beside her “You’re not an idiot, what’s making you so upset?”

She took a deep breath before answering “I guess I’m just tired, and this paper is a bit harder than I thought and I’m actually a bit afraid of storms, and this is all stupid and I-“

“Hey, it’s not stupid, it’s stressful and it’s okay, no one really like storms, they’re dangerous and pretty scary”

“Sure, when you’re five” she said playfully rolling her eyes as he chuckled softly.

“Oh, darling, you know that’s not true”

“Are you scared of storms?” she asked with an arched brow.

“No”

“See?”

Raul chuckled as he shook his head “you’re really something, aren’t you?”

Y/N shrugged as she saved the document before moving to the book she was using as reference “Why are you up if you’re not scared then?”

“You are”

Y/N turned her head in his direction “Oh, I didn’t mean to wake you up”

“You didn’t, I just knew you were afraid and decided to come check on you” he said already regretting admitting to it.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you didn’t have to come though, I’m a big girl, I can take it”

Raul gave her his signature lopsided smile that she had only seen a few times directed to her, making her insides a bit toastier than before “I know you can, sweetheart, just didn’t want you to be alone if I could come down and try to help”

“Yeah, that’s the Alpha spirit, right?” and with that sentence Raul rested his head on the back of the sofa with a laugh.

“Maybe” Raul turned his head to face her, deciding he was going to ignore the whole ‘pushing her away’ speech, at least for a moment “I was thinking that maybe we should make some hot chocolates if you want to finish this paper tonight”

“Are you serious?” Y/N had to confirm she wasn’t going mad and that he was actually willingly wanting to spend some time with her.

“Of course I’m serious, you can’t joke about stuff like this”

“What? Hot chocolate?” she asked holding back a laugh.

“Well obviously” he pushed himself up from the couch, relieved to see she seemed distracted enough to forget about the whole weather outside “I’m aces in the kitchen”

Raul offered her his hand and she smiled at him shaking her head before closing her computer and pushing it aside, taking his outstretched hand and letting him pull her up carefully “well, how did I just find that out?”

“Because I’m normally too tired and busy most of the time to actually make a meal”

She noticed he didn’t let go of her, and she wasn’t going to be the one to do it or point that out “oh yeah, being the Alpha and bossing everyone around must take a lot of your time and energy”

Raul chuckled as he walked her to the kitchen, letting go of her hand against his will in favor of grabbing the ingredients “Mike’s a bad influence, I bet his the one who told you that”

“You certainly didn’t, we barely talk at all” and as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted it.

Raul was with his back facing her as he sorted through the stuff to prepare their drinks, and she was ready to start apologizing, afraid he was going to push her out all over again. Why did she have to go and say something like that? As much as the mood between them was playful, mostly cause he was trying to distract her and she knew it, but it was light and fun, she had to say such thing and ruin it. Sometimes things felt so natural with him that she just forgets that they aren’t that close. But before she could freak out and start spitting strings of ‘I’m sorry’ he did something Y/N wasn’t expecting. Raul started laughing out loud, turning to face her and she ended up laughing as well, maybe out of nervousness or out of relief, either way she laughed.

“I deserved that” he pointed out “but I guess that will have to change since you have such a distorted vision of the Alpha role”

“I wouldn’t particularly mind” she added softly, in hopes he wouldn’t pay much attention to it, but again, Raul was, apparently, a little box of surprises.

“Me neither, darling” he said before turning on the stove.

Y/N felt heat rising up her chest to her face and decided to clear her throat before changing subjects “Who taught you how to cook? Shawn’s a mess in the kitchen, Peter’s good but I know he took lessons”

“I guess I just learned from watching my mom, when I was little I used to spend a lot of my time in the kitchen with her whenever she was using it, my grandma too, and I guess I somehow absorbed that”

“Oh, they’re good?” Y/N took a tentative step closer to him, eager to learn about him and taking the opportunity of his sudden interest in spending time with her to milk all the information she could.

“My mom’s good, but my nan is just fantastic, she told me she used to sit on the counter by her father and watch him, and I guess I did the same”

“Well, I guess I’ll have to do the same cause my kitchen experience resumes to making toast, sandwiches and eggs” she said and he looked at her from the corner of his eye as if he was pondering.

“Then do it, I don’t mind a little audience” he said and she giggled, hoping on the counter beside where he stood.

And that’s how they spent most of their night, with light chatter and a bit of healthy teasing going around and they were ecstatic about it. Y/N felt like she was finally able to relax after all the stress and she felt weirdly complete, almost as if before she was missing a piece. And Raul, he was over the fucking moon and already regretting keeping her away for that long, avoiding every type of contact with her and he was almost telling Mike to piss himself and ignoring all this stupid made up rules he made. He sat down by Y/N’s side as he helped her finish her paper and he was actually able to, finishing it in less than twenty minutes, so they just sat down side by side talking about random stuff, until he noticed she was starting to get sleepier and sleepier with every passing minute.

“You should go to bed, sweetheart” he pointed as she was basically leaning her weight on his side, not that he minded, but they got really close really fast

“Already trying to get rid of me?” she joked and he laughed despite being afraid that was something she actually believed in, and maybe that’s what drove him to ask her what he did next.

“Never, and if you’re still a bit nervous about the rain you can sleep in my room, I can always take the couch”

“I can’t kick you out of your bed” she said looking up at him

“You’re not kicking me out, I’m inviting you and offering to stay elsewhere”

Y/N shook her head “I don’t mind sharing if you do”

Raul didn’t expect it, but he also wasn’t mad about it “If you really don’t mind, then yeah”

“Okay, I’m ready for bed if you are” she said grabbing her stuff.

Raul nodded as he helped her to carry her school material up to his room, which he placed on top of his dresser before turning around to face her standing awkwardly in the middle of his bedroom.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Hmm, nothing I just-“ she mumbled as he chuckled.

Raul stopped by the end of his bed “I can still take the couch if you’re uncomfortable”

“It’s not that, you don’t make me uncomfortable” she said as she walked up to him “I don’t know what it is, I just feel safe around you, is it weird?”

Raul was not expecting it as he looked down at her “No, not at all, you can climb on the bed, darling” he offered as he did the same on his side.

She ended up taking up on his offer and laying down on the other side, pulling the covers up her body “you can be really sweet when you want to, you know?” she mumbled softly after a while, after the lights were already off and the only source of light in the room was coming from the lamp on his bedside table.

Raul said turning to face her, only to find Y/N already on her side facing him “Don’t think many think the same”

Y/N laughed and shook her head “guess you’re just good at pretending you’re this big bad Alpha when you’re just a big softie”

Raul laughed throwing his head back and she couldn’t stop herself from admiring the sound, his neck and his beautiful face, looking a lot more soft than normally.

“I really like your laugh” she blurted out before she could think.

His laugh was cut short when he realized her words and he smiled at her “I like yours, wish I could hear it more often”

“Well, it’s not really hard to get me to laugh”

Raul smiled at her “yeah, hm- I wanted to apologize”

“For what?” she asked, genuine curiosity shining on her eyes.

“For being a dick to you, for such a long time, there’s not an excuse for that, as much as I tried to come up with one” he finally admitted running his hands through his curls.

Y/N bit her lower lip as she looked at him “you’re never a dick to me, you’re a bit closed off, yeah, but never a dick, you never made me feel uncomfortable or anything like that, and ever since that night where you made it clear you didn’t dislike me, a few things started making more sense to me”

“Like what?” it was his turn to get confused.

She sighed heavily “I thought for a very long time you just hated my guts or didn’t want me near for being a human or an outsider, but then you said it wasn’t the case and you were so sweet to me that night, and the morning after, and ever since that day, even though you weren’t necessarily cuddling with me and being around me all the time, you were slowly opening up, spending more time around me when I was here and at first I was confused, but then yesterday I was talking to Peter and he may or may not have told me this was something to do with Mike”

“What?” Raul almost sat up, but he didn’t want her to stop talking, so he held back his impulse and just kept laying down.

“And I also talked to my mom about it, very recently, and she said my dad had a similar reaction to her when he found out they’re mates… I’m not implying anything, and I can be totally wrong about it, but I thought about it for a second and I swear it made sense, it explained why I felt so drawn to you since I first laid eyes on you” she admitted, coiling into herself a bit.

Raul was completely taken back, not knowing what to do or what to say, not expecting her to come into realization and not knowing how to proceed, that until she mumbled a soft “please say something, anything, just don’t shut me off again”

“No, darling, it’s not that, I’m sorry” he said reaching for her hand as grabbing it in his “I’m just speechless, I- you feel it too?”

“Is it true?”

“I- yes” he sighed in relief.

“You’re my mate?! Or I’m yours, I’m sorry, I don’t know how this works” she giggled nervously.

Raul couldn’t stop his smile to blossom on his lips as he nodded his head what felt like a thousand times “whatever you want, I don’t mind”

“So what does that mean now?” she said shuffling closer to him.

“It doesn’t have to mean anything, I know your brother wouldn’t appreciate the idea and I don’t want to hurt you or cause any pain, darling, I just want what’s best for you” Raul said squeezing her hand gently.

“You could never hurt me, and I don’t honestly care about what Mike thinks right now” she said placing a hand on his chest “what do you want?”

“Honestly?” he asked and she nodded eagerly, which made him chuckle “you, in any way you’ll have me, but I also don’t want to rush you into anything, this works differently for me since I’m a wolf”

“Yeah, I know how sensitive you guys can be” she joked and he laughed, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead “but I want you, I feel the pull to have you near me almost as a need”

“I know, sweetheart, I feel the same way” Raul admitted pulling her closer by her waist “just don’t want to skip any steps with you, but I kept you away long enough”

Y/N nodded tipping her head back to look at his beautiful face better, their noses brushing due to the proximity “agreed, but I still want you close”

“We’re already close, darling” he breathed a chuckled and she shook her head.

“Are you afraid of kissing me? What are you? Twelve?” she teased and he laughed, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose.

“Of course not” he whispered leaning a bit closer.

“Then what’s taking you so long?”

“Bossy little thing” he teased one more time before closing the space between them in a gentle kiss.

Y/N tangled her fingers in his wild curls as he cupped her jaw carefully, afraid that if he squeezed her even a tiniest bit she was going to disappear. But his gentle touches soon turned into a bit more urgent ones and she pulled his hair, encouraging him to deepen the kiss. Raul tighten his hand on her waist, trapping her bottom lip between his teeth, pulling it to him softly before lessening the sting with a swipe of his tongue. And unfortunately Y/N had to pull away too soon for her liking due to her stupid lungs needing oxygen. Raul leaned in to press a bunch of soft, barely there, kisses all over her face.

She giggled a bit breathlessly as she murmured “Mike will murder me when he finds out”

“Shh, we can worry about that when he’s back, he’ll have to get over it eventually”

Y/N giggled before leaning in for one more kiss.

“Okay, love, we really should sleep, and then tomorrow I can maybe take you on a date if you want” he said pressing a chaste kiss to her lips before resting his forehead on hers.

Y/N smiled up at him “Or we can have a little movie marathon here and you’ll make me dinner”

Raul laughed “you’re a mean one, you know that?”

“Why?”

“Because you know I can’t say no to you” he said and she smiled at him.

“Good boy, you’re such a good puppy” Y/N teased and he laughed.

Raul shook his head “okay, it’s definitely time for you to go to bed”

-*-

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*xoxo

-🌙

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