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#i'm starting film school soon
rainypaperangel · 2 years
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I need to rant about Cassandra from Tangled the Series
Let's get one thing out of the way; I love her! Got it? OK, let's move on! (spoilers for the whole show btw)
Content warnings: abuse, child neglect, toxic friends
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If you've watched Tangled the Series, you'll remember Cassandra, Rapunzel's Lady in Waiting, and the villain for season 3. She's a bit rough around the edges, she's goal-oriented, and she'd much, much rather be a knight than a Lady in Waiting. But, she fulfills her duties and takes care of Rapunzel.
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In season 2 and 3, we find out that Cassandra is Gothel's biological daughter (!), and this is where my rant begins. Because they. did. her. dirty.
Cassandra. Not Gothel...
When Cassandra finds out Gothel was her biological mother, she is rightfully angry - but she directs her anger at Rapunzel. ......... wut?
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I'll be honest, I have nothing new to add, so here goes; Cassandra was, throughout the show, obviously not happy with where she was. She knew she was capable of MORE, and she felt like the world held her back - which it did. She gave up opportunities in favor of helping Rapunzel, but she was also shown to be smart.
And that's the key word; she was smart.
Never once did Cassandra seem to forget about Rapunzel's situation; on the contrary, she was often a bit annoyed with how naïve she could be, which resulted in her being overly protective. She knew Rapunzel had been kept hidden and isolated, she knew she'd been imprisoned.
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When she got ahold of the moondrop after learning about her and Gothel's relation, Cassandra's rage is turned towards Rapunzel and the Kingdom of Corona (I love how Rapunzel is the Princess of Corona and was also forced to isolate...), and... why?
To me, it made no sense that she'd do this. Cassandra wasn't shown to have a bad life. She was raised by the captain of the guards, Rapunzel makes it clear that she loves her, even Eugene steps up and becomes a sort of low-key frienemie of her's... Cassandra's anger was so out of character it threw me off completely (still watched and loved the show!)...
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After watching the show almost 2 years ago, I talked with a friend about this. I no longer talk to this friend, because she was toxic AF, but I clearly remember her using this argument when I said Cassandra was deeply in the wrong: "Well, you just don't know how it feels when your mother loves someone else more than you!"
... there's a lot to unpack there, and I won't get into it. However, I still deeply believe my ex-friend was wrong.
Because Gothel didn't love Rapunzel more than Cassandra.
Gothel didn't love either of them.
And Cassandra was smart enough to have known, if not this, then that her biological mother didn't love Rapunzel.
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I like to put this into a modern perspective if I have to go that far: Imagine a woman kidnaps a little girl and keep her in her basement for 18 years. This woman has a daughter that, sure, she keeps her alive, but she also neglect her.
The daughter gets taken away for child neglect, and when she's 18, the girl in the basement gets rescued. The two of them meet, and the daughter starts attacking the girl and yelling at her because she "stole her mother's love".
I don't think any rational person would think of that as rational.
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So what is my problem? Well, my problem isn't Cassandra or that she became the villain by season 3 - my problem is that it was handled through victim blaming despite having a lot of potential.
How could this've worked? Let me se...
We keep everything the same - Gothel is still Cassandra's mother, she finds out the same way, but! She tells Rapunzel. She's crying, maybe even apologizing (even though she doesn't have anything to apologize for), and the two of them bond even more over their shared trauma caused by Gothel.
But then people find out. They start alienating Cassandra, seeing her as the daughter of the woman who kidnapped their princess. Even the king and queen demote her, her adopted father, the Captain, can't do anything.
Rapunzel tries to help her, but Cassandra's life falls apart. Not because of her, but because of her mother.
She's angry. She's spent her whole life serving and protecting, being there to take care of the Princess and doing everything in her might to prove herself as a good soldier.
And just like that, it all vanishes.
She becomes desperate. And this is where Zhan Tiri comes in.
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She shows up like a little girl, still, but tells Cassandra she knew Gothel and that the two of them learned about the powers of the sun drop together; and she knows how Cassandra can right her mother's wrongs.
Zhan Tiri starts gaslighting Cassandra when she won't have it at first, telling her her friends are being fake or doesn't completely trust her - basically sowing doubt like in the actual show.
In the end, she manage to convince Cassandra that the moondrop will have the power to make everyone forget Gothel is Cassandra's mother. This'll give Cassandra something to do in season 3 instead of just kinda walking around (now she has a lot of memories to erase), but the moondrop and Zhan Tiri will also have time to eat her away even further.
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Cassandra does wrong things. She hurts people. And when her friends tries to stop her, her mind's been twisted into believing that it's because they're afraid of her mother. Feeling lost and hopeless, we get the same conclusion with a few tweaks, specifically to her motivation and hatred towards Rapunzel.
Cassandra no longer hates Rapunzel or her friends; she hates Corona for turning on her, and she hates herself and her mother. But she is still, deep within, a hero driven by morals.
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Does this have any big conclusion? No? Purpose? Uh... I guess "@disneyanimation, please hire me, you won't regret it"? Other than that?
... nah, I just remembered my friend's half-assed excuse for Cassandra and got really mad...
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discopaddock · 2 months
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I DON'T WANNA TALK - CHARLES LECLERC
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SUMMARY: charles is mad after the bad race, what can go wrong after screaming at his girlfriend?
PAIRING: charles leclerc x fem!reader
GENRE: angst with happy (???) ending
WORD COUNT: 0.9k
WARNINGS: screaming, crying, charles is mad, traumatizing childhood and parent, ENGLISH ISN'T NY FIRST LANGUAGE
AUTHOR'S NOTE: hiya, was inactive for a (longer) moment, school still sucks, inspiration is taking offence at me and history at school does kill me right now fr (we started the great war recently and watched im westen nichts neues - i hate this kind of films). anyway this was based in this request.
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Charles was angry. No, he was furious.
Race didn't go well. He had to retire after Perez touched him and he ended up in the wall.
Race was good, for two laps he was even leading but then the Mexican showed up and Charles’ good race said “bye bye”.
“Charles,” his girlfriend said after they were finally in their hotel room.
He wasn't in the mood for talking. He didn't want her pity. He wanted to take a shower (another one) and scream in his pillow.
The girl was looking at him, worried. This wasn't the state she has seen him for many times. It was the first time actually.
“I don't wanna talk” he answered only and grabbed some clothes of his and entered the bathroom.
“If you’d like to-” she started but he turned around to face her with anger written on his face, panting.
“Shut up!” Charles yelled at her and entered the bathroom. She was left speechless. There were tears forming in her eyes that started falling down when she heard the slam of the door.
Oh, she really didn't want it to come back.
Life was good, great even, then those memories came to her mind, causing another session of crying.
The girl had no idea what to do.
Her eyesight wasn't so clear as she was looking for the tissues, convinced that her make up was smeared as hell.
When she finally found some in her bag, she next jumped on the bed and covered herself with the blanket.
Her heart was hurt, it didn't crack in shatters but still it hurt as hell.
She felt like that seven year old girl, who was standing in front of her father, crying because he yelled at her.
She was screamed at because of trying to make her dad come to terms with her beloved mother.
It was too much for little Y/N. It hunted her for years.
Especially now, when her and Charles were trying everything to have a baby. She was frightened she became the same as her father and her child would have to experience the same case as she had.
And now it was too much for adult Y/N.
She knew she should meet her therapist as soon as she could but she couldn't since she was travelling with her boyfriend around Asia for the next two weeks and her therapist wasn't doing online appointments.
And there she was, still lying on her side of the king-size bed covered with a blanket and still crying.
Charles wasn't aware of his girlfriend's reaction to his behaviour until he left the bathroom, all showered and with a clear mind, and heard sobs in the room.
He sighed only and went to the bed and took a seat beside the girl. He carefully took off the blanket of her face and saw her with smeared make up, red eyes and runny nose.
She didn't want to talk with him and put her head in the pillow, so he couldn't look at her.
“I'm sorry-” he started but her hushed by the pillow voice interrupted him with:
“I don't wanna talk.”
So Charles didn't talk more but kissed her head quickly and left to the living room, to give her space he knew she needed.
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The next hour went, well, silent.
Y/N wasn't sobbing anymore, just blowing off her nose and coughing from time to time. Charles at the other hand was thinking about his new song and was trying to write any notes but he lacked at stave paper and at any keyboard or piano.
The girl finally got out of the bed and entered the bathroom. She grabbed some cotton pads and put micellar water on it and began to remove her make up.
It was a heavenly feeling for her, since her eyelids were sticking to each other because of the mascara.
Next she grabbed some cleaning foam and removed the rest of the cosmetics and put on the cream.
The girl left the bathroom and went to Charles who was sitting on the couch with some folded paper around.
He heard her steps and turned around to see her face.
“Ready to talk?” he asked only and she nodded, then sat beside him. “I'm sorry, truly” he said, looking into her eyes, that he loved so much. Now they were puffed and red from the crying.
“I know” she answered and hugged him like a koala. Charles wrapped his arms around her body, without saying any words.
“What happened?” the man asked, rubbing her back with his palm. “Tell me, I'm not leaving this without any explanation,” he added in a calm tone.
The girl was silent for a few moments. But then she told him only:
“Father was screaming at me for trying to help.”
Charles was speechless. He knew his girlfriend’s relationship with her father wasn't good, but he didn't know it was that bad. He never asked since her mother told him not to for the girl's mental state.
“I'm sorry, dove. I'm so sorry” he whispered to her ear, trying to comfort her the best he could.
“I don't want to be like him” she mumbled in the crock of his neck and he sighed.
“You are not like him,” he assured her. “You will never be like him,” he added and kissed her temple. “You are a better person than him, dove.”
“I love you” she mumbled.
“I love you too” she whispered back and they remained silent for the rest of the night, cuddled in each other’s arms.
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tonyspank · 8 months
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WH0 R U???
Warnings: Professor!Reader, Tara eye-fucking you, and that’s all I believe.
Summary: Tara’s attractive Professor comes to the rescue.
A/N: I’ll be doing a part 2 soon w smut 🥲
part 2
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Several years of school, scholarly work, and teaching experience led you here.
To Blackmore University. You were younger than the average professor, but your dedication and passion for education set you apart.
You were professional and not one to be pushed around. That much was clear when you set foot inside your literature classroom for the first time.
English was always your favorite subject, and you excelled in it throughout your academic journey. So, why wouldn't you pursue a career in teaching English at the university level?
However, for the next few months, you won't be teaching literature. Instead, you'll be filling in for your co-worker Laura, who's away on FML, taking on the role of teaching film study.
While you may not have much experience teaching film, Laura was desperate for someone to cover her classes, and you were willing to help out. She's been nothing but sweet to you. Plus, how hard could it be? You've watched movies before.
When you walked into the classroom on your first day, late in the afternoon, you were greeted by a bunch of drama kids who were honestly confused; you could see it in their faces.
They were expecting Laura, their experienced film study teacher, but instead they got you, someone with little to no teaching experience in film.
"Professor Y/LN?" Jason Carvey, a student from your previous class, asked with a puzzled expression.
"What happened to Laura? We were really looking forward to her class."
You took a deep breath, placing your belongings on the desk at the front of the classroom.
"Unfortunately, Laura had an unexpected personal matter to attend to and won't be able to teach this semester. But don't worry, I may not have much teaching experience in film, but I'll try my best."
You reassured the students, hoping to alleviate their disappointment. "Professor Crane provided me with some materials and resources to help guide us through the semester. Additionally, I've been doing my own research to ensure that we have a fulfilling learning experience in this class."
You give the class a tight-lipped smile before opening your briefcase.
"Well, shall we get started?"
Tara didn't know exactly what it was about you that made her eyes widen and her heart begin racing. Sure, anyone could see you were attractive, young, and obviously confident, but there was something more captivating about your presence.
Was it your voice? Was it how you commanded the room with your words? Or perhaps it was the way you'd lean back against the desk, crossing your built arms as your eyes scanned the room, exuding an air of authority.
Tara found herself drawn to you like a magnet, unable to tear her gaze away. She was intrigued by the air of mystery that surrounded you, wondering what secrets lay behind your confident façade.
As class went on, Tara's dark brown eyes scanned over you like a predator assessing its prey. From your perfectly styled hair to your amazingly kept eyebrows, your enchanting y/e/c eyes, to your sultry lips—don't get her started on your sculpted jawline.
You were a sight to take in, captivating and commanding attention without even trying. You presented yourself with an effortless grace that made it impossible for anyone to look away.
Your white button-up shirt was crisp and tailored, hugging your form in all the right places, and your black slacks were perfectly pressed, accentuating the length and strength of your legs.
Tara's stare flew back up, staring at the bulge in your pants, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment and desire—
"—Tara, is it? What do you think?" Tara quickly snapped out of her momentary distraction, her cheeks still flushed.
She cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure before responding, "Oh, I'm sorry. Could you please repeat the question?"
You smile, showcasing your charming dimples and perfect smile. While Tara was in her trance, you found yourself relaxing into the class's discussion, feeling like you no longer needed to put on your strict professor persona.
You leaned back, crossing your legs. "How do you think directors like Quentin Tarantino push the boundaries of traditional storytelling in their films? Do you believe their unique approaches have a lasting impact on the film industry?"
Tara nods, playing with the pencil that sits in front of her. "Yeah, I think directors like Tarantino definitely push the boundaries of traditional storytelling, especially with their unique approaches that challenge the audience's expectations and keep them engaged. Like Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction, for example, and how he used non-linear narrative structure and unconventional use of violence to create a distinct cinematic experience that stands out from the mainstream. Peak cinema at its finest."
You raise an eyebrow, impressed. "You surely know your film." The freckled-faced girl giggles in response, dropping her gaze to her hands.
At the end of the lecture, Tara approaches you with a small smile on her face. You look up from your notes, which Laura had given you, and it also confuses the fuck out of you. With a quirked eyebrow, you meet Tara's gaze, your face softening.
"Oh, Tara. Need something?" Tara hesitates for a moment before speaking. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd accept my late work. Professor Crane gave me extra time to complete it, but I still couldn't finish on time. I understand if you can't, but I thought it was worth asking."
You bite on your lower lip, not noticing how quickly Tara's eyes drop to the action. "Uh, sure." You rip out a piece of paper from your notebook and write down a quick note.
"Here's my number. I lost the login to my email, so this will have to do. Send me your late work, and I'll make sure it gets to Professor Crane. Just make sure to include your name and the assignment details in the text so there's no confusion. I'll do my best to help you out."
Tara's eyes light up with relief as she thanks you profusely. "I really appreciate it, thank you so much." You nod, giving her a tight-lipped smile before focusing back on your notes.
A few days later, you're home alone, eating a bowl of ice cream while you watch the movie Stab. Suddenly, your phone buzzes with a new message. Your eyes fight to tear away from the screen, and you reluctantly pick up your phone to check the message.
+1 (347) 871-1921: wh0 r u???
You squint at the unfamiliar number, puzzled by the message. After a moment of hesitation, you reply.
You: I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong number. Who are you trying to reach?
+1 (347) 871-1921: profdsser y/ln
You furrow your brow, trying to decipher the cryptic message. It doesn't make any sense to you. Curiosity getting the better of you, you decide to respond one more time. You: I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're saying. Can you please clarify?
+1 (347) 871-1921: rolling eyes emoji
+1 (347) 871-1921: three ht poreffesor whofilling for ms crane?
Was this Tara? You put down your bowl of ice cream; this had to be Tara. And she had to be drunk. You take a deep breath before responding again.
You: Tara, is that you? Are you okay? It seems like you're drunk.
+1 (347) 871-1921: ummmmmmmmm
+1 (347) 871-1921: busted
You: Tara, I'm really concerned about you. Is everything alright? Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
Tara: iamat the frt house
Tara: canyoucum pik me up, pleas?
You twist your lips, concerned about Tara's well-being and the fact that she is asking for a ride. Surely she had friends with her. You didn't want to leave her stranded, but you also didn't want to be the professor driving their students home from a wild party. However, you take a moment to gather yourself before responding.
You: Of course, Tara. I'll be there to pick you up. Just send me the address, and I'll be on my way.
Tara has started sharing their location with you.
You see the location pop up on your phone, quickly checking the estimated time of arrival, and mentally prepare yourself to pick up your drunk student.
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lovingksuki · 1 month
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✰ SECRET ADMIRER pt.2
— highschoolers bakugo x fem!reader
synopsis: an anonymous love letter appears in your locker on valentine's day. surprised, you and your best friend start an investigation to uncover who was that person observing you from afar. meanwhile, a flushed bakugo tries to ruin your plans on the undercover alongside his shitty-haired buddy
cw: sfw; mostly fluff; lil angst; very insecure bakugo; romantic comedy; puberty; silly jokes; little swearing.
an: guyyyyss it's hereeee. i hope you enjoy since i had many people asking for me to continue with this. i hope it is as good as the first part that btw you can read here
wc: 1,3k
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the two went on a mission walking around the school and very non-suspiciously investigating whose hand that might be.
"i'm telling you! there's sato, iida and..." counted.
"are they even suspects!?" you mocked. "we have to be coherent about it. i don't even have a major relationship with them..."
"how could you possibly know what goes on inside other's head? i think you're being biased about it."
"what do you mean?"
"i know you want it to be one of the hottest in our class!" smiled diabolically.
"i have no idea what you're talking about." you sweated.
"maybe we should call that double colored guy and just ask a few questions..."
"no way... what are you insinuating?" you almost screamed truly shocked.
"that you have a slight cru-"
"I don't have a crush."
"admit it already."
"I'm not admitting anything. quit pestering."
"you're no fun at all. so... are we talking to Todoroki any soon?"
"no."
"psst, isn't that sero coming this way?" mina whispered looking ahead of the corridor.
the duo telepathically agreed to their next move and mina quickly went in action.
"hey, if isn't our fave tape boy! can I have a high-five?" the pink cheered lifting her hand.
the jet-black haired guy smiled playfully slapping hands with her. watching everything, you caught that glimpse of time needed to take conclusions on the survey.
"what are you two up to? feeling extra energetic today..." sero stated.
absorbed in your own thoughts, you simply couldn't answer any of the questions made, so pinky said in advance: "we're just too excited for the... the-"
"for what?"
"the new movie...! yeah! that one with the clowns. everyone is so hyped to watch it!" mina came up with some excuse.
"oh, so you like 'bloody nightmare' series too? man, me and denki are gathering people to go watch with us." he cheered.
you and mina eyed each other nervously while sero kept rambling about horror films. pinky swiftly poked your side sending the 'make him shut up' signal and you quickly catch the message saying:
"y-yeah! it would be super cool, but we need to... to... go to the 1b room! to dis- discuss the next match-"
"we're discussing the teams for the next training match!" mina rapidly came with an excuse ready to push you up the corridor. "see ya!"
"but guys... their class is towards the other side." sero warned confusedly.
"r-right! it's been months, but we still get lost... hehe!" mina sweated. she spotted a purple voluminous hair meters away. "shinso! wait up!"
and you runned away. sero chuckled observing the girls as another duo approached.
"'sup pal?" kirishima greeted. "it's a important matter so, could you share what are the girls planning? we have business with them."
"it's no use, we're gonna lose sight of them." said the blonde ready to walk away, but his buddy was fast to grab his shirt stopping his tracks.
"be reasonable, it's creepy to chase them around the school." eijiro whispered.
"what are you two up to?" sero crossed arms curious about the situation.
"nothing particularly important. girly borrowed something from bakugo." his heart he thought slightly laughing. "did them say anything about where they're heading?" asked.
"mina said they have something to do with class 1b, and i think they left with shinso." sero explained.
"not that eraserhead wannabe..." katsuki gritted teeth.
"well, no time to lose then! thanks dude." kirishima dragged his best friend away.
when the two males finally found the duo they were shocked to see you holding shinso's hand while walking
kirishima panicked turning to the blonde who watched that scene petrified. it was the second time eijiro saw that expression on his face, the first was when they watched all might last fight. that expression that indicates he started malfunctioning, his thoughts are running wild, and he is about to break.
when he finally inhaled, kirishima's heart skipped a beat thinking bakugo would explode at any moment. he prepared himself to restrain his friend from murdering somebody or start yelling like a psycho, but bakugo just hollowed his lungs right after.
watching deadpanned as you walked away giggling.
that behavior... it was truly concerning coming from him.
"are you totally sure?" mina whispered excited.
"it's a great probability, didn't you see that monstrosity of a hand!?" you whisper-exclaimed. "his grip almost crushed mine!"
"okay, but let's don't get ahead of ourselves, there's other boys to analyze." mina said carefully.
"right, but he's a suspect! and did you notice how he didn't hesitate or felt uneasy to hold my hand?"
"i'm not jumping to conclusions but he seemed too chill! it's almost unnatural coming from a person who wrote a love letter." mina spoke wisely.
"you're right." you pouted.
"what am i suspect about? love letter!?"
"aaaaaack! for fucks sake!" you and mina jolted. "y-you heard us?" you asked shyly.
"were you eavesdropping!?" mina confronted.
the boy leaned in the doorframe crossing his arms unphazed by the pink's attitude. "you're not even whispering... some of 1b even heard about how i have big ass hands and shit." he chuckled.
you looked over shinso's shoulder only to encounter monoma, kendo, shiozaki and komori confusedly observing at some distance. "h-hey guys..." and kendo smiled amused.
"he caught us, mina. what do we do?" you said fidgety.
"there's no other way now that he knows our secret. we must kill you." mina stated creepily serious to shinso, making him falter.
"ha. you almost got me there." he laughed mindlessly. after a couple of seconds staring at each other he came to realization. " you're joking,,, right?"
_
"why did you have to scare him like that? what if he go out telling others?"
"it's quite the opposite. he won't tell anyone if he believes it's confidential information. you can question my methods but not my results!" the pink girl explained confidently.
walking down the corridor in search for another male friend. now that the lunchtime was coming to an end the school was less fuzzy, and the groups concentrated in their usual places.
"uh... mina... you're not actually dangerous, are you?" you blurted.
she looked at you puzzled, as if that question was more complicated than it actually seemed. "why do you ask?"
"it's just because, you're my best friend, and if it were for me to have a psycho so close to me i would want to know..." you reasoned.
"don't be ridiculous!" she laughed. "but like you said, we're best friends, that does mean i would probably hide a body for you."
"wait. what the-"
_
"kirishima it's been thirty minutes." the blonde stated impatiently.
the boys were sitting casually at their class waiting for the others to come grab their keys to the closets. p.e was the next hour.
"just be patient dude, when she arrives, you casually get up and go talk to her. do you remember the three steps?" the red haired pointed.
"don't scream, don't curse and look at her in the eye." bakugo grumbled a little skeptical.
when they heard high pitched voices and footsteps approaching the blonde jolted in his seat.
"there they are." kirishima whispered. "good luck soldier"
katsuki got up with a sigh, heart beating fast, he didn't even notice his feet leading him directly to you and almost fainted when you looked at him with those doe eyes.
"h-hey."
"hey!" you greeted rummaging your backpack.
"i was... i recalled that time last week you shared your notes and... i"
"you came to say thanks? it's alrighty! just gimme a shoutout whenever you need!" you smiled
his ears reddened. "y-yeah. but i was trying to ask if ya wanna grab milkshakes sometimes, my treat for the notes." katsuki managed to spill
"oh! i didn't expect that" you giggled thinking that was a cute way to invite someone to hang out. "sure. i provide the notes, you provide the milkshakes." you extended your hand "deal?"
he smirked satisfied shaking you hand.
"deal."
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julieloves074 · 4 months
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I'm yours (Alex Walter x Reader)
Summary: When Jackie comes to town your best friend, and childhood crush, Alex Walter falls head over heels leaving you left behind but when you attend Will's wedding with someone something changes...
Warnings: Swearing, kissing, heartbreak
Words: 6.1k
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(Not my GIF :))
The day Jackie arrived in town was an interesting one to say the least. The Walter house was a second home to me all my life, growing up at the ranch next door meant I grew up chasing around the fields with the Walter kids.
It was during dinner at theirs, Walter games night, that Katherine announced her dearest friend had passed away in a car accident and her daughter was going to move in with them. The reactions around the table were mixed, but mostly everyone was just shocked. Over the next months there were whispers and chatter, but I was not prepared for what it would be like when she arrived.
“Morning,” Katherine says when I walked through the front door, her and George were putting on their shoes and jackets.
“Off to get Jackie?” I asked already knowing the answer, I was curious about her, it would be nice to have another girl around.
“Yeah, are you staying around for dinner tonight? It’ll be nice for Jackie to have another girl around today I reckon,” Katherine asked, quite literally reading my mind.
“That would be nice thank you,” I answered, and George let out a laugh opening the door, Katherine gave him an inquisitive look, one brow raised.
“I thought we were past asking each other stuff like that Y/n practically lives here,” Katherine and I looked at each other and burst into a giggle, he wasn’t wrong.
“Alright well we better be off, Alex is in the living room with Issac playing some kind of video game,” Katherine announced grabbing her coat and leaning over to kiss the top of my head.
I muttered back a thanks and headed deeper in the Walter house and to no surprise I found my best friend exactly where Katherine said.
“Y/n hey!” Alex examined practically jumping out of his seat
“Dude! Dude the game- we’ve nearly-” Issac stood with the remote but quickly slumped back down into his seat as the television made a noise to signify the end of the game, “What the hell Alex, that was the closest we’ve ever gotten!” he continued to complain.
“Y/n’s here,” Alex simply pointed out, that Goofy smile on his face, all his teeth showing in his grin.
“Yeah, yeah Y/n’s here,” Issac mocked rolling his eyes at his cousin but giving me a smile and a fist bump as he walked past.
Soon enough Alex and I found ourselves laying around on the sofa with snacks and a random film on. I suggested we head outside, I wanted to work on my tan but he said him and Cole argued again and he was out there with some of the other Walter siblings. I tried not to roll my eyes, I know these boys love and care for each other so why make it so difficult.
“Your parents out of town again?” he sat up to look at me, I reluctantly tuned my head away from the tv and put down the popcorn bowl on the coffee table.
“Uh yeah, they’ve got another showcase a couple towns over, won’t be longer than three days,” I answered, mom and dad were well known by their refined tastes, before I was born they started being judges in all kinds of food showcases all around the country, it all slowed down after I was born but they were still offered lots of positions and sometimes they just couldn’t say no.
“You’re more than welcome to crash here,” Alex said, some of his smile seemed to crumble a little. It’s not that my parents weren’t good parents we just weren’t as close as the Walters and that was that. Plus, I have school, even if I wanted to travel with them when they did it wasn’t always possible.
“Hey, I need to look after Daisy,” I said with a smile, my golden retriever could not sleep unless she’s  in one of our beds, “Plus everyone else is still there,” I said confidently kicking his leg to brighten his mood. Mom and dad offer a program where you can come live on the ranch and help with the work for a small wage and all accommodation provided, people who want to travel jump at the opportunity all the time, we have a waitlist, it’s nice being able to meet people from all around the world.
“You know I’m always here for you right?” He asked all serious, hand reaching out to touch mine, I gave him a smile and his hand a squeeze and pulled him into a hug. It felt different somehow these last couple of weeks. I’ve liked Alex, like liked Alex for as long as I could remember and recently it started feeling like maybe he liked me too.
“I know, I’m here for you too,” I whisper back.
“We’re back!” George’s voice announced to the house, Alex stayed sitting on the sofa, but I walked up to the doorway.
“Jackie this is Y/n, Y/n Jackie,” Katherine said with a bright smile. I gave the girl a smile, she looked exactly as I expected she would, beautifully luscious hair and clothes with a scarily perfect posture.
“Hi,” I said reaching out my hand,” I live next door but half the time I swear I spend more time here,” I laugh, and a smile appears on her face, and she shakes my hand.
“Oh, and this is Alex,” Katherine says as we walk past the living room, my eyes go to him like muscle memory, but his don’t even glance my way, he’s looking at her. I feel something then near my heart, a new kind of pain, but I put on a brave smile.
“Theres still two bags in the car would you mind getting them?” George asked Alex who shook himself slightly out of his trance. He stood quickly and headed towards the front door.
Unsure what to do with myself, this was a new feeling, I followed Katherine and Jackie to the kitchen, she poured us some lemonade when her phone started to ring, and she excused herself. From what I gathered she was being called for a job, Katherine was incredibly hard working and did not get half the recognition she deserved.
She apologised and said she was needed for an animal emergency. The job of showing Jackie around was passed onto me and Will who had just walked through the door and introduced himself.
We headed outside and finally I was blessed with the rays of sunshine dancing on my skin, the weather was truly magnificent. Will continued pointing everyone out to Jackie and I looked at each of the Walters outside in turn, I really was lucky to be surrounded by these people, and Jackie would soon know that she ended up with the most loving people in the world.
“Who’s that?” she whispered to me when a certain blonde, very dramatically, flipped back his hair and climbed out of the pool. I shook my head turning to see her practically gaping at him and let out a giggle.
“That’s Cole, the big flirt of the town,” I explained, her eyes never left him.
“Do you want to introduce yourself?” Will asked, he was too busy answering Parker’s question to hear Jackie and I.
Cole sat back on one of the lounge chairs brushing his hair back with one hand, the other already resting under his head. He opened his eyes ever so slightly to look in our direction, “She’ll figure it out,” he said in that teasing Cole voice.
“Told ya,” I continued, and Jackie laughed, I looped my arm through hers, ‘I’ll show you to your room then,”
“And Cole and I will start brining up your belongings right?” Will commanded more than questioned, Cole let out a groan but got up.
After a few minutes Alex had bought up Jackie’s other two bags and started helping Cole bring up her boxes of stuff which there seemed to be a lot of. I sat there with Jackie helping her unpack her suitcases and giving her some insight into town and the school. I had to watch both the Walter brothers try to make her laugh and shine their beautiful eyes at her each time they interchangeably came up.
“So, are you related to the Walters or?” She asked when Alex left after dropping off another box, I couldn’t help but let out an audible laugh.
“Oh no, no, I’ve grown up next door so basically know them since we were all in diapers, but no not related” I explained and she nodded, placing some stationary precisely on her desk, “So if you ever needany blackmail let me know,” I whispered and we laughed together. Katherine was right, I hope I was making this easier for her.
Katherine arrived back in time for dinner, George prepared a barbeque, Alex and I set up some tables outside and bought paper plates. It almost seemed like any other dinner apart from the fact that Alex spent almost all of it staring or talking to Jackie. He wasn’t the only one though. Cole. This was my new reality I realised and start bracing myself mentally.
Even with the family’s insistence I left right after dinner with the excuse that I had some last minute homework I needed to finish for tomorrow’s English class. It had been a long day, and I just needed some space to process and breathe.
I was almost to the gate when Alex ran up to me, “Hey you alright?” he asked walking alongside me, I nodded and told him that I still needed to finish reading that one short story, which was true, and before he could tell me to just read his copy hear I asked him a question.
“What do you think of Jackie?”
“She’s, uh, she seems really nice,” he almost seemed a little flushed, “I’m excited to get to know here, I think she’ll like it here,” he said, “What about you? You guys seemed to get cozy gossiping away”
“She seems lovely, this obviously isn’t easy for her, it’ll be nice to have a girl my age around the ranch,” I said honestly, things were going to be different now, so I just had to learn to roll with it and make the best of it, even though I see exactly how this is going to play out, I need to gossip with Danny about it, see if he agrees.
***
It’s been just over two weeks since Jackie has arrived at the ranch, and so far things have been pretty normal, if not better. We hung out every day, I showed her around school, we avoided Erin together and I introduced her to Tara and Skylar, but her and I got close quickly.
I had to finish my group project with my science class mates and it was the worst experience of my life, they were all absolutely useless, as much as we aren’t really fond of each other I’d hope they’d be able to put those feelings aside just to finish this project but no, they like to make things difficult. Now I wanted nothing more than to flop on Alex’s bed with some ice-cream and complain about it for half hour whilst he tried and is mostly successful in making me laugh.
My plan was not going to go quite as I wanted though, I walk through the farm’s beautiful, wooden gates only to hear Alex and Jackie talking. At first I reminded myself to not think anything of it, they too were starting to become good friends, which was good- so why did it hurt hearing her laugh that enchanting, contagious laugh from inside the barn that contained the loft. Kid’s heaven as we liked to call it. Alex and I called it our getaway when we needed to talk about something serious, it was also a non-judgement zone.
I approached the barn cautiously in hopes of not being spotted, this wasn’t spying it was- information gathering to make the best possible choices going forward. Who am I kidding this was stupid, I needed to walk away or make myself obvious. Running a hand through my hair I turned to walk towards the house, maybe Katherine was around.
“Spying are we y/n/n?” Cole asked, causing me to jump slightly, one of my hands landing on my chest.
“Jesus Cole I’d like to live to my thirties- at least,” I let out wacking him on the arm, he let out a laugh, one too similar yet so different from Alex’s, yet his knowing glance didn’t change, “No I was not spying I just didn’t want to interrupt,” I said defensively brushing past him.
“Whatever you say…” he started, managing to get perfectly in step with me, “Suppose I don’t need to tell you then,” he continued to tease. I kept my sight ahead of me, lips pursing together, running my tongue over my front teeth, I would not give him the satisfaction.
Cole found out about my little thing for Alex from Erin, her and I used to be best friends before she became ‘popular’ she used the information to get Cole’s attention in the first place, but this didn’t mean I needed to give Cole the power now.
We kept walking towards the house in silence, it was eating away at me and my lack of patience. I let out a huff as we got onto the porch, “What were you going to tell me?” I asked reluctantly.
“Oh how I could bully you right now,” he clasped his hands together mischievously and I turned away from him to go into the house, “Okay, okay,” he said grabbing hold of my arm and pulling me back towards him, we both leaned over the railing.
“He likes her doesn’t he?” I asked even though I already knew the answer, I could see Cole nodding his head in the corner of my eye. Damn how quickly Alex Walter fell.
I turned to face him; he kept looking out at the fields.
“You like her too,” I said in a whisper, it was a realisation I hadn’t meant to voice out loud. He sucked in a deep breath.
“I mean I don’t really know her, she just moved her but-”
“You feel like you’ve known each other forever? There’s just something fascinating about her that you can’t let that little flame of hope give out?” I asked, completely monotone, I related too much to what I was saying.
“Wow we’re saddos,” he laughed nudging me to the side.
“Yeah we really are,” I said, leaning against the railing again.
“But you don’t want to hurt him do you? We don’t need a repeat of the Paige situation,” he tensed up at my words, even though Alex is my best friend all of the Walter kids are my friends and they’re all family. I know Cole didn’t know about Paige and everything was blown out of proportion. But the fact that it was all a miscommunication but we were still suffering the consequences now and we did not need another destructive wave.
“Come on lets crash their little moment,” he said changing the subject, refusing to talk about it, the normal playfulness of his voice gone. I sighed and nodded, we headed towards the barn in perfect time to see Alex brushing Jackie’s hair out her face.
“Uh-um” Cole’s voice beamed into the mostly empty building, both of them turned to us and stepped apart.
“Oh y/n I have to show you this new board game Jackie and I bought in an antique shop the other day,” he came towards me, turning around to smile at Jackie once more, “Don’t forget the book, it’ll be nice to talk to someone who actually likes the Hobbit,” he said playfully turning to me, “Unlike some who don’t appreciate the art,” he continued.
That comment should not have hurt as much as it did, it was a light-hearted joke but it felt like it was leaving a gap in my heart causing my heart rate to increase.
“I’ll see you in a bit Jackie,” I said with as much of a smile as I could muster, she nodded back, clearly not wanting to be left alone with Cole after the whole bleach situation, and the good friend part of my didn’t want to leave her stranded, but Cole is a good guy- for the most part- and he deserves a chance to apologise for his sometimes stupid behaviour.
Alex started to describe the game excitedly as we headed towards the house, we were walking up the stairs when a voice called from behind us.
“Hey, Alex, Y/n hold up! I’ll come play with you!” Jackie shouted jogging to come meet us, and that’s how I ended up playing a board game with the two of them subtly flirting for two hours before finally having a chance to excuse myself.
***
Mom and dad have never gone away over a holiday before, but this thanksgiving I was left all alone in our house. Or more accurately I was being left with the Walters. This was a different kind of travel though. My grandmother from my dad’s side was getting continuously worse but they didn’t want to interrupt my holidays and wanted to keep me in a routine, so they asked me to stay and took Daisy with them.
I had slept at the Walter house last night, Jackie and I fell asleep on the sofa watching Lemonade Mouth, I knew Jackie was dreading today and did not want to cook so I promised I’d cover for her and cook a plate in her honour instead while she went on her food delivery rounds. Little did she know her uncle Richard was coming to the dinner.
I wasn’t supposed to know either but I had accidently walked in when Katherine was on the phone to him and she did a little excited dance move when I assumed he agreed. I think this will be good for her, seeing a familiar face. Getting her to come back to the house for dinner without revealing the surprise was going to be harder.
I thanked Katherine for grabbing the supplies for some bacon-topped green bean casserole, mom’s favourite recipe and stepped into my chef era in the kitchen. My side dish can be eaten cold or heated up so I decided to cook before everyone else piled into the kitchen.
Singing along to one of my playlists I moved around the kitchen like it was my dance floor, I’m not a fantastic cook, but I’m not the worst so I just tried to make it fun whilst stimulating my short attention span.
I heard footsteps and a voice, not a great one, joining in. I smiled and looked up from the cutting board to see Alex dancing awkwardly around the kitchen island.
“Oh I love this song,” he enthused coming towards me, I tried to move away and resist, but he took the knife out of my hand cautiously and pulled me closer, both his hands in mine and we rushed around the kitchen singing our favourite song. I should have known the second this tune came on it would act as a whistle to the Walter boy.
He twirled me around five or six times causing me to get a little dizzy, we giggled like five year olds without a care in the world. Unfortunately, as the song came to end so did our moment. We stood there for a couple moments trying to catch our breaths. I couldn’t help but gleam.
One look at Alex’s red, out of breath face and I burst into laughter again.
“Stop it! Come on stop  it I need to breath,” he managed to get out between attempted breaths and laughter.
“Well, I didn’t know you were such a confident dancer Walter,” I said winking at him. He smacked my arm walking around to put some bacon in his mouth, “Leave it alone or we’ll have none for later,” I chided playfully.
“More of a confident dancer than a confident cook,” he said and I couldn’t agree with him more, “Thankfully mom has let me get away with just making the mash this year,” and we all thanked her for it.
“Do you remember that time you were trying to cook some chicken and somehow managed to get it spilt half over the floor and the rest drowning under the undercooked cheese sauce and almost gave both of us food poisoning?” I asked chucking a green bean into my mouth. He covered his eyes with his hands and sighed at the memory.
“How many times can I apologise for that? Also come on I was like twelve, how much can a twelve year old boy know about cooking?!” He asked running a hand down his face.
“Well, I’d assume more than that, your mom and dad are incredible cooks,” I said, then got interrupted when the phone on the counter started playing a happy tune, it wasn’t mine.
Alex picked up his phone to look at the caller before turning back to me, “Give me a sec just gotta answer this,” he said before sitting down and speaking into the phone. I run my hand over my nose and returned back to my station and cutting up the bacon into smaller slices, every now and then looking up to Alex, watching the smile that takes over his whole face, trying to guess who was on the other side of the phone even though deep down I think I already knew.
“Yes Jackie I’ll make sure to remind you about that later, okay bye,” he said followed by a laughter. My suspicions were confirmed and all of a sudden there was nothing more interesting in the room other than my cutting board, I was nearly done then I could get out of here for a couple of hours. If Jackie could so could I, especially considering I didn’t actually live here.
“I’m going to talk to her today, I’m going to tell her how I feel,” Alex announced bravely.
My hands stopped in motion, and I looked up at him, not quite sure I heard him right, “ You’re going to do what? Do you really think that’s the right thing to do? I mean especially now at thanksgiving when she’s missing her family and-” I started but cut myself off before I could ruin Jackie’s surprise for anyone else.
“Things have been going really well y/n, I thought you’d be happier for me if I’m honest,” a bit of his smile faded and I looked back down at my cutting board, throwing the rest of the bacon into my casserole.
“I just meant you guys live together, let’s say things go south, what happens then?”
“Why do you always have to be so negative about this, every time I talk to you about Jackie you get like this,” he was hurt, I could tell by the slightly change in his tone.
“I’m being realistic, you’ve got to think about the rest of the family as well,” I defended myself turning around to wash up everything I used I wanted to add you’ve got to think about me, how after all this time, when we too acted like that can you didn’t see me too.
He huffed and then just as his steps came closer they got further way, and with each beat my heart sunk further and further.
I spent the dinner watching him watch her, watching Cole watch her, and the whole debacle with her uncle go down and Erin sat two seats down from me- what was happening? How quickly do things go so out of control. He wouldn’t even spare me a glance, all of a sudden I felt invisible at the Walter table, which now I suppose that could happen effortlessly with purely the number of us.
We all sat in the living room later that evening, after Jackie decided she was going to stay, playing card games and laughing along to some general knowledge game show where people were barely ever right because the questions were so bizarre. Jackie left after a little while claiming she just needed some time to process this whole day.
What hurt was the way Alex followed her up a few minutes later like a lost puppy. I knew where he was going, what he was going to do and say, it was making me feel physically sick. Like someone was squashing both my stomach and my heart at the same time. I went to get some water. I took a few deep breaths while standing at the sink, but I still felt like I couldn’t breathe so I went out towards the barn. I sat on the fence and looked out onto the ranch, not allowing myself to look back at the house.
That wasn’t the worst of it though. I thought it couldn’t get worse, more painful, but never say never. Jackie called me up to her room later, I’m staying the night at the Walter’s for two more nights until my parents got back. Hearing her explain what happened in detail was much, much worse than sitting on the fence outside and imagining how it played out.
She sounded so excited talking about how they kissed and how he gave her this whole cute proclamation, she didn’t realise that every word, every description she gave me pushed a knife a little deeper into my heart. He took her to our spot where when the sun starts going down it shimmers perfectly between two tall trees. I nodded along and tried my best to feign excitement, but I couldn’t tell how good of a job I was doing, she was too caught up in her giddiness to notice if I was doing a shit job.
I knew it could be worse though I told myself, this whole explanation could be coming out of Alex’s mouth, and if it did I think I would actually, physically be sick. I couldn’t see him right now or talk to him. I needed to not be at the Walter house for a couple of days so I could avoid the incoming PDA.
I told Katherine one of the volunteers ended up coming back early after the holiday and that I offered to go spend the evening with them, so they weren’t alone, she wasn’t too thrilled about the idea but she let me go, I think she sensed my urgency but didn’t want to press. I think she probably knew more about what was at play here than we realised.
***
Over the next couple of weeks, the sight of Jackie and Alex became imprinted in my mind. I didn’t avoid either of them, but I didn’t go out my way to spend time with them either, mostly because they were always together and always touching, but it’s not like they showed much of an effort to reach out to me either. I knew of course that they were in the honeymoon stage, but I also knew the best way to stop breaking my heart was to limit contact.
When I realised that this thing was going to be a thing for a while I started reaching out to my other peers more, hanging out with new people in the time I used to spend with the Walter’s and Jackie. Turns out one guy from my science group was actually quite nice, and he wasn’t bad looking. No matter what he was not Alex but I could see myself being happy with Seb. We talked, called, and hung out more and more until we officially started dating, he agreed to attend the oldest Walter brother’s wedding with me which was kind of him since he didn’t really know any of them very well. I think that was why I was drawn to him; he was outside this bubble and I desperately wanted to get out too.
 “Aren’t you excited? You love the Walters,” Seb asked as we walked through the big wooden gate. My arm was looped through his. I took a deep breath and smiled, it was genuine, I was excited that Will and Hayley were finally doing what was going to make them happy and that we all got to be here to celebrate with them, in the place that we all love. Mom and dad already joined the Walter’s earlier to help set up.
We were met with the twins by the entrance to the field, and for today the wedding venue, many guests were already sitting down, Nathan sat on the other side of the gate tuning his guitar, I’m so glad they let him do this, it’ll be a memory he’ll hold for the rest of his life.
“You look beautiful,” Danny said as we got into conversation, Seb was seemingly finding many common subjects for them to talk about but my mind was distracted as I tried to stop myself from looking around and looking for him. Blue was my colour he’s said it himself many times before, maybe he’ll give me a compliment too, like he used to.
“Looking good Jackie,” Danny said as she came our way, mom said she basically planned this whole event by herself.
“You look great Jackie,” I added with a smile, she also wore a beautiful baby blue dress with a shoulder cover, her style choices never missed and whoever came up with the colour scheme should be given a bonus.
“You too Y/n, feels like I barely see you now a days, but we’re seated together so we’ll have the chance to catch up,” she smiled and reached out to hold me hand, “come on lets sit down we’re going to start in a minute”.  I called Seb and we went to sit down.
“Hi y/n you look lovely, Seb,” Alex came up to us to sit next to Jackie, we’ve talked here and there, and god did I miss him and his goofy smile. He put his arm around Jackie and we all talked a little, Seb’s hand landed on my knee and whilst usually it was quite nice right now it felt suffocating, like I was in a prison of my own making.
The actual wedding ceremony was beautiful, they both looked great and you could just tell by the glimmer in their eyes that they’re so in love. Everything was going smoothly until Cole’s speech, he didn’t do anything wrong, he was honest and spoke from the heart, whether I could believe entirely that it was just about Hayley and Will I wasn’t sure but who else but us kids would be able to tell.
It was during the speech that Alex started getting fidgety, I wanted to reach out and hold his hand, run my thumb over his skin soothing him  but I couldn’t, Jackie wasn’t helping much either, staring at Cole as if he’s some kind of god, eyes almost watering as he spoke.
Seb put his arm around me and I learned into him, my head on his shoulder eyes closed. When I opened them back up after Cole finished Alex was looking directly at me. I gave him a smile, but he looked away quickly.
 I regretted complimenting the flowers as soon as Nathan explained their meaning and Jackie’s and Cole’s eyes found each other like magnets again, but when I looked to Alex his eyes were once again on me, he put his arm around Jackie and whispered something in her ear, she nodded but her eyes were cautious, unsure.
The dancing began soon after, Seb quickly asked if I wanted to dance sensing the awkward atmosphere at the table, he wasn’t so good with dealing with awkward bless him. Jackie and Alex didn’t take long to join us, they danced closer together whispering in each other’s ears, his hand ran up and down her arm.
I couldn’t watch any longer, “I’m sorry, I need to just take a second,” I hurried out of Seb’s, who now looked very confused, arms and towards the house. I could hear him faintly asking if he wanted me to come but I couldn’t answer, I grabbed onto my chest trying to get myself to breathe normally. I hope my exit wasn’t as dramatic on the larger scale as it felt.
The downstairs bathroom was girl heaven in this house, the one place where all you could smell was some kind of flowers, every surface was constantly clean and it was a clear zone from the Walter boys.
“Y/n/n,” a voice asked followed by a series of knocks, I would know that secret pattern anyway, I wiped my nose again, I wanted to tell him to go away, I didn’t need him seeing me like this, pitying me. “Come on Y/n can we talk?”, after a few seconds he still stood there, waiting, “I know I’m idiot, please,” this time I could clearly hear the desperation in his voice.
I opened the door and leaned to sit back down on the side of the bath. I didn’t want to meet his eyes. He reached out for my arms and lifted me up, my gaze still on the floor. I wasn’t expecting him to pull me into the biggest embrace of my life. I frozen for a second unable to move, but I melted into the hug, my hands sound their way around his neck and he pulled me closer.
“I’m so sorry Y/n I’ve been an idiot, who didn’t know what good he had until he lost it,” he pulled away just enough to see my face, “and now I’ve made you cry, wow I really am the worst,” I chuckled at this.
“I ended things with Jackie, I think we were both pretending that we worked because we were both scared,” he said with contemplation.
“Scared of what?” I asked but it came out as a whisper.
He looked between both of my eyes, his hands unravelled from around me to secure a place on my face. We were so close I could feel his breath on me.
“To do this,” he whispered back and closed the gap between us, his lips met mine, my hands went to his waist and he pulled me closer and closer. When he pulled away it seemed like I was in some starstruck haze, we’d kissed before at some party playing spin the bottle but that was nothing compared to this.
“Will you forgive me? Can we start this over?” He asked hopefully. I wanted to immediately jump into his arms and kiss him again but then there was Jackie and Seb.
“What about Jackie?” I asked weakly.
“I think we both know her and Cole have had this connection from the beginning it, but I was her safe option, just like she was mine and Seb is yours, my god I couldn’t watch any time his hands came anywhere near you, knowing that should have been me, it could have been me all along,” he said and this time I went on my tip toes, arms around his neck and kissed him like I’ve never been kissed before. Now I would just have to figure out a way to tell Seb.
“Don’t think you’re completely off the hook for ditching me for a girl,” I said walking out of the bathroom with a glance over my shoulder.
“Oh no I know I’ve got to work for it, but where are you going I want to kiss you, I need to kiss you come back!” he called trailing behind me.
“I need to talk to Seb,” I said solemnly, though I’ve got to admit a wedding is the worst place for all of this to work out. Seb was very understanding, I think he could tell what was coming from miles away but wanted to give me the benefit of the doubt. We hugged one last time and he went over to talk to Danny and some of the others.
Jackie started walking towards the barn, Cole must have ran away too, I chuckled to myself, she turned around for a second meeting my eye. She gave me a bright smile and put up both her thumbs up at me, I put a thumbs up back, and that was how I knew we were okay.
“So you want to dance?” Alex asked pulling my attention back to him. I agreed but only if it was proper dancing not whatever weird arm tugging thing he was doing with Jackie.
And so we danced the night away, all of us kids being the last ones left out in the night. We sat around and talked, played board games in one of the tents till morning, it was finally like everything was in place.
I leaned my head on Alex’s shoulders as everyone started heading to bed. Now everything was in place.
MASTERLIST
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lil13 · 1 year
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REHEARSAL - j. champion
You're an actress on Scream VI and your scene partner is frequently Jack Champion. The two of you soon have to film a scene where your characters give into their tension and confess their feelings for the first time, ending in a kiss — and the directors want you to rehearse outside of set. You knew you'd have to kiss Jack eventually, but the thought of rehearsing the scene alone with him made you nervous.
It's nothing, right?
You had simply just invited your castmate over to your apartment to rehearse a scene that the directors asked you to rehearse. No big deal.
Jack Champion was one of your castmates and happened to be playing the best friend of your character. Except, both characters had secretly fallen for each other and confess their feelings, ending in a steamy kiss. Apparently, when you'd gone to film the scene the day before, the directors weren't convinced with your performance — they'd even called cut before you got to the kiss.
You had hyped yourself up all day for nothing.
A couple weeks ago you'd confided in Devyn, one of your other castmates — she played a character named Anika. You told the girl that you were pretty sure you'd fallen for your castmate and were freaked out about it. Devyn assured you that this feeling was okay, and if you had fallen for Jack, it wasn't the end of the world.
So, when you'd gotten nervous about your kiss scene, you confided in Devyn then again too. She assured you once again, that you'd be okay.
When you heard a knock on the wood of your apartment door, all air left your lungs.
You wiped the sweat on your palms off on your sweatpants before walking — nervously — over to the door. You'd tried on approximately 5 different outfits before settling on sweatpants and a tank top, even told Jack to dress down as well.
"Hi." Jack smiled once you opened the door.
Your heart skipped a beat and you immediately knew that running this scene would be difficult tonight. But alas, you pushed through.
"Hi." you echoed, stepping aside so Jack could step into the apartment.
Closing the door behind him, you told Jack where he could drop his things. When you saw him looking around, you remembered he'd only been here with the group, so he hadn't really had the chance to look around. You couldn't help yourself but walk right up next to him, nudging his body with your own. It was like you were drawn to him. 
"Like it?" you questioned.
He nodded quickly, glancing down at you. "It's cute."
After a couple minutes of small talk, you agreed to get started. Your characters were standing during the scene, so you and Jack stood in the free floor space between the couch and the small kitchen table you had.
You flipped a switch inside of yourself and began to act as Piper, your character in the movie.
"Um, hello? Are you forgetting something?" This scene was supposed to take place right after a frat party.
You'd gone with Ethan and the group to this party. Whilst there, you and Ethan had flirted some, like the two of you had been doing for the past few months. Long story short, Piper and Ethan had been friends since high school, both moving to New York for college. Piper had always felt something toward Ethan, but being with him at college and seeing how girls looked at him really solidified her feelings.
Jack furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
"For fucks sake! When you went to find Tara with Chad I went to get another drink and when I came back all 6 of you were gone. You left me at the party." Your character was supposed to be out done with his. "What happened to never leaving friends alone at parties? I could be upstairs fucking a rando right now for all you care."
His face contorted as he stepped closer. "Piper, i'm sorry! Chad just grabbed me and we left... I forgot."
"Wow."
You were supposed to be mad, but also hurt.
"Piper..."
You shook your head, "No, no, no. Don't Piper me. Ever since we became friends with those people you've put me on the back burner! Do you know how much that hurts?"
Jack reached out to put a hand on your arm, but you jerked back. His facial expression fell.
Even though you knew it was acting, it still made your heart hurt.
"I'm really sorry, I just. Things have changed since we moved here."
You cocked an eyebrow, crossing your arms over your chest. "Like what?"
"Us." his voice was quiet.
Piper was supposed to stay quiet at this point, taking a step or two backwards. This was Ethan's turn to speak.
"Piper, we've known each other since freshman year and I just... the way I, see you now. It's different."
The kiss was coming up soon and your heart was going crazy. But what you didn't know, was so was Jack's.
"Different, huh?"
Jack's eyes went wide, mimicking Ethan's panic. "Good different! Piper, these past couple of months i've seen you differently than before and it scares the shit out of me. It's like every part of me is itching to be around you 24/7, and when you're finally close it feels like nothing bad will ever happen to me."
You cracked a smile, this was when Piper was supposed to realize that Ethan felt the same. Your heart skipped a beat, thinking about how amazing it would be if Jack felt the same way as you. But that would never happen in a million years.
"You like me." Jack swallowed harshly, Ethan now realized that was Piper was saying was right. He 'liked' his best friend. "You like me!" The second time was Piper convincing herself.
Jack nervously scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, I guess I do."
This was when you kissed.
Piper was meant to initiate it. So, you took a deep breath and followed through. If you were meant to rehearse a scene, why not rehearse all of it?
You closed the space between you by walking those few steps, your hand grabbing the back of Jack's neck and pulling his face to yours. Your eyes fluttered closed right as your lips met in the middle.
Butterflies. Fireworks. All of the above.
The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Jack pulled away, a smirk on his lips. That's when the scene was supposed to end.
You wiped your mouth off with the back of your hand, taking a couple of steps backwards. "I think we did a pretty good job, think the directors will be satisfied." You were nodding as you stepped back some, creating space between you.
Jack stepped forward, "I, uh... I think we should practice again."
He did? But you'd done so well. "Which part?" You were genuinely curious.
The boy was quiet now. Something that was rare.
"J?" you called him by the nickname you'd bestowed upon him. Unoriginal, but you liked it.
His eyes wouldn't meet yours. "The kiss?"
He'd been so quiet you almost missed it. But you hadn't. He had asked to rehearse the kiss.
Suddenly bold, you decided to play dumb. "The kiss? I thought we did fine, why should we practice? We can if you want to, though."
Jack saw right through your ploy.
You mentally cursed yourself. But the blush on his cheeks clued you into the fact that maybe you weren't the only one with feelings at the moment.
With your boldness still out to play, you continued. "Or, you could just kiss me as Jack and not Ethan?" This made Jack's eyes go dark.
A smirk twitched on his lips as he crossed the floor, ducking down to crash his lips into yours. He immediately picked you up, your legs wrapping around his torso as he held you as close as possible.
You couldn’t really believe this was happening. Jack was actually kissing you. Devyn was gonna freak out.
Your fingers went into his hair, playing with and tugging on his curls. You’d dreamed about the day you’d get to play with his hair and that day was finally here.
Jack walked over to the couch, his lips never leaving yours, and sat down with you now in his lap. His kiss was rough and passionate, but everything else was so gentle. The way his hands ran of your body? It felt magical, but he was so careful, almost as if he didn’t want to do something wrong.
After a couple minutes, you pulled away. A frown flashed on Jack’s lips and you couldn’t help but smile. Your hands held his cheeks while his rested on your hips, his thumbs caressing your bare skin due to your tank top riding up.
“Did I ever tell you that I think you’re really cute?” you laughed.
Jack blushed, for the second time that night, and dropped his head against your chest to hide it. You laughed even harder picking his face up so he’d have to look you in the eye again.
He tried to fight against you, but you won. “And when you blush it’s even cuter.” This time you kissed him.
When you pulled away, his face followed yours, almost as if he wasn’t ready for the kiss to be over.
“In all honesty, i’m pretty sure that scene went badly yesterday because I was nervous.” he chuckled, lifting a hand from your hip to tuck a strand of fallen hair behind your ear. “And until you said I could kiss you as Jack I still was nervous. I like you so much, Y/N.”
“Would you say you’re itching to be around me 24/7 and when i’m around it feels like nothing bad will happen?”
Jack’s jaw dropped and he playfully squeezed your hips, “Are you quoting my character to me?”
“I might be.” You said with a smirk.
A squeal came from your lips when Jack pushed you down onto the couch beside him, his hands attacking your sides as he tickled you. Laughter poured from both of your mouths. All you wanted was to kiss him again, his brown eyes looked like coming home. He made you feel like nothing bad would ever happen.
Eventually, you managed to control the situation and pull Jack’s face down to yours. Your lips connected in a way that it felt like they were always meant to. This was something you could definitely get used to.
“Oh my god, what did I walk into?”
You and Jack both made noises of surprise, the boy falling down onto you, his head tucking in your neck. Your hands held his head, keeping his face out of sight of your guest.
“Devyn, hey.” you casually greeted the girl, “I forgot I gave you a key.”
Jack pinched your waist at your confession. You pulled his hair in retaliation.
The girl laughed, “I came over to get my phone charger I left here last night, didn’t think i’d walk in to you hooking up. I know you’re freaking out though.”
“We’re not—”
“Bye!” She grabbed the cord and walked back out the door.
You were embarrassed, taking your hands away from Jack’s head and covering your face with them. Your face was burning in embarrassment.
Jack propped himself up, looking down at you, “Freaking out, huh?”
“Ok, I might’ve ranted to Devyn about how much I liked you. Shut up.”
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Your wish is my command
People knew when James approached pretty soon. Even with his 31 years, he still pretty much looked - and behaved - like the popular high school boy he used to be. He was loud, obnoxious and always surrounded by a group of friends - mostly his male buddies, but from time to time also one of his cardboard cutout girlfriends.
With his youthful looks and beautiful face, it wasn't very difficult for him to find a new girl - a fact he well knew and exploited. So, in general, his relationships rarely lasted longer than a few weeks or months until James got tired of his current girlfriend and dumped her for a new one.
Cathrine was one of them, a brunette smart girl who got picked up by James four weeks ago. Even though she quickly fell for him for his good looks and natural charm, she slowly felt annoyed by his constant bragging and immature behavior. However, she had agreed to let the group of friends hang out in her grandmother's antique shop this evening, a decision she started to regret already.
"Hey, look at these things. These are pretty weird, aren't they? What's this even supposed to be?"
"That's a gargoyle. They usually guard churches or the like. Or are supposed to bring luck." Cathrine explained.
"Hah! Bring luck. More like bringing ugliness. How is anyone supposed to see luck in that, huh?" James laughed and prodded the figure.
Catherine grimaced. "Honey, please don't touch anything. I had to promise grandma that nothing would be broken."
"Relax, Cathy, everything's fine! I'm not gonna break anything. Hey, do you think grandma would miss one of her creepy statues?"
"James, please!"
"Okay okay", he joked and looked around the shelves before something caught his eye.
"Hey, guys, check this out!"
He quickly stepped closer and, ignoring Catherines sigh, took the object from the blue pillow it was placed on.
"Cool! Is that a magic lamp, like from Aladdin?" he asked. Really, the brass object looked like a prop from the film. An old-fashioned oil lamp, with an oriental flair to it.
"Please, be careful with that. I don't know much about it, but I know it's an antique and really expensive."
"Yeah, yeah", James waved her off and continued to examine the lamp. By now his friends had gathered around him to watch. Giving them a show, he rubbed the lamp theatrically, but of course, nothing happened. Nevertheless, it brought him cheers and hollers from his buddies.
"The genie is just shy!", one of them joked.
"Oh, a shy one? Perhaps it's a genie lady that just needs some proper motivation?" James immediately agreed.
He raised the lamp to his face and made a kiss-face. "Don't be shy, miss genie! Oh, what is that?"
He held the lamp to his ear as if he was listening to a voice from inside.
"You want me too... what? Oh, you're being naughty miss genie! But I'm not complaining; your wish is my command!"
With that, James lowered the lamp to his groin and held it in front of his package. When he began humping the brass object, his buddies were already laughing tears. Catherine was a little annoyed on how immature James acted but couldn't help but smile as well.
What happened next, however, came as a surprise, not only for James but for Catherine and the guys, too:
In the span of seconds, James' body became engulfed in blue smoke. No, that wasn't exactly right: A more precise description was that James' body *became* blue smoke. It began at his hands, holding the lamp and quickly spread up his arms. The brass oil lamp fell to the ground as the blue smoke that had once been James' hands had not enough substance anymore to hold it.
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But even dropping the item didn't stop the process. His entire upper body was turning into the ethereal blue smoke.
"Guys... Guys! What's happening?", he yelled out, but his buddies had no idea either. They were watching, perplexed, as James' body began dissolving. After a few moments, only smoke remained where moments before, James had been standing. Then, suddenly, the smoke was being sucked into the lamp, leaving James' friends and girlfriend behind in shock.
James found himself floating in twilight. He had been caught completely off-guard by his body dissolving into smoke, and he didn't have time to react or run away then. Now there was just... nothing around him. Gray twilight, and apparently no gravity surrounded him. There was some sort of light and air, but this world he now floated in lacked any point of reference whatsoever.
James checked his body, but apparently, it was alright. No sign of the blue smoke, just his regular body was hanging suspended in nothingness.
"Hello? Guys?", he tried, but nobody answered.
"Guys! Where are you?", he shouted out again, but the gray space just swallowed his words.
Suddenly, a tingling feeling ran over his body. When he looked down again, he noticed his clothes one by one fading away, until all that was left on him was his pair of underwear.
"What the fuck is happening to me?", he mumbled, a bit panicked.
The strange feeling he had only intensified however, as his very body was changing - again. However, this time, it didn't dissolve into smoke. Instead, it felt like his skin was stretching - or rather, the amount of his body was stretching. His limbs were growing and thickening, while his torso widened. At the same time, his skin became darker, reminding him more and more of a middle eastern heritage rather than his usual fair complexion.
His chest and arms ballooned out with muscle. It wasn't like he had been skinny or scrawny before - but now he didn't just look fit - he began to look more and more like a sort of body builder - one of those muscle bulls you only saw in TV or in the gym. His six-pack was becoming more visible, and his shoulders stretched wide and broad.
His legs, too, thickened and swelled, but that wasn't all. His thighs grew not just wide, but thick as well, and his calves became almost disproportionately large. Above all else, hair began to spread on his now darker skin. But it wasn't the blonde hair James was used to having on his head - it was coarse and thick hair that was dark and clearly visible on his muscular chest and arms.
At the same time, his haircut changed. While the hair on his head turned black as well, it became stylish, yet unlike anything James had tried before. The sides buzzed short and the top gelled up, he was beginning to look more and more like a young Arab hunk, perhaps from the Iran. As if on cue, dark stubble set in and covered his chin that was becoming squarer by the minute. James didn't have a mirror, but his fingers were exploring his new facial features in disbelief. As a final treat, his boxer shorts morphed into a tight pair of a simple blue fabric underwear that filled out as his manhood began to take more and more place, leaving behind his previous pretty average bulge and settling on a huge, almost obscene size.
The changes had finally stopped and James found himself suspended in the gray, twilight world, confused, scared, and sporting a very new look. He had never thought of himself as attractive before, but the changes he had just gone through had made him a prime stud.
However, he hardly had time to react, as he felt a pulling sensation all through his being. The scenery changed and he found himself back in the shop - but now, he was somehow floating a bit off the ground and looked down to one of his buddies, Greg, who held the lamp in his hand and had apparently just rubbed it.
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"Whoa!", Greg exclaimed. "Who are you?"
"Guys, it's me, James!" James answered. "I somehow got sucked into the lamp thing and now your wish is my command, master."
A moment of silence followed and James realized what he just said. Despite his impressive muscular new body, the last words, which he had not meant to say at all, had sounded respectful and submissive.
"What is this bullshit? Who are you and what are you talking about?" Greg asked.
"I'm... I'm James" James stuttered. "And, apparently, your wish is my command. Just say 'I wish' and I will make your heart’s desire come true."
Again, James had only partial control over what he was saying. The last part had come out without him meaning to.
Greg was taken aback somewhat. "I wish...? I dunno. You're pretty gay like that!"
James only realized what was happening as he felt a mighty surge of power move through his body and heard himself say: "And so it shall be."
Did Greg just wish for James to be gay?! Luckily nothing seemed to be happening, until all heads turned as Catherine exhaled a low surprised moan.
James watched in horror as now her body was changing. Her breast flattened in a matter of seconds and her hair shortened to a stylish men's cut. At the same time, her body widened and her shoulders became broad. Her skin became rougher and little hairs spread all over her body. By the moment, her clothes were becoming too tight on a lot of places and too loose on some others. Catherine's face became a masculine version of itself, just like it would look like if she had been born a boy. Her nose was now strong and prominent, and her jawline was becoming stronger. Her face, too, was covered with a dark stubble that continued down her neck a bit before stopping at about where her now pronounced Adam's apple sat. When she let out another shocked noise, it was at least an octave lower than before.
Her new lean masculine look was completed by a bulge in her pants that quickly filled out with the last part of her new distinctively male anatomy.
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At first, James had hated to watch Catherine's... No, Kit's feminine features melt away like that. But the longer he watched the better Kit looked, James decided. When his new cock popped into existence, James even felt himself get a bit hard from watching his lover. Kit was his soulmate, his one true love. James didn't care how gay it was - he liked men - and this man especially.
He turned back to Greg with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was happy about having Kit, but on the other hand, he was horrified about what was happening to him. He needed to beg him to stop!
But instead, all that came out was: "You have two wishes left, master."
Check out this awesome writer as well!
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slxsherr · 1 year
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Tonight I Feel Like More
read part I here and part III here
pairing: charlie walker x bimbo!fem!reader
summary: you attend your first ever stab-a-thon, and finally make it through all of the movies, so charlie gives you a reward under the guise of keeping you warm.
wc: 2014
warnings: fem!reader, cursing/swearing, mentions of alcohol, mentions of oral sex (m! receiving), public sex, unprotected sex (p in v), mentions of crying, creampie
a/n: reader is described as being taller than charlie while wearing heels i'm sorry if you're short just pretend you're wearing ridiculously high heels 😭
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Since your first movie night with Charlie, it’s been his mission to finish all of the Stab movies with you. Which wouldn’t be so hard if you could get past Stab 5, but the whole time travel plot confuses you, which means you get bored, and Charlie has come to realize that your boredom manifests in a rather, promiscuous way. 
The first time you only lasted twenty minutes before you were pulling down his pants and busying yourself with his cock, bobbing your head and hollowing your cheeks until you were swallowing his load. After that, the last thing on either of your minds’ was the movie. 
He tries again and again, but somehow, someway, you get lost. He thinks he should feel lucky, having a girlfriend as frisky as you, and for the most part he does. But he’s worried, with Stab-A-Thon coming up he knows you’d want to go and support him at his last film festival. 
What worries him is that at some point throughout the night you’re gonna get bored, and then he’ll have to find a secluded area of of wherever they decide to throw the party to fuck you silly. A problem he never thought he’d have, but he keeps it in mind while discussing venue options with Robbie. 
Eventually they settle on an abandoned farm, far enough to not be bothered by adults, but not too far to the point where the drive is a hassle. They scope out the farmhouse, making sure it’s not too rundown for a gathering of drunk teens. It’s their last year of high school, last year running Cinema Club, last time throwing Stab-A-Thon, and Charlie and Robbie want to go all out. 
On the day of, a few more involved club members help Charlie and Robbie set up for Stab-A-Thon, handling decorations and seating while Charlie and Robbie focus on the audio and visual. Before people start arriving, Charlie adds some yellow police tape to the stairs leading up to the hayloft, spewing bullshit about not wanting a drunk idiot to fall when someone asks, not wanting to say the real reason. 
As soon as the sun falls over the horizon cars start to pull up, teenagers filing in with drinks, talking over the loud music as they wait for the movies to start. You arrive with Kirby and her friends, visibly annoyed by Jill and Trevor fighting behind you, most likely having had to listen to them argue the whole ride over. 
You find Charlie before he spots you, quickly making your way to him through throngs of people, desperate to get away from relationship drama, not wanting it to rub off on you and Charlie. The closer you get to him, the easier it is for him to notice you. You’re dolled up more than usual, pretty makeup and hair he’s gonna feel guilty about ruining later, a short dress barely reaching past your ass, and matching heels that have you standing taller than him. 
Most guys would probably be upset by that, but he can’t find it in himself to care when you slot yourself at his side, leaning in to give him a kiss. Your lipgloss is sweet, strawberry or cherry if he had to guess, a thin layer sticking to his own lips when you pull away. Your smile is even sweeter, eyes shining when they meet his, and he’s reminded of the phrase ‘the lights are on but no one’s home’, a perfect description of what goes on in your head. 
He can tell you planned your outfit for fashion over function, which is the case for most of your outfits. If you’re not whining in his ear to sneak off he’s sure you’ll be complaining about being cold. But he lets those thoughts fade, focusing instead on your warmth at his side, offering you a sip of his drink. 
“What time do the movies start?” You ask, face scrunched up at the bitter taste of whatever alcohol was poured into the jungle juice. 
“Shouldn’t be long now,” Charlie answers, pulling his hand out of his pocket to wrap around your waist, bringing you closer to him. 
“Actually, we should probably get up there and do our kickoff,” Robbie says, seeing the seats mostly filled in. 
“Be right back,” Charlie whispers to you, following Robbie to the projector screen. 
Their introduction is short and sweet, poking fun at the franchise’s clichés, while also promoting underage drinking. The crowd cheers, ready for the movies to start, quoting the iconic opening scene as Charlie and Robbie make their way to the back of the crowd to the projectors. You’re sitting on some bales of hay set up for seating, thin blankets keeping the itchy straw from irritating your skin, confusion etched in your features when you see Charlie walk out of the room instead of joining you. 
Before you can follow him, Robbie takes a seat next to you, going into a rant about the movie that you only half listen to, convinced Charlie has given you the same rant during one of your private movie nights. You don’t have a chance to interrupt him and ask about Charlie though, jerking away when you feel an arm around your shoulder. 
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Charlie laughs at your reaction, sitting down next to you. “Got you a drink,” he says, offering you a red cup. 
“Thank you,” you say, beaming at him, leaning in for another kiss. 
“Uh-uh, watch the movie,” he says, refocusing your attention to the screen. 
You roll your eyes, but do as he says, watching the movie silently. The two of you sip on your drinks, moving closer together as more people join you on the bales of hay. By the time the second movie starts, you’re forced into Charlie’s lap after getting up for refills and losing your spot. Not that you mind, sat sideways on his lap and tucked into his chest, you’re surprisingly able to focus on the movies for once. 
He entertains you, imitating the killer’s voice and repeating the dialogue for only you to hear, his breath tickling your ear as he whispers the lines. Your giggles are muffled by his chest, his playfulness and the steady beat of his heart comforting you through the jumpscares and violence that you’re still getting used to. 
The two of you allow yourself to relax into one another, comfortably watching each movie as the crowd slowly dwindles. You’ve traded your jungle juice for soda, caffeine and sugar slowly sobering any tipsiness as dawn approaches, eyes blinking slowly as you both fight off sleep. You’re so close, the closest you’ve ever been to finishing all seven Stab movies, and he can’t help but bounce his leg nervously, your whole body shaking from the force of his movement. 
“Stop that,” you mumble, and he does, but it’s not long before his leg is shaking again. “I thought you’ve seen all of these before, shouldn’t I be the nervous one?” You tease him when he still doesn’t stop. 
“Shh, pay attention,” he scolds you, because it’s the final act of the last movie, and you’ve come so far. 
You don’t put up a fight, attention easily grabbed as the kill scenes get messier and the main cast dies off one by one. Charlie’s buzzing with excitement during the last few minutes of the movie, watching for your reaction. Your reaction is dampened by your exhaustion, but even the slightest tell of shock has his lips stretching into a smile, holding you closer as the credits begin to roll. 
“Wow,” is all you say, stretching out in his arms. 
“Well, how do you feel?” He asks you, leaning over you as you lay back. 
“Scared, tired, a little cold,” you answer, his hair tickling your skin as his face nears yours. 
“Hm, well let’s go to bed then,” he says, sitting up and pulling you up with him. 
You follow him to a set of taped off stairs, a thin blanket dragging on the straw covered floor behind him. He holds your hand all the way up the stairs, not wanting you to trip in your heels, spreading the blanket out over the loose stack of hay. The two of you fall onto your makeshift bed for the night, or early morning, laying on your sides as he pulls your back to his chest.
“How about now?” He asks, arms holding you close to him. 
“Less scared, less tired, more cold,” you answer, wishing you had also grabbed a blanket.
“Let me warm you up then,” Charlie says, an impish smile on his face as one of his hands moves between your thighs, tickling your skin as his touch trails up.
“Really? Right now?” You ask, and he can’t tell if you’re excited or not, words slurring from exhaustion. 
“Only if you want me to,” he answers, teasing your inner thighs, pushing the hem of your dress up. 
“Of course I want you to,” you say, his advances reassured as you open your legs for him. 
Since your first night together, both of you have learned a lot about each other’s sexual preferences. Although Charlie doesn’t have much experience, he found that it doesn’t take much to turn you on. You’re rather needy, and despite being the one guiding him most of the time, he’s the one doing all the work. Not that he minds.
When he dips his fingers past the waistband of your panties, he’s not surprised to find that you’re already wet, teasing your clit with soft circles as his other hand gropes your tits over your dress. Your hips buck in pleasure, thighs closing around his hand as your leg falls from the force of gravity, ass barely grinding back against him as you seek friction. 
“You did so good tonight,” he says, undoing his jeans to pull them down. “Finally watching all of the movies like I asked,” he says, thick head of his cock stretching your slick walls as he pushes into you, your panties merely pulled to the side. 
“Anything for you, baby,” you say, pushing back against him, needing to feel him deeper.
His hands hold your hips in place as he thrusts into you, building speed and tempo as he stifles his groans by marking your neck. You bite your fist, painfully aware of the people asleep just beneath the hayloft, struggling to keep your voice down. It’s unfair, Charlie thinks, how good you feel wrapped around him, milking him as you get closer to orgasm. 
“What’s that?” He asks, hearing you mumbling something through your fist. 
“Harder, please,” you moan, hiding your face in the blanket.
He holds you against him tighter, hips bruising your ass as he fucks you harder. It’s almost like you’re running away from him, grasping at the straw beside you, failing to silence your moans. He has to move one of his hands over your mouth, hearing your voice begin to echo, his other hand holding your hips in place. 
Where once the cold nipped at your skin, you’re now sweltering, Charlie’s body heat warming you up from the inside out. With the way he’s pounding into you now, there’s not much you can think about aside from the way the tip of his cock kisses your cervix with each thrust, how it makes heat flare in your belly, and that you’re so fucking close. You don’t realize you’re crying, your vision having gone blurry a while ago, but now you’re seeing stars, hurtling over the edge as he chases his own pleasure.
You’re limp, twitching in his hold, drool and lipgloss smeared against the palm of his hand. It doesn’t take long for him to finish after you, grinding his release into you as he fills you with his hot cum. You whimper from the overstimulation, breathing heavily as both of you ride out the high.
“Goodnight, baby,” Charlie whispers, arms relaxing around you as you both begin drifting off to sleep, still buried deep within you.
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pixelnrd · 4 months
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April was growing tired of her son's layabout ways. Sure he went to work, but he was always there in her home. She knew he was bored and listless, and needed guidance. But how many more hints could she drop??
One evening as she found him on the sofa yet again watching cartoons she snapped.
'Dustin, get off my sofa and go take the videos back to the store,' she barked exasperatedly. 'If you're going to mooch off my hospitality like a big child then you can pull your weight.'
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Dusty stormed out of the house, angry at his mother for making him feel the familiar pangs of shame and frustration that he always felt about himself these days. He didn't need her nagging him. He wished she would get off his back.
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At the video store he grabbed some new films for himself and headed to the counter. He noticed the girl working behind seemed somewhat familiar.
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'Did you go to Copperdale High?' he asked as she checked out his films.
'Yeah, class of '89,' she answered. 'You?'
'Class of '88,' said Dusty. 'I swear I usually remember everyone from that place... I mean I knew everyone.'
'I know you, you're Dustin,' she replied. 'I was in the cheer team, with your sister, and Jenny? I heard she dumped you after graduation.'
Dustin didn't need reminding of the biggest shame of his life. The reason he felt like such a loser these days. Why did she have to bring that up?
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'I guess we're some of the only people left in this town, hey,' said the girl. 'I'm Kelly.'
Dustin suddenly recognised her. She was much grungier since high school. He was annoyed at her at first, but now he felt less alone as one of the people who remained behind while everyone else went off to college.
'When do you finish tonight? Wanna hang out?' he asked.
'I don't finish til 10... but I could take a break, if you want a smoke?' said Kelly.
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Dustin soon found himself smoking weed behind the Blockbuster with Kelly. It was nice to talk to someone his own age. Together they commiserated on how everyone else had left them behind, how life had seemed to pause after high school.
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Dustin felt like he'd finally found a friend. Kelly invited him to hang out at her house, and Dusty finally had a reason to go out somewhere. He would take some eers, and they would smoke weed and watch horror movies together. It was a lot of fun. It was the most fun Dusty could remember having in ages.
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Eventually, as all things do, he and Kelly started sleeping together. But their friends with benefits arrangement, eventually turned into a relationship built on a foundation of a mutual desire for companionship.
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vanteguccir · 3 months
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destructive home | m. sturniolo
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Matt Sturniolo x reader
Summary: Where Matt helps Y/N get through an anxiety attack.
Requested?: Yes, on Wattpad.
Warning: Anxiety attack, panic attack, toxic home, toxic father, fighting between parents.
Author's note: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism! | English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.
༻✦༺  ༻✧༺ ༻✦༺
Y/N closed her eyes tightly feeling her head spin from the loud voices coming from downstairs. Unfortunately, her parents fighting was nothing new, and even less so was her father starting the fight.
Y/N's father has always been the type of father who is physically present but emotionally absent, living in the same house as the girl since her birth, but never really playing the role of a kind and welcoming father.
Quite the contrary, her father has always been a very demanding and controlling man, Y/N having witnessed his first attack of stress when she was just a week old, when her mother cooked lunch for both of them, but couldn't bear to eat everything on her plate due to the exhaustion of being a first-time mother, and her father started a series of screams demanding that she eat all the food, after all "he pays the house bills and the food in the cupboard and refrigerator and didn't want to see anything being wasted", ignoring completely the scandalous crying of the little girl, who understood nothing at the time.
And it was exactly in an environment like this that Y/N grew up, learning that staying silent all the time at home prevented fights from reaching huge peaks, but suffering the consequences with the fights inside her head, which grew more and more. With all of this, the girl ended up developing panic attacks and severe anxiety, which she only discovered through a quick diagnosis from her school psychologist, as her father refused to pay for a consultation for her and her mother did not have enough money to do it.
Y/N grew up with constant fights outside and inside her head, experiencing the most bitter moments inside her own home, where she had to face her anxiety attacks alone on the floor of her room, muffling the loud sounds of her sobs with pillows.
But whoever was listening to her cry through all this time, listened to her prayers and sent an angel into her life. Y/N met Matt two years ago in a cafe in the city completely by accident, the barista at the cafe ended up getting confused with their orders and handed Matt's to Y/N and vice versa, the two only realizing it after the first sip.
And since then Y/N no longer had to face her fears alone, her refuge in difficult times stopped being her cold and lonely bed and became Matt, with whom she could lean on in all the sad and happy moments too, and the best thing being that she, having experience with herself, could help him with his own anxiety attacks, the two of them moving towards a better mental place together.
But despite the willpower to improve and all the effort, there were days when it became more difficult. Y/N had woken up that morning with a bitter taste in her mouth and a heavy head, feeling like something was going to happen, and she wasn't wrong.
The day went by with a heavy air, the girl staying at home all day since it was a Sunday and Matt spent the day filming with his brothers the podcast that would be posted the next day, and all the weight that lived in the walls of her house seemed to have been transferred to Y/N's back, she couldn't remember the last time she felt that, and the fact that she wouldn't see Matt that day only made it worse.
At the end of the day Y/N understood why she woke up with the heavy feeling. Her mother was cooking something in the kitchen for dinner that would be served soon, which the girl was sure she would just grab a plate and go up to her room to eat alone, but during the process of making the food, her mother let some glass escape from her hands, making a thunderous noise.
Y/N was startled by the sound, getting up and running downstairs without thinking, just worried about her mother and wanting to understand what had happened, but while the girl calmed her mother who seemed in shock over the broken plate, her mind began to scream danger.
Seconds later the sounds of heavy footsteps became present and it didn't take long for the male screams to be heard, her father releasing several curses along with insults towards her mother and, consequently, towards herself as well.
Y/N felt numb, her father's voice becoming a background sound as a buzzing settled in her head. The girl wasted no time and ran upstairs, all she wanted was to get away from the fight.
It didn't take much more than a minute and she found herself closing the door with a bang, throwing herself on the floor next to her bed and curling up in a fetal position, her throat making horrible sounds as she tried to draw in air, which never seemed to come enough.
Her heart was beating fast and her hands were shaking tirelessly.
In a moment of sanity, the girl crawled to the end of her bed to get her phone, thinking about the only one who could help her at the moment. Her fingers raced to the emergency contacts, seeing only one in the listing, Matt.
She quickly clicked it, putting it on speaker and dropping the phone on the floor.
"Hello my love, we're almost done here. I was thinking about calling you next, what do you think about... Y/N?" The boy answered with a smile in his voice, stopping talking when he noticed a sound like a strangulation in the background. "Y/N? Baby, please, what's going on?" He asked desperately, standing up quickly from his seat in the recording room on the other side of the phone, fully gaining his brothers' attention.
The girl couldn't respond, barely able to hear him properly, her mind just processing that she needed air, her eyes closed tightly as she felt as if her room was shrinking in size around herself.
"Baby stay with me, I'm coming, I'm coming. Stay with me..."
The male voice seemed to come and go in Y/N's ears, and what took less than 10 minutes seemed to take hours in her fragile mind. The sound of her bedroom window opening echoed through the room as Matt entered the pink-walled room after climbing the roof of the two-story house, already used to the action.
The boy quickly ran towards his girlfriend, throwing himself on the ground, kneeling next to her and hugging her tightly, trying to bring her mind back.
"I'm here, baby. I'm with you." He whispered incessantly against Y/N's ear, feeling her smaller body tremble against his. "Baby, I need you to take a deep breath for me. Stretch, come on." He spoke, helping her straighten her spine and stretching her legs, leaving her sitting in an L-shaped position. "Can you breathe through your nose for me?" Matt asked, watching carefully his girlfriend's face, feeling his heart tighten at her state, her lips trembling, her cheeks hot and rosy, her face tense and her eyebrows furrowed.
Y/N tried to do as requested, finally being able to identify her boyfriend's voice, but the action seemed to lead nowhere.
"Come on, my love, I know you can do it." He asked in a whisper, feeling his eyes burn with tears. Upon seeing Y/N's difficulty in fulfilling the request, he quickly approached and sealed her lips tightly, briefly remembering when the girl did the same to himself during one of his worst crises.
Y/N stood still, her hands still shaking and her heart beating hard, but her mind seemed to contain itself and the loud noise inside her fell silent.
The girl felt tears roll down her face, opening her eyes, her vision slowly getting used to everything after being in the dark for several minutes. She calmly pulled away from Matt, drawing a breath of air into her lungs, feeling relief at being able to do so.
Y/N looked at her boyfriend's face, seeing him smile in relief as tears rolled down his own eyes.
"Don't cry." She asked weakly, pulling him into a tight embrace, pressing her cheek against his, their tears mixing together.
Matt let out a tearful laugh, sniffling as he brought one of his hands to Y/N's hair, stroking the spot.
"I'm just glad you're okay."
"Thank you Matt." She thanked him, hearing him sigh happily. Y/N snuggled closer into Matt's arms, still not having the strength to get up from the floor and he didn't seem to want to do so yet either.
"I love you so much, my love." He whispered a few minutes later, kissing the top of her head. Matt slowly moved back after getting silence in response, looking at his girlfriend only to see her with her eyes closed and breathing lightly, sleep having taken over her weak body from the intense moment.
The sound of two knocks on the door made him look up, looking intently to the door and ready to protect his girl if necessary, but relief filled his heart when he saw that it was Y/N's mother.
The woman had her face between the door and the frame, ready to check if her daughter was okay after the mess in the kitchen, but her worried features were replaced by a soft smile when she saw her daughter and her boyfriend cradled together.
"Thank you." She whispered truthfully to Matt, earning a nod before carefully closing the door.
The mother walked towards her own room with a light heart, knowing that Matt would do anything to take care of and see her daughter well.
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gemini-sensei · 5 months
Text
Baby | Hawk Moskowitz x Teen Mom!Reader, Part 2
Ft. Johnny Lawrence ● Part One ●
Tagged: @devilslittlebabyxx, @imjustme-n
A/N: here it is. I did this instead of filming myself giving a speech so yeah. Might do a part 3 if people wanna see that. lmk ok bye <3
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The next time Hawk came to training, it was oddly quiet. His friends were acting weird and his senseis were tense. Though it wasn't unusual for Mr. LaRusso to glare at the back of Sensei Lawrence's head, Hawk knew that his friends were being strange. They were giving each other looks and whispering to each other. At one point he was sure he heard Demetri seething at Robby about how "your dad has gotten into your head!"
For the most part, Hawk ignored them. He had too much on his mind to pay attention to their weird antics anyway. Besides, his birthday was coming up, so he brushed it off as something having to do with that.
His mind was occupied with thoughts of his girlfriend. He'd been helping her much more lately now that she had finally moved into her own place with her baby daughter. He'd helped her stock the fridge and pantry, watched her daughter while she showered and got ready in the morning, and helped her unpack her new place. It was a lot to adjust to and he didn't like that she was trying to do it all on her own, so he was there. She didn't have to do it alone anymore.
Part of him was still amazed by her strength and determination; it wasn't easy being a single, young mom to an infant, especially in today's economy. And her daughter, who was the most adorable baby ever, was still struggling to sleep through the night now that they had moved. He stayed the night to help out because to be so strong, Mama needed her rest too. Plus, he wanted to be there for her because he loved her so much. He also loved her daughter.
As they finished up their round of drills, he took a seat and drank some water. Their next course of action would be sparring and then he could go to Reader's apartment to spend the evening with her.
It was at this time he noticed his friends flocked together, whispering again. The more they did it, the more he didn't like it. However, before anything could be said or done, his phone rang.
It was Reader. Her caller ID popped up, a picture of her and her baby showing up and making him smile.
He answered immediately. "Hey, babe."
"Eli," her worried voice came through the phone and he was put on high alert. "My car won't start. I need you to come jump-start it, please."
If he had been holding anything else, he would have literally dropped it and left. He was on his feet in a flash and grabbing his bag. "Okay, don't worry, I'm on my way."
He didn't notice the way his friends and senseis were looking at him. How they made note of his sudden desire to leave. They weren't his concern though.
"Oh my gosh, thank you," Reader said. He heard the relief in her voice and it helped him, but she was still stranded somewhere. Then she started talking to her baby, who was likely on her hip. "You hear that, baby girl? Eli's gonna come help us."
At hearing his name, Reader's daughter squealed and clapped her hands. She loved him and knew him by name already, always excited when she heard he was coming over. It melted his heart.
"Where are you two?"
"Doctor's office," Reader said. "No one has any jumper cables, can you believe that?"
"Well, no one has as old a car as you do," he lightly joked.
She gasped playfully. "Old Reliable isn't that old."
He hummed. "Yeah, that's what you said last time when you told me that was your mom's car in high school, and yet here we are."
He dug through his duffle bag for his keys.
"I'll be there soon, okay?"
He heard her smile as she spoke. "Okay. Love you. Mwah!"
"Mwah!" her daughter did in the background.
"Love you, too," Hawk said and hung up the phone. He slipped it into his pocket, still looking for his keys. "Dammit, where'd they go?"
Mr. LaRusso walked up to him curiously. "Something wrong, Hawk?"
He looked up, a little apprehensive to share. "Uh, yeah. I gotta go. Now if only I could find my keys."
"Everything okay? Anything we can help you with?" Sam asked as she walked over. She looked all too curious for his liking and he cursed the LaRussos for being so kind and helpful because it made them snoop into everyone else's business.
"No, I don't need any help," he said, throwing his bag down to look inside of it. However, instead of anything helpful happening, it turned over and his change of clothes fell out with several other items.
Including Baby Girl's rattle.
It rolled across the patio loudly.
"I knew it!" Sensei Lawrence shouted.
Daniel turned to the man, who was pointing an accusatory finger at Hawk. "Johnny, please!"
"No, man, I was right!" He looked so smug and Hawk was so confused. "Now you have to admit that I was right, LaRusso."
"I can't believe this," Miguel said. Demetri was standing beside him with a look of disbelief. "How could you not tell us?"
"What are you talking about?" Hawk asked, grabbing the rattle and tossing it back into his bag. Reader's daughter loved throwing her toys into his bags, probably a ploy to make him have to come over and return them. At the bottom of the bag, he found his keys. "Aha."
"We're talking your baby," Sam said, using that tone that said 'obviously.'
Robby added, "And the girlfriend you didn't tell us about. At all."
Hawk turned to look at them with a furrowed brow, then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and collected his thoughts. "Okay, I think I know the problem all of you have had all day now." He looked at his friends and senseis with a slightly annoyed look but tried to keep a level head. "Yes, I have a girlfriend I didn't tell you about. I didn't tell you about her because she has a baby. Not my baby but I do help take care of her when Reader gets overwhelmed."
Johnny visibly deflated at this news. Then he stupidly asked, "You sure it's not your kid?"
"I met her after she had her daughter," Hawk nearly shouted. She grabbed his bag, held onto his keys tightly, and huffed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go jump-start Reader's car. Ask me all your questions later and let me go."
He walked to the front of Miyagi-Do without another word, leaving his closest friends, his other teammates, and Sensei Lawrence in a stupor. Then Miguel and Demetri shared a smile.
"I knew he wouldn't keep something like that from us," Miguel said.
Johnny looked at them. "Oh yeah? Then why didn't he tell us to begin with?"
Tory groaned. "Oh my god. You're all big idiots, letting something like this blind you to the truth. He didn't tell us because that's none of his business to tell! Grow a brain why don't you."
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yuri-is-online · 9 months
Note
Hello!
Congratulations on getting 300 followers! Feel free to ignore this request if you'd like, but can you do prompt #7 with Jamil, Ace, and Trey?
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7. Wearing a maid outfit during a culture fair
Thank you <3 And there is no way I am ignoring this one when you picked maybe the best possible line up for it.
notes: they/them pronouns used for Yuu, mild cringe, a bit... suggestive and light spoilers for the white rabbit event in Trey's part (i.e. Yuu references the event costumes) Check out the rest of the event requests here.
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Jamil
"Welcome back master!" You cheerfully give the greeting Ortho had helped you practice and immediately wish for death as soon as you see just who the customer you gave it to is. Jamil stares at you, really stares at you, eyes shot wide cognitive thought completely evaporated from his brain.
"Do- have you-" He coughs, fighting off the urge to hide in his hood. "Have you been greeting everyone like that?"
"Um yes, Ortho said it was the appropriate way to greet customers at a maid cafe." Not that this was a maid cafe exactly, it was a booth handing out bottled water to attendees of the NRC culture fair the school nurse had insisted on setting up. You were supposed to be wearing a dorm uniform to really sell that school pride, but Ramshackle doesn't have one so you had jokingly offered to wear a maid outfit, something Ortho apparently decided was brilliant and convinced Vil to let you borrow one from the film club. You weren't sure why you agreed to this but hey, at least it was cute. Jamil certainly doesn't seem to disagree.
"Well you should stop, it's extremely undignified." That's what he says, but it's missing the usual edge his critiques usually have. If you didn't know any better, you would think that he's embarrassed, which gives you a brilliant idea.
"Maaaaaster," you make sure to whine out the title with a big pout as you move directly into his personal space keeping just enough distance between you two to be tempting, delighting in how his throat twitches at the title "I'm working really hard to make you happy y'know? It's really rude to say that's 'undignified.'" You stay like that for a brief moment, gears in Jamil's mind whirring so fast they might as well be letting off steam. Finally, the breath he's been trying to catch finally goes down taking him with it.
"JAMIL!" He huffs at your concern from his new home on the pavement in annoyance.
"Seriously, it's rude to tease."
Ace
"Oh come on what even is the point of this?" In today's episode of Night Raven Comedy, Ace is shouting in disappointment at his reflection in Yuu's bedroom mirror while they and Deuce stand hands folded in disappointment just behind him.
"Really I don't get why you are so surprised." Says Deuce. 'Wasn't this entire thing your idea?"
"What's that got to do with it?" He snaps, face softening slightly when he looks at you but returning to annoyance when Deuce starts to smirk at him. "Don't tell me you're actually excited about dressing like this?" Deuce shrugs.
"I mean don't get me wrong it is embarrassing, but honestly seeing you dressed up like this makes it worth it." The grin on Deuce's face is outright evil, and you silently sigh, searching around your room for Grim's ribbon. About a month ago, Crewel had announced that your class would need to put together a booth for the school culture fair and asked for suggestions. Someone had complained it would be useless to try and compete with the other classes without a gimmick and Ace, for some reason, had suggested maid outfits. You weren't sure what surprised you more, that suggestion or that everyone had agreed with it.
"Why did you suggest a maid cafe if you didn't want to dress up like a maid?" You ask, already annoyed and adding ibuprofen to your mental list of things to make sure to bring with you when the three of you are finally ready to leave. He mutters an answer and you sigh. "Speak up I can't hear you."
"Yeah Ace," laughs Deuce, dodging a pillow Ace throws at his head "why did you suggest it?"
"Because I wanted to see you dressed like one." He mutters, pouting while Deuce laughs before turning on you. "And don't act like you didn't go along with it! Why did you vote for it?"
"Because I wanted to see you in a maid outfit too."
Oh, judging by the judgment Deuce is passing on both of you and Ace's shock you said that out loud, didn't you...
Trey
Breathe in breathe out. Busy your hands by adjusting your glasses and fix your smile in place and take another deep breath before you speak and focus on the eyes.
"That's an interesting outfit you have on Prefect." Trey says, and you sigh in relief. Finally someone normal.
"Thanks! I was worried it would be a bit too much." Realistically speaking you know it is, seriously maid outfits are already cute enough, adding bunny ears, ribbons, and a frilly tail just makes it lethal. Cater almost made you late with how many pictures he insisted on taking before you managed to escape.
"Well I don't know about that, it's certainly extremely cute though." Trey crosses his arms and tries to avoid gripping his bicep too hard. The way you light up at his praise doesn't help. "Where did you get it if you don't mind me asking?"
"Oh Deuce's mom gave it to me when we visited Clock Town." Your nod causes the bunny ears to bounce and someone takes in a sharp breath. "Riddle said it would be helpful if Deuce could wear his costume for your booth about the Queen of Hearts, but he didn't want to dress up alone so I volunteered to help."
"Is Deuce wearing a... similar costume?" It could be just you, but Trey sounds like he's feeling a bit sick.
"Well kind of? He isn't a maid bunny. But speaking of Deuce I should really get back! Wouldn't want Riddle to get angry." You are clearly waiting for him to say something, but Trey doesn't trust himself to speak. "Trey?" You reach up towards his forehead forcing him to get a really good look at the entire costume as you try checking his temperature and frown in distress. "Oh you're practically burning up, let me walk you to the hospital wing I don't think Riddle will mind if-"
"You should be a bit more careful." Trey catches your hand as you go to take it away from his forehead, keeping you close to him yellow eyes daring you to step in just a bit further. "You aren't from around here, but surely even you know how deep a rabbit hole can go, right Prefect?"
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flanaganfilm · 10 months
Note
You have spoken about dealing with addiction in the past (congratulations on your sobriety, btw), and Hill House, Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep, etc, all feature characters struggling with addiction. Do you find a sort of catharsis in writing those characters and their storylines, and do you find that having gone through that affects how you write those characters and their stories? p.s. if the question is too personal, I apologize. You are, of course, free to ignore it.
Happy to talk about it. I was writing about addiction long before I admitted having a problem. Looking all the way back to my student films, many years before Absentia, I can see myself starting to pick it apart. The fact is I was a really shitty drunk. I was absolutely a problem drinker. It was always that way, going back to school - I was never able to handle it, and there were times throughout my life starting very young when that thought would occur to me, and I'd get scared, and then I'd convince myself I was being dramatic and that I had no problem whatsoever.
The truth is that I didn't have an OFF switch, I was inclined to hide my drinking, and the older I got the more self-destructive I became when I was under the influence.
But I was also very committed to the belief that I could handle it, and that I didn't have an actual problem, so for years I'd coast by, telling myself whatever issues I may have had weren't so serious. "Nine times out of ten, I'm just fine - I'm the life of the party," I'd think. I wasn't, though, and soon enough it was 50/50 whether I'd have to make apologetic phone calls on a given hungover morning. And those stretches where'd I'd really let go and drink hard, the person who emerged was less and less like me. It got to the point I didn't recognize him at all - there was this stranger who lived inside, and if he got out, he was could destroy everything I held dear, and he didn't give two shits about it. Looking back at the last decade of my work with the perspective I have now, I can see an escalating subconscious urgency in the way I was talking about alcoholism and addiction. My 2003 student feature Ghosts of Hamilton Street features a wanna-be writer with a horribly self-destructive alcohol problem. The people in his life begin to physically disappear, and the world around him resets as though they never existed at all, so he's the only who notices. I was 25 years old when I made that movie, and looking at it now, the addiction issues are a huge blinking red light all over the movie. At the time, I thought it was just interesting context for the character.
I wrote the opening scene of Midnight Mass (which features Riley Flynn waking up from a blackout drunk driving session to find that he's killed someone) all the way back in 2010, eight years before I finally sobered up. That was always something I was absolutely terrified of - not that I'd die because of my drinking, but that I'd kill someone else and live with the consequences. That was probably my biggest fear for most of my life, if I'm honest. And there were mornings I'd wake up at home and wonder how the hell I'd driven myself there the night before. I remember those mornings with a stomach-turning degree of terror and shame.
It was always somewhat cathartic to write about characters with addiction issues. There's a long stretch between Absentia and Hill House where it appears that I'm not dealing with those themes in my work (though I'd argue there's a subtle addiction meditation at play in Before I Wake that I've only recently noticed), but I was also secretly working on Midnight Mass that entire time, and just pouring all of my thoughts and anxieties about alcoholism into that story. So while Oculus, Hush, Ouija: OOE, and Gerald's Game don't seem to dwell much on addiction, that's really because I was spending my nights pouring all of that into the pages of Midnight Mass, which existed alternately as a novel, a screenplay, and then a series during those years.
Working on Doctor Sleep is what brought it all to the surface for me. Stephen King's novel deals thoroughly with the theme of recovery (The Shining is about destruction of addiction, and Doctor Sleep is about the journey and reality of recovery), and a lot of people in my cast were sober. It was while we were shooting that film that I realized I needed to make a seismic change in my life.
My wife will say that reading the scene in Doctor Sleep where Dan sits at the Gold Room bar in the Overlook was when she knew I was reaching a critical moment. That scene isn't in King's book, and my first draft of that conversation between Dan and Jack was almost fifteen pages long. It's basically a prolonged argument between the addictive and sober voices in my mind, and writing that scene shook something loose in me. I stopped drinking just a few days before we filmed that scene for that movie, and I haven't had a drop since.
But for catharsis, Midnight Mass truly is the most personal piece of work I've ever made. Riley is a very thinly disguised avatar of myself. I look at that series and I see several distinct versions of myself in conversation with each other over more than a decade. I'm glad it took so long to get that show made, because if I'd made it in 2016 like I wanted to, I wouldn't have done a good job - there is no way I could have told that story until I was finally sober. If you listen closely to the AA meeting scenes between Riley and Father Paul throughout the series, you're basically looking directly into my conflicted brain over many, many years.
This year is my fifth year sober, and I spend my days happy, busy, and so grateful that I was able to make those changes before my drinking destroyed my career, my marriage, and my life. I was lucky. I am lucky. But since I finished Midnight Mass, I haven't felt that pull when I'm writing. I haven't felt those themes elbowing their way into my work. That part of me is still in here (it always will be), but I feel like I was somehow able, over many years, to coax it to sleep. I'm sure I'll return to those themes over the years, as I hope to learn more about myself and have more to say... but for now, those voices are peaceful and quiet. I have projects on the horizon that will touch on some of those things (if I'm able to make The Dark Tower, there's some wonderful elements with Eddie's addiction issues that I look forward to exploring) but it feels different.
One of the things I hold onto when I look back at that time is the hope that the work can be helpful to someone else who may struggle in a similar way. And talking to fans, I've heard here and there that it has, and that means the world to me. I think storytellers can't help but use their stories as a mirror, it's one of the ways we take ourselves apart, look at the pieces, and put them back. It's one of the only ways we can see ourselves clearly.
Sometimes we don't even realize we're doing it. It's only looking back that we can see ourselves, and our work, with any real clarity.
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daysofyellowroses · 3 months
Text
jam
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richie jerimovich x afab single mom reader | 4.6k | tw: smoking, language, little bit of smut
this story basically came from me listening to norman fucking rockwell and radio by lana del rey (my robbed queen) on repeat, two songs that don't have a ton to do with this story but I was vibing to them and thinking about the fact that I actually really find richie attractive and this story just came out
“Alright, I'll see you later thanks so much!”
You hurried down the steps of your house, jiggling the keys in your hand til you found the key fob for the car and unlocked it. Your bag was tossed into the passenger seat, and you quickly started the car.
When you pulled up in the crowded car park, you checked the time and let out a sigh. Five minutes late. Of course. You grabbed your bag and headed straight into the building, adjusting your coat as you slipped into the auditorium. 
There was a group standing at the back, but you scanned over the seats anyway, spotting an empty one and quietly sitting down, smiling as you saw Richie sitting in the next seat looking like he was struggling not to fall asleep.
“Hey,” You whispered, resting your bag in your lap. “Did I miss anything?”
“Oh, hey,” Richie smiled a little, sitting up and gesturing to the stage. “Nah, you didn't miss anything except this jabroni talking shit about lunch menus.”
“The usual then,” You nodded, looking at the stage. “His voice just drains me. I nearly fell out of my seat when he was talking to me at the last parent's evening. At least it would have rescued me.”
Richie laughed a little, rubbing his jaw and letting out a yawn.
“I hate these things. Can't they just send a letter home with the kids saying whatever all this is?”
“I wish.” You sighed, glancing over to Richie. You were a little surprised to see him, usually it was Tiff who came to these meetings, sat beside you in boredom. Maybe she wasn't feeling well or something, it was a rare occurrence for Richie to show his face at any school event that didn't directly involve Eva.
“Before I forget,” You looked back to your bag, reaching into it. “I have something for you. Here we are.”
You pulled out a folded slip of paper, handing it over to Richie with a smile.
“What's this?” Richie raised a brow with a grin as he unfolded the paper. “To Richie, you are invited to Mia's fifth birthday party on Saturday at 1pm..”
He looked over to you, holding up the colorful invite. “This is so adorable, really. Eva is so excited for the party, she spent an hour telling me about it the other night.”
You smiled as you watched Richie look back at the invite before carefully folding it.
“Honestly I think Mia would be happy if Eva was the only person to show up,” You grinned. “she keeps asking if she'll definitely be there. And she wanted to make sure you and Tiff got invites, she doesn't really understand that parents don't need invites, but I think in her mind if she invites you both then Eva will definitely be there.”
“That's fucking precious,” Richie smiled, looking over to you. “I'll be there, I got Eva on Saturday. But I think Tiff is..away, this weekend.”
You reached out to gently touch Richie's arm, giving him a warm smile. 
“But you'll be there, thank god. I'm gonna need someone to talk to because I can't deal with the mommy cult.”
Richie nodded, letting out a chuckle before looking to the stage.
“You know, I'm pretty sure he was the principal when I went here. And he was still giving the same speech.”
You let out a laugh that was louder than you intended, covering your mouth when a couple of heads turned to look at you and the principal craned his neck forward to see the cause.
“Please hold all comments until the Q&A,” He frowned, looking over the top of his glasses. “As I was saying..”
“Q&A?” Richie muttered, slinking back in his seat. “What is this, Cannes fucking film festival?”
A long hour later, you and Richie slipped outside for a smoke as soon as the meeting ended, avoiding any run-ins with the mommy cult that always seemed so keen to recruit you. 
“That was torture,” You sighed, reaching into your bag for a light. “I hate that man, honestly.”
“Me too,” Richie nodded, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and holding it out to you. “He hates me too though, since I called him a jumped up little fucker.”
You laughed as you slid out a cigarette, placing it between your lips and flicking your lighter.
“He is though,” You murmured, handing your light to Richie and exhaling.
“He definitely hates me too. I can feel it. Sorry I can't bring anything more exciting than rice crispy squares to bake sales, I have a fucking life.”
You let out a sigh as you flicked your cigarette, glancing over to Richie and laughing.
“Sorry, I don't mean to get all..uppity. How's everything with you? I heard the Beef is getting a makeover?”
“Yeah,” Richie nodded, exhaling smoke and resting his hand on his pocket. “It's uh..it's all good, yeah. Chaotic, but that's to be expected right?”
“Right,” You smiled, pulling your coat a little tighter. “It must be exciting though, knowing you're about to start something new.”
“Mm,” Richie nodded, taking a long drag on his cigarette. “I guess I'm just not letting myself get too excited just yet. Just in case.”
“That's fair,” You agreed, taking a drag of your cigarette and glancing over your shoulder as you heard voices coming from the front door of the school. “But I think it will work out. Gut instinct, I'm never wrong.”
Richie laughed softly, smiling as he looked over to you.
“I'll have to borrow some of your faith, I got this..thing coming up that I'm-”
“Oh my gosh, there you are!”
You raised a brow as you heard a voice behind you, turning around and forcing yourself to smile as you spotted one of the ringleaders of the mommy cult. Perfectly styled hair, flawless makeup, a coat that cost more than your mortgage, and a very fake smile on her face.
“Hey Sarah,” You smiled widely, your mouth hurting a little. “How are you?”
You heard Richie scoff behind you and tried not to laugh.
“Ugh, I'm such a mess right now,” Sarah sighed, tossing her long curls over her shoulder. “I just had to throw something on to come to this, I was just so busy all day.”
“Mm,” You nodded, biting your tongue hard. If spending your husband's money and fucking your PT was a career she'd be the CEO. “Yeah, it's..it's tough.”
“I know,” Sarah smiled, touching your arm. “I meant to catch up with you at the gates this morning but you just looked so..frantic.”
Sorry we can't all turn up at the school gates in designer gym wear with a perfect ponytail and a decaf latte, you thought to yourself, forcing the smile to stay on your face.
“But I wanted to check in with you,” Sarah continued. “About Saturday. Will you be serving food? Drinks? Cake?”
“Will I be serving food, drinks and cake at my five year old daughter's birthday party?” You raised a brow, tilting your head slightly with a smile. “Yes, yes I will be doing that.”
“Okay, awesome,” Sarah smiled. “Well Tabitha isn't eating meat, dairy or preservatives at the moment, just so you're aware..but please don't let that interfere with your plans, I can always just bring something for her myself.”
“Awesome,” You smiled, your cheeks starting to ache. “Well I have to be off but I'll see you Saturday, can't wait.”
Once Sarah had walked away you let out a deep sigh before turning back to Richie and taking a long drag on your cigarette.
“Well that was..awesome,” He grinned. “free entertainment.”
“For you maybe,” You sighed, laughing as you flicked your depleted cigarette away. Richie reached for the box and you shook your head. “God I can't stand that fucking woman. You know her precious Tabitha was eating hot dogs and cake at the birthday party last weekend. Funny how she always seems to develop new eating habits when I'm the one throwing the party.”
“Hey, don't let her get to you,” Richie insisted, gently touching your shoulder. “The party is gonna be awesome, the food is going to be great, if you need anything at all just hit me up, alright?”
“Stop being so sweet, I'll cry,” You laughed softly, gently squeezing Richie's arm. “But thank you. I appreciate it.”
Richie waved his hand with a smile, shaking his head. 
“Don't mention it. I gotta get going but I will see you Saturday, right? Gonna be awesome,” He teased in a high pitched voice.
“Oh fuck off.” You grinned, walking over to your and being unable to stop the smile the whole ride home.
For the rest of the week, you found yourself excited and nervous for the party, when usually you were totally calm. The past four had been a breeze, blow up some balloons, play music, serve cake. But this one had you feeling more on edge. 
On the morning of the party, you tried to relax yourself. Your best friend had come over to help you set up, and very sweetly entertained Mia while you got everything set up. You laughed when your best friend pointed out that your house looked more like a meeting of the Taylor Swift fan club than a birthday party, but Mia was a girl who knew what she wanted. 
Once everything was ready, you ran to have a shower and get changed before the first guests arrived, taking a little extra time with your hair and makeup but not too much because there was no need for full drag for a child's birthday party.
To your surprise/relief, the party seemed to be a hit. Mia and Eva were glued together the moment Eva arrived, the two of them running off into the house giggling, leaving you alone in the hallway with Richie.
“That's her day made,” You smiled, embracing Richie in a hug. “Thanks for coming.”
“My pleasure,” Richie gently stroked your back before you moved apart, holding out a large pink gift bag. “Got somewhere I can leave this?”
“Of course, come on through,” You smiled, heading into the living room where the coffee table was already starting to get full. You told yourself you had probably given the equivalent amount of gifts over the past few months between all the other kids parties but it still felt like too much. “You can just leave it with the others.”
“I would say what it is,” Richie smiled, setting the bag down before turning back to you. “But I don't know. Some teddy bear looking thing that's got some whole backstory, apparently.”
“They all have a backstory now,” You grinned. “I can't keep up. Do you want a drink? Something to eat?”
“Sounds good,” Richie nodded, gesturing to the door. “After you.”
A couple of hours, half of Taylor Swifts's back catalogue, dozens of hot dogs, endless cupcakes, and a couple of sneaky beers later, you were feeling much more relaxed. 
For the most part, you'd managed to avoid Sarah and the mommy cult, who mostly stood in a circle, one hot uneaten cupcake between them. There were some lunch boxes with half eaten salads in them, and you were sure there wasn't a crumb of cake left.
You were in the kitchen with your best friend, showing her some of the pictures you'd taken of the day when Richie came in, giving you a nod.
“Oh, perfect timing,” You smiled, holding out your phone to Richie. “How cute is this photo of the girls? I think I'm gonna have to get it framed.”
“Let's see,” Richie smiled, walking closer and accepting your phone. “Well look at that..that's possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.”
“I'm gonna have to take off,” Your best friend smiled knowingly at you as you raised a brow. “It was a great day, honestly.”
As she was leaving you got a ‘He’s fucking cute’ mouthed at you and you had to bite your tongue.
“I know it's corny but I hope they're best friends forever,” You smiled as Richie handed your phone back. “they're so sweet together.”
“That is so corny,” Richie rolled his eyes with a grin. “But I get it. Even if it is really corny.”
“Shut up and get me another beer,” You raised a brow with a smile. “I should have you thrown out for being so rude to the host.”
“Alright, alright,” Richie held his hands up, walking backwards to the fridge. “I'm truly, truly sorry, you've been an amazing host, really.”
“Thanks,” You smiled, setting down your empty beer bottle. “I was weirdly stressed over all this but..I think it turned out okay? The cake was good, wasn't it? Like, it was okay?”
“Okay? It was out of this fucking world,” Richie opened the fridge, getting two beers from the bottom drawer. “Truly. You made it yourself right?”
“Yeah,” You nodded, accepting the beer Richie handed you with a smile. “I always make Mia's cake. Chocolate cake with peanut butter cups on top, it was what I asked for when I was five. Well, I asked for peanut butter cups instead of a cake but my mom compromised. It would be so much easier to just buy a cake, but..I just feel like I need to overcompensate because..”
“Because her dad is a bum,” Richie muttered, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Sorry, that was..inappropriate. Forget I said that.”
You smiled as you opened your beer, watching Richie look like he wanted the ground to swallow him. 
“It's okay,” You insisted. “I've called him a lot worse. But I'm glad that the cake went over well.”
“Absolutely,” Richie nodded, taking a sip of his beer before glancing to the door. “Listen, before I forget..I actually have an extra gift for Mia. But I thought I should run it by you first.”
“Oh?” You set your beer down, resting your hands back on the counter. “What is it?”
“These,” Richie reached into his back pocket, pulling out an envelope and handing it over to you. “I managed to pull some strings.”
“What is this?” You smiled, turning the envelope and slowly peeling it open. You let out a gasp as you saw what was inside, carefully taking out a ticket to the Eras tour, looking back into the envelope and seeing three more.
“This is..”
You took a deep breath, laughing after a moment. 
“Richie..have you been walking around all day with these in your pocket?”
“Well..yeah?” Richie frowned, gesturing to the tickets. “I don't know if Mia still likes Taylor Swift but Eva really wanted to go to the concert and I figured if Eva likes Taylor Swift then Mia likes Taylor Swift, probably, and I thought it might be weird or a lot if I took them on my own and I don't even know if you're a Taylor Swift fan but I mean who isn't, really, and I-”
“Richie,” You held your hand up. “This is going to be her favorite gift of all time, it is unbelievably generous of you. I can't thank you enough, truly. This is..amazing, I can't wait to show her.”
Richie was silent for a moment, a smile stuck on his face.
“Don't mention it, happy to do it.”
You waited until all the other guests had left before you sat Eva and Mia down and got them to close their eyes, placing the tickets in their hands. You were pretty sure your hearing wouldn't come back for a solid day or two, you'd never heard screams so loud. 
While the girls played together, Richie helped you clean up, despite your insistence he was a guest and didn't need to.
You were standing on a stepladder taking down deflated balloons, handing them to Richie who was putting them in a trash bag.
“Oh shit, did I tell you about the soft launch?” He asked.
“The what now?” You raised a brow, glancing down at Richie. “What's a soft launch?”
“Like a..trial opening, for the restaurant,” Richie explained. “For family and friends. Just so we can see how it will go.”
“Oh,” You nodded, looking back to the balloons. “I get you. That's exciting, when is that happening?”
“Next Friday night,” Richie held the bag open as you dropped more balloons in. “You should come. Bring a friend, have a night out. I can put you down, if you want?”
You couldn't help but smile at the hopefulness in his voice, turning to look at him and leaning down a little.
“I want that very much,” You murmured softly, lightly biting your lip as you watched him take a breath and lean in closer. You felt your heart race, the scent of his cologne engulfing you and making you want to grab him and jump into his arms when you heard an excited shriek and quickly pulled back, clearing your throat and smiling as the girls came running back into the room. 
When you waved Richie and Eva goodbye, you let out a deep breath as you closed the front door, your heart still racing.
The week that followed was the longest of your life. Days went too slow and too fast. You spent your lunch breaks frantically searching for an outfit for the restaurant launch, sending endless links to your best friend for approval. You went back and forth on whether you should get your hair and makeup done professionally or if that was too much, but what if the restaurant was going to be fancy? You wanted to look the part after all.
When Friday came you raced home from work, changed into sweatpants and a comfortable baggy t-shirt before taking Mia to your friend's house, offering a thousand thank yous for the babysitting and a thousand promises to take them out to the Bear next time.
When you got home your best friend was just pulling up, and you quickly pulled her into the house.
You settled on allowing your bestie to do your hair and makeup, which proved to be the perfect choice when you couldn't stop looking at yourself in the mirror.
The dress you'd ordered hung in the closet, waiting to be worn. It was quite simple, black and mid-length, but still elegant and just a little bougie because..how often can you say you're going to a restaurant opening?
“Ready?” 
You looked up from the mirror, smiling through the nerves.
“Ready.”
When you were walking around the corner to the restaurant, you raised a brow as you saw a line down the block, linking arms with your bestie as you went to join the queue.
“So,” Your bestie looked over to you with a grin. “You're definitely fucking him tonight, right?”
“What?” You laughed, slightly nervously, looking over to your bestie. “Don't be ridiculous, we're just friends.”
“Mm, okay,” Your bestie nodded. “you tell yourself that.”
You rolled your eyes and gave your bestie a nudge, the two of you bursting out laughing.
When you reached the front of the queue, you felt a fresh wave of nerves hit you as you walked into the restaurant. It looked incredible, totally different than it had before. You were just getting used to it when another new sight hit you, one that almost had your jaw on the floor.
“Ladies, welcome to the Bear,” Richie smiled, appearing in front of you in a suit, with a new cologne that had you feeling on edge already. He clicked his fingers and there was a waitress beside you both offering to take your coats. 
“You are in for an incredible evening, when you're ready follow me and I'll take you to your table.”
“Oh yeah,” Your bestie whispered to you as Richie led you to a table. “you're definitely fucking him.”
You slowly relaxed as the evening went on, enjoying having a rare night out. The wine was heavenly, the food was incredible, and having Richie drop by to check in on you was the cherry on the cake.
At some point he disappeared from the floor for a while, and you found yourself missing him, but focused on having some quality time with your bestie.
When you finished dinner, you felt like you wouldn't be able to move for a week, a wonderful feeling. You couldn't believe it when Richie appeared, coming over to your table with a tray in his hand, a plate covered with a cloche.
“Dessert, ladies,” He smiled. “enjoy.”
“Oh I honestly couldn't eat another-”
Your hand flew over your heart as Richie set the plate down, lifting off the cloche to reveal a large peanut butter cup with caramel drizzled around it.
“Thank you,” You managed after a moment, looking up to Richie. “I love it.”
“My pleasure,” Richie gave you a wink. “Enjoy.”
“Alright, smile,” Your bestie grinned, taking her phone. “I need a photo of this.”
After the perfect dessert, you felt like you were riding on a high, catching Richie's eye from across the restaurant and giving him a smile before looking back to your best friend. 
“I'll be right back.”
You got up and went to the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror and taking a deep breath. You smoothed out your dress, did a little over the shoulder look before spritzing on a little extra perfume and heading back out. You bumped into Richie almost immediately, taking a step back with a smile.
“Careful, I might think you were waiting for me,” You teased. “Thank you again for that dessert, and for everything..it's amazing.”
“Glad you enjoyed it,” Richie nodded, looking down for a moment before looking back up with a smile and a raised brow. “Something on my face?”
“No,” You smiled, gently touching his tie. “Just..admiring this new look.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” You nodded. “Listen, I know you're probably gonna be going out to celebrate after this and I am being extremely presumptuous but I've had a bottle of wine so I can say this..”
You took a deep breath, looking away for a moment before looking back to Richie.
“If you're around, later..you know where I am.”
You walked away before he could respond, your heart thundering in your chest. You and your bestie collected your coats and decided to go have one more drink somewhere before heading home in an Uber, your head on her shoulder. 
You waved her off when you got dropped home, heading inside and checking your phone. Your friend who was babysitting Mia asked how the night had been, you sent a quick reply before heading upstairs to change. 
You put on some comfortable pajamas but kept your nice underwear on, just in case. You took your makeup off and did your usual nighttime routine before heading down to the living room and getting comfortable on the couch. 
An hour later you had a knock on the front door, smiling to yourself and getting up from the couch. You opened the door to find Richie on the other side, his head in his head.
“I just hit on your elderly neighbor,” He groaned. “I got the wrong door and said some things..can I come in?”
“Get in before Mr. Williams calls the police,” You grinned, taking Richie's arm and pulling him inside. “There's gonna be rumors about a late night deviant.”
“Hey, less of that,” Richie grinned, closing the door behind him. “I'm a lot of things but I'm not a deviant.”
“So what do you call terrorizing elderly men at night?” You teased. “Because I can think of a few words..like..”
You muffled a laugh as Richie put his hand over your mouth, gently moving your hand to his wrist and giving him your best doe eyes.
“Very funny,” Richie grinned, lowering his hand. “How you feeling? Alright?”
“Me? I'm feeling great,” You smiled, gently taking Richie's hand and guiding him to the stairs. “Let me show you.”
You raised a brow as Richie didn't follow you, turning back to look at him. 
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Richie nodded, clearing his throat. “I just uh..we don't have to just..” He gestured to the stairs and you couldn't stop smiling.
“So you came over to..talk?” You raised a brow with a grin. “watch TV? Have a cup of coffee?”
“Well, not..” 
“Richie,” You smiled, stepping closer to him. “Just spit it out.”
“Right,” He nodded. “Okay, I just..I really want to go upstairs but I don't want you to think I just came over for that like..I'm not that kinda guy, we can go for like a real date, see how this-”
“Richie,” You placed your hand over his mouth, raising a brow. “I know. I'm not like that, I know you're a decent guy. We got all the time in the world for dates, but right now I really need you to take me upstairs and fuck my actual brains out.”
You slowly moved your hand, smiling as Richie immediately closed the gap between you, his arms wrapping around your waist as yours wrapped around his neck. He tasted like cigarettes and whiskey and you couldn't get enough, letting out a gasp as his hands moved down and he picked you up with ease. 
You weren't sure how you had the patience to get upstairs, but the moment you got Richie into your bedroom you couldn't wait much longer, letting out a moan as he threw you onto the bed and immediately began tugging your pajamas off. 
“Fuck,” He groaned, pulling back and looking down at you. “Were you..did you have these on all night?”
“Yeah,” You murmured softly, your hands holding Richie's tie and tugging him down for a kiss. “Am I keeping them on?”
“Absolutely fucking not.”
You lifted your legs, giving Richie a preview of how wet you were, meeting his eyes as he slowly peeled off your pants, tossing them over his shoulder. 
“Waiting for an invitation?” You grinned, laying back and resting your arms by the pillows. 
“Such a pillow princess,” Richie grinned, sitting up and undoing his tie. “didn't expect it.”
“You think so?” You raised a brow, moving your hand down between your legs. “Might have to start without you if you're taking so long..”
You grinned as Richie practically tore off the rest of his clothes, letting out a soft hum as your fingers dipped into your wet warmth, reaching your other hand out to Richie.
“Come on..don't keep me waiting all night.”
“Are you always so bratty?” Richie grinned, climbing onto the bed and watching you closely.
“Sometimes,” You murmured softly, meeting Richie's eyes. “But you can talk, with that pillow princess comment,” You moved quickly, straddling Richie's waist and holding his hands above his head. 
“Maybe I should let you do all the work, for being so rude.”
“Fuck,” Richie muttered, shifting his hips a little. “just say the word and you got it..”
“That so?” You smirked softly. “Might just have to put that to the test..”
“Yes ma'am.” Richie murmured, smirking as he sat up, kissing you deeply and pushing you down onto your back as you let out an excited squeak.
In the morning you texted a picture of a sleeping Richie to your best friend, captioned ‘We're just friends’
Two weeks later you and Richie stumbled upon Sarah's laundry room and made excellent use of the washing machine.
Six months later the two of you take your girls to the concert, holding them up on your shoulders. Richie teases you for singing along and you choose not to point out his hypocrisy, as he belts out every word. He leans in to kiss you and the girls shriek excitedly, you kiss him back and feel like everything will be just fine.
158 notes · View notes
thesupreme316 · 3 months
Note
I have had this stuck with me for a time now, wording this sucked.
So most/all AEW and WWE stars have taunts, iconic finishers, and submissions so I was thinking what if the reader used one of them ( Kenny’s V-trigger, HOOK’s redrum. Things like these) and their reaction to the move/taunt.
You can pick anyone and the number of people
AEW STARS REACT TO: You Doing Their Signature Move/Taunt
Pairings: Samoa Joe x Reader, Kenny Omega x Reader, Hook x Reader, Daniel Garcia x Reader, Dante Martin x Reader
Word Count: 728
Supreme Speaks: hey yall, sorry ive been MIA. School started and I've been student teaching, but also I'm starting to kind of lose motivation for this. but imma keep pushing through because damn it yall deserve it. but my inbox and messages are always open. please remember that you are loved, appreciated, and cherished.
Warnings: none i think. barely proofread this tbh
Taglist: @hookerforhook @hooks-martin @sheinthatfandom @triscillal @wwenhlimagines @kat04ie @batzy-watzy @cassie0sstuff
Backstory:
You are a very private person
You rarely discuss or even reference your friendships (or relationships)
But today?
You were feeling cocky and wanted to put it out on display
So during your match, while you looked at the crowd
And without another second going by….
You did the number one thing that your best friend (or significant other) was famous for
Something that was instantly recognizable 
Making the crowd go wild
And the person you’re referencing grin from ear to ear
Kenny Omega
Get better king
Proud is an understatement
MOTHAFUCKA IS PRIDEFUL
Especially with how he’s out of action rn
He’s happy that that someone is keeping his memory present in the wrestling world
As soon as you hit the V-Trigger
A smile is on his face and his jumping up and down in his seat
Will not have any critiques for you
I think you would be the only person he gives blessing to full on adopt it
Especially after he see how’s the audience reacts to you doing it
Puts up instagram and twitter posts stating how proud and amazed he is of you
Will not hesitant to put those marks and trolls in their place
Hook
The smirk on his face would widened at what he was watching
He was so proud of you doing his submission the Redrum
Wouldn’t run wild or anything but anyone can see that he is so happy that you used his move
He would tease you as you come backstage
“Personally, you could have squeezed harder”
Will post about it with no captions
I find him wanting to do a tag match where both of you can do it at the same time
Get ready for Hook to do your move and or taunt in the next singles match he’s in
Just as a little nod or hint of acknowledgement
But be careful cause he’s competitive and wants to see who can do it better
Dante Martin
REMEMBER THAT SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT HE USED TO DO ALL THE TIME
Yeah you do it
People were even amazed that you can move like that
Cause you don’t like flying
When he sees it, he immediately geeks out
“DID YOU SEE IT? HUH? THEY’RE AMAZING!”
I think he would spam on his instagram stories with videos of you doing and people’s reactions
The same night he would do your finisher to end the match
Would def tease you about it as if he was not running around screaming OMG
“Tbh, I had more height to my moonsault”
Daniel Garcia
THE DANCE
OMG THE DANCE
He is grinning ear to ear as he hears the crowd grow in cheers and excitement
Cause tbh you saw it as an idiotic move
But it makes him happy to know that he has your blessing
Would make you film a Tik Tok or reel with him while doing it
Tbh I can see him with a t-shirt of you doing it
Will now brag to his friends and ask you to “do the thing” like a proud person
Tbh will get jealous when fans say that you do it better than him
Then he forbids you from doing it
“I can’t have the student surpassing the teacher”
Samoa Joe
Once he sees you do the Muscle Buster once, he smirks but he acts like’s not proud
“Well, that was great for an amateur…”
Gives you tips about how to make it more impactful
Makes you join forces with him (almost think Athena and Billie Starks)
“Now you are ready to be a cold blooded killer…*looks at you skipping down the hall*…after some more sessions”
After you master the Muscle Buster, he makes you practice the Coquina Clutch
Once you master both, he’ll say that you are now ready for the dark side
Hates how you seem to do his finishers more seamlessly
OOOO
DON’T LET HIM SEE YOU DO THE WALK AWAY SPOT
THAT IS STRICTLY OFF LIMITS
173 notes · View notes
ja3yun · 5 months
Text
The Sun That Always Burns | S.JY pt.3
Tumblr media
sim jaeyun x afab!reader
warnings: suggestive (smut-ish flashback), angst, lost love, pet names, not many warnings tbf, and not proofread. anything I missed please lmk!
wc: 10.3k+ (honestly, i need to make these shorter)
synopsis: you and jake's high school relationship blossomed into a romance filled with hope and promise. however, as time went on, jake's long-term expectations began to weigh heavily on you, who struggled to meet them. your paths eventually lead you in separate directions, each experiencing different aspects of life and ultimately moving on from your past love. unexpectedly, fate intervened and you both reunite after years apart. the reunion allows you to rediscover your feelings for each other but also forces you to navigate the complexities of your past and present.
part 1 | part 2 | part 4
a/n: hi! I'm giving you this chapter kinda quickly. heavy appearances from my wjsn ults because they are now integral to the story &lt;3 will update the next part during the week
4 years have passed since you left. No contact with your family, sometimes opting to send them a Christmas card with no return address just to let them know you’re alive. You missed them like crazy, more than any words could explain. It had been so long sometimes you wonder if you should go back, even for your mum’s birthday but it would be too awkward. The dramatic teen you left behind is who they knew you as, not the woman you’ve grown up to be. 
College changed you dramatically, for the better you like to hope. Your roommate Eunseo quickly became your other half, showing you the ropes of Avanti, Being a year older than you she was accustomed to the college, she picked you up when you needed it the most and she didn’t even have to. You thought she took pity on you at first, just taking you under her wing because you were a crying dismantled mess. But she was simply just the loveliest person in the whole world. You wouldn’t have made it to today without her. She left college last year and got a job close by so you saw her often and you were thankful for her every day. 
Throughout your college experience you did the typical; study, party, make questionable life choices at said parties. But one thing you couldn’t do was get into a relationship. 
You started hooking up with guys in your second year, just flings and one-night stands. Eunseo supported your habits, “I will always support women's rights and also their wrongs” she used to say every time you pre-gamed and she never asked why you didn’t get into a relationship. 
Jaeyun’s name hadn’t left your lips in 1460 days. A choice that you made as soon as you stepped off the bus in Pyeongchang. Jaeyun’s name also hadn't left your mind in 1460 days. Every touch from another felt wrong, every chat up line, every unwarranted dick pic. It wasn’t him so it didn’t matter to you. 
You started to enjoy yourself more as time went on, creating a new friend group and new memories. By the final year of college, you were content with your life, finding a degree in film was a fluke but you ended up loving every bit of it, an internship was on the horizon at HYBE Media to shadow a music video producer, your hair routine finally working out. Everything was coming up Y/N. This was the right choice. 
Yet you still thought about Jaeyun every day. What was he up to? Did he like living in Busan? Was he with someone else? Granted you don’t like to think about that last one too often or else you get a tightness in your chest. You wanted him to be happy but selfishly you didn’t want to know if that happiness was because of someone else. 
“Helloooo, Y/N, are you even listening?” Eunseo’s hand waves across your face as you come back from your zoned-out state, “Tell me what I just said.” She huffs and crosses her legs and arms, sitting back knowingly. Eunseo had invited you to a coffee date in a quaint little shop outside of your university. She originally introduced it to you on your second day here and it became your favourite spot. Laughing, crying, and hungover, you both occupied this little shop as if it were your second home.
You smile guilty and laugh, “You were talking about how much you love me and that we should get married,” you shrug and tilt your head jokingly.
“Weirdly you are close!” Her pointer finger is now in front of your face as she leans forward quickly in a flash. 
“I was?” You gave an incredulous look with one eyebrow raised.
“Yes! It has to do with marriage.” Her hands gesture an arch that can only remind you of the one SpongeBob imagination meme and you giggle. 
“Please don’t tell me you’re marrying Serim after like 2 dates.” You half joke and half panic, it wouldn’t be unlike her to do something like that and you both know it. Eunseo takes in your expression and slaps the table loudly and laughs. If there was one thing your best friend wasn’t good at it’s being quiet, and you love her so much for it.
“I like him a lot, but no. Actually, it's about my sister. You know she’s getting married?” You nod, sipping your coffee, “Well of course I’m the maid of honor,” she lifts the back of her hands and twinkles them under her chin and you chuckle, “Someone dropped out and there is a spare seat. Yeoreum is a freak and needs it filled for everything ‘to go as planned’”
You had never met any of Eunseo’s family, they lived a few hours away and despite the effort Eunseo made to invite you to every family gathering, even Christmas, you declined not wishing to be a burden. “I want you to come. I checked your schedule and you’re free, I have a dress, I’m driving us up,” she keeps rhyming off every reason you have ever given her to bail on traveling with her, “and you owe me one.”
Furrowing your eyebrows and tilting your head you encourage her to continue, owe her for what? “Well you don’t owe me yet but I heard the best man is single, older than you, and has these gorgeous big eyes. I’ll set you both up.”
“So I owe you for something that hasn’t even happened yet? And you don’t even know if he is interested? Or single?”
“Details, details.” Eunseo’s hand waves dismissively, “Please just come. I want you to meet my family since you don’t have any of your own. Think of my family as yours.” 
Eunseo doesn’t know what happened back home. You never told her you didn’t have a family but that you were just estranged from them, never disclosing details, particularly that the reason you don’t go home is your own fault, she didn’t have to know. Eunseo didn’t know anything, not about Jaeyun, nothing at all and yet she didn’t pry into your past. You were so thankful for her.
“Eunseo,” rejection is on the tip of your lips but she’s pouting, her eyes big as she does her best to look cute, and to your dismay it works, “I’d love to come.” The sun suddenly started to shine and burn your skin as its light lay on you through the window.
“Amazing!” clapping her hands rapidly she giggles, “We’re leaving tomorrow.” 
Your eyes expand and she stands up not letting you protest at how soon the wedding is. “I thought she wasn’t getting married until Saturday?” You query and check your phone which reads Monday. 
Walking out she explains, “Yeah but I need to be there early for final fittings, yadda yadda, boring wedding stuff. So I’m taking you with me. Either that or you drive up yourself.” The glint in her eyes as she turns to you makes your face deadpan.
“Fuck you, you know I can’t drive.” She laughs and grabs your hand. 
“And I still don’t understand how you’re 23 and can’t even ride a go-kart without crashing.” Playfully you hit her arm and laughed, a memory of you and her go-karting painted your brain. After that, you never got behind another wheel. 
___________
You arrive at Eunseo’s parents' house and your jaw slacks open. It’s bigger than any house you’ve ever seen. Your best friend joked a lot about being rich but you didn’t know she was rich rich. There are stairs leading to a giant white door that compliments the ash-coloured stones that surround it. Moss is growing up on each side of the home with intentionally placed pink flowers decorating throughout. Those rich bitch houses are so ugly, I want as small a house as possible so I’m always close to you no matter what room I’m in. His voice plays in your head but you shake him out.
Her parents are graciously letting you and her stay in the spare bedrooms, you don’t dare ask how many rooms are actually in this castle. Something about the air feels strangely familiar. You shrug it off and head inside with your blue suitcase and steamed dress. You curse rich people for having so many stairs.
“My baby!” Eunseo’s dad shouts from the door, “How is my sweet angel?” He greets her at the top of the stairs and hugs her tightly. You miss your dad a lot. His comforting words, his piggyback rides, his weird cinnamon body wash that made you despise the spice, you missed it all. “This must be Y/N! It only took 4 years to meet you.” His chest lets out a deep laugh as he hugs you just as tightly as his own daughter. A smile plasters on your face as you hug him with one arm, the other outstretched to protect the dress. 
“Thank you for having me. It’s an honour to be part of your daughter’s big day.” Eunseo’s dad’s eyes turn to crescent moons as he smiles and steps aside to usher you into the big house. 
“The party is in a few hours. The happy couple aren’t here, running last-minute chores but you’ll meet them tonight.” He turns to you and points up the stairs, “Eunseo will show you where to get changed. If you need anything, me and the wife will be hovering around.” You side-eye Eunseo quickly and she smiles widely. She didn’t tell you about a party. 
Bowing slightly you thank him and follow Eunseo who is squealing, shouting about how excited she is for you to meet everyone. Sometimes you wonder if she is the relationship you’ve been seeking after Jaeyun, platonic or not, you love her all the same. 
A few hours later you hear bustling from the crowd gathered down the stairs, the party in full swing as Eunseo finishes curling a wispy strand of your hair. Glancing up at her you notice how beautiful she truly is; her bangs falling effortlessly to frame her face, her lips plump and naturally pouty, she was flawless. 
“If you keep staring I’ll literally take you on the bed.” She smiles and you laugh. Pouting her lips near your face she pretends to kiss you and you play into it. Life is so easy with her. “Go get changed, I need to see my masterpiece completed.” Walking away she picks up the dress and thrusts it into your chest, “You’re gonna look amazing. That babe of a best man is gonna fall at your feet.  Now go.” she shoos you into the ensuite bathroom.
Staring in the mirror you analyse her work on your face and hair. Never in your life have you ever looked so beautiful and you can’t help but stare. You shed your old life behind you yet this is the first time you really felt like you were reborn. The immature you left behind, the 23-year-old staring in the mirror coming up from the ashes.
Unzipping the garment bag you see the dress Eunseo picked for you and you gasp. Its a silky deep red dress. Far too sexy for something like this.
“Um, Eunseo? This dress is…” You hold it against you and observe what it would look like on you. Hot. That’s exactly how it would look and considering this was the first time meeting a whole family of someone dear to you, you’d rather be more covered up than this.
“Shut up it’s hot. My cousins will be wearing something way sluttier so it’s all good.” Her nonchalant tone doesn’t ease you but it’s either this or the dress she got you for the actual wedding. 
As you adorn the dress you notice how it fits you perfectly and hugs you in at the waist flatteringly. It’s been months since you’ve put something on this beautiful. Your cleavage is out just enough, the material stops at your mid-thighs, and you feel like a beauty queen. As you take yourself in your hand goes up to your necklace. That necklace. The gold of the sun complimented the dress perfectly. You never did bring yourself to take it off.
Opening the door you see Eunseo changed into a pastel blue dress, covering her arms and neck but cut out to leave her chest exposed just enough, a slit runs up her thigh. Your jaw is on the floor as she walks over and eyes you up and down. “Look at you! A literal goddess.” she smiles as she takes your hands. “You ready to upstage my sister at her own engagement party?”
“Eunseo…you did not pick these outfits to stand out on purpose did you?” Suddenly your heart is beating quickly and the urge to change is more than ever. 
“Of course not! We’re just hotter than anyone here, including her.” She laughs and hands you the pair of gold heels you eyed up as she unpacked her bags earlier. They were exactly your style. “Take these and put them on. Literally take them off whenever but for the grand entrance you need to be complete” She used her right hand to motion over your body. 
Putting the shoes on you grew about 4 inches taller and were on Eunseo’s eye level now. “Ready to rock this bitch?” You nod and she grabs your arm, dragging you down the stairs.
There are eyes on you everywhere and you can’t lie, it is a little uncomfortable considering the age range of the men staring are in their late 50s. It's a party like you’ve only seen in movies; waiters walk around with Hors D’oeurves and flutes of expensive champagne. You start to wonder how much all this cost and if you could convince someone at this party to pay off your student loan. 
“Hey Eunseo?” You grab her attention as she hands you a glass of bubbly happily, “I just realised I don’t know Yeoreum’s fiance’s name.” 
“Oh,” She laughs loudly and slaps your arm, “It’s Jaeyun.” Your heart stops for a moment, there are lots of Jaeyun’s in Korea. Jaeyun from TO1 could walk through that door for all you knew. “Jake is what he goes by though.” Your heart drops rapidly. There might be a lot of Jaeyuns but none that also go by Jake. Part of you wishes it was the biggest coincidence in the world but as voices fill the archway into the living room where you and your best friend reside you see Yeoreum, more beautiful than any picture Eunseo showed you could capture, and Jaeyun. Your Jaeyun.
Static is all you hear as you watch him greet guests and thank them for coming, and each footstep closer to you has your mouth going moist, ready to vomit. He hasn’t noticed you and if you had control of your body you would be bolting out the door instantly, but your mind has glued your feet to the floor. You take him, his face more defined than his previous squishy state, he’s wearing a fitted black suit blazer with no shirt underneath and matching wide-leg black trousers, and his hair is slicked back with stray pieces falling around his face. He looks expensive. He looks like the home you once knew.
You see Eunseo talking to you but as your eyes meet his, that static you once heard turns into rapid heartbeats. Your body is flushing with heat as you notice how his eyes widen for a second, his body turns to you instinctively.
“Eunseo!” Yeoreum squeals and shuffles quickly to give her sister an all-consuming hug, just like you want to do to Jaeyun right now. “Jakey come here” she beacons her fiance towards the both of you and without blinking or taking his eyes off you he walks cautiously forward. “You must be Y/N? Eunseo talks about you all the time.” 
She’s lovely. Gorgeous, clearly kind, she’s perfect just like her sister and it makes you want to cry. She’s perfect for him.
Plastering a smile on your face you fake glee as you hug her lightly, stealing another glance at Jaeyun while she can’t see you. He might have gotten older but those eyes still looked the same. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” you pull away and step back, sole focus on his bride, “Congratulations.” It's bitter and you say it quickly.
“Aw thank you!” She beams and you feel like being sick again. 
“Excuse me, I’m going to go to the restroom, I’ll be right back.” You excuse yourself and rush past the couple and Eunseo leaving a gust of air behind you. Clutching your chest you run upstairs for an escape. Out of all the best friend’s sister’s fiances, how was he the one you were faced with? Pushing the guest room door open you scuttle in and take a few deep breaths reliving the moments just before.
“Y/N?” The Australian accent hits you hard as you turn around and meet his eyes. It takes only seconds before his hands have cupped your face and his body dangerously presses against yours, so close you can feel his heart, a heart that used to beat only for you.
“Baby,” he pauses as his eyes search your face trying to convince himself that you aren’t a dream, “where did you go?” Jaeyun desperately whines, his voice cracking in sadness as his forehead touches yours. There is love laced within the melancholic question. Instinctively your hands grab his wrists as you close your eyes. “Princess, please talk to me. '' He's pleading, begging for any explanation. Jaeyun’s hands go from your cheeks and trace down your shoulders, his eyes scanning every inch of your face in desperation. He doesn’t believe you’re real and in front of him, your face is more mature yet still the same girl he loves even after all these years. 4 years he’s waited for you to come back to him.
Your silence and shallow breathing urge him to ask more questions, his thumbs stroking the area between the base of your neck and collarbone. “What happened?”
“You’re engaged.”  The first words out of your mouth take him aback. His mouth stays open, his hands leaving your body leaving you cold, and shivering. “She seems nice-”
“Don’t do that,” His bottom jaw slowly clenching as he speaks, “Please don’t act fine like this. Don’t make it seem like I’m the only one that’s hurting for us right now.” You sob without tears as you see him vulnerable and eyes beseeching. Jaeyun’s hands point to you before coming together in a praying motion, “I looked for you everywhere. I spent months trying to find you.” Deep down you knew he would have looked for you, but not for months, maybe for a couple of weeks before he left for Busan, but never months, “What did I do?”
Without a beat, you respond, “Nothing. You could never do anything.” 
“You don’t just abandon people you love, Y/N. Not us. There had to be something I did to make you fall out of lov-”
“Jake!” You hear a familiar voice shout and your head falls down to stare at your shoes. 
“Baby please,” Jaeyun wants to hold you, kiss you, understand what happened but he can’t. Not right now. 
“You should go, I’ll leave in the morning-”
“Don’t leave me again, baby, please.” His voice is quiet, despair etched within his tone. His eyes fall on your necklace, the necklace that he gifted you. His eyes trail down to properly take you in and if he wasn’t astounded before by your mere presence he was now, “You look so beautiful, just like always.”
“Jake your dad is gonna make a speech-” Heeseung's voice bellows throughout the room and yet you and Jaeyun don’t take your eyes off each other. As Heeseung walks in he freezes at the sight of you. Over the years Heeseung silently forgave you, seeing his best friend move on with Yeoreum brought him some solace when he thought about what you did to Jaeyun, but now the anger that was dissipated through time is bubbling up again, “Y/N? What the fuck are you doing here?” His tone is surprised more than angry, but you can tell he’s fuming.
You don’t dare look at him. 
“You should get back to your engagement party." Nothing but a whisper as it comes out. You’ve lost him as quickly as you got him back. You did this, and now you need to deal with the consequences. Brushing past him and Heeseung you make your way back to Eunseo ignoring his hand that grazed your wrist in an attempt to stop you.
His family was here, his friends, people from your past that you wanted to forget. The pressure was starting to become too much as you rushed down the stairs before colliding with someone, “I’m sorry.” You bow quickly.
“Y/N?” Mr. Sim’s voice quips in astonishment, “What are you doing here?” His head comes down so his eyes are level with yours, “What-” He has no words, looking at the girl he thought was going to marry his son. 
“Mr. Sim, It’s nice to see you again” You bow but still avoid eye contact. “I’m sure you’re proud of Jaeyun.” 
“Darling, we thought something awful happened to you.” The sincerity in his voice made you look up at him, heartache carved in your features “Your mum and dad haven’t stopped worrying about you.” A hand is placed on your shoulder and as you look down you see Eunseo.
“Girl there you are! You took one long bathroom break.” She laughs and bows to Mr. Sim, “Ready for your speech, Sir?” Mr. Sim looks at you inquisitively before returning Eunseo’s bow.
“I’ve been preparing this speech for years, only some minor tweaks.” His eyes find yours and you start to think maybe he’s hinting towards the speech he would have given at Jaeyun and your engagement party. “Better head.” Lips forming a tight smile he descends the stairs. 
His words circle your brain. You understood your parents would worry but all of these years you never had to face it, not until your past was being pushed onto you. Eunseo takes your hand and pulls you to the dining area where people are gathered to make speeches and say their congratulations. 
Jaeyun strolls in behind Heeseung, his hands in his pockets before he notices his soon-to-be wife and wraps one arm around her. Tears threaten to spill as you watch the loving action. That should have been you. You should be marrying him, taking his second name, being his everything.
A fork clinks with a wine glass as Mr. Sim starts his speech. “Thank you everyone for coming. I will make this short considering I’m sure you’re all sick of us talking, especially when there is a free bar.” the people occupying the room laugh loudly and you see Yeoreum smile up at Jaeyun. It killed you but like always you put a smile on your face, “My son, he’s always been someone to wear his heart on his sleeve, always giving one hundred percent of himself to the person he loves,” Mr. Sims eyes fall on you and you feel like the speech is somehow directed to you, “Jaeyun deserves to have someone who loves him unconditionally, without prejudice, without pride, and always with his best interest in mind. I believe he’s found that.” 
Crushed. Your heart can’t take the rest of the speech as you walk out of the room and bolt for the entrance of the house. Heaving your chest to gasp for air you feel yourself clutching at your chest, if you hadn’t had a panic attack before in your life you would have thought you were having a heart attack. You breathe out harshly, gasping for air as you lean on the banister. Someone comes up behind you and places a hand on your shoulder gently. 
You hear muffled words but don’t take anything in as the figure guides you to sit on the steps, their hands rubbing your arms to keep you warm.
“Breathe for me, Y/N. He He Hoo or whatever.” You follow the words and inhale two breaths sharply and exhale extendedly. “That’s it.”
Your vision starts to come into focus as you see Heeseung in front of you, his Bambi eyes soft as his thumbs rub circles into your upper arms, “Keep doing that for me, okay?” He’s always been so kind to you, that you want to cry and he notices, “Hey, look at me, Y/N. Tell me about that band you used to like way back when.” Heeseung is trying to distract you but your brain is fuzzy and tears are rolling down your face, “The one with that rapper Jaeyun was always jealous of because you had him as your lock screen?"
“Monsta X?” you breathe out and he smiles lightly.
“Yeah, tell me about them. Are they still together?” His hands leave your arms as he discards his jacket from his body and wraps it around you.
Nodding you start to answer his question, “Yeah, they’re still together.” You sniffle and feel your heart start to slow down and breathe at ease, “Most of them are in the military now.” Your lips naturally form into a pout as you think about your favourite band being separated, not being whole until 2027.
“Sucks doesn’t it? I felt the same about ONF.” He laughs and so do you, letting out a singular sob as you do so.
“I didn’t mean to come here, Hee. Her sister is my best friend.” His eyes go wide and then looks down, his hands finding their way to your knees. 
“Y/N, you can’t be here. He finally moved on.” There is a pleading intertwined with sorrow in his voice and you slowly nod. “He’s happy.”
“Heeseung?” Jaeyun’s voice pierces through you, the warmth from Heeseung’s jacket becoming null as goosebumps prickle your skin. “Can I talk with her?” 
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, man.” They’re talking like you aren’t even there and a part of this too yet your voice is too weak to speak up and share your thoughts. Tension is looming in the air as Heeseung gives the man you love a stern stare, but Jaeyun has always been stubborn when it comes to you. If he can’t talk to you now he will find a way. However, for now, at least, Jaeyun listens to his best man, and with one more glace to your fragile body he heads back to his party. It hurts him to see you like this, he wants nothing more than to swoop you up and take you in his arms like he used to all those years ago.
The party continues as you head back in making your way to the guest bedroom, giving excuses to those asking simply saying you’re tired from travelling. You miss him being yours. That was the real exhaustion.
________
The party ended a couple of hours ago, the once loud and busy foyer now dark as you tip-toe down the stairs, heedful to not wake anyone up. It’s 5 am when you awake dying of thirst and decide to leave the comfy double bed of the guest bedroom and get a glass of water. Looking around you see empty wine glasses, a few smashed ones lined up on the long table just beside the stair banister. It truly was a magnificent party and in any other circumstance, you would have had a great time. Yeoreum’s family is lovely and welcoming it’s no wonder they have so many friends, and no wonder Jaeyun fell in love with her and fit so perfectly as her soon-to-be husband. 
A leak of light bleeds from the kitchen and you presume an under-unit lamp is still on but as your feet scuffle into the kitchen you see a broad back staring at you. Taking in the figure you notice their blue and yellow checked pajama bottoms and casual black t shirt evidently not intended to be worn together but clearly the first thing they could find. 
A creak sounds from under you alerting them of your presence causing them to whip around. Jaeyun. One of his eyes was shut indicating he was not long up himself, his dark hair fluffy and tussled but still slightly in place due to the remnants of styling wax. He takes your breath away every time.
“Hi.” You whisper and make your way to the fridge. Heeseung was right, it wasn’t a good idea to speak to each other. When you saw Jaeyun again after all these years you thought he would be mad, scream at you to get out, seething in hate, but that was never who Jaeyun was. Instead, you felt his love shooting through you and that was the dangerous part.
“It’s late.” His eyes never leave you as he watches you pour a glass of filtered water. 
“Or early.” You shrug and lean against the unit not daring to look at him. “I guess it depends on whether you went to sleep or not.” you mumble, small talk never being your thing. 
Jaeyun still feels like he’s in a dream. Your presence is haunting yet he hasn’t felt more at home. Just the simplicity of you being in this kitchen is enough for him to experience contentment he hasn’t felt in years. Not since then. 
“When did you get engaged?” The question punches him slap-bang in the middle of his chest, the wind escaping his body. 
With his head hanging low and his middle finger tracing his coffee mug he muttered, “ A few months ago.” to which you nodded and pursed your lips. “What about you?” he questions back, “you seeing anyone?”
“No.” It’s sharp and direct but you don’t want to touch on the subject any further, you didn’t want to accidentally divulge that you couldn’t get over him, not when he was sitting afore you an engaged man. It’s embarrassing.
Jaeyun sucks in a breath and holds it as if he was going to say something but in his hesitance, you speak up again. “Eunseo, she’s my best friend.” giving the information as a way to explain why you’re here. “I didn’t know it was you getting married to Yeoreum, I promise.” Your eyes are begging for him to look at you so he can see the sincerity in your words but he never does, opting to just nod slowly. “I’ll make up an excuse to get out of here before the wedding.”
“Why did you leave, Y/N?” Jaeyun’s voice is soft but laced with hurt, “Tell me why because for 4 fucking years I still haven’t been able to figure it out.” 
No words come out of your mouth, instead, you bite your lip trying to pluck up courage, suddenly the idea of him looking at you made you uncomfortable but of course, now his eyes are on you. “You owe me that much.”
“I-,” You place the glass of water down and grip the counter behind you tightly, “I…I didn’t get into any colleges that I applied for, none near Busan. Only one accepted me but it was a few hours away.” His eyebrows are crossed in confusion as he asks, “What do you mean? I thought you only applied for ones near Apollo. We had planned-”
“My grades weren’t good enough to get into any colleges in Busan.” There is a slight venom in your tone but it’s not directed at him but rather yourself. “If I had told you I wasn’t going with you, I was scared you would give up your dream school and just fuck it all off to be with me.” You finally look at him and the confusion is dispelling from his face as you continue, “You said it yourself, you would have gone anywhere if it meant being with me. I couldn’t ask you to do that. I would live with the guilt every day, watching you attend a subpar college all because of me. I loved you Jaeyun I couldn’t do that to you.” 
Jaeyun doesn’t miss the past tense usage of ‘love’ but he rewinds, “So you left our relationship because…it would be long distance?” 
“Jaeyun it wasn’t just that, I did think about long distance but I knew you would grow at college without me, i kept thinking about what you said. The whole slowly breaking away from each other because we become different people stuff got in my head and I couldn’t bear to slowly lose you, so I-”
“So you thought leaving me without a word was the right way to go? Y/N we could have worked it out, we would have figured out a solution.” Jaeyun stands up and walks over to you, “I didn’t mean to pressure you into moving, or applying for the same college, or fuck even making you doubt our chances at long distance.” His hand naturally caresses your cheek as you let a tear slip.
Shaking your head you look up at him, “I was stupid and I didn’t want you to worry about me, you already had so much going on between work and school. But look, you went to college and you grew up, look at what you have.” Your hands gesture upstairs to where Yeoreum sleeps peacefully unaware of what is transpiring in her parent’s kitchen.
“We could have had this Y/N. You could be the one I’m marrying if you just let me look after you like a boyfriend is supposed to if you trusted me enough.”
“I did trust you.”
“Not enough to tell me what was going on when I gave you that ring. Y/N-” He huffs out loudly and drags a hand through his hair. “That should have been your opening to talk to me about all this. I love you so much I would have made long-distance work.” His deep eyes are searching into yours. All these questions he has and you can’t answer or retaliate to any of them. “When I gave you that ring and made that promise to be yours forever I wasn’t fucking around okay? I meant it.” He lets out a dry laugh and takes your hands in his. “Baby, I love you.”
You stand too stunned to speak. Here Jaeyun was after all these years still hopelessly yours. An engaged Jaeyun was still in love with you. You want to let out a laugh of disbelief but you’re frozen. The room is silent except for the annoyingly loud hum of the refrigerator. 
Jaeyun notices how your eyes fall to his lips as he licks them wet, taking the opportunity to lean forward just enough that his breath hits yours. If your lips touch you no doubt know you won’t ever let him go. 
“Jaeyun…”
Footsteps are heard behind you both and you push Jaeyun away forcefully but despite the other presence making themselves known, his eyes never leave your tear-glassed ones. “Baby,” he whispers just loud enough for you to hear but you shake your head and barge past him, head down so the other person doesn’t see you. “Y/N?” Jaeyun calls out, reckless abandonment is telling him to chase after you but as he feels an arm stopping him to a halt he looks up and sees Heeseung. 
“Jake, don’t.”
________
Stirring in your sleep you groan as you hear a plethora of laughing coming from downstairs causing you to take the pillow from under you and suffocate your ears with it. After last night’s tragic events you just wanted to go home. Nothing would make you happier than to catch the first bus back to your flat and rewatch every episode of Fleabag to take your mind off of everything. Jaeyun was still in love with you and selfishly you hoped he hated you after what you did, that way your heart wouldn’t leap at every word he said. 
Baby, I love you
You shake the thought away and give in, sitting up and looking around the room. Eunseo is gone, probably downstairs being the reason for everyone’s laughter you think to yourself. With a huff, you pull the covers off your body and immediately feel the cold breeze causing you to shiver. You don’t know if it's a coincidence or not but as goosebumps rise on your legs and arms, Jaeyun’s laugh is heard over everyone else. You missed his laugh so much, your heart had a shot of pain pierce come on so suddenly. There was a glimmer of sun outside that made your necklace sparkle as you proceeded for the door.
It was as if your ears could only hear Jaeyun as you walked quietly down the stairs. “If it’s Yeoreum making him laugh I might kill myself.” you mutter, pulling your hair up in a pony. It’s dramatic but right now you can’t face to see them in love, it hurts. You’re hurting.
“Y/N! You’re awake!” Euneo stands up and scurries to the kitchen, grabbing a plate for you, “Mum just made breakfast.” 
“Hey! I helped.” Yeoreum faked offence which Eunseo simply rolled her eyes in response. She handed you the plate before you could tell her you weren’t hungry. “Sit down, Y/N, please.” Eunseo’s mum points to the empty chair at the comically large table, you suppose she does have a large family. 
Luckily for you, the seat was situated far enough away from Jaeyun that you could avoid him, unfortunately, you couldn’t avoid his eyes burning holes into the side of your face. You ignore him and scan the feast of food before you and you wonder if this is what it was like for Annie in Parent Trap when Chessy made a buffet of all her favourites. “Eat up, Y/N, there is plenty here.” Yeoreum and Eunseo’s mum says.
“Thanks, Mrs. Son.”  You pick up a few hash browns and start to eat one. That’s when you become aware of the enemy of all condiments, black pepper. It was a great tool in the kitchen, adding a little flavour and spice. Not for you though, the black powdered devil always makes your tongue itch. Who the fuck puts black pepper on hash browns? You think to yourself, face scrunching and teeth running along your tongue as you pour yourself a glass of water and take a huge swig. It does nothing at all so you go to excuse yourself to get a glass of juice or anything with taste but before you can there is a glass of apple juice placed beside you. Glancing up you see Jaeyun placing the cup with a knowing look on his face.
Of course, he knew. He knew everything about you and with the face you were pulling it was one he had seen too many times at restaurants.
“Why the fuck would they season their food with this, like, isn’t that what these are for?” You grabbed a pepper shaker and started waving it in his face. You had both gotten back from a day-turned-overnight trip to the beach and stopped off at a service station in the middle of nowhere, the diner was quaint with an American feel to it, undoubtedly your favourite kind.
“Princess I think your weird tongue is the only one that would complain.” Jaeyun laughed and swapped your eggs for his bacon. “There, now there is no pepper in sight.” He also passed over his apple juice with a bright smile.
“Take this.” His deep voice pulled you back to reality. Thanking him you take the cup and chug it quietly, but everyone's eyes are on you.
“You don’t like the food, Y/N?” Mrs. Son says not offended but certainly not pleased. Waving your hand quickly you swallow the liquid and explain, “No, it's lovely Mrs Son, me and pepper just don’t go well together.” 
Yeoreum looks at Jaeyun with furrowed brows but doesn’t question it. There is a massive part of him that knows he should have left you to deal with it yourself so as to not raise suspicion but his instincts kicked in. He takes Yeoreum’s hand and kisses the back of it tenderly. It stings your heart.
“So,” Mr Son claps his hands diverting the attention to him, “I thought since the whole wedding party is here we should get to know each other. We will be family once Saturday passes after all.” A groan comes softly from your right and you turn to see Heeseung with his eyes shut. 
“If he makes us play charades I’m passing my best man duties to literally anyone else.” He whispers to you which causes you to snort laugh and bite your mouth shut. You miss Heeseung’s smile as he watches you. He always did love you like a sister despite everything. He knew this situation wasn’t just hurting Jaeyun and after last night he was sure you were just as heartbroken as he was.
“We’re going to have a friendly game of football!”
“Dad, I can’t get bruised before my big day!” Yeoreum exclaims, her arms wrapped around her body to protect her from an imaginary ball flying at her. Jaeyun laughs and rubs her arms, “Reumie I don’t think your dad means you guys.” 
Heeseung’s hand lands on your shoulder as you watch the loving act. They did look good together you couldn’t lie about that. Their energy matched, they would make the most beautiful children to ever walk this earth, and even their sense of style was similar - casual but fashionable. 
“I was going to say 5 v 5, there are enough men here right?” Mr Son starts counting around the table as Heeseung slowly slides down the chair, his eyes hidden behind this hand as he pretends to rub his forehead. 
“I thought you liked football, Hee?” You whisper but he shakes his head violently. 
“Used to. I have since grown a great distaste for it, especially with Yeoreum’s cousins. They’re brutal and leave me bruised.” he mutters the last few words and you laugh leaning close.
“Aw is Hee scared of a little bruise.” He doesn’t appreciate your taunting yet he smiles and rolls his eyes. “You’re almost as good as Jaeyun, you can handle yourself I mean look.” You sneakily point to one of the cousins who is on his 3rd plate of food, “He’s going to be so full he can’t move, stick by him and you’ll look like Messi or something.”
Heeseung laughs out loud, “Oh! Heeseung I almost didn��t count you.” Mr Son claps, “That makes 10!”
Heeseung’s tongue pokes the side of his face as his rage-filled eyes look right into yours. You mouth a half-hearted ‘sorry’ and hold in a giggle. “I’ll kick the ball in your face.” He warns but you’re too busy chuckling to notice. 
Eunseo’s eyes meet yours with her eyebrows raised. Giving her a confused look you knit your eyebrows together to ask her what that look on her face is for but she simply smirks and looks at Heeseung. Fuck. You forgot that was her favour to you, to set you up with the dishy best man. Oh if only she knew. You and Heeseung were so out of this world impossible that you had to fight to hold in your laughter. 
“What’s so funny?” Heeseung whispers and his lips graze the shell of your ear. You quickly turn around and his face is incredibly close to yours. Eunseo must be loving this.
“Eunseo promised to set me up with the hot best man. That was my bribe to get me here.” A shallow laugh leaves his throat and he sits up, hands pointed to his chest.
“I am hot to be fair.” He jokingly smirks causing you to hit his chest playfully. “What? Do you not think so?” 
“I know so. It’s just how cocky you are about it all,” Heeseung’s lips part to say something but you stop him, “If you’re going to make a joke about your dick I don’t want to hear it, Hee.” he shuts his mouth instantly. You missed this just as much as you missed Jaeyun. The banter between you and your friends is what kept you from losing your mind most of your high school days, and right now it’s taking your mind off this ridiculous situation. 
“Eunseo tried it on with me once,” Heeseung says while eyeing her up and giving her a wave. 
“But she acted like she didn’t know you? When she brought you up it was as if she had never met you.” He scoffs as you recall the conversation in the cafe.
“I rejected her, she’s not my type. Plus, she wanted double dates all the time, and don’t get me wrong I love Jake and Yeoreum but they’re insufferable. Kinda like you and hi-” He halts himself mid-sentence and looks at you apologetically. “Sorry.” You wave it off and pretend it doesn’t hurt you to hear before he continues, “I probably shouldn’t say this but if it’s any consolation, he isn’t half as infatuated with her as he was you.” It does bring some solace but you try not to let it sit in your mind too long. 
“I’m not having a great time with it but at least he’s happy.” You mumble playing with your fingers and picking at the skin. Heeseung’s big hands encase your smaller ones as he squeezes them discreetly.
“You’ll always be his first love, just remember that. And who knows,” He leans back in his chair with that smug look on his face once again, “Your next love might be the hot best man.” 
Pinching the bridge of your nose you can’t help but laugh again. “Heeseung please shut up.”
While you and Heeseung were talking, none of you noticed Jaeyun staring purposefully as if his eyes could pry you two apart. He wasn’t jealous, no, he was just wishing he was with you both like old times, laughing with you as if no time had passed. Yeoreum strokes his arm lightly and looks up at him. “Jakey, you okay?” to which Jaeyun hums and turns to her, kissing her forehead lightly. “Never better, Reumie.” Lies but as his lips touch her head he remembers last night and how his lips felt like they had found their way home.
“Okay! Let’s go and get ready for a full day ahead. The game starts in an hour.” Mr Son’s voice bellowed throughout the dining area.
“Come on,” Heeseung takes your hand and leads you to the kitchen, “You’re eating something before you’re tormented by the whole aunt brigade.” Heeseung’s always been so sweet. Whoever ties him down is going to be the luckiest girl in the world.
__
The game had been on for 20 minutes and you can’t escape the daggers coming from Mrs. Sim across the table. Of course she’s mad, you hurt her precious baby boy, you completely understand but that doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable. She liked you a lot before everything went down, always treating you like her own but now it’s like her heart turned cold towards you, a contrast to her husband who seems to actually tolerate you enough to be civil. Meeting the Sim family again was beyond awkward but you were thankful none of them let on to the others about you and Jaeyun’s history. 
“My Jakey is so good at football. He said he used to play in high school.” Yeoreum gushes, her hands clasped beside her cheeks as she watches her fiance on the garden lawn.
“Yeah, he was the captain in high school. Almost got a scholarship but he didn't want to do that professionally.” You say and sip at your white wine and lemonade top. 
“How do you know he was captain?” The question comes from Eunseo and you nearly choke on the sweet wine. Shit 
“Yes Y/N, how do you know?” Mrs. Sim quips and you want to die. You look over at the men on the field and panic trying to find any rhyme or reason you would know that information. Maybe I should put on a strip and join them, a ball to the face would be less painful. 
“Oh, um, me and Jae- Jake spoke about it at the party. Getting to know him and all that.” your words are rushed and your hand reaches for the bottle to pour more wine. Admittedly, this is probably the last thing you should be doing, getting drunk and not running your mouth was never something that came easily. The party of girls nod and accept your answer. You need to be more careful. You don’t dare look at Mrs Sim with the fear of being obliterated on the spot. 
“You got this, baby!” Yeoreum shouts loudly and gains the attention of Jaeyun, his smile bright as he waves, his eyes never leaving yours. You smile back and give him two thumbs up. He starts to wipe his face with the bottom of his t-shirt to gather the sweat. It gives you a peak of his lower abdomen and you feel like a Victorian man seeing an ankle for the first time. 
The mind is a powerful tool and also your greatest enemy at the moment as you recollect every time you kissed down his stomach, sometimes leaving hickeys to mark him as yours. You remember how his jaw would slack open the lower you got, the moans that would fall from his lips as your tongue trailed from his belly button to the top of his boxer waistband. When his dick was pressed against that very stomach you would trace your fingers touching everything but his cock. You swallow hard, thighs clenching together, you can’t think these thoughts but fuck it was so easy.
Jaeyun notices your face change and smirks, biting his lip and ogling at your thighs rubbing against each other just like you used to when you were turned on by him. His eyes dart to his fiances but she seems unbothered by his act. Heeseung comes up behind him and wraps an arm over his shoulder. “Dude this is rough-” he pauses and follows Jaeyun’s eyes, “What you looking at? Yeoreum? Y/N?” he whispers only your name and it makes Jaeyun sigh.
“Let’s just get back to the game yeah? Sooner we beat these old men the sooner I can have a beer.” Heeseung laughs and claps his best friend’s back.
While you're zoning out, your best friend speaks up. “Heeseung looks good, huh Y/N?” Eunseo giggles and nudges your shoulder with hers. “I thought I saw him flirting with you earlier.” You laugh and shake your head dismissively. 
“Nah he was just engaging in conversation.” Everyone is looking at you waiting for you to elaborate, “Oh, it was just usual chit-chat. Weather, work, small talk stuff.” 
Eunseo doesn’t buy your chatter, she’s convinced after seeing you both this morning that you two will be the next wedding she attends. “Y/N, he was all over you at the table!” Eunseo chimes and tries to recreate the scene for the other girls at the table, “He was all like touchy, and your faces were like here!” Her nose brushes yours to which you laugh it off and push her lightly, shaking your head.
“Well I think you should try to speak to him more, he seems interested.” Yeoreum says and you try not to laugh in her face.
Mrs Sim snorts and sets her wine glass down. “Yeoreum, honey, Y/N isn’t his type. He likes classy girls, loyal girls with a good sense of worth.” Ouch. It was probably deserved but shit did that prick your heart. Eunseo looks at you confused but you shrug and don’t pay attention to it.
“Heeseung isn’t my type either.” you mutter. Yeoreum leans her elbow on the table and places her face in her palm as she asks, “What is your type then, Y/N?”
Jaeyun.
“Eh, I like guys who are sweet, um, they laugh at stupid jokes,” You start to look at Jaeyun as you continue, “I like when guys are attentive and know things about you that you don’t even really know yourself because they listen to every little thing you say.”
The girls around the table are gawking at you, “Y/N? Have you ever been in love? You must have been!” One of the bridesmaids asks excitedly. You shrug your head to the side and laugh.
“Once upon a time but that was forever ago.” You slyly look at Mrs. Sim and it was astronomically the worst decision. Her face was overcome with disgust.
Ironically, it’s Yeoreum asking the question now, “Tell us about it. Wasn’t he the ‘one’”. How do you say to her that your love, the one you want to spend forever with, is hers? 
“I think he was but I was an idiot, too young to understand that we should have fought through our challenges rather than me running away from them.” The honesty in your voice is raw and you’re holding down the tears. One of the bridesmaids asks, “How do you know someone is the one?” 
“J-” You almost say his name but smoothly continue without anyone noticing, “You know because there is an easiness in loving someone you know you're going to spend your life with. It comes naturally like breathing. There’s no trying to impress, no hiding parts of you. You both love each other like it’s the only thing you know how to do right. Even if you're apart, when you eventually come back together you slide right back into where you left off. Your love is infinite." 
Yeoreum starts to cry "That’s like me and Jake." The crowd of girls hurry to her side and hug her as she sobs, encouragements from her party saying how they are ‘meant to be’ flood your ears. While they are distracted you wipe a tear, that’s when you feel a hand hold yours. Mrs Sim has a mournful look on her face, her thumb swiping over the back of your hand now seated next to you. Its unexpected but this is a step up from the hateful glares and you’re more than thankful.
Her eyes hold a love for you just like those years ago, maybe it took you explaining your feelings for her to truly understand how sorry you were about the whole situation, opening her up to forgive you even a little bit.
Yeoreum composes herself, fanning her face with her hands as everyone proceeds back to their seats, everyone except Mrs Sim who stays by your side, forcing Eunseo to move to the opposite end. “Thanks, girls. Ugh I just love him so much.” 
Don’t ask it. Don’t ask it. Your brain is screaming to ask her the question that you know would set you off, “How did you two meet?” The words fall from your lips before you can catch them with your teeth.
A smile spreads widely across her face as her whole body turns to you. This is the first time you have properly examined her features and you wish you didn’t. Easily she is one of the most beautiful girls to ever exist, her small face but big features making her look otherworldly, her body is naturally slender, her black hair is long and sleek straight, her bangs fit around her face perfectly, her eyes gleamed with life and love. She was truly perfection. “We met at Apollo! You know the college in Busan?” Her eyes twinkle and you become jealous because in the past 4 years, your eyes have become dull and empty, “He was walking to class in the East block and I just thought he was the hottest guy I had ever seen.” 
Mrs. Sim delicately squeezes your hand but doesn’t spare a glance. Despite her feelings for you, she knows this isn’t easy for you and she doesn’t envy you in this situation at all. “I just walked up to him and asked him out. He was so reluctant at first, saying he was still getting over his ex,” she smiles at the memory, “and let me tell you, after that night he probably didn’t think about her again.” Yeoreum smirked as the girls squealed.
“Yeoreum, as his mother I don’t need to hear this.” Mrs. Sim scoffs, her face slightly disgusted. The bride-to-be mouthed a quick sorry and continued, “We went totally casual for a while, but you know how things escalate, he was in love with me by like the third time I met him.”
You nodded at her as she continued to tell you about her romance with the love of your life and you feel your heart slide its way into the pit of your stomach. It's nauseating how he found a love and you couldn’t even face dating anyone. But you couldn’t be mad, of course not, because you did this.
“Y/N?” You look up to see Heeseung and Jaeyun, both of them with their eyes on you purposefully. Yeoreum grabs Jaeyun’s hands yet his eyes don’t leave your face. Heeseung’s voice continues, “Can I grab you for a minute? I got a-” he pauses to think of an excuse, “I need a second pair of hands to bring out more drinks, yeah?” His eyebrow raises at you to follow along to which you nod and stand up. Noticing Eunseo’s stares you shake your head and give her a small smile. 
Heeseung’s fingers interlock with yours as he leads you away into the house and suddenly you feel like you can breathe again. “Y/N you okay? You looked like you were gonna throw up.” You look up at him, his 6”0 frame towering over you. 
“I’m fine, just asking questions I know I shouldn’t.” You let out a half-hearted laugh and smile sheepishly at him, “It’s okay. How was the game?” Proceeding to the kitchen you open the fridge to pick up the jug of margarita Yeoreum and Eunseo had lovingly made with way too much spirit and minimal mixers. 
“I still hate you for getting me caught, but we beat them so,” He shrugs and reaches from behind you to grab a six-pack of Peroni, “Wasn’t as eventful as your time at the interrogation table. I saw them all grilling you.” You snicker and disagree.
“Nah, they were just asking about my life, the usual.” It wasn’t the full truth but it wasn’t a lie either. 
Heeseung moves from behind you and leans against the kitchen island, one foot propped up on the base of the counter, swinging the beers between his legs. “How was Mrs. Sim? That must have been hard, I could feel her ice-cold stare from the other end of the garden.” He opens up the packet of 6 and hands you one, “Open this for me?” You nod and take it from him, setting the jug down to pop open the lid with the edge of the unit before giving it back to him. 
“I thought I was going to die I can’t lie, but then she was okay, I think?” You question the interaction in your head, “She was nicer to me as the afternoon went on, but I think it was pity.” Heeseung brings the bottle to his lips and sips the cold beer and his eyebrows lifted.
“I don’t think It would be pity, you know she loved you more than Jake, at least that’s what he always thought." He pauses and takes a sip from his bottle before dramatically pulling it from his lips and pointing towards you, "Fuck, didn’t she have your wedding dress practically paid for?” 
This was news to you and Heeseung guessed as much by the look on your face, “You didn’t know? She always went about how she had a separate savings account for you and Jake’s wedding. I think she still has it.”
You look at him quizically, “Wait, why would she still have it? Surely she would have put it to this wedding.” You search for a glass to pour the margarita into and wait for Heeseung to respond.
“Nah, they didn’t pay a penny for this. They don’t want him to marry her.”
“WHAT?!” You exclaim and turn around bug-eyed and mouth open, “What do you mean? His dad was saying all that nice stuff at the toast, and his mum looked like she was bursting with pride when Yeoreum was talking about Jake.” 
There was a silence in the air as Heeseung stepped forward and grabbed your shoulders, “They like her, but babe she isn’t you. Mr. and Mrs. Sim know Jake doesn-, you know what I shouldn’t be saying anything.” You plead with him to continue, gripping his hands that are placed on you, “Hee, please, Jake doesn’t what?”  
Just as Heeseung is about to divulge very useful information, Eunseo walks in with her hands up, “Ignore me, love birds, just came to get the jug of fun,” she spots it behind you and points, “Can you grab me that please?” 
Stepping back, Heeseung grabs the jug and hands it to Eunseo, “We were just coming out anyway, right angel.” 
Oh, you were going to murder him. His face smug and Eunseo’s mouth breaking into a large smile, you grab your glass and head out with them, Heeseung’s hands on your hips and lips to your ear, “Let me give her what she wants.” You turn around, eyes scolding him.
“Don’t even think about it, and don’t think I’ll let our little conversation go either.” As you walk and warn Heeseung, you’re already outside, a pair of usually wide, bright eyes, now thin as they watch you and his best friend joke around.
Jaeyun is seething.
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