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lowkeychenle · 9 months

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Like We Just Met [ZCL] (M)

Description: Everything else about the day is completely normal when Chenle realizes he wants to marry you. It hits him like a tidal wave, and he's itching to tell you just how much he wants to love you forever.

Genre: Fluff (literally SO MUCH FLUFF we love Chenle in this house go away if you don't) // Smut

Content Warnings: Explicit unprotected sex (it's actually sweet this time am I feeling okay), talks about marriage etc etc. Nothing really dark or upsetting in here.

Word Count: 11,292 (y'all I have no idea how this happened...)

Pairing: Zhong Chenle x Reader (feat. the rest of the Dreamies)

ISTJ 7Dream Series Masterlist

Juliet's Masterlist | Requests/Tell me what you think of this plz <3

Tag List (open for ISTJ 7Dream Series): @kunvibing

Author's Note: Lowkey? This was so fun because it's from Chenle's POV...or it's supposed to be haha. This is probably my favorite fic I've ever written catch me crying in the corner...also this gif don't mind the real tears in my eyes

Nobody questioned Renjun when he said he’d invited his friend to dance practice. They brought friends in every now and then, so it wasn’t anything new. Chenle was having a bit of an off day. He kept screwing up the choreography (that he’d done seven hundred times probably in the past week alone) and even accidentally elbowed Jaemin.

Renjun’s friend had yet to show up. Chenle was beyond frustrated with the way things were going, so he let everyone know he was taking a break. He grabbed his water bottle and stomped out of the practice room.

He ended up a bit down the hallway, resting his back on the wall with his eyes closed. All he needed was a break. That had to be it.

“Are you okay?” a soft voice asked.

When he looked at you, he recoiled a bit. He’d never seen you before—he’d definitely remember—but something about you felt familiar. Like a warm aura surrounded you and infiltrated him in the best ways.

“You’re Chenle, right?” You tilted your head at him. “I’m Renjun’s friend, (Y/N). I was supposed to watch practice, but I got lost. This building is pretty big.”

“Yeah, I’m Chenle.” He blinks at you a couple more times. “Um, we’re always in the same practice room. I’ll take you over there.”

“Actually, is there a place to get some water? I forgot mine at home.” You scratched the top of your head and scrunched up your nose. “It was really hot outside.”

“It’s on the way.” He gestured down the hall with his head.

You followed him without hesitation. He was acutely aware of every step you took, of how there was only a few feet between the two of you. Even though he had no clue what to say to you, you didn’t mind walking along in silence. It was unlike him to be shy. Next to impossible for him to be starstruck.

“How long have you known Renjun for?” he asked. And why the hell had you not come around sooner?

“Oh.” You took a deep breath and pursed your lips in thought as Chenle stopped to grab you a water bottle from the kitchen. “Four years now? Five? His family knows mine, so when I came back here, his parents told him he had to help me find my way around.”

“Well, today’s pretty laid back,” Chenle explains. “We’ll probably practice for another hour or two and then go home. We’ve been at it all day.”

You hum in response, opening the cap and taking a sip. “Thank you for this. Sorry to keep you from practice.”

“Don’t be. I’m ready to get the hell out of here.” Chenle chuckles, gaze drinking you in when you’re distracted by your water. “And…they can be a little…much at first. But they’re all great people, so you’ll be fine.”

“Bold of you to assume I’m nervous.” You narrowed your eyes at him playfully.

He bit back a smile, pressing his lips into a thin line instead. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Renjun has given me plenty of warnings,” you tell him.

He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t taken you to the practice room yet. The two of you stood in the kitchen, but he knew the second you were with everyone else, the conversation was over. He didn’t want to stop talking to you, and that odd feeling of warmth settled into his chest.

“Like what?” Chenle raised his eyebrows.

“He said you’re cranky and mean.” You smiled at him, and he swore he was almost knocked off his feet. There was something about you that drew him in.

Chenle made a mental note to scold Renjun later, but he’s not necessarily wrong…he was cranky until he saw you.

“Well, in that case, what he said about everyone else is probably accurate, too.”

“You don’t look cranky,” you interjected. “You’re not mean either. Mean people don’t get strangers water bottles.”

“I’m mean to Renjun. And Jisung.”

“They’re your friends. You get a pass for your friends.” You slid one of your hands into the back pocket of your jeans, rocking on the balls of your feet as silence befell the room.

“They’re waiting for me,” Chenle says. “We should go.”

You nodded in agreement and followed him. He sulked a bit when the other members were introduced to you. They were all nice—because they always were—but when it came time to get back to practice, he found himself gravitating toward you several times.

Nearly every time he looked at you, you were already looking at him, too. Maybe it wasn’t just him that felt the weird tug. He hoped it wasn’t.

After they wrapped everything up, Chenle sat against the back wall, feeling so heavy as if he could fall asleep right there. He was exhausted.

Jaemin, Jeno, Donghyuck, and Mark were already on their way out the door, leaving Jisung to slump next to Chenle and Renjun to talk with you. Jisung noted how he was watching you, but he didn’t say anything right away. He drank his water and stayed quiet.

You said something to Renjun, who smiled at you and nodded. He headed for the door and waited for you outside. When Chenle realized you were coming over to him, he shot a worried glance over at Jisung.

“Would you look at that?” Jisung cleared his throat. “Time for me to go.”

Before Chenle could even grab him, Jisung was halfway to the door. Once you were in front of him, you sat down and crossed your legs.

“You did really well today.”

He chuckled. “I think that’s the worst I’ve done this comeback season.”

“Then you’re in pretty good shape.” You shrugged, picking at the seam of your jeans. “I wanted to thank you. For helping me earlier.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” he said. “You’re Renjun’s friend. Of course, I’d help you.”

“Right.” You brushed your hair over your shoulder and prepared to stand up. “I should go—”

“Will you be coming back?” The question shot out of his mouth, sending a blush to his cheeks in response.

“I’m not sure,” you told him. “That’s up to Renjun I guess. It was really cool to see how passionate you guys are.”

“Let me give you my number.” Chenle grabbed his phone from his pocket. “Um, just in case you get lost again. And need help finding the room.” He cringed at himself, hoping he wasn’t going to get rejected.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” You gave him the tiniest smile, but it made his heart flutter anyway.

He handed it to you with the contact app open. You didn’t even hesitate to type in your name and number. After, you sent yourself a text, and Chenle heard it ring in your back pocket. You gave it back to him, grinned, and left him sitting there in shock.

He couldn’t choose between staring at you as you left and looking down at your contact open on his screen. His stomach twisted with nerves, but the second he saw the smiley face emoji you’d put next to your name, he already knew.

You were going to be someone to him.

Mark drops something in the kitchen, snapping Chenle out of it. He looks at you, and you smile back at him. With you pressed into his side and your legs over his lap, he can’t help but grin right back.

His hand rests on your thigh, thumb sliding gently back and forth as he presses a kiss to your temple. He’d never get used to this.

After returning from the kitchen, Mark allows the game to resume. His nose scrunches as he glances between you and Chenle. “That’s a weird ass question.”

“Not weird.” Chenle shakes his head. “Critical thinking, Mark, you should try it.”

“Oh, be nice.” You shove his shoulder.

For a while now, Chenle has felt his feelings growing more than he thought possible. He’s already in love with you (thankfully, since you’ve been together almost a year now), but something about you lately has him on a whole other level. Even then, he’s not sure what it is. He decides he’ll ride it out for a while and see where it takes him.

“Why would you ask your girlfriend what year she’d take a time machine back to? Shouldn’t she be like…happiest now?” Mark asks, sipping on whatever mixed drink he’d prepared in Chenle’s kitchen.

“You’d think.” Chenle snorts, leaning back against the couch and throwing his arm around you.

“He asks me questions like this all the time,” you tell Mark. When you steal a glance at your boyfriend, his breath catches in his chest.

What the hell is going on with him lately? He can’t concentrate around you (even more than usual) and every tiny thing you do has his heart hammering against his ribcage. Soon enough, he’s sure you’ll both hear the bones crack.

“Has anyone, by chance, ever told you two that you’re gross?” Mark chuckles to himself and leans back in the recliner. “Some of us are single and lonely, you know.”

“Some of us will never be that again,” Chenle shoots back.

“Oh, you two are the worst.” Your laugh echoes pleasantly in his ears, and he subconsciously leans closer to you.

“I am curious what your answer is, though,” Mark interjects. “Since Chenle’s so sure.”

Chenle takes a sip of his own drink, nearly cringing at the bitter taste dragging down his throat. He’s not much of a drinker—social at best. But he can still appreciate the buzz and the hazy happiness that comes with it. You take his hand that dangles over your shoulder, twirling the friendship ring wrapped around his middle finger. The action is so, so simple, yet it makes his stomach turn.

If he doesn’t figure out what the hell’s going on with him soon, he’s gonna have to separate himself from you.

“Well, you’re right.” You shrug, shuffling closer to Chenle. “This part of my life has definitely been the best. But if I could go back to any time, it would probably be when we met. You only get to meet Zhong Chenle once in your life, dude. I’d do it over and over again if I could. The second I saw him, I knew he would be important to me.”

Chenle thinks back to the moment he first saw you. The way he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you like an actual child or the way he took in every detail of you to store in his mind forever—just in case he never got to speak to you again. He pauses, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he analyzes your answer.

Mark groans. “That doesn’t count! That was last year.”

Grabbing the pillow next to him, Chenle throws it at his friend. “Leave her alone, it was a good answer.”

But when he contemplates that thought, he’s not sure he understands what you mean. His ears burn, the tips of them turning red as he recalls how embarrassingly nervous he was around you all the time. How awkward all of your firsts together were. Everything now is so much better than back then.

Not to mention he’s looked at you the same way since that first night. His feelings for you have grown, sure, but those butterflies he used to get still torment him just about every time he sees you smile.

“Why?” Chenle finally asks.

“You were so cute,” you hum, shifting closer to him. “Everything made you nervous. You almost keeled over in embarrassment when you asked to hold my hand.”

Mark laughs, and Chenle sends a glare his way. No part of that is even anywhere near funny.

“Okay, it's your turn.” Mark gestures at you.

Chenle resists the urge to reach over and touch your face. Usually, he’s so much better about being so clingy in front of his friends and, while he would prefer Mark not seeing this side of him, he couldn’t care less when his gaze is locked with yours.

“Cool.” You nod, taking a sip of your drink. “Both of you. Hypothetical situation. Let’s say you’re drunk. You walk into a room and everyone you’ve ever loved is in there. Like…loved. Who are you going to?”

“Dude.” Mark’s jaw drops. “That’s such a shitty question for me.”

“You’ll live,” Chenle replies. “Just romantic love?”

“All of it. Platonic, romantic, family.” You purse your lips in thought.

Chenle doesn’t have to think about it. Not really. He’d rather get struck by lightning and then hit by a bus right after before admitting that so easily in front of Mark. In this case, it’s always been you. From the second you spoke to him for the first time, he was irrevocably yours.

“You.” Chenle watches your eyebrows raise.

“Be serious,” you say. “Your parents are included in that.”

“I’m serious. You.” Chenle chuckles.

You give him a pointed look, but that’s when Mark cuts in.

“No, he’s for real. Like…that legitimately happened.” Mark leans forward, elbows digging into his thighs as he rests his head in his palms. “Do you guys not remember?”

“What are you talking about?” you ask him, frowning.

Chenle remembers. Barely, and it’s a bit foggy, but it comes back like a baseball bat upside the head as Mark starts telling the story.

Chenle’s birthday party last year. The night was barely halfway through and he was drunk enough to be stumbling over his feet. He’d heard you were coming, but he had yet to see you. Even when every other feeling was numbed by the tingling sensation the alcohol left behind, his craving to see you was all that remained.

Mark walked next to him, having a full conversation with himself since Chenle was so fog-brained. As much as he loved Mark, there was only one person he wanted to see. Everyone he knew and loved was here—his parents, the rest of his group, and Jisung had somehow forgotten to uninvite Chenle’s ex.

He only ever dated one person before you, but he wasn’t sure he ever loved her. Regardless, there she was. Even with her standing across the room from him, he kept waiting like a lost puppy.

When you walked in, he swore the whole world stopped around him. Everyone but you was moving in slow motion before they eventually faded into nothing, darkness that was emphasized by the light you were. His breath caught in his throat, and he stopped walking.

Chenle couldn’t form a coherent thought while he stared at you, drunken stupor making it so much easier to forget the embarrassment. Mark watched him curiously as Chenle made his way over to you. He refused to waste any more time when he knew you were the one he wanted to talk to.

You had always been more confident around him than he was around you. Your face lit up when you saw him, wrapping your arms around him. He secured you in his grasp, breathing in the scent of your hair and the perfume you wore.

“Happy birthday.” Your voice is muffled a bit by his T-shirt. “Sorry I’m late, took a bit longer to get ready than I thought it would.”

He knew he should’ve let you go. People were starting to notice the way he was clinging to you, and not even being drunk could excuse that behavior. He was about ready to tell everyone except you to leave. Nothing else mattered. If he could spend his birthday with you, it would be the best one yet.

It’d been two months since Renjun had introduced you to the rest of them. Which means, he’s only known of your existence for two months, and you already command so much of his brain matter that he can’t think of anyone but you. Great.

He finally (reluctantly) let you go and led you over to the rest of the group. Nobody said anything when he made Mark scoot over so you could sit next to him. Nobody questioned it. His parents would ask him about it later, but until then, there was no reason for him to worry. After all, his crush on you was the most obvious thing in the world, so it was only a matter of time before you found out about it.

By the end of the night, he hadn’t spent enough time with you. People were starting to shuffle out, but you stayed, chatting with Renjun until only four remained. Chenle’s parents had gone to bed long ago. You were almost caught up to him on drinks, your laughs longer and your movements slower.

Under any other circumstances, he wouldn’t have been as brave as to walk up to you and ask you to stay the night. He didn’t mean it in a suggestive way, either. He just didn’t want you to leave yet.

“Chenle,” Renjun scolds, swatting his shoulder. “You can’t ask something like that so casually.”

“You want me to stay here? With you?” Your voice was higher than normal. Chenle accredited it to the alcohol raging in your system.

“I like when you’re here.” Chenle nodded. “You make everything calm.”

Renjun scrunched up his face, slamming his forehead into his palm. “(Y/N), you should probably go home—”

“No, it’s okay.” You brushed him off. “I’m okay with staying.”

Oh, he was in love with you. There was no other explanation for the way his heart skipped a beat when those words came out of your mouth.

Chenle doesn’t remember the rest of that night, but he does recall waking up next to you in the morning and freaking out. Alcohol made him brave, but it didn’t save him from the red-hot embarrassment of the next day.

“I didn’t even realize…” you trailed off, a small smile forming on your face. “You picked me.”

“I’ll always pick you,” Chenle responds easily, like second nature.

Mark decides it’s time for him to leave, but Chenle’s mind is still reeling with memories. With all of the firsts you said you wished you could relive. But no matter how hard he tries, he can’t figure out what the fuck this feeling is. As the two of you climb into bed, he’s so distracted, he can’t fall asleep, even with you curled into his chest.

“(Y/N),” Chenle groaned when he saw you in the practice room mirror. “You gotta stop showing up here if you don’t want me to fall in love with you.”

It was a joke. Sort of.

“Right, and let you forget to eat? I think not.” You fought back every time, unphased by the way he so casually admitted he’s starting to fall for you.

At least, that was his idea of admitting it.

You walked over with the bags in your hand, sitting down on the practice room floor next to him.

“I haven’t even been here that long,” Chenle defended himself. “I would’ve eaten after I left.”

You unloaded the contents, opening boxes. “I can go if that’s what you want.”

“Not what I said.” For some reason, he felt a sudden burst of courage. He’s known you for four months at this point, and something about today felt…right. “I was serious, you know.”

“About what?” You grabbed the drinks from the carrier.

“You.”

“What?” You recoiled, looking at him in confusion.

He contemplated telling you to forget it. That it didn’t matter, and thank you for the food instead. If you didn’t feel the same way for him, he’d be devastated. And then you’d leave him for good and take all the food with you. He was starving.

“If you keep doing nice things for me, I’m gonna fall for you.” As if he hasn’t already.

You paused, but Chenle didn’t miss the blush on your face. Clearing your throat, you looked away from him and took a deep breath. His fists clenched as he awaited your rejection, but the longer the silence stretched, the more he felt you might want him to.

“Don’t say things like that if you don’t mean it,” you finally said and brushed your hair behind your ears. Reaching forward for the food again, you gave Chenle a shocked look when he grabbed your wrist.

“You’re right. I’m not going to fall for you. I already did.”

Your jaw dropped, eyes widening as his words settled in the air around both of you. With his heart racing, he released your wrist and intertwined your fingers instead.

“I really, really like you.”

“You should really eat your food before it gets cold.” You pulled your hand from his and pushed the box closer to him.

He stared blankly at the wall, noting the sudden chill on his skin that you left behind. A sinking feeling encapsulated his chest, and he knew he ruined everything. You looked like you were ready to run.

“Forget I said anything,” he told you. “I’m sorry if that was weird.”

“Eat,” you commanded again. “I’m not talking about this with you until I know you’ve eaten. If you don’t, we’ll go off on a tangent and you’ll be starving all night.”

“Does that mean you—”

“Yes, Chenle.” You interrupted him. “Yes, I really, really like you too, which is why I want to make sure you eat.”

At that moment, Chenle realized that if he walked outside and randomly dropped dead, he’d be okay with it now that he’s gotten that confession out of you. There wasn’t a damn thing that could top that. Everything else in life would be subpar to today, so there was no point in trying.

You and Chenle ate in silence. He kept stealing glances at you, catching you doing the same to him. If all he had to do in order to get you to talk about your feelings with him was eat, he’d do it, albeit probably a bit too fast for his own good.

Chenle runs his fingers through his hair, his thumb tracing gentle shapes against the bare skin of your arm. These memories have no business popping up in the middle of the night. He has practice tomorrow. He’ll be so off his game, the other members will want to kill him.

Usually, he has no problem falling asleep, especially with you right beside him. Over the past year, you’ve probably spent more nights with him than you have at your own place. He teases you for it all the time, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Closing his eyes, he listens to the soft sounds of your breathing and allows himself to feel the way your body slots with his so easily. Everything about you is perfect. About the two of you together. He would toss and turn, but no way is he going to disturb you. Even if he can’t sleep, he’d never screw up your schedule on purpose.

“It’s so pretty.” You were in awe, staring at the sunset from Chenle’s backyard. He’d set up a picnic date for the two of you, and afterward, you were watching the sun fade below the treeline while lying on top of a red blanket.

His fingers were intertwined with yours, something that had become so normal for you. Two weeks since his confession, and it was the second date he planned. He wondered, obsessed over, even, what your thought process was on all of this. Were you happy? Did he make you happy?

He wanted to kiss you when he confessed to you. And while he came close to it on your first date, he decided against it. It had to be perfect. Nothing was good enough for you in his mind, especially when all he wanted was to make sure you knew just how he felt about you.

How was he supposed to tell you that?

He’d already said he fell for you, but that didn’t begin to cover it. Not really. You made him want to put in effort, made him crave your happiness like it was the very oxygen he breathed. At the same time, he didn’t want you to think he didn’t want to kiss you. Hell, he’d already dreamed of it, for fuck’s sake, so that definitely wasn’t the issue.

Lost in thought, he’s only snapped out of it by the way you rolled over, lying on your stomach so you can get a good look at his face. You rested your head on your right palm, your left finding his bicep.

“You’re so perfect,” he hummed, twirling your hair with his fingers. “Could look at you forever.”

“Some people might have an issue with that.” You laughed.

“We’re the only ones that matter,” he responded.

Your smile slowly faded, a look of longing replacing it as your gaze softened.

God, he wanted to kiss you. He needed to.

All thoughts of the perfect moment have fled from his brain. Any moment would be perfect as long as it’s you.

He sat up and you leaned forward, and before he knew it, his nose brushed yours. Your eyes fluttered shut in preparation. The heat of the sun sank into his skin. Your perfume wafted from you, intertwining with the air and suffocating him in the best ways. If he could pick one scent to smell for the rest of his life, it would be yours.

Was it normal to have these thoughts so early?

Why was he thinking of that right now? Literally the worst possible time.

“Can I?” he whispered, scared to ruin everything.

“Yes.”

As soon as the word left your mouth, he kissed you. Everything about you was soft, so he shouldn’t have been so surprised to find your lips the same way. His hands shook as he touched your waist.

He was already in big trouble. There wasn’t a single part of him that wanted to stop there. His heart thudded so loud, he was halfway sure you could hear it, too. It felt like sparks flew between you two, absolute electricity coursing through every single one of his veins, heating up his bloodstream and making the thought of pulling away from you the absolute worst case scenario.

You moved away first, gasping for breath. Chenle craved tugging you back to him. His body reacted to you in ways it had never reacted to anyone else. He didn’t want to take it too far, but he sure as hell didn’t want to stop, either.

He couldn’t describe the way you felt. The way you tasted. Everything about you was so heart-achingly perfect, he wanted to experience you all the time. He wanted to rewind time so he could kiss you again for the first time, and he’d do it over and over and over again.

Something about first kisses set him on fire. He was absolutely sure he’d kiss you more. In fact, he was seconds away from it. But the adrenaline coming from the very first brush of your lips on his wasn’t something he’d ever be able to recreate.

“Again.” You leaned in once more.

He met you in the middle eagerly, hand finding the back of your head before he turned you so you were lying on your back. Half of his weight pressed against you, but he did his best to keep himself lifted up so you weren’t uncomfortable.

Unforgettable heat swarmed him, the sun caressing his skin as your fingers gently traced down the back of his neck. Goosebumps formed, but he could hardly pay attention to them. The entire world was gone, and you were everything, the only person remaining in a sea of nothingness. He wanted you. Needed you.

This was technically your second kiss, but in his mind, it was still the first since they happened almost at the same time. He hadn’t stopped to take a breath in much too long, but he’d rather suffocate than separate from you.

He stopped when your breath hitched, completely lost in the sound. When he wasn’t focusing on your mouth anymore, he realized why—his hand had somehow found its way to your upper thigh. His face burned as he removed it.

“I didn’t…” he trailed off, scanning over your face for any hint of what you were feeling. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

You chuckled at him, pushing his shoulder. “You wish that excuse would work on me.”

The sky faded into a beautiful lilac color, the kind that only appeared when the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Clouds drifted effortlessly, stars beginning to shine.

“Should we go inside?” Chenle asked. “It’ll get cold without the sun.”

Whenever he looked at you, he knew you were different. He couldn’t place how, but nobody else had ever made him feel the way you do. Like his heart was going to burst out of his chest while simultaneously stopping and also skipping every other beat. He didn’t even know how he was alive anymore.

In the last two weeks since his confession, the boys had told him how much happier he was. How he was striving with more effort lately and trying his best at any given moment of the day. You were his motivation. You made him want to be the absolute best he could be, and even as new as the relationship was, he’d already known you for months—he was nervous about you deciding you wanted something else. Someone who wasn’t him.

The moment before replayed in his head, and he heard that breath hitch on repeat while he awaited your answer. He did his best to stop thinking about it, but nothing worked. All he wanted to do was kiss you again, over and over and over until the literal end of time.

“Yeah.” You nodded. “Let’s go inside.”

His cheeks redden just thinking of that memory. The first time he ever kissed you, and he royally fucked up because his hand didn’t know how to stay put. At this point, it’s clear he’s not going to be able to fall asleep. He hates the idea of leaving you in bed alone, but he’s only going to disturb you if he doesn’t plan on sleeping.

Sliding away from you carefully, he quietly gets up and heads into the kitchen. He runs his fingers through his hair. His hands down his face. He must be sentimental today, because he can’t stop thinking about you for the life of him. Every memory from the last year pokes at his head, and he has no clue how to handle it.

Patting his cheeks, he heads over to the fridge to grab a water bottle. Photos of the two of you are framed up on the wall. There’s one picture in particular he always says is his favorite, but he refuses to tell you why.

The two of you were sitting on the floor, and you had the cutest glare on your face. He sees the adoration gleaming in your gaze even though you look about ready to strangle him. In your defense, you probably were. He lets out a tiny laugh, tracing over the frame.

There’s even one with Chenle between you and Jisung, and a group picture with you and the boys. Chenle loves his friends dearly, and the way they’ve welcomed you with open arms says a lot about both your relationship with them and his potential future with you. Everyone in his life loves you. You’re the one they call when Chenle’s upset or if he’s off his game, and no matter when or where this is happening, you show up to make him feel better.

He could be having the worst day of his entire existence, and a simple ‘I love you’ passing from your lips has him forgetting everything shitty about the world. Looking back at the pictures, he’s drawn back into memory.

He heard the birds outside his window before he saw the gleaming sun. His eyes fluttered open while he groaned quietly at the sudden change of brightness. Your body was like a fireball, your skin searing hot against his, but it did little to bother him. His groan turned into a sigh of content, and he wrapped his arms around you tighter. Fingertips trailing down your bare spine, he kissed your forehead.

Three months together, and every night spent with you made him fall deeper in love. He’d never known peace as he did at that moment. No interruptions, just the two of you basking in each other’s embrace.

He could’ve stayed like that forever—he wanted to, but glancing at the clock, he realized how close it was to noon. Jaemin would be there soon, and the last thing Chenle needed was him in his house when you were naked in his bed.

He reluctantly got up, dressing himself before grabbing some clothes for you. You have a drawer, multiple, actually, but he picked his own T-shirt for you to wear. When he made it over to you, you were stirring.

“You got up.” You pouted at him, staring at him through half-closed eyes. “And you have clothes on.”

Chenle laughed. “Sorry, love. Jaemin will be here soon.”

“It’s that late?” you asked.

Chenle nodded, setting the clothes down next to you. He kissed you softly, gently, a kiss so barely there it left you leaning forward to try to continue it. Cupping your cheek, he brushed his thumb along your skin.

You didn’t need help getting dressed, but he did it anyway. He loved the way you looked in his T-shirts, and even though it’s long enough to cover you, no way he’d risk it. Once you were finished, the two of you got ready for the day. You brushed your teeth together, he watched you brush your hair, and by the time you’re done, Jaemin was walking in the front door.

The three of you sat on the floor around Chenle’s coffee table, playing a game. He can’t remember what the game was anymore, only that you were terrible at it and that he loved winning.

Jaemin teased both of you the whole time, ruffling Chenle’s hair on multiple occasions. As much as he’d love to deny it, Chenle enjoyed that Jaemin liked the two of you together. It was almost like an affirmation, even if he didn’t need one.

Being the professional picture-snapper he was, Jaemin took the picture now hanging up on Chenle’s wall. You, with your arms crossed over your chest and a big pout on your face, and Chenle, smiling widely at you with such adoration in his eyes it should’ve been impossible.

“Lele?” Your soft voice breaks him away from his memory. He turns to you quickly, heart instantly halting in his chest when he sees his shirt on you.

“What are you doing up?” he asks.

“I was gonna ask you that.” You rub your eyes, feet shuffling on the floor as you walk over to him.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he replies and takes you in his arms with ease. “Didn’t want to bug you, sunshine.”

You don’t respond. All you do is bury your head in his chest and breathe him in. He runs his fingers through your hair, kissing the top of your head. With all the lights off, the only illumination is the full moon outside as it casts shadows on the ground. The faint blue makes you that much more ethereal to him.

“You okay?” he whispers.

“Mm,” you hum in response. “This is nice.”

Chenle smiles. “Yeah, it is. Always is.”

After a bit of silence and rocking you gently, an idea sparks. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, finding the playlist he made specifically for when he thinks about you, and sets it on the counter. You stare at him in tired confusion, but when one of his arms wraps around your waist, you catch on.

“What are you doing?” Humor is laced in your voice, but the sweet look on your face tells him his actions are making you happy. That’s his goal, constantly. All he wants is to make you happy.

“Checking something off the bucket list,” he replies, slowly turning you to the soft beat.

“Something’s missing,” you say as he twirls you.

He steals a glance at the way his shirt rides up your legs, showing just a peek of your panties beneath it.

“What?” he asks, pulling you back to him.

“Sing to me.” You place your hand on his chest.

His heart betrays him at that moment. It rages, and he knows you can feel it. Chenle sings in front of thousands of people all the time, but something about you is different. Something about you right now is different.

“What’s going on up in there?” You run your fingers through his hair. “You’ve been all weird today.”

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he admits. “Everything. From the moment we met up until this…it keeps repeating over and over again.”

“Welcome to my world,” you replied, grasping his shoulders. You massage them gently as you sway along with the music.

The confession from you makes him smile. At least he’s not the only one doing constant circles in his head. He calms a bit, and when a new song plays, he sings to you. Your body immediately relaxes into his, as if every stress you’ve ever had has left you without hesitation.

Chenle loves to sing. He does it all the time, and he only wants to keep getting better. To have someone like you as his partner, someone who supports him endlessly and genuinely loves his voice…it’s unparalleled.

He’s not sure how long the two of you are like this, or how long he’s singing for, but song after song, all he knows is that you’re smiling. You’re looking at him with unmatched adoration in your eyes, pure love. Nobody else has ever looked at him in this way, and he doesn’t want them to.

He wants to stay here with you and watch you love him in ways he’s never been loved before.

He stops. His singing fades out, and he furrows his eyebrows as he finally, finally realizes what’s been happening to him. You tilt your head, able to ask him questions without saying anything. His chest feels like it’s going to burst.

You’re it.

You’re everything, and he’s going to marry you.

He’s going to spend the rest of his life striving to make sure you love him as much as you do right now, if not more.

It seems like you feel it, too. Your face softens and you reach up to trace along his cheekbone. He leans into your touch, chasing the warmth like it’s the last time he’ll ever feel it.

“I…” He takes a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. “I’m so fucking in love with you.”

“I know.” You grin so wide, Chenle almost thinks it’ll split your face in two.

“Good.” He brushes your hair behind your ear. “I hope I’m doing a good job in showing you that every day.”

You pause, hands trailing down from his cheeks to his shoulders. “I have never once doubted that you love me, Lele. Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“I promise you I’ve never felt better,” he replies. “Just checking in with you.”

“You do so much more than you realize. No matter how busy you are, you text me to tell me you love me or that you’re thinking about me. You practice non-stop with the boys but you still make an effort with me when you could easily use that as an excuse. There is not one thing I could ask for that you don’t already do.” You press a quick kiss to his lips. “I’ll never doubt you.”

“Sometimes I worry,” he admits. “You make me…want to be better. In every way possible. In my career, in my life, with you. And if I’m not being better every day, then I don’t deserve you.”

“Chenle.” You give him a pointed look. “When I think back to the first day we met, I remember how…how you acted from the first time you spoke to me. At the time, I really thought I was crazy, but I knew you’d be someone to me. You didn’t even know me, but you were so kind. And now that we’re here like this, you haven’t changed. There’s no getting better. You’re already the best.”

“How do you do that?” He chuckles, kissing your forehead.

“Do what?”

“Know exactly what to say.”

“That’s my special talent,” you tell him.

“We should get back to bed,” Chenle says, sleep weighing on him. “Meeting the boys tomorrow.”

He grabs his phone from the counter, his heart full and warm as he leads you back to his bedroom. This time, as he’s lying with you pressed to his chest, he’s able to fall into his dreamland.

Despite his lack of sleep, Chenle is full of energy the next day. He wakes up and makes you coffee just the way you like before sitting on the edge of the bed by your sleeping form. When he sets the cup on the nightstand, you stir, turning over to face him.

“You’re gonna be late,” you mumble, even though you have no idea what time it is.

Chenle chuckles, leaning forward to kiss your forehead. “I’ll see you in a bit, okay? You can stay here if you want. Wanted to tell you I love you before I left.”

“Love you, too,” you say with a tired smile, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Drink your coffee before it gets cold. I’ll grab dinner for us on my way back.”

Walking away from you feels like someone’s trying to rip his heart out of his chest. You’re an extension of him at this point, and after his sudden realization last night, all he wants to do is spend the day curled up with you.

Luckily for him, his day passes by pretty quickly. He got a lot done today, and he was proud of that. You’d be proud of him, too. He’s itching to get home and tell you everything that happened. Staying true to his word, he picks up your favorite takeout.

He’s going to be honest with you about what was going on with him yesterday. It’s the right thing to do—and in a perfect world, you’ll feel the same way he does. He hasn’t felt this nervous since he admitted his feelings for you. Even though that side of him feels worlds away now, he remembers it like it was yesterday.

But the restaurant isn’t the only stop he makes.

He’s shaking by the time he gets back. Is a year really enough time? It is for him, but what if you think he’s insane?

When he arrives, he’s not expecting what you’ve done at all. The main lights are off, but a dim golden glow from the strips along the wall and the candles illuminate the room enough. He sets the bag down on the table, completely forgetting about the food as he searches for you.

“(Y/N)?”

“You’re earlier than I thought you’d be,” you tell him, walking out of his bedroom while still putting in an earring.

His throat dries. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words could ever justify the way you look right now. You put on a dress, one of his favorites, and he’s in jeans and a T-shirt.

You kiss his cheek. “I figured you deserve something nice to come home to.”

“You’re my something nice.” He wraps his arm around your waist. “Should I change?”

“We’re not going anywhere.” You shake your head. “Just relax and enjoy your gorgeous girlfriend.”

“Oh, I can get on board with that.” He allows you to lead him back to the table.

Once he’s taking the food out of the bag, he keeps stealing glances at you. You put in all this effort for him, and he knows how much work it must’ve been to hang up all these lights. The golden glow looks ethereal against your skin.

“Before we eat, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” He clears his throat to stop it from collapsing in on itself, but it doesn’t work.

“What’s up?” You set your elbow on the table and rest your head on your palm. “Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s perfect, actually.” He takes a deep breath, reaching to grab your free hand. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” You bite back a laugh.

“You can’t make fun of me for what I’m about to tell you.” He gives you the most serious look he can muster, and you nod.

“I wouldn’t do that,” you reassure him. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I…I want to love you forever.” He gulps. “And when I think of everything we’ve gone through and been through together, I seriously can’t imagine ever trying to have anyone else fill this spot you hold in my life.”

You perk up a bit, gaze staring into his. God, he loves how interested you are in what he has to say. How you’re listening to him so intently. His thumb rubs over your knuckles as he tries to think of the words he wants to use.

“I want to marry you. Call me crazy if you want, tell me you hate the idea, that’s fine, but I had to tell you. We obviously can’t get married now, or probably any time soon because of my contract, but I want you to know that it’s what I want. It’s what’s going to happen if you want it, too.”

You clear your throat and cover your mouth with your hand, eyes welling. Chenle’s heart aches seeing this reaction, knowing you feel as strongly as he does. He reaches into his pocket and puts a small box on the table in front of you.

“It’s not the real thing. Not yet. But I want you to know how serious I am, because if I was able to marry you, I would’ve done it yesterday.” He opens it, revealing a simple band in it. “Subtle enough where people won’t ask questions, but we’ll know.”

“Chenle, are you being serious right now?” You sniffle. “This is a very cruel prank.”

“The guys and I sat down together today to write a song. I think you’ll love it, so when we record it I’m sneaking you a copy. Anyway, we were there for twenty minutes, and words were just flowing out of me. I wrote about you. About how you make me feel, and I think anyone who knows about us will understand that when they listen to the song.”

He pauses to swallow past the lump in his throat.

“I want you. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life proving to you why I deserve that. Let me put this ring on you, and this can be the start.”

You quickly wipe your face as you nod. He takes your left hand, grabs the ring out of the box, and slips it on your middle finger.

“One day, this will be real.” Chenle catches another one of your tears. “I love you. There is not one thing in this world that could change that.”

His heart pounds in his chest as he watches your reaction. He wants to touch you and kiss you after pouring his thoughts out to you, but he needs to make sure you’re feeling the same way. The last thing he wants to do is overwhelm you.

His palms are sweaty and he can barely sit still. You groan, giving one last aggressive swipe below your eyes before you launch up from your chair and end up in his lap. You bury your head in his neck, squeezing him tighter than you should. He instinctively wraps his arms around your waist, softly chuckling at your outburst.

“You better not change your mind.” Cupping both of his cheeks, you try your best to look angry. “If you do, I’m marrying you anyway.”

His own vision blurs at the sight of you. You love him as much as he loves you, and you want to be with him forever.

You want to be with him forever.

The emotions rioting inside him surprise even him, and he blinks quickly to try and suppress the tears. It’s no use, because as soon as you notice, you start crying again. He groans and drops his head back on the chair, squeezing you closer to him.

“You’ll be the death of me,” Chenle says.

“Kiss me, you idiot.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. His mouth finds yours, both of you falling into each other’s rhythm. Saltiness from your tears lingers on your lips. He weaves his fingers through your hair, but no matter what he does, you’re just not close enough.

Pulling away from you, he rests his forehead on yours. “You should eat, sunshine.”

“You expect me to be able to eat after all of that?” You furrow your eyebrows. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“You’ll be sad if it gets cold,” he reminds you.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be sad again,” you whisper.

All thoughts escape him. Nothing else exists except for you, wrapped around him like a damn koala bear. He rests his hand on your thigh and lets your words sink deep into him.

Moments like these are hard to explain, he thinks. He’s only like this around you, so lost in his connection with you that he’s got nothing else on his mind. Anything and everything you say to him is tattooed in the darkest ink on his soul, until he’s covered in everything he wants to be for you.

“Promise me you’ll always look at me like that.” You break the silence, running your fingers through his hair and smiling.

“I promise.” He nods, barely realizing how he’s leaning forward.

Your eyes flutter shut as he inches closer. He kisses you softly, almost as if he fears he’ll break you. His fingers splay out across the small of your back and he traces shapes into the soft fabric of your dress. You’re overwhelming. His love for you is, too. So much so, he feels as if he’s going to burst out of his skin. He’s going to wake up and everything will have been a dream, because there’s no way he’d ever done anything in his life to deserve someone like you.

You hum into his mouth, rolling your hips once. His breathing stutters as his first instinct is to lift toward you. At first, he wants to stay like this, you clinging onto him like you’d be lost without him, but when you grind down a second time, he feels a twitch in his pants.

It’s been over a week since the last time he’s been inside you thanks to his schedules. And now you’re on top of him, wearing his favorite dress of yours, and kissing him like you’ll never be able to feel him again after tonight.

He’s tired, but he’s never too tired for you. Brushing your hair away, he leans down to kiss your neck, licking the expanse of your soft skin. Your pulse thunders beneath his tongue, and he has to fight the urge to bite down.

Touching you like this is different when he knows he’ll never lose you. You’re his forever.

His lips press against the sensitive spot below your ear, and the short moan escaping you just about sends him up the wall. When he pulls away to get a good look at you, your eyes are dark, lips already swollen from the way he kissed you.

He tries to catch his breath while he silently asks you if this is what you want. You nod, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. Standing, he lifts you up until your legs are secure around his waist, and he grabs your ass with one hand and the back of your head with the other.

Mouths attached, he doesn’t separate from you until he’s setting you down on his bed. He barely has time to appreciate the candles you lit in here, too, the soft scent of vanilla flooding his senses. You already try to push his T-shirt up, anything to feel his skin on yours. He obliges, pulling it over his head before returning to kissing you like his life depended on it. When your hands find the button on his jeans, he grabs your wrist.

“Patience, baby.” Chenle runs his fingers up and down your thigh. “We have the rest of our lives. Let me take my time with you tonight.”

Just like that, you’re putty in his hands. He smirks at the realization. Sneaking his touch up your leg, the hem of the dress moves to accommodate him. He stops when he feels the lace of your panties.

“Did you dress up for me twice, sunshine?” he hums.

“Always,” you say, shamelessly staring at his lips. “Do you love me, Chenle?”

His whole body vibrated from those words. They made him feel at a frequency he hadn’t quite reached yet, and all he wanted to do was rip that damn dress off.

“More than anything.”

He can’t really say it’s ‘like second nature’ anymore. There’s nothing second about it. This is you. Anything to do with you is first nature, no matter what it is. His world revolves around you, everything he does is based on what you want, and he wouldn’t change that in any way.

“Show me,” you whisper, so intoxicating he almost crumbles to his knees right in front of you.

How embarrassing that all it takes is two words to have him give in to you. He’s straining against his pants now, his cock aching to be free and buried inside you.

“Don’t worry. I will.” He kisses you again, soft and sweet like his hand isn’t so, so close to your dripping, eager core. Heat radiates from you, and all he wants is to be consumed by it.

He drags your panties down your legs, nails gently scratching your skin on the way down. Your chest rises and falls quickly as you try to regain your breath, but he loves the way you’re so desperate for him. The way you want him just as much as he wants you.

He doesn’t want to be patient anymore. Every cell in his body is urging him to connect with yours, but he wants to take care of you. That side of him always wins, otherwise both of you would probably be done already.

His finger dances along your entrance. He inhales sharply as your wetness coats his skin. You move your hips toward him, practically begging him for stimulation. He teasingly nudges your clit, pleasantly surprised by the way your body jolts.

Mouth brushing yours, he takes the second of distraction to slide two fingers inside you. As your lips part to release a moan, he mirrors the action, eyes fluttering shut as he slowly, slowly thrusts his hand.

Your walls squeeze so hard, he curses. He could fuck you a thousand times, and you’d still be as tight as you are right now. His heart goes straight into overdrive, but all the blood in his body is shooting down to his cock. He’s painfully hard, rocking back and forth gently.

He kisses you, lips working against yours in a perfect harmony. Your sounds are his favorite. He loves knowing it’s him making you feel this way, that he has the power to make your knees weak and your pussy throb.

He lets out a moan when he scissors his fingers, trying his best to prepare you. God, you’re so warm and wet and tight, he isn’t sure if he’ll be able to last long tonight. His pace quickens, sounds of your slickness filling the room.

You call out his name, back arching as you grasp desperately at his shoulders. He leans in and kisses your cheek, making sure to press his palm into your clit every time he’s knuckle deep.

“You’re perfect, baby,” he whispers with his lips against your ear, voice rough. “I love you so much. So fucking much.”

You tense, pussy clamping down hard on his fingers as your hips buck. He swears he can see the pleasure running up your spine in the way you arch and shake. Your nails dig into his shoulders, but he’s not in the right mind to care. Your mouth opens, sounds pouring out as you finish. He loves you all the time, but one of his favorite looks on you is when he watches you orgasm—your face so overcome with pleasure he caused…he would never get enough of it.

He keeps moving until he’s sure you’ve come down from your high. When he brings his fingers up to his mouth to suck your juices off, you watch longingly, the dark look in your gaze enough to have his cock twitching in his pants.

You slide off the bed, forcing him to take a couple steps back. He’s not sure what you’re going to do at first. Your struggle to reach your zipper, and as much as he wants to bend you over with the dress still on, he wants to be gentle with you tonight. He doesn’t get to make love to you often, and that’s all he’s going to do tonight.

Instead of watching you attempt to reach it, he turns you around and pulls you to him until your back is against his chest. His hand is splayed out across your stomach, holding you so you feel how hard he is.

“I’m going crazy,” you mutter, dropping your head back. “I need you so bad.”

He moves your hair out of his way, kissing the base of your neck quickly before he unzips you. Moving slowly on purpose, he lets his finger drag along your spine on the way down. You shiver, pushing yourself back into him.

“I’m gonna make love to you.” He finally lets himself bite down on your shoulder as he nudges the straps down. “For the rest of our lives. Nobody but me.”

“Nobody but you,” you respond, allowing the dress to pool at your feet.

He turns you around, hands immediately finding your ass and squeezing it. Within seconds, he has your bra unclasped and across the room. “So beautiful.”

When your hands find his jeans, he doesn’t stop you this time. You push them down his legs, desperate to have him inside you. Once his jeans are off, you palm him through his boxers, and he needs you so badly, that simple touch almost finishes him off. That would’ve been embarrassing.

He takes off the remaining fabric separating you two before leading you over to the bed. You lie in the middle, and he climbs on top of you. He kisses you passionately, tongue already dancing with yours, both of you more than ready. His cock is so hard, he’s only half convinced he won’t cum as soon as he’s in.

He nudges your clit with his leaking tip, moving down to your entrance to apply just enough pressure before pulling away. You whine, desperate for more.

“Chenle, please.”

His head dips down as he continues teasing you, wrapping his lips around your nipple. You whimper, running your fingers through his hair. Having you so desperate for him makes him want to give you everything you’re asking for, but something makes him wait.

“Please,” you cry out, lifting your hips up. “Need you.”

He’s ready to fall apart from you words alone. Pulling away from your chest, he reaches down to line himself up with you. He watches you closely as he pushes his throbbing cock into your quivering pussy. Your eyes roll back as you arch into him.

Your walls swallow him, velvet clamping down on him. He clenches his jaw as he bottoms out and fists the sheets next to your head.

“So perfect,” he whispers, kissing your jawline.

One of his favorite things about you is how unafraid you are to look at him. Pleasure weighs on your eyelids, and you try your best not to close them, but even like this, you never look away.

He’s fully inside you, his cock seated within your fluttering walls. The last thing he wants to do is overwhelm you, so he gently rocks his hips to help you adjust. He kisses you everywhere he can reach.

“You always take me so well,” he praises you, nipping the base of your neck.

He’ll never get over how perfectly he fits between your legs, like this space was made for him.

“Move,” you tell him, smacking his shoulder.

He lets out a soft chuckle, but lowers his mouth to yours as he starts a steady pace. You squeeze him so tight, it’s like your body doesn’t want to let him out of you. He pulls out until his tip is barely inside, and then pushes back in just as slowly. It wreaks havoc on your body, your wetness squelching every time he moves.

He wants you to feel all of him. Feel the entirety of his cock rubbing your walls with every thrust.

Somehow, it’s hotter this way. A thin sheen of sweat covers his skin as he takes his time with you. Sure, he gets sweaty when he fucks you, but nothing compares to the close intimacy of love making—his chest brushing against yours with every thrust, long, sweet moans filling the otherwise quiet bedroom.

“You sing so pretty,” Chenle mutters, tonguing the sensitive spot below your ear. “You like the way I feel?”

Before he can even process what you’re doing, you wrap your legs around his waist and roll until you’re on top of him. He’s flat on his back, eyes flitting along your body like he hasn’t had a real chance to see it yet.

Candle light illuminates your skin, and the sight makes his cock twitch. He runs his hands along your sides, squeezing your hips.

Chenle likes being in control. He likes guiding you in a way that has you both in shambles by the end, and he truly underestimated how beautiful you’d look on top of him. You lift up, teasing him as slow as he was moving with you, but between the sight and the feeling, he feels an all too-familiar tingling sensation at the base of his length.

It’s too soon for him, so he decides to tug you down, holding you there while his eyes close and his head thuds against the mattress. He doesn’t need to say a word to you.

“Chenle.” You stroke a hand down his chest. “It’s okay. You don’t need to hold back for me.”

“Just…need a second.” He gulps.

When he finally catches his breath, he sits up, chest pressing against yours.

“This was supposed to be about you,” he says, moving back slightly to fit his hand between the two of you. “Showing you my love and everything.”

He finds your clit with his thumb, staring at you intently as your wetness makes it easy for him to rub circles. His other hand still firmly grips your waist, which only allows you to squirm instead of bouncing on him like you crave to do.

“I need to move,” you whimper, grinding down. “Please.”

He nods, loosening his grip on you. You brace yourself on his shoulders, finally taking his cock the way you want it. His nails dig into your thigh while he continues his work on your bud, and it only spurs you on. You move faster, no doubt trying to chase your orgasm.

His moans get louder, matching yours. If his hands weren’t so occupied, he’d want to squeeze your ass or tweak your nipples. Anything to bring you higher. He changes the patterns his thumb rubs, and it’s like a jolt of electricity runs through your body.

You curse, dropping your head on his shoulder as you nod. “Don’t stop, Lele.”

With both of you hanging so close to the edge, he waits until you’re sitting back down on his cock to buck his hips up. He doesn’t want to finish first, but he’s so close, all the warning signs of his impending high are getting far too real.

“Gonna cum,” he tells you, releasing your thigh to grab your ass.

Your walls clamp down on him hard, a long, pleasured sound escaping you as you grind down on him. Back arching, your head falls back. Your orgasm hits both you and Chenle like a freight train, and within seconds, everything inside him explodes, and he’s spilling his cum deep inside you while telling you over and over again that he loves you.

You crumple into his chest. He runs his fingers through your hair, whispering praises to you between head kisses.

“I’m gonna lay you down, sunshine,” he says.

You nod, and he turns you so he can put your back on the mattress. He carefully pulls out of you, putting his boxers back on before going into the bathroom to grab you a towel. This is one of his favorite ways to see you. Your eyes are closed, hands on your cheeks. You look like he’s fucked all the energy out of you, and he loves that he has the capability to do that.

He cleans you up, then grabs a clean pair of panties for you and one of his T-shirts.

“I have an idea,” he says.

“What is it?” You wrap your arms around him.

“You pick whatever movie you want, and I’ll go warm up your dinner?” He raises his eyebrows at you.

You fake a gasp. “Are you saying you’re going to feed me in bed?”

“After all of that, I’d agree to just about anything you want.” He chuckles when you shove his shoulder. Grabbing your hand, he twirls the band on your finger. “Wait here for me?”

When he walks out of the room, he stops at the doorway to watch you excitedly lunge for the remote. It doesn’t take long for him to warm up the food, turn off the lights, and blow out the candles in the kitchen.

The rest of the night is spent with the two of you sitting against the headboard, laughing along to your favorite movie while eating your favorite takeout. So many thoughts have come and gone from Chenle’s brain in the past couple days alone, but he’s more than happy he gets to sit here with you every night for the rest of his life.

He’s lost in your laugh and the way you smile at him and how you make his heart race with the simplest things. None of the other members knew about the ring he bought you, but he’ll tell them soon.

After the food is gone, Chenle cleans it up. There’s still half a movie left, so when he gets back, he pulls the comforter back so you can cuddle up to him for the remainder. Even though the candles have long since been put out, vanilla still clouds the air.

“Love you,” Chenle whispers, kissing your temple.

“Love you, too.” You sigh in content, resting your head on his chest.

He knows that means you’re only seconds from sleep, and he rubs your arm soothingly. The movie continues to play, but neither of you are paying attention anymore—you’re asleep, and Chenle’s thinking about what kind of wedding dress you’ll wear.

#nct dream #nct imagines #chenle #nct dream smut #nct #nct scenarios #chenle imagine #chenle x reader #chenle smut #chenle fluff #nct dream fluff #nct x reader #nct dream imagines

709 notes · View notes

vxperorchist · 2 years

Text

Playing with their hair!

Scaramouche, Childe, Albedo, Xiao, Ayato, Heizou x Gn! Reader

Warnings: Language

Theme: Fluff

I've been thinking of this for months and I need to write it, so here I am 😍🖐️

Sorry for any mistakes 😍

Scaramouche

HIS HAIR IS HELLA SOFTTT. He has seen your small glances at his hair, and eventually he will let you touch it.

Scaramouche was already laying on your shared bed when you walked in. His hat was off and he almost looked like he was sleeping. Not knowing if he was sleeping or not, you sat down next to him. Now letting intrusive thoughts get to you, you swept the hairs out of his face. You started to run your finger through his hair. You decided to stop after a while. You got ready to lay down and he snatched your hand and put it back on his head. "Keep doing that." He said sternly. He eventually fell asleep. (He would start playing with your hair too if you were trying to sleep)

Childe

He would never tell you, but he has wanted you to play with his hair for so long. He played with his siblings hair to help put them to sleep.

You two were at his family home for the week, your boyfriend had just put his siblings to bed. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He laughed and tackled you onto the couch. He was laying on top of you like the man child he was. You put your hand on the back of his head and ran your hand through his hair. It was a little messy, but nice overall. He had a lot of hair. It was a lot of thin strands. He immediately fell asleep on you. Now, when your hands are free he will grab your hand and put it on his head. (Play with his hair)

Albedo

Albedo HAS SOME NICE HAIR. HAVE YOU SEEN HIS HAIR? KSJSHDHS. It's soft man. He keeps it nice, but no one ever really asked to mess with it before? He wouldn't mind though.

You crept up behind him as he was working. "Albedo, you almost done?" You asked from behind him, your hands on his shoulders. "Not yet, perhaps another hour?" You rolled your eyes and watched him work for a few minutes. Your hand traveled from his shoulder to his nape. You moved your hand upwards torwards his hair. Messing with his hair, he started to relax into your hands. Goosebumps formed along his neck. "Oh that feels nice. Can you continue after I'm done?" He turned around to look at you, grabbing your cheek and leaving a kiss.

Xiao

Xiao and touch are still a difficult bunch, playing with his hair was one of the first types of physical touch you ignited with him.

He was resting when you get first let you touch his hair. Leaning against a rock, as he was doing some things around town. He doesn't really sleep, so when he took some time to rest his eyes, you figured to help him sleep you would touch his hair. Being gentle of course, you slowly put your hand on his head, moving some strands around. He was awake at this time, and he opened his eye to see you. You were innocently laying next to him, hand in his hair. Once he realized you were calmed and meant good things, he relaxed.

Ayato

Ayato was open to the idea of you playing with his hair, you could really do whatever you wanted. He loved your touch, yet he was a busy man.

You walked into the kitchen, he was leaning against the counter talking to Thoma. "Thoma!" You greeted and walked over to Ayato as he wrapped an arm around you. "You are dismissed Thoma." "I'll talk to you later my lord." Thoma smiled and left the room. "Well hello "My lord."" You kissed him and he began to deepen the kiss. Your hands moved quickly to his head, and started to mess with his hair. At this point, you were borderline making out, however he broke the kiss after a moment. "Mm, that feels nice." He smiled as you massaged his hair.

Heizou

HEIZOU HEUZOU PRETTY HAIR EJDH. He has nice hair and he knows it. He's played with your hair plenty, so why not pay him back?

Heizou came home all whiny from a mission he claimed was "Too easy." "No fun, I was hoping for something a little more challenging you know?" He was sitting in his office chair as you came up behind him and planted a kiss on his forehead. He tilted his head up, and you put your head on his and put your hands on his head, messing with his hair. He got out of his chair and dragged you over to the bed where you could continue massaging his head. "Oh archons please continue." He whined as you stopped for a moment.

Kazuha

Kazuha didn't like to put his hair down, he claimed it got in his way but he didn't want to cut it. He liked it the way it was, and you didn't blame him.

"Kazuha?" "Hm?" "Would you mind if I played with your hair?" He laughed at your question. "Of course not, we are alone and the wind isn't bothersome, therefore I suppose you could do what you like with my hair." He positioned himself to the point you could mess with his hair. His hair was a little tangly due to the wind, but after a while if brushing it with your fingers it became soft and fluffy. He would ask if you would like it too, so he could know what you liked too 😉

#kazuha x reader #xiao x reader #genshin impact #albedo x reader #childe x reader #albedo #kaedehara kazuha #ayato x reader #ayato #genshin scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #heizou x reader #shikanoin heizou #OrchistList

4K notes · View notes

blackbirdie1234 · 28 days

Text

The Best Admirer

Fred! Weasley x GN!Reader

(Friends to lovers <3)

This is a Gender nuetral fic. I have only ever written for Fem! but I tried my best to use language that was GN. Let me know if there is anything I can do to improve!

a/n: Sorry for taking so long with this fic. I wanted to try something different. You and Fred are in your sixth year, also scabbers isn't Petter Pettigrew in this he is just a rat lol. Thank you for all the likes and interactions! I'm glad you all like my content. Feel free to request more Harry Potter fics for any character! As always feel free to interact and comment :) Not proof read!

Summary: You have been receiving letters from a secret admirer for weeks. The only problem is you are in love with Fred Weasley, who acts like you are best buds and nothing more. What happens when the secret admirer decides they are done sending letters and wants to meet in person.

This is the sixth letter you have received in the last two weeks. Not that you aren't flattered, you just wish that this "secret admirer" would reveal themselves already. You aren't the most patient person, you never have been and all these letters are pushing your curiosity.

The first letter was lovely. You had never had someone pay that much attention to you or at least tell you about it. It made you start questioning who this mystery person was.

"Dear Y/n, A few days ago I saw you sitting in the library, catching up on DADA homework. I have never seen anyone look so ethereal. How can someone look so unearthly, while doing something so mundane? The way you stick your tongue out ever so slightly when you are writing, or when you bite your lip when you are focused on something so intense makes me melt. I've never seen something so perfect. I hope I don't sound creepy, but I wanted to express how amazing you are to me.

Love, your secret admirer."

After the third one, your curiosity increased. You had no clue who it could be. Valentine's Day was coming up and you wondered if your admirer would reveal themselves soon. As selfish as it was you only had one person you hoped this could be.

Fred Weasley

You and Fred have been friends since the first year after he defended you against a seventh-year student who thought it was funny to make fun of your glasses.

Fred has always been a good friend to you. You're close to George as well, but it could never compare to the connection you have with his brother. You and Fred understand each other in a way no one else could. You didn't develop a crush on him until your third year, but ever since then, your feelings have only grown.

It's a cold and wet February day, not that you mind. You've always found comfort in the rain.

You are walking to class with a group of your friends, holding the latest letter in your hand, when you hear distinct laughter behind you.

"OI, BUNNY!" You hear footsteps bounding behind you as you turn around to see Fred and George sharing a wide smile and jogging to catch up to you.

"I'll catch up with you lot later." You wave to your friends as they continue walking to McGonagall's classroom.

"Bunny please tell George that I am your favorite Weasley. He seems to have it in his diluted mind that HE is the favorite and that just cannot be true, can it?" Fred smirks, knowing you would choose him over George any day of the week.

"Hmm, but you aren't." You hold back a smile as Fred's face falls in confusion and George's eyes perk up in interest.

"Yeah, yeah I thought you knew. Scabbers is definitely my favorite Weasley." You say with a smile as you start walking.

Fred's face turns from confusion into full disgust.

"You choose A RAT over ME?? A literal RAT." Fred says sounding appalled, only having to take a few steps until he's beside you, George following suit.

"I don't blame her, he is way less annoying than you" George remarks, a smirk appearing on his face before his brother pushes him into the corridor wall.

"Why do you hurt me so, love?" Fred feigns a frown, clutching his chest as if you've injured him.

"I am sorry darling, how will I ever repay you?" You respond, giggling softly at the boy's overdramatic ways.

"Hmmm, profess your undying love for me and maybe I will forgive you" He spoke with a mischievous grin, dodging your hand barrelling towards him with a laugh.

"In your dreams, Weasley" You retort, rolling your eyes but turning away to hide the blushing smile creeping upon your face.

You, Fred, and George walk to class, lowering your heads as you walk in the classroom trying to be discreet so you don't feel disappointment in Mcgonagals gaze when she sees that you are late as always.

You normally sit with Fred but decided to sit next to Hermione today, you wanted to read the note without Fred questioning what you were doing. You NEEDED to figure out who this mystery person was. It was eating you alive. Fred would just complicate things, he would probably try and read the letter and you did NOT want to explain what was happening. And yes maybe it was because you were secretly hoping it was him, and him seeing the letter and not knowing what it was would ruin that thought for you. So you were keeping it a secret. At least until you figure out who it is.

You kept reading the letters over and over again. You were obsessed at this point. Whoever this was obviously knew you well, they write as if they've known you for a long time. They would add details that you are sure you have only told a few people. They knew your favorite color, flower, and food, they even knew that you preferred to keep your hair long and over your ears because you felt insecure about it. If they weren't so poetic and sweet in their words you would be creeped out but you could tell this person was genuine, just by the way they wrote to you, as if you were someone worth writing for.

The next few days you became distant from everyone around you. You stayed to yourself in class, at the library, in your dorm. You wanted to figure out the letters so you decided the best way to investigate and you needed there to be no distractions. Even though you are an introvert you at least talk to your friends, especially Fred and George. All you could think about though was those stupid letters and who it could possibly be. You ruled out the majority of your friends, as you only have a small group of them.

You begin reading another letter.

"Dear Y/n, I must confess, I've admired you in secret for quite a while now. I've been enchanted by your beauty, intelligence, kindness, and your grace. I am scared you will not look at me the same after finding out who I am. I fear it will affect our connection. I just can't love you in secret anymore. So I have decided to explain how I feel in these letters in the hope you will understand exactly how I feel about you. I am not always great at expressing how I feel out loud so I hope this will make up for it. I admire you for many reasons but here are a few I can point out. I admire the way you carry yourself with such confidence and poise, yet remain humble and kind in your words and actions. Your inner beauty reflects the outer, captivating all who have the privlidge of seeing it. I will reveal myself soon my love. For now, I will continue to send these letters and poems as a reminder that I have loved you before, I will love you now, and I will love you after. With love, your secret admirer."

As you sit by the black lake re-reading the letter in your hands, you are pulled from your thoughts when you hear your name being called in the distance.

"Y/N" You hear, voice loud despite being almost a football field away from you. You know who it is obviously, you could recognize that voice anywhere. George. You slam your book shut, the letter hiding beneath the pages.

As the boy gets closer you wonder what he's doing alone. It's strange to see him without his brother by his side, both walking in sync, talking or laughing about the next prank/invention they are going to whip up. So seeing him walk up alone was very odd.

"Hey bunny, where have you been?" He questions sitting next to you, taking his shoes off making sure not to get dirt on the blanket scrawled out beneath you both. Bunny a nickname given to you by Fred in your first year on the ride to Hogwarts, he told you it's because your eyes and nose reminded him of a bunny and coincidently it is now your patronus.

"Oh you know, just been busy with potions work. Snape has really pilled it on this week, just trying to make sure I stay on track" You say trying not to show the nervousness buried beneath your smile.

"Fred and I could've helped you with that, Snape may be sick of us but we are damn good at potions" He replies with a cocky smirk, not noticing the lie. You're glad Fred isn't here because he would have seen right through you and questioned you until you spilled.

"Did you need something, not that I don't enjoy your company but you came down here with a sort of determination" You laughed softly while speaking, showing your amusement at the ginger's abrupt greeting.

George's face lit up as if he remembered something important and then reached for his pocket.

"Actually yes" He grins while pulling a pink-tinted letter. A letter that looked all too familiar.

Your eyes widened in surprise. What the HELL was George doing with that letter. Your mind raced as you tried to remember if you might've dropped or misplaced one of the letters, but that couldn't be possible since you kept them in your nightstand with an enchanted lock. You tried to hide your horrified expression as you thought just for a second that George was the one who was sending you these letters. Just as you were about to speak he cleared things up.

"I was told to give this to you, urgent matter" He wiggled his eyebrows while handing it to you, a boyish grin on his face the whole time.

You took the letter with hesitation staring at it, then looking back at George dumbfounded.

"Who gave this to you?" You questioned, shaking the letter with your hand.

"You'll just have to read it and find out I guess" He answered, not giving you much before standing up and placing his shoes back on his feet. Not before you see the small grin that he is obviously trying to hide.

You sit there watching him walk away, not knowing what to think you open the letter placed in your hand.

" Dear Y/n, Hello love, I hope you are well on this beautiful day. By the time you read this letter, I will be preparing. I have sent George to find you and give you this letter for a very special reason. If you want to meet me and know who I am, I will be at the astronomy tower tonight waiting for you. Meet me there at 9 o'clock tonight, bring your wand ;) Love, your secret admirer."

He wants to meet, tonight.

You look up to see the sun setting behind the water and realize it is time for dinner.

You immediately get up and flick your wand, effectively clearing your area of the lawn and packing up your things neatly into your bag. You snatch the bag and run to the castle.

You sit down next to Fred, he looks up at you with a smile. You realize you've been ignoring him for the past couple of weeks. You've been so busy with these letters you haven't even been sitting with him at dinner, as you normally always do.

"Oi Bunny, finally decided to sit next to me have you?" Fred says in a fake annoyed tone, not hiding the smile on his face when you look at him with guilt.

"Don't act as if you haven't missed me dearly darling" You speak, falling back into the playful banter you're used to.

"I'm not acting anything, love. I can't believe you left me with the kids, I've had to get a second job to pull the load" He fake sobs putting his face into his hands.

You rub his back laughing "Oh I am so sorry, honey. I'll buy you a new broom to make up for it."

His head shoots up with a smile "All is forgiven, buttercup"

You both laugh as George and Lee look between the two of you with confusion on their faces.

"You lot are so odd," George says laughing.

You enjoy the rest of dinner throwing banter with your friends, soaking in the time spent with them. You didn't realize how much you missed them until now. You wanted to enjoy this before you met your mystery person tonight.

You didn't realize you were staring at Fred the whole dinner until he looked at you and asked if there was something on his face. You responded by tucking your face away as it turned beet red.

"What should I wear? What if this is a prank? What if it's a first year or something?? Oh god, was I too nice to that one Ravenclaw in the great hall last month when he spilled milk on himself and I helped him clean it up???" You rant, pacing back and forth in your dorm.

Your friend who was sitting on the bed in front of you stands up grabbing your shoulders.

"Calm down! Breath!" they say shaking you back and forth, making you look at them.

They push you onto the bed and walk to the closet while talking.

"It is not a prank, you are a catch! I'm surprised you aren't getting letters from every person at Hogwarts by now" They say winking at you cheekily. "It is not a first year, especially not that Ravenclaw bloke" They answer putting clothes on the bed next to you in stacks. "If you want me to be honest I think it's a certain redhead who is always ogling you from afar without you noticing." They look at you waving their eyebrows and smirking.

"Who? Ron???" You ask with a look of disgust.

"No, you can be so daft sometimes you know" They roll their eyes in disappointment. "Fred, of course. Who else looks at you like you hold the stars in your eyes"

"Fred? No way." You put your head down hiding the blush threatening to rise to your cheeks. "He most definitely does not look at me like that. Besides, I think he likes Angelina." You can't help the jealousy raging in your chest as you think about it.

"What? No way! She and George have been going out for weeks now, they follow each other around like lovesick puppies. You've been so busy focusing on these letters you just haven't noticed." They speak knowingly as they pick up an outfit and hold it up for you to try on, pushing it towards you.

You breathe out in relief at the new information, standing up and heading to the bathroom. More of your roommates come into the dorm and help you get ready, excited for you to finally meet the person who has occupied your thoughts for the past few weeks.

Every time you come out of the bathroom you get their opinions and then shoved back in with 20 more items. After an hour, you finally walk out of the bathroom and the room is completely silent. Everyone is in awe just staring at you, mouths open.

"What?? What's wrong?" You hurriedly speak, looking down at yourself and then back at everyone with concern on your face.

Everyones face lights up and they start speaking all at once.

"You look amazing!"

"You're so hot omg!"

"Who is this lucky git who gets to see you like this"

They flood you with compliments, all agreeing this is the outfit you NEED to wear tonight.

Girl outfit ideas 1,2,3.

Guy outfit ideas 1,2,3.

Gn outfit ideas 1,2,3.

(Feel free to imagine any outfit you want these are just some ones I like)

Your friend takes your hand and drags you to the full-length mirror in the middle of the room, a big smile on their face, placing you in front of it and showing you the outfit in all its glory.

"You have to wear this, you look amazing. Anyone would be lucky to see you in this on a date like wow." They say in awe, everyone else in the room sharing their looks and sounds of approval.

They give you some accessories and pull the outfit fully together. You do your hair put some makeup on, look in the mirror, and smile.

Getting ready helped ease your nerves but now that you are ready and you have to wait all of the anxiety is coming back full force. The overwhelming thoughts flood back into your brain.

What If I don't like the person?

Can someone really like me this much?

Should I even go?

Before you could get too lost in your thoughts you heard the clock.

Dingggg, dinggggg, dingggg

You look up and read the time.

Shit I'm going to be late

You take one last look in the mirror and grab your wand before leaving the dorm and sneaking down the stairs.

You sneak around the castle making sure to not run into any prefects or Filch. When you get to the tower door you take a deep breath before continuing up the stairs.

When you walk into the tower the doorway is lined with candles leading to the middle of the room, as you continue walking you see a blanket with flower petals lying around the beautifully woven cloth. A wicker basket sits in the middle of the blanket, overflowing with bread, pastries, cheese, and jam.

As you are processing the sight before you, footsteps coming from behind you make you freeze.

"I almost thought you wouldn't come" A deep husky voice comes from behind you, giving you goosebumps across your skin.

Fred?

You turn around slowly, your face showing the shock you feel in your bones.

"Y-you?" You stutter releasing a breath you didn't know you were holding.

"Disappointed?" Fred questions, a shy smile on his face but you can hear the nervousness in his voice.

"Is this real? I mean are you being serious?" A mix of questioning and genuine shock bleeding into your words as you speak. You feel as if the room is spinning as you try to grasp the reality of this situation.

"Do you think I would joke about this? Come on Bunny, I know I make jokes and pranks but I'm not a foul git." Fred laughs trying to ease the tension that lingers in the space between you before he continues.

"I have felt this way for a very long time, I just haven't known how to tell you" He walks towards you slowly, and you finally sink back into the moment enough to see the flowers in his hands.

"(Your favorite flower)" You say softly, staring at the beautifully arranged bouquet in his hands. "How did you-"

"In the third year, you had a muggle book of flowers, you left it in the common room one day and when I returned it to you I noticed a particular page that looked more worn than the others. I just figured this was your favorite. Other than that it just suits you. If I were to imagine you as a flower I'd guess this one." Fred looks down and blushes as he realizes he just went on a rant about you as a flower but quickly tries to save his confidence by looking back up and stepping closer to you holding the bouquet out for you to take.

You look into his eyes and then at the flowers before taking them. You were completely and utterly dumbfounded. Never in a million years did you believe this moment would ever happen, but you couldn't be happier.

You smile brightly at Fred. "Thank you, Fred. Genuinely, this is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"For you anything" He replies, looking down at you with nothing but pure adoration in his eyes.

He offers his hand for you to take and you accept, putting your hand in his. You blush realizing how large his hands actually are. He leads you to the blanket and keeps your hand in his as he helps you sit. He moves to the other side of the blanket, taking two glasses and filling them with wine. He hands one to you and takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"Y/n, I love you. I have loved you since the first year when I saw you at the sorting ceremony. You had big dorky glasses and your face was bright as a tomato, I saw how nervous you were going up in front of everyone but I never understood why. When I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen, I couldn't understand how someone could be nervous when they had absolutely nothing to hide from. It wasn't just me, I saw how other people looked at you as well. It isn't just your looks that drew me in though, it was that quiet giggle I heard behind me when I accidentally hit Marcus Flint with a dung bomb. It was the most amazing sound I had ever heard in my entire life. That sound is the single reason I continued to prank people. I wanted to hear you laugh any chance I got and eventually, I started enjoying pranking and making jokes because it was fun. I am telling you this because I want you to understand how much you have turned my life upside down Y/n L/n. I understand if you don't feel the same but I couldn't keep this from you any longer. I meant everything I wrote in those letters, I didn't know how to tell you how I felt without ruining our friendship. I wasn't even going to send the letters when I began writing them, I wrote letters for you for over a year before I sent the first one. I saved them in hopes that one day I could send them and finally express how I felt to you. I know this is a lot to process and I am sorry if this is too much for you and if you need time I fully understand." Fred expresses holding your hand and looking into your eyes taking in every expression on your face. At the end, he releases a long breath, and you can see his shoulders relax. You now understand how much this had affected him and how long he has been hiding.

He stares at you waiting for you to speak or even make a sound, when suddenly you smash your lips against his. His eyes widen in surprise and he sinks into the kiss. He grips the back of your head, not roughly but hard enough to keep you in the same position. You grip at his shirt, as your mouths continue to move perfectly in sync. When both of you finally pull away your chest heaves, trying to steady your breathing.

"I feel the same way Fred, you don't even understand how glad I am that it is you" You smile, face flushed at the realization of the bold move you just pulled.

"Well, I'd bloody hope so, or do you just like kissing your friends?" You both laugh, the sound airy and light.

You sit and talk for hours under the starlight. Both sharing smiles and laughs, enjoying each other's company. Fred gives you his jacket when he sees you shiver and you take in the warmth, noticing he put on a new cologne you've never smelt before. You sit, eat, talk, and cuddle until you realize how late it is.

"Oh shit" You shriek, sitting up quickly. "What time is it?" You look back at Fred, still lying on the blanket. His eyes go wide as he checks his watch.

You and Fred clean up the blanket and food and begin walking to the door.

You feel your wrist being tugged and you look behind you.

"Hold on, I know a different way." He grins widely and drags you to the other side of the tower, he pulls out his wand. He gestures his wand at you, telling you to bring yours out.

"Repeat after me, revelio" He asks

Fred holds up three fingers, pointing his wand at the floor and you follow suit. When the last finger goes down you speak in unison.

"Revelio"

Suddenly the floor opens up and a staircase unfolds before your eyes. You stand there shocked, wondering how Fred discovered this mystery passage.

"Lumos" Fred mumbles and light shoots out of his wand, allowing you to see down the stairs. He gestures for you to take his hand and you hesitantly accept.

"Trust me, it's just a passage. I would never put you in harm's way." Fred assures you, turning forward after you nod your head and he begins descending the steps.

You continue hand in hand down the stairs, and when you reach the bottom you realize you are right next to the Gryffindor common room.

"How in the world did you figure this out?" You question astonished. You think back to all of the pranks he has pulled without getting caught and into trouble, it makes you wonder how many of these secret passages he has figured out.

"A good magician never reveals his secrets" Fred smirks and whispers the password to the very tired and annoyed fat lady.

He walks you to your dorm stairs and you both blush and giggle staring at each other.

"I guess this is goodnight" Fred whispers, looking at you as if you hold the sun in your eyes.

"I guess it is" You reply, both of you slowly leaning in.

"Goodnight"

You close the space between you and share a sweet and loving kiss.

You pull away first but Fred chases your lips making you giggle into another peck.

"Okay, okay we really need to get to bed" You laugh lightly, trying to be quiet and not make yourselves known to any nosy students.

"You really want to go" He pouts, even though he is joking you can see the hesitation in his eyes. Not wanting this moment to end.

"I'll see you tomorrow" You smile, enjoying watching him yearn for your affection.

"Promise?"

"I promise"

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mcflymemes · 12 days

Text

PROMPTS FROM THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) * assorted dialogue, adjust as necessary.

it isn't always shakespeare, but it's genuine.

i'm not going to make it. you're going to have to go on without me.

you're crazy, you know that?

well, for me, there is no difference between a private life and a public life.

it's all true. it's all real. nothing here is fake.

i have love handles?

in case i don't see you! good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!

what the hell is wrong with your job?

can't get any further away before you start coming back.

it's not that simple. it takes money. planning. can't just up and go.

i don't like the look of that weather. i think we should head back.

you're talking like a teenager.

we need adventure.

i thought we were going to try for a baby.

i might as well pick one of these up while i'm at it.

i almost hugged a perfect stranger in the salon last thursday.

you're just feeling bad because of what happened.

i've never blamed you. and i don't blame you now.

i made macaroni!

i've been such a klutz all day!

you're a better person than i am.

you know, [name], i'm not allowed to talk to you.

i can understand that. i'm a pretty dangerous character.

would you wanna, maybe, possibly... sometime go out for some pizza or something?

if we don't go now, it won't happen. do you understand?

we have so little time.

they don't want me talking to you.

i've never seen you before today.

if you don't tell me what's happening, i'll report you!

i think i'm mixed up in something.

you're going to get both of our asses fired, you know that?

just between you and me, i'm going away for a while.

i need to talk to you, but let's go outside.

can you pass along a message?

i'm sorry to keep you.

i guess i'm being spontaneous.

you're blaming me for the traffic?

i'm sorry. i don't know what got into me.

you want to destroy yourself? do it on your own.

why do you want to have a baby with me?

what the hell are you talking about?

you're having a nervous breakdown.

you're part of this, aren't you?

whatever the answer was, we were right together, and we were wrong together.

you're the closest thing i ever had to a brother.

i'd gladly walk in front of traffic for you.

the last thing i'd ever do is lie to you.

i never stopped believing.

let's get some champagne up here!

don't you ever feel guilty?

look at what you've done to him!

give me the phone.

was nothing real?

you never had a camera in my head.

i know you better than you know yourself.

#mcflymemes #rp meme #rp memes #rp prompt #roleplay memes #roleplay prompt #rp starters #ask meme #ask memes #roleplay meme #roleplay inbox prompts #rp inbox meme #inbox prompt #inbox meme #sentence starter prompt #sentence starter #sentence starters #the truman show #movie prompts

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thorniest-rose · 3 months

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Hi everyone,

A lot’s happened over the last few days and I know that I’ve been under a lot of scrutiny and the subject of conversation, so I wanted to take a moment to talk about it with you. I didn't address it last week when I was told that people in the fandom were posting about me and sharing screenshots of my blog. This was to protect my mental health, but now I want to share my own thoughts.

It's really hard not to lash out in situations like this because of how much it hurts. To go through something like this is shocking and humiliating, it rips the ground up from under your feet. But I didn't want to go on the attack because I knew how much worse that would make things. No matter how opinionated I am, conflict makes me feel sick and makes me want to hide. So instead of lashing out, I've done a lot of thinking over the past few days, not just about what's happened to me, but about things I've done and what could have led to this.

Firstly, I want to apologise to everyone whose feelings I may have hurt when I posted certain things in the past. I want any space that I cultivate to be a happy, positive one for the people who spend time here and at times I think I’ve unintentionally created an atmosphere that has felt combative or alienating. I honestly never consider myself to be a well-known writer or someone whose voice has reach in the wider fandom. No matter how many followers I have or how many people read my fics, I always see myself as a girl just spending time on her tumblr, but that's naive and I should have recognised that in a shared space, all opinions are seen and have an impact.

Discourse is my least favourite thing about interacting in fandom and there have been times where I’ve let myself be drawn into it. That doesn’t mean it’s ever okay to look down on what other people enjoy and I really regret posting those things now because that’s not who I am as a person. Expressing displeasure and other negative feelings isn’t what I want to engage in and I should remember how easy it is for flippant, spur of the moment comments to be taken out of context. Saying things like “I don’t like this” even on my own blog is immature and beneath me and I’m genuinely sorry.

I am also in no way any sort of authority on how these characters are written, no one is. A fandom is for everyone. I’m passionate and vocal in my own space because I treat my tumblr as a slumber party with my friends, but in my enthusiasm, there have been times where it seems like I’m saying my characterisations are the only valid ones. I don’t think that’s the case at all, and I genuinely love and admire the creativity in this fandom. I’ve said this before, but just because I have preferences doesn’t mean I want every characterisation to be the same as mine because that would become extremely dull. I believe that any and all interpretations should have an audience.

However, while I take responsibility for the things I've said on my blog, the things that have been said about me in response have been extremely spiteful and damaging. I never wanted a war with anyone. I should know better than to court discourse in such a volatile fandom, even inadvertently. To take issue with me and what I said is fine, I accept the criticism and apologise; at times my comments have been juvenile and mean-spirited. But a group of people targeting me, screenshotting my posts, calling me names and attacking what I write isn’t proportionate at all and encourages a wider pack mentality. I think we should all remember that there is an actual person behind the screen reading the things that we post and that our words can cause real harm. It’s easy to dehumanise an avatar and a username. And I think it speaks to a rot at the heart of fandoms that so many people find pleasure in fighting and where feelings can fester into hatred and vitriol.

I am outspoken and passionate about what I love. I sometimes bristle at things I see that don’t gel with my ideas or at a misjudged tone, and I post about them instead of seeing the bigger picture and moving on. It’s a flaw and something I’m working on, to be more open and less reactive. I don’t want fighting or tension, and I don’t want rivalries. I also don’t ever want to make people feel like their characterisations are wrong/invalid/unworthy or that they themselves don’t belong and that I’m some kind of fandom queen bee trying to ice them out. While that’s genuinely never been my intention, I can see how things have been taken that way and I’m sorry for that too.

Again, I’m sorry to everyone I’ve hurt or alienated with comments that I’ve made. I always want to be kind and compassionate. And while I don’t think what’s happened over the past few days is OK, I can see the bigger picture and why things I’ve said, or the atmosphere I’ve cultivated, has planted seeds of resentment. I've also unblocked the person who's been posting about me, if they want to reach out to talk privately.

I know there are people reading this who have been following me for the past four years, and in that time have seen me struggle, and fall down, and make mistakes, but hopefully grow and learn from those mistakes too. I’m so grateful to you all.

I’m going to take a break from tumblr for a week or so, to spend time away from socials, to connect with friends and other passions and focus on self-care. And to write, of course, because I’ll always be writing, whether it’s here or elsewhere.

See you all soon,

Brooke 💕

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yuri-is-online · 9 months

Note

Hello, hello! Congrats on making the 300 follower milestone!👍 Well done! For the event, can I request prompt no. 17 with Riddle, Leona and Jamil, please? Thank you and kudos!

17. Kissing under the fireworks

Thank you friend! Very on brand request for Jamil ha ha. I accidentally made Leona's part angsty I am so sorry

notes: they/them pronouns used for Yuu, Riddle is a bit awkward, references to the events at the very end of Ch. 5/beginning of Ch. 6 (Leona- hurt with heavy focus on comfort), references to the events of the Firelit Sky Event (Jamil- nothing too specific). Check out the rest of the requests on my masterlist here.

Riddle

"Are you ok Riddle? You're really tense." You ask and wonder if it was smart, the comment makes Riddle even more rigid to a degree that has to be painful. "I can let go of your hand-"

"No!" You shouldn't be so surprised how loudly he protests, emphasizing his point by intertwining your fingers without his usual embarrassment. "We are on a date so we are holding hands." Seeing that this does not persuade you he less certainly adds: "I want to hold your hand."

"I want to hold your hand too." You reassure him, squeezing his hand to emphasize the point making Riddle practically glow with happiness. He squeezes your hand as you both settle into the colosseum bleachers waiting for the fireworks show to begin. There is a part of you that wonders what Riddle has planned, he always has some sort of itinerary when you go on dates which sounds annoying but in practice is sort of cute. Riddle needs structure to feel comfortable, and if he needs to make a mental checklist to feel comfortable holding your hand you don't mind. He's relaxing into you the longer you spend together, eventually that checklist will fade into habit and Riddle will be able to hold your hand without looking smug every time he looks down at your intertwined fingers.

Fireworks burst into the sky illuminating that smug smile and the flicker of uncertainty as his blue grey eyes focus on your lips. A normal person might not think of giving their partner a kiss as a rule, but Riddle does. Clumsily he closes the distance and bumps more than he kisses your cheek, immediately sending his mind into a panic when you turn to him confused.

But then you smile, happiness bathed in red, blue, green as you lean forward to help him achieve his goal. You kiss him and melt away all thoughts of rules and obligation under a wave of wonder and happiness.

Leona

It's strange to see Leona up this late. Stranger still that this is, apparently, completely of his own free will. "I'm surprised you asked me to come, I thought you'd hate stuff like this."

"And I'm surprised you're this excited over somethin' this simple." He neither confirms or denies your accusation, instead settling himself close to your side on the shockingly nice blanket he had insisted on bringing onto the green.

"I've never seen magic fireworks before." You mutter, and Leona is merciful enough not to laugh out loud. It's weird, this soft way he's treating you. Not that you're complaining exactly, after the incident with Grim you barely got a chance to really enjoy any of the culture fair. You didn't go out to see any of the booths past Riddle's tour until Leona dragged you out of bed this afternoon in a trope reversal that stunned you too much to properly protest. There's a part of you that wonders, well more like worries, that Leona's only really taken you around today out of some misguided sense of obligation; you can't see him ever doing anything out of pity.

Not when he braces you against his chest just before the show begins, not when he makes sure you are comfortable with the level of noise, or how he makes sure not to put too much pressure on your wound when he nuzzles himself into your neck as the show truly starts. No, there's nothing resembling pity in the way Leona looks at you.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" He contentedly murmurs in your ear, pressing a brief kiss to your cheek before you drag him back to you for a longer one on your lips.

No, there's nothing resembling pity in the way Leona looks at you; just love, and maybe an annoyingly smug sense of satisfaction.

Jamil

"Before you start, I know what I said last year and I do not want to hear about it." You aren't certain why Jamil is bringing this up now when he hadn't while inviting you. Maybe because the last time you were under these canopies you weren't friends, so the numerous less than kind things he's said about you are whirling around in his mind.

You wonder what that Jamil would think if he saw this Jamil holding you in his lap while you wait for the show to start. He'd probably have a stroke.

"I don't really remember what you're talking about." You had been really excited about seeing fireworks and having fun dressing up to really think about Jamil being, well, a bit of a sourpuss. "Besides it can't be worse than anything else you've ever said about me." Jamil is far from sour now, the smile on his face as he pulls you up to your feet to begin dancing in tune with the show is exceptionally mischievous.

"It wasn't about you really, even if I wasn't conscious of it I knew I wanted to bring you back here someday." That's news to you, sure he said he felt bad about making more work for you and had made sure to dance with you during that show, but it's not like he'd had his eye on you before his overblot. As if he could read your mind, or maybe to be more accurate as if he had been trying to provoke that exact thought, he makes sure to dance more intimately than he did last time, reaching to hold you in his arms as the climax of the show explodes above you. The first kiss is brief, a gentle peck because he wants to get a good look at you in your outfit bathed in the firelit sky before the second.

It had been an idle thought then, but if that Jamil could see this one his smug satisfaction would outweigh the embarrassment. To be anyone's first choice was a win, to be yours? A complete and total victory.

#twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #leona kingsholar x reader #jamil viper x reader #300 followers celebration #as a side note #the firelit sky twist tunes go hard #i replayed them while i was writing this to get in the mood lol

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piratefalls · 26 days

Text

welcome back to the latest edition of biweekly fic recs! as always, mind the tags, if you can't leave a nice comment don't leave one at all, and happy reading!

masterlist.

There's No Problem That San Diego Can't Solve by @historicallysam

Alex doesn’t even bother knocking; he simply twists the knob on the door and shoves it open. His eyes narrow as the door bangs against the wall and he sees Henry on the phone. Maybe (definitely) it’s rude but his blood is fucking boiling so he doesn’t really care.

All the Ocean was Sleeping by @sparklepocalypse

The worst part about being a siren in the modern era, Henry ponders as yet another ship flies past his cove at a speed that he knows will disturb the anemone gardens below, is the yacht bros. Between the sound of their vessels’ motors and the dissonant noise the humans call music, Henry’s singing has no chance of attracting anyone’s attention.

cause you're a classic, and i'm reckless by @firenati0n

“I've, actually, uh. I've never done this before.” At this, Henry stops short, takes a second as his gaze moves up and to the left, trying to recall something. “I've seen your films. You most certainly have done intimate scenes.” Alex clears his throat. He hopes his nerves aren't completely obvious, the slight waver in his voice about to give him away. “Yeah, well. Never with a man, so. Not at this scale, anyway.” “Would it help to, er, practice?" Henry winces a little as he says it, which does not inspire confidence. But Alex is shocked nonetheless. What the fuck?

Over Land and Sea by SatinBirds

Alex and Henry come from very different worlds, and still, they manage to find each other.

Clean Slate by smc_27

“Henry.” Pez comes over, puts both hands on Henry’s cheeks and looks him dead in the eye. “You are not a sad man who’s gotten dumped. You’re in the prime of your life, and I quite desperately need you to act like it.” “The prime of my life,” Henry scoffs, more incredulous than questioning. “I’ve just gotten out of a 15 year relationship, endured a divorce, am suffering an almost impressive case of writer’s block, and your hands are like bloody icicles.” Pez grins, doesn’t take his hands away. “Explain to me how this is my prime. Please.” Pez tilts his head, and sounds entirely serious when he says, “Literally anything can happen from here.”

in bloom by stutteringpeach

Yoo, can u hook me up with some flowers?? It's the busiest day of the year for florists. Alex texts Henry with a last minute request.

here is a map (with your name for a capital) by @alasse9

That day at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Alex comes across the very same Prince Henry who just dismissed him having a panic attack in a bathroom. The choice Alex makes then has ripple effects neither of them could have ever expected. What's the story like, when they actually are friends all along? “So, you’re going back to England tonight, and you’ll spend the next three days pretending you two are the closest and best of friends until we can put this mess behind us.” And there are reasons he hasn’t told anybody this, good reasons, even though he’s sure June and Nora saw through him ages ago. Faced with his mom’s disappointment, though, and with the realization that the entire world apparently thinks he hates Henry and would willingly shove him into a fucking cake, he can’t stay quiet. “But we are friends,” he says, vehement and serious. “We have been for years. He’s—he’s probably my best friend, actually, along with Nora.”

thoughts of you consume by yrsonpurpose

Henry sees Alex appear on the red carpet in a blue suit that screams sex on legs and is ready to throw away all attempts at concealing their secret relationship in the name of dropping to his knees at the first available opportunity.

eyes on me by matherine

Alex’s hips buck back against Henry’s mouth the moment his tongue does more than tease, and Henry squeezes his hip in gentle consternation. But before he can say anything, Alex is already rambling. “Sorry, I’m — I’m sorry, I know you said not to move, and I’m trying, I — I’m trying to be good, I promise,” he blurts, voice shaking ever so slightly from something that certainly doesn’t sound like pleasure, resolutely refusing to turn his head so that he can meet Henry’s gaze from where he’s positioned behind him. Henry’s heart aches. “Alex — love, it’s alright. Where’s your mind?” Or: Sometimes, Alex needs a distraction. Something to take the edge off, to scrub away at the stress of the day. Some days, it works better than others.

the evolution of intimacy by Poutini

There’s no spontaneity anymore. One might think this boring. That the novelty had worn off. The spark snuffed. Absolutely not

Want Me by OrchidScript

Henry had always been weak for a nice smile, but his was impossible to ignore. Blame it on summer heat and a fresh flush in his cheeks. Blame it on sunset painting the outdoor bar sweltering, romantic colors. Blame it on two healthy glasses of albariño thrumming in his bloodstream, or the good music floating on the air. Henry could blame it on anything liked if he thought long and hard about it, but that didn’t change much at the end. The core remained the same: he had been gone from the jump. -- Henry and Alex hook up on a vacation in Spain. Henry falls a bit deeper.

fill my lungs with sweetness by @priincebutt

Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor wakes up at 3 AM on his birthday to an empty bed. What could Alex possibly be getting up to at 3 AM the night before his birthday? The possibilities are endless.

got myself in quite a tangle by coffeecatsme

"It seems I've gotten myself in quite a tangle." "Tangle?" Henry's voice is hoarse, eyes darkened as they travel over Alex's body. They stop at his crotch, and Alex can see it even under the dim lights—Henry's growing hard too, a visible bulge pushing at his sweatpants. Alex's cock gives a desperate twitch. "Y'know, I was trying to put them around the tree," he starts, gesturing at the plain tree at the corner. It's clear he didn't even attempt to touch it. "And somehow I've managed to completely trap myself. Can't even move my hands." Henry makes a desperate noise at the back of his throat as his eyes snap up to Alex's face. Alex flashes him a suggestive grin, teeth biting down on his lip. "Seems I'm completely at your mercy."

The Forces of Chance and Coincidences by @stellarm

Bad weather leads to a late flight that leads to no one being where they wanted to be, but maybe everyone was where they needed to be.

I've never felt safer (than when I'm with you) by viciouslyqueer

Alex takes the bag and opens it slowly, careful not to rip it, and gasps quietly as he sees what’s inside. “H, you didn’t…” Strong arms wrap around his waist from behind, Henry’s chest warm against his back. “Do you like it?” Henry asks in a whisper, resting his chin on Alex’s shoulder. Alex doesn’t know what to say. Gingerly, like he might ruin it with even the smallest touch, he takes out the silky fabric and holds it up in front of them. It’s a gorgeous dress, fancy too, in a deep red color with thin straps and an open back. It’s long, almost touching the floor even as Alex holds it up and has a slit on the left side that would probably end a little above Alex’s knee.

An Amateur's Guide to Professional Gift-Giving by anincompletelist

Alex, a former-law-student-taking-some-time-off turned professional part-time gift giver, is tasked with finding a gift for the most high profile client he's ever worked with, both in and out of the world of law. It turns out finding the perfect gift for the Prince of Wales might be easier than he'd anticipated.

Love At First Bark by everwitch

“I still don’t know your name, do I?” Henry watches Alex where he’s crouched down in front of David and gently scratching David below his chin. David absolutely loves Alex. Henry can relate. “It’s David,” Henry supplies. “Cool,” Alex says. “And what’s the dog’s name?” Henry blinks at him. “... David?” “What?” Alex exclaims. He looks from David to Henry and then back at David again. “Wow, okay, that is a choice.” Henry wants to sink through the earth and never come back up again.

don't let me get drunk again by headabovethewater

Alex had never wanted to cancel plans as much as he had while watching Henry pull a pair of light wash, tight jeans over his stockinged legs and bare ass. Christ, he’s getting hard thinking about it now.

The Beginner's Guide to Floristry by clottedcreamfudge

As if there's anything romantic about it; as if it's not the most humiliating death Alex can imagine. This is why he doesn't do relationships. This is why he never will. The risk, as far as he fucking sees it, is too great. -- Hanahaki Disease is a fictional disease where the victim of unrequited or one-sided love begins to vomit or cough up the petals and flowers of a flowering plant growing in their lungs, which will eventually grow large enough to render breathing impossible.

Everything you take, you make it better. So go on, take forever by @hgejfmw-hgejhsf

It's 2024, and nobody knows they're engaged. But they will, just as soon as Alex can decide what to wear to his birthday dinner. Henry has an idea and a special gift to match.

false pretenses by rizcriz

Henry spins around, glaring at Alex. “For christs sake,” He hisses, holding a hand out between them. “Can we just not? I do not have the capacity to pretend to hate you today.” Alex splutters as Henry turns on his heel and starts to walk away. He stares after him helplessly. “Pretend?” After a beat, he starts to follow after him, “What the fuck do you mean pretend?” Three years of breathing down each others necks, fighting every time they come in contact with each other. And if Henry is saying every single thing on his end has been pretend, Alex Claremont-Diaz is going to have a fucking breakdown. Because he has been harboring this stupid fucking crush and burying it beneath false antagonism, meeting Henry where he’s at, for three years, and if Henry is implying that they’re both faking it— -- or, Alex learns better.

turn the desert to glass (you would be the one) by @taste-thewaste

Henry and Alex's domestic bliss has lead to some changes in Henry's body. Henry doesn't really mind being a little chubby, but he wonders if Alex does. Alex, it turns out, does not. Not one bit. He does not mind one bit, and he is more than eager to prove it.

coming on fast like good dreams do by cricketnationrise

When Henry recovers from his unexpected factory reset, he still can’t really breathe properly and somehow Alex is still standing in front of him with a hopeful and excited expression on his face. “Run that by me again?” he asks faintly. “I need your help.” “Right…” “I need you to edge me. Like a lot,” Alex says with a shrug. Nope, it’s not any clearer a second time around.

as always, let me know if you want to be tagged in future lists, whether you're a reader or writer!

tagging @starkfridays @stilesgivesmefeels @midnightsfp @sarahjswift @enablelove

#rwrb #rwrb fic #rwrb fanfiction #firstprince #firstprince fic #firstprince fanfiction #red white and royal blue #alexhenry #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor

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bettyfrommars · 1 year

Text

I'm on Fire

biker!Eddie x fem!artist!reader

Part 4

🚨MDNI, 18+Only, implied smut, eventual smut, angst, sexual tension, adult themes, alcohol consumption, cheating (not on reader), biker!Eddie, biker!Steve, mutual pining, slow burn, mention of violence, brief use of Y/N (again, sorry).

Word count: 6.8K

Series Masterlist

In part 4, you meet another one of Eddie's dear friends, Robin Buckley, and get invited to a barbecue. Eddie tries to cut ties with a messy part of his life as his feelings for you grow. Your time with Eddie gets cut short again when the darker elements of his lifestyle comes calling. I've purposely left out physical details about your roommate Katie, so that you can picture her however you want.

A/N: I am so honored by the enthusiasm some of you have shown for this, and please know I think about you all the time as I write it. Also, I've barely been posting here a month, and I'm always open to any tips or suggestions. Love to hear what you thought and what you'd like to see happen 👀

It’s a good thing Eddie left with Charlene because he didn’t have to see how tipsy you got, stumbling out to the car at the end of the night, shoes catching in the gravel, babbling to Jeff how much you loved him and how glad you were that he was your friend.

“Girl, you better tell me everything that went down,” Jeffery said as he got in behind the steering wheel and helped you snap your seat belt together, because your aim was awful. “What did Charlene say to you?”

In the 8 months that he’d known you, Jeff had never seen you like this. Sure, you had a bit of that eccentric, scatterbrained artist way about you, but you were always professional and, if something someone said ever got to you, you never let it show.

“Charlene WHO?” You asked, and then you laughed hysterically, tossing your head back against the seat, as if what you’d just said was the most hilarious thing ever.

Jeff coughed out a laugh, looking over at you, wishing he had a tape recorder to play this conversation back for you on Monday.

You took a drink from the water bottle in the console, swallowed a few times, and then told him the story, as best as you could remember it, as Jeff maneuvered the car out of the long country road and back to the freeway.

-----------

“Who was that girl you were talking to?” Charlene asked Eddie as they drove off into the night. They were in a sleek, black utility vehicle this time, complete with heated leather seats.

“A friend,” Eddie told her. Not to minimize the crush he had on you, but he didn’t know what else to call you. If you were someone he was dating, he would’ve said that, but whatever the two of you had barely qualified as anything yet.

She reached over to squeeze his leg right above the knee, and tried to slid her hand further up his thigh, but he pushed her away. “I’m not in the mood,” he grumbled.

“Well, I didn’t mean to break up your little romantic moment, or whatever it was,” Charlene shrugged and looked out her window to the cars passing by on the freeway. “I just didn’t want you to make a fool out of me in front of my friends.”

Eddie had his wrist high resting on the steering wheel and he looked over his arm at her. “You don’t own me, you know that, right?”

Charlene adjusted her skin tight dress and began to fidget with one of her gold bracelets. “I own the things I pay for, and you were supposed to be mine for the evening.”

Eddie worked his jaw in silence, realizing in at that exact moment that he was done being her little bitch. Her attention and the money had been flattering, and the sex had been exciting the first couple times, but he could barely stand to look at her anymore, no matter how gorgeous she was. The radio was on low (Head Like a Hole by NIN) and he wondered about what you’d asked him earlier, about why he never called. He should’ve called to thank you for the painting, that was true, but the days of the week started to blur together, and he never saw Steve to ask him for your digits. Plus, what would he say to you? He was admittedly more of a hands-on type of guy, and not great over the phone, but he was willing to step out of his comfort zone for you, if you needed him to.

“You’re coming in, right?” Charlene cooed, noticing that he wasn’t following her into the house after he parked the car in the garage.

Eddie shook his head, lighting a cigarette, about to head over to hop on his chopper that was hidden along the side of the house. “I told you, we’re not doing that anymore.”

In response, Charlene rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated groan, digging in her purse to pull out a wad of cash. “Well, here then,” she shook the handful of hundreds at him. “Take your money. That’s all you care about, right?”

Eddie had to scoff. Money was all he cared about? Her manipulation techniques were first rate, he had to give her that.

He hollowed his cheeks to take a long pull off his smoke. “Nah, keep it,” he said on the exhale, a plume of white smoke exiting pursed lips, turning his back on her and flipping his collar up on his leather jacket. “Save it for your next bodyguard. I’m done.”

One of the garage doors was still open, but Charlene seemed to forget and raised her voice. “Eddie, wait! I’m sorry!”

Her voice seemed to echo through the entire street, but Eddie kept walking until he disappeared around the corner of the building.

“You can’t just walk away from me like this!” She added, but he was already revving his bike and shifting into gear.

----------

You’ve had a couple doozy hangovers in your day, but a red wine hangover? They were the god awful worst. You got up to hydrate and eat something early in the morning, and then you went back to bed.

Later on, you sat on the couch with some tea and your eyes half open and the hood to your sweatshirt over your head like a shroud while Katie told you how expertly Steve had rocked her world the night before. Apparently, before he fucked her 8 ways to Sunday, he took her to one of the new bars on the outskirts of town where a band was playing, and there were two of her old students there who recognized her.

After the show, she gave Steve road head, and then they ended up doing the dirty in the back seat of his car like teenagers.

“What is happening to me?” She asked you, feeling all sorts of sore and stretched out. “This is not how I saw myself acting at this age, but I can’t say I hate it. How was your night?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you said with a shake of your head, the movement making your temples throb. “Tell me more about Steve. What’s his deal? Does he have family here or?”

Your mind kept flashing back to the look on Charlene’s face, and how sloppy you’d been in the car with Jeff, and it made you want to cringe and bury your face in your hands.

“He didn’t mention his parents, but he’s got a little kid. A son named Oliver,” she used the remote to change the channel on the TV, but the sound was on mute. “The mom isn’t in the picture anymore, though, I guess she split when he was just a baby.”

Your eyes snapped open to full awareness, recalling that Steve had similar eyes and hair coloring to Eddie, and you pictured the photo of that doe-eyed toddler taped to the dash of his tow truck.

“How old is he? Steve’s son, I mean?” You asked, the opportunity to put new pieces to the Eddie puzzle together snapping you out of your malaise.

“He just turned 5 last month,” Katie said through a yawn. “And you will never guess who Steve lives with,” she held her breath there for a few beats, suspended, waiting for you to pull a name out of the air without any hints. You couldn’t even begin to try; your brain was about as active as smashed peas.

After reading your vacant stare, Katie continued, bobbing her chin with each word, “Robin Fucking Buckley.”

Katie had been interested in both men and women since you’d known her, and Robin was a woman she’d met when she first moved to Hawkins after college, and had an instant crush on. The crush never went anywhere, though, because Robin was in a relationship at the time, and Katie had not yet come out as bisexual, so she wasn’t sure what to do about the feelings she was having, but you vividly remembered hearing how she gushed over her.

“They’ve been raising Oliver together,” she continued. “He told me about Robin after he and I had sex though, so then it made me feel weird and I didn’t tell him that I used to daydream about being with her.”

“I can’t believe what a small world it is here,” you mused, suddenly wishing the phone would ring, and that it would be Eddie, and he’d say, “I can’t stop thinking about you.” But, that didn’t sound like Eddie, did it? It was more likely for him to bring a spare tire by and mow your lawn while you were at work. Superficial words of adoration? You weren’t sure that was his thing.

“Are you planning on seeing Steve again?” You were curious for selfish reasons, because Steve was your only current link to Eddie.

“We talked about the fact that we’d rather this be a fuck buddy thing than something serious, but he did invite both of us to a barbecue they’re having at their house on Sunday.” She smoothed her lips together and stared at the carpet, her eyes getting glossy from not blinking. “I’m not sure how weird it would be for me to see Robin again, though. I really had it bad for her.”

Sunday was a day away, and you hoped that your hangover would be gone by then, because it didn’t feel like it was dissipating any time soon.

---------

The little boy with the thick head of wavy, golden brown hair screeched, “uncle Eddie!” as he ran toward him at full tilt, and then dove at his shin and wrapped is arms around his legs.

Eddie bent down to latch his hands under the tiny monster’s arms and swung him up in the air. “What’s going on, big man?” He adjusted the kid at his hip like it was second nature, like he was born to be Uncle Eddie.

Robin Buckley was just shutting the door to her car in the parking lot of Munson’s Garage and following behind Oliver at a stroll, grinning as she watched the two of them together. She pushed her sunglasses up into her blue-streaked hair, and the hoop piercings on her eyebrow and lip glinted in the sun. Eddie had just dismounted his bike and was taking his helmet off to hook it on one of the handlebars.

“Can you watch him for a bit?” Robin asked, her hands in her back pockets. She had on a Bikini Kill t-shirt on under a red and black flannel and holes in the knees of her jeans. “I have to run some errands, but Steve can pick him up in two hours.”

Eddie was actually just in the middle of rushing to several different places trying to get a project finished, and had a billion things on his mind, but Steve and Robin and Oliver always came first; they were his family.

“Oh I think I can manage that,” Eddie turned to Oliver, and Oliver put his hands on Eddie’s cheeks, smooshing them in a little. “What do you think, Ollie, wanna have some beers and play some poker with me?”

Oliver nodded, ecstatic, his mouth open.

“Ha ha,” Robin bent forward to brush some hair out of Oliver’s eyes and planted a kiss on his cheek before stepping back. “Maybe Uncle Eddie will make you some of those butter noodles you like.”

Oliver said, “airplane,” and Eddie scooped him on his belly with both arms so he was horizontal, and spun around in a circle a few times. Uncle Wayne saw them from the office window and was already headed over with his arms out.

Eddie lowered Oliver to his feet and said, “go say hi to uncle Wayne,” to which the boy took off as fast as his legs could carry him across the pavement. Eddie reveled at the joy on Wayne’s face as he bent down to hug the kid tight, and then took his hand to walk him back to the office. There was a TV in there with a bunch of cartoons on VHS just for Oliver, and some of the building blocks and toys he liked to play with.

“How is he?” Robin asked. Wayne was too far away to hear them, but she waved.

“Same,” Eddie cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump he felt there. “I don’t think the chemo is doing jack shit, but what the fuck do I know.”

Robin knew how much of a toll Wayne’s illness was taking on Eddie, but it made him uncomfortable to talk about it, so she didn’t push him.

“So, when are you coming to the barbecue tomorrow?” She asked as they made their way over to the shade of the awning just under Eddie’s apartment.

“Shit, that’s tomorrow?” Eddie frowned like he was working out a math problem, scratching the stubble on his jaw. “Why did I think it was next week?”

“Because dingus probably didn’t remind you like I told him to,” Robin dropped down into one of the plastic chairs with an ‘omph’. “There will be plenty of food, just bring some beer, or whatever alcohol you want to drink.”

Eddie sat down on the picnic table bench across from her, elbows on his knees. “I’ll bring beer and burgers, but I can’t drink that much for a couple days, Fight Night is next weekend.”

Robin dropped her shoulders and gave him a look. “Please tell me you’re not getting in the ring this time?”

“I have to,” Eddie shrugged, leaning back to plant his forearms onto the top of the picnic table, stretching his chest out. “I won the last one, remember? Winner always gets challenged.” He brushed something invisible off of the front of this work shirt. “But this will be my last fight for a while, Rob, I’ll forfeit if I have to.”

“Good,” she snorted her approval. “You and Steve are getting too old for this shit. We’re all getting too old for recreational activities that could possibly end up in broken bones and hospitalization.”

“No one is putting me in the hospital, I promise you,” he raised his eyebrow at her, confidentially.

Changing the subject, Robin shifted in her seat and narrowed her eyes. “What do you know about this chick that Steve has been talking to lately? You met her, right? Her name is Katie something.”

Eddie’s heart raced at the mention of Katie, but for other reasons. “Yeah, her and her friend saved our asses that night that we almost got pinched by the cops.”

“Okay,” Robin nodded. “What else do you know? Steve said you’d met her before?”

“What’s with all the questions? I don’t they’re as serious as---”

“Because, Edward, he went ahead and invited her to the barbecue, a complete stranger, without running it by me first. You know I don’t like Oliver to be exposed to every transient piece of ass he has a fling with, especially if they’re just another bar fly who tries to sneak a line of coke off the tank on our toilet like last time.”

Eddie knew she had a point; although Oliver wasn’t biologically hers, Robin had been helping to raise him since he was 7 months old, and she had turned into a fierce momma bear. He lost his train of thought for a second because if Katie was coming to the barbecue...then maybe….

“Earth to Eddie?” Robin clapped her hands together once.

“Yeah, sorry,” he shook his head as if to clear it. “First of all, she’s employed, she’s a teacher at the high school. English or Geometry or something.”

Alright, Robin liked the details so far. Dating a woman who had gainful employment was an improvement for Steve.

“I guess I sold her weed years ago, before I moved away, but I must’ve blacked a lot of that time out because I don’t remember her. I knew her brother Danny though, and he was a nice kid.”

Robin was biting her lip, drumming her fingers on the arm rest, taking in the information, and then she decided to change the subject, cocking her head. “What about you? Seeing any one special these days? Anyone you’d want to bring with you tomorrow?”

Eddie ran his fingers through his hair a couple times, pondering if he should tell her about you, but then decided against it. He didn’t want to answer a bunch of questions and, more importantly, he didn’t want to jinx anything.

--------------

It was one of those picture perfect days for a barbecue; the sun was out, but the temperature was mild, and all of the cherry blossom trees along the street were blooming. Steve and Robin’s house was located in a neighborhood that had a reputation for being a sketchy, but the yards were all well kept with little gardens. The house itself was Easter egg blue with white trim, a front square of lawn that was neatly edged and mowed, and then a driveway along the side that led to the back patio. There were three motorcycles parked on the street among the other cars, as well as that black Chevelle you saw at the garage.

“He’s here,” you breathed, balancing three dishes of food in your lap as Katie turned the car off and you both looked around. “I know he’s here. Wait, please take me back home.”

“Forget it,” Katie laughed. “We talked about this. The safe word is ‘pineapple’ if one of us is having a really awful or uncomfortable time.”

You tilted your head so that you could look up at the house. “What if he brought that Charlene lady?”

“Eddie might be a little oblivious at times, but I don’t think he’s an idiot,” Katie assured you. “Besides, that bitch does not want to catch these hands.”

“How well did you say you knew Robin?” You asked, stalling.

“We worked together when I had that warehouse job back in ‘89 or ‘90. We barely spoke ten sentences to each other, and exchanged a few goofy looks. I doubt she’ll even remember me.”

Oh, Robin remembered her, alright. You could tell by her face when she caught site of the two of you walking up the driveway from the living room window.

Robin gasped and ducked behind the curtain, pressing her back against the wall next to the bookshelf, out of sight.

“Steve!” She hissed, trying to get his attention in the kitchen, waving him over. He was bending down to grab another beer out of the refrigerator, talking to one of his buddies from the bar he bounced at from time to time.

He stopped what he was doing and came over with a look of concern on his face, his eyes scanning around for what might be bothering her.

“What is Katherine Clayton doing here?” She asked in a tense whisper.

Steve peeked around the curtain to catch a quick glimpse of who she was talking about, just as the two of you disappeared up the driveway around the corner of the house.

He was shaking is head, confused. “That’s Katie. What are you talking about?”

Robin’s eyes widened. “You had sex with Kathrine Clayton?” And then, as the realization sank in that Steve had done the deed with one of her long-standing secret crushes, she groaned and headed for the bathroom so that she could sit on the floor in there for a few minutes and regroup.

“Wait!” Steve whispered after her. “Please tell me you didn’t fuck her too?”

“I wish!” Robin yelled, just as she shut the bathroom door and he heard it lock.

----------

Eddie was at the grill cleaning it off, his back to you, and your eyes locked on those unmistakable broad shoulders in a black t-shirt that had Megadeth tour dates half covered by his long hair, dark wash jeans cuffed at his boots, and a blue handkerchief hanging out of his back pocket. One knee bent out to the side; wallet chain draped over his thigh. Muscular triceps flexing under various colors of tattoo ink.

“Pineapple,” you said under your breath. A tape deck and two speakers were on the steps as music by Soundgarden blessed the event. You scanned the other 10 or so people there and didn’t see Steve, but another guest in one of the lawn chairs greeted you with a tilt of her beer.

The sound of the greeting made Eddie turn his head nonchalantly, but then once he saw it was you, he dropped what he was doing and spun around, wiping his hands on a rag as he went.

“Where should I put these?” You asked, referring to the stack of side dishes in your hands.

“Here, let me take them,” Eddie came over and bent down a bit to get his hands under what you were carrying, and his fingers fumbled on top of yours for a few seconds before the pass was complete, hard edges of his rings grazing the underside of your palm, both of you letting out a few goofy laughs. You had a low cut shirt on and you were delighted to find his gaze hovering on your cleavage more than once.

“This way,” he inclined his head for you to follow him over to a long table by the fence, his mouth kicking up on one side in a grin.

Steve’s head was still reeling over the fact that he accidentally slept with a girl that Robin had a crush on when he came out to welcome Katie with a hug and ask her what she wanted to drink. Steve was in full biker attire with his leather cut on over his t-shirt, leather pants, and his sunglasses on with his hair slicked back.

“Whatever you’re having,” Katie shrugged. “I’m easy. But, you already know that.” It was a joke, but under the circumstances, it made Steve feel worse. There were very few women on the earth that Robin admitted to having crushes on, and he managed to bury his cock inside of one. The sex had been fucking amazing, too, but he tried not to think about that.

Steve and Robin crossed paths as she was coming out and he was going in to get Katie a beer, and then Robin made her way over to greet her, trying not to let the disappointment read on her face.

“Long time no see,” Robin quipped, sliding a hand into the front pocket of her distressed, baggy denim.

“I can’t believe you remember me,” Katie balked, sincerely shocked.

“Whatever,” Robin looked down at the ground shyly and flexed her toes inside her Converse. “I used to use the water fountain on the other side of the warehouse just so I could get a glimpse of you in those daisy duke shorts you used to wear.”

Wait, Katie’s brain raced, was Robin insinuating that she used to have a crush on her too? That whole time??

“I know it’s been 6 years, but I still have the shorts,” Katie assured her, winking as she took a sip of her beer.

You were about to walk over to grab one of the folded chairs leaning up against the house, but Eddie told one of the guys to get up so that you could have his chair. You were about to protest, but the young dude with a full sleeve of tattoos popped to his feet and went to find another seat before you could get the words out of your mouth. Eddie wanted you to sit next to him, and that was that.

Eddie was still standing, about to ask you what he could get you to drink, when the screen door slammed open and a little dark haired boy came down the steps with Steve. “I’ll push you on the swings until uncle Wayne gets here,” Steve cooed in a very daddy voice.

“I owe Wayne big time for watching him tonight so that I could get drunk,” Robin said across the patio to Eddie.

“Are you kidding?” Eddie put his hand on your shoulder as he talked, casually showing ownership to everyone else at the party. “He loves hanging out with little big man.” You peeked at his ring-clad fingers that cupped your shoulder out of the corner of your eye and your stomach exploded with butterflies.

Oliver went over and hid behind Robin’s legs, and she introduced him to you and Katie. “He’s really shy around new people,” she said, tousling his hair. “But once he gets to know you, he’s a chatterbox.”

The little boy locked eyes with you curiously from behind Robin’s pant leg and continued to keep a silent watch on you until for the next 30 minutes until Wayne picked him up.

Everyone sat in an informal circle, and you were introduced to each person at the party, most of their names you forgot as soon as they were said to you. You found out that Steve was a tattoo artist, as well as being bouncer at a bar, and a couple of the guests worked with him and brought their significant others. One of the women was Robin’s ex, who she was still good friends with, and a woman she knew from the coffee shop she worked at. You also met one of Eddie’s bandmates Gareth, the only other original member, and his wife. You drank your first beer on an empty stomach and Steve encouraged you to tell your version of what happened that first night you all met at the Hideout. Eddie discouraged it, wanting to forget most of that night ever happened, but you continued. A few things you said made everyone laugh, and Eddie clapped his hand on top of yours at one point to squeeze it, giving you a wink and a little bitten-lip half-smile as he did so. You turned and met his eyes, the chemistry of your cosmic pull sparking little glints at the corners of your mouths; the unspoken hope of something new, something special.

When it was time to eat, Eddie asked you how you liked your burger, and when you told him you were a vegetarian, he startled you by clutching at his chest dramatically, pretending that you shot him in the heart, dropping his shoulder back. “Burgers are one of the things I do really, really well though,” you were sitting in the chair closest to him as he worked on the patties for everyone else.

“What are the other things you do well?” You were being coy, feeling a slight buzz as you sipped your second beer.

He looked at you over his shoulder and playfully raised his eyebrows a few times. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Eddie was having a hard time restraining himself from not bending down to kiss you with how adorable and flirty you were being. The only thing stopping him, besides not being sure you even wanted him to kiss you, was the fact that every single relationship he’d had with a woman for many years had been purely sexual, and things always escalated quickly. He was tired of sticking his cock in warm bodies he barely knew. Or worse yet, warm bodies he had grown to despise, like Charlene. He was tired of riding this hardcore persona every minute of every day. He wanted you to see the geeky side of him, the devoted, adoring side of him that he never let out of the bag because he didn’t trust himself to be vulnerable.

“Will you look at that,” Robin whispered to Katie who was in the chair to her. Her eyes were trained across the way at how close in proximity Eddie and you were. You were both making each other laugh, sneaking in whatever opportunity you could to touch each other, if only a brush of the elbows. “Did you know about this?”

Katie leaned over in her chair, putting her head to her shoulder. “It’s been brewing for a couple weeks now,” she told Robin. “Y/N has had a really rough couple years. She hasn’t shown interest in anyone since she moved here.”

“How come I’m always the last to know these things?” Robin asked, indulging herself with a deep inhale of the cinnamon spice smell of Katie’s hair, and then she turned to look at her, and the two of them shared this moment when their faces were extremely close in proximity for a heartbeat before they both jumped apart.

Just as the sun was starting to set, they lit the scattered tiki torches and the hard alcohol came out. Robin was the first one to throw back a shot, followed by Steve and Katie. The crowd thinned out by half, and you walked over to talk to Katie and grab a can of beer. He came over as you were about to pull the tab open and he stopped you, holding out his hand.

“Shotgun one with me?” He asked, his cheeks rosy, and his full pink lips inviting.

“Yasssss,” Robin overheard and stood up to get her own can with a hop in her step. “Steve! Shotgun with me!” Robin was definitely feeling the alcohol, and it was a happy sight for Steve because his best friend worked tirelessly every day to take care of him and Oliver and to keep their lives organized. He’d be running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to raise Oliver and work two jobs if not for her.

You looked around, and then down at Katie, who shrugged her shoulders.

“I’ve never...I don’t know how,” you laughed, hoping he wouldn’t think you were super lame.

Eddie winked, “I’ll teach you, Princess,” and then he held up the beer in his hand and explained how to hold it as he used the metal teeth from one of his keys to punch a small hole in the aluminum, and some of the beer misted his neck.

You watched how Steve shotgunned his, and you hoped it didn’t activate your gag reflex in some embarrassing way.

Standing in the grass behind where Robin and Katie’s chairs were, Eddie kept eye contact with you as he brought the punctured hole in the can to his mouth, lips wrapping around, and then he tilted his head back and flipped the tab so that the liquid went shooting down into his throat. You watched his Adam’s apple jerk up and down as he swallowed, some beer seeping out the corner of his mouth.

He made a refreshing ‘Ahhhhhh’ sound when he was done, and then he took your beer can to puncture it in the same way.

“Ready?” He asked. You weren’t, but you said yes anyway, liking the way his mouth kinda hung open, waiting for your answer.

He took hold of the back of your neck as he brought the can to your mouth, careful not to spill any of it on you. After a preemptive, nervous swallow, your hand replaced his on the can and you closed your eyes tight just as you flipped the tab and it hissed, shooting the cool liquid right over the back of your tongue and into your throat.

Some of it came out of your nose as you bent over to cough, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, snorting at how it tickled in your nostrils. With his hand still clutching the back of your neck, Eddie pulled you close and said, “good girl,” in your ear in a low octave that made your pussy twitch.

Once your coughing spasm was over, you tilted your head up, and suddenly his fingers were cupping under your chin, his thumb swiping from the corner of your mouth over your bottom lip to catch a drop of beer left there.

It hadn’t meant to be a sexual gesture, one that made the blood run to his cock, but it became so in the time it took for his thumb to make it from one side of your mouth to the other, and one of your hands went to rest on his waist.

A few feet away from you, Steve screamed, “bullshit!” and the group broke into laughter at something Robin said.

Stolen from his reverie by the jolt of reality, Eddie lowered his hand from your face and dropped his chin to his chest. “I’m sorry about the other night,” he said, gnawing a few tiny bites on his lower lip. “The whole thing that happened at the art show.”

“You don’t have to be sorry,” you told him, sincerely, moving your hand from his waist to crook your finger into one of his front belt loops.

When his eyes lifted to yours, it was from under his lashes and his heart swelled up a bit at the way you were looking at him, like he really hadn’t done anything wrong. He felt like maybe, if you could forgive him for some of the things he’d done, then perhaps he could forgive himself.

“I don’t work for her anymore,” he confessed, crushing his can flat on his leg with a violent crunch, and then taking yours to do the same, before tossing them in a pile with the others. “I quit.”

The joy it made you feel probably widened your eyes a bit, but you tried to contain any visual tells as best you could. “It’s probably for the best.”

Inside, the phone started ringing. Robin had to turn the music down to make sure it wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her. Normally, they’d just let it ring, but with Oliver at Wayne’s, Steve ran inside to pick it up.

“So,” Eddie took a deep breath and took hold of your forearm, working along with finger stokes you might use on a guitar. “Have you ever been on a motorcycle before?”

You were hanging on his every word, but just then Steve leaned out from the screen door. “Eddie! Phone for you.”

Eddie made a face. “Is it Wayne?”

Steve shook his head. “I have no idea who it is, man. She just said it was urgent.”

She.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Eddie gave your arm one final squeeze. “Don’t disappear on me.”

You watched him go into the house, and then you turned to look at Katie who was taking another shot with Robin and another guest, and you realized that you needed to keep your wits about you because you would be the one driving Katie’s car home, and it had been a while since you’d operated a stick shift.

There was an open window to the kitchen on the side of the house, and you made sure no one was looking before you made your way over there to creep up beneath it and see if you could eavesdrop on what the phone call was about.

“How did you get this number?” Eddie barked into the receiver after he picked it up and found out who it was. The person on the other end said a few things, and then he added. “Don’t ever call here again.”

Robin turned the music up and some of what he was saying was drowned out, but you kept getting bits and piece as you strained with your ear just below the window. “….you need to stop….stop acting like it was more than fucking….go spend time with your husband….”

But then he was in the middle of saying something else when he got cut off abruptly, as if the other person hung up. Eddie slammed the phone onto the cradle of the receiver with a curse and it made you jump. After only a couple seconds, the phone shrilled again, and he picked it up before the first ring could finish.

“WHAT DID I TELL YOU?” he growled through gritted teeth, frustration burning in his chest.

But then, his tone changed, “oh, hey, sorry Bones. I thought you were someone else. What’s up? Yeah, Steve’s here he’s busy….this is Eddie…..how much…..yeah I’ll be there….”

You heard the phone click back onto the receiver again, gentle this time, and you came around to find Robin and her friends belting out the lyrics to Jealousy by Gin Blossoms as it played on the stereo.

“Tomorrow we can drive around this town and let the cops chase us around...

the past is gone, but something might be found to take its place….”

What the fuck happened to this night? Eddie wondered to himself as he stood just inside the kitchen with his back to the door, clenching his fingers into white knuckled fists, trying to calm himself down. He had finally worked up the nerve to ask you on a proper date and every single ghost from his past had to come back to bite him in the ass. First Charlene, who was threatening to show up at his place, and now a favor for the Coffin Kings. Not a favor out of the goodness of his heart, of course, he would be getting paid a decent amount, but still---horrible timing. He snatched his leather jacket off the hook in the alcove near the back door and puffed his cheeks out on a heavy exhale loaded with emotional exhaustion.

“Bones just called,” Eddie told Steve as he jumped down from the porch stairs and started punching his arms into the sleeves of his leather. “They need some last minute extra protection for that run they’re doing tonight, and I told him I would.”

“Shit, I’ll go too,” Steve told him, putting his half empty beer down on his chair. “Are they paying the same as last time?”

Eddie was buttoning his cuff, but his eyes shifted to Robin form under the curtain of his bangs; she was standing behind Steve shaking her head. “It’s just me tonight, man. You stay here with your family.” Also, Steve was clearly inebriated, and these runs with the Coffin Kings always had the potential to be dangerous work. Eddie promised Robin a few months ago that he’d keep him from taking part in them as much as he could. Not only did Eddie need the money, but he needed to blow some steam off.

After the interlude with Steve, Eddie’s eyes roamed until they landed on you, standing there talking to Robin’s ex, Stephanie. You felt the heat-seeking missiles of his warm wood stare and turned your head.

You blinked both of your eyes in a double wink, an endearing, bashful wink, and ….god...he wanted to rush over and pick you up, to feel you wrap your arms and legs around him, to nuzzle his face in your neck and carry you off somewhere.

Eddie flipped his collar as he walked over to where you were, standing half in the darkness of the driveway and half in the glow of the tiki torches around the lawn.

“Walk with me?” He asked, and then he stretched his fingers down, crawling across your palm to intertwine them with yours, watching your face the whole time to make sure it was okay.

He had long strides, so you had to trot down the pavement after him on the balls of your feet, clinging to his arm as you went. You could hear the party continue on behind you as you sucked the crisp air into your lungs and took in the leather and Old Spice and tobacco vanilla of Eddie’s scent. You felt so safe with him, the safest you’d felt in a long time.

Nothing could worry you except all of his little secrets, and wherever he was sneaking off to this late at night.

He let go of your hand so he could swing his leg over and mount his bike, and then he pulled his helmet from the handlebars, his eyes never leaving you. “I’m sorry to bail like this,” he shifted on his feet so that that the huge black bike with the airbrushed bats on the gas tank rocked the other way, enabling him to boot the heavy kick stand out of the way. “I’ll have to make it up to you one of these days.”

“I’d like that,” you said, watching him strap his matte black, bare bones helmet on. You didn’t know what he was about to go do but something compelled you to say, “be careful,” just as he revved the chopper to life, spitting out its fierce grumble like a mechanical dragon.

He thought about kissing you. If something happened to him on this run and he met his fate living on the knifes edge, he didn’t want to go with any regrets. But he lost his nerve and the moment slipped away, and then he was twisting his fists on the handlebars and backing the bike up into the shadows of the unlit street.

He lifted his fingers to you in one last wave as he went, sailing into the darkness, and eventually becoming it.

---------

Part 5

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taglist 💗: @unfocused81 @manicmagicmayhem @dream-a-little-nightmare @ms1oftheboys @tlclick73 @corrodedcoffincumslut @kelsiegrin @nope-thanks @falling-solar-system @lofaewrites

#eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson x fem reader #stranger things series #eddie munson series #robin buckley #steve harrington #older eddie munson #eddie munson smut #I'm afraid we're not rid of Charlene yet

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