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doobea · 9 months

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I CAN MAKE YOUR BED ROCK - RIN ITOSHI

synopsis: You're a famous online smut author, married to an international superstar athlete, and everyone around you thinks you have the perfect sex life. What they don't realize is Rin sleeps in the guest room and you're still very much a virgin.

contents: fem!reader, arranged marriage, suggestive themes but nothing too explicit (read with caution), characters are all in their mid/late-20s, reader has a small supportive friend group of other smut authors, mentions of alcohol, sex toys, and lots of failed attempts to seduce an oblivious (?) husband, mdni word count: 2.4k a/n: you guys already know that this is gonna be a wild one. is this my debut attempt to write smut but make it a romcom? maybe. this is gonna be a four-part series!!

一 : Oh baby, I be stuck to you like glue ->next.

To say that you’re infamous on the internet isn’t an exaggeration but a truth. No, you haven’t posted anything controversial regarding your marital status and haven’t gotten yourself into a crazy D-List influencer scandal; you’re infamous solely because of your erotica literature and, surprisingly, your in-laws were fine with it.

“Whatever brings home the money.” Your father-in-law would always chime.

You weren't ashamed of your career, and it practically all started in college when you wanted to pass the time writing for your favorite fandom. In a short amount of time, you had gained a small devoted following on your blog that made a lightbulb switch go off in your head - what if I could do this for a living? And so you did. Fast forward three years, now you are making a comfortable living working from anywhere with a wifi signal available and have over 950k followers on your socials, all under your alias 'YN Finalis'. With that many followers, most people would feel worried about their personal life being breached, but you're not dumb; you like to keep your personal life on, what you like to call, "low battery" mode.

Here's what your near million followers do know about: you’re 24 pushing on 25, you've come from a rather wealthy background, you’re married to an athlete, you’ve written well over 40 original explicit stories, and you have a plethora of sex toys and contraptions in your master bedroom.

What they don't know is: you're in an arranged marriage with Rin Itoshi for the past year, he only sleeps in the guest bedroom, and you're a virgin with a really creative mind.

Crazy, right?

But it's not like you're alone in your thoughts, today was the day when you decided to finally vent to your close fellow internet authors about your sexual frustrations.

"My in-laws keep asking me the same thing every time they call," Your voice reaches your laptop where your weekly meeting was set up on the kitchen counter. "I mean just how do they expect us to have a kid when my own husband doesn't even touch me?" You finish the remaining wine in your glass in dismay as sudden gasps were heard from the laptop's speakers.

"He hasn't initiated sex with you in these last few months?" Chigiri gasps.

"More like in the entirety of our relationship." You cry as you pour out another glass. You pick up your laptop, frowning seeing everyone's solemn looks, and make your way to your living room couch. "I'm still a virgin for crying out loud, like who's still a virgin at 24?"

Probably a lot of people but this is about you, not them!

"Oh my god," Hiori looks like he was going to cry for you. "Maybe your husband's just shy? Could it be he hasn't found the right time for it?"

"But a whole year?" Bachira is next to speak. "No wonder your stories have been popping off, you've been super horny."

You try to hold back your drunken sniffles. "I just don't understand! It's not like I'm ugly or anything, plenty of people wanted to date me back in college! He comes home to a clean house, I make fantastic meals that aren't just a ham and turkey sandwich, and for his past birthday I even gifted him an all-paid trip to Okinawa!"

"Shit," Shidou whistles, "I'd fuck you if you made me a ham and turkey sandwich."

"Not now for jokes." Hiori scolds and his tone softens when he speaks to you, "Outside of sex, has your husband been good to you?"

You pinch the bridge of your nose in frustration. "God, yes. He's so good to me you have no idea."

It wasn't like Rin was neglecting you in other forms of intimacy. Hugs and brief kisses were frequent both in and outside of the house. He loves holding your hands, shopping for clothes with you, giving you forehead kisses, and kissing you 'good morning' and 'good night' every day. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him, other than the occasional 'I'm irritated and I need my space' phase that required a whole evening to himself - but that was beside the point.

"Have you guys even talked about it?" Hiori continues.

"Oh god, absolutely no, it's an arranged marriage for fuck sake. What if I come off too strong and he doesn't even see me like that? Then the whole marriage will just be awkward!"

"But he's willing to do all those other things you listed down, maybe he is just shy." Bachira retorts.

"You think maybe he swings the other way?" Shidou asks but it's genuine this time.

A long period of silence falls over everyone as they try to figure out what they could help you with. But ultimately this was your husband to figure out, Rin wasn't married to them and they don't even know who Rin Itoshi was.

“Ah, whatever!” You swirl the wine in your glass around, frowning at your sullen reflection. “Maybe we’ll just end up adopting a baby instead of having one, maybe his parents won’t be able to tell the difference. And maybe I’ll just have to resort to reading other smut to satisfy my lack of intimacy. Chigiri, when is that next chapter coming out?”

A few clicks are heard from the other side of the screen before he says, “You’re in luck, I’m about to have my friend beta read this and it should be up by tonight.”

Perfect, you thought.

Chigiri, whose online username is RedPanther, has the third most followers on the adult website that everyone in the group was a part of. He's known for his works centering around the tropes 'forced proximity' and 'enemies to lovers', often the smut he writes will include a steamy threesome that has some sort of pegging involved - but that's always towards the second to last chapter.

"Oh!" Bachira calls out your name with a smile, "Aren't you working on a new story yourself?"

“Remind me again,” Shidou leans forward, "what's this one about?"

You find yourself feeling slightly lighter now that you've vented and the topic has shifted to something you're more confident speaking about. After a few seconds of rummaging through your Word documents, you drag the file labeled "I CAN MAKE YOUR BED ROCK - rough outlines & ideas.doc" to the group chat. Rarely do you ever share your creativity flow with other people but, after your unwarranted trauma dump, you figure it was better than nothing.

"Funny enough, it's loosely based on my marriage." You confess sheepishly, "This is my way of coping with it, I guess."

"Nothing wrong with that." Hiori chimes in, "It's free compared to having a shitty therapist!"

"Damn woman," Shidou's pink eyes dart back and forth from the screen, eyebrows furrowing up and down as he makes his way through your well-detailed outline. "you need to get laid, ASAP."

You click open your story file to follow along. In the tags section, you listed: Arranged marriage, unrequited love/one-sided, brat tamer, BDSM, choking, spanking, spitting, breeding kink, cum slu–

Okay, maybe Shidou is right (which is a surprise), you do need to get laid. But it's also okay to get slightly defensive for the sake of your ego, right?

You playfully roll your eyes at your group mate. "Ok ok, no need to judge that hard coming from the person who literally writes degradation kinks for a living!"

"Well, I think this story will be your best one yet!" Chigiri and Bachira both flip you a thumbs up over on their end of the call.

After a few more exchanges of small story updates in everyone's life, you all decided to end the call since it was getting rather late in the afternoon and you have yet to get started on dinner. You briefly thank Chigiri for his upcoming update and hop off, just in time before you hear the familiar sounds of the front door opening.

"I'm back."

"Welcome back, Rin!"

You can't help but feel slightly embarrassed and guilty that you were essentially gossiping about your husband's lack of sex drive to your friend group, which he hardly knows about, when he comes home with a large bag of takeout and your favorite coffee order. Rin is dressed in his typical workout outfit, which consists of a black form-fitting t-shirt and grey sweatpants that were just loose enough that you can still make an outline of his 'magic jewels', as Bachira likes to write.

"Baby, you didn't have to." You quickly grab the items from his hands so he can set down his gym bag.

He hums in response, briefly kissing your forehead before making his way into the kitchen to fetch a tall glass of water. "You've been cooking all week so I wanted you to take a small break," Rin says with a smile.

Your ears go warm and mimic the smile back, “Thanks, how was practice today?”

He sighs through his nose and wipes away the remaining sweat-covered bangs sticking to his forehead. “Rougher than usual but nothing too crazy. Isagi was more annoying compared to yesterday.” Rin says with a small pout.

“Boo,” You stick your tongue out in agreement, “how dare he annoys my one and only husband?”

“Oh, shut up.” He flicks a finger to your cheek and lets out the slightest fake scoff.

After hydrating, Rin announces quietly that he’ll come back to eat as soon as he takes a shower and darts to the guest bedroom. And with that, you’re reminded of your odd predicament.

He is a good husband and knows that you care for him and vice versa. When both sets of parents first introduced you two, it was awkward and you knew from reading his background that he wasn’t the most sociable of people but you were, and still are, patient. This arranged marriage was more or less a business deal between fathers; your father held the CEO title at a top entertainment company in the nation and Rin’s father wanted to secure the spotlight for the growing star athlete. Rin didn’t say much during that meeting, and neither did you.

Your first kiss with him was also on your first date. It was at his apartment, both of you shared the same hobby of playing horror games, and you were sitting thigh to thigh on his two-seater couch. You were dying multiple rounds in, fingers bruised from button-mashing and mind-busied with inappropriate thoughts as you kept stealing glances at your painfully attractive fiance. It didn’t take long for Rin to notice because it was stupidly obvious. He sat his controller down, took one look at you, and asked, “Do you want me to kiss you?” with a weird little smile that was seemingly almost out of character from what you knew of him. And the kiss was … awkward to say the least. You remembered him leaning down and you were leaning up, mashing lips and a little bit of teeth together. No amount of research that you had done days prior could’ve prepped for that. And it was almost as if it was his first time kissing too, but you fixated on your inexperience than pay any mind to his mysterious relationship track record.

One year later and you’re still stuck at first base.

As if on cue, you feel your phone give out a series of buzzes in your back pocket, already knowing that it’s from your online penpals. You break out from your thoughts and scroll to the top of the messages:

Bachira M. [BluntBangs] “You should try seducing him tonight!” Hiori Y. [ChoppyCyan] “You remember reading Chigiri’s fan favorite short story - “Till Death Do Us Part”? There was this one scene where the characters had to share one bed because the other bedroom got ruined by a leak! Maybe you can “accidentally” make that happen too?” Chigiri H. [RedPanther] “I remember I had a fun time writing that scene. You should definitely try and flirt with him, y/n.” Shidou R. [HornyDemon] “And if your husband won’t fuck you then I will /jk” Hiori Y. [ChoppyCyan] “Shut up you’ll fuck anything that has a pulse”

They weren’t necessarily wrong. You didn’t want this dynamic to potentially go on for another year or even for the rest of your life - trying wouldn’t hurt anyone, right?

You quickly fill up a pitcher of water then peer into the spare guest room and notice warm lighting bleeding through the cracks coming from the bathroom door and the sounds of running water. With Rin still busy washing up, you take the liberty to start messing around for your impromptu operation. You weren’t exactly sure when or who suggested sleeping in separate bedrooms to start but, to your knowledge, this is the first time that you’ve actually sneaked around in his room.

You start with the closet, opening its double doors and seeing his clothes all hung in order and by color. His sneakers and cleats were all stored in separate clear cases in the bottom corner while there is a small center shelf in the middle that holds his cologne, deodorant, and moisturizer. He’s neat, you think to yourself before deciding that it’s probably best to leave his belongings alone and focus on ruining something in the room that was less personal. Next is the carefully made bed with extra fluffed pillows, then the freshly well-kept plants on the window sill, followed by the small framed photo of your wedding day on the bedside table. Guilt immediately rushes over your consciousness.

“No, this won’t do either.” You groan, suddenly feeling like this is the dumbest thing on earth now. “I should just give up.”

“y/n?” Rin’s voice calls out and you snap your head towards his direction, soon to be met with a series of incoherent sputtering from the male as you realize that he’s completely wet and naked.

“Oh my god!” Hands and pitcher fly to your redden face as you try to come up with an excuse but nothing comes out the way you want it to, “I-I uh–water! I thought you needed more water–I’m sorry!”

You hear him scrambling around the room, most likely searching for a towel to cover up his impressive lower half. “You’re fine,” Rin’s voice sounds flustered and unusually high pitched, “just give me a second–”

“N-No I’m sorry! I don’t even know why I’m standing here I should just go and–” Closing your eyes might’ve been the worst choice all day because soon your body meets the wall and soon the floor, spilling the pitcher’s contents all over you in the process.

Your phone vibrates again, text reading:

Bachira M. [BluntBangs] “Did it work?!”

#blue lock #bllk #bllk x reader #blue lock imagines #blue lock x reader #doobea writing #itoshi rin #rin itoshi #rin itoshi x reader #itoshi rin x reader #blue lock smut #itoshi rin smut #rin itoshi smut #bllk smut #idk how slow but like slowish #they are not gonna fk until like the last chapter i think #but will do everything else in between #i can make your bed rock - rin itoshi #mdni

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cartermagazine · 2 months

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Today In History

Robert Nesta Marley was born on this date February 6, 1945 in Nine Miles, St. Ann, Jamaica.

Marley is one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, as well as his distinctive vocal and songwriting style.

Marley and his friends Neville “Bunny” Livingston (Bunny Wailer), and Peter McIntosh (Peter Tosh) formed the Wailing Wailers. The Wailers’ big break came in 1972 when they landed a contract with Island Records. The result was the critically acclaimed “Catch a Fire.”

Marley went on to sell more than 20 million records throughout his career, making him an international superstar. His musical legacy continues through his family and longtime bandmates.

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds.” - Bob Marley

CARTER™️ Magazine

#bob marley #carter magazine #carter #historyandhiphop365 #wherehistoryandhiphopmeet #history #cartermagazine #today in history #staywoke #blackhistory #blackhistorymonth

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deity-prompts · 2 months

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Can I have some prompts for a rockstar/indie singer relationship? 🫶🏼

Absolutely! A is the rockstar, B is the indie singer.

Rockstar x Indie Singer OTP Prompts

Prompts

A starts covering B’s songs, skyrocketing B’s popularity. B messages A asking them to stop, because B isn’t ready for fame and only wrote those songs for fun.

A and B are signed by the same label and who hire B to be the opening act for A’s tour. A is convinced that B is being set up to replace A, making A hate them.

B busks near where A lives, and even when A is trying to work on their next album, all they can think about is that busker.

A and B pretend to help B’s career.

A and B have been dating for a while but B doesn’t want to be famous due to A, so they constantly deflect dating rumours to the point of the public thinking they’re feuding.

Oneliners

“That record deal doesn’t make you better than me.”

“The music you play in bars is more real than what I play in stadiums.”

“These lyrics are incredible, why don’t you use them?”

“You’re an international superstar and you never learned the guitar properly? Here, let me show you.”

“Did you . . . steal my song?”

“You’re the reason I got into music!”

“Our voices sound really good together.” “Don’t get any ideas.”

“I’m a huge fan of yours.” “You’re literally the biggest star in the world, how do you know who I am?”

“Sing for me— not for the world, for me.”

“I wouldn’t have this Grammy without a really, really special person.”

Also see:

Royal x Rockstar prompts and oneliners

Celebrity x Commoner prompts and oneliners

Person x Person prompts masterlist

Prompts masterlist

#musician prompts #music prompts #writing prompts #otp prompts #writing oneliners #dialogue prompts #fluff prompts #fanfiction prompts

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ancientgoddessofegypt · 4 months

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$$$ Venus In The House: Divine Feminine Qualities & It's Natural Flow State - $$$

Venusian energy is the divinity we need to evolve in our sensuality, our grace, and our goddess frequency. I would like to express my feelings on the beautiful energy that is Venus, and how she highlights our beauty in miraculous ways. Wether shes in the first, the 6th, or the 12th, your divine sensuality can be a force once you recognize where it prospers and truly forms itself. Here are my thoughts on each of the houses and how you can absorb the magic that is Venus herself.

Venus in the First: Your persona, your aura, and your walk is the most important when strengthening your venus. You should be able to look in the mirror and feel truly yourself, of course we have some bad days, however your magic comes in handy when you use those bad days to make your presence known. Bad bitches never allow you to see them at their worst, and you shouldn't either. Allow your sweetness, your charm, and your grace to alam the senses of others to move mountains for you. That is your gift.

Venus in the Second: Your materials come first, not second. This is where you feel the most comfort. Your style, your bed, your pretty vases on that new table you just bought shows us your aesthetic. Your persona is covered in your space. You don't feel your best when you're not spending money. In fact, the more you embrace this desire for it in your life, the more it can come to you. Don't feel scared to let people know what you need from them, your giving qualities is one of your gifts, but it can bring difficulties dealing with some fleas. Be careful who you let in to your world, most can never enter the kingdom unless you let them.

Venus in the Third: Life isn't worth living if you cant express it through your words. Your essence is felt through your love of writing, the way you learn things, trying something new and exploring the little things. The divine feminine in you needs to see the world as one big photograph with you taking the photo. You see the prettiest versions of yourself through the way you move on to different horizons. Whether its a new city or a new coffee shop you're appreciation for what life brings you strengthens your bond with the universe and so much more.

Venus in the Fourth: Your divine feminine traits show in your passionate yet nurturing qualities. Home and family is where you deeply connect to yourself and your roots. The internal self shows us that beauty is so much more when you just realize the importance of who we truly are. Yes, the 4th house is about family but it is so much more than that. Your drive and imagination is a gift sent from your bloodline and you use it to create a home that is both magical and sensual. The divine femininity in you deserves to be treated well so boundaries around friends, family and people who are dear to you is a necessity. They must fill you up in some way in order to be filled with your grace. After all your magic blesses them. Be more open to escaping in a world that is located inside of you. Most people would desire to see this side of you but won't have the capacity to even engulf every bit of sweetness you carry in your temple. As this is the fourth house, the moons natural house, your emotions are in need for an outlet. Don't be afraid to express how you feel about something. This is how you get to master them, as it is connected to your feminine qualities.

Venus in the Fifth: The artist. The Actor. The Charmer. You enjoy a life of leisure and need it more than anyone else. Your romance life is in your hands, as you typically have the right to call the shots since you are the moment. You are literal royalty and you have to behave in a way that shows regal qualities because people respect that about you. Superstar energy is prominent here as this is a leo house, so you do have to be more boastful about yourself than most. Creative energy is constantly flowing and needs an outlet. This is your super power. Be more kind to yourself because your more prone to get depressed if you are not using your light in its full form. Your divine feminity expresses itself in your favorite hobbies, the way you look, and the way you appreciate art. In dating, you get the best of the best when you keep your standards high. In the movies, you'd be the person that everyone wants. Thats how life could be if you just allow the flow of venusian energy to move through you.

Venus in the Sixth : Your divinity comes out through balancing the mind. Creating a routine and having something going for yourself keeps you in focus on what you need and your desires can come through more effortlessly. You guys are natural students, but you are also teachers as well. Do not shy away from this gift because we need you. You attract people with your mind and intellect, and you must have boundaries on who you give certain knowledge too. You should also be okay with holding space for yourself in the work space because your health is prone to go through imbalances if the work environment is not for you. The way you care for yourself heightens your sensuality. Need new clothes? get em? new glasses and contacts? need to fix your teeth? some health problems? get it done. your health determines how much your sensual energy is. Pick your environment wisely, choose a good routine with affirmations that'll do it.

Venus in the Seventh: Charmer charmer charmer. You babes honestly get to choose some really good partners. Your gift is in the way you see yourself. This is the mirror house. Where people merely express the internal reality of the self. How you see yourself is what you get from others. However some people just cant help themselves, they don't know what to do with it when your vibe walks in the room. They cant handle it. Your divine feminity grows stronger when you see yourself as beautiful. It can only go up from there. You have to know yourself better than anyone. This could be a challenge because it may not 'feel' like this sweet gorgeous energy is yours but it is babe. Also, you have the gift of making people feel more about themselves when your near em. Just you flirting with someone can make anyone's day. And you being in the room just makes the energy feel better. You shift the room with your grace, sensuality and ethereal qualities. Use it. It might opens some doors for you to get that ideal love ;)

Venus in the Eighth House: Tremendous energy and power with this placement. Your gift is in shaking the table with your magic. Your ethereal qualities shine a lot on all our darkness. The mysteries you seek bring us to our knees. You can see the world in us but we cannot see it in you, that's why we love you so much. We just have to beg for it, because who doesn't want an empress telling them what they want to hear? Literally a goddess of fantasy. You mastered this in a past life, did u? ;) Your mystique is what we love about you and if everyone knew too much about you it would be deadly. The world wants to have you but they gotta charge for it babe, don't hesitate giving them a little but making them pay more. They dont mind ;)

Venus in the Ninth House: The beautiful philosopher. Your energy is so magnetic here. A lust for life and to grow in knowledge is what brings you to God. The divine feminine in you shows in ways that the mind could not fathom. You were created to be the muse that made Aristotle write his most profound work. Your light shines when your more intune with your beliefs and how you view society, life, and the journey ahead. Also luck favors you, when you express your divinity here in this house, you can achieve a lot of favor by just embracing what you feel about your ideas. You could also attract lovers from all walks of life and they'll proceed to win your hearts because your aura isn't just the only thing that caught their attention. Its your mind. Be more cautious when you're on road trips or going on voyages in the water. Your prone to accidents with this placement (just be careful). Don't be afraid to share your viewpoints with people because it helps us flow into new perspective with our own minds.

Venus in the Tenth House : A grand placement. Divine feminine energy flows better in this house. It's the house of being in the spotlight which venus clearly loves. Remember you are deserving of being seen and known for your beauty, your gifts and what you love. You can easily be a heartthrob here and no matter what you do people will love you. Your divine feminity flows when you just let go and allow others to give you attention. It flows when you allow people to see your light. When you operate in your goddess frequency people just cant help to want more. You're ability to lead is your finest quality. They'll worship the ground you walk on if you just let them. Be kind to others and you will see the world reflect that kindness back to you. Ok ;) Muah <3

Venus in the Eleventh House: Goals. Friends. Organic Connections. Philosophy. Pioneers & Humanitarians. That's the work of an eleventh houser. Through this placement, your divine feminine flows through allowing groups and organizations to come into your life. You need satisfaction with real life and growing as a community. Being filled with a purpose is what connects you to your feminine energy. Make sure you have friends who see the beauty in you the same way you see it in yourself. Have boundaries over your aura because you're not mother theresa and if they cant see you for you versus what you do for em they need to get out ! Have connections that help you flourish and see you as the butterfly that you are.

Venus in the Twelfth House: The mystic. The Oracle. The Dreamer. The muse. The cosmic creator. This is your divine feminine. Your magic comes through your imagination and your inner-child. You are the creator of your life and this is a remarkable placement for venus. The hidden house doesn't show its mystery to people, so you attract people like bees to honey. Divine feminine qualities must be expressed through closely connecting to outside, nature & rivers could be a theme for you because it connects you to the surface and helps you lean towards mastering your gifts. 12th house is the floaty house so it'll be easy to doze off and go back to that magical house you call your brain. Your connection to the universe naturally calls you to be a healer, so not everyone can get a taste. Embracing your truth is how you move the divine feminine to work in your favor. Creative outlets like painting can be a powerful expression for your emotions, which is a stellar way to morph your energy into where and what you want it to be. You have the power to move people with your sensual grace, so don't try to tame it. This energy should be left to be free as it was made to be formless.

#venus in the houses #tropical astrology #sidereal astrology #venus in the 1st #venus in the 2nd #astrology #astrology venus #astro knowledge #venus in the 8th #venus in the 3rd #venus in the 12th #venus in the 5th #venus in the 6th #Venus in the 11th #venus astrology #venus in the 9th #venus in the 4th

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c-e-d-dreamer · 4 months

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You Love Our Permanent Chase (And the Bite of Our Bark)

A/N: Down to the literal wire, but a very happy holidays to @freakingata! It is I, your Secret Santa! It has been so lovely getting to know you these past few months, and I've loved writing this fun Nessian fic for you 🥰 I hope you enjoy soccer star Cassian and the holidays shenanigans he gets up to with his work rival Nesta 😉 (cc: @acotargiftexchange)

Word Count: 9,337

Read on AO3

Nesta hates Cassian Valdarez.

She doesn’t care that his play helped carry Velaris FC to the top of the league standings year after year. She doesn’t care that his save against Hybern during penalty kicks sent Prythian to the World Cup final. She doesn’t care that he’s beloved by the nation, and she certainly doesn’t care that he was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world before a shattered knee ended his career.

Because when Nesta looks at Cassian Valdarez, she doesn’t see the friendly, likable soccer superstar that everyone else seems to see. Instead, all Nesta sees is a cocky, arrogant, insufferable man who’s had everything handed to him on a silver platter.

Nesta worked hard for years to get where she is. She worked hard in high school to earn a scholarship to one of the best universities for journalism. She worked hard to graduate top of her class for her degree. And she worked damn hard interning with barely two pennies to rub together until she was finally promoted to reporter and anchor. She thought she had finally done it. Thought she’d finally made a name for herself and achieved her dream.

Thought.

But then Cassian Valdarez had all but strolled in, the network more than happy to pant at his feet and offer him the job.

So now Nesta is stuck being a co-reporter, a co-anchor to the former soccer star. She’s forced to sit beside him and force a smile while they talk through the biggest plays and the biggest games of the week, the top news in soccer from around the world. She’s forced to listen to his deep timbre, to his drawl as he calls her sweetheart. It’s infuriating.

“Morning, sweetheart.”

Speak of the devil. It takes everything within Nesta to swallow down her annoyed groan. At least with Cassian standing over her shoulder, she’s able to roll her eyes in peace without him clocking the expression. She doesn’t even bother turning to greet him, to even lift her head and meet his gaze. Instead, she keeps her focus on the papers on the desk in front of her, organizing her notes until she’s happy with them. She hopes the blatant dismissal grates his nerves as much as his presence grates hers.

“Did you have a good weekend?” Cassian asks anyways, sliding into his seat beside her.

“Certainly not as good as yours.”

Nesta remembers the pictures, the headlines that took over social media like a blazing fire. Cassian with his curls disheveled around his face, his hazel eyes bright but hazy, a pretty blonde all but hanging off his arm while they stumbled out of a bar called Rita’s downtown. With bright red lipstick pressed against the golden skin of his cheek in a perfect mark, the photos painted quite the picture, and almost every headline included a cheeky play on words over the fact a former goalkeeper was scoring now.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look for you.”

“Jealous?” Nesta scoffs, snapping her attention to Cassian and his stupid smirking face. “I just feel bad for the poor girl, that she had to spend a whole night with you. Must have been terrible.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that message along to Mor,” Cassian tells her, his eyes practically glinting in amusement despite the fake solemn tone he puts on. “Platonically, of course. In case you were curious.”

Nesta rolls her eyes again, turning back to her notes. “I don’t care.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

Cassian chuckles, the sound low and warm, and Nesta clenches her jaw against it. But before either of them can say anything more, the floor manager, Balthazar, steps over to the news desk. He quickly runs through some high level notes from the director, the makeup staff stepping over halfway through to touch up both their faces.

The routine of it all helps Nesta to focus, to center herself. She focuses on the words Balthazar is saying, on the brush skating across the skin of her face. She glances back down to her notes, and for a moment, the rest of the studio fades away. No longer is there the chatter of the camera crew, the movement of coworkers as everything is readied, the blaring stage lights overhead. It is merely the steady thrum of her heart within her chest, the air through her lungs with each breath.

It is merely Nesta in her element as they're counted in.

“Welcome to Velaris Sports and the Football Show,” Cassian begins, shooting a winning smile toward the camera. “I’m Cassian, here with Nesta, and it certainly was an interesting week for the world of soccer. Wouldn’t you say so, Nes?”

It takes everything within Nesta to swallow down her reaction at the stupid nickname, to keep her face smiling toward the camera, even as her fingers flex against her notes. “It certainly was, and I think we’d both agree that one of the top things to happen this week was the Women’s National team’s showing against Hybern. It was clear that though the match was just an early qualifier for next year’s World Cup, those women are here to play. Emerie Marciano’s sipping tea celebration after her goal early in the second half will live in infamy.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Let’s check out that and other highlights from that game in case you missed it.”

~ * * * ~

When the call to cut finally echoes across the sound stage, that red recording light finally flickering off and the stage lights dimming to nothing, Nesta lets out a quiet breath. She takes a moment to close her eyes, relaxing fully back into her seat, back into herself, and lets her television smile drop away.

“Great show today, sweetheart.”

“Thanks,” Nesta mutters, pushing up and to her feet and straightening out her skirt. Whether Cassian notices the distinct lack of offering a ‘you too’ or not, she doesn’t know or care, gathering up her papers.

“I especially liked those extra tidbits about the Vanserra family you threw in. Great tie-in for that segment on Lucien Vanserra.”

Nesta doesn’t even bother swallowing down her eye roll. One day, she's sure her eyes are going to fall out of her head, and it's all going to be working with this man’s fault. She turns back toward him, offering a bland, mocking smile. “That’s what happens when some of us actually do our research.”

“Exactly,” Cassian agrees easily with a wide smile of his own, his hazel glinting. He leans back casually in his seat, stretching an arm back and across Nesta’s now vacated one. “That’s what I have you for. You be the brains, and I'll be the beauty.”

Nesta scoffs, settling Cassian with a final scowl before she turns on her heel and stalks off the sound stage. At least now she can settle back at her desk, put on her favorite podcast, and spend the rest of the day peacefully in her bubble away from Cassian while she prepares for their next episode. She needs a drink, a stiff one ideally, but it’s only the afternoon. She decides to settle for something sweet instead to help her through the rest of the day, beelining for the refreshments table set up back near the kitchen.

She grabs one of the mugs at the end of the table first, carefully filling it about three quarters of the way with coffee. She adds creamer next before grabbing a handful of sugar packets, tearing them all and dumping them at the same time. Snagging one of the wooden stirrers, she brings her coffee to the perfect shade, lifting the mug to her lips and taking a small sip. Just how she likes it, the taste blooming on her tongue and warming her all the way down.

“You made me coffee, sweetheart? You shouldn’t have.”

Before Nesta can even react, before she can even turn or say something or roll her eyes for the twentieth time today, a large hand reaches over her shoulder. Dark swirls of ink twist and curl down toward the wrist, and long fingers curve around the top of her mug, plucking it straight from her grip. She whips around, an annoyed scowl already twisting across her face, a raging fire burning in her narrowed gaze. She swears Cassian’s eyes glint at her expression, his smile twitching up that little bit higher as he brings the mug to his lips and takes a sip.

Cassian pulls the mug away with a grimace, peering down into the coffee. “Cauldron, you don’t want to add some coffee to your sugar?”

Nesta smirks triumphantly, even as she blinks innocently up at him. “It’s sweet. Like me.”

“I think you got your ratio off, Nes. It’s clearly not bitter enough.”

“Nesta,” Nesta snaps, jabbing a finger at his chest as she enunciates. “Nes-ta.”

“Isn’t that what I said?” Cassian fires back, his ever present cocksure smirk betraying his faux innocence.

“Perhaps you’ve taken too many balls to the head over your career because clearly you must be deaf.”

Cassian chuckles lightly at the quip, but he doesn’t disagree. Instead, he brings the pastry in his other hand up to his mouth, taking a bite. Nesta can’t help but track the chocolate that begins to ooze between his fingers, the way his tongue darts out to catch the sweetness. Her gaze snaps back down to the platter of pastries, excited at the prospect, but all she sees are regular croissants and jam filled scones.

Of course.

Of course, Cassian took the last chocolate pastry. Because taking her job, taking her sanity each and every work day clearly isn’t enough. The audacity of this man. Nesta’s chest feels tight with the heat and rage bubbling between her ribs. It boils over and scrapes beneath her skin, fueling her inner fire and goading her on. Harsh words sit heavy on her tongue, poised and ready to strike, but a quiet throat clear to her left has her swallowing them back down.

Nesta and Cassian both turn their heads and their attention at the same time, finding one of the production assistants, Diedre, standing beside them. Nesta has always noticed she’s a bit on the shy side, and even now, as her eyes glance back and forth between them, Nesta spies the barest hint of pink beginning to spill across her cheeks.

“Sorry,” Diedre mumbles, reaching between them to grab one of the jam filled scones. The color on her cheeks deepens with the attention still on her, her shoulders pinching upwards. “Are either of you planning to participate in the Solstice Week events?”

“Solstice Week events?”

“Don’t you read the company emails?” Nesta sneers with a scoff.

“It’s um… it’s just different events to build excitement for Solstice,” Diedre explains, answering Cassian’s question. “Desk decorating. A cookie exchange. Ugly sweaters. And a Solstice inspired scavenger hunt.”

“So a contest, then? And what prize do I get if I win?”

“What makes you assume you're going to win?”

“I…” Diedre stutters slightly, glancing between them again. “I don’t think there’s any sort of prize.”

“That’s alright,” Cassian offers, turning his gaze back to Nesta and daring to shoot her a wink. “I’ll still win anyways.”

Nesta will admit that when the email came in for her earlier in the week, she merely skimmed it before ultimately deleting it. She’ll admit that she didn’t care about something as silly as the company’s attempt at team building and morale. But, now, she knows. She knows that she will not let Cassian Valdarez get another thing over her, even something as stupid as Solstice Week events. She will not let him bask in another victory that’s all but handed to him because no one else even tries.

Determination has her spine hardening like steel, her chin raising just slightly as she holds Cassian’s gaze firmly. She refuses to let him have this. She’ll show him and this whole production company, the whole network, and she’ll do it in such a way that it wipes that stupid, smug look right off Cassian’s face.

No, this time, Nesta Archeron is going to win.

~ * * * ~

Nesta squints down at the piece of paper she has laid across her desk, running her fingertip over the drawing there. She had stayed up late with Gwyn at the rickety kitchen table that’s been with them since their college apartment. The redhead had always had an affinity for Solstice and the celebrations. And a creative eye. She always ensured their apartment was decked out for the season as early as socially acceptable, and Nesta intended to use her friend’s talent to her full advantage.

Tapping her finger against the page in confirmation, Nesta turns in place. She crouches down toward the bags she brought into the office with her this morning, rooting around until she finds the package of stuffing. She stretches out the stuffing and lays it across her desk, crumbling up pieces of paper and shoving it beneath to create little hills just as Gwyn suggested.

Nesta adds various random figurines and mini fake Solstice trees, and she steps back to admire her work, happy with the winter wonderland she’s created. She returns to her bags and grabs the green streamers next. She maneuvers her desk chair until it aligns to her liking, carefully stepping up onto it. Even with the added height boost, she has to press up onto her toes to get close enough to the ceiling. She jams a hook into the material of the ceiling tiles, draping the first streamer across it.

“You’re in already? What did you do? Sleep here overnight?”

The sudden voice has Nesta jumping in surprise, her balance on the chair wobbling. Two hands shoot out to help steady her, fingers spanning across her entire waist and heat seeping beneath her blouse and skittering across her skin.

“Careful, Nes,” Cassian chuckles quietly. “Don’t want to break that pretty little head of yours.”

Nesta makes a fake gagging noise at the comment. “Don’t try to be cute.”

“You think I’m cute?”

Nesta turns her head enough to glare at the hands still at her waist, but Cassian doesn’t seem deterred. In fact, his telltale smirk only seems to grow at her reaction. With an annoyed huff, Nesta turns back to the task at hand. She hangs the other streamer over the hook, adding the large, red ribbon tied in a bow as the final touch. She steps down off the chair and out of Cassian’s grip, carefully placing the ends of the streamers so it gives the illusion of a tree.

“Looks great,” Cassian comments. Nesta snaps her attention back to him, but the teasing smirk she expects to find is decidedly missing. In fact, there’s nothing but genuineness painted across his expression. “You certainly went all out.”

“Well, it is a desk decorating contest,” Nesta reminds him. She can feel pride bubbling up in her chest, blooming and taking root between her ribs. She doesn’t even bother swallowing it down, doesn’t bother biting back the victorious smirk that tugs up her lips. “What did you expect?”

For a moment, Nesta swears that Cassian’s smile grows at her expression, an emotion she can’t quite pinpoint flaring in his hazel eyes. But then that all too familiar cocksure smirk takes over his face again. His attention dances back toward Nesta’s desk, taking in the different decorations she’s arranged, before he meets her gaze again.

“I honestly assumed you’d be more of a grinch.”

Nesta’s nostrils flare at the remark and she crosses her arms across her chest. “Fuck you.”

Cassian laughs again as though the insult delights him, the sound prickling across Nesta’s skin. Her blood sparks just as much as Cassian’s gaze seems to. She rolls her eyes and turns on her heel, stalking away and toward the coffee, Cassian’s voice following after her.

“Game on, sweetheart.”

~ * * * ~

Nesta lets out a quiet breath as she steps out of her car. She swears that she can still feel flour in her hair. No matter how hard she scrubbed in the shower, it’s as if the cookie dough is now embedded within her from where the beaters sent it all flying. Almost as badly as it's embedded in her apartment. She's still not sure how cookie dough got on the ceiling.

Another soft sigh and Nesta grabs her bag and the tupperware full of cookies from her passenger seat. She can’t help but wince as she peers at her cookies. They spread more than she had anticipated, losing their shape, and the edges and bottoms are crispier than she’s sure they’re meant to be. She had followed the recipe to what she thought was a T, but something went wrong somewhere along the way.

At least they’re made with love.

That’s what Gwyn had said the previous night, and Nesta hopes that counts for enough. It should count for enough in her opinion, that at least hers are homemade. She’s sure that most of her coworkers will just be bringing in store-bought for the cookie exchange today. Including a certain former soccer superstar that Nesta is confident has never stepped foot inside a kitchen before in his life. He probably used his money to have a private chef that prepared all his food for him.

Nesta steps inside the studio kitchen, finding the area that’s been set up for the cookie exchange. Already, there are various cookies out and on display, including the cakey icing heavy ones that the grocery stores sell for every holiday, still in the plastic case. Cassian’s contribution if Nesta had to guess. With a roll of her eyes, she opens up her own tupperware and adds her cookies.

“Morning, sweetheart. What kind of cookies did you make?”

Nesta takes a moment to breathe before turning toward the voice. Cassian leans casually against the counter near the refrigerator, wearing a soft looking, deep red henley shirt since they aren’t filming today. His hair is pulled away from his face in a bun, the lights of the kitchen casting shadows across his jawline. He has a cookie in his hand, perfectly shaped and iced to look like a soccer player, and he offers Nesta a cheeky smirk as he pointedly takes a bite.

“Sugar cookies,” Nesta grinds out from between her clenched teeth.

She turns back to her tupperware of cookies, spying a stack of sticky notes and a sharpie set to the side. She grabs both, quickly scrawling her cookie type on the purple paper to match the other cookies on display. She feels more than she hears Cassian sidle up behind her, heat prickling up her spine as it radiates off him. His breath skates across her cheek as he leans forward to peer over her shoulder.

“Are they… snowmen?”

“They’re meant to be gingerbread men and Solstice trees,” Nesta explains, trying desperately to swallow down her annoyance.

“Really? Are you sure?”

The annoyance burns into full blown anger, fire raging through Nesta’s veins. She whirls around, but almost instantly regrets it. It puts her chest to chest with Cassian, and she has to tilt her head back slightly to keep meeting his gaze. His hazel eyes practically seem to spark, all green vines and golden specks, and that smirk of his grows slowly but surely across his face.

“You know, you’re supposed to chill the dough after you cut them,” Cassian continues, not even bothering to take a step back to give her space, leaving Nesta caged in. “That’s the trick to getting them to keep their shape and not spread so much.”

“I don’t recall asking,” Nesta seethes. She settles a hand against his chest, shoving gently, but Cassian’s large frame is unmoving.

“The other trick is to use your hands, to really knead the dough to the right consistency.” Cassian’s voice dips lower as he speaks the word, holding a hand up between them and curling then flexing his fingers. “I’d be more than happy to give you a demonstration some time.”

“Yeah, right. You really expect me to believe you’re some great baker?”

“Try for yourself,” Cassian offers, reaching back behind Nesta and producing a tupperware of his own.

Nesta eyes the cookies, the perfectly shaped and iced soccer players, and scoffs. “You did not make those.”

Cassian presses a hand dramatically to his chest. “You wound me, sweetheart. I’ll have you know that I’m an excellent cook. And an excellent baker. In fact, this is my own recipe.”

Nesta scowls as Cassian shakes the tupperware toward her encouragingly. She snatches up one of the cookies and makes a big show of taking a bite. She hates it. She hates that the cookie is actually delicious. She hates that it's buttery sweet and melts perfectly in her mouth, the perfect mix of crispy edge and a soft center with icing that's not too overpowering.

It takes everything within her to swallow down a moan of delight, to not give Cassian that sort of satisfaction, but from the way Cassian’s smirk only seems to grow, it’s clear he already knows. With a huff that she pushes out between clenched teeth, Nesta knocks her shoulder against Cassian’s and shoves past him. Hard. She stalks back toward her desk, mind already reeling with ways for her to win the Solstice Week event tomorrow, to ensure victory after today’s misstep.

And if Nesta sneaks back to the kitchen throughout the day to grab more of Cassian’s cookies to help fuel her? Well, no one has to know.

~ * * * ~

“That has got to be the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen.”

Nesta tugs at the hem of the fabric at her hips. The pink color probably wouldn’t be half bad if it wasn’t practically neon, and the two toned green fringes of yarn clustered across the front only seem to add to the charm. That and the clumps of yellow yarn with lopsided faces. Nesta has to bite her lip around the smile threatening to break free across her face. It’s exactly the type of response she was hoping for.

Schooling her features, Nesta finally raises her face to Balthazar. “Thank you.”

“Not usually the response you’d expect to that,” Balthazar chuckles, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Today only I’ll allow it.”

“Well, you definitely have my vote.”

With that, Balthazar vanishes back toward his own desk and his own work, so Nesta finishes mixing her own coffee to her taste before doing the same. She pulls up her notes she’s been working through these past few days, quickly skimming through what she already has written. Nodding to herself, she pulls up the game clips from the last World Cup, finding where she left off.

“Hope you’ve been working on your gracious loser speech, sweetheart.”

For once, Nesta doesn’t roll her eyes at that all too familiar drawl. In fact, her grin is wide as she turns in her seat and comes face to face with Cassian. He has his arms spread wide, showing off his own sweater. A fake, felt fire has been glued to the center of the sweater, various small stockings pinned in a line along the shoulders, and tinsel loops around the collar.

It’s certainly ugly.

Almost in slow motion Nesta watches as Cassian takes in her own sweater. His brows start to furrow low over his eyes, his arms dropping limply back to his side. But the true victory comes from watching Cassian’s cocksure smile slip from his lips and be taken over by a confused frown.

“What the hell is that?” Cassian asks, gesturing toward her attire.

Nesta tugs at the fabric, smiling down fondly at her attire. “My sweater for today’s contest. It’s meant to be solstice trees and kittens. Allegedly at least. But it’s perfectly ugly, don’t you think?”

Cassian crosses his arms across his chest, raising a practically sardonic brow. “What possible store could you have found that in?”

No longer wanting him towering over her, Nesta rises from her seat, truly going toe to toe to him. She narrows her eyes at him, the scowl familiar and easy. She lets a slow smirk tug up her lips, keeping her voice the picture perfect of innocence as she tells him, “Jealousy isn’t a good look for you.”

Cassian chuckles softly, shaking his head. “What are you going to tell me next? That you knit it yourself?”

“Unfortunately not. My great aunt did,” Nesta explains, peering down at her sweater again. “She’s half blind.”

“That sounds like cheating.”

“Since when are there rules for an ugly sweater contest?” Cassian huffs quietly, but he doesn’t say anything, and Nesta knows that she’s won, knows that he doesn’t have an argument for that. She offers a condescending hum, tilting her head in mock innocence. “Guess someone’s a sore loser.”

Cassian leans in closer still, and Nesta raises her chin higher in defiance, unwilling to back down from his attempts to cow her, back down from his gaze pinning her in place. With the little space between them, Nesta realizes his eyes are more green than brown, specks of gold seeming to glint amongst those swirling vines. This close, she can feel the heat that radiates off him, can feel his breath skate across her cheeks. She can watch in slow motion as that smirk returns.

“Until tomorrow’s contest then. Nes.”

~ * * * ~

Nesta leans forward in her seat, squinting at her computer screen and the image displayed there. She currently has two wins for this week’s contests to Cassian’s one, and she’s determined to win today’s challenge too, to claim her victory for the whole week.

A scavenger hunt.

According to the email sent around to everyone, various small, plastic penguins have been hidden around the studio and offices to be found. Each one is worth a different amount of points, and whomever has the most at the end of the day, wins. It seems simple enough, and if Nesta plays it strategically, it’s practically in the bag.

Nodding to herself, ensuring she’s memorized the image and what exactly she’s looking for, Nesta closes her laptop and pushes up to her feet. She glances around at the other desks around her, hoping to spy one of the penguin figurines. The ones with the top hat are worth two hundred fifty points, but she’d accept any to begin the search.

Nesta heads for the studio kitchen next. She opens up the refrigerator, and there, beside all the packed lunches, is a penguin, no taller than an inch, with a pink bobble hat on. Only ten points, but Nesta snatches it up all the same and continues her search. She finds another ten point penguin amongst the mugs, a penguin with yellow earmuffs worth twenty five points between tea pouches, and a penguin on skis worth fifty points in the freezer.

She continues her search across the soundstage, winding through the desks, and even checking in the production control room. By the end, she has an entire paper cup full of various penguins. Plenty of the ones worth ten and twenty five points, and she’s even found a few of the penguins in a blue coat worth one hundred points.

Still no top hat penguins though.

“And how many penguins have you found, sweetheart?”

Nesta doesn’t even bother turning around, doesn’t bother stopping her search, as she pulls open the bottom tray of the printer and locates a blue coat penguin. “I’m already at eleven seventy five.”

“Not bad,” Cassian comments, and when there’s silence after, Nesta hopes that means he’s decided to leave her alone. “Aren’t you going to ask how many I’ve found?”

Nesta scoffs, straightening and turning to face Cassian and lift a sardonic brow. “No.”

“Well, I’m at a thousand and ten.”

Cassian steps closer, right up into Nesta’s space until the heat radiating off him prickles across her skin. His hand reaches out, stretching back behind her. Nesta can’t help but hold her breath, Cassian not even breaking eye contact while he lifts the document cover on the copier at her back. When he pulls his hand back, a penguin with yellow earmuffs sits in the center of his palm.

“A thousand thirty five,” Cassian offers with a smirk.

With a roll of her eyes, Nesta side-steps away from Cassian. She can hear him trailing behind her as she makes her way down the hall, but she pointedly ignores him. The sound of a door opening draws her attention, and when she whirls around, she spots Cassian opening what appears to be a janitor’s closet of some kind. Nesta rushes forward, slipping in quickly before he can, determined to find whatever penguins might be hiding in there first.

“Who knew you were so competitive, Nes.”

“Nesta,” Nesta snaps, whirling around to watch Cassian step inside behind her.

The door closes behind him with a soft snick, and Nesta realizes too late just how small the space is. She and Cassian are practically standing chest to chest, and the wide set of his shoulders and his tall frame makes it seem even smaller still. Nesta tries to take a step back, but the metal of the shelves in this closet merely digs into her spine.

“That’s what I said,” Cassian tells her with an easy shrug.

“Do you enjoy riling me up?”

“Oh, there are many things I enjoy when it comes to you, sweetheart.”

Just like at the printer, Cassian’s hand reaches up between their bodies. Only this time, his hand reaches toward her face. For a moment, his fingers brush along the strands of her hair that hang loosely around her temples. For a moment, Nesta swears she can feel the barest whisper of a touch across her cheek. She can feel heat creeping up her neck, threatening to spill beneath her skin, threatening to send goosebumps skittering down her spine.

Cassian pulls his hand back, showing off a penguin in a blue coat pinched between his fingers. “Eleven thirty five.”

Nesta lets out a growl of frustration, both at the fact that Cassian is now only forty points behind her, and at the fact she allowed herself to be distracted by him. She whips her attention back toward the shelves, moving around the rolls of paper towels and cleaning bottles. She lets out an excited noise when she looks between the stack of microfiber towels, pulling out one of the coveted penguins in a top hat.

“Would you look at that,” Nesta declares, turning back around and holding up the penguin for Cassian to see. “I’m at fourteen twenty five now.”

“The day is still young.”

“Whatever. I doubt they hid that many in here so just get out of the way so we can leave.”

Cassian offers an eyeroll of his own, but he turns toward the door at least. Nesta waits for the light of the hall to spill back into the small space, for Cassian to step out so she can follow behind him, but instead his entire body tenses, shoulders raising slightly.

“So… bad news,” Cassian starts, turning his head enough that Nesta can see the grimace that’s taken over his face. “The door is locked.”

“Don’t fuck around, Cassian. It’s not funny,” Nesta snaps, smacking his arm in annoyance. “Open the door.”

“You think I’m lying to you?” Cassian jingles the handle of the door in emphasis. “It’s locked.”

“You’re probably just doing it wrong. Move out of the way.”

Nesta elbows past Cassian, reaching out and trying the handle for herself. It barely moves, so she tries again, more aggressive, but it’s definitely locked. She lets out a noise somewhere between a frustrated scream and an annoyed huff, slapping her hand against the wood.

“I told you it was locked.”

Nesta nearly jumps out of her skin at how close Cassian’s voice is. She realizes too late that when she elbowed past him that Cassian didn’t move, that she’s now practically pressed up against him. She can feel every hard line of him, every muscle built from years of playing soccer. Can feel the way his heart seems to skip and beat between his ribs.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, to swallow down the shiver threatening to skitter up her spine at the proximity, Nesta pounds her fist against the door. “Help! Someone help! We’re locked in here!”

“Really, sweetheart?”

“Can anyone hear me? Unlock the door! Help!”

“You know, we could always just—”

The sound of the door clicking echoes in the small space and cuts Cassian off. Balthazar’s face comes blinking into view, his eyebrows dipping low in confusion as his gaze darts between the two of them.

“Um…”

“Don’t ask,” Nesta pushes out between gritted teeth, shoving past Balthazar and stalking down the hall and back toward her desk.

By the end of the work day, Nesta’s collection of penguin figurines comes to a total of one thousand, eight hundred, thirty-five. She takes a photo and sends it to the email for all the Solstice Week events, her submission. It doesn’t take long before the email comes in, announcing the winner for the scavenger hunt, but Nesta frowns as she reads the name, as she eyes the photo of the winning penguin collection. The figurines practically overflowing to the point they don't fit in the frame.

Jumping to her feet, Nesta stomps her way down the line of desks. “How did you do it?”

Cassian leans back casually in his seat, his easy smile not fooling Nesta for a second. “Do what?”

“Two thousand seven hundred five?” Nesta demands, glaring down at him. “How is that even possible?”

Cassian’s smile turns into a full blown smirk, lifting his hands back behind his head until the sleeves of his shirt ride up his biceps. “Someone’s a sore loser.”

“You cheated. You had to have cheated.”

“I’m offended that you’d make such an accusation. It’s not my fault I’m charming.”

Nesta snorts, rolling her eyes. “Charming? That is not a word I would use to describe you.”

“Clearly others find me charming,” Cassian tells her with a shrug, that infuriating cocksure smirk unmoving. “Charming enough to share the penguins they found with me.”

Nesta’s jaw slackens at the admission. She steps forward, in between Cassian’s legs, so that she can glower down at him. “That’s. Cheating.”

“I prefer the words charming and resourceful,” Cassian fires back, his hazel eyes practically sparking even under the fluorescent lights. “That means two wins for me, and two wins for you. We’ll have to call it a draw, Nes.”

“It is not a draw. You forfeit because you cheated.”

“Nowhere in the rules of the scavenger hunt did it say I had to find all the penguins myself. It just said whoever had the most points at the end of the day. And I did. It’s a technicality.”

Nesta huffs and crosses her arms across her chest. “Then we do another challenge to settle the score and determine a true winner.”

“It’s a Friday and the end of the day,” Cassian chuckles, shaking his head. “What possible work challenge could you come up with?”

“We’ll stick with the Solstice theme like it’s been all week to be fair. It snowed last night. You, me, snowball fight.”

“Fine,” Cassian concedes surprisingly easily, reaching forward enough that he can close his computer. “But when I win, and I will, I want you to remember this moment and how you begged me for this.”

“I am not begging,” Nesta snaps, stepping back enough that Cassian can stand up from his seat.

“Is that another challenge? More than up for rectifying that one, sweetheart.”

“Just meet me outside.”

Nesta turns on her heel and storms off back to her desk. She quickly shuts down her own computer for the day and packs up her work bag. She tugs on her gloves and hat, winding her scarf around her neck. She zips up her coat and heads for the door, following around the building to the grassy area now blanketed in white waves of snow.

Nesta lets out a yelp of surprise as a snowball hits her straight in the chest, wet snow streaking down her jacket and dripping to her feet. A deep, booming laughter follows the assault, and Nesta raises her gaze to glare at Cassian, another snowball already balanced in the palm of his hand.

“Does this mean I win now?”

“No,” Nesta snaps, crouching down to scoop snow into her own hands.

She packs the snow down until it’s a ball, stretching her arm back and lobbing it at Cassian’s head. Cassian is quick to jump out of the way with another deep laugh. He tosses his own snowball toward Nesta, but she ducks before it can hit her, using the motion to scoop more snow into her hands.

Cassian starts to charge toward Nesta, and with a yelp, she makes a break toward the right, quickly tossing her half formed snowball at him. She skitters slightly as she stumbles away, but she crouches down again to gather more snow. She straightens and presses her hands together, packing down the snow until it forms a ball. She whirls around again just as cold wetness settles on her head, dripping down her temple and the back of her neck.

Her jaw drops open, staring with wide eyes at Cassian’s own shocked face, his hands held above her head. For a moment, they merely stare at one another, but then Cassian’s lips start to twitch. His hazel eyes light up and he gives in to the laugh he’s clearly trying to hold back, the sound surprisingly warm despite the cold now settling deep within Nesta’s bones.

“You look like a wet, angry cat, sweetheart.”

“You’re such a shit,” Nesta seethes, shoving hard at Cassian’s chest in retaliation.

With the snow and ice slippery beneath their feet, Cassian’s balance wobbles, and before Nesta knows it, he goes tumbling to the ground. Unfortunately for her, his hand latches around her wrist, almost out of instinct, and she falls half on top of him with a quiet oof. She quickly shoves off, but that just leaves her in the snow, her entire back now cold and wet.

“So,” Cassian starts, propping up onto his elbow so he can smile down at her. “When are you finally going to go out on a date with me? Does tomorrow work for you?”

Nesta blinks a few times in surprise, her mind trying to wrap around Cassian’s words. “What?”

“Oh, come on, Nes. Isn’t it about time we finally put an end to all this sexual tension?”

It takes everything within Nesta to keep in her startled laugh. She can’t believe this turn in the conversation. This notion. The absolute absurdity of this man. A date with him. With Cassian Valdarez. The bane of her existence. The man who’s the reason she has to share her job. The man who is all endless cocky smiles and looming over her with his large frame and those hazel eyes that practically pierce through her in a way that’s almost unnerving.

“What are you talking about? I hate you. I’m pretty sure I’ve made it very clear that I hate you.”

“Oh… um…” Cassian clears his throat a bit awkwardly, pushing a hand up and through his hair. “I thought that was just how you and I flirt. Our back and forth. Like a game.”

“I hate you,” Nesta repeats, not even bothering to swallow down her scoff. “In what world would I ever agree to date you?”

Cassian’s smile slips fully off his face, the hazel of his eyes dimming before he drops his gaze away from Nesta. He pushes up to his feet, still not quite looking at her as he brushes the snow off his pants.

“Well,” Cassian finally says, his voice suddenly hollow and lacking any of his usual warmth. “Clearly I read this whole situation wrong. Sorry.”

Nesta opens her mouth, but words die in the back of her throat, thoughts a tangled mess of vines. She can do nothing but gape dumbly, can do nothing but watch as Cassian lets out a quiet, self deprecating breath and shakes his head, turning on his heel and stalking away.

~ * * * ~

By the time Monday rolls around, Nesta’s reeling mind still hasn’t calmed since the events of Friday. She spent the entire weekend replaying that moment in the snow with Cassian on loop, the look on his face before he walked away. She kept replaying every moment she ever had with Cassian. All the smirks and easy laughs. All the quips and jabs. Every sweetheart and Nes. It started to all make sense, that look he would get on his face, the way the golds of his hazel eyes would glint.

The worst part was that the more Nesta thought about those moments, thought about those looks, thought about him, her chest got that little bit tighter, emotions running rampant and kicking up a swirling storm. Only one thought broke through the raging seas in the end: what was wrong with her? She hated Cassian Valdarez.

Or did she?

Cassian who never balked at her fire, who never belittled her or told her to bring down those flames. Cassian who always goes toe to toe with her, practically lighting up in amusement at every quip or remark. Cassian who never questioned her knowledge or skill, never commented or joked about her being a woman working in sports journalism. Cassian with his delicious baking and gorgeous eyes and warm laugh and—

With a soft sigh, Nesta tries to shake her head of those thoughts. She focuses on her notes and today’s show, mentally running through the stories and the points she wants to discuss. Even still, the words on the page start to blur together, and she worries her bottom lip between her teeth, the skin already ragged from the same tick chasing her all weekend.

“Good morning, Nesta.”

Nesta’s head snaps up at the greeting, turning to find Cassian standing in front of his chair. For the first time, it feels like he's not smiling or smirking. Instead, his lips are pressed into a neutral line, a dullness clinging to the hazel of his eyes that’s almost unsettling. It certainly sends a crack ricocheting through Nesta's chest. It takes her a moment too long to realize he said her name, her proper name. No teasing nickname to be found. It almost sounds strange hearing it fall past his lips. It almost sounds wrong.

“Morning,” Nesta murmurs back.

Cassian settles into his seat beside her, not quite meeting her gaze. Nesta opens her mouth, but she’s not even sure what to say. Does she mention what happened last week? Does she pretend that nothing happened and ask how his weekend was? Before her mind can settle on the best approach, Balthazar steps over and begins his pre-show spiel and notes.

As the show kicks off, Nesta just hopes any awkward air between herself and Cassian doesn’t show through on camera. It’s certainly the most professional show they’ve ever filmed, sticking firmly to their talking points, the segments. But with each passing minute, Nesta’s spine straightens that bit more, her fists clenching that little bit harder against the table. By the time the shout of cut echoes across the sound stage, the air around her feels stifling, a tightness pinching between her ribs like twisting vines.

“I wanted to apologize,” Cassian starts quietly once it’s just them again, and when Nesta turns to meet his gaze, there’s a burning to his hazel eyes that has her breath catching. “For what happened on Friday, but mostly for all the teasing and everything with Solstice Week. I… I shouldn’t have assumed that it was flirting for you or that you felt what I did, and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It won’t happen again. Have a great rest of your week, Nesta.”

With a nod of his head, clearly having said his piece, Cassian pushes up and to his feet, heading toward his desk. His name presses against the back of Nesta’s throat, desperate to be released and call after him. An emotion she’s been unwilling to name all weekend, one she’s been running away from since Friday, swirls in her gut. It twines and squeezes around her heart, tugging like a thread wrapped tight through her chest.

Watching Cassian walk away from her for the second time is like that thread going with him, yanking hard. It leaves Nesta swallowing hard, and she realizes one simple fact with a stark clarity that would knock her on her ass if she wasn’t already sitting down.

She misses Cassian Valdarez.

~ * * * ~

“And everything is good and ready?”

Emerie sighs, flopping back against the pile of pillows on Nesta’s bed. “For the fourth time, yes. All you need is the code I texted you and you’re good.”

“Okay okay,” Nesta concedes, turning away from the mirror where she was fixing her hair. “I just want to be sure.”

Emerie’s lips part, and Nesta can see the retort sitting primed and ready on the tip of her best friend’s tongue, but then her eyes sweep over Nesta’s frame. She takes in the deep blue velvety fabric that hits Nesta mid-thigh, the sweetheart neckline that sweeps low across her collarbones. The way Nesta’s styled her hair so it falls in loose waves down around her shoulders and along her spine, her makeup drawing attention to her eyes.

“Well damn,” Emerie comments with a smirk. “You’re definitely looking hot as shit.”

Nesta smoothes down the skirt of her dress, not even bothering to bite back her own smirk. “Thanks. Now, I just need the rest of my plan to work.”

Turning back toward the mirror, Nesta gives herself one last look over and dabs the lipstick painted across her lips. She grabs her heels and slips them off, rolling her eyes at Emerie’s hooting and teasing that follows her out the door. When she finally settles in her car, she takes a moment to breathe deeply, to steady her thundering heart, and then she’s off.

The event space that the network has rented for the evening is almost unrecognizable as Nesta steps through the doors. Golden streamers decorate almost all the walls, colored balloons clustered about and structured into a balloon arch over the doors at the far end. Small, tall tables dot the space, covered in white tablecloths, and workers dressed all in black weave between them with various hors d'oeuvres balanced on trays.

A bar has been set up along the back wall, and Nesta spies Cassian standing there. He has an arm slung across Balthazar’s shoulders and a beer in his other hand, his head thrown back as he laughs easily at whatever is being said. His hair falls in soft curls around his face, some sort of product making the dark strands shine beneath the lights, and the dark green sweater he wears looks especially soft even as it clings perfectly to his wide shoulders and chest.

Swallowing hard, Nesta steps over to the bar. “Happy Solstice.”

“Happy Solstice,” Balthazar echoes, raising his beer in a cheers.

Cassian turns to her, and sparks ricochet through Nesta’s nerve endings at finally having his gaze on her again. She doesn’t miss the way his hazel eyes flare, doesn’t miss the way his lips part and his throat bobs as his attention sweeps over her. It sends her own blood heating, her heart stuttering for a moment.

“Nesta, you look…” Cassian breathes before he seems to catch himself, clearing his throat and looking away again. “Sorry. Happy Solstice.”

“I was wondering if we could talk?” Nesta asks, darting a quick glance toward Balthazar who wastes no time making himself scarce.

Cassian is quiet, and for a moment, Nesta is afraid he’ll say no, but then he’s nodding his head. He downs the rest of his drink and looks to her expectantly, so Nesta begins to lead the way. She weaves between their coworkers and toward one of the halls that stretches through the rest of the building.

“So, who’s the gift for?” Cassian asks, breaking the awkward silence between them.

Nesta pauses her steps, glancing down at the gift bag in her hand before looking up at Cassian again. “It’s for you, actually.”

“You got me a Solstice gift?”

“You sound so shocked.”

“You hate me, remember?”

Nesta winces at his words, looking up and into his eyes, praying to the Mother that he can see the sincerity in her gaze. “I don't actually hate you. I thought I did but I…” She lets out a soft sigh and holds the gift out to him. “Just open it, will you?”

Cassian lets out a quiet breath of his own, but he reaches out and takes the gift, his fingers brushing against Nesta’s with the movement. He shifts through the tissue paper until he reaches the gift inside, lifting it out with a confused frown.

“A… soccer ball?”

“Yes,” Nesta answers, her voice more short than she intends. “It will all make sense in a moment.”

With a determined huff, Nesta whirls back around and continues stalking down the hall. It takes a few seconds, but soon she hears Cassian’s steps falling in behind her. At the end of the hall, she finds the double doors exactly as she expects. She digs her phone out and pulls up her text chain with Emerie, quickly punching in the code to the lock. She pulls open the door and looks back to Cassian expectantly, but he merely raises an eyebrow.

“Is this the part where you lead me away from the party to murder me?”

“If it was, do you really think I’d tell you?”

Cassian chuckles, shaking his head. “Touche, sweetheart.”

Nesta gestures with her arm, and finally Cassian steps inside. She follows behind him and allows the door to fall shut behind them both. As promised, the lights have been left on, but from the looks of it, it’s only half the lights, casting everything in a dimmed, yellow glow. The domed roof stretches high overhead, and an almost eerie quiet has settled over the rows and rows of seats, over the grass, over the crisply painted white lines.

“How’d you get the keys to this place?” Cassian asks, stepping forward and spinning in a slow circle, taking it all in.

“I know people.”

Cassian hums quietly and cranes his head back, his eyes falling closed as he takes a deep breath in and then out. “And not that I’m complaining, but what exactly are we doing here?”

“We never determined a winner for Solstice Week,” Nesta reminds him, stepping forward and taking the soccer ball from his arms.

Cassian watches as Nesta steps up onto the grass and makes her way toward the box at one end of the field, the hint of that all too familiar smirk beginning to peek through. “And this is how you want to do that?”

“If you’re scared of losing, just say that,” Nesta taunts, bending down enough that she can place the soccer ball on the dot in the grass.

“I never said that,” Cassian offers, stepping across the grass himself and making his way toward the goal. “Did you forget who you were talking to?”

“Good.”

Nesta bends one of her legs back, slipping a finger beneath the strap of her heel and tugging it off. She does the same with her other heel, allowing both to dangle from her fingers before dropping them unceremoniously against the grass. Cassian tracks every movement she makes, and even with the space between them, Nesta swears his eyes darken.

Nesta resets her stance, offering a smirk of her own. “I thought we could make things interesting.”

Cassian licks his lips. “Interesting how?”

“If I make this goal, you have to take me out on a date.”

Cassian’s expression shifts to shock, and Nesta waits with bated breath for him to say something, for him to do something. Even after what happened last week, it feels like a shot in the dark, like a leap right off the ledge without knowing what waits beneath. What if he’s changed his mind? What if after telling him she hates him, he decided he wants nothing to do with her any longer? What if this is the stupidest thing she’s ever done?

The thoughts swirl like dark, churning waves inside Nesta’s mind. They leave her heart skipping nervously between her ribs, the blood pounding in her ears with each second that ticks by like an eternity. Her stomach flips over itself, and the urge to take the words back and swallow them back down, to backtrack, digs sharp claws into the back of her throat.

Nesta isn’t sure how much time has passed, but Cassian seems to come back to himself. He shakes his head and starts to bounce on the balls of his feet, stretching his arms out wide and tapping each of the goal posts.

“Take your shot then,” Cassian calls out to her.

Taking a steady breath, Nesta backs up a few steps. She glances down at the ball then back at the goal, eyeing up the space between, thinking through where she wants to aim. Running forward, she kicks the ball hard. Cassian doesn’t even bother moving. He stands firmly in place, his eyes never leaving Nesta’s face as the ball sails right past him and into the netting. Warmth floods through Nesta’s chest as they continue to stare at one another, a smile tugging up the corners of her lips.

“You know,” Cassian starts, turning around to retrieve the ball and walking back toward Nesta, bending down to place it back on the white dot. “Usually, it’s best two out of three.”

“Is that so?” Nesta asks, her voice breathless even to her own ears at the way Cassian is looking up at her.

Cassian straightens, slowly backing up toward the goal again. “I was thinking this time, if I make this save, I get to kiss you.”

“Feeling confident?”

“Are you? I was one of the best goalkeepers Velaris FC ever had after all.”

Nesta hums, feigning disagreement, but they both know it’s true. Just like before, Nesta takes a few steps back, eyeing up Cassian and the goal. She makes a big show of glancing to the right just before she runs forward and kicks the ball hard toward the left side. It doesn’t fool Cassian for a second. He goes sprawling across the grass, knocking away the ball with ease.

Nesta doesn’t even care where it rolls off to, and it’s clear Cassian doesn’t either. He’s barely made the save before he’s jumping back to his feet, long strides swallowing the space between them. His hands come up, framing Nesta’s jaw and tilting her face up, and then he’s crashing his mouth down against hers. Nesta doesn’t waste a moment. She surges up onto her toes, meeting him stroke for stroke. She buries one hand in the soft, dark curls of his hair, the other clutching into the fabric of his sweater, as one of his arms drops to around her waist, pulling her closer still until any space between their bodies vanishes.

When Cassian finally pulls back, he doesn’t go far. His nose bumps against Nesta’s, breath skating across her skin. She can feel the heat of him everywhere they’re pressed together, can count every green vine and gold fleck of his hazel eyes. And for once, it’s not one of his cocksure, teasing smirks greeting her, but a soft, wide smile. One that she suspects might be just for her. One that has her breath catching. One that she knows is echoed across her own face.

And in that moment, Nesta realizes that she doesn't hate Cassian Valdarez at all.

—

Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added or removed): @moodymelanist @nesquik-arccheron @sv0430 @talkfantasytome @bookstantrash @eirini-thaleia @ubigaia @fromthelibraryofemilyj @luivagr-blog @lifeisntafantasy @superspiritfestival @hiimheresworld @marigold-morelli @sweet-pea1 @emeriethevalkyriegirl @pyxxie @dustjacketmusings @hallway5 @dongjunma @glowing-stick-generation @melonsfantasyworld @isterofimias @goddess-aelin @melphss @theladystardust @a-trifling-matter @blueunoias @kookskoocie @wolfnesta @blurredlamplight @hereforthenessian @skaixo @jmoonjones @burningsnowleopard @whyisaravenlike-awritingdesk @ofduskanddreams @rarephloxes @thelovelymadone @books-books-books4ever @tenaciousdiplomatloverprune @that-little-red-head @readergalaxy @thesnugglingduck @kale-theteaqueen @tarquindaddy

#nessian #nesta archeron #cassian #acotar #acosf #acotargiftexchange #nessian fanfiction #nessian fic #nesta x cassian #my fic

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todayontumblr · 8 months

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Monday, August 21.

Snoopy of the Day.

He is the anthropomorphic beagle. He is, and let us make no bones about this, an actual icon. It is a word that is used and abused, and not least by us here on the World Wide Web. But #snoopy, of Peanuts fame, is an internally-renowned, instantly recognizable superstar. Indeed more celebrated than his unfortunate, round-headed owner, Charlie Brown, in some respects. He is an anthropomorphic black and white beagle, and then some.

He is also an international beagle of mystery, and endlessly charismatic, with a magnificent array of alter egos: the German flying ace The Red Baron, The World Famous Author/Novelist, The Masked Marvel, The Easter Beagle, and Joe Cool. And there is simply no bad day or melancholy mood that cannot be remedied with a little dose of Snoopy. So it is our good fortune this Monday, August 21, that we stumbled upon @snoopyoftheday: your new go-to for each and every one of your daily Snoopy needs. Your daily bread of Snoopy, if you like.

#today on tumblr #snoopy #charles schulz #charlie brown #the peanuts #lucy van pelt #peppermint patty #peanuts #snoopy of the day #woodstock #linus van pelt #comics #cartoons #vintage comics

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hlficlibrary · 2 months

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✤ Fake Relationship Fics ✤

A series of posts with the top five fics of each category by kudos plus five more hidden gems from that category! Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find our other recs here.

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ Escapade by dolce_piccante / @haydolce {M, 146k}

In the grand scheme of things, finding a date for a wedding should be no problem for Louis Tomlinson. He's rich. He's handsome. He's reasonably well behaved. But when the wedding is for his lifelong best friend (and former boyfriend), and is happening in under a month, finding a date for the ceremony and accompanying festivities becomes more of an adventure than he ever could have planned for.

2️⃣ And Then a Bit by @infinitelymint {E, 158k}

“We’d like to give the fans what they want.” Magee states, placing his hand on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “We want to give them Larry Stylinson.”

Or, take a parallel universe where Louis and Harry were never together, mix in a two year hiatus and an impending comeback, pour in a dash of lost fans, two tablespoons of strong friendship and a Modest! employee with a good idea. Add a squeeze of pretending to be a couple, lots of kisses and a tattoo or two. Stir. Serve: the mother of all publicity stunts.

(aka Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.)

3️⃣ California Sold by @isthatyoularry {M, 123k}

Notoriously closeted boyband member Harry Styles is famous on a global scale, meanwhile Louis, as his best friend, is back home in Manchester, living the typical life of a 24 year old. When Harry needs Louis with him in LA, a publicity stunt gone wrong changes their friendship forever.

A fake-relationship AU between two lifelong best friends.

4️⃣ Paint Me In A Million Dreams by green_feelings / @greenfeelings {M, 112k}

Harry's one of Hollywood's biggest actors, has made a name for himself in prestigious films and lives the life of a superstar. There's just one thing missing to make it picture-perfect, but the one Harry's in love with is completely out of reach for him. Enter Louis, one of Hollywood's biggest actors himself, who just came out of the closet and taps new genres in the industry. When Louis sacks the role Harry auditioned for in Scorsese's next big film, their irrational feud starts. Who could have guessed it would get even worse when for promo season, their teams decide to present them as a couple for publicity?

In short, Harry's in love with someone and doesn't care about dating anyone else, Louis never felt home in L.A., Liam writes love songs for someone he shouldn't write love songs to, and Niall makes everything better with good food.

5️⃣ Faking It by TheCellarDoor / @donotdialnine {M, 46k}

A uni AU in which Louis has been Harry’s best friend since he offered him cubed fruit on the playground, and they spend more time cuddling in their dorm beds than they do apart, but it’s not like that. Or is it?

Aka Harry pretends to date his best friend to escape unwanted attention from a too insistent classmate and hopes it won’t blow up in his face. Featuring embarrassing dildo accidents, awkward boners, longing, first times, late night conversations, emotional discoveries and Niall as the exasperated friend with bad advice.

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 this charade (was never going to last) by @scrunchyharry {E, 68k}

On the surface, CitizenX, an international caritative nonprofit, looked like any other nonprofit, funding humanitarian missions worldwide and striving to make the world a better place, one donation at a time.

At least, that was what Harry thought, until he was hired as a computer specialist for a spinoff agency called carish, whose true purpose was to reveal CitizenX’s tangled web of lies.

As if the whole ‘industrial spy’ business was not stressful enough, Harry found himself in a hatred-at-first-sight relationship with one of his new coworkers, Louis, a man intent on detesting Harry.

When the worst happened and Harry and Louis found themselves thrown together in hiding, with only each other to rely on, Harry never could have predicted the turn their relationship would take.

Nor could he anticipate that it would all be taken away from him and he would have to decide how far he was willing to go to get Louis back.

💎 Love Is a Winning Game by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings {M, 47k}

Before their broken engagement, Harry had his head stuck so far in the clouds that he doesn’t even remember entering him and Louis for something as crazy as a couple's gameshow until a series of bad, post-breakup decisions puts Harry in the awkward position of needing the help of his ex-fiancé to try and fix the mess he has made.

💎 Wed’n Walk (Or, We Went to Amsterdam Together) by @hellolovers13 {E, 11k}

When Harry had first started planning his honeymoon to Amsterdam, he had not envisioned ending up there with his best friend.

Or getting fake-married to him for 24 hours.

💎 Every Line, Every Word, Everything by lsforever / @kingonafiftymetreroad {G, 10k}

“I just fucking came out of the closet to the whole world so I wouldn’t have to parade around fake relationships anymore and that’s what you’re trying to put on me again?!”

or, the AU where Harry's team suggests that he should have a fake boyfriend after he's just come out. Who would've thought it would be his best friend?

💎 Just To See That Smile by @homosociallyyours {NR, 6k}

It's Coming Out Week at university, and Harry's taken on a lot of responsibilities to make everything run smoothly. Finding his roommate's boyfriend attractive is making that a bit difficult, unfortunately. It might help if he realized that said boyfriend (Louis) is really just there to help said roommate (Liam) figure out if Liam's crush (Zayn) likes him back.

But that would make things too easy.

A fic where a hastily faked relationship and a lot of miscommunication almost ruins a perfectly good dance.

#ficrec #fakerelationship #homosociallyyours #lsforever #scrunchyharry #hellolovers13 #rearviewdreamer #thecellardoor #dolcepiccante #isthatyoularry #infinitelymint #greenfeelings

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hopefulromances · 9 months

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Long Time Coming I Chapter Eleven I Jealousy, Jealousy

Summary: Being hired as the first female assistant coach in the league was a challenge of it itself. Being a football protigy and University Football Legend was easy enough. Coaching Jamie Tartt was a challenge all on its own.

Word Count: 4.1k

Warning: Jealousy, Zava smh, some angst

A/N: Meaty chapter. Some filler stuff tho. But It'll pick up soon!

Prologue One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten

We set this whole thing up for Zava’s arrival. With press and the whole team there but he never showed. We are all sat waiting in the sun for him for well over an hour. Ted sent us all back to the locker while he went to discuss with Rebecca. I sat in my chair that I’d brought out from the office, spinning absentmindedly as the boys chatted.

“Hey, did Zava come through here?” Ted walked into the room, causing me to stop my spinning.

“What? No,” I answered, rising out of my chair. “Did you see him?”

“Yeah, he was upstairs just a second ago.”

Great, so now we had a random superstar football player wandering around the building. I slumped back into my chair as the boys began to figure out how they would find him. I turned to look at Jamie who looked just as disgruntled as me. I shrugged at him, trying to find some levity in the situation but Jamie just crossed his arms and shook his head.

Then my eyes wandered to the doorway where, lo and behold, Zava appeared. A hush fell over the room as he sauntered in, all eyes watching to see what the man would do next. He took a deep inhale, then exhaled just as deeply.

“I will begin by address the most important person in this room,” Zava announced. The boys hung on his every word, hoping that somehow, they would be the most important person in the room. “Which of you is the kitman?”

I saw Will’s eyes practically bug out of his head as he jumped up from the back of the group.

“That’s me! Uh… I’m Will,” He stutted out. “Uh, I am…”

“Will,” Zava addressed. “I too worked as a ball boy for a club when I was just 11 years old.”

“I’m 25”

“Your passion… is why I play,” Zava breathed out. I rolled my eyes and shot Jamie a glance. He was giving me the same incredulous smile that I had. I was glad at least one other person in the room was finding the humor in this situation. I let out a scoff at Jamie’s face.

Unfortunately, my scoff seemed to gain the attention of Zava as he turned to face me.

“Any you,” He knelt down in front of me, taking my hand in his. “You are a warrior. I pledge my allegiance to you, my queen.”

“Oh… uh…. Thanks?” I wasn’t quite sure how to respond when a grown man pledges his allegiance to you.

“Your bravery and determination know no bounds.” He brought my hands up and place a kiss on each palm. “Lead me down your path.”

I gave him a tightlipped smile as he nodded at me. He finally let go of my hands and walked back to address the team. I sat there, still in shock at the interaction. I looked over at Jamie again, expecting to laugh things off with him but he wasn’t laughing, in fact all the humor in his face had left.

The coaches left the locker room to go discuss our strategy with Zava. As we did, I looked over at Jamie one last time who was untying and retying his shoes, refusing to even look my way. I groaned internally, now I’d have that to deal with when I got home.

Training was fine for the rest of the day. The boys were buzzing thinking about Zava. I stood next to Roy as we watched them run their drills.

“I just don’t get it,” I said to Roy, arms crossed in front of me. “I mean he’s a good player yeah, but we have plenty of great players on the team. O’BREIN IF I SEE YOU CUT A CORNER AGAIN, I’LL CHASE YOU AROUND THE PITCH MYSELF.”

Roy nodded at me. “The boys need something to hold onto, if they want to hold onto Zava, that’s fine by me.”

I watched as Jamie pushed himself to be in the front of the pack. “I think it’s incredibly short sighted to depend on one player. Just thinking about when Jamie was their Zava.” Roy grunted, remembering all too well when Jamie was the hero of the lads. “I guess I just don’t get it.”

“I think it’s a guy thing… like Ryan Reynolds,” he surmised. I shook my head, a disgusted look on my face.

“Well, that’s one thing I can be glad not to get behind.”

…

After training, I was sitting in at my desk, drawing up a different strategy. Or at least trying to. I sucked at this part, trying to figure out how the players should move. I was good at interpreting strategy and executing it, but coming up with one on my own, forget about it. I was just about to give up and get ready to head out when Jamie walked into the room.

“Hey, Jamie,” Ted greeted with a smile. “How you doing?”

“Um. Can I talk to you for a minute?” Straight and to the point. He didn’t even look at me when he walked in the room. I frowned glancing over at Beard who shrugged.

“Yeah! You can talk to me as long as you want, though I do have a tendency to doze off around 1:00am.” He laughed at himself. How many dad jokes could Ted make in one day? The world may never know. “What’s up.”

“Uh, so look… uh,” Jamie turned and closed the door and finally he looked at me. I tried to give him a smile, but he didn’t seem very receptive to it. “I know we’re all excited Zava’s here. Yeah, I get that. But I know a lot of players like him, and they’re all just self-absorbed glory hunters who care about themselves.”

Ted and Beard gave each other a look. I knew what they were thinking. Jamie was that exact self-absorbed glory hunter just a few seasons ago. But Jamie was different. He really was. And the fact that Zava was that version of himself was truly mature of him. I knew it took a lot for him to come talk to us and I wanted to support him.

“Uh. Jamie, don’t you think that… coming from you… that’s a little bit ironic,” Beard scoffed, giving Jamie a condescending look. I frowned at him. It wasn’t even ironic.

“Look!” Jamie stammered trying to figure out how to word his thoughts correctly. “The point is. We don’t need this guy. I… I think we’ve got a good thing going here, and he’s already fucking it all up.” He pointed to the white board that Zava had messed with. The one where everyone else was behind him.

I hurt me to see Jamie to insecure. But it was different from the insecurity I’d seen when he was worried about Dani. Not only was he being way more eloquent with his words, but he was showing his insecurity to the coaches. Something he never would’ve done before.

“Hey, Jamie, I hear what you’re saying man,” Ted reassured him. “But I think we’ve got to give it a game or two and see what’s what.”

Jamie glanced at me again. Only the second time since he’d walked into the room. I nodded, agreeing with Ted. As much as I didn’t get the obsession around Zava, he was a good player and we had to give it a chance before dismissing him completely. Especially after everything Rebecca did to secure him to the team.

“Yeah, yeah…” Jamie nodded, wringing his hands. “Yeah, no, course, yeah. Well, um. Thanks for hearing me out.”

“Alright!” Ted responded, hitting his desk. “Thanks for speaking your mind. Please continue to do so.”

Jamie nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, and uh, I weren’t being ironic… I was being hypocritical.” He said to Beard. “That’s it.”

And he left. I raised my eyebrows and smiled widely, looking at Beard in excitement. Beard was furious. His mind reeling with the idea that Jamie had corrected him.

“Is that right?” Ted asked.

“Mmm.”

“Yes or no!” I pressed, doing a drumroll on my desk.

“Yes…” Beard squeaked out.

I laughed, pumping my fist in the air. “Jamie 1, Beard 0”

“So that was actually ironic,” Ted pointed out.

“More like Beard 5 Jamie 1, okay?” Beard pouted and stormed out of the room. Ted and I sat chuckling to ourselves as he left. I turned back to my paper, looking at what I had drawn.

I scrapped it, balling it up into a ball before throwing it into the trash, nearly hitting Ted as I did. I let out a loud groan and slammed my head into the desk.

Ted rolled over to sit next to me. “What chu working on there.”

“Do you ever think it’s crazy?” I asked him, rolling my head over to look at him. “Being here? Being a football coach?”

Ted laughed ironically. “You know that question does cross my mind from time to time, yes.”

I smiled, but the pit in my stomach wouldn’t let me celebrate quite yet. “But then I remember why we’re here. Do you remember that?”

I looked over at him. “To win the whole fucking thing.”

“To win the whole fucking thing,” Ted nodded, hitting my arm. “Now why don’t you go on home? You’ve worked enough for today.”

“Whatever you say, Ted.” I pushed back from my desk, grabbing my bag. “I’ll see you at the game, yeah?”

“Sure will, miss ma’am,” He responded, standing from his seat. “Have a nice night.”

I walked out into the carpark, looking forward to getting home and taking a long shower… maybe with Jamie involved. But instead, he was leaning against my car waiting for me. I approached him, looking around to make sure there was no one else around.

“Hey Jamie, what’s up.”

“Oh, hey (Y/N), thought you’d forgotten about me,” Jamie grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I unlocked my care. “What are you talking about?”

“Thought you’d be too busy talking to Zava,” he said pointedly, not even having the decency to look at you.

You stared at him face unmoving. Your blood was boiling. “Nuh, uh, no we aren’t doing this jealous bullshit.” Jamie shrugged noncommittally, but you could tell his exterior was breaking. “You don’t get to take your anger and insecurity out on me.”

“I was just-“

“You were just nothing, get off my car.”

He pushed himself off my car, hand coming around to rub the back of his neck. I pushed him aside and opened the door to the car.I knew Jamie was upset about Zava, I knew he was feeling insecure about his skill and his abilities I knew all those things. But he had no right to pin his emotions on me. If he had actually talked to me, he would’ve learned that I think Zava is an overrated prick with an ego to match but no. Instead, now I was getting in the car to drive home and shower, alone.

I didn’t say another word to Jamie was I slammed the door and drove off. In my rearview mirror, I saw him kicking a rock on the ground and knew he was probably kicking himself as well. My shower wasn’t as satisfying as it would have been if Jamie had been there, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

I let the hot water roll down over my body, washing away the stress and anxiety the day had brought. But when I stepped out, I found myself wishing Jamie was there to make some stupid cheeky comment about my body. I had to remind myself that I were mad at him long enough to not text him to come over.

Instead, I went back to my drawing board and tried to draw up another strategy. But try as I might, I couldn’t focus. I tapped my pencil against the page. Every tap sending a pitch to my mind of my football days, the stomps on the seats, the cheers of my chant, the swish of the goal. What were I missing?

I snapped out of my trance when I saw my phone was ringing. I picked up my phone and answered the called.

“Hello?”

It was only a few minutes later when Colin showed up at my doorstep with a bottle of sugary rose and two glasses.

“Are you sure I wasn’t bothering you?” he checked as I walked him into my house.

I waved him off, sitting down on my couch. “Not at all, I was just relaxing after a shower, now pour me some wine and talk to me.”

Colin followed my instructions and poured me a hefty glass of wine. He sat on my couch, trying to make himself comfortable but I could tell there was something on his mind. He was vague on the phone, something about relationship problems and just wanted to chat, but that was it. He shifted so his body was facing mine.

“Do you ever feel like… a part of you is… missing?” He asked sincerely. “Like… you can almost tell it’s there but it’s just out of reach.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Is this about Zava? Cause I told Ted that taking you out of the lineup was a bad idea.”

“No! Well… maybe.” He considered his words, tapping his fingers against his hands. “Maybe something more than Zava.”

I thought back to my dilemma with the strategy. I could see the field, the ball in in stride, the crowd cheering my name, but not the formation. What was I doing there? I thought through this as Colin waited for me to respond.

“I think maybe Zava getting me benched has me thinking about… my place on the team and just who I am…” He told me, looking down. “Something Nate said to me last season.”

I rolled my eyes, grumbling to myself. “What did he say?” I scoffed, thinking about what Nate could possible have said, brining my wine glass to my lips.

“He called me uninspiring.” I almost spit out my wine. “Like Jamie and Dani are Van Goph and I’m… motel art.”

“He said WHAT?” I shouted, nearly jumping out of my seat. “What a bastard.”

“Yeah…well… maybe he was right.”

“No, no, Colin…” I got up from my spot and moved over to sit next to him. “You are not motel art.”

Colin shrugged, looking noncommittal. “Zava inspires, that’s why he’s on the team.”

It broke my heart to think someone made Colin think he wasn’t inspiring. Like his work on the team wasn’t enough.

“Colin…” I sighed, sucking my lips into my teeth. “You are inspiring. The only thing Zava inspires is a headache, but you… you make the team work. On and off the field.” I brought my hand to shake his shoulder. “You’re my friend, Colin. I don’t become friends with just anyone on the team.”

“Bumbercatch said he was sorry”

“If he was sorry he would knit me a new scarf, wouldn’t he.”

Colin chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah… I guess.”

I could tell there was something more going on in Colin’s head. Something that went deeper than just the team’s lineup. His hands were still tapping away at each other even as he smiled. I knocked my shoulder against his.

“Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?” I checked, glancing down at his hands and back up at him.

Colin chewed on his bottom lip as his eyes averted away from mine. “Uh, no, I don’t think so.”

I nodded, knowing that if it was something I should know he would tell me.

“Alright, then get your switch out we’re playing Smash Bros.”

“Oh, you are so on.”

The day of the game arrived and the whole city of Richmond was buzzing. Everyone was excited to see Zava make his debut for the team, see what he could do for us. I found myself spacing out as the coaching staff went over the plan to the team again. How many times could one man say Zava before the it didn’t even sound like a name anymore.

We had exactly four minutes until we had to be on the field. I was heading to fill up my water bottle when a hand pulled me into the boot room. I yelped but knew exactly who it was.

“Jamie, you have to stop surprising me like this,” I scolded, trying to regain my balance.

“Sorry, sorry, but I we don’t have a lot of time,” He apologized, running a hand through his hair. “I just want to apologize.” I softened, standing up straight as I listened to him. “I was being a dick yesterday, and I took me… stupid insecurity about Zava out on you.”

“Yeah… you did,” I agreed, the ends of my lips curling up just slightly.

“Anyways, I just wanted to say I’m sorry, yeah?” He concluded, skewing his mouth at me.

I glanced around the room, making sure the coast was clear before going up on my tallest tip toes and placing a quick kiss on Jamie’s mouth.

“Thank you,” I murmured, my eyes crinkling with my smile. “But next time… just talk to me. “

He scoffed and nodded, looking down at the floor. “Yeah… I should’ve just talked to you. I know… but it’s just Zava gotten into me head.”

I started to head towards the door, shrugging. “Don’t worry about Zava, how back could it possibly be?”

…

Very bad, apparently. Well great for Richmond. But terrible for Jamie. Zava took the league by storm, leading Richmond through a string of powerful wins against all of our rivals. It made us look great, but I could tell it was taking a toll on Jamie’s self-esteem. He barely had a single goal the whole season, even one that looked like a sure goal for him that Zava stole at the last minute.

That’s how he ended up moping in the corner of Sam’s restaurant. I stared at him as I chatted with Rebecca and Keeley. After another successful win, Sam had invited us over for an early opening of his restaurant. Everyone had come. Even Beard and Jane were there to show their support. I would give anything to go over and comfort Jamie, but right now, I could only stare as he looked so fucking good, even as broody as he was.

“It’s a pity you and Jamie never worked your shit out, isn’t it,” Rebecca commented, popping an olive in her mouth. “You were all over him last season.”

I widened my eyes at her, nodding sadly. “We just never figured shit out, I guess.”

“It’s too bad,” Keeley agreed, looking over at Jamie. “I think the two of you would’ve been great.”

I glanced over at Jamie again who was playing with his food, a warm feeling flooding my chest. “Yeah… we would’ve.”

Rebecca and Keeley shared a glance. Rebecca subtly refilled my glass with champagne as Keeley pulled me back into the conversation.

“Well, we need to get you back on the horse! Gotta get back on bantr!” Keeley insisted, forcing me to look at her. “I bet if you tried you could take one of these guys home tonight.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t want to do that,” I soothed, shaking my head. “I think I just want to be single for a little while.”

Rebecca nodded at me. “Good for you, being single is great!”

“You hate being single,” Keely pointed out, giggling.

“But I have come to accept it, (Y/N)” she looked at me seriously. “Just focus on you and the rest will come.”

I smiled at her. She was right. Not in the way she thought but it meant a lot to me. Here I was, working for a premiere league football team, dating my best friend and I should be happy. I was happy. But my mind wandered to my conversation with Colin. There was a part of me missing but I didn’t even know what part.

I looked over at Jamie again, this time he was with Roy. I didn’t know what they were talking about, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. But I missed Jamie. I missed him even though he was sitting in the room with me. I knew that if I walked over there and pulled him up and kissed him in the middle of the room, no one would care.

But it wasn’t them I was afraid of. It was everyone else. Once the word got out into the world and the press knew and the fans knew, no one would look at me the same way. They would look at him the same but me, I’d be the coach who was dating her player. I’d be the girl who slept my way to the top. And I don’t think I could handle that.

…

The rapid knocking on the door was what woke me up. I was laying on Jamie's chest, an arm slung over his waist as he kept me secure with an arm around my shoulder. I blinked my eyes open and propped myself up on my elbows to look at the clock. 4:00AM.

"Jamie," I grumbled, tapping his chest. "If you don't get the door, I'm gonna kill someone. Most likely you."

"Why do I have to do it?" He growled, wrapping his arms around me to pull me down to his chest again. "Just ignore it, they'll go away."

I smile sleepily, closing my eyes again. He was right. Whoever it was knocking at the wrong house. They would go away eventually.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Or not. I groaned again. "Jammieee."

He didn't move, pretending not to hear me. I trailed my hands up his chest and flicked his bare nipple.

“Oi!" He shouted, suddenly very awake. "What'd you do that for?"

"Go. Get. The. Door." I demanded, wriggling out from his arms, and turning over.

Jamie let out a frustrated grunt but got out of the bed, throwing a shirt on before walking out again. I felt your eyes begin to droop again. Jamie would be back eventually, and we could go back to sleep for a few more hours.

But he didn’t come back, and it sounded like he was actually talking to whoever was at the door. I frowned and let out a hard sigh as I rolled out of bed. I found Jamie’s shirt – he must have taken mind by mistake – and threw it on over my head. I slumped down the stairs rubbing my eyes.

“Jamie, who the fuck is at the door?” As I rounded the corner, a bright light came to shine on me. I blinked my eyes and realized that it was Roy. “Oh, fuck.”

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Roy barked, looking at Jamie.

“None of your fucking business, grandad,” Jamie waved him off turning around. He walked over to me, wrapping an arm around my waist and kissing my head. “Goin’ for a run, you gonna be okay?

I nodded at him, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “You’re wearing my shirt and your ass is out.”

He looked down at the shit then glanced over his shoulder. “Thought I’d give Roy a show, whatdaya think.” He leaned down pursing his lips dramatically.

I pushed his head away and laughed. “Very funny, now go change so I can go back to sleep.”

Jamie frowned at me and sulked as he walked off. I watched him leave for a second, my lips pursed as I became very aware of Roy’s eyes on me. I walked over to the open door, waving at Roy.

“You sleepin’ with Tartt?” He grunted, his bushy eyebrows lifting slightly.

“Your knees still creak when the wind blows?” I shot back, meeting his expression.

Roy grunted at me, smirking fondly. “Touche.”

I smiled, a real smile, not a tight-lipped or pursed smile. It was 4 o’clock in the fucking morning and I’m standing in Jamie’s shirt in front of my friend and the world didn’t explode. Roy and Jamie getting along, well as best as they could. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Sure, it wasn’t the whole world, but it was someone. It was a start.

“Holy shit.” Roy’s voice brought me back to reality.

“What?” I leaned against the door frame.

“You’re proper fucking into him aren’t you,” Roy questioned. “Like it’s not just a sex thing.”

I bit my lip, turning as Jamie reemerged from our bedroom. I felt my ears begin to burn as I replied.

“Yeah… I’m proper fucking into him.”

Taglist:@heletsmelovehim @higherthanheroes @ajax-petropolus-wife @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @optimisticsandwichgladiator @kno-way-home @sleepy-time @wigglegiggle @skewedcherries @respondingtoshowerthoughts-blog @snubug @rana030

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #ted lasso #ted lasso show #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt x y/n #jamie tartt fanfiction #Long Time Coming

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tokkiwrites · 3 months

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FUCK YOU, DON'T LEAVE ME HERE.

tokkis note : this is a short story for @iamasaddie 's mood board game/ ✏️ challenge. i was so excited to start writing for this omg. it's also my first ever angsty fic,can u believe it!?? again, thank you, @iamasaddie, for the beautiful mood board and happy reading <3

c.w : dieter bravo x reader, gn reader, angsty ?? toxic rs mentioned, dieter bravo is your superstar fuck buddy but you wish he was more than that & he wishes he wasn't.

"shit, you know this isn't ㅡ we aren't meant to be." he covers his face with both pals, heaving out a long sigh of frustration. "I'm not cut for this shit, yeah?"

"so you think you have the right to tell me when and how to forget about you?" you scream back at him, tears already spilling. you didn't know why you were crying at this point: happiness because after months you are finally near him, so near his cologne is clogging up your sensesㅡ or out of frustration because you knew this would happen. yet you always let him in.

"I really don't wanna hurt youㅡ fuck, baby, look at me." dieter steps in closer, reaching out to wipe the tears that stain your cheeks. "you're a hypocrite. you can't fuck your way into my heart andㅡ and then tell me you don't wanna hurt me!" slapping his palm away, you turn your back, sucking in a deep breath. you hated to let him see you cry, let him see what effect this has on you.

"I thought you knew what this all was...from the beginning." he chuckles as if the situation didn't make you feel stupid enough. of course you knewㅡ deep down you hoped he'd see you as his and not a temporary somebody. people in his life come and go, the risks of a movie star you could say, but fuck wouldn't you want to be someone that stays forever.

"I knew, butㅡ"

"but what?" he interrupts. "thought you could 'change' me?" he shakes his head in disbelief, grabbing you by the shoulder and turning your body around to face him again.

"look me in the eyes and tell meㅡ tell me you don't love me." you manage to speak, through wispered sobs. "fuck you for trying to make me the bad guy in all of this!" dieter gasps, laughing as he point his index directly to your chest. "Aren't you?" mustering your voice again, you ask rhetorically.

"What is up with you and needing to point the finger at someone, huh? has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, it's both our fucking faults?" he bawls his fist in holds it up to his chest. "both of us. me, because i gave you more than I needed to give and you because you ate every crumble of it." Dieter groans, frowning as you let his words wash over you. "Aren't we both fucked up?"

and you sit in silence, unable to unravel the knots tied in your throat. no tears are willing to fall, nothing is left to be spilled ㅡ only the thoughts that maybe he is right.

Dieter's frustration simmers as he watches your internal struggle unfold. The weight of his words lingers between you, and for a moment, neither of you knows how to navigate the intricacies of your shared pain.

"I never wanted to hurt you," Dieter murmurs again, his tone softer now, a hint of remorse breaking through the intensity. "But, fuckㅡ we're stuck in this cycle, tearing each other apart. Is this really what we both deserve?"

"I don't want to hate you," you whisper, your voice barely audible. "then don't." he replies, gaze fixed onto the ground. your eyes search his, seeking answers in the depths of his turmoil. "I can't keep doing this." you admit. "I can't let you go and come back to me wheneverㅡ i can't stand to see you on that screen with anybody else, and i know-" you swallow "i know you can't control that, but please...please don't tell me this was nothingㅡ I was nothing.."

"You were never nothing," he says, his voice holding a sincerity that cuts through the tension. "I don't want you to be nothing," Dieter finally admits, his gaze softening. "and you know it."

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal characters #dieter bravo #dieter x reader #dieter bravo fic #✏️#pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal fanfiction

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raya-hunter01 · 6 months

Text

Fade Into You Part 1.

Prequel Lights, Camera, Action!

Jey Uso x Black Female OC! (Shantell)

Roman x Black Female OC! Tangela

Solo x Black Female OC! Sofia

Jimmy x Trin

Rating: 18+

Warning: Smut; oral, sex, fluff, masturbation, death, grief

Summary: This is the Prequel for Lights, Camera, Action! How does an outburst on your first day lead to a lifelong friendship with the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns and gaining a family you never knew you needed. When did the lines get blurred between you and one of your best friends Jey Uso? Follow the friendships, and relationships of how they all came to be the one big happy family we all know and love in Lights, Camera, Action.

Smackdown

June, 2018

“Alright! Let’s have some decorum, I don’t want to have a long meeting,” the COO of WWE said as the room got quiet. “First things first, I would like to introduce our production intern for the next few months. She did a month over on Raw, but I feel we need her here. Shantell, can you stand up please?” Paul asked as I stood and waved.

“Damn she fine,” I heard someone whisper as I shook my head wanting the earth to open up and swallow me whole.

“Hey! None of that funny business, she is here to do a job and if I hear ya’ll been giving her a hard time you will deal with me,” Paul said firmly.

“Paul, you just had to let another diva in here throwin' her ass around trying to catch a big fish to marry, and take all a dude’s money,” Brock said as I frowned at him.

“Excuse me, I work hard, and I make my own way, I don’t need a man to do it for me. Also, I’m not a diva, I am a production student,” I said as Brock rolled his eyes at me.

“You sure you can handle a big job like that?” he asked, almost taunting me. “I’m damn good at what I do, so how bout you do your job and let me do mine,” I said as the room got quiet as it seemed all eyes were on Brock and I.

“Oh, Paul you hired one with a little spunk. I like it, she won’t let these boys run her over,” he said smirking at me almost proud like.

“He sure did, and let’s be clear Mr. Lesnar, I can assure you I ain’t looking to catch you or anybody else around here. Plus, you ain’t my type, I like men who work more than 6 days a year and actually have a set of balls,” I said smiling innocently at him as I heard the snickers.

“Well, shit she told his ass,” I heard someone whisper as Brock smiled at me and didn’t say another word. Great I just went off on one of the headlining guys in the company. I’m so fuckin’ screwed.

Paul stood seemingly still in shock as he covered his mouth, I saw him hiding his smile, and I exhaled maybe I was safe.

“Damn, um, Shantell thank you, you may be excused. I need to go over some more things before the show. Don’t go too far Tevin will be out in a few minutes to show you around,” he said as I made my way into the hall.

I didn’t notice the huge figure following me into the hall. “I can tell me and you gon’ get along good,” he said as I looked at him in shock. Before me stood WWE Superstar Roman Reigns.

“I’m sorry that was so unprofessional,” I said as he laughed extending his hand. “No, it wasn’t that shit was awesome, I’m Joe by the way, and I’m very pleased to meet you,” he said smiling at me. That was it, the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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

Three Weeks Later

Smackdown Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia Arena

“So, are you coming out with us tonight? I want you to finally meet my cousins. Well technically nephews but since we were so close in age, we grew up as cousins. It made things less awkward for us when we were growing up,” Joe said as I shook my head at him.

“Well, I would love to meet them and hang out, but I know after this I’m going to be tired. Tevin is out with the flu and I’m solo tonight, Paul thinks I can run the show alone,” I said nervously.

“You will do great; I’ve seen you tell Tevin how to get better shots and quality angles. You’re ready, stop second-guessing yourself,” Joe said confidently as I tried to relax. “Thanks for encouraging and pushing me,” I said giving him a small smile.

“Always, and because I always do you still gon’ ride wit me tonight and I’ll introduce Jimmy and Jey to you before I drop you off at the hotel,” he said as I waved him off.

“You ain’t got to give me a ride back, go enjoy your family. I can catch Nattie and T.J. back,” I said, trying to give him an out.

“Not on your life, your mama called me the other day informing me of the places she would hide my body if something happened to you,” he snickered as I rolled my eyes.

“See you welcomed that beast when you said you would protect me with your life when she met you. She was so gutted when I told her we were just friends and nothing was going on,” I said as he kissed my cheek.

“Hey, I meant that, and I don’t even know why but I feel just really close to you, and I would protect you with my all,” Joe said honestly as I gave him a hug. “Thanks bear, I would do the same,” I whispered as he held me tight.

“Show them you can run this show, and I promise that job offer will be waiting when you graduate,” he whispered before letting me go. “I got ya,” I reassured him as he went to get ready for the show, I saw him stop to talk to his cousins as I turned around to check my equipment.

Jey’s POV

“Alright, ya’ll looking good! It’s good to have ya’ll back!” Joe said walking up, hugging Jimmy and me. It felt great to be back, but it was also scary. “It’s good to be back Uce,” I said smiling at his enthusiasm in us being back.

We had been sent home some months ago due to my brother Jimmy getting into trouble for a couple of DUIs he had gotten, and my upcoming divorce. We both had so much going on Paul gave us some time off to try to get ourselves together.

I looked over stealing a glance at the woman Big Uce was hugging a few minutes ago. I couldn’t really see her, but her voice sounded beautiful. “Damn,” I whispered as she got up to hug Paul and I finally saw her face, she was truly beautiful.

“Aye, leave her be. She ain’t one of them one night stand types. That’s a lady,” Joe said pointing at her as she laughed at something Paul had said.

“Aye, you know I don’t believe in cheatin’. Plus I ain’t trying to hook up with nobody, I’m done with relationships. I was just admiring her, I mean I ain’t blind Uce.” I said as Jimmy rolled his eyes.

“I know you ain’t letting Candy ruin your thoughts on love and relationships,” Trin said, coming up to us as Jimmy hugged her.

“Hey, I’m just sayin’ I wanna chill for a minute. I just ain’t trusting nobody right now. I want all this shit with Candy to be over so I can get on wit my life,” I said as Trin hugged me.

“It’s ok Bro, love will come when you’re ready,” Trin said as I nodded.

“I think when you least expect it someone is gon’ knock yo ass for a loop and it’s over,” Jimmy said laughing.

“I have been home trying to get things in order, everything is moving so slowly due to Candy dragging her feet,” I said wanting nothing more than to change the damn subject. I would never fall in love again and that was all to it.

Jimmy’s POV

“Shantell, I want you to meet my cousins Jimmy, Jey, and this is Jimmy’s wife Trin. Ya’ll this is Shantell,” Joe said as she smiled at us standing up. “Hey, I’ve heard a lot about you guys,” she said extending her hand as Trin shook her head at Shantell.

“Girl, as much as Joe been talking about you, your family,” Trin said hugging her as she laughed returning the gesture. “A’ight let me get in here, and give my new sister some love,” I said joining in on their hug as Shantell and Trin laughed. I looked over at my brother and his somber mood made me a little sad as he came over to join in as well.

“Alright, she got a show to get ready for,” Joe said breaking up the moment as I saw the relief in my brother’s face. He seemed curious about Shantell but was standoffish.

“I got to go get ready ya’ll,” Jey said quickly stalking off as his phone rang. “How much you wanna bet it’s her,” Trin said rolling her eyes. “I hope not, she needs to stop playing games like she wants my brother. I heard she done moved that guy in,” I said as Joe seemed to be in deep thought looking in the direction Jey had gone in.

“I hope he’s ok,” Shantell said looking worried as I smiled at her. “Yea, he’s going to be fine. Just got to take it one day at a time,” Joe said as we talked for a few more minutes before leaving Shantell alone to allow her to get ready for her first solo show.

Jey’s POV

“Camera nine pan out on Joe, I need a closeup of his face as Brock is leaving,” Shantell said. She seemed to be in her zone and was having fun and it made me smile.

“Stu, Uso’s are coming your way in about twenty seconds,” she said as she looked up and smiled at me. God, she is so beautiful, get yourself together Jey.

“Good luck ya’ll! Kill it out there,” Shantell said, as I nodded my head at her. Jimmy gave her a thumbs up as we could hear the crowd chanting for us. It was go time after six months away, and now it was time to get back to work.

“Stu they are coming in hot, get ready to run with them,” she said with a smile as our music hit and the crowd exploded.

The feeling I get being in front of a crowd doing what I love is unmatched. The crowd was hot, as we stood tall to end the show. I was happy to be back but was I really ready to be back on the road, I guess only time will tell.

“That’s what I’m talking about! Welcome back!” Joe shouted when we walked back through the curtain back to Gorilla to a crowd of our co-workers welcoming us back.

“The shots looked great Shantell,” Paul said as he pulled Shantell aside. “Thank you I was so nervous,” she said taking a sip of her water. “You are on your way if you keep this up,” he said encouraging her as she gave him a hug.

“Thanks, boss, let me help the crew pack up,” she said walking off. Yea, I had to remain neutral and keep my guard up, she was dangerous for me.

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

Two Weeks Later, Las Vegas, NV

Joe’s Rental

Shantell’s POV

“Oh, wow this place is huge,” I said looking around kinda feeling outta place.

“It’s fire, but we didn’t need all this Uce,” Jey said putting his bag down, looking at the hot tub and pool.

Hey, we needed a break and yes, I mean everyone. A lot has been going on so just relax and enjoy,” Joe said as Trin smiled at him in gratitude.

“It’s really beautiful, I mean the next three days should be amazing. I for one am ready to pick my room and take a nap,” Trin said as Jimmy grabbed their bags and they headed upstairs.

“I can go grocery shopping, I mean you did all this so the least I can do is get food,” I said trying to carry my weight.

“Nope, you’re a guest. Just take my card and get what we need, Shantell,” Joe said giving me his card as I saw Jey looking at me with curious eyes.

“I can go wit you,” he said as I looked at him in shock. “Well, thanks I would love the company,” I said nervously as he got the truck keys from Joe.

“We’ll be back ya’ll, after you beautiful,” Jey said opening the door for me as I blushed heading to the truck. Hold it together Shantell he is married I had to repeat to myself as I hoped in the passenger seat.

“Alright, I put in the GPS so we should be good,” I said as he backed out of the driveway.

“Good, cause I ain’t got a clue where the fuck we are,” he said casually as I snickered. The drive was peaceful with small talk here and there until he asked a question that through me for a loop.

“So, are you and Big Uce a thing?” he asked, never skipping a beat. “What you mean a thing? Like are we dating?” I asked as he nodded at me. “No, we aren’t a thing, Jey. He’s a good friend who has looked out for me and before you ask no I don’t have a boyfriend,” I said as he seemed to like my answer.

“I’m sorry I was all in your business, I just wondered because ya’ll really seem close,” Jey whispered as his phone went off and I saw the change in his demeanor.

“Hello,” he said putting his phone on speaker sitting it down on the console as he continued to drive.

“Oh, so you finally picked up huh,” a female’s voice said as I pulled out my phone trying to tune them out, but it wasn’t happening.

“I told you I was going out of town with my family for a few days,” Jey said taking a deep breath.

“Oh, well who is the bitch that’s with ya’ll. A fan posted pictures on Twitter of some woman walking with ya’ll at the airport. I know she’s either Joe’s or your flavor of the month so who is she?” She demanded, as my eyes raised at Jey as silently pleaded with me to not say anything.

“That’s Shantell and she’s nobody’s flavor of the month. She’s a friend. Look did you sign the papers?” Jey asked as we pulled into the market.

“No, I haven’t, I told you I’m not letting you go without a fight,” she said as I rolled my eyes. So, this was the infamous Candy that had cheated on Jey, stupid bitch.

“Aye, you cheated not me. You don’t think I get lonely on the road; I do but I made a choice to be faithful to you, my wife. What did you do? You fucked someone else and, in our home, no less,” Jey said his voice rising slightly as I reached over to touch his knee trying to calm him down.

As his eyes met mine, it seemed to calm him down as I saw him take a few breaths rubbing his hand over his face. Lord, she had this poor man stressed the fuck out.

“Look I’m on vacation, leave me in peace and sign the fucking papers,” Jey said hanging up.

Silence filled the car as he threw his phone in anger as a text alert went off. “Look just ignore it, if you keep entertaining her bullshit, she’s just going to keep stressing you out. If she wants to drag it out let your lawyers handle it,” I said reaching down and grabbing his phone.

Jey’s POV “That’s easier said than done Shantell,” I said as my phone rang again and Shantell hit ignore. “Talk to her when you’re ready, if you work it out cool, if not that’s your right. She betrayed you and you deserve time to process it. Stop giving her power,” Shantell said as I stared at her truly unsure of what to say or do.

It was almost like Shantell could sense my uneasiness. “Jey, you ain’t gotta say anything, as far as I’m concerned, the call never happened, and I didn’t hear a thing. What about you?” she asked as I smiled at her, taking my phone back and began texting my mom as she looked at me worried.

“Don’t worry I ain’t texting her. I texted my mom to let her know to call Jimmy if she needed me. I’m turning this off for the next few days,” I said waving my phone as she smiled at me in relief. “Good you deserve a break from the craziness,” Shantell said leaning over and giving me a hug.

“You are just a really chill person ain’t you?” I asked pulling away with a smirk. “Yea, I guess I am. I try to see the good in things,” Shantell said as we got out of the truck and made our way in the store to grab some groceries.

--------

Three Days Later, Las Vegas, NV

Joe’s Rental

Jey’s POV

The weekend with Shantell and the fam was awesome. I really got a chance to unwind and just enjoy being in the moment. I hated we had to leave tomorrow, but I finally turned my phone back on, and in came the calls.

I sat on the bed checking my messages, seeing I had a message from my lawyer I took a deep breath almost dreading the voice message.

“Mr. Fatu I’ve been trying to reach you, but your mom told me to leave a voice message. Your wife Candy is now trying to sue for spousal support to the tune of 20,000 a month and has said you have also committed adultery.”

“The allegations are bogus I know, but now investigations into the matter are going to be done. Just be patient with me. We are still looking good, I just wanted to give you an update on the newest happenings. Have a good weekend,” he said as I ended the voicemail call.

I felt like I was going insane, this woman actually is trying to break me. I felt my eyes burning and I didn’t want to shed any more tears but here they were coming like a river.

Shantell’s POV

“I’m gon’ check on Jey, then head to bed,” I said as Joe smiled at me. “So, you like him huh? I know ya’ll been hitting it off these last few weeks, but something’ done changed this weekend,” Joe said pointing at me with a sly smile as I blushed. “Joe we are friends, I don’t do married men. You know that,” I said as he nodded in understanding.

“I think ya’ll would be great for each other,” Joe said as I rolled my eyes. “I ain’t listening to this. Goodnight matchmaker,” I said giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before I went upstairs to check on Jey.

His door was open and I saw him still, almost in a trance. “You ok Jey,” I asked as my voice seemed to startle him. He shook his head no as I saw the desperation in his eyes.

“Hey, what happened?” I asked softly, going to sit beside him on the bed, giving him a comforting hug.

“I can’t take much more of this shit, I’m just tired,” he whispered as I held him tighter “It’s ok Josh, lean on me,” I said as he held me tighter.

I didn’t know him that well, but in the short time I’ve known him I wanted to protect him.

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

Pensacola, FL

Jey’s Condo

Solo’s POV

“Look, I need you to stay in the car Sofia, I don’t need you and Candy fighting again,” I said giving her a stern look. “Don’t look at me like that, it wasn’t even a fight. She ran up, so she got smacked up, “she said not caring about keeping the peace at the moment.

“Well, you stay here Mayweather,” I said jokingly as she rolled her eyes at me. “You got ten minutes and I’m coming in swinging,” Sofia said as I leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

“I only need about five, Jey put the stuff I needed to get right by the door,” I said as I got out and made my way to the door.

“Damn! I don’t wanna go in here,” I muttered ringing the doorbell. As the door opened, I was shocked by a man answering the door.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked sizing me up. “Uh, this is my brother’s house, I need to be askin’ yo ass that question,” I said as Candy ran to the door.

“Uh, Sefa, I didn’t expect you until tomorrow,” Candy said nervously as I smirked at her. “Yeah, I can tell you didn’t, but I don’t need but a few minutes of your time,” I said pushing my way in heading towards Jey’s office.

“Just go in the other room babe,” I heard Candy say as the dude growled but walked away. I quickly opened his office with my key, grabbed the two boxes, and locked the door back.

Making my way back down the hall, the closer I got to the front door I heard a commotion. “Shit, Sofia,” I muttered speeding up.

“What the fuck you takin’ pictures for?” Candy screamed as Sofia smirked at her. “Oh, so I can send them to Jey so he can give them to his lawyer!" Sofia said loud and proud standing in front of our car.

I walked around Candy making my way back to Sofia.“Let’s go, babe, I got the boxes,” I said as she continued to stare down Candy.

“You are just so petty. Ima get a protective order against you bitch,” Candy said as Sofia scoffed in her direction.

“I ain’t scared bitch do what you want to do. But I’m warning you if you don’t get that bum outta my brother’s house Ima reach out and touch dat ass again,” Sofia said as stalking towards Candy.

Acting fast I scooped her carrying her to the passenger side of the car, putting her inside. “Look, gone in the house before I let her go, you know you ain’t bout that life,” I said as Candy scurried fast as hell inside.

“Babe, you gotta calm down, you can’t be doing that. You got too much to lose,” I whispered to her as screamed in frustration. “Babe, look what she’s done to that house. She has tainted every memory we all have shared in that house, we got engaged here,” she said wiping her tears, pointing at Jey’s condo and I couldn’t help but agree.

The house looked like it didn’t even belong in this subdivision, it truly looked a mess.

“Let’s get outta here, I know you got to study for your nursing exam and that should be our main focus right now,” I said wiping her tears as she nodded in agreement. Candy had us all on edge and I truly would be glad when this was all over.

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

Las Vegas, NV

Joe’s Rental

Shantell’s POV

I wanna hold the hand inside you

I wanna take the breath that's true

I don’t know how long we talked but Jey had finally calmed down enough to relax and lay down on top of his bed. “I think I’ve run my mouth enough, so I’m going to let you sleep,” I said as he looked up at me and patted the spot beside him.

I look to you and I see nothing

I look to you to see the truth

“Nah, you ain’t gotta leave. Come lay wit me,” he said softly, his eyes held a longing I wished I could cure. This was dangerous but I couldn’t leave him. Sighing, I climbed under the covers laying comfortably beside him.

“I knew you was cold earlier,” he said frowning at me as I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m fine stop fussing,” I said smiling, looking up at the ceiling, getting comfy on his pillow as our heads slightly touched.

Fade into you

Strange, you never knew

I think it's strange you never knew

“Did you enjoy this weekend?” he asked as I smiled at him. “Yeah, I had fun. How about you?” I asked, seeing his smile not quite reaching his eyes. Shrugging his shoulders he looked over at me as my breath caught in my throat. He was so handsome.

“Yeah, I suppose, I mean a certain girl had me spilling my guts this weekend, and made me have fun,” he said as I sat up slightly. “What you tryin’ to say, I’m bossy?” I asked as he smirked at me.

A stranger's light comes on slowly

A stranger's heart without a home

“Nothin’ I'm just sayin' I had fun wit you this weekend even though I didn’t want to,” he said as I looked at him strangely. “So, you wanted to have a terrible time this weekend?” I asked unsure of what he was trying to say.

” Ok, that came out wrong as fuck. What I meant is that I like talkin’ to you, and I don’t like really talkin' to nobody but my brothers. So, I guess I could say you broke down a fuckin’ huge wall,” he said pointing at me as I smiled at him.

You put your hands into your head

And then its smiles cover your heart

“Oh, shit, I feel special now,” I said touchin’ my chest in dramatic fashion with a small smile as he laughed softly mocking my antics.

“You are very special Shantell,” he whispered as I looked at him seeing nothing but the truth in his eyes. “Hey, so are you, and don’t ever forget that,” I said now seeing him deep in thought, almost unsure if what I had said was true.

“Do you feel comfortable enough to stay wit me tonight,” he asked as I stared into his eyes. “Yeah, I��m good. I trust you;” I said as he smiled at me with that boyish sly smile that was growing on me.

Fade into you

Strange you never knew

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, I turned to him to make sure he was ok. “Josh, are you good?” I asked softly glancing over at him and couldn’t help but smile, he was asleep.

I think it's strange you never knew

“Good night, Joshua,” I whispered softly as I gently kissed his forehead before I turned the opposite way and fell asleep myself.

Fade into you

Strange you never knew

Fade into you

I think it's strange you never knew

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