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lanadelnegan · 8 months

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My Girl

S7!Negan x Reader

Requested from anon: hey! loving the blog and every story you post! i was wondering if you’d do a story of a reader’s first time being with S7 Negan who is an asshole at first but then goes soft because he accidentally made her cry??

OOOH I'm gonna have some FUN with this one. And thank you so much <3.

Summary: Rick's oldest daughter, y/n, loses her virginity to Negan.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, smut, virgin first time, vaginal sex, daddy-kink, age-gap (reader is 18, negan is 40), Rick walks in on Negan eating you out.. (twice), degrading language, mushy romantic Negan, Negan fucks you in nothing but his leather jacket

A/N: This is my favorite fic I have written by far and I hope you love it as much as I do cuz I am obsessed.

"Carl, take your sisters upstairs and don't come down until I say it's safe." I lift Judith out of her high chair and follow Carl up the stairs.

Our dad has always treated us like Carl's the older one, even though he's two years younger than me, but I don't mind. If anything, it takes some of the pressure off of being big sis all the time.

I hear Negan's voice booming in the distance as my dad opens the door to head back outside. This has become part of our weekly routine at this point. Negan and his men went from monthly visits to weekly visits over the past couple months, but I don't mind that either.

The more I get to see him, the merrier.

I move the bedroom curtains slightly, peeking through my window until my eyes find Negan standing in the street in front of our house. I'm able to make out what they're saying if I listen closely enough.

"Rickyyy, I missed ya. Where's that sweet daughter of yours hiding? .....The older one of course." I can't stop the grin that appears on my face when he asks about me.

"This isn't about her. Get what you need, and leave." My dad stands firmly planted with his hands on his hips and my eyes roll at his attitude. Maybe if my dad would just be civil with Negan all of this could stop. I revert my gaze back to Negan.

"Now, Prick, you know I can't leave without seeing my girl."

His girl... The butterflies in my stomach flutter at the sound of that.

"Why are you so obsessed with him?" Carl asks rudely from across the room while holding Judith and bouncing her so she doesn't cry.

I quickly glare at Carl before turning my gaze back towards the window. When I look back down, Negan is looking up at me, a knowing smirk playing at his lips. I can't look away, and he lets his gaze linger a little too long as well, prompting my dad to look at my window. I quickly drop the curtain and back away.

"Take Judith to her room and put her down for her nap." I instruct Carl. He stares at me suspiciously. "Go! What did I just say?" I snap impatiently. He shakes his head but ultimately leaves.

"You're always so weird when he comes around." He says under his breath. I close my door behind them and go back to the window, peeking again, but this time everyone's gone. I rush to go see what's going on, but as soon as I swing my door open and run out, I crash into a tall, solid figure. My eyes widen as I look up at the man in the leather jacket.

"Hey, doll. Miss me?"

"Uh - I - where's my dad?" I stutter nervously, peaking around him.

"Busy getting supplies for me. He'll be busy for the next hour, so I thought I'd come keep you company."

Negan's been visiting Alexandria for months now, and each time he comes, our talks get longer and flirtier. Well, he flirts with me and I pretend to be annoyed, mostly so others don't think I like him. If they only knew how much I think about his beard between my legs.

There's something about him that intrigues me.. fascinates me even. I'm ashamed to admit I've even touched myself a couple times - okay, a lot of times - to the thought of him.

When I don't respond, he backs us into my bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

He slides his shoes and jacket off, sitting on my bed and leaning back with his feet propped up. I blush at the sight of him in my bed and restrain myself from ripping my clothes off here and now. A chill runs through my body, making me noticeably shake but I try to play it off. He probably things I'm scared, when in reality I just want him.

"Relax, I'd never hurt you darlin'. Unless you want me to." He winks as he leans back against the headboard getting more comfortable.

"I know." And I do... for some reason, I know he wouldn't hurt me.

He bites his bottom lip playfully and raises his eyebrows while patting the bed next to him.

I nervously walk over and sit down before leaning back, mimicking his position. My bed is a twin, so it doesn't allow much room to ourselves. My shoulder is pressed against his and the simple act has my body on fire already. I glance over and let my eyes roam up his white t-shirt to his handsome face. He watches me with amusement while his leg presses against mine teasingly.

"Sweetheart, I've been around the block long enough to know when a girl wants my dick. And I can practically hear that pussy fucking purring every time I come near you." He grins at me like he knows all my secrets.

My face burns with embarrassment at his words.

"I bet I could make you blush even harder than that, doll." His grin stretches wider but I stay silent, letting him do the talking.

"Of course.. I wouldn't do anything you're not comfortable wi-"

Before he can finish, I press my lips to his hard and climb on top of him. His mouth parts, letting my tongue in and his subtle moan makes my pussy flutter. He tastes like whiskey and smells like leather and I feel high off the taste of him as we kiss passionately. I grind my hips desperately into him and feel his bulge grow underneath me.

"Negan... I need you."

"I know baby." He breathes out.

My hands fumble with his belt and pants until I get them undone. He watches me as I pull out his cock and my pussy is already sore from just looking at it. No way it's gonna fit.

"How do you want it, baby? You gonna be a big girl and ride daddy?" His hands squeeze my ass underneath my dress and he practically growls when he realizes I'm not wearing panties.

"It's like you knew I was coming. Such a bad little girl." His fingers tease my opening and I'm embarrassed that I'm already pathetically soaked for him.

"All for me?" He slides a finger through my slit and brings it up to his mouth for a taste. "So fucking sweet."

I slide myself against his cock that's now slippery with my wetness and wonder how I'm gonna fit that thing inside me.

The big dick energy definitely checks out.

I hover above him naively, thinking I can actually take him. The tip just barely pushes through my opening and I moan at the sudden pressure. His hands grip my ass, guiding me down over him.

"Come on baby, that's it." He praises me as I keep sliding down. I stop when I can't take anymore, realizing I have at least four more inches to go.

"Oh, I know my little slut can take more than that."

I shake my head. "Negan, I don't think I -"

"You can, and you will, doll. I didn't come all the way here for you to only take half of my dick."

Tears fill my eyes as I try to sit all the way on him, wanting to make him proud. I make it another inch before the pain is too much. Not only with how deep he is, but he's so wide I think he may actually be ripping me apart.

"Deeper, y/n." He demands.

When I try again and fail, I quickly climb off of him frustrated. "I can't Negan, I'm trying!" He sits up in the bed, his feet on the floor now.

"Bend over."

"W-what?"

"Do not make me ask again." His jaw clenches as he stares at me seriously.

I lay myself over him, my ass facing upwards on his lap.

"You're going to take all of me, baby. If my wives at home can take me, I expect nothing less from you."

He doesn't even give me a warning before bringing his hand down painfully on my ass making me yelp. He chuckles darkly before smacking me again. He rubs the sensitive spot before teasing both of my holes.. One with his thumb and the other with his middle finger.

"What would daddy say if he could see you right now? Bent over my fucking lap and dripping for me like a little whore..." He pushes his thumb and finger deep inside each of my openings and I bite my lip hard at the pain.

I know he's trying to be all dominant right now.. I'm not oblivious to how rough sex works, but my eyes still sting with tears at his crude words. I shouldn't have built my hopes up that Negan could actually care and be gentle with me.

I sniffle as the tears fall, trying to wipe the snot dripping from my nose.

He quickly pulls me up and his eyes are filled with concern.

"Baby? Hey, look at me." He cups my face gently as I sit on the bed next to him.

"I - I liked you." I choke out. "I was the only one here who actually cared about you and saw you as a person.. and you.. you just see me as a stupid object you can shove your dick in.... You just ruined my first experience with a man. I hope you're happy." I sob while looks like someone just punched him in the gut.

"Fuck, sweetheart." He presses his forehead to mine, looking down with regret. "I didn't know you were all mushy about me and shit.. Truth is?" He tilts my chin to look at him. "I was being so harsh with you cause I didn't want to admit my own feelings. I didn't think you'd ever want an asshole like me, so I didn't want to go catching feelings for someone who didn't want me back. But baby? I can't get you outta my fucking head... Why do you think I started visiting every week?"

My teary eyes look up at him and he looks genuine. I want to trust him so badly, but my heart and head are saying two different things.

"Fuck, y/n. I know you don't believe me. Let me prove it to you. What can I do? Just say the fucking word."

"Stop taking our stuff... Leave our people alone..."

He chuckles lightly, shaking his head like he can't believe what he's about to agree to. "Does that include you?"

I try to hide my grin as I wipe my tears with the back of my hand. "....No."

"Then it's a deal, baby."

"That's it? Just like that?" I look at him confused.

He shrugs. "Guess you've got me wrapped around your finger already, darlin...And now that I know you've never been with a man, I'm taking my fucking time with you." He lays me down on the bed while kissing and climbing over me.

"What about my dad? He'll be back soon."

"Simon's keeping watch, doll."

His lips travel to my neck. "....What about your other wives? You're just gonna fuck me and go back to them?"

He laughs against my neck. "Sweetheart.. I kicked every one of them to the curb the day I layed eyes on you."

My mouth drops open but he cuts me off by pulling my dress down over my chest and taking a nipple into his mouth. I moan and arch myself into him. After a few moments of sucking each one, he slides down further, lifting my dress to my waist and settling his head between my legs. I watch him in awe as he takes his time, kissing my inner thighs.

"Has anyone ever eaten you, baby?"

I shake my head no as I lean up on my elbows to watch him.

"Good." He spreads my pussy lips apart with his fingers and I blush at him staring at it. "Such a pretty pussy. Fuck." He says before locking eyes with me and pressing a kiss to my clit gently. I moan from the contact and arch myself into him, silently begging for more.

He dips his tongue in me and curls it up, gathering my juices. His eyes roll to the back of his head and he groans and licks all the way up to my clit before sucking on it softly. My mouth drops open and my hips try to jerk away, being overwhelmed by sensitivity.

He smiles against me. "Not going anywhere until you cum all over my face, doll." He wraps his arms up around my thighs, pressing my stomach down with his hands.

My breathing matches the speed of his licking and sucking and I feel the pressure building up inside me.

"Fuck, Negan!" My eyes are clenched shut but snap open when my door suddenly flies open.

"Shit! Dad!" I reach to throw my blanket over me, but defeatedly realize it's on the floor. My eyes widen in horror at my father standing in the doorway, looking like he just saw a ghost. A ghost that's eating his daughter's pussy. I'm unable to close my legs because Negan is still holding me down with his hands.

"God fucking dammit, Rick. We were just ge-"

"Negan!" I cut him off, my cheeks turning bright red with embarrassment.

He kisses my pussy one more time and my eyes widen, not believing he just did that in front of my father. He finally leans up, wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb and smirking at my dad like he's proud of himself.

I quickly get up and fix my dress.

"Dad, look, I -" I look up, stopping at the sight of Carl pointing a gun directly at Negan's head.

Negan tucks himself back into his jeans, buckling his belt and ignoring Carl.

"Carl.." I slowly step in front of Negan. "Put the gun down."

"You - you wanted this? Him?" My dad asks horrified. "He's done horrible things, y/n."

"And you haven't?!" I yell at my dad. "I watched you rip a man's neck open with your goddamn teeth. If he's a monster.. then so are you."

Negan steps beside me and laces his fingers through mine before kissing the side of my head.

"I love him, dad." I look up at Negan and elbow him roughly when I see a teasing smirk on his face.

"And you think he loves you? You can't be that stupid." My dad says, putting emphasis on the last word.

Negan chuckles and finally cuts in. "First of all, Dick, do not call my woman stupid. Secondly.." His faces grows serious. "We won't be taking anymore of your things. No more visits. Other than me paying this one a visit of course." Negan winks and puts his his arm around me protectively. "That is.. until she moves in with me." Our eyes all widen at the same time.

"You want me to live with you?" I turn to Negan.

"I mean, you did just confess your love for me, doll. Soo, yeah, that's the plan." He kisses my forehead.

"Y/n, we'll talk about this later. Negan, you need to leave. Now." My dad demands, his jaw ticking with anger.

Negan glares at my dad for a moment before turning to me, lifting my chin to kiss him slowly and passionately. Before he lets go, he whispers in my ear. "Meet me right outside the walls when it gets dark. I am nowhere near done with you, baby."

My heart flutters at the thought of us sneaking out together.

Negan walks towards the door before leaning close to my dad's ear. "I get to be her first, Rick. How fucking sweet is that." I struggle to make out his words but don't miss the chuckle at the end. He pats Carl's shoulder on his way out. "See ya 'round, bro."

"Love you, sweetheart!" He calls out to me as my dad and brother follow behind him, making sure he leaves.

I shut my door and smile giddily, running to the window and peeking out. Negan is already looking up at the window when I look at him. He smirks and winks at me before heading off to the gates.

A few hours later:

The sun just went down and my palms are starting to sweat as I pace back and forth on the outskirts of the gates. A million thoughts race through my head.

What if he doesn't come..

What if it's a trap..

What if he lied about everything he said..

Oh my god.. He's gonna kidnap and torture me..

Shut up. He wouldn't do that.

This is a bad idea. What am I doing.

Just as I turn to run back inside the walls, I see him appear from the shadows, wearing his signature leather jacket with a black t-shirt underneath.

"Were you about to ditch me, y/n?" He asks playfully as he pulls my wrist towards him and crashes his lips into mine. When the kiss deepens, he bends a little, pulling me up by the back of my thighs and wrapping my legs around his waist. We make out like horny teenagers while my fingers run through his slick black hair.

"You ready to officially be mine, doll?"

I nod without hesitation. "Yes. I'm already yours, Negan. I don't care what anyone thinks about us."

He kisses me again, setting me back down on the ground. "Lead the way, baby." He nods towards the side gates.

"You want to go back to my house? What if someone sees you?!"

"Kinda hope they do.. I like the thought of everyone knowing who you belong to." He smirks and it makes me knees weak.

"Okay.. come on." I pull his hand as I guide him back to my house. We sneak through the back sliding doors as carefully as possible before tiptoeing up the stairs.

He lightly smacks my ass as we're going up and I turn to shush him, tripping over my own feet in the process. He catches me before I make a loud thud on the stairs and his body is leaned over mine as we try not to laugh.

My body shakes as I laugh silently and bring my hand over my mouth quickly to stop any sound that comes out. His eyebrows raise at me with warning as if I better not make a noise.

"Okay, okay. Shushhh." I whisper before beginning our climb up the stairs again. My dad's room is at the end of the hall and mine is adjacent next to his. We try not to let the floors creak as we get closer to my room. We slip inside and I ease the door shut gently. When it finally clicks shut. I let go of a deep breath and look up at Negan. As soon as our eyes lock, we laugh like idiots, but quiet idiots.

He walks towards me. "Goddamn it, I fucking love you." He says as he lifts me back into his arms kissing me.

"You know.. earlier outside.." I breathe out between our kisses. "I thought.. that maybe you were gonna kidnap and torture me."

He smiles against my mouth as our lips lazily fight each other. "...What if I am?"

I stop kissing him to look at him. When I do, his look turns serious and it scares me for a moment. "I fully plan on making you mine and torturing you with this dick forever, doll."

I grin and roll my eyes as he continues holding me in his arms. "I guess there are worse ways to get tortured."

"Wait until I'm all the way inside you." His eyebrows raise teasingly.

I press my forehead to his and bring my hands to cup his face, kissing him again. I can't take my lips off of him. "Well what are you waiting for?"

That's all he needs to hear before he's walking me towards the bed and laying me down gently. He stands back up, removing his jacket and shirt.

I watch him closely, admiring the flex of his biceps when he moves. "Put the jacket back on. No shirt."

He laughs until he sees that I'm serious.

"Yes ma'am." He says with his little country accent. It's not always noticeable, but when it is.. it's so fucking adorable.

Once he's back in the jacket and bare chested, he stops for a moment before removing his pants. "Can I take these off, at least?"

"No, I want to."

He grin stretches as he walks towards the bed, keeping his hands by his sides. "All yours, baby."

I sit up in the bed in front of him and undo his button and zipper. I shuffle his pants down just a little before pulling his hardening cock out of his boxers. It turns to a steel rod in my hand and I don't care that I'm full on staring at it, assessing each vein and how it turns an ombre shade of pink towards the tip.

"I hope you like what you see, baby. Cause it's the only dick you're gonna be seeing for the rest of your life."

"I'm perfectly happy with that." I look up at him before kissing the tip of him, just like he did to my clit earlier. He watches me proudly, letting his fingers run through my hair lovingly.

I lick my lips before struggling to fit my mouth around him. He chuckles down at me.

“If you can’t fit me in that cunt, what makes you think you can take it down your throat, baby?”

I grin around him and I slide my mouth deeper and deeper. Surprisingly I don’t gag and I think it surprises him too.

Guess I don’t have a gag reflex. That’s good to know.

“Holyyy shit, doll. Look. At. You.” His voice is so deep it vibrates to my pussy. The tip hits the very back on my throat and even further until my eyes water.

I try to jerk my head back, but Negan pushes my head down on him again, my nose pressed into his pubic hair. He waits a few seconds until I feel like I’m going to pass out from lack of oxygen before pulling my head back. I gasp for air and he pulls me all the way off of him while kicking his pants and boxers off.

"Trying to make me blow my load before we even get to the good part, darlin'? He climbs over me in the bed, kissing me softly.

My hands slip underneath his jacket and rub his back, scratching at it gently.

"I am gonna make you feel So fucking good." He says before kissing my neck. "You want me to be gentle with you baby?" His voice right in my ear makes me shiver.

I nod and he hovers his face above mine so we’re staring into each other eyes.

“You ready, baby?” He whispers and I nod again.

He leans up on his knees between me and lines himself up with my entrance before pushing the tip through. “Tell me if you need me to stop.”

He slowly slides in me further and further as he holds my legs open.

“Goddamn this pussy is so fucking Tight.” He pulls back a little before pushing in deeper and my mouth gapes open slightly.

He chuckles and stares down at me through heavy eyelids. "I'm not even halfway yet, sweetheart. You want more?"

I nod desperately as my eyes fill with tears at the overwhelming sensation of him so deep inside me.

"Take it then, doll. Grind on me and make yourself feel good." He stops moving completely while still on his knees between my legs.

My cheeks blush at his request and he smirks down at me, sliding his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, refusing to move or touch me.

I lean up on my elbows while he's still inside me and push my body further into him, taking every inch I possibly can. I grind myself against him until I find just the right spot for the tip of his cock to press into and drop my head back at how good it feels, not caring about the desperate sounds I let out.

"Oh my god, Negan.. fuck." My face reddens at the intense pleasure as I continue using his cock to pleasure myself.

"Fuck, baby. Now THIS? Is a Fucking sight.. Watching you get off on my cock like a desperate little whore."

"Touch me, Negan. Please."

"Please what?"

"Please Negan."

He removes his hands from his jacket to lean over me, holding himself above me with one hand on the bed while bringing the other to lightly grip my throat.

His dark hazel eyes dart back and forth between mine as he squeezes his fingers gently around my neck. My face reddens even more at the sudden loss of air.

"Try again, doll."

"Please... daddy." I choke out and he quickly releases my throat.

"Good girl." He kisses my lips softly before thrusting his hips hard, completely filling me until his balls are flush against me.

I scream out and his hand immediately covers my mouth while his head dips to the side of mine and his deep voice fills my ear once again.

"Sshhh, baby. I know. I know." He pulls out almost completely before sliding in again, this time softer but just as deep.

My eyes fill with tears at the pain but I don't want him to stop. My fingers grip the bottom of his jacket as he continues fucking me hard and at a steady pace. The headboard begins to lightly bump the wall above me and my eyes widen with panic.

"Negan, the bed. My dad's room is right on the other side."

He chuckles lightly in my ear but doesn't speak. Instead, he pounds into me even harder and faster with his head is buried into my neck.

"Negan!" I whisper yell at him but it feels too good to make him stop. The closer my orgasm gets, the less I care about my dad hearing us.

After a few more thrusts, he slows down and suddenly flips us over with his dick still inside me until I'm laying over him.

"Negan, my dad's gonna come in here! We have to be quie-"

Before I finish, he lifts his knees up and rams his cock into me hard. It feels even deeper from this angle and hits a spot that makes me see stars.

"Come here, baby." He maneuvers me until my arms are wrapped around him and my head is nestled into his neck. He smells like musky cologne and sweat and I can't help but lick him. Our mouths are next to each others ears, breathing and moaning heavily as he begins to thrust up into me faster than ever. The headboard slams into the wall with force but I don't even care.

This feeling is unlike anything I've ever felt or knew was possible, so the last thing I'm gonna do is tell him to stop.

"Negan.." I cry out. "Faster."

He obeys and wraps his arms around me tighter, fucking me at an animalistic pace. I cum so hard and fast I don't even have time to announce it. My pussy clenches and I feel myself suddenly leak around him, soaking his dick and probably even the bed below us.

"Goddamn. That's my good fucking girl... You gonna let daddy cum in this pussy, baby?"

"Yes! Please." I whine.

He growls in my ear and holds himself deep and still inside me as his dick pulses over and over.

I try to slide off of him when he's finished, but he holds me tight, not letting me leave.

"Negan, you need to leave before my dad-"

"He's not here, sweetheart."

"What?!" I snap my eyes to his.

"Relax, baby. He's fine. But I did warn him that if he didn't want to hear his baby girl screaming "daddy" all night.. then he should take your siblings and go stay the night with Daryl." He grins up at me and my brows come together with confusion.

"Wait you.. you told him about our plan?"

"Of course baby. Had to be respectful and ask for your old man's blessing."

"And.. and he gave it to you?!"

Negan laughs and reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear. "Absolutely not. But respectfully, I told him he didn't have a choice."

The next morning:

My vagina is screaming at me for allowing it to be destroyed last night. I can't count on one hand how many times Negan made me cum. I open my eyes to the sun shining through my window and immediately notice Negan is gone. I shoot up and look around, seeing that his clothes are also gone.

What if he just.. got what he wanted and left..

I throw the covers off of me and get up, grabbing my sundress of the floor and throwing it on before making my way through the house.

"Carl?!.... Dad?!" I yell as I descend quickly down the stairs. I stop at the bottom to find Negan stirring a pot of something on the stove.

"There she is! Mornin' sunshine." I walk over to Negan to see what he's cooking and he holds a spoon up to my mouth, letting me taste the deliciousness. This man can fuck and cook... what a god.

"Was wonderin when you were gonna wake the hell up. It's already lunch time, baby." He presses his lips to mine and I notice his freshly shaven face. I've never seen him like his and he looks so incredibly handsome.

He lifts me up and sets me on the kitchen counter while standing between my legs.

"Mmm, promise me you'll wear little sundresses with no panties underneath for the rest of our lives, doll." He says as he kisses me sweetly. I giggle and wrap my arms around him, kissing his neck.

"You hungry baby?" He asks and I nod sleepily.

"Me too." He slowly gets down on his knees in front of me, draping my legs over his shoulders.

He softly licks me with his tongue, moaning from the taste before burying his face further into me until I feel his tongue push past my hole. His shaven face feels soft and much more gentle than his beard.

My fingers run through his black hair, tugging on it gently as my head falls back.

"Mmm, daddy." I moan and my eyes snap open, hearing movement at the front door. I quickly jerk Negan up while pulling my dress down and sliding off the counter, seeing my dad, Carl, and Daryl standing in the doorway. Carl quickly covers Judith's eyes while he holds her and Negan sighs annoyedly at the sight of them.

"God..DAMN it, Rick. Again? You gotta learn to fucking knock."

"It's my house." My dad's expression is unreadable as he stands there, eyeing Negan. "You said one night. You can be on your way now."

"Well now don't be fucking rude, Prick. Have a seat." He grins widely at my dad before gesturing to the table. "I made spaghetti."

The End.

3K notes · View notes

bonkhrnyjail · 3 months

Text

sweet plum | chapter four

masterlist | pinterest board | spotify playlist

pairing: pedro pascal x fem!reader (plus size)

rating: mature (will become explicit in the future)

warnings: mentions of alcohol/drinking, mild mentions of weight discrimination

summary: a late night facetime turns into a midnight adventure

a/n: well shit yall. thank you for all the love on what i've posted so far. the validation is like crack for my stupid little dopamine deficiency. and strap in for a slow burn. also, i want to note, you definitely don't have to live in a bigger body to enjoy this story. give it a try if you're on the fence. <3

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“Leave me alone,” you whine at Bella, their shrill laughter crackling from your shit-quality phone speakers.

They continue to poke fun at you for watching Bridgerton for the fourth time in the past few months. Work has been painfully slow, and you have to wait until after the premiere to take on any other big projects. With your NDA, you can't exactly put the best job you've ever booked on your resume until the show is aired.

You continue to defend yourself, huffy and stern, glaring at them through your camera lens.

“I love a slow burn romance… it’s not my fault.”

“I know you do,” Bella mumbles in a somewhat accusatory tone, chuckling to themselves with a shake of their head.

“Excuse me?” you question, a palpable underlying meaning to the statement clear as day. "That felt pointed."

“Pfft, it's nothing,” they quip with a jovial eye roll.

“No, no, please. Enlighten me.” you playfully push, somewhat perplexed by their vagueness.

“I mean… you—”

Bella gets cut off by the familiar notification sound of someone joining the call.

Pedro’s face appears massive on the screen, his head propped up against a pillow on his green leather couch. His hair is completely disheveled, sticking straight to the heavens on the left side. He smiles, beamingly, the majority of his pearly teeth on vivid display.

“So this is what happens when I don’t see you for a few months," you jest.

“Got drunk, slept face first on the couch. I just woke up,” he explains, his voice cloaked in a thick rasp, clearly still acclimating to his consciousness. “But you’re right regardless. I am a bed-headed disaster without you.”

A fantasy floats into your head, you helping him tame his unruly mane in the morning, planting soft kisses along his forehead with every huffy groan, denying every whine and protest to return with you to the bed.

“You need to hire her as a live-in,” Bella jeers, “It’s really… really bad.”

The three of you chat for a while, weaving in and out of conversation topics with lubricious ease. Embarrassing moments, family memories, recalling inside jokes from your days in Canada, the leisure of it reminds you of how effortless it is with them. Your incessant laughter burns your stomach as tears prick the corner of your eyes.

“One time, my mum and I went to a dairy farm and the baby calves would not stop sucking on my fingers,” Bella recounts, wiping the tears from their eyes. “I tried to put my hands in my pockets but they started going for the pockets too. I eventually had to run away and they kept trying to chase me.”

“That sounds like a dream! I'd love to go to a dairy farm,” you exclaim, puppy-eyed with a gentle pout. “Cows are my favorite animal, you know.”

“Let's go to a dairy farm then,” Pedro blurts in.

You scoff, taken aback by his offer.

“With your schedule? Please.”

“Oh hush, I’ll always make time for you.”

Your breath hitches.

He'll always make time for you?

The call falls silent for a moment, your mouth falling open as you process the sentiment. You examine his expression, sincere and warm and ever-so-slightly bashful, and the sight of it sends blood rushing to the apples of your cheeks.

Bella’s eyes widen as their lips curl inward, cheeks blowing out to stifle a giggle.

“Alright! Well… I gotta go... early day tomorrow. I love you both!”

They blow a kiss to each of you and disconnect from the call before you can say goodbye.

An uncomfortable air of silence hangs between the two of you, still heavy and unnerving despite the miles separating you. You chuckle to yourself on instinct, just to create some sort of noise to cut through the tension.

“Are you still drunk?” you inquire.

It’s heavily rumored that Pedro is an obvious flirt under the influence. You’ve heard the stories of him, teasing and lightheartedly flirting with the cast and crew after a couple of drinks. Stupid, corny comments and lots of touching with no clear intent behind it. Maybe that's what he's doing, maybe it's just an offhand sentiment, a product of his lingering intoxication.

“I don’t know… I don’t think so. But I did drink almost an entire bottle of wine, and that was only 6 or so hours ago.” He runs a hand through his scraggly, unkempt curls. “Why?”

The compiling list of questions run circles in your head as you attempt to formulate some kind of comprehensible answer.

“I suppose… well... I was just…” you fumble, picking at your already tattered cuticles. “I guess I just want to…. Were you serious?”

“About what? Taking you to a farm?”

A half smile slowly appears on the left side of his lips, an expression of an almost amusement. Heat races to your cheeks in an instant.

“Of course I was," he responds, nonchalantly but with a genuine earnest. “I really like being with you. Farm or otherwise. Drunk or sober.”

A wave of goosebumps erupts across your skin like a forest fire. You instinctively clench your fists to bear through the surging sensation in your chest, the feeling somehow distressing and euphoric at the same time.

You decide to play along, push a little further, despite your better judgment.

“So, if you could choose anywhere to take me, where would we go?”

You lay your head back on the pillow behind you and hold the phone high above your head. The senseless part of you carefully angles a peek of cleavage in the bottom left corner, just enough to hopefully warrant a quick glance.

And glance he does.

Not once, but twice. The first one is almost instinctual, like a natural reaction to something new and foreign coming into his line of sight. You see his eyes widen slightly and immediately dart back up to meet your gaze. He smiles, a nervous smile, and reaches a hand up to run his thumb along the wiry salt and pepper of his jaw.

Now, the second glance is definitely intentional. As his eyes lower, his smile falls into slightly parted lips. It’s akin to gawking, the way his eyebrows raise and his pupils explode. You watch as his fingers curl and press deep into his jawline as he takes a small portion of his lower lip into his teeth and bites.

Seconds pass, achingly slow, and he seems to be entirely elsewhere.

Suddenly his body jolts and his eyes return to yours once more, a flustered pink painting his cheeks. You can feel a prickly heat spreading down your neck and across your chest, a plethora of contradicting thoughts and feelings bouncing rapidly in your head.

"Well, it’s hard to pick just one," his thick fingers lay flat against his cheekbone as he ponders. "There’s quite a few I’ve thought of showing you.”

You curl your toes as another surge of anxious excitement obliterates your nervous system.

“Well, how about a top three then?"

After about ten seconds of deep pondering, his eyes light up.

“There’s this juice place that I’ve been really liking. They have a fruit juice with plum in it, it made me think of you. I bet you’d like it.”

You ball the sheet beneath your hand into your fist, your knuckles surely painted white with the sheer force of it. The thought of him… thinking about you, wanting you to be there with him, makes you ache with pure adoration. You’ve had daydreams like that hundreds of times, trips for coffee or takeout, holding hands, sharing the little things, weaving your way into each other's lives.

“I definitely want to take you to my favorite deli in New York. I still can’t believe you’ve never had a fuckin’ bagel sandwich. That’s just… just wrong.”

The memory floats into your mind; The gasp that left his mouth when you told him was damn near cartoonish. He lectured you for at least five minutes straight as you tried not to laugh, your lips pressed tightly together, tears welling at the corners of your eyes.

“And definitely Spain. I just feel like you’d blossom there. It’d be beautiful to see. Plus, I miss it. If it weren’t for work I’d stay there forever.”

The statement hangs in the air for a bit, not in a stale and brooding way, but more like a wispy cloud passing between you. Your mind goes still and is washed clean with a warm, velvet enchantment.

All of your useless anxieties melt under the gentle heat of his unwavering gaze, his words so tender, so utterly astonishing to hear from the mouth of a man. It’s often hard to believe that he’s real, like somehow everything you’ve ever wanted in a lover and friend came wrapped up in the Adonis masterpiece that is him.

The profound worry that plagues you, incessant since the day that the already precarious line between friends and lovers have been blurred, is really just a deep-rooted fear. Fear that you’ll lose him, fear that things will change, an irrevocable leap could irreversibly damage one of the most meaningful connections you’ve ever experienced. If you could just know what he is thinking, exactly what he is thinking, maybe the violent kick in your stomach that seems to accompany every flirtatious interaction with the man would finally leave you be.

Images of Spain waltz through your mind, of sundresses and fresh fruit, music, dancing, exquisite wine and food to die for. Bare feet sinking into warm sand, Pedro trailing close behind you with a camera in hand, capturing you as you blossom.

“Those all sound really, really lovely," you gush, allowing the grin that’s been repeatedly tugging at the corners of your lips to grow wide and toothy across your face. "I’ve always wanted to go abroad. Hey, if you ever need a hairdresser overseas, you know who to call.”

You catch a glimpse of yourself on your screen, your eyes twinkling and a soft glow washed over the apples of your rounded cheeks. You look positively enamored, entirely lovestruck, and you honestly couldn't care less.

“Where do you want to go most in the world?” his voice softens further as he rests a hand on his cheek, cozying himself against the arm of the couch.

The phone is inches from his face, likely because he misplaced his glasses, as he so often does. His eyes have that slight downturn, the innermost part of his brows raised slightly upward and inward, his irises catching every glint of the headlights passing by his window. The movement of the sparkle, along with the rich chocolate hue illuminated in its presence, leaves you struggling to form a coherent sentence.

“I... I think..." you stutter, closing your eyes for a few seconds to collect your thoughts. "I think I'd want to go to Greece. It’s a bit ridiculous, but I had a phase in my childhood where I was completely obsessed with Greek mythology. There are so many things I want to see there. And the photos I’ve seen… I just really want to experience that energy. It looks like it has a kindness to it, I can’t really explain what I mean by that... I just can feel it, you know?”

“You don’t have to explain, I know what you’re saying. Things are more gentle there," He speaks softly, his eyes decorating themselves with delicate crinkles and lines as his lips curl into an upward crescent. "The energy honestly kind of reminds me of you. Your… lightheartedness.”

“You think I’m gentle? And lighthearted?” you let out a hearty laugh, entirely spurred by your surprise.

You’ve never viewed yourself that way, at least from the outside looking in. Most of your life you've felt very coarse, gentleness not ever coming naturally to you.

When you grow up in a larger body, every single thing you do feels too big, too clumsy, too loud, every action feels like it should be followed up by an apology for simply existing. The world tries its darnedest to shrink you, to diminish your presence and lock you into a cage of shame, the only key to escape being a success in the pursuit of thinness. You’ve done endless internal work to break free from that prison, to allow yourself the freedom to be yourself unabashedly and throw a middle finger to the consequences.

But you have to admit, a part of you has always wanted to feel delicate.

It’s not that you want to shrink yourself, it’s quite the opposite. You want to be utterly yourself, and you want someone to actually see the gentleness that lives there. Through all the noise, the rowdiness, the bellowing laughter. Through the rough exterior, you want someone to find the soft woman that lives inside of you and love her delicately.

“Yes!” Pedro exclaims with wide, passionate eyes. “Well, not in a way that indicates weakness. No, you’re definitely a powerful woman."

His irises shift up, searching for words as he continues to play with his beard.

"You don’t let the world harden you. Your gentleness is resilient to… bullshit, I guess. You stay open. And not only that, but you stay playful too. Lighthearted. I admire that about you."

The words land like a grenade to the chest, the sensation coursing through your body completely unfamiliar. It’s almost agonizing, yet completely painless. Your veins must be vibrating, and you can hear the whoosh your blood flowing to and from your heart as it knocks violently about your ribcage.

You instinctively deflect as you attempt to bear through the absolute tsunami of emotions currently drowning you.

“P! Jesus, please!" you let out a fake gag, then another, speaking between each retch. "Too... many... compliments."

His hearty laugh booms through your shitty iPhone speakers, the sound of it crackling through the phone causing you to break from your performance, your unruly cackle echoing off the walls of your room. You only egg him on as he laughs harder and harder, eventually nothing but a wheeze escaping from his lungs. Your stomach burns as tears start to roll down your cheeks, and every attempt at steadying yourself only results in you completely losing it again.

You finally catch your breath, doubled over and clutching for dear life at your abdomen.

“I’ve missed you.” he mumbles through a heavy breath.

“I… I’ve missed you too.” you whisper back, just audible enough that you’re certain he can hear.

An inquisitive expression washes over his face, before he springs into an upright position.

“Well, we’ll have to do something about that then. Are you hungry?”

Does he mean… now?

“I mean… I could eat. Why?”

“If I come and get you, will you go get a burger with me? I’m having a craving.”

A pang of excitement explodes in your belly. Shit, of course you need to change, tame the current state of your hair, and honestly you could even use a shower. Some of the particularly heated scenes in Bridgerton caused you to break a sweat.

And, there’s no way in hell you’re going to let Pedro pick you up in his half-drunken state.

“I’m not letting you drive wine drunk, P. I’ll come get you," you announce, surprising yourself with your sudden assertiveness. "Send me your location, I’ll see how far you are from me.”

You suppose your tendency to take care of others triumphs over your jitters in this moment.

“Um… I… don’t... think I know how to do that.” he furrows his eyebrows with confusion as he focuses diligently on his screen.

Old man.

You’re able to walk him through it, but not without a proper teasing that he doesn’t know how to use his phone.

“Oh, ok, you’re like 25 minutes from me. I can swing that.”

You wonder if he can see through your facade, your pressed efforts at being nonchalant. Because truth be told, you’d drive for hours if he asked.

“Be ready, ok? I’ll see you soon.”

. . . . .

You’ve never gotten ready that fast in your life. You were able to assemble your hair into messy-yet-stylish fashion, apply a speedy coat of mascara and brow gel, spritz yourself with a subtle perfume and throw on an "I was just planning on sleeping in this" yet cute outfit. All in roughly… five minutes?

Now you’re dangling out of your car, throwing things about so Pedro can actually sit on the passenger’s seat. You’ve managed to wrangle up all of the various empty coffee cups and receipts floating around on the floor, and you cross your fingers that with the seat all the way back he'll have enough leg room.

He’s seen your car plenty of times, seen the mess that always seems to accumulate despite weekly clean outs, but he's never actually been inside. For some reason it feels very personal to drive him somewhere, to let him inside your car though you're sure he's used to far more luxurious modes of travel. But alas, here you are preparing to pick him up, and it makes you so nervous that your hands tremble.

You finally sink down into the velour fabric behind the wheel and select a playlist to keep you company. You choose the one with the most songs you can sing along to, anything to release an ounce the unidentifiable buzz swarming through your veins.

You can't help but chuckle at yourself, the fervid state of your mind and body absolutely laughable in its dramatics. Yes, of course you’re excited to see him in person. There are so many little things you miss. It’s been almost four months since you've heard the roar of his bellowing laugh in person. You miss the weight of his palm stabilizing himself on your shoulder as he crashes his head into you, the sounds escaping his throat akin to that of a tea kettle that's reached a boil. That was often a daily occurrence, the two of you overcome with giggles, holding on to each other for dear life, unable to catch your breath or maintain any sort of upright posture. You miss the morning coffee runs that left you scrambling for time while Pedro innocently sipped his six-shot monstrosity of a beverage, knowing full well it was his fault because he needed his espresso. You miss the feeling of his hair, how it would glide along your hands, intertwined in your fingers, yours to bend and mold in exactly the way you needed. You miss how he'd soften and slouch under your touch when you'd softly massage his scalp, how his shoulders would sink and his head would roll about like it was attached by an overcooked noodle. You miss the way his scent would fill the trailer and linger slightly after he would leave, the air laced with spice and wood and leather…

You sing to distract yourself, tapping complex rhythms on the back of the steering wheel with considerable force, trying to channel your giddy quivering out of your body through the tips of your fingers. The headlights of the cars in front of you shine and splinter in your vision like a supernova, and it soothes you just a bit, just enough to stop visibly shaking.

Somehow you arrive to the pin Pedro sent you in once piece. You haphazardly park on the dimly lit street and bounce your knee endlessly as you wait. You give yourself one more mist of perfume, the sweet scent wafting through the air in the car.

You need to just get a fucking… grip...

A loud bang jolts every bone in your body, your heart nearly leaping through the bones of your sternum and onto the black leather of the dash. Your head snaps to the left to see two flat palms and a thick pair of foggy black frames pressed up against the driver’s side window.

Idiot.

You open your door to hear his proud laughter echoing down the empty street. Before you can berate him, he pulls you into a tight hug, his strong hands grasping at the softness of your hips. The two of you spin around in the street, your arms still wrapped around each other, your legs doing something resembling a waddle back and forth. A prickly warmth spreads throughout you, radiating from the very center of your chest.

He pulls away to examine you, his palm resting gently on your right shoulder, where it seems to fit just perfectly. His smile softens as your eyes meets his, the street lights creating a freckled glimmer in his deep brown irises.

“I should punch you for scaring me like that,” you murmur, feeling suddenly bashful under his unwavering gaze, fixed on you like you’re the only other person in the world.

“You should, but you won’t,” he winks and gives your shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Now come on, I’m starving.”

He opens the driver’s side door for you with a satisfied grin and guides you into the car, his hand resting gently on the small of your back. His fingers shift, slipping just beneath the hem of your shirt and brushing against your bare skin.

Your knees nearly buckle.

You grip the steering wheel as you lower yourself into the seat and squeeze, straining to bear through the sudden panging need in lower belly. Jesus, you’re far too touch-starved for your own good.

Pedro slams his body weight into the passenger’s seat, causing your car to bounce a few times from the recoil. You jokingly shoot him a look of disgust and he throws his head back, cackling and reaching over the console to smack you in the arm.

“God, just put the address in my phone you idiot!” you exclaim through your own chuckles. He snags your phone from your extending hand and begins searching on your maps app.

He has on his purple Laker’s shirt and some black athletic shorts. The shorts are the perfect length, showcasing just enough of his thigh to garner a bit of attention but not so much that you can't keep your focus elsewhere. He paired the outfit with striped socks and sneakers, an almost copy-paste of every casual outfit you've seen him in, very on-brand for his day to day. You once tried to explain the concept of being on-brand to Pedro, but he just went around telling everyone he was “serving brand” for about a week straight. You honestly regret ever teaching him about “serve” in the first place.

You start to drive, a quiet and comfortable hum falling over the two of you. Your music is still playing, so soft that it's barely audible over the growl of the engine. Pedro reaches to crank the volume, veins protruding on the back of his hand as he turns the knob gently.

“You know how much I love Fleetwood Mac,” he speaks in his low, growling baritone, his scent filling the air and mixing with your lingering perfume, creating a fragrance intoxicating enough to give you a head rush.

You take a beat before responding, transfixed by the width and curve of his fingers and the spiral of ink at the crux of his thumb.

“I know, I picked the playlist with my passenger in mind.”

“Well I won’t subject you to any singing,” he teases. “Since you’re such a music snob.”

“I am not!” You reach over and shove his shoulder. “I have a deep appreciation for good music, that doesn’t make me a snob.”

“Sure… says the girl who was critiquing my playlists every goddamn day.” he shoves you back, this time against your thigh.

“What playlists?! Purple Rain fifteen times in a row is not a playlist,” you jab.

An offended, dramatized gasp fills his lungs before he scoffs ostentatiously, prompting an immediate eye roll from your side of the car.

It’s truly like no time has passed since you last saw each other.

. . . . .

You plop down into a slightly cramped, cherry red booth in the back corner of a slightly shoddy, time capsule of a diner. The vinyl cushions are cracked and peeling, beige crumbles of the filling erupting from the openings and spilling over. You scoot in carefully, hoping to avoid causing any further damage.

When you'd pulled in to park moments ago, your knee-jerk reaction to the sight of the place was a look of genuine concern. The lot was packed with toxically masculine trucks and seemingly refurbished vintage vehicles, and a hoard of beefy, somewhat terrifying men crowded the entrance in a haze of flickering red light and cigarette smoke.

“Just, trust me, will ya? It’ll be the best burger you’ve ever had," he insisted, shooting a subtle wink and a flash of pearly teeth, glimmering off of the sole street light illuminating the entirety of the parking lot.

He sits down opposite to you, raising his hand to greet the waitress from across the counter with a quick wave. You catch sight of her as her remarkably wrinkled, heavily kohl-lined eyes brighten at the sight of him. Her cherry red lips spread wide across her bony, slightly sullen face. She whispers something to the line cook standing next to her, and then immediately hightails it over to your table.

“S'been a while since we’ve seen you, Mister Pascal, I was startin’ to worry you’d went n' forgot 'bout us! But I know you’re a busy guy n’ all, bein' Hollywood's latest and greatest.”

Her voice is steeped overnight in a viscous southern drawl. It’s so thick that it almost makes the words move slower from her mouth, like they’re coagulating on her tongue on the way out.

“Darlene,” Pedro reaches a hand to grab hers, a tinge of Texan twang tickling the vowels in her name. “You know I can’t stay away from you for too long. And you know better than to call me anything other than Pedro.”

He gives her hand a little squeeze and you watch as the woman melts under his touch. You really can't blame her.

“Now, who is this sweet thing?” Darlene cocks her head slightly in your direction, her eyes still fixed on the cocoa irises gazing back at her.

“This is my… friend,” Pedro smiles, glancing towards you as his dimple indents beneath the bristles of his scruff. “And coworker.”

“You n' actress, honey?” she diverts her attention to you, her head bobbing slightly with a palpable sass.

“Oh, no, a hairstylist actually,” you explain, inexplicably embarrassed by the implication. “That’s how we met. I did his hair for a more recent project.”

“She’s very talented.” he chimes in. “She managed to make me look like an old man!”

“Darlene, it was one of the easiest jobs I’ve ever had, I’ll tell you that much.”

Pedro attempts to take a jab at your shoulder from across the table, but you duck slightly at just the right moment, his hand colliding with shiny smooth cushion.

Darlene lets out a laugh, one that sounds more like a prolonged smoker’s cough than anything else. She takes down Pedro’s order, the usual, and after a solid minute of convincing from both parties, you decide to go with the same thing.

Darlene hurries back to the kitchen and leaves you with a hungry-eyed man studying your every move.

“I promise you’re gonna like it. You’re gonna love it. It literally melts in your mouth. Hey—”

He reaches quicker than you can dodge him and his thumb and index finger grab ahold of your chin, slightly squishing your lips together.

“Quit making that face at me! I’m serious, it's really good!”

Another waitress swings around the corner, dropping off a pot of potent smelling coffee and two mugs, medium-sized and a robin’s egg blue.

“Always good to see you, Pedro.” she speaks in a low rasp, deeper than you'd anticipated from her petite frame and soft features. Pedro shoots her a wink before immediately reaching for the coffee pot.

“I’ll get this in right away for y’all. Anything else I can getcha in the meantime?” Darlene questions.

Pedro meets your gaze as you shake your heads in unison.

“Y'all've a real cute, uh, friendship,” she speaks hesitantly, one of her pencil-thin eyebrows cocked up with suspicion and her ruby lips curled into a smirk. A soft chuckle lilts in her trail as she turns away from you and slinks back to the kitchen.

“This place feels like a fever dream,” you mouth in a hushed tone as you attempt to sip on the scalding coffee in front of you. “Is she… is Darlene real? She doesn’t seem real.”

“Like straight out of a time capsule, right?” he grins.

“How the hell did you find this place?" you question him as you glance around to people-watch, catching sight of the elderly biker couple to your right, decked head to toe in worn black leather, demolishing two double cheeseburgers with reckless abandon.

“An old agent of mine took me here a long time ago. Since I’ve been in LA so much, I just find myself drawn back here,” his disposition softens as he speaks. “Reminds me of home, I guess, I can’t put my finger on why.”

You listen intently as he chronicles stories of New York, letting your fingers unconsciously twirl through your hair, the nasty habit that always seems to return in his presence. It's easy to get lost in the way he muses on about his experiences, like his own trance pulls you along with him into his dream-like state. He speaks with effervescent detail, a syrupy adoration on his tongue with each word that leaves his mouth. You could listen to him talk for hours and hours, utterly entranced by the way he transports you into his world, the lull of his voice like a spoonful of honey.

“Jesus, I’ve been blabbing on and on," he reaches up a hand to scratch behind his ear, a nervous tick you’ve noticed he frequents. "Am I boring you?"

“No no no, hey, you're not boring me," You rest your hand gently on the table, resisting the urge to grab his fidgeting hand and steady him. “You've got a way with words, I honestly feel like I’m right there with you.”

With a brief inhale, his hand falls slowly until it rests atop yours. You silently gasp at the sudden sensation, his touch heedfully delicate as he caresses the back of your hand with his thumb. His eyes are fixed as he wraps the rest of his fingers around and settles them in the crook of your palm. The thump of his pulse echoes yours as he traces up from your knuckles and slowly back to the base of your wrist, drawing a perfect ellipse on your velvety skin, sending goosebumps to riddle every square inch of your body. As your gaze flutters, you catch a glimpse of his face, his lips parted slightly in complete transfixion. You bite down on the inside of your cheek at the sight.

“Alrighty y’all, I go-” Darlene clears her throat as you both jolt violently, your spines simultaneously snapping upright as your hands tear apart. “I… got your burgers here. Just holler if ya need anythin' else.”

She smiles sweetly, a slight smugness tugging at her expression.

An involuntary chuckle escapes you, responding unconsciously to the knotting discomfort you feel in growing in your stomach. You stare unwaveringly at the mass of burger sitting in front of you, cheddar cheese oozing down the sides of the thick patty and spilling onto the plate. The thick veil of tension lies stagnant between you as the knot pulsing in your stomach threatens to snap.

“I’m like… scared of this thing. It’s a bit of a beast.” you murmur uneasily.

“Definitely don’t eat the whole thing. I’ve made that mistake… more than once," he admits, cutting carefully through the gargantuan sandwich down the middle. "I’m honestly amazed I can still enjoy this considering what it’s done to my stomach in the past. Here—"

He reaches across the table, cutting yours into perfect halves with conscious diligence.

"S'a lot easier to eat this way."

A flush creeps across your cheeks, the same sentence repeating in your head like a skip on a broken CD.

Why does he have to be so fucking thoughtful?

. . . . .

“I can’t… breathe properly. It hurts.” Pedro blabbers as he trudges himself from the restaurant, his hand clutching at his stomach as he groans in pain.

“Girl, I warned you to stop after you ate the half!”

After a third and some of the fries you were toast, and you by no means have a small appetite.

“Do I need to help you to the car? Have we gotten to that point?” you manage through a bout of laughter.

“Leave me alone!” he grunts, nearly doubled over at this point, shuffling toward the car with visible strain.

You sling his arm over your shoulder despite his protests, and let him lean a decent amount of his weight into you.

“I look like I’m drunk off of my ass,” he mumbles in your ear as you approach the passenger door. You open it for him and gesture your hand.

“Don't worry princess, I'll get you home safe.” you quip through a teasing smile, almost immediately followed by a shrill cackle.

He gives you a protesting shove as he plops down weakly into the seat.

You don't really want to take him home. Part of you wants to just drive for hours, listen to more of his musings, keep teasing and laughing and wearing out the energy lingering from your multiple cups of coffee coursing through your system. Maybe you could park in an empty lot and watch the sun come up. You just want to be with him, stay with him, just a little while longer.

But you know him. He’s busy. Always busy. Press tours, talk shows, auditions, meetings, he's never not booked for some sort of event. And of course he's never well rested, a borderline insomniac, and you'll be damned if you keep him from the sleep you know he desperately needs.. You shove down your selfish desire and set course back to town.

“I’m takin’ you home, you poor thing,” you turn the key in the ignition and pop the headlights on, a wash of yellowish-white beaming over the vintage vehicles and motorcycles parked in front of you. "You really should be in bed anyways."

“You know I don’t need sleep,” he teases, his body slumped over and his head looming fairly close to your body. With a quick peek, you find him glancing longingly at your right shoulder, as if he is using nothing but sheer willpower to stay upright and not rest his head on your bare skin.

“It's alright,” you whisper in a moment of understanding. You pat your shoulder twice, lightly, hoping he’ll register what you mean. “Rest.”

His head crooks up at you, clearly surprised, but with a soft and sweetened gaze. It’s almost as if his eyes are saying “thank you” and “are you sure?” in the same puppy dog expression. You nod slightly, a reassuring smile curling the corners of your lips.

He lets the top of his head settle in the crook of your neck as his cheek rests gently on your shoulder, his scruff tickling at the skin there. The tension in his body is evident, the muscles in his neck stiff and straining and his hands gripped together tightly in his lap. Quickly you fish your phone from your pocket and scroll through your music, finding your "cheaper than xanax" playlist before turning out of the parking lot.

The two of you stay silent, but not an uncomfortable and brooding silence. It feels meditative, almost like a single word would eradicate the solace you’re sharing amongst the hum and glow of the golden street lights. Minutes pass and you feel his breathing start to slow and deepen as he finally allows the full weight of his head to sink into you. You quietly begin to hum along to the soothing song that is playing, unable to remember the last time you felt so at peace.

Because that’s the thing about Pedro. He feels like peace.

If you void all of the external factors, his hectic schedule, the blur of professionalism, the enigmatic feelings and moments of anxious uncertainty… none of it truly matters when it boils down to the core of who you are. You just fit together, inexplicably, undeniably, effortlessly. You can talk for hours, god knows, but quiet settles in just as easily, the pressure to perform completely eradicated in each other's presence. In moments like these, being with him feels like being wrapped in a warm comforter, fresh out of the dryer. You can just… be. He sees you, you see him, and you can take comfort in knowing the other is there, and no one is expected to break the silence.

He falls asleep by the end of the first song and stays dormant on your shoulder the whole drive home. Your chest starts to ache as you turn onto his street. The last thing you want right now is to watch him leave without any idea when you’ll see him again.

You give his hand a little shake and whisper his name into his ear. He groans softly and nuzzles into your skin, the prickle of his mustache tickling the delicate skin of your shoulder. You shake a little harder this time, more of a gentle shove. He inhales deeply as his eyes flutter open.

“You're home,” you speak softly.

He sits himself upright slowly, his hair vertical on the side he was resting against you. You unconsciously reach to smooth the mess for him, a habit you fell into after doing it so often in between takes during filming. He leans into your hand, ever so slightly, his eyes droopy and blinking sluggishly.

“I missed that, you know,” he admits, his voice laced with sleep. “You, fixing my… mess.” He motions to his tousled curls.

You missed it too, the way he would always hum deeply when your fingers ran across his scalp. You missed the way he would always say “Better?” once you seemed satisfied with the adjustment. He loved to tease your perfectionism, and especially loved to try and tousle your hair back.

You miss every minute.

“Me too,” you reply demurely. “Now, you better go to bed once you get upstairs. I won’t have your sleep-deprived grumpiness getting blamed on me.”

“We’ll see. I haven’t fallen asleep that fast in months. Twice in a row would be a miracle," he chuckles. He unfastens his seatbelt and lets out a deep, bellowing yawn. “Now, come give me a hug.”

You oblige through your slight haze, stepping out as he meets you by the driver’s side and wraps himself around you, his arms finding their familiar spot and his hands resting perfectly on the small of your back. You allow yourself to hang gently from his shoulders as you lightly nuzzle your nose into his neck, tipsy on the intoxicating scent of him.

You stay like that, for a moment, until Pedro places a small kiss on your temple.

The warmth of it lights you up in your entirety. You manage to untether yourself from him as you stomach does a flip, and then another, and another. When you meet his gaze, he smiles gently as he unravels himself from you, your arms falling to your sides, completely limp.

“Thank you for indulging me. I promise next time I’ll only eat half,” he laughs quietly to himself as he lazily paces backwards across the pavement. “Goodnight, sweet plum.”

“Goodnight,” you simper, your bones growing more flimsy with the passing of each second.

Every time he calls you that, sweet plum, you feel as though you could melt into his arms and he'd hold you like a puddle in his hands.

He turns away and walks towards the entrance to his building, but not without looking back to glance at you one more time. You offer a pitiful wave as he grins from ear to ear, waving again with a quick wink. You stay as he slips through the door, down the hall, and then he’s gone.

Through a sudden bout of dizziness, you manage your way back to the driver’s seat. You turn the key in the ignition, fasten your seatbelt, and start to drive away, a singular thought looping through your mind on repeat.

He kissed you. He kissed you. He kissed you.

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chapter five

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x reader #plus size reader #jose pedro balmaceda pascal #the last of us

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ryuwonieebae · 9 months

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𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓

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𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐒 (에스쿱스), Imagines, One-shot

Genre : fluff, romance

Pairing : Dad!Seungcheol x fem!reader

Warning : use of pet names, Scoups is scared of y/n!

A/n : This fanfiction is purely based on my imagination only. It's totally fictional. I hope this is good enough to make you guys happy. I'm still learning to write creatively. Thank you for supporting me. It means a lot to me. Thanks to my besties too<3...

When you thought that your daughter is a soft girl but boy she proved you wrong...

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"Mommy! mommy!" your 5-year-old daughter came running excitedly while calling out to you. Her excitement made you curious. With her tiny steps, and her dimple smile which she inherited from her dad, she looked even more adorable.

"Slow down, sweetheart. You might fall" you said in your most calming tone, slowly crouching down to her height.

"It doesn't matter. But what matters now is that I punched a boy!" she stated while giving you an innocent smile while your jaw dropped.

"You did what!? Choi Seung-hee! It's not–"

"Before you scold me listen to the story. So, actually what happened was (a huge sigh). I-was-minding-my-own-business-when-that-kid-came-and-started-teasing-me-and-it-made-me-angry-an–"

"Okay okay enough, I got the point but still punching someone isn't a good deed, right"

Seunghee nodded

"What if he tells about it to his parents? You might get scolded, sweetheart" even though you were disappointed, you couldn't be mad at your daughter. After all, she's just 5.

"Don't worry, mommy. I blackmailed him by saying that I'll will smack him again and again if he told about it to anyone" that's when you realised who could be behind this drama.

"You know what? Go to your room, dear. I'll talk to you later" with a reassuring smile, you sent your daughter back to her bedroom.

[FLASHBACK]

"Yah! YOU! ASPARAGUSEU! How DARE you touch my book!?

"I just touched it! You shorty!"

"You touched it!" you hit his head so hard that he felt like the whole world started to spin. Anger took over 10-year-old Seungcheol as he pulled 8-year-old y/n's braid causing her to flinch. You roared and pulled his short hair back which ended up being a big fight for no reason.

The front door opened revealing excited Seungcheol with two bouquets, one larger than the other filled with colourful roses and chocolates while the other one was decorated with baby breaths and a cute teddy bear.

Seunghee ran towards him with a wide grin, showing off her dimple. Seungcheol dropped his things and carefully placed the bouquets on the ground while crouching as soon as he saw his adorable daughter heading towards him. He scooped his daughter and embraced her, placing kisses all over her face.

Seunghee giggled and whispered something in Seungcheol's ear which he responded by nodding his head. He carefully put his daughter as if she's fragile. He made a shushing sound cutely and tiptoed into the house like a pro thief with his daughter following her dad's act.

"CHOI SEUNGCHEOL... "

Seungcheol stopped in his tracks and turned around only to catch the sight of you shooting death glares at him. He was panicking but managed to form a fake smile.

"I need an explanation" shiver ran down his spine at your demanding tone. No one would've expected the most fearsome person to be scared of his wife. Seunghee sprinted away while Seungcheol went after his precious wife.

"Explain"

"Babe, Seunghee told me that a kid is teasing her. I don't want our daughter to be bullied so"

"So?"

"I'm the one who told her to punch the boy"

"Do know how problematic and spoiled she could become if you kept telling her to hit kids and spoiling her. I wonder if she has anger issues at this age"

"I know but don't you think she has to know how to protect herself and about her anger, I don't think you need an explanation. We're her parents after all"

"She's just a kid, Cheol. Plus, as her parents we should take proper action by telling to the teacher not influencing her to hit someone"

Seungcheol took hold of your hand and made you sit on the soft bed when he noticed how much you were getting stressed. He slowly caressed your hand leisurely and pestered a kiss on your temple, washing away all your stress.

"I'm sorry, okay? Don't forget that we also used to be like this when we were her age"

Seungcheol apologised sincerely and fondled your 7-month belly delicately.

"You shouldn't be stressed, remember? It's not good for our baby"

"Sometimes I indeed wanna punch your papa but I'm afraid that his charming visuals will be ruined. Life is cruel isn't it?" you questioned your unborn baby who had no idea what was going on.

"Look who's speaking about cruelty" Seungcheol rolled his eyes in a teasing way only to earn a hard smack from you.

"Okay okay calm down my raging wife" he uttered while patting your head, embracing you, and planting butterfly kisses on your neck and your belly. You tittered stroking Seungcheol's blonde hair knowing how your unborn baby will grow up having a big sister like Seunghee.

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happilyhertale · 1 year

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Long Lost Love - Aemond Targaryen x female!reader, Part 8

Summary: You are the daughter of Daemon and Rhaenyra. When the invitation to Aegon and Helaena's wedding came, your entire family rushes from Dragonstone to King's Landing to take part in the festivities. You haven't seen your family in King's Landing for 6 years so you are very excited...

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

Warnings: At the beginning none – eventually smut (uncle/niece)

Author’s note: Hello you! (:

This is my first fic so please be nice (: I thought I'd just try a little self-considered story. I hope u like it.

The events are not entirely similar from the series.

English is my second language, please forgive me if I made any mistakes (:

18+ NSFW

Word count: 4.6k

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7a, Part 7b, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You stand with Aemond in front of the door to the hall.

Your heart is pounding and your palms are sweaty. You are visibly excited. Your arm is hooked in Aemond's arm and your other hand holds his hooked forearm. Aemond notices your nervousness, "Hey, Y/N, it's okay," he smiles at you. You look at him shyly. Then you return his smile and nod at him.

As the door opens, your announcement rings out at the same time, "Princess Y/N of House Targaryen and ... Prince Aemond Targaryen of House Targaryen?", even the servant was not quite sure about this announcement.

You walk down the aisle between the tables with Aemond, and felt every pair of eyes was on you. You will be the predominant topic of conversation tonight. You are still nervous. You try to ignore the looks of the Lords and Ladies. But this is visibly difficult for you. Until you look up at Aemond. His smile has not disappeared. With Aemond by your side it is bearable. You smile and hold Aemond close. The closer you approach the main table, the more visible the confused faces of your family become. Except for your father's face, of course. He sits in his seat, his chin propped lightly on his hand, even a slight smirk visible.

You see your mother leaning over to your father.

"Daemon? Didn't you tell me yesterday that I had nothing to worry about?", your mother asks your father quietly. Your father nods at her, "Yes, I have. All I see so far is that they also only enter the hall together and he does not yet ask to be wed to her" Rhaenyra bites her lower lip, "Well the evening is still young", Daemon chuckles quietly.

As you reach the main table, you both bow in greeting to King Viserys and Queen Alicent. All eyes on you, you turn to each other. Aemond takes your hand and gently kisses the back of your hand, "Princess Y/N."

This was not planned, the colour of your cheeks change to a light red and you whisper, "Prince Aemond."

Aemond smiles at you and winks inconspicuously. Slowly slides your hand down and you each go to your seats. When you reach your father, you kiss his cheek. A soft "Good evening Daddy" accompanies the kiss.

He looks at you from the side, one eyebrow raised, "Have you recovered well from last night?" You look at him and clears your throat, "Well, I had an excellent night's rest. So, yes, I can't complain." Daemon chuckles, "I could well imagine that you had a good night's sleep." Your cheeks change colour again to a light red. This conversation only earns an irritated look from your mother. Jace, sitting on your other side, drills you with his gaze. Eventually you give in and respond, "Can I help you?"

His eyes widen even more, "You just came into this hall with Aemond?" You sigh, "Yeah, it sure looked like it." You take his hand and squeeze it, "Jace, it's all right. Really, please don't worry," you smile sweetly at him.

At the other end of the table, you can see Aemond just sitting there, unfazed by everything. He drinks his wine calmly and skilfully ignores the looks of his mother, who probably also wants to force a conversation on him. How fortunate that Aegon and Helaena are placed between him and his mother.

Rhaenyra gets up after a while and moves away from the table to talk to a Stark Lord who is not known to you. Your brothers try their luck on the dance floor again. Just as you decide to escape the dull evening and go over to Aemond, your father gives you his attention.

"You know, that was pretty dangerous yesterday. You could have been found by someone else"

You look at him, "And then I would have to be wed to Aemond now?" He raises his eyebrows, "Would you like that?"

Just as you are about to answer, words fail you. You don't know how you feel about Aemond. Yes, you feel something for Aemond. That is clear. But what you feel, you cannot interpret clearly. You feel close to him, you feel strongly attracted to him. Every second you don't spend together is torture for you.

But is that love?

Daemon looks at you tensely, "Y/N, you don't have to decide now. Take the time you need to make the right decision, in your opinion." You look at him and nod.

"…But Daddy, it wasn't planned. We were talking and it just happened and... it was nice...", Daemon raises a hand "...Even though I appreciate you telling me everything, please don't elaborate."

You have to chuckle, "All right Daddy." Daemon smiles, "But, for next time... Please don't kiss under a tree in the garden. Go deeper into the garden or for God's sake into one of your chambers. But please don't get caught. We don't need a family scandal at one of the many unnecessary festivities for this wedding. Your mother would not take it well."

You look at him irritated, "Are you just giving me a free hand for...", Daemon interrupts you, "...I didn't say that! I just said be smarter and don't get caught." Daemon takes a big gulp of wine from his cup. You reach for his other hand and squeeze it gently, "Okay... Thank you Daddy," you smile. He just nods slightly and strokes your fingers with his thumb. As your mother returns to your side, you give your father a fleeting kiss on the cheek and stand up. You see Aemond standing in a corner talking to a Lord. You walk over to him. When he sees you, he smiles at you and you can't help but return the smile. The Lord seems to understand that the prince's attention is now elsewhere, at least he says goodbye as you come to a stop in front of Aemond.

"Princess Y/N," he smirks at you. "Aemond," you reply.

"I think we're the topic of a lot of conversations today," he looks at you and takes a sip of his wine. You give him a cheeky look, "Well then, we should give them more to talk about." Aemond looks at you questioningly, "Well, I'm bored... and it might be a nice pastime to dance" You look at him pleadingly.

Aemond has to chuckle, "Then I guess you'll have to find a willing Lord who wants to dance with you."

You look at him almost indignantly, "Oh well, I guess I'll have to find a willing Lord then". You turn around and walk in the direction of the dancing crowd. On your way, you look at Aemond over your shoulder and stick your tongue out at him. Aemond looks after you, amused.

As you stand in the crowd, you see your brothers at the other end of the hall. Pleased, you go to your brothers. You feel safer with them than alone in this crowd. Your brothers welcome you warmly. Jace has managed to strike up a conversation with a pretty Lannister Lady. You realise that Jace is just looking for a bit of fun, but somehow you think that the Lannister Lady might be thinking more about the throne your brother will sit on one day. You have to chuckle. "What's so funny?" Jace asks you, also almost laughing. You stifle another laugh and reply, "Oh, nothing, brother." He looks at you challengingly, "Then give your mouth something useful to do" Without hesitation he holds his cup filled with wine to your mouth. You try to swallow the amount of wine that flows towards you. Jace and Luke laugh. When Jace finally puts the cup down, you can laugh too. "Jace! What was that all about?" you ask, still half laughing.

Jace looks at you proudly, "You need to get your courage up with that wine before you dare join me on the dance floor". You look outraged, "Excuse me? You don't stand a chance against me." He holds his arm out to you. Of course, you would have liked another Lord to ask you to dance. Perhaps to annoy Aemond a little, but well, better than dancing nothing at all.

Just as you are about to accept his invitation, a Lord approaches you.

"Princess Y/N," he bows his head a little. "And of course Prince Jace and Prince Luke," the Lord says almost laughing.

You look up and meet his gaze. "And you are?" you slip out.

As Jace puts his arm around the Lord and answers for him, "That, dear sister, is Lord Robert Stark. A true friend to drink and party with. You would know that, too, if you hadn't missed the last few parties," he gives you a stupid look and you simply mimic him. Your gaze falls back to the Lord Robert and you notice how handsome he actually is. The thought frightens you a little that you would think such a thing, but you can't help it. He stands before you in full size. Your gaze falls on his chest. On his chest you recognise the Stark banner, the wolf's head. Even through his elegant leather waistcoat you can see that he has to do some training. His muscular shoulders and chest look very inviting. He has black hair. It is short and curly, reaching just down to his face. It is in complete contrast to your shining silver hair. It seems as if his curls are incredibly soft. It appears very tempting to touch these curls once, but you resist your curiosity. He has incredibly gentle eyes. A warm brown stares at you and you feel as if he is looking straight into your soul. His lips look just as soft. Unlike the men here in the south, he wears a short beard, and it suits him very well, no question.

You can't help it, unwittingly biting your lower lip.

"I think the princess had more important things to do than celebrate with us idiots. And please call me Rob," he gently takes your hand and kisses the back of it and you chuckle.

Jace looks at you almost amused as Luke laughs outright. You push him a little to the side.

Lord Rob turns to you, "I just saw my father talking to your mother. I hope my father isn't trying to strike some kind of marriage deal," he gives you a teasing look. A laugh slips out of you, "And you're always so direct?". You kind of like it.

He looks at you with a smile, "We in the north are a bit more relaxed in our dealings with each other. You would like it very much," he winks at you. Again you have to laugh, "Yes, you really have to get used to that. But I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lord Rob, I'm not free for a marriage contract as I get to choose my own future husband. I think your father would have to speak to me personally".

Aemond watches from afar as the Stark Lord talks to you. He notices every single laugh you give. Every look that betrays your curiosity about this Lord. When the Lord dared to kiss your hand in greeting, he would have loved to rush over to relieve the Lord of his own hand that had touched you. And suddenly he realises the mistake he made when he let you walk alone into the room full of willing Lords. He should have danced with you. Then he would be the one enjoying your laughter now. He has not been following the conversations around him for some time, all his attention is on you. When he suddenly realises with joy that the Lord seems to be saying goodbye. Another Lord appears next to the Stark Lord.

"Princess Y/N, I'm afraid I must leave you for a moment. My father wishes to speak with me. Will I have a chance to see you again later?", Lord Rob asks you as his warm brown eyes look deep into your purple eyes. You take a moment to come back to reality, "I can't promise that, Lord Rob. After all, you never know what else the evening will bring." You can't help but grin slightly. He must be grinning slightly too, "Please, just call me Rob“, he winks barely noticeably. You think to yourself that he is really good at flirting.

"And yeah, you never know what the evening will bring. In any case, I'll prepare my father in advance to talk to you about your wedding plans." With that he turns away and leaves your little group. You look at Jace amused, "You drink with a guy like that?" He replies with a shrug, "He's pretty funny, so yeah."

Suddenly you notice a hand lightly, barely noticeably, resting on your lower back. Startled, you look to the side and see Aemond standing close to you. You hear a barely perceptible "My Love", close to your ear. You can't help but smile at him, Rob almost forgotten.

Aemond turns to your brothers, "Nephews." Jace raises his cup, "Uncle," and takes a big gulp. Jace turns to you, "Anyway, we're going dancing. The Ladies need to be impressed," he strokes your arm and walks away from you and Aemond with Luke.

You look at Aemond, "It seemed I had found a willing Lord," you smirk slightly. "Mmmh.. all I could see is a Lord walking away from you," he slowly lets his fingers trail over your dress on your lower back. You have trouble concentrating on the conversation, but somehow manage to answer, "So… you were watching me?" He chuckles, "How about we leave this stupid ball? And move on to our new ritual? Drinking wine, in the garden?" You bite your lower lip lightly and nod slowly. Aemond finds it hard to keep his gaze from your lips, but eventually leads you through the crowd.

From a distance, on the Stark side, Rob watches you, a little sad that you are already leaving the ball and being led out of the hall on the arm of a Targaryen.

On the way out of the hall, Aemond has again managed to take the wine from a servant. You are pressed close to his side. As you stroll through the dark corridor, you lean your head against his shoulder. It's almost your favourite position. Aemond presses his mouth gently against your head and leaves a light kiss. Arriving at your place, by your "secret" tree, you remember your father's words. You pull Aemond further into the garden before he can make any sign of wanting to sit down. He looks at you questioningly, "Where are we going?" You smile at him, "Perhaps it is wiser not to sit where we could be seen directly by everyone. After all, our hair shines like a fire in the night." He grins at you, "What do you want to do with me that no one is allowed to see?" You blush slightly and press the side of your face further into his upper arm. He chuckles and kisses your head again.

On a bench, in the middle of the garden, surrounded by tall trees and a few hedges, you settle down. Aemond sits on the bench and you sit cross-legged on the ground directly in front of Aemond. You drink your wine and talk. And, as always, the more wine you drink, the looser your tongue becomes. During your conversation you wonder if Aemond has ever made love to a woman. You suspect that he has. He is a little older than you and lives in the middle of King's Landing. So you blurt out, "Have you ever made love with a woman?“ He looks at you with raised eyebrows, "Pardon me?" You shrug, "Well, you're a man, you live in King's Landing. It is most likely that you once made love to a woman.“ He looks at you a little amused, "Yes, you're right. And yes, I have already made love to a woman" You nod.

But you are still a little uncomfortable that, although you know that this act is something personal, you don't really know what actually belongs to lovemaking.

Aemond takes a big sip of the wine and watches you closely as you venture and ask, "Aemond. What does it take for a woman and a man to love each other?“

He didn't expect that. The rest of the wine in his mouth lands on the floor next to him as he swallows in shock. When he gets his breath back, he turns to you, "You have to stop asking me that when I'm drinking. You're going to be the death of me.“

You don't let yourself be distracted and just look at him. At some point he replies, "That's what happens when a man and a woman love each other, that's what your future husband has to tell you.“

You don't like that, "No, Aemond, I want to hear it from you. I trust you"

He shakes his head, "No Y/N, out of the question. I'm not going to tell you that" You give him a mean look as something occurs to you. You sigh, "Alright Aemond" He looks at you suspiciously. It's unusual for you to give in so quickly. As you continue, "Remember back in Driftmark? The night you claimed Vhagar?"

He nods, "Yes, that night is hard to forget" You agree, "Yes, that's right. But do you remember what you said to me back then?" He looks at you questioningly, "You told me that you wanted to make me your Queen..." you speak softly, almost shyly, "... that you would wed me one day."

You look at him from below. He returns your gaze, almost pained, until he whispers back, "Of course. I would still make you my Queen. Any time."

You smile at him, "So you will be my future husband?"

Aemond sighs and closes his eyes as he realises what you are trying to achieve. After a while he says, "Y/N, I really can't talk to you about this, it crosses a line."

You nod.

"Then show me."

His eye goes wide in shock. You look at him sadly and put a hand on his thigh, "Please Aemond. I trust you. It makes me uncomfortable, but I don't know what it means when a woman and man make love and I trust you completely. I trust you so much that you could show me."

Aemond looks at you. He puts his hand on your hand, "Okay. I'll show you one thing. One thing about how this whole act can start. That's it."

You just nod. Aemond visibly swallows. He takes your hand and pulls you onto your knees so that you are kneeling right at his level. He spreads his legs and pulls you between them. Your faces are only a few inches apart. You feel his warm breath on your skin. You notice, although nothing has happened yet, how the arousal between your legs is making itself felt. You look into his eye. With one hand he grips your hip and holds you tightly between his legs. He strokes the spot on your hip lightly with his thumb. His other hand finds its place on your face. He holds your cheek in his hand, gently stroking your jaw. You lean into that touch and close your eyes. His thumb moves slowly to your lips. He lets it wander lightly over your lower lip.

Slowly he leans forward. His warm breath tickles your sensitive skin under your ear. A gasp escapes you. Tenderly he kisses the sensitive spot. Playing with his tongue and lips, he kisses down your neck until he reaches your nape.

You moan and your hands land on his thighs. You squeeze them to find some support. Aemond responds to that touch as well, and you hear him breathing heavily. You notice him start to kiss your neck, a shiver running down your spine. You feel one kiss after another that Aemond gently presses on your skin.

Your breathing becomes heavier too, you try to press yourself closer to Aemond. You take your hands from his thighs to wrap them around his torso. You hold on to his lower back. Aemond responds to this movement by pressing you closer to him with both hands. His kisses become more demanding. You feel him breathing heavily into your neck and it gives you goosebumps. Slowly he works his way towards your cleavage. Just before he reaches your breasts, he pauses briefly until he lowers his head and you notice how his tongue glides on your sensitive skin and tastes you.

He starts kissing your cleavage and with each successive kiss you notice how greedy they become. His one hand moves from your hip up to your breast. He massages it through the dress and you can't help but moan again. You gasp as you feel his tongue at the base of your breasts. He indulges you with the interplay of his lips and his tongue. You can no longer suppress your next moan. And every sound you make spurs Aemond on. You try to find release and begin to move rhythmically against Aemond as if automatically. You feel a fire building inside you. Your arousal between your legs feels as if it has soaked your entire underwear. You move an arm away from his back, up to his neck. You hold him and try to press him further into your cleavage. Your head is thrown back lustfully to give Aemond better access to your cleavage. As suddenly Aemond's kisses become softer and slower again. Until he's just breathing heavily against your cleavage. His hot faltering breath triggers a tingling inside you that you feel throughout your body.

As he slowly lifts his head, he comes to a stop with his lips just before yours. You give an impatient whimper.

He chuckles briefly. Again he strokes your lower lip, "We should stop now." A tearful, "No...", escapes your lips.

"Please don't stop Aemond." He looks into your eyes and you can see the pure lust in his eye. It doesn't take much more, just a little push and Aemond would show you everything. You bite down on your bottom lip. You slide your body even closer to Aemond and take his face in your hands. As if by reflex, you press yourself very close to him. He automatically puts his hands all around your body.

You look deep into his eye, "Please Aemond. No matter how wrong it seems... It doesn't feel wrong at all... I.. I want to feel this with you" That's it.

Aemond reaches into your neck to hold you as he kisses you wildly. His lips are hot against yours, as he moans into your mouth and again it vibrates through your whole body. Aemond seems to want to lift you with his hands and without words you understand his intention.

As if by magic, you climb onto his lap. Your arms are wrapped around his neck. Aemond holds you tightly in his arms. As you sit on him, you feel something you have never felt before. You feel him hard beneath you, you don't know exactly what it is, but it feels so good and you can't help but rub against him rhythmically with your core. With every movement you feel his breathing getting heavier, how greedily he kisses you and you like it. You are pressed tightly against him and move rhythmically. Aemond guides you with his hand on your hip.

When he briefly breaks the kiss and looks into your eyes. His lips are slightly parted and swollen red from all the kissing. You feel his breath and you can't stop pressing against him, you want to feel more. He keeps his gaze fixed on your eyes as he takes one of his hands and slowly runs it up your leg. He moves it under your skirt towards your thigh.

Your rhythmic movements don't let up for a second. You look him in the eye and bite your lower lip. You can hear him gasp. His hand leaves gentle movements on your naked thigh. He comes closer and closer to your core, your breathing becomes heavier, your lust is almost unbearable. You long for nothing more than to finally experience release. As you groan and an "Aemond..." escapes your lips. A simple deep "Mhhm..." is your answer. The way you moan his name is the most beautiful thing he has ever heard. You gasp as his long fingers are suddenly pressed against your slick centre. You feel him run his fingers over your underwear, you close your eyes and moan. Aemond leans forward and kisses your neck passionately, but it was his fingers that managed to make you push further into him. Gently, he pushes your completely soaked underwear aside and lets his fingers run through your wet folds. He chuckles softly into your neck, "Mhmm... you are so wet for me" You can't help but let out a shocked gasp. You had no idea how such an almost insignificant sentence could turn you on so much. Again and again he gently caresses your folds until he suddenly stops at your clit and applies pressure with light circular movements. Like a prayer, you whisper his name again and again. Your hips continue to move rhythmically towards his hand.

Suddenly you feel a strange sensation, like a burning, in your lower belly. It irritates you, but you can't really stop pressing towards Aemond's hand.

As the burning becomes more intense, you gasp, "Aem... Aemond... something is not right. I can... can feel, something" He continues to kiss you, "It's all right, my love... I got you. Enjoy it." And with one last circular movement against your clit, it happens.

You feel a wave of pleasure run through your body. Your head falls back as you moan his name. You can't help but claw at his hair with your hand. He enjoys your climax, gently spreading kisses over your cleavage. When you slowly calm down, you look at him.

He smirks, "Have I shown you enough?". You can only nod and smile. He kisses you passionately. He breaks the kiss and leans his forehead against yours. His eye is closed. You look at him, still breathing heavily, "What was that Aemond?" you ask. He looks at you and smirks slightly, "That, my Love, is why man and woman sleep together. You have just experienced a climax.“

You bite your lower lip. "Why do you ever stop when it's so beautiful?" you ask him. He laughs, "Because you can't make love all the time." You look at him almost pouting, "Why not?" He laughs again and strokes your cheek, "Now I've awakened the desire in you, haven't I? Besides, it happens that women get pregnant from it. That's when you're forced to take breaks."

You look at him, startled, "I can get pregnant from your fingers?" He shakes his head with a grin, "No, my Love, don't worry. That's the next step we'll save for later."

You look at him smiling. Your hands still on his neck, you pull him closer to you. You kiss him passionately. You interrupt the kiss after a while. He leans his forehead against yours, "I should escort you to your chambers."

You nod and almost whisper to him, "So you will show me something else sometime?"

He chuckles, "We'll see."

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mixed-theater-faisty-tings · 1 year

Text

I Dare You

Pairing: Jeremiah x Reader

Warnings: explicit, smut, 18+, unprotected sex, angst.

Authors Note: This is my first request written for @jeremiahxaesthetic !!! I know it took me so long to get the request up there were technical difficulties. But, I hope you enjoy the story. Anyone can find my request post below and on my blog. You can also find my Masterlist.

Requests

Masterlist

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Eli Pov

Huddled around the living room of the Fisher's summer house was not where I expected this night to go. Taylor came into town to play with Belly in the "Play it Forward" volleyball tournament and somehow managed to convince Jere and Conrad to stay home with us. Steven would've but he had to make an appearance with Shayla. "I'm gonna go get drinks and snacks Connie come help me yeah?", Jere gets up taking his brother with him. "So Eli you and Jeremy aren't like a thing right?", Taylor whispers to me. "Umm no we're just best friends kinda grew up in Boston together just never had the chance to make it out here till now.", my body subtly tenses up.

"Okay cool cause honestly, he is so fine I may just make a move on him while i'm here.", the confidence in her voice is deafening even at an indoor level of 3. "Go for it. He's a single guy who can date anyone he wants.", I want to vomit as the words leave my mouth. "Taylor you already went after Conrad don't you think it's a bit weird to go after his brother now?", Belly jumps in. "Do you want to have that conversation Cinderbelly?", a vicious tone decorated her words, and eyes glare in her best friends direction. "That was last summer and the boys and I are fine. Conrad is just a dick.", Belly rolls her eyes.

"I'm gonna leave you guys to umm..yeah.". Rushing out of the room I end up bumping in my curly-haired best friend in the kitchen. "Hey Eli everything okay?", his hands were resting on my arms sending bolt of electricity through me. "Just coming to see if you needed any help.", instinctively I pull away propping myself against the wall to keep my cool. "No I think we are all good. I even got you your favorite chips, Ruffles.", he boasts in a sing-song voice. "Well don't you just know me so well.", my words offer a pat on the back before we head back to the living room.

"Taylor, are you excited for the game tomorrow? I know Bells has been bouncing off the walls all summer.", Jeremiah asks plopping next to her but, across from me. My stomach churns at the sight, I have no reason to be jealous this is a normal sight for me to see quite literally. Parties, at school, even when we just go to the mall they drawn to him like moths to light not that I blame them. Jeremiah Fisher is the light at the end of the tunnel, always has been. Taylors body leans against his both laughing at some inside joke that came u in the last 10 seconds.

"Eli, why don't you pick the game we play?", Conrad playfully pushes my arm. "Um I don't know what games do you guys have here?", I ask. "Truth or dare!" Belly yells, everyone agrees stuffing snacks into their mouths. "Sounds like fun.", I manage the words but, not sure if I actually mean them. "Jeremy, truth or dare.", shocker Taylor starts us off. "Truth.", his eyes lock on mine for a second though it feels longer. We've been friends for so long he knows when i'm upset by the slightest turn off my lip. I can feel him checking up on me in this small stare. Once he is reassured he turns back to Taylor.

"Boring but, whatever. Is it true that you lost your v-card when you were 14?", Taylor smirks in his direction. It bugs me how intrusive she can be but, she ain't my best friend. "Umm actually no. I'm still a virgin.", Jeremiah explains. I can see the heat rise to his cheeks, the hint of embarrassment becoming apparent in his features. Conrad clearing his throat brings us all back from our dazes, "Belly truth or dare?". "I'm feeling dangerous hint me with a dare.", her smile brightens the room, everyone soon forgetting about the last 2 minutes.

From across the way I shoot him a reassuring smile, and nod of comfort a thing usually reserved for when we have the classes and need vote of confidence back home. His wide-tooth smile tells me he got the message, my body feeling like it's floating. "I dare you to drink pickle juice straight out of the jar and not tell the moms.", Conrads throws his challenge in Belly's direction earning a laugh from the rest of us. "So mature Conrad.", Taylor cackles at his childishness. "Easy.", Belly's confidence oozes out of her tone as she strides to the kitchen grabbing the huge jar of pickles.

After a struggle..or two Jere helps her get the lid off. She brings the jar to her lips and drinks the juice until Conrad stops her though it wasn't before he finished laughing his ass off. Our laughs all mix in the air the game continuing and everyone getting a stupid truth or childish dare, the more the game went on the closer I noticed Belly's best friend got closer to Jere till she was practically in his lap.

"Eh sorry guys. I hate to ruin the fun but, I think i'm gonna head out to the dock and get some fresh air.", the words leave my lips and my feet carry me to my destination, everyone's eyes following my every move. I can hear a few whispers closing the door behind me, rather than allowing that to stick I listen to the sound of Cousins. This is my first time here, for years Jeremiah has begged me to come and meet everyone, experience the summers he has loved his entire life but I never could make it because parents wouldn't let me or they planned some stupid family vacation that wouldn't come to par with The Fisher's summer house.

The salt-water air filled my nostrils with a feeling of warmth and comfort, soft hums of the water soothe my body. Susannah loves to take photos and sends any and every picture she gets of Jere and I to me, sometimes she will sneak in just him alone to make my day..damn her mother's intuition either that or my feelings are just stupidly obvious to everyone except the person that matters. The moment of each picture replays in my mind from the time we were baking a cake for Susannahs birthday and Jere let the batter go everywhere when we tried to mix it, to our most recent junior prom photo.

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~Flash Back~

"Come on E you have to go it's the law.", he argued. "There's no law saying I have to go to prom. Besides, I'd rather just have a movie night we can get munchies and just chill.", I whine. "But it's PROM! As in once in a lifetime high school experience, you're only a junior one time this is our time!", his blue-eyes sparkled when he talked about this one night that seemed to mean the world to him..how could I ignore that?

"Okay, fine but I refuse to third wheel with you and your date.", my tone a bit colder than I intended. "Technically, you're the second wheel.", he bumps his shoulder into mine. "Wait huh?", the confusion prominent though my heart was secretly doing flips i'm surprised it didn't give out. "Oh I didn't mention that part? Well, you agreeing to go to prom isn't just agreeing to go to some school function it's also saying you'll go with me? You're my best friend there's no one else I'd rather enjoy the night with. Plus if i'm your date one you are practically guaranteed a good time and two it may just be the one thing you need to get you more involved in school functions.", he winks in my direction causing my knees to go weak.

"One seems like a pity date and two why do I need to be involved again?", I attempt to argue rather than show his effect on me. "We're gonna be seniors next year and I wanna experience it all with you. We've been friends since we were six, gone through elementary school together were we always went to the dances together even if I had to bribe you with a snow one afterwards. Middle school where puberty was awkward for us both, which we made a pact to never speak of so I shall move on. Lastly, first day of freshmen year we vowed to do this whole thing together same as always. The future is coming and it is sometimes really scary to me to think about not seeing you everyday or having you around all the time.", his words are laced with sorrow towards the end, our usual happy go lucky Jere now petrified of what's coming.

"You are so lucky I love you Fisher. Of course i'll go with you. Here's what I propose you give me the best night of my life and I'll personally ensure you the best senior year ever.", I stick out my pinky as means of demonstrating the seriousness of my proposition. "You drive a hard bargain ma'am but, I shall agree.", his smile is back and wide. With our pinkies intertwined we kiss the index finger knuckle of our own hand solidifying this promise.

~End flashback~

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"Hey stranger why'd you run off?", a familiar voice jolts me out of my thoughts, the promise echoing in my ears. "Oh hey J. Just needed some air.", I force a smile. "Game got boring after you left. Besides, you seemed down had to make sure my favorite girl was okay.", he playfully bumps my side. "I'm okay.". "That's a lie come on tell me.".

"Shouldn't you get back to Taylor.", I spit a bit more aggressively than anticipated. "Ah there it is.", he pokes at me. "Taylor is just being Taylor she flirts with everyone. I'm not into her like that.", he adds. "It wouldn't matter if you were. She's everyone's type.", masking the sadness in my words was harder than I thought. "Not mine.", I can feel his hand moving closer to mine resting on the dock.

"What's your point Jere?", the harshness in my voice seems to set him off. "Could you quit with the self-loathing my god can't you see how much I care about you?". "I know how much you care. You've spent our entire friendship proving it to me.", my words a bit calmer. "But clearly you don't know me.", disappointment crystal clear in his words. The air felt dense, an uncomfortable feeling for us. I can tell there is something on his mind but am terrified of what it could be.

"Just say it Jere. Whatever is on your mind please just say it.", the tears well in my eyes but, I do my best to hide them. "Eli, I've known you since elementary school god I even remember the moment like it was yesterday. It was snack time after recess and Gina had stolen your Scooby-Snacks, you tried to get them back but she stuck her tongue out at you and ran away tossing the empty bag onto the floor next to you. So I gave you my Goldfish now while they aren't as good as the Scoobs I figured you needed the snack more than I did.", a smile creeps onto my face.

"You told me your mom packed you two snacks that day however, Conrad debunked that lie later on. I was crying because I only got Scoobies once a week and that was my last bag until my mom got paid...leave it to Jeremiah Fisher to be my knight in shining armor.".

"That day I knew that no matter what it took I needed you to be in my life. Soon enough we were best friends doing anything and everything together everyday of my life I prayed to god to let me keep you and vowed to care for you.", his words were genuine laced with a sentiment I rarely hear.

We've always told each other everything, and sure we have plenty of deep-conversations but, never like this...it's slightly terrifying. "You've done that. You're there for me, and push me to do all the things i'm afraid of. Never allowing me to miss out on life, taking me out to dances or pep rallies or even just to a random bowling night hell you drag me to parties I wouldn't be caught dead at. I spent so much of my childhood reading to escape the real world but with you J I love the real world.", it takes a beat before I realize we are face to face.

"I love you Eli, always have.", his blue eyes soften the slightest glimpse of a sparkle present most likely a reflection of the moon. "I love you too Jere. You know that.", an earnestness in my voice catches him off-guard. "As more than my best friend.", he tacks on with a hint of nervousness. "Way more than that.". “Truth or dare.”, he asked confusing the hell out of me. “Huh?”. “Truth or dare.”, he reiterates.

“Dare”, my voice is above a whisper.

“I dare you to kiss me.”, his light blue eyes are searching mine for some type of sign.

A wave of confidence washed over me and the next few moments were slightly out of character but, I didn't care. My hands grabbed ahold of his button up and smashed my lips against his. It takes him a second to register my movements before he returns my actions, his strong hands keeping me as close as possible pulling away only for the quickest of air our lips still brushing against the others.

"I've wanted to do that for such a long time.", he is breathless while keeping our foreheads together. "Believe me so have I.", I giggle. "So what does all this mean?". Way to be a buzzkill Jere I think in my head.

"I want you Jeremiah now and always in every way possible.", the words floated into the air as if to sink into his head. The look in his eyes getting brighter by the second. Without another word or even simple thought we are making our way back to the house. "Hey guys! We're gonna go meet Shayla and Steven at the party its wild ya'll wanna come?", Conrad bombards us when we make it into the backyard.

We collectively hide the last few moments by answering quickly.."No, it's okay probably gonna head to bed.". We have been together too long and frankly that may have been to quick of an answer. "Okay weirdos.", Taylor snickers. "I swear they are like Siamese twins.", Conrad jokes before walking away with the two girls trailing behind. Walking into the house the blonde boy breaks the silence, "Can I be honest about something?".

"Always.", by gently intertwining our fingers it provides him some comfort so he can continue his thought . "I begged my mom to let you stay in my room. I kinda promised her that I would sleep on the floor or that we could even try to get two beds in there. You didn't know Belly and I wanted you to be comfortable.", a hint of pink hits his cheeks, the similar heat rising in my face. "I appreciate that. Staying with Belly isn't too bad but, I also wouldn't have minded staying in your room.", I lead us up towards his living quarters.

"Where are we going?", he raises his eyebrows. "To be together. Something that should've happened a while ago.", I smile softly. The butterflies in my stomach are sent into a frenzy, initiating anything is completely out of character for me but, I'd be lying if I didn't say there was a bit of a rush that excited the hell out of me.

"Eli are you feeling okay?", he asks me when we make it to his room. "Do you want this? Us?", I propose the question dangling above us. "More than anything I thought we made that one clear.", the warmth of his hands cups my cheeks allowing me to lean into the touch. "Then prove it.", my eyes were fixated on his, a mix of lust and love beginning to form. "Are you sure?", he was searching for any sign of hesitation in my features and when he was sure there was none I found myself pinned to the wall.

"Once we do this there's no going back?", his voice was raspy and almost breathless the feeling of his hands digging into my skin sure not to hurt me. Rather than provide an answer I press my lips against his with a sense of hunger neither of us knew was possible from me. "Mmm, please I need words. Verbal consent.", though he was in a trance the fact he was still asking sent shivers down my spine in the best way possible.

"Yes Jere. Please I want you.", my eyes meet his pleading for his touch. He presses his lips against the skin of my neck, allowing his hands to travel around my body. A sense of urgency and hunger began to rise between us as soft moans escape my lips. My fingers tug at the hem of shirt removing it, the tips of his fingers dancing along my hips.

After gathering some momentum I manage to move us over the bed, my body landing ontop of the soft duvet his long, muscled body hovering over me leaving love bites along my neck. "Mmm", a few hums leave my now swollen lips while my fingers tangle themselves in Jere's hair. I have wanted this moment for so long I'm not sure I'm even that nervous I trust this boy more than anything, he would never hurt me or do anything I didn't want to. Every time he kisses or even grazes my body it's as if I'm on fire, a feeling that I never want to lose.

"A penny for your thoughts my love.", a look of curiosity decorated his features, a glimmer of concern taking presence in his ocean-blue eyes. "I just..I've thought about this moment for god knows how long and I'm glad it's you here with me now.". "Me too. God I love you so much.", he pecks my lips softly. "I love you more.", I whisper. HIs fingers begin to fumble with the button of my shorts intent on removing the denim from my skin.

In the midst of him removing my bottoms I catch a glimpse of the bulge fighting his swim shorts. "So I wanna know something?", he inquires drawing his hands up and down my side. "What would that be?", I bite my bottom lip.

"What happens when I kiss you here?", a soft kiss is planted on neck under my ear; I moan.

"Or here?", the collar bone causes me to shudder slightly.

"Here?", his lips trial down my chest, the heat between my legs rising.

"Best for last.", as soon a kiss lands on my thighs I'm afraid I could come undone just from this.

"Quit teasing.", I manage doing everything I can to keep my legs apart. "Needy are we?", his smirk is devilish. He runs his thumb over my mound, my backing arching off the bed. The motion continues while my thighs become decorated with hickeys...how the hell can I hide those in the summer? "Fuck Jere.", I can't help but whimper in pleasure begging for more. Within mere seconds his tongue and fingers join together causing immense pleasure pushing towards an edge I have never accomplished myself.

Every pump of his fingers collided with the lap of his tongue, my hands were tangled in his blonde locks pulling him closer if that were possible. I began to grind against his mouth the heat rising in my belly reaching my peak. Vibrations of his mouth against me was the last thing to push me over the edge. "Fuck!", my body releases covering his face in my juices. "You taste amazing baby.", he coos wiping his lips with a near by towel. A rush of pink hits my cheeks and I wanna hideaway which is odd to say when I'm physically and emotionally nude in this current moment.

"You're so beautiful Eli.", his eyes trail along my body as if he would be tested on every curve, dip and beauty mark that covered me. Without another word I connect our lips in a loving, passionate kiss. With enough strength I manage to flip us over, leaving me on top and taking him by surprise. I like this new found confidence I have.....

My kiss leaves his lips and works their way down his chest, the soft hums from him filling my ears with bliss. "Baby I need you.", he manages breathlessly, as I remove his swimming trucks..my eyes widen at his size less with fear and more with surprise while precum drips down him slightly. The tip of my thumb runs over it earning a moan from Jeremiah, fueling my confidence. My arms carry me over his body, his tip rubbing against my entrance soliciting a shudder from us both.

I slide onto him slowly wincing at the initial feeling that was soon overcome with pleasure when I began to rock my hips. "Oh god just like that.", his voice sounds dazed, while his hands grip my hips guiding my movements. My lips dance around his neck, as my hips make circular motions our moans mixing together praying no one has returned home early. He gathers his strength and flips us over taking over the motions thrusting at a good rhythm, the moment full of exploration and passion.

“I’m close Jere.”, I finally manage. The skin on my body is covered in hickeys, sweat glistening on us both. “Me too baby.”, he groans. The build up began in my stomach and grew more as my climax approached soon to take us both over. His body collapsed on top of me as we rode out our highs him still resting inside of me. “We didn’t use protection.”,I breathlessly say. “I’ll get a pill for you.”, he says planting a kiss on my head.

“That was..woah.”. “You’re telling me.”. We both laugh and clean ourselves up a soreness beginning to take presence between my legs. “I really hope Belly and Taylor don’t ask me to play volleyball tomorrow.”, I giggle. “Sounds like you’re coming down a cold to me which means cuddles and movies all day just you and me.”. He chuckles tossing me his hoodie.

“I dare you to try that.”. I pull the fabric over my body. “And I dare you to be mine.”, his muscled arms pull me to his body. “I’ve always been yours Jeremiah Fisher.”. My lips collide with his once more.

@jeremiah-fisher @jeremiahxaesthetic

#tsitp jeremiah #jeremiah fisher smut #jeremiah fisher #the summer i turned pretty #belly conklin #tsitp conrad #conrad fisher

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felixdragonheartofficial · 1 month

Text

TFP KINDA SUCKS RANT

Unfiltered opinion below ⬇️(long)

Transformers prime

Listen, you can like what you like, but tfp is not the Pinnacle of transformers media like every salty old fan of it says it is

Repetitive soundtrack

The soundtrack isn't varied, all of the music is comprised of grandiose orchestral pieces that become so goddamn repetitive it leaves you feeling empty. There's never any other emotion present in the music other than

"feel epic now pls"

I shit you not. There are scenes that are "supposed" to be funny, but it's just stale dialogue with absolutely no background music so it doesn't work at all. Any emotion conveyed with music is either epic, sad, or action and nothing else

"Haha, no moments of silly, that would kill the seriousnesz emo vibe U_U"

Terrible setting

Tfp is also much more visually unappealing due to the uncanny af models, the barren and drab backgrounds, and a convenient lack of humans to "disguise" from

not to mention how fuckin weird they look

sims 4 mfs

I'm so sick of animation elitists saying TFP's the better show because it's 3D and 3D is somehow Automatically better because it's "more advanced and sophisticated" which if you ever dipped your fingers into animation at all, you'd know how untrue that is

Feats of storytelling can be attained with either or, and the execution is dependent on the style and narrative that the show presents

TFP was trying to go for a visually darker theme, which is why they went for a realism. The only problem is that the settings are bleak and devoid of any soul

Speaking of which

Robots in disguise... From what???

Outside of team prime, there are literally no humans with speaking roles that have actual story importance

except for Silas

until there are infact- no, non-team humans of significance ever again, either because they couldn't afford the voice actors anymore, or they just chose to never bring them up again.

We don't get to actually see people, we only see the implication of human dwelling and it's lackluster.

There's never any of that conflict or tension that the show promised with the disguise plot, and It pisses me off so much because not only do a bare few of the fights happen around or inside of inhabited areas

but these robots

ARE LOUD

HOW THE HELL HAS NOBODY WALKED OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOUSE TO CHECK

A N Y T H I N G

"Honey, do you hear that loud, metallic ripping and obnoxious plasma fire?"

"Must be the neighbors shagging, Gerald. Don't be such a paranoid freak<3"

"Fair enough Cathleen, let's go back to playing spiderman 2 for the ps5"

"robots In disguise"

respectfully, Hasbro- you can eat out my entire ass with your forked tongue, ye fuckin liars✨

The Nothing Narrative

Tfp legit feels like the circle jerk of patriotism, oh my god.

Sure, it sounds far fetched but let's not forget that this show has agent fowler sucking off the American government every chance he gets

Its so audacious to show the devastation that war brought to cybertron, only to turn around and be like

"So kiddos, wanna join le special forces" at the end of it

How can you be anti war and pro US military?

The US

The leading imperialistic force in the world for the last 200+ years?

That's who you wanna prop up as a stand up figure in your "war is bad" show??

H o w

How Does That W o r k that's so fucking stupid

Wasted potential

considering wasted character opportunities that pissed everyone off, tfp weighs down the heaviest

1.Breakdown could've joined the autobots-killed off because they couldn't afford the va

2.Airachnid could've come back as a larger threat with her hoard of zombie/vampire insecticons -transported to Luna 1 and then never seen from again because they couldn't afford the va

3.cybertronian pirates were supposed to appear but didn't because they didn't use their own production bible

And that shit show sequel

(nice one hasbro, you really rodded yourself up the asshole with a ferocity for the millionth time)

Oh and that one moment that legit pissed me off

When megatron pulled that

"because I now know the true meaning of oppression, and have thus lost my taste for inflicting it"

😐

This prompts the question for me

Why would you even waste the little budget that you had creating this show with a premise that literally lies to the audience??

Its so funny that people meatride this show so hard because of animation elitist bullshit like "3D animation is better than 2D"

And yet, despite the scathing review I just gave I do not gaf if you watch this show and like it, that's literally great for you

But don't ever claim that it does narratives better than TFA/Earthspark dude, omg

#tfp #rant post #arg #transformers prime #AUUUUUGH

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ouroborosman · 7 months

Text

Actor!Wally AU Story Lore!

Okay!!! I've been sitting on a bunch of unfinished images but I wanna share this now! I'll update the pics as they get finished~

Here's the story lore for Jay in the Actor Wally AU!

Wally actor AU created by @frillsand!

Jay is a 20-something that moved to a larger city about a year or two ago. She was born and raised in a pretty small town, and being the oldest of her two other siblings, was set to inherit the farm her family owned. She really hated how secluded she was from everything, and decided to set off to a nearby city to make something of herself. She might even go to college, she told them!

The learning curve was really harsh to this formerly-sheltered girl. She brought some money with her she saved up, but that was gone before she knew it. She luckily managed to get a job and apartment before actually becoming homeless.

One thing she had always liked was crafting and sewing and found herself doing such in her free time. She got fairly good at it. It was one day she ran into one of her puppet neighbors that had managed to get a pretty large tear in their arm. She offered to fix them up! Word spread around and soon enough Jay had a little community of puppets around her asking for repairs and she happily obliged.

This actually worked out well for Jay. Eventually she had puppets asking for cosmetic things, like decorative embroidery and such on their bodies. Jay charged a small fee for these services. Word got around enough that Jay actually got accepted for temporary jobs that she applied for, and she basically became an independent contractor of sorts. Along with her cosmetic services and selling her plushies she began making, she made an okay living.

Later she gets accepted to a ‘floater’ position for Welcome Home Productions, covering for people that call in. Normally she would probably bounce from how stressful the set is, but the better pay and more reliable work opportunities keeps her there for now. Plus, she enjoys her tasks at work! She often makes props, consults for costume designing, and other things alike.

THE MEET~~

Jay of course knew of Wally Darling before, often passing him by or watching as he worked on set. His reputation and behavior toward staff kept her pretty wary of him and she steered clear.

Too bad that she was covering for his seamstress one day! And how unfortunate that she needed to fix up an outfit he was currently wearing! Lmao. She really did expect him to bite her head off, but much to her surprise he wasn’t too bad. Small talk between them led to her explaining the other odd jobs and commissions she takes, as well as an off-hand mention about mending puppet injuries. Wally takes a bit of interest in that, how strange that a human chooses to do that? As soon as she’s done with the costume fix up she skitters off because he still intimidates her lol.

Seeing that he wasn’t as bad as his reputation said, Jay forms a little crush on him throughout her time on set. She jumped at the opportunity of a blind date with him! He’s awkward and she finds it cute and flirts with him a bit. Probably after this date, they became somewhat friendlier towards each other and chat at work when they get the chance.

(pic soon to come maybe!)

Aaand that’s the base story in my head! I think leaving it open-ended makes it fun to imagine different scenarios! Thanks for listening to my brainrot if you made it this far!! <3

~~~

Other little factoids that will probably never be relevant to the main story:

Jay freaking loves bugs!! She’d become an entomologist if given the opportunity. School is expensive, though!

Jay keeps a few pet insects and has a cat

Though she has a little community of puppet neighbors for company, Jay lives alone. She gets really lonely sometimes, as her best friends became long distance when she moved

Maybe her loneliness is why she has so many plushies. She basically is surrounded by them when she sleeps.

She is quiet and polite to associates. To friends, she indulges in strange humor and is pretty goofy. She’s a bit too sensitive for her own good and will get pretty sad if she thinks her friends are upset with her.

Jay’s clothing style is a mishmash of cutesy-pastel and punkish. She likes fem and androgynous clothes best. She can’t afford many outfits anyways tho-

Jay loves biology and nature. She spends most of her time inside doing work and hobby stuff, though

#welcome home actor au #wally actor au #wally darling #welcome home puppet show #actor au #welcome home oc #welcome home #diva wally #self insert #oc #frillsand #gosart

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isshua · 1 year

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Lies and Deceit, The Wrath of the Prodigal

Genshin Sagau Scaramouche x Reader

So a few days back, I posted something about Scaramouche interacting with the Creator during a specific moment in the Sumeru Archon quest Chapter 3: Act 3 "Dreams, Emptiness, Deception." I decided to expand a little on what I wrote, because I love Scaramouche and I don't think there's enough Sagau content regarding him. This is just a short little story I wrote about what I believe Scaramouche would think of the Creator and how he would react to them being in Teyvat. This isn't connected to my mainstream sagau series Messianic Aureation, the Creator in this is implied to be the reader! I don't write self-inserts very well, but I did the best I could with it! Hope you Scaramouche fans enjoy! I can't wait for when he becomes playable :)

Sorry this is so short, I promise my writings usually aren’t this quick lol

The Balladeer did not believe in the gods.

Oh, he knew they existed. It was impossible for gods not to exist in this world. In every part of Teyvat’s culture, gods were evident: this land he called home was ridden with the scars of battles long past that were waged by immortals. Civilizations dedicated to gods rose and fell with the times. Some, like Liyue, remained stubbornly strong in the face of erosion, and though Rex Lapis was no longer seen as the nation’s ruler, he was still worshiped with dedication. Others, like the city of the Scarlet King, were buried beneath the sands of the desert with the death of the god who erected it. Yet there were desert folk who still yearned for the return of Deshret’s reign. Yes, gods had power. Every nation had its own history of gods. The only country that attempted to break this long-standing tradition had been Khaenri’ah, and everyone knew how that little experiment turned out.

Scaramouche acknowledged the power of the gods. He himself had been created by one. But that didn’t mean he respected them. No, he abhorred them, with the entirety of his being. If he could, he would rip the wings of Barbatos off of the Archon’s back and watch with glee as he was rendered flightless forever. He would have pierced the heart of Morax and propped the dragon’s body in the center of Liyue Harbor for all its inhabitants to see-if someone else hadn’t already gotten to the Geo lord first. He would destroy the puppet of the Raiden Shogun and yank his mother out of her Plane of Euthymia with his own two hands so he could execute her in the shadow of her own omnipresent statue. If Scaramouche had the power, he would destroy every single Archon in Teyvat, and then go further. He would topple Celestia. Godhood would be his, and only his, to own. Because he knew that in order to kill a god, one would have to become a god themselves first.

Initially, Scaramouche believed there to be only three betrayals that made him realize the world was nothing more than an elaborate tapestry of lies. But now he knew this was false, for there was a fourth he hadn’t counted on and only realized recently. The fourth to betray him…was you. You, the blessed Creator, the god above all gods, the supreme being who molded Teyvat with their own hands and breathed life into the world that shunned and despised him. He had seen your statues, had witnessed the intense bouts of worship people put themselves through in order to show you their love and loyalty. All for a god who hasn’t shown their face in millennia. The very thought of it made Scaramouche laugh. At least Ei gave proof of her existence through the means of a puppet. At least Barbatos walked among the Monstadters in the disguise of a bard. There were no physical documentations of your existence. No credible writings or pieces of artwork made by your hand left behind for the modern generation to see. Even your statues were up for interpretation; neither one looked the same, as if their carvers hadn’t been able to agree on your exact appearance. The only proof that the Creator wasn’t a hoax were the Vessels. Those accursed Vision holders who traversed Teyvat’s seven nations with your blessing. You controlled their bodies, spoke through their mouths, saw with their eyes. To be a Vessel was to be an extension of the Creator themself. To be a Vessel was to be chosen. It was a sign that one mattered.

His own mother, Ei, was a Vessel. The Snezhnayan brat Tartaglia was one also, as was Barbatos, and the captain of the Crux, and many, many other people across Teyvat, mortal and immortal alike. All with Visions, all as dirty and sinful as Scaramouche himself. Tartaglia and Ei’s hands were stained with just as much innocent blood as his, if not more. And yet, he didn’t have a Vision. He had never felt your inviting warmth. People mocked him and ridiculed him.“Why would the Creator ever bless a Harbinger? Why would they ever show you any sort of favor? You don’t deserve their attention. Your damned Fatui scum, damned to the Abyss, and Their Grace knows it. The Creator has made it clear that you are nothing in their eyes. You aren’t like Childe. You are irredeemable.”

It filled him with rage, because he knew they were right. You had forsaken him. Even on all of the cold, lonely nights when he had gotten on his knees and clasped his hands together before one of your statues, tears streaming down his cheeks as he desperately begged for you to show him some sort of sign that you were there, that you acknowledged him, that you cared about him, not once did you answer, not once did you tell him that he mattered. You sided with the rest and cast him out as a worthless puppet, a weak and vile creation meant to be destroyed. You didn’t believe in him. So, why should he believe in you?

He hated you. He longed for you. He wanted to strangle you, yet hold you close and continue to beg for your validation at the same time. You made him feel emotions that he wanted no business in feeling, and for that, he despised you. You were his fourth betrayal; you abandoned him without even giving him a chance. You taunted him with your ever-alluring warmth and made him out to be a fool every time he was met with failure when he attempted to forge some kind of contact with you. He wanted to destroy you. He wanted to devour you. He wanted to crush you under his heel and prove to the heavens and the earth that you are nothing. He would tear the sky apart if it meant finding you and killing you. Nothing would quell his wrath, not even the distance you had put between your heavenly realm and the world you had created.

Scaramouche knew his time would come. Sooner or later, you will return to Teyvat. With help from the Fatui, he had tracked down any sort of writings regarding proof of your descent to this mortal plane. He waited. He bided his time. No need to rush. He would find you eventually. You wouldn’t be able to escape him once you arrived.

And then, one day, he succeeded. Your presence hit him like a boulder, rocking him back and sending a sensation of burning flames through his core. You were here, in Sumeru-where he was currently preparing to rise to godhood through means of Fatui technology and a certain gnosis he had stolen from the blonde-haired traveler you cared so much about. With the help of his one and only follower, he made contact with your mind and forced a mental connection between the two of you. He found you in a body that wasn’t your own, confused and scared, trapped within a prison of Dendro. The eyes of the young Dendo Archon were your eyes as you stared into space and caught glimpses of his pain and anger.

“I see you,” he said, reveling in the jolt of terror you felt when you heard his voice. His fists clenched and a smirk graced his lips. Electro power pumped into him from the various tubes connected to his back. His mech whirred and hummed while it gained strength, a mighty force of artificial ascension, a man-made god. Mentally, he seized your consciousness in a vise-like grip. He could feel you scream-you were fighting him, attempting to free yourself from the connection the two of you were sharing. But he wouldn’t let you go. He refused to let you go, not after you left him unanswered for all of these years.

“Shhh,” he soothed. “There is no need to fear. The pain will be brief.” You were shivering and crying, but your mind was so weak compared to his, probably from the strain of being shoved into a body that wasn’t yours. He idly wondered how such a phenomenon came to happen: you, the Creator, trapped within the frame of an Archon not even 500 years old. When he focused on you, he caught glimpses of splattered golden blood and weapons pointed towards your true body. Thankfully, Kusanali seemed to have managed to save you from certain death. Good for him, because he was the only one allowed to kill you, and Archons-be-damned, he would obliterate anyone who got in his way.

He was consuming you. You were drowning in his consciousness, your mind succumbing to his own. Scaramouche smiled triumphantly when he felt your dimming fear. “Yes, that’s it. Fear me. Know me. Hear me. I am your downfall, the one you scorned and ignored. Godhood is mine, and you, oh-beloved Creator, will fall before me. Your era is coming to an end.”

You would eventually escape him and return to your own body. But Scaramouche didn’t mind. You were here, and the connection between the two of you was there, tethering you together, whether you liked it or not. Go ahead, run away with your allies, hide from your enemies. He would find you regardless. There was no escaping the wrath of a newly-born god.

#genshin sagau #genshin impact sagau #sagau #genshin impact #genshin isekai #isekai #scaramouche #sumeru #genshin impact fanfiction #fanfiction #this is super short #but i enjoyed writing it #scaranation assemble #short story

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alovesreading · 9 months

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Constant Repeat | Part 14

Summary: Having worked at Focus Creeps for a year, Ella knows that as a production assistant and part of the crew, there’s one important rule: don’t interact with the talent unless it’s needed. But once she meets Arctic Monkeys, and the recording of the music videos for their upcoming fourth studio album starts, the band seem to become her exception. Not only because they treat her more like a friend than just someone else they’re working with but when Alex continuously makes her blush with his flirting, so enthralled by her that he forgets he’s got a girlfriend, Ella finds herself growing closer to him. As videos are filmed, wrapped and edited, the friendship lines become blurry. Situations unfold, secrets are told and others are kept under lock and key, but how long can Alex and Ella endure being stuck in each other’s minds on constant repeat.

Word Count: 20.5k

Story Warnings: Throughout this series there will be suggestive talk, jealousy, cheating, alcohol and drug use, angst, smut.

A/N: Hi darlings!! I'm so excited to post this but I'm equally as gutted because this is the last part of Ella's UK trip :'( Our girl is going back to LA in no time, but first there's a fun little music video to be recorded hehehe. I hope you all enjoy this thoroughly, I'm so excited to see your reactions to this because it gets a little wild... Anyway, enjoy!!! xx

Masterlist

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'Howl At The Moon' welcomed them warmly that Monday afternoon. The crew had gotten there around a quarter to five and even though the pub had allowed them to start their recording process at five, they had let them come into the place and settle as they told the few customers in there that a production would be taking place so they had to leave shortly.

Some people asked the reason why they had to go and after being told that it was a video for a band—keeping it hush about it being for the Monkeys so it wouldn't bring unnecessary attention and halt the production—they decided to stay and be part of it as extras.

Thankfully, the extras they had actually hired through a casting process arrived just in time, merely ten minutes passed after the time agreed on and they were gathered in the middle of the pub and listening to Ella's instructions.

Ben had helped her place the extras around the pub and handing out the drinks that served as props for the video. The staff of the pub were being so lovely, Ella was thanking people left, right and center. It was always so nice to have people working so well with you whilst in the process of recording, everything flowed easier and it made it smoother to get the product desired without stressing about the littlest thing going wrong setting off everything else fucking up.

The band had arrived about fifteen minutes after the clock struck five, making chatter break out inside the pub as they got recognized. They were being dotted by their stylist though, so they couldn't be approached just yet as they got a slight hint of makeup put on and handed over jackets that would go along with their current aesthetic.

When the band was ready, Ella and Ben managed to get everyone's attention so that they could instruct everyone on what they were going to do now that they were going to start recording. They wanted a few shots of the band just chatting by the bar as everyone else did their own thing around them.

Tyler was playing with a few shots as practice, just trying to see which angle could capture the atmosphere better. Ella helped him prop himself by the pool table so they caught people walking around, drinking, playing pool and the band being the main attraction just drinking and talking by the bar.

Cameron was placing lights around the place, the best he could so that it would look good on camera, creating a better atmosphere through the screen. Margaret was fixing the mic's settings, testing it so she was sure she was capturing the noise around the place if it was needed to be used at any moment of the music video.

Ben had placed the band right in the middle of the bar, extras sitting beside them to crowd the shot up. They had given the lads some instructions, but they knew they just had to act like usual when they were hanging about in a pub. Alex had been given a prop phone, less technologically advanced compared to the iPhone he actually had, with a small touchscreen and an actual button keyboard.

As expected, Ella had to explain to him how to use it because he seemed adamant on keeping his 'texting' as real as possible. That alone had taken about five minutes and it had the lads chuckling when Alex hesitated when Ella asked him if he had understood.

Lamie got to the pub just a few minutes before they were about to roll, Ben had Jamie and Nick aside telling them they were in charge of handing out the shots to Alex and Matt and referencing the best way for them to turn around so the camera could capture it, so Alex and Matt were the ones who got to greet her along with Ella.

Ella thanked her for being there and allowed her to just watch as they filmed for they were doing all the shots inside the pub first. Lamie had liked that she could enjoy the production first before having to stand in front of the camera, it was less nerve wracking when she didn't have to be the first to be recorded.

They started recording the extras mingling around the place, some shots showcasing the establishment and shots of the bant chatting by the bar from afar. They recorded multiple of those, half an hour going by before starting to record the band from up close and purely focused on them.

Another half hour went by as they focused every frame on the band, Ella and Ben praising the Monkeys' performances so Alex got more confident in front of the camera as the minutes went by. There were moments when one of them would burst out in giggles, having the cameras too close to them and seeing Ella attentively watching their every move had them breaking character but it worked to loosen them up and make the shots more natural.

It was funny seeing Alex act drunk, but he was doing it great. He had been stumbling a bit more with every shot and when they deemed the last one they'd captured of him stumbling his way to the bathroom the best, they allowed everyone else to take a break whilst the crew followed Alex into the bathroom.

Lydia had managed to score a catering company that got the crew, the talent, the staff and the extras food to snack on, from fruit like watermelon and grapes to small sandwiches, and loads of water bottles and coke cans.

So no one really complained as the crew took a bit inside the bathroom, setting lights up to aid the dim light that the place already had and getting the best position to capture Alex in front of the sink and his reflection on the mirror for the scene.

They got many shots of him strangely looking at himself in the mirror, almost like he was questioning his own reflection, as one does when they're under the influence. Ella had a vision of what this could be and she was going to rely on their talented editing department to get her vision come to life.

Coming back to the main area, they had everyone go back to their original places and that alone took about ten minutes, making sure that everyone and everything was in place so it wouldn't differ from the latest shot they got there.

Alex was recorded stumbling back to the band, just in time for them all to take shots. The shots were just water, ensuring they stayed in their senses throughout what promised to be a long recording day, so it was easy for them to down them over and over for the different angles they captured.

Jamie had messed with Alex in one of the last takes they got of the shots scene, asking the bartender for an actual shot of tequila which the singer didn't even think twice about downing, not having even a second to take a whiff of the spirit which ended up with him coughing. He played it cool for the camera though, and it ended up being Ella's favorite take they'd gotten.

After those frames, it was time for Alex to go full into his drunk act. They used camera movement to aid in the effect of his haziness and had him stumbling and wobbling around multiple times as he stepped around the place.

Lamie was meant to come in the next shot, flirting with some lad by the door of the pub. It was all meant to be a figment of the imagination of Alex's character so it was just a brief frame but they had to get Lamie ready so Ella had the Monkeys' stylist help her with that. They had a selection of clothes they had chosen back home when working with their costume and design department so Lamie got dressed quite quickly, her makeup taking a bit longer as it had to look smokey but clean.

In that time, they allowed everyone to have another break which lasted up until Ella had finished her quick instructions for Lamie.

Thankfully that scene was shot and wrapped over in just ten minutes, and then they went back to Alex stumbling around as he walked past where she supposedly had been.

The last take they did was of Alex walking out the door and into the street, getting about ten takes of it just in case and having him do different clumsy steps every time. When Ella yelled cut, she had a brief talk with Ben and they agreed that was it for the pub, so they wrapped it up and everyone inside clapped.

All of that had taken about three and a half hours so they had everyone take whatever they wanted from the catering table after being thanked for their job as the crew gathered their gear.

Some of the extras were staying for a few more scenes afterwards but most of them were due to leave. And because now the band wasn't really needed apart from Alex, Jamie, Nick and Matt left.

They hugged Ben and Ella and waved everyone else goodbye, and after that it had been a whole hour that it took the crew to settle outside the pub to start rolling again.

Lydia had gone off to figure out the bikes being dropped off for them, leaving the rest of the extras to get ready for their next takes. The Monkeys' stylist really being a lifesaver when it came to that.

Whilst Ben took over the scene of Alex coming out of the bar and walking down the street, Ella walked down the street to see what they could do and she was pleased when she saw a little street kiosk open and its owner willing to be part of the production.

It was nearing eleven in the evening by then so many shops down the street had closed, except for a 24 hour transport service ticket agency which had two men working who were quite interested in what was happening and seeing that it had quite the crew behind it, they asked Ella about what was going on and if they could take part in it.

Getting an extra to come in for the street kiosk scene and one to stand by the transport agency, the production continued. With every take, Alex was getting better at his stumbling and drunk act, as well as letting his eyes swim around the place without staring at the camera like he had accidentally been doing a lot when they first started shooting at the pub.

Further down the road there was a kebab shop, it was still open but empty, its employees chatting about in the kitchen which was in open view for everyone outside so Lydia went in and asked if they could film there. The workers asked about what it was and Lydia told them about the concept for it, which they laughed about the explicitness of it. The PA assured them there was an extra that was gonna play his part along with Lamie and that they could stand in the background. So with a bit of hesitation, they agreed.

Lydia went over to Ella and Ben when they cut a scene of Alex walking down the street as he continued to frustratingly text the girl and told them about the kebab shop news. Both directors were stoked about it, thanking the PA for her initiative and asking her to take Ben over to them so he could further tell them about what would be done.

There was something inherently tricky about explicit scenes, there was a line that couldn't be crossed when recording them so that you kept respect for your talent and their boundaries, but still captured the essence of the take. Yet that wasn't what had been difficult about recording the scene at the kebab shop.

Something hot and bitter grew inside Ella at the concept of watching Alex watching someone else getting fucked, the way that he flustered the first take they did when he heard Lamie loudly fake moans as she acted like she was getting fucked against the window of the shop, the way he cleared his throat and looked away for a minute when Ben cut the scene and went inside the shop to rearrange the people in the background of the shot.

It took a few takes to get the scene how they wanted it and a handful more to get Alex's reaction to it, he had been blushing more than needed so it had taken a few to get him to calm down and have his face look more blank for the camera.

He had gotten better at keeping his reactions neutral when they walked further down the road and found an alleway for a scene they had planned. Lighting took a bit to figure out so they had everyone take a bit of a break as Cameron worked his magic but as soon as he was done, they had two extras standing there as Alex walked past. They were supposed to grow hostile under Alex's gaze so it took a few tries for the scene to look clean.

After that was ticked off though, it was time for Lamie to go back in and get 'fucked' again. Ella was amazed at her confidence, of course everyone was making her feel comfortable and safe enough to do what she was doing but it wasn't something that anyone else could just up and do any Monday evening.

She still felt that nagging feeling growing inside her when Alex had to walk past and stare, and even though his cheeks weren't pink anymore, she knew he was feeling some type of way from how he had his hands in fists, white knuckles clutching onto the phone he had in hand.

When they finally had that scene down, they let go of almost all of their extras. Only the crew, Alex, Lamie and the two extras who were driving the motorbikes were left by two in the morning. Time had gone way too fast and it was mental to think they still weren't even done with half of the video by that time. It was good they had planned it to be a two day shoot.

Whilst the stylist got Lamie undressed and in a robe, the extras were going up and down the road with the camera rolling on them. After a few takes, they had Alex jump in and watch them drive past him almost entirely absentmindedly so that they could get the perfect shot before the one with Lamie.

When Ella had cut that scene and sent someone to get Lamie, they got a fright, finding her lay on top of two chairs that had been pushed close together. Ben had whispered her name to wake her up but she didn't so Lydia took it upon herself to shake her softly and they took a deep breath when the model woke up with a sleepy look on her face.

Ben had fully thought she had passed out because of how cold it was, considering she had no clothes on, but the model reassured him she was just taking a quick nap.

Thankfully for the model, the bikes were rather warm when she got on them and being pressed to the back of one of the extras aided in her finding it easier to shed herself of her robe.

Ben and Ella had them drive up and down multiple times, until they deemed it enough the amount of takes they had gotten and at a quarter to four, they wrapped up the recording for the day. Not really 'the day' because they'd be coming back to record later that afternoon but they were done with the first filming session by then.

Fifteen minutes later, Lamie was saying goodbye to everyone and leaving with a comical "See you in a few hours," that everyone laughed about, a bit like they were all dreading it but excited regardless of it. The extras with the bikes left too, being thanked by Ella and Ben for their work.

The Monkeys' stylist had helped them pack up, and the Focus Creeps crew had thanked her profusely for the help when she didn't have to offer it. Thanks to the extra pair of hands—Alex was helping too—, the crew managed to get everything back in their cases and order a taxi by the time it was half past four.

Ella hugged Alex goodbye before she left on the second taxi they'd had to get—because not everything fit in the first one so they had sent Cameron, Lydia and Margaret with most of their gear—, promising to text him when she'd be leaving the hotel back to the pub's street to start the second day of shooting.

The crew had probably gone to bed by five in the morning, after struggling to get their heavy gear upstairs. So they had brunch when they woke up around noon and once they had something in their stomachs, they took over Ella's room to make some notes on what they needed to get that day.

That helped them loads when they got to recording again, since they only had to get a few more shots of Alex stumbling down the street just in case and two more scenes with the extras and Lamie before they reached the final bit of the music video.

They had gotten a guy to do a stunt, jumping off the window of a house and running across the street to jump over a metal fence, all in front of a 'drunk' Alex and it had gone rather well in the first few takes so the lad had to jump off the side of the brick building a couple of times before they relieved him.

And then the taxi driver scene, which had been a bit more tricky because of the continuous accumulating traffic when they wanted to shoot all due to nosy people wanting to know what was going on.

It had been also complicated because of the intent behind the scene, attracting confused glares their way when they had Lamie 'sucking off' the driver multiple times for the video. But eventually, when the streets cleared out of ogling people, they managed to get the perfect few shots including the ones of Alex confusedly staring at the taxi driver.

After all of that had been recorded, the crew packed up again but this time to head over to the houses they had rented for the day for the video. They only had three extras with them, the roommates that were going to be in the background of Lamie's shot and the old lady that was going to peek through the window to glare at Alex when he was knocking on the wrong door.

When they got there, they all settled inside the house they had agreed would be the one where Lamie would be at. All of the gear was arranged in the foyer so it was easier to pack up when they were done, and Lamie and the two other extras went straight up the stairs with Ella so that they could see what was going to happen.

Ella quickly figured it out, the things inside the house already made the atmosphere casual and homey so she just went on to instruct the girls to pretend to be asleep by each end of the settee. The three girls would be watching TV and then Lamie would stand up from the middle of the sofa to walk over by the window and check her phone, ignoring it to go back to her place.

Whilst Ella arranged that, Ben had crossed the street with the old lady and gave her the easy instructions of what she was meant to do: after hearing Alex knock on the door incessantly, she would turn on the lights and just peek through the window to see who it was at the door.

Shooting those ending scenes had been challenging, they were all tired but they wanted to make it well and it was just the last of it so a hint of perfectionism kept them trying different angles for the takes.

But by half past three in the morning, they did the last take on Lamie walking up to her phone and ignoring the texts and it had gone amazingly swift so with a content feeling rushing through the directors, they finally wrapped up the production.

Usually, the crew used the excuse of another production being successfully wrapped as an excuse to go out for drinks or maybe go to one of the crew member's house and have a little party but this time it wasn't going to happen.

By the time they managed to get out of the houses with their gear and said goodbye to the extras, the crew was knackered and all they wanted to do was go to bed until the latest they could.

It was already Wednesday and they would be leaving later that same night so the crew at least wanted to rest for a bit before having a little stroll around London before they had to go back to LA. Alex had a meeting with his label later that day as well so he couldn't spend the day with the crew before they left.

Alex hugged them all goodbye and wished them a good flight, hoping to see them all soon when the band would eventually land on Los Angeles for a gig later that year, inviting them all to join them whenever that would be. Everyone happily accepted and thanked him for his kindness.

Ella hugged him tightly before he left in a taxi he had ordered, which had arrived way before theirs, and smiled at him softly when he promised he would make it up to her on Thursday.

When the crew eventually woke up later that Wednesday, checking out of the hotel but leaving their luggage there until they had to leave for the airport, they all went straight to have something to eat as they walked out of the hotel.

It was a quick bite from the cafe Ella had gone to with Alex when the crew had gotten there and after that, Ella had taken them through a short version of the stroll Alex gave her when she got there.

They walked to the London Eye but did not get in it, then went to the Big Ben and from there to Buckingham Palace. They marveled at the view of the Palace for a bit before they resumed their walk over to Piccadilly and from there they went to Covent Garden, where they got some late lunch before they took a cab back to the hotel.

They had to leave as soon as they managed to step into the hotel's lobby, and it made Ella emotional to see them go and saying goodbye because she was leaving in just two days. It was like she was watching her future self from the lads' perspective and she wanted to cry about time going by too fast.

A bittersweet feeling drowned her as she tossed and turned in bed that night, willing herself to sleep by closing her eyes shut tightly and slowing her breathing. Eventually, replaying the happy memories she had made in England had been what had pushed her into her slumber, a little smile on her face when Alex kept appearing in all of them.

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A loud "Surprise!" was what Ella heard the second Alex opened the door of his flat and when she walked further inside while Alex got her bag for her, she smiled brightly seeing the rest of the band, the girls, Miles and the 1975 boys there.

"Oh my god! Hi!" Ella said loudly back, walking closer to them with a shocked expression still on her face, her hand on her chest like she was monitoring her heart beats. She hadn't been expecting to see them all together there at all, so she couldn't help asking, "What is this?!"

"Did you really think you were leaving without getting pissed with us one last time?" Flo stood up from her place beside her husband and caught Ella in a tight hug.

Ella giggled as she wrapped her arms around Florence and then playfully narrowed her eyes at everyone to say, "Oh you lot just wanna make me miss my flight."

To which Flo replied with a loud kiss on her cheek before she pulled away and shrugged, "Maybe."

The whole scene settled it for Ella, and despite feeling incredibly sad that she was leaving early the morning after, she was happy she got to share with them all one last time before they had to go back to their responsibilities.

When she had woken up that morning, Ella had been melancholic as she went about her day. She showered slowly and got ready for the day at the same pace, she enjoyed every step she took as she walked from her hotel over to the photolab to pick up her pictures and decided to not take any more pictures of London but instead take it all in with her own eyes. Lord knows she had enough pictures to remember the trip by and now she wanted to properly commit it all to just her memory.

She had checked out of the hotel once she got back and Alex had come to get her when she was ready. Alex had suggested she spent the last night over at his, so she didn't have to stress about checking out at the correct time or forgetting something when she had to rush to the airport. Plus it also gave him leverage to just not miss the chance of going with her so he could spend the most amount of time they could have together.

After they had left Ella's suitcase and her bags at Alex's flat, he had taken her out for brunch. It had been lovely, despite the long silences in between, and they had chatted about all about the time she had spent there. Of course, ignoring the mishaps here and there. They didn't want to waste time thinking back to moments they were upset and Alex didn't know if he could bring those moments up without wanting to spill it all out for her.

He was still trying to figure out the best way to do that, painfully aware of the time ticking.

Alex kept checking his phone when they left the restaurant, he had taken her to one rather far away from his so he could give everyone time to arrive at his flat. Florence had been the first one to get there, using her spare key to go in and her and Matty made sure to set everything up so it was ready when Ella got there.

By the time Ella and Alex were about ten minutes away from his, Flo had texted Alex saying everything was ready and they could come by, so Alex subtly picked up his pace and thankfully Ella didn't notice but followed along subconsciously.

Alex's flat was an open plan one, so Ella could see a good amount of drinks and mixers on the kitchen island along with crips and other snacks. They had moved Alex's settee and the loveseats further away so the high chairs could fit as well.

They all stood up from their places, taking turns to hug Ella. She had tried her best not to make her blushing too noticeable when George came around and clutched her tightly to his chest, whispering "Hi gorgeous," in her ear.

The shower of affection all around was gonna make her cry but thankfully, Katie pulled through taking her over to where the drinks were and Breana had been pouring them all shots.

"Here you go, my love." Kelly said as she handed a filled shot glass to Ella, "A proper farewell."

"Shot to start?" Ella's brow rose as she questioned the decision.

Katie smirked, "Brave choice?"

"Foolish." Ella settled with a sigh which turned into a chuckle when she saw on the microwave screen that it was five in the evening. With a shrug and a deep breath, she mumbled "Fuck it." and tossed it back.

The girls followed and Flo rubbed Ella's back when she coughed at the burning of the alcohol running down her throat, praising her with a "That's my girl." when she set the glass back down on the kitchen island.

Everyone got their drinks ready after that, taking their full glasses back to the living room where they all took their seats. Alex sat on one of the high chairs and Ella took a seat to the left of him with Florence and Matty on a loveseat, Adam took another high chair to their left and on the settee that was to his left was Kelly, Nick, Matt and Breana. To the left of Bre was George and Ross who took a high chair each and to the left of the bassist was a loveseat occupied by Jamie and Katie. Miles was the one closing the circle, sitting on another high chair to Alex's right.

Conversation flowed easily between them all, laughter contagious and constant in between the chatter but after half an hour the chat had steered into work talk and Flo wanted to make things interesting.

"Shall we be kids and just play truth or dare?" The artist suggested, eyes going around the group's reactions and she found herself smug when everyone perked up at the proposition.

Ella had a condition to put forward before she accepted though, knowing how it had gone the last time she had played truth or dare with just the band, "I'm not doing any dares with y'all."

"Then truth or truth if you're willing to spill your secrets then, Eleanor." Flo nudged her softly with her elbow and Ella smiled.

She shrugged and honestly added, "Not many secrets to be fair, but sure."

"Okay then, we'll start with you." Ella scoffed at Flo when she said that, fearing what she could ask when she was the only one apart from Matty and George to know what had happened on Saturday.

To her relief, Flo instead threw out in the air, "Anyone wanna ask Ella anything?" just to give the group a chance to start it.

A few people hummed as they thought about it, Bre having a mischievous look on her face as she looked at Ella. Ella narrowed her eyes at her best friend but Miles beat everyone to it when he asked, "What's the most public place you've ever done anything sexual?"

"Oh we're going straight into it?" Ella sipped on her whiskey and coke, brows shot up at the game starting strong.

"Yep." Miles smirked at her and Ella rolled her eyes at him, flipping him off for being so smug.

"Right. Erm..." Ella took a few seconds to think about it and after doing a quick rundown of her memories, she had her answer and it was, "The woods."

Silence followed her statement, and when Ella turned to Florence to have her choose the next person, Bre chuckled and said what everyone was thinking, "You need to elaborate there babe."

"Seriously?" She asked and seeing everyone nodding, she sighed, "Can't you use your imagination?"

"No, please paint us the picture." Flo replied with a smirk, crossing her legs and getting comfortable on her seat as if she was hoping for a good story.

Defeatedly, Ella took a gulp of her drink and started recounting what had happened then, "We were on a senior highschool camping trip and me and my then girlfriend had just woken up. We were just going for a walk but then we started kissing and getting handsy, we were hiding behind a tree and then... I got dirt on my knees." She thought that was the best way to put it, and she had to hide behind her glass when everyone was staring at her shocked.

"With your schoolmates around?!" Nick let out loudly, his eyes wide.

Ella kissed her teeth, waving his concern off and explaining, "They were a good twenty feet away."

But the bassist wasn't at all relieved by that detail, "Still!" Everyone chuckled at the exchange and Miles added fuel to the fire by commenting, "Jesus Christ, Eleanor, you're dirty!"

Katie was rather intrigued by it so she asked further, "Did they not notice?"

To which Ella shook her head, "We went skinny dipping in the river right after so no."

A low "Dirty, dirty girl." was George's input in the matter and Ella had to take a long sip of her drink so that she could hide the smirk that got out of her.

In an attempt to move on from the conversation and maybe distracting everyone from what she had just shared, Ella looked at the girls before saying, "Oh talking about skinny dipping, I have the pictures of our photoshoot."

Jamie choked on his beer, coughing loudly before asking, "You girls went skinny dipping to take pictures?"

"Kind of." Ella nonchalantly replied, and then turned to Alex when Bre was the one to stand up to look for the pictures, "Where'd you leave my bag Al?"

Alex pointed it to them, "Right over there, on the table by the door."

Before Bre could reach the bag, Ella let her know where she had to look, "It's in the smallest envelope."

But when everyone turned back around to continue the game, while Breana brought the pictures, the attempt to resume the conversation died when Bre gasped loudly.

"Oh my god Ella!"

"What?" Ella turned to see her best friend so quickly and when she saw which envelope she had in hand, her heart sank.

"When was this?!" Breana asked desperately, her eyes wide and jaw dropped.

Ella wanted to die. In any other circumstance, Bre seeing the pictures would've been fine but not then, when everyone was there including who was in the pictures, "Oh for fucks sake, Bre I told you the other envelope!"

But not even that kept Breana from continuing to look through the pictures, her eyes going wider as she flipped through them. Ella just wanted her to stop, so she stood up, leaving her glass on the coffee table and slowly approaching Bre as if she had someone held at gunpoint in her arms, "Put that back." Ella warned sternly the closer she got but Breana shook her head.

"Oh no, this is hot." She said like that was enough of a reason for her not to and then she turned to look at Flo who was smirking at the hint of what she was thinking about being correct, "Florence, have you seen this?"

Breana managed to sprint past Ella and she sighed in defeat when the model went straight to Flo's spot and showed her what she had been seeing.

"Ella..." Florence said with a smirk fighting her dropped jaw and beside her, Matty was just as shocked to see she had taken pictures of it.

"Oh god..." Ella mumbled, covering her face with her hands as it all happened.

Bre was unable to stand still so she jumped back next to Matt so he and Kelly and Nick could also see what had happened. At the same time, Flo looked at George and pointed at him as she called him out, "George you filthy bitch, didn't know you were into capturing this on camera."

"What?! Ella and George?!" Miles gasped out loud, a shocked Jamie and Katie wide eyed next to him and Flo nodded, stretching her hand out over the coffee table so they could see the few pictures she had in her hand.

When she did that though, Alex got a peak of the picture they were talking about and it was an understatement to say that seeing George with his head thrown back, mouth open, eyes shut with Ella's thighs on either side of his chest and his hands clutching them, made him feel jealous.

He felt his blood starting to boil in his veins. Alex had to clench his jaw and bite his tongue not to say something he would regret, and it took a lot of self restraint to not just go up to George and fucking deck him for even coming near Ella.

"Oh, are those the pictures?" George asked innocently, like he didn't know exactly what had been pictured, "Let me see."

"Don't." Ella glared at the drummer like her look alone would stop him.

But he smirked as he got handed the envelope and when he dipped inside to take out a print, his smirk got bigger. "But you look hot, baby." George said to her but his eyes were stuck on the picture, the one he had taken of her after she'd cum on his fingers, "This one's my favorite, don't you like it?"

"Stop." Ella said again but everyone was rotating the pictures around so her dirty little secret was out and she couldn't do anything about it. She begrudgingly took her seat beside Florence and grabbed her glass to down the rest of her drink.

"Wait, I wanna see." Katie said, wanting to check out which picture George was talking about.

The model gasped, knowing exactly what Ella's state in the frame meant and with more curiosity sparking within her, she cheekily asked, "When did this happen?"

Before Ella could even think of answering, Flo quickly let them know, "Saturday."

Alex's heart sank thinking of her going out with George being the plans she had secretly kept for that Saturday. He knew he should've trusted his gut when he felt a hunch about not wanting to find out but this time the information had come to him and unfortunately now he had to deal with it. It was so much worse finding out that way though, especially knowing how much Ella had been avoiding the topic when he asked.

"Florence!" Ella let her mouth open agape at the excitement in the artist to let them all know and she truly felt like she was on fire, her body entirely too hot from the embarrassment.

"What? Everyone knows now." Flo defended herself and when Miles gave the pictures back, she turned to Nick's wife and said with a smirk, "Look at these Kelly."

Kelly flipped through them and when she got to the one of Ella on top of George, she loudly gasped, "Fucking hell Ella!"

Ella fanned herself, seeing the pictures again plus just having everyone find out this way making her too flustered, "I'm burning up."

It only got worse when George said, "Haven't seen you this flushed since Sunday morning babe."

And whilst Ella got even redder and hissed a "George, shush!" back at the drummer, Alex was stuck in his head thinking about how that had been the very same day he had come around and the housekeeper had mentioned Ella being busy.

Alex felt himself wanting to be sick.

"Okay, I need the details right now." Bre demanded, especially offended by the fact that she had no idea about this happening. "Sorry George." She added just in case he took her indiscretion as an offense.

It was the complete opposite, George puffed his chest out and stared right at Ella as he waved Breana's concerns off, "S'alright. Think we had quite a good time, didn't we Ellie?"

But Ella ignored him and turned to Bre, "No one's getting any details right now."

Which George didn't take lightly, "Don't be ignoring me now baby, I know just how to make you beg remember?"

That was enough to have Ella turn to him and with a stern look, she threatened him, "I'll be making you regret opening your mouth later if you keep this up Georgie."

"Oh I like this." George said excitedly, shifting in his seat and looking at her with hunger in his eyes, "Are you all talk, baby? Gonna show me what you'll do if I run my mouth?"

Before Ella could reply, Bre gasped and commented loudly, "Okay this is hot as fuck."

Florence comically turned to her husband and clutched his hand to plead, "Matty, I need you to consider this right now."

Matty had to hold in his laughter, looking around and catching Alex staring into the coffee table with a look that could kill, "Yeah well, I think Turner is fuming too much to let us use the guest room for a foursome sweetheart."

Florence turned to see the singer and she noticed the look in his eyes. She felt bad she had arranged the date before she had heard him confess how he truly felt about Ella but she also thought Ella deserved to have fun and unless Alex was willing to tell the American how he felt, then there was no point in him getting annoyed at Ella's decisions.

Alex got handed the pictures by Miles, a smirk on the scouser's face that just made Alex want to scream even more. He had no intention in seeing the pictures, if anything he wanted them the furthest away from his face so he handed them back to Ella like it was a bomb about to go off.

"Can we continue with the game?" Ella scolded everyone, standing up from her seat to snatch the pictures away from everyone's hands, "Give me back those pictures now."

Thankfully, she was able to get them all quickly, stuffing them back inside the envelope and putting it back in her bag. They all watched in silence as she stomped back into the living room to get her glass so that she could walk over to the kitchen island and get herself a refill.

Only when she got back and she let herself fall back on the loveseat beside Florence, did she speak again, this time saying, "Right, uhm, Miles." so that she could continue the game. "What's the weirdest place you've gotten yourself off?"

Ella was so glad when the scouser actually listened and started thinking about his answer, a few beats of silence going back before he said, "At the sauna."

A string of disgusted reactions broke out, Jamie scowling at his friend and asking, "Are you joking?" as if giving him a chance to redeem himself.

But Miles said, "No." and they all got even louder.

"Mate, that's disgusting." Alex said for everyone, a scowl on his face directed towards his best mate.

Miles rose his hands up in sign of innocence as he said, "Swear down it was just once."

Yet no one took it as a good enough excuse, Ross shaking his head and concluding, "Doesn't make it better."

"Alright, yous are ones to talk." The scouser exasperatedly sighed out, "I bet you lot have done it in worse places." He pointed an accusing finger at everyone in the group.

And Ella watched as a certain drummer's expression changed for one of reminisce as if he was actually thinking about his case being truthful. So the American couldn't keep it to herself and called him out for it, "Ew Matt, that face you've just made. I don't even wanna know."

Matt opened his mouth, about to start bickering but before an argument could ensue, Miles took it into his own hands to continue the night, "Alright I'm gonna choose or else we will be here all night." At the sign of the game resuming, they all shut up, "Florence, my dear."

Flo smirked at Miles, challenging him to, "Do your worst."

And the singer smirked back, assuring her, "Oh I am." It took him about a second to come up with, "Have you ever recorded yourself in bed?"

To which Flo asked for more detailing, "Like shagging or just getting myself off?"

Before Miles could clarify, Adam announced to the group, "I'm covering my ears."

Earning him a scoff from Florence's mouth, "Oh Adam, we've been over this bro." She said like she was tired of having the same argument, and it had chuckles and giggles breaking around the group.

And when Adam did go through with covering his ears and started an incessant sound of, "Lalalalalala." the amusement showed in the growing volume of the laughter.

"Guess both." Miles finally clarified, his voice going up an octave from his laughter.

"Yes." Flo answered quickly and nonchalantly, even going further to confirm, "For both."

Ella watched as Matty threw his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her into him. She pulled back slightly to gasp and looked her up and down as if surprised, "Oh you filthy bitch."

"It's fun! You should try it once." Flo told her with a wide grin before hitting Adam's arm in signal that the worst was over and he could stop being a child about it. When she turned back, she took the perfect opportunity to taunt Ella a bit, "Should've done that with George to keep a good souvenir."

The reply Ella had died in her throat when George instantly suggested, "Or we could go again. Record it then." making Ella's jaw drop and throat go dry.

"Ella, I sincerely hate you." Florence concluded, a serious look on her face that made Ella blush.

"I'm right here, Wheels." Matty reminded his wife with a scoff, letting his arm drop until it was around her waist and he could dig his fingers on her skin like he was pinching her back into reality.

"I know Curly, but–" Flo tried to argue, her head trying to come up with the perfect wording for what she was thinking but she gave up. "Whatever," she concluded and resigned to just continue the game, calling out for the person she was choosing and that was, "Alex."

He hummed in response, sipping on his beer as he waited for Flo's question. He fully expected something foul but it ended up being quite wholesome when her inquiry was, "Who would you bring with you to a desert island?"

"Easy," He firstly said before answering, "Ella."

The director cooed, turning to her best friend and clutching his forearm with her right hand, squeezing it with affection as she commented, "Awh, we wouldn't survive at all but thanks, sweets."

"Incredibly offended here." Miles interrupted the cute moment, brows furrowed showing his offended state.

Alex rolled his eyes, "Miles, you would drive me insane in less than a day."

"Exactly, encouraging us to survive." Miles fought back the statement as if that made sense.

But Ella mocked him, with a cackle and a curt, "Encouraging him to get rid of you."

"He would get rid of you too." Miles chatted back, puffing his chest out like it would help him win the argument.

"No, she'd keep me from going mad." Alex sided with Ella, making her incredibly smug.

Everyone was watching the interaction with amused smiles, lips pressed together so they wouldn't laugh and interrupt. It got harder when Ella flipped her hair over her shoulder and added, "See? Fuck you, Miles."

The scouser scoffed but who replied was Bre, who threw into the conversation a teasing, "Yeah, he wishes."

Which gave Ella the opportunity to fake pout at him and with mocking pity ask, "Still?"

An annoyed, "Sod off." was Miles' answer, and Ella would've kept going if it wasn't for someone cutting in the argument.

"Alex, choose someone before they actually fight." Jamie pointed out, knowing full well that could happen and, even though that would be hilarious to watch, they wanted the evening to go well.

The singer nodded and panickedly ended up calling, "Erm, Adam." It took him a few seconds but the best Alex could come up with was, "What's the weirdest thing you own?"

He was expecting the question to earn a really boring answer honestly, but they were all surprised when Adam had a hard time answering for very different reasons.

"Oh, erm..." Adam managed out as his face reddened and that didn't go unnoticed. Suddenly everyone was interested in knowing because this reaction to such a simple question was rare.

Matty chuckled as he pointed out, "Oh this is good, he's gone all red."

"Any kinks you've been hiding Hann?" George teased him with a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows at the guitarist.

Adam glared at him, "Piss off." but kept silent afterwards.

So Ross reminded him, "You gotta answer mate."

And everyone was expecting more silence for a bit longer until he got the courage to say, but Adam ended up blurting the answer out and hearing, "A fucking dick chastity cage." wasn't something people were expecting.

"What?!" Florence gasped out loud, not expecting her cousin to be into that at all.

"Fucking hell Hann!" George cursed loudly as he coughed on the beer he had choked on.

The looks of shock around the room made Adam feel the need to clarify, "I didn't buy it for myself, my girlfriend bought it so we could try it."

"And?" Nick asked curiously, leaning into his knees to watch the guitarist's face.

"And what?" Adam asked rather defensively.

His tone made Nick chuckle lightly as he corrected his question, "Did you enjoy it?"

It was like everyone was holding their breath as they waited for the answer and the group broke in hollers when Adam hung his head and truthfully replied with a quiet, "... Yeah."

"Oh my god!" Flo yelled, bringing both of her hands to slap over her wide open mouth, which made everyone laughed louder.

George's laugh was so contagious and so was Matty's, who struggled to get his words out in between cackles, "I will never let you live this down Hann, hope you know that."

"None of us." Ross nodded, lifting his beer bottle up like he was doing a cheers to Hann's new confession. "Next time we're at yours, we're fucking looking for it." The bassist added in a clear threat.

That made Adam lift his head up quickly and narrow his eyes at the bearded lad, "No, you are not."

"We so are, mate." Ross smirked mischievously, already planning how and when they could pull that off.

There wasn't a way Adam could shut him up other than use something he had against the bassist so he took advantage of the situation and called out for, "Ross." with a look on his face like he was seeking revenge, "Have you ever lied to get out of a date?"

Ross loudly scoffed and that was enough for the group to quiet down, everyone's curiosity sparking inside them, "This isn't fair, you know I have. You just want me to tell the story and make me look like a dickhead."

"Well you did it, so you are a dickhead." Adam shrugged nonchalantly, fully pleased with himself that it had been enough to get him to shut up and turn it onto him.

"Is this...?" Matty started to ask, unsure of why he didn't know about it and a bit offended to be honest.

Ross could see that clearly on the singer's face so he rolled his eyes and sighed, "No. Only Hann knows 'cos I called him."

"Oh I'm intrigued." Flo perched up in her seat, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips at a growing mortified Ross.

"It was this girl I knew from college." The bassist started narrating, "We bumped into each other around Soho and she said something about going for a drink or something so we exchanged numbers and met up a week later."

He took a sip of his beer before continuing, the silence hung heavy over the group, "It was fine, we were hitting it off, until a girl she was friends with recognized her and she went off with her. Left me drinking alone for about fifteen minutes and right as I was about to leave, she came back and got annoyed that I was planning on going."

Bre frowned deeply and chuckled unamused before saying, "The nerve..."

Ross nodded in agreement, "I know. And then she brought her friends over and they were all interrogating me about shit. When I told them I was in a band, but they didn't recognize the name, they started being weird and ignoring me. They even started pointing out different lads in the pub for the girl I was on a date with to go for."

Flo gasped almost horrified, entirely offended for Ross and asking, "Who's that cow? I'll batter her I swear."

George giggled next to Ross, knowing Flo would genuinely do that but instead of letting the bassist give her that information, he encouraged him to continue onto when Adam came into the picture, "What did you lie about then?"

With a heavy sigh, Ross continued narrating, "I had to text Hann to call me like an emergency had occurred and five minutes later I was rushing out because 'he got into a car accident'." He emphasized the lie by doing air quotation marks with his fingers.

Matty grimaced hearing that, "Oh mate, the car crash excuse is so overused."

"Yeah well but it's understandable." Nick sided with Ross, he would've done the same thing in his situation.

"T'was fucking embarrassing." Ross said again, his face said everything and they couldn't imagine if he looked like that just remembering it all, how he must've looked like in the moment it happened.

"Bless you, that sounds so awkward." Flo pouted softly, eliciting a soft side smile from him.

Katie curiously asked, "Did you ever bump into her again?"

To which Ross nodded in anguish and muttered against the rim of his beer bottle, "She asked if my mate was alright the morning after but that was it."

When that was over, people kept to just take sips of their drinks so Ross took it upon himself to continue the game, "Okay, let's lighten up the mood again." He hummed for a second before he chose, "Matty." and he asked him, "What kinks do you have?"

"Oh yes, brilliant ice breaker MacDonald." Matty said sarcastically, clutching Flo tighter against him before he turned to his left to say, "Cover your ears Hann."

Once Adam had covered his ears, he started listing, "Right so: bondage, edging, spitting, hitting, choking, degradation." He was smug watching everyone's eyes widen, and he looked down at his wife when he added, "We tried wax the other day, t'was fun."

Flo smirked up at him and winked, "It was."

"A bit of role play is fun sometimes." He continued when he turned back to look at the group and before he could stop, one last thing came to his mind, "And been developing a slight breeding kink since we got married but that's about it."

"You're animals." Matt concluded, a look of disgust and shock on his face.

Florence exasperatedly sighed before telling him, "Shut up Matt, you're fucking boring."

To her right though, Ella leaned into her and squeezed her hand, "I'm proud of you."

Flo chuckled and she winked at her when she replied, "I know you get me, Ellie."

But before Ella could settle in her seat again, George spoke up, "You into all that baby?"

"A bit, yeah." Ella shrugged it off like it was nothing.

Breana scoffed and called her out though, pointing out how, "She's so downplaying it."

"Breana..." Ella said with a stern look on her face. It had been enough that everyone had seen the pictures.

"What? I've seen all the kinky shit you own!" Her best friend lifted her arms up in a sign of innocence which made Ella giggle and shake her head.

Ella fake sniffling when she said, "Dusting away in my closet." like it was the most heartbreaking thing that could've ever happened to her.

But her act was interrupted when George went in to say, "I'll get Jamie to find us something so we can tour the west coast soon."

"Awfully confident, sir." Ella looked at him with a brow raised, a smirk on her face when thinking back of what she could've done if she had her things with her when she had George on her bed.

And she only grew even more pleased about it all when the drummer pointed out in a warning that only would encourage her more, "Don't call me that or else we're going back to mine right now."

It was a miracle Alex didn't throw his bottle across the room and thankfully, someone heard his silent prayers for Matty stopped the flirting by saying, "And that's my cue." so that he could choose someone to carry on the game.

Alex's relief was devastatingly brief because Matty went on to say, "Ella, what's your dream threesome?"

Ella scoffed at being chosen yet again, especially with that being the question, "Are you serious?"

"Very." Matty replied with a smirk.

She took a bit of time to answer and eventually it came down to her two latest shags, "Alice and George." It made her blush just thinking about having them two at the same time knowing how they both had been in bed.

"Of course." Matt said in a chuckle, which only made Ella blush harder.

But Flo watched out of the corner of her eye just how sorrowful Alex looked and she tried to get something out of the American that could give him a sign, "Sorry Ellie, not valid. Only people in this room."

"Alright then," Ella said begrudgingly, only to change her answer to "George and you."

"Matty, get ready to fight." Miles quickly said just to add fuel to the fire.

Before the curly headed guy could quip back though, his wife shook her head and added another rule, "Gotta be single, babe."

"Fine then..." Ella sighed and tapped her finger rhythmically on her glass as she thought, and the group was all smirks when she concluded her choice was, "George and Alex."

Something lit up inside of Alex, and it shone through his face. He was trying so hard not to let his smile show by wrapping his lips around the tip of his bottle and taking leisure sips of his beer but everyone was staring at him and it was clear that he was happy about it.

"Fourth choice Al, not too bad." Miles said, stirring the pot again like the menace he was which made Ella blush and glare at him.

And, of course, Matt added his two cents in also to add fuel to the fire by emphasizing, "Not great either."

Ella bit back on the drummer's comment before anyone else could add something to it, "You'd be last on the list Matt, don't get too cocky. And your girlfriend would've been my next choice if she was single."

Bre smiled at her best friend, blowing her a kiss, "Thanks my love."

"George stayed there as the only choice, big up mate." Matty toasted to his best mate and George was certainly smug about it.

"Good to know baby." The drummer winked at her, and that combined with the pet name only made her more flustered.

So all she replied was a shy, mumbled, "Shut up George."

That had George chuckling before he went on with his flirting, "Oh but you don't want me to, do you, gorgeous?" He kept his eye contact and she did so as well, he was hypnotizing and she couldn't peel her eyes away from him.

George's smirk grew at the clear hunger in Ella's eyes and it all got confirmed when her gaze dropped to his lips. "See?" He said smugly, because she had proved him right and just to taunt her a bit more, he encouraged her to go through with what was going through her head, "You can if you want to."

All of this flirting happening in front of him had Alex on the verge of just leaving the room. He was debating going downstairs or even to the top of his building to have a smoke. It annoyed him so much that George got all that from Ella when he felt like after everything that had happened, he had stripped himself of the chances of getting Ella to flirt with him.

"It's not that game." Ella reminded the drummer with a challenging look on her face, like she wanted him to make a move first.

But George knew her now and he saw that right through her so he just shrugged and concluded, "What a shame."

Without wasting more time so that no one commented on what had just happened, Ella chose, "Katie!" and she quickly asked, "What's the worst sexual encounter you've had?"

"Oh no Ella, don't make me tell this story." The model pleaded lightly, her answer coming to her mind easily.

"You gotta." Ella said, slightly apologetic but curious.

Katie sighed before giving out her answer, "Alright. So it was literally my second time having sex, I was around seventeen or so, and this guy was so bad." Katie's face said it all and everyone cringed for her even before hearing the actual story, "Had to fake an orgasm because he had been down there trying to eat me out for so long he started asking if I was close over and over. And when he finally fucked me, it was just as bad."

They all thought it was it then but it somehow got worse, "And to make matters worse, the condom broke so I had to rush off to the shops to get a morning after pill, absolutely terrified to my bones that I would have a pregnancy scare at seventeen for an awful shag."

The gasps that had come from the ladies at that were loud, and a wide eyed Adam was the only one to let out a comment which was a breathless, "That's a nightmare."

"Tell me about it." The model shivered at the thought and then went on to choose someone. Her eyes went around the circle and she ended up choosing, "Matt. What's the most embarrassing thing you've done during sex."

He knew exactly what it was so it didn't take him long to reply, "Follow the rhythm of a song and when I messed up, I had to focus on the beat to go again."

"Please tell me there was actually music playing and you're not saying that it was to a song you were playing in your head." Ella said with a scowl on her face, feeling bad for whoever it had been Matt had done that to.

"No, she actually put music on, dickhead." Matt chatted back with a roll of his eyes.

And bit back by turning his words around, "You're the dickhead, you did that."

To that, Matt scoffed, "Oh fuck off, as if you've never done something embarrassing in bed."

Fair enough, Ella admitted, "I have, but not that."

To avoid the argument continuing, despite it being relatively entertaining, Kelly instructed, "Matt, go on, pick someone."

Noticing how she hadn't gone yet, the drummer jumped at the opportunity, "You, Mrs. O'Malley. You've not been picked yet, have you?" Kelly looked unimpressed by the excitement written on Matt's face but shook her head to reply regardless. And her face went even more blank when the drummer asked, "Are you tired of Nick yet?"

"Of course you'd ask that, you shit stirrer." Kelly rolled her eyes, Nick chuckled beside her at his mate's occurrence.

"You aren't answering, though." Matt pointed out as if that meant anything.

Kelly brilliantly answered, "No I am not. But I bet Bre is tired of you, that's why you're asking."

Matt went on to say, "No, she's–" but Kelly interrupted him.

And since it was her turn to pick someone, Kelly started, "Let's ask her something fun. Bre, who would you leave Matt for, in a heartbeat?"

Unfortunately for the group, Breana replied, "No one."

It was hilarious how everyone but Matt scoffed or called her out for it, Matt frowning at everyone for encouraging an answer out of her. Ella calling her best friend out with an unamused, "Breana." was the last push she needed to reconsider her answer.

"Okay, ermm..." Bre started going through her options in her head.

To which Matt was entirely offended, "Why are you trying to answer?"

The group erupted in laughter when Bre shrugged and replied, "'Cause it's funny, plus I doubt Matthew McConaughey would leave his wife for me."

"Oh that's a good choice." Katie praised the answer.

Bre smiled and nodded her head, happy someone agreed, "Right?"

She wasn't the only one though, Flo hummed and added, "Yeah, he's fit as fuck."

Ella was the one to change it up when she remembered one of her favorite rom coms and commented, "Though, I was jealous of him in 'How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days'. Kate Hudson is beautiful."

That sparked a question in Breana's head, and just because she was trying to get to know more about the secret date she'd had with George, did she say, "Oh, on the topic of romance. Ella, what's the best date you've been on?"

Complaining about yet another question coming her way went over her head when the answer came to the forefront of her mind in a flash, "Oh, Valentine's day at Belmont Park last year." She smiled, and turned slightly to Alex to add, "T'was fun, very good company as well."

Alex flashed Ella the biggest smile and offered her a wink which had a little giggle falling from her lips. He was all warm and fuzzy knowing that, a reassurance that maybe all that he'd done hadn't ruined their memories together after all.

Alex was still on cloud nine after hearing that when Ross said, "That must've hurt, G."

"He's a big boy, he can handle it." Ella kissed her teeth, waving it off.

George nodded, not letting the teasing affect him and replied with a simple, "Just need to take you somewhere more fun next time."

"Exactly." Ella agreed, a smile stubbornly making its way to her face at the fact that he was thinking of a second date, despite that being impossible now that she was leaving. She had to snap herself out of her thoughts to continue the game and she did that by complaining, "Why do I keep getting picked? Nick hasn't gone once!" She pointed out and that was her choice made, "Okay Nicholas, have you ever fallen asleep during sex?"

"No, have you?" The bassist said with a confused frown on his face, "How does one fall asleep during sex?"

Ella was glad he had never done that but, at one of her memories, she let out an unamused chuckle and gave him the answer to how, "Have too many drinks and you'll find that out."

"Has someone fallen asleep on you during?!" Nick let out horrified for her, and unfortunately Ella nodded.

"It was awful." She concluded but fearing that they would ask her further about it, she reminded, "Nick, you choose now."

"Who hasn't gone yet?"

Everyone looked around and Miles was the one to say, "George... and Jamie."

Nick nodded and went ahead to choose, "George. Have you ever shagged someone and thought of somebody else?"

Flo giggled and got excited to hear the answer, "Oooo à la Cornerstone?"

The girls chuckled at the pun, while the lads shook their heads with soft smiles on their faces. But all amusement changed to shock on their faces when George ended up saying, "Yes..."

"Ella is fuming." Miles pointed out for everyone to turn and see the frown that Ella had subconsciously let show on her face.

George had been cute and reassured her, "Not with you baby, wouldn't dream of it."

And Ella was certainly pleased by that correction, "That's what I thought."

"But who was it then?" Bre curiously asked.

When the drummer refused to answer by replying with a soft, "I won't say."

Florence rolled her eyes, "Oh you're no fun."

George knew Flo enough to know she'd be asking him about it for ages until he let it out so he figured just saying it now would save him from being bothered about it for eternity, "Just a girl I met out on the pull, shagged her right after I broke up with my ex and I thought of my ex during– It was a mess."

A gasp slipped past Ella's lips and with wide eyes she begged, "Please tell me you didn't moan your ex's name."

The silence that came from the drummer was enough of an answer and everyone winced at the information.

"Oh no George..." Kelly's words came out muffled because her hand was covering her shocked open mouth.

He hung his head and nodded, "I know. It was bad."

"What'd she say?" Ross asked beside him, it was the first time he heard about it so he was intrigued.

The cringing got worse when George said, "She kicked me out of her place."

"Yikes." Adam muttered, feeling his skin crawling for his mate.

Bre had to play devil's advocate when she tilted her head to the side and commented, "Can't blame her though."

To which Alex agreed to an extent, "Tough one that."

"Right, Jamie, mate, it's your turn." George got the guitarist's attention as he was the last one to go, "What's the last sext you've sent?"

"Erm, let me check." Jamie pulled out his phone to scroll through the messages with his fiance.

"Was it that long ago?" Kelly asked rather confused, she would've expected he would keep that up with Katie consistently whilst they were on tour at least.

"No, but I just don't remember what I said." Jamie honestly replied and when he found exactly what he had been thinking about, he smiled to himself, "Katie had this modeling gig for a lingerie line and she sent me some pictures, so I just said 'They better had let you keep them so I can ruin them later' with three kisses and that was it."

Ella smirked, looking at the model when she asked, "Did they let you keep them Katie?"

"Just one." Katie replied with a smirk on her face, sipping on her drink with rosy cheeks.

"And did he keep his word?" Flo asked this time, looking between Jamie and Katie and smirking at their flustered looks.

"He did." Katie confirmed and that was enough for hollering to break out in the living room.

Miles patted Jamie's back as he yelled, "Oi Oiiiiii!!!" only causing Jamie's cheeks to grow redder.

The game ended after that. Half of the group went back to the kitchen to get refills, Matty brought back a bottle of wine that Bre and Flo were drinking so that they didn't have to stand up constantly to get themselves some more, Alex put on some music in the background and with that, everyone fell into entertaining conversation.

Drinks flowed easily as their mouths ran along topics, laughter increased in volume the more alcohol was being ingested and smiles lingered on their faces longer under the influence.

It was when Bre very not subtly asked about Ella's date with George that Ella evaded the questions by standing up from her seat and actually bringing the pictures from their photoshoot so they could finally see how that had come out looking like.

Now these pictures were ones Ella proudly let the group look through, and she let the compliments about her frames rub at her ego a bit. She made sure to let them know which ones Bre had taken because they had turned out beautiful, and she didn't hold back singing her best friend her praises.

They had ended up teasing George when he took a bit longer to look at the pictures which were just of Ella, Matt saying how the drummer should keep some as souvenirs for himself when she was gone.

Ella had let him know he could keep the other ones for himself, the ones from the day they had spent together and when they heard that, they started joking about how if he got handed them again then he'd disappear for a bit to relieve himself. Or worse enough, he'd take Ella with him for a memory refresh.

"You lot are insufferable." Ella rolled her eyes as she drunkenly mumbled, changing the subject back to the prints everyone was looking at, "Ladies you can keep your pictures. I have all the scans so I'll send them for you to keep digitally as well."

The girls chose the pictures they wanted for themselves and gave Ella back the ones that were of her, assuming she wanted to keep them. She clumsily walked up to her bag again, putting the pictures away and bringing back with her the envelope that everyone knew contained the pictures with George.

Ella gave them to George, as promised, and he thanked her by pulling her in by the waist and leaving a kiss on her cheek. Bre screeched when she saw that unfold right next to her, and that only had Ella becoming more flustered.

She loopily smiled at him and patted the hand that was clutching her tightly, "You're welcome."

Florence wiggled her eyebrows at Ella as she poured the little left of the wine and set the empty bottle just as Ella sat beside her and when she did she nudged her as if to tease her further. Ella snorted out a laugh and told her to "Piss off." as she tried to hide her burning cheeks from the onlookers around the living room.

Whilst conversation carried on around her, Ella sat in silence just admiring the chaos surrounding her. She was going to miss this group of people so much, a knot was starting to form in her throat. And Alex noticed her change, the lack of her sweet laughter in the air whenever someone told a joke out of a story that had just been shared, the way she'd recoiled into herself and was almost hidden away in the corner of the loveseat just sipping on her drink.

"Alright, darling?" Alex whispered after he leaned in closer to her so she was the only one to hear.

Ella looked up at him, nodding, "Yeah. Just sad I'm leaving, s'all."

He cooed, grabbing ahold of her free hand and intertwining their fingers to bring the back of her hand to his lips and press a kiss on her skin.

The action did more for Ella that she could let on in front of everyone. She relaxed into his touch, his warmth bringing her peace and she was relishing in it as she continued to just be a spectator of the scene. Alex didn't let go of her hand, he rested their joint hands on the arm of the loveseat and continued rubbing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand.

That lasted for about ten minutes, until Flo went over to the kitchen to get Bre and herself a second wine bottle and came back to see the empty bottle sitting on the coffee table still. She was about to leave it to the side when she realized they could use it for something fun and she started with her suggestion, "Why don't we play something fun? We have this empty bottle now."

"Like what?" Alex replied intrigued, his thumb stopping its movements on Ella's skin.

"How about seven minutes in heaven?" Florence smirked, glancing at Ella and Alex's fingers intertwined.

Ella let go of Alex's hand, taking it to put some strands of hair behind her ear while she said, "Is this your excuse for a quickie with your husband?"

Half the group cackled, Matty sitting a bit straighter at the mention of something like that happening but his smugness was wiped right off him when his wife let out, "I was hoping for George but sure!" in an awfully chipper tone.

"Wheels!" Matty called her out with a scoff, poking at her ribs and making her jump. Ella smiled at the nickname he had for her, she had found it so cute when she first heard it at Glastonbury and it got even cuter when she learned of the story behind it.

"Sorry Curly, you know I can't help it." Was the only excuse Flo had for her husband and it made the group laugh. George was enjoying it though, he winked at Florence and that had her blushing.

The artist grabbed the empty wine bottle and rested it sideways on the coffee table, leaning in so that she could spin it around, but before that could happen, Ella pointed out, "This is the most American thing I'll ever see you do."

And when Flo replied with, "And hopefully the only one, no offense." she couldn't stop the loud laugh that escaped her.

Florence spinned the bottle and they all watched intently as it went 'round and 'round until it landed on no one else but her own husband. The couple were about to stand up and leave when the whole group broke out in complaints, the loudest one being Alex.

"No, not with Matty. They're actually gonna shag and I won't be washing any sheets right now." Alex said sternly, knowing just how the two were.

Almost throwing a fit, Flo let go of her husband's hand, "Alex, you're such a dick."

"Go on, spin again." The singer instructed once more, not letting on to have her get her way.

But Flo was keeping her ground and saying, "No." to him.

"Alright then I'll do it for you." Alex huffed out, standing from his seat and hovering over the coffee table to spin the bottle. "There you go." He said, letting it spin as he went back to his chair.

Yet, when the bottle stopped, Alex wished he hadn't done that because it landing on "George!" seemed like a much worse outcome.

"Get fucked Alexander." Flo cursed out loud as she stood up, flipping him off right before she grabbed George by the hand.

Nick found it incredibly amusing, his laughter loud as he struggled to say, "You did that to yourself mate."

But someone who also wasn't happy about it was Ella, who called Flo out loud, "You lucky bitch." and it had Miles wheezing out a laugh.

What stopped the laughter was Florence shrugging and offering, "You can join us if you want."

Everyone turned to look at Ella expectantly but a fraction of a second went by before Alex put his two cents into the situation, "You either go in right now or we're playing something else."

"Sorry Ellie." Flo said, very not sorry, and snuck away with a grinning George close behind her into the guest room.

"Do not shag in there!" Jamie thought it would be funny to remind her.

And a defeated Matty was relieved to hear, "Not without my husband, no." come from his wife.

"Fucks sake." Ross muttered under his breath, shaking his head at the gray area that would leave room for happening inside that bedroom.

Matty hurried someone up to, "Start a timer." and thankfully, Bre was quick to pull her phone out and start it for them all.

When she was younger, Ella remembered that in this stage of the game everyone went back to their conversation, drinking and making jokes until someone deemed the seven minutes to have gone already so that they could get whoever was inside the room out. But in that moment, everyone stayed silent, almost holding their breaths as they saw the seconds quickly running by, and trying to hear over the music anything that could be happening.

There were still ten seconds left for the seven minutes to end when Matty stood up and went down the hall to press his ear on the door. Everyone was holding back their laughter as they watched his confused face trying to get any noise, but he couldn't hear a thing.

The ringing of the timer going off startled him off the door but he hurriedly knocked on it to let the pair know, "Time's up! Come out now."

To Matty's relief, the door opened merely a few seconds later and Flo pecked his lips as soon as she saw him.

"How was it?" Matty asked her, intrigue written all over his face.

It wasn't until she came back to the loveseat and sat with Matty beside Ella that Flo let out a dreamy sigh and replied, "Unreal."

Matty rolled his eyes, hugging her to his side, "Stop playing."

And Florence rolled her eyes as well, like it was annoying her that her husband wasn't playing into it so she ended up truthfully letting them all know, "We were just chatting."

Of course Ella wanted to taunt her a bit so she put a confused act up and rhetorically asked, "Is that what the kids call it these days?"

"Ha, ha. Funny." Flo replied meekly to her attempt at a joke and to stop the giggles the American was letting out at her own comment, she quickly chose, "Ella, you're next."

Her giggles turned into a scoff, "Of course I am." and she watched as Flo leaned into the coffee table to spin the bottle.

"Oooo" The room rumbled as everyone watched the glass spinning, and when it almost slowed to a stop right on Flo's place, Matty went in to purposely push it a bit further. His wife hissed out a "Matty n–!" which was cut short when the tip of the bottle ended up stopping pointing right at George, "Oh shit, nevermind."

"Cheers mate." George smugly said, tipping his bottle towards his best mate in thanks.

The girls screeched at the reaction, and they looked expectantly at Ella for hers but she was just reddening by the second with her lips pursed as if she was trying not to show how much she was anticipating whatever was going to happen.

"George is the real winner tonight I reckon." Jamie pointed out, looking from Matty to Alex and gauging the fact that they had almost the same expressions on their faces.

"I really am." The drummer easily agreed. He and Flo had just been chatting about his date with Ella and he had enjoyed hearing a bit of what Ella had said about him so now that he had the opportunity to have her alone again, even if it was for a few minutes, he was fucking buzzing.

He stood up and walked over to Ella, extending his hand out for her to grab, "You ready babe?"

Ella only hummed in response, hand coming up to grasp George's and he took her lack of words to tease her, "Cat got your tongue?"

In all honesty, she was trying really hard not to react with so many eyes on her, so she told him to "Shut up before I change my mind."

But George knew she didn't mean that at all and when he called her out for that by confirming, "You wouldn't." and got more of her silence and evading his eye contact, he was incredibly smug about being right.

Alex died a little when the bottle landed pointing at George, and it continued dying a little more each step that the pair took in order to get to the guest room. He was thankful that the second the door closed and the lock was turned, Matt had started the timer.

It was a nightmare of a situation: knowing exactly what he was feeling about Ella but having obstacles like these coming in front of him actually saying something, plus her going back home across oceans while he was off going around the world. But god did the knowledge of what he felt whenever she looked at him, touched him or spoke to him with that voice of hers did to him, burn him.

Alex had no idea what to do with himself, but the bottles he'd had were threatening to let his lips loose and his thoughts escape him and he didn't know if that would be something to be grateful for or regret later. What he did know in that tipsy mind of his was that he didn't want to ever know what was going on behind that door.

And rightly so, because George had barely done one thing before Ella crashed her lips on his and hungrily kissed him like she'd been dying to for centuries. They were sitting at the edge of bed, a bit of space in between them but their hands reaching out to touch each other as their tongues met. And that space started to shorten as their breaths grew heavier and after she had to reluctantly pull back to take a deep breath, she ended up being guided by his strong hands on her hips to straddle his lap.

They lost track of time as they kissed and the room grew hotter as she rolled her hips on him. Slowly he started getting hard and she could feel it so she got more intent with her movements, keeping her eyes on him as she slowly rolled her clothed core over his hardening cock and making his jaw go slack at the friction.

Ella bit her bottom lip as she watched him struggle to keep the noises to himself and when he finally let a low groan rip through his chest, she whined and nodded in approval. She fucking loved watching him slowly fall apart under her and for her, and how she wished they had the time to go further and have him the way she wanted one more time. Her mouth watered at the thought of even getting to taste him again.

But their lack of awareness on how much time they had already spent inside the room did them dirty and loud knocking startled them out of their lustful state.

"Time's up!" They heard Miles' muffled voice through the wooden door and they sighed in defeat.

She begrudgingly got off George's lap and fixed her hair and clothes as she stood up, offering her hand out for him so she could help him stand up as well. And George did accept, standing up a couple feet away from her but he was clearly sporting a hard-on so he had to drop her hand so he could rearrange himself in order to not make it that obvious.

A loud, "Come on out!" interrupted their peace again but they ignored it. George went onto tuck himself in a way it didn't look that obvious and Ella was just shamelessly gawking at him with her bottom lip trapped between her teeth.

Thankfully, George was done by the time another yell came from the other side of the door, "Oi! Come out, you dirty bastards." this time a bit further away, but Ella opened the door aggressively and was met with Miles who had his fist up as if he had been just about to knock.

"We're out, fucking hell. Impatient crowd." She huffed out with her feet quickly taking her back to the living room, looking straight at her forgotten glass so that making eye contact with anyone in the group broke her and made it evident what had happened.

That only made her look more obvious to everyone though, and so Nick teased her by pointing out, "Ella, looking awfully messy there."

"Oh shut up." She replied with an irritated tone to her voice, still taking her fingers through her hair quickly to fix anything messy just in case.

Flo waited until the director had grabbed her drink, taken a gulp and sat back down beside her to loudly ask, "How was it?"

A question which Ella decided to answer with just an "Alright..." that no one bought.

"More than alright I bet, you're bright red." Breana called her out, the flush to her cheeks going all the way to the tips of her ears and that's how she knew Ella was properly flustered.

"Shush." Was the only thing Ella could think of to attack Breana's statement, but in the midst of avoiding everyone's knowing looks, Ella looked to her right and found a silent grumpy Alex which made her frown, "What's up with you? Why are you so pouty?"

What had just happened with George plus the alcohol that she had ingested had Ella entirely distracted, and that only made Matty want to cackle out loud at the fact that she had just asked Alex that as if it wasn't obvious.

And the urge to laugh grew more intense when Ella leaned into the center of the room so she could softly grip the bottle and said, "Right, Al, you're next. Ready?"

"Yeah." Alex softly answered, not really convinced about the game but participating just for the sake of it.

Ella spinned the bottle and when she went back to her seat, she turned to him with a grimace, "Don't sound so sure there, damn."

"Ooooooooo!!" The group loudly rumbled out in anticipation, Alex's eyes fixed on the spins the bottle did, counting twenty seven until it stopped and the gasps that drowned the room were what snapped him out of his trance.

"Fuck off!" Katie cursed loudly, a hand flying over her mouth as she giggled.

Matt wiggled his eyebrows, "Ella going in for the second time in a row..." as if that was the sole reason for the ruckus.

"Calm down now, y'all are shit stirrers." Ella giggled as she shut them up, but they wouldn't so she just stood up and grabbed Alex's hand to drag him over to the guest room. Not really dragging him, he almost had a skip on his step as she followed behind her.

From her seat, Flo was silently praying this was it and especially when the pair walked in the threshold of the room but before the door could close, Ella called out, "See you in seven minutes!"

Silence was incredibly loud outside, Miles going to the lengths of actually turning the music way down until it was almost silent so that they could pry anything that could be heard through the door or the walls.

But Alex was being quite soft when he asked, "Are you having fun?" like he was scared of sound shattering the invisible glass that surrounded them in the moment.

"Of course I am!" Ella was a bit drunker than him so she struggled as she whisper-shouted. She giggled when Alex's eye went wide at her slightly louder volume compared to his and she lowered her voice down to confess, "Wasn't expecting this."

The singer smiled sweetly at her and in his hazy mind, he needed to make sure once more "D'you like it?"

Her enthusiastic nods made him melt inside, "I do. I'm gonna miss y'all so much." She wrapped her arms around his shoulder to hug him, it was a slightly awkward hug since they were sitting on the edge of the bed next to each other so she turned a bit to the right so she could pull him closer properly.

"I know. M'gonna miss you too." He whispered in her ear, drowning in her scent which made him dizzier, "Loads."

Ella's mind went back to a minute prior so she pulled back to see him as she turned the question onto him, "Are you having fun? You were frowning outside."

Alex didn't fully lie when he replied, "Just don't want to see you go, that's it." because that was also what was bothering him, but she didn't need to know it was because of George and her and how clear it was that something had happened in the very room they were currently in.

"I'll try to come visit again soon." Ella promised with a soft pout on her face, "After tour maybe."

"Would you?" Alex asked elated, a sparkle in his eye at the sheer possibility of having her there again soon—not really that soon but at least it wasn't an uncertain space in time.

She nodded, entirely convinced about it, "Of course, I just need to check my schedule."

Alex chuckled at the way she said it, and played onto it by nodding, "Right, busy girl."

"I am though!" She snorted at his sarcastic remark, "Director now, remember?"

He hummed before he pulled her into his chest, "Yeah, I'm so proud of you."

A kiss was left on the top of her head as she wholeheartedly replied, "Thank you, sweets."

Her face was pressed to his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist and a comfortable silence enveloped them, preserving that warmth between them. They were relishing in the feeling until Ella's thoughts managed their way out past her lips, "I'm gonna miss seeing you every day."

And it wasn't at all a struggle for Alex to agree, "Yeah, me too. But we can video call." He was so fucking glad for technology—that he could barely manage—for making it possible to keep in contact.

"You promise you will when you're free?" Ella pulled back a bit so she could look into his eyes.

"I promise, darling." Alex confirmed, drinking in the never ending beauty of her hazel green eyes.

Ella tilted her head to the side and scrunched her nose as in distaste when she remembered he was a busy guy so she probably wouldn't be able to just go around calling him whenever she wanted so she brought up another request, "I don't want to interrupt you so you'll have to call me okay?"

Alex shook his head at her, chuckling at her train of thought and turning it around to her, "And what if I interrupt?"

She waved his worries off in a heartbeat, "It wouldn't be anything special. It could be just a scene I can record again, whereas I can't interrupt an interview, can I?"

The answer she wanted didn't reach her ears, instead she watched Alex smirk at her and playfully roll his eyes before assuring her, "Yes you can."

"I doubt it'll be cool to interrupt your rockstar schedule, sweets." Ella reminded him like he had forgotten just who he was.

But Alex was well aware and he didn't give a fuck about it if it meant something to do with her, "Trust me when I tell you I wouldn't want anything more."

It earned him another snort of laughter and an almost mocking, "You're such a bad liar."

"Not lying darling." He corrected her with a soft look on his face that just had Ella rolling her eyes in a need for at least a fleeting moment of cutting the eye contact short.

Just saying a blunt, "Sure." when her gaze fell on his again.

They stayed there just trying to read what was behind each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity but it had only been a mere few seconds of silence that Alex broke when he whispered, "You've got really pretty eyes, have I told you that?"

His hot breath hit her slightly parted mouth, "I don't know." She replied breathlessly and in a moment of weakness, she admitted, "I like yours."

The chuckle he let out hit her mouth again, but instead of making her breath shaky, it made her smile so big it reached her eyes. "Mine? You're joking." Alex concluded with a raised eyebrow, challenging her to take it back.

But she would never, she loved the richness of the brown of his eyes and nothing compared to how they glowed a golden honey when they were hit by the light. And just as sticky they caught her and it was hard to get rid of the feeling of them on her, "M'not! They're pretty!"

"Nothing in comparison to yours." Alex stated, and then his eyes dropped to the rest of her face, catching the freckles dusting over the bridge of her nose and her cheeks, "I like your freckles too."

She was about to thank him when his brows furrowed and as she stayed quiet because she was thinking something bad was about to happen, Alex instead let out, "You're so beautiful." with a tone in his voice that sounded slightly pained.

Ella could barely manage the soft, "Thanks sweets." she gave him in return, her throat going dry at the proximity so her tongue came to lick at her bottom lip instinctively.

That was when Alex's gaze dropped further down and fell magnetized on her mouth, and his thoughts left him before he could even process them, "You've got a pretty little mouth too."

Ella snorted at that, "Right."

But instead of taking it back, Alex insisted, "You do."

"It talks loads of shit." Ella tried to joke, raising her brows as if to accentuate the fact.

It earned her a soft giggle from Alex but what Ella wasn't expecting was for him to add, "Yeah? Wonder what else it can do."

Against her better sense, she found herself saying, "Wouldn't you want to know." Her subconscious taking over and letting her heart drive her actions.

Her heart rate started increasing in speed when he replied, "I do, actually."

And all she could even let out was a breathless, "Do you?"

That felt like the perfect moment, Alex felt it all coming to him like a wave of words coming up his throat and ready to spill it all out for her but when he opened his mouth, the endless words tangled on the tip of his tongue and he stuttered, "I–, Ella–"

"Alex?" She was frozen in his arms, not knowing what to do or say but something inside her was screaming and burning and she wanted to let it free.

"I am, I–" Alex struggled again, in his eyes she could see the frustration and through them the cogs turning inside his head.

So she encouraged it with a soft, "Yeah..."

But he couldn't trust his words anymore, and instead he decided to finally do what he had been dying to do since the second their first and only date was over.

He trapped her lips in a kiss and he hummed as he melted into the feeling of her plush lips against his. It was heaven. Her short inhales as they kissed, the way her fingers dug into his clothed skin as they went, the warmth of her flushed skin under his fingertips. His hand had come up to cup her jaw softly and he smiled into the kiss when one of her hands came over it, as if to keep him there.

In that very moment it felt like it all made sense, like everything aligned perfectly and maybe every worry they'd ever had was just a silly thought. It felt so right to feel her like this and it felt so right for him to hold her that way, delicately but firmly. He knew he didn't want to let go and she was slowly coming to that conclusion too.

It was like the shock of it all quickened the rate at which they ran out of air, so she pulled back with her chest heaving and her hand still clutching his to her face, "Was that 'cause we're drunk or did you–?"

Alex cut her question short, thinking a second kiss would be enough of an answer but also just because five seconds had gone by and, after finally having properly kissed her, it felt like long enough to wait until kissing her again.

This time it was like a switch had been flipped and the wholesomeness was exchanged for hunger. Their tongues met instantly and they both hummed in bliss at the feeling, he tasted like beer and she tasted like whiskey. Her other hand came up to the back of his head and up until her fingers could clutch onto the longer strands of his hair, intensifying the neediness of the kiss.

Their lips smacked as they kissed, skin growing hot with every passing second and their hands timidly started to roam.

That was until his fingers harshly dug into the skin of her hip which was slightly exposed from their movement lifting up her shirt a bit, but the feeling of him clutching onto her like that was so good it elicited a soft moan out of her, and from then on it became more desperate.

Right as Alex started leaning forward so that she could lie on the bed with him on top, the absurdly loud and incessant knocking started, "Time's up! Come on out!"

That was Matt's voice they'd heard but somehow more people started yelling out for them to come out that it was a choir of chaotic noises that made them both sigh exasperatedly, "God, they're loud." Ella grimaced, throwing herself back on the bed completely defeated.

Alex sat up straight and stared at the door, wishing his deadly glare went right through it and striked whoever was on the other side of it, "Yeah, obnoxiously loud."

Ella pushed herself off the bed to sit back straight beside him, fixing her hair quickly as she started to say, "We should–"

But Alex interrupted by saying something along the same lines, "Right, we should..."

Yet none of them did anything to get out of the room, instead they started leaning closer until their lips were locked together again and with their eyes closed they enjoyed the few seconds of that kiss.

Which was rudely interrupted by Matt now awfully loudly asking, "Are yous shagging in there?!"

Their lips smacked softly when she pulled away and Alex swore she saw her eyes lit up with rage when she roared a harsh "Shut up Matthew!" at the door, followed by a just as annoyed, "We're coming!"

She stood up quickly, smoothing her clothes as she walked over to the door, and before the drummer could be smart about the joke he was trying to make by twisting the meaning of her words, she opened the door aggressively and spit out a venomous, "You're fucking annoying."

"Did you...?" He tried to ask as she walked past.

"No." Ella replied sternly, turning around to watch Alex—who was coming out of the room and brushing his hair with his fingers—and they shared a look that said they would talk about it later.

Flo narrowed her eyes at them both as they walked up to their seats, "You sure look too flushed to not have." and with her words, came the input of everyone else.

It wasn't only their flustered states but their swollen lips and the almost palpable tension that came with the pair coming out of the room. Ella sighed and continued to deny anything happening, Alex doing the same thing before grabbing Ella's empty glass to get her a refill as he went to get himself a new bottle.

"I'm always blushing, especially if you are taking the piss out of me so..." Ella easily found a way out of it and whilst a few people took it as enough excuse, a fair few didn't.

"I don't buy it." Matt said warily, a look on his face that matched the one on his girlfriend's face, which Ella completely ignored just so she wouldn't get caught in her lie.

"Believe what you want Helders." Alex rolled his eyes at his best mate as he walked back into the room, handing Ella her full glass of whiskey and coke and getting a cute little thanks from her before he smirked at the drummer and turned the tables on him, "In fact, you're next mate."

Alex spun the bottle and sat back down, watching it spin mindlessly because his mind was entirely caught by what had just happened, his heart growing in size in his chest and threatening to make him explode, he was just a mush of emotions at that point.

It was the loud complaints and sorrowful comments that made him look down at the bottle who had stopped and it was pointing at Miles, "Oh no."

Matty cackled, "Miles and Matt are gonna trash your guest room mate."

Ella didn't even let the pair consider it a funny joke for a split second, "You better not, I'm sleeping there later."

"Are you actually?" Matt asked, entirely confused, and Ella was just as confused because he knew she had checked out of her hotel room.

"Yes, where else am I gonna sleep?" She scoffed out, taking a gulp of her drink as if that could help her deal with the man.

And she really had needed it when the drummer shrugged and nonchalantly replied, "Dunno, Alex's bed?"

"Oh, piss off." She flipped him off, and then ushered him out of the room along with Miles with a wave of her hand, "Off you go, you have seven minutes."

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Seven minutes in heaven ended up unleashing a chaos that no one was expecting. It had been hilarious and eventually when things ended after they denied Matt and Breana going into the room after the bottle had landed on the drummer, they had moved onto more conversations and somehow ended up getting a bit of information from George and Ella about their date.

Ella was glad George didn't spill anything non-PG and they just playfully hinted at the rest of their night, keeping to just letting everyone in on where they had gone and how he had taken her around London.

Alex's blood was boiling as he heard it all but he was reassured by Ella resting her hand on his knee and keeping it there as everyone chatted about the newly shared story. And thankfully, Matty and Ross had cackled about a place George had taken her and ended up telling a few of the band's teenage years stories that had everyone creasing.

They all were so entertained that time slipped past them and with it more drinks came until Ella was crashing because of the amount of alcohol she'd had. Breana had already fallen asleep for a bit with her face hidden on the crook of Matt's neck, her legs thrown over his lap; so Ella languidly hugged everyone goodbye, apologizing for going to bed so early—it was almost three in the morning—but her eyes were closing and heading to bed with her best friend sounded amazing.

She got tight hugs and coos from everyone, promises to see her soon and visit her over in LA when time would allow it, and once she managed to escape George's grip—who had hugged her by the waist to his chest and kept her in between his spread legs, leaving kisses on her shoulder and neck—, she got Bre to go with her to the guest room so they could comfortably sleep.

And that was one of the best night's of sleep she'd had. It probably was thanks to the alcohol having dulled her senses enough for everything to feel fuzzy and nice, and how it had helped her fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and Bre's arm was around her waist.

But all the peace she had lingering in her body by her slumber had dissipated like vapor when she opened her eyes and saw the sunlight peeking through the blinds.

Suddenly, the lack of hearing an alarm going off got her springing up from bed in search of her phone. When Ella saw that it was way past eight in the morning, she turned around in a panic and shook her best friend as she whisper-shouted, "Bre! Wake up!"

Breana mumbled something in her sleep, and Ella had to shake her a bit more for the model to finally peel her eyes open and acknowledge her. "Bre, it's eight thirty, we're gonna miss our flight!"

"Oh fuck, we're so late." Bre winced when she saw the time on her own phone, eyes going wide and blinking constantly to wipe the sleep off her face.

Ella ran off to the living room and she was glad to see Matt sleeping on the settee. She came up to him, leaning into him and shaking him softly as she whispered, "Matt! Come on, wake up Matthew."

"What the fuck?" Matt frowned when he opened his eyes and found Ella, looking disheveled and panicked.

Her anxious, "It's half past eight, we're late." was enough explanation for it.

"Fucking hell." He cursed under his breath as he sat up on the settee, rubbing his eyes, "Is Bre awake?"

"Yes." Ella nodded, looking back to the door of the guest room and praying Bre was getting ready as quickly as she could. She wanted to do that as well but asked Matt first, "Can you wake Alex up for me, please?"

And a bit of relief flooded her body when he nodded, "Sure."

With long strides she went back into the guest room and found Breana in a different outfit from the one they had slept in, grabbing her toiletry bag to go to the bathroom and quickly finish getting ready.

Whilst Bre was in there, Ella changed her clothes in record time and ended up knocking on the bathroom door so that she could brush her teeth and wash her face quickly whilst Bre did her own thing.

Breana watched as Ella quickly finished doing that and walked back inside the room, leaving the model to put a bit of makeup on her face while she took the suitcases out of the room and towards the front door.

The next knock on the bathroom door was from Matt, who gave his girlfriend a brief kiss as she walked out and hurried her up to have her things ready so they could leave as soon as possible.

Bre got to where Ella was standing by the door, taking a hurried glance inside the bag she had perched up on her shoulder. And she was stuffing her toiletries bag back inside her suitcase when Ella told her she needed to do something really quickly before they left.

Ella gave Bre no time to ask what on Earth it was that couldn't wait before she was out the door, so she was left making sure she had everything on her and going to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Out on the hallway, Ella was taking quick long strides towards the door to the next flat and silently praying that who she was looking for was home.

She had no idea why she was nervous, maybe it was the mix of fear of losing her flight and the worry about Alice not being in her flat but she was so happy when only a minute after knocking on her door, the singer opened the door and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips seeing Ella standing before her.

A heavy sigh came from Ella seeing her there and with a soft smile she reminded Alice, "I promised I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."

"I'm glad you kept your word." Alice replied, melting at the fact that she'd actually pulled through with it.

"I have these," Ella went through her bag in a second and pulled out the envelope with the pictures she'd taken of Alice, handing them to her, "Thought you'd wanna have them. I have the scans."

She smiled at the Allie x written on top of it and when she opened it, her grin morphed into a smirk, "Oh this is perfect." Alice took one of the pictures out, one of her thighs littered with love bites and Ella's hand gripping her leg tightly, Pure Desire tattoo to the right of the frame, "Just what I needed to remember you by."

"You're a tease." The American girl laughed, her cheeks tinting a subtle pink but glad to see she liked the pictures.

"And you love it." Alice winked at her before putting the picture back in the envelope and opening her arms so Ella could give her a hug. They clutched each other tightly, and Alice whispered in her ear, "Have a good flight Ellie. I'm always a text away, or a phone call away. Whichever you prefer."

Ella hummed in content, "Thank you Allie, so am I." She pulled back, taking a step backwards and willing herself to properly take in the moment before she finally said a soft, "Bye."

"See ya' Ellie." Alice said instead, not wanting it to seem permanent, waving at her as she walked backwards but eventually turned around to head back inside Alex's flat.

Before she could open the door, it opened and there was Alex, followed by Bre and Matt. But just the sight of him made her breath hitch in her throat, the kisses they had shared the night before playing in her mind like a film and she had to fight the urge to throw herself at him and repeat it at least one more time.

There's still time, Ella said to herself. They still had to drive all the way to the airport and she wasn't going to say goodbye until they were in Heathrow Airport.

But time was exactly what they didn't have at that moment. The girls basically threw themselves in the back of Matt's car and the lads all but threw their cases in the boot of the car before getting in the front seats and making a dash for the airport.

Forty minutes it took them to get there and another nerve wracking ten minutes to find a parking spot. Ella didn't know if she could've endured this stress if she wasn't in the company of her friends, because her heart was hammering against her chest under the pressure and her panic was threatening to become worse.

The last thing she needed was to have a panic attack in the middle of the airport.

Though that seemed like a very high chance when she and Bre got to the counter of the airline they were flying and the lady who helped them there told them they needed to rush because the gate was quite far away and they were going to start boarding in approximately thirty minutes.

With their tickets in hand and their carry-on bags rolling beside them, the girls walked back to where Alex and Matt were waiting, but Ella was stressed out to the bones about time ticking, "Fuck, we gotta run Bre."

"I know." The model let out a shaky breath, squeezing her best friend's hand as if to say 'we've got this' and offer her some comfort.

"Guys, we need to run. We're boarding in thirty minutes and our gate is on Terminal B." Ella said sadly, pained that they couldn't even fit five more minutes together before having to say goodbye.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to play those drinking games." Matt winced but ended up laughing at the situation.

Bre chuckled, of course this would happen to them for trusting themselves throwing a party the night before their flight, "It was fun though."

They smiled and nodded in agreement and it was Ella to take the first step into starting the goodbyes. She walked over to Matt and hugged him with a pout on her face, "Bye Matt, I'll see you soon, yeah?"

They swayed a bit and Matt squeezed her tightly before pulling back, "See you soon Ellie, love you lots you little shit."

She giggled at him and she reciprocated as he pressed a brief kiss on her cheek, "Love you too dickhead."

Beside her, Bre was hugging Alex goodbye too and the second that she pulled back and saw her boyfriend ready to kiss her goodbye, the model jumped into Matt's arms.

Ella smiled to herself seeing them, not missing a chance to make a gagging noise when they started kissing which ended up with her getting a middle finger from the couple. That was her cue to stop stalling and turn to see Alex, who was patiently waiting for her to crush him in a hug and she did just that.

She hummed in the embrace, trying to memorize the feeling of him pressed against her the best she could because she knew it would be a while until she got the privilege to feel that again. He was desperate, his brain a tangle of thoughts so messy that left him stupefied when trying to come up with an answer to 'is this the right moment to let her know or should i wait?'.

"We'll video call, yeah?" She said in his ear, one last attempt to properly guarantee they wouldn't stray away from each other.

Alex replied, "Promise." in a heartbeat and with such conviction, not even letting her think he would allow that to happen.

And just to make sure she was covering everything, she pleaded, "Text me when you're free okay?"

"'Course darling." Alex nodded, taking in her scent and praying it somehow managed to stick to his top so it would linger in the cotton of his shirt and he could pretend she was there with him for a while. His heart twisted in his chest, he wanted to be selfish so badly and just ask her to stay with him for longer, racking his brain for an excuse to make that possible but there was none.

He felt himself growing upset, the frustration getting to him and a knot started forming in his throat so he spoke very softly and low when he said, "M'gonna miss you so fucking much."

And it made it so much worse when she agreed, "Me too sweets, too much."

When he pulled away and saw her face, he found her eyes filling up with tears and just that had him tearing up with her. He cupped her face with both hands and his thumbs rubbed softly at her cheeks, "Don't cry darling, please. Late September we'll be back in LA alright?." He had that date marked on his calendar already, and it would be a countdown until that day the second that she walked away from them.

Ella sniffled, "I'll see you then." and offered him a sad smile.

He nodded, leaning in to kiss her forehead and she felt his lips brush against her skin as he said, "It'll come quick, you'll see."

She closed her eyes at the feeling, which she lost once he pulled back to look at her and under his burning gaze, she opened her eyes again. He was going to look for that shade of brownish green of her eyes everywhere he went until he saw her again, just to feel a sliver of what she erupted inside him with her presence.

"Take care, darling." His hands were on her shoulders then, squeezing them softly.

Ella nodded again, taking every word of his to heart like a prayer, "You too, and have lots of fun on tour okay? Keep me updated, I wanna hear it all."

"Definitely." He grinned brightly at her, thinking about how he was sure there wouldn't be a thing that happened on the road that he wouldn't want to share with her. "You'll keep me in on what Los Feliz is looking like, yeah?"

The snort of laughter that came from her filled him up with warmth, and after she promised she would with an enthusiastic, "Absolutely." he pulled her back into his chest and hugged her tightly.

"Love you darling." His hot breath hit just behind her ear and it made her shiver, something he felt with her in his arms and god didn't that reaction make him want to just give her his heart entirely.

He clutched her even tighter when she mumbled, "Love you sweetness." back. The fact that they were existing in borrowed time at that moment completely escaped them, their eyes closed as they relished in each other's touch and presence.

But it was cut short when Bre sighed sadly behind her and reminded her, "We need to go Ellie."

Ella didn't even have the privilege to fight for a few more seconds because they really needed to go, so she broke the embrace with pursed lips in an attempt not to pout and let her chin quiver until she cried and she put on a brave face when she turned around to grab her carry-on case and walked along with Bre.

The girls waved them goodbye once more as they walked to the security line and the lads did the same. They watched as they, thankfully, walked down the line at a decent pace since the line was moving quicker than expected and they didn't leave until they managed to see the girls disappearing past that checkpoint.

It had been pure silence after the girls left, the lads only talking when Matt suggested going for some food and Alex agreed, but apart from that, they just seemed to be in their own heads.

Matt was clearly thinking about how hard it was to say goodbye to his girlfriend and endure a month or so without her whilst on tour until they were back in the States and she could join them on the road.

But Alex wasn't as lucky and he was mourning the missed chances he'd had to speak up. He wanted to hit himself in the head for being an idiot, wasting the time he'd had with her by being jealous and fucking shit up instead of coming clean and actually try and see if anything could happen between them.

He felt like he wanted to call Florence and just cry to her on the phone, let her call her a fucking idiot because that's what he was.

Instead, he kept that turmoil to himself all day. From the second he and Matt sat down at the pub they'd chosen to eat at—they'd gotten a text from Bre and Ella saying they had barely made it into their flight and it was all because first class had taken a bit longer to board, Ella comically saying 'thank fuck for the posh dickheads being late!'—up until the moment he got back home.

It was painful having to walk back into his flat and see the living room in the same state they had left it the night before and the door to his guest bedroom open and showing the messy bed.

He was so out of it at that moment that he just went straight to bed and plopped down on it face down, cursing himself out in his head endlessly until his eyes closed and he fully fell asleep.

Yet, he couldn't really escape. His mind tortured him with dreams of Ella, and despite the feeling of emptiness that swallowed him, he really wouldn't wish for something else.

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A/N: So... it finally happened. Sorry it took this many chapter but really not sorry because this is the way I planned it to be - I did say this would be a slow burn so, you were warned. Now, something I really am apologising for, from the bottom of my heart, is for the fact that after this chapter it might take me longer to update. I had up until this chapter done and ready to post, and even though I have every chapter left in this series meticulously planned out, it's been a little hard finding the time to write it properly lately. I'm so very sorry, life has been getting quite stressful lately and there's a lot in my plate right now but I promise I will do my best to upload as quick as possible. My heart is quite literally breaking as I say this, but I hope you can understand and I hope you know I don't take your patience for granted. Once again, my most sincere apologies for this but I'm also sending you my most heartfelt thank yous for all the time you give this story and the support you show me, it means the absolute world to me and I love y'all very much. Yous are all fucking amazing, hope you have the best weekend! Sending lots of love and truly hope to see you really soon xx

Taglist: @imagine-that-100 @red---moon @kennedy-brooke @faveficz @indierockgirrl @ladydraculasthings @moonvr @unwantedlovergirl @eaglestar31 @nikisfwn @funniestpersoninnyc @andrearroe @justacaliforniandreamer @alexturnersgf69 @yourorganiccigarette

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