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teapartyprincess4two · 3 months

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hi i love ur older sister oneshots. i was wondering if you could write one of the sister and matt? like maybe it’s a flashback of when matt was like 17 or 18 or something or even in the present but he kinda becomes really protective over the sister after seeing one of his friends or maybe influencer friends like flirt with her? he starts like throwing his arm sound her and not letting her leave his sight etc and the sisters just confused because obviously she’s married but matt still can’t help but be protective or maybe this is when matt is in high school i don’t know 😭

Big Sister PT.3- Sturniolo Triplets

pairing: BigSister!Reader x LittleBrother!Triplets

classification: platonic fluff, sibling banter

warning: use of Y/n, slight cursing, mention of jealousy, overprotective brothers, Sam and Colby are in this ofc, short

inspiration: requests^^, Ghost Hunting at Haunted Driscoll Hotel (ft. Sturniolo Triplets)

summary: Your brothers have always been overprotective of you, and they do a good job of showing it while filming with Sam and Colby.

Big Sister PT.1, PT.2

—

“Okay, Y/n and I will share a bed. And you and Matt can share a bed,” Nick instructs pointing between Chris and Matt as you all entered your shared hotel room. He was always so bossy towards the rest of you, feeling no shame in directing every situation.

“Umm no, how about you three share a bed and I sleep all by myself,” you say. You’re only half-joking, this is your the first time away from your husband in a while and the last thing you wanted to do was share a bed with one of your brothers. But, seeing as there’s only two beds, you’re going to have to share with one of them whether you wanted to or not.

“Ew don’t be sassy,” Nick replies, dumping his bags on one of the beds. You roll your eyes, dumping your stuff onto the same bed.

“No, since you don’t wanna share with me get your dirty things off my bed,” Nick says, grabbing your things and throwing them onto the other bed dramatically. Chris and Matt are watching in amusement, you and Nick always managed to get into an argument no matter the situation.

“Me and Matt are sharing, you guys can sleep on the floor,” Chris comments, plopping down on the mattress and kicking his shoes off. The flight from L.A to Texas was exhausting, mostly because he had Nick yapping in his ear about the week’s itinerary. Then Matt wouldn’t stop getting up to use the restroom, the anxiety of flying hitting him like a ton of bricks.

Matt joins him on the bed, kicking his shoes off and propping his feet on your things. “Matt! Get your stinky boy feet off my stuff!” you exclaim, slapping his feet dramatically. He erupts in a fit of laughter, wiggling his toes inside his socks to taunt you. Chris laughs too, joining Matt and rubbing his feet on your bags.

“You two are disgusting,” Nick comments with a small chuckle, grabbing a few things as he heads into the restroom. You pinch Chris’s pinky toe, causing him to yelp in pain and move his feet immediately. You send a warning look towards Matt, ready to pinch him too if he doesn’t stop.

“What? My feet are clean!” Matt protests.

—

The long awaited day has finally arrived, your brothers were collabing with Sam and Colby. At first you were content with watching from the sidelines, only accompanying them because they invited you. But, they were successfully able to persuade you into being a main character for the video. Ever since your appearance on the Cut The Camera podcast, the fans have fallen in love with you. Every time the triplets mention you in a video, their comments are flooded with requests for them to bring you back.

You’ve been a fan of Sam and Colby for as long as you can remember, following them since their days on vine. Also, because you’re close in age with them, you can easily relate to their content. Not to mention that you had the biggest crush on Colby when you first became a fan. Your brothers knew how big of a fan you were, so of course they had to invite you along.

When Sam and Colby mentioned that the filming would be done in the Haunted Driscoll Hotel in Austin, your brothers jumped at the opportunity to invite you, it was the perfect opportunity for you to finally meet two of your favorite content creators. Plus Austin was extremely close to your small town, so the drive wasn’t too long, and you were more than happy to spend some quality time with your three brothers.

The four of you are currently meeting Sam and Colby at a barbecue restaurant near the Driscoll Hotel. First impressions are important, so you’ve dressed your best and even done your makeup. It’s not that you want to impress them, it’s just that you’ve been a fan for so long that you want them to remember you at your best. Your brothers can sense how excited you are, rolling their eyes at your fangirl-like behavior.

You pull up to the restaurant parking lot, an excited expression written all over your face. Matt, who’s sitting in the seat behind the passenger seat, is the first to notice this, “Calm down, buddy.” You couldn’t help it though, you felt like a middle schooler finally getting to meet her favorite celebrity.

“I am calm,” you reply coyly, sending him an annoyed look through the rear view mirror. Chris who’s sitting in the passenger seat speaks as he lowers the radio, “You’re literally squealing like a little girl.”

You scrunch your nose, you don’t like that word it made it sound like you were an animal, “ew don’t say that. It’s weird.”

“Don’t say what?” Nick asks, finally tuning into the conversation.

“Squeal. Chris said I’m ‘squealing,’ “ you do air quotes around the word, each time you say it it sounds more and more cursed. “Cause you literally are. Don’t forget you’re a MARRIED woman,” Matt chimes in, becoming annoyed with your behavior. In reality you weren’t even being weird, you were just excited, your brothers were just making it weird.

You roll your eyes at them, they’re overreacting. Your left hand comes up from your lap, wiggling your ring finger so they could see the diamond ring, “pretty hard to forget.”

Matt’s about to reply, but Nick notices Sam and Colby approaching your vehicle. They’re squinting their eyes, trying to see through the dark tinted windows. “Shush! They’re coming!” Nick exclaims, making a quick hand signal in front of Matt’s face to shut him up. Matt slaps his hand away, “Nick get your hand out of my fucking face.”

Another argument is about to begin, but Nick opens his car door before anything else can be said. The three of you follow suit, joining Nick as he walks towards Sam and Colby. With each step you felt the nerves bubbling up in your stomach, they were really right there! It felt so surreal, it felt like an actual dream.

As the pair walked closer they greeted you all, unafraid and without any hint of awkwardness in their tone. This made it easier to meet them and you couldn’t help but let your hug linger a little too long. Your brothers watched intently, eyes closing in on Colby’s hand’s that wandered too far south for their liking, but they didn’t say anything.

When you all finished eating, the conversation between the group came naturally. Most of the questions were directed towards your brothers, seeing as they were the famous ones, but Colby managed to create a linguistic flow between just the two of you. It was easy to talk to him; you two were close in age and had so much in common because of it.

“So you live in Texas?” Colby asks, his finger pinching his straw so he can stir his drink around. He has a big, cheeky smile on his face as he locks eyes with you, mindlessly flirting with you.

You didn’t even notice he was flirting, you were just so excited to be meeting him. Plus, you weren’t flirting, you were just fangirling. “Yeah, I moved down here not too long ago. I still travel a lot back to Boston and sometimes I’ll go visit them in L.A,” you reply, motion towards your brothers who are deeply immersed in a conversation with Sam.

Colby hums in response, taking a sip of his drink. His eyes are trained on you as he replies, “Which do you like more? Texas, Massachusetts, or California?”

You send him a look of hurt, pretending to be offended by such a difficult question. “How could I ever choose?” you reply playfully, a small laugh following. Each place held a different significance for you and was special in its own way, but you’d definitely choose Massachusetts over anything. It was your home base, the place that you and all your brothers, including Justin, called home.

“C’mon just one,” he teases. His hands inch slowly towards yours that are resting on the table, but you’re too innocent to notice that he’s actively trying to make a move on you.

“Okay, fine. Massachusetts.”

Colby hums in response as his hand finally reaches yours, squeezing it tightly in his firm grip. You look down in shock, finally realizing what he was doing. Your diamond wedding ring was on full display, but even that didn’t stop him.

As soon as Colby’s skin comes in contact with yours, your brothers notice. Their focus goes from their conversation with Sam to the horrific scene on the table. Sam notices the shift in attention and follows their gaze, mentally facepalming at his friend’s boldness. Leave it to Colby to flirt with someone they barely met, someone who is directly related to their soon to be ‘business partners.’

Sam kicks Colby from under the table, trying to signal that he needs to stop whatever he’s doing, “So, should we start heading to the hotel?”

Colby let’s go of your hand reluctantly.

“Yeah we should go,” you say, pulling your hands off the table and into the pocket of your sweater. Your mind was racing, did THE Colby Brock have a crush on you? You look towards your brothers expectantly, hoping they’d chime in so you can leave this awkward situation.

“Okay. We’ll meet you there,” Colby comments, standing from his spot across you and patting Sam on the back, leading him out the door as they briefly wave you all goodbye. He steals one last look at you, a smirk on his face. You all wave back while watching as they walk to their car, waiting until they’re fully inside to talk about what just happened.

Nick is the first to speak, “What the FUCK was that?” His finger motions erratically where your and Colby’s hands were previously intertwined. A disgusted look is etched all over his face. You didn’t even know what just happened, so you don’t respond.

“Did he fucking hold your hand?” Chris asks, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was fighting to keep professional, for some reason it really bothered him that Colby was ballsy enough to pull a move like that on you in front of them.

“I think so. He was just being friendly,” you try to reason, twirling your wedding ring on your finger from under the table. “That was NOT just a friendly interaction, Y/n. He was literally eye fucking you,” Nick comments again, gathering all the trash on the table onto his tray. Your face goes red, had he really been flirting with you?

Matt’s face scrunches in disgust, “Nick don’t say shit like that. It’s fucking weird.”

“What! It’s true!” Nick replies, getting up and tossing his tray in the trash. “Nick just shut the fuck up, you’re being weird,” Chris interjects, sending Nick a warning look. Nick was placing an image in their head that they didn’t want to imagine.

“That’s not true, Nick. He was just trying to include me,” you say, getting up from your seat and throwing your own tray away.

When your brothers had first invited you to be a part of this collaboration you were anxious to enter a hotel surrounded by paranormal activity but excited to meet two of your favorite YouTubers, now you’re just nervous to be around Colby again.

“Yeah trying to include you in his bed,” Nick jokes in a dramatic tone, leading the way back to the car.

“Nick, actually shut the fuck up. I’m going to punch you,” Matt speaks this time. He’s so uncomfortable with this conversation, mainly because you’re his sister and he hates how Nick is talking about you, but also because he doesn’t know whether to take on the roll of the overprotective brother or to let it slide for the sake of the video.

All four of your brothers have been overprotective of you for as long as you can remember. It started with Justin, he’d protect you from bullies at school, stray dogs when you were walking home, and when you got older he began chasing away any boy that got too close. That’s one of the reasons why he completely shut you out when he found out about your relationship with Jack, he felt like he failed as an older brother to protect you and the worst part was that it was with his best friend.

Eventually, when Justin moved away, Matt and Chris assumed the role of protective brothers and would do the same. At first it was cute, just your two little brothers trying to protect you from small things like a scary movie, a stormy day, or a hot pan on the stove. But eventually, as they got older, it turned into them sending dirty looks at any man who looked at you for too long. They might’ve felt this way towards Jack, your husband, if they were aware of your relationship, but because you two kept it a secret for so long it bloomed without the protective watch of your brothers. Once you got married, they felt a sense of responsibility and loyalty towards Jack, wanting to protect you from anything and everyone, especially when Jack wasn’t around to do it. It felt like their duty was to announce to the world, ‘our sister is married and we will fight any guy who comes near her!’

Nick was more laid back about these things, he knew you were fully capable of defending yourself if needed and he honestly didn’t see the big deal in mindless flirting. It’s not like you were constantly flirting with random strangers, it’s just that he knew you were fully capable of taking care of yourself. Plus, as a gay man, he was better able to distinguish between a man who was flirting and a man who was just being polite. Also, growing up you would always give Nick the best boy advice, so he knew you had a good head on your shoulders. But, in this specific case, he was able to tell that Colby was definitely flirting and for some reason he felt a little weird about it too. Sure he was cracking jokes about it, but he still couldn’t help but feel the need to sling an arm around your shoulder and pull you away from any further conversations with Colby.

The drive to the hotel was awkward and quiet, the only sound being Chris’s music over the car stereo. Matt insisted on driving, mumbling something about needing a distraction, earning you a seat in the back. They all knew that as soon as you arrived to the hotel, Colby wouldn’t cease his incessant flirting and they’d be forced to be on guard. This was meant to be a fun, safe hangout, but instead they’re on edge at the thought of a stranger putting the moves on their sister.

Finally you arrive to the hotel, Matt grumbles an almost inaudible “we’re here” before turning the car off and hopping out. You all get off, but as an older sister you can’t let them go in there in a bad mood, it would ruin the fun and definitely wouldn’t look good on camera, “wait guys, come here.” They were walking up to the hotel already, but stop in their tracks to join you in a quick group huddle.

“Let’s get rid of all this nasty, bad energy,” you instruct, pretending to dust the bad energy off and throw it away.

You always used to do this with them growing up, especially on days when you had to drive them to school and they would let their sour moods ruin their morning. Nick and Chris look at you with goofy smiles, reminiscing on childhood memories of you cheering them up before school.

“That’s so embarrassing, I’m not doing that,” Nick laughs, watching as you begin doing a small dance to get rid of even more bad energy. Chris, who’s unashamed to partake in anything, immediately copies you. He’s doing a random, silly dance that puts a smile on his face right away, washing away any previous lingering ill feelings towards Colby. “Chris you’re actually insane,” Nick laughs again, watching as Chris twirls his arms and kicks his feet.

“It’s working though, all my bad energy is gone,” Chris comments with a laugh, using his arms to figuratively push the bad energy off of him. Nick decides to join, stomping his feet loudly on the floor before hooting, “Oh yeah! Woohoo!”

At this point you, Nick and Chris are dancing around Matt like crazy people and he’s trying his hardest not to laugh. He holds a tight lipped smile, his head tilted upward and away from you all. “Come on Matt, let those bad energies go,” you tease, poking his sides. He’s pretty unrelenting, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of any wandering eyes. Chris and Nick join you in encouraging Matt and after a while he finally gives in, doing his signature double dutch move, a stank face forming on his face.

“Yeah Matt! Get in to it!” Chris exclaims, hyping his brother up.

The vibes are completely different now, going from dark and moody to light and playful. “Okay guys, let’s forget about whatever happened at the restaurant and just try to have fun,” you say, smiling at your three brothers. The last thing you wanted was to ruin their chance at an awesome collaboration.

They hum in unison, the four of you walking up to the hotel, mentally preparing for the night ahead.

—

The hotel was eery, if you would’ve come alone you might’ve been more scared, but your brothers are here which makes it less scary. The tour guide walks you through the most haunted areas of the hotel, explaining its backstory in great detail as you all joked around. Throughout the tour Colby kept sneaking subtle glances at you, brushing past you, leading you into rooms with a hand on the small of your back, and directing many of his questions your way. Of course your brothers noticed, but the cameras were rolling so there wasn’t much they could do.

The room you all are currently exploring is lined from wall to wall with mirrors, Sam and Colby explain how each pair of mirrors is rumored to create a vortex to an alternate dimension. The guide explains that the mirrors were a gift from a man who used to live in the hotel for his beautiful wife Carlotta. Colby is quick to comment, “If she looks anything like Y/n, she must’ve been gorgeous.” Sam, who’s holding the camera, pans it towards you to catch your reaction. All you can manage to do is smile awkwardly and mutter a small, “thanks.”

Matt, who still held some resentment from earlier, instinctively slings an arm over your shoulder and pulls you into him. Chris stands closer to you too, trying to remind Colby that even if he did find you beautiful, you were still their sister.

After a while, the tour guide leaves and lets you guys examine the mirrors in further detail. They’re so beautiful and intricate, if they weren’t so expensive you might ask for one in your own home. Matt still holds you close, the four of you walking in a group around the room.

“I love these mirrors,” you whisper to your brothers, brushing your fingers on the delicate, ornate designs of the frames.

“I bet Jack would’ve loved them too,” Nick comments slyly, raising his voice a little to ensure that Colby hears him. Sam pans the camera to him, “Who’s Jack? Is that like another one of your brothers?”

You’re so embarrassed you want to shrink into the floor, disappear into thin air, maybe even fall through the floor and into the core of the Earth. “Yeah, our brother in law,” Matt replies, pulling you in even closer to his side.

“Oh cool, so like another sister’s husband? Or… Nick, are you married?” Colby asks, completely obviously. He looks between you and your brothers, trying to decipher who Jack was to you all. Sam, who understood from the get go what Matt was getting at, wants to facepalm at his friend’s stupidity.

“What? No. Y/n’s husband,” Nick replies, pointing at you.

“Oh… Ohhhhh,” Colby’s face flushed a bright shade of red when he realizes that you’re married. You send him an apologetic smile, both for not telling him earlier and because your brothers were being so embarrassing.

For the rest of the night Colby keeps his distance and even apologizes to you off camera. He makes a comment along the lines of, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. That doesn’t make you any less beautiful though.” You accept his apology, thank him and Sam for inviting you, and gush slightly about how long you’ve been a fan. Colby makes sure to apologize to your brothers too, he didn’t mean any disrespect with his flirting, but he still feels the need to make amends. Chris and Nick are quick to forgive, but Matt takes a little more convincing.

Overall, you guys had a lot of fun despite Colby’s flirtatiousness and they’d actually love to collab with them again.

—

On the way back to the hotel you can’t help but comment on their behavior, “you know I didn’t need you guys to speak up for me, right?” Your eyes are trained on the road, hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.

“Mhm sure,” Chris replies from the passenger seat, scrolling on his phone and working towards tuning you out. They defended you and protected your honor, why were you getting I pset?

“Sometimes we can’t help it. We see something we don’t like and we just wanna body slam everyone to the ground,” Nick replies jokingly, looking at you through the rearview mirror. He’s hoping that you’ll laugh, or even crack a joke in return, but you just keep your eyes trained on the road. That’s when he realizes you’re actually bothered.

“Okay, but it was a bit much. Matt with his arm over my shoulder, Chris standing in front of me like some type of guard dog, and then you making snarky comments.”

Nick rolls his eyes, his comments weren’t that snarky. Chris finally looks up from his phone, “did you just call me a dog?” You side eye him, holding in your laughter.

“Should we just let a guy be creepy next time?” Matt asks, watching as you pick at the steering wheel.

“It wasn’t just some guy though, it was THE Colby Brock.”

“Doesn’t matter, he was still being creepy,” Matt’s response is quick. He was usually quiet and reserved, but when he knew he was right he didn’t back down. “Whatever,” you grumble, there’s no point in arguing with someone who thinks they’re right no matter what you say. Especially when that person is Matt.

The car goes quiet for a while, the hum of the engine being the only buffer between you and the awkward silence. Chris is still thinking long and hard though, had you really compared him to a dog? He couldn’t decide if he found it cool or if he was offended.

“Did you call me a dog?!” Chris exclaims, breaking the silence abruptly and earning a round of laughter from the rest of you. No matter what, you and your brothers always bounced back, you could never be mad at each other for too long.

—

MASTERLIST

A/n: Thank you for the requests! This sat in my drafts for a while because I wasn’t sure what direction to take it in, but after watching the Triplet’s collab w/ Sam and Colby, this felt fitting.

Also this was so odd to write because MY name is Sam so I kept getting tripped out lolol

I’m writing other requests and stories at the moment, but when I finish those I’ll come back and write in the whole shopping trip vlog into this ✨BIG SISTER LORE✨

Hope you enjoy. Luv youuu!! Kk bye thanksss

-L.A.M.B👼🏻💗

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sturniolos-blog · 4 months

Text

In trouble again? - Sturniolo little sister oneshot

warnings - swearing, fluff, arguing

—————————

Quick backstory behind this oneshot:

When Y/n was 14, her 19 year old older triplet brothers moved to LA. Upsetting her for a while, hard not seeing them around the house.

But after a lot of convincing, when Y/n turned 15, Marylou and Jimmy agreed to let her move in with them.

Obviously, nick, chris, and matt were okay with it.

You may wonder how a girl fit in with three boys, well it was easy for her.

Nick was the one she’d go too for boys, about her period (since he bought her pads and what she needed when she was on it), she'd go to Nick about a breakup, literally about anything that Matt and Chris would freak out about if she told them.

Then Chris was the one she’d go to if she needed too laugh, needed a hug, (chris gives really good ones), He always found a way too make her laugh, even when she was crying. Although when y/n was crying chris usually got emotional with her, so they cried and laughed together.

Now Matt, matt was the one she’d go too for a lot of things. Anxiety was a big one, she had a lot, so she usually asked for tips and stuff. Y/n also gets frustrated, annoyed, anything negative really easily, (like matt) so she usually went to Matt to calm down and take a breath. Y/n also usually slept with Matt, much like chris she hated sleeping alone, so she usually slept with, matt, but occasionally with math and chris because chris was usually found in matt’s bed.

Y/n also gets in trouble at school a lot! (Bad y/n)

—————————

2:03pm

I walked inside my house with yet another write up i got this week, it's only thursday and this is my third write up this week, (new record by the way) this time was for yelling at my math teacher how she didn't know how to teach. She seriously doesn't because if she did would not have a D- in her class right now.

"Is anyone home?" I yelled out, kicking my shoes off and throwing my bag down.

I see Nick walk downstairs, "Hey y/n!" He says cheerfully, "Matt and Chris went to return the jeans you didn't like and Chris wanted to go to get a new sweatshirt or something." Nick smiled before his eyes trail down to my hand. He let's out a sigh, "Y/n...Please tell me.." He trails off, his voice filled with disapointment.

I look down at the paper too, "Umm.." I clear my throat, "Sorry I thought they would've called or at least texted you guys already. My bad. Now can you please sign it before Matt gets home?" I pleaded, handing the paper to Nick for him to sign. Matt was the worst one for when i got in trouble, he changes a lot. He's like all sweet and then his face gets red with anger. It's scary.

Nick took the paper and grabbed a pen from the kitchen table, "I'll sign it, but they took Matt's number down. So there is no doubt he got that call or text." Nick says, signing the paper with his signature like it said too do. I let out a groan as nicks eyes glanced over the quick explanation of what happened.

"You went off on your math teacher?" Nick scoffed.

"I already told Ms.Reel I don't play! She kept testing me, literally and figuratively. She tried givin' me a pop quiz like I was 'bouta do all that. Yeah no thanks." I defended. Grabbing a water from the fridge and sitting down at the island.

"What exactly did you say, n/n?" Nick asked, giving me the now signed paper.

"All i said was, 'I'm not doing this.' and when she asked why I said 'because why would i take a pop quiz from a teacher that teaches like she graduated at the university of nowhere.' and when she told me to go to the office i said, 'gladly, i'd rather have 6 months of detention then ever come back too this bootlegged not teachin us nothin' classroom. And then i got kicked out." I explained.

Matt signed the one i got on monday for going off on a girl for making fun of my friend. He told me it was okay and that i was sticking up for somebody i cared about.

The one i got on tuesday was for walking out of the classroom when my science teacher didn’t let me go to the bathroom but let a boy out when he asked. Chris signed that one for me, Matt found out about it, i didn’t know they had his number, he was upset but he said as long as i didn’t get another one it’s fine.

So after this one i am definitely getting yelled at by Matt.

The front door opens and i hear muttering, sounding like bickering.

“Wait, i left my jacket in the car, can you go get it?” I hear Chris ask Matt.

I then hear Matt mutter something along the lines of, “You fucking idiot” before walking away.

Chris then speed walks into the kitchen, “Y/n, you seriously messed up. Matt was already in a bad mood since he woke up, and then at the mall workers were giving him shit for trying to return your jeans without the tags on them, and then he got a call about how you got in trouble. So you’re actually fucked.”

My eyes widened, “Um- yeah i’m just gonna go up-” I start to walk away but bump into Matt.

“Just the person i was looking for!” Matt says. sarcastically, his arms crossing as he stands in front of me.

“Go sit, now.” He demands. I rub my forehead and nod, sitting at the kitchen table.

Matt sits down next to me and grabs the write up slip, “Nick signed it already? That’s great.” Matt continues with the sarcasm.

“Don’t bring me into this!” Nick puts his hands up in defense as him and Chris are watching us.

Matt then gives nick and chris a look that makes them both go to their rooms.

Great.

I take a breath in before starting to talk as Matt reads the write up slip, “So on a scale of 1-10 how mad-”

“Don’t even finish that sentence, y/n.” He grits out.

I nod and bite my lip, i’m really fucking scared.

“You can’t- why would you- who even- where- what- the fuck!?” Matt stutters.

“I don’t even know what to say, y/n! This is the third one this week! It’s thursday! There are only five days in a school week! It shouldn’t be this hard to stay out of trouble!” Matt yells.

“I’m sorry i just-” I get cut off.

“No! You don’t just do anything, you can’t just do something like this and keep getting away with it. You don’t need to be acting like this.” Matt says, putting his head in his hands.

“I also don’t need your opinion, i mean why are you even getting so mad? Nick and Chris don’t care this much.” I say, nice going y/n.

Matt scoffs. “Go to your room.”

“But-”

“Now!” He yells.

“Whatever!” I scoff and get up, literally stomping to my room.

—————————

10:16pm

It’s been 8 whole hours since i last talked to Matt.

Which was crazy, Nick and Chris came in to ask me how i was doing but i just shrugged, i got to keep my phone so i was doing alright.

I get another knock on my door, expecting it to be Matt, i quickly say, “Come in!” But it’s Chris. I love him but i lay back down, scrolling on my phone.

He walks up and sits on my bed, rubbing my shoulder.

“I think you should talk to Matt.” Chris says, his voice soft and welcoming.

“He doesn’t wanna talk to me. He’s made it clear, we haven’t talked since the argument.” I sniffle, i was so upset.

“He does wanna talk to you, but he’s stubborn also, so he is not gonna be the first one to say something. If you go and apologize, and really mean it, like not just go in there because i told you too, then he will appreciate it and say sorry too. I promise.” Chris says as i sit up.

I put my pinky out, “Pinky promise?” I whisper.

He interlocks our pinkies, “Pinky promise.” He confirms.

I nod as he leaves my room, about 5 minutes pass and i decide to get up too.

I knock on Matt’s door, I hear some shuffling before the door starts to open, “Nick how many times-” Matt starts but stops when he sees me.

“N/n.” He says, his voice was much softer.

“Matt- i’m so sorry for getting in trouble and i’m sorry for saying that you get too and and it’s just schools been really hard and i hate it and everyone’s annoying and i don’t know what to do and i-” I sob but get cut off when Matt pulls me in for a tight hug.

“Okay, calm down baby.” He whispers, his fingers going through my hair.

I sob into his chest, that’s all it was. Stress and being overwhelmed.

“Shh..” Matt hushed, bringing me into his room with his arms still wrapped around me, kicking the door shut with his foot and bringing me to sit down on his bed.

“Y/n, listen.” He pulls away from the hug.

“You’re right, i have been harsher than normal, but that’s only because i want you to succeed, you’re in highschool! You are growing up so fast and i want the best for you. And i’m sorry that i’m not the fun one all the time. I’ll try, but if i try you have to promise that you will too, and if you’re ever feeling upset or down that you’ll talk to me.” Matt comforts.

I nod and wipe my nose with my sleeve.

“Can i sleep in here tonight?” I ask.

Matt laughs, “Of course you can.”

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why is this literally the most basic thing i’ve ever written oh lord goodbye idk what happened with me today but im just gonna start dad matt tmr and it will either be done tmr or thursday (i pinky promise) hope yall enjoy this one!

#matt sturniolo #chris sturniolo #nick sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #christopher sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #spotify #sturniolo #littlesister

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epigstolary · 5 months

Text

Real Talk

TW: Medical fatphobia, health issues, fat shaming, toxic masculinity

Dude, you say you want me to help you, but you’re going to have to get serious if you really want to start losing weight. I’m a trainer, not a miracle worker. I mean, look at you; you know your body’s fucking disgusting, right? You let yourself get so huge that even your fat guy clothes can’t hide your belly anymore. Every inch of you is covered in blubber. Everywhere you look. And you have to push all that fat around every time you want to walk or move. It’s so gross watching you try to go anywhere. You’re just waddling around under hundreds of pounds of fat, wheezing like you just ran a marathon. Like… people aren’t supposed to get to the size that you have. And don’t give me that “health at any size” bullshit. You’ve got to have some serious problems to get this big and think it’s ok. Nobody your size is healthy. Your body’s a fucking disgrace, tubbo.

You gotta realize just how bad being this fat is for you, right? Think about it. All that fat’s wrapping around your organs. Either they work harder, or they just quit working. Your joints are getting annihilated having to move all that extra weight around. Your heart’s having to work so much harder just to do its thing because you’re so fucking big. Your body’s not supposed to work like that. It feels like it’s under attack 24/7 — because it is — so you’ve got anxiety, you’ve got inflammation, your hormones are all out of wack. Your body chemistry is basically fucked once you get fat. And fucking forget about it when you weigh as much as three normal people, like your flabby ass does.

Not that you seem to care, since you pay zero attention to your diet. It’s just fucking scary, bro. I’ve seen you pound an entire pizza or a bag of burgers and be ready for more. And that’s just, like, a regular lunch for you. There’s so much saturated fat and sugar in all the shit you eat for every meal, it blows my mind that you’re even able to function. Where do you think that shit goes after you cram it down your throat, meal after meal? It’s blowing up your body even fatter. It’s clogging up those arteries to make that overworked heart work even harder. It’s running through all the insulin your body tries to pump out so that it can deal with the abuse you put it through. I bet if I went through your kitchen right now, I couldn’t find one goddamn vegetable — all sweets, and takeout, and chips, and junk food, am I right? Yeah, you love kicking back on the sofa and working through a big pile of garbage like that, don’t you, fatass? I bet you sit there just belly out, crumbs and shit all over your tits, like a big fucking blob, huh?

Keep eating like that, and you don’t have a fucking chance. You’re just gonna keep blowing up until you finally have the fucking big one. That shit is so, SO bad for you. You want to not be a total embarrassment, fatty? You’re gonna have to throw the snack cakes in the garbage. You’re gonna have to cook stuff that’s not loaded with butter or grease or sugar. You’re gonna have to eat something green that grows in the ground every once in a while. And yeah, you’re probably going to feel like shit for a while because your body’s used to getting fed lard nonstop all the fucking time. But you gotta get a little self-control. The whole reason why you look like a fucking enormous cow, why you’ve got that belly packed full of fat fucking garbage, is that you’ve never had any.

I guess what I can’t figure out is, why the fuck did you do this to yourself? It’s so much harder to make it through life when you’re this fucking heavy. You can’t even go anywhere or do anything because you’re too fat to leave the house. Everyone you meet has to be shocked at what a lardass you are. Nobody who sees your disgustingly obese body is gonna want to fuck you, except the fucking weirdos who get off on that shit. Maybe that’s who you have to settle for, since there’s no way you’re reaching your dick with all that fat in the way. God, I can’t even imagine letting myself get too fat to be able to fuck. That’s so fucking gross, bro.

Like, look at me. Look at this rock-hard bicep next to that big flabby fucking water wing of an arm you have. Look at these abs next to you and that belly hanging down to your knees. It doesn’t even have a fucking shape. Look at these tight glutes next to that wide, wobbling, fat ass you’ve gotten from sitting in front of the tv stuffing your fat face for years. With a body like this, I can fuck anyone I want. How do you think that same hookup’s gonna go for you, huh? Nobody out there’s going home with a pile of jello like you You’re going home, alone, to try and figure out a way to get yourself off.

And dude, I’m not saying all this just to shit on you. I’m worried about you. It sucks to see my bro blow up into a fucking whale and get all mopey ‘cause he can’t get any ass. But you need someone to be real with you. Someone’s gotta tell you how much of a fatass you are, and how much of a fatass you’re gonna be until you get to the gym and shut this fast food and shit down. You can’t blame anyone but yourself for how you got this way. Keep complaining, and you’re going to keep being a gross fatty. You’re gonna have to go out, get some fucking exercise, and deal with being embarrassed at being the fattest guy at the gym until you’ve put in the work to fix it.

Trust me, bro, you’ll thank me later.

#feeder fiction #gainerfiction #ssbhm #weight gain fiction #wg fiction #extreme weight gain #wg story #gaining #gainer stories

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gretavangroupie · 4 days

Text

The Ripe and The Ruin (Chapter 6)

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x Reader, OC x Reader

Word Count: 15.1k

Warnings: Language, Alcohol, Smoking, Angst, Anxiety, Allusions to Cheating, Lying, Jealousy, Sexual Themes, Kissing, Unprotected Sex.

Find the Playlist Here: Apple Music | Spotify

A new series in collaboration with my talented co-writer @gretavanmoon.

A/N: Thanks so much for waiting for us while we took our little break. We had the absolute best time at our shows. We plotted and schemed most of the week and there really is quite a bit of exciting new things on the horizon, so keep your eyes peeled.

"Like all good fruit, the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin."

PARIS, FRANCE

JAKE POV

The sound of the heat kicking on wakes you from your sleep, your heavy eyelids forcing themselves open to a blur of darkness. You drag your hand over your face, rubbing at your tired eyes as you turn to your side ready to pull her close, only to find the bed empty. You blink away the blurriness quickly, finding the place she once was, cold.

You snap your head to the side to glance at the clock, finding it to be a little earlier than you expected. Where did she go? Had she left? You look around the room and see that her things are gone, snatching your phone from the nightstand when you realize she really did leave. You quickly unlock the screen seeing a myriad of messages and missed calls from Isla, but much to your dismay, there was nothing from Y/N.

Your mind immediately starts to race. Did she sneak out? Did Sam’s drunken rambling scare her away? You curse yourself for even letting him into the room in the first place. You throw yourself back down onto the pillows, your brain frantically searching for some kind of answer. Your thumb taps on Josh’s contact, the line ringing out before you even knew what was happening.

“Hello?” he answers, sounding far too chipper for the early hour.

“Hey,” you pause, “You busy?”

“Hmmm…Not at the moment,” he answers, sounding intrigued.

“Come to my room,” you ask, your voice still tired.

You hear him huff a laugh from the other end of the phone, “Be there in a sec.”

You end the call and toss your phone onto the nightstand as you stand to pull yourself out of bed. You dig through your suitcase for a pair of sweats, pulling them over your legs just as you hear a knock at the door.

You blow out a breath as you walk to the door, shaking your head as you twist the lock. As you pull it open you see Josh leaning on the wall across from the door, pushing off as you wave him inside.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this early morning chat?” he asks smugly.

“I just need to you to sit down and listen to me and tell me I didn’t fuck this up,” you say, pointing to the bed. He raises his eyebrows at your assertiveness, quickly complying and taking a seat on the edge of your bed.

“Oh, did you tell her finally?” he asks, crossing his leg over his knee.

“No, I mean, I didn’t say anything but– Sam and his big fucking mouth…He barged in here last night drunk as fuck, rambling on about Lyla and shit, asking about Isla and what was going on there, meanwhile I had Y/N in here, and since we haven’t really told anyone what we are doing I kinda… made her hide in the bathroom. I tried to get Sam out of here but he wouldn’t stop talking, and fuck I just got know she heard all the shit he said,” you pause, pacing around the room. “After he left she asked me if there was something I needed to tell her.”

“And you said?”

“I– I panicked, I don’t know! I said no! I said it was just work stuff…I know I should have told her, but we had just had the most amazing–”

“You said no?!” he shouts.

You furrow your brows in shame as you look at him, “Yeah…”

“Jake, you massive fuck up,” he scolds, shaking his head. “So not only did you hide her in the bathroom, you also lied to her face.”

“Well it sounds really fucking bad when you say it like that,” you counter, throwing your hands into the air.

“Okay, well which part of it is untrue, Jacob?”

“This is bullshit,” you growl, kicking your foot against the floor.

“You thought she would be totally cool hiding in the bathroom? You didn’t think she was going to get a little bit suspicious? I know I'm the smarter twin but you can’t honestly be that stupid, right?”

“What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t let Sam see her without it causing a whole new shit storm with Isla! I did everything I could to get him out of here, but he just kept talking. Thank god he didn’t mention Isla by name, but Y/N is smart and I know she picked up on everything he was saying. I could see it all over her face. She stayed after but, I just woke up and she was gone,” you continue.

He nods his head as he takes in everything you’re saying, a redness in his cheeks as his underlying anger bubbles to the surface. Your phone begins to buzz on the nightstand, snapping both of your attention. You rush over to it to see if it’s Y/N, but again, it’s Isla. You silence the call and toss it back to the nightstand returning to stand in front of Josh.

“Let me guess, it’s Isla?”

“She won’t fucking stop,” you answer nodding.

“I told you to tell her a fucking week ago, Jake,” he snaps.

“How the fuck do you tell someone that? Like, ‘hey, I have a crazy ex who blows up my phone day and night, but oh, also she lives in my house and even though I have broken it off with her several times she keeps clawing her way back into my life and thinks we are still together’? Yeah, I’m not doing all of that.”

“No, that’s exactly what you do. You lay every single nitty gritty detail out on the line for her, and you tell her that you have baggage, and that you are trying to deal with it as gently as possible. You leave the decision in her hands. You don’t lie to her and tell her it’s nothing, when it very much is something,” he says through gritted teeth.

“Well, it’s a little late for that now dont you think?” you snap, “How do I fix it, now.”

“Have you heard from her?” he asks, pushing himself up off the bed.

“No,” you answer quietly. “I didn’t even know she left.”

“Fuck, Jake…” he sighs, running his fingers over his chin as he thinks.

“I think you have two options,” he pauses, giving you a serious look. “You either do what I told you to do a long time ago, or you play it off like absolutely nothing is wrong.”

You raise your eyebrows in surprise, not expecting the second option. “Yeah? You think…you think that would work?”

He sighs and shakes his head, “I think it’s a terrible idea, but yeah I think it could work. Though my vote is for the first option.”

“I just feel like it’s not her business to know about the shit with Isla,” you counter.

“If you are sleeping with her, it’s her business Jake, goddamn.”

“I would disagree,” you say, crossing your arms over your chest.

He shakes his head and purses his lips in anger, “You know what? I think you just wanted me to tell you what you want to hear to patch up your wounded ego. I don’t think you have any interest in doing the right thing at all, do you Jake?” he pauses, walking over to the door. “You need to get your shit straight, man. If I were you, I would take my advice and do the right thing before this all blows up in your face.”

He slams the door behind himself as you stand staring at it, anger pouring off of you. You know he’s right, no matter how hard of a pill it is to swallow. You could see the disappointment in his eyes, the look cutting you to your core. You turn and head into the bathroom, turning on the shower and letting the steam fill the bathroom. You knew you fucked up, not only was she mad at you, but so was Josh, and right now you couldn’t think of anything worse.

You walk back into the room, grabbing your phone from the nightstand and seeing Isla’s missed call. You let out a sigh as you swipe past it, hitting Y/N’s contact instead. The call rings for a few seconds before going to her voicemail and you feel your heart drop into your stomach. You decide a text might be better and quickly type and retype your message until you’re happy with it. In that moment you make the choice to pretend like nothing is wrong, going against Josh’s advice yet again.

You

9:19AM: Where did you run off to this morning?

You toss the phone onto the bed and strip out of your clothes, knowing that the shower is hot and waiting for you and wondering if the plans the two of you made for the day still stand.

—

HER POV

Earlier That Morning

You’d spent the first hour of your morning in complete darkness, refusing to open the heavy curtains of your hotel room until you were ready to be gone. You’d barely slept the night before, tossing and turning as you fought the thoughts that plagued your mind. It didn’t help that Jake’s phone had been going off all night long, illuminating the dark room with a pale blue tint after each vibrate you heard.

Someone really wanted to talk to him.

You could still hear Sam’s words replaying in your mind, your stomach dropping as each fleeting memory makes its way to the forefront of your mind to throw more confusion into the mix. It feels impossible to stifle them. You step out of a particularly hot shower, still proud of the fact that you’d managed to sneak out of Jake’s bed this morning without waking him.

You run a towel through your hair as you wipe off the fogged mirror, unable to truly look at your own reflection without feeling a fucked up sense of shame. Jake didn’t deserve a formal goodbye after what happened last night. Your gut is screaming at you, heeding warnings that something isn’t right… so you stand firm in your decision to leave him alone in his bed this morning.

You hadn’t even bothered to look at your phone yet, knowing that today is a free day, and you likely will have little to no obligations. You wrap your hair up in the fluffy towel and make your way back out to your suitcase to grab your phone charger. As it powers back to life from its dangerously low battery, you notice a singular text from just a little while ago.

Paul

6:06AM: Hey! Call when you wake up, no hurry

The clock is nearing 8, so you stay wrapped up in your towel, falling under the covers as you listen to his tone ring out.

“Goodmorning!” Paul’s chipper greeting almost irks you.

“Morning!” you respond with a fake lilt.

“Hey, got a little assignment for you today, it isn’t much and shouldn’t take you very long, but the job itself might be a little bit of a pain in the ass. Crew is already running low on water, so I had some ordered and need you to go and pick it up,” he explains.

Your face contorts up at the thought of having to load multiple cases of bottled water into whatever vehicle you’re provided with.

“I know it’s an off day, but Murph is going to go with you… I know it will be a lot of heavy lifting so I figured he would be the best man for the job,” Paul went on, referencing Murph’s rather toned and muscular stature.

Fuck. A solo assignment with just Murph? Enough to make you want to skip out on breakfast…

“Oh, okay! I can do that, no big deal. Are you sure Murph isn’t too busy? I could ask one of the others–”

“No, I’ve already spoken with him. He should be ready and waiting for you about ten o’clock,” Paul goes on. “Just load it back into the craft supply truck when you guys get back. Thanks again, Y/N! I’ll text you the address of the place.”

“Will do. Talk to you later.” You hang up the phone and pull the heavy blankets over your head, feeling ten thousand emotions flood you at once. Murph gives you a nervous energy, something about being in his presence makes your body swell with childlike giddiness. And on the other hand, the tumultuous pool of uncertainty that you’ve been thrust into with Jake has left you feeling drained and disheartened, and you don’t even have any explanation yet.

You’re miffed at him. Miffed as fuck. His own brother drunkenly asked him how he was handling being away for this long. You’re no scientist, but you know how to pick up on cues and connect dots, and you absolutely know when someone is lying to you. The more time you spend stewing, the more angry you become. This is most definitely not what you need right now.

You stay buried under the covers for a long while, your hair still piled and wrapped in the damp towel on your head. You close your eyes, thinking over everything again, vowing to stay right here in bed until the last possible second before you have to leave. A quiet knock on your door startles you from your cozy cave, and you know for a fact that Jake has come to your room since you decided to sneak out this morning. You whip the blankets back, quietly rushing to the peephole to prepare yourself to pretend you aren’t in the room.

But it isn’t Jake.

It’s Murph.

A surge of nerves overtake your half-clothed body, and you mumble a silent ‘oh my gooooooddddd’ as you decide what to do. You flick your hand out as your eyes pace around the room, one hand clutching the towel between your breasts. What would Ruth do?

Ruth would answer the door.

Your hand turns the heavy metal lever, pulling the door open only six inches or so. You’re met with a completely surprised Murph, leaning his head away and covering his eyes when he realizes he’s almost caught you in your birthday suit.

“Shit! I’m sorry, I was just coming by to make sure… I–I can wait for you downstairs–” he scrambles, and you witness his normal tough exterior fall all to pieces as his cheeks turn pink with embarrassment.

“No no! I’m sorry!” you cry, pulling the door closed just a little bit. “It’s no big deal…”

He grins hard as he runs a hand over his face, approaching the door again and leaning one hand on the frame. “I just… came by to make sure Paul had talked with you, didn’t want you to oversleep or…” his hand nervously falls to his hip as he regains his composure, his body obviously wracked with uneasiness. He’s cute this way…

You take a page from Ruth’s book again, pulling the towel that sat on top of your head off, letting your wet hair flow over your shoulders. His eyes grow ten times in size, but only for a second.

“Yes, Paul called. And I’m awake,” you reply sheepishly, lowering your head to look at him through your lashes.

“Okay, yeah. Good. I’ll uh, meet you downstairs at ten?” he asks through an anxious breath and swallow.

You bite your cheeks in and nod, twirling a piece of wet hair around your finger. “Mhmm, I’ll be there…” You watch his eyes as he tries his best to avoid eye contact with you, or more yet, your half-naked body.

“Okay, good. I’ll–I’ll see you then,” he says as he quickly turns and makes his way back down to the elevator.

You rush back to climb under the warmth of the covers as you giddily kick your feet underneath them, knowing all too well that you just managed to get a big burly security guard flustered by hardly doing anything at all. God, he looked good already today. A black shirt and dark wash jeans, a heavy canvas zip-up jacket and his signature backwards ballcap. And he had some type of cologne on… you couldn’t quite place it, but it was familiar while also unlike anything you’d ever smelled before.

You let yourself relish in the feeling for just a little bit, and like clockwork, your phone buzzes with Jake’s contact ringing across your screen. You stare at it as it inches its way across the table, until it stops ringing completely. Nah. Not yet. Only seconds after the phone stops ringing, you see a text from him bubble up on your notifications, but you ignore that too. You need some time to think. And, you have work to do.

You finally pull yourself from the comfort of the bed and get dressed for the day. As you grab up your purse and heavy winter coat to head off in search of coffee, you feel the pull to hash out your feelings with Ruth. After five or six rings, you hear her tired voice come over the speaker.

“Hello?”

“Hey, I know it’s hella early and shit but I need to vent…” you say as you let your hotel room door close behind you.

“Oh my god, you okay? What’s going on?” she replies, seemingly awake now.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Listen… so last night after the show, me and Jake… ya know. Yeah. Everything was beautiful and perfect and everything until after, we’re sitting there literally naked and his brother Sam knocked on our door, and Jake hid me in the fucking bathroom.” You try to keep your voice low and close to the phone, just in case someone happens to be nearby.

You swear you can hear her scoff from across the ocean. “HUH?!” she squeals. “Hid you?! The fuck?”

“I know, I know… like, I get it, finding us that way wouldn’t have been the best of circumstances but, that’s not even the worst part.” You press the button in the elevator to the ground floor as you finally find a little solace in being alone. “I was trying to get dressed in the dark bathroom, and here comes Sam, needing to pee. So I jump into the shower as quietly as I can and try not to breathe while they keep talking. And, get this Ruth… Sam starts talking about how he’s having problems with his own girlfriend, saying she’s acting really weird and off lately. So Jake says maybe she’s having trouble with the time difference and missing home or some bullshit. So Sam is like ‘Yeah, maybe so…’ Then he asks Jake ‘how you two are handling that’… and that he ‘hasn’t seen Jake on his phone a lot lately…’ I dunno. Then Sam said he knows that Jake has been going through this shit for a while. Like what shit? What could he possibly be having to deal with right now?” You realize that you’re rambling again, a quality that you’ve started to take notice of in your personality as of late.

“What the fuck…” Ruth trails off, trying to run over everything you’d just said. “So, do you think he has someone back home, and just never told you about it?” Her words hit you like a dagger, and hearing your suspicious thoughts be spoken out loud nearly makes you feel sick. You step off the elevator and into the crowded lobby of people in search of breakfast.

“I don’t know, Ruth. Maybe? But also, he would have told me, I think. Ugh, it feels so fucked up. We have plans today and tonight, too. I kind of want to blow him off…”

“Shit, you’re pissed, aren't you? I definitely think something is going on, did you ask him once Sam left?” she presses.

You finally spot the coffee bar across the hallway, making a beeline. “Yes, and I swear it felt like he was leaving some gaps in his explanation.”

She huffs. “Trust your gut, babe. You know him better than I would.”

“What should I do?” you ask, watching as a packet of sugar crystals trail into your paper coffee cup.

“Let him come to you. I wouldn’t give him the time of day until he decides to be honest with you, ya know? You deserve at least that much…” she says, and you can hear her figuratively putting her foot down.

You let out a long sigh. “You’re right, I already ignored his call this morning. I need some time to think…”

“I agree with you. Maybe step back a little,” she says, yawning heavily.

You press the plastic lid down onto your coffee and saunter over to a plush couch in a hidden corner of the lobby, ready to drown yourself in emails and this stout dark roast. “You’re right, I think I will. Thanks Ruthie, go back to sleep.”

“Already halfway there, call me later, babe,” she says quietly. “Oh, hey, do you mind if I…do a little research, if you know what I mean?”

Your brows furrow as you contemplate. “Research…”

“Yes. You know exactly what I mean.”

“Oh,” you finally understand. “I mean, I’m not gonna stop you. As long as you report back with your findings.”

“Babe, duh. I’ll talk to you later,” she says.

“Byeeeeee.” You press the red button on your phone, pressing the end of it to your forehead a few times before slouching down onto the couch. Ten o’clock will be here before you know it, and you feel a zap of excited electricity at knowing you get to spend the morning with none other than the flustered security guard.

—

Needless to say you were more than a little surprised to see Murph standing outside of the hotel doors leaning on a truck, his arms crossed across his chest as he scrolls on his phone. His eyes flick up, catching yours as you step outside into the cold air. You make your way towards him, pulling your jacket closed tightly across your chest. The wind is unforgiving as you get closer, blowing your hair across your face. You watch him spring into action, quickly running around to the door to open it for you.

“Thanks,” you smile, jumping into the warm cab. He nods his head and runs around the opposite side of the truck, sliding in next to you. He turns the knob for the heat and you instantly start to warm up.

“How’d you manage to finesse a truck in another country?” you laugh, placing your bag on the floorboard.

“Ahh, been here a few times now, feel pretty good on the roads. That and I’m not letting someone drive me around. I’m perfectly capable, so I made a few calls,” he grins, shifting the truck into drive.

“Do you know where we’re even going?” you ask, pulling your phone from your purse.

“I think so, but why don’t you just tell me anyway,” he smirks, pulling out into traffic. The traffic patterns are foreign to you, but he seems to be handling them with ease, and that alone has you able to relax a bit.

“Okay, so per Paul, it looks like we are heading to a bulk grocer, and the address is 47 Rue Saint-Jacques,” you answer. “The order has already been placed, we’re just picking it up.”

He taps on his phone screen a few times as he types in the address, nodding his head as he previews the route. “Looks like we’ve got about twenty minutes ahead of us.”

“That’s not bad at all, maybe this will be a quick trip after all,” you smile towards him.

He huffs a laugh as he readjusts his hat on his head, “Maybe so.”

—

Murph takes the lead loading the cases of water into the truck bed, insisting he will do all of it. You feel bad as you just stand by watching, but he seems like the type of guy to bear the burden of most things with no regrets. He swipes his hand across his brow and fixes his hat, letting out a breath as he closes the truck bed.

“That all of it?”

“I think so!” you pause, “Thanks for doing all of that, I feel kind of useless.”

“Nah, not at all,” he smirks, nodding towards the truck. You both get into the warm cab and as you reach for your phone, you find the screen filled with notifications from Ruth. For the past twenty minutes your phone had been ringing and numerous texts had come through, the last one reading ‘SOS’.

Your heart drops into your stomach as you consider that something bad has happened, your hands shaking as you tap her contact and listen to the call ring. She doesn’t answer and the sick feeling in your stomach grows. You shakily type a message to her, hoping she will see it.

You

10:49AM: WHAT IS HAPPENING

10:49AM: I’M ON A WORK THING WITH MURPH AND I DIDNT SEE MY PHONE

You lock your screen as your knee bounces nervously, picking at your nails with your fingers.

“You okay?” he asks, turning to look at you.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay, just missed an important call that's all,” you say, trying not to go into too much detail. “Tell me about you, distract me,” you beg.

“About me?” he asks, “Uhh, what do you want to know?”

“I don’t know, anything, something. Tell me…tell me how you got into this business.”

“How I got into this business… My that's kind of a loaded first question,” he laughs, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “Well, I’ve always sort of just…protected people. Done it my whole life. Kind of like instinct I guess. Got a little older and realized it’s what I was meant to do. Joined the military when I turned seventeen, stayed in for a long time. Did a few tours, saw some wild shit, and now I’m on reserves. I joined a little group of guys who also weren’t ready to stop and now we do close range protection. Got a call one day I’d been hired to watch over these guys and now here I am hauling water into the back of a truck and driving around a pretty girl.”

Your heart flutters in your chest at his admission. Shit.

“You never wanted to do anything else?” you ask.

“No. I feel my best when I am protecting others,” he says, his face stern and serious. “It’s in my blood.”

“That's very…admirable,” you say, feeling yourself swooning over the man next to you.

“Ahh, that’s not why I do it, though it does feel good to hear you say it,” he winks.

You feel your cheeks grow warm when he winks at you, and you quickly face forward before he notices. He smiles softly as he whips the truck through the streets, chewing his gum casually.

Your phone starts to buzz in your lap, instantly zapping your attention.

Ruth

11:02AM: CODE RED

11:02AM: SOS

11:02AM: ANSWER MEEEEEEEE

You

11:03AM: WHAT! I’m here!!!

The next message that comes through is a photo, and not one you expected to see. It’s Jake and another woman looking awfully cozy on a porch swing. She’s pretty, gorgeous even. Way prettier than you are. It's a screenshot of an Instagram profile, the date of the photo showing it was posted almost a year ago. Your heart sinks again as you look at it, seeing Jake’s arm wrapped around her as her hand rests on his thigh. The caption reads ‘forever’. You swallow back the lump in your throat as you go back to your texts with Ruth.

You

11:05AM: Holy fuck, where did you find that?

Ruth

11:06AM: On her profile, there's tons, babe. Some are…recent. Like very recent.

You

11:07AM: So he lied? He has a girlfriend?

11:07AM: Oh shit am I a homewrecker? Oh my god and his phone was blowing up all night. I am totally a homewrecker bitch.

11:08AM: HE LIEEEDDDD TO ME

11:08AM: RUTH WHAT DO I DO HELP ME

Ruth

11:09AM: I don’t know for sure if they are together or not, the last post of the two of them was almost 6 months ago.

11:10AM: I wish I knew what to tell you, but I don’t know this guy at all and I can’t get a good read on her just from her socials. If they aren’t together now they definitely were recently. She used to post about him a lot and now she has slacked off a good bit.

You

11:11AM: How did you even find her?

Ruth

11:12AM: Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to. ( I had to make a whole ass fake profile )

You

11:13AM: RUTHIE

Ruth

11:14AM: What?! I did what had to be done. I have no regrets, and all it took was a quick search of a tagged photo of the bassists girlfriend to find her. Did you know they do pilates together? Rich bitches. So anyways now my name is Cassandra and I also take Pilates classes at Well Body Pilates. 💅🏻

You

11:15AM: You found her through Sam’s girlfriend?!

Ruth

11:16AM: My mind is an intricate and beautiful web of deception and mischief

You

11:17AM: Yeah, it’s also sick and twisted. Keep digging. I need to know what I’m dealing with here. I still haven't spoken to Jake.

11:17AM: Well, not really. He added a song to the playlist and I replied to it. I don’t know what I’m doing Ruth…

Ruth

11:18AM: Oh trust me, I’m digging and I don’t blame you for not answering him. I wouldn’t speak to him either.

11:18AM: Little RAT

You

11:19AM: Ruth…

Ruth

11:20AM: 😇

Your heart is pounding in your chest as you look at the photo again. He looks happy. You feel your heart twist a little at the thought of him being in a relationship and cheating. You really didn’t think he was that kind of guy. You swallow the lump in your throat just as Murph turns to look at you.

“Hey, uh, are you hungry?” he asks.

You blink away your emotions, nodding your head. “Yeah, actually… I am.” you answer, knowing that you were supposed to spend the day with Jake, but now you can hardly stomach the thought.

“You like pizza?” he smirks, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course! Who doesn’t like pizza?”

He laughs a hearty laugh and tosses his head back a bit, “Good, that’s good, I know just the place.”

Your phone buzzes once more in your lap, and you flip it over to see another text from Ruth.

Ruth

11:22AM: Ps, who is Murph?

You smirk as you realize you haven’t gone into much detail about this new addition to the crew, yet. As he pays heavy attention to traffic and stoplights, you twist your phone in your lap to snap the sneakiest picture of him to send to Ruth.

You

11:23AM: *Attachment*

New security guard. CUTE security guard. 😊

Ruth

11:24AM: Well HELLO THERE sir!!

11:24AM: Bitch if you don’t flirt with him, I’m flying across the ocean to do it myself

11:25AM: Jake who?????

You

11:25AM: I’m at work, Ruthie. Remember.

11:26AM: But yeah we be flirting a little😛

You lock your phone to turn your attention back to professionalism, listening to the light music coming from the radio station Murph had chosen.

JAKE POV

You stay close behind Josh and Ty as you meander the back alleyways of the city, taking in the beauty of the architecture and old-world style of the storefronts. Monty has tagged along today, hanging back and taking phone calls as the three of you walk. It’s cold, but not as cold as what you’d been enduring the past few days. Typically, you’d spend these free days by yourself, either hiding away in the hotel room or finding something private to partake in. Or, as of late, you would have spent it with Y/N, but after multiple texts and a phone call went ignored this morning, you decided to focus your attention elsewhere.

“Odd of you to tag along with us, brother. Need to stretch your legs today?” Josh asks, pulling back from Ty a little. You know the tension is still high from your argument this morning, but you can tell that Josh is trying to brush it off to keep a cool head in front of Ty.

“Yeah, well. If you remember, I had plans today, but. They kind of fell through…” you answer him, avoiding eye contact.

“Oh, with Y/N,” he acts like he only just remembered.

You nod, rolling your eyes. “Yeah, but she kind of blew me off. Hasn’t answered me all morning, still.”

“Ah,” Josh says with a slightly sarcastic tone. “Probably because Paul sent her out to get something for the crew, and Murph went with her.”

Wait, Murph?

“Murph went with her? Why? Where did she have to go?” you have a million questions, and you aren’t sure which ones to ask first.

Josh bites his tongue as he decides what to say. “I think they had to go get water for the crew or something, was gonna be a big job, so Murph volunteered to go and help her get it,” he explains. “They should be back later, though. Isn’t she coming up to the Tower with us later?”

You feel yourself seething. “Yeah. Well, was supposed to. Was supposed to hang out right now, too, but. We see how that ended up.”

“It’s not her fault, Jake, shit. Paul sent her on an assignment…”Josh defends her with a shrug. “I can tell you’re pissed for some reason. And I know it’s just not at me from this morning…”

“I’m not…pissed about that, I’m pissed she's actively ignoring me after what happened last night with–” You cut yourself off, truly not wanting to go into detail about Sam’s unexpected visit and what happened thereafter in front of Ty.

“With Sam…? Yeah. I see you still haven’t heeded my advice…” he says with a snarl, whispering away from earshot of Ty. He shakes his head at you as you stay silent. He turns and stops you in your tracks, forming the illusion of an explosion with his fingers and hands, right in front of your face. “Ka-boom!” he whispers before turning away again.

You know he’s right. This is all going to blow up in your face.

Josh and Ty skip on ahead of you, slipping into a pub or something, you don’t know. You pull your phone from your pocket, seeing that she still hasn’t sent a thing. You swipe through a few notifications from Isla, knowing that those can be dealt with later, and bring up your music app to see if adding another song will get something out of her.

What to add…

You file through your extensive library, finally landing on a song that’s a little out of your realm of normal listening, but will still catch her attention. You click the song, ‘While I’m Waiting Here’ by Billy Strings, selecting the three dots and adding it to the playlist. You hope she will see it and know that you’re still thinking about her, wanting to make this work, but at the same time you know you have buried yourself deep inside a hole that is lined with explosives, and all you can do is wait for the spark to ignite them.

Should you have listened to Josh? Yes, absolutely. He’s right, you know he is. Josh is the angel on your shoulder whispering in your ear to err on the side of reason and honesty. But the devil on the other shoulder is standing firm in the fact that it’s truly none of Y/N’s business to know the details about your past with Isla; as far as you’re concerned, that part of your life is done.

…But it’s not. It’s far from done. She still lives with you. The little devil is just spouting the words that you want to hear, weaving lies and deceit into his corrupt advice, and making you believe it to be justified.

You shove your phone back into your pocket as you slip inside the hidden pub door behind Ty and Josh, feeling the need for a beer the size of your head to take this fucking edge off. It’s truly pissing you off how hung up you are on this girl, and you’re even more pissed that she’s spending her day with a man that you know for a fact was able to make you extremely jealous.

You take a barstool next to Josh as he orders three of the same whatever, and you slump down onto your elbows as you stare at the intricate mosaic artwork that adorns the short bartop. Your finger glides along the multicolored tiles, tracing the grout between them as you let your mind wander. Maybe you should just tell her. Tell her everything.

Suddenly a giant glass stein of beer is firmly plopped in front of your sullen face as Josh nudges his elbow into your shoulder. “Wake up, Eeyore. Time to take advantage of our day,” he heeds, so you slowly sit up. You truly must be presenting yourself like a heartbroken asshole.

You give him the evil eye as you lift the mug to your lips, letting the foam graze across your mustache. For the first time in a while, the instant jolt of alcohol hitting your system isn’t as much welcomed as it is irritating, but you decide to get past it, because what the fuck else are you gonna do?

You suddenly feel your phone buzz in your pocket, and your mood instantly lightens. You rip it out quickly, tapping the screen to see that finally, she has made contact.

‘Y/N Added A Song to Your Shared Playlist: 🐥’

The song she chose nearly made your heart fall straight into the hardwood floor beneath you. ‘Suspicious Minds’ by Elvis Presley.

Fuck. Fuck fuck.

Could this truly get any fucking worse? And better yet, how in the hell are you going to fix it in such a way that you get a happy ending? You decide to grasp on to the fleeting second, opening your text thread with her to make contact even further.

You

11:48AM: We still on for later?

Your heart rate spikes as you watch your phone in anticipation, feeling completely stupid for being this giddy and also somehow even more confused than before. You know she knows something is up, now. Suspicious is the absolute last thing you want her to be, but… she is a smart person. And you’ve been the idiot.

Her text bubble pops up, typing for a very long time.

Finally you receive a wordless text, a ‘👍🏼’ her only response. Okay, so it’s not a thumbs down, at least? But still, you were expecting at least a Yes. You decide to cut your losses, taking the contact as a tiny win, but knowing that the gut feeling of dread is only going to get worse as this beer in your hand empties.

—

The day passes without another word from her, and you know because you spent a large majority of the day checking your phone. You now find yourself pacing around your hotel room as you wait to hear about your evening plans, wondering if she would be involved in them.

You

7:56PM: What's the plan

Sam

7:57PM: Aren’t we going to the towa

Josh

7:58PM: Yeah, I think we are meeting everyone downstairs at 8:30

You

7:58PM: Who all is going?

Josh

7:59PM: Everyone, it’s a crew outing

You

7:59PM: Great.

Josh

8:00PM: Suck it up Jake

Daniel

8:01PM: Yeah Jake 😋

You lock your phone and toss it on your bed, still a disheveled mess from this morning. You continue to pace around your room as your mind swirls with thoughts. You wonder why you hadn’t heard from her, even after her confirmation earlier. You wonder if she spent the whole day with Murph and what they did together. You grit your teeth together at the thought, snatching your phone off of the bed and deciding that if this is how she wants to do things, you too could play that game.

As everyone assembles down in the lobby you find yourself looking for her, wanting just a glimpse of her to prove your wandering thoughts wrong. You groan inwardly when you find she isn’t around, and not shockingly, neither is Murph. As everyone loads into the vans you check your phone again, and still you have nothing from her. You find yourself getting a little pissed off at this game she is playing and again you tell yourself you can play it too, your desire growing by the second.

The ride to the tower is short, your knee bouncing the entire ride as you stare out the window. It's not long before you’re all piling out and breaking into groups, waiting for the last few stragglers to arrive. In the distance you see two people rushing towards you, laughing and smiling as they approach. You suck your teeth when you realize it's Y/N and Murph, definitely running late from what appears to be their day off spent together.

You shove your hands in your pockets and turn to Josh, raising your eyebrows in question. He peers over your shoulder and catches sight of them, shrugging his shoulders before turning his attention back to Ty. Right.

The two of them regain their composure quickly, but you can tell that Y/N has been drinking. Her cheeks are pink and a smile hasn’t left her face since she stepped up to the group. She hasn’t made eye contact with you yet, and you wonder if she even will. You turn to face them, giving her no choice but to acknowledge you, and when her eyes finally meet yours it's only for a split second before she tears them away.

Okay, what the fuck.

Murph steps away to talk to Dean, and you finally get a second alone with her, hoping she will give you the time of day.

“And where have you been all day?” you ask playfully, raising a brow.

She raises her own and purses her lips, “Running errands for you and your crew.”

“Is that right? I thought you were off today?”

“I thought so too, apparently there was no water left and I couldn’t get it all on my own,” she answers, an edge of confrontation in her voice. Murph steps back over towards her, catching the tail end of the conversation.

“I could have gone with you, you know.”

“No need man, I took good care of her,” Murph smiles, patting you on the back.

You do your best to stifle back the scoff begging to rattle from your chest, nodding your head at him. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

The tour guide speaks up before he can answer, grabbing your attention to lead the group towards the entrance to the tower. You turn to look at Y/N, her eyes already on you as you meet them and you can tell there is something she wants to say. Instead, she walks ahead letting Murph trail behind her.

—

Most of the tour is spent casting glances at each other, speaking with your eyes instead of your words. There is tension between the two of you, you can feel its cold grip around your neck with every meeting of your eyes. You were supposed to do this with her. You were supposed to bring her here. Just the two of you. Had she forgotten? Did she change her mind overnight? It would explain a lot.

As you stare out into the twinkling city beneath you, the cold wind blows your scarf around. You find yourself wishing it was just the two of you, pointing out monuments and landmarks as you held her close to keep her warm. You turn around to look for her, deciding that you had to say something. Just get some kind of answer.

You find her hanging out with Josh and Ty, the three of them smiling and laughing as Murph patrols the area for any potential threats. Josh notices you and breaks away from them, meeting you where you were instead of letting you join them.

“First, fix your face. If you’re trying to sell the ‘nothing is wrong’ bit you’re doing a miserable job,” he says, placing his hand on his hip.

You roll your eyes in response, flashing him a faux smile as you push him out of the way and head over towards her. Her eyes meet yours, her lips parting in surprise as you hear your name called from behind you. You look over your shoulder to find a woman with a longing look and a twinkle in her eye, nervously approaching.

Murph rushes up behind her, giving you a look to let you know he will escort her away if you want him to. You quickly shake your head no, knowing that you can use this interaction to your advantage.

“Hi, how are you?” you smile, greeting the woman excitedly. She's about your age, maybe a year or two younger, with striking eyes.

“Hi Jake! I don’t mean to bother you, I was just wondering if I could take a picture with you? My friend and I?” she asks, motioning her equally as attractive friend toward her.

“Hi there, nice to meet you,” you say, motioning them both in for a hug. You pull them in close, posing for a few photos as Y/N stands by watching. If you are right, and if you know her like you think you do, this will set her off.

You can feel her eyes on you as you continue to talk and interact with the fans, all the while your mind filled with thoughts of her and the dark pink shade that has taken over her cheeks.

You say goodbye to the fans, sending them off with a wave, turning on your heel to join Josh, Ty, and Y/N at the opposite end of the tower.

“How they hell do they find us all the way up here?” Josh laughs, elbowing your arm.

“No problem to take a photo or two with some pretty girls,” you quip, raising a brow at him.

“Never is, is it Jake?” he laughs, and as you nod your head you flash a smile right to Y/N, knowing that your plan worked perfectly.

—

You all load into the vans, making your way back towards the hotel. Y/N rides with Paul and Wes, and you know she is positively stewing with jealousy over your impromptu meet and greet. She would talk to you now, you were sure of it. You just had to wait.

As the vans drop you off at the hotel lobby you all meander inside, some of you opting for the hotel bar, while others headed up to their rooms. You stood off to the side, waiting to see what Y/N was going to do, and you think she was planning to do the same, that is, until Murph stepped up to her.

“I can walk you up to your room if you want,” he offers, causing a scoff to leave your lips. You step up to the both of them with your hands in your pockets.

“Why don’t I walk her up so that you can do your job and watch those idiots heading into the bar.”

He gives you a surprised look and nods his head. He bites his lips as he turns to Y/N, telling her a quick goodnight before disappearing into the hotel bar. Just when you think you’ve got her, Ty swoops in.

“Actually, I’m walking her. Let’s go Y/N,” Ty says, linking arms with her and dragging her into the elevator with him. She shoots you a snarky look as the doors close, leaving you standing in the lobby empty handed, yet again.

As you make your way up to your room, you start to think that your plan has backfired, and that not only have you made her mad, you’ve made her unnecessarily jealous too. You consider texting her as your door shuts behind you, but decide to leave the ball in her court and see if she reaches out.

You take a quick shower, and wander back into your room, hearing your phone buzz on the nightstand. Your head instantly snaps over to look at it, hoping to see a message from her. As you snatch it off the small nightstand your cheeks instantly heat seeing the notification on your screen.

‘Y/N Added A Song to Your Shared Playlist: 🐥’

You immediately tap the banner, watching as the playlist populates before your eyes. Your breath is stolen away as you see her addition, a smile pulling across your lips. ‘Need You Tonight’ by INXS was added two minutes ago.

You realize what she is saying, and you consider responding with a song but you decide to up the ante and call her directly. The line rings only twice before she answers.

“Hello?”

“Well, well, well,” you start, quickly getting cut off before you can finish your sentence.

“Shut up, come to my room,” she snaps.

“A little feisty this evening?” you taunt.

“Are you coming or not,” she whines.

“Oh, so now you want to talk to me? It was the girls, wasn’t it, baby…”

“Have any of the girls ever told you that you have a big head?” she gripes.

“No, but they’ve told me I have a massive di–” you start, hearing the chime as the call ends. She got you there.

You quickly change into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, leaving your phone on the nightstand and swiping your room key as you rush out the door in search of her room without a second thought.

—

You rap your knuckles against her door, stepping back as you wait for her to open it. Your nerves are swirling around in your body and you feel like you’re positively vibrating. You know you need to talk to her, but right now she wants you and you would never deny her that.

The door swings open, revealing her barely there silky pajama set hanging haphazardly from her shoulders. She ushers you inside, shutting the door behind you.

“I thought you’d come,” she quips.

“Had to. First I’ve heard from you all day…” you taunt. “You forget about me?”

She pulls you by your hand into the room, sitting the two of you on the edge of the bed.

“No, didn’t forget at all, actually. Was just…preoccupied.”

“Mhmm, thought we had plans,” you say, brushing the hair away from her shoulder.

“We did, but…”

“But what?” you ask, running your fingers down her arm.

“But I had to do my job. You know the thing I’m here to do…” she grins.

“I could have gone with you, you know.”

“Yeah, you could have but Murph offered.” she continues.

“Yeah, did you two have fun on your little date?” you ask.

“Date? Who said it was a date?” she questions.

“Did you spend the entire day together? Did you show up to the tower a little tipsy or was that just my imagination?” you prompt.

“You seem a little bit jealous, Jacob,” she says, resting her hand on your thigh.

“Why’d you blow me off for him?”

“I was just doing my job and so was he,” she answers, feigning ignorance.

You cup her cheek in your hand, letting your thumb rest on her lips, “Lie to me again.”

“Was just work.”

You pull her into your lap, connecting your lips to hers in a desperate, needy kiss. Her arms wrap around your neck as your hands settle on her hips, pulling her down to yours.

“You need a reminder of why I’m here and he’s not?”

She parts her lips from yours, glossy and wet, “It’s not too late…”

A growl leaves your chest as you flip her over onto the bed, pinning her arms above her head with your hands.

“Why are you being so ornery this evening, hm?” you ask, pressing your lips to her neck.

“Why are you being so jealous?” she counters.

“M’not jealous sweetheart,” you offer, sliding the straps of her top over her shoulders.

“You’re surely acting it,” she says, letting you pull the top over her chest.

“Just like you weren’t jealous of those girls tonight? I know that's why you called me here, baby.”

You press your lips to her chest, sucking a dark pink mark into her skin as her hands weave into your hair.

“We never set any boundaries Jake. I’m not yours.”

You press your finger into the pink mark on her chest, blooming purple beneath your touch, “This would beg to differ.”

“We’re just sleeping together, Jake.”

“I’m well aware,” you say, dusting your thumb over her hardened nipple.

“So do what you’re here for…”

“Oh, you think you call the shots now? I have bad news for you, baby,” you say, tugging her shorts over her hips.

“You think you’re in charge here?” she asks, shimming her hips to kick off the silky shorts.

“I know I am,” you answer, pulling your shirt over your head.

“You would like to think that wouldn’t you,” she counters, watching you push your sweats down your legs.

“You better watch it sweetheart, you’ve got me a little pissed off as it is,” you warn.

“Me? What could I have done?” she smirks.

“You know exactly what you did,” you answer.

She flashes you a knowing grin, wrapping her arms around your neck and pulling your lips down to hers connecting your mouths in a fiery kiss. Her tongue slides across your lips just as you part them, letting your tongue tangle with hers. She tastes of wine and mint, her tongue hot on your own. Your hand grips into her waist, feeling the smoothness of her skin on your fingers.

You feel her hand snake between the two of you, grabbing your length and stroking you as her lips continue to explore yours. She pulls your body down to hers, swiping your tip through her wet center. You suck in a deep breath feeling her arousal coating you, and you realize that this game of cat and mouse has you more worked up than you thought.

You push her hand away, taking back control, grabbing your dick as you continue to tease her. She is squirming beneath you, as desperate for you as you are for her. Her eyes are dark, her hair splayed across the pillow beneath her head as she looks at you. Her chest is heaving as she watches, the dim lighting in the room casting the perfect shadow against her body.

You lick your lips as you press yourself to her entrance, her mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ as you push forward into her. You sink in easily, her body ready and willing to accept every inch of you as if it had been waiting for you. You settle yourself on your elbow above her, letting your free hand fall to her throat. You can feel her pulse beneath your fingers, rapid and pounding as her body adjusts to you. The darkness in her eyes grows as your grip on her neck tightens.

“Yeah? You want more?” you ask, letting your fingertips dig into her skin. She nods her head quickly, biting her bottom lip.

“Fuck,” you breathe, tightening the grip across her trachea just a little harder, forcing the breath from her lungs and her eyes to close shut. You take the initiative and pull yourself from her, thrusting back in almost as hard as you can, pausing there as you loosen your grip.

Her eyes flash open as she inhales, a pitiful whine falling from her chest. “Fuck, Jake, just go…please, keep going…” she breathes, digging her nails into the skin of your back.

“Feeling needy now, baby? What switched, huh?” you pant, feeling her squeeze herself around you. You pull out slowly, completely disconnecting yourself from her. Your hand is still balanced across her throat, waiting again for the opportune moment. “Ignore me all damn day, fuck…”

She bites her lips in as you hover above her, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of being fucked at her will. She stays quiet.

“Nothing to say now?” You ask, gliding your tip along her wetness as you hear her breath hitch.

“You’re the one who should have something to say, Jacob,” she bites, giving you a stern look of defiance.

You huff in discernment, knowing exactly what she means, but still unable to go through with any conversation. She raises an eyebrow, her fingers still digging into your muscles. You're absolutely throbbing, your body begging you to get back to the task at hand.

“It’s okay, I know you were preoccupied all day, watching my texts come over your phone… I was alone all day, wondering why you were the one to leave me high and dry this time…” you squeeze your fingers around her neck again as you thrust forward into her with a devilish grin, watching her face contort. You pick up the pace now, using your free hand to balance above her.

Still yet though, she stays silent, leaving the room open for you to speak on what has been clouding both of your minds since Sam walked out the door last night.

You can’t. You just fucking can’t.

You continue pounding into her, the sound of your skin slapping together bouncing off the hotel room walls, uncaring of who could hear as they passed by in the hallway. Her whines become more desperate as your grip on her neck tightens, but you need her to know you’re serious about this, about how she blew you off without hardly a word.

You pull yourself from her, standing onto the floor and reaching to turn her body around to lie on her stomach. You grip her ankles, yanking her down to stand on the floor with you before you press her top half down onto the bed, effectively bending her in half.

You re-enter her from behind, gripping a hand in her hair as you turn her head to the side. Her cheeks are pink and puffy, her eyes glazed over with pleasure. Your thrusts feel unhinged and sloppy as you feel the sweat pooling between your eyebrows and across your chest.

“Tell me you’re mine, Y/N…” you lean down, growling in her ear. “Say this is more than just sleeping together…”

She takes a sharp inhale as you drive yourself particularly deep. “I’m not yours, Jacob…that’s the thing. You—you never told me you wanted something m-more than this…” she breathes.

You grit your teeth as you realize she’s right yet again. I’m not yours…

When you don’t answer her, she speaks up again. “D-do you want to be…mine?” She coos, almost a whisper that stands out against the loud obscenities happening in the room.

Fuck… there it is, the fourth wall, broken.

You open your mouth to answer her, yes, yes! I want to be yours, I want you to be mine… but only air escapes your lips. Suddenly when you look down at the beautiful woman you’re having sex with, all you can see is Isla.

All you can feel is guilt. All you can experience is remorse, and regret, and wrongfulness…

You feel like a shell of yourself. This isn’t right, you and Isla are done. Over with. You can’t stand the thought of being with anyone else except Y/N even if you tried.

But there, the image of the gorgeous face of your first love is burying itself deep into the fibers of your being.

You don’t love Isla anymore. Your subconscious is just telling you you need to make this right.

“Jake…” her voice pulls you from your thoughts. “Guess I’ll take that as a no…”

You pull her hair again, lifting her body back to stand with yours, back to chest. “You take that as no one else can fuck you like I do…no one else can make you feel like I can, isn’t that right, baby?” you crow, avoiding the subject altogether. Stupid. Fucking stupid.

You continue fucking into her, her hands reaching back behind you to twist into your hair as you feel her getting closer; your words making her come unraveled. “Tell me I’m right, tell me it’s just me…”

She keeps quiet as she steps one knee followed by the other onto the bed, arching her back and stepping her knees apart for you to sink more deeply into her. Fuck, this view…

“God damnit baby, you don’t know what you do to me…” you purr, grabbing her asscheeks with both hands as your thrusts become erratic and jagged, you almost forget that she didn’t answer you.

Her cries become deafeningly high as your fingers dig into her, unbridled and vicious, both of you searching for that high you are so close to reaching.

“Ja-aaake…” she cries, her legs shaking and jerking as you feel her muscles fluttering around you as she unravels, and you aren't far behind. You pull out, sending your streams across her back as your vision blinds you with white light.

You both stay in that position for a minute or so as you catch your breath, skin hot and dripping as you feel the weight of the situation come down over you. You slip to the bathroom to get her a warm cloth, returning back to the room to get her cleaned up.

As the two of you lay spent and sweaty on the sheets you hear her phone buzz on the dresser and realize you left yours in your room. You roll towards her as she reaches for it, swiping away a calendar notification with a gentle sigh. You press a kiss to her bare shoulder, watching her eyes blink slowly as she looks at the screen. You want to talk to her. You want to tell her everything that happened between you and Isla. Everything that is still happening. But again, you fear ruining what feels like such a perfect moment with something so dark and twisted.

“Early day tomorrow,” she says, her voice tired.

“Yeah, I think we have a few interviews before soundcheck,” you confirm. “Though, I don’t know what time. I left my phone in my room.”

“How come?”

“Oh, um, no reason. Just didn’t need it. You’re the only person I wanted to talk to I suppose,” you answer.

“You should probably check, you might have to be up early too,” she grins.

“I guess I could go grab it,” you smile back, feeling a warmth in your chest that she doesn't want you to leave.

You stand up from the bed, pulling your sweats back on and your shirt over your head. You pull your room key from your pocket and just as you are about to speak she stops you.

“I’ll see you in the morning?”

Oh. Oh you got this all wrong.

Fuck.

You clear your throat in surprise, “Oh um. Yeah, yeah I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Jake…”

“Night, beautiful,” you answer, walking towards her door. You step through the doorway feeling more confused than you ever had. After the sex, what she said, everything in between, her actions were not meeting up with her words.

You spend the entire walk back to your room thinking about it. You just got booty called and kicked to the curb. While this is typically something that wouldn’t bother you, tonight it did. It stings a little, mostly because it was her. You try not to think too much more about it as your door shuts behind you, and as you step over to find your phone right where you left it, you see a missed call from Isla, only driving in the knife in your chest a little deeper.

—

HER POV

As you rip the plastic covering off a veggie tray, you hear the green room door squeak open, revealing the smiling face of Murph popping inside.

“Hey, you all good in here?” he asks, glancing around to find you alone and busy. “Need a hand with anything?”

You grin and shake your head side to side. “No, I’m all good, thanks. You not busy rushing around chasing after those four?”

He bites his upper lip. “Um, yes. I am. Just wanted to say hello.” His hand slaps the wooden door as you give him a thankful smile, and it swings closed as he leaves you alone again.

Just wanted to say hello, huh?

Your chest feels warm at his little sentiment, as careless as it was. The morning spent with him was nothing short of a mental reset, seeing as how the life you’ve been living with Jake now feels like a rollercoaster that’s about to break apart at the highest point. You’d spent your morning laughing and sharing stories with Murph as he expertly navigated the streets of Paris, your mind effortlessly drifting away from the impending drama that Ruth had discovered. Murph took your mind off it without even trying.

You hear your text notification ding on your phone as you finalize the craft table, and you pull it out to see a text from Ruth.

Ruth

4:59PM: You’re still ignoring him, right? Not giving him the time of fucking day, RIGHT?

You

5:00PM: Well, yes and no…

Ruth

5:00PM: BITCH? What do you mean????

You dust your hands off and take a seat on the couch, crossing your legs and remembering that someone could invade your privacy at any given minute.

You

5:01PM: We kinda… hooked up again last night?

Ruth

5:02PM: ALKSJFLSKGFHLKSDJFBNL

5:02PM: Please tell me you’re fucking joking…

You

5:03PM: 😬

Ruth

5:03PM: Oh my fucking goddddd Y/N okay. Okay! It’s fine. I hate you, what the fuck?

You

5:04PM: I DONT KNOW! Listen. I was trying to give him an opportunity to talk to me. And he didn’t. If it’s any consolation, he tried to act all big and bad about hooking up, and I didn’t play into it AT ALL. In fact I kicked him out promptly after.

Ruth

5:06PM: I’m screaming into the void.

5:06PM: So what now?

You

5:06PM: Now nothing. I’m back to avoiding him.

Ruth

5:06PM: Ok slay I guess.

You

5:07PM: And I guess that we will go out tonight after the show.

Ruth

5:02PM: Just the two of you? Or is Hottie McSexy coming along too?

You

5:03PM: Everyone usually goes. And seeing as how it’s his job to be up their asses, I’m positive McSexy will be there too.

Ruth

5:04PM: Okay and maybe The Rat will take this opportunity to explain to you that he has a female counterpart waiting for him at home, yes? Since he didn’t do it before FUCKING YOU last night?

You

5:05PM: I’m hoping. Until then, I ignore him harder.

Ruth

5:05PM: That’s my boo thang. Lmk how it goes.

You scroll up in your texts with Ruth, seeing the dreaded screenshots of Jake with her, sitting comfortably together on what you imagine to be their porch swing. She’s so fucking pretty… he’d be stupid to let her go?

You take a deep breath, the reminder of it all making you build your wall up even higher. You glance at his backpack sitting in the corner where he always tends to leave it, making the decision that tonight, you won’t fulfill his request for grabbing his wine. Honestly, he can figure something else out. There are plenty of options in the refrigerator. Fuck it.

—

You stay absent when they take the stage, requesting that Paul hand them their drinks tonight, as you have a “female emergency” to attend to in the restroom. Complete lie, but he doesn’t ask questions. You hide away in the restroom as you envision Jake’s confusion when Paul doesn’t have a drink to hand him. Paul normally doesn’t have much to do during the actual shows, so grabbing a drink or two for Jake shouldn’t be an issue.

After about ten minutes of hiding you rejoin Paul, noticing that he had grabbed a few seltzers for Jake and lined them up beside his amp. Ha ha. Watching the show alone from side stage feels strange tonight as Ty, Mia, and Lyla have decided to stand on Sam’s side. You hang back in the wings a bit, distracting yourself from watching Jake try his best to get your attention for the entirety of the show. But you don’t let him get the best of you, intentionally ripping your eyes away from him each and every time eye contact is made.

After the encore, you energetically hand Josh, Danny, and Sam their towels, showing little to no emotion in the act of handing Jake his, at all. You have to let him know you’re upset. And if he doesn’t pick up on your body language and lack of communication, he will at least notice your blatant ignorance of his existence.

You fall into the middle of the group as everyone exits backstage toward the green room. “Hey, Y/N, talk to me…” you hear him say from behind you as he grabs your hand, pulling you back from following everyone else down the dimly lit hallway. “What’s going on?” he asks when you finally turn, his eyes full of heavy sorrow.

You rip your hand from his grasp, his touch feeling like a foreign stranger. “Nothing, Jake,” you lie, biting your tongue and turning to walk away.

“Hey, please, talk to me…” he begs, his hand raking across your back as you turn away. “I know I… we need to talk, I think…” his voice is strained over the loud sound of the exit song.

“You think?” you bark back, making harsh eye contact with him for the first time all night. He’s left speechless as Murph makes his way up behind you, pulling you away from the moment. He shines his flashlight onto the ground in front of Jake, ushering him along.

“Come on Jake, let’s get you out of here…” Murph pushes without even giving you a passing glance.

Jake gives him a quick look of distaste before giving you an up down, and following behind Murph as they make their way down the remainder of the hallway. You’re left standing alone in the darkness under the high metal beams of the stage, feeling more conflicted than ever. And not to mention, still seething with anger.

—

Your hands feel shaky as you busy yourself with cleaning up the food and drinks in the green room, your face flushed and your hearing muddled as the anger courses its way through your veins. It’s hot and loud, the guys all still amped up on post-show adrenaline and wanting to continue on their highs for the night.

“Where are we headed, guys?” Mia asks as she sits herself down on the couch.

“Ah, me Jake and Ty found a quiet little place earlier today, it was tiny and tucked away, we could go back there?” Josh speaks up, still clad in his shiny jumpsuit. You try your best to tune them out, pressing play on your phone to listen to whatever music was playing on your singular earbud.

“Doooooo they have… cheap beer?” Sam sings.

“I don't know about cheap, but they have beer…” Ty replies through a laugh.

“Perfect!” Sam yells as he stands from his seat. “Let us go!”

You notice how quiet Jake has stayed, a switch from his normal partaking in the rambunctiousness of post-show excitement with his brothers. You hear them all begin to get themselves together and file out. You know one of them is going to ask if you’re coming along, they always do. So you muster up the courage to make a decision, when all you really want to do is retreat back to your hotel room bed for the night.

But no. You know what?

“Y/N! You coming?” you hear Ty’s voice bellow over the group. You turn and catch his eyes as you watch him wink at you. He nods his head in a ‘come on’ motion. Ty always knows.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Jake pause, waiting for your answer.

“Yeah, I could use a drink tonight!” you say. “I’ll finish up here and be right behind you. Send me the address?”

“Sure thing, see you in a bit,” Ty responds. “It’s literally right around the corner.”

—--

You saunter confidently into the pub, finding your whole group to have taken up the majority of the place, it’s so small. Just like always, your eyes immediately click with Jake’s first, and when he doesn’t break the contact, you pull yourself away, latching on to Ty and Josh at the other end of the bar.

Just like in the green room, the air is heavy and hazy and loud, everyone still riding their highs and letting the drinks flow. You decide on something a little heavier tonight, knowing that you abso-fucking-lutely deserve it after the day you’d endured.

You catch sight of Murph posted in a corner booth, chewing on a toothpick as his head stays on a swivel. He catches you looking, giving you a tiny smile before letting his eyes scan the room again.

You make yourself at home on a barstool, and just before lifting a round of shots into the air with Ty and Josh, you feel Jake’s presence behind you again, interrupting you. You meet him with a questioning look, obviously perturbed at the feeling of his hand on your back as you try to celebrate with his twin.

“Go ahead,” he concedes, motioning for you to take the shot. So you do, never looking away from him as you let the liquor flow down your throat, urging yourself to not make a face as you swallow it down.

“Can I help you with something?” you ask, your voice sounding a little more vengeful than you’d meant to. The liquor is definitely already working. His face pulls back, shocked at your words. He almost looks hurt.

“Shit, I guess not…” he says. “I’ve just been–”

“Jake! Come here!” you hear Danny yell from a few tables away. “Hurry!”

Jake looks at Danny and back at you, and you raise your eyebrows toward him, urging him to go on. You can’t talk here. Not in this environment. And honestly, you’re having way too much fun getting drunk and ignoring him while you steal passing glances with Murph from across the room.

After a little while, Murph comes and sits at the barstool beside you, talking to Josh while you sit between them. They’re discussing something work-related, but Murph is purposefully leaning in to you, his toned torso brushing heavily into your shoulder. You’re not really listening to them, as your mind has gone absolutely fuzzy at the feeling of him touching you. What the fuckkkkkk. The tequila lining your veins most definitely isn’t helping the fact that you are wholeheartedly loving this, knowing that Jake is standing three feet away, watching it all unfold. And the best part is, you’re locked into your bar stool, unable to get up if you wanted to. They’ve caged you in.

“Isn’t that right, Y/N?” you hear Murph’s silky smooth drawl interrupt your thoughts.

“What? What?” you perk up.

“The twenty cases of water we loaded will most likely be gone in a week and a half, yeah?” he says, rolling the toothpick between his teeth as his eyes stay bouncing around the room.

“Oh! Yeah, actually, probably so, with the way the crew drinks it,” you agree, not really caring about the subject as Josh laughs it off.

“Murph, you know you’re horrible at paying attention to conversations?” you say without a shadow of a filter.

“What?” he asks through a smile.

“Your eyes. You never stop looking around. You hardly ever look someone in the eye when they’re talking to you…” you go on explaining. Josh has now abandoned the conversation, turning back to Ty.

You feel Murph lean in even closer to you, his mouth only inches from your ear. “I’m trained to watch, Y/N. Trained to always be aware, all of the time. But, I can assure you, when I’m not on the job, my attention is 100% focused on who I’m spending my time with.”

His words make your stomach swirl. “Mmm, I’d have to see it to believe it.”

He pulls back, his neck still twisting right to left to right again. “Maybe you will sometime.”

Just then, you feel your phone buzz in your lap, and you lift it to see a notification through the blurriness of your intoxicated vision.

‘Jake Added A Song to Your Shared Playlist: 🐥’

Your stomach drops as you know he is watching you see the notification. You open the playlist, scrolling to the bottom to see what in the hell he could have added right now.

Of course, ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ by the Beatles.

You scoff, feeling like if anyone is being let down, it’s you. You let your phone fall back into your lap before turning your attention back to your drink and to your conversation with Murph. You know Jake is watching, still, and you know that seeing you ignore him was only pissing him off more.

And for some reason, it gets you hot.

Stop it, Y/N, fuck. The horrid and ridiculous thoughts of Jake being jealous of you and the man sitting beside you has your stomach in excited knots, and you know it’s just the alcohol, but you’d be lying if you said it didn’t absolutely turn you on, similarly to what had happened last night.

You feel the energy in the room shift as everyone begins to make moves to leave. You feel a little sad, realizing that your intoxication has only just hit its peak. “Aw, we leaving already?” you ask no one in particular.

“Looks that way…” Murph says as he stands from his stool. You catch sight of Jake sticking close to Josh and Danny as they make their way to the exit.

“Murph, my friend, why don’t you take the rest of the night off?” Dean says as he comes up behind you, laying a hand on Murph’s shoulder. “Monty and Sasha and I have got this, not a far walk back.”

“Oh, no no, it’s okay. I’m good…” he argues.

“Ah, come on, Murph! Stayyyyyy…” you beg playfully, giving him yearning eyes. But they were for good reason, you want him to stay.

“You’ve had a long day, kid. Rest of us relaxed while you loaded water. Stay. Have a beer or three…” Dean gives him no choice as he makes a quick exit, ushering the rest of the group out the door. Jake never even turns around.

“Well! Uh, that’s never happened before!” Murph says as he anxiously rubs his hands over his pants. “Guess uh, guess I’m off the clock?”

“Ha, ha! Guess you are!” you say confidently, sipping from your skinny straw. “Sir, this gentleman will have your largest pils,” you motion to the bartender, earning a nod.

“Oh, you ordering for me now?” Murph laughs, turning sideways in his stool to face you.

“Yeah, got a problem?” you say, bumping your shoulder into him and feeling more confident now that you aren’t under the watchful eye of everyone else.

The bartender sets the beer on a coaster in front of Murph, and he reaches for a salt shaker, sprinkling a little onto the foamy head of the draft. “Nah, no problem at all, ma’am.”

“Ma’am?!” you exclaim. “Aren’t I a little young to be referred to as that?” you ask.

He shakes his head as he takes a drink. “No, where I’m from, everyone of equal age or older is referred to as ma’am, or sir. ‘S just how I was raised, not meant to be offensive.”

“Oh,” you say, still surprised. “Of equal age, how do you know how old I am?” you press.

He sets his beer down, rubbing his hands against each other. You catch sight of his calloused palms and gritted fingernails, being instantly attracted that he works with his hands. “Well, I know you’re over twenty-three, twenty-four because, obviously, you have no problem holding your liquor… you’re not over thirty-five, because you just called a beer a Pils. You have experience in your profession and you hold yourself well, and you got really excited and knew all the words when that Nickelback song randomly came on the radio in the truck this morning.”

Oh, my god? He… pays attention…

“Sooo…” you mutter.

“So, I’m going to guess… twenty-six.”

Your jaw falls open. “Holy shit.”

He smiles smugly as he takes a large drink of his beer, reaching his hand up to pat himself on the back.

“How did you do that?” you ask, stunned.

He shrugs. “It’s a gift, I’m also trained to read people.” He leans in, giving you a playfully suspicious glare.

“Okay, so read something else,” you urge, sitting up taller in your seat.

You feel the skin on your chest turn red as you try to hold your confidence. He takes a deep breath, scanning his eyes all over you. “Something is bothering you tonight. You don’t normally drink tequila, only when you’re trying to forget about something, distract yourself. You keep checking your phone but you’re keeping it face-down, so you don’t get caught off guard by a notification. You’re choosing when you let yourself look at it, telling me you like to be in control of situations. And, if I had to guess, what’s bothering you has something to do with that important call you missed this morning.”

Holy shit…again. What the…

“Alright, alright, you can stop now,” you wave him off, turning away and sipping from your straw again.

You hear him laugh through his nose. “Told you, it’s a gift.”

“Yeah well, you– you’re too good,” you bark.

His hand gently sits on your arm, the warmth emanating off his palm. “Hey, just forget about it, whatever it is. We’re here to have some fun, huh?”

His words are friendly and reassuring as you feel that same swirl erupt in your stomach again. “Yeah, you’re right,” you concede. “Fun. Actually, ever since they left, your eyes haven’t scanned the room even once.”

He blushes. “I can relax, Y/N, if given the opportunity.” His eyes fall to your lips, and you watch as he sucks in a tight breath, feeling no embarrassment that you caught him in the act. You reach your tongue to swipe across your bottom lip, taking the entirety of him in with your eyes, too. Suddenly visions of you and Jake last night come flying back into your memory, but you push them away, knowing that it’s only your subconscious telling you you’re about to make a rash decision. But you go against your gut, knowing that you had given Jake more than enough chances to make things right. And he had taken exactly zero of them.

You place a hand on the edge of your stool, leaning in closer to him. “Are you enjoying your opportunity?” you whisper.

You feel the unfamiliar but welcome graze of his light touch on your thigh, his hand barely ghosting up from your knee. “Very, very much so…”

There’s a heavy pause in the conversation as the two of you inch in closer, so close that you can feel his exhales hitting your lips. His eyes are darting quickly across your face as you feel his breathing pick up a little, the warmth of his body physically pouring itself on to you. Your heart is beating so fast you can hardly stand it, and the anticipation of his proximity is making you more dizzy than the tequila did.

You breathe in heavily through your nose, the smell of his cologne finally making sense in your mind. Pine. He smells like pine.

As your lips barely ghost his, a zap of electricity courses through your body, and Jake is the absolute furthest thing from your mind. All you can think about is Murph. All you can feel is him, he’s surrounding you, clouding up your mind entirely…

His breath hitches at the tiniest bit of contact that’s made and you take a second to press into him a little further.

“Murph…” you whisper against him. “What’s your real name?”

You can tell he’s holding himself back, letting you be the one to make the attempt to finally connect the two of you. Your eyes flutter closed as your ears go almost completely deaf, taking in the feeling of the softness of his lips as they smile sweetly against yours.

“Ezra… Ezra Murphy,” he breathes.

“Ezra…” you repeat, kissing into his mouth with the utmost caution while letting all of your insecurities tumble down around you. Suddenly there’s no sound, there’s no light, there’s no air left in your lungs… just him, only him, and the tightness of his hand on your thigh as he kisses you back. You lean into him, opening your mouth just a little bit more to let him in. His thick mustache is rough on your skin, but you couldn’t care less. You feel his tongue barely press through before pulling back again… the tiny breaths going in and out through his nose only adding to the sweet taste of him. His other hand finds your cheek, his thumb drifting across your chin as his fingertips gently grip at your skull. Fuck, he feels good… he feels really, really fucking good…

You exhale hard as you disconnect the fairly quick kiss, a stunned and surprised look of intrigue taking over both your haughty expressions. “Wow…” you mutter.

“Yeah, wow…” he parrots. “I’ve wanted to do that all night…”

“Uh-uhm…” you hear someone behind him clear their throat. You both disconnect contact as you turn around, finding none other than Josh holding his credit card between his two fingers, tapping its edge on the bar. “Sorry to uh, interrupt…” he says, forcing a fake smile. “Forgot my card.”

Fuck. Shiiiiiit. Oh fuck fuck fuck.

“Oh, no big deal, man. You uh, you need me to walk you back?” Murph collects himself, turning directly back into work mode.

“No no, stay here. Monty’s outside,” Josh responds, looking directly at you. “You two enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Josh walks away and disappears through the door as you’re left completely stunned, unable to form a thought. Murph spins back around to face you, a little bit taken aback himself. “That was kinda awkward…” he laughs.

“You think?” you try to laugh along, all the while feeling an overwhelming wave of emotions.

Embarrassed, confused, pissed, turned on…

“Um. You uh, you ready to go back?” Murph asks, wiping his fingers across his lips as he throws some money down onto the bar.

“Think that’s probably best,” you agree, standing to grab your jacket off the back of the stool.

As you and Murph walk silently back to the hotel, the alcohol hits you a little differently, adding heavier emotions than you could bear to carry. You want to reach out and grab his hand, let him steady you as you stumble your way back home, but you know that’s not in your best interest, right now. He gives you tiny smiles and offers to open the lobby doors, letting you walk inside before him to the elevator doors.

You both climb inside as the doors close behind you. “You want me to walk you the rest of the way up?” he asks, knowing he is getting off a few floors before you.

You lean your back against the wall of the elevator, crossing your arms across your chest. “No, I’ll be okay. Thank you, though.” Your voice feels heavier as the elevator ascends.

Finally, the elevator stops and the doors open to his floor. “Wait, Murph…” you stop him. He turns back to face you, his hand stopping the doors from closing. “I uh, I had fun with you, tonight.”

His lips curl up into a small smile. “Me too, Y/N. Thanks for helping me relax, I’m actually a little sad it got cut short…” he says.

“Me, too,” you agree with a nod, and he steps back from the sliding doors, offering you a wave of goodnight before the doors enclose you and your thoughts completely.

As you walk back into your hotel room ready to strip down and let the warmth of the covers envelop you again, you somehow wish you could take it all back. Wish you would have never been seated next to Jake on that very first flight. Wish you would have never followed him into that random bar bathroom…

Your mind is so fuzzed up it almost feels blank. You like Jake, you really do. But the longer he waits to tell you the truth, the more resentment you hold toward him. The last thing you want to be is someone who destroys a home. The shame you feel for even texting him last night is one of the heaviest you’ve ever felt in your life.

And Murph, his protection… blissfully unaware of the entire situation at all, being a gentleman and treating you with open kindness. Fuck. It’s all so fucked.

You’re feeling your eyelids start to droop as you hear your phone buzz beside you, the light blinking you awake.

It’s not a text, though…it’s an instagram notification.

There in the center of your screen is a request from Jake’s partner herself.

Ms. Isla J. Whitman would like to be your friend.

Isla…

Join the Taglist Here

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katyswrites · 1 year

Text

don't call me 'baby'

PART 3 | SERIES

Pairing: Steve Harrington/fem!reader

Warnings: Sugardaddy!Steve, swearing, alcohol use, smoking, age gap, allusions to sex

Wordcount: 6.1k

A sugar daddy modern AU, a whirlwind summer romance in Italy, and two people from completely different walks of life, somehow finding each other in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But, what will happen when summer ends?

PART 3 | this path is reckless (and I like it)

Six o’clock finally came torturously slowly, the minutes on the clock passing like molasses. At five minutes-to, the bell above the door rang, and Steve strolled in. He caught your eye to where you stood behind the counter, and nodded. You shot him a small smile, but felt your stomach turn - whether it was excitement or anxiety, you couldn’t quite tell. But, you couldn’t deny that you were happy to see him. You felt stupid, considering that he had explicitly said he wasn’t planning on asking you out - but, what else could it be?

As soon as Steve saw you making your way over, he smiled briefly, before nodding to the chair across from him. He already had ordered two coffees - one for himself, which he was halfway through, and a cappuccino, right at your seat.

“Hey there,” you said, feigning a casual and friendly air as you sat down. “Oh, um, thanks - you really didn’t need to order me anything.”

He shrugged. “I figured you might be tired - I took a wild guess about what you liked, though. Don’t feel like you have to drink it if you don’t want -”

“No, it’s great,” you assured. “I could probably do with a pick-me-up, anyways. Long day.”

“Okay, good,” he said. It was silent again for a moment, both of you just pretending to be incredibly interested in your drinks instead of each other, waiting for the other to say something. You already knew that this wasn’t a date. But, even worse, it didn’t feel like one at all - it felt more like a business meeting, between two strangers. Then again, isn’t that what you were?

You could only stand the anticipation for so long - you were many things, but patient wasn’t one of them.

“So… what did you want to talk to me about?” you asked. “Is this about last night? Because, i was pretty drunk, so - if you didn’t want me to kiss you, I’m sorry, that was my fault… I might’ve misread things, but if you aren’t interested, that’s fine - you’ve been more than nice, and I didn’t want you to think that I -”

“Why are you living in Italy?” he asked.

Not what you expected. Still, it was fair enough - beyond tourists, you were probably the first American he had encountered here.

“Oh - well… that’s kind of a long story.”

He shrugged again. “I’d love to hear it, if you want to tell me, that is.”

You thought for a moment, placing your mug on the table as you decided exactly which details to disclose to him.

“Well… my home life… let’s just say, it wasn’t great. I grew up in a tiny town in upstate New York, and… I mean, I knew I always wanted to get out of there. So, I applied to colleges as far as possible - mostly big cities, like New York, Boston, Chicago, even out in California. I didn’t plan on leaving the States, necessarily - but I applied to the American University of Rome, just for kicks, since I knew they offered a U.S.-accredited degree. I didn’t think I’d get in, let alone actually go. But, they made a great offer - basically a full ride. And, it got me as far from home as possible. So I left, and never really looked back. And now, I only have one semester left, which is pretty crazy, but… I’m glad I did it.”

It felt nice, to actually get that off of your chest - Robin was one of the only people you really ever talked about this stuff with. There was a lot still left unmentioned, but it still made the man across from you seem less like a stranger, like someone you could maybe trust.

“Was it hard? Moving to a whole other country, I mean?”

He was asking sincerely, but you were still wary as you answered.

“Yes, and no,” you admitted. “There was definitely a culture shock - I had to learn a lot about the city, the people, and a whole new language. But, it really is great here. And, I’m glad I found Robin - someone from home, kind of. But, it’s been… a lot of work.”

He raised an eyebrow. “In what way?”

You sighed, measuring your words carefully.

“I’ve done pretty well in school, but I didn’t know that Rome was one of the most expensive cities in the world until after I moved here. I mean, I scraped together most of the money I had just to buy my plane ticket. And, campus housing was expensive, so I bounced between hostels and friends’ couches my first couple of years, until I was able to save up a little. That took a bit, too - turns out Italy doesn’t have a set minimum wage, either. Who knew right?”

You chuckled dryly at that last part, and winced inwardly - that was far too much information, and he didn’t need to know any of that. You thought again about the money he had sent, how he casually had a personal driver on hand, the clothes he wore - he probably pitied you, couldn’t even be bothered to consider you as a -

“Is that why you have two jobs?” he inquired. There’s only sincerity behind his question, like he was truly trying to understand.

You nodded slowly, meeting his eyes. It occurred to you then that this felt like some strange job interview - well, a job interview with a man you drunkenly kissed on the sidewalk the night before. You shivered at the memory.

“How old are you again?” he asked.

“Twenty,” you replied, recalling his age from his I.D. - he had just turned thirty, if your math was right.

“Jesus,” he whispered, mostly to himself. He leaned back in his chair, brow furrowed. You noted how he was fidgeting a bit with his fingers, shifting in his seat - was he nervous? Why?

“Okay, I guess I’ll just get to it,” Steve conceded, leaning forward again. He folded his forearms on the table and leaned it, his gaze focused on yours. He was ramping up to something, but nothing could have prepared you for what.

“What if you didn’t have to worry about money anymore?” he posed, his voice low and steady.

You furrowed your brow, confused. You felt your stomach flip again, you mind racing to a million and one implications.

“I - what?”

He sighed, running one hand through his hair as he gathered himself.

“I - Jesus, okay, this is harder than I thought. I’ve never really done this before, so just, bear with me, yeah?”

You frowned, but nodded, giving him a moment to continue.

“First of all, don’t apologize for kissing me. I mean, I was really hoping you would,” he admitted.

You felt something flutter in your chest, and fought with everything you had to keep your face neutral.

“You - you were?”

He nodded.

“Yeah - I mean, not that I was expecting it, but - I wanted to. But - earlier, you said something about me not being interested in you… that’s not true.”

You wanted to jump up and down with glee, but you couldn’t help and feel that there was a big but coming.

“- but, I’m not exactly looking for anything right now. Well, anything serious. I just… a relationship can’t happen for me, not right now. And, I don’t know if that’s going to change anytime soon. I’m only in Italy until the end of the summer anyway.”

You felt your heart sink in your chest, like a balloon deflating. There it was - it explained a lot.

“Oh,” you said softly, doing your best to not let the disappointment bleed through. “That’s fine - I get it, really. Thanks for letting me know -”

“Wait, it’s not just that,” he explained. “I - fuck, okay, give me a second here. I was thinking of having an… arrangement, with you.”

You cocked an eyebrow, sitting up a bit straighter in your chair.

“An arrangement?” you echoed.

“Yeah,” he said. “I - I want to keep seeing you. But, with an understanding - that there wouldn’t be personal feelings involved, it’d just be something fun, for you and me. And, maybe you could occasionally be my date to work events, galas, that sort of thing.”

You kept your face as stoic as possible, taking in what he was asking. But before you could formulate a thought, he continued:

“And, in exchange… I could help you out. I can give you a monthly allowance, conver all your major bills, student loans, if you have any… and, if there’s anything you want to buy yourself, like, new shoes or something?”

“What makes you think I want shoes?” you bristled, suddenly becoming defensive as you truly started to comprehend what he was proposing.

“Nothing!” he exclaimed, backtracking. “I’m just saying that… if there’s anything you want, I can take care of it. To thank you, for your… discretion.”

You felt your face heat, the blood rushing into your cheeks and roaring in your ears. Here he was, a man you were only just getting to know, asking if you wanted to be his… his -

“You wouldn’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, of course,” he added quickly, his own cheeks starting to twinge pink. “I mean, I’d never pressure you into anything - I wouldn’t do this if you didn’t consent, I mean.”

“And if I don’t consent?” you asked, your words coming out as more of a snap than you intended.

“Then I’d leave here, right now, and you’d never have to see me again,” he assured. “And, I’d send you another sum of money to at least cover your rent for the rest of the year, for even insulting you with the offer. But… I do think this could help both of us.”

You bit your lip, grabbing a paper napkin from the table and twisting it in your hand.

“Can it? I just… I feel like you’re not the kind of guy that needs to pay for sex. I mean, what’s in it for you?”

He hesitated for a second, and it occurred to you that he’s nervous, perhaps more than you.

“It’s not just sex,” he admitted. “I mean - it’d be nice, to have someone kind of consistent, and to know she wouldn’t expect anything. That’s the point of the agreement, I guess. But also… you saw who I work with. They’re always on me, about being ‘married to my work,’ all of that. So -”

“You want me to be your arm candy?” you finished bluntly. He turned just a bit more red at that.

“I wouldn’t put it like that, but - yeah, basically. After that stunt at the restaurant… I think they’d respect me a lot more, to be honest.”

“And you think I’m pretty enough for that?” you asked dryly, mostly to yourself as you laughed inwardly at the idea.

“Yeah, I do,” he whispered.

You froze for a moment, caught off-guard by his response - and, you hated how it made something warm bubble inside your chest, especially in the given situation. You just nodded, tearing at the napkin in your hand.

“Can I just ask you one thing?” you posed.

“Sure, anything.”

“Why don’t you want a relationship?”

His eyes widened, like that was the last thing he ever expected. Something unreadable passed his features, and he thought for a moment before replying.

“Honestly? I’m really busy. HNL is working on expanding through Europe - or, in Brenner’s words, dominate. And, I’m trying to work my way up to CEO - I think I have a good shot, once he retires. Having someone… it’d distract me. And, I don’t think it’d be fair to her, either - I can’t fully commit the time, not right now.”

It was an honest answer, at least from what you could tell. Still, what he was proposing… It seemed crazy. Too good to be true. If he had taken you home last night, and just made it clear it was a one-time thing… you would have let it happen. You knew that with near-certainty. If Steve had just become a fun story to tell one day, that would’ve been fine by you. But this…

“Can I think about it?” you asked. He nodded vigorously.

“Yeah - yeah! Of course. Here -”

He handed you his phone, pulling up the blank contact form on the screen.

“- put your number in here. So you can get in touch, if you make a decision, or for… whatever.”

You took it from him, typing out your full name and phone number with shaky hands. Your palms were sweaty, the weight of what he wanted from you.

When you handed it back to him, he glanced down, and stuck the phone back in his pocket.

“Great - well, um, I’ve kept you long enough after work -”

“Oh, yeah - I should probably get home, anyways. I’m on dinner tonight, for me and Robs.”

He stood when you did, chairs scraping on the floor as you stepped away from the table, leaving two empty coffee mugs and a napkin torn to bits.

“Let me call my car, to drive you home -”

“No,” you said firmly. “I - I want to walk for a bit, actually. To clear my head, if that’s alright.”

He just nodded curtly, and you both just stared at each other for a moment. It was awkward now, like you were now leaving the job interview not knowing if you felt good about getting the job. Do you hug? Should you just leave?

You opted to shake his hand, extending your hand towards his until he took it. It felt strange to do that, but before you could dwell on it, you were mumbling a rushed talk to you soon, and running out the door.

As soon as you were out of sight of the coffee shop, you let out a deep exhale - this could not be your life. But somehow, it was.

As you walked down the cobblestone streets, you became convinced that the whole interaction was in your imagination - perhaps you were still dreaming, and your alarm clock would wake you up at any moment. That was, until, you heard your phone ding:

Maybe: Steve

Hey - this is Steve. Steve Harrington, in case you forgot - I realized you probably also need my number, right? Have a good night.

Jesus, he writes texts like a dad. A grandpa, even. You stared at the message for a moment, reading it a few times - yes, this was real. You took a moment to add the number to your contacts, typing out Steve Harrington slowly. Then, you stuck it in your bag, and continued on your walk, doing everything you could to not check it for the rest of the way.

Your walk home was nearly an hour - reasonably, you should’ve taken Steve’s offer, or at least the bus. But you charged ahead, breathing in the air as dusk started to overtake the day, the sky darkening to the telltale hues of pink and orange. Summer was beginning to show its face, the days stretching just a bit longer, the warmth just a bit more persistent, creeping in as spring met its final days.

It was your favorite time of year - just before the true heat of summer set in, the promise of bright days ahead and winter long-dead in its grave. And thankfully, it meant darkness was only truly settling in when you reached your apartment - you had arrived there on auto-pilot, spending your whole walk home thinking of Steve’s offer.

You were bouncing back and forth, between telling him to fuck himself, and jumping at the opportunity to take everything he had to offer you.

When you walked up to the third floor and jostled the door open with your keys, the apartment was dark - indicating that Robin had hardly left her room all day. But, you needed to talk to her. You needed someone else to tell you that this was insane, outlandish, unbelievable -

When you knocked on her door, you were met with a muffled hmmm, what?

You opened her bedroom door slowly, only to see Robin under her covers, her room still dark. She was only illuminated by the light of her phone’s screen, where she was no doubt doom scrolling for the last few hours, if not all day.

“Hey, you,” you whispered. “How’re you feeling?”

She groaned, sitting up in bed.

“Only marginally better. But, I think I’ve taken the legal limit of ibuprofen, so I have to wait the rest out.”

You chuckled, shaking your head.

“I would say I feel bad for you, but I’m not sure I do.”

She chucked a pillow in your direction, narrowly missing your head.

“Asshole,” she grumbled.

“Love you too,” you replied, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Robin rubbed her eyes, yawning.

“So, how was work?”

Jesus - how were you supposed to answer that question?

“Oh, uh - good, I guess. Well - okay, if I tell you something, will you promise not to freak out? Because like, I really need your advice here.”

“Uh, yeah, okay - that’s totally not ominous.”

“Well, you know Steve?”

“Our savior, you mean? Yeah. I mean, he did bring us back last night, right? I didn’t make that up?”

“No,” you confirmed. “You didn’t. But, before you found us last night… we kind of made out.”

That got Robin to sit up straight, looking more alive than she had all day.

“Oh? You made out with moneybags??? And didn’t tell me?”

“To be fair, you were incapacitated.”

Robin rolled her eyes playfully, then held up her hands defensively.

“Yeah, okay, whatever - well, did you get his number or something?”

You sighed, gathering yourself as you figured out how to answer that question.

“Well, kind of - not last night. But, he came to visit me at work today… I kind of told him where I worked last night while we were talking.”

Robin’s eyes widened, and she grinned.

“Wait, he showed up at work? Oh my God, he’s into you -”

“Not so fast,” you said. “I - he asked to meet with me after my shift. So, I did, and… well, he -”

“He what?” Robin asked, clearly impatient. “Did he ask you out? C’mon, you’re killing me here -”

“He offered to be my sugar daddy,” you said quickly, the words tumbling out. It was the first time you had said it out loud, and it felt ridiculous to even put it that way. But, that’s what it was, no matter how you sliced it.

For maybe the first time in her life, Robin had no words. Her mouth hung open, and you could’ve sworn you saw her brain reboot as she comprehended exactly what you just said.

“I - I’m sorry, what?”

“Well, that’s basically what he offered. Maybe there’s maybe a better term for it, but -”

“No, no, you need to tell me exactly what he said,” Robin demanded, crossing her legs on the bed.

So you did. You explained every detail of Steve’s offer, as best as you could remember, watching how every version of disbelief and awe passed Robin’s face. It was only after you were done that she spoke:

“So, you’re doing it, right?”

You stared at her, eyes wide.

“What? I - I thought you’d tell me it’s a terrible idea -”

“Girl, no - I mean, think about it. He’s offering to pay you, enough that you don;t have to wear yourself down with work anymore, and you’ll get laid? It’s a win-win. Besides, I don’t even like men, and I can acknowledge that the guy is pretty easy on the eyes. I mean, we’ve established he’s not a murderer, right?”

You shrugged.

“I think so - he told me his full name, knows that I told you everything - if he’s a murderer, he’s one who's looking to get caught. But… this is crazy, right?”

Robin just shrugged, a mischievous look in her eye.

“Maybe. But, who ever said crazy was bad? I mean, if you really don’t want to do it, then don’t. But, do you have any reason not to?”

It was those words that rang through your head, all through your dinner (which ended up being a modge-podge of leftovers, after realizing that neither of you had done a proper grocery shop in a while), all while you and Robin watched a movie, and long after she went to bed.

It was nearly midnight when you pulled out your phone, staring once again at Steve’s text. You knew you should probably respond via text - there was a good chance he was already asleep. But, something else compelled you to tap on his contact and press call.

One ring. Two. On the third, a muffled click, and his voice, groggy and low.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” you whispered. “It’s me.”

“Oh! Hello,” he replied, sounding considerably more awake.

“I’m sorry - were you asleep?”

“Hm? No, no - don’t worry about that. Are you okay?”

You nodded, before remembering that he couldn’t see you.

“Yeah - yes. It’s just… I’ve thought a lot about your offer.”

Silence. Then, “...okay? And?”

He sounded cautious, and maybe even hopeful. You took a deep, shuddering breath before answering:

“Yeah. Let’s do it.”

*******

You didn’t actually see Steve for a few days after that. You did receive a text the following morning from Steve, which only read:

Let me know what days and times you’re free. We can meet to set up the arrangements.

And that was what the next few days entailed. First, you had a Zoom meeting with Steve, which felt ridiculously formal. He explained that it was because he was at work, and it was easier this way - by the end of it, he had set you up with a personal separate checking account and a platinum credit card. You had insisted that it wasn’t necessary, afraid he’d get in trouble, but he had only waved off your concerns - don’t worry - you’d be surprised what some of my colleagues get up to. Besides, as far as my accountant is concerned, you’re a client.

A few days later, a car pulled up to your apartment - Steve’s car. Only, he wasn’t in it - his driver informed you that he was there to pick you up for your appointment. The appointment, it turned out, was with a seamstress named Valentina, a bombastic and impassioned woman who had once worked for Versace before leaving to open her own independent brand as a designer. As you stood on a raised block and she measured every inch of you, all she wanted to do was talk. She prattled on about her job, her wife, her annoying neighbor, the fact that she’s a week behind on tailoring a wedding gown for some politician’s daughter. You managed to ask how she knew Steve, and she explained how she’s tailored all of his work attire in the time he’s been in Europe - he’d even had his suit shipped to her during his winter in London. Her rambling was occasionally interjected with what lovely arms you have, or you’d look gorgeous in this color, don’t you think?

Eventually, you worked up the courage to ask, “So, uh, what exactly are you going to make for me? Like, a dress?”

Valentina stopped mid-measuring, glancing up from where she was kneeling in front of you.

“You don’t know?” she asked.

You just shook your head in response, and she laughed.

“Well, Signore Harrington was quite clear - I am to make you everything.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean, everything?”

“He said that everything you want to wear is to be made by me. Or, if you buy something else you like, I’m meant to tailor it, too. That’s why I’m keeping your measurements on file - to make sure everything fits you just right.”

“Oh.”

That was all you could muster. You had seen all of the fine, beautiful piece at the front of Valentia’s shop when you arrived - you had assumed maybe she was making one dress for you, for a special occasion. Or, you’d be picking something from the shop, and that was it. But this… how much money did Steve have?

“Nothing but the best, for Signore Harrington,” Valentina continued, resuming her work. “Which means nothing but the best for his ragazza.”

Girlfriend. You didn’t know whether that was a cover story Steve told her, or just an assumption she’d drawn, but you just chose to not respond, even as the word and all of the falsehoods behind it swirled in your mind.

It wasn’t until nearly a week later that you actually heard from Steve again. It’s another text, and you don’t see it until your lunch break during a coffee shop shift. It reads:

Are you busy tonight?

You stared at the text for a few moments, pondering everything it implied. Was this it? The beginning of… whatever this was? You took a moment to think, then replied:

No, why? I work until 4 and then I’m free

You saw the three dots appear for a second, then disappear. Then, his reply:

You’re working?

Yea I always work 8-4 on Thursdays

You don’t need to do that, you know.

Are you saying I’m not allowed to?

Of course you are, but just know that you don’t need to. I’ll take care of you.

You read that last sentence a few more times than was probably necessary. Then, he texted again:

So, you are free tonight, yes?

You pause for a moment before sending yes.

Great - I’ll come pick you up at 7? Let’s do dinner.

Then, the bell above the door was ringing, and your manager was calling for you as the line of customers grew, your 15-minute break somehow already over.

Sounds good see you then

That was how you found yourself practically sprinting out the door when your shift ended, just barely catching the bus, internally wishing it would skip every other stop by some miracle and get you home as quickly as possible. That, of course, doesn’t happen, and you briefly wondered if you should’ve just used your credit card and called a taxi. The thought suddenly feels ridiculous - you hadn’t actually used any of Steve’s money yet. You knew he said you should, but it felt strange to just frivolously spend someone else’s money like that. So instead, you leaned your head against the bus window, and willed it to move faster.

When you finally arrived home, you were only in the door for a few seconds before Robin was running up to you, eyes wide with glee.

“There you are! Look at this shit - did you know this was coming?”

“Did I - what?” you asked, confused and still a bit out of breath from how briskly you trekked two blocks and up the stairs.

“Okay, clearly you didn’t - c’mere, some lady came and dropped this off earlier today -”

You followed her as she spoke, stopping in your tracks at your bedroom door.

“What the -”

Hanging in your doorway was a thick garment bag on a gold hanger, the door propped open with a dark, leather-bound trunk.

Before you could ask anything else, you were unzipping the bag with shaky hands, gasping as you saw the contents - inside were four dresses, probably nicer than anything you’d worn in your life, all adorned with Valentina’s sigil on the inside.

“Whoa,” Robin said from behind you. “Are those from -”

“Yeah,” you said, cutting her off. “I - I think they’re all custom-made.”

It was then that you noticed a small envelope tucked inside, with a now-familiar wax seal. You practically tore it open, and it read:

I had Valentina send over these first few garments - there’ll be more to come. I think the white one would look great on you for tonight, with the gold shoes. I’ll see you at 7.

S.H.

“Holy shit,” Robin whispered, followed by a low whistle. “He’s really taking this whole thing seriously, isn’t he?”

You nodded, running your thumb over Steve’s handwriting a few times.

“Okay, you’ve got to tell me - is he just like, really bad in bed or something? Like, is that why he’s doing all this -”

“I wouldn’t know,” you admitted. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Wait - you haven’t slept with him yet?”

You shook your head, pinching the fabric of the white dress hanging in front, feeling the soft satin between your fingers.

“No,” you said. “I’m seeing him tonight, though.”

“Holy shit,” Robin said. “How is this your life now?”

You shook your head in disbelief.

“I have no clue.”

*******

Two hours later, after a long, contemplative shower, and fussing maybe a bit too much with your hair and makeup, you found yourself wearing the dress and heels from the trunk, as instructed. Well, it was more of a suggestion than instruction, but who were you to object?

The dress had slipped on with ease, and it was maybe the lightest, softest thing you had ever worn - it fit like a glove, enough that you didn’t think a single other person in the world could put this on if they tried. You understood now why Steve used Valentina - she was damn good at her job.

You stared at yourself in the mirror, not exactly recognizing yourself. It felt like you were going to some costume party, if the costume in question was a dress finer than anything you’d ever worn and shoes that probably cost more than you were willing to find out. The dress was light and flowy, hitting right above your knees. You did a quick 360, and took a deep breath - this was fine. It was great, actually - it was just dinner, that was all. Maybe. Probably.

When you emerged from the bedroom, Robin nearly fell off of the couch, jaw slack.

“Who are you, and what’ve you done with my roommate?”

You rolled your eyes, giving Robin a spin for the full effect. She just laughed, shaking her head incredulously.

“Seriously, though - you look great. Like, sophisticated, but in a hot way, I promise.”

“I don’t know if that’s a thing,” you said.

“‘Course it is, I’m looking at it!”

Before you could say anything else, you heard your buzzer ring - someone was downstairs.

You shared a look with Robin, and she bounced excitedly on the couch, urging you to answer. You went to the intercom, pressing the talk button and leaning in closely, remembering how notoriously bad the sound quality on this thing was.

“Um, hello?”

“Hey - it’s me,” Steve’s voice said, distorted a bit through the crackly speaker. “Are you ready to go?”

Oh, God. He actually came to the door.

“Yep! I’ll be down in a minute!”

“Are you sure? I can come up, if you want -”

“No!” you replied quickly - you glanced back at your tiny, and currently messy, apartment, and imagined he’d die if he ever saw it.

“It’s okay - it’s a third floor walkup… I’ll come down.”

“Yeah, okay,” he conceded.

You shot a glance back at Robin, who was giving you two thumbs-up.

“Wish me luck,” you said, suddenly feeling waves of anxiety rolling through you - this was suddenly so real, what the Hell are you even doing -

“Don’t do that,” Robin said firmly.

“Do what?”

“Freak out.”

“I’m not freaking out -”

“Yeah, you are,” she interjected. “It’s fine - in fact, it’s less pressure than a real date. And I’ve got your location, so if you go missing -”

“Ha, ha,” you replied, voice laced with sarcasm. “Goodnight, Robin.”

Before she could tease you or ask any more questions, you were out the door and heading down the stairs, heart fluttering as you descended each flight, knowing it’d bring you closer to him.

And, when you opened the door, there he was - much more formal than the last time you had seen him, wearing a slim-fitting suit and a friendly smile. When he saw you, he stepped back for a moment, eyes widening.

“I - wow. Look at you.”

You felt your heart flip, your face flushing.

“Well, I have you to thank for that. Or, Valentina, I guess.”

“Oh, yeah,” he agreed. “Mostly Valentina - I don’t really know anything about women’s fashion, so I told her to do what she thought was best for you.”

“And did she?” you asked.

He looked you up and down again, nodding.

“I’ll say - you really do look beautiful, you know,” he said, voice a little softer now.

You felt your face heat even more, and decided not to respond. After a moment, Steve stepped back and waved you ahead, following you down the steps towards the car parked on the curb. He opened the door for you, allowing you to slide in across the backseat before following.

As the car peeled away and onto the road, Steve cleared his throat.

“So - I got you a little something.”

Before you could ask or protest, he was handing you a small white box. You opened it slowly, gasping as you got a look inside - it was a necklace. A gold necklace, with a diamond pendant that glistened more than anything you’d ever seen. The whole thing must’ve been real - you were no expert, but it had to be. It was simple, but so clearly nicer that any of the plated stuff you had sitting on your dresser at home.

You just held the box in your hand, staring at it for a moment as you examined the contents. You slowly traced the chain with your finger, your thoughts only interrupted by Steve.

“If you don’t like it, we can return it, and you can pick out something you like better - I have the receipt, I just didn’t really know what you liked -”

“It’s beautiful,” you whispered. You realized he had taken your silence for rejection, and the idea was enough to make you sick.

“But - I can’t accept this. It must’ve been so expensive -”

“Don’t worry about that,” Steve interrupted. “I wanted to get you something nice, and I thought it’d look nice on you.”

You glanced to the front of the car to gauge how much the driver was paying attention, and leaned in closer to Steve with a whisper.

“You already wired me my rent, tuition, and my allowance - which was a crazy amount, by the way - and, the clothes, all of it… not that I’m not grateful. I am, I just… you’ve already spent so much, you’re going to end up spoiling me -”

“Maybe I want to spoil you,” he murmured.

Whatever you were planning on saying next vanished, the words dying in your throat. So you just went quiet, looking down at the necklace in your lap again.

“Can I?” he asked.

Knowing what he was asking, you nodded, gathering your hair to the side as he extracted the necklace from its box. He unlatched it and pulled it up around the exposed slope of your neck, his fingers brushing your skin as he closed it again. You felt your breath hitched, the feeling of his fingers ever-so-lightly touching you lighting your skin on fire.

“I do have a question,” you asked, fixing your hair as you gazed down as where the pendant rested on your sternum.

“Mm hm?”

“If - if I suddenly changed my mind about this - this whole arrangement… do I need to pay you back?”

He shook his head fervently.

“No - definitely not. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do - if you ever want to stop, let me know, and you can keep whatever I’ve given you. No need to pay me back, I promise. You’re allowed to change your mind, I - I don’t own you.”

“Right,” you said, biting your lip. Then you managed to finally meet his gaze, and he was looking at you so sincerely it made you want to cry. And his face was close - so, so close.

Then, you were leaning across the seat and bringing your hand to cup his jaw, pressing your lips to his. He tensed for a second, then leaned into the kiss. You pulled back after a moment, and he just stared at you, bewildered.

“What was that for?” he asked softly.

“To say thank you,” you replied, hand still brushing his face.

“And,” you added, “I’ve actually changed my mind about one thing.”

His brow furrowed, and you realized that you accidentally sent him into panic mode.

“About what?”

“Let’s skip dinner,” you whispered. “I want to go to your place instead.”

Author's note: thanks everyone for all the enthusiasm for the story so far! Just a warning, there's a lot of smut ahead, so get ready for that! As always, shoutout to Em, who's basically my co-author. Your replies, comments, likes, and reblogs are always appreciated!

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callmelola111 · 9 months

Text

maniac ♡ e.w. oneshot

✄ - - - - inspo track - - - - maniac

synopsis: lies are spewed and truths are revealed when a precarious friend group joins together once more on the 1 year anniversary of their estranged friends disappearance.

| 𓆣 | pairing & wc: ellie williams x reader. wc: 4.4k

| ❀ | cw: 18+ themes (MDNI), modern au, reader is referred to with she/her pronouns but other than that all descriptors are gender neutral, heavy violence blood and gore, oc deaths, drug use, homophobia (use of the word "dyke" once. i'm a lesbian so don't y'all try to cancel me), heavy language, mentions of reader having anxiety and panic attacks, lots of tension and fighting, ⭑ SMUT ⭑ ... thigh riding (r on e), dom!ellie, sub!reader, fingering (r receiving), pet names (baby, angel, etc.)

a/n: hi lovelies!! long time no see... i know this is a little different from my usual stuff but i honestly really love how it turned out. i spent a good chunk of time planning this out and then even longer writing it so i really hope y'all love it! i want this to be a fresh and exciting read for everyone. if you do end up enjoying the fic, any kind of note is greatly appreciated! ur fave tumblr writers thrive off all y'alls support! anyways, love love love you guys!!! ♡~ lola

To everyone else, it was a summer like any other. But when it came to you and your friends there was something missing this time– someone missing. This absence felt extra heavy as tomorrow would be the 1 year anniversary of August’s disappearance, and the annual camping trip was right on time with it. It had been tradition for as long as you could remember, but its memory was now tainted and left something that used to be so sure, completely up in the air…

✄ - - - - ♡ - - - -

The five of you squeezed into the small 4 person booth at your favorite local diner; Tj’s Eats. In one seat sat Lottie and Reid. The girl’s loose, dark curls gathered at the boy's shoulders as she snuggled into him, still clearly in the honeymoon stage of their relationship. On the other side of the white marbled table sat Xavier and Ellie, with you perched on her lap, of course, as she insisted to everyone that it was “necessity” and “there really, really was no more room”. In all actuality, all it took was an extra chair to fit the five, but she was your girlfriend, and even after years of dating you still couldn’t get enough of each other.

“Can someone just say what we’re all thinking, please! I can’t with this tension,” Lottie complained, finally snapping out of the cuddle fest with her red-headed boyfriend.

“What are we all thinking Lottie, huh? Since you know everything,” Xavier retaliated, guising his irritation with a poorly crafted remark.

“Don’t be fucking mean,” she said, kicking him under the table.

“Yeah seriously chill out,” Reid echoed.

“God, enough with this shit, you guys are driving me insane!” Ellie butted in. You, however, paid no mind to this type of bullshit, as fights like this had become a frequent occurrence in your group of friends ever since that godforsaken night. So you continued to down your chocolate shake and drown out the bickering with a light hum. That is, until you were rudely interrupted by Xavier’s insulting words.

“You’re being real fucking quiet over there, Y/n. Do you really have nothing to say? You can’t just tune us out forever. We’re your fucking friends.”

You felt your hands balled into tight fists, “Fine. You want me to say something? I’ll say something–my brother is still missing and if you’re even thinking of going on that stupid fucking trip this year, you can count me out.”

“Not going on that trip isn’t gonna magically bring him back. August is gone and we can’t stop living our lives because of it,” he retorted, going just a tad bit too far. This was the last straw and quickly sent you up and out of your warm place in Ellie’s lap. She grasped at your wrist trying to pull you back into this mess of a friend group, but to no avail.

“Now look what you’ve fucking done!” Ellie yelled at your defense as you disappeared into the bathroom.

✄ - - - - ♡ - - - -

Now face-to-face with your tear-stained cheeks in the mirror, your head fell down between your shoulders, slowly letting the pent up emotions roll off your back. Ever since you lost August, life had become 10 times harder. As much as your younger self would’ve hated to admit it, he was your rock–your annoying brother–but still, your rock. This confession made you feel even worse though, because deep down, there was a part of you that blamed yourself for how things happened. Maybe if you would’ve stopped fighting, or told the truth to the police, or took it easier on the booze and coke that night, August would still be here. There was nothing you could do now though. This was your reality and you had to accept it.

With that you reached into the pocket of Ellie’s varsity jacket that engulfed your figure, hoping to find a tissue to blot away your tears and smeared mascara. Instead, you were met with a small polaroid. You flipped it over to reveal a bewildering picture of Xavier and August from the last night he was seen. Their arms were swung around each other’s necks, both flashing toothy smiles at the camera and you could recall being the one to take this photo. The one thing you didn’t remember is the black sharpie captioning the bottom of the image. It read “don’t believe his lies”. Your head began to race with countless questions and zero answers. The biggest one being, what the fuck was Xavier lying about?

The wet bathroom countertop dug into the palms of your hands as you took a second to decide the best course of action, but all you could come up with was shutting the fuck up and pretending it never happened. You weren’t ready to relive last year all over again. Not yet–not ever. So you paraded back into the dining room, eyes still damp and hands still shaking. Ellie felt your energy immediately and knew it was time to go.

She glanced at you for confirmation and then turned to address the group, “I think it’s time for me and Y/N to head out. Sorry guys.” Xavier shot a look of discontent and Ellie mouthed something along the lines of “I’m sorry, I’ll talk to her I promise”, which seemed to slightly ease the tension he was previously carrying in his shoulders. She then slid out from the booth, slipped her left hand into the pocket of your denim shorts, and ushered you outside to her red convertible.

The drive back was silent but as Ellie’s hand gently stroked the flesh of your thighs and the other steered you knew there was no way she could have anything to do with that polaroid. But you had to find out who did. Just as you were nearing your house though, Ellie’s gentle touch quickly shifted to a handsier approach and it was clear she had other plans for the night.

“Els?” is all you had to say before she quickly pulled over and jumped to the backseat, pulling you along with her. She positioned herself in the middle seat opening up her legs in a dominating stance resembling a manspread. You eagerly climbed atop her lap, placing soft kisses up her veiny neck and extending them to her defining jawline. This was just what you needed to release the tension that had racked up from tonight's events. The moon was hitting your face just right and Ellie felt so lucky to have you in that moment.

“You’re so goddamn beautiful” she murmured, slightly breathless from the overwhelming touch of your lips. You smiled against the crook of her neck and dove into the girl's mouth for a deep and passionate kiss. She returned the exchange with even more fire, graciously slipping her tongue into your entrance. With each second things got messier and your hips got looser, slowly grinding into Ellie’s denim clad thighs. She couldn’t help but chuckle just a little at your desperation, to which you buried your head back into her shoulder, encasing her in your arms for better traction. Ellie’s hands swiftly found the curves of your hips and rocked them back forth to aid you in your journey towards climax. That is until your anxiety got the best of you at the sound of rustling coming from outside the car.

“Ellie?”

“What does it not feel good?” she questioned.

“No, no– It’s just… I swear I just heard something coming from behind the car.”

“I mean… we are parked by the woods. It’s probably just some animal or the wind.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes babe, I’m sure.” she assured you with a firm squeeze to your thigh and you let your worries go. This time Ellie was on top, laying you down across the seats to hover over you alluringly. Your lips found hers once again as she slipped a hand down your shorts and past your panties to meet the slick that had been piling up the whole drive. You let out a strangled moan into Ellie’s mouth as her rough digits met the throbbing bud of nerves. She took that as a sign to speed up the pace and slip in a curved finger to hit that perfect spot. You jerked in pleasure, eyes closed, almost reaching your climax from just those few movements. Ellie felt as your walls tightened around her and knew you were close.

“Look at me baby. I wanna see your eye’s when you cum all over my fingers.” she cooed. You obeyed and parted your lids open to reveal a disturbing image followed by a frightened scream escaping your puffy lips. Ellie jumped back at the clearly non-orgasmic exclamation, letting out a string of concerned “what? What??”’s. All you could do is point your shaky hand towards the message written in the condensation of the back windshield.

“I know about last summer…” Ellie read out, voice as shaky as your extremities. Both of your fight or flight responses were triggered; you choosing flight and her of course choosing fight. The door to the cherry red car flung open and Ellie climbed over and out of her seat to trail the perimeter. You cowered down, eye’s filled with tears as Ellie recklessly yelled out to whoever wrote the message.

“Hello? Anybody out there?”, she kicked at the rocks in frustration, “Seriously who the fuck are you? This isnt fucking funny!”

“Ellie, will you please just get back in the car? They’re gone!” you pleaded. She eventually returned from her fit and came to console you. You were a mess and you were scared.

“Hey, hey, it’s probably some prank. Let’s just take a breath, babe. In and out. Nice and slow.” she coached and you followed.

“But- what if it’s not though… what if this isn’t the first time something like this has happened…”

“Wha-what do you mean?” she asked.

You pulled out the polaroid and handed it to Ellie, “I- I found this in your jacket.”

“Y/n I swear I didn't put that there. I have no idea where it came from. Please, please believe me.”

“I do, I do. But that means someone else put it there, and they probably wrote that message too.”

Her head fell into her hands as she let out a sigh, “Fuck. We’re so fucked.”

“So what do we do?”

“We go on that camping trip and keep our mouths shut till we know more.”

“Seriously? What is camping gonna help? I already said I’m not going!” you yelled.

“Like hell you are! You’re insane if you think staying in the same town with the psycho freak who's borderline blackmailing us is gonna solve shit! If we’re in the woods they can’t get to us.” Ellie argued, face turning red with insistence.

“Fuck. I guess you’re kinda right. I’ll go.”

“Thank you.”

“Will you sleep over tonight though? I’m scared Els. I don’t even wanna think about being alone after tonight.”

She gave you a kiss on the forehead, “Of course I’ll stay the night. We’re in this together, okay?”

“Okay.”

✄ - - - - ♡ - - - -

The next morning Reid came barreling over in his beat up white van. He haphazardly whipped into the driveway of your two story home that looked straight out of suburbia. Ellie stood at the top of the concrete hill holding your pink duffle and her navy blue one on the dip of her shoulder. Xavier swung open the sliding door and the both of you climbed in as you were practically slapped in the face with the smell of old bong water and way too many Little Trees air fresheners that somehow made the smell worse.

“Fuckk Reid, you’ve gotta get rid of this kidnapper van.” Ellie remarked, holding her nose and pretending to gag a couple times.

“Fuck off Ellie, you should be thanking me for driving you bums around.”

She just rolled her eyes, “Righttt… Right…”

The van quickly took to the road again, heading straight for the forest where it all happened just 1 year ago.

“It’s too quiet in here. Can we please put on some music?” Lottie asked about 30 minutes into the drive.

“Yeah sure. I have a few tapes in the console right there if you wanna put one in.” Reid gestured to the compartment on the passenger side and Lottie reached in, pulling out the first tape she could find. It was in a small plastic case with no writing or cover to indicate what it was, but it sparked an intrigue, so she popped it into the car's sound system anyways. To Lottie and everyone else’s surprise, music didn’t start playing. All that came through the speakers was a muffled recording of two voices arguing.

“Shut the fuck up August you’re just jealous!”

“You’re gonna regret this Reid.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“You’re the one who-”

Before the tape could finish Reid ripped it out of the player, slamming it into the dashboard and destroying the possible evidence.

“How the fuck did you get this Lottie?! Where’d you find this, seriously?” he screamed as his frantic girlfriend tried to explain.

“It was just in the console I swear!”

“Don’t fucking lie to me! I’ve never seen that tape, let alone put it in my car!”

Tears welled in her eyes, “I’m not lying Reid!”

The bickering continued as you, Ellie, and Xavier sat in the back, jaws dropped in utter shock. You felt yourself shutting down at this new found information. Did Reid have something to do with August disappearing? What were they even fighting about? Suddenly breathing felt impossible and the world went silent as panic set it. You only snapped back to Earth when you heard the sound of Ellie screaming.

“FUCK REID LOOK OUT!” It was too late though and the thud of a full size deer flipping over the hood is what finally shut everyone up.

“Oh my god…” you shuddered at the smear of thick crimson blood across the dirty windshield. It didn’t matter if it was an animal, Reid had just taken a life and you were basically an accomplice. Your heart broke and the pit of your stomach swirled with sickness thinking of the likely decapitated body splattered just behind the van. Ellie wrapped you in her arms, as if to shield you from the horror of not only the poor deer, but the realization that any one of your friends could be the reason your brother was missing.

Xavier finally broke the jarring lull in speech, “I- I think we should take a pit stop.”

“Yeah…” Ellie agreed.

✄ - - - - ♡ - - - -

A few miles down the road was a small gas station where Reid pulled over for everyone to recollect themselves. Lottie scrubbed mindlessly at the deer carnage with the murky gas station water and squeegee she found beside the gas pump. Xavier paced in the parking lot like he was off one but it was the pure anxiety and adrenaline that had him tweaking so much. Reid on the other hand was still stuck at the wheel, slouching in the driver's seat, and not making a single move since he put the van into park. Even his deep green eyes remained motionless, they seemed to be locked onto absolutely nothing, just staring into the void. Everyone was a fucking mess. The only people who seemed to be somewhat on this planet still were you and Ellie.

“I think I might gouge my eye’s out if I don’t eat some Swedish Fish and drink a Yerb as soon as possible.” you professed, walking inside the little convenience store with a ring of a bell.

“I think I need a fucking cigarette.” Ellie said in a joking tone, but candidly, these past few days had her seriously considering picking the old habit back up.

“I think everybody does. I’m tired of shit like this happening and then everyone shoving it under the rug cause we’re all still ashamed about last year. I mean, I know I am, but we have to talk about it eventually.”

“You’re right, but even if we did, what is there to say? We were all so fucked up the whole night’s just a blurry mess. Like, did you see Reid's face when that tape came on? It looked like he was hearing the conversation for the first time just like the rest of us.”

“This sucks Ellie” you groaned as you opened up the glass door to retrieve your drink. Ellie approached from behind, slithering her hands from your sides to your naval and giving you a squeeze.

She planted a soft kiss to the top of your head, “This does suck, but I love you and we’re gonna be alright. You gonna be okay for the rest of the drive?” She flipped you around to face her and you gave an assuring nod in response. Ellie always knew just what to say to ease that panicky feeling that was constantly bubbling up in your chest. The girl then took your hand and led you to the counter where a gruff looking cashier checked you out. He slowly scanned each item at an agonizing pace; Hot fries, Swedish Fish, a Yerba Mate, Chex Mix, and a Fanta Orange.

“Total is $13.78” he mumbled as Ellie swiped her card and you gathered up the snacks. The clerk's eyes seemed to get meaner and meaner each second you waited for your receipt– until he finally cracked. “You know you’re going to hell for what you did.”

Ellie backed away, “Excuse me?” Had he overheard something? Did he know about August? Who the fuck was this guy?

“I don’t need any dykes shoving their sins all in my face in my own damn store!” he grunted. Oh, he’s just homophobic. Right. That was y’alls que to get back on the road and out of the middle of nowhere immediately.

✄ - - - - ♡ - - - -

After an excruciatingly mute hour stuck in the “kidnapper van” you finally arrived at the forest where you’d be spending the night. The silence looked to have eased some of the tension though as conversation grew a little more lax around the campfire.

“Yo Lottie do you have the bud? We should roll up.” Xavier suggested. You nodded fervently in agreement, a joint was exactly what you needed. Lottie seemed to have made up with Reid as she was hanging all over him not hearing a word Xavier said.

With a few calls of her name she finally looked up, “Huh?”

“The weed Lottie.” Ellie said.

“Yeah it’s in a little pouch in my tent if someone wants to grab it.” Xavier got up from his spot on a mossy log and ventured into the purple tent hitched by a tree. In just 30 seconds flat he came storming back out, face completely red and a beaded bracelet dangling from his right fist.

“What the fuck is this Lottie!? How do you have this?”

She pulled back from her steamy kiss with Reid to answer, “Oh my god what Xavier? You’re being sooo goddamn annoying today.”

“Could you maybe stop grinding on your boyfriend for 5 fucking seconds and look at what I found in your bag?!” he yelled back. After a closer look the small beads began to look eerily familiar. This wasn’t just any bracelet, this was August’s bracelet. The one he had on the last night he was seen, and all of the sudden Lottie’s loud mouth seemed to shut right up.

“I- I- Xavier believe me I didn’t put that there.”

His voice broke with pain and fury, “Oh really?? Then who did ‘Miss innocent’?”

“I don’t fucking know but it wasn’t me!”

“Fuck you!” he screamed, dashing off into the dark woods. Everyone tried to yell at him to come back but it was no use. He was too angry to listen to anyone but himself.

That being said, hypervigilant Reid stood up to follow, “I’m gonna go find him guys. He shouldn’t be out there alone. Not after…” His voice trailed off but everyone knew exactly what he was alluding to.

“I really didn’t put that there you know” Lottie said.

You and Ellie shared a glance, “We know.”

A puzzled look spread across her face, “what do you mean you know?”

“We think someone’s orchestrating all this,” Ellie said.

“Like blackmail?”

You nodded, “exactly like blackmail. It’s happened to me and Ellie too. Once with a lost polaroid photo and another time with a message written on her car.” You then pulled out the photo to show to Lottie.

She read it aloud, “Don’t believe his lies? Like… Xavier?” Ellie twiddled with her fingers, looking down at the dirt before saying what you and Lottie were both thinking.

“I mean, I don’t want to point fingers because this is a fucked up situation, but how have we all been framed except him?”

Lottie smoothed back the sweaty bangs stuck to her temples, “Fuckkkk. He probably had the bracelet from the start too, he seemed sooo damn eager to go dig through my shit.”

“So, what do we do?” you asked.

Xavier suddenly appeared out of thin air, “What do we do about what?” Lottie practically jumped out of her spot.

“Fuck Xavier you scared me. Wait… Wh- where’s Reid?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, he left to look for you.”

“I never saw him.”

Lottie began to scream and call for her missing boyfriend and without a second thought went straight for the forest like an idiot.

“Lottie fuck come back!” Ellie yelled out. It wasn’t long before she was running right back to you though. A blood curdling scream dampening any sounds of nature and sending a parade of chills up everyone’s backs.

“IT’S REID Y/N! IT’S REID! HE- HE- HE’S DEAD!” Lottie collapsed into your arms dry heaving from the overwhelming amount of tears, pain, and betrayal. “IT WAS YOU! IT WAS FUCKING YOU XAVIER!” You and Ellie worked to hold her back as he denied every claim.

“Lottie you’re acting fucking crazy! I didn’t do shit!”

“Even if you didn’t, you're not helping! But to me, it looks like you have guilty written all over you!” Ellie spat back.

“Fuck you guys! This isn’t fucking funny! I didn’t do it! Please, is this some kind of-” His words were cut short along with his head by the swing of a large machete right through his neck, sending a spray of fresh blood into the air and across your face. It took a solid 15 seconds before any of you could even let out a scream, but when you did, it was pure terror.

“RUN! JUST RUN!” you yelled. Ellie grabbed your wrist in one hand and Lottie’s in the other, sprinting away with little discretion. A hooded figure trailed close behind, dirt and rocks flying into the air upon each kick of their sneakers. Air caught in your lungs with no release, all you could do was put one foot in front of the other which was a struggle in itself.

Lottie got brave though and took one single look behind her following immediate regret. A rock caught her pink converse just right, throwing her across the dirty ground and setting her feet back from the rest. And as this hooded figure caught up, the moon casting its light through the trees and across his face, it all began to make sense.

Lottie struggled backwards through the dirt with a scream, “IT’S AUGUST! IT’S FUCKING AUGUST!” Ellie halted in an attempt to pull the fallen girl back up and running but she was frozen in disbelief, in horror, in complete and utter fear. There was no choice but to leave her there and as the both of you turned to run, all you needed to hear was her earth shattering shriek to know exactly what happened.

Tears streamed down your face, “Els, Ellie I- I can’t.”

“Yes you can. Just keep running baby please.” And you did for another couple feet until fate had other plans. A hunting trap violently swept you up into a tree, encasing you in a thick net.

“ELLIE HELP!” you screamed. She pulled and pulled at the rope creating lacerations across her palms and fingers but to no avail.

“Do you trust me Y/n?”

Through tears and strings of snot you shook your head, “Yes Ellie, I trust you.” Your girlfriend then took off, leaving you dangling in the air with no protection. It was just you and August now. And with a single swipe of his weapon you tumbled to the ground, twisting your ankle at the fall.

He gave a sinister smile, “hello sister.” You scrambled in the opposite direction, hands grasping at the soil below but never getting far with your limp foot.

“August please. You don’t have to do this. It’s me! It’s Y/n!”

“STOP IT! You’re not gonna change my mind about this. I’ve waited long enough!” Your heart beats from your chest. What the fuck were you going to do to survive this?

“We’re fucking family August! I’m your sister. You’re my little brother!”

“‘Family’, ‘little brother’,” he mocked, “you haven’t changed a bit.”

“Wha- what do you mean?”

“I’m not living in your shadow anymore Y/n. I’m done being the sidekick to you and all of your stupid friends!”

“They’re your friends too!”

He began inching closer and closer, “No they fucking aren’t! Friends don’t do what you guys did to me. Lying to the police, seriously? Acting like you had no idea what happened? I disappeared and none of you even gave a fuck till the cops started asking questions!”

“That’s not true August,” you broke down into tears once more, “I missed you every fucking day!”

“Clearly not enough.” He slowly lifted his arms, gripping the bloody machete with both hands. There was no escaping at this point. You just clenched your eye’s shut and braced for the end.

“NOOO!” The sound of a gunshot rang through your ears and instead of the feeling of cold metal slicing through you, you were met with the warm embrace of your girlfriend. You broke.

“Ellie. Oh my god Ellie.”

“I’m right here baby. Never leaving. I promise.” She just held you and held you, rocking back and forth till your breaths got less shaky.

“H-How?”

“A cabin. I found an empty cabin with a shotgun hanging right on the wall.”

“God, I love you.” Ellie smoothed back your hair and gave you a kiss.

“I love you too, angel.”

✄ - - - - ♡ - - - -

After that night things were never the same. It was just you and Ellie now. But together you would heal. Somehow, despite all the pain and loss, there was a glimmer of hope. Deep down you both knew things would be okay. And they were.

✄ - - - - masterlist - - - - ♡

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316 notes · View notes

cheegu3 · 1 year

Note

Can i request a yandere bully jungwon oneshot pleasee 😭😭

pls, I love you for this bc I’m also a sucker for bully Jungwon 😭😭

tw / trigger warning: yandere themes, bullying, abuse, mommy issues, swearing, social anxiety/anxiety themes

pairing: bully jungwon x reader

wc: 2.2k

a/n: this was somewhat inspired by me getting bullied, enjoy my trauma lmao !!

it’s lowkey pretty sad

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐰𝐨𝐧 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫

You stared at the wall soullessly, feeling yourself start to dissociate as the ice-cold water was poured over you.

A small gasp left your mouth, earning a mocking scoff from your bully’s mouth.

Although he genuinely felt you deserved this punishment for doing what you did - he still enjoyed it, thoroughly. Sneering at the way your body started to shake.

“ Did you really think that was gonna work? “ Jungwon asked you, throwing the bucket the water had been in to the side.

Its sound made you jump automatically, your body being used to being scared and cautious of him. Now you cursed yourself - not needing to look at your bully to know he’d look satisfied at your fear of him.

“ My parents love me “ he came closer, crouching down and lifting your hanging head up by your chin. “ They let me do whatever I want. “

You didn’t respond, only listening to not make him even angrier.

“ I’m sure for those who can’t relate, they’d be jealous. “ he clicked his tongue, trying to hold himself back from smiling again as he saw your eyes immediately look at him with a mix of panic and shock.

You were so cute when you listened to him so well.

“ I suppose, they’d want to try and ruin it. What do you think, y/n? “ he turned to you again, voice mocking.

You weren’t sure your voice would sound steady if you were to speak, so instead you nodded hysterically, praying that he’d be fine with a non-audible answer.

He hummed while seemingly in deep thought, eyeing you like a predator watching its pray.

“ I’ll let you go, for now. “ you scrambled to your feet at his words, ready to almost run away from the guy who scared you the most.

“ But..” he stepped closer again, seeing you try to increase the distance between you two. “ If you try anything again, it’ll be way worse than this “

He smirked slowly, while keeping eye-contact.

“ I’ll kidnap you. “

You were sure to feel embarrassed of it later but then and there, his last words sent a wave of panic in you - kicking in your fight or flight.

You sprinted towards the exit of the bathroom, gasping for air as you somehow made it outside the building in mere seconds.

Scared that he’d follow you out, you only let yourself catch a few breaths before continuing to run away from your predator.

And you didn’t stop, not once all the way home.

Your mom came out onto the step, looking concerned as she had seen you from the window.

‘‘ Are you running from someone? ‘‘ she asked, a humorous laugh escaping her lips at the look on your face.

Your eyes widened, suddenly whipping around as if you had expected Yang Jungwon himself to stand behind you.

Her eyebrows furrowed, a look of disgust taking over her features. You quickly collected yourself, knowing you shouldn’t let your antsy personality show in front of your mom who didn’t believe in all that ‘’ mentally-ill stuff ‘’.

Besides, he wasn’t someone you should be afraid of. Or at least, you didn’t want to be.

‘‘ I was thinking, ‘‘ your mom’s voice pulled you out from your thoughts ‘‘ We could go grocery shopping together, it’s been a while since we went out and did something. ‘‘ she smiled but the warmth wasn’t there, it never was when she smiled, the lack of motherly love was apparent any time she did.

You nodded, mindlessly letting yourself be pulled wherever your mom lead you. She put on her coat and then you two were off in the car, hopefully this would take your mind off of your problem.

The parking lot looked deserted thankfully, meaning there wouldn’t be any invasive, creepy or just curious eyes from those who had way too much time on their hands. You hated going out, always feeling on edge like something bad was going to happen - you suppose Jungwon was behind it.

But here he couldn’t hurt you. Your mom was with you and although she didn’t know about you getting bullied, she’d never let her kid be disrespected or taunted in front of her.

That would make her disappointed in you as you would’ve embarrassed her. Being an egotistical bitch, she only cared about herself of course.

Even if you would have told her, it would soon be buried, forever forgotten.

The inside was empty just like the parking lot, a few hushed voices came from the shelves and only one cashier was in the front.

Hurriedly you followed your mom not wanting to lose her. But just like that, in a second she was gone.

She didn’t care enough either to check if you were following or listening to her endless gossiping that you really didn’t care about - she was probably striding down the aisles completely clueless.

Although it was a really big grocery store, you were sure it wouldn’t take long for you to find her. If you walked straight and stopped looking both ways at every aisle, you’d surely see her soon enough.

However it took longer than you had anticipated, anxiety starting to grow in the pit of your stomach. She was absolutely capable of leaving without you.

Then as you turned the last aisle, you heard her voice. Peeking around the shelf you saw your mom loading up her stuff onto the band at the desk.

Relief washed over you as you quickly went over, giving your mom a small look before taking the bags out of her hands.

You started putting the items into the bags, when you suddenly felt like someone was watching you.

Your head darted up to see if your mom was, but she was busy charming the cashier. Your lips formed a thin line and then you turned your head to the right, a huge mistake.

Two pair of familiar eyes stared back at you from several rows away. Your bully was there with his friends, making his usual confidence multiply.

It felt like your heart stopped, a small gasp escaped you and you looked to your mom, wishing she would hurry up.

In the corner of your eye you saw them moving painfully slow towards you, as if they knew how much anxiety this was causing you and were playing a cat and mouse game.

‘‘ Mom! ‘‘ you couldn’t take it anymore.

Your mom’s head whipped around to give you a glare, but somehow the scared look on your face making you look so vulnerable made her stop.

She gave the cashier one last, rather excusing smile and then turned to help you carry the bags to the car.

Although Jungwon and his friends had stopped following you, it felt as if eyes bore into your neck as you turned to walk with your mom by your side.

While in the car you almost started crying. You were supposed to be safe outside school grounds - that was the only thing you’d say to yourself to bring you comfort whenever he was fucking with you.

And now that one thing was gone too. He had made you feel unsafe in yet another place. Wherever you were he could show up, mocking and looking amused at the way your body stiffened up at the sight of him.

You prayed to all the Gods above to make your mom kinder and let you stay at home because of a ‘’ cold ‘’ the next day.

But she saw right through it of course. Dragging you out of bed and shoving breakfast in front of your face before being pushed out the door.

‘‘ I’ll know if you went or not! I will ask the principal ‘‘ she added, as if she couldn’t be more of a bitch.

All the way to school, you had your head down - feet dragging behind you, coupled with heavy sighs as the scene from the day before, replayed over and over again.

You knew Jungwon so well now. There was no way he wasn’t going to use this as an opportunity to make fun of you and make you feel small; no way, he found too much enjoyment in such things.

“ Y/n~ “

A sickeningly all too familiar voice call out to you the second you stepped foot on school grounds, confirming your thoughts.

You tried to ignore him, eyes dead set on the entrance of the school. Those steps were so close yet felt so far away.

In the corner of your eye, yet again, you could see him approaching you - no need to stop as your mom wasn’t there to protect you this time.

A strong hand wrapped around your arm harshly, jolting you back as your tried to break free and keep moving.

“ Are you trying to run from me? “ he said.

You finally turned your head towards Jungwon and he raised his eyebrows. You were trying to keep up your brave face as you looked at him - but you both knew you’d fold as soon as your eyes met, it was laughable really.

“ It’s rude to ignore people when they’re trying to talk to you, didn’t you know? “ His eyes were desperately searching your face for a reaction.

You bit the inside of your lip, not giving him the satisfaction of letting emotions take over your facial expressions.

“ I wasn’t trying to. “ you lied straight through your teeth.

His eyes narrowed.

“ Apologize. “

“ What? I- “

“ -Apologize. “ he repeated, eyes never leaving you.

“ I-I’m sorry…but please can you let me go now “ your head spun as you tried your best to come up with an excuse to run before the panic kicked in.

“ I don’t wanna be late. “

He was quiet for a few seconds, and you took it as your chance to run away but not even seconds after of you trying to reach the entrance, he called out to you again.

“ I’m not done with you. “

You rolled your eyes and cleared your throat as you made the awkward walk back, avoiding eye-contact.

He scoffed.

“ Hey. “

Your head snapped out, dread filling you. That tone was recognisable to you from miles away.

He was calling his friends over.

And soon enough they had all gathered around him, peering curiously at you as if they were waiting for a theatre show.

Jungwon smiled contently as he fixed his attention on you again.

“ Someone saw me yesterday, didn’t they? “

You met his gaze head on now, trying not to break and give in.

‘‘ Yes, so? ‘‘

He laughed and his friends made some noises, as if you’d made the gravest mistake of your life.

‘‘ Didn’t I tell you..’‘ he stepped closer, using the height difference to his advantage to make you feel small and helpless ‘‘ That it’s rude to ignore others? ‘‘

His smile was gone and he tilted his head as he waited for your answer.

‘‘ I’m sorry. ‘‘ you squeaked, head turning slightly away from him.

He was way too close for comfort and the handful of eyes watching you closely didn’t help at all.

They were watching your every move - picking you apart later based on the way your expressions changed, the clothes you wore or the way your voice went higher when talking to your bully.

It was exhausting and it wasn’t fair, you weren’t sure if you were yourself anymore. All the things they made fun of you for, you tried to change. Desperately clinging onto hope that it would make them stop.

You didn’t know that it was just you, no matter how much you changed - it wouldn’t change the fun for them, because your nervous system had already ingrained a fear of them.

It was so obvious now, even as you’d try to meet his eyes with a brave look on your face. Something would flash behind your eyes.

Maybe it was all the times he’d made you feel worthless; his mockingly evil laughter ringing through your ears the second the corners of his mouth stretched into a smirk, reminding you of what that expression had meant in the past.

Jungwon hummed at your answer, his eyes already locked on something behind you. You followed them and turned, seeing your friend standing a few meters away.

Her head snapped down as she felt your bully look at her. It was almost enough to make your eyes burn with rage, but he wouldn’t win this time.

She always just stood there, doing nothing and saying nothing - perhaps too scared to become the next target. And that should make you understand but it also made you feel so much hatred, you knew that if you were in her shoes you’d say something, stand up for your friend or even go to your teacher; anything!

So, why did no one do that for you? Why did everyone pretend not to see or hear, even as your face carried a horrified expression any time Jungwon and his group were near, even as you stopped going to the cafeteria in fear of running into him or even as your breath quickened when you were turning around corners in school...why?

‘‘ She won’t help you, you know that. ‘‘ he voiced your thoughts, seeing that your facade was starting to crumble down at the sight of your friend.

And then he did win, like he always did - you finally broke down and the tears started flowing as you began sobbing uncontrollably.

#yandere jungwon #yandere kpop #bully kpop #kpop yandere #kpop ff #kpop boys #yandere enhypen #enhypen #enhypen imagines #enhypen scenarios #jungwon #yandere enha #enha fanfic #enha imagines #enha x reader #enha x y/n

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avalil18 · 3 months

Text

Fade into you

Summary: this story is based off of the song Fade into you by Mazzy star!

Warnings:fluff (talk of beating)

It was a spring night and you and Joe attended your friend’s wedding! It was a beautiful venue outside filled with colorful flowers and hanging lights around the trees and tables and chairs for guests to sit at and of course a dance floor. You were wearing a beautiful dress. It has yellow,pink,and orange tied into it and fringes. (There is a pic of the bottom of this blurb)

You and joe were sitting down at your table talking with friends and having a good time laughing and drinking. Joe couldn’t stop staring at you. He was mesmerized by you. He loved everything about you. Your smile, your laugh, your beautiful body, and everything else that makes up who you are. You were laughing with one of your friends from across the table when you moved your hand from your lap to pick up your drink and have a sip. You noticed Joe staring at you as you picked up your delicious drink. “Do you want something, burrow?” You asked with a laugh. “No, just want to look at you!” He said also laughing. “Ok, well you do that.” You smirked. After a few minutes Joe stopped staring at you and engaged in conversation with you and your other friends. A song came on that you and Joe both loved! Fade into you by Mazzy Star. You and Joe both looked at each other and Joe said without hesitation. “Do you want to dance?” You smiled and said yes. You both got up and headed over to the dance floor with some other couples. You know Joe wasn’t really a big dancer or a big fan of PDA so when he held your hand and wrapped his arms around you once on that dance floor you got butterflies. You wrapped your arms at his neck and just stared into his beautiful ocean blue eyes.

After a few moments Joe said “you look gorgeous y/n, you always do.” He winked. You got a big smile on your face and said “why thank you, burrow!” You paused for a second and said “You don’t look to bad yourself!” Joe laughed and winked again. You laughed at his perfectly good wink. You guys sway for a few more minutes and then Joe speaks up again. “Listen y/n, I know it’s been hard for you these past couple weeks but I’m so glad you came with me.” You smiled and said “of course Joe, I wanted to come but I also wanted to spend some time with you! I know how much you wanted to come and be here.” You haven’t felt the best these past few weeks because of your anxiety. Your anxiety has been really bad these past couple weeks because you almost got attacked by someone on your walk. The person snuck into your private gated neighborhood somehow and tried looking for yours and joes house because he was a “fan”. You only got some bruises from some kicks and hands he threw at you. Thank goodness a couple who was also on a walk noticed and quickly ran over to get you to safety. An hour later police showed up and Joe was pissed. He hasn’t left your side since.

“I just want you to know it will be ok and I don’t want you to be scared. I will always be there to protect you. I should have gone on that walk with you instead of watching stupid game plays. It’s my fault I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m truly sorry.” Joe said with tears filling his eyes. “Joe don’t cry. It wasn’t your fault baby I got hurt and I don’t want you to think that,ok? And you have nothing to say sorry for.” You said as your eyes became glossy from holding back tears. “Let’s not talk about it right now. I want to be here with you, in this moment.” You said. “Haha! Ok.” Joe said back. “I love you Joe, thank you for always being there for me.” You say rubbing his neck. “I will always be there for you y/n, forever and always!” Joe says following with a kiss on the lips. You kiss him back and you guys fade into the night.

——————-

Authors note: ooooo I love some public y/n and Joe. I have been writing a lot so a lot of stuff will be coming your way!!🫶

(This is the dress I had in mind) but you guys can think about what ever you want to wear!🩷

#Spotify #joe burrow #joeys awesome

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boizandgurlzinthehouse · 11 months

Text

𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐁*𝐓𝐂𝐇 ; 𝐆𝐔𝐍-𝐖𝐎𝐎 𝐗 𝐅𝐄𝐌!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐕. 𝐍𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐄 '𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑.

summary: sometimes it's hard to deal with how fast the night changes... and how memories are used and coming back again and again.

wordcount: 5.096k (i got carried away, but it felt right to write this much uwu)

tw: swearing, angst (bad memories), crying, anxiety (attack?), badly written anxiety rambling, blood, otherwise than that it's fluff and comfort

author's note: nothing, just enjoy it girlies <3

part 1 part 2 part 3 playlist!!

on the way to the bookstore, the trio was silent. woo-jin sat beside gun-woo, y/n sat opposite them. whenever the girl looked at one of them, they looked away. fiddling with her fingers, she also looked out the bus’ window. were they really bad for intervening when yang jae-myeong and his gang beat that man? yeah, because they fucked up the plan. but at the same time… y/n didn’t feel actual guilt. everytime she got into danger when she was little, her father didn’t beat her and said that if she ever gets into trouble like that, he’ll beat her. he always said that it’s alright if someone’s alive. that’s what's important. they can think about the other problems later.

tonight, they saved a man’s life. sure, the plan was blown, but they can always make new ones.

otherwise, should they let the homeless man die? maybe hyeon-ju is good at stalking and good with the stuff she did until now, but she never got into this situation.

getting off of the bus, they only looked at each other. before they could go down to the bookstore, y/n stopped them, taking off the mask.

“listen, guys… maybe it wasn’t a good idea to do this. and since the two of you are in need of money, and i’m the new one, if hyeon-ju wants to kick you two out, i’m gonna say that this was my idea.”

“you can’t do this. this is your purpose just the same as ours!” woo-jin protested. y/n shrugged her shoulders.

“i will find another way. it was too good to be true anyways. your jobs are more important.”

“we’ll figure it out, don’t worry.” gun-woo replied, as they get in.

before they stepped in on the door, y/n muttered.

“let things be as they should be.”

hyeon-ju was fuming, as she thought. she tried not to become pissed too fast, but she didn’t know what the other girl’s first words would be. as she sat on the couch, she didn’t even let them get into place.

“don’t sit. this will be quick.” she said as woo-jin tried to pull out the chair. y/n gulped. “did you fight him?”

“it was unavoidable.” woo-jin replied.

“we can’t work together. what? isn’t it obvious?” she continued, when the three looked at each other.

“we gave you a sincere apology.”

“i don’t need an apology!” hyeon-ju snapped.

“but that man needed an ambulance.” said y/n, leaning on one of the shelves. hyeon-ju looked at her, then at the boys again. she stood up.

“yang jae-myeong saw your faces, didn’t he? my plan was to tail him and gather evidence quietly. now, that he knows someone is following his tail, he’ll lie low. therefore, my plan is ruined!”

“we wore caps and masks, he couldn't have seen our faces.”

“right, since you covered your face, there’s no way he’d recognize you.” hyeon-ju’s tone was sneaking higher and higher with malice. “since this shitty hair was covered, he wouldn't recognize you!” hyeon-ju touched woo-jin’s hair. okay, his hair was a little unruly, but it fitted him well. “and y/n’s unusual hair! fuck, i’d recognize you from a mile away!”

y/n scratched her eyebrows, trying to smooth the wrinkles on her forehead.

“what are you doing? get out.”

hearing these words, she pushed herself away from the wood. “listen, hyeon-ju, it was my idea. you can kick me out, but not them.”

“oh, so you’re protecting them now? or what the fuck?”

“i’m saying… that when the gang was beating that guy, it was my idea that we should protect him. i was the one who said that we would go there, and i was the one who kicked out the knife from yang jae-myeong’s hand.” she pursued, as she walked in front of the girl. her expressions held no anger, no hatred. it just held simplicity.

“and what should i do with this information?” hyeon-ju growled.

“seriously, i don’t know. do what you want, i don’t want to tell you, because you probably wouldn’t listen to me. but you also can’t forget that this was our first mission. at every mission, mistakes are almost common. we can always make other plans. not to mention that gun-woo, woo-jin and i never did shit like this, and you weren’t there, so you can’t judge the situation just because you think we are losers.”

there was silence for a couple of seconds. y/n tried to hope that she would think about what she said, but the response was simply cruel.

“the loss of your father, or your hope for revenge did this with you to say this?”

the air in her throat stopped. her pupils dilated, and felt like those words got her heart into a fist. licking her lips, she didn’t know what to say. this was her biggest secret, and this girl just bragged about it like it was some simple topic like the weather. she didn’t want to look at woo-jin, especially not gun-woo, and felt like the ceiling of the bookstore’s gonna fall on her. she tried not to breath heavily, tried not to get tears into her eyes. and she didn’t want anyone to know about this. hell, nobody even knows this except for sir choi and his father’s friends. breathing in, trying to calm herself, she didn’t want to be here anymore. she didn’t want to be in a place where the biggest loss of her life was turned against her. smiling sadly and in the way disgraced people did it, she bit her lip, then let it go.

“you know what, hyeon-ju? you have no right to dig into my past, under any circumstances. i tried to be kind and helpful to you, but i’m not gonna mince words, so it’s good for you if you know that after this, you deserve everything if your plan doesn’t work out.”

when she was done, she threw onto the couch the hat that was given to her. storming out, gun-woo tried to stop her, but she softly pulled his hand away.

y/n walked out hurriedly, wiping the tears away, not giving them the chance to run out. how could she do this? how could she use this against her? her memories were coming back to her. blood. fear. slicing sounds through meat. through organs. through the heart. through the mattress she lied under, the edge of the sword stopped right above her chest. gathering wetness of the blood, dark red pools crossing each other, becoming one big puddle. some of the blood dropping on her nose, her face, her eyelids.

“no… no, no, no, no…” she whispered, holding her face in the hope that there won’t be more and more new ones. she had no right to do this. she had no right. she was cruel, she was evil, she wanted to get under her skin and she let her! but how could she not?

[ 𝐆𝐔𝐍-𝐖𝐎𝐎'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ]

after telling hyeon-ju what he wanted to say, he and woo-jin stepped out of the door. he worried about his job, the hundred million won loan that he took, and how he’s gonna pay it back, his mother, and the whole smile capital thing. he was tired and hungry, and y/n was there too beside his concerns. her words echoed in his head.

“i’ll find some other place. don’t worry too much.” woo-jin’s words were loud in the silent hallway.

“i’m sorry… i couldn’t hold back.” he said as woo-jin hugged him with one arm.

“you held back better than i did. and how y/n did. nevertheless, maybe i'd have lashed out too if hyeon-ju pointed out the vulnerable parts of my life.”

“i don’t know why she had to do this. y/n even assumed that she was the one who ruined the plan. she lied for us…”

“i don’t know man, i don’t understand girls. but y/n were harsh too. even if you can save our job, hyeon-ju is sure as hell won’t call y/n back.”

“you think?” gun-woo asked. woo-jin tiredly sighed.

“i guess so. are you hungry? let’s go to this hangover soup place i know. oh, wait a second” he took of his arm from gun-woo’s shoulder. “, it’s probably closed because of covid. it’s past ten.”

gun-woo’s stomach churned. it hurt damn much. it was afternoon when they ate, but so much has happened since then.

“that just made me more hungry.” he said, bending a little bit to ease the ache in his tummy.

“i forgot.”

“my stomach hurts,” he told woo-jin.

“hey, it’s not my fault they’re closed because of covid.”

“but it’s your fault for bringing it up.”

“you couldn’t hold yourself back with hyeon-ju just now!”

“you said that i did a good job.” gun-woo disagreed.

“i said that because you were moping like a loser!”

“i wasn't moping like a loser!”

woo-jin’s expression began to crease.

“i wasn’t moping like a loser”, he babbled. clearly wanted to imitate gun-woo.

“what are you doing now?”

i’m imitating you, loser.” woo-jin replied as he continued to babble. “man, i’m hungry. my stomach hurts.” it hurt gun-woo more than hunger.

“wow… you’re so ugly.”

“how could you joke like that?”

“what? i wasn’t joking. i’m being serious.”

before woo-jin could argue longer, they heard soft sniffles.

“did you hear that too?” gun-woo asked. woo-jin nodded, as they tried to look into the direction of the noise. it was dark, and they saw nobody. “what if it’s y/n?”

“let’s get a look.” woo-jin muttered, as they began to follow the sound. it was truly y/n, sitting on a bench, her shoulders shaking, hugging herself. every cry was louder than the other. gun-woo looked at woo-jin, and without a word, they understood each other. stepping slowly closer to her, when gun-woo was at the other end of the bench, he softly asked.

“is everything okay, y/n?”

“idiot, she just cries out her soul!” woo-jin scolded him, and y/n slowly shook her head. she seemed so vulnerable. nothing like he know before this. she wasn’t the girl who stood proudly, she wasn’t the cool bartender, she wasn’t the girl who wanted to punch woo-jin the first time they met. she was little and hurt. it was hard to miss that her whole body was quivering, her hands before her face. sitting beside her, he tried to touch her, but didn’t know where to do it. hands? she would be too scared. back? it’s pressed to the back of the bench. it was easier to hug her body. gun-woo gulped, and at a slow pace, he reached his arm around her, pulling her into his embrace. without a word, y/n leaned into his chest, laying her hands on his chest beside her face, trying to wipe her tears. she was warm, and her hair softly brushed to gun-woo’s chin. her soft, but fast breaths fanned against his jacket.

“i’m… i’m so sorry, i’m sorry… i fucked up, i’m the cause of your failure… i, i didn’t want that, i’m so sorry, i didn’t want to mess up…” she hyperventilated, sometimes pressing her lips together to suppress the whines that escaped her mouth.

“it’s okay, y/n. it’s okay. don’t worry.”

“no, it’s not… it’s not okay… i’m sorry i got angry, i’m sorry for what i said and what i did… i…” y/n’s voice got hoarse, she was repeating the same sentences again. “...i just got scared that she knows about it, i was scared that she’s gonna use it against me… i just felt so horrible, i’m so sorry…”

gun-woo peered at woo-jin. what to do now?

“you don’t have to be sorry about anything. you said those things because… you felt like you had to say them. i don’t know what happened to you, but me and woo-jin gonna help you. right, woo-jin?”

“yes, absolutely.” woo-jin seemed to be a little bit… scared? for a couple of minutes, they sat in silence. y/n’s fast breaths began to slow down, and her body wasn’t trembling that hard now.

“i’m sorry for everything i said… you just wanted to help.”

“y/n, don’t worry about this. really. we’re gonna figure out something. i am sure about it, and i know that you are too.”

the girl slowly breathed in, looking up at him. some tears were dried on her face, the mascara was running low to her lips; even down to her neck. her lips were chapped from the bites, some locks of her hair were sticking to her face. wiping her eyes to see clear, she nodded.

“thank you, gun-woo. i’m sorry but i have to go now… work doesn’t make an exception for girls who chase criminals at night.”

when she stood up, gun-woo knew that he didn’t want her to go home alone. sure she was a good fighter, but in this state, even a hit on the head could knock her out. not to say that they were far away from yeongsan.

“can we escort you home? it’s dangerous to go alone, and you sure are hungry.”

y/n nodded, and when she held gun-woo’s hand to pull him up, the boy’s stomach grumbled.

“are you two hungry? we can go to mine, i have some instant noodles.”

“no, we don’t… we wanted to eat somewhere anyway.”

looking at her phone, y/n huffed.

“everything’s closed, gun-woo. it’s past ten.”

“that’s what i was telling him too!” woo-jin said, y/n let out a little giggle.

“let’s go to mine. come on, i’m hungry, you’re hungry, we’re all hungry.”

[ 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏 ]

arriving to y/n’s rent, it was peaceful. she lived on the eighth floor, the highest level of the row house. it had a little terrace, only to place some plants on the floor and to smoke a cigarette while standing. the living room was smaller than in gun-woo’s apartment, there was only two doors, one for the restroom, one for the bedroom. the walls were filled with photos and plants, and some weird clocks.

“your house is very cool, y/n!” woo-jin said as y/n locked the door.

“thanks. it was a pain in the ass to convince my landlord to have some plants here. sit down, watch some tv while i make the food, okay? make yourself comfortable!” she replied as she took off her shoes, going to the kitchen. picking out leftover kimchi from the fridge, she searched for the ramen in the lower drawer on the left.

“can i help?” gun-woo asked from aside, while y/n picked out four packs of noodles.

“only if you want. do you prefer not spicy, medium spicy or very spicy?” she asked, as she showed them the flavors.

“it doesn’t matter. but i like medium spicy most.” he said, making y/n smile.

“then medium spicy it is. can you give me the wooden spoon? it’s on the right side, above the bigger drawers.”

“sure,” gun-woo said as he placed it on the counter.

“do you want anything? go back and watch tv! it will be ready in minutes.” y/n said to him. gun-woo leaned to the counter.

“i just want to help you. it’s you, inviting us dinner after all.”

“it’s nothing. i don’t have guests that often. it’s good to have someone here, to fill up the rooms with life. salt, please, above you.”

“i don’t have many friends either. i mean, i don’t know how many friends you have… but i’m not a wordsmith.”

“you don’t have to talk much to have friends. friendships aren’t about talking. it’s about trust and the peaceful understanding of each other. it doesn’t have to be loud. my love for my parents wasn't loud either.” the girl replied as she began to stir the noodles.

just as holding her hand, gun-woo found comfort in her words. only if she knew that he thinks the same way. maybe that’s why he wasn’t good with his ex-girlfriend. she always wanted loud confessions and high volume dates and occasions, and he couldn’t give it to her. for a long time, he thought that he was wrong for not stepping out from his shell. he already felt these things that y/n said, but never could form it into words so good like her.

“you are too good with words.” he said, getting y/n knitted eyebrows.

“me? how so?”

“you don’t talk too much, but you always say something that has a meaning. of course i like woo-jin, he talks a lot and makes good jokes. i feel like he can speak on my behalf too, and this makes things easier.”

“did you get to know him in the marine?”

“no, after a championship. he lost against me, and i invited him to eat. then it turned out that we both served in the marine. it was before my mother assumed the loan.”

“i get it.” y/n said, then tilting her head, she leaned to the counter. “you don’t have to answer this question, but what is that band-aid on your face?”

“oh, this?” gun-woo asked, and maybe, he blushed a little bit. “it’s… an injury that the boss of the smile capital gave me.” he began to uncover the scar. y/n’s lips tightened.

“oh my sweet jesus… how did he do this?” she muttered as she looked at it.

“at one night, i was talking to my mother on the phone. i wanted to help her close the coffee shop she owns, but when she called me, her voice was frightened and scared. she asked me where i am, and that some strange men were standing outside. when she tried to say something, the glass of the coffee shop was broken with a brick, and she began to scream. she was so scared… i’ve never seen her so scared. i ran to her, and fought the guys who destroyed the place. then… that man came, and another… he was stronger than anybody else i ever knew. he was like a mountain, stronger, taller. he beat me up real bad. and then, the president of smile capital crouched over me, and… well, he did this to my face. he has one, too.”

“one what?”

“a scar like this.”

“oh, yeah, i get it… it’s horrible. it’s so fucked up they beat up little men to get stronger. they should make a pass with the same weighted groups as them.” y/n whispered. “does it hurt?” she looked from closer, reaching out her fingers to imagine how it could feel under her touch. gun-woo gulped and shook his head.

“no. only a little, when i touch it.” y/n pulled back her hand. the boiled water behind them almost ran out from the pot, making y/n jump back, turning around. “oh, shit, the noodles! okay, they’re not so spongy… woo-jin, come! dinner is ready!”

after setting the table, during dinner, the trio barely talked to each other, mostly complimenting the food y/n made. she told them again and again that it’s just instant food, but the guys ate like they haven't been eating for three days. boys, y/n thought as she saw gun-woo pushing another big bite into his mouth. his cheeks puffed out as he chewed the noodle. y/n smiled, and got back to eating. after finishing the food, they helped to clean the table and packed the dirty bowls into the washing machine.

gun-woo stepped to the door to put on his shoes. he looked on the clock, it was almost midnight. oh no… the buses weren’t working anymore today, the earliest time is three a.m. how could he ask y/n to sleep here? and woo-jin? they only agreed about dinner, not sleeping here!

“oh, shit! look at the time!” thanks, woo-jin, he thought as he stepped beside him. “i live over the bridge, it’s at least an hour to get home…”

“woo-jin, we can’t take advantage of y/n’s hospitality. you’ll survive the little walk.”

“but i’m soooo tired…” he yawned, and this time, he was right. gun-woo also had to suppress a yawn several times as he ate.

“yeah, me too… but it’s not that we agreed on.” he whispered, as he continued to pick up his other shoe. when he wanted to open the door, y/n appeared beside the hallway wall.

“what are you doing?” she asked, and she yawned too.

“going home…?” gun-woo said, looking and woo-jin. y/n shook her head.

“but the buses aren’t working today anymore… shit, it’s almost midnight?” she almost repeated woo-jin’s words.

“yeah… but we’re gonna walk a little bit.”

“if you walk home, you’re not gonna get home even at two in the morning.” y/n told them, scratching her neck. “i don’t want to tell you what to do, but… if you're just the same as me, then sleep here. i won’t mind.”

woo-jin looked at gun-woo, smiling a little bit.

“okay, then… we’re sleeping here, if you really, really don’t mind.”

y/n shook her head.

“i’ll get you two towels. i’m showering first!”

getting out from his shoes again, gun-woo looked at woo-jin.

“the couch is mine.” the other stated, making gun-woo protest immediately.

“no, no! we’re both sleeping on the couch!” woo-jin sighed, and made gun-woo sit down on the couch. he looked like he’s gonna give a speech to him, like a proud father.

“listen, gun-woo… i think you haven’t been in situations like these. when you get to know a girl, you gon dates with her, doing cute things, speaking about things she likes, or you just listen to her. because girls like to brag about anything! they love to hear their own voice.”

“but y/n doesn’t brag. and she’s not into me, and… i don’t want to take advantage of her. she does it because she has a good heart. she could easily kick us out to the streets.”

“no, no, no! you don’t get what i talk about! y/n wants us… wants you to stay because she likes you!”

“okay, but that doesn’t mean that we gotta do anything. she’s also vulnerable, don’t you remember how she cried? i don’t want to disturb her feelings with this.”

“i didn’t say that you have to have sex with her! i just said, that… maybe if you said some reassuring words to her… and give her comfort… she’d feel that you are the one for him.”

“i did this too earlier, without any secret motive.” gun-woo replied. he was confused, does anyone have to do this in the favor of getting something? gross. woo-jin rolled his eyes.

“damn, you are too good with people. just don’t be a nice guy, but you have an awesome face, so it won’t be a problem. then just do the same things you did before, and everything will be fine. not to mention that it was so sloppy when you held hands, like in some movie!”

“i don’t know why i did it! but i surely wouldn't hold your hand, if you sleep calmer with this information.” gun-woo replied.

“okay, i’m relieved. but still, if things are going the right way… y/n sure has protection. and don’t do it too loud!” woo-jin laughed as he slapped gun-woo’s shoulder.

“did i tell you that you are sloppy and cheeky sometimes? or do you already know it?” he asked with a bored face.

“it hurt a little bit. but you were savage now! i liked it. keep it up! fighting!”

yeah, fighting. fighting for not getting a heart attack from sleeping near to y/n.

[ 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏 ]

after showering, gun-woo wore the same clothes he wore today. he waited for y/n to turn up, and she did, with a headband on his hair. she jumped a little bit when she noticed him.

“oh, gun-woo, you almost scared me! what’s up?” she asked as she hung her towel, picking out a tube from the top of her drawer. sitting to the mirror, she began to cream her face.

“woo-jin… said that he doesn’t like to sleep with somebody else beside him. so… if you could give me some blankets, then i’d sleep on the floor in the living room.”

y/n looked at him, half of her was white. gun-woo imagined that what if that’s what he could see every night… if they lived together. he slapped himself in his mind, don’t do this now! she’s just a good friend. and she’s still vulnerable.

“are you crazy?”

“no… i’m not. why?”

“sleeping on the floor will give you sore muscles. uhm, i don’t know… maybe we could sleep together in my bed?” she offered. gun-woo hoped that his face wasn’t as red as a tomato.

“no, i… i just sleep on the floor… don’t worry, you are already so kind for letting us sleep here.”

“gun-woo, i don’t want to press you into anything, but after this day, i think we all deserve to sleep somewhere comfy. and look, my bed is big enough!” she said as she pointed to the bed. gun-woo looked around the room; there were pictures on the wall as in the hallway and the living room, and some personal stuff like her brush, some make-up stuff or a couple of little mirrors stood on the drawer. her bed was really big, it almost covered the rear side of the room, with a window on the side. it was lovely.

“okay, if that’s really alright with you… but wake me up anytime at night if you don’t want me to sleep here.”

y/n smiled and nodded.

“okay.”

getting into bed, gun-woo offered to sleep on the inner side, just in case if y/n wanted to get some water or anything else. as they laid down, y/n’s face was in front of him. his heart was hammering in his chest. he didn’t even remember when he was this close to somebody, and y/n was beautiful. simply beautiful, without makeup too. her face was calm, and she was softly breathing. in the dark, he only could make out the lines of her expressions.

“y/n?”

“yeah?”

“i’m sorry for what hyeon-ju said today. and i hope that you are okay now.”

“don’t worry, i’m fine. sometimes memories come back, but i’m kinda used to it. it was good when you hugged me. it calmed me down much earlier. thank you.”

“you don’t need to thank me.”

“but i have to. i’m glad that i’ve met you and woo-jin. it’s the best thing that has happened to me in a long time.”

“seriously? you seemed so cool when we first saw you. like you didn’t need anybody to live your life.”

“just because i don’t express emotions… well, i think i needed some new things. but that’s my problem, sometimes i don’t even know what i feel. it’s easier to feel nothing than to be overwhelmed by ignorance. but wait, what did you think about me when we first met?”

“why do you ask that?”

“i don’t know. it’s interesting to me what people think about me first.”

“okay… well, you seemed to be the coolest girl i’ve ever known. you seemed powerful, and though. somebody who i wanted to know but if i didn’t have the motivation or the cause, i’ve never dared to accost. and you seemed mysterious. i don’t know why, but when you talked about the things you live through everyday, i knew that you know more than me or woo-jin, or anybody else in our generation about life. you see people wither, you see their pain… and you continue to work there. i know you surely could get another job if you wanted, but… i think you need this pain.”

“for what?”

“to suppress another one. i’m sorry, i didn’t want to bring it up again. it’s just a guess.”

“that’s fine, i won’t cry anymore tonight. it was just weird for me, to hear these things from a mere stranger.”

“i know. it would be hard for anyone. and… what was i like when you first saw me?”

“oh, so you’re curious now… i like this. well, well… where to begin… i thought you were loyal and brave. braver than anyone. and the way you talked or bent in front of me showed me that you had respect for everyone. and a good heart. the way you talked, it was calm, but on the other side, you seemed digressive and someone who was riddled with desire to act. to do something, to solve problems. you have a kind of fire in your heart, and that fire burns through everything. that makes you unstoppable. and i see these attributes in you now too.”

gun-woo smiled with full lips, he hoped that y/n smiled too. the compliments shoot to his heart, overflowing it with something that was beyond happiness or wholeness. he heard how she delicately yawned, her soft breath fanning his neck. was she that close to him? he didn’t mind it anyway. he felt happy, happier than ever in the last few weeks and days. and thinking about the whole father-thing, maybe it was bizarre, however, they each lost their father… but they gained a new person in their lives. someone who could fill the gaping holes in their hearts.

“i am very tired now, gun-woo. good night. and thanks for everything. i hope you sleep well.”

“good night to you too, y/n.”

when he closed his eyes, he felt a little movement, and then heard a creak. what– something warm on his cheek. something warm and soft, feeling like… lips?

did y/n just kiss his cheek?

[ 𝐘/𝐍'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ]

maybe it was rash and random, and maybe that’s why she turned away from him. this day was so weird, and a lot of things happened… but having gun-woo here felt like she was at a safe place again.

like she was at home again. in her mother’s embrace, under the blankets, with the heating bottle, in utter peace.

she didn’t know why she did this. and she didn’t want to know what could be gun-woo’s reaction. she just wanted to sleep.

and maybe it was too rushed, she only knew him for two days, and gun-woo was too good for her… but maybe she fell a little in love with him.

𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐄𝐃.

author's note: on 8-9-10 of july I'll be on holiday (probably the only one in this sumer cdjksfnjks) so it's not so sure I'm gonna upload so fast, but this part is nearly twice as long as the previous ones so i hope you enjoyed uwu

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