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bluebayousblog · 1 year

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RUMOR HAS IT (pt. 3)

(Drew Starkey one-shot)

This is not a full on story but if you want more l'll be happy to add on upon request

Plot: in which drew and isobel address a false rumor in the most abstract of ways

Setting: isobel attends drew’s party before they leave for winter break

Disclaimer: Isobel is an OC, 18+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

The stress from Isobel’s finals had finally passed and there was only two days before she would be heading home for the holidays. Two days before she would be cooped up in a car with the boy that had her as confused as ever.

But as of now all of her friends wanted to go to the end of year party that Drew’s fraternity was throwing before everyone scattered across the country. He would most certainly be there in all of his glory, in his element of sorority girls and ‘frat bros.’

And Isobel was not sure where she should stood in that mix now that they crossed boundaries, not once but twice.

She’d told Drew she would be busy the last two days of exams when she left his car that night before practically waddling back to her table in the library, so the two hadn’t seen each other since. The little study break wasn’t too detrimental to her finals, as she aced each one, but not without her mind drifting off to what Drew had done to her in between preparing for them.

Their lack of self control had left Isobel uncertain about the friendship aspect of their relationship, but one thing was for sure—she did not want to go to this party.

When her friends weren’t constantly begging her to start getting ready, Drew was sweet talking her into coming through text.

I really want to see you, Iz.

He would see her in just a day to road-trip home for the holidays, she thought but did not respond and let him continue to beg.

I’ve never sounded more pathetic but you do that to me, Izzy.

Come, pretty please?

And that was all it took. Drew showing that his want for Isobel was different than it was with other girls. She knew it was the bare minimum, that she could be the object of his immediate interest for the moment before his attention went else where, but she couldn’t seem to say no to him.

Thinking back she doesn’t think that’s ever been an easy thing for her, there was always an inclination deep down to satisfy him in the smallest of ways. She wanted to do it. Go to his parties. Walk with him to class. Help him study for his finals. Let his rough hands graze her waiting body.

So as she read over those messages he sent less than a minute apart like he didn’t care if she responded and just needed to get the thoughts off of his chest she couldn’t help but agree to drop in for just a little.

Isobel was just about finished with her makeup when the frantic knocking of her friends began to sound throughout her apartment. She huffed at having to stop to let them in, she just wanted to get ready for this godforsaken party without getting badgered.

As soon as she swung the door open they ran their eyes over her done up appearance and the rambling began.

“You’re coming-“

“You’re dressed-“

“Isobel, start doing your makeup now-“

“-oh, you’re already ready.” Charlotte assessed as they finished talking over each other.

Grace and Dev just smiled excitedly as they all walked back to her room. Swiftly passing the couch that Drew had managed to peel back a layer of her innocence on a little more than a week ago.

Isobel had on black cargo pants with a simple tiny black top, it was basic but it was good enough, she’d never been one to dress for others no matter how down bad she was for Drew at the moment. Her hair was down, framing her face while her ends were slightly curled, adorning her shoulders and cleavage.

“What made you change your mind?” Dev squinted at her through the vanity mirror where Isobel met her eyes while applying mascara, “You practically cussed me out for asking a few hours ago.”

That was very true, but only because their incessant begging had begun to piss her off.

But not his she silently realized.

Isobel decided this was not the night she was going to spill the beans about Drew to her friends. She would not be able to bare all the questions that would come barreling out of their mouths, especially when she didn’t have any answers that would satisfy the trio.

Or that would even satisfy her own constant anxiety enducing thoughts.

“I just figured it would be nice to all be together before we leave for two weeks.” Isobel smiled. Not a lie but also far from the truth.

“How are you such an angel all the time?” Grace appreciated her friend in awe, flattery written all over her sweet face. She would be the most offended when she figured out what Isobel was keeping from them.

Her friends couldn’t help but jump around in excitement at her sudden interest in the party, making her feel a tad bad about her little white lie—and like clockwork things were beginning to get complicated.

They left for campus as soon as Isobel finished the last touches of her makeup, the four falling out of the Uber from the shots they were taking in the backseat. Though Isobel only had one, nerves too embedded in her belly to put anything on her stomach without feeling like it would come back up.

“Drew-“ Grace paused before she could finish at the audible gasp of surprise that had accidentally slipped from Isobel’s mouth, “-will be at the door for us like last time right?” She finished the words tumbling out as she watched her carefully.

Her friends were always talking about Drew, they all collectively found him attractive and therefore were constantly encouraging Isobel to jump into his bedsheets to which she obviously refused for years.

But hearing them as simple as utter his name had chills going down her spine, like the word would make her reveal all the things they’d done behind closed doors.

“Yes, I texted him in the car, sorry the alcohol has me all jumpy.” She answered, desperately wanting the attention off of her.

She hated that when she was alone in her thoughts, thinking of how she would have to keep this from her friends and family, that what they did had felt wrong in a sense.

Isobel hated the uncertainty, it only allowed malignant thoughts to eat away at the possibility of just enjoying a good thing in the moment.

“You had one shot, Isobel, you never cease to amaze me.” Charlotte said with amusement laced in her voice.

The girl couldn’t help but blush as they walked up to the doors of the party. The alcohol had been a good excuse, but that was also because Isobel was known to be the lightweight in her friend group which was why she would be babysitting exactly one drink tonight. Getting inebriated while in same building as Drew would be a dangerous move to make, she could barely keep her hands to herself while sober.

She thought it over in her head, one drink in addition to the shot from the Uber would have her at an acceptable buzz. Then the door swung open revealing Drew with that tilted smile on his face as his eyes ran over them, unnoticeably lingering on Isobel for a second longer.

And then and there she decided to up the ante to two drinks as any alcohol that was present in her veins vanished at the sight of him, at those hands that had been on and in unspeakable places of her body in his truck that was parked in front of the house. Another reminder of what had transpired between the two, the solidification of things never being the same.

“Hi, Drew” her friends said in unison as they walked in while Isobel stayed mute following behind them.

“My girls.” They all gave him a group hug like they always did when they came to his parties.

They were giggling like school girls.

Isobel, in the past, had given them the green light to pursue him if they wanted but all three always refused, claiming Drew and Isobel were too interconnected for them to make a move on him. Now Isobel couldn’t even bare the thought of him ever being interested in her friends, not after the way he’d touched her, spoken to her, and invaded her thoughts.

He wrapped his toned arms around their bodies giving them his full attention aside from his eyes.

Those were solely on Isobel as he visibly drunk her in with those stormy blue irises.

Anyone watching him would think Drew’s eyes had only swept over her figure but as she stood there his piercing gaze made her feel as she’d been stripped bare.

“I see you guys were able to drag your friend here after all.” He smirked as they separated never once looking away from Isobel.

As if she couldn’t contain her excitement at her mere presence Dev ran back over to Isobel and squeezed her into a hug. Drew noticed even her friends were looking over at her in adornment, stealing all of their attention with just her aura, she hadn’t uttered a word since she stepped inside the house. “You guys throw the best parties, we couldn’t let her miss this one right, Isobel?”

Drew didn’t have to look over to her as Dev stopped talking, he was already watching her. He’d seen her in makeup hundreds maybe thousands of times before but not once since Drew had began to really notice her. And if Isobel was a force the day he checked her out on her couch bare faced, he didn’t know the word that would fully encompass how gorgeous she looked standing there in front of him now.

“Of course.” Isobel gently smiled, body visibly relaxing like she’d just internally accepted that this party was just not worth missing.

Drew could only hope he was part of that sudden revelation.

“You ladies go get some booze, everything’s set up in the kitchen.” Isobel watched as his words were seemingly directed at her friends, the courtesy obviously stopping there, “Let me talk to Isobel about our traveling plans.”

Charlotte, Dev, and Grace did not have to be told twice as they bid the two a goodbye and mingled their way through a sea of people towards the kitchen. She probably wouldn’t see those social butterflies for a while leaving her with Drew who now had no shame on his handsome face as he once again took her in.

“Hey, Iz.” He said while admiring the way her body made the most basic choice of clothing look like they’d been plucked right off some street style runway.

The pants she wore sat perfectly on her hips, leaving out the most delicious amount of her smooth belly that eventually led up to the tight top that was accentuating her breast so well he thought he might take his last breathe. “Don’t start that shit, Drew.”

“Don’t start what?” That knowing smirk slithering on to his lips making her blood want to boil at the sight.

He stepped closer, Isobel leaning against the wall with her back pushed tightly against it because if she allowed herself to fully relax she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from pushing against his hard one.

“I don’t know.” She answered honestly. But she did know him purring that nickname in her ear could only lead to dangerous territory, and she did not want shit going down in front everyone to see.

The vanilla perfume she lathered on was drawing Drew closer to her, enough to sense it but not enough to peak anyone’s interest who may be watching. Isobel watched him as he inhaled deeply, his blue eyes deepening a little as they fluttered open to look at her again. “Don’t be mean to me tonight, Izzy, I missed you.”

At parties in the past Isobel was at times a bitch to Drew with reason, sometimes he would just act like an annoying gnat that wouldn’t go away always teasing her and playing stupid fucking games. Someone had to put him in his place.

That’s the type of friends they were before, they were always in constant banter. Isobel either cursing or ignoring him, while Drew watched over and fucked with her. A part of Isobel hated that they would most likely ruin that part of their friendship.

Now, when she was cold towards him, being dry with him she knew deep down it would be to protect herself—not just light-hearted conversation with a friend.

Isobel and Drew had flipped their world as they knew it three times over.

In a dimension that consisted of only them where he could not seem to get enough and she couldn’t find it in her to want to starve themselves of the thrill of going there with a boy let alone one she’d known for a decade. “I can’t promise anything.”

His eyes only glimmered at her response, and Isobel could only wonder what he saw when he looked at her. That gaze made her feel warm inside like she was actually being seen, like he really knew her.

For Drew looking at her was like looking in an orb of light that casted everything he wanted into his vision. And it felt like if he looked away he would miss a glimpse of his future. Isobel had always been a person in his past and present, but to think about her as an addition in his future made fear bubble in his gut. He wouldn’t look away though, it was like trying to tear his eyes away from two cars recklessly racing towards a finish line.

“Well, can I have a hug?” He mumbled, he was lost in her, simply only aware of her presence. Isobel’s fingers were itching at her sides at the feeling of him somewhat near her, the familiarity pulling her in, “The last time I saw you, you jumped out of my car without a word.”

Isobel was thankful she had the excuse to go back in the library and study that day. When they were jumping each other’s bones it didn’t feel wrong, the possibility of ruining whatever grounds of friendship they had not mattering at all.

Then the thrill of it all faded, and school serving as distraction from reality slowly setting in only lasted so long.

It all came when Isobel was alone—the questions, the doubt, the uncertainty. Something within her nagged her to trust Drew and just go with it, but there was also her sensible side that told her to pump her breaks. “What if someone sees?”

Drew just shrugged his shoulders, “We’ve hugged at my parties, Izzy, and it wasn’t a problem when I hugged your friends.”

Isobel knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t help it. Now that they were actually kissing, exploring each other, and had come pretty close to fucking the paranoia had only doubled for her. It almost felt like she’d fallen into someone else’s narrative, that was written for them before they could even think of it for themselves.

She didn’t want such a momentous thing to just be gossip on a college campus. And if she felt his firm chest against hers in an embrace she’d be sucked into whatever daze Drew was in.

“I have a feeling the way you wanna hug me will look a bit more than friendly, Drew“ Isobel peered up at him as he towered over her. His eyes glinting at the true meaning behind her words.

As much as she was against everyone thinking they were fucking, Isobel thinks she’s the problem when it comes to them ending up in compromising positions. All he had do was utter the word jump and she would pounce like a kitten.

“Sounds like you’re projecting on to me what you want me to really do to you.” He chuckled while his eyes remained clear, the most innocent he’d ever look while the two were in such close proximity, “Keep those perverse thoughts to yourself, I just want feel you in my arms, Izzy Bear.”

“Fine.” She dramatically relented. In the midst of rolling her eyes she felt his long arms snake their way around her waist as he stared down at her with an amused smile.

She could only think to scrunch her nose up at him before leaning into him. The feeling was too much, so different than before and as she breathed him in the more she melted into him. Isobel was sure hugging someone you’d been intimate with was similar to what it felt like to make love on drugs for the first time.

She felt good in his arms, Drew watched his hands as they glided over her back. This wasn’t one of those hugs people at school had seen them share—they both knew it.

He wasn’t sure if he’d been holding her for too suspicious of a time or if time had only slowed from the feeling of her in his embrace. People came to parties with the intent of accomplishing something whether it’s getting drunk, meeting someone new, or the simple feeling of being seen.

Drew truly felt like he found his peak of the night, Isobel encased in his arms relaxed and inviting. If she pulled away and walked out that door without a goodbye he would remain content. That’s how things had been feeling with her lately, her giving him more of herself little by little and leaving the deepest impression that it lasted for days on his mind.

For a split second the two forgot they were standing in a room full of people. As Drew let her go he could visibly see the tenseness build back up in her spine as she looked around at everyone doing there own thing. She wasn’t being her usual self, the gears turning in her head clear for him to see in her chocolate brown eyes.

“You want to go to my room?” Drew suggested hoping she wouldn’t get the wrong idea, the boy only wanted to get her away from the crowd to see if it helped her anxiousness.

Isobel was relieved to hear those words as she seemed to come back into her own body, she’d come here for her friends and for him but her mind was not in a place to be around so many people. She wasn’t even sure how she would get through the weekend with both of their families at one dinner table.

She just wanted to keep their affair between them even if it was wrong or foreign, no matter where it led them in the end. Cradle it from the judgement of others and being tainted by letting outside opinions in.

But she knew the more she tried to shelter it—shelter them—she would end up doing the harming in the end.

“No, you should enjoy your party, Drew, we haven’t even gotten a drink yet.” Isobel declined his offer wanting to at least try to enjoy the night and suck it up. She knew Drew was not going through these internal trepidations about their relationship, he just wasn’t the type to be bothered by outside noise.

“I don’t give fuck about what’s going on down here, just get your ass upstairs.” He could not bare watching her squirm uncomfortably at a party he begged her to come to. And if the reason he was going to miss out was Isobel he didn’t see a problem with that in the slightest.

Isobel felt her blood start to rush at his words, she was sure her hormones had been corrupted from the moment he laid a finger on her. The demanding tone in his voice caressed every sensitive nerve in her body and now had her body on a never ending buzz.

She could only nod at him in response before they turned towards the steps in a swift movement. Air caught in her throat when she felt the feather touch of his fingers on the skin of her back, guiding her to the stairs. She made it up the majority of the steps without thinking of any watchful eyes that may be noting his hand placement up until they got towards the top. Drew then wrapped his arms around her waist from behind pulling her back into his body.

And she couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had caught a glimpse of the interaction before they disappeared to the second floor. Her neck yearned to turn around and look but she resisted.

“You look stunning tonight, Izzy.” Drew murmured into her ear, feeling her tense shoulder relax against him.

He placed two fingers under her chin as he tilted her chin up to meet her gaze before stepping around and taking in that smile that was sitting on her soft lips. “Thank you.”

Drew grinned back then grabbed one of her hands behind him and lead her down the hallway to his room. He was internally patting himself on the back for cleaning his room a few days prior, not wanting her to be uncomfortable in a dirty room.

As he clicked the door closed and looked over to her he immediately concluded that he loved the sight of her in his personal space. His neutral navy-beige room was simple but it was a home away from home and Isobel complemented it well.

This wasn’t the first time the two had been up here together, they’d been in out when he needed to grab something for her but he never appreciated how her presence made him feel enclosed in such an intimate setting—like she was the missing touch.

Yet another place she would ruin for him, and if she sat on his bed she would only mark her territory with the musk of her vanilla perfume she would no doubt leave behind.

It almost unsettled him at how long it took him in life to actually appreciate her, and now that he was it kept coming wave after wave. Every glance was realization of just how beautiful and remarkable she was, an endless revelation. It mimicked the feeling of finding a missing thing that had been in the most obvious spot all along, relieving but not any less annoying for all the time wasted during the search.

Drew stayed silent while Isobel swayed her hips as she walked to the window and watched the party that overflowed to the backyard. He just watched her in silence, he couldn’t tell if the atmosphere was different between them or if his subconscious was keeping him quiet so he wouldn’t ruin whatever was going on between them.

When his thoughts weren’t filled with admiration for Isobel they were second guessing himself. It was all so fresh and fragile, and he didn’t want to come on too strong and break such a beautiful thing, such a beautiful person.

The last two times the two had been together it ended with them both out of breathe for each other, and he knew it was sending a particular message to her. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Isobel was a relationship kind of girl, Drew just didn’t know if he was that kind of guy. What he did know was that he wanted to be with and attached to her no matter the circumstance as much as possible.

He wasn’t ready to jump into a relationship, but he also didn’t want to disrespect a woman he’d known for longer than any girl he fucked in the past. So he could go a day with out being intimate with her, no matter how hard she was to resist.

When Isobel turned from the window and walked towards him a ball of air formed in his throat just at sight of her for what felt like the hundredth time tonight, he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to her beauty not when he’d been practically blind to it for so long.

“Your room has never been this clean you must’ve been expecting someone special tonight.” She taunted him with her sultry yet sweet voice, he noticed her voice always had some sort of edge to it and it was nothing but intoxicating to consume—especially when it was his name on her tongue.

Isobel was relieved when he smiled, amusement swirling in his eyes along with something foreign she couldn’t decipher, but it made his blue eyes appear darker. As much as what she’d just said was a joke, the circumstances they were under made it mean so much more. It was fun to kid and joke but part of her, no matter how deep it may be, would either be relieved or disappointed with his response. “No, but begging for her to be here was worth the the bruise to my ego.”

He made her feel special whether it was intentional or not. It was the little things that drew her in, that diluted the doubt that coursed through her veins.

Whatever intensity was swirling in his eyes had her slowly moving closer to him, she could feel it as he watched over her every movement. She could barely remember her last thought, only Drew and his words on her mind before she found herself standing between his long, muscular legs.

In that position between his spread thighs, so close his woody scent invading her nostrils with his eyes staring straight back into her’s she felt fully encapsulated. “I’m worth it, yeah?”

She pondered her own words thinking of the small sacrifices he’d made for her—that they’d made for little moments like this.

Drew could only groan in agreement as his rough hands gently gripped her soft hips to pull her closer. She bit her lip, stifling a moan when he pressed his face into her belly and inhaled while running his fingers down her thighs until they met the back of her knees.

He hadn’t had drop of alcohol tonight, and yet the man was drunk. So intensely consumed with all that was Isobel all inhibitions and good judgment was shoved to the back of his mind. He didn’t stop her when she bent one knee under his touch, placing it beside his thigh as the other leg quickly followed and wordlessly slid herself onto his lap.

He didn’t think about where it could possibly lead in the wake of his hands running up her spine making her arch into his chest. Not a single thought was present in his head anymore, distracted by the feeling of her lips trailing his neck. She was seduction in the flesh as she kissed down the center of his throat before dragging her wet tongue back up to his jaw. “Izzy, god. damn.”

“I don’t know what it is about you, Drew.” she sighed, kissing his jaw at the feeling of his body vibrating beneath her. She caressed his skin with gentleness like it would calm him, but it only served to slowly unravel him.

Then her lips pressed into his waiting ones and they were lost. In the feeling, the moment, the rush, hell they’d forgotten where they were. Isobel didn’t have it in her to worry, not when they were sharing such an intimate kiss that it felt as if she was tasting water for the first time in days after suffering from thirst. The fact that her friends were roaming around on the floor just beneath her couldn’t penetrate the high she was on.

They kissed sloppily, smacking and massaging each others mouth’s until even the contents of their kissing was hard to contain. Isobel always thought she had to be skilled and technical when it came to kissing, but none of that mattered when the want for the person burned so intensely that the main goal was solely just to taste and taste until your mouth went numb.

Drew felt starved as he all but devoured her with his lips and tongue, the man was desperate to feel every inch of her under his touch. He wrapped an arm around her back pulling her closer groaning as he squeezed her tight, like he was holding onto his sanity, grasping at the last bit of it. Drew didn’t dare lay back, if he did and he saw the sight of her towering over him they wouldn’t see their friends for the rest of the night.

He had to tread lightly and it was taking everything in him not to grasp her backside in his greedy hands, tortuously denying himself of one his favorite parts of her.

Isobel shifted in his lap trying to get more comfortable only causing his body to stiffen at the contact before he grabbed her hips and pushed her back where she was, “Fuck, don’t do that to me, Izzy.”

Their lips were still attached as he spoke, and Isobel smirked knowing he could make out her smile against his mouth. “Why?”

Drew never thought he would be in this position, a girl on top of him teasing him beyond lengths while he was having an internal battle with himself on whether they should stop before things went too far.

“You know why, don’t make me show you.” He threatened as he pressed his lips to her ear. A wave of heat coursed through her entire body at his words, and her lower body was way too close to the reasoning, “Plus your friends are downstairs, unless you don’t care if they hear what I’ll do to you if you keep fucking with me, Isobel.”

Drew now had that look in his eyes, the look that told her that his mind was entering the gutter, and she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to get it out—but she remained on his thighs not daring to move an inch. His words were harsh but it did nothing to deter her, not even the mentioning of the girls.

“I love it when you talk to me like that.” Isobel innocently purred, not reacting when he squeezed her thighs tighter. She watched as his eyes tinted to the darkest blue-black that could only be stemmed from deepest depths of the oceans before leaning towards him and running the top of her tongue along the center of his lips.

Not even a second had passed before Drew gripped her hips and tossed her ass on the bed before he stood up and put some well needed distance between the two. Isobel could only smile as he began running his hands through his hair, frustration obvious in his movement.

Their breathing was the only notable sound in the room, Isobel just lying back on her elbows while he watched her with dark eyes. If anything his gaze made her feel just as breathless even with their bodies apart.

He swore those glimmering dark brown eyes were silently chanting to him, like a siren beckoning him in a soundless melody.

A gasp left her lips from the sound of her phone buzzing on the desk next to Drew. Like a chime of a bell she’d been knocked out of whatever hormone induced trance they’d fell into. Scrambling off the bed to get to her phone to see her friends were looking for her. The current time told her they’d been up in his room fucking around for half an hour.

Drew and the girl everyone thought he was fucking missing from his own party for over thirty minutes. That was not going to send the right message at all, especially for anyone who saw them leave together. Worry and guilt for abandoning her friends when she’d told them she came for them began to wash over her. Drew could see it all over her face, in her eyes that were staring off at the ground from zoning out in thought.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she was thinking, especially with the way she was acting downstairs, “Do you wanna talk, Iz?”

That’s exactly what she wanted to do, the second time tonight he’d studied her and figured out what she needed, but she didn’t want to do that if it was only going to push him away. If her thoughts and worries were going to confuse and scare him off. “No, I just want to find the girls, I should have just stayed home.”

A pang of hurt hit Drew as she said that, after years of knowing her and her family he knew she was a stubborn girl who chose to suppress her feelings. Still the way she chose to shut people out and cope with it by herself didn’t hurt any less. He cared for Isobel before all of this, but now it was amplified. It mattered to him how she felt when she left him and went to that apartment to be alone in her thoughts.

“Then why did you come, Isobel?” He needed her to speak her mind.

She sort of flinched at his words, not because they were harsh, but because it was a real question that required a real answer, and as much as she wanted to run away from it, from him she didn’t have it in her. Drew grabbed her arm pulling her closer looking down at her with patient eyes.

“I came because you asked me to.” She whispered with a sigh as she pressed her forehead against his chest feeling his heart beat pass through her, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to talk.”

For the first time Drew felt a surge of uncertainty hit him all at once not because of Isobel, he was sure about her. He just wasn’t sure he would have the answers for her that would alleviate whatever stress was filling her.

And he wanted more than anything to be the person to take that heavy feeling away.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

#rafe outer banks #obx fandom #drew #outer banks #drew starkey smut #drew starkey #drew starkey x black reader #drew starkey x black!oc #drew starkey x oc #drew starkey x reader #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron #jj x reader #obx s3 #obx smut #obx 3 #rafe cameron x smut #rafe cameron smut #black oc

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meggie-jolly · 4 months

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Best Friend's Boyfriend's Cousin - A RNM Malex Fanfic

Happy Holidays @bloggingbisexually! Here is your @rnm-secret-santa gift, I hope you enjoy it. It's a canon divergent AU where Michael never went back to Roswell and didn't meet Max and Isobel again until after High School. So Michael and Alex never met and when Alex plans to move to New York to pursue his music, Liz and Max think it would be a great idea to move in with Michael, who is in New York to go to NYU. As far as Alex knows, Michael is a cousin of Max and Isobel who they found through one of those DNA test kits and databank. I hope this fluffy roommate AU is to your liking, I certainly enjoyed writing it. Read it on AO3 (The formatting doesn't really translate onto Tumblr, so I recommend reading it on AO3)

“This is a terrible idea. I don’t even know this guy.”

“You don’t know anyone in New York. At least you know someone who knows him.”

“To be honest I barely know Max and Isobel, so it's more that I know someone who knows someone who knows him." Alex argued. "And what if I don’t get along with him? Then that will be much more awkward than if he was a random stranger with no connection to me or anyone I know.”

Liz rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, give him a chance. Where else are you going to find a roommate that already has an apartment lined up?”

Alex sighed, he didn’t like the idea of living with some relative of Liz’ boyfriend. It seemed too complicated and there was just something off about the whole situation. This Michael guy Liz wanted him to live with was supposedly a long lost cousin that Max and his sister had found through one of those online DNA test kits a few months ago and that they were just getting to know each other now. Michael was about to move to NewYork because he had a scholarship for an engineering program and was looking for a roommate. Alex was planning to move to New York as well to pursue his music and Liz, Isobel and Max had gotten it in their heads that that was the perfect coincidence and meant Alex and Michael should be roommates. Alex was not convinced and he had no idea what Michael thought about the whole idea.

“What if he turns out to be a homophobic dick?” Alex asked in an attempt to convince Liz that this wasn’t the perfect idea she thought it was.

“Iz and Max know you’re gay. They wouldn’t recommend him as your roommate if he’s gonna have a problem with your sexuality.”

"Do they even know him well enough to know how he feels about queer people?"

Liz looked a little uncomfortable, "I think so."

Alex just raised an eyebrow at her in response and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, as if you would know if a complete stranger you found on the internet was homophobic or not."

Alex was about to reply, but Maria, who had been silently following their conversation for a while interrupted him. "Stop arguing you two. You both have good points, but honestly Alex, Liz is right, your chances in finding a good roommate in New York from a distance aren't any better than taking a chance on Max' cousin. Just ask for his contact info and set up a meeting or a call or something before you agree to live with him."

With a sigh Alex agreed, “I guess, but I’m blaming you two if this goes wrong. You four, actually.”

Liz grinned and pulled out her phone to get the contact details from Max. “I have a good feeling about this, so I’ll take that risk.”

“Nope, stop. One of you with psychic feelings is enough,” Alex said with a groan which Liz and Maria only laughed at.

Max replied with Michael’s contact information soon after and even though it took Alex a few days, he eventually reached out to Michael. They didn’t end up meeting, but they texted back and forth for a bit and had a short conversation over the phone. The convenience of it all won out in the end and Alex agreed to share the small two bedroom apartment that Michael had lined up in New York.

A little less than a month later Alex arrived in New York. He'd been there only once before when Mimi had agreed to take him, Liz and Maria after they had saved up for it for months when they had been 15. They had gone to an open mic thing at a small coffee shop/bar place that Alex still wasn't sure three 15 year olds should have been allowed in, but Mimi had known someone there and gotten them in. It was that night that Alex' dream to someday be a musician in New York had been born and now it would finally become a reality. Hopefully.

He pulled out the key that Max had given him on behalf of Michael and opened the door to the apartment building. Michael had texted earlier that he was out and that Alex should just make himself at home, he would be back later and bring pizza.

Alex was actually pretty relieved that he had the first few hours to himself. He walked up the multiple flights of stairs to the apartment, glad that he only had a backpack, a duffel bag and a suitcase. Apparently there were perks to having so little stuff to call his own.

He unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside of his new home.

After exploring the apartment and unpacking his things, Alex ended up sitting on the couch, aimlessly scrolling through his phone and feeling awkward. He didn't have the wifi password yet, so he couldn't get any of his work for the remote programming course he was taking done, he didn't feel up to working on his music and he didn't want to miss Michael coming back, so exploring the neighborhood was out as well.

Half an eternity of boredom later - or at least it felt like that -, Alex was just about to go out after all, when he heard keys in the lock and quickly sat up straighter to make a good first impression.

The door opened and Alex' mouth went dry because, damn Michael Guerin was hot.

He had expected someone who looked like Max or Isobel, who were, in Alex' opinion, good looking but not his type at all. Their cousin on the other hand... Alex took in the grease stained jeans that looked well-worn and hung low on Michael's hips. He was wearing a slightly frayed but soft looking button up shirt that had more buttons undone than strictly appropriate for just coming back from work. To round out the look he was wearing a cowboy hat. In New York. And it didn't look pretentious at all, he just looked like a cowboy, which Alex supposed, he was. He was from New Mexico after all.

Michael set down the pizza box he was carrying, took off his hat and revealed messy, slightly sweaty curls that made Alex consider sitting on his hands to keep himself from reaching out to run them through Michael's hair. Fuck that guy was hot. This had been a spectacularly bad idea. He was in New York to become a musician, not to develop a crush on his roommate who also happened to be related to his best friend's boyfriend.

Michael smiled at Alex and pushed his curls back before extending a hand to Alex. "Hi, you must be Alex. I hope you found everything ok."

Alex stood up quickly and shook Michael's hand. "Yeah, it was no problem. Thanks for setting everything up."

"No problem, it wasn't much. Just some cleaning and a few general repairs. The previous tenant was a bit… optimistic in his assessment of the furniture they left behind."

"Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out," Alex said with a shrug and realized he was still holding Michael's hand.

He quickly pulled his hand back and cleared his throat. "Uhm, I brought some beer to go with the pizza. I'll go get it."

"Oh sure, thanks. Let me just go wash up, I'll be right back."

Alex grabbed some napkins and a beer for each of them and then pulled out his phone to text Maria and Liz.

05:43 pm

This was a terrible idea

Why did no one tell me he's hot?

Michael came out of his room a few moments later and sat next to Alex on the couch and Alex handed him a beer.

"Thanks, I went with plain cheese pizza, I hope that's ok. I wasn't sure what you like."

"Cheese is always good, thanks for getting it."

"No problem, Isobel probably would have had my head if she found out I didn't do anything to welcome you."

Alex laughed, he didn't know Isobel Evans that well, but that sounded like her.

"Sounds like you three have gotten pretty close in a short time."

Michael shifted slightly uncomfortably and Alex regretted bringing it up instantly. It was way too personal a question for someone you met less than half an hour ago. He was about to take it back when Michale answered.

"Yeah well, they're the only family I've ever met, so…"

Alex took a swig of his beer to get a second to come up with an answer. "Well, it's really good you guys found each other through that DNA thing then."

"Yeah…" Michael nodded and took a swig as well, "What about you, are you close to your family?"

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "No. Not at all. That's part of the reason why I'm here. But let's not get into that tonight, ok?"

"Yeah, of course. Sorry to bring it up."

Alex just shrugged and they both ate their pizza in silence for a moment. Alex felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, probably with answers from Liz and Maria, but he chose to ignore them for now.

The silence was starting to become awkward and Alex was racking his brain to come up with a good topic, when Michael spoke again:

"So, Max said you're here to make music? What kind of music?"

That proved to be a shared interest as Michael played guitar as well and they fell into an easy conversation of their favorite music and bands. Alex told Michael about his plans for getting into the New York music scene and soon the pizza and beer was gone.

Once they both went to their respective rooms, Alex had a chance to check his phone.

Liz Ortecho

05:57 pm

Is he? I haven’t met him yet.

Maria DeLuca

05:59 pm

Send us a picture!

07:19 pm

I can’t just take a picture of him, that’s weird. Ask Max or Isobel if they have one.

Liz Ortecho

07:21 pm

Hold on, I’ll text Max.

Marie DeLuca

07:22 pm

How’s the apartment besides the hot roommate?

07:22 pm

Pretty good It’s nothing fancy obviously. I definitely need a new mattress but it has everything I need.

Michael and I just had pizza and beer and talked for a while. I think we’ll get along fine.

As soon as I get over how hot he is.

Liz Ortecho

07:24 pm

Max sent me this picture of the three of them. He’s cute

07:25 pm

Okay, now picture him in grease stained work clothes and a cowboy hat.

Marie DeLuca

07:27 pm

I can see that I just didn’t know that was your type. I thought you were more into the brooding musician guy

07:28 pm

Yeah well I didn’t either. Maybe it’s just really early homesickness or something

Also he does play guitar.

Maria DeLuca

07:29 pm

😂

Liz Ortecho

07:29 pm

😂

Good luck with that! Do you want me to find out if Max knows if he’s into guys?

07:31 pm

No! Don’t you dare!

He’s just hot, I’m not starting anything with him. He’s my roommate and related to your boyfriend. That’s just way too much drama.

I’m sure I’ll find other hot guys to hook up with in New York

Liz Ortecho

07:34 pm

Oh sure Still… the convenience… ;)

07:35 pm

LIZ!

Maria DeLuca

07:36 pm

😂

07:38 pm

I miss you already.

Liz Ortecho

07:39 pm

❤️

Maria DeLuca

07:40 pm

We miss you too! ❤️

07:42 pm

I should get some work done though so I can explore tomorrow. Talk to you soon!

Alex put away his phone and pulled his laptop out. Michael had given him the Wifi password, so he could get started on his programming homework.

Their life as roommates went pretty smoothly. Michael wen't to class and to his job, and Alex did his remote course work, worked on his music (so far none of the neighbors had complained), and he had also found a part time job at a little record shop. In his spare time he checked out as many bars, coffee shops and clubs that were known for letting newcomers play there as he could find. So far he hadn’t been brave enough to sign up for any open mics or anything similar, but he was starting to make some connections. The networking was his least favorite part about the entire thing, but it was necessary.

Since they were both busy and their schedules didn’t always line up, they didn’t actually see each other that much, but when they did, they got along great. From time to time they played music together, Alex had been able to organize Michael a cheap guitar from the record shop, and that really helped when Alex was hit with music block. It was also just a lot of fun, he hadn’t had many people to just jam with back in Roswell.

Sometimes they tried to cook together. Neither of them had really had the chance to learn growing up, so now they were trying to teach each other. The kitchen usually looked a mess after they finished, but so far they had only managed one truly inedible thing, to both their surprises.

Tonight they were attempting to make soup and since lots of sources on the internet had said they could basically just throw in vegetables and broth, cook it and then puree it, they weren’t using a recipe for the first time.

“Okay, we have potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, peas, tomatoes and broccoli. Do you think it matters what we start with?” Alex asked, looking over all the produce that was spread out in their kitchen, which was too small to hold it all.

Michael shrugged, “I don’t think so, I mean we’re cooking and pureeing it all together, so we don’t have to keep the different cook times in mind, right?”

“Probably not. Okay, I’ll start peeling the potatoes.”

“Good, I’ll tackle the broccoli.”

They both got to work, luckily they had invested in some decent knives but even with those they were both cursing. Who knew it was so hard to peel sweet potatoes and cut broccoli?

“How do these little green bits get everywhere? I’m pretty sure we’ll still be finding them by the time we move out.”

“Eh, I’m sure ants or something will get them. Maybe mice.”

“Don’t even joke about that.”

Alex laughed and then somehow launched the sweet potato he was battling across the room. That stopped him short until both he and Michael doubled over laughing.

“How the hell did you manage that?”, wheezed Michael.

“I have no idea. That thing is surprisingly slippery.” Alex went to retrieve the sweet potato, rinsed it off and removed the last bit of skin before starting to cut it.

“How can something that turns to basically mush when you cook it, be so hard when it’s raw?”, he grunted as he leaned his weight onto the knife to cut the thing.

Michael chuckled, “We could probably find some pretentious life lesson in that, if we wanted.” He had finished with the broccoli and deposited the pieces into the big pot. “What next?”

“You could do the bell peppers.”

“On it. How is your sweet potato battle going?”

Alex dumped a batch of orange cubes into the pot. “I think I’m winning.”

After the sweet potatoes, the regular potatoes were a piece of cake and Alex had them peeled and diced in no time.

When they were finished with all the vegetables, the pot was much fuller than expected.

"Uhh… how are we going to puree this when it’s done cooking?”

“I don’t know, it might shrink some during cooking?”

“Yeah… maybe.”

Michael got the broth they had bought from the fridge and dumped it into the pot with a little too much force and some of it spilled. “Oops…”

Alex laughed and got a cloth to wipe it up, before peering in the pot. I don’t think that’s enough liquid. Maybe we should add some water?”

“You’re probably right”, Michael got the water and poured it in more carefully. Then he lit the stove and stepped back.

“I think we earned a beer.”

“Good plan, but we should use the cooking time to clean up some of this mess”, Alex gestured at all the peels and vegetal bits on every kitchen surface and even the floor.

Michael sighed, “I guess… But beer first.”

Alex laughed and handed Michael a beer who took a healthy swig before starting to get rid of the mess.

The vegetables did not shrink significantly and they had nothing they could put over the pot and still have space for the stick blender they had borrowed from one of their neighbors. They looked at each other at a loss.

“I guess we’ll just have to be really careful and clean up everything that spills after”, Michael said with a shrug and handed Alex the blender.

“Why me? Admit it, you just don’t want to be responsible for the mess”, Alex complained but took the blender anyways. Michael just winked at him, which was severely unfair. Alex had managed to build up some defenses against the way Michael looked, but not against winks and smirks. He sighed silently and carefully put the blender in the pot. For some reason Michael hovered right behind him and watched the pot in concentration as Alex started to blend. It made him nervous.

“Are you trying to telepathically keep the soup from splashing out?”

For some reason that question startled Michael, which in turn startled Alex and made soup splash out of the pot and all over their shirts.

“Fuck!”, they cursed at the same time, thats stuff was hot. Alex quickly turned off the blender.

“You ok?”, they asked, again in unison and then laughed.

“Yeah, I think so.” Michael pulled open his shirt to check for burns and Alex’ mouth went a little dry.

“Doesn’t look like an actual burn. You?” Michael looked up at Alex who quickly averted his eyes and pulled up his own shirt. There was a slight red spot, but nothing serious.

“I’m good too.” He looked up just in time to see Michael quickly look away just as he had done. Huh. Was he maybe not the only one appreciating the view? Sometimes it seemed like Michael was flirting with him. He still didn’t know if Michael was into guys. The few times he had brought someone over, it had been women, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be into guys too, right? He definitely didn’t seem to mind that Alex was gay. Alex had come out to him a couple of days after he had moved in, to avoid any ugly homophobic scenes later and Michael had been cool with it. He also hadn’t seemed to mind the one time Alex had brought someone home.

“Good,” Michael’s voice pulled Alex out of his thoughts “let’s try again. Maybe without talking this time.”

Alex nodded and they got back in position. For some reason again with Michael hovering behind Alex and focusing on the pot. Alex did his best to ignore it and carefully blended the soup. Surprisingly, nothing more splashed out. It looked like it would a couple of times, but then somehow it didn’t. Alex decided not to question it.

When they were done blending, they added in a little heavy cream, since Alex had read somewhere that it made the soup creamier. Then they started with the seasoning. Very carefully, because they had added too much or too little to their first few attempts at cooking. They took turns trying the soup, asking what was missing, adding a little and repeating the process over and over. Eventually they were happy with the result and looked at the finished soup.

“Okay… that’s much more than expected. I think we might be eating soup for the next week straight”, Michael said.

“Yeah… Maybe we can bring Mrs. Welly some when we return her stick blender?”

“Good idea. Let’s eat some first, though. Who knows if it’s actually good if you have a full bowl.”

It was surprisingly good and once they cleaned up, they went over to Mrs. Welly who was very grateful for the soup. She told them they could borrow her kitchen appliances any time, made them take two huge pieces of a delicious cake she had apparently baked earlier and promised she would have them over for dinner soon. All in all a successful evening.

Michael was a good roommate, but there were some things that were… a little strange about him.

For one thing, he always kind of smelled like rain. Even when it hadn’t rained in a few days. Alex was pretty sure it wasn’t some sort of aftershave or lotion or something, they shared a bathroom after all.

And somehow, it was a specific rain smell, one that kind of reminded him of going to the Reservation with his mom when he was a child. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, he didn’t have a clear memory of it smelling like rain there, but sometimes, when Michael was standing close to him, he breathed in a whiff of that smell and it was like being back at the Res. Memories linked to smell were weird like that.

Besides the rain smell, Michael sometimes smelled like nail polish remover, which was even stranger. Alex had never seen him wear any nail polish. Alex did sometimes, and he had bought a bottle of remover when he’d first moved in. The bottle was still standing in the little cabinet over the sink in the bathroom, but Alex could swear that the fluid level changed constantly. It was never empty, but sometimes it was fuller than other times. And he had seen an empty bottle of nail polish remover in the trash a couple of times. What was Michael doing with it? Did he need it for school, or for work? Alex had no idea why though, there had to be better solvents at a fancy science lab and a mechanics shop than regular nail polish remover.

In the end he mostly chose not to question it. Michael was already distracting enough without analyzing strange smells.

It felt like Michael became more distracting every day. The more comfortable they became with each other, the worse it got. Michael would tease Alex in an almost flirtatious way, which was a little unfair, if you asked Alex.

Sometimes he brought whatever he was tinkering on into the living room and worked on it while Alex did his course work, or messed with his music. Alex loved watching Michael tinker, he was so focused and he would mumble things under his breath that Alex couldn’t make out, but enjoyed hearing anyways. It wasn’t like he would understand a word Michael said, even if he could hear it properly. Michael was a lot smarter than him and really talented with his hands. Sometimes it seemed like the parts Michael was putting together slotted perfectly into place without him even touching them.

Alex had to be careful that he didn’t watch too long, because eventually he would start to wonder what else those hands could do…

And, if he stopped playing music, or clack away on his computer, Michael would eventually look up with a questioning look and a smile and ask him if he was stuck on something. If it was music, he’d offer to help and if it was programming, he would suggest that they take a break and go out for a bit, or watch an episode of whatever show they were watching currently. Because yeah, they had become the kind of roommates that always had a TV show project they were slowly watching together and one person was not allowed to watch a single minute of the show without the other one there. Alex had never thought he could ever be someone who did that, but it was nice. It was time they spent together and a great way to wind down after a long day.

Had they fallen asleep on the couch once or twice and woken up leaning against each other with a crick in their necks? Maybe. Did Alex secretly wish that would happen more often. Yeah, well… He was only human after all.

A few times he had dosed of on Michael's shoulder and had woken up to Michael watching him with a look on his face that made Alex wonder if maybe starting something with Michael was worth the risk after all. Alex' slight oh-fuck-my-roommate-is-hot-crush had certainly grown into something more serious lately.

There were moments when Alex thought Michael might feel the same way. When they were watching TV together, when they played music together, when they vented to each other after long days, when they stayed up too late because neither really wanted to go into their respective bedroom alone and leave the comfortable togetherness of the living room. Neither of them ever made a move though and so their lives just went on.

Alex' music was coming along pretty well actually, with Michael cheering him on. He had enough original songs for a small set now. Not that he was ready to perform an entire set of original songs yet, but he was considering signing up for his first open night. It was at a little coffee shop called Sip & Sing that he and Michael hung out at sometimes. He knew most of the regulars there and had become friends with one of the baristas. They had open mics once a month and the next one was coming up in two weeks.

“You should do it Alex. Come on, you know you’re good enough. And you’ll know almost everyone there, it’s low risk”, Michael encouraged him one night when Alex had opened and closed the sign up page on their website for the fourth time that day.

“Yeah but what if I tank and then I can never go there again?”

“First of all, you won’t. And second of all, Lucy forgot the text twice last month and everyone still welcomed her back there the next day. Everyone there will be supportive no matter how you do.”

“Isn’t that cheating then?”

Michale snorted. “Now you’re making excuses. Finding a friendly audience for your first live performance is not cheating.”

Alex sighed, Michael was probably right. “Okay, I guess… But only if you promise to come.”

Michael put an arm around him. “Of course I’m coming! You couldn’t keep me away.”

Alex smiled and leaned into him just a little. “Okay, I’ll sign up. And then you’re helping me pick out which song to perform.”

“Which you will then change fifteen times until the actual night.”

“Yeah well, everyone needs a system”, Alex said with a huff and pulled up the sign up for the fifth time. This time he actually filled it out though and even submitted it. Even though Michael had to threaten to do it for him before he finally hit enter.

“Oh fuck, I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?”, he said with a groan and buried his face in Michael’s shoulder, who was still sitting next to him.

Michael laughed softly. “Yeah, multiple times probably. But you’ll be glad you did it in the end.”

Alex regretted it that night in bed and even more the next day when he stopped at the Sip & Sing to get a coffee before heading to work and Rema, the owner, spotted him.

“Alex! I saw you signed up for the next open mic! That’s great, I can’t wait to hear your song!”

They insisted on giving him a coffee on the house and gushed about how great it was that he’d be performing. Alex kind of wanted to sink into the ground in shame. Especially when Lucy, one of the regulars, came in and heard Rema. She started to reassure him that he’d be great and that he definitely wouldn’t forget any lines.

Alex was very glad when he managed to get his coffee and escape with the excuse that he was running late.

Alex had decided not to tell Maria and Liz about the open mic. He knew they would try to come and honestly, that was too much for him for the first time. Maybe the second or third. He would text them the day of and risk their wrath. Michael would be there and a few friends from the coffee shop. That would be nerve-racking enough.

He spend every free second working on the song (and just as predicted by Michael, changing his mind which song to perform almost every other day), which was finally too much for their very patient neighbors and they got a noise complaint. Alex was forced to not play between 11pm and 6am and to avoid playing around noon, which was probably for the best, he was starting to be a bit obsessive. Michael threatened to hide his guitar and music sheets regularly.

When the day of the open mic finally came, Alex was a nervous wreck.

6:36pm

Don’t be mad at me, but I’m performing at my first open mic tonight at 8.

Liz Ortecho

6:38 pm

And you didn’t tell us?!?! Rude!

6:39 pm

I’m sorry! I’m nervous enough as it is, I promise I’ll tell you next time so you can come.

MariaAwww DeLuca

6:40 pm

It’s ok Alex, we understand. Good luck tonight! You’ll kill it!

Liz Ortecho

6:41 pm

Of course we understand. But I will ask Max for Michael’s number and pester him into recording it of us.

He is coming right?

6:42 pm

He is, I wouldn’t have made it without him.

Marie DeLuca

6:43

Aww, aren’t you glad we forced you into moving in with him?

6:44

Shut up!

… Yes, thank you.

The alarm that Alex had set to get ready went off and Alex nervously rushed to the bathroom. He was already dressed and his nails were painted, he just needed to do his hair and put on his eyeliner.

When he was done, way too early of course, he stepped out of the bathroom to find Michael waiting for him. He gave him once over and let out a low whistle.

“Damn, you clean up nice Manes.”

Alex hoped his blush wasn’t too noticeable. “Shut up Guerin.”

Michael laughed and slung his arm around Alex’ shoulder. “You’ll do great. Come on, I know it’s early, but if you sit around here, you’ll just drive yourself crazy. We’ll take the long way there and maybe get a milkshake on the way or something.”

Alex was really glad to have Michael to support him today. Something about him was very calming and maybe his crush on him distracted him a bit from his nerves.

They got their milkshakes and an order of fries to dip in them. Michael always complained that it was weird, but he did dip his fries as well, so Alex had stopped listening months ago.

By the time they arrived at the Sip & Sing, Alex was much more relaxed. Michael had kept him distracted the entire way there by telling him funny things that happened in class or at work, or quoting things from the group chat with Isobel and Max.

Alex' phone dinged with good luck messages from Liz, Maria, Arturo, Mimi and surprisingly even from Max and Isobel. He smiled at his phone and put it back into his pocket. It was nice to know they were all thinking of him.

“Hey, did Liz convince you to record my performance?”

Michael laughed, "She wanted me to livestream it for what felt like half of Roswell. You're popular."

Alex groaned, "Please tell me you won't."

"No, don't worry. I'll record it and send it to her and then she can distribute it to whomever she wants."

"That's only slightly better", Alex said with a sigh and went over to greet Rema and find out when his turn was. He was number three of six performers tonight, which suited him fine.

Rema told him where to put his guitar and to give any needed details to Luke, who handled the technical side of the performances.

When he got back to Michael he had gotten them drinks and found a table. Alex sat down and took a sip from his drink, his nerves were starting to come back. Michael seemed to notice and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Alex smiled at him thankfully.

Rema came onto the little stage area and introduced the first performer. She was good, Alex had heard her here a few times before and two months ago there had been a flyer on the pin board advertising that she was part of the lineup for a mini pop-up concert in a nearby park.

He didn't catch much of the second performance, it was a duo, but that was about all that stuck. When they were done, Michael squeezed his shoulder and whispered a quick "Good Luck!" to him as Alex stood up and made his way to the stage.

"Our first first-timer for tonight is Alex Manes, who most of you know, I think. He's performing an original song. Give him a hand!", Rema introduced him and Alex nervously sat on the little stool and adjusted the mic and his guitar.

He focused on Michael for the entire song, who was smiling widely and encouragingly while holding his phone up that represented all the other people in his life that loved and supported him through this. Suddenly he almost regretted not inviting Liz and Maria and swore to himself he would invite them next time.

He got through the song without any problem and got a satisfying amount of applause and cheering from the audience, topped by Michael's best, earsplitting cowboy whistle. Alex couldn't help but grin from ear to ear on his way back to the table and when Michael greeted him with an equally wide grin and a hug, something in him clicked and he pulled Michael in for a kiss instead. Which was met by an enthusiastic response both by Michael kissing him back and the audience cheering.

They were interrupted by Rema "Okay you two, there's time for that after the show. Now let's move on to our next performer…"

Alex blushed and sat back down, a little closer to Michael than before. Michael smiled at him in a way that gave him butterflies and he couldn't wait for after the show.

For now he settled in to listen to the rest of the performers, but not until he pulled out his phone.

8:23 pm

I kissed him.

He kissed me back

8: 25 pm

The open mic thing went great, btw.

He was met by a ton of celebratory emojis from Liz and Maria and put his phone back into his pocket with a grin.

#rnmsecretsanta23 #fanfiction #secret santa #malex #malex fic #roswell new mexico #rnm #rnm fic #michael guerin #alex manes #Michael Guerin/Alex Manes #liz Alex Maria friendship #liz ortecho #maria deluca #my writing

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thesmokingguns · 1 year

Text

Darling Nikki Part 1 of 2

Featuring: Reader x Kelly Nickels, Reader x Izzy Stradlin

Minors DNI 18+

A/n: I have edited and rewrote this a bit. Just minor changes but I hope you enjoy

Reader POV

Halloween was my favorite holiday. I love recreating myself in different outfits, being this character and deciding who I wanted to be an hour before becoming it. There was freedom in shapeshifting and I loved the anonymity of the character I chose to be.

Maybe because everyone in Hollywood knew who I was, it made the holiday more exciting for me. I liked transforming from Izzy’s girl into Poison Ivy or a devil. I liked it even more now that Izzy and I were on a break and separated by an Ocean as he toured Europe and I could channel all of my anger at him into the creativity of a costume. I would sex it up, push boundaries and be the sex symbol I wanted to be.

It was like a light switch. On and Off. On and Off. All of it coming out on a bill that was expensive on my soul but I was not going to let that fucker ruin my Halloween night. Not this year. This year he had flicked the switch off and I wasn’t going to even try to switch it on again.

I adjusted the nurse's hat on my head, popping my bubble gum in my mouth and doing a slow turn, pulling up my shorts in the back to expose the bottom rounding of my ass. The sound of the phone ringing made me turn away from the reflection I was staring at, back to the reality of my life.

Staring, waiting, as I gulped knowing exactly who was on the other end of that line and knowing that I sure as shit was not going to be picking it up and giving him the sense of satisfaction to find me home on Halloween night. I wanted his stomach to twist knowing I was doing all of the things he didn't want me to be doing. It was petty and it was a false sense of control but fuck him.

I hoped he was thinking of me under someone else. I hope he thought of tasting me and getting the taste of someone else’s cum. If he wanted to fight with me, if he wanted to break up when he was in another continent doing god knows what, let him suffer.

“Hey my beautiful girl, I know we had a really bad fight and I said some things that…uhh…cmon Y/N please answer the phone and we can talk. I’m going to fly home early because I don’t want to break up again. I want to-“

“If you didn’t want to break up with me.” I said, picking up the phone and interrupting him, “You shouldn’t have thrown a hissy fit about having needs and demanding I fly out and finish the tour with you. But you did and now I have needs, Iz. And someone is going to satisfy them tonight.” Before he could get another word in I hung up the phone.

I’d make him regret those words he said to me. I hoped that for the rest of his life he regretted being a selfish prick.

Izzy POV

She still wasn’t answering my calls. This didn’t really come as a surprise after the huge phone call blow out that had happened almost two weeks ago. We were in England and I told her I was buying her a ticket so she could come on tour with me, I needed her and missed her but instead of just saying that like a normal person I had made it seem like I was a scumbag with too much temptation around me and without her I would cheat.

I would never cheat on Y/N. Ever. It didn’t even cross my mind or seem like a coherent thought that I had ever had. When we broke up we’d sleep around, realize how much we missed each other and have explosive sex but never had I even considered the groupies that decorated backstage when I was with her.

But now that she made it very clear that we were off again I was sure she was out having a good old time trying to prove to herself that she could be just as happy without me as she was with me. This usually meant she would go to parties alone and sleep in a place that wasn’t our bed for the night.

Maybe I should be more jealous of the fact she would sleep with these other guys but I really didnt care about her having sex with someone else. Some people cried when the were upset, my girl just fucked.

So when she did answer the phone I was sure that it was Halloween night and she was going to be wearing the dirtiest outfit she could find and making sure that someone appreciated her when I hadn’t. But I was hoping that when morning came and she came back to the house that I would be there, waiting for her and ready to end this yo-yo cycle of back and forth breakups; Y/N was my girl and I wouldn’t let her keep escaping.

Maybe I should take her words seriously but she loved me. She could have whatever physical interaction she needed to feel wanted in that moment but she only loved me.

I gulped, hands in my hair as I boarded a flight home to her. My eyes were bloodshot and red as I thought about how I wouldn’t fight with her again. She had won. I learned my lesson.

Kelly POV

The best part of Halloween was all the chicks in their barely-there costumes. I loved all the scantily clad girls wiggling when they walked or dancing with their friends. Halloween was always girls dressing for girls or themselves. That was the secret that they didn’t want us to know. It was the best night of the year for me though. I got to watch them in their school girl costumes and angel wings with lingerie. Who needed Christmas gifts when I could see this?

I was holding my two fingers of whiskey neat, eyes looking at the dance floor as the girls shimming their bodies to music I didn’t like. The way girls danced with their friends was always my favorite. They weren’t trying to be sexy with the big smiles on their faces or grinding their girl friends but the way that they looked so happy always made me want to join in on the fun.

I saw a girl dressed in a silver shimmering outfit, tits pushed up and ready to blast off into outer space or into my bedroom with the way she was eyeing me. But as I moved across the dance floor to meet her my eyes shifted as this strong perfume scent pulled my eyes in another direction.

Holy shit.

She wasn’t with her friends but she was dancing alone, her hips swaying side to side with her hands in the air. Tight little booty shorts that looked more like underwear than a costume and a zippered top that was halfway unzipped, looking like it was going to come undone with a single wrong move. Or the right move.

Before I realized what I was doing I was veering off in her direction, walking over to where she was dancing and standing in front of her with my drink in hand. She looked me up and down then without missing a beat reached for my drink, downing it in one big gulp.

“Thanks.” she handed me the empty glass back, a smudge of red lipstick on the rim as she kept on dancing. There was this sense that she was having much more fun by herself than she would without anyone else and I was eating up her self confidence like a starved dog..

“I’m Kelly.” I yelled over the music, but she just nodded her head, already seeming to be bored with my company. I waited a beat for her to say her name or anything at all but she clearly wasn’t interested in talking to me. I wasn't one to give up easily and she wasn’t the type of girl who you’d come across alone, “Are you going to tell me your name?” I asked, giving her the smile that usually would melt ladies.

“I know who you are. And no, I’m not going to tell you my name. You shouldn’t talk to me if you know what’s good for you.” The way she said this made me think I should know who she was. But even though she looked familiar I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where she was from or how I knew her.

My hand gripped her waist, pulling her close to me and stopping her from dancing around. She looked up at me and gave me this look up and down like she was trying to figure something out or get a read on me. She licked the top of her cherry read lips, shaking her head ever so slightly as her hands wrapped around the back of my neck, clasping there.

“It’s your funeral.” she warned before I tried pressing my lips against hers. She pressed two fingers against my lips, shaking her head, “I don’t kiss guys on the lips. If you want to fuck we can but we need to go back to your place, you wear a condom, and I never tell you my name.” I don’t know why the fact she was laying out rules for me turned me on even more. Maybe it was because she was straightforward and knew what she wanted that I liked.

But I nodded my head, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the party and back to my house.

Reader POV

As Kelly led me into a house that I had visited before with Izzy I felt like I was making a mistake. Usually I would sleep with random guys that I would never see again. A flesh transaction that didn’t matter because I’d never see that stranger again.

But this was Kelly Nickels from the LA Guns, a band that Izzy was friends with and who we had seen together on more than one occasion. We had been to parties together here. Izzy had fucked me in the bathroom, picking me up on the counter and making me cum so hard I begged him to go home after becasue my legs were so shaky I couldn’t walk right.

Izzy.

I could feel the way my stomach turned at the name of the man. It was happening quickly. I missed him and I wanted him to be back. The European tour would be ending, they had to do some promotions around Europe and then they would come home. Europe was where I should be. Dancing drunk in the streets of Paris with Izzy well he used his D Grade High School French to try and buy us coffees to sober up as we watched the city lights twinkle around us and made bad romantic statements that were more about being together than the actual words that we spoke.

Izzy who had threatened to cheat on me. Izzy who broke up with me. Izzy who had hurt me..

We stopped outside a bedroom and Kelly motioned for me to go inside but I smiled coyly, buying myself some time. This was the first time I had needed a break like this and I knew that it wasn’t good. Self awareness has a price and sometimes it’s hard to pay it.

“I just need to call my roommate and let them know where I am.” he motioned down the hall to a phone and I was thankful for the privacy he gave me as I dialed the number to the apartment that I shared with the man. I knew that he wouldn’t be there but I dialed anyway. I would leave him a message and let him know where I was and that I loved him and that I was still mad at him. I hung up after the message that I’d erase when I got home and laid my forehead against the cool wall.

Why was I like this? Why when I was mad at Izzy would I take random guys and let them fuck me so that I could feel something? Why couldn’t I just cry like a normal person and just get it all out of me?

Taking in a deep breath I glanced at the door that was open and that I knew I shouldn’t go into but I pushed open anyway, seeing Kelly laying on the bed, naked and cock hard as he stroked it lazily as if he was building himself up for me.

His eyes lazily fell to me, dark joyful looks that weren’t the heavy looks of seduction that I was used to and I almost felt embarrassed by the way that made me blush but I knew it was dark in here and he couldn’t see all my features clearly. He could see me well enough I realized as I unzipped my top and let my tits bounce out, unrestrained.

The way he sucked in his breath watching me as he touched himself gave me a good feeling. It pushed away some of the sadness that I had seeing the way this man wanted me. I rolled off my shorts, moving to take off the boots that I was wearing.

“Stop. Keep them on. I want to see you dance only wearing them.” My lips rolled into a smirked as I let my fingertips whisper over my thighs and stomach as I stood back up, Hips rocked to the sides as I let my hands explore myself. My fingertips rolled over the softness of my skin, over the peaks of my nipples, down to the valley between my thighs, fingers dipping against my body to rub my clit and play with the wetness that was growing there.

I was a natural performer.

My mind was on the show that I was performing, eyes watching Kelly stroking his cock and wondering if we’d both cum without even touching each other. My mind was on Izzy and even though another man was watching me fingering myself in his room all I could think about was the time Izzy had walked in on me, legs on either side of the bath as I played with myself.

He had come into the bathroom, watching me for god knows how long as I rubbed my tits, fingers furiously going in and out of my cunt, the warm water splashing out of my body as I moaned in pleasure in the bath. When he had asked me if I touched myself like this when he was on tour I almost drowned myself in embarrassment. BUt Izzy had reached into the tub, eyes on me as he helped me continue rubbing my clit. Watching me, his hands guiding me to keep playing with myself until…

“I’m going to cum.” I moaned out and heard him moan out something that sounded like me too. I came apart, my fingers sticky with my own fluids that leaked out. Mind thinking of Izzy as I cried out in someone else's room.

Both of us looked up at each other, the intimacy of touching ourselves well the other watched . Kelly gave me a smirk.

“That was different.” I shrugged my shoulders, moving to pick up my clothes from where they had been dropped as he spoke, “Well, since you wasted the one shot of me fucking you why don’t you at least spend the night here. I wouldn’t want you to leave so late.” I hesitated but figured it was close to morning and I could sneak out soon anyway. So I climbed into bed with him, letting him cradle my naked body against his and fall asleep like I was his human teddy bear.

And as I closed my eyes I wished it was Izzy holding me.

Kelly POV

I rubbed my eyes, looking around the room and being slightly surprised that there wasn’t a girl tucked under my arm. She had been here when I fell asleep. But she didn’t seem like the type to cling to a persons he had gone home with,

Getting out of bed, my eyes scanned the nightstand and I wasn’t surprised to see that there wasn’t any scrap of paper with a number on it. She hadn’t even given me her name last night. All she had said is that if I knew her name that was just more trouble for me. And when a woman admitted she was going to bring trouble into my life I tended to believe them, no matter how good the lay was.

“You idiot.” my door flew open and Traci was standing there looking at me furiously, “Out of all the girls in LA you slept with her.” My eyebrows knitted together. Was she one of his exes? She looked vaguely familiar last night but not bandmates ex familiar.

“What are you talking about?” my hand rubbed at my eyebrows, the hangover settling in at the first loud noise of the day. I was thinking about going back to bed already, especially since there wasn’t going to be anything worth waking up to.

“I was in the kitchen this morning and do you know who walked in?” I smirked, she was gorgeous so there was nothing to really be ashamed of, “Izzy Stradlin’s girl.” Oh fuck. The blood must have drained out of my face as he looked at me like I was the biggest idiot in the world and I was feeling like it.

It didn’t matter if they were broken up; everyone knew that Izzy and his girl would break up just for the thrill of the makeup. He was overprotective of her and if he found out, which I was sure he was going too since we hadn’t been too shy about leaving that Halloween party practically eye fucking each other, I was dead.

She had warned me that she was trouble but now I knew just how much.

#Kelly Nickels #kelly nickels smut #kelly nickels fanfic #Izzy Stradlin #Izzy Stradlin fanfic #Izzy Stradlin fan fic #LA Guns #GNR

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xxibroughtyoumybulletzxx · 4 months

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Okay so first of all hi i LOVE your art i litearllh. love how u draw matthew patel. like really so special to me i cant get enough i visit Matthew Patel Tag on tumblr like veery day and ifi see a new post from u i go coconuts. second. fabulous taste re: phantom of the paradise that movie is one of my favs of alllll time ive been trying to drag my friends into watching it + getting around to a rewatch ok. thats all from me. happy holidays.!!!!

WAUGRHGHG THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYZ TO YOU ASWELL :DD i never know how 2 respond to messages like these but they alwayz make me so happy I APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH UR SO KIND. giggling kicking my feet like a schoolgirl every time i receive stuff like this in my askbox. also phantom of the paradise iz indeed peak i think everyone in the world should watch it at least twice ur so right

#people on here r so nice i love tumblr

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art-of-manliness · 5 months

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The Art of Manliness Guide to the Holidays

It’s the holiday season. It’s our favorite time of the year here at AoM HQ. Over the years we’ve published many articles and podcasts to help AoM readers and listeners have a holly, jolly Christmas and a happy New Year. We thought it would be helpful to put all that content in one place. From picking out and decorating a Christmas tree to how to host the ultimate holiday party, you’ll find it here. You’ll also find plenty of holiday-themed podcasts to listen to while you’re out Christmas shopping or wrapping gifts. Get in the Holiday Spirit * 11 Ways to Get Into the Holiday Spirit * 10 Holiday Date Ideas * How to Celebrate Christmas Like Theodore Roosevelt * Podcast #859: The Unexpected Origins of Our Christmas Traditions * Podcast #566: How to Have a Hyggely Christmas and a More Memorable New Year * Podcast #262: The Santa Claus Man * 6 Books That Will Get You in the Christmas Spirit * How to Build a Fireplace Fire Without Smoking Yourself Out of Your House Procure and Decorate a Christmas Tree * The Christmas Tree Crib Sheet: How to Pick, Set Up, and Care for Your Tree * How to Keep Your Christmas Tree Fresher, Longer * How to Put Lights on Your Christmas Tree Without Swearing Up a Storm Make Your Holiday Season More Meaningful * The George Bailey Technique: Mentally Erase Your Blessings for Greater Joy and Optimism * Be a Scrooge This Year: Reflections From a Christmas Carol * NUTS! Why Remembering Christmas 1944 Can Change Your Life * Christmas Eve Manvotional: A Must-Read War Letter * Christmas Eve Manvotional: The Night of Oranges * Podcast #671: Begin the New Year by Reflecting on These 3 Life-Changing Questions * Podcast #766: The Real (Decidedly-Less-Sentimental-Yet-Still-Wonderful) Story of WWI’s Christmas Truce Holiday Fun * How to Make the Perfect Snowball: An Illustrated Guide * The Santa Claus Workout [VIDEO] * What to Do If Your Tongue Gets Stuck to a Flagpole * How to Build the Best Snowman in the Neighborhood * How to Build a Quinzee Snow Shelter: An Illustrated Guide * The Lost Pleasures of Group Singing Holiday Hospitality * How to Throw an Awesome Holiday Party–Part I: Choosing a Party Theme * How to Throw an Awesome Holiday Party–Part II: Guest Lists, Invitations, and Planning * How to Throw an Awesome Holiday Party–Part III: A Simple and Jolly Dinner Menu * How to Throw an Awesome Holiday Party–Part IV: A Primer on Being the Ultimate Host * The Manly Art of Hospitality * The (Often Manly) History of Toasting, and Why We Should Bring It Back * How to Give a Toast Holiday Food & Drink * General Eisenhower’s 5-Star Holiday Eggnog * How to Roast Chestnuts Over an Open Fire * Your New, New Year’s Tradition: Prime Rib Roast * 5 Classic Holiday Cocktails and Drinks to Warm Your Spirit * The Surprisingly Manly History of Hot Cocoa * How to Make Perfect Stovetop Popcorn * How to Make a Cocktail With Snow: An Illustrated Guide * How to Open a Champagne Bottle With a Saber Holiday Gifting * How to Wrap a Gift: An Illustrated Guide * 15 Homemade Gifts You Can Make in an Hour or Less * How to Be Santa Claus (For Your Kids) * 50 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Men * 50+ Stocking Stuffers For Women * Free DIY Stocking Stuffer: Vintage Finger Fisticuffer Puppets Holiday Style * 6 Holiday Style Tips For Men * The Virtue in Dressing for Others * Dressing for the Holidays: Your 60-Second Guide * DIY Holiday Beard Oil: 5 Recipes to Festive-ize Your Face Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The post The Art of Manliness Guide to the Holidays appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/SzfZhP

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yourliegegnarpingtonzipperzop · 28 days

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happy easter

you can eat eggs today

Iz that the.. earthling holiday? Okay,,, egg,, time.

#tagz: yapping #tagz: zeeplingz #zeeplingz: welzhianhappyy #gnarpy regretevator #regretevator gnarpy #regretevator #gnarpy

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garblixdligzoog · 29 days

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//Happy easter to those who wish to celebrate it!

HAPPY NO VIOLENCE ZUNDAY, FELLOW GNARPIANZ!!

Finally, I have my ZOOPING drone up and running again, but enough about that zilly thing.

IT'Z A ZPECIAL NO VIOLENCE ZUNDAY! THAT'Z RIGHT, IT'Z GALACTIC EGG ZEARCH DAY!

Pathetic earthlingz ripped off our favorite holiday and called it "EAZTER..."

Unfortunately, all I found waz juzt one egg, thiz weird chip and a ztrange zmiling rock...

Hopefully it izn't curzed or anything! Hahahaha... haha...

Why iz my drone panicking...?

#garblix dilgzoog #Gnarpy #Regretevator #Regretevator AU #gnarpian #Gnarpian soldier #Easter

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iznsfw · 1 year

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extra chapter for the final, like 12 members come together and celebrate Christmas together in a cafe or something with background music from Hyewon song winter poem~

Home for Christmas

IZ*ONE

2,615 words

Categories | happy times no angst this time, slight NSFW jokes, a fandom inside joke now and then

Something short, soft and fluffy to end the year ❤ I tried to give each member their own spotlight/"screentime," so sorry if it's a bit messy!

Also very unedited lolz

Café? Booked. Food? Served. The girls?

Well... not here.

Eunbi's starting to get nervous. She's planned this for months, and they all agreed to go. But it's five minutes past the set time, and not one former member has showed up yet. The food would go to waste if they don't come, and her heart would be broken to pieces.

Eunbi's sure that she can't stand missing an opportunity to unite with them. The disbandment was one thing, but another opportunity being missed? After all the months she's been without them? No, she can't bear that.

Now that the holidays have rolled up, there's a lot of free time in their schedules to time a reunion. And today is the date they chose. But they're still nowhere to be found.

"Still not here, hon?" asks the man behind the counter, AKA the man Eunbi has looked up to as a second father ever since the day she worked in this café. He was kind enough to let her reserve the café just for IZ*ONE, saying he'd cook the meals and prepare the fanciest plates. Eunbi is eternally grateful to him for that, but she's afraid that all that would go to waste. Like he had asked, the members are still not here.

She shakes her head. "No," she says in a small voice.

He smiles at her tenderly. "They'll be here any second, Eunbi-ya, don't worry."

She appreciates everything he's done for her: plastering her posters and fansite photos all over the walls of the café, taking care of her, and helping her prepare this reunion. But she doesn't really believe in don't worry anymore. It's all she's ever been told to do, but it's easier said than done when her life is just so... busy. One wrong move can bring her and her efforts down the gutter. Even the considerably smaller things like these.

But what's so small about IZ*ONE? These girls do not fit the word when there are eleven of them, but in the metaphorical sense, they are Eunbi's home. They are her big, ridiculously and loveably rambunctious family she would give her life for. This reunion can look as small and unmeaningful to an outsider, something that can be brushed off like a leaf falling onto one's shoulder. But it isn't small to Eunbi. One wrong thing about it all will make her freak out.

Still, she nods. "Got it." Her hopes may be lost, but she wants to show at least a speck of self-assurance, even in front of the man to whom she's shown all her vulnerabilities to.

She looks up to say something to him. Probably a word of thanks, since he deserves to hear every appreciation in the world after what he's done for her. But his eyes are somewhere else, somewhere behind her. It unsettles her so much that she turns around to see for herself what it is.

"Boo!"

Kang Hyewon, always the prankster. One would expect grace from such a pretty woman, but Hyewon breaks those expectations, just like she almost does to Eunbi's shoulders as she seizes them.

Eunbi's heart freezes and relaxes in the same second. "Hyewon!" she says annoyedly. "It's Christmas, not Halloween!"

"No 'hi' from my pretty unnie or anything?" Hyewon asks, pouting. She knows acting cute can buy her an escape route out of anything bad when it's with Eunbi, and of course, she uses it to her advantage.

"Stop acting like that in front of oppa!" Eunbi rolls her eyes and blushes as the café owner laughs at them, but wraps her arms around the girl anyway. She missed her too much to be more annoyed. Far too much.

Hyewon accepts that there will be no "hi" from her unnie because she gets a hug to make up for it. She loves Eunbi's hugs, and how tiny the leader feels in her arms. They bring her a sense of comfort. Going without the hugs especially since she and Eunbi were roommates during IZ*ONE days has been particularly difficult.

"I brought guests," Hyewon says cheekily.

Eunbi cocks her head to the side with a question written on her face. But there is her answer, standing in the doorway: her girls.

"Unnie, hiii! " Minju yells out in an uncharacteristically loud voice. Her adorable grin melts Eunbi's heart. Minju possesses the smile of a younger boy's first love. It's no wonder that her fans look like they're about to pass put whenever she approaches them. "Long time no—"

"Wow, you really didn't greet Hyew-unnie at all?" Yuri asks with mock distaste. Trust her to always find a way to spark a fight with Minju. Her hair is no longer red—it's become jet black, cut short at her shoulders. "You're so impolite, Minju."

"Hey! I didn't mean it like that! Plus, we already met—"

"Ohhh, stop it, you guys," says Yena. Normally she'd join in the fight to get Minju even more worked up, but it seems that the cheeky duck went through character development over the past few months. She slaps her stomach in emphasis. "Let's just get in, shall we? I'm starving!"

Yujin nods. "So am I!"

"And me!" Chaewon says. Her bob cut is stunning. Hitomi's twirling the short strands of black as she speaks.

"Well then let's just get in!" Wonyoung speaks for all of them with a tone of authority. As usual, she's dressed in impeccable clothes. Her fashion taste has evolved as she grew up into the woman she is now. She's gotten thinner, though, Eunbi has noticed worriedly. She makes a mental note to coax her more food later.

But at this moment, all Eunbi can think about is how happy she is. Everyone had shown up just when her hopes were fading. Everyone looks happy. That's all that matters to her.

Heaping bowls of white rice and fried rice top the tables. The café owner sets them along with variations of fish and chicken. Traditional and modern food blend together on the plates. The scent alone makes Wonyoung full. Hyewon, however, doesn't mind eating up even the leftovers.

"Oppa makes the best tteokbeoki!" Eunbi boasts to all of them. She hands Nako some utensils, and the small woman immediately gets the hint to pass them all to the others. "Once you eat some, you'll never want to stop."

"Don't flatter me, Eunbi," he laughs with a shake of his head. He gives Wonyoung a drink and hands Sakura a napkin. He starts to scoop delicious food onto the round plates.

Sakura looks up at him with a blinding smile. "I'll have to try it out for myself to decide."

"Please do," he says graciously. "It's not everyday we get to have Miyawaki Sakura herself over for Christmas."

Sakura is a star wherever she goes. The main attraction in IZ*ONE maintains her spotlight in Lesserafim, only this time there are more eyes on her. But she's still humble in real life, when the cameras cut and the curtains are drawn.

"What do you call me then, oppa?" Eunbi complains. "I literally worked here!"

"Or me?" says Yena. She has the Choi Yena look on her face right now: drawn eyebrows, wide eyes, and a pair of plump lips open to let out her fighting spirit. "You know Smiley, right? 'Push, swipe—"

"Wrong song, that's Smartphone!" Yujin cackles, almost pushing Wonyoung over due to her laughs. The youngest is laughing, too, but at a calmer level. Or maybe it just looks that way since Yujin is just relentless when she's in a state of joy.

"Can't even get her own song right," Nako teases.

"Hey, fuck you—"

"Want a drink, Nyeong?"

Wonyoung raises a glass of sizzling soda. Chaewon watches the bubbles rise to the surface observantly, seemingly spacing out again. "Already have one."

"No, I mean, like a drink drink." Nako points to the bottle of beer at the center of the table. "You're nineteen now. You don't want to try?"

"Nako," Eunbi says warningly. Wonyoung may have turned of age, but she was still a baby in her eyes. There's no way in hell she's going to let her drink so early.

"Come on, Minju took Yujin out for drinks when she turned nineteen," reasons Nako with an innocent shrug.

"Ya! I told you not to tell Eunbi unnie that!" Minju protests.

"I trusted you, unnie!" Yujin moans, covering her face in embarrassment.

"Eunbi unnie has been drinking, she won't mind," Hitomi makes a clever reference to an old inside joke that even the fans know.

Chaeyeon cackles. Her hand finds the perfect victim to channel her happiness: the wooden table. Each reverbating slap causes the surface to shudder. "It's true, she has," she confirms for everyone's convenience. "She's been sending me drunk texts, like 'ohhh Jjaeyeonie! I miss Sakura so much! She—'"

"Ya—"

"—'I wish I didn't leave her hanging—'"

"—shut up, Chaeyeon, you're just jealous!"

"Jealous? There's nothing to get jealous over with Kkura, it was a one-night fling!"

"No one said it was related to— wait, you and Sakura had a fling?!"

"Okay, maybe we did get into a relationship," admits Chaeyeon. There's no reason to hide it now; everyone at the table is listening to her attentively. "Maybe we did try to fuck during Fiesta, but that's all in the past now."

"Hey, Wonyoung and Yujin are listening!" scolds Sakura. Her face is beet red, too. All her secrets are poured out in the open on what is supposed to be a happy reunion night. "Keep it PG-13 here."

"I'm not thirteen anymore, unnie!" Wonyoung whines. Everyone in her former group seems to forget that fact about her: she's not a child anymore. She can see why they won't loosen their grasp on her childhood days, however. She's practically grown up in front of their eyes. In addition to that, she was quite young when she joined Produce 48.

The only one to treat her like an actual adult is Hyunseo, her new group Ive's maknae. Everyone here just marvels at Wonyoung's maturity as if she didn't have cameras in her face since she was a kid.

Still, as Yena hugs her comfortingly and pats her cheek, Wonyoung decides that she doesn't mind their babying at all. Her eleven older unnies are unhinged, wild, and ruthless, but they're still her unnies. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Yujin has had less of the baby persona haunting her now that she's the leader of Ive. Sometimes Wonyoung becomes wistful for the old Yujin, who played around and joked with her. But that doesn't mean that the puppy Ahn Yujin has completely gone away. She sees it when Yujin's dimples show as she laughs and smiles, when she leans over to rest her head on Wonyoung's shoulder, when she still struggles with her shoelaces.

You can say that she's just a little bit in love.

"Right," Sakura says, breaking Wonyoung's train(wreck) of thoughts. Her former fellow center reaches over to pat her hand. "I'm sorry, Wonyoung-ah."

"It's okay, unnie," responds Wonyoung. It's totally fine—she truly cherishes moments like these where little unintended slip-ups lead to the loudest of laughs. Everything is so serious nowadays.

"Do you still want to drink?" Nako asks hopefully.

"Nako-ya," asks Chaewon, suspicious because of Nako's repeated inquiries for a drinking partner, "are you drunk?"

"Who are you, Hitomi?"

"Hey, that's my line!" Hyewon protests. She's already had numerous lines retracted from her during IZ*ONE. She's not about to let anyone steal her one-liners as well.

"What do you mean? I said that," Hitomi says. Hyewon notices that, like her, she eats little. She only took three large bites and drank the blue lemonade.

"I know, Hiichan. I was talking about the message I sent on Bubble."

"Ohhh, now I get it."

"You're subscribed to my Bubble?" Hyewon asks in surprise.

"I'm subscribed to everyone!"

"Stalker much?" Yuri asks snarkily. She loves being a bratty snark with everyone, even to her own members. Oh, especially to them. It tips Eunbi off so much it's actually delightful to see.

"Jo Yuri, you brat," sighs Yena, shaking her head. Was this the girl she swore to marry?

Yuri throws her a playful wink. She is.

Eunbi's processing it all. She's been quiet for some time to take it all in. Sakura and Chaeyeon being... what, friends with benefits without her knowing? Minju taking Yujin out for drinks? She has no idea if she should start her lecturing now. But one day, she'll get used to the chaos IZ*ONE brings. Maybe one day.

In a parallel universe.

Where everything goes right.

Um da da da da da da da da... /

A familiar voice and a familiar tune. God, this day just likes to attack her with an onslaught of memories, huh? But the song speaks of a more recent event, some time after the disbandment.

She looks across the table. Her eyes and Hyewon's connect. Of course! It's Hyewon's song being played in the background! Who else can perfect the smooth, silky tone of voice like her?

Hyewon is embarrassed. She hides her face with her hand as all the members ooh and ahh over her and the song. "Ahhh, oppa, you didn't have to do that!" she says shyly.

He grins. "I had to. I'm a big fan of the song."

"Can you play Antifragile next?" Chaewon asks boldly. Chaeyeon is surprised at her straightforwardness, but the café owner doesn't look like he's fazed by it.

"Sure, no problem."

Chaewon squeals happily and reaches over the table to give Sakura a high-five. They personally dislike the song, but any promotion is good promotion.

She and Sakura have also gotten a lot closer before the redebut. Destiny always seems to find a way to tie their fates together. It was as if it were telling them to make up for the time they didn't talk much during IZ*ONE days. Imagine their surprise when Yunjin showed up at the practice room!

The universe always finds a way to bring the twelve of them together. Whether by chance or plan, they are drawn to each other like magnets. Sakura and Chaewon's redebut together, as mentioned earlier, speaks for itself. Yena, Yuri, Chaeyeon, and Eunbi are in the same field as soloists and meet occasionally at music shows. Hyewon and Minju reunited for a Prada event, and are both actresses. Hitomi and Nako are inseparable as J-pop idols. Wonyoung and Yujin made a second debut in Ive together, as they always are.

And now, with Hyewon's Christmas song accompanying their smiles, they've bumped into each other again. It's happened before countless of times, so who's to say there isn't an official reunion song up ahead? If Starship eventually becomes more lenient, and time grants them all a passageway, the chances aren't zero.

There's already contentedness in their hearts, though, as each member talks about their experiences over a large dinner, in the place where it all started for their leader. Yujin talks about missing Azzo, and her nights in Paris are all about what Wonyoung drones on about. Eunbi, of course, says how much she misses them all. Yuri and Yena become feisty again, but it hides not their true feelings of homesickness for this environment that used to be a usual, everyday thing.

Even the singing Hyewon that adds flavor to their conversations and plays from the radio knows:

I've been dreaming of today like a present like today /

Confession in December that couldn't be hidden.

With you, with you, na /

My best part is all for you /

My best part is all for you.

#izone #iz*one #kpop #kpop fluff #fluff #request #izone fluff #iz*one fluff

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