Three tipes of people on valentine's day

💞Lovely Valentine💞

Peter Maximoff x female!reader

Word count: 1735 (way longer than I expected)

Summary: You didn't like this time of year. Until one cheeky speedster changes your mind.

A/N: you're X-Men (congrats!), your mutation isn't mentioned, so it can be anything. Let your imagination go wild!

And another too cheesy, too love dovey, too dumb movie appiered in TV. You rolled your eyes and turned it off. You felt a light breeze caress your hair.

"Why did you turn it off?" a familiar voice sounded from beside you.

"What? Did you want to watch something discustingly romantic?" you asked with a mocking tone.

Peter only laughed. "Yeah actually. Maybe you never noticed, but I'm hopeless romantic," he leaned into you holding a hand to his heart.

You felt your cheeks getting 2 degrees hotter as you felt his head on your shoulder.

"Yeah, no. You're not. You always gag whenever you hear a cheesy pick up line!"

"But only because they're dumb, mine are much better! Wanna hear?"

As much as you wanted to say yes, you declined. He didn't need to know how you felt about him.

"Alright, whatever," he looked away from you. Your mind must've played a trick on you, because he looked quite dissapointed to you.

In a blink of an eye he was gone. You just shrugged, not the first time somebody left you alone. Especially on a day like this.

~

'Pull yourself together Maximoff, you're such a lad with women around you and you can't even make your crush go out with you? You're losing your charm man.'

Peter was sitting at the top of Xavier's mansion. His leg was bouncing from pure nervousness. He must come up with something more than just a pick up line. Flowers? Chocolate? Plushie? Jewelry? He can steal all of that, that's not the problem. The problem is making you interested.

He's known you for quite some time, and he knows you don't really like Valentine's. All of those 'happy' couples making heart eyes at eachother the whole day annoy him too, but you are on a whole another level. He doesn't even know the real reason behind your hatred for this holiday. He must find out.

But first...

~

You decided to go to your room. Kitty Pride, your roomate, went out with someone, like 50% of the school, so you had the whole room just for you (finally). You were building a house from cards listening to some old tapes Peter gave you when the silver haired bastard ran into your room, knocking all cards to the ground.

"Really? Couldn't you just walk in like evrybody else? I suppose not," you started picking up your cards.

"No, I can't. I had to hurry, ya know?" he bent down to pick up those which fell from your table to the ground and gave them to you, making sure your hands brushed each other.

"And why?"

"To spend more time with you, why else?"

You rolled your eyes, but secretely, you were touched. "You could be doing hundred and one things, or stealing hundred and one things. Why spending time with me?"

He shrugged his shoulders. In a blink of an eye he was on your bed, your headphones on his head as he rolled your walkman in his hands.

"Do you ever NOT use the lightning speed for mundane things? How about walking? You may heard of it," you pulled the headphones from his head.

"It's cooler this way. Hey listen, I came here to ask you something. Why do you hate Valentine's so much? I mean, we've known eachother for a long time and you always lock yourself away from everyone."

It suddenly became very hard to look at him. You never told anyone, no one ever asked. Or cared enough to notice how you always disappear when a couple walks into a room, or how you try to desperately avoid any romantic movie on TV. It made your heart flutter that Peter noticed these things about you.

"I don't know. Probably the cheap things people do on Valentine's. Flowers being the stupidiest. They are all cut and binded with a glittery bow, leaving mess behind for mostly a week and then those lovely roses die. Very romantic. Or the fact that everyone suddenly feels the need to show their undying love to a person they met a month ago. Or the cuddling under a warm blanket. Or having someone to trust with your life. Or someone who will stay by your side and hold your hand against all odds. Or someone who doesn't abandon you," you started to trail off. You were touch starved, kiss deprived, lonely.

Many times you hugged a pillow to your chest wishing it was a human being. Many times you filled a glove with rice, heated it and held it as if it was the real deal. You even planned on buying this big pillow in the shape of a human to cuddle to at night.

This soft vulnerable side was only for you. No one else needed to know the big badass Y/N was romantic at heart. So you pretended to hate the holiday while you secretely read all those disgustingly sweet romance novels and watched cheesy romcoms, imagining it would someday happen to you. Find love with somebody.

Such a shame that somebody you wanted it with was in this room with you, probably ready do mock you for revealing your soft side.

Your eyes were still focused on carpet as you felt Peter sit up besides you on the bed and gently put his hand on your knee. "If it makes you happy, I will never abandon such a great girl like you. I can spend this day with you. And I don't accept any 'I feel better alone' bulshit you tell everyone."

A gentle chuckle escaped you. "Okay, alright. You can stay here. But no speeding!"

Peter rolled his eyes. "As you wish. I wanted to take you somewhere far away from here and show you something, but since you said no speeding," he trailed off teasingly.

"What? Where. Okay, speeding ban is down, take me there please!"

"Hold on tight," he said as he held the back of your head.

Few moments later you found yourself on top of a giant copper building. The view consisted of a classical square with not so many people and a long river snaking between houses in a deep canal. You looked over the railing and found out you weren't just on any building. You were on a top of the Eiffel Tower!

A cough from behind you brought you back to reality. You turned around and nearly died. Peter stood there, his usual band t-shirt, silver jacket and jeans were replaced by a white loose dress shirt and black trousers. His silver hair was still a mess but that's what you loved about him the most, so you didn't complain.

"Appreciate while you can, you'll see me like this only at somebody's funeral," he said jokingly.

You chuckled. "Can I at least take a picture? Pwetty pwease?" you did your best baby voice to convince him to say yes.

"Only if it's a selfie."

"Deal," you fished out your phone from your back pocket and srood next to his side. His arm hugged you to him by your shoulders. As you pushed the button you felt a soft preassure on your cheek for a short while. Did he just pecked you on a cheek? In his faster than light speed?

You checked the selfie and sure enough, there it was. You smiling, him leaning down, kissing your cheek in a slight blur. In the reflection of your screen you saw him with an almost soft smile.

"Why would you do that?" you asked gesturing to the selfie.

"Cuz I wanted to do that. A-and I kinda like you. Romantically, I mean," he said sheepishly. He was kinda cute when he was shy.

"Really? You're not kidding right?"

"Nope, I don't joke about serious stuff."

"Well, I kinda like you too."

He turned his head back to you with a giant smile plastered on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

There was an awkward silence for a full minute, both of you looking either into each others' eyes or just roaming around the other one's face.

"Well, that's cool," you broke the silence.

"We just told eachother we like the other one and you say that's cool?" Peter asked half laughing.

"I panicked and you didn't say anything so I thought-"

"Yeah, you think too much," he cut you off and leaned towards you. His lips fell on yours. After initial shock you gave into the kiss, your hands held the back of his neck. His hair tickled your fingers and the back of your palm.

He broke the kiss. "Damn, I'm moving too fast again," he shook his head, his nose brushed your own.

"Well, I don't mind moving fast, our lifes are way too short anyways."

"Yeah, but if it starts fast it ends fast. I don't want that. Besides, I had a plan to do this properly," he then ran away from you in a white and black blur and returned now in his usual clothes holding a box of chocolate and a giant stuffed bear. "I didn't know which to give you, so I took both. Like it?"

"Yes Peter, the bear is so cute!" you took him from his hand and squeezed him to your chest. "This will do great for middle night cuddling, thank you."

"What do you mean 'this will do'? You have me for cuddling now! Can a bear hug you like this?" he rushed behind you and hugged you from behind. "Or kiss you like this?" he kissed your exposed neck softly and rested his chin on your left shoulder and looked at you as if you were the only one in the world.

You turned your head towards his and pecked his nose. "Nope, he can't," you kissed his lips one more time before turning around in his arms and started heavily making out.

"By the way," you said as he nibbled on your ear, "did you steal these things?"

"Uuuuh what will you do if I say yes?"

"Nothin', still like you. Romantically."

He chuckled into your skin. "Still romantically like you too."

I wrote this for Valentine's Day this year after I saw this card:

And it totally looked like something Crowley would give Aziraphale haha. So enjoy :)

*Phone rings in the bookshop. Aziraphale picks up. It's Crowley.*

- Hello, Angel. Have I, by any chance, dropped my black leather coat at your place?

- Well, hello, Crowley. Which one, you own too many of them.

- Oh, you know, the... The... Well... You're probably right. Can't even describe it without making it look like the one I'm wearing right now.

- So how do you know it's missing?

- I just know. There's a void in my wardrobe. That's how I know. But it's ok, it's a cheap one, maybe it's in this mess I call a home. And... How are things up there?

- Oh... Things are just fine. Today is a special day, many clients have come looking for books, and I'm very much pleased to notice that people find appeasing to give books as gifts in a special date like today's.

- (hesitant) Special... Date?

- (Azi starts blushing for some reason) Valentine's...

- Oh, sure. That date. Can't stand it. Too much love on the streets. No wonder I've got a headache since I woke up this morning. Everything is so... Pink. And happy. Urgh, makes my stomach...

- (Irritated) I see, Crowley, you hate valentines day. Nothing new about it. If you excuse me, there's a line of clients waiting to get their sweeties a book.

- Oh, fine, then. Talk to you later.

- That remains to be seen.

- Wha...

*Azi hangs up, feeling a bit ouraged. He breathes deeply before going back to the clients, his eyes go over a chair next to him. The black coat is there. He can not only see it, but smell it from that distance. He sighs, reaching discreetly to it. Aziraphale had hidden a little poem in its pocket. He thought it would be sweet if he picked it up today, and found it alone, of course, maybe it would put a smile on his devilish handsome face. He wanted to play Crowley a bit, but he was so unpleasant Aziraphale gave up on the entire joke. He shakes his head, too upset to finish the gesture. But the smell trailed behind him. He felt so much love around him, humans could be so charming sometimes, that he forgot about Crowley for a while. "

Later that day...

*Aziraphale is organizing the last pile of books on the counter. It was a fine day, pleasant, cheery, fun. He made a good sale, and earlier that day he had picked up some roses to give as a courtesy to the buyers. He had cut up lots of pink and red paper hearts to have customers write a message to their sweethearts as a surprise inside the books. He had even baked some chocolate muffins in the shape of hearts, but as a treat to himself, guessing he would probably be alone by the end of the day, as always, but in the company of a good cup of tea and a new prophecy book that had just arrived from the 15th century...*

*The doorbell rings. He raises his eyes. Crowley is coming in, taking his glasses off. *

- Crowley... (hesitant) What a... (forcing a smile) Delightful surprise.

- Hey, angel. (looking around, embarrassed) I thought you'd be finished for today, so I thought we could... Have dinner, or something. You know, nothing special, I mean, we always have dinner, it's...

- (smiling the tiniest of grins, out of sight, still with his back turned to Crowley, putting the books back on the shelf) Oh, yes, just dinner. I suppose the Ritz is going to be a bit... Busy for the night, so...

- Oh. You're right. Maybe it is not the best night to dine out...

- Indeed, my friend. (a bit optimistic) But we could arrange something...

- I don't know, angel. Now that you've mentioned it, it's true. It's gonna be noisy, and... Crowded... And... You're probably right. I didn't really think through it.

- Well, I... (he turns around, getting closer to Crowley, who is still at the door) I could cook for us. I mean, I do not mean to brag about it, but I happen to be a very good cook, thank you.

- Oh, I do know that. We could have some... Pasta?

- I'm thinking a very tasty ravioli, marinara sauce, maybe some corn bread and cheese, and... Oh, we'll see.

- I don't wanna impose...

- Of course not, my friend, it is no imposition.

- Then let me get us some red wine to go along with it.

- (Excited again) Fabulous. Then, I will get dinner done, meet you here in an hour?

- Sure, sure. I will... Get the wine.

*Crowley is out on the street, it's been one hell of a task to find fine red wine around, but he managed. When he was getting back to the bookshop, he saw something that sparkled an idea on his mind... *

*Back to the bookshop. Aziraphale is cooking, much amused and pleased with himself. He's distracted checking the taste of his marinara, and he can't see Crowley coming closer.*

- Aziraphale?

- (Jumping) Oh, for good heavens! You almost never use my name, what has got into you to do that?

- (smiling, a bit shy, unusual for him) I... I... (going to say something, but changing his mind) I found our wine. Your favorite of course. Had to put some effort into it, what one doesn't do for a nice bottle of Pinot Noir?

- Oh... (frowning, a bit confused) Definitely. Would you be so kind to put it on the table, along with the basket of bread?

- Yeah, yeah, no problem. (he picks up the wine and the basket, still fighting with words. He makes up his mind, dropping both, and picking something from his pocket, handing it abruptly to Aziraphale). Here. It's for you.

- (Startled, running his hand on the white apron he put on to cook, a little upset, maybe thinking the should have picked a more appropriate moment to give gifts) Ah... Well... (speechless, he picks up. It's a card, a blank white paper, written in black and white, very simple, very blasé. Aziraphale listens to his heart in his years, reading it intently).

- (Crowley starts talking fastly, trying to distract the mood, the sweetness of the occasion) I know it's valentine's day, but you know, humans send cards to one another, anyway, it just felt weird to just not say anything, so I got you this card. It's not a big deal. It doesn't really mean anything. There isn't even a heart on it. So basically it's a card. Saying hi. (Exhales, embarrassed) Oh, forget it...

*Aziraphale hugs him, tender and carefully, his eyes are glistening, he feels much happier than he can express, but he just hugs him, hoping the gesture speaks for itself. Crowley is still as a rock, eyes wide, hands on his pockets. He tries for a pat on the back, but he can't seem to make his hands work. He notices Aziraphale's face is very close to his, he can smell his skin, his white smooth hair, almost tempted to touch it... They part. Aziraphale is smiling beautifully, like only an angel could. Like only Aziraphale could, actually. *

- Thank you, dear.

*Crowley nods his head, not sure of what he could say, but Aziraphale doesn't seem to need it. He goes back to the stove, still holding the card close to his heart without even noticing. It makes Crowley smile, but he takes the bottle and the basket back to put them on the table. The smile never left his face.*

*They have a nice dinner, talking, joking, discussing, eating and drinking. It was a fine night, like many others they had together. But this one had something to it, a different glow, a lighter atmosphere. Crowley is ready to go back to his apartment, his heart is a little heavy, and he wonders why. It is an unusual feeling, but curiously, he can't remember feeling it towards anyone else but Aziraphale. They stand by the door, Aziraphale has that candid smile again after going in the back and getting Crowleys coat.*

- Here. I was just playing you.

- I knew it! Aren't you becoming a trickster yourself?

- (smiles wider) I've got my charms...

- (low voice) You do. (Louder) Ah, so... I should get going. It was a fine meal, I must say.

- Well, thank you. It was a fine company, as always, my friend.

- Well... Happy... Night. Of February... 14th.

- Ditto, in fact, it's almost February 15th.

- Sure... See you around.

- Definitely

- Bye, Angel.

- Bye, Crowley.

*Crowley walks towards his car, feeling a bit dizzy. It was probably all that love thing in the air. At this hour, a bit more than love should be in the air, in fact. He breathed the air, closing his eyes, holding the coat in his hands. Something fell, and he picked up. It was a pink piece of paper. It had Aziraphale handwriting in it. He frowned.*

- He wrote a poem. For... Me.

*He turns around, looking at the bookshop, but now it's all dark and empty. Aziraphale probably went to rest. He would not bother him, right? Maybe... Maybe he didn't even intended for him to find it, maybe he forgot. Yes, he must have forgotten, he didn't even mention... He looks down at the paper again. The feeling of being completely filled inside, but so empty at the same time. So light and so heavy. So close and so far. He gets into his car, putting the poem back in his pocket. He starts driving, too pleased to admit. But the smile is there, crossing his face with the light of a thousand stars.*

*A light shines in the upper window of the bookshop. Aziraphale watched the entire scene. He eats a muffin, too glad to mind, looking at the card over the table. It was the best Valentines Day he had in centuries. Things were getting better."

Here another one suggested by @wanna-be-bold. For the following prompt: Densi's first Valentine's day

A/N: This may be a bit different than what you were expecting. Takes place during season 2.

***

Friends Day

“Hey Partner, how was your weekend?” Deeks asked, sitting down on the due of Kensi’s desk. From the look of things, she’d been there for a while.

“Wonderful,” she answered tightly without looking up.

“I spent all Saturday surfing and the swells were awesome. I think-”

“Deeks, I think it’s really great that you had a good weekend, but I really do not care about surfing.” Kensi’s voice was filled with irritation and she looked pointedly at Deeks’ current location. Getting the message loud and clear, Deeks quietly sat down at his own desk.

Callen and Sam weren’t in yet, surprisingly, and he’d finished his own paperwork the on Friday. Which meant he had little to do except watch Kensi attack her keyboard with sharp, angry jabs of her fingers.

He tried to distract himself by clearing out old emails, but after about 15 minutes, his inbox was squeaky clean. Kensi muttered something under his breath, her tone clearly annoyed.

“Uh, Kens, is everything ok?” he tried again. Even though they’d been partners for about 10 months now, Kensi wasn’t exactly an open book. She preferred to keep things to herself and he was pretty sure didn’t fully trust him with...well, anything.

“I’m just trying to concentrate on my work,” she insisted. Getting up again, Deeks flipped through the stack of files on her desk before she could stop him.

“Those are cold cases, Kens. What’s really going on? I swear I won’t tell anyone, whatever it is.” He meant it too. If she was really this upset, he wouldn’t betray her trust. Sighing in frustration, Kensi closed the file in front of her and tossed it across her desk.

“Fine. If you have to know, everyone I know if making posts about their Valentine’s plans. It’s not good enough that someone is buying them flowers and chocolate and ridiculously overpriced jewelry. No, they have to make sure everyone else knows about it too.”

Deeks gaped for a moment at her diatribe. He hadn’t been expecting that at all. Honestly he’d almost forgotten it was Valentine’s at all since he didn’t tend to celebrate the holiday in any way.

“Um, ok. Well, you shouldn’t let the commercialism get you down,” he said, hoping it wasn’t the completely wrong thing to say.

Instead of looking angry, Kensi seemed to deflate; her shoulders caved and she suddenly seemed morose.

“It’s not just the stuff. It’s all the cheesy posts and declarations of love,” she admitted. “It’s just a reminder that the last good Valentine’s I had was in third grade when Charlie Wheeler gave me a chocolate heart sucker and a card that said ‘I like you’.”

“I’m sorry.” Deeks hesitated for a moment and then reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “But I don’t think most people actually enjoy today that much. It’s more of a kid thing or a day for adults to try and pretend their lives are perfect.”

“I know.” She sighed again and shrugged. Glancing across the room, her gaze turned a little distant. “Sometimes I just wish my life were more normal, you know.”

“I do know,” he agreed. She laughed then, barely more than a huff of air, but he could visibly see her pulling herself together again.

“Ignore me, I’m just being ridiculous,” Kensi said with a roll of her eyes. “But I do appreciate you listening to me complain.”

“Anytime.” They shared a smile and then the moment was broken as Sam and Callen appeared, mid-way through an argument about breakfast sandwiches.

***

It was a long day that ended in Deeks tackling a suspect into a muddy ditch. Not all together the worst Valentine’s Day he’d ever had, sadly enough. Kensi seemed to slowly perk up and by the time the case was closed, she was back to mocking him as usual.

He was surprised to find her waiting for him in the bullpen when he was finished showering. She leaned against her desk, bag over her shoulder, and an expectant look on her face.

“What are you still doing here? I thought you’d want to get home as soon as possible and avoid the love-sick couples,” he said, ruffling his still damp hair as he went to grab his own belongings.

“Well,” she started, pressing her palms together in a gesture he’d come to associate with slight discomfort. “I thought maybe you’d want to get some Chinese or something for dinner. That is if you don’t have a last minute date or something.”

“No, I don’t have a date,” Deeks assured her, allowing a have smile at her offer. “And I would love Chinese. Or really anything at this point.”

“Great. I’ll call while we drive.” Kensi started to walk towards the doorway, but he held up a finger.

“Wait a second, I almost forgot something.” Reaching over his desk, he rifled through the front drawer and removed a couple objects, keeping them slightly hidden against his side as he turned to face Kensi again.

“What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously. He cleared his throat, hesitated for a second, and then held out both items.

“Happy Valentine’s, Kens,” he said as Kensi slowly accepted them.

“Deeks.” She shook her head, looking a little confused as she stared down at the chocolate heart and cheap card in her hand. “Why?”

“I figured it’s about time you had a good Valentine’s Day to remember.” He shrugged and gestured to the card. “Sorry, but all the convenience store had left was Hello Kitty theme.”

“This...this is perfect,” Kensi decided after a minute. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now can we get dinner? Cause I really am starving.”

Kensi rolled her eyes, carefully placing the candy and card in her bag.

“You’re such an idiot.” As they walked out, she added, “Happy Valentine’s, Deeks.”

***

Thanks for the prompt!

A/N: Hopefully I didn’t offend anyone with the comments about Valentine’s.

a rose for you. | seo changbin

pairing ↠ changbin x gn!reader genre ↠ fluff ! bin is a cutie !! wc ↠ 2200 summary ↠ changbin can be a sweetheart sometimes. warnings ↠ swearing, suggestive remarks a/n ↠ a less chaotic day for the pair, but i enjoyed writing smth calmer. enjoy!

series masterlist

"You got any plans later today?" Changbin asked as he lazed on the sofa, switching between several animal documentaries on tv - Nat Geo’s big cat week shows were a blessing to this planet.

You walked into the kitchen, grabbing a breakfast bar as you answered, "Nope, why?"

"Because it's Valentine's day."

"So?"

"So," he drawled, dropping the remote and facing you as you headed towards the door, "I thought someone would try swoopin' in for your booty."

"Why do you always say weird shit, man," you rolled your eyes, "But no, I'm free. You?"

"Shut up you love it," he grinned, "I'm free too, baby, we'll go out later."

"Sure, sure, see ya later."

"Bye, have fun!" Changbin called out just as you left. He would leave for his class in an hour but, until then, he’d happily watch whatever cat fights were on screen.

You had about ten minutes before your lecture would start so you made your way to the building's entrance where Felix was already waiting for you. You envied Changbin's timetable since he wasn't plagued with 9am classes this term, but Felix was always bright and excited which made early mornings slightly more bearable. 

That, and he had bought hot chocolate for you today.

You thanked him as you took the drink, the heat instantly warming your hands up nicely - a contrast to the bitter February chill that tinged your fingers. 

When he also gave you a rose, you raised a brow.

"The guy selling 'em said he'd give me free drinks if I bought loads, so," he grinned, "I bought, like, 50 roses. Have another!"

"Nope, I'm good, thanks." You laughed when he showed you the inside of his bag; you could barely see his laptop and notebooks peeking out from behind all the flowers. "You're such a dumbass."

"I'm trying to be romantic here," he retorted, following you into the lecture hall. "I don't know who else to give these to, though. I have, like, 8.5 friends."

"Who's the half friend?"

"Seungmin. I'm pretty sure he's tried to kill me, but he helped me out yesterday so…" He shrugged, "I think we're cool."

"I'm pretty sure if Seungmin really wanted you dead, you wouldn't still be here so you've got 9."

Felix nodded, murmuring, "Yeah, you're right," just before the lecturer called for your attention.

At the end of the lecture, you packed up slowly. You stifled a yawn - because staying awake through 2 hours of algorithm talk was exhausting - swinging your bag over your shoulder before you headed down the steps to the front doors to leave.

"Wait, hold up," Felix said, nudging you to the side of the lecture hall. You watched as he ran to the lecturer, digging through his bag to pull out a rose. You snickered when he held it out to your lecturer, the awkward half-grimace on their face making you burst out into laughter. You laughed even more when you heard him exclaim, "I don't love you like that!"

Your lecturer just nodded, eyes pleading for Felix to just leave before he made the situation more inappropriate. He stumbled back to you hastily, cheeks bright and pink which had you chuckling all over again. "So smooth, Lix."

"Not a word to the others."

You zipped your lips, wishing you could've recorded that moment.

After the rest of your classes were done, you headed back to your room. Felix had run off to meet Hyunjin - wanting to add to the inevitable collection of roses the other would have; for as long as you’d known Hyunjin, the boy had received an abundance of chocolates, roses and love letters on this fated day. He hated the attention but loved the gifts, though you weren’t complaining because he’d always share with you.

You’d have about an hour to yourself before Changbin would come home and destroy your peace. You had perfected your schedule: put the kettle on as soon as you got home, spend three minutes changing into jogging bottoms and a hoodie (one you’d stolen from Hyunjin, but you’re pretty sure it’s actually Chan’s), use the now-heated water to cook some instant noodles, gather whatever other food you were craving, load up the next episode of The Office, carry everything into the living room, and, finally, be lazy as shit. In just under fifteen minutes, you had done everything, wrapping a blanket around yourself to be more comfortable.

Time flew by and, before you knew it, Changbin was bursting through the door, yelling, “Honey, I’m home!”

You greeted him, eyes still on the screen and he made his way next to you, dumping his bag on the floor. “No noodles for me?” He pouted, and you offered the dorito in your hand to him as compensation. He took a bite of the crisp straight from your hand - the savage - before leaning back, arm running along the sofa behind you so he could drape himself over you. “You’re paying for dinner now.”

“Guess we’re starving then,” you shrugged, resting your head on his shoulder. You opened up your blanket and he pulled it over himself too, snuggling into the warmth.

“Could you be any more romantic?” He fake-swooned, fluttering his lashes before he stared at you dully. “Don’t places do discounts for couples today?”

“No? If anything, they’d up the prices because people’ll feed into their commercialism, lovestruck dumbasses.”

“Right, sorry, forgot I was dealing with the V-Day Grinch; you need to get laid. Seriously.”

“Sorry for not wanting to bend over for capitalist pigs, Bin.”

“You can bend over-”

“I swear to God-”

“Okay!” He backed away when you hit him before he could finish his lewd remark, “Takeout then, if you don’t want me to spoil you?”

“I thought I was gonna buy dinner, though.”

“Yeah, you never do on Valentine’s. Breaks my heart every year,” he says, sighing dramatically, “I just wanna be wooed.” He even presses the back of his hand to his forehead, swooning backwards, his brows pinching forlornly.

“Lix would be more than glad to do that,” you rolled your eyes, batting his hand away when he pretended to rub away his tears.

He scoffed, “Damn right he would, you should be jealous.”

“I’m green with envy. Green. Greener than the hulk, that’s how green I am, I’m-”

“Okay, fuck, no need to be so condescending, babe,” he pouted. “Punch me, it’d hurt less.”

You don’t understand why he cried out when you did as he asked, but whatever. You rubbed the sore spot to appease him. The baby.

“And to think,” he said, his lips still downturned into a small pout, “I went out of my way to get you something.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, Binnie,” you cooed, “What’d you get me?”

He grumbled but bent down to reach his bag regardless. He pulled out a slightly-squashed rose from his bag, biting down on the stem before he turned to you, a brow raised seductively.

You snorted, pushing his face away before he opened his mouth, the flower dropping easily into his hand. He held it out to you, fully expecting you to take his offering.

You grimaced. “I’m not taking that, it was just in your mouth.”

“You jealous of that, too?”

“Of course,” you shook your head, “How’d you know?”

“Always knew you wanted to smooch me,” he grinned before leaning impossibly close to you. “Now’s your chance, sweetheart,” he said, puckering his lips exaggeratedly, making disgustingly-loud kissing noises to make matters worse.

“Ew,” you groaned, “I’d rather kiss the ground.”

“Be my guest,” he said, sweeping his arm out, gesturing to the floor. You rolled your eyes, getting up - for a split second Changbin thought you might actually do it, before he realised you were heading to your school bag.

You sat down besides him again, looking for something within.

When you handed him a slightly-bent rose, he chuckled. “Felix?”

“Yeah,” you grinned, “he got ‘em in the morning.”

“Yeah, he showed me,” Changbin said, shaking his head fondly, before accepting the rose. He put his bag back on his lap, showing you its contents. “He gave me, like, five before he ran off.”

He tucked the rose you had just given to him behind your ear, murmuring cute. He shot you a quick wink before grinning and leaning back. You rolled your eyes at his antics, facing him to do the same. But when the flower was perched atop his ear safely, you scrunched your nose, mumbling gross.

He flicked your side and you snickered, “I’m kidding, stop being a baby.”

“You better be kidding,” he huffed.

You watched several more episodes of The Office before his stomach started growling, desperate for food. 

Instead of ordering takeaway like usual - because you were university kids, of course cheap fast foods were your go-to - you decided to heat up some frozen pasta and whip up a nice sauce. Changbin had helped to the best of his (limited) ability, before you sent him away, telling him to clear the living room and set up the table instead.

You listened to Changbin as he rapped along to the song, going quiet when he started to sing too. These moments were rare - he didn’t sing nearly as often as he rapped - but it was stunning listening to the way he carried the melody so well. He couldn’t cut basil to save his life, but he had the voice of an angel - life had a funny way of balancing talents like that.

He didn’t stop until the song ended and when the next played, he hummed along instead.

“Damn,” you sighed, “Here I thought you were gonna start serenading me.”

“Maybe next year, baby,” he smiled, leaning against the counter beside you as you finished mixing the pasta with its sauce. “But only if we actually go out then.”

“What if I have plans next Valentine’s?” He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and you scoffed at his insinuation. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t even say anything,” he smirked.

“You never have to.”

When you turned around to put the pot on the table, you laughed at the way he had set the table. He had put 2 roses in a glass, placing it at the table’s centre, with the other roses shaped in a heart around the glass. He had even lit a small candle, the smell of vanilla meekly peeking out behind your pasta sauce’s aroma. 

“It’s beautiful,” you said, lips lilting into an easy smile. You hadn’t expected him to do anything more than put a couple of plates and forks on the table, but the set-up was cute and greatly appreciated. You put the pot down before going to sit down.

“Of course it is, I did it,” he quipped, pushing your chair in behind you. You rolled your eyes at him.

You could never be truly annoyed at his constant teasing - especially not when he would suddenly switch to being endearing; moments like these - playful but calm, easy-going yet fun - were ones you cherished, and with Changbin around, you were never disappointed.

“Dinner by candlelight, what did I do to deserve this?”

“I did this for me, not for you,” he grinned, taking a large bite of the pasta. “S’real good, babe.”

“You’re such a pig,” you said, scrunching your nose as sauce trickled down his chin. He used his tongue to lick it away and you laughed when he struggled to reach it all. He gave up, wiping it away with his hand before he licked that too. “Such a pig.”

He winked.

After a rather peaceful dinner, Changbin washed the dishes (on his own accord!) as you put away the leftover pasta and tidied the table.

You took out a half-empty tub of ice cream, spraying whipped cream over the dessert. When Changbin was done cleaning, he got out chocolate chips and sprinkles, drizzling the toppings over as well. You grabbed two spoons as he carried the sugary monstrosity over to the living room, wrapping the blankets around the both of you as you held the tub in your lap.

You ate the sweet treat, relishing in the crunch of the sprinkles.

Changbin grimaced and his wince made you giggle when he groaned, “Brain freeze. Ouch.”

“Aww, poor baby,” you pouted, “I’ll suffer instead.” You pulled the tub more to you so he couldn’t reach and he shook his head fondly.

“I’m here for a good time, not a long time, sweetheart,” he said, pinching your hip, gently, so you’d flinch. He used that as his chance to snatch the ice cream tub back, happily taking a large scoop and opening his mouth wide - he became the embodiment of :O.

He shivered as he swallowed, scrunching up his face and you laughed at him again. “Worth it.”

When the ice cream was finished, you rested against Changbin’s shoulder and he naturally let his head droop to lean against yours.

You don’t remember when you fell asleep, the voices on tv becoming a blurry murmur as you slowly drifted off. You do, however, remember waking up in the middle of the night, warm arms embracing you from behind.

That was a nice feeling.

Oh My God, They Were Roomates! (Roger Taylor x fem! Reader Angst and Fluff!)

A/N: @cool--cats​, ta-da! I am your secret Santa! And here is your gift for @dtfrogertaylor​‘s Somebody to Love Valentines Event! Enjoy!

Taglist: @cool--cats​ @dtfrogertaylor​ and @queenlover05​

Summary: After a decade apart you reunite with your old roommate, Roger Taylor, now a famous drummer, with something pressing your mind.

Word Count: Around 1,700

Content Warnings: domestic abuse, swearing, drinking, and a big lack of editing.

You saw him drumming to a crowd of millions screaming. The way his hands could trip around and flexibly turn to hit every tip of a drum at a moment's notice made them crazy. His face was a little dark, his eyes shining. Women especially loved it when he leaned to the microphone and let out a voice that though meant to harmonize had a seductive, raspy quality.           

You heard more often that voice complaining about how the electricity went off so he couldn’t make soup. Then his other roommate said it was because of the electricity bill. So then you both let them settle for toast.

That same roommate, he was of average height. You remembered his dark, shiny bob that flounced when he walked. His clothes were often decked in deep, jewel tones and in velvet-like fabrics. Now his hair was short. His clean face was a curt mustache. His luxurious feathers and faux furs, hiding a skinny, hungry body was now replaced by tight shorts, wife beater shirts displaying muscular arms.           

He was singing a slow, heartfelt song. The more you listened to it, the more you wanted to cry. You even felt a few tears escape your eyes every time you looked toward the drum section.           

Too much love will kill you Just as sure as none at all It'll drain the power that's in you Make you plead and scream and crawl And the pain will make you crazy You're the victim of your crime Too much love will kill you every time

 No…no I can’t, I won’t think of it…

You thought the singer couldn’t be that other roommate you had a while ago. Though his voice could not lie, and especially not his teeth.

“That was our brilliant Rog, on the drums!” Fred announced.

 Roger stuck up his yellow head and bowed a little.

“He’s a bit tired, but doing his best! Saving his energy for later tonight, ladies!” Fred commented with a cheeky wink.

“Roger, get up!” you urged, creaking his door open.

“Nooooooooo” cried a lump covered by red bedsheets.

“You have work!”

“Don’t wanna”

“How old are you?”“

“You’re not my mum, Y/N!”

“Okay, do you want to be thrown out and live in a car?”

“Wouldn’t be too bad!”

“You huffed and went out to the kitchen. It was about to be opening hours for the stall. But yet…the empty beer bottles on the floor had provided at least half of the owners of that stall a hangover preventing them from that basic necessity of getting up.

“Well, Rog, it’s your decision…”

“Wait!”You heard footsteps scramble up and then his yellow head poked out to you.

“Could you get me some water? And medicine first, please?” he asked.

There was something about his shining blue eyes and the way he bit his lip when he asked that made a no impossible.

The guard would normally not let a single person in. But most performers on stage didn’t tap his shoulder asking him to let the person in.        

    Thankfully, Roger had good timing. The guard tipped his hat and undid the ropes as you walked in.       

     Roger yelled out your name and you hugged him at once. He took in a deep breath, feeling that even your smell had not changed. You felt the sweat on his body from performing and tried not to stare that his black shirt was now open and bare.           

 “Oh my god…how are you! I never thought…oh my god” he just kept repeating. He escorted you backstage, swinging an arm over your shoulder.          

  “I thought the pass would never work” you confessed, looking down at the large ticket with Roger’s own hand.         

   “But it’s my hand, I thought he’d let you through.”          

  “I doubt it! Something like this is really easy to fake!” you answer, wagging it in front of his face.           

 Roger grinned halfway, his teeth showing.

 “Doesn’t matter, I’ve missed you so much!”           

 “Me too…” you confessed, your eyes glanced down to the floor in a sudden bout of shyness with Roger’s following.         

   “Wanna meet the others? Fred will absolutely lose it!” Roger suggested.            As you nodded, he grabbed your hand and led you away. That grip hadn’t changed much.

           “Y/N! Get over here, you’re crying! ”Roger insisted, yanking your hand closer.

             You waddled forward, wiping away your tears, feeling much younger and weaker than you really were. It was the sort of cry that you could not contain or hide no matter what you did. You felt ashamed, Roger was not a sap in any way.

              He sat you down on the couch and draped one of the blankets over your shoulders. You noticed it was a purple blanket with an eastern pattern on it. That was Fred’s favorite. The one he always claimed when it got colder.

              “Roger, where’s Freddie?” you asked gingerly.

              “He’s on a date, he’ll be gone for a while. What’s wrong, love?” Roger asked.

              You fought back the urge to blush at the use of “love.” But you pushed it away. That term only meant something if you were a girl Roger brought home. Imagining the sounds of his late-night stands forced you into reality.

              “I…it’s my job. I’m just…so tired, all the time. All I do is work and then when I get home it never ends, I work some more…I’m just tired!” you confessed. You pulled the blanket closer around you. It smelled a bit like Fred’s shampoo.

              “You’re just tired, Y/N. You’re a harder worker then I or Fred combined. You need to rest.”

              He listened to your rants and got up to get water. Not an offer to smoke anything. No vodka. Just water.

              But it was the best tasting water you had ever had. And he listened to everything.

The car stopped and you both hopped off at the diner. It was not a fancy place. Dirt-cheap. The sign had bright neon letters that sometimes flickered a little like the night stars. Who would have known that the drummer of one of the most renowned bands of all time would go there?

“I…I haven’t eaten here in years.” You say gingerly. 

You ordered a hot chocolate and french fries for two for the cold night after you sat down.

“I know it’s your favorite,” Roger cooed with a half-grin. “And I’m always deep in the back, anyway. You can only see a bit of my head if you squint.”

 “You always seem to know me well” you praise him. You pick up a spoon to start eating the whipped cream on your hot chocolate but notice it’s dirty. Grimacing, you set it down.

           You woke up late that morning. Last night, you had been up, crying. You were getting older and about to spend a birthday alone. Your family couldn’t do anything, your friends were busy and you didn’t want to busy them. You delayed getting out of bed for a long time.

          But as you walked into the kitchen, there was a blue vase filled with the most bright, beautiful sunflowers you had ever seen. Your breath was hitched. Moving aside the gifts you found a note.

         “Happy birthday love! We had to run to get to the stall on time! But enjoy the gifts! It will be a long day, but your boys will be back to hug you soon! Let’s go out tonight, we promise!

         Your loves,

         Roger and Freddie.”

        That was the last time you really ate at a restaurant with Roger was that birthday dinner with Fred. They both brought up what pennies they could just to take you to a nice-ish place where the napkins were clean and the food didn’t look a week old. Eating just enough for your high waisted pants to feel only slightly tighter. 

         Then they both practically pulled you out to a club. Music and cheering drowned in your ears. The alcohol burned your throat as you inhaled your second shot and raced Fred to the dance floor. A disco dipped above you, glimmering all over your hands in a way that made you seem spotted. Little flecks traveled from across the floor to even the ends of your silk top. 

         You and Fred almost swung dance, nearly cheek-to-cheek like in one of those old movies Freddie was addicted to. Roger only made a fake gagging noise at the suggestion of it. But he insisted on a dance with you too. Despite the pain starting to ache from your heeled shoes, you nodded yes. 

         It wasn’t a slow song, in fact, it was very fast. But at one point Roger put his waist around yours for a minute and you didn’t object. The next morning, you didn’t even bring it up.

Roger folded his hands and looked at you, beneath his brows were those two blue eyes that still made you a little weak inside to this day. You sat next to a window darkened with the freezing winter night.

Why were you so weak? Maybe you wouldn’t be in this position if you were stronger if you could just go right now to a payphone, dial the number and tell him…

 No, not yet.

“You always knew all my favorites. Like remember my birthday?” you asked.

He bit his lower lip. “Yeah, I do. Doesn't feel like a decade, does it?” he said.

The hour was filled with the band and Roger. His now ex-wife, his children, the music videos with the most ridiculous costumes.

“But what about you? I must know, Y/N! I’ve missed you so much, I…”

“Roger, I got a proposal. And I have to answer him by morning.” You blurt out.

There is a bit of silence.

“Really? Was it the fellow you left us to live with?” he asked, he went from leaning in his chair to getting closer to your face.

“No, it’s someone else” you answer. You wrap your hands around your mug for a last bit of warmth. Chewing your lips nervously, you wait for Roger to respond.

Roger looks out the window and then his eyes dart around, looking for an answer.

           “But Y/N, are you sure about this!” Roger asked, just at the step of going into your room.

            “Yes! The rent will be cheaper! You guys needn’t worry about me, I’m not dropping off the face of the planet, I’ll be a phone call away!” you swear, laughing as you toss in a few socks into your luggage.

            “But who else is Fred gonna dress up and swing around bars!?” he whined, taking a few steps with a shyness odd for him.

            “You of course. Everyone thinks you’re a girl anyhow!” you tease as you look up for him.

            Roger huffs, drawing a hand to his chin to examine for masculine scruffiness.

“Well, do you wanna marry him? Is he the love of your life?” he questions.

 You look down into your empty mug. Words are forming at the tip of your tongue and they gurgle out.

 “I…I don’t…I don’t know.” You stutter. “I know it’s what he wants. He tells me it’ll make him the happiest man in the world if I say yes...”

 “And you have to answer by morning?” Roger then adds on. You notice his hand has slid across the table and has balled into a fist.

  “He’s an impatient guy and…I…I didn’t want to hurt him. I…” tears start to well up before you can stop them. You feel idiotic to let it spill in front of a person you know isn’t emotional, but it seems like your id has taken the wheel, driving it further into chaos.

 “I didn’t want to be the bitch that broke the man’s heart!” you confide.

 You pitifully reach for papery napkins as half-useful tissues as Roger pats your hand and shushes you. A concerned waitress wonders if you are alright and Roger only orders for a glass of water. You feel her maternal hand rest on you for a bit until your water arrives.

It’s ice cold. Shivering, you gulp it down and put on your jacket. But the water has chilled your whole body and walking out into the February air was not an improvement. So Roger’s arm looping around you felt welcome.

You savored his touch. His musky smell, even if it was mixed with sweat. This was probably the last hour you would ever have with him. 

“I got something that'll make you feel better! Have you noticed the backseat of the car?” he chirruped, wagging his eyebrows.

 “No” you whisper.

 “Good”

 Roger opens his jacket to reveal three sunflowers.

 “I know they’re your favorite,” he says.

 Your smile keeps growing. But your words pop out before you catch them.

 “The thing is..it’s him I don’t love, it’s you! It’s always been you!” you finally burst out.

Rogers grasp lets go and he dropped the flowers, swearing and scrambling to get them up.

“Then…well…uh…” his face kept switching between pale and pink. “Just…how long?”

“I have loved you since I agreed to move in with you. I have loved you from the moment I kept waking you up to work because I was scared for you, from when you gave me those birthday gifts when you hugged me. And yes, I moved out, but all I could think of was you. All those embraces, I still feel them, but you were in a band! Getting famous! And most of all, women were all over you! Why would you even choose me?” you blurt, tears welling up from years of silence.

You pause a bit. 

Before Roger could even say another word you shush him and finish.

“It’s just...I know you don’t love me...and saying goodbye to you is always the hardest thing in the world to me.” you mourn, finally letting the tears win. 

He shushed you and then guided you to the car and drove you home. But as soon as you were home, a phone rang. Roger walked over to answer it and heard a deep, masculine voice croak.

“Have you made your mind up, cunt?”

Roger almost couldn’t answer.  His jaw dropped and his grip on the phone tightened.

He squeaked out “I’m sorry.” 

It sounded almost like his falsetto melismas. And it seemed the guy thought that it was you because his voice was rising to where you heard every word even though it wasn’t on speaker.

“No, you’re not. You’re playing a game with me. And I’m fucking done. So tell me, are you gonna marry me or not? I know damn well what the answer is. So let’s spit it out and start planning, okay? We have a damn wedding to get through. Isn’t your pretty princess wedding what you’ve wanted?” he threatened. 

Roger stood up straighter and switched to his normal voice.

“Hello, this is Y/N’s boyfriend now. She’s dumped you. And the answer is no. Don’t talk to her again or else you’re a dead man walking.” Roger growled before hanging up the phone.

The next morning you woke up normally. It seemed normal in your house. But looking at the blond head turning over to smile at you was an exception.

“Shit! Yesterday was Valentine's Day! I completely forgot! I just gave you some sunflowers, not a real present!” Roger cursed, he brought up his hands to rub the sand from his eyes.

“You’re my present, Rog!” you insist, giving him a peck on the cheek. He smiled and opened his arms to let you snuggle in.

Looking over at the sunflowers next to you, they seem even fresher and brighter than yesterday. Their white vase makes their yellow brighter. The big black centers have even turned towards the sun making it’s daily journey above you to the east. 

“Got anything today?” he asked sleepily, rubbing your back.

“No, but...I’m a bit hungry. Can I cook you some stuff today? I have some bacon and eggs...I can show you how to make an omelet. It’s not hard at all.” you suggest.

The golden light of the morning crept in, though the room still felt cold with winter air from outside.

“I was remembering what you said that saying goodbye was the hardest thing…” he began.

You nodded, letting your headrest to feel his heartbeat go faster.

“Well, now you’ll never have to…” Roger whispered.  “Because loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

Ok we love that,, Louis slowly opening up to Harry and feeling comfortable around him and being so endeared by how clumsy he is. And learning to trust him and starting to develop feelings,, I’ll cry

I made a doc to organize my notes for this fic and it’s a beautiful mess. so far we have shy/guarded louis and pining harry who eventually gets the courage to ask louis out on a date on valentine’s day. but before that, he spends all his free time at the roller rink flirting with louis across the skate rental counter, or the snack counter, or wherever he’s working that night, pestering him and making a fool of himself just to get him to laugh.

harry’s friends make fun of him for being so obvious and embarrassing but he doesn’t even care bc the more he talks to louis the more louis opens up—and harry gets to see the chatty sassy side of him which is really fun and sweet, and his crush grows a million sizes every time louis teases him or calls him a dork. finally louis agrees to teach him how to skate, and the owner lets them stay after bc he has a soft spot for louis and honestly harry is a hazard.

he complains about it but lets harry play his weird music over the speakers and harry serenades him and dances like a dork and usually ends up genuinely falling on the ground, because he is a performer and he will do anything to make louis smile even if his big gestures and movements result in him tripping over his own skates. like literally “ooooh baby-“ “stop” “you couldn’t have done a worse! thing! to mee” (laughing) “harry!” “if you’d’ve taken an arrow and run it right! through! meee!” and also louis is so endeared by him and starting to develop feelings. they eat the leftover fries and skate around the place like hooligans, crashing into each other and clinging to the railing and laughing so hard they can’t catch their breath.

then the night before valentine’s day harry asks and holds his breath and louis spins around a little bit on his skates stalling and then is like “okay sure” and harry is absolutely over the moon. for their date they go museum hopping, to the aquarium and the botanical gardens (where harry takes a million pictures of louis in front of plants that are twice the size of him and also gets some close ups of his face next to exotic flowers bc louis is a work or art and harry will take any excuse he can find to have pictures of his pretty blue eyes on his phone). they eat at a cheap 60s style diner where louis gives harry the pickle that comes with his burger and they share a mint chocolate chip shake and they’re just so obnoxious and wrapped up in each other.

and harry who’s usually so confident and loud is nervous bc he doesn’t wanna be rejected but he asks louis if he wants to come back and watch a movie with him. louis is all bashful like suuure and they go back to harry’s tiny cramped plant-filled record-filled apartment and sit together on harry’s mismatched thrift store couch and when the movie starts louis scooches closer of his own volition and harry has to contain himself from bursting into flames of happiness.

and then halfway through the film louis cuddles into his side and rests his head on his shoulder and they’re quiet for a while just pretending to watch the movie and finally harry is like “I have a secret.” louis just looks up at him waiting for elaboration. “I kinda lied a little bit.” “okay...” harry pats his thigh and smiles all cheeky, “I’m actually semi-decent at skating, I just wanted your attention :)” and louis just laughs at him and harry pouts and louis kisses him. they end up making out for a long time and forget about the movie completely and the rest is history :)

that’s it that’s the whole fic

send valentine’s day fic ideas!

sugar, sugar.

Summary: Chrissy tries not to expect anything from Billy on Valentine's Day. Billy manages to surprise her.

Pairing: Billy x Chrissy (OC)

A/N: Just some sweet fluffy goodness for Valentine’s Day. Takes place during SATC after Billy and Chrissy’s date. Y’know, while she was grounded.

Warnings: Swearing, smoking, teenagers being their asshole selves.

She felt like a complete idiot.

In the day after being grounded, Chrissy knew she wouldn’t trade her freedom for the night with Billy. Finally knowing him so intimately, getting what she had put off for weeks, felt like a rebirth. She was addicted to his hands on her now, and getting her next fix was the only thing on her mind.

But now, realizing that Valentine’s Day was soon approaching and she was imprisoned in the lovely craftsman on Elm Street, she was regretting everything said to her parents. Her defiance in the face of new rules felt warranted at the time. Now, it felt like she had signed her death warrant.

Chrissy had never gone a Valentine’s Day without a boy on her arm, a bundle of cheap flowers, or a date. Apparently, 1985 was her year to break that streak. No plans, no flowers, and the boy she had attached herself to couldn’t seem to care less about a pithy holiday like this. 

Perhaps it was for the best, she thought. It was an excuse for both of them. For Chrissy not to get excited and later disappointed, and for Billy to not have to cater to her whims when they weren’t even going steady. 

Valentine’s Day landed on a Thursday that year. Hawkins High was fully decked out in pink and red, paper hearts and crepe streamers plastered on walls and door frames. The annual candy-gram was going on. Little bags of candy hearts and chocolates painstakingly made by the student council could be purchased that week to raise money for upcoming dances. Chrissy knew the drill: students would flock to the table to buy a bag for another student, choosing to address it from themselves or a secret admirer. She’d gotten her fair share from both, but this year she wondered if she’d get any from a certain blonde.

Nah, she thought, scrunching her nose as she tapped a pencil on her notebook. He’s too macho for that kind of thing.

This year was no different than the others in that respect. Second period she had gotten her first bag. Quickly, she checked the tag. 

From: Dan W.

Chrissy screwed up her face in disgust. He seriously still had a torch lit for her after all the shit she had said about him? That baggie had gone straight in the garbage, Chrissy knowing full well he sat on the opposite side of the classroom to see it. Get a fucking grip, Dan.

The second and third bags came during Spanish. A secret admirer and some boy she could barely place from last semester. Her frustration was beginning to grow.

It was hard to not be cold towards Billy when lunch rolled around. He was all hands, now the norm after she’d given him access to what he had been waiting for. She was passive, allowing but not returning the affection. After a bit, he seemed to give up in frustration, instead focusing on his food and the banal conversation from Tommy and Carol. Chrissy secretly wished Annette was at school; she had come down with the flu and missed the last couple days.

“So, I got three candy-grams so far,” Chrissy said, casual as she picked at her food.

Billy made a noise to acknowledge her, busy with the taco bowl in front of him. Tommy tried to swipe the holiday-themed cupcake from his tray, only to get a smack on the arm.

“Hey, fuck off,” he scolded. “Eat your own food, you spaz.”

“Three already?” Carol asked, obviously interested in Billy’s lack of concern and Chrissy’s now dour face. “Wow, aren’t you Miss Popular? They all secret admirers or did some of them have the balls to say who they were?”

“Oh, they’re getting bold this year,” she said, snickering. “Only one secret admirer. One was this guy named Taylor and the other was Dan.”

“No.” Carol’s voice was hushed. “Dan? Like Dan Weiss?”

“The one and only,” Chrissy replied, sitting back in the plastic chair.

Tommy started to cackle. “He really thinks those chalky candy hearts are gonna make up for his ‘premature’ problem?”

She snuck a furtive glance at Billy. He was still eating, taking in the conversation with calm eyes. The lack of emotion on his face only served to frustrate her more.

“Looks like you have competition, Hargrove,” Tommy continued, a smarmy grin on his freckled face. “You get her a candy-gram? ‘Cause Chris here’s very fickle. Easily swayed by presents.”

“Shut up, Tommy,” Chrissy and Billy said in unison.

“Did you get me a candy-gram?” Carol piped up, nudging at Tommy expectantly. “You should worry about yourself because I’m still empty-handed.”

“Day’s not over, toots,” Tommy replied, peeling the wrapper off his own cupcake. “Little patience would do you some good.”

All the while, Chrissy noticed Billy’s lack of reply to Tommy’s question. Perhaps he hadn’t bought one for her. The week and a half after their date had yielded some surprisingly sweet gestures, and part of her had hoped this would be another one for the books.

Billy let out a sigh through his nose, gathering his tray up. He gave Chrissy a nudge.

“You wanna have a smoke before lunch is over?” he asked, expression bored.

“Sure.” She stood to join him, giving Carol a tiny wave. “See you guys.”

><><><><><><><><

“So,” Billy said slowly, “you gonna tell me why you’ve been acting like an ice queen all lunch?”

“Give you three guesses.” She watched as he took a deep drag, looking down at his feet before those baby blues tried to read her face. 

“Jesus,” he sighed, rubbing at his nose. It had gone rosy in the cold, as had his cheeks. He had finally learned to layer up since the snow had picked up, but it wasn’t enough to stop the cold from making him look like a little doll. 

“What?” Chrissy asked, irritated by the lack of follow up. She watched as the ash on the end of his cigarette grew, blowing away with a small gust of wind.

“You’re really that fixated on that stupid candy shit?” he huffed. “Why do you care?” 

“I just want to know you care!” she shot back, annoyed. “God, boys are so stupid. It’s not that hard to buy a dollar bag of candy to make someone happy.”

“You got three today. How do you know the secret admirer one wasn’t from me?”

“Was it?” Chrissy’s eyebrow quirked up.

“No,” he said, a smirk starting to form on his face. “I think that’d be worse than not getting you one.”

“So you did get me one?”

“No.”

And even though she had told herself a thousand times today to not be disappointed, something in Chrissy sank. Billy must have noticed the change in her demeanor; his arm draped around her shoulder, chin resting on the top of her head. He muttered something too quiet for her to hear.

“What?” she asked, flicking the ash off her cigarette.

“Got something better,” he said, a little louder. Almost embarrassed. “I was gonna give it to you when I drove you home, but since you’re being a crybaby about it, I can give it to you now.”

Chrissy bounced a bit on her toes, trying to bring warmth back into her body. Lunch was almost over, and she had skipped 5th period too many times the past week. If Wes heard, that could be another week on her sentence. She let out a distressed noise, staring up at the nearly whited out sky.

“I can wait,” she finally said, sliding her hand up her shoulder into his. “Promise.”

><><><><><><><><

The rest of the day was pure torture. Billy had gone out of his way to steal a couple of steamy kisses before their last classes, prompting her to wonder what the gift could be. The more Chrissy thought about it, the more she realized it could just be a sexual favor. God, she hoped it wasn’t. There was nothing remotely romantic or sentimental about getting fingered in the back of his Camaro with stolen time after school.

When the last bell rang, she shot out of her desk, nearly slamming into another student as she made her way out of the classroom. Chestnut hair bounced against her back as her gait quickened, locker in sight. The locker combination she knew by heart was somehow harder than it had been in days past; she tried twice before getting it open. 

“Hey,” came a gruff voice to her side. “You ready to bounce?”

There stood Billy, beautiful and slightly amused by the hurried pace Chrissy had set for herself. Lidded eyes watched as she grabbed the last of her things.

“Yeah,” she breathed, “I’m all set.” 

There was no wait outside the car today, cigarette smoke billowing in the wind as they watched for ginger hair amid the sea of middle schoolers. No, today Chrissy had plopped herself down in the passenger seat, brimming with excitement as Billy took his damn time getting in the car. Impatience started to bubble up in her.

“So?” Chrissy asked, leaning towards him expectantly. “Do I have to close my eyes? Are you gonna take me somewhere?”

“Jesus, calm the hell down,” he laughed. “And no. it’s in the glove compartment. You got hands, grab it yourself.”

She rolled her eyes. “Such a gentleman.”

“Never said I was one.”

The metallic click filled the car before Billy turned on the stereo. Inside the glove compartment was a small white paper gift bag, Billy’s blocky handwriting scrawling her name in Sharpie on the side. Inside was a box of Milk Duds, a pack of bright warm-toned scrunchies, and a mixtape with the words REAL MUSIC written on the case. 

Chrissy sat quietly, eyeing up her gift. Next to her, Billy shifted uncomfortably. 

“It’s just stuff I thought you might like,” he explained with no prompting. “And the music is a bunch of stuff I like that, y’know, you should listen to. Play it real loud to stick it to Wes.”

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Billy didn’t seem to know what to do at first, but returned the hug with a bit of hesitation. Lips met each other before Chrissy started to beam.

“Thank you,” she said happily, staring again at the mixtape. The back had a neat list of songs and artists written in his penmanship. Mercyful Fate, Krokus, Accept. Names she was vaguely familiar with from Billy’s mess of tapes in his car but had never heard.

“Better than that shit candy?”

“Way better.” Ripping off the laminated holder, she tied her hair back with one of the scrunchies. “I can’t believe you bought things for my hair.”

Billy shrugged. “Yellow’s your favorite, couldn’t pass ‘em up while I got the Milk Duds and smokes.”

She planted another kiss on his cheek, moving to his lips. They lingered together for a second, Chrissy deepening into another kiss before tugging at his lower lip with her teeth.

“So, do I get a Valentine’s Day present?” he asked, voice raspy. 

“Is Max getting a ride today?”

A frustrated sigh blew through his nose. Taking a quick glance down, Chrissy could already see the strain of his erection against the light denim of his jeans. 

“Yeah,” he grunted, a sour look on his face. 

“Then you only get part of it,” she said sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Billy’s eyebrows raised as he leaned back into the leather of the seat. “You got me something?”

“Uh, duh? ‘Course I did.”

“You sneak out of the house to get it or what?” he teased, leather creaking beneath him. “Or did Wes give you a free day?”

“Annette helped,” Chrissy admitted as she dug through her backpack. “Just thought it was something you’d want.”

The package, wrapped in shiny red paper embossed with hearts, traded hands. Billy stared at it, clearly unamused by the girly wrapping. He tore it open, eyes lighting up at the sight of a new set of headphones.

“You said yours broke,” Chrissy smiled, shifting to take in the glee in his face better. “They aren’t, like, the highest quality but they should do until you can get better ones.”

“Shit,” he said, smiling with such genuineness it made her heart thud against her ribcage. “Thanks, Chris.”

“I’m the best, I know,” she said, puffing out her chest. 

Billy took her close, taking a hungry taste of her as she giggled. His happiness from the gesture was unexpected, but lovely all the same. Any time he was unguarded like this it felt like another piece of the Billy Hargrove puzzle fell into place. 

A rapping came from her side of the car. Max stood outside, bundled up and red faced from the cold. Chrissy gave her a sheepish smile and a wave. 

“The other half of your present is gonna have to wait till tomorrow,” she said to Billy, unlocking the door.

“Tomorrow?” he said, giving a small smile.

“Yeah,” Chrissy grinned back, shifting to get out of the car. “If we cut early, I know how to get into the auditorium. Nice and private for your gift.”

Korban

Title: Korban

Author: Aloysia Virgata

Rating: Teen

Timeline: Post The Truth

Summary:   Mulder puts his arm around her, drawing her head against his shoulder. “So do, uh, do you really believe it all? The Virgin Birth, the Temptation in the Desert, the literal rising from the dead?”

*** The room has been theirs for over two months. It’s a cash-in-paper-envelopes sort of place, where the mattresses sag and the windows are made of scuffed plexiglass. They spent Valentine’s Day here, a half gallon of Moose Tracks ice cream and used condoms in the plastic wastebasket. He wonders sometimes if she’s actually afraid of another pregnancy, or if it’s just the last layer of herself she can hold back.

He doesn’t ask, acceptance being a gift he can give.

For her 39th birthday, Mulder had managed a Carvel cake and a small bottle of good lotion. He made mushroom ravioli for dinner, with a side of overcooked peas. He narrated his preparations in a Julia Child voice while they drank  wine from a screw-top bottle. They ate the cake with plastic sporks until it melted into sludge.

He sang Happy Birthday to her again and she laughed, but her eyes were too bright. They sat bundled under the comforter on the concrete patio for a long time, watching everything but each other. Trucks thundered down the highway towards the weigh station, carrying milk and oil and Japanese electronics. Scully stared at the stars until her eyes swam. She fell asleep with her head tipped back beneath them, and Mulder carried her to bed. They began her 40th year in the shower, pliant and frictionless in the wafting steam.

Early spring now, heaps of dirty slush melted back into deep reservoirs beneath the warming belly of the earth. There are feathery leaves unfurling from fresh mulch, and whipped cream blossoms on trees. Teenagers loiter in the parking lot, smoking and drinking malt liquor. They wander to and from the fire department carnival, slouchy and giggling in the lengthening evenings.

Inside, little changes. The upholstery on the couch is still rough and nubby, a sort of gray ropey material that Scully softens with thrift store blankets. They have their feet propped on the scarred oak coffee table, Scully’s toenails painted pink with dollar store polish. A bottle of Manischewitz Concord Grape sits in the middle of the table, uncapped. On the wood cabinet TV, Nefertiti is wearing turquoise gauze and Revlon lipstick and a technicolor Moses shakes his fist.

Scully spreads a tea towel across her lap, picking at the loose threads on it. Her hair is choppy with long sideswept bangs, the color of the waxy chocolate Easter bunny by her foot. Their eyes are the same arresting blue.

Beside her, Mulder is sunken deep into the cushions, leggy and scruffy with a flop of bangs and a three day beard. In his big hand, he spreads his matzah with ham salad that resembles chewed bubble gum. Scully bought it from the deli attached to the Exxon station, along with the coconut lamb cake that stares at them with blank licorice drop eyes. It smells like cheap sunblock, a hint of the coming summer.

“Stop judging me,” Mulder warns it, poking its jellybean nose. The lamb remains inscrutable in a nest of Easter grass.

Scully swats his hand. “Leave it alone.”

He scowls, takes a bite of his food. “Oh, Scully,” he says in dismay. “This is really disgusting.” He opens his mouth and lets the bright pink mass fall into a napkin. He chugs a plastic cup of water.

Scully takes a bite of her own food, cupping her hand to catch the matzah crumbs. “My mom always made it the day after Easter. It’s no different than tuna salad or chicken salad.”

“It’s very different,” Mulder asserts, decapitating a yellow Peep. “It tastes like exhaust fumes and looks like something you’d jam a scalpel into.”

She crams a piece in her mouth, chewing it inches from his face. She huffs her breath at him after she swallows.

Mulder wrinkles his nose. “You make confession with that mouth?”

She crosses herself. “Bless me Father, for I am living in sin with an infidel.”

“I’m fidel,” Mulder protests. “Just to different things.”

“I know,” she says, and nudges his foot with hers.

“…son of Amram and Yochebel,” intones Charleton Heston from the TV.

Mulder picks up the bottle of Manischewitz. “Shot,” he says, taking a swig from the bottle. He passes it to Scully who does the same.

“Now that is disgusting,” she says, wincing. “Communion wine is better than this.”

“Yeah, it’s not great. But your Catholic asses harassed my people every time we tried to settle anywhere for more than a century or so. That’s not a stable foundation for outstanding viticulture.”

Scully, buzzy and puckish, whispers, “No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.”

“Too soon, Scully. Unless this is the lead in to a bondage fetish.”

“Don’t have my handcuffs anymore.” She picks up two forks from the table. “You wanna eat this lamb?”

Mulder regards it with mild disapproval. “At least Passover food has a reason for tasting like shit. Bread of affliction and so forth. But you’re celebrating the miracle of the Risen Lord with ham paste and sponge chickens. You need to get it together, Dana Katherine.”

“Well excuse me, but I don’t usually do my holiday shopping at a place where I can also get an oil change.” She stabs the lamb in the ear with her fork, removing a large chunk of it. She steers it towards Mulder’s mouth, making an airplane noise.

He takes an experimental bite, the gritty icing thick on his tongue. “This isn’t the worst,” he allows, chewing.

“Imagine my relief.” She eats the rest of the ear, a treat she usually lost to her siblings. The coconut is dense and chewy, full of sense memory.

Mulder puts his arm around her, drawing her head against his shoulder. “So do, uh, do you really believe it all? The Virgin Birth, the Temptation in the Desert, the literal rising from the dead?” He knows it’s an unfair question, knows her faith is raw and shaken these days, but he wants to understand. He longs to see the structure she does in the universe, the benevolent architecture of the grand design.

She sighs, burrowing in. Does she? Did she ever? “It’s complicated,” she tells them both.

He kisses her murky brown head. “I know.”

Scully pulls off the lamb’s nose, the same pink as her toenails. She turns it over in her fingers, frosting stuck to the smooth shell of it. She polishes it on the tea towel. “I believe in God. I believe that He acted through Christ to show us a better way to live. I believe that the stories about Christ, whether literal or allegorical, have value and purpose. I believe they can guide one through a meaningful life. So it almost doesn’t matter, in a way, how precisely they’ve been recounted.”

Mulder eats the jellybean from her fingers, tasting coconut and her tea tree lotion. “So like… the real Resurrection is the friends we made along the way?”

She slaps him lightly, laughing. “Something like that, yeah.”

He cups his hand around the sweep of her jaw, thumbs the tender spot behind her ear. She blushes. After all this time, still, she blushes. It moves him profoundly, re-confirms her as the center of his small orbit.

She smiles like the sun.

Across the room, in the tacky splendor of 1956, Moses is scowling at Pharaoh. His loyalties are torn between those that rescued him from that drifting cradle and those who put him into it. Mulder thinks of his own son, safe in a household of strangers, drawn from his basket of reeds.

He takes a long swallow of his wine, eats another piece of the lamb.

The Girl, who opted to be my valentine for two minutes, at the College

This is fading in my memory, y’kno. Midterms are the coronaviruses of the brain. Apologies for any inaccuracies. And also, remember, if you have something to write, better write it quick!

It all started outside the Lockers.

The other girl - more or less knowing me in high school, with her usual greeting of “Austin! I miss(ed?) you!!!” (maybe more exclamation marks?) starting this semester, in which I respond with “no you don’t”... I mean gosh, am I really that memorable? We only had one class together ever! - Anyways, she decided to try something new. So she had this girl with her, also going to the Lockers.

“This is Austin..." (I'm pretty sure that's not her way of talking.)

"Austin! Wanna be my boyfriend?"

Rejecting her will probably cause some sort of meltdown. Maybe this is a sign? Who knows... Not like I couldn't play along with it. But I detest. Not like I'm not ready, but there's definitely no need to do that. There will be plenty of time. In fact, there is plenty of time.

"Sure." End of the day, hoping to get home so that I can finish the never-ending assignments.

"omg yes!!!" And you know, Snapchat. My face was once again put on the internet, unwillingly.

I cruise along the corridors to kill my boredom. After all, nobody would tour the College 5~10 times daily for no reason. In the unexpected event of me bumping into her...

"omg! It's my boyfriend~"

Sigh. A short one from the bottom. I can't believe this is one of the memorables that I could write in my previous essay. Play along it is... Symbolically holding her hand trying to drive this static out of my brain waves.

Dealing with friends walking with me is more bothersome. "Look, I got into this without my consent... I don't have a girlfriend, as you can see..."

Mission failed successfully.

On the Valentine’s Day... which, within the current constraints, feels far, far away, regardless of the viruses. Or because Valentine’s Day is, in all honesty, just another ordinary day out of the 365/366. Same setting. The same 2 girls and the same guy writing this out, hoping to get some empathy. Ironic, eh?

"Austin! You should (have?) buy her a rose!" From the other girl, literally pouring oil on the fire. C'mon!

Sure, there exists a club that sells roses on this day. But any real college kid will know that money is sacred. Especially when we have paid the tuition to get in. Clearly, they don't when they assume that they own their parents' money. Kids gotta be more responsible these days, or they will all end up with debt - a lot of it - just like the average Canadian.

I don't carry cash. "Alright, let me pull out some money from my card..."

"Woah, you're stressing him too much!" Seriously? It's your idea that I should buy the rose!

Fortunately, I have this one black chocolate from my snack stash, which, aside from that, consisted of 3 granola bars, 2 Dad's, some candies, and some Twix, enclosed in a plastic Lock-Lock container with one side clearly broken from its cheap plastics. I walked to my locker plainly, unlocked it, pulled out the box, took out the chocolate, and waved it in front of the girl, my supposed "valentine".

"Take it." Seeing her as ready, I threw it towards the ceiling. She got it.

Man just want to go home.

"Life is short. You should've caught up on this opportunity!" Sure, one could respond so to this essay. But that was a weird encounter.

Maybe I should've got along with her, even though she never meant it seriously. Anyways. My life, I must continue with. And past, the history is.

The Holiday Pt.1 (Billy x Reader)

words: 2700

summary: The reader thinks that Billy didn’t want to celebrate Valentine’s day. Little did she know that Billy just couldn’t afford to give her anything. 

You only brought up the holiday once just to figure out if you should schedule something for that day. You asked Billy, your boyfriend of two months (give or take a few weeks), about Valentine’s Day and he fucking scoffed. Like how dare you think about going on a romantic date with your boyfriend. Especially, your first boyfriend since the rest of the guys in towns is bland assholes (besides Steve, of course). At least Billy his a hot asshole (and becoming less of one but now that made you rethink your choices).

That was two weeks ago.

You knew that Billy wouldn’t go all out for Valentine’s Day, but you were at least expecting a date. It didn’t even have to be at a fancy restaurant, but a movie or going to a diner and sharing a milkshake and fries (even if you hate sharing your food because get people should get their own food!).  Billy can be romantic if he wanted to be. Hell, he gave you a mixtape for Christmas (even if you don’t really care much for metal music) it was the thought that counted. And you even got him a gift, too for Valentine’s Day. You kind of knew that the day was just a cabalistic scam to increase sales because who should put a value on love? But a small part of you wanted to do something romantic. This is your first Valentine’s Day with a boyfriend. And to make things less stressful for Billy, you even get him a gift because why does everyone expect the guy to be the only one giving gifts?

It was nothing special but you were still excited to give it to him. So when you heard the roar of his Camaro outside your house, you grabbed his gift from the kitchen counter and made your way out the door.

“Good Morning,” you greeted him before giving him a short kiss on the cheek. He looked at you warily as if he was expecting something. “What?”

“…Nothing,” Billy mumbled before driving out the driveway. “Hey, Max. How ya doing?” you asked her. Max was frowning when you looked back. “What’s wrong?” you asked her. She glanced at Billy, so you did the same to see him glancing back at her through the rearview mirror. Something is up… “We just had a talk,” Billy explained. You waited for either of them to elaborate but none spoke any further. You sighed. It must have been about you then since you know what goes on in the house. Max was the one to tell you since Billy did not want to you to think of him as he said: “a weak ass pussy”. “Anyways…” you pulled out both Valentine’s Day gifts from inside your coat. Billy’s eyes widened in shock. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Max sucked her teeth. “I thought the guy was supposed to be the one to give gifts.” “That’s what they want you to think,” you wink at her as you tossed her the bag full of treats. You then turned to your boyfriend who was frowning with his jaw clenched. “You can’t eat yours until after school.” “And why’s that?” Knowing the Billy can handle his alcohol, you handed him one of the chocolate truffles from his bag of treats. He took his with a bit of hesitation before throwing it in his mouth. His blue eyes widened as soon as he took a bite. “I-Is their booze in this?” You grinned. “Yep, whiskey to be exact. Thought I should spice it up with the chocolates.” You then relaxed in your seat. You felt better when Billy’s hands clasped onto your thigh like usual. And there was no other mention of this dreaded holiday. You didn’t bother asking again about it to Billy since you were not ready to start a silly fight in the morning. But as if Max was reading your thoughts, “So, Y/N, you have any plans for Valentine’s Day?” You side-eyed Billy who kept looking straight but his face was now red with anger. Must have been the secret conversation he had with Mad. Keeping your cool you said, “Nope. Probably doing homework tonight. Do you?” “U-um, just hanging out with Lucas.” “Hanging out? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” you teased her. “We’re just hanging.”

Billy decided if he does not think about Valentine’s Day then his anger won’t flare up. Unfortunately, Max didn’t get the memo. When Neil and Susan told them about their dinner plans for tonight, Susan then asked Billy if he had any plans with Y/N. Billy declined and that’s when he earned a confused expression from his step-sister. “You’re not doing anything for Y/N?” Max asked him as soon as she got into his car. Of course, she wouldn’t let this go. Billy knew that his girlfriend was more than half the reason that Max tolerated him more. Billy had to admit that Y/N simmered down the typical rage he can make him pretty compliant when she gifts him with her shy smile. “And here I thought you were trying to be a decent boyfriend.” “Shut the hell up, Max,” he told her. Billy reeling in his anger that really wants to yell at her but he’s getting better at not taking his annoyance out on her. Too much at least. “She’s gonna dump you if you don’t do anything romantic every once in a while,” she commented. And Max looked seriously scared about the idea of Y/N dumping him as if she’s also dumping Max. It is not like she won’t see her if things don’t work out between them. Max was ‘friends’ with Y/N before Billy even became her boyfriend. She’s babysits that annoying curly haired kid and is fucking best friends with Steve Harrington. She was even there at the Byers’ house when he knocked the shit out of Harrington. That didn’t bode well with her since at the time she was thinking about going on a date with him. That set their relationship back by a couple of weeks. Billy had to apologize to both Harrington and Sinclair before she even glanced at him. It took a lot of groveling but Billy finally got a date with her in the middle of November. It was nothing special. He only twenty bucks to spare that night. They went to a pizza joint and Billy loved that she ate four slices with no hesitation or embarrassment like the usual chicks. When Billy said something about her appetite, she threatened to walk home and that being their last date. Of course, he groveled and paid for dessert.

Billy couldn’t afford much since he’s too busy trying to earn enough money to move back to Cali. He did odd jobs around town since he refuses to work at as a cashier since he only has a limited amount of patience and that’s only for the bitches he wants to fuck. Of course, that patience is gone now since he’s in a committed relationship. So, they went on cheap dates. Went to diners, a movie listened to records and made out like crazy.

“Max, first, fuck you. Two, you don’t know shit,” he said. Billy didn’t know why but he was feeling the need to vent and the only ones he allows to see a snippet of the real ‘Billy’ is Max. “It’s not like I can afford to do anything either.” Because fuck Hawkins’ freezing weather that ruined his baby. Aka the Camaro. Neil wasn’t going to pitch in to fix his car so Billy had to dip into his savings. It’s practically nothing left. Just enough to pay gas and some smokes. Not enough money to take someone out on a romantic date. It was like karma waited for this moment. Waited two weeks before Valentine’s Day. And Y/N had to bring it up a few days after he drained his savings to fix his car to ask if they are doing anything. He didn’t mean to snap at her but he was fucking ashamed and pissed off that his plans were ruin. Fuck anybody that thinks Billy can’t be romantic.

“She wouldn’t care. It’s the thought that counts,” Max told him. Billy scoffed. That’s some bullshit that people say to make one feel better if their gift is shit. Billy rather give nothing than give shit—especially to Y/N. And he said just that to Max who looked at him like he said the most foolish thing. They finally made it to Y/N house. “Don’t say a word about this. Got it?” “Whatever,” she rolled her eyes before climbing to the back. Billy was nervous when she didn’t say anything in particular about Valentine’s Day. He thought he was in the clear until she brought out chocolates. The liquor chocolates did nothing to simmer down his humiliation that his girlfriend got him something but he didn’t even write her a fucking card.

Billy avoided you the whole day. On a typical day in school, his hand is on the inside of your back pocket with his body pressed to yours against the lockers. He snuck kisses in between classes. It was hard to separate yourself from Billy and you would not complain. But who knew that this dreaded holiday would make your boyfriend go MIA. You still see him in class. But other than that, he stuck close to Tommy and Carol. The two people you can’t stand, so you don’t bother with him if he’s with those two. At least you had Steve who was also in a semi-mopey mood (who denies it). “You. Me. Lots of junk food and scary movies. My place,” you tell him at lunch. “Um, no,” he said before taking a bite of the mystery meatloaf. “We have a shit ton of math homework due tomorrow.” You groaned. You do pretty well in the academics’ department which differs from Steve who struggles. But if there is one thing he is stellar at, it’s math. Which you suck at. Because calculus can go suck a dick. “Wanna’ come over and help me? I feel like I’m solving the meaning of the life with this fucking rocket science.” Steve snorted. “It’s math, not science. And you would have a B in class if you weren’t such a space cadet in there.” “Are you calling me an Airhead, Harrington?” you ruffled his hair causing your friend to whine and squawk. “That’s not how you get me to tutor you.” You jutted your lower lip and batted your eyelashes. “How about knowing that I failed and couldn’t graduate and get into college and that all of this could have been prevented if only you tutored me?” “You really do know how to turn on the violins, huh?” he glanced behind you and you just know who he is staring at. “No plans with Hargrove? No romantic date and fucking in the back seat of his car?” You decided not to react to his last question. “Nope. So let’s spend the holiday with junk food movie, and— “—homework,” Steve added. You were glad that he didn’t question you further about Billy. He already questions your choice in men since the very first relationship you had in two years had to be mullet-haired (which you want to cut badly) blue-eyed Cali-boy with anger issues.

It was only once that Billy avoided Y/N when they started their relationship. It didn’t last long. A few hours to be exact. His dad fucked him up one night before school and he picked her up from school. Luckily, his dad got him in easily hidden parts that he can cover. Y/N knew something was up when she got in the car and wasn’t greeted with a kiss. She also noticed that his shirt was buttoned up. Max was in the car but didn’t say anything. She looked dejected but not angry. Meaning that maybe whatever was going on was not really Billy but something else out of their control. Y/N turned down the music much to Billy’s chagrin and asked him what was up. Of course, Billy had to be snarky about it and threw his bad attitude on his girlfriend. By the time he made it to the school, he stormed off and didn’t bother waiting for you. Y/N gave him space until she cornered him during lunch. She dragged him off from Tommy. That’s how she found out that her boyfriend was abused by his father. And this is why Billy loved her, no matter how much it scared the shit out of him to fall so quickly into their relationship.   She didn’t show pity. She didn’t cry and say, “Oh, Billy.” And at that moment, he just knew he was head over heels. She was it. Only a month and a half into a relationship but fuck it. He’s dragging her with him to California and have her see the beautiful beaches and warm sun. She wrapped her short arms around him and snuggled close. That day she didn’t ask any questions (she did later that night while playing with his hair).  She then unbuttoned two of his buttons before the large bruise was exposed on his right pec. She then kissed him lightly, leaving a lip gloss mark. “Come over, tonight? I’ll make you feel much better.” And made him feel better she did. 

So here Billy was. Avoiding his girlfriend again, but this time it’s been a full day of school and she hasn’t sought him out. Instead, she stuck close with fucking Harrington and ruffled his hair while she smiles and teases him. He had basketball practice so he couldn’t drop her off. Instead, Harrington gave Max and Y/N a ride (he quit the team) and now Billy was going to go the whole day without talking to his girlfriend because he was pouting like a bitch. By the time Billy came home, he knew that he would only have thirty minutes to relax before he had to give Max a ride to a bowling alley (Neil thinks it is only going to be Jane there but little did he know that this was a double date with Sinclair and Wheeler with Jane). Billy greeted his father before making his way to his room. By the time he came down the stairs, he sees Max with Susan and Neil. “Max just told us that you’re not taking Y/N out tonight?” Neil told him with disappointment. Billy had to guess that was one of the two things that him and his father have in common. Anger and their fondness for Y/N. It helped that Max always gushed about how awesome his girlfriend his. “And here I thought you were becoming a respectable man.” Billy sighed. “I used up all my money on my car.” Neil just stared at him for a long few seconds before reaching into his back pocket. “Y/N doesn’t deserve to sit at home on Valentine’s Day. Take her to a nice restaurant.” Billy watched in shock as his father held out a fifty-dollar bill to him. As much as it killed Billy to take the money his abusive father gave him, he rather feels like shit taking the money instead of feeling like shit for being the worst boyfriend for not treating his girl. So that’s how he found himself driving to Y/N’s house. What he didn’t expect was the maroon-brown BMW parked outside of your house.

one day, one fic - september

hi guys! Since it’s the beginning of a new month (well, okay, I’m a day late), I’ve decided I’m going to write and publish a oneshot every day! I’ll probably be posting them here for the most part, but some might be found on my ao3 as well. It’ll probably be a lot of Binu and Socky, but perhaps some Myungjin too! We’ll see how it goes :)

Below the cut I’ve compiled the list of prompts I will be writing. These are subject to change depending on what I feel like writing tbh so just keep that in mind! Once they’re written, I’ll link them back on this post so you can find them easily :) (this is also my 38,000th post, that’s wild)

✘ “No! This is a problem! I'm in my minion slippers!” [binu]

✘ “Why the hell did you take a picture of me?! Wait… You think I’m cute?” *blushing* “wanna fight…?!” [socky]

✘ i go on late night walks around campus and apparently you do too [binu]

✘ I accidentally took your notebook thinking it was mine and you have really nice handwriting and cute doodles [myungjin]

✘ i work opening shift, but whenever i get there at 5:30 somehow you’re always already there, looking flawlessly put together. you haven’t even had your coffee yet. tell me your secrets.  [binu]

✘ you and your friend always sit at the table a couple down from mine and gossip in [insert language here], which happens to be a language i’m currently learning. i’ve been eavesdropping to try and improve my listening comprehension and oh my god are you actually talking about how hot i am???  [binu]

✘ you’re always finding weird trinkets in your clothes such as colourful feathers, smooth rocks, glinting scales or peculiar miniature marble carvings and you don’t know where they’re coming from but they’re actually good luck charms that i slip into pockets (fantasy au) [myungjin]

✘ people age until they reach 18 and then stop ageing until they meet their soul mate so they can grow old together. However, they only age during the time they spend together. [binu]

✘ i accidentally called the wrong skype number and it turns out the person i called was you and you’re in a different time zone, so it’s 3am where you are and you just woke up and look fucking pissed but you’re cute so… let’s do this again when you’re not asleep. i’m more than willing to stay up into the dead of night to talk to you [socky]

✘ text message: i look so fuckigjn GOOD [binu]

✘ based on the Day6 M/V “I Loved You” [socky]

✘ “it´s my [insert family relation here]´s wedding and seeing all these happy couples is killing me and all i can think about is how this was almost us” AU (bonus: “i know that it’s two in the morning and i’m dressed really formally and a little (a lot) bit drunk but i couldn’t stop thinking about you after my grandma asked how you were doing also can i come in it’s freezing out here”) [binu]

✘ We just snuck into the movies together because our friends dared us to get in, watch a movie and get back out without getting caught, hell yeah, this isn’t a date by the way what are you saying, fuck, this movie’s sad, fuck, I’m not crying, fuck, you’re holding me in your arms and it feels right, fUCK’ AU [myungjin]

✘ I thought we were super platonic but then one night you got smashed at party and you confessed to me and now I can’t look you in the eye at all [binu]

✘ you have fire powers and i have ice powers and one day you save my ass and even though we’re supposed to be rivals, you’re actually really really cute and warm can i just stay in your arms forever bc i am perpetually cold (fantasy au)  [socky]

✘ you’re a florist and your apartment is gorgeous and colourful and vibrant, and I’m an artist and I really want to come over and draw your place but I have no idea how to approach you [myungjin]

✘ It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m single and you want to cheer me up but you can’t cook nor bake to save your life so you make me hot chocolate instead and it is delicious and I think I love you??? [socky]

✘ you’re my editor and i may or may not have subconsciously made the main character’s romantic interest similar to you and you may or may not have noticed [myungjin]

✘ “You’re a pain to deal with, but I’ll be damned if I let someone else take my place.” [myungjin]

✘ “your helmet is flower patterned?? haha that’s so lame.” “you’re a florist.” [socky]

✘ weather gets warmer and warmer the closer you get to the day you’ll meet your soulmate (soulmate au) [binu]

✘ whoever keeps on saying hufflepuffs are weak and the lamest house better get ready to be hexed to jupiter and back how dare you say that to my bumblebee coloured cinnamon roll (hogwarts au) [myungjin]

✘ “Sharing a single strand of spaghetti is not romantic. Stop asking.” [socky]

✘ “I am not a prize to be won.” [binu]

✘ “have you honestly never tried instant noodles and bad pre-packaged snacks?? get your coat on, we’re going on a cheap food run” (rich/poor au) [socky]

✘ you invited me to your brother’s/sister’s wedding as a plus one bc we’re hella best friends but we end up making out at the afterparty and now everyone thinks we’re together so uh,, u wanna go out for a drink sometime? try this whole couple thing out?  [binu]

✘ your tiny dog terrifies my big dog and chases my dog around the park au [myungjin]

✘ I’ve been in a slump for months but then I saw you walk across the street and I’ve never ran down the stairs and jaywalked so fast in my life, please be my muse [binu]

✘ you live near the beach and one day there was a freak storm and I got washed up into your pool oh shit (mermaid au) [socky]

✘ from a certain age on, all of your dreams are your soulmate’s most significant memories from that given day, however you never find out your soulmate’s name. Once you meet them, the dreams are less frequent. (soulmate au) [socky] 

AO3 refuses to load and let me post this there so I’m posting it here instead

Timothy Lawrence/Rhys 

Valentine’s Day fluff. Tim gets some help picking a gift for Rhys.

If Tim’s honest, the explosion of bright pinks and reds when he walks into the convenience store is a little overwhelming, if not intimidating. Valentine’s Day isn’t exactly his strong suit—that’ll happen when you’re single for over five years—and normally around this time of year he’d walk past the overcrowded and overpriced displays without a second glance.

But not today.

Today they’re exactly what he’s in the store for.

Balloons, he thinks are a bit much. He and Rhys have only been dating for six months (five months and twenty-three days, but who’s counting really), and while the ‘L-word’ has slipped out of his mouth on more than a handful of occasions, he doesn’t think Rhys would appreciate having a huge balloon declaring it to anyone who decided to visit.

Plus, balloons would eventually deflate and that is a relationship metaphor Tim really doesn’t need right now.

Chocolates, then.

Tim turns his attention to the shelves of Holiday-themed sweets. Some of them are cute, with little cartoon pictures decorating them, while others are more elegant, with dark ribbons wrapped around them and finished off with bows.

He reaches out for one of the more expensive looking boxes, only to pause when he realizes he has no idea what kind of chocolate Rhys likes. Milk chocolate is a classic, right? He hesitantly reaches toward a box of milk chocolates, only to pause again. Sure, it’s a classic, but that doesn’t mean Rhys likes it. Maybe dark chocolate? White? Did Rhys like caramel filling, or would he like cherries?

Tim lets his hand fall. How has this never come up before?

Okay, okay, no, it’s fine, he reassures himself. Chocolates are…too easy anyway. Cheap, even. The last thing Tim wants is for Rhys to think he just bought him something without putting any thought into it. Even at half a year, their relationship feels so…tentative, and Tim doesn’t want to do anything to put in jeopardy…like buying Rhys the shittiest Valentine’s Day gift imaginable.

He is definitely overthinking this—

“Excuse me, sir?”

Tim blinks, his thoughts clearing as he glances beside him. A young girl, maybe seventeen or eighteen is smiling at him. The nametag pinned to her shirt says ‘Gaige’.

“Do you need any help?” she asks, still smiling. “You look a little lost.” Her voice is high and cheery—very obviously her ‘retail voice’. Tim feels a pang of sympathy for her. He remembers those days well.

Tim smiles sheepishl. “That obvious, huh?”

“Well, you have been staring at those boxes for a good five minutes. Buying a gift for someone special?”

He nods, “My, uh, boyfriend. This is gonna sound bad but I don’t even know what he likes—“

“First V-day, huh?” she says knowingly. Gaige clicks her tongue and shrugs. “No biggie, we’ll figure something out. How long have you guys been dating?”

“Er—six months—“

“Is it like a serious six months,” she continues, her hands moving along with her speech. “Or is it like a I don’t think is going anywhere and I wanna get out soon six months? Cause we got breakup cards too, y’know. They’re further down the aisle.”

“No, no,” Tim says, a little more defensively than he means to. “Definitely will not be needing any of those, thank you. It’s serious. Very serious.” He winces a little once the words leave his mouth and tries very hard to ignore the amused smirk that appears on the girl’s face.  

“Alright big guy, I hear ya loud and clear,” Gaige holds her hand up in mock surrender. “Well I think we’ve got just the thing for your very serious relationship.”

Turns out, the thing they have is flowers.

There are dozens of bouquets in every color, though most prominently are the red roses wrapped in heart-patterned paper and ribbons. When they reach the counter, Gaige effortlessly slides over it and lands on the other side.

”Alright,” she slaps her hand down on the counter, and the sudden loudness makes Tim realize it’s a prosthetic, not unlike Rhys’. “You don’t want any of these pre-made ones,” Gaige says, waving her other hand flippantly. “Boring, right? You want something special. Something serious.”

Gaige slides a piece of red tissue paper onto the counter before turning and plucking flowers from the baskets behind her.

“Let’s see, obviously, we’ll throw in a couple of red roses. Those mean passionate love—pink roses for admiration.” She places the flowers on the counter. “Ooh, yellow tulips will be good...some larkspur aaaaaand a couple of pink days.”

Effortlessly, Gaige wraps the flowers together into a beautiful bouquet and ties a matching ribbon into a neat bow around them.

“Wow,” Tim blinks, gently taking the bouquet from her when she hands it out.

“Oh, here,” she grabs a little white card and scribbles something down on it. When she slides it over, Tim sees that she’s given the meanings for all the different flowers. “You can write a personal message on the other side.” Gaige grins. “So…is that gonna be card or cash?”

--

Tim leaves the store feeling vaguely like he’d just been swindled, but the gorgeous bouquet in his hand helps lessen the blow. The gift is thoughtful, simple but not lazy, and…he really really hopes Rhys will like it.

They have dinner plans for later tonight—nothing too fancy, just a quiet homemade meal at Tim’s place. Tim wasn’t too keen on going out to an overcrowded restaurant, and Rhys’ face had lit up a little when Tim mentioned he could just cook for them. He’d have to thank Jack for teaching him the recipe if it all went well.

Dinner was still a good five hours away though, and Tim realizes he doesn’t know how long it’ll take these flowers to wilt without some water. He doesn’t want to take the bouquet apart to put them in a vase either—the girl at the store had done such a nice job with it.

He looks down at his watch again.

Maybe he can just swing by Rhys’ work and surprise him. The flowers would no doubt brighten up his office a little. He’s only…a fifteen-minute drive from Rhys’ work, and okay, yeah he’s already settled on the idea. He’s already grinning at the thought of seeing Rhys right now.

God, he has it bad.

Tim shakes the smile off his face, glad that Jack and Nisha aren’t around to make fun of him for it.

--

He’s never actually been up to Rhys’ office before, so he has to ask the secretary on the first floor where the marketing department is. After a short trip up the elevator and wandering around on the 6th floor, Tim spots Rhys through the glass windows of his office.

Rhys looks ready to fall asleep at his desk, his chin resting in his palm as he stares at his computer.

Tim hides the bouquet behind his back and gently knocks against the open door. Rhys jerks in his seat, eyes going comically wide as he sits up.

“Tim! What’s—what are you doing here?” he gets to his feet, one hand wiping at his chin while he rounds his desk.

“Hey,” Tim grins, stepping into the office. “Thought I’d stop by—sorry, you’re not too busy, are you?”

“Nope,” Rhys returns the grin with a lopsided one of his own. He steps in close and kisses Tim, who happily responds to it.

“Uh—happy Valentine’s Day,” Tim says when they part. Rhys laughs, his eyes crinkling with it, and Tim feels his heart flutter at the sight. “I—here,” he pulls the flowers from behind his back and offers them out to Rhys. “I got these for you.”

Rhys blinks. “Roses?”

“Oh, uh, yeah there’s a few roses in there,” Tim says quickly, hoping the look on Rhys’ face is just surprise and not disappointment. “But there’s a few others too. Tulips, and, uh—“ he fumbles for the little card Gaige had given him.

“Tim, I—“

“The red roses are for, um, well love, obviously,” Tim starts, keeping his eyes on the card as he feels heat start to creep up his neck. “And the pink ones are for admiration. Here.” He hands the card over to Rhys, so he can read the meanings for himself.

“I know, it’s so cheesy,” Tim keeps talking. “The girl at the store helped me put it together, I didn’t really know what I was doing—“

“Tim,” Rhys says, curling his left hand around Tim’s. It’s soft and warm and the rest of Tim’s awkward excuses dry up in his mouth as he looks up into Rhys’ mismatched eyes. “Thank you,” Rhys smiles. “I love them.”

“You do?”

Rhys rolls his eyes and takes the bouquet from Tim’s slack hands. He brings it close and inhales, his eyes briefly closing as he smells the flowers.

“Ah shit,” he says a moment later. “I don’t have your gift with me. It’s at home.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay.” Tim holds up his hands, “I totally dropped by unexpectedly, and—you really didn’t have to get me anything—“

“And you didn’t have to get me anything, but here we are.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

Rhys sniffs and rubs at his nose. “Ughh, god, okay. I have to get to a meeting. See you tonight?” He smiles. Tim nods and fondly smooths out a crinkle in Rhys’ collar before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“See you tonight.”

--

An hour before dinner, Rhys calls him.

“I am so so so sorry,” is the first thing he says when Tim answers the phone. “My boss just dumped a huge project on me—I don’t think I can get out of here any time soon. I’m so sorry.”

“I—oh, so, dinner…?” Tim looks out at the table he’d started to clear, and tries not to let the disappointment sink into his voice.

“We’re gonna have to reschedule,” Rhys says. “Maybe tomorrow? I’m really sorry, Tim.”

“It’s okay, Rhys, it’s fine, really. Are you…I mean, maybe I could just bring you some dinner, if you’re gonna be stuck there—“

“No!” There’s a quiet shuffle and a cough on the other end. “No, it’s fine. I think my boss would be…um, well, not happy if I have a visitor.”

“Oh.”

“Tomorrow night? Please? I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Tim runs a hand through his hair. It’s a good thing he hadn’t started cooking yet.

“Okay. Okay, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you!”

“Ah—I love you too. Bye.”

Tim sighs as the line goes dead. He flops down on the couch and tries not to feel too bummed out. At least there won’t be a shortage of movie marathons on tonight.

--

Sometime around lunch the next day, Tim’s phone buzzes.

< please don’t hate me

It’s a text from Rhys.

< I came down with something gross. Im gonna have to cancel again

There’s a little crying emoji following the sentence, and Tim can’t help the stab of disappointment he feels. Cancelled on twice now—but it’s not Rhys’ fault, he knows. Sometimes shit happens.

> Are you okay?

> should I bring some medicine?

The ellipses blink on the screen as Rhys types out a response.

< No, its ok

< I wish I could give you ur present tho :<

> It’s okay. Feel better. Maybe we’ll try for this weekend instead?

< that would be great!! Im sry tim <3

> no worries, get some rest <3

Tim sets his phone aside. Rhys said no to medicine but…Tim could still check in on him, right? Bring him soup or something? Would that be too overbearing?

He pictures Rhys, lying in bed with a head cold, miserable and alone.

He’s in the car ten minutes later with a bag of fresh ingredients and box of tea.

“Rhys?” Tim calls through the closed apartment door, gently rapping his knuckles against the wood. Silence greets him from the other side and he wonders if Rhys had managed to fall asleep in the time it took him to drive over here. He knocks again, a little louder.

He hears muffled shouting from behind the door this time, and then the lock clicks and it swings open. Rhys is in a tank top and a pair of sweats that looks suspiciously familiar, but that’s not what makes Tim stare.

“Tim?!” Rhys looks like a deer in headlights, eyes wide and bloodshot. All along his face are red, irritated-looking splotches, like he’d been scratching at his skin for too long.

“What’s wrong with your face?” Tim blurts out.

Rhys quickly buries his face in his hands and turns his back on Tim. “Oh my god,” he says, voice muffled. “Don’t look at me! I—ahh—“ he sneezes.

“Rhys, wha—“ Tim reaches out for Rhys’ shoulder. “That didn’t look good. Wait, let me see—“ Tim tries to get him to turn but Rhys refuses to budge, keeping his face buried firmly into his hands.

“No! You weren’t supposed to come over here.” He sniffs. “I look like a creature from the black lagoon.”

“No, you don’t,” Tim sighs. He steps into the apartment and shuts the door behind him. “Rhys, come on.” Tim sets his bag on the counter. He notices happily that the flowers he’d gotten for Rhys were sitting there as well, now in a clear vase of water.

Tim turns and gently wraps his hands around Rhys’ wrists, tries to pry his hands away from his face. “Do I need to take you to the doctor? Seriously, cause that is uh…not normal for colds, I’m pretty sure.”

“Don’t have a cold,” Rhys says miserably into his hands. “…m’llergic.”

“Allergic? Allergic to wh—…oh.”

Rhys sniffles, and peers between his fingers.

“You’re allergic to flowers,” Tim says, feeling like an idiot.

“Roses, specifically,” Rhys sighs, and a moment later he slowly pulls his hands away from his face.

“Rhys…why didn’t you just say so?” Tim glances at the bouquet on the counter. “And why do you still have them?”

“Because you put so much thought into it!” Rhys whines. “It was so sweet and nice and all I got you was a stupid wildlife adoption thing—“ he presses his nose into his elbow and sneezes.

“Rhys…” Tim grabs a tissue from the box on the counter and hands it to Rhys, who mumbles a thanks and wipes at his red nose. “…That is so, incredibly stupid.”

“Hey.”

“I’m serious. I’d rather you tell me you’re allergic than be dead.”

“I’m not that allergic,” Rhys huffs.

“You look that allergic.” Tim leans in and kisses the pout on Rhys’ lips.

“Augh, no! No kisses, I’m so gross.” Rhys scrunches his face up and tries to push Tim away, who just laughs and pulls away.

“I’m gonna throw those flowers away,” Tim says, continuing over Rhys’ protests. “And then I’m gonna cook us some nice soup. Not exactly the romantic evening we had planned, but better than nothing, right?”

The pout is already back.  Tim pats Rhys on the shoulder and takes the flowers to the dumpster outside.

When he returns, Rhys is cleaning up the kitchen, his face pink from what Tim expects is embarrassment and not allergies.

Later, when they’re pressed up against each other on the couch, and their bowls are empty, Rhys hands Tim a gift bag.

He pulls out the pink and yellow tissue paper to uncover a cute grizzly bear plush, a picture of a real grizzly bear, and an adoption certificate. The certificate had his name and the bear he’d adopted (Sebastian) written neatly, with an official seal at the bottom.

“Rhys, this is so nice,” Tim grins, running his hand over the soft fur of the bear plush. “Thank you.” He wraps his free arm around Rhys’ shoulder, pulling him in close to press a kiss to his temple.

“Yeah, yeah,” Rhys mumbles, leaning into Tim. “…You better not tell anyone about the flower thing.”

Tim laughs. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Always A Surprise...

A/N: First of many Valentine’s Day pieces to come with everyone’s favorite murder husband! I’ve been cookin’ up some things in my absence so there’s a lot more to come ♥

Word Count: 1767

He was warm.

God, he was so warm.

And his smell… It was almost as smothering as his massive form lying like a boulder, dead to the world right now. It was very rarely that Frank slept heavy, and when he did I enjoyed those moments. He needed all the rest he could get and I made sure not to disturb him, moving as little and as quietly as I could.

I stretched the night’s sleep away and rolled over, wrapping an arm comfortably around his torso. He didn’t budge. I closed my eyes and pressed my nose to his chest, inhaling his intoxicating aroma. The majority of the time he’d smell like metal and tough leather, but after a fresh shower like last night’s he’d smell like a cool ocean breeze. I held him closer to me, letting him keep me warm under the thin, cheap blankets he kept on his bed. I didn’t wanna get up but I was starving and needed to get to my place soon to get ready for work.

I delicately traced a figure eight in the center of his chest, dreading that I’d have to leave this bed in a short matter of minutes. After kissing his jaw sweetly I crept out of bed, finding my blouse from last night and tossing it on, my jeans following suit. I went to heat up the pot he kept full of coffee since I wouldn’t have time to make some at home and grabbed the milk from his fridge. This would have to do since I knew better than to search for cream and sugar. Max crept up beside me and I greeted him with a nice rub behind the ears. “Good morning, handsome.” Above the counter were some snacks that I dug into. Frank thought I spoiled him which may be true, but I thought that was the whole point of having a dog. “Aren’t you such a good boy? Yeah you are…”

“You sweet talk him better than you do me.” I turned to the gravelly morning voice behind me with a sleepy, playful grin.

“Maybe. Did I wake you?”

He nodded his head towards the coffee pot. “I could smell it.”

“It’s not goin’ anywhere. You don’t have to hop outta bed the moment you smell a dark roast.” I was still bent over rubbing Max when a finger traced across the exposed slice of my lower back where my shirt was raised. How he managed to embody surprising tenderness within the beast he appeared to be… To say it was baffling was an understatement. After reeling in from the shock he sent through me I stood and turned to face him. “I wish you’d actually let yourself get some rest.”

“Slept just fine.” He reached to the cabinet behind me for the only mug in this place.

“I know. I made sure of it.”

“You watchin’ me, sweetheart?” he teased as he walked over and poured himself a hot mug of coffee.

“Speaking of sweetheart…” I hinted and reached for a glass to get some of my own.

“Ah, yes. That’s today, isn’t it?” I rolled my eyes at him, watching him sip from the mug with a scrunch of his nose. “I’m supposed to do the whole chocolate and red roses things, hm?”

I shrugged, stirring the milk into my coffee. “For you, I’ll take a pass on the roses.”

He hid a smile, rubbing the stubble that sprouted along his jaw this morning. “You know, uhh… it’s been awhile since I had to do this.”

“Of course. Don’t worry, I won’t stuff you in a penguin suit and take you to the fanciest restaurant in town.” I smiled at the thought, hiding my face behind my glass.

“Oh that’s funny to you?” He set his mug on the counter and made his way over to me.

“A little,” I laughed, backing up to the wall opposite him. When he reached me he took my glass of coffee from my hands and rested it on top of the fridge before lifting me up onto the counter. “Okay okay, I’m sorry!”

He said nothing, only took the back of my head in his hands and stared at me. “You light up when you laugh, you know that?”

“Yeah? Maybe I’m just lighting up at the image of you in a tuxedo.”

“I’m not wearing a tuxedo, Y/N.”

“I know, I know. The day I see you in something that’s not denim or leather you’re gonna have to kick me to believe I’m not hallucinating.” A smile still lingering on my face at the thought, I reached for the hem of his white tee, my fingertips slipping beneath and grazing over the skin of his waist. “I’m not askin’ for you in a tux, Frank.”

“Then what are you askin’ for?” He began pressing the pads of his fingers to my scalp, slowly massaging me as his eyes bore holes into my eyes, my lips, my throat. I swallowed at the attention, at being directly under Frank’s scope.

“... Dinner. Nothing fancy, just not the diner either. Some place cozy. Cozy and quiet.”

“Hmm, I may have a place in mind.”

I looked at him incredulously, another laugh threatening to pour from me. “Oh do you now?”

“I said it’s been a while, not that I’m new at all this. Let you tell it, I’ve never been on a date in my life.”

I smiled. “Where are you thinking?”

“Ah, c’mon. Can’t reveal that just yet.”

“Not even a little hint-”

“-Don’t you have work to get to?”

I shook my head. “You are not shutting me up right now!”

“I’ll see you later tonight, right?” he said with a sly grin.

“Frank-” And shut me up he did with a kiss, firm and demanding. I reached further under his shirt and rested my hands on his waist. “Mm- This isn’t over-”

“-Yes it is,” he said with his usual gruff morning voice, kissing me again before lifting me from the counter and setting me on the floor. He reached over for my coffee and handed it to me, smoothing my hair neatly behind my ear. “Tick tock, missy.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, downing as much of the drink as I could before kissing him once more and rushing out of his apartment, petting Max on the head on my way.

I was finally leaving the longest lunch meeting of my life when I returned to my desk that now stuck out like a sore thumb. My desk was among the sea of cubicles at a local newspaper; I was one of the people that had the fun job of placing ads throughout the paper. I was surprised when I saw the tops of roses reaching over the top of my cubicle, and I arrived to my desk to a beautiful bouquet and of course a heart-shaped box of chocolates. I lifted the card in the flowers when the receptionist from the front desk spoke to me on her way out of the area. “Oh, some guy wanted to leave those for you. I told him all deliveries came to the desk but he was kinda insisting on giving them to you himself.”

“Did you get a name?”

“No. Didn’t really get a good look at him either; he had a baseball cap on, pulled pretty low. I don’t know, seemed kinda sketchy if you ask me, but he was kinda nice.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Brenda.” I opened the card and read it, a smile blossoming on my face as I burned brighter than the roses in front of me. “Bark. Love, Max.” I went back to work with my chocolates and a smile; I was more eager than ever now to get off.

I was sitting next to Frank at a tucked away little jazz club just outside of Hell’s Kitchen, curled up beside him enjoying the live band, his arm wrapped around my waist.  Once they finished we applauded and went back to enjoying dinner. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised, Frank Castle.” He eyes me as I took a sip from my wine.

“Because romance isn’t an entirely lost concept for me?”

“I thought you’d be rustier at this, old man! I don’t know, I didn’t expect… this! Soft jazz, dimly lit dinner, surprise flowers at work; risky move, by the way.”

“Oh yeah? Why is that?”

“You walked into a newspaper that’s had your face posted on damn near ever cover for the past two months. ‘Who Is the Punisher’, ‘The One-Man Army’, all of that.”

“Hey, I thought I was doin’ a good job layin’ low.”

“Yeah, on my off days when I keep you locked up inside, maybe… What I’m trying to say is thank you. For everything you’ve done today.” I gave him a sweet smile before pulling his head down for a romantic kiss, not caring who was looking because it was Valentine’s Day after all. That was until he got things a little more heated than I intended and pulled me closer to him, gripping the thigh being hugged by the tight red dress I wore for the occasion. “Okay I know this place is dimly lit, but I’m sure someone can still see you pushing your tongue in my throat,” I joked, my lips still against his.

“Then why don’t we get outta here and cap off the night at your place?” He grinned as he pressed his lips to my throat. “Hmm?” he hummed, the vibrations echoing throughout my body which served as more than enough of a reason to ditch this place.

“Fine. But we aren’t staying up all night, I have a busy day tomorrow.”

“Aw c’mon, Y/N. You wanna limit the fun tonight? On Valentine’s Day?”

“Yes, I do. Remember what happened on your birthday? We were up all night and I was late for my meeting the next morning and had a stiff back through half the day!”

“... But we had fun, right?”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. Not the point. “Fine,” I said, grabbing his wrist and looking at his watch. “You have ‘til 11:30.”

“11:30?”

“Yes. Two and a half hours to make this a very memorable Valentine’s Day.” I bit my lip into a smile as I began pulling my coat on. “You up to the task, soldier?”

He chuckled, pulling a few bills from his wallet. “I’ve done a lot more in way less time, sweetheart.”

Learning Love

A David Tennant Holiday Fic Request Winner

Fandom: David Tennant, Campbell Bain, Takin’ Over the Asylum

Word count: 5260

Warnings: none

Summary: Campbell and Sandra have now been seeing each other for 6 weeks. As what started as a tryst quietly turns into something more, circumstances push them into confessing how they really feel.

The phone didn’t ring even once in her ear before he answered.

“Dee!”

She chuckled at his nickname for her. “You’re quick on the draw today.”

“I wanted to hear your voice.”

“I’m about to take a long bath. Would you like to hear me then?”

Long bath was code for water masturbation.

He exhaled. “I’m at work, sugar. I don’t think I could handle it.”

“That’s too bad.”

He put the phone against his chest and bit his lip. “I’m so sorry we can’t do anything special tonight. I mean, really, truly sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re doing what you have to do get ahead. If it means anything, I’m proud of you. Anyway, I’m not the rose petals and cheap chardonnay type.”

“What is it with you and holidays? You refuse to embrace the magic. Scrooge.”

She growled. “Bah humbug! Cupid can eat it.”

“Call me cupid,” he said.

“Don’t make it harder, Cam.”

“Too late.” He chuckled in her ear. She held her cell in front of her and screamed silently. He was so fucking everything.

“Enough double entendre for today. I guess I’ll see you…”

“Tomorrow morning? I don’t want to wait ‘till dinner. Breakfast foods are the best foods anyway.”

“True. Until tomorrow then. I lo-” She froze.

“You what?” His voice had lost all mirth.

She was sweating. “I look forward to it,” she said.

“Alright. Bye.” He hung up.

She slid to the floor and rolled around, hugging herself. She’d almost said it. Fuck.

Fuck.

With the way the relationship had started, she had promised herself that she would keep it casual. They had never discussed it explicitly in the last month, and why not? They spent nearly every free moment together. 

For her, though, it was becoming for more than spectacular, earth axis-shifting sex. She was beginning to…

She didn’t even want to think it. Why set herself up for a fall?

“We’re having fun. And we’re gonna have fun tonight,” she said, getting up and taking a deep breath. “Good fun.” She smiled.

7:00 PM

“Tonight is the night. The most romantic night of year, when you can show that special someone all the ways you care...

The Flamingos sha bop sha bopped in the background.

“And I’m here to help you share. I’ll be here ‘till midnight taking sexy song requests. Let your lover know just how well they do the voodoo that they do…”

He rattled off the telephone number and looked over the console at the producer. He picked through a heart shaped box of chocolates Cam had brought him. He shook his head. That giant, bearded ginger was who he would be spending the first Valentine’s Day that he actually had someone to celebrate with.

He looked at the inside of his wrist, where Sandra had put a temporary tattoo of a heart with an arrow through it as a gag. He rubbed his thumb on it.

She was amazing. Clever, talented, beautiful, and she actually laughed at his jokes. Consistently. Most importantly, his energy didn’t put her off. In fact, it seemed to bask in it, an odd thing, since she was so calm. He tended to get on calm people’s nerves.

His t-shirt smelled like her, since she’d worn it the last time she stayed over at his flat. Perfume, and her, very faint. The musk that made his muscles tighten to attention.

The producer’s console began to blink with incoming calls.

Time to get to work.

10:52 PM

It was beginning to drag. He felt like he could take off from his chair into the stratosphere with unspent energy.

“-Um, yah, there’s this bird, Kim. I mean, super fit, who loves your show so I know she’ll be listenin’.”

“Thanks for listening, Kim! And what would you like to say to her?”

“Nuffin’ much. Just that I’m here if she ever needs a real man to take her there. Can you play Color Me Badd, I Wanna Sex You Up?”

He rolled his eyes. “Kim, I hope you heard that, and that you hear this…”

He got up and stretched, then walked to the producer’s booth.

“What a twat,” the producer said. He was working on a strawberry cream chocolate.

“You said it so I don’t have to,” Cam said. “I thought this would be fun, but I’m about to explode.”

The producer eyed him. “Then explode in another direction, mate,” he said. His console blinked.

Campbell walked back to his console and looked out the window. Out there, people were having fun. Drinking wine. Dancing. Doing all the sappy shit he wanted to do. Although Sandra made such a big deal about not needing that kind of thing, maybe he could change her mind-

The producer put the next call through.

“Who’s on your mind tonight?”

“I’m sad because I can’t be with my valentine.” Sandra! He smiled so hard he wondered if she could hear it.

“And why on earth wouldn’t he be there with you?”

“My man works long and hard to get where he wants to be. How could I fault him for that?” Why did it sound dirty? Maybe it was because it was her. And he wanted her.

“He sounds like a very lucky man.” There was silence on the line.

“Can you play Suzanne Vega’s Caramel for me, please?”

“Caramel,” he repeated dumbly. The producer rolled his eyes. “Of course, after a short commercial break.”

He ran to the booth again, but the producer shrugged his shoulders.

“She hung up.”

“Fuck. I have to drain the lizard. I’ll be back,” Cam said, and ran into the hallway.

Someone knocked on the booth glass almost immediately after.

“That was quick-” when he turned, it was a beautiful young woman in a short trench coat.

“Who are you?”

She came inside and immediately started to separate the pages of an old tabloid paper. She slammed a roll of tape in front of him. “I’m Cam’s girl. Start taping.” She put the first colored rectangle against the glass. He looked at her high heels, her loose, tousled hair and duochrome mauve lipgloss and took over without a word.

At least one of them was getting laid tonight.

He ran into the broadcast room and into his seat just in time.

“That was Suzanne Vega’s Caramel. Something sweet for the man who works hard for the money.” He tugged on his shirt and smirked.

He looked toward the producer’s booth and it was covered in shitty tabloid.

“What the hell-”

“Cam,” a familiar voice said from a dark corner of the room. She stood and walked into the desk lamp light. It was Sandra, looking good enough to eat. “Surprise,” she said in a whisper. “Now get to work.” She nudged the microphone near his mouth. She walked around and sat on the edge of the desk. She wore a trench coat, and her legs were deliciously bare as far up as he could see.

She pointed the the blinking buttons. “I want to watch you,” she said. Again, her tone made him twitch.

He pressed the button, but his eyes didn’t leave her form. “We’re coming up against the last hour. What’s on your mind tonight, lover?”

She laughed quietly.

“Um, hello?”

“Hello. I’m all ears. Talk to me,” Cam said. She walked behind him and tickled his neck just below his giant earphones. He bit back a giggle.

“Okay. Right. Um, I’ve...I really like...a woman. Who I work with.”

She leaned into him. Her hair tickled his arm. She made a face. Awkward.

“Office romance. Nice. And what’s her name?”

“She’s beautiful. Oh, her name’s Preethi.”

Sandra started to untie her sash slowly. It was agonizing.

“And would you like to say anything special to Preethi tonight?”

“Oh. Yeah. Just that…”

Her trench coat fell open. She wore a purple minidress that would make a stripper blush. His lip wobbled.

“...she’s smart and lovely and I would very much like to take her out sometime.”

“Do you have a song you’d like me to play?”

“You can pick it. Thank you,” the man said and hung up.

She lifted an earphone so she could whisper in his ear. “So awkward, bless him. Play Bryan Adams’ Everything I Do. It fits.”

“Whatever the lady wants,” he said, and cued it up. “What are you doing here?”

She gently bit his earlobe. “I couldn’t stay away. And I figured you might not want to be alone tonight. So I’m here to keep you company.”

“And Teddy?” He spoke of the producer.

She walked around and sat on the desk again. She kicked off her shoe and put her bare foot in his lap. It traveled slowly up his thigh. “He and I have an agreement.” She leaned forward. Her breasts nearly spilled out of the dress. He stirred underneath her kneading foot. “If he says he didn’t see anything, he didn’t see anything.”

“And what would he not be seeing?” She put her other foot on the armrest of his chair and spread her legs. Pearl colored mesh was being swallowed by her swollen cunt lips.

“Fuck.” He put his hand on her calf, pulled himself closer. She pulled gently at her underwear, giving him a quick glimpse, then slid that finger into his mouth. “Shit,” he said, licking his lips.

“Song’s ending,” she said. He turned reluctantly to the microphone. Her foot moved underneath his t-shirt and poked his belly. He bucked and giggled. “Ooh. Ticklish.”

“Ooh. Ladies and gentlemen, all of a sudden I’m feeling inspired-” She pinched his nipple between her toes. “Who’s in love tonight?”

Go slow he mouthed.

She fell to her knees and went underneath the desk.

He took the next call. “Are you in love tonight?”

Sandra tickled his knees. He had to stifle a giggle. He gently slapped her hands.

“Yeah. Like, um, completely. With my best friend.” the caller sounded young.

She has a doll voice, Sandra mouthed at him as she tickled his sides underneath his shirt.

“Sometimes friendships can be a jumping off point for something... amazing.” He put his hand over his mouth. He trembled with laughter.

“She’s beautiful and kind and funny and talented and smart and I just can’t hold back anymore. I don’t know whether you’re listening Amanda, but there’s a reason why I didn’t go to the graduation dance with Daniel. I wanted to go with you. I know we play around a lot, but the fact is I’m in love with you, completely, totally, and I don’t care who doesn’t like it. You fill my heart with joy, you make me so happy…” her breath hitched, as if she were about to weep.

Sandra stopped tickling. They locked eyes for a few precious seconds. She felt exposed.

“I can’t top that. You’ve said it all, and so beautifully too. Is there a particular song you’d like me to play?”

“I don’t care. I just wanted to say it to the world. I love you, Mandy.” She hung up.

Sinatra. I’ve Got You Under My Skin, she mouthed to him. Trust me.

For some reason, she felt as if the wind had been taken out of her sails. This girl, still so young...but so brave. She told everyone. She didn’t care about the possibility of things not going her way. She just wanted to say it. She actually gloried in her love, even if it was not returned.

Music flooded the broadcast room. “May I have this dance?” He pushed the chairs aside and extended his hand. She smiled and walked into his arms.

He pressed his body close to her swayed back and forth. The look in his eyes made her heart hurt.

“I don’t think this is what Teddy expected to see through the gaps in that paper,” she said.

“Did you want to give him a show?” he said, twirling her close to his body in the limited space.

“I just wanted to be with you,” she said, glad she wasn’t facing him.

He turned her and tipped her chin up to look into her eyes. “Me too. Every day. All the time.” He barely pressed his lips against hers, then moved back to the console.

She pulled her skirt down and sat by him.

“We’re coming up hard against the midnight hour. You’re our lucky last caller. What’s on your mind tonight?”

“Hello? This is Amanda. From the last call?”

Cam and Sandra looked at each other, eyes wide. It was on.

“Hello, Amanda-”

She cut him off. “Candace, please answer your phone. I love you, baby, but I didn’t want to say anything to ruin our friendship. I want to be with you, Candy. Call me. Come over. Anything. I’m at home. Please.”

“Oh wow, we’re witnessing romantic history, folks,” he said. “Real life.”

“I know how hard it must be. You’re a preacher’s daughter. But I’ll protect you. We’ll show them love is love, together. Oh, God. I hope she’s okay...”

The console blinked. Teddy’s voice came through the intercom. “It’s Candace. You should take this. It’s gold. The canned tunes can wait.”

Holy shit, Sandra mouthed. Go on.

“Candace, love. Amanda’s all ears. You’ve got the floor.”

There was a couple of seconds of silence. “Amanda.” She was whispering. “My mom heard. They’ve locked me in my room. But they didn’t take my cell.” They could actually hear voices raised in the distance.

“Candy, I’ll come and get you right now-”

“No. I’m safe. They would never hurt me. This day was coming. I’m going to let them yell themselves out. When they realize yelling and demands don’t change anything, then we’ll talk like people. Until then, we may not be able to see each other. Is that okay?”

“But they are hurting you by not accepting it.” Amanda sniffled.

“You’ve been in my life for almost three years, Mandy. Had Sunday dinner at my house. Gone to the church picnics. You know it’s not that easy. Their world has shifted. They’re going to need time to adjust. And I love them, so I want to give them that time.”

“But what if they never do?”

“They’re not that kind. At least, I sincerely pray they are not. But, regardless, can I count on you to understand?” The sound of yelling faded to nothing. There was just her distressed breathing.

“Yes. Of course. Whatever you need.”

“Okay.” Someone knocked on her door so loud it made Sandra and Campbell jump in their chairs. Candace. Darling. Open the door. We need to talk. The mother’s voice came through loud and clear. “Mandy, I’ve gotta go. But I love you. This too shall pass, right?” Her voice trembled.

“I love you.” Amanda sniffled.

“Bye.” Candace whispered, then they both hung up.

Campbell pulled up to the mic. He bit his lip, then started talking. “Love has no age limit. You can be 8, or 80. Gender doesn’t matter. Neither does color, creed, race, or religion. It’ll get the bearded imam as well as the political punk rocker woman hanging out in the corner. It could hit you after 10 years, or just after 10 minutes -” he gave Sandra a look that warmed her - “but that doesn’t diminish its power. Time means nothing to it, since it stops time, or makes it move too fast to count…” he sighed. He wasn’t used to extemporizing about serious things. “Love is an act of creation in and of itself. It makes something out of nothing. Makes peace out of chaos…” He ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s a miracle that we sometimes run the danger of taking for granted. Candace, Amanda, I wish you the best of luck. For that matter, I wish all of you out there true love, and the peace that comes from it. Good night.”

Teddy walked into the broadcast room. “That was fucking exciting. Great show, mate.” He averted his gaze when he saw Sandra. She’d forgotten she was half naked. Campbell held up her coat so she could put it on.

“Thanks for giving us a bit of privacy, Teddy,” she said as she tied the sash around her waist.

“Oh, no problem. I promise I didn’t peek.”

“Right,” she said, and smiled at him. He blushed.

“I’ll be on my way, then.” He walked out and closed the door.

Campbell put on his coat and walked her out of the building. She hailed a cab.

“Do you want to come over now? Not wait ‘till the morning?”

“What about Reggie?”

“He’s deep into his third Valentine’s date by now, and not in our flat.”

“Then I’d love to.” He stepped into the cab after her. They sat down, and Campbell took her hand in his. “So, the third date of the night, huh?”

“Reggie is not a believer of monogamy.”

“So the other dudes know about each other, and don’t care?”

“Yep. He’s a juggler, but he’s honest from the jump. It fascinates me what he can get away with. I hope this doesn’t sound sexist, but I often wonder whether it’s a male thing.”

“No offense taken. I’ll speak for myself and say that it sounds like something I’d never want to do. One at a time is plenty.” He squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

“Sure. For now. Just as soon as you get a bit more famous and the high quality trim starts showing up, you might change your mind.” She smiled too hard at him. The words didn’t feel natural. He noticed.

“Trim? You’re something else,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “I’m fairly certain this imaginary influx of radio personality groupies will not change my mind. I like to feel something for the person I’m bedding. Does that make me old-fashioned? Maybe. I don’t care.”

She was glad it was dark in the cab. She was blushing furiously. She felt like a jerk.

She opened the door and let him in, flipping on the switch that turned on the fairy lights she’s taped to wall in swirling patterns that day.

“Ooh, pretty!” he said, bouncing comically and clapping his hands.

“Shut up.” She walked to her kitchenette and opened a bottle of wine. He walked up behind her and pulled her trench coat off, kissing her neck.

“Fuck the wine.” she turned around and kissed him hard, wrapping her leg around his waist. She sucked his lower lip and moaned. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

“This looks like the good stuff. Why we gotta be in such a hurry? Let’s enjoy these lights,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear and kissing the tip of her nose.

Had she upset him with her stupid comments earlier?

“Okay. Sure.”

He found two jelly glasses in the mess on the counter and poured, then sat at her coffee table. He looked beautiful in the pale gold light. She stared from the threshold of the living room.

He patted the floor beside him. “Come on. Let’s toast.”

She sat down and raised her glass. “Toast away. You’re the one with the beautiful words.”

“Am I?”

“Absolutely. The only toasts I know are ‘down the hatch’, ‘to your health’, or my personal favorite, ‘to your nipples.’”

He laughed and kissed her lips lightly, an easy gesture that took her breath away. “Okay then. Let me think. To...the miracle of love. It makes something so beautiful out of nothing. Thank you for giving of yourself to me of openly, trusting me.You’ve made these last six weeks the best holiday season I’ve ever had. And I hope there’s much more to come.”

Her eyes filled with tears. She grabbed the jelly glass before he could drink.

“Those girls. They were no more than high school students. But they were so sure. I could hear it in their voice. Children, and they knew. And one a preacher’s daughter to boot. What balls.”

“I felt that too. Brave, the both of them.”

“It won’t be easy for them. Not at first. If they even go through with it.”

“It never is. The world is antagonistic to lovers. To love in general. Them’s the facts,” he said, shrugging.

“It never is,” she repeated. “Campbell, I-”

He squeezed her hands. “You can take your time. I’m here. I’ll wait till you’re ready-”

“I’m in love with you.”

His eyes flashed in the semi-darkness. “Sandra, I-”

She cut him off. “Please let me finish. I know that this started out as a sex thing - and the sex is fanfuckingtastic - but you’ve become so much more to me. You’re so kind, and clever and you seem to follow my weird train of thought without my having to explain myself...and I know what you’ve been through - what you’re going through now - and you will go through until whenever, and I don’t care. I love you. Madly. You’re my muse. I’ve never painted better. At this rate I’ll fill a gallery by June. And it’s okay if you don’t quite feel the same. I don’t care. I want you to know it. Just...stay. I won’t pressure you into anything. I can love enough for the both of us.”

He hugged her, tight, until her breathing slowed.

“Dee,” he said in her ear. “That silly little speech at work. The toast. Isn’t it obvious?”

“What? Reggie’s told me more than once I can’t see the forest for the trees,” she said, straddling him.

“That I’m in love with you. How could I not? You’re my peace. That, and in awe of the way you look at me. I feel...like a proper part of the human race. It’s magic.”

She sniffled and tucked her face into his neck, hugging him tight.

“My brown-eyed girl…” he whispered into her hair. “Let’s go to bed.”

“Do you have candles?” he said.

“Come on, Cam. Do we really need all that?”

She started to take off her dress, but he held her arms down. “I’ll do that. But first, candles. You’re the artsy type. You have to have at least a couple lying around.”

“Gimme a sec.” Reggie had enough candles to light a cathedral. She ran into his bedroom and grabbed an armful of glass candles and dropped them gently on her bed. “Your wish is my command.” She handed him a lighter.

He put them around the bed and lit them. He was an Italian Renaissance beauty of a man, especially around the eyes and nose. Her fingers twitched to draw him in this light.

“I recognize that look,” he said, giving her a crooked grin. “The artist longs for her tools, but she’ll have to wait.”

He knelt in front of her and pulled her dress slowly over her head. She wore a bra to match the pearl mesh panties, but he wanted her naked. His hands moved from her breasts to her hips, and he hooked the panties in his fingers and pulled them off. He bowed his head to her breast and bit gently at the mesh until her nipple stretched it. Then, he sucked it through the cloth, flicking his tongue over it while pinching her other nipple hard. She buried her hands in his thick hair and seeped wetness on her sheets.

He unclasped her bra and took one of her breasts into his mouth, hungrily sucking at her flesh while his tongue swirled on her hardened bud. She unbuttoned his pants and wrapped her hand around him. She sighed at the living weight of him. Somehow, he felt more because he was hers.

He stood and stripped quickly as she scooted back to the pillows and spread enticingly for him.

God, he loved when she did that.

He crawled between her legs and pulled them around his hips. “I just want to kiss you.” He said, and sucked on her lower lip. He nuzzled her neck and kissed down to her clavicle. “Everywhere. In every way.”

“Do it,” she said.

He kissed down to her breasts, just soft little kisses around her hard nipples but never touching. He kissed down the shelf of her ribs, then bit gently at her sides until she giggled and squirmed. He swirled his tongue down to her mound. She spread, but he licked the wetness off her thighs and kissed slowly up each thigh to the knee and back. Her throbbing flesh warmed his cheeks when he got to the fork of her legs, but he resisted the urge to lick her, regardless of her pleading.

“Get on your stomach,” he said. She obeyed quickly. He kissed her instep, then moved up her leg, biting her calf and tickling the back of her knees to watch her ass jiggle with laughter as he spread her legs. He licked, then kissed the little seam between thigh and ass, then bit softly at her jiggling flesh until she moaned into her pillow.

“I thought you said kisses,” she said. Her voice was rough with desire.

“I’m kissing too,” he said, placing a soft kiss on each cheek and moving up to the small of her back. He licked the sweat there and kissed up the valley until he reached her neck. His cock slid easily between her legs and nestled between her pussy lips. She moved her hips, making him groan in her ear.

“Enough teasing. I want you.” She trembled beneath him.

“It’s never enough,” he said and lay beside her. “Come on.” He patted his shoulders. “Knees here.”

“Yes, sir,” she said. She straddled his head and leaned down to his cock, taking him in her mouth. She took his balls in her hand, gently caressing, kneading the tender flesh, then licked them.

“Fuck.”

He tried to lick her, but she held his head in place with her thighs.

“Stop. Lemme have a taste.”

She wiggled her butt. She dripped to his upturned face, but her grip was firm. “I thought there was never enough teasing.” Her broad tongue moved up his shaft, leaving a trail of saliva that she used to jerk him off. She wrapped her lips around the crown of his cock and swirled her tongue until he bucked.

“Please.” His plaintive tone made her giggle into him.

“Ummmmm…” she took him to the back of her throat. The vibration made his toes curl. She slurped up his shaft, then sucked gently at his foreskin. “No.” She played with him, pulling his foreskin back and forth over the crown of his cock with her lips alone. She tasted precum and hummmmmd into him… then got off him.

He tried to scoot down between her legs, but she pulled him up and on top of her. She caressed him and gave him a tender look.

“I want to come with you inside me. Can we do that?”

He grabbed blindly at her night table, where he knew she kept condoms. He ripped the package and nearly fumbled it trying to get it on.

She chuckled. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.” She helped him smooth it on and lay back. “Come here, boy.”

He lay on top of her, but the mood changed. They sank into each each. All she could see was his eyes, lit by flickering candlelight. Warmth rose from her belly to her heart in growing waves as he moved slowly inside her. She was surrounded by him, connected by flesh and feelings.

Is this what people spoke of when they said ‘make love’?

She thought it was a fusty term. Something repressed adults used to avoid saying fuck.

But she was a fool.

It hurt, but in the most beautiful way. A tear actually dripped on her temple, but he kissed it away before it wet her hair. She caressed the hair from his face and saw the light break in his eyes as well.

“Cam...” she kissed him, hard, and soon the cherry sweetness of his saliva was cut by the salt of their mixed tears. They rocked into each other, multiplying each other’s pleasure, breathing each other’s breath, chest to chest until they spun out together. Their shared cries and his bucking brought her back to herself.

They stayed connected and silent for goodness knows how long. When he finally withdrew, she hiccupped and hugged him closer.

“What just happened?”

He still trembled with emotion. “I don’t know, but it was-”

“Love magic. We made love magic.” Her heart still raced in her chest. “Did you feel...connected? Really, connected?”

He nuzzled her cheek.”Yeah. But more. Like we were both connecting to something much bigger.”

“Do you think God exists?”

He chuckled. “This is pretty deep for pillow talk.”

“My mom isn’t very religious, and I’ve never really been interested, but...I felt something, Cam. I swear to you, I did.”

“I hope you did,” he said, kissing her neck. “If not, I’m a failure.”

“Never.” She stared at him as he got out of bed to clean himself and blow out most of the candles. He put on his underwear and sat by her.

“Do you want to draw me now?”

She ran her fingertips down his chest. It was still mottled with sex flush. “No. You, in this moment, are mine and mine alone. I refuse to share.”

He lay beside her, and she kissed the salt from his cheeks and stuck her tongue out. “You cried.”

“I did. This is all new to me. Love, and the making of it.”

“Those fusty adults were keeping secrets,” she said.

“What?” he kissed her shoulder.

“Nothing. Just thinking aloud.” She raised her head to look at him.

“Did it hurt?”

She didn’t need to explain further. “No. I felt full of love, ecstatic. But the knowledge that the feeling would end hurt.”

“Exactly. Everything ends.”

He held her closer. “But it’s okay. We can do it again.” He kissed her. Even his kisses had changed. They were deeper, more tender.

She sat up suddenly. “What time is it?”

“3:20 am. Why?”

“Ooh, just in time!” She rolled out of bed and put on some jeans and a t-shirt.

“Come back here. I’m not done with you yet.”

“We can put a pin in that. But now, we feast.”

“And they said I’m the mad one. What are you talking about?”

She threw his jeans at him. “There is a bakery a couple of blocks away that will open in just 10 short minutes.”

“And?” He was reluctant to get out of bed.

“Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, in which bakeries all over the country make tasty love-themed biscuits, pies, and cakes which they don’t always sell…”

His eyes narrowed. “Ohhh.” He dressed quickly.

They stepped out into an early morning washed clean by rain.

“How did we not even notice?” she said.

He took her hand and waited for her to guide him. “We were extremely distracted. Take me to the treats,” he said.

They walked in silence for several blocks. It was a new thing, but nice. They felt no need to entertain each other. They could exist, and enjoy each other’s existence.

“I love the streets at night after a rain,” she said after a while.

“The streets turn to mirrors,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She stopped and looked down. “Look at you and I. Just a couple of saps.”

“Naw. The perfect reflection of a happy couple.”

“You do have a way of wording things so much better than I do,” she said, pulling him in for a kiss.

CHAPTER 6 ALL THINGS MUST FALL APART So New years day I send him this beautiful message about how much I like him and how I'll always have his back never leave his side and how I miss him and can't wait to see him and talk to him and make him my first kiss of 2016 and my last. Like it was super cute and nice. Of course, I went to church and stayed holy. Except when I left there I went to my best friend her mom wasn't home so we was too lit but all of these happy new year messages were rolling in from all these people I really didn't care about and not one text yet from my world “joe” so The next morning I wake up and go to this brunch with the best friend still no text from nit even a thank you. So then I feel in my stomach he did something is wrong and I was scared because I knew he did something stupid. So I go home and take a nap because I had a pretty bad headache and I was stressing so I needed a nap and took some medication. so i wake up like 7:00pm and read this horrible message from him stating “So my old friend with benefits from the summer that I was telling you about came to the party and she told me she wasn't in love with after all she was just saying it because she thought that's how I felt so I have known her longer than you and she wrote me this long message and I fell so bad so I'm going go back to her I'm sorry please don't just shut down on me and say K please tell me how you feel.” So as soon as I start reading this message I burst into tears and cry my eyes out like I knew it was coming I could feel it in my stomach I had never cried so hard over a guy before in my life. My usual attitude was ok bye you wasn't special on to the next but I had actually got caught upper once in my lie I was stuck. So I text him back Saying “ wow I must be the stupidest girl in the whole world I really thought you were different you made me feel beautiful on my darkest days and now you're causing one of my darkest days what kind of shit is that. How are you going to just announce to me you going back to this chick she doesn't own you. So what you known her longer i make you happy she is literally lying just to get you back how am i supposed to feel you literally just gave up on me for nothing all I have been to you is loyal because literally I could have gone out with this guy from my church named DeMarco and he really liked me and had just got back from basic training at the time and really wanted to go out and do something and I turned him down because I know you would have been upset. I had told him the story of DeMarco before hand and how we talked for a while then he laid a move on me right before he left and I really fell for him but I gave up on him because he was gone and Joe was there and you are blowing it for what some hoe that doesn't even really wanna be intimate with you, she just likes claiming you. Not saying that I was definitely going to be just saying knowing that she really wasn't should have been enough. how was i supposed to feel about you doing i was supposed to just be oh cool like what no you know how much I like you this is hurting me so much right now I can't even think straight.” so it was hours before he responded and I had to sent several more messages by then. So he calls me on FaceTime and I'm still crying. so I'm sitting in the dark in my room he is in his closet folding clothes and looks somewhat upset almost as if he was crying too. so he starts trying to explain so I guess I would understand then we began to talk and he realizes he is way more attracted to me and he has made a mistake and he needs to tell her he can't do it so he promises me he's going to fix this and everything was going be ok and stuff so I believed him because I loved him and trusted him biggest mistake of my life.

CHAPTER 7 TRYING MAKE IT WORK so my youth leader texted me telling me that we had a youth session coming up and to bring a friend and my little sister Karla really wanted me to ask him to come because she really hit it off with him from my birthday party. At this time Me and Karla were going through a lot because the pastor had just died but it was way harder for me. I was really close to him we shared a birthday and he is an amazing man and he was a blessing to anyone's life that he had a part in. losing him made 2016 very hard alone but joe was there for me every step of the way and I thought that made him an even better candidate to go with me to youth session. So he gets dropped off at an hour before hand so we can chill together before we go so where just in my family room on the couch cuddling. Then my mom walks downstairs and I stress how we are never really alone and it bothers me. So when were about to leave my mom leaves us both in the house and tells me to put the alarm on so he comes around the corner and we kiss then I put the alarm and we go outside we were supposed to just be friends at this time but I didn't care I wasn't thinking about that other girl all I wanted was to kiss the guy that I loved so iIdid.So we get to church devas there so she's happy to see him he meets my youth leader Erin and they really hit it off. Then I came to realize I fell for a cooler Erin they were just alike just I could talk to joe about anything and he was my age so I was so mad at myself but I got over it anyways. We got in the car to take him home and didn't realize we were taking him home until we turned into his neighborhood so at that point I and my mom determined he was a little slow but I thought it was ok. But going to youth session somewhat helped our relationship to a good amount the next week at school we were in the yearbook room before the fourth block because he would always walk me to class and we kissed and he held my hand as we walked down the hallway and shock it made it clear that he never does that and he was going to get the lipstick of his face anyways he was so loud the girl in my fourth block that was crazy in love with him heard and saw us and man oh man did things get crazy. She started telling me the whole story of them and how he was so sweet and would call her all the time and all that but would never you know wife she and she warned me it would never work out he would never have anything serious with me because all does is play with girls feelings. so, of course, I had to prove her wrong so he would walk me to class just about every day and almost every day in class she would ask how we were doing and tried to throw facts out about him trying to see how well I knew him it got annoying. Then at one point in class we got new seats and I was in between her and one of my good friends steve and I was talking to him about something me and joe had done and we were just laughing then she hopped up in the conversation like oh my gosh really you are crazy and punches my arm like we were friends which are nowhere near true could have lit her on fire with my eyes. But she wasn't the only wild female I had to deal with this year because of him but I will get to that. CHAPTER 8  ITS VALENTINE TIME So then were going into the beginning of February so obviously, I was going make him my so call valentine because in our school if I would have made any other nigga my valentine I would be a hoe. So I got stuff for joe jewel and my Ex best friend. So I was debating if I wanted to get him something since everything that happened and the fact that he didn't get me anything for Christmas. But me being me I had to get him something. So for jasmine I made like a cute little bag gave her necklace I picked out a cute note and baked cookies. She loved it and she bought me this cute teddy bear and Nutella because she knew I loved Nutella so I was so happy and I loved her so much for it. So I got joe a underarmer headband for when he plays basketball because he sweats a lot. I also wrote him a long letter and ended it with I love you. But each letter I did I spelled out their names with character trait words that describe them and he got cookies and another pair of graphic socks as well. So I gave it to him that Friday before Valentine's Day at school. So later that day he saw me walking around with the bear jasmine got me and he stopped me and was like the one I got is bigger for u I was like sure it is and laughed it off. So Saturday was Valentine's Day and I was going to my friend mary house and her boyfriend was coming over and we were going to joe house because his parents were going out of town and his sister was probably leaving so I could get my gift on Valentine's and see me, Valentine. So, of course, he messed up the move because he decided to go out with his sister instead of being with me on Valentine's Day . So we get back to school on Monday I thought he was jus going bring the bear then but nooo he didn't want people on his bus and his friends making comments. This is my thing he claims he doesn't care what people think but he's extremely afraid of showing any type of love or affection in public because obviously, he cares what people think but whatever anyways. So I don't actually get this bear until Wednesday night after Valentine's Day. And I know what you guys are thinking he went and got on sale, no no no he had sent me a picture of it on Valentine's Day at his house he not cheap just heartless at times. So what made him finally come and bring it to my house was a comment my dad said. He was like if he was trying come over here and get some sex he would have found a way asap but that's boys for you. My dad was saying as a joke joe isn't like that anyways well at least not with me, so he wanted to prove him wrong so he showed up the next day "Wednesday" so when I got the bear I was so happy. It was this huge tan bear holding a red heart. The best part the bear smelled like him. He had this Cologne he always wore when he was around me and I loved it. So he actually bought me chocolate as well but my dad and mom ate all of them but I was told they were good. But I was so in love and blinded by it, it was so bad I even started sleeping with the bear and I thought it was ok to trust him again because it seemed like he was putting in as much effort that he possibly could. But honestly what women wouldn't fall more in love with a man they already loved before because he trying harder. CHAPTER 9 THEIR FAMILY WORTHY So now we are coming upon march and it was my grandmother 70th birthday coming up so I asked him to go with me and my Ex best friend because I thought these two people would never turn their backs on me and loved me I was sadly mistaken. So on FaceTime I told him the day and time of the party and what time I wanted him to come to my house so we could be there by a certain time. I a lot of my family was going be there and meet him and everything but one of the most important women in my life were meeting him this day so I was nervous again. Let me tell you about my grandmother she's loving but she we tell it how it is and you know if she doesn't like you. So again what if she doesn't like him or thinks he isn't the one but I hid my fear and prayed for the best.    The day of the party came my best friend spent the night before over my house to make sure she would be ready on time. So got to 2:00 and I haven't even heard from joe so I got scared because sometimes he will sleep for almost all day. like one time i didn't hear from him for like two days and he was literary sleep the whole time i thought he might have been dead or worst. thank god he wasn't he just helped his aunt move so he was really tired fell asleep as soon as he got home and didn't get up until Sunday. yes, I overreacted but I was concerned and I was just getting to know him so I didn't know he did stuff like that but I surely did learn fast. so mom is getting pissed yelling at me talking about where going be late and it's going mess up the surprise so I'm calling him blowing up his phone he finally responds with a ‘wassup’ i tell him you were supposed to be at my house at 2:00 where are you? he responds “no you said 3:00 and I'm in the house playing the game.” So we start arguing no that's when the party starts told you 2:00. So he says I'm going to get in the shower I will get a ride up there with sean. So I get this text when I'm in the car and I'm pissed by this point because my parents are made to me now because of him. but i get the text and respond i told you sean had to work. with the straight face emoji i wanted to tell him forget shove your damn phone where the sun don't shine I'm over it. But me being me I kept with the plan and told him ask your mom to bring you and i sent him the address to the restaurant. So I guess he puts in his phone and realizes that the restaurant is 45 minutes away and he's like dang my mom not getting home from the hairdresser until 3:00 so I'm going be late. so at this point, I'm so irritated and I'm just like that's fine just come, please. So then he is like 15 minutes away and he's like what does your family know about us I tell him not much and it doesn't matter either way. My best friend was like why is he worried about that if he doesn't care what people think. And that got really thinking like what's the issue but whatever. So he finally gets there his mom drops him off. But for like 10 minutes before he even got there he texted me telling me I'm here I'm outside so I get up ad go outside to meet him say hi to his mom and everything. So stood out there cold for a while and he still didn't offer to introduce us so I just left it alone waved to her and took him inside and we sat down at the table. At my table it was me joe and my best friend at the time. But if my brother would have made it he would have been at my table as well. I was ready for him to meet my brother and my brother tells bit like it is so that shows how serious I was about him. However, my brother had just got jumped a few days ago out front of my grandmother's house for some dumb stuff so his face was pretty messed up and he didn't want to steal my grand mother's thunder so he stayed home. You know how it is you walk into a family event like that everyone gets to asking question. but the table next to us was my mom dad and grandfather. Well, he is my step-grandfather but he is the only grandfather I have ever had because my others were gone to be with the lord before I was born. A lot of my family members I never got to meet because they were taken away from this earth way too soon.I never got to meet my older brother because he was murdered in the streets of DC I wonder to this day if he was around would I have put up with half of the things Joe put me though. But back to the story so I was sitting their mad but telling joe the juicy facts and stuff about my family and then me him and the best friend where having a nice convo then I asked joe if he wanted me to introduce him to my grandmother. he said yes and he knew how much my grandmother means to me. I told him before about my grandmother and how if you meet her you are not going anywhere. I'll tell you a little about my grandmother or at least what I told him about my grandmother. She is my inspiration sometimes she has been through so much and overcame so much. She had her first child at sixteen and continued to have them she had four of her own but raised eight because she looked in other peoples children. My grandfather steps out on her and brought home a baby and she took care of that child like it was her own. She has had multiple accidents surgery’s and I have been there for most. She overcame drinking and smoking. She is now in church almost every Sunday and if you ever need her you can always call her and you know no matter what she will love you and support you. This woman has 14 metal clips on her neck that she will live with for there of her life, but yet she lives her life the way she wants to live it and doesn't let anyone hold her back. That's why I love my grandmother she's a fighter and she has put that in all of her children, grandchildren and grandchildren we fight back and we do what we want for ourselves we don't depend on anybody. So back to the story, we walked over and I said” “grandma this is my friend joe “he said, “nice to meet you happy birthday” she says “I'm your grandmother” which meant she excepted him so I was happy and I thought nothing could mess up that night. My grandmother was so funny too when he walked away my grandmother said “who's that girl at the table with you with the messed up hair?” so I tell her that is my best friend grandmother you have met her before. she says “Oh I didn't know what's that mess in her hair it looked way better before I just laughed and walked away.    so we go and get in the car so we can go home and chill and all i wanted was to go home and cuddle with him. So we get in the car and my best friend gets in the middle of me and joe i didn't think it was a big deal but my mom definitely did and asked me about it later because she felt like i should have been next to him but whatever. So where in the car on the way back and I look over and I see him typing long paragraphs to somebody so I automatically think that other girl. yes, it's very wrong to assume things but oh well so I get mad and put in my headphones and start listening to Shy Glizzy because I really was ready to pop off because if was her he was catching these damn hands I swear to God. So we got in the house me and my best friend went to my room changed I put on sweats and a hoodie because I was getting ready to beat his ass. So we go to my basement and everyone knows that comes to my house my basement is my hang out area, So where down there my best friend goes and hops on face time with her boyfriend at the time he was my friend Noah I put them on with each other. But look so they started dating or whatever and had a whole bunch of problems with parents and everything else then she comes to me starts telling me about all these guys she flirting with at work how she getting rides and free food them. At first, I thought it was fine because it was nothing behind it then she comes out of nowhere with a list of guys 3 or 4 guys they show considering messing with before actually getting serious with Noah. however, I already knew Noah was in love with her so I didn't know what to tell him and break his little heart or let him get burned bad and kill us all. Noah is a sweet young man but he has a real temper. so i decided to just tell him and that was the downfall of me and my best friends relationship but they tried to work it out then i find out that she has gone on my phone got this guy snap that she knows i talk to from time to time sends him some pictures or something called her cute. So she went and through in my face like yeah called me cute I went and texted him like aren't you trying to win me back why would you go and call my best friend cute. he explains I only said it because she was your friend you was in one of the pictures with her. At that moment I was mad I wanted to beat her ass on the spot you don't leave out details like that so after that she started saying she couldn't take me anymore and that I thought she took everything from me I thought that was hilarious I got more things this summer alone that you ever have in your whole lifetime including friendships and men but it's not even because she's ugly or anything she just has horrible attitude i was tired of putting up with it and nobody understood why I ever did so I gave up and I have felt like weight has been lifted off my shoulders. She was a toxic friend all she ever did was knock me so I'm better without that always in my ear. The whole time means joe where a thing she was always being mean a negative and that never helps anyone. But anyways I and joe are just on the couch cuddling his hand was on my butt a little bit it was nice he got excited again. so then the best friend left. so we were just cuddling and kissing then we stopped and we started talking about the future and i started crying and he just stopped and was like whats wrong I'm scared of the future I'm going lose you I don't wanna lose you I want you to be the father of my children my husband all of that I can't even imagine what I would do if something were to happen to you because I love you. then he said do you love me or are you in love with me, this is where I messed up I should have said I'm in love with you but instead I said I just love you. I said could you even imagine if something happened to me if I died he almost started crying thinking about it and realized he loved me too but he wanted to go out and be a hoe and explore and loving me wouldn't change that but he promise he would always be a part of my life but that was a lie. so we were just sitting there talking and his phone go off and it's his little sister and he explains how he was texting his friend in the car and how he was helping her through her problems yes he knew that she liked him at one point in time but he promised her he would always be in her life as a friend and to help her. I was like aw that's sweet so his mom text him saying she's on her way so we go upstairs my tears are all on his shirt so where sitting in my family room just talking and thinking about life so his mom pulls up we go to the door he says I'm not going be able to talk to you tonight because gotta check on those two friends but I'll call you Sunday night I said ok he stopped so I could kiss him on the cheek then he left. but i realized he was texting his one friend named jane and he didn't  say anything about it but I gave him the benefit of the doubt because he promised me he did like her.