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gotham-ruaidh · 1 month

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Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass)|| Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round)|| Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger)|| Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) || Chapter 6B (Without You) || Backstage (4) || Chapter 7 (Stick To Your Guns) || Chapter 8 (Time For Change) || Backstage (5) || Chapter 9 (Take Me To The Top) || Backstage (6) || Chapter 10 (Home Sweet Home) || Backstage (7) || Chapter 11a (Nightrain) || Chapter 11b (Nothing Else Matters) || Chapter 12a (Handle With Care) || Chapter 12b (I’m So Tired of Being Lonely) || Chapter 13a (Angel) || Chapter 13b (She’s My Addiction) || Chapter 13c (Patience) || Chapter 14a (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 14b (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 14c (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 15a (Dreams) || Chapter 15b (I Sing A Song of Love) || Chapter 15c (You Can Do This If You Try) || Chapter 16 (Let That Feeling Grab You Deep Inside || Chapter 17A: Never Tear Us Apart || Chapter 17B: It’s Tough To Be Somebody, And It’s Hard Not To Fall Apart || Chapter 17C: I’m Wishing, Lord, That I Was Stoned || Chapter 18: Turn The Page || Chapter 19A: When You’re Alone, Do You Let Go? || Chapter 19B: Heading For A Spin ||| Also posted at AO3

Chapter 20A: I Don't Need Nothing When I'm By Your Side

So hold me close, better hang on tight Buckle up, baby, it's a bumpy ride We're two kids hitching down the road of life Our world, our fight

-- “Born To Be My Baby,” Bon Jovi (1988) [click here to listen]

North Carolina || February 1989

Jamie frowned, looking back and forth between the shelf he’d just put together and the three unpacked boxes of books (two marked CLAIRE, one marked JAMIE).

Would she like them organized alphabetically by author? Genre? Size?

He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. Or perhaps she wanted medical books in her workroom? And maybe he could put his music books on the cabinet in his studio –

“There you are.”

He hadn’t heard Claire pad into the room – at some point they would need to get throw rugs to protect the gorgeous old hardwood floors – and smiled as she effortlessly stepped into his embrace.

They held each other for a long moment – his lips against her hair, her face buried in the safety of his neck.

Almost three months since the acoustic tour had ended, the night before Claire’s birthday. About six weeks since they had closed on their dream house, nestled against a mountain in the forests of North Carolina, not too far from The Ridge. And about two weeks since the items in storage – from her packed-up apartment in Boston, and his packed-up house in Los Angeles – had arrived.

The property had everything they needed. Privacy and solitude, of course. An old barn that they were using as a garage for Jamie’s motorcycle and cars. The house – an old cabin, really, dating from the 1800s and which had been lovingly expanded over the years – was perfect. A spacious living room, complete with the original stone fireplace. An eat-in kitchen, with newly replaced appliances. Two small rooms off the back that were now his music studio and her workroom – spaces to pursue their interests. A modestly-sized master bedroom. And a small extra bedroom – which for now was for guests, though God willing would be a nursery very soon.

Claire had insisted on doing two things quickly, before spending their time unpacking all the boxes.

The first was to hang his six gold and two platinum records in his studio – and he agreed, after he had hung her framed medical school diploma on the wall of her workroom.

The second was to install the fax machine on the bare floor of the studio – which, together with the phone, was their only link to the outside world.

For as much as they isolated themselves in this beautiful, peaceful place – the world pushed along without them.

In March, they would leave for L.A. and three weeks of rehearsals with the band. Maybe play a few small gigs in clubs on the Sunset Strip – Jamie had always wanted to do that. And in April, they’d fly to Europe, and kick off the tour that had swelled to 120 dates and stretched into 1990.

Colum was busier than ever – finalizing logistics, negotiating with local promoters, running interference with the suits from the label, upgrading the concerts from arenas to soccer stadiums. He had a conference call with the band every Tuesday – with Ian calling in from Lallybroch in upstate New York, and Angus from various resort spots in Mexico and the Caribbean (“I can’t believe Charlotte and Molly haven’t worn him out yet,” Jamie had mused to Claire one day. She had only shrugged and said, “they take care of each other”). Colum would always have a punchlist of decisions for the band – OK to book studio time during the week off in Scandinavia in July? The roadies couldn’t figure out the pyro setup without the band, OK to wait until rehearsals? They would need to film at least three music videos, which one could be a live performance? – and follow up with decisions in a fax sent later that day.

Jamie had been clear with Colum that he had three conditions for the tour: that Claire would be with him, that Raymond would be traveling with the band, and that the same no alcohol/drugs/groupies rule from the acoustic tour would carry through to this tour. Of course Colum had agreed. Just as he’d agreed to make provisions for Jenny to periodically fly out to visit Ian, and for Angus to always have a suite with two bathrooms to keep his girlfriends happy.

Claire and Jamie knew that this tour would be difficult, for so many different reasons. But they would be better prepared this time, to draw strength from each other, and to have Raymond for support. And maybe, just maybe they would return home from Europe with the best souvenir of all…

“Another fax from Colum,” Claire murmured after a long while.

Jamie snorted against her hair. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or annoyed.”

“I do admire how hard he’s working for you and for the band. And how much he’s keeping all of you in the loop on the decisions he’s making. He doesn’t want any surprises.”

“I’d imagine not. The amount of bullshit he has to be putting up with right now must be insane. I just hope he doesn’t crack.”

“He never said if he’s bringing Tricia on the tour.” Tricia – Colum’s wife of more than ten years. She stood a head taller than her husband, still impossibly beautiful in her late thirties, smiling for every frown on her husband’s face. Claire had only met her once – couldn’t say she really knew her – but she knew enough about her.

How she had first met Colum at a party in 1970, when he was a roadie for Led Zeppelin and she was part of a gaggle of groupies that held court at the Riot House in L.A.

How, when she and her girlfriends joined the Led Zep tour the following summer, he had punched out the lighting guy at the Cow Palace in San Francisco when he heard the guy didn’t understand what Tricia meant by saying “no”.

How Geordie Ash – the reporter who had put Jamie (and, in a way, Claire) on the map last year with that Rolling Stone article – had sent flowers to her hotel room every day for a month during Led Zeppelin’s 1973 U.S. tour. Not knowing, of course, that she was allergic to lilies – or how Colum, who knew more about her by that point than he cared to admit, had wordlessly disposed of them for her, every day that month.

“I don’t think she likes to tour.” Jamie’s thumb traced lazy circles on the skin of Claire’s back. “Too many bad memories.”

If you asked any rock journalist or musician who had found Alex MacGregor – assistant to Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant – dead in his Seattle hotel room in the spring of 1975, they would all say quite confidently that it had been Colum Laird, who by that point had advanced to lead Zeppelin’s touring crew.

But a handful of people – Peter Grant, and Colum, and Jamie, and now Claire – knew the truth.

Tricia woke up, Alex cold beside her in bed, a needle in his arm. The only thing she knew to do was slip quietly down the hall, tumbling into Colum’s room…and finally, his arms. Where she had remained ever since.

“I couldn’t imagine being away from you for so long.” Claire sighed. “I don’t know how they make it work.”

Jamie shrugged. “They love each other very deeply. They fixed the broken pieces in each other. And now she has the two boys to keep her busy.” He kissed her forehead. “Something for us to aspire to, perhaps. What’s in the fax?”

She held it out for him to read. Sharing a smile at Colum’s scrawl.

J+C: I’m not calling because I interrupted enough moments between you on tour and I’ll probably do it again this year. I don’t have Raymond’s info pls have him get in touch so we have a copy of his credentials and the travel agent can make all arrangements for Europe. I got the label to foot the bill for his travel meals and hotels, convinced them it’s a business expense, you’re welcome. Stay out of trouble. Colum.

“We’ll have him give Colum a call after he arrives this afternoon,” Jamie mused, folding the fax and sliding it into the back pocket of his jeans.

Claire nodded. “The guest room is all ready. And I’m glad Dougal and Gillian and William will be here tomorrow – I’m so happy they’re so close by.”

Jamie squeezed her shoulder, and released her. “As am I. Now, I have a question for you about these books…”

#outlander #outlander fanfic #jamie and claire #little bit better than i used to be

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blockbustersgang · 2 years

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Non-scheduled Motherhood Story

Happy Mothers Day!

As a celebration to all mothers working in film we're sharing Iiris' experience of becoming a mom last year 2021 - spending 6 months of her pregnancy filming abroad...

1ST TRIMESTER

I’ve just started filming in Sweden. We’re working on a post-apocalyptic feature - largest I’ve had on my plate so far - and there’s a lot of moving elements. Though most of the projects are hectic and stressful at some point I’m surprised of how nauseous I’m feeling in the first weeks as I’ve never reacted to stress like that. We’re suspecting catering isn’t offering me gluten free food (I’ve got a celiac disease) and Aino is investigating this to keep me standing.

Our On-set Nurse Niki gets me a pregnancy test I take in the office bathroom in the middle of out stunt rehearsals before leaving to shooting location. After that she books me a visit to the doctors for the coming week and I start moving the crew for lunch completely ignoring the fact it looks like I’ve got some company in my body.

After around a week of getting things in order I’ve somehow accepted the fact of being abroad in the middle of a pandemic, surprisingly pregnant, without my boyfriend or basically anyone except my colleagues at work. Luckily they’re like a family - Aino handles everything with maternity clinic while I’m on set and books me a visit to sometime in April when we’re back in Finland.

Aino reading facts of having a baby.

Covid-19 makes the weird situation even harder as my nausea looks a lot like virus symptoms and visits to Sweden with quarantines etc. make travelling difficult. I end up telling of the pregnancy very early to the Director, DP and my own crew. Aino, 3rd AD Richard and Key Set PA’s Alex and Dessi keep me alive by sneaking in snacks and carrying my apple box around so I can sit down as much as possible.

I’m more tired than ever in my life. After getting back from set I’m laying on the hall floor of our apartment with all my clothes on for ages as it’s too much to even take my shoes off. I’m only getting by with pure mind force of not giving up on this project and my career - and a lot of good thoughts and help from my crew.

In the end of 1st trimester we’re filming on location up north and 12 hour night shoots on ice with freezing temperatures take a toll on me. Niki sends me home on our last filming day on crew call as I’m having difficulty on even standing up. I’m hitting a low point - can I finish this film? Can my body really be so unfair it takes this project from me?

2ND TRIMESTER

Still in Sweden - after getting back to Stockholm we only have a week of night shoots left. My boyfriend comes over with our dogs after finishing his film shoot in Estonia. It’s like having a 5-star hotel service at home. He cooks, cleans, washes our clothes (Aino shares my flat) and I get to lay on the floor again with my clothes on but getting a smoothie on my hand the minute I step in and having the dogs cuddling with me. Yes I can do this.

Last night shoot day we’re filming a long dialogue scene on a cliff by the sea with all actors sitting and talking for minutes. I’m falling asleep within every take, sinking in my huge jacket. It’s raining freezing slush and we’re all exhausted. I’m so very very happy we’re soon inside a dry studio.

However the worst day hits me in the studio - mask makes me even more nauseous in interior locations. I feel and hear the disappointment of my supervisors on me. They’re laying the cold facts on me: we just need to make it well. I agree saying if I’m not capable of doing it I see no other choice than getting someone else in. Luckily it’s just another low point and we get around it. My body is still allowing me some flex for the next weeks.

I’ve been revealing the pregnancy news to people in production when needed - luckily Niki takes care of lot of arrangements, talks through the new food limitations with catering and hides puke bags on my jacket pockets. I’m surprised how positive and encouraging especially the “big bosses” are. Only one person is suggesting me to instantly stop and step out. One out of dozens isn’t much.

After entering the 2nd trimester I announce to the whole crew that I’m pregnant and that’s the reason I look rather bad every now and then. I’m getting a lot more encouragement and support on learning how to be less impulsive - soon I’m not let to carry anything and have help on all possible things I could need. Though it feels weird and even unnecessary at times, I’m touched. It’s not once or twice that I’m the first one to jump in to help moving set pieces etc. by a habit and our grip yells me to get out of there.

I’m wrapping the project and returning to Helsinki on the 4th month of my pregnancy - and catch covid from the airport upon my arrival. What a treat! Suddenly me and my boyfriend are n a full-on quarantine for weeks. Nausea is slowly getting better fortunately so something’s easing up. I’m also seeing my family for the first time - in the mid-point of the whole process.

3RD TRIMESTER

Though I managed everything until now me and Emma agree I should not take any longer projects for the rest of the year. I’ve been working on a couple of short films and commercials and plan on “taking it easy” over the summer. Well - plans tent to change.

I’ve successfully declined a bunch of projects I really wanted to participate realising it wouldn’t just be schedule wise possible. I’ve had very deep discussions with myself on what’s important in life and why do I love film so much and how do I somehow work on all this together soon. I’m getting a call from - again! - Sweden late May and am asked to run a feel-good film over July and August in Stockholm and Gothenburg. I reply “I’d love to, but I’m due 16.9. so it’s difficult” and the PM answers “oh, 16.9, we can work with that”. Somehow I’m forgetting most of difficulties I had earlier when shooting a film daily and promise to join for prep and first three weeks of filming. Emma rolls her eyes as again I’ll suddenly be travelling to Sweden for 1,5 months, now 7-8 months pregnant, alone, to work.

As I’m now already very pregnant when entering the project experience is different than the earlier one. We’ve been very straight to everyone that it’s in universes hands on how capable I’m of things. Again I’m having the sweetest crew possible, gaffer keeps making sure I have a place to sit during each take and even Niki has returned to my life - she really is the fairy godmother if this child (and me)! I’m only missing the first 45 minutes of one day by visiting the local ER quickly to check if everything’s alright (it is). When coming back to the shoot I find our Director telling all actors I’m soon going into labour. He’s slightly disappointed I came back in one piece and no baby joined the crew yet. We all laugh at it.

On set with amazing Niki!

Once we wrap on my last day the Producer and her team have bought a lovely gift for both me and the coming baby. I’m filled with gratitude of having a chance to work on a team like this at this stage of my life. I’m truly feeling my career won’t be over soon.

After arriving back to Finland I’m working on a week long shoot of a Bulgarian film in Helsinki and then starting up a short film for 2 days before giving it on to another 1AD. My last day on set is 2,5 weeks before my due date by filling in for a sick 1st AD on a TV series shoot. Week before I’m teaching at Aalto University for 5 days - what a fantastic way to pass time waiting for something to happen!

BABY’S HERE! Our child came to this world 3 days late (time management genes obviously gotten from their DP daddy) and I’ve been at “home” for the last 8 months learning filmmaking isn’t as difficult as keeping energetic and sane with a newborn. To be honest I haven’t been missing work too much - everything’s been so incredibly intense I haven’t had the time to.

I’ve been lucky to make a slow and steady start - I’ve been lecturing at Aalto University, Academy of Moving People & Images and YLE (Finnish National Broadcaster) of my work for some hours, jumping to set for couple of days here and there besides completing few breakdowns and schedules. I’ve noticed being tired has new dimensions after becoming a parent and filmmaking in the side is quite a combination. I truly am the most tired I've ever been NOW.

The child has visited shoots, tech recces, premiere, lectures and HOD meetings with me - loves walkies and attention, but prefers less people and hassle. Balancing with them, 2 dogs, filmmaker-father, little productions and this company on the side --- well, let's say I understand why people call these "the rush years" in Finnish. Sometimes it feels great, sometimes I'm questioning all my choices in life leading to this moment. But I fully agree on the fact someone said to me last year on a low moment: "Having kids is the one and only thing in life you'll never regret."

Ending in this thought, raising a glass to all kids and parents on this lovely spring day: hurray for family first and moms who save our asses time and time again (my mom is the best, just to point that out)!

Lots of love,

Iiris

1st Assistant Director Co-Founder of BBG Lecturer & Film Teacher New, overwhelmed and confused mom

#blockbustersgang #womeninfilm #1staddiaries

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kakejiszka · 3 years

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Studio Fun

This is my first Jake smut, hope you enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: contains lots of smut, you have been warned.

After changing at least six times, you still hadn't chosen among the three set of clothes that were lying on your bed, surrounded by several other pieces of clothing that together created a mess in your entire room, that smelled like citrus, makeup and despair.

You couldn't help but tremble with anxiety at the sight of yourself in your lingerie in the mirror, after all, the occasion you were dressing for was unprecedented. Should you wear a fancy dress? A slutty short skirt? A rocker leather jacket?

You had hit the jackpot: after a few weeks going out with Jake, he had finally invited you to meet the studio where he and his band rehearsed every week. And furthermore, you would meet his brother Josh and Sam and their friend Danny for the first time. You were nervous, as shit was starting to get serious.

Jake was living rent free in your head. Since the first time you saw him, your standards for men had never been the same, after all, no one could surpass his beauty, talent and charisma. To top it all, he was so romantic: on the three times you went out together, he managed to surprise you even with the simplest things. On your first date, you had coffee together, but he gifted you white roses. On the second date, you two took a walk around the town and he held your hand the entire time. On the third date, where it's socially acceptable to have sex, he took you to a super fancy restaurant with wonderful food. You even wore a beatiful black dress and made sure to wear your best lingerie. But, despite taking you home and kissing you by the door (for the first time), that was it. Maybe he was shy, maybe he wasn't ready, but you couldn't help but feeling a bit disappointed for not spending the night with him.

You chose the skirt. If there was even the smallest chance of you seducing him that day, you were willing to try. You finished the look with a black tank top, which was so tight you didn't feel the need to wear a bra, an oversized jeans jacket and black boots. You applied some eyeliner and mascara.

You called an Uber to the address Jake had texted you and quickly you arrived. Your phone vibrated in your jacket's pocket. "Be there in 15" his text said. You felt your legs tremble during the whole time you spent waiting for him, which seemed like an eternity. Despite all his qualities, it wasn't new to you that Jake Kizka's worst flaw was that he was always late.

You noticed the studio: it was very big and it seemed like a place full of quality equipment. The street where it was located was full of different records and musical instruments stores, what made you realize you were in a part in town where you could find everything that was music-related. As you waited for him, all the thoughts in the world were crossing your mind: what if he's not so into me? What if his brothers don't like me? What am I doing here? What kind of idea was this? Do I still have time to go back home?

"Hey!" you were surprised by a familiar voice behind you.

"Jake!" you said, nervousness resonating in your voice.

"Did I scare you?" he asked, giggling.

"No, I'm okay, it's just that..." you didn't even have to finish what you were saying so that he could understarnd the situation.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, they will love to meet you."

Jake gave you his hand and you held it, now feeling much safer and calmer than before.

You two entered the studio and followed through a long dark hallway. The walls were painted black and were full of band posters and stickers. There were other rooms there and you could hear other bands rehearsing inside them. Jake guided you to the end of the hallway where a small set of stairs took you to the second floor.

For your surprise, there weren't other rooms on the second floor like there were on the first floor. It was a single room entirely, where you could find everything: a big couch, a frigo, technical equipment for recording, vending machines, snooker table, a mini bar, all sorts of things...

A section of the room was isolated by a thick glass wall. Inside it, the walls were covered in acoustic panels and the room was filled with many amplifiers, pedals, instruments and a bunch of other things you didn't know what were called were there.

Lying on the couch were Danny, Sam and Josh, waiting for Jake.

"Goddamnit, finally!" Josh shouted "we waited for like an hour!"

"I was getting ready for her" Jake answered, smirking and pulling you close to him by your waist. You couldn't hide the embarassment on your face.

"What a fancy studio!" you said, trying to change the subject "I didn't know you rehearsed in such a cool place."

"It wasn't always like this, ya know" Josh said while standing up and putting his hands in his pockets "we started playing at our house, but it was starting to get too noisy for miss Karen" he laughed.

"It's true, we had to look for cheap studios, but it was hard to find anything in a small town like Frankenmuth" Sam said.

You all talked a bit and, fortunately, the boys were all very nice. You felt very welcomed by Josh's sense of humor, Sam's big smile and Danny's kindness.

After you got to know them, they entered the acoustic room and started rehearsing. You sat on the couch to watch them and, although you were scared to feel bored, you had a lot of fun with the private show they were performing for you.

You couldn't take your eyes off Jake. What he did to the guitar was phenomenal, sexy and even pornographic. The way he slowly slid his hand over the guitar's neck while sweat drops fell on his forehead were making you cross your legs a bit too hard over the couch.

He noticed you were staring at him and smiled at you through the glass, making you cover your face with your hands out of embarassment. You must have been making a funny face, because he giggled at the sight of you.

After two or three hours of rehearsal, they were done. Although the air-conditioning was making you shiver, they left the room all sweaty. Josh, Sam and Danny went to the frigo to get some beer. Jake went there as well, but he made sure to get one for you too.

"Did you like to watch the rehearsal?" Jake asked, offering you an already open Corona bottle.

"I loved it!" you said, getting the bottle from his hand and taking a sip.

"I was scared you would get bored" he said while he sat by your side on the couch and opened his bottle.

"How could I? I felt very special for watching such an exclusive show!" you said, making him laugh.

For the first time, you noticed what he was wearing: a dark purple silk shirt with the buttons opened showing his chest, as he always wore them. He had tight black cuffed pants and brown boots. On his neck, some long necklaces that reached the middle of his bare chest, and on his wrists a few bracelets. His style was casual and attractive, but goddamn, he looked so fucking hot.

The rest of the day was very fun. You two drank together and talked a lot, what got you even closer to each other. Josh, Sam and Danny played snooker and drank a lot, until they decided to leave.

There were only you and Jake, that were now a bit tipsy and still had a lot to talk about. You noticed that, although you two had already went out before, this was the first time you talked this much. When you realized, you were physically very close: your legs were resting over Jake's left leg and his hand was caressing the back of your head. Your index finger was circling around Jake's bare chest. He looked so great in that shirt.

"Do you wanna see something?" he excitedly asked. You, curious as you were, immediately answered:

"Sure."

Jake stood up and walked towards the platform where there was a panel with a billion different buttons you had no idea were for. After pressing and regulating some of them, he made a sign with his fingers invinting you to join him.

"What does that thing do?" you asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Everything" he playfully answered.

"Everything what?" you asked again, laughing impatiently.

"This is the sound mixer, where we can control everything inside the acoustic room. Bass, treble, autotune, tuning, echo, volume... and so on" while he patiently explained to you, you admired him. He would get so excited when talking about music.

"Wow" you responded, without taking your eyes off his.

"Wanna try it out?" he asked.

"What? Are you serious?" you almost spit the liquid of the forth or fifth beer bottle you were having that day.

"Very serious" he said, looking deep in your eyes.

"Okay then..."

"Put this on" he said, grabbing the two headphones thar were lying on the table over the mixer and handing one over to you.

You did as he said and Jake left you responsible for the sound mixer and ran inside the acoustic room, almost tripping due to his light state of inebriation.

"What is he doing?" you quietly asked yourself.

He shut the door of the acoustic room and got one of the 6 or 7 guitars that were inside. After that, he put on the headphones that he brought with him to the room, turned on the microphone that was resting over a tripod and said:

"Can you hear me?"

The sound came out so loud in your headphones that you got scared and jumped, almost turning deaf. After that, you laughed a lot and so did he.

"How do I turn this thing down?" you asked him, screaming so he could hear you through the glass wall.

"Slide the red button down, on your right. Oh, and you don't have to scream, on your left there's a microphone that's meant for you to talk to me while I'm inside, just hold its button down."

You did as he told you to and laughed at yourself, feeling silly for not knowing how to use those things.

"There. Can I do what I want here?"

"Yeah!" he answered.

Jake started playing a random melody and you played with the sounds, having fun like a child. Distorting, increasing and decreasing the echoes, you two laughing like fools.

When you had enough fun, Jake spoke on the microphone again.

"Did you know this room has an almost perfect acoustic insulation?"

"Almost perfect? Like, no one can hear from the outside?" you said while pressing the mic's button and arching a brow, without believing him.

"Exactly" he said, putting his guitar away "I can scream as loud as I want here, no one will listen. Wanna try it?"

"How do I do that?" you asked, searching for the function among the million buttons on the sound mixer panel.

"Just turn the volume down, all of it."

And so you did. As you turned the volume down, it was getting harder and harder to hear what he said, until you couldn't hear a word. He only realized you couldn't hear him when he saw the surprise on your face, caused by the magic of the acoustic room. You could tell by his facial expression that he was laughing, and you laughed as well.

He made a gesture with his hand, like he asked you if you could hear him. You answered through the mic:

"I can't hear anything! This is amazing!"

He smiled and made another gesture, as if he was inviting you to the acoustic room. You quickly removed your earphones and walked to the door, thinking it would be your turn to stay there as he played with the sound.

When you opened the door, Jake immediately pulled you inside and shut the door with both of you inside. Then, he pressed you against the wall, pinning both of your wrists against it over your head.

You couldn't help but feeling surprised, after all, Jake had never acted like this before. He had always been romantic and careful, so you were pretty curious about his sudden dominating attitude.

He approached his face to yours, whispering close to your ear:

"Wanna test the acoustic of the room's acoustics?"

His tone was everything but innocent. You finally understood where he was getting to, so you decided to play his game.

"How can we test it?" you answered, faking innocence, and he smiled at your acting. So he put his leg in the middle of yours, gently rubbing his thigh against your groin and pressing you even harder agains the foamy wall.

"We can try it the best way possible."

After he said it, he kissed you deeply. His hands let go of your wrists and slowly slid down your arms, all the way to your neck. One of his hands held the back of your head and the other choked you slightly, but strong enough to make breathing a little harder. Your arms, now free of his grip, curled arould his shoulders, pulling him closer to you.

The kiss was getting hotter. You felt the hand that held your neck go down to your waist, and the hand on the back of your head gently pull your hair, bringing your head back and making you moan softly. Jake stopped kissing you and smirked, watching your pleasure face.

"They might see us through the glass!" you said, but he didn't pay much attention as he immediately returned to kiss your lips.

"I don't care" he answered, and although it was a bit scary, the fear of getting caught was also thrilling and exciting.

Your neck was completely exposed now, inviting Jake's silky lips which left soft kisses on your skin, making their way to your ear lobes where he gently nibbled. It sent shivers down your spine and goosebumps on your skin, something Jake noticed and made sure to show he enjoyed.

"You like this, huh?" he whispered in your ear. You nodded with a small moan, still a little overwhelmed by the situation, but certainly enjoying it.

Jake went back to kissing your neck, now a little faster. The tiny threads of growing beard on his jaw scratched your face, the sensation was even more arousing. You were so focused on that that only later you realized that his hand wasn't on your waist anymore, but was grabbing your ass.

Your body was warm, but you had chills. The mix of sensations Jake was causing on you gave you so much pleasure, but at the same time it was torturous. It wasn't enough, you wanted more and he knew that, but he wanted to keep you waiting.

Jake put both on his hands on your ass, squeezing it hard and making you moan softly. But after a short period, you felt his hands leave the place, which surprised you. Only then you realized he was taking off your jeans jacket and tossing in on the floor. The black tank top you were wearing left your collarbone and your shoulders exposed, which was exactly what Jake's lips were looking for. But before he went back to what he was doing, he took a good look at your newly exposed body part. His eyes traveled from your face to your breasts and there they stood, what got you a little embarassed.

"You're so hot, did you know that?" he whispered, staring even harder at your cleavage and then at your eyes. You smiled and blushed. The way he said those things made you feel a way no other man had ever managed to do to you. "You don't have to feel ashamed..." he said, smirking at your reaction.

His lips met yours again, but only for a short period of time. They quickly moved to your collarbone. His hands were now were wandering around your whole body, moving from your neck to your shoulders, back, waist and ass, as if he was desperate to feel you. Which was amazing, because you were eager to feel his hands all over you.

You also wanted to feel him, so you did as he did: you took one of your hands to the back of his hand and slightly pulled back some of his long brown hair, what made him moan and smile in response. Your other hand traveled through his chest, gently dragging your nails around the small part of exposed skin. My god, he looked so hot in that purple jacket. The only way he could look hotter than that would be without it.

You started to slowly unbutton the shirt, which made him stop kissing you and look at you with a naughty smirk.

"So much hurry!" he giggled.

"You take mine off, I take yours, that's how it works" you answered, winking at him.

He helped you take off his shirt and toss it on the floor, next to your jacket. You enjoyed the view of his shirtless body, staring at it just like he did to you before, sliding your nails and digging them on his torso. He held your hand over his chest, looking deep into your eyes. you were expecting him to say something nasty, but instead he just went back to kissing you, now even more intensely.

He embraced your waist and pulled you closer to him, as if it were possible. Then, his hands slowly moved upwards, passing through your waist and reaching your breasts. He squeezed them softly, making you moan. Your skin, that was already shivered, got even more chills under his touch. You weren't wearing a bra, which made your nipples appear through your shirt. Jake noticed and liked it, since he touched and tweaked them over the thin cloth. At this moment, you were already wet and impacient, but you were only getting a small portion of Jake's sexual expertise.

"Jake..." you moaned in agony between his kisses, suffering with his touches over your clothes. Although it was very hot, the throbbing sensation in your groin was starting to feel unbearable and painful.

"I know, babe" he answered, resting his forehead on yours, without ceasing to fondle your breasts "you're eager, but I'm only getting started."

Hearing that made the situation of your arousal even worse, to the point where if he decided to just lift your skirt and fuck you at that moment you wouldn't even feel pain, so horny and ready you were. He went back to kissing you, never letting your breasts go. But suddenly, you felt him pull your shirt up and reveal your stomach.

He kept on pulling it, enough that your breasts dropped down from your top, due to how tight it was. He watched that pornographic scene without blinking, dazzled. Rapidly he went back to fondling your breasts, only now he took his lips to one of your nipples.

He sucked it gently, making you let go a pleasurable moan. Glad with your reaction, he kept on sucking it, sometimes licking, nibbling and kissing. He moved to the right breast, but without stopping to give attention to the left one, playing with the nipple with his thumb. The saliva he left on the thin skin of your nipple in contact with the air made you feel a little bit cold, but it gave you pleasure.

Jake took his time there, enjoying the sensation he was causing you. You, on the other hand, dig your nails a bit deeper all over his back, feeling his skin also get goosebumps.

Jake finishing sucking your nipples and went back to kissing your lips. He took off your top with a bit of hurry, tossing it on the floor and then pulling you closer to him by your waist. His hands were now back on your ass, but now he started to lift your skirt.

"This short skirt of yours... I spent the whole day thinking about lifting it and fucking you" he said, holding the cloth with the tip of his fingers and raising it slowly. The fingers that lifted the fabric softly scratched your thighs and your hip, making you shiver.

Jake saying those things made your legs tremble with pleasure. You didn't know how good it felt to hear that dirty-talk until it was Jake whispering it to you.

"I wore it thinking about it" you answered, what made him smile in a sexy and predatory way at the same time.

When he lifted your skirt high enough, he slid his right hand over your thigh. He gently slid back and forth towards your groin, torturing you with the desire of his touch. He looked you deep in the eyes with a serious expression, like he was in control of the situation. When you couldn't stand the teasing anymore, he caressed your pussy over your panties.

"Wow, you're soaking wet... I didn't know it was that easy to make you horny, baby."

You looked at him, almost not believing what you had just heard. After half an hour of teasing, he thought it was easy?

"Jake, please..." you moaned in desperation as he now rubbed your clit over the thin lacy fabric.

"I know, love, I'll give you what you want."

Jake pulled your panties down and slid his index finger between your fold, reaching your clit. You were so wet it was slippery inside you, making his job even easier. He then started to rub your clit in slow and circle motions.

You let go a fairly loud moan and, out of embarassment, you covered your mouth with your hand. He took your hand out of your mouth and pinned it against the wall behind you.

"Moan all you want, no one's gonna hear us. Moan loud for me."

And so you did. The harder he rub your clit, the more pleasure you felt and the more you moaned in his ear. He, who was also feeling pleasure, had his lips parted, watching you squirm against the wall.

Jake increased the speed with which he masturbated you, driving you insane. But you also wanted to torture him. Therefore, catching him by surprise, you took your hand to the huge bulge in his pants. He wasn't expecting that, but he enjoyed it.

You stroked his cock, that was very enhanced outside his pants. You were surprised with its lenght.

"You did this to me" he said, grabbing your hand and rubbing it harder against his dick.

But you didn't last for too long, since Jake's expertise in masturbating you was making your legs shake so you couldn't concentrate in anything but your own pleasure. You kept on moaning ach time louder until your orgasm finally hit. The pulsation made you almost scream.

You couldn't help but feel a little embarassed, but the look on his face comforted you and made you realize there was nothing to be ashamed of, since the man was clearly enjoying it.

He removed his fingers from your pussy and licked them. what made you feel another throb of pleasure. Next, he deeply kissed you.

"Fuck, your moans are so hot" he whispered in your ear. You couldn't answer him, since you were still recovering your breath.

Although you didn't say a word, you went back to stroking his erection. Gladly, he let you masturbate him over his clothes, torturing him as he had done to you.

"It's your turn to suffer" you said, and he smirked in response.

"This is nothing, I've been suffering since I first saw you in those tight clothes, your tits almost bursting out of that small top of yours. It was hard to hide how hard I was" he answered, gently pulling your hair behind your back so he could delight himself again with the sight of your naked breasts.

You rolled your eyes, giggling. He always had an answer on the tip of his tongue. But the fact that he said he got an erection only by looking at your cleavage made you feel powerful and sexy.

You kept masturbating him over the thick fabric of his pants, watching him twitch out of pleasure. After a few minutes, you removed his leather belt, tossing it on the floor together with the rest of your clothes. Next, he unzipped his pants himselft and lowered it a little, just enough so that you could see the bulge on his boxers. You could see the tip of his cock, since it had scaped the prison of its tight black fabric, which was already wet with his precum.

You licked your lips at the sight of his rigid cock. You wanted to suck it, but you would make him wait, just like he did to you. You stroked it over his underwear, which was way thinner and allowed you to move up and down much more easily. Jake was panting, anticipation taking over both of your bodies.

When he couldn't stand it anymore, he grabbed your hand and put it inside his underwear, surprising you.

"Couldn't handle it?" you laughed.

"I need to feel you" he murmured, almost out of breath.

So you masturbated him, now inside his underwear. You started off slowly, gently touching the tip of his cock with your thumb. It was wet with eagerness. You then started to move more quickly, but the fabric of his underwear was making the job a little difficult, so you impaciently pulled it down, completely revealing his penis. Now that you could see it completely, you masturbated him even faster.

You looked at his face saw the expression of pure pleasure, small groans escaping from his mouth. You smirked and he smirked back, pleased with how much fun you were having while touching him so intimately. You then looked back at his cock and realized you couldn't take it any longer: you had to suck him off.

When he noticed you were getting down on your knees, his eyes widened up in anticipation. Knowing what was about to happen, he helped you take off his pants and underwear and took off his shoes, tossing it all on the floor. Then, he grabbed all of your hair and held it tightly in the back of your head, not letting any strand of it get in the way of you doing your job, but at the same time being able to mildly control your movements.

You slowly licked his entire shaft from the base to the tip, making him shiver and moan. Next, you placed your lips around its head, gently sliding his whole cock inside your mouth. When it reached your throat you gagged, but you kept going. Starting off with slow movements and then increasing the speed, sometimes licking, sometimes kissing, sometimes harder, sometimes easier, sometimes just masturbating it while you gathered some air. With one hand you stimulated it, with the other you grabbed his butt. You looked him in the eyes, knowing he was enjoying it. His pleasure facial expression was incredible, only making you want to suck him even more.

You kept going, so eagerly you reached a very high speed, but it didn't last long. He gently pushed your head away from his cock and pulled you up, asking you to stand up.

"If you keep going like that, I won't stand for long, babygirl..." he murmured, catching some air.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away..." you said while wiping your lips with your hand, making him giggle.

"Don't ever apologize for giving me the best head I've ever got."

Jake gave you a deep and sloppy kiss. Next, he is the one who went on his knees.

Jake laid kisses on your chin, neck, the middle of your breasts, your tummy and, after taking off your skirt and your boots and throwing them on the floor, he kissed your groin. Your body shivered in anticipation, nervous with what was about to happen.

Jake lifted one of your legs up and laid it over his shoulder, in a way he could be face-to-face to your entrance.

Before he got started, he looked up deep into your eyes, grinned and held your hip firmly with one of his hands, while the other squeezed the thigh that laid on his shoulder so tightly you had marks of it the day after.

Jake touched his tongue gently on your entrance, spreading your lips allowing his to explore your pussy. His hot and wet tongue in contact with your soaking folds sent shivers through your whole body, and several others followed it when he started to lick your clit.

The sensation was even better than the one he caused you with his fingers. Which was surprising, since he was a guitar player, you always thought he would be better with his hands. Turns out Jake Kiszka was god with incredible with string instruments and even more skilled in pleasing a lady.

He kept licking your clit, now harder. You, who were already having trouble standing on one leg while getting your pussy eaten like that, reached a tripod that stood nearby, dropping the microphone from it. Your other hand grabbed his light brown hair tightly between your fingers, trying to hold up to something and not lose grip from reality. You two were making a mess in the studio but you didn't mind, for he continued to go down on you and you kept moaning as loud as you could.

But it didn't stop there.

Jake slowly inserted his index finger inside you. You felt your walls clench around his finger as he moved it up and down, hitting your g-spot so easily you regretted not doing this earlier. The mix of sensations his tongue on your clit and his finger inside you were causing on you combined drove you insane. At this point, you were moaning so loudly you completely forgot where you two were. Your eyes were closed and all you could say was Jake's name between groans and breaths.

Jake inserted another finger and started to estimulate you really rapidly, as fast as he was sucking on your clit. Your pleasure had become unbearable and your second orgasm hit like a tsunami, wetting even more your folds and Jake's tongue. Although you had shown him he could stop so you two could move on, he didn't want to. He didn't stop, never allowing your orgasm to reach its end and making your legs shake uncontrollably.

When he thought he had enough he started to slow his movements down, for your relief. When he finally stopped, he laid a soft kiss on your wet entrance as a demonstration of affection and stood up, immediately kissing your lips making you taste your own bitter juices.

"You taste so delicious" he whispered between your lips "I can't get enough of it."

You two kissed once more, now more romanticaly and tenderly. When you two finally caught some breath, you looked at each other and smiled, excited with what was about to happen next.

He then grabbed your hair very firmly, bringing goosebumps to your skin. Next, he whispered in your ear:

"Are you sure you want it?" he asked, you thought it was sweet of him to ask for verbal consent.

"Yeah" you answered, embarassingly anxious.

"Then ask for it."

As he said it, he turned you over, making you face and lean against the wall, your back completely exposed to him. He still had his hand holding your hair very tightly. You moan at his dominance.

He bent you over in a way your ass was tilted up for him. He enjoyed the sight of it, caressing and squeezing it really hard. Next, he rubbed his hard cock over your entrance. You arched your back even more, feeling exposed like that felt hot and thrilling. The sensation of his entire lenght rubbing against your wet folds was torturous.

"Ask for it" he repeated impaciently.

"F-fuck me" you stuttered, nervously enjoying him telling you what to do.

"I can't hear you" he rubbed his cock against you even harder.

"Fuck me, goddamnit!" you shouted, feeling obligated to put all shame aside to please that wonderful bossy man.

"Good" he said in a husky voice, seeming pleased.

Jake finally put the tip of his cock inside you, slowly so your walls could adjust to his size. It wasn't necessary to wait for too long, since you were so horny and ready that he slipped right in. When his entire lenght slid inside you, you felt chills run from your neck to your back. Finally feeling Jake inside you was incredible.

Jake started to fuck you, increasing the speed bit by bit. You impaciently start to move your hips in his direction, showing him he could go faster.

"Oh, you want more, you slut?" he asked, squeezing and then slapping your ass, what would leave a red mark on the next day.

"Yeah..." you moan.

Jake then did as you asked, increasing the speed. You were now fucking really hard, his cock moving in and out of you at a rapid pace. The pressure of his shaft hitting deep into you gave you so much pleasure your eyes were rolling to the back of your head, and your moans had become screams.

Jake slapped your ass again. The pain was intense but extremely hot. He, looking for more pleasure, pulled your hair back even more while his other hand reached one of your breasts, which shook due to the harsh movements you were making. Jake's groans were low, but vibrant and rough. He moaned your name while gasping for air.

"Your pussy feels so tight, so good."

Then, for your surprise, he got out of you. You turned over to him to see what was going on, but he pulled you to the floor before you could say anything. He lied on the floor and placed you on top of him, then putting his arms under his head and laying down, enjoying the view of your completely naked body on top of his.

"Ride me" he commanded, and you obeyed without question.

You began to ride him, getting used to the position before doing it faster. As soon as you managed to find balance, you started to ride him really quickly. That position hit different a different spot inside you, and you could see by Jake's expression that it hit different for him too.

You were fucking him so hard Jake was cursing between his breaths. He put one of his hands on your butt to guide the movements as he wanted to and the other hand on your right breast, holding it and squeezing it. You two kept that position for a while, looking deep in each other's eyes, chills running through your spines.

Jake wanted to change positions again, laying you under him. For the first time you could feel how harsh the carpet felt under your soft skin, only then remembering the place the two of you were. But that didn't matter. Jake leaned on his knees and pulled one of your legs, placing it over his shoulder and going back to fuck you again.

That position was taking you to heaven, what seemed impossible. To make it even better, Jake began to estimulate your clit with his thumb while he slid his cock in and out of you. At that moment, any drop of sanity that you still had disappeared.

"Yes!" you moaned, biting your lower lip.

"Fuck!" he hissed, sweat running down his beautiful face.

He kept fucking you in that position, which didn't take long to make you come for the third time in a row. Your orgasm made you scream and moan his name for the millionth time that afternoon, and that was driving him insane.

"I'm gonna cum" he said, increasing the speed with which he fucked you, not allowing your orgasm to end. The noise your hips crashing against each other was so loud it filled the room.

Jake reached his limit, letting his fluids fill you up inside. You, still experiencing your multiple orgasms, enjoyed the sensation the hot liquid mixed with the bliss caused you. The two of you began to slow the pace, until you fully stopped. Jake laid over you, without pulling out. You two were dripping in sweat, his hair all messy and glued to his forehead.

The both of you stood there for a while, catching your breath. He caressed your hair and you stroked his back. When you could finally breathe again, Jake looked you in the eye and you both giggled in complicity.

Jake pulled out and lied next to you on the carpet while holding your hand.

"This was..." he said.

"Wow..." you said.

You two laughed for having spoken at the same time. You two stood there for a long time, staring each other in the eyes. His dark brown eyes sparkled with joy and both of you were enjoying the serotonin the intimate moment you two had just shared produced, cuddling.

"I think I'm falling for you" Jake said, breaking the silence.

You couldn't hide your surprise in hearing that declaration, but you gave him a big smile in response.

"Me too" you said, unable to contain the huge smile on your face.

"Phew!" he said, laughing "This means we will be able to do this more often."

"Obviously. But can we do it in a more comfortable place next time? This carpet is so rough!"

"You didn't like the studio? But we can make as much noise as we want in here!" he said, comically offended by your preference of having sex somewhere else.

"It has its advantages, yes, but I bet it can't be better than Egyptian silk sheets on a king-sized bed" you said, convinced you knew better than him.

"Okay, you've got a point. But I can't promise I'll be able to provide the Egyptian silk sheets and a king-sized bed by tonight."

You hit his arm and laughed, glad for having found such an amazing partner.

#jake kiszka #josh kiszka #sam kiszka #danny wagner #greta van fleet #gvf #gvf imagine #jake gvf #jake imagines #smut #one shot

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karajaynetoday · 3 years

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i'll be honest, it's better off this way | luke hemmings

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hello pals! long time no writing! i know it seems a bit weird to post a luke break up fic just after he got engaged but to be fair, I already had this in the works before the news broke yesterday, so soz not soz. It is kind of a happy break up story though... kind of? this one features lyrics from our song by niall and anne marie that are in italics throughout the piece (you know i love a song lyric incorporation lol) and i’m a bit rusty, so any feedback is welcome! a big shoutout to my dearest @notinthesameguey for beta-reading this one for me, you’re a gem blanca! enjoy xo

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings: mentions of a break up and a car accident/hospitalisation (minor/non-graphic)

(This is a fem reader insert)

More writing here | send thoughts/feedback/suggestions here | if you’d like to be on my taglist go here

I'll be honest, I'm alright with me

Sunday mornings, in my own bedsheets

The break up with Luke had been easier than you’d first thought. It’d been months of growing apart, feeling like a stranger in your own home, before you finally worked up the nerve to utter those four words: We need to talk. He’d been spending most days and some nights in the studio, and you’d been working overtime at your job too; you were ships in the night who barely had time to say hello and goodbye, let alone have any sort of proper conversation. You’d spent an entire evening rehearsing a script in your head, and as soon as Luke walked through the door and greeted Petunia, you mustered the courage to stand up and speak your truth.

It turned out that you weren’t alone in feeling stagnant in your relationship, and although you could feel your heart breaking as you said the words, Luke’s hand on your knee was all the gentle reassurance you needed. Just like always, even when your relationship was falling apart, Luke was there for you. And that’s what he promised, that night in the living room. It didn’t make sense for you two to become strangers overnight after 3 years together, but you also both knew that you needed space to grow and heal, and that space needed to happen sooner rather than later.

You could tell that part of Luke wanted to fight it, wanted to raise his voice, wanted to convince you to stay. But part of Luke also knew that it was time to walk away, no matter how much his heart was feeling like it was being ripped out of his chest, because he did truly love you, and if he loved you, he’d let you go.

Even though Luke insisted you could stay in the spare room for as long as you liked, it only took a week or so to find a new place. An apartment in KayKay’s building opened up for rent, and thanks to her help, you secured the lease and started moving in as soon as you could. Ashton accompanied you to Ikea and then helped with assembling a new bed and dining table for you, while KayKay helped unpack some of your boxes. You could tell that they were trying to be sensitive, but at the same time were desperate to know what went down in the break up, and after a few slices of pizza and half a bottle of wine, you felt the emotions rushing to the surface.

“It feels dumb to get upset, after all, I was the one who suggested we should break up.” You sniffled, smiling sadly as Ashton handed you a tissue.

“Just because it was something that needed to happen, doesn’t mean you can’t be sad about it. You two shared a lot in the time you were together, it’s only natural that it’s going to take you a while to untangle yourselves from one another and to get your head and heart back on the path that’s right for you.” KayKay spoke softly, throwing an arm around your shoulders.

You knew she was right, and the healing would come; it was all part of the rollercoaster of walking away from someone you thought was the love of your life, but had turned out not to be. Time to adjust and find some independence, and re-shape the life you found yourself in until it was the life you wanted.

But every time I think that I can get you out my head, you never, ever let me forget

Once you’d completely moved out Luke’s house, your reasons to contact him became few and far between. A few occasional texts to advise that he’d let his family know about your split, and a link to a new cafe nearby that he thought was your kind of vibe (and it absolutely was). Everyone in your friendship group was trying their best to help you both cope, but it was hard to avoid the awkwardness that came with a break up of close friends.

You felt like you were walking on eggshells for a while, so you started to say no to invitations out. You threw yourself into a new work project, and barely replied to any group chats. Whenever your friends called, you had the perfect script rehearsed, about how you were going to be up for promotion, and after the next month or so, you’d have plenty more time for catching up with everyone. You were fairly certain that no-one believed your story, but you were sticking to it nonetheless. You’d seen photos online of Luke out and about with various beautiful women amongst the partying crew, and even though you knew better than to torture yourself with doom-scrolling through the internet, you couldn’t help yourself. You had to keep reminding yourself that it was YOU that wanted the breakup, and that it was for the best. Or something like that.

It was coming to the end of your big project, and the entire office decided to head out for celebratory drinks. You only stayed for a couple, because after a month of overtime you were ready for bed. Your boss took you aside to assure you that the promotion was yours and the new contract would be on your desk on Monday, and as you reassured him you were excited to take on the role, a song playing over the bar’s speakers made you stop in your tracks. You’d spent many a Sunday morning dancing around the kitchen making pancakes with Luke and singing these words; something you’d completely forgotten until this moment. As you stepped outside to await your Uber, the first person you wanted to call with the news was Luke. Your fingers hovered over his name for a good few minutes before your Uber driver honked and broke you out of her trance, and you settled for texting the group chat instead to share your exciting update. Lots of confetti and heart eyes emojis started popping up alongside congratulatory messages, and you let out a giggle when you saw that Luke had sent a photo of Petunia with “congrats!” scrawled across it in purple font. It was the last thing you remembered, before the squealing of tyres and your vision going black.

Just when I think you're gone, Hear our song on the radio

Just like that, takes me back, To the places we used to go

The rhythmic beeping of the hospital monitors was the first thing you noticed as you stirred awake. The second was a dull pain across your skull, and the third was that your arm was in a sling. Fourth was the large, warm hand that was holding your own and gently squeezing; without opening your eyes, you knew it was Luke’s. You felt too weak to say any words, so instead you tried your best to squeeze back as you slowly opened your eyes. You heard a sharp intake of breath, before Luke’s smiling face came into view.

“Hey there, sweetheart. How are you feeling?” Luke asked, reaching up to gently brush some hair out of your eyes.

“Like I was in a car accident.” You managed to croak out, shooting him a wry smile and earning a laugh in return.

“You are correct, you can pass go, and collect $200. A pretty gnarly accident, the car’s a write-off, but thankfully everyone’s injuries are relatively minor. Some dickhead ran a red light.” You could tell Luke was trying to remain calm, but under the surface he was pissed.

“Not ideal, but at least I get a few days off work.” You joked, grimacing as you tried to sit up. Luke stood and gently maneuvered your pillows to support your back and shoulders better, and you felt a zap of electricity as his hands brushed your arms in passing.

As Luke sat back in the chair next to the bed, you suddenly realised that it was just the two of you in the hospital room.

“No offence, Hemmo, but what are you doing here? Considering we’re no longer significant others, and all…” You said awkwardly, looking down at your arm sling with sudden great interest.

“Very observant, dear. Glad to see the concussion hasn’t affected your short term memory, I was worried you’d forget me entirely. You did, however, forget to update your emergency contact details, so I guess I was first on the list for the hospital to call. Ash, KayKay and I have been taking shifts but they’re out getting food right now - “ The rest of Luke’s explanation was cut off by a gasp and a cheer at the door, signalling Ashton and KayKay’s return and subsequent delight at you being awake.

The days that followed were uncomfortable physically, but kind of heartwarming emotionally. You got home to your apartment thanks to KayKay’s assistance, and found that your friends had stocked your fridge and freezer full of ready-made meals and your favourite snacks. They’d also made a roster so not a day went by without someone popping in to check on you, although you noticed that Luke never came by.

Your recovery was slow but steady, and soon enough the doctors gave you the all clear. At this point, it was nearly 6 months since you’d broken up with Luke, and you could feel your mindset shifting. He was no longer the first person you wanted to call with good or bad news, or the first memories that popped into your head when you needed cheering up. It almost felt like… relief? Because for the longest time, even though you knew the break up was for the best, detaching yourself from one another seemed almost in possible after so many years of so many memories.

I've been waking up alone, I haven't thought of him for days

I'll be honest, It's better off this way

The tipping point came at Calum’s birthday party, a month or so later. Ashton had invited you out for coffee and nonchalantly mentioned that maybe, possibly, well actually extremely likely almost definitely Luke was bringing a date to the gathering at Cal’s house; a girl he’d been seeing for a month or so. Everyone wanted you to be comfortable, and everyone, Cal especially, wanted you to be there, but they also understood if you wanted to avoid any potential awkward encounters with Luke and his new love interest. You assured Ashton that it would be fine, that you honestly weren’t bothered, and laughed off his suggestion of setting you up with a super hot blind date to help level the playing field.

The night came along, and you found yourself stumbling along Calum’s front path in the dark as you tried not to drop the gift you’d bought for him (a new cookbook and a collection of various hot sauces). “Bloody 5sos and the “no good party starts until 11pm rule”, you muttered to yourself as you almost tripped over again, and you heard an indignant shout that sounded very Ashton-like behind you.

“Oi! Don’t be mad at us, you know that rule has never let us down!” Ashton bellowed, as he came forward with his phone flashlight switched on, KayKay not too far behind him.

“Damn girl, you like fiiiiiine!” KayKay said, letting out a low whistle. You rolled your eyes, knowing she was exaggerating. Your outfit was essentially a denim skirt and a t-shirt - maybe you’d sexed it up a little bit with some thigh high boots, tousled hair and a red lip, but all’s fair in love and war, right?

The three of you made it inside, and a very tipsy Calum greeted you with open arms and a lot of excitement at your gift of hot sauce. It felt so nice to be back with all your friends at a house party, like the old days, and you found yourself stepping out onto the back patio for a moment of quiet reflection and to share some pats with Duke.

You’d exchanged a wave with Luke when you’d entered the house, but hadn’t quite worked up the confidence to go up and speak to him, especially when he had his new girl in close proximity. She looked really friendly, though, and you could tell from the spark in both of their eyes that their relationship was blossoming in the best possible way. Part of you thought you’d be upset about it, but all you truly felt was content. Content in your life as it was, surrounded by friends that loved you just as much as you loved them, and actually quite proud of how far you’d come over the past year. You’d learned to stand on your own two feet, and you’d grown into a much more settled, independent human as a result.

You were lost in your train of thought when you heard the song change on the speakers inside. Duke’s ears perked up and he licked your hand attentively when you stopped patting him as the song registered - it was your song. Or at least, it used to be. You felt a smile creep onto your face when you remembered the Sunday mornings of pancakes and singalongs, and the smile grew wider when you saw Luke’s girlfriend dragging him onto the dancefloor, much to his (fake) protests. You made eye contact with your kind-hearted, softly-smiling, gentle-eyed ex-boyfriend, and for a split second you saw a flash of concern cross his face. In response, you raised your glass in a cheers and shot him a wink, which earned a smile and a small laugh from Luke before he turned his attention back to the beautiful girl in his arms. You took a sip, and smiled to yourself. It truly was better off this way.

When I hear it, I just can't stop smiling, I remember you're gone

Baby, it's just a song on the radio, That we used to know

Taglist: If there’s a line through your name, I couldn’t tag you, so please message me to let me know your new URL or what the go is! @suchalonelysunflower @blackbutterfliescal @redrattlers @loveroflrh @spicycal @notinthesameguey @metalandboybands @cheekysos @ashton-trash @another-lonely-heart @queenalienscherrypie @becihadshawn @allthestarsandthemoon @oyesmendes @andrianawinchester @333-xx @findingliam-o @hoodhoran @rbforsmileycal @myloverboyash @myhappylittleyoutubee @saywhatnow07 @secretsicanthideanymore @ar1analara @killmywildflower

#my writing #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings one shot #luke hemmings fan fiction #5sos one shot #5sos imagine #5sos fanfiction #lol how do i even write things anymore #i feel VERY rusty #but alas #hopefully it's okay #lmk what you think!

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theydontknowaboutusimagines · 3 years

Text

Sunflower - Harry Styles AU Series (Volume 14)

The year is 1977 and it’s officially summertime. Y/N is spending it with her family at the Malibu Breeze Hotel, where she meets, aspiring musician, Harry Styles. The two clash in the beginning, but soon realize they may just need each other in the end. Find out just how life changing one summer can be in Sunflower, a Harry Styles AU.

Vol. 1 Vol. 2 Vol. 3 Vol. 4. Vol. 5 Vol. 6 Vol. 7 Vol. 8 Vol. 9 Vol. 10 Vol. 11

Vol. 12 Vol. 13.

Another night of rehearsals was going great. We tried out a few more new songs and everything was sounding almost perfect. Harry and Jasper had arranged for us to meet with record label dude at the end of the week. It would be the first time I’ve been in a studio and I was nervous. I was afraid of fucking it up for everyone, especially Harry. I know how much this opportunity means to him and I would hate myself if I was the reason he lost it.

“You okay?” Harry asked, nudging me as we cleaned up our stuff.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“You sure?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed, turning around and leaning against the wall. “I’ve never been in a studio before. Hell, I’ve barely performed in front of anyone until recently. What if I fuck up this opporuntiy for us… for you.”

Harry put his hands on my face and looked into my eyes, “Baby, you’re not going to fuck it up,” he whispered. “You were made to do this. If you can get out on stage and sing your heart out, then you can do it in the studio. I know you can do this.”

A small smile grew across my face as he kissed my forehead, “Come on, let’s get you back to the hotel,” he whispered.

He picked up my guitar in one hand and took mine in his other one. He laced out fingers together as we walked down the beach towards the hotel.

“Do you ever get a day off?” I asked.

“I do,” he laughed. “Tomorrow actually.”

“Really?” I smiled.

“Yeah, why?” He laughed.

“Would you like to hang out tomorrow?” I asked, nervously. “I understand if you don’t. You probably have something else you want to do.”

“There’s nothing else I’d rather do,” he smiled. “What do you have in mind?”

“I’ll meet you at your place just after sunrise,” I said. “Oh and dress in something to go swimming in.”

“Okay,” he laughed. “Should I be scared?”

“Maybe a little,” I smirked, giving him a quick kiss before heading inside.

The next morning I woke up pretty early. It was still dark outside and I would have rather stayed in bed, but I wanted everything to be perfect. I quickly took a shower and dressed in my bikini before throwing on a cover up and shorts. I grabbed the basket and everything else I needed before heading down to the lobby. I stopped in the little shop to get some sandwiches and snacks. I stuffed them and some drinks in the cooler and headed towards Harry’s bungalow.

When I arrived, I barely knocked on the door before he opened it.

“Hey,” he yawned.

“Morning,” I smiled. “You know… now that I think about it, I probably should have made this a little later. I didn’t think about you having to get up early on your day off.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep anyway.”

“Oh?” I asked.

“Yeah, I was looking forward to today too much,” he winked.

“Oh, really?” I giggled. “So, then I guess I better make sure it’s worth your while huh?”

He laughed, kissing my head, before grabbing his guitar. “Ready?”

“I am if you are,” I told him.

He smiled and the two of us headed on down the beach, away from the hotel. Marianne had told me about this place a few miles away. It was a little private area with a little cave-like atmosphere. She said she had ended up there after a party and it felt really magical. Of course, that was probably the drugs and alcohol in her system, but the fact it was private meant more to me than anything.

We walked in silence. Nothing but the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. What’s interesting about Harry and I, is how in the beginning, I felt this awkward, annoyance around him, but now I was content. We didn’t have to say anything, we could just be in the moment together.

“I had a feeling you’d pick this place,” he smiled.

“I take it you’ve been here before?” I asked.

“Yeah, I usually stop here on my morning runs,” he smiled. “I’m happy I can share it with you now.”

I smiled, blushing a bit before sitting down the basket and pulling out the blanket and placing it on the sand. Harry sat down next to me as I pulled the food out.

“Hope you’re hungry,” I said, handing him a sandwich.

“Starving,” he laughed.

I took a bite of my own sandwich and looked out towards the horizon. The sun slowly rose over the water and it was a breathtaking view. Seeing the sunrise and set were honestly my two favorite things about the beach. I would miss it come the end of the summer. I sighed thinking about how in a few weeks the summer would end. I still didn’t know what would happen with me come September. Would I follow my father’s dream and go to college or would I stay in the band and pursue music?

But more importantly what would happen with Harry and I?

“Y/N? Hello,” Harry laughed, waving his hand in my face.

“Oh, yeah,” I asked, looking over at him.

“What’s on your mind?” He asked.

I sighed, “A lot, actually.”

“Want to talk about it?” He asked.

I bit my lip, “I was just thinking about how the summer will be over in a few weeks and what that means for me… for the band… for us.”

“Well, what do you want it to mean?” He asked.

“If it was up to my dad, I would be heading off to college. And a part of me wants that too, you know? I mean how many women are going and furthering their education. But I love music. I’ve always loved music and we have this amazing opportunity. And with you… I’ve never… I’ve never felt this way before and I don’t want to give it up before we even have a chance to figure out what this is,” I whispered.

He takes my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. He rubs his thumb on the top of my hand.

“I want what you want,” he whispered. “Men are always making choices for women, I won’t do that to you. If you wanna go to college, then go. If you want to stay in the band, stay. No matter what you choose, I’ll be here because I… I really fancy you, Y/N. More than I’ve ever before and I’m not ready to let you go.”

A smile crossed my face and I leaned over to press my lips against his. He kissed me back, putting his hands at my sides. I move over onto his lap as I deepen the kiss, my arms around his shoulders. After a few minutes, I pulled myself away from him, looking into his eyes.

“I’m ready,” I whispered.

He looked at me confused, before finally registering my words. “Oh-Oh,” he coughed out. “Um… are you sure? And uh… here.”

“I’m more than sure,” I told him. “And what’s wrong with here? It’s more private than if we were back at your place.”

“True,” he laughed. “But are you really sure?”

I rolled my eyes, pulling off my coverup. I took his hand behind my back and placed his fingers at the string of my top. I pulled his hand to untie the string before pulling the fabric from my body.

“Now do you believe me?” I smirked.

“I uh… I um… yeah,” he nodded. “But like… if you change your min-”

“I'll let you know,” I said. “Now kiss me.”

He doesn’t hesitate before pressing his lips against mine. His hands run up and down my naked back as he kisses me. My fingers shake with nerves and adrenaline as I unbutton his shirt and push it down his shoulders. We both let out a gasp once our skin comes in contact for the first time.

He pulled away from my lips, bringing his down to my neck. I titled my head as he trailed kisses down my neck and onto my chest.

“So beautiful,” he murmured against my skin.

I sucked in a breath as he touched me, closing my eyes and letting my body relax into his caress. Next thing I know, he gently places me onto the blanket, hovering over me. His lips meet mine again as I run my hands over his chest.

“I’ve thought about this since I first saw you,” he whispered.

“Really now?” I raised an eyebrow. “I seem to remember a little attitude towards me when we first met.”

“I felt different around you,” he whispered against my skin. “It fucked me up. I didn’t know what it was, so I acted like a fucking idiot.”

“Yeah you did,” I giggled.

“I also remember you weren’t very nice to me either,” he pointed out, toying with the button of my shorts and pulling them down.

“I was returning the favor,” I shrugged.

“Yeah, yeah,” he rolled his eyes.

I laughed against his lips as he pulled off my bottoms. My body felt like it was on fire as heat kept building up inside of me. I gasped against his lips when I felt him inside of me and gripped onto his shoulders. He slowly kissed his way down my body before pressing his mouth against me.

“Fuck,” I groaned.

I felt him smirk and I mentally rolled my eyes. This moment was already a better experience than my previous one and we haven’t even done the full act yet. The pressure inside of me was getting more intense and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I let out a cry as I released it and that only made him continue his movements.

Afterwards, my chest heaved up and down and sweat covered my brow.

“You okay?” He whispered, moving hair away from my face.

“More than okay,” I laughed.

“Me too,” he said. “That was so fucking hot.”

Normally, I would have found myself blushing at the comment, but all it did was fuel something inside me I never knew I had. I finished removing the rest of his clothes before pushing him back onto the blanket.

“What are you-?” He asked.

I straddled his lap, connecting us together, both of us letting out a gasp. I sit there for a few moments before slowly moving.

When we both hit our high, we lay next to each other, covered in sweat and smiles. He kissed my head and ran his fingers up and down my back. He started humming something and I giggled softly listening to him.

“You’re not about to write a song are you?” I asked, shaking my head.

“What can I say, I’m inspired,” he smirked, pulling me on top of him.

“Hmm, really, now?” I asked. “And what is it that inspires you exactly?”

“You,” he smiled, kissing my nose.

“How you make me feel,” he said, kissing my cheek.

“How you believe in me,” he said, kissing my other cheek.

“How you tell me exactly what I need to hear,” he said, kissing the side of my mouth.

“How I feel inside you,” he smirked, kissing the other side of my mouth.

“How no matter what happens as long as I have you by my side, nothing else matters,” he whispered, looking into my eyes.

“I’m falling in love with you, Y/N,” he admits. “And It fucking terrifes me, but not being with you terrifies me more.”

My mouth dropped open at his confession. I never thought this would happen today or any day. To actually hear those words, I couldn’t believe it. But while those words scared the shit out of me, my heart swelled inside my chest and those words left my own lips before I could even stop them.

“I’m falling in love with you, too,” I whispered.

“Then I guess that means we’re together, yeah?” He asked. “As my girl?”

“And you’re my guy,” I smiled.

With a tug on his lips, he kisses me and pushes me back against the blanket. I giggled against his lips. I knew once we left that spot we would have so much to worry about. My parents for one. Then the band and our upcoming studio time. Plus there’s the whole issue with me being a guest and sleeping with Harry.

But in that moment, nothing mattered more than him and me. All that other shit can wait because none of that was worth ruining this day with me and my love.

Dun. Dun. Dun. I’m thinking about dropping the ball about these two to the parentals in the next update. What do you think the reaction will be???

#Harry Styles imagines #Harry styles AU #Harry Styles AU Series #Harry Styles Fanfic #Harry Styles Fanfiction

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sunflowerryvol6 · 3 years

Text

Movement - H.S

Warnings - Angst

WC - 2.4k

Hey! So I promise I don't intend to write such angsty things, but it just came to me! Hope you like it. Feedback is always welcome, and my ask box is open for requests. This might have a part two, but I'm not sure yet, let me know if you would like it. Please like and reblog. I have some more non-angsty ideas, but I'm stuck, so I'll try to work on them and put them out.

Masterlist

Today Mohini sat by the windowsill in her parent's home, silently counting fruits on the mango tree in her neighbours' yard. Teentaal played in the back. Shed, she was doing her warm-ups when she got distracted. The dark green raw mangoes were a clear sign that summer has begun in full swing. She and Harry had come down to India arguably during the worst time of the year. But this was the only time her guru(teacher) could give her the time she needed during the year. Mohini has been up since 5 am in doing stretches for a very strenuous riyaaz by herself before stepping away for class with her teacher.

Harry wasn't awake yet, he usually wakes up by around 7, and she's well into her hour-long tatkar footwork by then. She comes out to the terrace balcony to open up and use the more vacant space for chakkars (pirouettes). She sets her mat down and starts with sun salutations and some prayer. Silently working on arm movements where teentaal plays dimly in the background. She thinks back to how she and Baba would do riyaaz together. She had become a dancer because of him, of course. He was the one that pushed her to pursue her dream to become a dancer. If not for Baba, she'd have never met Harry. The same Harry who was now asleep in the room upstairs, who she doesn't want to wake up so early, which is why she pushes tatkar to the last of her riyaaz. She makes a mental note to tell him all about the time she and Jaya stole mangoes from their neighbours' yard and how she wants to show him how to do it, to recreate that memory in a way. With that thought, she goes back to working on her pirouettes.

He's not really used to the muggy heat in Mumbai, but it's not too unpleasant. They try to avoid stepping out when it's hot anyway. Today he's pleasantly lulled out of sleep by the sound of her ghungroos. This his favourite way to wake up, he thinks. That lights up an idea in his mind. He knows she'll be working on her footwork for a bit. It gave him enough time to scour through his stuff and find his latest purchase, the Exakta RTL 1000. He knew it was the right moment to take it out for a spin. A Photowalk was due, but with their conflicting schedules, they hadn't ventured into town yet. Staying close by in the suburbs, so Mohini could help out with her dance teachers classes. They did have plans to explore the city, maybe go away for the weekend, but hadn't been in a rush. They were here all throughout the Indian summer and some of the monsoon. He slowly walked down the stairs, camera in hand, ventured out into the balcony where he knew the music was coming from. He could hear her feet patter away to the rhythm of the music. Looking at her right now, he's taken back to the first time he'd seen her at the dance studio a few years ago. He'd been there rehearsing for treat people with kindness music video, and she was in the studio room right next to his, blasting Fineline. It had really caught him by surprise, so he wanted to see who was playing the music. He was met with Mohini at her finest, in a red flowy cotton tunic and loose linen pants, she had these gold bells tied to her ankles that he now knows are called ghungroos. She was performing to his song, easy to say he was in awe. The way she moved effortlessly to the music, was really a treat to watch. He stood by the door and watched her perform to the whole 6 minute song, tearing up by end at intensity and fervour her performance exuded. He knew then that he was done for. After watching her for so long, he felt obligated to tell her how much he loved it. He approached her, only for her to get really startled and then upset that he was eavesdropping. He apologised of course, but he was expecting her to recognise him, considering the song, you know? Turns out, her friend had hooked her up to a gig at an art gallery in London to do an experimental piece; and she also suggested the song. Mohini really had no clue about him. What were the odds that she would run into this international pop star in a beat-up studio in Hampstead? But that's precisely what happened. He asked her if he could attend this said performance since it was his song and all. She reluctantly agreed and told him where it was. He went there the next week, in a poor disguise, to catch the least attention possible. But he needn't have done that, because nobody cared who he was, at Akademi Dance, they were there for her. They watched in awe, tearing up just like he did that same week. He didn't need a better sign. It was love at first sight, really, at least for him. He called Jeff after that performance and had his management contact her. It wasn't that hard. She was very known with the south Asian classical dance community but tough to book. So he went back to that studio in hopes of finding her there. Today he's not ashamed to admit, that he went there consistently for 2 weeks before she showed up, surprised to see him there. He told her what he had in mind.

Today that's known as one of the most viewed classical meets western ballad performance. They had to contact the gallery to erase any trace of that performance. Mohini rechoreographed it to the music, with Harry and his inputs, though they were very few, if at all. With his audience, she had dance companies contacting from all over the world. But all Moh wanted was to stay in London and teach. The one thing he hopes, she remembers fondly, is her falling in love with him during that project. Rest is history. He went on tour for the album. She continued teaching, performing a fair bit. The two met up at different venues, depending on where the other person was.

The morning sun hitting her just right, sweat glistening her face and chest. She had a thin gold chain with an H pendant around her neck which swayed as she moved. Her hair was slightly damp, likely from the heat and her practice. Mohini's side was facing him. She was wearing a light pink tunic with loose white linen pants. He was waiting for her to turn so he could quickly capture the elation on her face that he knows is there when she's practising. "Moh! Why don't yeh give me dazzle?"

She turns when she hears Harry, quickly covering her face with her palms. "H! I'm so sweaty right now! Stop it!" she's laughing now. Having stopped dancing, he chases her around the balcony getting as many photos of her as he could. He stops when he's cornered her at the edge. Her back hit the rim of the balcony, she leaning outwards. He puts the camera on the table where her speakers are placed and locks her within his hold. Both hands on either side of her waist, she's breathing heavily now, adrenaline coursing through her. He slowly moves one finger to swipe the sweat that gathered on her exposed chest. Her breath hitches at that, taking in the look in his eyes, but she knows she can't back away now, so she takes charge, grabbing him by his face, inching closer to kiss him. Just when he thinks she's going to kiss him, she leans forward and gently nibbles on his ear, which has his knees weak. She whispers, "Think we should smoke that blunt, Jaya got us last week", and ducks under his arm, laughing as she runs back into the house. "I'll get yeh back fo' that, Moh! Just wait yeh little minx," shaking his head smiling.

That evening, Moh and Harry brought out the works. She only smoked when she felt the tension to release some of that pent up energy. Harry will use any excuse to spend some time with this girl, knowing he wouldn't get any time with her this summer. They were here for her work, after all. So he pulled out all the stops for the night, went out and got her favourite snacks, whipped up some quick salad for dinner, knowing they would be gorging on munchies. He set up a blanket on the balcony floor, brought out all the food while she showered upstairs. He had been working on some writing and recording today. They brought a bunch of their recording equipment along, so Harry could set up in her dad's study. Ever since her parents passed, her home in Bombay laid vacant for her to use whenever she pleased. Coming home to an empty house had been hard for her last year, but Harry had been there by her side through everything. Cleaning out all the supplies, arranging things, throwing out old items and keeping things that would remind her of her parents. He made it home for her that year. So when she was asked by her teacher to spend the summer here, she readily agreed because Harry would be with her, and going back home wouldn't feel so morose. The first week had just been setting up the house to their liking. They were just about getting comfortable around the house. Somehow Harry knew the terrace balcony was special for her, so that's where he'd set up their make-shift date night. She walked in, wet hair from her shower dripping all over. She was wearing one of his loose t-shirts and he was lounging in a pair of white shorts. He looked up at her, smiling softly. "How was class today? Is Madhuri doing any better?"

"Yeah, I think so, she is, but she was resting, we did some footwork with the kids, movement exercises and whatnot, and with me, we just went over some of the stuff I'd been working on back home", she smiles.

He sits down, leaning against the railing, and pats the spot next to him, silently motioning her to join him. She does so, reaching her place and leaning in to kiss him on his nose before picking up the joint. She lights it and takes a long drag from it. "I miss baba", she exhales.

He takes the joint from her, "Know yeh do, pet. D'ya want to talk about it?"

"No. I just hadn't said that out loud in so long. Felt like it was eating away at me, y'know?"

"Yeah, know what yeh mean, s'okay though, we can just sit here and take that in for a bit."

"Madhuri Ji, asked me if I'd considered coming back," she said

"Yeah? Well, yeh are here now, and we'll be here all summer." He added

"No, I think she meant moving back here, but I didn't give her an answer yet"

"Are yeh really considering that? Thought we were looking to put the down payment for that house in Chelsea when we went back?" He asked, slightly confused

"Yeah, I mean, we are, but I didn't want to not consider it. I'd be able to help her out with classes more often, work on new projects with artists that I don't get to back home, and just" she pauses ", I just wanted some time to think about it, y'know."

"Okay, well, yeh know I've got to go back after the summer, pet, if you'd like to stay for longer, that's okay, we can figure something out." He sighed. He knew Vrindavan was vital to her. She had too many memories attached to it. She thought she had time with those here, but with her parents passing away in an accident last year, it really took that opportunity away from her. So now she felt cheated of her good memories of her home. He knew she'd want to keep this place, but they'd always talked about settling in London and coming down here for her performances and to meet Madhuri. Something changed her heart, and she seemed unsure of their plan to settle in London.

He kissed her softly and put an arm around her, bringing her close to him, "We'll sort it out, darling. Baba and Ma are going to be with yeh no matter what."

That conversation ended with them lazily passing the joint, munching on the snack laid out. Both of them passed out contently in each other's arms out in the open terrace that night.

Come monsoon that year, Moh decided she wouldn't go back to London, so she sat on her bed, watching the love of her life pack away all his stuff to leave for his home the following day. The yellow light of their room fell on him, which only made him look more beautiful. She realised how much she would miss watching him play her his new songs sitting in the same spot he sat now. Rain poured mercilessly, almost as if Bombay was weeping at the state of their relationship. She didn't want this to end, but she also couldn't leave the only semblance of her father behind. She wanted Harry to stay, desperately hoping he would make it work, but she also knew that wasn't rational. He couldn't fly back and forth so often, it would be detrimental to his health. So she turned her face away to wipe the tears that lined her waterline.

"I wish you'd at least consider coming back with me. If yeh still don' like it there, you can come right back, Moh" his voice shaky, she knew if she listened to him any longer, she wouldn't be able to hold her sobs back. So she looked at him with this vacant look, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm not ready for that yet, Harry. I don't think I will be. It's not fair to you."

"Okay then, if you change your mind, know I'll be waiting for yeh, pet" he wipes away a lone tear and goes back to packing.

The following day she waves Harry goodbye and rushes to the balcony terrace to watch him go gently twisting the H hanging from her neck. The mangoes are long gone, so is the light from those summer mornings.

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hermionemonica · 3 years

Text

The Road to Us, and Everything in Between: Chapter 6

Happy Holidays everyone!

(This is a no magic AU. There is no existence of the Miraculous or the superheroes in this universe.)

AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 7

A couple of weeks later, Marinette was hanging out with the other girls at Juleka's. They all knew about the unfortunate incident (thanks to Alya) and had kindly refrained from mentioning Adrien since that, and Marinette could not be more grateful of her group of friends.

“Hey Juleka, do you happen to have a box of tissues around?” asked Mylene, who was trying to paint Rose’s nails.

“Yeah,” said Juleka, looking up from her guitar, “Marinette can you get them from my room?”

“Sure thing, Juleka!” Marinette got up immediately.

By now, Marinette knew Juleka's home and her room very well.

But she had not accounted for the boy who was sitting on the other bed in Juleka's room.

He looked up at Marinette, and spoke almost as if he was expecting her, “Hello.”

The unexpected presence had stunned Marinette into silence.

“Oh, I see you've met Luka!”

Marinette whipped around to find Juleka leaning against the door frame.

“Luka? Your brother who went to New York?”

Juleka smiled. “The very same. He got back only last night, unexpectedly.”

Marinette hadn't seen Juleka's older brother for over what, like six years? Mostly because he would be home for only two days at the most; being a professional musician and part of a travelling band had its own disadvantages.

“But his hair-?”

“You know you can talk to me when I'm sitting right here?” Luka said with a laugh, making Marinette turn back to him. “I got the teal tips only a couple of months ago,” he said, running his hands through the strands at his forehead.

“Oh. Umm, hey. It’s been a while, right?” Marinette finally managed to utter.

“Yeah, sadly,” Luka said with a slight smile. “But this time I'm gonna be here for a long time.”

“Luka resigned from his band because he was homesick,” Juleka explained. “He says he’s going to chill at home for a few months at least, and after that until he gets a decent offer. Till then he's going to be a temporary member of the Kitty Section.”

The Kitty Section was an amateur band that Juleka, Rose and Ivan had founded in their spare time.

“You could say that with a little more enthusiasm, you know, Jules. After all, not everybody gets lucky enough to be honoured by the presence of Luka Couffaine in their little band,” Luka puffed his chest, at which he was promptly hit in the face with a cushion.

“Tut-tut, newbie,” Juleka said in a condescending voice, “you still have a lot to learn.”

Marinette all but escaped the room with the box of tissues in a fit of laughter. It was at times like this that she found herself wondering how different her life would have been if she were not an only child.

She remembered being very close to Luka when they were younger. They had struck up a strong friendship despite the age difference between them. Maybe they could rekindle that bond? Because Marinette could definitely use one more friend.

Luka was more than eager to spend time with Marinette. And despite his celebrity status, he was never anything but sweet to her. As the weeks passed, they grew closer and began to spend more and more time with each other. Luka occasionally showed up at Marinette's university and offered to take her home after she was done with her day. Or sometimes they would go for a stroll together. Marinette always found Luka’s company particularly comforting.

One day, as Luka waited outside the university gates for Marinette, he saw a well-dressed blonde boy walk up to him.

“Hey there,” Adrien greeted him curtly.

“Hi, do we know each other?” asked Luka.

“Not directly, but I believe we have a friend in common.”

“And who might that be?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“So, you are one of Marinette's friends?”

Adrien's eyebrow twitched slightly at the question. “You might say so.”

“That's strange, because I don't think she has never mentioned any friends from university.”

Adrien felt a pang at his chest. “Are you her friend too?”

“Yes, I’ve known her since we were kids.”

“Oh, that's interesting.”

“So, was there anything you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yeah,” Adrien squared up his shoulders. “Listen to me, guitar-guy, I don't know how close you are with Marinette, or what your intentions are, but you dare break her heart and you will have to answer to me.”

Unexpectedly, Luka smiled. “Don’t worry, I really care about her. I will never do anything to hurt her.”

Adrien's expression softened considerably at that.

Luka extended his hand. “It's Luka, by the way.”

Adrien grasped his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Adrien.”

“Well, Adrien, thank you once again for the warning. But I hope I never have to get on the wrong side of you.”

Adrien nodded silently. “I'll be on my way,” he said, and walked away to a black car that stood at a distance.

After a few seconds, Luka heard Marinette’s voice, “Luka! Did I keep you waiting for long?”

“Not at all, Marinette,” he smiled, “Say, would you like a cup of coffee?”

“I'd love it! Ugh, it's been a long day.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Luka intentionally refrained from talking to Marinette about the conversation he had with Adrien a while ago.

Adrien leaned back on the seat of his car. He felt restless. Of course, Marinette would try to find love somewhere else, now that he had turned her down. But that did not explain this strange feeling in his chest, like someone was pressing down on it, and he found breathing painful.

He had watched for more than two weeks, that boy would be waiting for Marinette outside their university almost every other day. And he had seen how Marinette's face would break into a smile when she saw him. Adrien had watched from a distance, and sadly wondered how long it had been since Marinette had smiled like that on seeing him.

Two weeks. It had taken him two weeks to gather his guts and walk up to him. Because no matter if they were apart, Adrien still cared for Marinette. And he would always look out for her. So he decided to ensure that Marinette did not get her heart broken by another guy again. But no matter what the tattoos or the nail-paints might suggest, Luka seemed to be a nice guy. And if they knew each other from childhood as he said, well then she knew who she was getting involved with. He wished nothing but happiness for her.

But really? Marinette hadn't even talked about him once? Did she really not want to have anything to do with him at all? Adrien ran a hand through his hair and pulled at the strands in agony. Had he really lost Marinette's friendship forever?

One day, the girls and Ivan and Luka were hanging out at the Kitty Section rehearsal studio.

All of a sudden, Alya stood up. “Will you come with me to the bathroom, Marinette?”

Marinette was a little taken aback, more by the tone of exasperation in her voice. She excused herself to go after Alya.

When the bathroom door was shut behind them, Marinette asked, “Are you oka-"

“Alright, what is going on down there?” Alya cut her off with a question.

“What are you talking about?”

“Luka, of course!”

“What?” Marinette asked incredulously.

“See girl,” Alya went on, “I am all for you being happy, but I don't like what you're doing here. You are clearly not over Adrien yet, and I don't want you to get involved with someone else like that.”

Marinette had not seen this coming. “You have got it all wrong Alya. Luka and I, we are not like that.”

“Is that so? Then pray explain to me all the dates and the lovey-dovey glances and all that stuff!”

“I-I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Marinette,” Alya went on in a gentler tone, “maybe you don’t understand what you're doing. But please don't get yourself into a situation that will inevitably lead to both your hearts broken.”

Alya patted Marinette's shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. “Just think about it. Let's go now, the others must be waiting for us.”

Marinette was sure that she did not have any feelings besides friendship for Luka. But was she unconsciously using him to get over Adrien?

#miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #my fic #the road to us and everything in between #chapter 6 #no magic au #alternate universe - no powers #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #adrienette #slow burn #lukanette

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princessjungeun · 4 years

Text

10:46: E:U x Reader

Request: First date with E:U if I'm not too late to request

Today was your “first date” with Jiwon. The two of you had gone on date like things before, but that was before you two were officially together. But also those date like things were accompanied by Mia, Onda and a manager. So today was the day when you were supposed to be able to be with Jiwon alone.

Originally the two of you were supposed to be going out together, probably getting food and exploring downtown Seoul. But there was a last minute schedule change. Yuehua scheduled Everglow for a televised performance however the group’s managers weren’t made aware until this morning.

Dun Dun promotions were almost over, and the group was told they had an off day today. Hence why your date was scheduled for today. However now the girls were heading to Music Bank for a last minute rehearsal and their performance.

Thankfully Jiwon’s management team was supportive of her and your relationship. At first they weren’t fond of the idea of her dating another girl. They told Jiwon it would be bad for business, she’d lose male fans because they believed they had a chance with her. If news got out that she was dating you, a female, they’d lose interest.

But when they met you and saw the way Jiwon’s entire demeanor changed around you, the reconsidered. They realized she danced better after talking to you, she rapped with more confidence after seeing you. You motivated her to do better and they noticed.

You slept soundly until you heard your loud ringtone, Moon. Sleepily you answered knowing it was your girlfriend “hello?” She laughed on the other line “your morning voice is cute.” You asked “what’s wrong Jiwon-ah? Why are you awake at 6:19 am?” She responded “our managers just woke us up. We have a MusicBank performance today. So we can’t go on our date...I’m sorry Jagiya.” You could head the sadness in her voice.

You told her “it’s ok babe I’ll just come see you perform at MusicBank. Hang out with your managers backstage yeah?” She sighed on the other side of the line “ok. We can do something afterwards ok?” You sleepily told her “ok but if you’re tired don’t push yourself, you know I just want you to be happy.” She hummed “mmmhmm i know. ok I’ll see you later ok?” You responded “ok bye baby.” She softly said “ok bye” before hanging up.

•

You woke up later in the afternoon than usual because you were so tired. Recently work had been reducing the amount of sleep so on days off like this you slept in as much as you could.

You hung around you apartment all day, not really doing anything important, just waiting around until you could go to MusicBank.

Eventually hours passed and Jiwon texted you telling you that she was headed for rehearsal at the MusicBank studio. When you showed up a staff member found you and gave you a pass which indicated you were with the group.

The girls were onstage rehearsing and you could tell they all wished they were at home sleeping like they’d originally planned to. Despite this they still managed to smile and perform flawlessly.

When they returned Jiwon ran into your arms, her members awwing and laughing about how cute you two were. As she and her members waited for their turns onstage, Jiwon took this time to spend time with you.

She sat on your lap, leaning against you while talking softly about her day so far. You knew she was tense about performing due to lack of prior rehearsals. Although they’d been promoting Dun Dun for weeks, it still was nerve wracking to perform without multiple rehearsals.

“Everglow to the stage in two minutes!” A producer for MusicBank shouted into the room. One of the girls’ staff walked around helping them put on their mic packs and in ears. You clipped Jiwon’s mic on for her and secured her in ears before giving her a small kiss. She smiled and hugged you before walking out with her members.

You watched the screen as the girls performed, and as usual, Jiwon’s confidence went up as the song went on. Her staff made small comments about how pretty Yiren looked and how Mia’s facial expressions were really cool. You simply smiled proudly at how amazing the group did, especially Jiwon.

When they finished their performance and congratulated the winner of this week’s MusicBank win they headed back to the dressing rooms. Jiwon hugged you before going to get out of her stage outfit.

A few moments later she came back in a t shirt and jeans, your t shirt to be exact. You onced her over before saying “so that’s where my t shirts always disappear to huh?” Jiwon blushed and playfully said “i don’t know what you’re talking about.”

•

The rest of Everglow headed back to their dorms whereas Jiwon decided to stay with you. You drove back to your apartment which was only a few short blocks from Everglow’s dorm.

“You tired?” You asked internally hoping she’d say no. Jiwon responded “not really honestly... I still wanna go out with you.” You placed your hand on her thigh just above her knee, keeping your eyes on the road.

•

You two decided to just explore downtown Seoul tonight. Jiwon already ate before she performed so she wasn’t hungry, you ate before coming to see her too.

Walking through the semi crowded streets was something you found yourself doing quite often, it’s also how you met Jiwon. You got lost wandering around and asked how to get back to your apartment, she walked you back and slipped you her number. The rest is history.

You slipped your hand into hers, she laughed softly before pulling you into an empty ally way. Standing on her tippy toes she pressed a kiss to your lips before mumbling a soft “I love you”.

She asked “ before we head back...can I take you somewhere?” You nodded and let her guide the way. It was a few blocks before she turned a poorly lit corner, your grip on her hand tightened. “It’s ok Jagi.” Her thumb ran across the back of your hand, soothing your nerves.

She stopped at a small shop with maybe two or three people in it. When she opened the door an older woman came out from behind the counter. “Jiwon! So nice to see you sweetheart how’ve you been?” Your girlfriend responded “really good actually. I brought someone I’d like you to meet!”

She pulled you forward and pushed you lightly, “this is Y/N, my girlfriend.” The woman smiled and said “it’s nice to meet you Y/N. I’m Miyoung, I used to take care of Jiwon when she was a little girl. I’m a family friend...more like a grandmother though.”

For the rest of the night you watched as Jiwon talked to her grandmother figure. You could see how much the older woman loved having Jiwon around. Your girlfriend’s smile never faded away as she talked, it only got bigger.

An hour and a half passed before Jiwon got a call from her members. She told her grandmother figure, “I’ll be back soon I promise. I have to go though.” The woman smiled and said “Ok sweetheart. Tell your members I said hi, bring them around sometime. I miss them, especially that Serim!” She turned to you “it was nice meeting you too. Please protect my Jiwon...she loves you very much.”

You heart fluttered at her words “I will I promise.” You both hugged the woman before leaving so you could walk Jiwon back to her dorm.

As you two walked you asked “who called?” She responded “Mia...she said Aisha found her chocolate stash and hid all of it so only she could reach it.” You laughed and asked “and Yiren didn’t help Mia?” She responded “nope Yiren is still upset Mia accidentally stepped on her favorite stuffed animal last night.” You both laughed at the antics of her group, there was never a dull moment in the Everglow dorm.

When you got to Jiwon’s dorm you pulled her in for a hug. She relaxed in your arms before pulling away and kissing you softly.

I love you Jiwon-ah” you kissed her cheek twice. She smiled through her blush and told you “I love you too jagi.” She kissed you again before she took off running to fix the problems in her dorm. You watched as she ran inside, standing in front of the building with a smile before turning around and walking home.

#kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop fluff #everglow imagines #everglow scenarios #everglow #everglow e:u

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inforapound · 4 years

Text

Emboîté Part 6

A/N - This is the final chapter. It’s a bit of a ride. As @youbloodymadgenius doesn’t love angst, I softened it with sickly sweet suckie fluff. I do have an epilogue in mind which I may or may not write. We’ll see.

Pairing – Ivar and Sarah (Aethelswith)

Words – 3,900 approx

We fell in love, blinding love, totally consumed by the other. Dance was the single and only part of my life that prevented me from being swallowed entirely by Ivar’s passion. I was his obsession and I loved it. Within a month we spent every moment outside of rehearsals and weekend performances together and when the seasonal break came, I taught ballet and we were glued at the hip for the rest of the time. Exploring the city like visitors, going to movies, countless suppers out, being that couple who couldn't sit without tangling in each other’s arms on the same side of the table.

Mornings, evenings, stolen moments in the day were spent making love. Our bodies moving as if in some race to absorb the other. Within a few months, there wasn’t a part of me, not an inch, not a speck of flesh, he hadn’t claimed and worshipped. Not a single thing two bodies could possibly do, that we hadn’t. His hands on my skin, my face, my tummy, everywhere, felt as familiar as my own. Always, always the moment he pushed inside me, his words of devotion would flow, how beautiful I was, how perfect I felt around him, how much he needed me, how lucky he was to have me, that I was his baby, his woman, his princess. It was fiercely intense and dangerously addictive without a moment to catch my breath. His relentless lips inhaling me, tasting me, gulping up every whimper and cry of his name.

Within half a year our bodies new the other so intimately, our love making could stretch hours or just a minute if that’s all that time would allow. Never parting without him reminding me that he was mine and I was his and that we fit together. It was true, we did. Was it healthy? Probably not but I didn’t care. He was unlike anyone I could have dreamt of. Not an easy man but a remarkable one. A man of extremes and complexities with an immense ability to feel. His brilliance and passion as vast and powerful as his fear of being without me. There was a pain inside him, it had been there long before me but somehow, he felt it less when we were together.

His moods, oh my god. They were overwhelming with his immediate reaction always being hurt or rejection. Our fights at times were brutal. Arguments that would start the same way each time with my desire to return home for a night or two. Heading back into season, I wanted to rest and refocus, get used to waking up in my own space in anticipation of the opening season.

Without fail, it would catapult him into a tailspin of anger, even despair. He refused to understand my desire for space or time alone, particularly after the man had purchased me everything I could ever want to keep at his place. Pajamas, clothing, toiletries, goddamn matching sweatsuits to his.

In truth, I didn’t really want to be away from but I felt I should. Should as an exercise in maintaining some shred of independence.

Opening night at the theatre was just over a month away and we were already fighting about my upcoming rehearsal schedule.

On those nights when I would simply walk out, leaving him to sit alone in the dark and brood or smash something against his concrete floors, I still lay awake on my crummy pull out couch and ache for him. Sometimes even cry for him. My body feeling adrift without his arm over me or his chest against my back anchoring me down. I’d wake in the morning to sometimes a dozen texts, the last few always sounding defeated. Was I like a drug to him? Possibly.

When I would return, he’d just embrace me, not allowing me to sit anywhere but in his lap, the hurt immediately forgotten. Always making me laugh by being a dork, doing something stupid like shoving his head up my shirt, pretending he was lost or someone had turned out the lights.

Ivar Lothbrok was the love of my life. My partner and my very best friend and I couldn’t imagine life without him. And one day, in an instant, with a single phone call, everything changed.

----

“Hello.”

“Sarah!” Wynne’s urgent tone pulled me from the haze of sleep. Ivar’s heavy arm over my side.

“Wake up.”

“I’m awake.” Pushing down on the mattress, I forced myself up, leaning back against the headboard. Scooting toward me, Ivar again draped his arm across my outstretched legs. “What’s up?” I asked knowing by her rushed voice that this was not a call about scheduling.

“It’s Giovanna. She’s been tapped.”

“What?” my eyes shot wide. “Seriously?”

“Yes, Paris baby. And guess what else?”

“What?”

“You’re up girl. You’re in. You got lead. Board decided this morning. This is your official call.”

Mouth gaping, I couldn’t say a word.

“Sarah! You’re our new principal starting opening night. 4 weeks today.”

“Oh my god,” I replied in a whisper, looking down to Ivar’s face, half-buried in his soft pillow. As if feeling my eyes on him, his armed squeezed my legs.

“Right!?”

“Wow.”

“Yep, get in here so we can talk about your contract. Practice for you starts, like now.”

“Yeah, okay. Oh my god. Ok. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Dropping my phone onto the duvet, I exhaled loudly, closing my eyes. The thoughts were entering my brains so quickly, I felt as if I couldn’t hold on to a single one of them. I needed to get to the theatre.

“Ivar, I’m dancing lead.”

Looking up, he withdrew his arm, turning onto his side.

“I gathered, congratulations.”

“Giovanna…. she’s going. I learned so much from her. Now, I have to be her?”

“No, baby, be you. You’ve earned this. We should celebrate,” shifting closer, he lifted his head, extending his arms and yanked me by the waist down beside him.

“No,” I smiled, pushing meekly on his chest as he leaned in kissing the side of my face. “They are expecting me.”

“I’m expecting you,” he smirked rolling onto his back, heaving me over to straddle his waist.

“Come on. Let me just slip it in really quick before you go.”

“Ivar! Really romantic,” I laughed, looking down, pushing my legs further apart as his hands slid up my thighs, grabbing my hips and grinding up against me.

“I’ll make it the most romantic 3 minutes of your life.”

“Okay,” I laughed again, pulling off my camisole, bending down to get my morning kiss.

----

The first week, I rehearsed full days often staying into the evening. Declining Ivar’s offers of picking me up or bringing me supper at the theatre. Hyper focussed, I did not want any interruption or distraction, not a single break in the pace I had set. At first, Ivar was understanding but within days, I could sense his hurt.

When I would arrive to his place late in the evening, he would go through the motions of being the supportive boyfriend, rubbing my feet, offering food, a hot bath but I could feel the resentment. His love making was needier, demanding, even pushy. Or, perhaps, I was beginning to detach. My mind, previously filled with thoughts of him and us, was consumed with preparation and the expectations of the following day’s practice. That and my body needed sleep, terribly. Not two hours of sex when I was already facing a short night with an early morning start.

Around and around we went the first week, the more I withdrew, the more desperate he became for my affection. Constantly needing reassurance. By the second week, I just couldn’t return to his place after rehearsal. I walked into my apartment, looking around as if I had never lived there. Texting him that night, I lied. My first ever lie to him. To my best friend and the love of my life. Said there was a problem with the water lines and the building manager had called. Explained that since I was already there, I was just going to head to bed.

The following night, I again returned to my apartment, and the night after that, my excuses sounding weaker and weaker and his frustration only growing. I started leaving out the back door of the theatre like some woman in hiding avoiding her abuser who may or may not be waiting in an SUV out front. My Poor Ivar. His only crime was loving me fiercely, compulsively. But I just couldn’t deal with it.

He called and called and texted. I began hitting the DECLINE button as I had no idea what to say and no extra energy to diffuse his upset. I was exhausted and it was make or break time. Do or die. I didn’t want us to be over. Not at all. Hitting that red ignore button on my phone was me wanting a pause. A pause on us - our relationship until after opening night, after the first couple of weeks when I had proven myself worthy of replacing Giovanna and beating out Nicole the other second. New steps, a new role, the pressure of representing the theatre, not to mention, the ticking clock counting down the dwindling timeline for my career. My life! Twenty-two years of ballet and in a matter of weeks, it would all be put to the test.

Ivar was an intelligent man, he loved me and wanted me to succeed but he had never known hunger. Couldn’t possibly understand what it was like to be a woman fighting in a world filled with talent for a chance. With no money, no family to fall back on. His circumstance and mine weren’t his fault but in the back of my mind, I worried his need for me overpowered his ability to support my success.

The truth was I loved him. I wanted to spend my life with him, but I couldn’t deal with him now. After two weeks of this cat and mouse game, a switch flipped, and I stopped all communication. No more excuses. Nothing.

Asleep one night on my pull-out couch in my studio apartment, a knock on my front door woke me at 2am. Like a cold-hearted coward, I froze, laying in my bed, pretending I wasn’t there. The knocking turned into banging and I literally pulled the covers up and cried. Cried because I needed him to leave me alone. The noise stopped and at some point, he left. When I opened the door in the morning, there was a bouquet of pink tulips thrown on the dirty carpet of the hallway. My poor Ivar. He was hurting and I kept shutting him out.

My phone blew up with texts for days and days, angry and demanding and I deserved it. Every word. How does a person cut another from their life like that? The last I read before turning off my phone was a plea for us to meet at Piccolo's to talk. I couldn’t. It would not be just supper. He would want more, everything, and I would give it to him. I needed to stay away. By the third week, his texts stopped. No more calls or long voicemails.

As much as I kept my mind on the steps, on the music, on my breath, my heart ached for him. Physically hurt as I sensed his rejection and pain. I was torturing him and at the same time, I had to dance like I was as free as a bird.

----

The black SUV should have stood out to me but it didn’t. My mind was on the morning ahead as I raced down the sidewalk at 7am with a paper cup of coffee and my gym bag slung over my shoulder. The door of the vehicle opened, and my steps slowed as I noticed the familiar sight of Ivar’s cane hitting the sidewalk and him stepping out from behind the door. Nearing dropping my coffee, my eyes widened, shocked at how broken he looked. Pained, angry, pale, his blue eyes watery as if he hadn’t seen sleep in days.

My reaction? I glanced at the door of the theatre to calculate whether I could make it inside before he could stop me. Who had I turned into? I wasn’t afraid of him so why was I doing this? Had I subconsciously, or even conscientiously decided that being with him would cost me my career? Like I had cost my mother’s when she was left pregnant.

“Sarah.”

Sounding like a ghost his voice pulled me out of my thoughts, my focus returning to his hardened face.

Sarah?” he repeated again, frustration flaring in his tone. “You can’t be bothered to pick up my calls or even make excuses anymore? I have to come here, and catch you off guard like an insane person? Baby,” he pleaded, his face contorting with emotion, “I, I can’t believe this. Any of this. That you can just drop us.”

“Ivar, I can’t do this right now.” My brows pulled together, and I knew I looked like I was begging.

“You are going to blow me off when I am right in front of you? Sarah! If I’m awake, I‘m missing you. Fuck! I can barely…” looking down, he shook his head, shuffling his cane and I could tell he was working hard at controlling himself.

“I will call you later. Tonight. Ok?”

“But you won't,” he shook his head again,” looking up.

Breaking from his intense glare, I dropped my eyes to the pavement, holding back the wisps of loose hair flying around my face. I didn’t know what to say. I just needed to get inside.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” I whispered, stepping forward and heading for the front door.

“Wait,” he cried, and I felt a tug on my gym bag and shoulder. Snapping my head to look, his hand was gripping the side of my bag.

I must have looked panicked as when I pulled away, he quickly let go, sending me tumbling sideways, and down flat on the sidewalk

“Baby!” he yelled, shuffling over me, his hands grabbing trying to pull me up. “Baby, I’m so sorry. Fuck, are you alright? It was an accident. I’m so sorry,” he rushed, looking horrified.

Awkwardly he pulled me up onto my feet, spilled coffee all over the pavement. “Are you okay?” he reached forward and I stepped back, blocking his embrace.

As if I had kicked him in the groin, he gasped at my rejection.

“Baby, I didn’t mean for you to fall.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

“I know!” I shot back impatiently, straightening my clothes. “I know it was an accident.” Looking back up to his sad eyes. “I have to go.”

“Sarah, are you alright?” a man’s voice came from the theatre door. Turning I saw the guy who did our lighting, standing in the doorway, holding the glass door open.

“Is she alright?” Ivar’s head shot back. “I’m trying to talk to my girlfriend, thanks,”

“Doesn’t look like she wants to talk to you.” He yelled back, matching Ivar’s volume.

“It’s none of your goddamn business.” Ivar barked over my head.

“That’s enough,” I muttered, turning back to the theatre.

“Todd, it's okay. Thank you. It's fine. Really. I’m coming right in.”

Nodding, Todd flashed Ivar a poignant look before letting the door close.

“What kind of fucking name is Todd? Is he some teen lifeguard?”

“Ivar, please,” I kept my voice soft, turning to look at him, embarrassed by the seen we were creating. “Just go. I know it was an accident. Please,” my voice cracked, and tears began to fill my eyes. “I can’t do this right now. I’m….” shaking my head, I felt everything inside me shatter, all the pressure of opening night less than a week away. “I can’t do this Ivar,” I repeated, throwing my hands up frantically, my voice wavering.

Frowning his eyes bore into mine, “Can’t do what? Us?”

“Yeah.” I choked out the word feeling no relief. “I can’t do us…anymore.”

“Baby...” his eye narrowed, his mouth falling open in disbelief, “don’t do this. Please,” slowly he shook his head, uncertainty, fear, devastation in his startling blue eyes. His hands hung heavily at his sides, his fingers twitching like all he wanted was to reach for me and wrap me in his arms.

“I’m sorry Ivar,” I whispered, taking a step back. I had to put him out of this misery. “It’s over.”

His eyes flashed wide with the final blow and I turned toward the theatre, making my way through the front doors without looking back to the man I had felt was my forever.

----

It was time. Opening night. The steps ingrained in my mind as if I had choreographed the ballet myself. I could dance them without music, without cues, in the pitch black, prepared as anyone could be.

Sitting on my chair in a dressing room, I stared into the mirror. My eyes and brows heavily lined, the border of bright lights reflecting in my eyes and I felt...numb. No, not numb, I felt sad. Empty. There was a dull hum inside my head dampening any sense of nervousness or excitement. I glanced at the screen on my phone for the hundredth time in an hour but it was still black. No messages.

Leaning forward, toward the mirror, I inspected my make-up again, turning my head side to side, the harsh rouge on my cheeks stretching up to my temples. I felt ugly. Hideous. Like a monster who could eat her own young. Placing my arms across the table, I lowered my head, resting my forehead on the edge.

A knock on the door startled me and I lifted my head peering into the mirror at the reflection of the door behind.

Wynne poked her head in, “Knock, knock,” her black bob framing her round face. Opening the door wider, she stepped in holding a vase of pink tulips.

“We usually have to wait until the end of the show to get flowers,” I said.

“Not you miss. Not when you have your own cheerleading section.”

“Hmm?” I squinted, the pressed powder on my face feeling as if it might crack.

“Ivar,” she lifted the vase slightly, frowning as if I should know what she was talking about.

“What?”

“You guys are still not talking? He's in the balcony with his family.”

“What!” I spun in the chair, turning to look at her. “How do you know?”

Entering, she kicked the door closed behind and walked over, placing the glass vase on my make-up table, quickly taking a seat at the next station.

“A group of gorgeous men, two of whom have women with them, and all have the last name Lothbrok.”

“Oh my god. I’ve never even met them.” My eyes shot wide. “Ivar never wanted to because of family tension...” shaking my head, “the oldest two are married. It must be…” my voice fell silent. Saying nothing, I looked down, fiddling with the sheer material of my costume. “Wynne,” I whimpered, “I’ve been so terrible to him.”

“Awe don’t worry. You have all season to make it better.”

“What do you mean?” lifting my chin, I looked back up to her.

“He’s reserved the balcony every Saturday until the new year.”

“What!”

“Yes, he must be loaded.” She jerked her head toward the huge bouquet. “There’s a card there.”

Reaching for the vase, I spun it, grabbing the white envelope with gold trim tucked inside the rim.

“Shit, do you think I should read it before I go on.”

“Up to you but....yes. You are obviously thinking about him and he’s here so he’s obviously thinking about you.”

Blowing air out between my lips, I tore open the envelope, pulling out the card.

“Stay though, okay? While I read it?”

“Yep.”

Looking down I was hit with a surge of excitement as I saw that the card was completely filled with Ivar’s perfectly symmetrical writing.

Sarah,

I know that I acted horribly and was out of line the other day. I am not sure anyone will ever understand what having you in my life means to me. It’s no excuse though.

I am so proud of you and how hard you have worked to get here. You are such a strong person and I hope you are not upset that I had to come tonight and watch this incredible moment in your life.

I fell for you the second you got into my car that night at the auction. Hopelessly and completely and I acknowledge how smothering and controlling I’ve been since. I have never felt this way before and was terrified that if I loosened my grip, you’d slip away. It left you feeling divided and I know I put you in the position where you felt you couldn’t have it all. I should have been championing you toward your dreams from the start. You deserve everything.

I accept your decision to focus on your dancing and I will support you from afar. I wish I could have been there with you tonight, taking your photo, kissing you good luck before you went on but here we are.

My brother asked why I was so broken and why I was convinced I had to be with you. I know in my heart, in my bones, that it just won't ever be anyone else. What I’m saying is that I love you, Sarah. I love you. I know that I have never said those actual words. God, I should have. A thousand times. They just never felt big enough and I have seen what people do to each other who use them. But I love you.

Lastly, I’m sorry I didn’t know how to do this better.

Enjoy every second of tonight. You will be amazing.

Yours,

Ivar.

Pressing the card to my chest, I slouched against the back of the chair, closing my eyes, willing away the tears.

Emboîté, emboîté, the voice of my first ballet teacher rang through my head. Emboîté, she would call out to us little girls floundering like ducklings across the vast wooden floor.

Turning to Wynne, I smiled, sniffling through my tears. “Do you have a pen, and can you take something to Ivar? Right away?”

----

Dear Ivar,

There are things to talk about but most importantly, I am so incredibly sorry and I love you too. So much. I want us to be together, in fact, I want to move in. Formally move in, if you’ll still have me, of course.

No matter how crazy life gets, let us have the comfort of each other every night and together learn how to do this properly. I will see you after the show and I am so glad you are here. It would not be the same without you.

Yours always,

Sarah

----

When I landed and lifted my head listening to the eruption of applause, I took my bow and for the first time looked into the light. Tipping my face up, I focussed on the balcony and smiled with all my heart at Ivar who, up from his chair, stood staring down, pounding his hands together, clapping. The white envelope was tucked under his arm and his beautiful smile was lit with the brightness of our future.

@youbloodymadgenius @naaladareia @funmadnessandbadassvikings @redama @mdredwine @didiintheblog @yourpurplequeen @londongal2810 @fields-and-fields-of-poppies @hexqueensupreme @littlecarolina94 @oddsnendsfanfics @youbelongeverywhere @blonddnamedhandz @waiting4inspiration @zuxiezendler @heavenly1927 @jzr201 @hecohansen31

#ivar #ivar the boneless #ivar fanfic #ivar smut #modern ivar #ivar love #ivar romance #vikings ivar #vikings fanfic #ivar and sarah #alex hogh andersen

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lonelypond · 3 years

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A Coffeeshop Christmas Carol, Ch. 6

NicoMaki, HonoKotoUmi, Love Live, 2.4K, 6/?

Summary: We see what Professor Sonoda's day is like.

An Umi Day

A yawn. Soft hair tickling her nose. Honoka probably, Umi thought, smiling. Had the alarm gone off? No, something else had woken her. Umi opened her eyes. Kotori was staring, a lost look in her eyes that worried Umi. Perhaps New York was lonely and that was why Kotori was pushing them to spend the holiday there?

“Kotori?”

“Eeep?!?!?!” An adorable jump accompanied the squeal. Kotori wrapped her kimono closer, the cranes flying across the blue a soothing morning view.

“Is there something worrying you?”

Kotori shook her head, biting her lip. Umi considered kicking Honoka awake, but decided Honoka needed sleep and Kotori needed some individual attention. Their relationship was a garden Umi tended carefully.

“Let’s talk over coffee.”

“I wanted to visit that coffeeshop today.”

Umi grabbed her bathrobe, glancing back at a soundly sleeping Honoka. Bakery hours and Kotori time made for long days.

“Why don’t we let Honoka sleep in and come back and surprise her with our ratings of her pastries? She’s been perfecting her cheese danishes.”

“Ooohh.” A gleam in Kotori’s eye. Umi was pleased.

“Just give me five minutes.”

“What about your exercises?”

“I will do a warm up form while you pick your coat for today,” Umi pulled Kotori into a tight hug. “And we can walk briskly. I’m sure you will need to burn some calories in advance.” Umi teased lightly, relishing the feel of Kotori relaxing into her embrace. Perhaps it was time for an adjustment in the geographical distribution of their relationship.

###

Umi paused and lowered her violin. She had been demonstrating the different effects of bouncing a bow sautillé or spiccato on an Antonio Vivaldi piece but Nana Nakagawa was paying no attention, very unusual for the usually diligent sophomore.

“Nan, is something concerning you?”

Nana’s expression turned discomfited and she lowered her own bow and violin, gray eyes wide behind her glasses. “My apologies, Professor Sonoda. I am allowing other concerns to distract me.”

Umi gestured to a stool with her bow, sitting herself to encourage Nana to engage, “If you are preoccupied with something serious enough to disturb your focus, perhaps discussing it will help.”

Nana sat and said nothing and Umi was about to pick up her bow and begin again when words rushed out of her pupil, “I scheduled an audition after this, for a singing role, and I’ve never done anything like that before, well, never on a public stage, just in choirs and choruses and I don’t know what to do, or if I want to stay on the conducting track, but nothing feels like singing...at karaoke, even, just the way people NOTICE…” Gray eyes were gleaming and the bow was conducting an imaginary audience.

Ah, Umi could make a jump from those clues. “So you’re auditioning for A Christmas Carol and…”

Umi hoped her pupil's speeding words would continue.

“If I like it, really like it, what am I going to do, my parents already had to deal with me not being an engineer or a pre med, will they just think I’m a dilettante? I can’t tell them, Professor Sonoda, I just can't, but if I get a part, I’ll have to explain why I’m staying on campus.”

Time to interrupt the panic. Raising a hand to quiet Nana, Umi spoke,“First, audition. Do your tasks in their proper order. There may be nothing to tell your parents.”

Her audience doubted that statement but was willing to devote some thought to it, “So don’t plan my post audition life yet?”

Umi nodded, “Exactly. You are worrying about conversations that may not be required. You should save your energy and focus on communicating to Professor Yazawa your suitability for a role.”

Nana zoomed back to panic, pale face, shaky hands, never good for a violinist. Umi sighed. Time for a task they could succeed at. Confidence carried forward. Umi put her violin in its case, indicating her pupil should do the same.

“Let’s take a moment to analyze this piece. The composer has done some very clever things with the general arrangement.”

Nana leaned forward, switching her bow for a pencil, eyes intent on the pages before her, all worries lost in the challenge of music.

###

“UMI!” Honoka’s voice always gladdened Umi’s mood. The door of her office swung open with a vigor no one else could manage. “Thanks for letting me sleep in. Kotori’s got a bunch of business calls so I brought you lunch.” Honoka pulled Umi into a hug that neither of them wanted to break, Umi enjoying the comfort of a never too familiar warmth and strength. “How’s your day?”

Umi hugged tighter, surprising Honoka.

“What’s wrong, Umi?”

Umi broke the hug, but Honoka’s bright blue eyes maintained the warm connection.

“Other people’s worries.”

Honoka nodded, “Yeah, it’s that kind of a day, isn’t it.” Honoka closed the door and set two sandwiches on Umi’s desk, carefully spreading two cloth napkins first, “Nozomi was kinda grumpy and sad when I stopped in to see if she needed to reorder any pastries.”

“How was Kotori?” Had Honoka noticed anything? Or had Kotori hid her worries. Their coffeeshop conversation had yielded no insights, just Kotori describing the early sketches of her Summer theme.

“Kotori?” Honoka had a sandwich unwrapped, Umi’s lower filing cabinet drawer pulled out to prop her feet on, and a surprised look. “Is something wrong?”

Umi moved her chair next to Honoka, her own sandwich in hand, “I don’t think so.”

“That’s not convincing, Umi.”

Umi chuckled. Honoka always called out her hesitancies, “No, it’s not. Kotori, too, seems to be in a mood.”

“That kind of a day.”

“Seemingly.”

A sharp rap on the door pushed it open and Nico came halfway into the room. “Hi Honoka. Umi, fix your replacement. She doesn’t know anything.”

Honoka leaned her head on Umi’s shoulder, whispering, “Grumpus Contagious.”

Umi bit back a giggle. Her replacement? Oh, Nico must mean Maki. Nico vibrated impatiently in the center of the office. And Umi wanted to eat her lunch. Honoka had done something with pumpernickel and mustard from the tantalizing smell and Umi wondered what else had made its way into the combination.

“Are you going to fix Maki or not?”

“What did Maki do?”

“Walked in to my auditions and applauded the first two auditionees.”

“That is unusual.”

“Unusual?” Nico stomped. “It’s rude, it’s problematic, and it gives two freshmen inflated views of their audition.”

“Was it a bad audition.”

“No,” Nico fake punched in the direction of the door, “It was fine, but Nico needs an ensemble leader who is aware of theatrical etiquette.” Nico’s emphasis on the word etiquette snapped Umi out of her Honoka induced laissez-faire attitude. Especially with first year students, proper behavior modeling by teachers was essential.

“I am sorry I did not initially take this as seriously as it deserved, Nico.”

Nico nodded, pleased at the adjustment of Umi's tone.

“I will talk to Maki this afternoon and make sure that she is aware of how auditions and rehearsals are conducted.”

“Make sure you go over tech three times. Nico doesn’t need a rookie who thinks it only takes two hours.”

“I will ensure that Maki performs all of her required duties.”

“Good. Nico is flexible but…”

“There are students involved.”

“Exactly.” That problem solved, Nico smiled at Honoka, “Those look tasty.”

“They are.” Honoka had finished hers, “Nozomi’s going to try them out next week. Kasumi’s a mad scientist with spices and bread dough. It’s fun.”

“She may be busy soon.”

Honoka shrugged, “She’ll probably still come in. Kneading dough works out a lot of stress.”

Umi wanted her private lunch relaxation zone back, “Is there anything else, Nico?”

“Nope, Nico’s good. Sorry to interrupt…”

“Nah, it was good to see you, Nico.” Honoka waved, “Having another speakeasy this Friday. Be sure to come.”

“Nico’s looking forward to it.”

“I’ll let you know how my conversation with Maki goes.”

“Thanks, Umi. See you, Honoka.”

And finally, Umi could relish her lunch treat.

###

Honoka had overstayed her lunch hour and run off to meet a delivery truck. If Umi went to Maki’s studio, she would have no time to practice this afternoon. And today’s rehearsal with Nana had turned into a mostly conversational session, not the duet Umi had planned. No practice time always threw off everything, especially Umi's mood. “Grumpus Contagious” Umi thought as she moved her chair back to its usual spot.

Maybe a carefully worded text to Maki would be a good conversational starter.

U: Nico has expressed some concern that you are lacking an elementary awareness of theatrical etiquette.

Rather than stare at her phone and wait for a reply, Umi would begin her violin warm ups. Perhaps she should be added in more regular vocal practice as well. Kotori seemed very serious about the New York City Christmas Cabaret. Umi had seen glimpses of a dress sketches. It would be an elegant mood.

Phone.

M: I’m fine.

U: Not having any experience with production, you may not be aware of all the quirks involved in staging a show.

M: I’ll read a book.

U: It’s not that simple.

M: I get a schedule, right?

M: You know, I’ll just talk to Nico.

Umi believed that Nico would consider Umi derelict in her duties if after her attempt at educating Maki, the result was that Maki asked Nico 1,000 questions.

U: There will be stage managers. Talk to the production stage manager and have them explain to you how Nico usually works.

M: Production Stage Manager?

U: Nico’s assistant. It’s usually one of the older students. Their job is coping.

M: There must be a book. I’ll look.

U: Directing is difficult, takes time, and Nico does a very good job. Please do not unduly add to her burden.

M: Don’t worry. I got this.

U: I will hold you to that.

M: (^-^)ゝ

Umi nodded. Maki was now aware of the gravity of the situation.

###

This was one of Umi’s favorite classes. An advanced seminar that rotated topics and instructors. Managing An Orchestra was this quarter’s theme. Only half a dozen students: Nana, a sophomore, three juniors, two seniors.

They were discussing Japanese conductors, Hideo Sato and one of his most prominent students, Seiji Ozawa. Umi occasionally wore a white turtleneck under her tuxedo jacket to honor Owaza’s unique style. She had handed out an interview with Owaza from Joshua Jampol’s Living Opera book.

Nana had the floor, “I looked up Hideo Saito, Professor Sonoda, and read that he brought discipline to generally disorganized Japanese orchestras. Is this the first job of the conductor?”

Umi, perched on a stool, considered the question, leaving a space for another student to speak. But it seemed no one else had done supplemental research specifically into Ozawa’s influences. “I think the entire profession has evolved, both in Japan and internationally, and with the rigorous training most professional musicians receive, there is less need to educate them on basic courtesies like preparing for rehearsals.”

Ronna Emem raised a point from the article, “Ozawa quotes Saito and says that “For a conductor, the most important thing is if he can conduct an a cappella chorus. Because every note, every voice is important. Every word is important.” Do you agree, Professor?”

A direct question for Umi to field, “Ozawa says a little later that with the” best vocalists, the voice becomes the best instrument” and I certainly agree with that. For myself, with the violin, I have found much wisdom in Francesco Geminiani’s belief that the violinist’s job was to create “a tone that shall in a manner rival the most perfect human voice.”

“So if you believe all this,” Ronna leaned forward, “why do we spend most of our time conducting instrumental ensembles and not vocal ones?”

Umi blinked. Advanced seminars allowing opportunities for the teacher to learn from the students was why they were her favorite type of class.

“That is a very sound point, Ronna. And one which I believe requires a review of our current conducting curriculum. So what would each of you like to see added?”

###

Umi was still perched on the stool, mulling her students’ suggestions. Her next meeting with Director Minami would be a challenge. She would have to make time to prepare a thorough presentation.

“Did you talk to Maki?”

Her students had left the door open and Nico had bopped in, looking wearier than earlier.

“Are your auditions over? I trust they went well.”

Nico waved a hand, not to be distracted, “Maki?”

“We have agreed that she should not put any extra burdens on you.”

“And she said? You did talk, right?” Nico leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, suspicious.

Umi shook her head, “Text.”

Nico rolled her eyes, “Nico has to do everything.”

“I did suggest she talk to a stage manager.”

Nico’s eyes lit up, “That’s a great idea, Umi. Nico will assign one to babysit her.”

Umi thought that would be best because (^-^)ゝaside, there was no way that Maki was going to initiate a conversation with a student she didn’t know.

“Maybe don’t call it babysitting?” Umi offered hesitantly.

Another dismissive hand wave, “Nico handles more divas than you. Don’t help.”

Umi shrugged. As soon as Nico stopped talking, Umi could go home. So if the conversation continued, it would not be because Umi spoke.

Nico pushed off, “Thanks for the stage manager idea. Let Nico know before you head out for the holidays. Will you be in town for Thanksgiving?”

“I believe so.”

“Stop by for Friendsgiving carolling. The more the merrier. And the less isolated the students who aren’t welcome at home feel.”

Nico was much more involved in the lives of her students than Umi, but productions were a much more intense environment than classes. And Nico, having cared for young siblings from a young age, had mastered a quirky aunt vibe that made some of the most skittish students willing to be chivvied and teased by her. Umi wondered if that pushiness would also charm the reclusive Maki.

“Honoka and I will plan to be there; I’m not sure if Kotori is heading back to New York before then.”

“All are welcome. Spread the word.” Nico blew a kiss, “Thanks, Umi. See you Friday.”

Umi waved, no longer paying attention, thinking once again about how to approach expanding vocal opportunities on campus. Nico would surely relish adding a full scale musical to the performance repertoire.

A/N: Tired, obsessed with Romeo and Juliet (have you watched Romeo X Juliet, they give her a sword and a secret identity), and not going to rush this because I love backstage stories.

#NicoMaki #Love Live #Nishikino Maki #Yazawa Nico #nana nakagawa #setsuna yuki #HonoKotoUmi #kosaka honoka #sonoda umi #minami kotori #A Coffeeshop Christmas Carol #Christmas #Theatre #etc.

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annafm · 4 years

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(MEDALION RAHIMI, NONBINARY) - Have you seen ANNABEL MAJIDI? ANNA is in HER/THEIR JUNIOR year. The LITERATURE + INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM MAJOR is 22 years old & is a SCORPIO. People say SHE/THEY are DILIGENT, ADROIT, CYNICAL and AUSTERE. Rumors say they’re a member of WINTHROP. I heard from the gossip blog that THEY ARE FAKING BEING A PSYCHIC. (JAMES. 21. EST. THEY/THEM.)

hllo this is anna i hvnt .. played her in a while <3 bt thts okay i think she is very fun 2 play bt like in the way tht she is <3 serious n mean a bit ... bt its okay .. LHKDSGFHLKSDHLKG im sorry this is long this is. an old intro i hvnt rly changed much >.>

CAR ACCIDENT, INJURY TW

aesthetic.

falling feathers darkened at the tips, tweed and pinstripes, red trenchcoats and plaid skirts, worn ballet shoes covered in dust, smudged eyeliner and unruly hair, boxing gloves, ornate canes and pain medication, bandaged hands, classical music floating throughout an empty ballroom, worn jackets and awkwardly cut t-shirts, spilled ink and stained hands, glasses skewed, sneers and jabs, constant fighting, smog in a city, spotlights and encores, piles of books and a long line, backless dresses and sitting alone at a bar, wariness.

basic.

full name: annabel odeda majidi

nickname(s): anna, annie (father only), anna-banana (father only)

b.o.d. - october 31st, 1997

label(s): the catalyst, the charlatan, the minefield, etc.

height: 5′6″

hometown: nyc, ny

sexuality: bisexual

stats

favorite song: you’re dead, norma tanega / now, your hope and compassion is gone / you’ve sold out your dream to the world / stay dead, stay dead, stay dead / you’re dead and outta this world

background.

born to two high schoolers who never married, firoj majidi and parvana banai. they were head over heels for each other - when firoj graduated he took up two jobs alongside community college to support their family, until parvana graduated and took on the arts.

growing up was tough - living in the city wasn’t cheap, parvana’s art rarely sold and the two often went without eating in order to provide for annabel. as a child she’d often wear hand-me-downs from extended family.

was taught to be a hard worker and it was reflected in her schoolwork - anna excelled in all her classes but especially english. her love for writing grew at a young age, and as a child she saved up enough money to buy herself proper journals.

the only thing that she grew more passionate towards than writing was ballet - she caught the image of girls flying through the air and landing on their toes in the window of a dance studio on a walk home from school one day and that was it - something clicked inside of her.

that same day she would spend hours prancing about their tiny apartment, trying to mimic what she’d seen. it was easy to spot the passion anna had for the dance - and within a few months they had saved up enough money for a month’s worth of lessons.

anna was ecstatic - her slippers were old and found in the back of a thrift store by an odd miracle, but she put her all into the lessons regardless. she was quick to pick up on each move, and by the end of the month it was clear that anna had a natural talent.

parvana picked up a job in order for them to keep affording the lessons, month after month - they weighed down on their pockets, but it kept anna happy.

flash forward a few years - life was good. money was still a struggle but they were tight knit.

or rather, anna thought they were tight knit.

firoj and parvana split up when anna was twelve - an event that rocked the young girl’s world, something that she couldn’t understand. they had kept up a front of love when anna was home from school or ballet - but behind doors, they had been growing apart.

anna viewed their separation as parvana running off with another man - an art collector who had a fascination with paravana’s paintings. she viewed this as the end of the world. she viewed this as the death of love.

when anna was twelve, she swore she would never fall in love - refused to believe in its existence. she couldn’t wrap her mind around the simple separation.

her father got a third job in order to keep up with payments, and anna pushed herself in both ballet and school - not being able to handle an empty apartment. she decided to get a job - to help ease her father, but was too young.

so anna decided to do what any average 12 year old would do. she started scamming people.

she’d sell store-bought lemonade as if it were homemade, stole ceramics from art class and sold them to neighbors. she found an old girl scouts uniform in the back of a goodwill and for the next month, she sold knock-off girl scout cookies from the dollar store - going door to door.

her personality had changed drastically - anna went from a sweet, optimistic girl with warm brown eyes and an infectious laugh to cold, calculated, and downright cruel. she knew what she wanted and how to get it.

she got an invitation to a prestigious private school, full scholarship, before she hit high school - originally wanted to reject it as the thought of being surrounded by new york’s richest teens was appalling, but their ballet program was a one-way ticket into the american ballet theatre. anna ultimately accepted the scholarship.

high school was immediately hell for her - pretentious rich kids who all shared a collective brain cell and her secondhand uniform being a prime target for them.

ballet got extremely competitive - anna was a threat to every dancer in their program, bullying and sabotage became standard - but anna retaliated when possible.

this all, however, suddenly stopped when anna picked up her latest scam: faking psychic. through a small network of ‘bees’ she’d pay to gather information (gossip, rumors, etc. etc.) she was able to accurately ~see~ into students’ past, present, and potentially future affairs. the money was very worth it.

from that point forward, people were intimidated by her.

when anna was 16 she was handpicked to join the american ballet theatre’s studio company, alongside 11 other lucky individuals. her dream from that point forward was to become the youngest principal ballerina for abt - and she was going to start by winning over the role of clara in their production of the nutcracker.

she was 17 when she was chosen, much to the dismay of the other girls. she had momentarily quit her ‘psychic’ business in order to dedicate the entirety of her time towards rehearsals & practice.

the final week before her first performance as clara, anna got into a car accident heading home after another tiresome rehearsal. knocked unconscious, anna woke up three days later with no recollection of the accident - and her leg freshly operated on.

it was a devastating event that should had killed her - maybe she would had been better off if it had - but instead, it had effectively destroyed any chances of her dancing professionally.

it took two months of extensive physical therapy for anna to walk again - now relying heavily on a cane.

with ptsd and depression weighing heavily on her shoulders, anna turned back to writing - mostly as a coping mechanism, but it soon became the fierce passion it once was when she was younger.

for the remainder of her high school life, anna dedicated the majority of her time towards recovery, her writing, and directing her school’s theatre productions. oh - and claiming that almost dying had given her the gift of mediumship. it wasn’t too far off from her psychic claims - her peers believed it well enough to either stay away, or pay her for a small amount of comfort.

decided to attend yates for their reputation despite her hatred for pretentious schools (very ironic because she herself is pretentious) & also. she had a scholarship <3 so.

in the midst of writing her first book that’s based heavily on her experiences as a low income student at a private school but like. she’s side-eying all these societies and seeing a Big Money Grab if she were to. write abt them instead

still can’t dance any longer, but she works as a ballet assistant for one of the dance instructors & still tends to barge her way into theatre rehearsals to <3 give her unwarranted opinion

personality & facts.

she’s not the friendliest person. knows what she wants and how to get it, and will not hesitate to use people or push them out of her way in order to achieve her goals.

her cutthroat nature was the reason for her success in academics and dance - tends to intimidate the students in the ballet classes she helps out in.

horribly stubborn - if she’s got an idea of you already in her mind, then it’s hard to convince her otherwise.

still uses a cane - in fact, she can’t really walk without it - unless she wants to be in pain.

it’s sturdy, ornate, and pretty fucking solid. doubles as a weapon if need be - has definitely … hit people with it before, though she’s calmed down now that she’s a little older.

used to be very angry, very defensive as a teenager - is still the same, just … less intense. will not hesitate to speak her mind and let her opinions known - especially in the face of injustice.

doesn’t really have the best … relationship with authority, mainly because of where she was raised and her con-artist businesses. tends to be snarky and sarcastic to anybody in charge - or really, anybody in general.

pretty distrusting, pretty emotionless on the outside, doesn’t like to be seen as weak or somebody to be pitied. keeps herself closely guarded and doesn’t really let others ‘inside’ due to her own comfort levels.

she’ll sleep around but dating is out of the question, for the most part - she’s been on a few blind dates, a few casual get-togethers - but she’s always the one to break things off. is more of a careful hook-up kind of gal.

still does her psychic medium business !! sometimes she wonders if she’s a bad person because of it - but ultimately, it’s on her customers for believing in all that nonsense anyway. anna herself is a skeptic - doesn’t believe in anything unless she can see it and feel it.

is actually … a pretty sentimental person, doesn’t take anything she’s got for granted, and is hugely appreciative of her father. sends him money when she can. hasn’t spoken to her mother in years - pretty sure she’s got a step / half-sibling or two but she’s never met them.

a lone wolf and likes it that way, but she isn’t super opposed to friendship - even if she won’t necessarily call anybody a friend. appreciates others who are similar to her - got their head on right, and knows what they want in life.

has a pretty bad fear of driving - will uber if she needs to go anywhere - even then, being in cars makes her pretty anxious. still has ptsd-induced panic attacks, though she’s managed them pretty well.

doesn’t really do drugs! will smoke weed to ease the ache and her nerves, but otherwise she only takes what is prescribed for her. doesn’t drink anything hard, either. big fan of beer and wine. probably gets wine drunk home alone late at night … like … two times a week.

goes between being high strung and uncaring - she’s not especially moody ( rather, is just consistently angry for whatever reasons ) but she definitely tries to bottle everything up.

probably keeps pepper spray on her at all times, even though she’s got her cane. has cat ear brass knuckles on her keychain - took advantage of the archery club at her private school. she’s not paranoid, she just likes being prepared.

has a soft spot for children, animals, and soft women. kind of person who will put herself in the line of danger in order to protect others - even if she doesn’t necessarily know them too well.

also the kind of person who’ll set something on fire - or do something because you’ve told her not to. incredibly spiteful when wronged. will raise hell if need be.

morally ambiguous tbh.

wanted connections.

who do u think i am ;; either uh. people who have seen her around campus being a bit of a freak like <3 kick someone’s tire in a small fit of rage <3 or spend 20 minutes trying to coax a cat near her so she could pet it <3 or having a that’s so raven moment <3 or someone who tried to help her out with something and she was like. excuse me. what the fuck. get away from me freak loser. maybe threatened them.

slowburn but make it evil ;; uh. when i played her as older she hd a plot where she <3 ws engaged n then broke it off bcos her fiance cheated <3 so i wld like another. plot where she actually <3 tries to enjoy someone else’s company and presence and it just ends up hurting her n reaffirming her idea tht love is? fake n dumb n stupid. thank u.

ykno ... a little dash of spice ... ;; uh. yknow just hookups. hateships <3 or they never talk abt what happened <3 or an awkward drunk one night stand <3 maybe a pregnancy scare and shes like Ah. motherhood Scares me. because she <3 hates her own mother <3 LDSLKFHLGSHLK. it leaves their relationship rly weird the whole ordeal ... maybe even just a blind date <3 or someone she ghosted

read my future ;; customers very classic uh. just people who come to her for her psychic readings <3 and her uh. talking to the dead <3 but also alternately. skeptics ?? people suspicious of her ?? very epic.

like actually Die? ;; enemies. she hates them so bad. maybe its one-sided. maybe theyre an annoyance. maybe she annoys them? very bad not very good.

and we dance dance dance, dance dance dance <3 ;; this is just. fr ballet students. or, hold up, consider this: someone who recognizes her frm this. very tragic event where she cld no longer b a ballerina bc i think it ws. like not the Biggest deal bt if ur muse ran in private school circles ykno ??

pet the feral cat ;; these r the soft <3 normal connections <3 someone she’s soft for / protective of. friends that she doesn’t completely hate.

i Do Not Know ;; i will. take anything. please. weed dealers, people she’s totally sus about for no reason. she steals and reads their mail. they have been rivals for years. they hv a special bond. they r strangers but they get stuck in an elevator. she’s tutoring them bt she wont let them take a break n she keeps making them recite fucking. shakespeare. anything is sexy and fun n cool

#yatesintro #car accident tw #injury tw #ptsd tw

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missdutch21md · 3 years

Text

Music of the Night | 2

A/N: Hello Dear Readers!!

Here I am w/ a trash chapter for Halloween! I’m so sorry to subject you to this..

please enjoy?

All my love,

Soul 💖

Summary:The time is 1856. Location: Paris, France at the Opera Populaire. Taehyung is living his life when who should stumble into his life than the most beautiful singer he has ever heard? She was the missing instrument to his orchestra. She would complete the score for his… Music of the Night.

Pairing: Opera Ghost! Taehyung x Singer! Ballet Dancer! MCUniverse: Phantom of the Opera AU

Genre: Fluff 🥰, Mature 🔞

Characters: rich! Seokjin, rich! Yoongi, dance instructor! hoseok, officer! Jimin, stagehand! Jungkook, chorus girl! BlackPink

⚠️Warnings⚠️: mentions of religion (reader prays), stalking, slight yandere themes

Please keep in mind this is a work of FICTION this in no way reflects on any BTS members or Taehyung as a person. This is simply a story for the imagination.

Go B a c k | Turn p a g e | M.List

After the two weeks it took for rehearsals to finish, I caught up as best I could. Excelled even, according to Hoseok and Namjoon.

In the two weeks I was part of the company, I learned that Hoseok’s birthday was only days before mine. This made me all the more amazed by him. How was he so talented? It felt like his knowledge was beyond his years. He was only a year older than me and he had already done so much more with his life.

The cold February months turned to crisper days of March. There was a magical feeling in the air as I learned my way around the opera house. I learned there were many places to hide and look out at us while we practiced for stage rehearsals. On the off days when we were not practicing the day away, I was exploring the depths of the opera house.

I also learned that the voice I had been hearing in the chapel while I prayed was not a distant voice. But someone who vowed to teach me how to harness my voice and give it wings. My days were spent in the studio learning the production and refining my skills with Namjoon and Hoseok. And at night I would continue my vocal training with my Master, as he asked me to call him.

I hummed a cheery tune as I was sent to go find the costumers to let them know of notes the managers had for final preparations for the designs in the production. Yoongi had noticed that some girls were just wearing plain cloth where other dancers, such as myself, were wearing the entire set.

As I came into the workshop where the costumers worked, I smiled in greeting. “Hello Mademoiselle” the several costumers called. I waved and said hello. Watching as they turned the fabrics into wondrous things. I offered to help while we talked about the changes that the managers wished to see done.

“I’d have them in the actual costumes. But they ripped them yesterday during the dress rehearsal!” The head costumer wailed. I gasped as I saw the tattered garments that were produced from a drawer.

I nodded in understanding. I would pass the message along. I offered that maybe the mock up could be made to look a little more like our garments did. I grabbed some paint and did a little sample for the costumer.

“Mademoiselle, you are truly gifted!” The older women laughed in wonder. “Is there anything that you can’t do?”

I thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know how to ride horses,” I giggled as the group busted up laughing.

“Tell the managers that the costumes will be ready for the show tonight if they let us keep you to help with this.“

I nodded and made my way to the stage to let the managers know. With Jin’s blessing and a stern reminder from Yoongi to not goof off; I spent the day painting and laughing with the costumers and mending the original costumes as much as we could. When it was time for lunch the costumers sent me away telling me to spend time with my friends.

Thankful for the break, I made my way to the kitchens and was happy to see my friends waiting for me. I ate happily with them and marveled at how I wanted to come back to dance but I still had some mending to help finish with.

“Finish quickly so you can come back to us!” Jisoo urged me.

“Besides I think Hoseok misses you,” Rose laughed.

The dancer had become somewhat of a mentor to me but that’s all there was to it. Still it didn’t mean that I didn’t blush whenever he got close. I wasn’t blind to his charm and appeal. I shook my head as a light blush dusted my features. I was sure that there was no way that he ever could think of me that way.

“No. Don’t you know?” Jennie chimed in. “Our eonnie is in love with her tutor,” she giggled.

This only made me blush even redder as I ducked my head as though it would keep them from seeing my reaction.

“See?” Lisa laughed. “she’s much more interested in this mysterious man.”

We finished eating and I couldn’t help the feeling that someone has their eyes fixated on me. No matter where I looked in the mess hall, I failed to see the eyes that I was sure were trained on me. Shrugging it off, I went back to the workshop with the costumers and finished the tasks they gave me as quickly and efficiently as I was able. I rushed back to the front of the opera house just in time for the final run through to begin. I quickly took my place beside the other girls.

The final run through felt perfect. We were all in sync. Neither Jin nor Hoseok nor Yoongi felt the need to stop the production at any time.

At the end they told us they were looking forward to opening night and hoped that we would be able to have a good show tonight. We were rushed off to rest and recuperate and have some time for ourselves. I happily followed the younger girls as they happily giggled, talking about how they would spend their free time.

I mulled it over in my thoughts. I wanted to see my Master, but would he be in our usual meeting spot? I wasn’t so sure. I told the girls I wanted to look over the projects I helped with and that I would spend time in the opera house today.

“Please come with us!” Jennie pleaded and Rose joined in. They both had their hands clasped together under their chins making their eyes as big and sad as possible.

“I really want to do a good job on this project they gave me,” I sighed giving them both a sad look. “Next time, I promise, I will go out with you guys.”

“Promise?” they both asked their voices rising an octave.

“I promise,” I answered.

Both girls grinned, crushed me into a hug and rushed off to find Jisoo and Lisa who had continued up to our chambers to get changed into regular clothes.

I made my way to the workshop where the costumers all worked. I happily chatted with them while I checked on the three costumes that I had slapped together for the better part of my day. I was happy that the paint seemed to be drying and was glad that I was able to do this myself. I wasn’t a very talented sewer, though the head costumer begged to differ.

“You did well, just go rest or have some fun!” one of the older ladies smiled at me.

I nodded and decided to make my way down to the chapel to sit and pray and hopefully get some time with the one person who I knew could calm my nerves that kept bubbling up.

Much to my disappointment, my tutor never came. I heard the opera house come back to life as one hour slipped into three. I sighed despondently and got ready to go up to the bed chambers to get changed into my costume for the night.

When I made it to the vanity that I shared with Jisoo and Rose, there was a new deep black velvet ribbon waiting for me where I usually kept my tattered silk ribbon. The offending marron scrap no-where to be found.

“Did you bring this back for me?” I asked Jisoo as I ran my fingers over the very clearly luxurious, fine material. It would have cost more than a pretty penny; I didn’t want her to waste money like that on me.

“It was here when I got here,” she answered while applying her rouge, not really paying any attention.

“O-oh, I see,” I blushed a little and fixed my hair into the appropriate style for the production using the new ribbon. I went through my mind, trying to figure out just how this got here but decided to not dwell on it as I rouged my cheeks and used burnt cloves to line my eyes just right and darken my brows as Jisoo had taught me a few nights before.

Faster than I could blink, we were on stage getting ready for opening curtain to reveal us to the audience. “Just take deep breaths,” Lisa reassured me from my left.

“You know this routine,” Jisoo reminded me from my right.

I nodded and continued counting through the music to when the curtains would open. The production was a blur, if it wasn’t for the other dancers around, I would have surely lost my way. I was happily dancing along with the other girls, when the closing overture finally came; I blinked in surprise.

After a successful opening night, I happily made my way down to the chapel and sat silently. I was buzzing with excitement. The high that came from being on stage still hadn’t left my system and left me feeling dizzy. There would be 6 weeks of this performance and I had promised myself I would do better and better with each performance.

As I sat silently, my thoughts wandered off yet again to my mysterious tutor. I hummed softly and tried my best to keep my spirits up through the sting of rejection that I felt earlier today. I finished my prayers and I still didn’t hear the deep timber of his voice that seemed to come from the depths making the high of performing decline drastically.

My heart sank.

Today must not be a day where he was pleased with me.

Go B a c k | Turn P a g e

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freddiesaysalright · 5 years

Text

Dancing With Ben Week 12

A Ben Hardy x Reader Fic Finale - Freestyle

Summary: Reader is one of the pro dancers on Dancing With the Stars. It’s her second season on the show, and this time, her partner is none other than Ben Hardy. Will they win the Mirror Ball? Maybe they’ll win something even more meaningful!

Word Count: 6.2K (it’s a doozy, y’all)

Tag List: @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @twigleektribute23, @ionlyhavepicturesofflowers, @asquiresofftime, @caborhapch, @iwasnothingbutacityboy, @a-kind-of-magik, @anxious-diabetic, @royalblueviper, @toms-irish-girl, @doingalrightt, @borhapqueen92, @angiefangirlworld-2, @ziggymay, @pink-lemo, @riddikuluslypotter, @wearewiththebands, @i-was-born-like-this, @squishy-gay-astronaut, @mariekuuuuuh, @teenwolflover28, @minigranger, @7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls, @theprettyfandom, @simply-sams-things, @reddies-stanlon, @irlkell, @deakyismydad, @kimmietea, @lelifesaver, @simmisblog, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @kyleetheeditor, @painkiller80, @bensrhapsody, @rrrogahtaylahhhh, @multisuperbananas, @ken-yee-not If you want to be tagged for the epilogue, let me know!

A/N: Time for the grand finale! Tons of dance in this one! And the very hard goodbye! But don’t worry, it ends happily :) Stick around for the epilogue to see what Ben and Y/N will do going forward!

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11

Week 12 here we go!!!

Ben lay you gently on the bed. His lips were warm and soft, just like they always were. You wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him closer. You needed to feel his skin against yours. His chest was already flushed as he pressed against you. His hand ran up your side and you whined.

As close as he was to you and wonderful as he felt, you weren’t in the moment. Your mind was already a week away, when Ben would no longer be able to kiss you because he would be back home in England and you would remain in California.

His lips trailed across your jawline, and when he reached your ear, he stopped. Resting on his elbows, he pulled back and looked you in the eyes.

“Why are you crying?” he asked gently. “We’re supposed to be celebrating.”

You brought your fingers to your cheek and wiped away the tears that had formed there. You pushed Ben onto his knees so you could sit up. His eyes never left your face.

“What are we going to do, Ben?” you wondered. “The competition is almost over.”

“We’re going to win,” he said.

“I hope we do,” you replied. “But after that? We live in different countries. Do you...do you still want to be together?”

He put his hands on either side of your face. “Of course I do. We can make it work.”

You blinked and more tears spilled out. “We’re only just starting out. What if the distance kills us?”

“It won’t,” he said firmly.

“How can you be so sure?” you asked. “Have you tried long distance before?”

“I have,” he told you.

“Has it ever worked?”

“No,” he said, with a solemn shake of his head.

“So, what makes this -”

He cut you off with a soft kiss.

“I wasn’t in love with any of them,” he said. “That’s what makes this different.”

You smiled. “Ben…”

He kissed you swiftly. “Anything else on your mind?”

“Only everything,” you replied.

“Tell me,” he pressed.

“Okay, so if we do long distance,” you began. “What then? I know it’s crazy to be thinking so far in the future, but at some point one of us is going to have to move, right? We can’t - I dunno - get married or anything living on different continents.”

He sighed. “That is looking ahead.”

“I’m sorry, I’m being completely insane, I should just -”

“Darling, stop it,” he said with a laugh. “You’re not. Look, I’m thinking about that stuff too.”

“You are?”

“Yeah, of course,” he said. “But it’s...sort of complicated, isn’t it? We’ve both got obligations and ties to where we live. Neither of us can make promises just yet. Right?”

You nodded. You had your father to worry about, and you were in talks with DWTS to go on tour, but you hadn’t made a final decision. There was so much up in the air.

“How about this?” he began. “After the show’s over, come to London with me. Stay for a couple weeks.”

“What about my dad?” you wondered. “I can’t leave him, Ben.”

“He’s a grown man,” he said. “He can take care of himself. Besides, I’m not asking you to stay permanently. Just for some time so you can see my home like I’ve gotten to see yours.”

“I would love that,” you told him. “Only, it’ll have to wait for some time. If I try to get a plane ticket for right after the show it’ll be crazy expensive.”

“I understand,” he said with a smile. “Although, I’ll be going back right after our Good Morning America interview.”

After the finale, the finalists all go to New York for an interview with GMA to talk about the season. The winners obviously spend the most time on air and show off their trophies. But when Ben said this, the color drained from your face and you reached out for him.

“That soon?” you questioned.

“I didn’t book the trip, ABC did,” he explained.

More tears welled up in your eyes. He pulled you into him and stroked your hair.

“Please don’t cry anymore, love,” he whispered. “This isn’t over. We aren’t finished.”

You could only nod and hold him tighter. Slowly, he reclined on the bed again, taking you with him. You didn’t make love that night. You just held each other until you fell asleep, trying to make time pass just a little slower so you might have one more second together.

The next morning, you drove to rehearsal, trying to bring your energy up so you could come up with a great routine for Ben’s freestyle. He messed with radio before finally landing on a station, but you didn’t really hear it. When you pulled in and parked, you heaved a sigh as you cut the engine.

“Okay, let’s have fun,” you said determinedly. “This is gonna be a good week.”

“There’s my girl,” he replied with a smile.

You returned it. When you turned to get out of the car, you screamed. Sasha was pressed against your window, making a screwed up face at you.

“Fuck, Sash!” you cried, shoving the door open to force him off.

He and the other guys were all laughing. Ben’s smile lingered on his face and you tried not to scowl at him. He must have seen Sasha and didn’t say anything. You and Ben stepped out of your car.

“We’re stealing your man,” Sasha said. “We’re starting the sexy guy’s dance rehearsal this morning.”

You looked at Ben, whose brow furrowed.

“The what?” he asked.

“Every finale, the male pros dance with the remaining male stars,” Keo explained. “Same with the women.”

You groaned. You’d nearly forgotten this and you didn’t want Ben to feel uncomfortable. The guys usually made their dance pretty sexy. It was all for laughs, but you weren’t sure Ben would find it very funny.

“You don’t have to do it,” you said under your breath, but Sasha heard.

“Yeah, he does, it’s part of being a finalist,” he said. “It’s not a big deal and it’s just a bit of fun. You don’t get judged on it or anything.”

“Yeah, but you’re gonna make him hump the floor or something,” you argued.

They laughed.

“We won’t, we promise,” Gelb said.

“Give me a second, guys,” you said, taking Ben’s hand and leading him away where they couldn’t hear. You shot another glance at them before meeting Ben’s gaze.

“If you don’t want to do this, just say the word,” you told him. “I’ll talk to production and we can work something out.”

To your surprise, he only smiled again. “I love how much you respect my boundaries,” he said. “But really, it’s alright. I think by now everyone knows I’m a good dancer, so I don’t mind doing this goofy little thing.”

“I wasn’t joking about humping the floor, I’ve seen them do it,” you warned.

He chuckled and cupped your cheek. “It’s fine. I promise. Like Sasha said, it’s part of being a finalist. I don’t want any special treatment.”

You sighed. “Alright. Don’t come crying to me when Joe’s head explodes.”

He laughed. “I’ll see you later, love.”

“Have fun, baby,” you replied as he kissed your forehead.

Then he joined the guys and went to their rehearsal. You headed to Emma’s studio where the girls were starting their dance. This was yet another frustrating part of this week - it was less time than you usually had with Ben.

The separate rehearsals lasted all morning. After lunch, you and Ben reunited in your studio. You hugged him tightly.

“How was it?” you asked as you broke away.

“Really fun, actually,” he told you.

“I’m glad,” you replied. “So, for the finale, we do what we call a freestyle. This means choreography is wide open, we can basically do whatever we want. So, I really want your input on this.”

“Can we dance to ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’?” he said quickly. You raised a questioning eyebrow at him and he continued. “I heard it in the car this morning, and I realized...that’s how I feel when you’re not around. It’s certainly how I’m going to feel when this is over.”

A smile spread across your lips. “We can do that.”

You found a remix of the song that would work perfectly. As you put together the routine, it got more and more epic. You had the troupe support, so the guys ended up in your studio even after being with Ben all morning. You had props, too. And you decided on using water again - just a lot less than when you did the tango.

It was epic without being showy. And it really showed off what Ben had learned while telling the story he wanted to get across. After just a couple days rehearsing it, you were getting really excited to see the whole thing put together.

About halfway through the week - which was flying by much faster than you anticipated - your dad invited you to dinner on the same night Ben was invited out with his Bohemian Rhapsody castmates. You decided to just go separately and would meet afterward at your place to spend the night together.

“I’ll see you later, baby,” you said, kissing him swiftly before he got in Rami’s car.

“Have fun with your dad, love,” he replied as he slid into the back seat with Joe.

They pulled away and he waved to you one last time before you got in your own car and headed to your dad’s. The whole drive, you thought about cancelling and just going to dinner with Ben. You hated that your time was short. It felt like you were rushing toward an expiration date. You reassured yourself that you and Ben’s relationship would continue. But doubt clawed at your heart. It was so far away.

You pulled into your dad’s driveway and then walked into his house. It smelled amazing. Like when you were little and he cooked dinner every night for you and your mother. It was heavenly. As you came into the kitchen, your mouth fell open.

“Are you really cooking?” you gasped.

He was. He had pans on the stove and was stirring some veggies in one and some sort of sauce in another. The light was on in the oven where you saw two pieces of salmon roasting.

“Yeah!” he cried. “Haven’t done that in years!”

“Not since Mom passed,” you reminded him. “What’s going on?”

“I’m just trying to show you I can take care of myself,” he said. “Ben called me the other day and we had a long talk.”

You weren’t sure how you felt about that just yet. But he told you to sit at the table while he served up the food. It really looked great. He hadn’t missed a step in his cooking. It made you a little bitter you’d had to do it for so long, but you let it go. When Eddie took a seat across from you, you saw water in his cup.

“Dad, what has gotten into you?” you wondered. “I mean, I’m happy about all this, but I’m just curious.”

“Ben talked to me and it really hit me hard,” he said. “He told me that you guys talked about you coming to see him and you were worried about me. I realized that I’ve been holding you back your whole life. You’ve barely even left California just so you’re never too far from me, and that’s a real shame. The world is big, sweetheart, and you should see it.”

“You want me to move to London?” you questioned, a little stung.

“No, not at all,” he returned. “I’d miss the hell out of you. But I don’t want you to feel like you’re strapped to me. You’re my daughter. And I let my grief turn your into my caretaker. It’s not right. So I’ve started AA and I’m turning it around. If I could do it for your mom, I can do it for you.”

Your eyes welled up with tears. “Dad...you’ve never been a burden to me.”

“You may not see it that way, honey, but...I really have,” he insisted. “So I want you to know that whatever you and Ben choose, I’ll be okay.”

You got up, walked around the table, and sat in his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck. He pulled you close and you rested your head on his shoulder. You had no idea what Ben had said to make your father decide so definitively to change his life. You almost asked, but decided against it. The words didn’t matter. This proved that there were no two people in the world who loved you more than Ben and your father.

“It’s all gonna be okay,” Eddie said as he rubbed your back.

You felt like a little girl again. You felt like his daughter again. And you had Ben to thank for that.

Meanwhile, Ben was at the restaurant with his friends, but his heart was with you. He was thankful for the time with these people he didn’t get to see very often, but it reminded him that he would very soon not be able to see you every day either. It made him feel heavy.

“Ben?” questioned Joe. “You okay?”

Ben cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Fine.”

“Are you sure?” Rami pressed. “You seem like you’re not totally here.”

“Nervous for Monday?” Gwilym wondered.

“That’s part of it,” Ben answered. “To be honest, I’m more scared about after the finale.”

“Because you’ll have to leave Y/N,” Joe guessed.

Ben nodded. “I don’t know if I can. Like, physically, I don’t know if I’ll be able to let her go.”

“She’s kinda small, put her in your carry on,” Joe joked.

They all chuckled.

“Sorry, I’m being such a bummer,” Ben said. “I’m just...really dreading this.”

“Do you two have a plan?” asked Gwil.

Ben explained that you intended to come and see him in London shortly after the finale. But after that, he wasn’t sure what to do. It was a lot to ask you to move there. It was a lot to think about moving to the US as well.

“You don’t have to decide anything right now,” Rami pointed out. “You two will figure it out.”

“Yeah, you love each other,” Joe agreed. “That’s the most important thing.”

“I do really love her,” Ben said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever loved someone this much.”

“We know, mate,” said Gwil. “We see it every time you look at her.”

“Now drink up,” Joe said. “We’re gonna celebrate you winning the mirror ball.”

“You guys keep saying that and you’ll jinx me,” Ben replied with a laugh.

They managed to cheer Ben up for the remainder of the night. In fact, in his desperation to forget about the impending goodbye, he got a little carried away.

They took him back to your apartment around one in the morning. Rami waited in the car. Joe and Gwilym were carrying Ben, his arms across their shoulders as they made their way to your door. Ben was just saying some nonsense to them and they were trying no to laugh too hard at him. Joe knocked on the door.

You opened it and smiled. Ben was slumped between his friends but he managed to barely lift his head to look at you.

“Woah!” he gasped, turning to Joe. “S’that? She’s the most beautiful woman I’vver seen.”

Joe snickered. “That’s your girlfriend, Y/N.”

Ben’s eyes went wide as he looked between you and his friend. “She? Her? M’girlfriend?”

You covered your mouth to stifle a giggle.

“Im’a lucky sonofabitch, aren’t I?” he continued with a hiccup.

“Sorry,” Gwil said to you. “Lost himself in the celebration.”

“It’s fine,” you assured him, moving to let them inside. “Just take him the bedroom.”

They carried him into your room and dumped him rather unceremoniously onto the bed. He landed on his back with a laugh.

“Think you can handle it from here?” Joe asked.

“I got it,” you said. “Have a good night, guys.”

They both bid you goodnight and left. You went out to the kitchen to get Ben some water and aspirin. He’d be in some pain tomorrow, but this would ease some of it. You just hoped he would be able to rehearse. When you returned to the bedroom, he was sitting up with a goofy grin on his face.

“Happy?” you asked, sitting beside him.

He nodded. “What’ve ya got?”

“Water,” you said warmly, holding it out to him. “And pills. Take them, please.”

“Aaaanything you want, love,” he returned, following your instructions.

“Keep drinking the water,” you said. “I’m gonna get you undressed.”

“Wait,” he said. “I don’t think I -”

“Relax, honey, it’s just so you can sleep comfortably,” you said. “Now hydrate.”

Again, he obeyed. You knelt on the floor and began with his shoes. His jeans and shirt came after. He set the cup on the nightstand and leaned back into the pillows.

“C’mere please,” he said. “Wanna cuddle.”

You crawled up on the bed beside him. He shimmied down so he was lying flat, and you snuggled into his arms.

“I think you’re the most beautiful girl in th’world,” he slurred. “And th’sweetest and dearest. Wanna hold you forever. S’that alright?”

“Of course, baby,” you replied and wrapped your arms around his waist. His skin was warm and flush from the alcohol.

“Good,” he said. “‘Cause I love you.”

“I love you too,” you told him. “Close your eyes, Ben. Go to sleep.”

Before long, his soft breath told you he was in fact, asleep. He still held right up against him. It felt amazing. Between talking to your dad and his drunkenly clinging to you, you were overwhelmed with affection for him. You wished he really could just hold you forever. That you could remain in each others arms until there was no one who had ever known you apart.

The next day, Ben woke with a pained groan.

“Fuck,” he sighed. “My head.”

Your eyes fluttered open and you looked up at him.

“Are you alright?” you asked lowly.

He flinched and squeezed his eyes shut. “Why are you yelling at me?”

You giggled and pulled him close again.

“You had a little too much fun last night,” you whispered. “Need some more aspirin?”

“Please,” he moaned.

You kissed his forehead before you got up, just barely opening the door so you wouldn’t let too much light in. When you returned with the pills, you eased onto the bed before quietly offering them to him. He took them quickly. Then he crawled over and put his head in your lap. You gently ran your fingers through his hair.

“Poor baby,” you cooed.

“I’m sorry,” he said into the sheet. “I didn’t mean to get so out of hand.”

“You weren’t bad at all,” you assured him. “Although you did forget who I was.”

He half-chuckled. “Did I really?”

“I wasn’t offended, though,” you said with a smile. “You were so thrilled that I was your girlfriend, and that was kinda nice.”

“I’m still thrilled that you’re my girlfriend,” he returned.

“Just not nearly as shocked,” you said.

A beat passed.

“What had you drinking so much?” you wondered. “The other guys seemed fine.”

“They’re not leaving their girlfriends on Tuesday,” he said. “I just needed to forget about that for a while.”

“I understand.”

“How was your dad?”

You took a deep breath. “Wonderful.”

You told him about your father’s quick turnaround, and thanked Ben for whatever it was he said to him. Ben only blushed and insisted it was nothing. Still, you were grateful.

“That aspirin kicking in yet?” you wondered.

“A bit,” he said.

“Come on, you need some food,” you said. “It’s not good for that stuff to sit on an empty stomach. Think you can get some toast down?”

He nodded and slowly got up. He followed you out to the kitchen, where he took a seat at the counter and slumped over it. You made toast and coffee, but urged him to keep drinking water. The sooner he was hydrated, the better he’d feel.

“You’re so sweet to me, love,” he said as you passed him his breakfast.

You kissed his cheek. “Only because I love you.”

You had breakfast and just barely made it to rehearsal on time. You told the guys to go easy on Ben since he had a rough night. The wicked grins on their faces told you they would be clowning him hard. But they guys were actually really nice so you knew they wouldn’t push it.

Then came rehearsing your freestyle again. After being with the guys all morning, Ben seemed to have made a full recovery, but you still made sure he took more breaks. The routine was coming along great anyway.

The final day of rehearsal, before camera blocking, the pros had to record a message for their partners. When you came into the studio for interviews, you took a seat on the stool they had waiting for you and tried to think of something to say to express how much Ben meant to you. It seemed beyond language.

“Okay, whenever you’re ready,” said Kelly.

The camera was rolling. You were silent for a long moment, forcing your mind to form words. But your mind was not where you would find what you felt for Ben. So you searched your heart instead. You took a deep breath.

“Ben,” you began, looking at the camera. “I’m so proud of you. I know I say that all the time, but it’s because it’s true. But it’s more than the dancing. You are a high-quality person. Kind, generous, smart, and driven. And that’s just scratching the surface. I love you.” You paused, swallowing through the new formed tightness in your throat. “I love you so much. I can’t believe this is almost over. Whether we win the mirror ball or not, I know that what I’ve found in you is more precious than any trophy.”

A tear slid down your cheek. You mentally kicked yourself for crying again, but you couldn’t help it. You wiped it away and swallowed again.

“You okay?” Kelly asked.

You nodded quickly. “Mhm. Yeah.”

“That was beautiful, what you said,” she told you. “Is there anything else?”

You shook your head. “Not anything he doesn’t already know.”

“Alright, then, you can head to the ballroom for camera blocking.”

You joined Ben in the ballroom to watch Emma and her partner before it was your turn. He greeted you with a customary side hug and forehead kiss and your heart ached. You were going to miss this so much.

Then, show day was upon you. The opening number was amazing, and the crowd went wild for the finalists. Ben slipped his arm around your shoulders as you both waved from the float carrying you all across a red carpet which led to the Dancing With the Stars studio and ballroom. Tom and Erin opened the show after the number was over and everyone received their applause.

First, each of the judges talked about the finalists. They had overwhelming praise for everyone, which you thought was fair. You wanted to win, but the other two couples were also wildly talented. What you said in your video message to Ben was true - you didn’t need a trophy. You’d already won.

Alan and his partner started the show once it came back from commercial. Their freestyle was really beautiful and flowing. It told a sweet story. They received perfect scores from the judges. A nervous twinge went through you.

After the second commercial break, Ben left you to join the rest of the men. Emma’s partner was an NFL player, so this guy’s number was sure to be all of them with their shirts off. It hadn’t even started and you were already rolling your eyes.

“Now, for my favorite part of the show,” Erin said from her spot on the outdoor stage. “Please give it up for the incredibly handsome men of Dancing With the Stars!”

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The crowd screamed. The number was exactly what you expected. They didn’t hump the floor, but there was a lot of pelvic thrusting and smouldering into the camera. Ben looked amazing, you had to admit. You were still in the ballroom, and you scanned the crowd for Joe, Rami, and Gwil. You held back a laugh when you saw their mouths hanging open.

Emma and her partner were up next. Their freestyle was upbeat and fun, capturing the essence of her partner. You felt another jolt of worry go through you as the judges praised their performance and gave them a perfect score.

The girls’ number was next. You actually had a lot of fun with this one, and Alan’s partner was very sweet. She kept up with the pros amazingly, and since she had no prior dance experience that impressed you.

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The girls’ number was always sexy and empowering. This one was no different. You got to strut around the stage in expensive looking clothes and feel like a real boss with the other women. You felt Ben watching you so in the middle of the routine, you found his gaze and winked at him. He laughed and bit his lip.

Then, there was one more commercial break. After that, you and Ben would close the show with your last dance. Your whole body felt heavy at the thought. Your last dance. This was it. Then it was off to New York. No more nights together. No more joking around in rehearsal. No more forehead kisses. No more.

You changed quickly for the freestyle and headed out to take your place. Ben would be going on first alone, and you would join him after a few bars. Your video message began, but you couldn’t see Ben’s face. He turned to face you when it finished and he blew you a kiss. You grinned.

Then it was time. The last dance.

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The whole time you danced, your heart raced. Ben didn’t miss a step. The props were all moved together. The lifts were right on the beat. The water flicked and splashed just like you wanted it to. It was truly the perfect dance.

When you finished, the crowd in the ballroom erupted into applause. You hugged Ben for a long moment afterward. It was over. This journey was done. You needed his arms around you or you might have collapsed from the devastation.

Slowly, you walked over to Tom and the judges to get your feedback. You blinked back the tears threatening to overwhelm you again.

“Wow!” Carrie Ann cried. “That was amazing! You two have been such a joy to watch all season. That dance was such great culmination of everything you’ve learned and what we love to see from you. Excellent dance, you two.”

You both thanked her.

“Ben, you have been such a delight this season,” Len said. “You’re sweet, you’re handsome, and you work really hard. That right there, showed off just how much that hard work paid off. Congratulations on a great season.”

“Thank you,” Ben said.

“That was incredible!” Bruno shouted. “It was full of drama and suspense! It showed off what you can do and the perfection of this partnership! You, my friend, are a dancer. It is just a new fact of life. You are a man, you are an actor, and you are a dancer. Very well done!”

You and Ben smiled at each other. You stayed with Tom to get your scores. Just like the other couples before you, you earned a perfect score. You embraced excitedly before heading offstage to wait for the results. Viewers and audience members could cast their votes until the end of the last commercial break. Then you would find out who was the winner of the season.

You pulled Ben aside, glancing around to make sure you couldn’t be heard. You also turned your mics off.

“I meant what I said,” you told him. “No matter what the results are, I -”

“We’re gonna win,” he cut across you, smiling wide. “I know it.”

“I love you,” you whispered. “Thank you for being my partner.”

“I love you too,” he replied, cradling your face in his hands. “Thank you for everything.”

You switched your mics back on and headed to join the other couples. They were already lining you up on the ballroom floor. You and Ben were in the middle. You both gave swift hugs to the other couples and all wished each other luck.

Tom and Erin brought the show back after being handed the results. Erin opened her card and brought her mic to her lips. You clutched Ben’s arm as your heart hammered against your ribcage.

“The couple in third place is…” she began slowly. She waited a long pause. Then she announced Alan and his partner.

You couldn’t relax just yet. Tom opened his card and read it. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion.

“And the winner of season twenty-eight of Dancing With the Stars is,” he said.

He too waited a long moment. So long you thought you were going to lose your mind. Ben squeezed your hand. You closed your eyes. This was it. You couldn’t stand it any longer.

“BEN AND Y/N!”

You screamed and jumped into Ben’s arms. Confetti rained from the ceiling. The audience roared with cheers. The PAs were bringing the mirror ball trophy over, but before they could, Ben dipped you and kissed you. Full on the mouth. In front of the cameras and everyone in the ballroom.

A fresh wave of shouts and cries came from the audience as you kissed, but you didn’t hear them. You smiled through it, overjoyed at this feeling. You won the season. Ben was yours. You were his. You were more than on top of the world. You were beyond over the moon. Nothing could compare to how high you felt with Ben kissing you and knowing you won. For a few seconds, it was just the two of you celebrating together.

When you broke apart, both a little breathless, Erin and Tom were beside you. Erin was screaming that she knew it, Tom was laughing. Confetti was still falling all around you, sticking in you and Ben’s hair. The other pros and stars were all clamoring around you, shouting their congratulations and their excitement. You were totally wrapped up in hugs and noise.

Finally the PA made it through the crowd and handed you and Ben your trophy. You grasped it together and lifted it high into the air, beaming.

***

Tired and reeling, you were too soon faced with the hosts of Good Morning America. It felt good to be able to hold Ben’s hand and act like his girlfriend, even with cameras on you. Already, magazines and media outlets had posted the picture of him kissing you after winning everywhere. It had been retweeted and reposted hundreds of thousands of times. Even on the plane, you were bombarded with it on your newsfeed.

“So, that kiss,” said one GMA host. “That was clearly not the first one.”

“No,” Ben laughed. “We actually made our relationship official after the tango.”

“Oh, that tango was fiery!” the other cried. “I can see why it kick started the romance. How did you manage to hide it?”

“I don’t think we hid it very well, actually,” you said smiling. “I mean, everyone was always saying we must be dating, and they were right!”

Ben chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose we really just had to vaguely answer Erin. But everyone suspected, for sure.”

“They certainly did,” the host said.

“So what’s next for you two?” the first asked.

“I’ve made plans to go and visit with him after the holidays,” you explained. “And then we’re just gonna play it by ear. We both have a lot going on, so it’s a sort of cross that bridge when we get there situation.”

“Well we’re all rooting for you,” she said.

“So, which was your favorite dance of the season?” the other asked. “Ben?”

“I’ve got to say the waltz,” he answered. “I got to have this really romantic and intimate moment with her and get away with it. To me, it was seixer than say the tango or the samba.”

You nearly melted in your chair as you gazed adoringly at him.

“Even Bruno said it was like you were making love to her!” the host reminded him. “Y/N, what was your favorite?”

“That’s a tough call,” you said. “I loved the waltz too, and it’s up there as one of the best dances I’ve ever done just in my career. But I think my favorite from the season was the jive when we did it the second time. With Queen playing for us, it just felt like a real celebration.”

You chatted with them for a while, going over the season highlights and explaining the progression of your relationship some more. It was fitting to do a recap before you had to say goodbye. It also made it hurt all the more.

When you left the show, you headed to the airport. Ben was leaving right away, and you were leaving the following day. As you rode in the cab, gazing out at the city, it made you sad again. Everything was all decked out for Christmas, but you didn’t feel the least bit jolly.

You walked Ben only as far as security. After his bags were checked, he prepared to go through the line. He turned to face you.

“Now comes the hard part,” he sighed.

You nodded. “Yeah.”

“We won’t be apart for too long,” he said, trying to sound more optimistic than he felt.

He pulled you into a hug. You wondered how you had any tears left after all the crying you’d done over this.

“I’ll send you a picture from Rockefeller,” you said with a little smile.

“I love you,” he whispered into your hair.

“I love you too,” you replied, holding him tighter.

There was nothing else to be said. You weren’t sure how you were going to let him go now. Your heart would not let your arms release him. You held each other for several long moments before he pulled away to kiss you, slow and sweet. You etched the feeling into your memory, knowing it would be weeks before you would feel that again.

All too soon, he had to go. You somehow managed to detach yourself from him. He blew you one last kiss before he disappeared in the line to go through security. It felt like your whole heart was going with him.

Ben glanced back once more and saw that you had gone. He sighed heavily. He hated to leave you. No matter how many times he told himself you’d be in London before either of you knew it, it didn’t make this any easier. When he got to the gate, he saw that no one was there. His brow furrowed and he walked up to the stewardess.

“Excuse me,” he said. “Have I missed this flight?”

She blinked up at him. “No, sir. There’s a snowstorm in London. All flights to Heathrow have been cancelled. Did you not get the call?”

“No, I was in an interview,” he said, his heart rate quickening. “But - they checked my bag and everything!”

“There must have been a miscommunication,” she said. “If you give me the name of your hotel, we can have your bags sent there when you reschedule your flight.”

He told her the hotel you were staying at and got a new flight for the following day. All he knew was that he had one more night with you. Then he left the airport as fast as he could.

He knew you were going to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. It was something you’d always wanted to do. You were bummed you were going alone, but it couldn’t be helped. You brought your phone up to prepare to take a selfie to send to Ben.

Ben, meanwhile, was paying no attention to his phone. He was pushing through the crowd, searching wildly for you. Snow was just beginning to fall in thick flakes, blurring his vision further. Finally, he spotted you. You were smiling beautifully as you snapped that promised photo. His heart soared at seeing it in real life.

“Y/N!” he called.

You thought you misheard it. There was no way Ben was calling your name. Your mind was playing a cruel trick on you.

“Y/N!”

You turned your head at last. Your jaw about hit the floor when you saw him.

“Ben!” you yelled.

Shoving past people you met each other and embraced.

“My flight got cancelled,” he explained. “I’ve got one more night.”

Somehow, one more night felt like forever.

“I can’t believe it!” you cried. “One night together in New York City. What do you want to do?”

“How about dancing?”

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emilyxvalentyne · 5 years

Text

Alcoholic Love CH

A/n: So this is my first ever series so please bare with me. I may not be the best but I’m trying so please leave some positive feed back. Don’t let this flop please.

Disclaimer: This is just some good old classic fiction. I am not involved or do I know anything about the character used in this.

Warnings: not really any in this one but for the (series) there is going to be some of the following: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, cursing, depression, anxiety.

Summary: CalumXgirlfriend theres a rough patch in the relationship Calum has become distant, she slowly turns to drugs and alcohol to numb her pain.

A/n: please don’t let this flop!! Give me some tips on how to better it or if you have any ideas for me.

…………

I woke up to the bed empty this morning, I heard some noise going on downstairs so I assume Calum is still here. I got out of bed and put some socks on trying to avoid the cold floor. I made my way down stairs and into the kitchen. I saw Calum making some coffee. I slowly made my way behind him wrapping my arms around his torso resting my head against his back, he tensed up against my touch but didn't respond to it. I sighed and moved away from him walking over to the fridge, grabbing the butter, jam and orange juice. I set them on the counter next to Calum, who was sitting on a stool drinking his coffee and texting someone on his phone. I turned away from him and stuck some bread in the toaster. Calum seemed to be entertained with his phone to pay me any mind. I leaned my side in to the counter keeping me up on my propped elbow. I stared at Calum trying to read his face. Lately it's just been nothing but him working or going out, this is probably the longest we have been in a room together in about three weeks. He was dressed up as if he was about to head out. I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad that he was going out. I've tried talking to him about it but all he says is that he doesn't have time to talk about it or that he was to tired. I felt sad whenever I was alone here in our home, of course I went to work and did some college classes but whenever I got home to an empty house (besides duke) it always depressed me. I was pulled out of my thought when my toast finally popped up. I took out a butter knife and smeared the butter and strawberry jam on the golden squares. I poured some juice into a glass and put everything away. I pulled out the stool next to Calum and sat down. I felt Calum's stare burn into the side of my face as I sat there eating my toast.

'Do you want some of my toast?' I slide my plate over to Calum finally making eye contact with him. His eyes were dark and unreadable, but I could sense he was annoyed. Calum rolled his eyes and got up placing his mug into the sink. I felt as if he was almost annoyed with my very existence.

'No im heading out' I heard Calum mumble as he stared walking towards the living room. I followed I never ask Calum where he went anymore so I could avoid him getting mad but now I was kind skeptical on where exactly he was going. Calum was crouched down petting dukes head.

'Heading out where?' I asked more to myself rather then to him. I could practically see him rolling his eyes. He stood up and glared over at me.

'I'm just going out, God do you need to know where I am like your my mom' Calum was now heading up to our room I was right behind him following him into the closet where he continued to look for shoes.

'I never ask you where you even go anymore because you get mad all the time' I stood there in front of him as he sat on the bed tying his shoes.

'Well then why do you ask its just a waste of my time and yours' Calum was now putting on some cologne. He looked extremely agitated with me but at this point I could care less.

'Because I was wondering what time you would be home so we could hang out you know it's been a while since we-' I was cut off by Calum chuckling he stared at me as if I was stupid.

'Look I really don't have time for all of this right now I have to get going' calum said as he stared walking past me. But I reached forward to grab his wrist.

'Are you seriously to busy to even hang out with me? What has gotten into you, huh? All you do is go to rehearsal and go out with your friends, you seem to never have time for me, your girlfriend anymore' I looked into his dark eyes trying to see anything but all I could see was annoyance.

'Oh my god, fine then be ready by 6' Calum pulled his arm back and walked out of the room. I followed not wanting to give up.

'Are you serious, you are taking me out later?' I said before he walked out the front door. He turned around stood directly in front of me towering over me. I felt as if his eyes were burning into my soul, all I wanted to do was step back but I felt locked into place.

'Yes, I'll be back later' Calum reached forward and and caressed my cheek and leaned in placing a kiss on my forehead. He then turned out the door shutting it closed with a loud thud. I was left in the same position as he left me in. Confused his kiss didn't feel right on my skin anymore almost as if he had forced it. I walked back upstairs and into my room where I then laid on our bed. I glanced over to his side of the bed. It was slightly wrinkled as if he only slept on top of the blankets. I wish he was still here, I wish he would spend the day with me, I wish.... I wish he would love me... no he, does love me maybe he's having a hard time at the studio and rehearsal.

I rolled into my side and looked at my alarm clock it was 12:36 in the afternoon. I sat there deciding whether or not to clean the house. After a long sigh I got up and walked over to the laundry basket that of course had only my clothes in it with Calum's clothes all bunched up on the floor around it. 'For the last time the clothes goes into the basket' I groaned out loud, I put all the dirty laundry in to the basket and made my way down to the laundry room. I started organizing the clothes and washing and folding. It's amazing how much clothes Calum goes through in one week. After about an hour and a half of washing and folding I finally finished and fed duke and washed the dishes. The rest of the house was basically clean since I clean it almost everyday. I sat on the couch finally checking my phone. I responded to a few text and checked the time it was 3:17 I groaned and decided to watch tv. I flipped through the channels while duke laid on my lap.

'You understand me right' I spoke to the little furry dog that laid on my lap. Duke just continued to chew on his bone. 'Why is your owner such an asshole sometimes' this time duke looked up and whimpered almost as if he understood what I said

'But I love him just as much as I love you' I ruffled his fur and kissed his head. I got up finally making my way to take a shower and getting ready to go out with Calum.

I put on a two piece set with some sandals I curled my hair and sprayed myself with Calum’s favorite scent on me. My makeup was done and now it was just a waiting game.

6:30 rolled around at this moment he could just be late. I let duke go out into the backyard I watched him run around then come back inside where he literally stopped to look at me and then he ran back out. I laughed at every little thing he did he really does cheer me up when I’m feeling down. He’s like a best friend but I always wish he could talk that would be cool. I played tug war with him and I always let him win. He made me miss my family and my dog back home.

7:30 rolled around the sun was getting ready to set and there was still no sign of Calum. I knew at this point he wasn’t going to come but a small part of me still had hope. I was mad that I got all ready for him to not even show up but in the end I should have expected this it’s really no shocker. I texted him but it wasn’t the usual ‘hey are you still coming!’ Text. Rather I sent this instead ‘ you could’ve just told me you were busy tonight or not even have told me to get ready for disappointment tonight at all. It probably would have hurt less’. I dragged myself up stairs to change I put on some sweats and a Pink Floyd t-shirt, I slipped my checkers vans on and grabbed my credit card and keys. I decided to just leave my phone I got into my car and went to the local Mexican restaurant I usually go to. I really didn’t want to sit around being sad.

“Well well well welcome back, long time no see” Celia my usual waitress was always to cheerful.

“Yah yah yah I know” I laughed as I took a seat right in front of her as I scanned the menu as if I didn’t know what was on it.

“What will it be hermosa? The usual?” I nodded and handed her the menu.

“Wait Celia can I get it to go and a strawberry margarita to go as well please”

“Of course Emily, I’ll be right back” I scanned the restaurant it was pretty slow for a Friday night usually the place packed with customers.

“Slow tonight because banda MS is in town, how come you’re not there you usually love seeing and going to bailes mija”

“I wasn’t really feeling it tonight I guess” I wasn’t even feeling anything tonight. I didn’t even know my favorite Latin band was in town.

“What’s wrong chula you seem like you have a lot on your mind you know you can tell your momma Celia anything” I really wanted to cry she always made me miss my mom.

“I’m just stressed about school and work that’s all”

“No no I think this something else, do you got boy troubles is it that boyfriend of yours the Australiano” she could always tell what was wrong.

“Yah... he stood me up again I don’t know what to do anymore, god Celia i really love him, but he doesn’t seem to feel the same anymore. It’s like the more I try to talk to him the farther away he gets” tears welted up on my eyes but I held them in.

“Chula you cant force love, sometimes you just have to get up and go. If he is the one for you he will make that clear he will chase after you if he wants you for you because he loves you. And you will see that he wants you because he loves you, you will feel it but if he doesn’t want you then you need to move on and do what is good for you, you have to fall before you can get back up you are young and beautiful and dont forget you are a Latina, nos otras somos fuerte (we are strong) I don’t want to see you all sad next time you come in okay?” I hugged Celia she’s my mom from my home away for home.

“Okay thank you Celia” I paid and tipped her and left I made my way back home to finally eat my Nachos and drink my margarita.

11:30pm rolled by and there was still no sign of him. I always try and try and try. I Put others before myself, and my heart just isn’t ready to let go. I feel as if having this big heart of mine is only a blessing when it becomes an accommodation to other but it’s a curse to my feelings. I put my plates in the sink and my trash in the bin. I switch off the lights and locked up so I can head up to bed.

Another night alone, same bed that made me feel so loved and protected. Now it’s the place where I long for that innocent loving touch

#calum blurb #calum hood imagine #sad calum #calum 5sos #calum hood #calum hood fighting imagines #calum 5 seconds of summer #calum x reader #luke 5sos #ashton 5sos #micheal 5sos #5sos blurb #5sos imagine #5 seconds of summer #5sos #5sos fic

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fantasiesandbooks · 4 years

Text

Tenerife Sea vii

I don’t own any of the photos.

Prologue Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15

Soundtrack

Alternative Soundtrack It’s a cover of the song.

It has been three weeks since the last time Chanyeol and you talked and saw each other. The night of your argument he called you but you didn’t answer any of his calls. He thought the best would be to leave you alone for a couple of days in the hoping that would ease your anger. After one week he tried to contact you every time he had a chance between his rehearsals and the releasing of his album with Sehun having no luck in doing so.

He have been feeling terrible after that night and even the things that should make him happy right now like the upcoming comeback with the boys, the promoting of his new project or his new girlfriend couldn’t outweigh the sadness and guilt he felt in his heart. You hadn’t also visited the dorms or any of the other boys to which he found it odd. He asked Baekhyun if he have heard anything from you and the pinkish haired boy just said you were busy with some stuff after work. It wasn’t the answer he was looking for but that helped him to ease his mind a little bit about you.

At least she’s talking to them he thought, remembering the vicious words he had said to you that night. He thought Maybe after that you thought you were a burden to the guys and him for the way he said them, which obviously wasn’t the case for neither of them.

The day Sehun and him released their album came and with that Chanyeol hoped at least you would send him a congratulatory message but that didn’t happen. His phone buzzed all day with messages and calls from his family, friends, the members who weren’t in the dorm, fans, etc. And although he felt happy for most of them he still was feeling something was missing inside of him. You. You were the first one who encouraged him and Sehun to do the album, saying this project would feel as if it was their baby because it was the first time they could produce, write and compose most of the songs and you were right, both boys had put their hearts out into it and it was going well.

He couldn’t forget the late nights you stopped by the studio, brought him food and forced him to eat it because he was so into it that lost track of time and his meals. While in doing so he would played some of the songs and asked your opinion about it, you giving him your honest thoughts on them. In a way you also participated in the making of it and he wanted to share his happiness with you.

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All the boys were having dinner at one of their favorite restaurants to celebrate their success. Luckily for the boys and Chanyeol, although he wouldn’t admitted out loud, Sojin couldn’t come as she had to do some late night work.

Both of them did have things in common and he could spend a lot of time talking with her about music, a thing he could hardly do with you since you didn’t have a lot of knowledge in that area but even like that, he thought most of their conversations were superficial and most of the times he was with her he couldn’t stop himself from comparing her with you. She didn’t laugh at his antics the way you did, she didn’t send him funny things or videos so he could laugh his heart out like you did, she didn’t want to have Friday movie nights and instead she would like going clubbing. That’s why I never saw her in the studio that days he thought.

Every time she’d go to the dorms she would show no interest in knowing the guys which it was important for him as they were like his brothers and also the fact that she was getting very clingy didn’t help either. Maybe jumping into a relationship that fast wasn’t the best idea considering he didn’t even asked Sojin to be his girlfriend in the first place. It was something that just happen- After the day of the party they started hanging out more. He considered it would distract his mind from you and it work for the past two weeks but after that time he started noticing the differences between the two of them.-

Chanyeol was absentminded from time to time in the dinner until the mention of your name snapped him back to the table. It was Sehun who had said it and had his phone attached to his ear. Is y/n talking with him? He wondered. He paid close attention to what Sehun was saying.

“Thank you so much” Sehun said cheerfully.

“Aha. See you soon. Bye” Sehun hang up the phone and continue eating his meal.

“Was that y/n?” Baekhyun muffled, sitting next to the silver haired boy enjoying his plate and Sehun hummed in agreement. Chanyeol, who was sitting next to the pinkish haired boy, tried to focus on their conversation instead of the other chatting around the table.

“What did she want?” Baekhyun asked curiously.

“She just wanted to congratulate me for the album and said she will treat me to lunch when I’ll have some free time”. Sehun said nonchalantly.

Chanyeol scoffed and the two boys turned their gazes to him.

“She said to congratulate you too” Sehun said at the tall boy reaction.

“Yeah sure. If she’d wanted to congratulate me she wouldn’t ignore my calls and messages.” Chanyeol said sarcastically.

“Maybe if you hadn’t tell her to go and get a life without you, she would answered them” Baekhyun pointed out and grabbed a chicken leg from the bowl in front of them.

“I didn’t tell her that” Chanyeol said defensively.

“Not with that words” Baekhyun implied and Chanyeol glared harshly at him.

“What? I’m just stating the facts” The pinkish haired boy muffled while pointing at his tall friend with his chicken leg.

“Ahg...” Chanyeol sighed annoyed and got up from the table.

“Where are you going?” Sehun asked him.

“I’m going outside. I need some fresh air” Chanyeol answered as he walked away from the table feeling everybody’s eyes on him.

“She really said that?” Baekhyun asked the silvery haired boy sitting next to him.

“No but I didn’t want to make him feel bad” Sehun sighed.

“y/n is so stubborn sometimes” Baekhyun said annoyed “I talked to her on Monday, tried to make her see Chanyeol was really sorry about their fight and she told me if he really wanted more space she’ll give it to him”.

“We have to make them see each other so they can fix their things” Sehun said thoughtfully.

“Yeah. What do you have in mind?” Baekhyun asked, stuffing his mouth with a bunch of chips.

“We could set up a dinner at the dorms and invite her.” Sehun suggested.

“I don’t think she will agree if she knows he’s there” Baekhyun replied.

“Then we won’t tell her he’s there” Sehun said nonchalantly “Leave it to me”.

“Ok” Baekhyun said doubtfully and with that both boys turned their attention to each others plates.

Chanyeol was sitting on a bench outside in the green area the restaurant had -It had a small pond were you could see the moon’s reflection and above it it had a wood bridge decorated with branches full of autumn leaves and little lights. All the garden was beautifully decorated with lights amongst its bushes and trees- He thought the atmosphere was very chill and romantic as he could heard from the distance the live music coming from the inside of the place. He was looking at the window, contemplating all the people there; it seemed most of them were having a great night, something he himself couldn’t say much about his. He was feeling jealous at Sehun and angry at you.

Couldn't she just put her anger aside and congratulate me too?! He thought bitterly.

The question was why? Is it because he had always imagined you’d congratulated him first and not Sehun? Is it because he thought if you congratulated him, that would be your peace offering? He couldn’t decided which one it was.

He took out his phone and opened your conversation; in there were all the messages he has send you, still without the read sign.

He sighed heavily and looked at the sky thinking about you. Although most of the things he had said to you weren’t true, he truly believed you sheltered yourself and was difficult for you to let new people in but he always attributed that to the fact that you had a hard time with trusting a lot in people because you didn’t want to get hurt.

His mind traveled to the time you two first talk to each other; it was thanks to Baekhyun. It didn’t take too much for the cheerful boy to go and start chatting with you. After that he would bring you along and introduced you to the boys, Chanyeol being one of them and since the beginning he felt something that till this day he couldn’t quite explain. There was something about you that attracted him and he made him want to know more about you.

Once the two of you started chatting you realized you have a lot in common in terms of music, movies and hobbies tastes. Everybody knew he love music and everything that has to do with it but only a few knew your love for writing. He was amazed every time he could see you get lost inside your mind and suddenly your eyes would light up a little bit more just to quickly grab your cellphone or computer to start writing. He would ask you why didn’t you write it down in a notebook like a lot of writers do and you would tell him the pen and paper its only for special occasions and special people and also that you didn’t want to waste paper to which he’d found it odd and endearing at the same time and he would chuckled. Then he thought what would he say to you if he could see you face to face. He has never been good with apologies, you could see it immediately. Every time he would have to do that he felt awkward about it and struggled with finding the right things to say.

If she gives me a chance, i would try my best to show her that she really means a lot to me. Chanyeol thought.

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After a while, Baekhyun and Sehun wondered if they should go to check on Chanyeol. The first boy was starting to get up from the table when they saw their tall friend approaching and had a seat near Sehun.

“Are you calm now?” Sehun asked him.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol answered. “Guys. I need your help.”

“With what?” Baekhyun asked.

“I need to speak with y/n but I need you two for her to do that” Chanyeol explained. The other two boys turned to look at each other mischievously.

“don’t worry. We already have something in mind” Sehun said confidently.

“Have you? What is it?” Chanyeol said surprised.

“We’ll tell you later” Baekhyun said and Chanyeol nodded.

“What are the three of you taking about?”Chen asked intrigued.

“About our plan on how to get our Chan back into y/n’s list of living people again” Baekhyun said amused.

“She’s really stubborn you know. Count me in.” Chen said joyfully.

“Good. We might as well tell the other boys too” Chanyeol suggested sarcastically.

“Maybe if we all pleaded in your favor she will pardon you” Sehun sneered.

“Yeah. She has a soft spot for my child-like smile” Jongin intervened. The four boys turned to look at him bewildered.

“You were listening all this time?” Chen asked the Blue haired boy.

“Yeah. I can eat and listen at the same time” Jongin said sarcastically.

“I listened too” Suho added nonchalantly. “I suggest that regarding the apology he should buy her a gift, a big one”.

“It’s not a bad idea. So we are all on board with this?” Baekhyun asked seriously and the rest of the boys nodded firmly.

“Ok so this is how it’s going down...” he said and started to explain the plan while his friends listened intently.

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It was Friday morning and all the boys were practicing the dance choreography for the comeback. When they took a break, most of the guys left to get lunch leaving Chen, Jongin and Baekhyun on the dance practice room.

“Ok so I’m calling y/n now to see if she can come for dinner tonight” Jongdae said and started dialing your number.

The other two boys nodded and kept quiet as they put the call on speaker.

“Hey Dae!” you said sounding calmed.

“Hey stranger! I thought you didn’t remember us anymore” Jongdae said trying to sound sad.

“What are you talking about? Of course I remember you guys!” You said incredulously.

“Then why you don’t come to the dorms anymore?” He retorted.

“I have been taking some classes after work. Plus, I don’t think it’s a good idea if Chanyeol is around. I don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable, it’s his home too after all” you explained, your voice sounding neutral.

“Ah but don’t worry about him. Most of the time he’s not home. He’s either with Sojin or doing other stuff I don’t know about” Jongdae said nonchalantly and Baekhyun gave him a little pinch on his arm. Chen tried to hold his scream and glared at Baekhyun as if saying what?! To which the other boy mouthed “don’t say that” and urged him to continue.

“Good for him” you said emotionless.

“Anyway. I was wondering if you want to come over and have dinner with the boys and me tonight” Jongdae said quickly.

“I don’t know about it Dae” you said hesitantly.

“Come on y/n. It’s been so long since the last time we saw you at the party.” The brown haired boy said. “If you’re worry about Chanyeol being at the dorms don’t worry. Fridays are the days he usually goes out lately”.

After a couple of seconds you sighed and agreed to the invitation. “Fine” you gave up. “Should I brought something for dinner?”.

“It’s fine, we already have that covered. You can come around 7pm” Jongdae said “oh wait! You could bring the dessert.” He remembered.

“Ok, I’ll bring it. See you there” you said.

“Yeah. See you then” The boy said excitedly. You two said goodbye and hang up the phone.

“Done. Part 1 of the plan completed” said Jongin satisfied.

“Now we have to come up with a good excuse as for why Chanyeol is in the dorms when she arrives”. said Jongin determined. “Otherwise, she will kill us for lying to her”

“She’ll kill Chen” Baekhyun pointed out and grimaced when Jongdae slapped his arm.

The rest of the boys arrived to the practice room with a bunch of food containers. Everybody picked one and started sitting around the room in order to make a circle.

“Yeol, we just spoke with y/n. she’s coming for dinner tonight and she doesn’t know you are gonna be there too” Baekhyun said nonchalantly and Chanyeol choked on his food.

“What?!” He tried to say while coughing and Jongin gave him a pad on the back.

“This is your chance dude” Jongin said excitedly.

After calming himself down and cleaned his watery eyes Chanyeol finally spoke “but I can’t tonight. I’m going out with Sojin. She wants to go to a new club where a DJ she likes is going to play”.

He could instantly felt the judging glares from his friends and shrank a little.

“What’s more important to you. Pleased your dontletmebreatheonmyown kind of girlfriend or your friendship with y/n?” Baekhyun asked him firmly.

“The second one” Chanyeol said without thinking it twice.

“So make up an excuse for you to not go with Sojin” Sehun suggested him.

“Tell her we have dance practice at night too or something like that” Suho muffled as he was taking a bite from his hamburger.

“Yeah we don’t care what you tell her but make sure to think something better than that for y/n” Baekhyun said while looking straight into Chanyeol’s eyes.

“Our asses are at risk here.” Jongin said matter of factly.

“Just to check, when you say “our asses” it means mine’s and Suho’s are included?” Sehun asked.

“Yep” Jongdae answered him.

Sehun nodded and turned to looked at Chanyeol “You better start thinking about your excuses then”. The white haired boy nodded hesitantly “ok. Just stop pressuring me” he said a little bit tense.

Their choreographer entered the room, greeted the boys and they changed the subject of their conversation.

I can do it. I just have to concentrate on what am I going to say to Sojin and then to y/n. He thought, gave a heavy sigh and started getting up as the practice was beginning.

Once the practice finished the boys were gathering their stuff to go home. Chanyeol was kinda ready to call his girlfriend and cancel their plans but It was as if she had read his mind because she was calling him. Ok, I’m ready he reassured himself and picked up the phone.

“Hi baby” Sojin said nonchalantly.

“Hey! How are you?” Chanyeol said.

“Good. I can’t talk much because I’m at the recording room. Hey I was wondering at what time are you going to pick me up?” She said rapidly.

“About that... I’m sorry but I can’t go tonight” Chanyeol said trying to sound regretful.

“What?!” She screamed and he could heard someone in the other line shushed Her.

“Why? You know it’s important to me. That DJ is gonna be only for this night in the city.” She muttered, annoyance clearly in her voice.

“I’m at practice right know and our manager just told us we have another practice at night” he explained.

“Ahg… for real?!” She sighed annoyed

“Yeah. I’m sorry but it’s part of the job. You know that” the tall boy said and she huffed.

“Fine. I’ll go on my own then” She said reluctantly.

“Sorry. I’ll call you later” Chanyeol said.

“Yeah. Bye” She said and hang up.

Chanyeol put his cellphone on his bag and Jongdae approached him.

“For what I could Heard she didn’t take the news very well, did she?” Jongdae said.

“No” Chanyeol answered and Baekhyun stood on his other side.

“Man, she’s dense.” Baekhyun pointed out. Chanyeol glared at him and the pinkish haired boy only shrugged.

“Ok we have part 2 done. There’s only one left” Jongdae counted.

“One left? Didn’t we have 5 parts of the plan?” Chanyeol asked intrigued. “Yeah but we already sent Sehun and Jongin to get her a present and the other one we deleted it” Jongdae explained and the tall boy looked around to notice they were the only ones and Suho, who was busy playing some games on his cellphone, in the room.

“Ok so there’s missing only one step now” Chanyeol confirmed.

“Yep. That one is you asking for y/n forgiveness and us watching you while you’re doing it” Baekhyun said with a big mockery smile on his face.

“But you said you will help me with the speech for it too” Chanyeol countered.

“We trust you can handle her” Jongdae sneered.

Chanyeol sigh heavily “Fine” and with that the rest of the boys headed home.

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It was almost 7pm, the guys were all clean and dressed in comfy clothes setting up the dining table for dinner.

“Remember Yeol, you can’t leave your room until we start eating” Baekhyun reminded him for the third time.

“I know” Chanyeol said annoyed.

“And Jongin and I already left the gift in your room” Sehun indicated.

“I already saw it, thanks” Chanyeol said to both boys “I have a question though, why a flower?”.

“Jongin said it would be a good gift” Sehun shrugged.

“All the women loves flowers. Plus, I choose that one because it looks pretty and it is y/n’s favorite color” Jongin explained. Chanyeol hummed in agreement.

They heard the doorbell rang and thought it would probably be you.

“I’m coming” Suho yelled and everyone turned to look at Chanyeol.

“Go” Chen said quietly and urged the white haired boy to his room. Chanyeol quickly entered it and closed the door carefully. He could hear you greeting the guys and viceversa.

He sprawled on his bed and look at his watch. 7:15 pm.

“Should I wait like 30 minutes to come out?!” He said to himself, not feeling very sure about it.

Ok let’s check the plan again; I’m gonna say I had a terrible headache. I’ll Sit on the table with all of them and when the dinner is almost over I’ll ask y/n to talk to me. He thought.

The time seemed to pass slowly inside his room. He heard muffled voices and could barely understood some of the things everyone outside were saying.

He was starting to doze off when his phone alarm rang. 7:45 pm

He got up and went over to the open the door, gave a sigh and turned the doorknob. Outside he could see everyone sitting at the table chatting and eating. It wasn’t until he approached more than Suho turned his attention to him.

“ Oh! Looks like somebody decided to join us” Suho said cheerfully.

Chanyeol could feel all eyes on him but it wasn’t until his gaze settled on yours that he felt really uncomfortable. You were surprised to see Chanyeol standing there in the middle of the room. His face still carried the tiredness from the last days and weeks probably but overall he looked good.

You tried to show no emotion in your face whatsoever so the rest of boys and him didn’t notice you were starting to feel uncomfortable too.

Chanyeol took a seat on a corner of the table.Luckily for you you were sitting on the opposite corner and Jongdae was in the middle between you two. Everyone started talking again to put aside the awkward encounter between the both of you.

You leaned towards Jongdae and whispered “Didn’t you say he wasn’t gonna be here tonight?”

Chanyeol could heard what you were saying to the brown haired boy and answered you “Yes but I started feeling sick about an hour ago and decided not to go out”.

You went quiet and turned to look at your meal. You were not going to lie, when your eyes came across his you felt a pang in your heart. The memories of your fight came so fast to your mind that for a moment you disconnected yourself from the outside world. That night you cried until you felt there was no tears left in your eyes, Jackson being your crying shoulder and soothing you until you felt numb and could slept. You saw Chanyeol’s calls that day but decided not to pick up as you didn’t have the energy to deal with him being drunk or angry anymore. The next days you felt a mix of angriness and sadness and although you had seen his messages saying I’m sorry whenever they appeared on your screen, you decided to dismissed them as his words resonated in your mind.

After thinking about them for a while you came to the conclusion that some of them were right. You’d always felt comfortable with having only a small group of friends, trying to spend as much time as you could with them. You put aside all the things you wanted to do as you didn’t felt confident enough to do it on your own and felt you needed someone to do them with you. In a way Chanyeol’s words gave you the little push you needed for started doing them.

”So y/n, what have you been up to?” Suho asked you and brought back your attention to the table.

“I’m taking different classes after work; Photography, Yoga and also Writting” You explained.

“That’s amazing.” Jongin said happily and you gave him a little smile.

“Yeah” Suho agreed. “But I imagined you take the classes late at night, right?”

“Nope. Most of them start at 7pm and my work schedule finishes at 6pm” you explained.

“Wasn’t it at 7pm too?” Jongin asked curiously.

“That was in my previous job. I have a new one” you answered him.

“You didn’t tell me that” Baekhyun nudged you.

Most of the boys congratulated you and you noticed Chanyeol’s bewildered look on you.

“Where are you working now?” Sehun asked.

“I’m an intern in a magazine. The pay is not as much as in the previous one but I’m in the editing department and I love it. The people there is really nice and I’m learning about something that I’ve always wanted to so I’m good” you said calmed.

The boys could also tell you were feeling better than before. The saw you more relaxed and happy and that made them happy too.

“I’m glad for you” Suho said and smiled at you.

“Me too” Sehun said.

“Thank you guys” you smiled shyly at them.

“And how are the things with Jackson?” Baekhyun asked nonchalantly “Do you guys still see each other?”. He winked slightly at you.

“Yes. He goes to yoga with me most of the times and he was the one who helped me to get this job, actually. One of his friends works in the same department as me and he helped us to get me in” you explained, feeling a little bit uncomfortable at the question.

“But you two are dating?” Jongin asked curiously.

“You could say so...” you said uncomfortably.

Most of the boys at the table started cheering and your cheeks turned red from the embarrassment.

“Finally” Jongin said playfully and you leaned on the table so you could reached him and smacked his arm.

“That’s nice but still he is not save from our interrogation” Sehun said.

“Yeah. Maybe we should plan a dinner outside and you could invite him so everybody here can know him better” Suho suggested and the other boys agreed.

“I’ll think about it” you promised and Baekhyun glared quizzically at you.

“Ok enough about me. What I’ve been missing?. The comeback is this month, isn’t it?” You asked and the boys started telling you about his schedules, the concept and other stuff. While in doing so you could noticed Chanyeol was quiet most on the evening only nodding and answering quick questions. Maybe he doesn’t care anymore you thought to yourself but quickly shook off those thoughts away and tried to stay focused on the talk and your other friends.

The dinner went by smoothly and once you finished the boys and you picked up the things and started cleaning. You went to the kitchen to leave some plates on the sink when you heard footsteps approaching.

“Y/n” Chanyeol called you.

You turned to look at him and saw he was uncomfortable and looking at you with sadness on his features. You stood there frowning at him and thought if you could exited the kitchen but he was blocking your way.

“Can we talk?” He asked.

“I... should probably get going. It’s already late” you said hesitantly.

“It will be only a couple of minutes” Chanyeol insisted. “I can take you home after that”.

“Aah... fine” You sighed and crossed your arms waiting for him to start talking.

“Can we talk in my room?” He asked you shyly.

You looked firmly at him and started walking towards his room. You could see there was no one left in the living room nor the dining room. How convenient you thought sarcastically. You entered Chanyeol’s bedroom, he following behind you and closed the door after him. It’s been a long time since the last time you’ve been here. The decoration looked pretty much the same and the room still has the same smell that remembers you of the tall boy’s perfume.

“So. What’s this talk for?” You asked flatly.

“Why haven’t you replied to any of my messages or calls?” He frowned at you.

“Really?! You’re going to complain about that?” You scoffed. “Ok. Honestly the first week I was so mad and sad about our fight that I didn’t want to talk to you and the other days I was figuring out how to live my life and for once in a long time I began to investing my time on the things I wanted to do.” You explained bluntly.

Chanyeol was looking straight into your eyes and sighed heavily.

“Listen...I’m really sorry. What I wrote on those messages were true. I was a total asshole and I shouldn’t have said those things to you that night. I was having a terrible night at that party and me being stressed and drunk didn’t help either.” He explained. “Of course you and the boys are special for me. I don’t even know why did I said you weren’t.”

“Can You forgive me and both of us leave this incident behind? Please.” Chanyeol pleaded. He really sounded regretful and sincere. He was trying to use his puppy eyes on you which were helping his cause.

You were looking directly at him. For once in the course of this night he didn’t avoid your gaze. You really missed him and wanted to share with him about the new changes in your life.

“I forgive you.” You said and a big smile spread across his lips. He crossed the room to where you were standing and hugged you. You stood there motionless for a couple of seconds and then your arms circled his frame.

“I have missed you” he muffled in your hair.

Your felt a pang in your heart although you didn’t know if it was for the yearning of feeling his arms around you again or the love you still felt for him that was suppressed inside your heart the past weeks and now it came to the surface like a fierce wave.

“I’ve missed you too” you admitted. Both got separated and Chanyeol went over to his closet to get something.

“This is for you” he said and extended his hand to you. He was grabbing a little flowerpot and inside of it was a small flower. It had cute tiny baby-sky blue petals all around it which made you liked it more since that was your favorite color.

“Thank you” you said baffled and took carefully the flower out of his hand.

“This is not like you” you pointed out.

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asked.

“You’ve never given me flowers as a gift before. Did you buy it?” You asked curiously.

“Of course I bought it it” Chanyeol scoffed.

“What’s the name of the flower?” You asked him quizzically.

“What?!” Chanyeol said wide eyed.

“If you bought it it, you should know the name, don’t you?” You said.

“I...” Chanyeol said nervously.

Outside his room the rest of the boys were eavesdropping your conversation. Baekhyun, Sehun and Jongin being stuck to the door to hear clearly what you guys were saying while Suho and Jongdae were stuck to the wall next to the door.

“Fuck” Sehun said quietly.

“What did she say?” Jongdae whispered.

“She asked him if he had bought the flower. Chanyeol said he did. She asked him the name of the flower and now he’s screwed because he doesn’t know it” Jongin explained to the other boys.

“You didn’t tell him the name?” Baekhyun asked to his younger friends to which they shook their head in response. Baekhyun facepalmed himself and stuck his ear to the door again.

“I...” Chanyeol said nervously. “Ok fine. I didn’t buy the flower. It was Sehun and Jongin but I paid for it.” He confessed and look down at his hands. She’s gonna get mad again he thought to himself. He turned to look at you surprised when the only response he heard was a sneer coming from you.

“You’re not mad?” He asked you confused.

“Nope. It’s still a pretty gift and I’d already figured that out because Sehun dropped the receipt by accident while we were cleaning” you explained amused.

Outside everyone turned to looked at the silvery haired boy and he just mouthed a “sorry”. You started laughing at the face Chanyeol has made at hearing your response and eventualy he laughed too.

“ I just wanted to give you something that showed how sorry I was” he said apologetically.

“It’s ok. Although a million dollars could also show your regret” you said sarcastically and he laughed.

“I’ll keep that mind” he said while shaking his head.

“I better go now” you said and went to grab the doorknob.

“I’ll take you home” Chanyeol said and grabbed his car keys.

“It’s ok, you don’t have to” you retorted.

“But I want to. Let’s go” Chanyeol said and took the flower out of your hands for you to follow him.

“Thank you” you smiled.

“No problem” he smiled back at you.

The rest of the guys were waiting for you on the living room.

“So? Are you besties again?!” Jongin asked excitedly.

“Yeah” Chanyeol said and squeezed you to his side.

The boys started cheering while you shook your head at their silly behavior, a smile creeping up on your lips.

Chanyeol opened the door for you. You yelled a goodbye in the middle of all their ruckus and both of you left the dorms.

“Hey! I Have an extra ticket for the Coldplay’s concert on Sunday. A friend of mine can’t go and she gave me hers so I could invite someone else. Would you like to come?” You asked Chanyeol as the two of you were walking to the elevators.

“Of course! I tried to buy one but the day of the sale I was at the studio checking some arrangements for mine’s and Sehun’s album released. I forgot about it and when I checked again they were sold out” he explained.

“Chan?!” You said and he turned to look at you.

“I’m also sorry. For not congratulating you on the day of your album’s released” you said regretfully.

“You’ve worked so hard for it. I’m so proud of you” you smiled at him and he look fondly at you.

“Thanks. It means a lot coming from you and I didn’t say it earlier but I’m happy for you, for how the things have turned out better for you” he said tenderly.

You grabbed his empty hand and squeezed it, looking and side smiling at him. Chanyeol caressed the back of your hand. He’d always liked the way your skin felt soft against his fingers, leaving the essence of your hand cream in his sometimes. The thought of Sojin came to his mind suddenly and he released your hand.

“So...about the concert” he coughed “do you want me to pick you up?” He settled his gaze on the elevator numbers.

“Don’t worry about it. I have a class in the morning that day and I have to finish some things at home too. Thanks for the offer though” you answered, trying not look at him a lot of time.

“So I’ll see you at the stadium’s entrance?” He asked.

“Yes. The concert starts at 7:30pm so I’ll see you at the entrance at 7pm?“ You asked doubtfully.

“Ok then it’s settled” He said calmed and you nodded in agreement. Things are getting better you thought to yourself and both of you headed towards his car.

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The day of the concert Chanyeol was standing outside the stadium. It was a sea of people around him. He was wearing a black hoodie and pants and had a mask on so people couldn’t recognize him or at least not that easily.

He checked at his watch again 7:10pm. The was starting to get anxious and decided to call you when he spotted you a few meters away from him. He waved a hand at you so you could noticed him. Your eyes met, you smiled and started walking towards the place he was standing. He smiled too although you couldn’t see it for the mask he was wearing but that smiled faded away as he saw you were not alone.

Jackson was with you, hands intertwined with yours as you two were walking to meet him.

“What is he doing here?” He muttered to himself.

Chanyeol’ve thought this was the perfect occasion for you guys to retake your friendship but with this unpleasant surprised, he’ll have to look for another time to do so.

“Hi! Sorry for the delay. The parking lot was packed and we couldn’t find a spot that easily” you explained.

“Don’t worry. I had trouble with it too” Chanyeol said calmly.

“Oh! I’m sure you already know each other but let me introduce you properly. Chan this is Jackson. Jackson this is Chanyeol” you said happily.

“Hi!” Chanyeol said and extended a hand for the other boy to shake.

“Good to see you, bro.” Jackson said cheerfully.

“Likewise” Chanyeol said although his mind was telling the opposite.

“We should get hurry. I need to go to the bathroom before the concert starts” You said.

“Ok, let’s go” Jackson said excitedly and the three of you started walking to the gates.

Once inside, the three of you looked for the restrooms and when you spotted them you said to both boys “Do you want to go ahead to the pit?”

“No, we’ll wait for you” Jackson said and Chanyeol nodded.

“Ok. I hope this doesn’t take too long” you said and went inside the ladies room.

Chanyeol and the other boy stood outside near the snacks area. He already felt so awkward as the third wheel that he only prayed for you to not start making out with Jackson during the concert.

“So I heard you just released an album with Sehun. Congratulations man” Jackson said in an effort to make conversation.

“Thanks. Are you guys preparing for comeback too?” Chanyeol asked the smaller boy.

“Not right now but I’m finishing my solo album” Jackson said casually.

“That’s great” Chanyeol said calmly.

“Yeah” Jackson replied “ Are you excited for the concert?”.

“Yes! It’s one of my favorite bands. What about you?” Chanyeol said excitedly.

“I like some of their songs. The thing is I’m not that keen on this kind of music” Jackson explained.

“Then why did you come?” Chanyeol asked trying not to sound rude.

“Because y/n didn’t want to come alone and I know it’s one of her favorite bands too” the brown haired boy said.

“Didn’t her friend, the one that gave her my ticket, was coming with her?” Chanyeol asked intrigued.

“No. Her friend’s sister gave it to her but she had to cover another event for the magazine” Jackson answered.

“ Ah…I see” Chanyeol trailed off.

Too bad you didn’t get caught up with work too Chanyeol thought bitterly.

You arrived with them short of breath “ok guys! Are you ready?” You exhaled.

“Yeah come on” Jackson said and took your hand again.

The three of you started walking towards the pit. Chanyeol followed after you two and thought sadly This isn’t how I expected it would be.

Inside the pit there were a lot of people with lightsticks of different colors. You were standing between Chanyeol and Jackson and looking at your surroundings excitedly.

“Oh my god! I’m so excited. It’s the first time I see them live” you said to Chanyeol and he smiled at you. You looked like a little kid on Christmas Day, ready to see all the presents you have gotten.

“Me too” he said to you and the concert started.

Chanyeol always got hyper at concerts, singing and cheering for the artists. It was as if he couldn’t contain his excitement but you were on a level higher than him. You will sing, jump, dance, and cheered for them twice as loud as he could just to end with a broken voice and complaining about how you couldn’t feel your legs after it. Chanyeol and you were having a great time, even Jackson got loose with it and was singing the songs heartedly but every now and then your best friend would turn to look at you and see that you were holding hands with Jackson, squeezing his arm due to your excitement- which he always used to make fun of and tell you you were a savage for it- or just letting him to put his arm around you.

He couldn’t help feeling jealous of it. Aside from turning to look at him every 3 songs your full attention was on the concert and Jackson. All the things you used to do with him like that kind of things at concerts, spending time together after work or simply being happy with each other you were now doing them with the other boy. He felt as if Jackson was taking over his place and he couldn’t stand it.

A song started playing, one of your favorite ones. The sky was already dark and you could see some stars in it. The crowd resembled a rainbow since everybody had paint of different colors splashed over their faces and clothes and had their lightsticks on. The atmosphere felt magical and you were so focus on the song and the people that you didn’t notice Chanyeol was looking at you.

For him it was as if there was nothing more important in that moment than captured in his mind the sight of you singing your heart out to your favorite song, swaying from side to side with the melody of it and seeing in your face the happiness you were feeling. He smiled at that. The boy always have thought you were beautiful but tonight it was as if you were a star that was beginning to shine so bright that you outshined the other ones in the sky. Something stirred in his heart just like the other night at your place and for a moment he was afraid of it.

Maybe it was time for him to be honest with himself and his feelings.

He was in love with you.

Thank you for the support, the love and comments. I put the alternative soundtrack because it’s more soothing and I also loved it. I hope you like the series and enjoy this chapter. I’ll try to come up with the next one as soon as possible. ^^

#chanyeol #exo au #park chanyeol #exo #chanyeol au #pcy #chanyeol fanfic #chanyeol series #exo fanfic #fic #exo scenario #chanyeol scenario

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