summary: During the NHL off-season, your best friend Will drags you into another one of his infamous side quests: a beach volleyball tournament, where his competitive nature and a touch of jealousy reveal feelings that go far beyond friendship.
CW: Fluff, friends to lovers, jealous Will, kissing.
The July sun is merciless, turning the sand into a scorching blanket under your bare feet. You adjust your sunglasses, glancing at the source of your current predicament.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Will had declared three days ago, his eyes bright with that particular brand of enthusiasm he gets whenever he's about to drag you into one of his side quests. "A beach volleyball tournament! Think of the vibes!"
The vibes, currently, are mostly sweat and the distinct feeling of sand in places sand should never be. "You owe me so big for this," you grumble, digging your toes into the cooler sand beneath the surface.
Will just grins, his white teeth flashing against his tanned skin. He's been training all off-season, and it shows. His shoulders are broader, his arms more defined and you'd be lying if you said you haven't noticed. "Relax. We've got this. I'm a natural athlete."
"You're a hockey player, Will. There's no ice if you haven't already noticed," you point out dryly, earning a playful shove that nearly sends you tumbling into the net.
"Details," he waves off. "Besides, it's not about winning. It's about the experience."
That's a lie. You've known him since you were ten years old and you know that when it comes to anything competitive, it's always about winning. This tournament is just the latest in a long line of his off-season whims, from that disastrous baking class where he'd set three oven mitts on fire to the fishing trip where he'd managed to hook his own shirt.
The problem arises when you go to sign up, Will slapping a twenty-dollar bill down on the registration table with a confident grin. "Two players, let's go!"
The organizer, a sun-weathered man named Gary, doesn't even look up from his clipboard. "Sorry, folks. The sign-up sheet is full and we're not taking any more pairs." He gestures to the long list of names already scrawled on the paper. "You two would have to enter separately to get on a team."
Will's face falls, his excitement deflating like a punctured beach ball. "What? That's weak."
"Rules are rules," Gary says with a shrug. "You can either find two other people and make two teams or try your luck next weekend."
You can already see the gears turning in his head, the stubborn set of his jaw that you know all too well. He's not giving up that easily. His eyes scan the crowded beach.
"Challenge accepted," he mutters, his gaze landing on a group of guys setting up near the net. Before you can stop him, he's marching over, all confident swagger and easy charm.
Five minutes later, you have a partner. Liam. A guy who is, admittedly, very good at volleyball. He greets you with a hug that lasts a beat too long, his chest pressed firmly against yours.
Now, watching Will from across the net, you see his smile has tightened. His easy-going demeanor has been replaced by the focused, intense look he usually reserves for the face-off circle.
"Ready, partner?" Liam asks, his hand lingering on your shoulder, his thumb stroking circles against your skin.
"Ready," you say, giving him a small smile and missing the way Will's jaw clenches, his knuckles turning white as he grips his volleyball.
The game starts and it quickly becomes clear that Liam is the better player. He's strategic, powerful and has a habit of celebrating every point by pulling you into a quick, one-armed hug.
"Nice one!" he cheers after you manage a shaky serve, his arm wrapping securely around your waist, his fingers splayed across your lower back.
Across the net, Will's game is getting sloppy. He's missing easy returns and his movements are jerky and aggressive. His partner, a bewildered-looking guy named Kevin, keeps giving him concerned looks.
"You okay, man?" Kevin asks after Will sends a ball rocketing into the next court over.
"Peachy," Will bites out, his eyes fixed on Liam's hand as it rests on your hip.
The turning point comes when you dive for a ball, scraping your knee in the process. Before you can even register the sting, Liam is there, kneeling beside you.
"Whoa, easy there," he says, his fingers gently probing the scrape. "That's gonna leave a mark. Let me help you up."
His hands are on your waist, lifting you to your feet easily. "You okay?" he asks, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiles down at you.
"I'm fine," you say, trying to step back, but he holds on, his grip tightening slightly.
"That was a nasty fall," he says, his thumb brushing against the bare skin of your stomach, just above the waistband of your shorts. "Maybe you should sit out the rest..."
"Get your hands off her."
The voice is low, cold and comes from directly behind you. You turn to find Will standing there, his expression thunderous. The game has paused, everyone watching the sudden drama.
Liam raises his hands in surrender, a smirk playing on his lips. "Easy, man. Just helping out my partner."
Will steps closer, his shoulders squared. "She's not your partner. She's my best friend. And you're done touching her."
The air crackles with tension. For a moment you think Will might actually throw a punch. Instead, he grabs your hand, his grip firm.
"We forfeit," he announces to the organizer, before turning and pulling you away from the court.
"Will, what the hell?" you protest, stumbling after him. "We were winning!"
"He was touching you," he growls, not slowing down.
"He was being a good partner!" you shot back, yanking your hand free. "What is your problem?"
He stops abruptly, turning to face you. The anger in his eyes is mixed with something else. Something raw and vulnerable. "My problem is that I've been in love with you for like, forever, and I had to watch some random guy put his hands all over you and you just let it happen!"
The words hang in the air, shocking you into silence. The beach, the tournament, the sun, it all fades away, leaving just the two of you and the weight of his confession.
"You... what?" you finally manage to say.
"I love you," he repeats, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. "And seeing him with you... it drove me crazy. I know I'm an idiot. I know this was supposed to be a fun little activity, but I couldn't stand it."
Your heart is hammering against your ribs. All those late-night movie marathons, all the inside jokes and all the times he'd chosen you over his other friends, it all clicks into place.
"Will..."
"I get it if you don't feel the same way," he rushes on, misinterpreting your silence. "I just had to tell you. I couldn't keep pretending..."
You cut him off by grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down, crashing your lips against his. It's not gentle or sweet, it's desperate and hungry, months of unspoken feelings finally breaking free. His arms wrap around you, lifting you off your feet as he deepens the kiss, his tongue exploring your mouth with a passion that steals your breath.
When you finally break apart, you're both breathing heavily. He rests his forehead against yours, his eyes closed.
"Wow," he breathes.
"Yeah," you agree, your fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "Wow."
"Does this mean...?" he starts, opening his eyes to search yours.
"It means I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you too, you idiot," you say with a watery laugh.
His smile is blinding. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," you confirm, pulling him in for another kiss.
This one is softer, sweeter, filled with the promise of everything to come. When you part, he takes your hand, his fingers lacing through yours.
"So," he says, his voice light and teasing again. "Want to get out of here? I know this great ice cream place..."
You laugh, letting him lead you away from the tournament, away from the sand and the sun, and toward something much, much better. "Only if you're buying."
"Always," he promises, squeezing your hand. "Anything for you."
Used to the whispers when you answered too many questions in class. Used to the boys snickering when you carried around novels thicker than their textbooks. Used to eating lunch in the library because it was easier than pretending empty seats didn't exist.
And somehow, despite all that, you'd still fallen for Will Smith.
At first, he was just another hockey player. Another popular guy who walked through the halls with his friends like they owned the place.
Then he'd started sitting beside you in chemistry.
Then borrowing your notes.
Then texting you random questions at midnight.
Then showing up at your locker.
Then smiling at you like you were the only person in the room.
And somewhere between study dates and late-night drives and stolen kisses behind the rink, you'd made the mistake of believing him.
Believing he actually saw you.
Believing you were more than some joke.
Prom night shattered that illusion.
The gym glittered with cheap decorations and fairy lights. Music echoed through the room while couples danced beneath the streamers.
You'd spent two hours getting ready.
Two hours trying to convince yourself you belonged there.
Will hadn't stopped staring at you all night.
"You look beautiful."
You rolled your eyes.
"You've said that six times."
"And I'll say it seven."
His hand found yours.
The familiar warmth should've comforted you.
Instead, something felt off.
Maybe it was the way his friends kept glancing over.
Maybe it was the way Ryan and Gabe kept looking guilty.
Maybe it was the knot in your stomach that refused to disappear.
You excused yourself to get a drink.
That was when you heard them.
A group of hockey players standing around one of the tables.
Laughing.
Talking.
Not realizing you were right behind them.
"Dude, best twenty bucks I've ever spent."
Your stomach dropped.
You knew that voice.
Ryan.
"What was it, anyway?" another guy asked.
"You don't know?" Connor laughed. "Beginning of the year. We dared Will to ask her out."
Silence.
"No way."
"Swear to God."
Your pulse thundered in your ears.
"No, seriously. Twenty bucks. We thought she'd say no."
Someone laughed.
Someone else muttered something about how insane it was.
And then came the sentence that made the entire room tilt.
"Crazy thing is he actually fell for her."
You couldn't hear anything after that.
The music blurred.
The lights blurred.
Your vision blurred.
All you could think was:
Twenty dollars.
Your relationship had started because someone thought you were worth twenty dollars.
You turned and walked away.
"Hey!"
Will's voice echoed behind you.
You ignored it.
"Y/N!"
His footsteps followed.
You pushed through the gym doors and into the empty hallway.
"Stop."
You spun around.
"What?"
Will froze.
Because he'd never seen you look at him like this.
Like he was a stranger.
"What happened?"
You laughed.
The sound was horrible.
Broken.
"How much was I worth?"
His face went white.
Immediately.
And that told you everything.
Everything.
"No."
"How much, Will?"
He didn't answer.
You nodded.
"Right."
"Y/N—"
"How much?"
His jaw clenched.
"...Twenty."
The number hit harder than you expected.
Because hearing it made it real.
You swallowed.
"Twenty dollars."
"It wasn't—"
"Twenty dollars."
"It was a stupid dare."
You stared at him.
The boy you'd loved for almost a year.
The boy who knew your favorite books.
The boy who kissed your forehead when you were stressed.
The boy who knew exactly how much you'd been hurt by people.
And he'd started all of this as a joke.
"You asked me out because your friends paid you."
"No."
"That's literally what happened."
"At first."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
At first.
You laughed again.
A tear rolled down your cheek.
"Oh my God."
His face crumpled.
"No, no, that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"That was before I knew you."
His voice cracked.
"I didn't know you."
You looked away.
Because if you looked at him any longer, you'd cry.
"I was an idiot."
"Yeah."
"I know."
Silence.
Will took a shaky breath.
"After the first week I forgot about the dare."
You said nothing.
"After the second week I couldn't stop thinking about you."
Still nothing.
"After a month I was completely screwed."
His voice was quiet now.
Raw.
"Do you know how many times I tried to tell you?"
That made you look up.
His eyes were red.
"I wanted to tell you."
"Then why didn't you?"
Because that was the question.
Will looked miserable.
"Because I was terrified."
You scoffed.
"Of what?"
"Of losing you."
His answer came instantly.
"You would've hated me."
A bitter laugh escaped you.
"Well congratulations."
The words hit him like a slap.
You could see it.
The hurt.
The panic.
The realization.
Because for the first time since you'd met him, Will looked like he might actually cry.
"I love you."
The hallway went silent.
You froze.
His voice shook.
"I love you."
Another step.
"I know I don't deserve you."
Another.
"I know I screwed this up."
Another.
"But every single thing after that stupid dare was real."
Your heart broke a little.
You believed him.
That was what made it hurt so much.
You believed him.
And you still loved him.
Which was honestly the most infuriating part of all.
Will stopped a few feet away.
Close enough to reach you.
Not close enough to touch.
"You don't have to forgive me tonight."
You stared at the floor.
"You don't have to forgive me at all."
The crack in his voice nearly undid you.
"But don't think for one second that you were ever worth twenty dollars."
Slowly, you looked up.
His eyes met yours.
"You were the best thing that ever happened to me."
The tears you'd been fighting finally escaped.
And for the first time all night, neither of you knew what happened next.
Only that whatever came after this would have to be built on the truth.
Hi, I was wondering if you could write some morning fluff for william eklund?
Of courseee, I hope you enjoy! 😊 1.1k words
There’s no alarm that wakes him up. Nowhere to be, no morning obligations, for the first time in who knows how long; William Eklund wakes up on his own accord.
He shifts in bed to see that you’re still asleep beside him, curled slightly toward his side of the bed, your face half-hidden against the pillow. Your hair is messy and strewn across half your face and the pillow under your head. One of your hands resting between the two of you like at some point during the night you reached for him and decided that was where it belonged.
He knows you’re not the biggest fan of cuddling while you sleep, because you move so much during the night, but he does know that in the morning you absolutely love it.
William smiles before he even realizes he’s doing it. It’s ridiculous, probably. He’s been awake for maybe three minutes and he’s already ridiculously happy.
He doesn’t get mornings like this very often, the quiet ones, and there’s just something about them. He doesn’t have to rush to get anywhere, or constantly be thinking about the next thing. During mornings like this he can just exist, and he really likes “just existing” with you.
So he doesn’t move, at least not at first. He just lays there.
After a few minutes his arm wraps loosely around your waist, and he begins to trace little patterns on your stomach over your shirt. He watches the way your breath changes slightly, and the tiny movements you make while you’re deeply asleep. The twitch of your eyebrow, the shift of your hand, or the slightly heavier huff of your breath as you dream.
You’re sleep-warm and comfortable. The best part for him is that you’re right here, and he doesn’t have to go anywhere. Every time William gets a moment like this he swears he could exist in it forever. It’s just so simple, and so calm.
It’s a little bit funny because he’s terrible at doing nothing, and you tease him about it all the time. You tell him all the time that his attention span is terrible, and that you think he’d rather be doing a dozen things at once instead of sitting somewhere doing absolutely nothing.
He always laughs when you say things like that, because of how true they are (for the most part). But right now? Right now he’s perfectly content doing nothing, because “doing nothing” means he gets to be with you.
After a while, he starts getting impatient. He’s not bored, but he’d much rather you be awake so he can actually spend time with you while he’s off. He wants to talk to you and hear your voice coming right back, and he really wants to see the little smile you always get when you open your eyes in the morning and realize he’s still home.
So he starts small, and places a kiss on the exposed skin of your shoulder where your sleep shirt has ridden down, followed by another. Then he shifts to place a soft kiss to your cheek, and one near your ear.
Then he waits, thinking surely that would be enough, but you don’t move.
William presses his lips together, trying not to laugh at how stubborn you are about sleep, even when you’re already asleep. “Seriously?” he whispers to himself.
You stay asleep, and he shakes his head like he’s offended. “Okay then,” he says to himself.
Another kiss, this time to the corner of your mouth. You make a tiny sound, somewhere between a sigh and a complaint, and pull the blankets higher, until they’re tucked around your chin.
William’s smile gets bigger. There it is. You’re awake.
“Hi,” he whispers, and your eyes barely open.
“William…” The way you say his name is so sleepy that he has to bite back another laugh.
He smiles, “Yeah?”
“What time is it?” you ask, voice still heavy with sleep.
He glances toward the clock, “Like…eight.”
You make a noise of disbelief and immediately close your eyes again. “Go back to sleep,” you tell him, burying yourself impossibly deeper into the bed.
He laughs quietly, “But I missed you, älskling,” he says, wrapping both arms around you now and pulling you into him.
Your eyes open just a little, and you look up at him from where you’re now tucked against his chest, your legs tangled with his.
“You’re literally holding me,” you say.
“I know.”
“While I’m sleeping.”
“I know.”
You stare at him for a second, and then that tiny, sleepy smile he loves so much starts forming on your face. You bury your face in his shoulder. “You’re annoying,” you mumble against him.
“I know,” he says again.
“You woke me up just because you wanted to look at me?” you ask, your voice still muffled against his skin.
William shrugs, completely unapologetic, “Maybe.”
You try to seem annoyed, but you’re too tired and too fond of him for it to work, and he notices.
“You’re smiling,” he says.
“I’m not.”
“You are, I can feel it.”
“I’m sleeping,” you argue.
“You can’t be sleeping if you’re arguing with me.”
You sigh dramatically, but you’re already shifting your position, tucking yourself against him until your head fits beneath his chin. William immediately relaxes, because if he’s honest this was the only thing he wanted, and he tightens his arms around you.
“Better?” you mumble.
He nods, “Yeah.”
He’s silent for a beat, then he asks, “Can we stay like this?”
You tilt your head slightly, “William, you’re the one who woke me up.”
“I know.”
“And now you want to cuddle?”
“Yeah,” he says, like it should be obvious.
You laugh softly, “You’re ridiculous.”
His fingers start to trace soft circles against your back, “Maybe, but you love me.”
You don’t answer right away, which makes him look down at you, because he’s playfully offended that you didn’t say it back.
He pokes your side, “Hey.”
You open one eye, “What?”
“Say it.”
You roll your eyes, trying to keep the smile off your face.
“William,” you attempt seriousness.
“Please,” he says.
You pretend to think about it, then you mumble, “I love you.”
He grins, “Okay.”
“Happy?” you say from where your head is tucked against him once again.
He hums, “Very.”
You fully settle against him, and he can feel you already drifting off again, and William stays exactly where he is. The world can wait. For once, he doesn’t have to be anything. Not the hockey player everyone knows him as, not someone everyone expects things from. He’s just William, no obligations, just holding you on a quiet morning. And like every rare morning like this, he thinks there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.
rewatching our title winning clasico and it’s frying me that that dumbass vinicius tried to chip 6’4 joan garcía 😭 IN THE CORNER OF HIS BOX. buddy who do you even think he is 😭
william nylander gets injured he pulled his groin muscle in the game against the Vegas golden knights
WN88.||william nylander.
fluff.
after math of an injury.
“Thank you so much,” I said, turning to the team member who had just helped me get William into the car.
He had been hurt about an hour ago during the second period against the Golden Knights, severely pulling his groin muscle. Watching him skate off the ice had been terrifying, but seeing him trying to navigate regular life was almost worse. William bit his lip, a sharp hiss of air escaping through his teeth as the medics carefully helped him settle into the passenger seat.
“Should I just take him straight to the hospital?” I asked the team medical staff, my voice tight with concern. My boyfriend was incredibly strong and usually handled physical pain like it was nothing, but right now, he looked like he was dying.
“No need, we’ve handled it the best we can for tonight. He just needs strict rest, and in three days, he starts rehab,” the head medic replied, offering a reassuring, tired, smile. “Here’s this list. Just follow what it says to help him manage the symptoms, and he should be fine.”
They handed me a typed sheet of paper. I nodded gratefully, folding it into my pocket as they shut the passenger door, cutting off the chill of the arena’s underbelly.
I climbed into the driver's seat and looked over at him. His face was pale, his knuckles white where he was gripping the edge of the seat. “Baby, I’m gonna try my best to make this a smooth ride,” I murmured, leaning over the center console to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
“This hurts so bad,” he whispered, his voice strained and completely stripped of its usual post-game energy.
Heartbroken by the sound, I leaned in and kissed him again, lingering for a moment to let him know I was right there. “I know, my love. Just try to breathe. We’ll be home soon.”
The drive felt entirely too long, with me agonizing over every pothole and yellow light. Once we finally pulled into our driveway, I hurried to the back, grabbed the crutches out of the trunk, and rushed around to open his door. Helping him maneuver out of the low car seat was an ordeal; he winced in pain with every shift of his weight. It took a lot of patience and gentle guiding, but we finally made it inside our house and up the stairs to our bedroom with the help of the elevator willy insisted we had in our home.
He collapsed onto the edge of the mattress, looking completely spent.
“I need to help you change, baby. You need to put these on,” I said softly, grabbing a pair of tight compression shorts from his dresser.
He just nodded, too exhausted to argue about his pride. I knelt in front of him, slowly and carefully sliding his loose sweatpants down his legs, being mindful of how he shifted. When I looked up at his leg, I could already see the tension in the muscle. “Okay, here. Careful, my love,” I murmured, sliding the compression shorts up his calves and thighs, letting him take over to adjust them at the waist so I wouldn't accidentally aggravate the strain.
“I’m gonna go grab some ice. We need to ice your inner thigh for fifteen minutes every two to three hours,” I told him, reciting the instructions I had been given.
He closed his eyes, nodding tiredly against the pillows. When I returned with a fresh ice pack wrapped securely in a soft cloth, I sat next to him on the bed. I gently tapped the side of his uninjured thigh. “Can you open your legs just a little bit for me, Willy?”
“Ow,” he groaned, his eyes shutting tight as he shifted a mere two inches.
“I know, I’m sorry,” I whispered, carefully applying the cold compress directly to his inner thigh and immediately setting a fifteen-minute timer on my phone.
“I’m sorry, baby, but this is gonna help stop the internal bleeding and keep the swelling down,” I explained softly.
In response, he tugged at the collar of his shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it onto the floor, clearly suffocating from the wave of pain-induced heat. He leaned heavily into my side, seeking comfort like a magnet. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, slowly rubbing his back in soothing, repetitive circles. With my free hand, I reached for the nightstand, handing him an ibuprofen and my water bottle. He took them gratefully, swallowing the pill with a heavy gulp.
“This is so uncomfortable,” he whined, his voice muffled against my shoulder.
“I know, baby, but we need to get you fixed up.” I grabbed a couple of extra pillows, gently wedging them under his hips to keep the area elevated. “Is that any better?”
He let out a long, ragged breath, letting his head rest entirely against my chest. I reached down, rubbing my hand over his scruffy cheek, letting my fingers trace his jawline to help him relax.
I grabbed the remote and put on a movie, though neither of us was really paying attention to it. For the rest of the night, I watched Willy wake up and fall back asleep constantly, pulled from his rest every time he accidentally shifted the wrong way. True to my word, I set recurring alarms on my phone for every two hours, making sure I stayed completely on top of icing his thigh, rotating the compresses, and tracking his medicine schedule to get him back on his feet.
so i was rewatching inside and i was wondering if u could do like a small drabble fic where alfie tells reader he’s going on and like she’s happy for him but gets upset cause she’ll miss him??
hi anon! sorry this was a short one x
content: established relationship , crying (not too much) , kissing , fluff
“oh my god, oh my god!” alfie was buzzing, running around the kitchen of the grotto.
“alfie!” you belly laughed at the sight of him so excited, “what’s going on?!”
“got the call to go on inside!” he launched himself onto the sofa, making you groan and wrap your arms around him.
“lucky you.” you chuckled.
“can we celebrate?”
“how?”
“i dunno, go for dinner or something?”
“sure.” you nodded, “when is it?”
“filming starts in november.”
you pursed your lips, “does that mean a week without you?”
his face fell a little at that, and he lifted onto his forearms, brushing your hair back from your face.
“mmm, one week. just one.”
you pouted.
“might not even be that.” he shrugged, “i could go home bare quick.”
“i don’t think you will.” you whispered, pursing your lips.
“oi, it’s alright, angel. don’t get upset.”
you really weren’t going to cry, but the moment those words left his mouth you started.
not loud or dramatic, just a couple dribbles of tears.
“no, no it’s fine.” you shook your head, wiping your cheeks, “you’re gonna go, and you’re gonna win. and you’re gonna miss me soooo much.”
“duh.” he scoffed, kissing your nose and cheeks.
“and you’re gonna talk about me the entire time.”
“yep.”
“and you’re gonna try your absolute hardest not to spend too much money.”
“ehhh…” he tilted his head to the side.
“alfie.” you said scoldingly.
“okay, okay. i will.”
“okay.”
“yeah? all good?” he hummed.
you grinned, acknowledging this as a huge moment for him and his career and nodded, “all good.”
his planted his lips on yours softly, bringing his hand up to caress your cheek lightly.
summary: one last interview to round off your experience on inside
content: swearing , references to past chapters (read the full fic here)
notes: hi guys, sorry this took so long to get out lolll i was honestly just procrastinating it, and then i forgot about it, but it’s finally here! hope you like this round off of the series 💗
wc: 3,971
IT WAS WEIRD to be sitting in a studio room with people you hadn’t seen for the past few days, but it was also nice to have everyone together as a group again.
You were sitting on a sofa, sandwiched between Alfie and Indiyah, listening to Grace introduce each of you. There was a round of applause for every name before you all got properly comfortable.
“I wanna start with the winner. AB, congratulations.”
Everyone whooped and cheered, clapping in his direction.
He grinned, nodding, and you could tell he was a little shy under all of this attention.
“How do you feel?”
“It’s— I feel great. A little shocked, but yeah, buzzing. I really didn’t — like, even before coming into the show — I didn’t think I’d make it very far at all, so to win it’s like … huge.”
“Did you have any tactics, especially toward the end?”
“No, not really.” He said, “Just, stay truthful to myself, stick close with the people I know I can trust, and … yeah. That was it really.”
“That final was incredible,” Grace spoke, moving her hands around, “Reader, should we bring it over to you?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Do you feel a little bit mugged off or are you alright?”
“No, I’m okay with it!” You laughed, “I mean, I knew Alfie was gonna pick steal after, um, that whole fiasco, and I thought, like … I guess my thought process was that if I can give him the win then surely that proves, like, I wasn’t using him or anything. And … well, I think it worked.” You grinned, looking at him.
He already had his eyes on you, his line of sight flickering between your eyes and lips as you explained how you felt.
“I would too, I mean, he very dramatically came running through the crew to get to you.” Grace nodded, and everyone laughed, “Quite cinematic. What was your thought process with that, AB?”
He shrugged, laying an arm over your thighs so his hand was resting on your outer thigh, slowly rubbing his thumb back and forth, “I just wanted my girl back.”
“Awww!” Indiyah and Chian harmonised.
You let your shoulders lift as you smiled before dropping them down.
“Nah, I just felt awful, like,” He swallowed, smacking his lips slightly, “I kinda knew the Sidemen stitched her up when I woke up, but, I’m stubborn as fuck and just didn’t say anything.”
“Ick.” You turned your nose up.
“Yeah, shut up, you’re still with me.”
“Should I not be?” You quipped, tilting your head.
“Nah, nah, chill out, girl.” He patted your thigh. “But, I guess also it doesn’t really matter that I won, she’s still gonna get half of it.”
“Are you actually gonna give her half?!” Chloe sat up, peering around Alhan to look at him.
“No, I won’t give her half, but I’ll probably end up spending half of it on her.” Alfie shrugged.
“Princess treatment.” Grace commented, giving you a nod of approval, “Um, what was the hardest thing about living in the house. I’ll ask Chian and Reader this because you both cried quite a lot, my queens.”
“Oh my God, I was such a crybaby.” Chian gasped, eyes widening, “I didn’t realise how sensitive I was, like, I was crying more than the people that got voted out themselves, like, what the hell was that about!”
“And Reader?” Grace turned to you.
“I don’t even wanna think about how much I cried in that place, oh my God.” You pressed your fingers to your temples.
“Every day.” Alhan hummed, “But if it wasn’t Chian, it was you, and if it wasn’t you, it was Chian.”
“Oh, and God forbid it was both of them at the same time!” Indiyah added, shaking her head.
A round of laughter came from everyone.
“Okay, but sometimes it’s good to have sensitive queens.” Grace shrugged.
“Yeah, me and Chian were just, like, that level of emotion that some people didn’t have— I bet it’s gonna be so funny rewatching when I got ‘out’, because Chian was crying, and Alhan was laughing!”
The man in question snorted and nodded.
“Were you mad about that?” Grace asked.
“Errr … not really. I think it’s because I got to know Alhan properly, so I knew it wasn’t that he found it funny, he’s just the type of guy that laughs in serious situations.” You shrugged.
“You know I love you, Reader.” Alhan held a hand up.
“Aww! Love you too!”
“Alright, chill out.” Alfie muttered jokingly, causing more laughter.
On the TV, they began showing clips of every single time either you or Chian were crying. You were almost one hundred percent certain that if they showed the full length of all the clips, you would’ve been there for the majority of the evening, and you did not want to be spending that amount of time rewatching scenes of yourself sobbing over (realistically) nothing.
“So, what was actually the hardest part?” Grave questioned.
“I don’t know!” Chian said truthfully, “The experience was amazing, so there was nothing hard about it, but I think for me, I actually thought I could be a game player, but I really can’t.”
Chloe spoke up then, pointing to Alhan, “Snoring. Every night, snoring and farting. It was a lot to take in, actually.”
“You wanna talk about noises at night?!” Alhan exclaimed before turning to you and Alfie, “The night them two came back, all I heard was,” He then began mimicking the sound of making out.
“One night, bro!” Alfie argued, his cheeks tinging red slightly, “One night out of six! But, Expressions saying ‘Them boy there’ after every sentence. I was hearing it in my sleep, bro.”
“‘Them boy there’, I didn’t say that once.” Expressions frowned, “I said ‘you know them way there’, that’s what I said.”
“Yeah, but, same thing.” Alfie threw a hand out.
“That’s not the same thing.” Expressions pointed a finger at him.
“It’s the same thing.”
“No, it’s not.”
Noises of commotion and egging on the argument started, and Alfie lifted his head.
“Should we actually scrap?”
You kissed your teeth at him and slapped his bicep playfully.
“Did you guys actually all get on, or was that all for show?” Grace asked after the noise died down.
Everyone was in agreement that nothing was played up for the cameras, and you all worked together as a nice little family in the short amount of time that you were there.
“Nah!” Alhan shouted jokingly, making everyone scoff, “Nah, the final six was banging.”
“Oh my God.” You whispered, gently putting your hand to your mouth.
“That’s nasty, that.” Chloe scolded him with a tap on the thigh.
“Right, you guys walked in with one million pounds, and you walked out with £177,894.”
“If it wasn’t for,” Indiyah jabbed her thumb in Alfie’s direction, “This one being stubborn as anything, I think we would’ve been on, like, 400k.”
“Why is that AB’s fault?” Expressions sat up.
“You don’t know?!”
“What did he do?!” Chian sat up, intrigued.
“Yeah, Alfie, what did you do?” You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest sassily.
“Oh, shush!” He exclaimed, shaking his head.
“He spent 30k on his temptation, then as a result of that, we dropped, like, 150k on Reader so she could have some happy time with her cat, because she was bawling.” Indiyah explained it all with animated gestures. “So, that was like 180k in one night!”
“Who bought the cat prize?” Grace questioned.
“Me.” Ben held his hand up, “Alhan did the first one, I did the second one.”
“I, honestly, I was so grateful for that.” You pressed a hand to your chest, “I really needed that.”
“Yeah, ‘coz, you turned down your temptation earlier.” Marlon added, “Was it— No, it was the day before, right?”
“Yeah, and my temptation was Buttons, so when Alhan and Ben bought me that time with him, I felt really grateful.”
“And then you sent me home in the last challenge.” Alhan kissed his teeth.
“Yeah, I did.” You snorted before raising your voice to defend yourself, “But you know why! You know why.”
“Yeah, I do. It’s all good.”
“So, apart from the obvious culprits — Alhan, Expressions — who do you think was going into the shop and ordering the most?”
You raised your hand and immediately pointed your finger down to Alfie.
“I did a lot of damage in my first time in there.” He admitted with a nod.
“He was in there for two days and spent 55k.” Saffron laughed, “And then he came back and probably spent double that!”
“I didn’t eat rice once.” Alfie said.
Expressions made a joke, “I can see, Captain America, blud, you ain’t eatin’ that!”
“Yeah, I feel bigger now then I was before!” He chuckled, “It was sick. Also, I just do it for the mrs.”
Nonchalantly, he slung his arm over your shoulders, tugging you right into his side. You scoffed and rolled your eyes but leaned into his touch anyway.
“Oh, we know she likes it.” Grace made an amused face.
“Yeah, just kissing all the time.” Alhan kissed his teeth.
“Bit more than that.”
“What?!” Chian shrieked.
“I swear to God, if you were shagging in bed next to me, I’m gonna be so fucking angry.” Alhan glared at the both of you.
“Nah, nah.” Alfie shook his head.
On the TV, the scene of you and Alfie under the covers in the secret room began playing. All that was audible was the sound of your kissing and the ruffling of sheets, which didn’t give anything away, but all the adults in the room could make a pretty sensible guess about what was going on.
You sat back into the sofa, covering your face with your hands.
“Oh my God!” Chloe exclaimed, “No fuckin’ way!”
“That’s AI.” Alfie muttered, his voice muffled by his hand over his mouth.
“That’s crazy.” Marlon cackled, face screwed up in amusement.
“The Sidemen are gonna sell those bedsheets now.” Alhan commented jokingly.
“See, if I hadn’t done my ting, that would’ve never happened.” Expressions smiled smugly, “So, you’re welcome.”
“Nah, you’re still a snake.” Alfie hummed.
“Indiyah, you don’t seem surprised.” Grace peered around at her.
“I knew.” She chuckled.
“You knew?” Marlon gasped.
“Yeah, Reader told me when they got back and we all split off.”
Another clip began playing of Indiyah’s reaction to the hickey on your chest.
“I can’t believe you never told us.” Alhan tutted at Alfie.
“It wasn’t important!” He threw his hands up.
"Shall we go back to the start? Okay, so, AB, you walk in. How are you feeling?” Grace asked.
“Yeah, I’ll tell you what, I just didn’t wanna be first or last, and I was first. ‘Coz I feel like last, you miss all the lore, everyone’s already mates, and then you’re like ‘Ah, I’m the newcomer’, it’s a bit dead. First is, like, it’s a lot of pressure to clip farm early on, you know what I mean? But, yeah, it was alright.” He shrugged.
“And obviously, when you walked in, Reader came after, and that … well, let’s play the clip.”
“Oh fuck.”
You didn’t know whether to view the moment as bittersweet, sad, or just entirely awkward. But the scene of your face immediately dropping after seeing him did cause a few chuckles from your friends. Surprisingly, the hug you shared looked comfortable and natural, even though it felt anything but in the moment.
“The awkwardness was there until you walked in, sweetheart.” Grace gestured to Marlon, who smiled.
“What was that like? Obviously, Reader, you said the one thing you didn’t want to see was your ex, and then low and behold, you’re the first two people in there.”
“Yeah.” You hummed, “It was … I mean, I tried not to deep it too much, because there were going to be new people coming in soon, but also, it did feel like the Sidemen dragged it out an awful amount. But, we hadn’t seen each other in … ten— Was it ten months?”
Alfie nodded, pursing his lips.
“Yeah, ten months. So, it was a little awkward and I— Okay, I’ll be honest, I just wanted to burst out crying when I saw him. I was not happy with the Sidemen.”
That caused a wave of laughter.
“But, also thank God we were both in there otherwise we never would’ve gotten back together!” You threw your hands up.
“AB?”
“I mean, I wasn't upset to see her, obviously not, but I did think, like, ‘Fuck, this is the worst possible outcome to start this show’.” He snorted, “But, it was fine, I think the awkwardness disappeared after about a day, thank God for that.”
After that, a conversation broke out between Grace, Ben and Marlon about being the only Americans on the show, in which Ben admitted he felt a massive language barrier between him and Chloe that quickly smoothed out since there were other people to help him understand her, and Marlon expressed that he didn’t necessarily feel ‘American’, growing up in Sweden and all. In fact, he said he actually felt closer to the UK side of YouTube because of his heritage.
And what followed that, might’ve been the greatest scandal of Inside.
Expressions finally admitted that he didn’t have any kids at all.
This caused a huge debate between him and the boys and Indiyah, as they all argued that they’d had numerous private conversations with him about his kids, and how he had gone along with it like it was nothing. Like lying about having kids isn’t an all time low, especially as he used it as a way to bond with some of the other Insiders.
During this debacle, it also came out that Chian knew about his lying, but only went along with it by ignoring the entire topic and deciding not to speak up when people asked questions.
The spotlight was also thrown onto you and Alfie briefly, since you discovered that Expressions was childless during your time in the secret room.
“We only knew because of the CCTV shit, though.” Alfie defended you both. “Like, he didn’t tell us personally.”
“Also, I told Indiyah.” You held your hand up.
“You two are thick as bloody thieves, aren’t you?” Grace gasped through laughter.
“She’s my girl!” Indiyah grinned, wrapping her arms around your shoulders.
Once prompted, Chloe then opened up about how close she and Alhan got during their experience on Inside, and how she felt that she saw the side of him no one else really did; the side that was kind and warm and lovely.
“Alliances.” Grace brought up, “Who had alliances in the house?”
“We had the trio, the famous A-team.” Alhan stated, “And gradually that trio became a … not a foursome, what’s it called?”
Alfie laughed, throwing his head back.
“A quartet.” You corrected him politely.
“Yeah, that. When Alfie and Reader came back all lovey-dovey, no more awkward ex nonsense, she became a part of our group.”
“But I was still really close with Indiyah.” You added.
“I think all the alliances in the house kind of overlapped.” Saffron said, “Because Ben and Chian had a bit of an alliances, and Chian and Expressions did, then Reader and Ben?”
“Yeah, we had a little alliance.” Ben hummed, smiling at you, and you nodded.
“Then Reader and me and Indiyah had our girls trio— Oh, with Chloe, of course, and then Reader was close with all the boys.”
“Reader really was the glue that kept us all together.” Chloe verbalised what everyone was already thinking.
“I was gonna say,” Grace nodded, pointing to you, “You seem to be in the middle of this all and everything kinda goes off from you.”
“I actually didn’t even realise when I was in there.” You giggled shyly, “But, I’m glad, I guess. It’s a nice feeling to know most people like you.”
“We all love you.” Marlon uttered.
“Aww! I love you all too!” You grinned.
“Well, not all of us.” Alhan mumbled, glancing at Expressions.
“What, blud?!” His jaw dropped, looking gobsmacked.
“You voted Reader out.”
“Oh, can we not start this again?” You groaned, “Guys, I really don’t care. Besides, I made it to the final anyway.” You shrugged.
The attention swiftly turned to Lydia as she was given the time to explain how she felt in her extremely limited time on the show. She said how she knew she was gone the moment it was announced who it was between, and that before Alhan apologised for laughing during her elimination, she’d never been so angry at someone in her life.
Grace then brought up the fact that AB was the second to be eliminated, and how much drama that caused on its own. In the grand scheme of things, everyone had a very overdramatic reaction to him leaving, but he said he felt relieved because it was better than no one giving a fuck.
“Expressions, in this moment, you went against the boys.”
“You were the reason I went home— Well, ‘went home’.” Alfie kissed his teeth, “Dickhead.”
“By mistake.” Expressions held his hands up.
“Snake snake snake snake snake.” Alhan repeated over and over.
You suckled on the inside of your cheek.
You knew (for the most part) that he was only joking about the snakiness, but you also knew that three boys you’d grown closest too were still fuming about his vote going to you.
Indiyah pulled a face at Expressions’ pathetic excuse of a reasoning for his vote, making you snort and begin a little muttering conversation with her.
The clip of Expressions voting for you began playing, and it was the first time you actually got to hear why he chose you.
“I just think if Reader goes out, then it will make it easier to vote AB out in the future. Which is … it’s the ultimate plan.”
“That is fucking mental.” Alfie scoffed.
“Snakeeeee!” Alhan exclaimed.
“Yeah, crazy, bro.” Marlon hummed.
Expressions began stuttering and fumbling for the chance to answer and clarify the reason why he’d done what he did, but Alhan was having none of it, interrupting him to have a fake phone call and deem him to be chatting shit. Indiyah also kissed her teeth and rolled her eyes.
“Lies.”
“Oh, now everyone’s piping up!” You guffawed, looking to Grace, “Do you see what you’ve done?!”
“It’s my job, I’m sorry!” She shouted.
“The most nuts thing was that he tried to frame Reader for being the reason AB went home.” Marlon explained, “When really, if he had just stocked to the boys plan to vote for Saffron, no offence,”
Saffron waved him off.
“Then, AB wouldn’t have, you know, ‘gone home’.” Marlon bent his fingers.
“And Reader, you were— We never saw you shout at anyone in the show, except for that one time. You cried a lot, but you never showed aggression.” Indiyah added on, “So … it was just messy.”
“Yeah, I was just annoyed that Expressions said I voted for Alfie when, like, why would I? That’s dumb. I didn’t want him out, I never made out like I wanted him out. So, yeah, I just got defensive.”
“I apologise.” Expressions laid his hands out.
“It’s okay.” You chuckled.
“Nah, Reader, don’t forgive him.” Alhan tutted.
“Will you give it a rest?” Chloe tapped him on the thigh again.
The topic of discussion then filtered off into one about favourite challenges, and everyone seemed to be in mutual agreement that the eating one was one of the best. You shook your head in disgust, sharing a knowing look with Chian as Eddie, Marlon and Alfie raved on about how good the experience was for them.
Alhan then started speaking about how enjoyable his time was when it came to trolling, and even admitted that he didn’t predict to have spent as much money as he did, but at the end of the day, he didn’t regret a single thing.
When the topic of temptations got brought up, you looked to Alfie with a disappointed expression, tutting at him while shaking your head.
“Okay, I take ownership, my temptation caused the most amount of drama, and I’m sorry, to you.” Alfie held his hands up before letting one of them fall back across your lap.
The physical touch wasn’t over the top, and it didn’t scream possessive energy, but it let everyone know that you were his. You couldn’t actually tell if Alfie knew he was doing it, because his hand had been there the entire time. Maybe it was just second nature to him.
“You’re always at the scene of the crime.” Ben pointed to Alfie, “The elimination, the temptation. Always you.”
“It’s nuts, ‘ent it.” He laughed.
“Reader, your temptation caused some commotion.” Grace gestured.
“Only with me.” You clarified, “No one else was arsed except for me. But, yeah, I was very upset. Buttons is my baby, and I think what made it worse was that he was meowing at me. I was literally sitting on the floor curled up into a little ball. It’ll probably be quite funny to watch back.”
“And then Ben and Alhan teamed up to give it you back.”
“Yes, they did.”
“I just want to expand on that, particularly with Ben. You two seemed to have a little thing going on there. Did you fancy each other or?”
Ben spoke before you, “I’ll just hold my hands up now and say ‘Yeah’.”
His straightforward honesty caused some laughter.
“I mean, you’re beautiful, and your energy is something else. But, you’ve got Alfie and I’m really happy for you. Also, it was kinda just a crush. I’ll go back to America and probably forget about it.”
“Aw, Ben!” You pouted, standing up and walking across to give him a hug, “Thank you.”
After the brief embrace, you made your way back to the sofa, and Alfie’s arm fell across your lap again.
“AB, how does that make you feel?”
“I’m not arsed. I mean, I kinda figured just based on how they were together, but … I mean, Ben’s right about what he says.” Alfie shrugged.
“Damn, this is the Reader show.” Alhan commented passively.
“Alright, stop, I don’t like the attention.” Your cheeks warmed a ridiculous amount.
“AB, to finish up here, do you have any inspirational words as the winner of Inside Season Three?”
“Ummm …”
You interrupted him to mock him and cause a wave of unbridled laughter, “Yo family.”
“No.” He tutted, slapping your thigh, “Just, be yourself, I guess. I did, look where that got me.” He gestured around to him, “Also, don’t believe the Sidemen, they manipulate you into thinking your girlfriend hates you.”
“Actually she’s not your girlfriend yet, you haven’t asked.” Indiyah butted in sassily.
“Yeah, actually!” You gasped with realisation.
“Nah, nah I’ll do it after, girl. Too many cameras.” He played it off.
“You don’t care about cameras.” Alhan scoffed, "We've seen that.”
“Shh.” Alfie held his finger to his lips in the direction of his mate.
To round off the shoot, Grace concluded, “We hope you guys enjoyed one of the most action-packed seasons that we have had so far. Thank you all for being so unhinged, and thank you for watching.”
Once the final round of applause subsided, the cameras stopped rolling and Alfie turned to you.
“Will you be my girlfriend again?”
“Aww!” Indiyah giggled, clapping.
You grinned, kissing his cheek before replying, “Yeah, go on then.”
Summary: what happens in Vegas stays doesn’t stay in Vegas? A social media au where you meet your cousins best friend and form an unlikely relationship
warnings: swearing, this is honestly all over the place, idk what else
authors note: idk if I like this or not but it was me and my three fake fan accounts against the world when I was making this
Texts between you and Macklin
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You and Macklin
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y/n.celebrini I’ve dreamed about making it to the nfr ever since I was a little girl, and now, 13 years later I’m taking home my first world championship title. Thank you to Rigs, my family, friends, and mentors, I couldn’t have done it without you by my side.
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