level up

@elijahxsteele

15 posts

It was almost like perfect machinery, the way they moved together and against each other. Elijah somehow knew the exact places she wanted him to touch, and she didn't even have to say a word. Maybe that was part of why Eliza couldn't ever imagine all of this with anyone else. In her mind, no one else even existed. They especially didn't exist when his words had her attention completely locked in on him. Something between a gasp and a moan escaped as she felt the thrust from his end. "Yeah. Wouldn't mind feeling it more," she admitted a bit breathlessly, using that as an excuse to unzip and slide her jeans off. She knew very well what she was doing. She had no intention to stop, either. Considering she liked things to be fair, though, she took the moment of separation to help him out of his own pants as well before resuming her position from before with a few less layers. "Now, where were we? Oh, right." She dropped herself downwards, unable to hold back the noises that escaped upon impact. They weren't fucking yet, but they might as well had been. She attempted to muffle any whimpers against his lips by kissing him, but that proved more difficult as her hips desperately moved along with his. What was supposed to be making out essentially turned into her moaning into his mouth. "Please," she whispered, pretty sure she didn't need to explain what she wanted.

There was a time and a place for foreplay, but the moment Eliza whispered against his lips, Elijah knew this wasn't one of them. If he didn't fuck her soon, he felt like he was going to explode, and he knew her and her body well enough to know that she was probably in a similar place to him. Still, one of the hands on her hip slid around to dip under her waistband, tracing her folds to check that she was ready. He ran his fingers through the evidence of her arousal, and, once satisfied she was wet and ready, pulled them out and raised them to his mouth to lick it off. "Normally, I'd love to take my time with you," he said, though that wasn't something that really needed explanation with the two of them. "However, I think we're both feeling pretty impatient right now. So mind if I just..." He didn't even waste time ridding them of their last layer of clothes, instead using the hand that remained on her side to guide her up a bit, slipping his cock out of his boxers, pushing her panties to one side, and lowering her onto it with a groan as he filled her.

"Well yeah, I believe you and everything. It's just different seeing it up close, you know? Really experiencing it." Even if she wanted to response, she was temporarily silenced by his lips. Her breath came out a bit more shallow once his mouth explored different spots, letting out a quick snicker in response to his comment. "Well if I haven't told you lately, you're kind of hot, baby." And she still thought so, even as he struggled to unhook her bra. She waited with a smirk, appreciating the effort and not wanting to embarrass him by reaching back and doing it within seconds. The smirk settled into a more self-conscious smile while he checked her out. Her face flushed slightly, although she didn't hate the appreciation, either. It just blew her mind that after so many years, he'd always looked at her in the same, awestruck way. "Alright, alright," she waved him off, although she found that waving hand reaching over to tangle in his hair moments after. Any embarrassment from before had vanished into something completely different. "Shit." Her body automatically reacted to his, arching her back slightly so he had a better angle and grinding her hips strategically against his.

It didn't matter how many times Eliza told him she found him hot. Every time she did, he felt a little zing deep inside his chest. It also didn't matter that by this point, they'd been together for years, that all his first were hers and they'd been here often enough for them to become familiar. He didn't think he'd ever get over that feeling of being a nerdy, slightly dorky-looking boy with glow in the dark star stickers on his bedroom ceiling, unable to believe that the pretty girl in his lap had actually chosen him back. He didn't respond further, given that his mouth was occupied with her chest, her reaction causing him to smirk against her skin and linger there a bit longer than necessary, because he couldn't help himself. It was harder to keep up than it should have been, though, the press of her hips eliciting a hiss on his end. He broke away, hands settling at her hips to guide her movements and lips returning to hers again. "You feel what you're doing to me?" He murmured in between kissing her, punctuating his question with a slight thrust upwards.

Although Eliza didn't visit Elijah with the intention of things leading to this, she wasn't about to slam the breaks, either. She was going to university specifically for marine studies, so she could talk about all the damn fish she pleased in school. Right now, though? Elijah was grabbing her ass, and that took precedence. She felt a bit of a dizzy spell hit, her head spinning as she kissed him. The boy had a great mouth. He was skilled in many facets, and the way she melted against his touch was living proof. There was definitely a cognitive delay on her end, at least a split second one where she was dazed, both by his lips and instructions. She was quick to catch back up, though. "And for you too," she instructed, letting her hands slide under the material of his shirt and linger at his abs for longer than necessary. "God, you're joking," she muttered, any faux annoyance given away by the fact her hands hadn't moved an inch. "You're like a Ken doll or some shit. It's crazy."

There wasn't an inch of Elijah that worried about looking over eager about it - Eliza asked him to take his shirt off, so he yanked it over his head without hesitation. The touch of her fingers along his abs had him shivering, though he was soon smirking at her words. "I told you I'd been hitting the gym," he pointed out, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her lips before travelling downwards, lips trailing along her jaw, then her neck, then her collarbone. "Glad to know my hard work isn't going unnoticed." One of his hands had settled at her waist, his thumb tracing circles against her bare skin. The other was fumbling with the clasp of her bra, trying his hardest to get it undone. Embarrassingly, it took him a few tries to finally get it off of her. In his defence, the weight of her on his lap and the way her hands rested against him was proving to be a huge distraction. That distraction only grew now he had her half-naked, and he leaned back to look at her appreciatively for a minute. "You look beautiful," he said, and then he was moving back in, one hand going to cup one of her breasts, and his mouth finding the other.

"Oh? Well, if it's not a big secret, I'll just run it by her later. I'd love to get a woman's thoughts on the matter," he teased, watching Elijah's hand demo in amusement. He didn't really have that same kind of relationship with any of his own siblings. Rupert, maybe, but he still liked the guy. A small pang of defensiveness ran through his body at the mentioning of James. His oldest brother was one of his favourite people in the whole world, so unfortunately for Oscar, he was going to defend the guy whether it was deserved or not. "Or maybe you're just a baby who can't deal with a little bit of rough handling. Don't you have, like, five older brothers? You of all people should know the feeling."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you and Michael Bakarai were besties and that you knew his every thought," he rolled his eyes, slightly offended by his comment. He liked to think he was handsome enough to get a double take from MBJ. He followed the eye rolling up with a round of groans, Elijah always taking the drama king route when he lost his patience. "Dude, are you on your period or something? Because you're acting more nutters than normal. Do you need a hug?" He didn't want to admit it, but the idea that she could think he wasn't interested? A clenching sensation pulled in his chest. No. He wasn't gonna let that happen. He scrolled to his gallery, a screenshot of the Rapunzel movie's casting being there from when he'd sent it to Gordo. He quickly found Maia's saved number, pasted it in, and sent a 'do you think this means i have a shot at being pascale? 🦎' her way before tucking it back in his pocket. "There, you happy now, princess? I took your stupid advice. Also I didn't buy a hot dog, I bought a slurpee. I watched the hot dogs as they spun in their case. Shows how well you listen."

"Yeah, go ahead. Do it." Elijah was trying his best to sound blasé about it, but there was a slight bit of panic in his eyes. It wasn't that he was afraid of Eliza or anything like that. It was more that he vastly preferred life when he was in her good books. If Oscar was going to be the one to ruin the fact he and Eliza were in an incredible place right now? Elijah would have no other option. He'd have to kill him. He let out a little snort, shaking his head. "Well, one of them is Josiah. He's not really the brain rattling type," he pointed out, not bothering to correct Oscar's brother count. "If anyone was gonna try and knock a concussion into me, it would be Chloe, but I only ever see her when she's with your sister nowadays. Last I heard she'd moved in with a sugar mama or something. I don't know. Besides, her arms are way skinnier that James'."

Elijah shook his head. "I don't need to be his best friend to know he's way out of your league." For a second, he was tempted to try the brain rattling thing on Oscar himself. "Don't be a dick," he snapped. "Man, you have no idea how annoying you can be sometimes. It's genuinely like trying to give advice to a brick wall. You're real ungrateful about it, too. One of these days you're gonna come to me, crying, mind you, and I'm not even gonna bother trying to help." He was doing nothing to fight the PMS allegations, especially not with the way he had huffily crossed his arms across his chest, but in that moment, Elijah didn't care. At least, he didn't until Oscar finally sent his opening message, and a satisfied sort of smirk crossed his face. "Yes, I am actually. Maybe you'll be a bit less insufferable to hang around with now."

Oscar blinked, only having a brief image in his mind of Eliza's family. Apart from her dad that'd passed away, Alice, and Natasha, those were the main ones he really knew of. "Oh? Why don't you want me to tell her?" he asked, feeling the hints of an evil grin perking up. It settled once he mentioned Oliver being snobby and reluctantly nodded. "He really should know you from the amount of times you've been to my house, but that's Oliver for you. He's kind of a Squidward amongst the Spongebob crew in the family."

Oscar's brows knitted as he shook his head. "No. If Michael B Jordan wanted a piece, then he's getting a piece. I'm just not into you." He looked back at his friend with an equal amount of confusion, the revelation that Elijah didn't see himself as his movie buddy surprising in his mind. "Yes it has! What are you even talking abou-ow!" Oscar reached over to rub at the spot Elijah had conveniently jammed his elbow into, pouting as he tended to it. "Would it be weird if I did that, though? Like, asked her out in advanced? Not to get ahead of myself or anything, but...I don't know, I think it'd be kind of...nice if me and her end up together and are still together in time for the movie." He shot him a look before rolling his eyes. "What thinking? You literally have no filter, Elijah. It's just whatever dumb thing comes to your head first, and you go with that as a master plan."

Elijah shrugged his shoulders a bit. "It's not like, a big secret that I think he's an okay dude. They just fight a lot. It's not like, Chloe and the rest of our family or anything. They just clash." At that last word, Elijah made a hand gesture where he slotted his fingers together, as though to demonstrate how Eliza and Laurie's fights were like two wrecking balls slamming into one another. "But yeah. Either he did it on purpose, or he has short term memory loss. Which also wouldn't surprise me. Your James gave me a noogie once and I swear I felt my brain rattling in my skull. Explains a lot about why you're like that."

He rolled his eyes at Oscar's comment. "Keep dreaming, Garrett. As if Michael would look twice at you," he snorted. It was here he felt his patience completely slip from his grasp. Not that he was holding on too tightly to it to begin with. "Why do you even ask for my advice if you're gonna fight me on it every time I make a suggestion?" Elijah threw his hands up in the air. "Don't bring up the movie, then. In fact, don't even reply to her text at all. Ghost her for all I care. She probably thinks you have already seeing as you're over here sweating about what you're gonna say rather than actually saying anything. Just don't come crying to me when she finds someone who actually texts her back and starts dating them instead of the weirdo who stared at her while he was deep throating hot dogs."

Eliza wasn't the easiest person to win over, but luckily for Elijah, that ship had sailed eons ago. Those lines wouldn't have worked coming from anyone else. "That's a lot of flattery there, bud. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're trying to get something from me," she teased. From the way she'd just kissed him, there wasn't any hiding how she felt. The eagerness was evident. It was to the point that when he pulled back, she unintentionally out a groan. She was moments away from lightly choking him out for teasing her like that. He'd saved himself with that last statement, though. "Fuck the fish," she uttered, taking it a step farther. Rather than just seat herself on top, she swung a leg over his hip and settled herself down in his lap that way. "After all this, just know I don't actually mean that, okay? We're fish stans in this household. But right now, I one-hundred percent do." And with that, she was done talking, her lips quickly finding his once more.

There was a smirk on Elijah's face at the groan that left Eliza, though it was quickly wiped away by what she said next. For once, he found himself without the words to properly reply to her, instead giving an eager nod of agreement. Fuck the fish. He wasn't as into the ocean as Eliza was at the best of times, his thing being more about space than the sea. Right now, he couldn't give a shit about either topic. Not when she was essentially straddling, his hands immediately travelling downwards to grip her ass. "Couldn't have said it better myself," he muttered, before kissing her again, his tongue tracing her lower lip. As much as he liked making out with her, it wasn't enough, his hands travelled upward to grip the hem of her shirt, and he broke the kiss, a little breathless from it. "Arms up," he said, before lifting it over her head and tossing it on the floor.

#c:eliza #ran out of gifs x #they won the smut race i fear

"Thanks for the clarification," she scoffed, knowing that for what he lacked in the compliment department he made up for in many other places. She wasn't sure what expression she wore when he suggested scrolling through her feed, but knowing her algorithm, it wasn't the best. "Sure, but then you'll also see the brain rot weirdo type shit I get and consider breaking up with me. Notice how I said 'consider' and not you actually doing said splitting? It's cause I know you're smarter than that." His commitment to getting what he wanted was admirable. It was even working, not that she'd tell him that. The struggle to keep herself from sighing once his lips met her jaw made that pretty clear, though. "Not sure lazy is necessarily in their gene pool. Sharks are actually really, truly some of the most fascinating creatures, especially those ones. They're pretty good at, um...catching really fast prey, a-and can swim really far distances..." Once that sigh escaped before she could stop it, she let the charade go. "Okay, fuck it. You win this time," she admitted defeat before pressing her lips to his.

"Baby, I'm smart enough to never even consider it," his look of outrage was only partially exaggerated. The idea that the thought would ever cross his mind genuinely got him a bit heated just thinking of it. "Where am I gonna find another girl who's hot, smart, and teaches me about the ocean? I know where my bread is buttered." When she finally gave in and kissed him, he let out a soft laugh against her lips before returning it. When he finally broke the kiss, it was only to cup her face in his hand and brush his thumb along her jaw. "You know what? I changed my mind. There's something very sexy about hearing you talk about fish." He smirked, using the arm still wrapped around her waist to pull her on to his lap. "If I didn't want to make out with you so bad, I'd say tell me more."

"Wait, which one? She has a bunch of siblings that I lose track of, I basically just know Eliza and the quirky blonde one that James lives near. Also with all the respect in the world, that sounds like the worst dinner ever. That's almost as bad as when James started randomly giving me canned corn with every meal. Still have no idea what the hell that was about." Rather than humour him and respond to another dig, Oscar shot him a look of 'really?', hoping that was enough of a reply than actual words.

If Elijah was surprised, Oscar was practically blown out of the water. He really didn't expect Elijah to agree. That's why he was suddenly laser focused on his friend. He nodded a little, trying to grab on to any shred of possibility that things could work out. She did text him first! He normally put the hopeless in hopeless romantic, but it might've been time for that to change around. The patting his shoulder was a little far, though, Oscar's 'what the fuck' expression coming through clear as day. "Thanks?" He'd wished he'd held back his thank-you's seconds later, though, his eyes narrowing. "Okay, one, you're not my type, so I'm not 'asking you out'. I'd rather not die a death by Eliza. And two, you're my Disney movie buddy! Why can't you just go with me, too? I wanna get to know Maia first before doing in the dark type date stuff."

"His name's Laurie. The one that goes on TV sometimes. He's okay, actually, but don't tell Eliza I said that. The quirky blonde is Alice." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's not too bad. Well, unless her other siblings are there. Rhett and Natasha are kind of pretentious. And no offence, dude, but your brother is too when he shows up with her. I said hi to him the last time we were both at Eliza's place and he asked me who I was." He thought about it for a minute, then shrugged again. Whatever went on in James Garrett's brain was a mystery to Elijah.

"What, you aren't into black dudes? Racist." Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose, the small amount of patience he had previously had for Oscar rapidly disappearing. "Since when was I your Disney movie buddy? That's literally never been a thing. Besides, I don't want you third wheeling on my dates." He elbowed Oscar, a little harder than was necessary. "C'mon, dude. Don't be stupid, it's not even out for like, a year or whatever. You're not asking her to save the date for 2027. It's a conversation starter. Once you've felt the vibe, then you ask her out properly. Do I need to do all your thinking for you, or are you good now?"

"You know, I thought my brother Rupert was a drama king, but you? I think it's you reigning over that role. You are the drama king," he replied, truly not remembering anything he and Emmy might've done warranting all the theatrics. There might've been a few overdramatic moments, he'd give him that, but still. Once the word Shakespearian was thrown his way, he knew he was toast. He sometimes wondered if Elijah was secretly gunning for a Guinness World Record in number of times he could successfully diss him. "I'm just proud you stayed awake in class long enough to remember that. Besides, he also wrote comedies, where the ending's are usually happy. I'm trying to genre switch, no thanks to you and your stupid jokes."

Oscar couldn't help but groan, knowing that the whole thing sounded way worse than it actually played out. "I didn't intentionally get high, and it wasn't like James drugged me on purpose! They were on the counter and they looked just like normal brownies. I mean, there was kind of an off taste to them, but if you'd tried any of James's cooking, you'd be used it," he tried explaining. "Plus I don't think she knew I was. I hope not, anyways. But. uh, I think the being stoned actually kind of made it more...I don't know, magical? It felt like everything around me was slow-mo when I saw her and all that." He sighed almost wistfully, but then the breath was cut short. "It wasn't a horny or a high thing, you freak. Unlike you, I'm not constantly thinking about gooning or whatever, and It's not like I saw her in the chip aisle and went, 'ooh, smash!'. She just...she made the world around me feel like it'd stopped. Like nothing else in that store mattered, just her. And when I slept it off and woke up to see she'd texted me, same weird frozen feeling." His brows knit together upon his suggestion. "Wait, there's gonna be a new Rapunzel movie? Not sure why none of you have informed me about this until now...also not to make things weird, but do you maybe wanna go see said movie with me once it's in theaters?"

Elijah chose to ignore Oscar's comment on his dramatic tendencies. Not because he was above it or anything, but because this moment wasn't really about him. It was all about Oscar in that moment, and he didn't want to get side-tracked with defending himself when the focus was supposed to be on Oscar and his many, many flaws. "Obviously I paid attention in English class. Eliza's family are like, the biggest bunch of book nerds you'll ever meet, apart from her one brother. I had to pay attention just so I wasn't lost when they invited me to dinner." He'd been with Eliza long enough that he wasn't worried about that stuff anymore, but when they'd first got together, the idea of looking stupid in front of her family had terrified him. "Fine, your life's a joke, then. Better?"

Elijah actually fell quiet to listen to what Oscar had to say, and when he finished, found himself taking a deep breath. "Okay, dude. I hate this for me, but I'm actually gonna help you." He wasn't sure what part of the speech changed his mind, or if he was just as sappy as Oscar was deep down. Either way, something about it had him softening just enough take it seriously. "I mean, hey, she texted you first. That's a good sign. If you were just some zooted freak she said hello to while buying lottery tickets, she wouldn't have bothered. I think there's a good shot she might have had the time-slowing experience, too." He patted Oscar's shoulder, the gesture made a little awkward by the fact that Elijah just wasn't used to actually encouraging Oscar like this. Before things could get too weird, though, Oscar dropped his little invitation, and Elijah was scowling again. "Dude, no. I'm going with Eliza." Not that he had officially asked her, given that the movie wasn't even made yet. "And I don't know why you're asking me out right now. You know I'm taken." He gestured to Oscar's phone. "So ask her."

"Well duh," she replied automatically. "I happen to think you're very hot. It's part of why I let you get away with some of the stupid shit you say and do." Not the most romantic of words, but she knew that he knew how she felt, especially if he was sitting there and letting her drone on about her sea creatures. "Wait, I never showed you Russell? I'm so sorry, babe. He's an icon...well, if he's still with us, anyways. His owner thought he was dead and blasted bagpipe music then saw bubbles and realized he wasn't. Super riveting stuff. I think it was one of those TikTok's that you see once then it just disappears into a void." She was about to let her mind wander with his name advice, but then she felt the arm tugging her in and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, wow. Someone's eager," she teased, not shocked by him hopping on the opportunity so quick but knowing she was going to make him work just a touch harder. "If you're not into that, maybe we should pick a hotter topic. What do you think about, mmm...oh, the Pacific Sleeper Shark? They're pretty much the size of a car. Nature is wild."

"Yeah, well, feeling's mutual. The hot thing, not the stupid thing." Elijah didn't consider himself a romantic at heart like Oscar was. He wasn't sappy like that. Eliza had always brought out a bit of a softer side to him, though, the side that sat there listening to her talk about the things she enjoyed with a goofy grin on his face, content to see her in her element. "Can't say I'm a bagpipe fan, but I respect the commitment to Russell. You gotta let me scroll through your feed one day. I feel like I'll see sea creatures I didn't even know existed." His mind was firmly on making out now, and he sighed a bit when he realised that Eliza wasn't going to make it that easy for him. Luckily, he had never been one to back away from a challenge. "I think I don't wanna go snorkelling in the Pacific. Though with a name like that, hopefully it's a lazy kind of shark." He pressed a kiss to her jaw, hoping to distract her from the fish talk.

"Hey, those are your words, not mine." The smirk on Eliza's face likely revealed that how she felt couldn't be more opposite. As much as she liked teasing him, there was no denying that he was her dork. "Wait, you started hitting the gym? Is that why your hugs are a little less bony now?" she chuckled, her hair being tossed over her shoulder. They'd been together long enough that they both knew any roasting was done mutually and with love. Her lips pursed as she thought about his suggestion. "I don't think it really works like that, but I do appreciate the concern. I was considering shrimp, too. I saw a blue one on TikTok once named Russell, and it had me thinking I need my own Russell, except maybe not with such a white dude name." She yanked her phone out with that thought, opening her notes app and scrolling down to a list of names. "Maybe something like Nimbus, Zephyr...ooh, Seraphina..." She glanced up from the screen to shoot him a look. "Also is this a turn off right now? Do should we be making out mid-name suggestions to make it less weird?"

"Don't act like you haven't noticed. I've caught you checking me out, many times," Elijah smirked. He didn't think it was conceited to admit he'd undergone a glow up since he and Eliza first got together. It was a simple statement of fact. He was still a nerd underneath it all, just one with a better physique. "But yes. No need to thank me." He raised an eyebrow, a little more intrigued by the TikTok than he should be. "I didn't know shrimp came in blue. That is cool, though. I support you getting your own Russell." He turned his attention to her phone screen, squinting at the names. "Nimbus sounds a little like a vape brand," he pointed out. "Zephyr is cool though. Seraphina sounds like somebody Michelangelo would have painted on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, so I guess it depends on the vibe you're going for with it." Her next question had him raising his eyebrow, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer. "Shrimp isn't the sexiest topic of conversation, but I'm all for trying out the make out idea to see if that changes things. If not, it's still effective multitasking."

Oscar's eyes were rolling, although he really should've been used to Elijah's antics at that point. His best friend had always been honest, albeit brutally, but still. "Sorry for being affectionate and touchy feely with someone I dated in the past, didn't realize that was such a crime to humanity." He was slightly dumbfounded by the next statement, opening his mouth to form a rebuttal but nothing coming out. "Look, I can't help being sensitive. I just am! It'd be like telling Shakespeare to not be poetic."

Oscar wondered if he'd regret spilling his guts but also knew it'd make the rounds at some point. If he didn't tell Elijah now, someone else's giant mouth would do it for him. "You might. Do you remember when I used to think Oliver's girlfriend was cute?" he asked, definitely understating how he felt. "Well, that's long done and over with, and she has a sister. We kind of reconnected lately...or a least I think we did. I don't know. I ate a brownie that James made and really wanted an extra large slurpee like an hour later, it was a whole thing. Anyways, we ran into each other at the gas station and I just...saw her in a totally different way." He was fighting back a typical dorky grin, one that was wiped away pretty quick upon Elijah's 'emotionally fragile' comment. "You make it sound like I'm seconds away from having a mental breakdown at all times. Give me more credit than that." His brows pinched, racking his brain for something, anything to get his foot in that metaphorical door. "You think a meme could do the trick? I think she likes girly things. You know, Disney, puppies, stuff like that."

"Thank you. I've waited years for you to apologise for what you put me through." Elijah pressed a hand to his chest, as though he was genuinely touched by the long overdue apology. It was then that an evil smirk crossed his face. "You know, now that you mention it, there is something Shakespearean about you." Elijah paused, purely for dramatic effect. "He wrote tragedies, right? And you basically are one." He couldn't help but snicker at his own insult.

Elijah's expression went on a journey as Oscar spoke, starting with horror when Oscar brought up his brother's ex. For a brief moment, he thought Oscar was trying to make a move on his old crush, and Elijah would have to break it to him that, as someone who had dated a family member, she was definitely off limits. It shifted to relief when Oscar had a sister, until finally resting on exasperation. "This is... on brand for you." He mused. "Let me get this straight, though. You spotted this girl in a gas station when you were high as fuck on one of James' special brownies? Romantic. Hallmark is shaking." He paused, a thought occurring to him. "Have you... seen her sober? Just to check she's actually cute and you weren't just horny stoned." He held up his hands, already anticipating Oscar would protest that particular suggestion. "Anyway, it's so obvious, dude. Text her about the new Rapunzel movie. Ask her thoughts on the casting. Don't go for a meme. If she doesn't find it funny, you're done."

"I don't know, am I not allowed to ask you or something?" he sighed, eyes narrowing slightly. "Okay, jeez. You know I haven't only been with Emmy. You just...happened to be there for most of that time. People can change." Oscar considered mentioning he hadn't slept with a night light in years, but knowing Elijah, it'd only give him more ammo. He was about to let it go, but then the next question had him raising a brow. He opened his mouth to spill, but then Elijah just kept talking and it was shut again. "Wow. You really know how to make a guy feel like a million bucks," he deadpanned. "And not that it matters, but I want to text a certain girl. I just...I don't know if she sees me that way, or if I'm wasting my time or whatever. I haven't really done this kind of thing in a while. The last time I was like, really into someone was this guy at university, but he had to travel home to Scotland when the semester ended." He conveniently left out the part where he didn't leave his own dorm for a day or two after that happened. "But anyways, one or two sentences maximum? That's it? What the hell am I supposed to say? 'Gee, nice weather we're having?'"

"Sure, you're allowed. Doesn't mean I'll answer, though." It was a rule of thumb when it came to their friendship. When Oscar came to Elijah for advice, he needed to be prepared for at least three insults before he'd get it. "And don't I know it," he muttered. The only thing worse than Oscar and Emmy's relationship was the way they both were when they finally broke up. "Sure, people can change. You haven't, though. Unfortunately I'm still your best friend, so I think I'd know if you'd suddenly become less of a sap." He could sit there tearing strips off Oscar's confidence all day, but the mention of a girl had his curiosity kicking into full gear. "Who's the girl? Do I know her?" he pressed harder, not entirely satisfied with Oscar's answer. "Okay. Okay, give me a second to think." He raised a hand to his chin, eyebrows screwing up in thought. "So you can't just go straight into it and ask her out if you don't know if she likes you. You're too emotionally fragile for outright rejection," he pondered aloud. "And if you text her about the weather, I'll throw your phone into oncoming traffic. Just... be normal. Ask about something you know she likes. Boom. Done."

"Hey, real talk, do you think buying a pufferfish would be a worthy investment?" Eliza wasn't sure why she asked, considering that no matter the answer, she was likely gonna buy one anyways. "My tank's just felt a little...I don't know, like it needs something special. They're just so dweeby looking, and obviously, I like that." She made a face once she realized how that could be construed, shooting Elijah a slightly sympathetic look. "In my taste in aquatic creatures, I mean...well, actually, maybe with my taste in men, too." @elijahxsteele

"Wait, that's why you went out with me? Because you're into dorky looking things?" If anybody else had said it, Elijah's reaction would have been closer to a crash out, but because it was Eliza, all she got was a look of mock-offence. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have started hitting the gym. You're lucky you're cute." he shot her a grin, before giving her question some serious thought. "I mean, I'd say go for it, but aren't you worried that it'll turn your other fish into kebabs? Unless there's a way to stop them getting stabby with it."

"Okay, I need your help, big time." Oscar and Elijah's friendship was an enigma to many, the two of them included. It was somewhere between constantly overstimulating each other to ride-or-die status. Still, he knew if he wanted an honest answer, Elijah was his go-to. "So there's someone that I want to text, but, uh...I'm not sure how to do that without sounding over eager or stupid or...I don't know." He sighed, starring at his friend a bit helplessly. "Have I always been this shitty when it comes to relationship stuff? I thought college would've make me more skilled in that department, but apparently not."

"Why'd you come to me for help?" Elijah groaned, looking genuinely annoyed. "You know you're insufferable when you're with someone, right? Helping you now is actively not in my best interest." He was still traumatised from being forced to watch Oscar and Emmy as teenagers. Having finally found freedom, he wasn't keen on returning to that stage of their lives. "And to answer your question, yes you have always been this shitty. I could give examples, but you'd probably start crying."

He had made his mind up that he wasn't going to help, but then another instinct kicked in, one that weighed heavier than self-preservation. If Elijah had one fatal flaw, it was that he was very, very nosy. "Who are you texting, anyway? Or trying to?" He looked over Oscar's shoulder, trying to peek at his phone screen. "If you spend your life worrying about sounding stupid, you'd never get anything done. It's like your default setting." He pointed out. "You're overthinking the hell out of it. Just don't send a one-liner they can ignore. Don't say too much, either. One or two sentences, max."

level up @elijahxsteele - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag