Blurb of reader calling Colston daddy on accident 😈
a accidental murmur
background: a morning in after an enthusiastic home game makes both of you happy, and one of your egos skyrocket through the roof.
(all pics from pinterest, all rights reserved)
word count: 1.2k
notes: this is a blurb.. certified hornball activity imo.... BUT i know i didnt deliver as good kink wise in this fic because i didnt feel comfortable going too far into it because some of yall are snowflakes when it comes to me writing a daddy kink into a fic for anyone
warning: heavy smut... like the paint is peeling off the walls.. no but seriously, mention of a daddy kink (as thats the main idea), colston potentially talking through it, unprotected p in v (wrap the willy before you tap it)
The morning after the Bears' win over Green Bay felt completely different from the chaos of the night before.
Less than twelve hours earlier, the stadium had been roaring. Cameras had followed every celebration. Reporters had crowded around lockers. Teammates had shouted over one another while music blasted through the locker room speakers. It had been loud and electric and unforgettable.
Now there was only silence.
The winter draft through the curtains of Colston's bedroom making everything colder than usual. The city outside was still waking up, but inside the apartment, time felt slower. The excitement of game day had settled into something quieter.
Colston was still asleep when Y/N first opened her eyes, and for a moment, she simply watched him.
Without the helmet, pads, and uniform, he looked different. Less like the imposing NFL tight end everyone saw on Sundays and more like the man she knew. His hair was a mess from sleep, one arm stretched across the mattress, breathing deep and steady.
The sight made her smile.
The Bears had beaten Green Bay the day before, and judging by the grin she'd watched him wear all night afterward, it was one of those wins that would stay with him for a long time.
She shifted closer, the movement must have stirred him because his eyes opened slowly. For a second, he looked confused, then seeing her across from him and immediately smiled. His sleepy smile was one of her favorite things in the world
"Morning," she whispered.
His voice was rough with sleep.
"Morning, mamas."
The nickname melted her every time, neither of them moved just yet so they could save the moment for a little bit longer. Colston's hand found hers automatically beneath the blankets, settling against her side as if it belonged there.
Y/N laughed softly when he pulled her a little closer to him.
"You're clingy after wins."
"After losses too."
"At least you're honest."
"Always my love."
His eyes hadn't left hers once, that was another thing about Colston.
When he looked at her, he really looked at her like she was the last person on planet Earth, because he damn near acted like it half the time. Comfortable.
Safe.
Y/N shifted until she was closer still, and Colston immediately wrapped an arm around her waist as eventually she leaned forward.
The kiss started lazily.
The kind of kiss that felt more like a greeting than anything else.
Colston smiled against her mouth for a second before kissing her back.
One hand settled against her lower back, holding her close as though he never intended to let her drift too far away.
Y/N's fingers disappeared into his messy hair that definitely needed a lineup.
That earned a satisfied hum from him.
He always loved when she played with his hair.
The kiss deepened naturally, unhurried and comfortable, both of them smiling occasionally whenever one of them accidentally bumped noses or laughed under their breath.
Colston then propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at her as his free hand traced her shoulder before leaning in again for a kiss. When they broke apart, they were both slightly heavy at the breath as the sun came in through the window shining in his dark eyes.
“You gon’ ride me?” he asked, his voice still raspy from sleeping.
A playful smirk appeared her lips immediately . She shook her head, just once, her eyes never leaving his. “Nah, wasn’t my intention..”
His smile didn’t falter; it just turned darker, more intent. “Missionary it is then,” he murmured but smirked right after.
Taking his time, he leaned down to kiss her again after flipping her over onto her back while his hands explored her hips and made their way lower.
Kissing her jaw and the pulse point below her ear making her shake for just a moment as he rocked his hips slowly against her, practically torture to her body.
“Easy, baby,” he whispered against her skin, his breath hot. “We got all morning.”
He positioned himself, and without a warning he pushed inside of her. Sinking into her every single inch and halfway through, her head dropped back onto the pillow before staying there letting her adjust to his size. Too deep inside of her, way too deep.
“Fuck,” he breathed, his forehead dropping to hers, his eyes squeezed shut. “You feel that? You take me so good. Every damn time.”
“I can’t take it..” she moaned back as he started to move thrusting in and out hitting that spot that always made her toes curl, before propping himself up on his forearms looking down at her face.
“Yes you can.. Thats it, so fuckin’ tight you know that?”
Him saying that made Y/N gasp as he continued in and out of her. “Just like that mamas.”
Her hands scratched at his back, her nails digging in slightly. The pleasure was building so much pressure in her lower belly getting tighter and tighter it was too much, too good for her.
Her mind drifted, blissfully hazy. In a moment of pure, unthinking surrender, a breathy, broken word escaped her lips. “Daddy…”
Colston froze while inside of her, then his eyes flew open at her as his ego skyrocketed.
“What was that?” he asked, his voice dropping to a dark, thrilling purr. He didn’t move, letting the word hang in the air between them.
She blushed, mortified and turned on in equal measure, trying to turn her face into his shoulder, but he caught her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“Say it again baby,” he commanded, his hips giving a slight, suggestive roll that made her whimper. She couldn’t. The embarrassment was too much for her and she tried to look away again.
With a slick sound, he pulled almost all the way out and then drove back into her, hard, and the pace was brutal as it made her breathless. The bed slammed against the wall, the noise echoing in the room.
“Yeah you like that?” he grunted, his voice strained as he started pounding into her. “So beautiful I swear, all mine.”
“Im gonna-” Y/N’s head went back again as she squeezed around him, coming to her peak, and soon he followed, staying inside for just one moment before pulling out. He collapsed onto the bed, some of his weight on her while the rest luckily on the mattress.
A few minutes later he got up, rolling onto his back as his arm wrapped around Y/N which he moved onto him, her head tucked under his chin. It was a shock to her, at this moment she never cared about her phone. It was somewhere in this room, the silence filled the room.
“I cannot believe you still called me that.”
“Don’t get your ego too high baby.” she said after slapping his arm lightly before getting up to get ready for a shower.
“You got room for one more?” as Y/N looked back at him, rolling her eyes “You’re just down bad for no reason, I swear.”
“Only down bad for you though.” Which earned him the middle finger, making him laugh as she limped into the bathroom.
background: after colston needs a cut before an important wedding, he gets recommended to y/n and he never will regret it.
(all pics from pinterest, all rights reserved)
word count: 3.8k
notes: i cant wait for pt1 of this! the series guide is linked here! its a short part but theres so many other parts to come! want to join the taglist? comment asking or quote repost to be added or send a ask in my inbox (asking me) or to be removed please send a ask in my inbox! i dont bite
warning: this is a alternative universe, colston being down bad
The second Colston found out that one of his old Michigan teammates was finally getting married, his first thought was that he was genuinely happy for him.
His second thought was that he looked absolutely terrible.
Not terrible in a dramatic way. Not “homeless man under an overpass” terrible. But terrible in the very specific way athletes looked after being burrowed in his home right before OTA's.
His fade had grown out unevenly around the edges, the back of his hair was doing something strange every morning, and the dryness in the front had gotten so bad it practically stood up on its own like static got to it.
And this was not just any wedding.
This was JJ Mccarthy and his fianceè Katya’s wedding.
California.
Black tie.
A bunch of Michigan alumni.
NFL players.
Photographers.
Instagram stories.
The kind of event where one bad haircut lived online forever.
So naturally, Colston was standing in the locker room one afternoon staring into his phone camera with pure disgust while turning his head side to side.
“Nah,” he muttered. “This is badd.”
Across from him, Caleb Williams looked up from tying his cleats.
“You talking to yourself again?”
Colston angled the phone toward him. “Look at this.”
Caleb stared for two seconds.
Then immediately started laughing.
“Oh, you sick.”
“Be serious.”
“I am serious. You got helmet hair permanently attached to your skull.”
Colston threw a towel at him.
“I gotta leave for California in like two days.”
“For JJ’s wedding?”
“Yeah.”
Caleb nodded slowly, still grinning. “Okay, yeah. You can’t go lookin’ like that.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Caleb leaned back against the locker with the expression of somebody about to make a very bad decision.
“I got somebody.”
Colston narrowed his eyes instantly. “No.”
“What you mean no? You don’t even know who I’m talking about.”
“Because every time you say ‘I got somebody,’ it turns into a disaster.”
“This one different.”
“Mhm.”
Caleb pointed at him dramatically. “My homegirl cuts hair. Braids too. If you got hair, she can do something with it.”
“I don’t need braids.”
“I know that. I’m just saying she versatile.”
Colston still looked unconvinced.
Caleb continued anyway.
“She got her own private suite downtown. Appointment-only type setup. Real fancy. She hard to get in with though.”
“How hard?”
“She booked for like three weeks.”
Colston groaned immediately.
“But…” Caleb dragged the word out with a smirk. “I could probably convince her to fit you in if I take you.”
Colston stared at him.
“You acting like you introducing me to the president.”
“I’m serious. She don’t play about her schedule.”
“So why would she squeeze me in?”
Caleb shrugged. “Money.”
“That’s honest at least.”
“And because I’m me.”
“That part I don’t believe.”
Caleb laughed loudly. “Man shut up.”
By the next afternoon, Colston found himself sitting in the passenger seat of Caleb’s matte black SUV heading toward downtown Chicago while regretting every decision that had led him there.
The city was gray from an earlier drizzle, the streets glossy with rainwater reflecting storefront lights and traffic signals. Caleb drove one-handed through traffic like he owned the entire road, music low through the speakers while Colston kept checking the time on his phone.
“You nervous over a haircut?” Caleb asked.
“I’m nervous because you hyped this woman up like she finna perform surgery.”
“She basically do.”
“That don’t even make sense.”
Caleb smirked but didn’t answer.
Eventually they turned into one of those expensive downtown parking garages connected to luxury buildings with offices on lower floors, boutiques in the middle, private studios and salons higher up. The kind of building with dim warm lighting and concrete walls so clean they barely looked real.
As soon as they parked, Caleb pointed at him.
“Act normal.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means don’t walk in there acting weird.”
“I’m literally getting a haircut.”
“She can smell weird energy.”
Colston blinked slowly. “You sound insane.”
They rode the elevator up several floors until the doors opened into a quieter hallway lined with frosted glass suites and minimalist gold signage.
Everything smelled expensive.
The suite Caleb stopped at had soft lighting spilling through the frosted glass beside the door, and in elegant lettering across the front it read ‘Relax Theory Studio.’
Colston glanced over.
“That sound like somewhere people cry after divorces.”
Caleb snorted before pushing the door open.
The first thing Colston noticed was the music.
Soft R&B floated through hidden speakers at just the right volume, enough to hear but not enough to interrupt conversation. The suite itself was ridiculously calmin with floating shelves lined with products organized perfectly.
A coffee station in the corner. Huge mirrors with soft backlighting. One styling chair near the front and another farther back near the shampoo bowls. And standing near one of the counters organizing clippers was Y/N Y/LN.
Colston noticed her before she even looked up.
Alo zip up sweatshirt over a black tank top. Gold jewelry catching under the warm lights. Nails glossy. Hair pulled back effortlessly. One of those people that looked put together without seeming like they tried too hard.
She glanced up.
Saw Caleb.
And immediately pointed at him.
“Aht aht.”
Caleb started laughing instantly.
“Nope,” she said. “Absolutely not. I’m not fitting you in again, Caleb.”
“I brought somebody important.”
“You said that last time, and it was literally your cousin.”
“He was important to me.”
She rolled her eyes.
Then her gaze shifted toward Colston.
And paused for half a second.
Not dramatic.
Not obvious.
But enough for him to notice.
Caleb grinned immediately like an instigator sensing blood in the water.
“This Colston.”
“I know who he is,” she said casually.
Something about hearing that made Colston straighten up a little.
Caleb looked between them with way too much amusement.
“See? We already got chemistry.”
“Please leave,” Y/N deadpanned.
Caleb ignored her entirely. “He got JJ’’s wedding in California and look at his hair.”
“Yo.”
She stepped closer before Colston could defend himself, tilting her head slightly while examining him with the focus of an artist staring at a crooked painting.
And then she sighed.
“Your hair is dry, Colston.”
The way she said it was so disappointed it almost embarrassed him.
“I know.”
“No, like dry dry...”
Caleb burst out laughing behind him.
Y/N pointed toward the chair.
“Get in.”
Colston sat while Caleb wandered around the suite touching random things until Y/N threatened him twice.
Eventually she draped the cape around Colston’s shoulders, fingers brushing briefly against the back of his neck while fastening it.
“You use conditioner?”
“Yes.”
She gave him a look in the mirror.
“Be honest.”
“Sometimes.”
“Mhm.”
Caleb nearly folded over laughing again.
“This why I don’t invite you places,” Colston muttered.
Y/N shook her head while gently pushing his hair around.
“It’s not horrible,” she admitted. “It’s just thirsty.”
“That sounds disrespectful.”
“It is.”
The conversation flowed easier than Colston expected after that.
Too easy, honestly.
Usually haircuts felt awkward. Either silence or forced conversation. But Y/N talked naturally while working, moving around him with calm confidence that made the entire suite feel slower somehow.
She asked about California.
About the wedding.
About Michigan.
And when he mentioned how long he’d known JJ, her expression softened slightly.
“That’s actually sweet.”
“What?”
“You going all the way out there and stressing over a haircut for your friend’s wedding.”
“I’m not stressing.”
“You checked your reflection in my mirror four times already.”
Caleb pointed dramatically from the couch. “Cook him.”
Colston glared at him.
Eventually Y/N guided him toward the shampoo bowls in the back.
“Come on. We gotta save your scalp.”
“You make it sound tragic.”
“It is tragic.”
The shampoo area was somehow even calmer than the rest of the suite. Dimmer lighting. Warm towels stacked nearby. The faint sound of water running somewhere.
As soon as Colston leaned back into the chair, he realized he understood why Caleb hyped this place up so much.
The water temperature was perfect.
Not too hot.
Not too cold.
And when Y/N’s fingers finally worked into his hair, Colston nearly lost his train of thought entirely.
She scrubbed his scalp thoroughly, nails lightly dragging against his skin in slow circular motions while working shampoo through his hair.
It should not have felt that relaxing.
At all.
But after weeks of helmets, sweat, workouts, and constant movement, it practically felt therapeutic.
“You got tension bad,” she murmured.
“Hm?”
“Your scalp tight.”
“Is that a thing?”
“Yes.”
“You judging my scalp now?”
“I’m judging everything.”
He laughed quietly despite himself.
His hair, wet now, flattened briefly before sticking up again in random directions the second she worked product through it. Short straight pieces poked everywhere, no matter what she did.
Y/N smiled.
“Your hair doesn’t know what it wanna do.”
“That makes two of us.”
She looked down at him for a second after that comment, and Colston hated how fast his chest reacted to it, because Caleb leaving halfway through somehow made everything worse.
The second his phone rang, he stood dramatically.
“Aight I gotta go.”
Colston looked up immediately. “You’re leaving?”
“Yep.”
“You brought me here.”
“And now you safe.”
Y/N pointed toward the door. “Bye Caleb.”
“See how I’m treated?” he complained while grabbing his keys.
Neither of them answered.
A minute later the door shut behind him, leaving only the quiet music and the sound of water running softly in the background.
And somehow that silence felt different immediately.
“So,” she said casually, “you nervous for the wedding?”
“Nah.”
“You lying again.”
He opened one eye.
“Why you keep calling me out?”
“Because you got nervous energy.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
By the time Y/N finished rinsing the conditioner from Colston’s hair and guided him back toward the styling chair, the entire atmosphere of the suite had shifted into something dangerously comfortable.
That was the problem.
Nothing felt forced around her.
Not the conversation.
Not the silence.
Not even the way she moved around him with one hand lightly touching his shoulder to turn him toward the mirror while she plugged in the blow dryer.
Most people around NFL players acted one of two ways, either overly impressed or overly uninterested trying to prove they didn’t care and Y/N somehow did neither. She talked to Colston like he was just another client in her chair, even while lightly roasting him every five minutes.
And unfortunately for him, it was working.
Way too well.
The warm air from the dryer pushed through his hair while she worked a brush through it carefully, sectioning the short straight strands with practiced ease. His hair puffed out slightly under the heat before settling softer than it had looked all month.
“You see?” she said. “Hydration, a basic concept.”
Colston smirked a little. “You really been judging me since I walked in.”
“Because you came in here struggling.”
“I was not struggling.”
“You were one gust of wind away from looking electrocuted.”
He laughed under his breath while she continued drying his hair, fingers occasionally brushing the sides of his head when she adjusted the angle.
And that definitely wasn’t helping him think straight either.
At one point she stepped away to grab another clipper guard from the counter, and Colston immediately reached for his phone sitting in his lap beneath the cape.
Without even thinking twice, he opened Caleb’s messages.
Colston: you did NOT tell me your stylist was hot
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly.
Caleb: oh brother
Caleb: I knew this was coming
Colston glanced toward Y/N, who was reorganizing products near the mirror completely unaware, then typed again.
Colston: im serious
Caleb: colston you are NOT about to fuck my stylist
Caleb: thats my homegirl
He snorted quietly.
Colston: im just saying
Caleb: no youre not JUST saying, i know your type of timing
Colston smirked to himself while Caleb kept going.
Caleb: plus she dont even be on that right now anyway
Colston’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
Colston: what that mean
The typing bubble paused.
Then resumed.
Caleb: she been single for a minute
Caleb: last dude wasnt even her man for real it was some sneaky link situation
Caleb: ended BAD too
Colston read the next message twice.
Caleb: the girl threatened her so hard she aint tryna die anymore 😭
Colston barked out an actual laugh before quickly covering it with a cough.
Y/N turned around immediately.
“What’s funny?”
“Nothing.”
“That sounded loud for nothing.”
He shook his head while locking his phone.
“Caleb being stupid.”
“That’s every day.”
There was something weirdly attractive about how naturally she said that, like her and Caleb had been friends since day 1. The kind of friendship where she’d threaten to kick him out but still fit his teammates into her schedule.
Y/N moved back behind the chair and started sectioning his hair again.
The blow dryer hummed softly while she shaped the front carefully, fingers lifting pieces and letting them fall.
“You got good hair when you actually take care of it,” she admitted.
“That sounded backhanded.”
“Because it was.”
“Damn.”
She smiled a little to herself.
The more time passed, the more Colston caught himself watching her instead of his reflection.
The concentration on her face when she lined things up.
The way her bracelets slid softly down her wrist every time she adjusted his head.
The way she absentmindedly bit the inside of her cheek while focusing.
It was bad.
And it got significantly worse about ten minutes later.
Because Chicago salons in winter got warm fast with blow dryers running nonstop, and eventually Y/N stepped back from the chair and sighed dramatically.
“It is hot in here.”
Before Colston could even process it, she pulled the quarter zip Alo sweatshirt over her head casually and tossed it onto the counter nearby.
Underneath was a fitted tank top that hugged her perfectly.
And suddenly Colston forgot every thought he previously had.
Completely.
The tank showed the toned lines of her shoulders and arms, gold jewelry sitting against her skin while she moved around him adjusting clippers like she hadn’t just altered the entire atmosphere of the room.
Meanwhile Colston was trying very hard to maintain eye contact with literally anything else.
The mirror.
The ceiling.
The product shelf.
The wall.
Anything.
Unfortunately, Y/N stepped directly in front of him a second later while adjusting the chair height.
“Look up for me.”
Big mistake.
Because the second he tilted his head back slightly, she leaned closer to start lining up the edges near his mustache, and from that angle…
Absolutely not.
His eyes flicked downward for half a second before immediately snapping back up toward the ceiling.
Professionalism Colston...
Meanwhile, Y/N remained completely unaware, focused entirely on shaping the line carefully while holding his chin lightly between her fingers to keep him still.
“Stop moving.”
“I’m not moving.”
“You literally just did.”
“My bad.”
Her fingers pressed briefly along his jaw to tilt his face straighter.
And that definitely didn’t help either.
Colston swallowed hard while trying to focus on literally anything besides how good she smelled up close. Something warm and expensive cancelling out the minty scent floating through the salon.
“You nervous?” she asked suddenly.
His eyes dropped back to hers.
“Hm?”
“You keep swallowing like you about to give a speech.”
Jesus Christ.
“Nah,” he said quickly.
She narrowed her eyes slightly like she didn’t fully believe him.
Then she turned the chair carefully side to side, examining her work from different angles while the lights reflected softly across the mirror.
Colston watched her through the reflection the entire time.
And somehow it was worse seeing her that way, moving around him confidently in that calm little salon suite like she belonged exactly there.
Which she did.
“Okay,” she murmured finally. “Now we getting somewhere.”
She reached up and lightly pushed a piece of his hair into place near the front before stepping back again.
And Colston realized two things at once.
First, she was really, really good at what she did.
Second, California suddenly wasn’t the thing he was most interested in anymore.
“You got somewhere after this?” she asked casually while cleaning up one side of the lineup.
“Nah.”
“No team dinner?”
“Tomorrow.”
She nodded once. “Mhm.”
“You?”
“I live here now,” she joked “This suite pay too much rent for me to leave.”
He laughed quietly.
And then the front door opened.
Immediately the calm atmosphere shattered.
“ LOOK AT MY BOY.”
Colston closed his eyes instantly.
Y/N groaned without even turning around.
“Why are you back?”
Caleb walked in carrying another coffee and grinning like an idiot the second he saw Colston sitting in the chair.
“Nah hold on.” Caleb walked closer dramatically, staring at the haircut like a proud father at graduation. “Okayyyyy.”
“Relax,” Colston muttered.
“No, because this is crazy.” Caleb pointed toward Y/N. “See? What I tell you? She a magician.”
Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t fully hide the small smile pulling at her mouth.
Caleb circled the chair inspecting every angle unnecessarily.
“Boy came in lookin’ homeless.”
“I was not homeless.”
“You was one cold night away.”
Y/N snorted quietly while cleaning the trimmers.
“See?” Caleb said immediately. “She know.”
“Y’all are annoying.”
Caleb leaned closer examining the fade dramatically.
“Damn. You actually look employable now.”
“Please shut up.”
The entire suite filled with easy laughter after that, the kind that made Colston realize how naturally he’d settled into this space in only a couple hours.
Too naturally.
Because when Y/N finally spun the chair slowly toward the mirror for the full reveal, Colston actually sat there for a second stunned.
The cut was clean.
Sharp.
Not overdone.
Just… good.
The front sat perfectly textured instead of dry and puffed up, the fade blended smooth, the lineup crisp without looking painted on.
He looked expensive.
Like somebody that belonged at a California wedding surrounded by cameras and NFL players.
“Damn,” he admitted quietly.
“Told you,” Y/N said smugly.
Caleb put both hands on his hips proudly like he personally did the haircut.
“That’s my stylist right there.”
“She not yours,” Colston said automatically.
Both of them looked at him immediately.
Caleb’s eyebrows lifted slowly.
Y/N tried not to smile.
Colston realized how that sounded three seconds too late.
Y/N shook her head laughing softly while pulling the cape off Colston’s shoulders.
The weird part was how normal everything suddenly felt after that.
Like he’d known her longer than one afternoon.
Like this wasn’t the first time he’d sat in her chair listening to her quietly roast him while music played in the background.
And that feeling only got worse once he stood up.
Because now he was taller than her by enough that she had to tilt her head slightly to look up at him while explaining how to maintain the style.
“Use the leave-in conditioner I put in your bag,” she said. “Not just water.”
“I do not just use water.”
“You absolutely do.”
Caleb nodded immediately. “He definitely do.”
“Why are both of y’all attacking me?”
“Because you need guidance,” Y/N answered calmly.
Colston laughed under his breath while pulling his wallet out.
“Nah seriously though,” he said. “How much I owe you?”
“250.”
Colston barely reacted before tapping his card instantly.
She noticed that too.
Athlete money.
No hesitation.
Still, she appreciated that he didn’t do the weird rich thing where he tried to flex or act flashy about it. He just paid, thanked her genuinely, and stood there awkwardly afterward like he didn’t actually wanna leave yet.
Which Caleb noticed immediately.
Because of course he did.
That man noticed everything.
Caleb suddenly snapped his fingers.
“WAIT.”
Both of them looked over.
Caleb pointed between them dramatically.
“Bro.”
“No,” Colston said instantly, already sensing danger.
“You invited me to this wedding.”
“And?”
“And I need a plus one.”
Y/N blinked. “What?”
Caleb walked toward her counter casually like this was the most normal idea in the world.
“I’m serious. You should pull up.”
Colston’s heart actually skipped for half a second.
Y/N laughed softly. “To California?”
“Yes.”
“For a wedding I don’t know anybody at?”
“You know me.”
“That is not convincing.”
Caleb ignored that completely.
“It’ll be fun. Rich people. Open bar. NFL players everywhere. You can judge everybody outfits.”
“That part does sound entertaining.”
“Exactly.”
Colston should’ve been saying something.
Anything.
But instead, unfortunately, his brain had temporarily shut down because while Y/N leaned back against the counter thinking about it, his eyes drifted downward again without permission.
And this time he got caught immediately.
Badly.
Because Y/N looked right at him mid sentence and paused.
Then slowly crossed her arms.
“Oh my God.”
Colston snapped back to reality instantly.
Caleb’s eyes widened with delight.
“OH HE GOT CAUGHT.”
“No I didn’t,” Colston said way too fast.
Y/N was trying not to laugh now.
“You absolutely did.”
“I wasn’t-”
“You were staring directly at my chest.”
Caleb physically bent over laughing.
“BROOOOO.”
Colston rubbed a hand over his face immediately.
“No, I was staring at your hair.”
Silence.
Then Y/N stared at him for a long second before bursting into actual laughter.
“MY hair?”
“Yes.”
“That’s your excuse?”
“It looked different.”
Caleb nearly fell against the counter laughing.
“That is the WORST recovery I ever heard in my life.”
“I panicked.”
“You think she dumb?!” Caleb wheezed.
Y/N was still laughing while shaking her head.
“Your hair,” she repeated sarcastically.
Colston pointed helplessly. “You took the zip-up off.”
“And suddenly my hair became interesting?”
“I don’t know, man.”
At least he was honest.
That somehow made it funnier.
Y/N looked down for a second, still smiling to herself before glancing back up at him.
And unfortunately for Colston, she didn’t actually look uncomfortable.
If anything, she looked entertained.
Which might’ve been even worse.
Caleb finally wiped tears from under his eyes dramatically.
“Anyway,” he said, recovering. “You coming or not?”
Y/N looked between both of them for a second.
Then shrugged casually.
“Sure.”
Colston blinked.
“Wait seriously?”
Now it was her turn to notice.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“You sound excited.”
“I’m not.”
“Mhm.”
Caleb looked back and forth between them like he’d just personally orchestrated the greatest event of his career.
colston loveland and you support him by attending his camp! you could put this in the sense the reader already works with children etc.
a motherly nursing instinct (blurb)
anon ask above.
word count: 1.8k
warnings: no smut! fluff!
The sun came through the curtains of the bedroom in the shared home, streaks of light across the floors and the white comforter all around Y/N’s body. The room was quieter than ever, which made everything seem extremely soft.
Colston, sleeping light usually woke up first, shifting his body and blinking at the ceiling with a groggy groan, his eyes disoriented and face feeling heavy on the side he slept on, meaning he slept extremely well. For a second, he stayed still, one arm lazily stretched across the mattress, not realizing what his arm was holding.
Y/N.
She was fully asleep, face buried nearly all into his chest with one leg thrown across his waist under the blankets that they all owned along with her bonnet half about to fall off from moving in her sleep all night with her breathing slow and steady and in the deepest sleep even humanly possible. She’d fully deserve it after working three straight pediatric shifts back to back and luckily it was her off day.
Which meant she was dead to the entire world including the man she loved, Colston smiled as she looked down knowing she was so peaceful and he genuinely hated waking her up for anything. Its the weeks she would come home exhausted from dealing with sick children and stressed parents with nonstop alarm through the hallways of the floor.
He smiled immediately because it was a rare moment, she almost never got time off anymore. Which meant he needs to get out of the bed quietly as possible.
Unfortunately, his puppy was awake the second his feet touched the floor and his head lifted instantly, tail wagging as he then attempted to launch himself across the bed, luckily Colston caught him mid jump with a grunt.
“You’re dramatic as hell,” he muttered while carrying the dog out of the room.
Outside the air was perfect, it wasn't too hot yet as Chase went through the yard running around like he was just released from jail. Colston leaned against the patio with his phone texting anyone he forgot to answer back yesterday.
His phone buzzed with notifications from all sorts of people including a message from Luther Burden when he was asking what was he wearing to this ‘camp.’ By the time he came back inside, Chase ran up the stairs and pounced onto the bed.
Y/N groaned softly as the mattress dipped.
“Mmmm.”
“It’s just us today,” Colston said quietly while pulling the hoodie off his head, revealing that he was shirtless underneath. “You got the whole house to yourself as I go coach nearly 100 children.”
One eye opened.
“Yea?”
“Mhm.”
She shifted to grab her phone off the nightstand, and the blankets went with her.
“Great.”
Colston laughed, and as soon as Colston went into the bathroom, the puppy abandoned his own spot and crawled right onto Colston’s side of the bed like he’d been waiting for this exact moment as usual. Y/N smiled without opening her eyes.
“Traitor,” Colston said.
Chase blinked before sighing and putting his head onto Y/N’s shoulder.
“Wow.”
Y/N’s sleepy laugh muffled into the pillow.
“You’re getting replaced.”
“By a dog?”
“He’s fluffier than you.”
“That’s insane.”
She was asleep again before he even left the room, and almost a hour later the camp started and it was the thing closest to hell on earth.
The indoor field was packed with kids, parents lining up on the sidelines with their phones out constantly as they recorded every drill with music playing faintly. Colston loved being at camps, but today was much different than any other one.
Half of the volunteers were late, someone forgot to restock the waters and Gatorade, and one kid had already cried because another boy told him the Bears sucked as ragebait and all in that, Luther was laughing at everything instead of helping, which sounded usually just like what he would do.
“You think this funny?” Colston asked while fixing a line of kids.
“A little bit,” Luther admitted.
Colston pulled his phone out immediately.
Because there was only one person he trusted to help manage complete chaos, that person? Y/N. She answered the FaceTime after two rings, still lying in bed with Chase sprawled across her stomach like a weighted blanket.
Her voice was raspy with sleep.
“Hello?”
“Baby can you please come..”
She squinted at the screen.
“You sound stressed.”
“I am stressed.”
Behind him, a kid yelled, “COACH HE PUSHED ME.”
Another kid immediately screamed back, “I DID NOT.”
Y/N started laughing instantly.
“Oh my God.”
“I’ll take you out for lunch after,” Colston bribed quickly. “Please.”
She looked at him for another second before sighing dramatically.
“Fine.”
“Yes.”
“But you owe me crab rangoons.”
“Done.”
“And a sweet tea.”
“Anything.”
“Okay bye.”
He grinned immediately before hanging up.
Back at the house, Chase lifted his head as soon as Y/N sat up.
“You heard him?” she asked the dog. “Your father is struggling.”
The puppy wagged his tail like he completely understood every word she was saying, while she got ready, Chase followed her around the bedroom nonstop. She took a shower then changed into a navy oversized Bears T-shirt and a navy athletic skort. With her then slipping on ankle socks and some athletic shoes.
“You cannot come.” she told him.
He whimpered anyway.
“Don’t start.”
The second she grabbed her sunglasses and tote bag, he trotted after her again.
Putting him in the kennel felt like betrayal apparently.
The moment she closed the little gate, Chase let out the saddest whine imaginable and pressed himself dramatically against the bars.
“Oh brother,” Y/N muttered.
She crouched down long enough to scratch behind his ears.
“I’ll be back later.”
He still looked devastated.
The garage was cold compared to the weather outside; her BMW lit up the second she got close to it with the key fob. She tossed her bag into the passenger seat before backing out, coffee in hand, music low through the speakers while driving to the address he sent. And she could see why it was chaotic, the parking being horrific was a great example.
Cars parked in places they shouldn’t be parked and people parked on curbs.
“Jesus Christ,”she muttered while circling for a spot and inside was even worse.
Kids were everywhere.
Mothers lined the walls recording every second on their phones, though Y/N noticed very quickly some of them weren’t even filming their children anymore.
They were filming Colston.
And honestly?
She almost understood.
He looked ridiculously good.
He was wearing a custom shirt with him and Luther on it, navy obviously, with white athletic shorts and a whistle hanging around his neck while he showed the drill to a group of little boys who were confused previously.
“Plant here,” he instructed one kid patiently. “Then explode out. Don’t stand straight up too fast.”
A mother nearby lowered her sunglasses slightly while zooming in on her phone camera.
Y/N nearly laughed.
When she finally walked toward the front sign-in table, the teenage girls working the desk looked up immediately.
“Hi!” one said brightly. “Where’s your son?”
Y/N blinked once.
She had literally opened her mouth to answer when Colston looked over from across the field and spotted her instantly.
His entire face changed.
“There she is,” he muttered before jogging over.
The girls at the desk visibly straightened up.
Colston walked right around the table and kissed Y/N on the forehead before taking her tote bag from her shoulder automatically.
“You came,” he said.
“You were begging.”
“I absolutely was.”
Then he looked at the girls behind the desk.
“She’s with me.”
The girls’ expressions changed immediately.
“Oh.”
Y/N bit the inside of her cheek so she wouldn’t laugh.
Within twenty minutes, she was already helping.
Which honestly shocked nobody.
A little boy skidded across the turf trying to catch a football and scraped his knee hard enough to start crying instantly. Before any coach could react, Y/N already had him sitting on a bench while cleaning the scrape with one of the mini first aid kits from her tote bag.
“You’re okay,” she told him gently. “I promise it looks worse than it is.”
The boy sniffled.
“It burns.”
“I know. That means it’s working.”
Meanwhile kids were literally sprinting around behind her like tiny tornadoes.
At one point, one little kid yelled at Colston from the middle of the field.
“CALL CALEB WILLIAMS.”
The entire gym started laughing.
Colston shook his head immediately.
“No.”
“Please!”
“Coach!”
“PLEASE.”
Luther walked over grinning.
“Do it.”
“You not helping.”
“Do it for the kids.”
A minute later, somehow, Caleb Williams was actually on FaceTime.
The entire group of kids lost their minds screaming.
Y/N was standing off to the side beside Luther’s girlfriend, Amaya, both of them trying not to laugh too hard at how serious Colston looked holding the phone up while thirty children yelled random things over each other.
One kid screamed, “YOU GOT A LAMBO?”
Another yelled, “BEAT GREEN BAY.”
Amaya snorted so hard she nearly choked on her drink.
Y/N leaned against her shoulder laughing quietly.
“Oh my God,” Amaya whispered. “They’re stressing him out.”
Across the field, both Luther and Colston looked over immediately.
Full side-eyes.
The girls straightened up fast, trying to act innocent.
“We weren’t laughing,” Y/N said immediately.
Colston narrowed his eyes.
“Mhm.”
After almost four hours, the camp finally started winding down.
Kids lined up for pictures while parents thanked everybody nonstop. Colston looked exhausted but happy, taking photo after photo while sweaty little boys grinned beside him holding signed footballs.
Y/N stood nearby waiting patiently while scrolling through her phone.
That was when one mother walked over smiling.
“Excuse me,” she said to Colston. “Is this your girlfriend?”
Y/N slowly lifted her eyes toward him immediately.
The side eye she gave him was a ‘You better say the right thing or you will be sleeping in the doghouse tonight.’
“Yes,” Colston answered instantly.
The mom smiled knowingly.
“She’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” he said casually, like he wasn’t internally trying not to laugh at Y/N’s expression.
The second the woman walked away, Y/N looked at him.
“You almost looked scared.”
“I was.”
“Good.”
Finally, once the last family cleared out, Colston walked back over toward her while tugging the whistle from around his neck.
“What type of food you want?”
“I dunno.”
He groaned immediately.
“As usual.”
“You asked.”
He shook his head while smiling tiredly.
“I’ll meet you over there.”
Before she could answer, he reached for her hand automatically and walked her out toward the parking lot.
The heat outside wrapped around them immediately after the freezing cold indoor turf facility. Y/N unlocked her BMW while Colston stood close beside her.
“You saved my life today,” he admitted.
“You’re dramatic.”
“I’m serious.”
She smiled while opening her door.
Then right before she got in, Colston tapped her butt lightly and pushed the door closed behind her before she could smack him for it.
background: after colston needs a cut before an important wedding, he gets recommended to y/n and he never will regret it.
(all pics from pinterest, all rights reserved)
notes: new series who thiss?? okay i promise to stop making series, infact im about to cancel some because wth... anyways gonna try and double upload tonight a carson fic & a colston fic because ive been scamming yall..
taglist: comment or quote repost to be added or send a ask in my inbox (asking me)
summary running off a big win against ohio state, colston finally notices what’s been standing in front of him this entire time.
warnings third person, smoking word count 3.9k
lia interrupting first fic in three weeks kinda nervous blame this degree and all the wips I ended up abandoning halfway through #myapologies I was lost in the sauce, not proofread #whoops #enjoy
━━━ series masterlist ✮ main masterlist
Saturday night is already bleeding out by the time she finds her way into the post-game celebration. The sharp smell of alcohol laced with adrenaline wrinkles her nose, trapped within the confines of the overly packed frat house. Bodies slick with sweat squeeze past her, murmuring apologies lost to the blaring music, and the bass shatters every thought in her skull.
Lina’s arm lazily drapes across her shoulders as their hips sync, rhythmically swaying to the melody. Each muscle in her body loosens as the faint buzz settles in. And it’s like moths to a flame, the way their movements pull in two guys lingering just a few feet away. She can feel it before she sees them.
A half-strung smile greets her, stuck somewhere between overly confident and overly awkward. Tan skin stark under the neon lights, and his hair’s so neatly mussed, he must’ve spent an ungodly amount of time on it. He’s cute, though — could pass as your typical nerd who’s painfully unaware of how hot he is if she doesn’t think about it too hard. Which is perfect, because she’s honestly not trying to think at all tonight.
She’s stopped dancing now, mildly surprised by how shy he seems to be. He tries to tell her what she assumes to be his name while maintaining a respectable distance — close enough to feel the warmth radiating off him, but she still can’t hear a word he says. The best she can do is nod every few seconds like she understands what’s going on. It takes all of one remix for boredom to seep through. She mumbles, “Excuse me,” before grabbing Lina’s hand.
Lina follows her through the crowd, both of them searching for Isa and her boyfriend Chris. Every other step, someone’s back collides into them, and she gently shoves against them to push her way through. Another person crushes the toebox of her sneakers, and she reels in the ‘What the fuck’ about to slip past her lips, drawing a small chuckle from her friend.
By the time she catches Isa’s jet-black hair shining under the fluorescents, the thick atmosphere is crawling in her lungs. Sweat dots across her hairline, and her chest is heaving as they make their way off of the makeshift dance floor.
All things considered, she feels fucking fantastic.
──────────────────────
Colston doesn't need liquor to get drunk when an endless fountain of attention does the same. There has to be a bruise forming on his back from the number of times someone’s palm came down to greet him. Nearly an hour’s passed from debriefing The Game when the crowd slowly starts to dissipate. He takes the moment to actually breathe for the first time tonight.
Lukewarm liquid sloshes onto his wrist as he sets his red Solo cup down onto the counter. His initial instinct is to play it off, scooting away from the plastic and settling into a quieter corner of the kitchen. He dries the back of his hand on his jeans, hoping the dark denim doesn’t carry any evidence, and pulls out his phone.
Conversation blurs into one sound as he searches for Will's contact to ask where he is. Someone’s hand ghosts over his bicep, freezing his thumbs halfway through the text as he looks to his side. The touch belongs to a brunette girl that barely reaches his shoulder. He quickly finishes the message before tucking his phone into his back pocket, offering her a small smile.
Fragments of what she says reach his ears. There’s certainly a “Hey” exchanged, and her name might start with a ‘C,’ but he isn’t really sure. He splits his focus between her and the rest of the party, opting to listen instead of speak. Because just a few sentences in, something snags on his periphery that jerks his focus to the edge of the living room.
Chris, who he mainly knows because of Will, stands a head taller than the three girls he’s trailing like security. And it’s her — the one a half-step ahead, like she’s never spent a day in her life following someone else — that has him stuck. He combs through his memories, trying to find one that holds her face, only to come up short each time. Can’t tell if that means he’s stupid or blind.
Doesn’t matter, though — he definitely sees her now.
He pins his stare onto her, almost willing her to lock eyes. Instead she looks over her shoulder, flashing this dazed smile to her friend that only isolates her more. Some guy approaches her, and all traces of her smile disappear, expression morphing into something unimpressed. Every shift in her energy fuels his curiosity. Blind confidence convincing him he can get that same smile out of her.
God must receive all his prayers at once, because Will suddenly emerges from the crowd, heading right toward Colston.
“Sorry,” he mumbles to the girl beside him, distraction evident to anyone with a functioning ear. But he can’t feel guilty when she’s already out of his mind before it can creep in.
People split apart to let Colston through. He’s moving with a certain determination that the situation doesn’t necessarily call for, reaching Will at the opposite end of the kitchen in a matter of seconds. He hardly registers the surprise on Will’s face, grabbing him by the shoulder and subtly nodding to where she’s standing.
“Chris,” he half-whispers, half-shouts. “Who’s the girl talking to him?”
Will follows his line of sight, a smirk immediately drawing onto his face. “Bro, his girlfriend?” He laughs, shaking his head at the ground. “You’re messy.”
Colston’s brows furrow, relief flooding in as he realizes Will has this all wrong. “No, not her. The one in the black shirt.”
“Which one?”
“Black shirt,” he repeats, enunciating his words.
“Oh.” Will purses his lips, as if he’s trying to hold off on what he wants to say. But he cracks within a second, shoulders shaking from stifled laughter. “Yeah, that’s still messy.”
“Okay, so who is she?”
“We’ve seen her before,” Will says before finally telling him her name. “She had a thing with Eli.”
“Like… Basketball Eli?”
“Do you know some other Eli?”
That gets him to blink. Because Eli — Colston knows him. His dorm was right down the hall their first year, and while they aren’t close by any means, they’ve bumped into each other enough for Colston to know that absolutely none of this shit adds up.
“Had or has?”
Will shrugs. “I don’t know.”
A surge of impatience races through Colston. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“It’s not like I’m keeping track of what these people do.”
“Well, you seem to know everything else about her.”
“‘Cause I’ve talked to her a couple times.”
The revelation makes Colston visibly flinch. “Where was I when this was happening?”
“Probably talking to someone else.”
Colston rolls his eyes, running a hand through his hair as he tries to figure out the least obvious way to get her in his vicinity. One glance at Will sends the idea rushing at him.
“Call Chris over.”
Will freezes for a second. “Are you deadass?”
He tries to act casual, but the prospect of talking to her brings a certain intoxication that he could get addicted to. “I mean, why not?”
And while Will’s face clearly thinks Colston’s delusional, a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “What’s gonna happen if she’s still with him?”
“I can’t make friends now?”
Air escapes Will’s nose in a laugh. “You’re lucky I fuck with you.” Then he turns in her direction, voice booming over the music, “Yo, Chris!”
──────────────────────
Her eyes narrow at Chris like it’s his fault she’s been interrupted. She looks toward the general area the voice comes from and sees Will — lips curling in as he smiles, eagerly waving them over. The flash of irritation ebbs away with intrigue taking its place. He seems far too entertained by something she’s yet to figure out.
“Should we go with him?” Isa asks, hints of curiosity also peeking through.
She shrugs one shoulder, glancing between Isa and Lina. “I’m down if you guys are.”
They nod in agreement, and she lets Chris lead the way. The floor vibrates with each step she takes, running up her calves as they get closer, jolting her wide awake. Chris’ back blocks her view while she’s sandwiched between Isa and Lina, and it’s not until they move aside that she finally notices him for the first time tonight.
Certainly, they’ve been to enough of the same shitty house parties for the sight to trigger some odd familiarity, but it’s an entirely different image when he’s two feet away. It’s almost claustrophobic, the way her mind seems to fixate around one thought: he’s fucking giant — aiming for pure overkill being that tall. She yanks her eyes away before the innocent observation melds into unabashed staring.
A lopsided circle forms in the kitchen, her left side empty while Isa and Lina stand shoulder-to-shoulder to her right. She schools her face into something neutral as Will and him go down the line to say hello, pretending she doesn’t hear the scuffling of footsteps getting closer until Will appears in front of her. Their palms clap together, briefly shaking hands as he mutters a small, “What’s good.”
She’s barely able to get, “Hi,” out before he’s walking off. His friend takes his place, twin dimples poking out like magnets for her attention. Her gaze flits across his features, mapping out the small moles she can make out in the dark, ignoring the way he’s tracking her eyes. He doesn’t have to introduce himself for her to know his name — but, up until now, it’s been nothing more than white noise she hears in passing.
“I’m Colston.” It comes straight from his chest, tinged in a slight rasp that shows evidence of overuse. Then, slowly, he offers his hand to her. She stares at it for a split second — noting the unfamiliar ink above his wrist — before accepting it. His palm is searing against her skin, diffusing across the nerve endings of her fingertips.
“Nice to meet you, Colston.” His name feels foreign coming out of her throat, biting on each syllable instead of rolling off the tongue. She watches his eyebrows twitch, either amused or insulted by the way she says it, and drops his hand.
As she flexes her fingers to encourage circulation, she tells him her name. The smile on his face widens, toeing the line between charming and obnoxious. Makes it look like his DNA forgot which trait it was encoding halfway through translation. He repeats it back to her, stretching out her name like he’s trying to keep the taste of it on his tongue for a second longer.
It only tightens her posture.
She’s all but used to his kind — the ones who can talk their way through any situation. Endearingly confident and undeniably kind until they actually have to mean it.
There isn’t time for him to prove otherwise. Two people she vaguely recognizes approach their group, nodding in acknowledgement as they join the circle. One of them — Matt, if she recalls correctly — digs through his pocket, pulling out a plastic tube.
“You guys wanna spark up?”
A murmur of agreement passes among them, and they work their way toward the back door. Her feet move after Colston as everyone disperses, blaming it on the fact that he was already next to her. He turns around like he expects to see her behind him, mild satisfaction latching onto him. She blankly stares at him, flicking her wrist to signal for him to keep moving, letting him guide her through the masses.
Tyler, one of the few basketball players she speaks to, stops Colston just shy of the backyard. The night air drifts in like a distant promise of relief. She has half a mind to shove past him, for no reason other than they’re clearly both full of it. Feels like she’s watching a testosterone-off right in front of her eyes, and Colston’s unfortunately winning. Despite her judgements, her mind is still partially tangled in the sheer expanse of him.
Colston daps Tyler up, telling him, “Good luck on the season, man.”
She masks her laugh with a cough; they need more than luck after their terrible start. Tyler’s gaze scrapes over her face before darting back to Colston’s, and she can see the story forming in his head.
“Didn’t know you were here.”
“I didn’t know you were either,” she says, pressing her fingers into the center of Colston’s back to nudge him forward. “See you.”
It’s far less packed outside and a notch quieter. Music dies on its way outside, muffled sounds serving as background noise. Wind nips at her cheeks as they all settle by the wooden fence. Matt digs through his front pocket, pulling out a black lighter, and hisses an orange glow. Short gusts of wind keep killing the flame, and Chris moves to create a shield with his hands.
Colston ends up at her side like a coincidence, but she knows a deliberate act when she sees one. She keeps her head tilted away from him, like pretending he isn’t there will actually make him disappear. Lina, however, is deep in conversation with Matt’s friend, leaving her no choice but to stand in silence.
The quiet barely settles before Colston’s voice jostles it. “So, how do you know Tyler?”
“Hmm?” comes out of her even though she hears him clearly.
“I was just asking how you know Tyler.”
Vaguely gesturing with her hand, she answers, “He’s friends with someone I know.” Colston nods his head like he’s deciding the weight of the information, and she takes the opportunity to ask, “How do you know him?”
“He’s friends with someone I know too,” he says easily.
She lightly scoffs at that. Chris saves her from having to respond by passing the joint to Colston, only for him to immediately pass it over to her. She raises an eyebrow at him, taking it in between her thumb and index finger.
He shrugs back at her. “Gotta keep my lungs intact for playoffs.”
“You play football with Will?” she asks with faux innocence.
His grin reads right through her, but he entertains her anyway. “I do, yeah.”
“Nice.”
The dryness in her tone makes him laugh, low and smooth to her ears. She suffocates the sound with a deep drag, scorching the back of her throat as she inhales. Her lungs expand until they can’t anymore. Then she holds her breath for another second before exhaling off to the side, passing the joint to Lina. Smoke wisps into the night and joins the other clouds hanging heavy around them.
A dull warmth radiates throughout her chest like a blanket from the cold, and she waits for the effects to travel through her bloodstream. He stares at her, an expression she can’t quite read on his face. Could be contemplation, could be boredom. Or she could just be making shit up entirely.
“The first time I got high, I coughed up a lung,” he randomly admits.
The mental image makes her huff. “So you can’t hang.”
“Who said that?”
“Sounds like it.”
His laughter rings in the air again, bouncing off her skin. “And you were perfect your first time?”
“Mine was off an edible in high school,” she tells him, shaking her head as her brain conjures up the memory — didn’t even bother having a good day when she took one at eight in the morning.
He hums. “Mine was in the dorms last year.” Her head tips to the side quizzically, eyes glossing over his outline — strikes her as someone more audacious than that. A smirk pulls on his lips as he mirrors her actions. “Weed’s a big no in Idaho.”
She leans back, crossing her arms over her chest like it’ll block her thoughts from reaching him a third time. “Probably why no one interesting is ever from there.”
“Is that your way of calling me boring?” he teases, mock offense in his tone.
The high slowly sneaks in, a thin haze in her mind she can still see through. Colston’s easily likeable in a way that cements the innate dislike she has towards him. But she’s not so far gone to outwardly show it.
Her eyes roll half-heartedly, mumbling, “I mean, you’re alright.”
“Hmm?” He lowers his head to bring his ear closer to her. She writes off her pulse picking up as something that has nothing to do with him. Has to be the weed.
She tilts her chin up toward his ear. “Don’t act deaf now.”
The corners of Colston’s mouth lift as he raises back to his full height. “Just wanted to hear you say it twice.”
“Well, you can’t win twice in one day.”
“Who says I haven’t already?”
Grass squelches underneath her shoes as she looks at him boredly. Takes a surprising amount of strength to do so.
“Did you go to the game today?” She nods, and he follows up with, “Who’d you go with?”
“My friends.” Her eyes drift toward Isa and Lina, both occupied by their own interactions.
He keeps his gaze on her, probing, “So it was just you guys?”
“There were a couple others.”
His brows come together before smoothing back out. For a moment, she considers what the underlying motives to these questions are. There’s nothing overt about them that she can piece together.
“Do you usually come to the after-parties?”
“Is this an interview?”
He grins, nothing casual about his shrug. “It’s whatever you want it to be.”
While she’s fully aware that this is exactly what she means by endearingly confident, she surely isn’t immune to its effects. The words practically give her a head rush of its own kind. She’d be scolding herself right now if her senses were with her.
As it is, she’s cross-faded off weed and his attention. And it’s her self-preservation working overtime that keeps her face from betraying her thoughts. She digs through her brain for something to say.
Nothing ever comes.
Colston’s focus is pulled to somewhere behind her. She glances over her shoulder, scanning the backyard for what he’s noticed. A grown-out buzzcut catches her eye, spiking out in different directions. Walking right toward them.
Her lips press down into a thin line, taking a sharp breath in. Eli flashes a smile at her as he daps Colston up.
“What’s good, man?” Eli asks, all too relaxed to be genuine. Side-by-side, he looks miniscule next to Colston.
Unswayed, Colston greets him back. “Man, it’s been a minute.”
“Dude, I know.” Her face sets as Eli turns to her, speaking for the first time in weeks. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Colston’s gaze darts between them, teeth briefly catching his lower lip before releasing it. Like a malfunctioning stream of consciousness, some voice inside of her head suggests she should stay. But she knows better than to listen — doesn’t have a valid reason to do so.
Annoyance dripping from her voice, she agrees to go, telling Colston, “I’ll be right back.”
He nods slowly, almost like he didn’t expect her to leave. Then she pushes ahead of Eli, not looking back once.
──────────────────────
“Okay, but how’d she say, ‘I’ll be right back?’”
Two days have passed, and Colston still can’t stop thinking about her. It’s gotten to the point where he has to spit out his thoughts to avoid being consumed by them. And his friends are only making it worse.
Bustling voices and helmets dropping in the locker room keeps their conversation hidden. He checks for any eavesdroppers before answering Mason. “I mean, I could tell she was annoyed. But I don’t think it was at me.”
Alex sits on the bench next to Will, both already out of their practice clothes. Will huffs, mentioning, “I heard some of the stupid ass questions you were asking.” The three of them turn to him as he continues, “‘Who’d you go to the game with?’ No way you thought that was gonna get you anywhere.”
Colston runs a hand down his cheek. “I was trying to figure out if she still had a thing with Eli.”
“And?” Will asks.
“I deadass do not know.” Colston sighs in defeat, tossing his gloves into a drawer. “She’s hard to read.”
Mason drops down next to Will, and they all stare at him like they’re trying to spare his feelings. “Did it seem like she was vibing with you?”
Each answer feels like a step closer to the truth he’s denying. “Like she was talking to me. But I don’t even think she laughed or smiled once.”
“Yeah, you’re cooked,” Alex says through a laugh. “What happened to all your game?”
“Dude, she was looking at me like I was about to disappoint her any second.”
“Well, clearly you did ‘cause she never came back,” Will mumbles loud enough for the entire world to know. “We saw her with her other friends when we went back inside.”
Mason’s eyes widen a fraction before dropping to the floor. Alex glances at Mason, then Colston, rubbing at his jaw. “Okay, but she wasn’t with Eli. So I’m thinking that’s not her man.”
Flimsy as the logic might be, it’s sound enough to stick with Colston. Evidently, she’s far more withdrawn than he’s typically used to. But she’s not necessarily shy either — doesn’t flutter away from attention, doesn’t fold under someone’s gaze. Just meets it every time.
For the remainder of the day, Colston tries to make sense of what little she’s given him to work with. Between playoffs looming and finals, she’s a welcome distraction for his brain. Finds himself trying to spot her on campus even where the odds are slim. Hoping Will decides to hangout with Chris and she’ll magically be there.
‘I need to get a life,’ interrupts his thoughts more than once. He shoves it all aside, though. Because a clear opportunity is presented to him the following day, on Wednesday.
The apartment is empty when he gets back from lecture, save for him and his thoughts. He drops his backpack onto the wooden floor of his bedroom and sits at the edge of the mattress. It’s cold enough outside that the chill carries throughout the building, and the nerves in his fingers feel numb.
He pulls his phone out of his pocket, opening Instagram and looking through his explore page. Every once in a while, he sends a random reel that makes him laugh to one of his friends. Then, as he swipes up to an old, grainy clip of some show he’s never seen, the notification comes.
It’s a Canvas announcement from his Intro to Public Policy professor — a class that’s quite literally about to murder his GPA. What compelled him to take this for social science credit, he doesn’t actually know, but certainly his past self knew something he didn’t. Professor Hansen mentioned their final’s going to be some policy memo he doesn’t remember the details of, and he’s accepted that he’s on a sinking ship.
But her name’s staring at him from the screen. Group 14, him and her. He’s wondering how she’s escaped his notice all this time — thinking about how bad his tunnel vision must be. And what should’ve been obvious from the moment he first saw her doesn’t hit him until now.
background: when aunt flo calls, colston reassures you everything will be okay.
(all pics from pinterest, all rights reserved)
word count: 2.0k
notes: oh im back! no aj fic tonight, about to go insane, but fluffy lia is back in the building.
warning: this is a alternative universe, pure fluff
The day had been awful in a way that felt almost personal, like the universe had singled Y/N out and decided to test just how much she could take before she cracked.
It started small with her alarm not going off, her phone dying overnight because she forgot to plug it in, a missed email that turned into a last-minute responsibility she had to scramble to fix.
By noon, everything felt rushed and off-beat. People were short with her, nothing went the way she planned, and even the simplest things like dropping her keys twice in the parking lot, felt like they carried weight.
By the time she got home, she was drained.
But she had one thing she was looking forward to.
Colston.
She kept telling herself that if she could just resetjust take a long shower, do her little “everything routine,” shave, deep condition, exfoliate, the whole thing, she’d feel better.
She’d feel like herself again. And then when he got home from the facility, she’d be soft, pretty, put-together. Ready.
So she turned the water on hot, almost too hot and stepped into the steam filled bathroom, tying her hair up before starting.
For a little while, it worked.
The quiet. The warmth. The routine.
She moved through it slowly, carefully, trying to shake off the day with every step of washing her hair, scrubbing her skin, going through the motions like she could rinse the stress right off her body.
But then she paused.
There was a split second where her brain tried to catch up with what she was seeing, and then her stomach dropped.
“No… no, no, no..are you serious?” she whispered under her breath, voice cracking immediately.
Her period.
Right then. Right there. In the middle of everything.
Her shoulders sagged like all the air had been knocked out of her lungs, and she let out a shaky breath that turned into something dangerously close to a sob. It wasn’t even just about that though.
And suddenly she was crying.
Not graceful tears. Not quiet sniffles.
Full, overwhelmed, hormonal tears that mixed with the shower water as she stood there, one hand braced against the tile wall like she needed it to stay upright.
“I just wanted one thing to go right,” she mumbled, voice breaking completely now.
By the time she got out of the shower, wrapped in a towel with her damp hair clinging to her shoulders, her face was flushed and puffy from crying.
She moved more slowly now, like everything felt heavier, pulling on an oversized tshirt and soft shorts, not even caring about the routine she had planned anymore.
She just wanted to crawl into bed.
That’s exactly where she was, sitting on the edge, staring blankly at nothing when she heard the front door open downstairs.
Then the familiar sound of keys hitting the counter.
Footsteps.
Colston.
“Baby?” his voice called out, warm and easy like always.
She didn’t answer right away, and that alone made him pause.
He knew her too well.
A second later, his footsteps were coming up the stairs, quicker now, more intentional. The door pushed open gently, and there he was, fresh from the facility, still in his workout clothes, hoodie slightly damp at the collar, hair a little messy from whatever drills they had him doing.
And the moment his eyes landed on her everything about him softened.
“Hey…” he said quietly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.
She tried to speak, really she did, but her lips just trembled instead, and that was all it took.
Colston crossed the room in a few quick strides, crouching down in front of her where she sat on the bed, his hands coming up to gently hold her arms.
“What happened?” he asked softly, searching her face.
And that was it.
The tears started all over again.
“It’s just..today was so bad,” she choked out, voice uneven, “and I tried to like… reset, I tried to feel better, and then-” she let out a frustrated little laugh through her tears, “of course my period starts in the middle of everything and I just-”
Her words fell apart again as she shook her head, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand.
“I just feel gross and tired and...”
She didn’t get to finish.
Because Colston gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her from wiping her face again, and leaned in just enough to make sure she was looking at him.
His expression was so steady it almost grounded her immediately.
“Baby,” he said softly, thumb brushing under her eye to catch a tear before it could fall, “I don’t need any of this.”
His voice dropped just a little, firm in the gentlest way.
“I just need you. Got it, my love?”
She blinked at him, tears still clinging to her lashes, caught off guard by how simple he made it sound.
Like all the pressure she’d put on herself didn’t even exist to him.
Like none of it mattered.
Her lip wobbled again, but this time it wasn’t from frustration, it was from relief.
He gave her a small smile, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead, lingering there for a second before pulling back.
Then, like he was switching gears completely, he tilted his head slightly.
“You wanna do me a favor?” he asked.
She sniffled, nodding a little.
“Go downstairs,” he said gently, brushing a piece of damp hair behind her ear, “find one of those reality shows you love, one of the messy ones too, I know you got favorites.”
A tiny, watery laugh slipped out of her.
He smiled at that.
“I’ll be down in ten minutes,” he continued, standing up and tugging his hoodie over his head, tossing it aside, “gotta shower real quick.”
He glanced back at her, softer again.
“And you can order whatever you want for dinner. Anything.”
There was a pause, just a second, before he added “I mean it. Don’t think about it.”
She nodded again, this time a little more steady, the weight on her chest easing just enough for her to breathe properly.
“Okay,” she murmured.
Colston leaned down one more time, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Good girl,” he said quietly, almost absentminded, before heading toward the bathroom.
Downstairs, the house felt quieter in a way that wrapped around Y/N like a blanket. The lights were dimmed just enough to be soft on her eyes, and the massive couch that Colston had insisted on sat in the center of the living room like it owned the space.
She had protested when he first picked it out.
Said it was too big, too extra, that no one needed that much couch.
And he had just looked at her, all 6’6 of him, and went, “Baby.. I physically do.”
Now, curled up in one corner with a blanket thrown over her legs, she couldn’t even argue anymore. It was perfect.
The TV glowed with one of her favorite reality shows, something chaotic and dramatic and completely unserious, and she half-watched it while scrolling through food options on her phone.
Her eyes were still a little puffy, her energy low, but there was a softness settling in now. She ordered something easy. Comfort food. Something warm.
And then she waited.
Upstairs, she could faintly hear the shower running, and for a moment, she just let herself exist in that space. No pressure. No expectations. Just… waiting for him.
By the time the shower shut off and his footsteps came down the stairs, her body had already started to sink deeper into the couch, her head resting against the cushion as the show played in the background.
“Smells like you ordered already,” his voice came, low and familiar.
She turned her head slightly, and there he was fresh out the shower, hair damp, wearing a loose shirt and sweats that sat low on his hips. Comfortable. Clean. Him.
“Mhm,” she murmured, voice soft, “it’s on the way.”
He walked over without another word, eyes scanning her face like he was checking in without asking, and then he climbed onto the couch behind her, shifting until he had enough space.
It didn’t take long before he was pulling her gently back into him.
“C’mere,” he murmured.
She went easily.
Her back pressed into his chest, his arm sliding around her waist, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.
His legs stretched out behind hers, long enough that they still fit perfectly on the couch he’d argued for, one hand rested on her stomach, warm and steady.
The other came up to tuck the blanket around her a little tighter.
And just like that she melted.
A quiet exhale left her lips as she settled into him, her head tilting back just slightly so it rested under his chin.
“You comfy?” he asked softly.
She nodded, eyes already getting heavier.
“Yeah…”
He pressed a small kiss to the side of her head, lingering there for a second.
“Good.”
They stayed like that while the show played with his thumb absentmindedly tracing slow, soothing patterns against her arm, her breathing gradually evening out as the tension from the day finally started to leave her body.
The doorbell rang not too long after, and he groaned quietly.
“Don’t move,” he muttered against her hair.
She didn’t even have the energy to respond, just making a small sound as he carefully slid out from behind her.
He was quick, grabbing the food, thanking the driver, setting everything up on the coffee table before coming right back to her like it was second nature.
“Sit up for me, baby,” he said gently, helping her shift just enough so she could eat.
She tried.
She really did.
But she was already halfway gone.
Her movements were slow, sleepy, her eyes barely staying open as she picked at her food. Colston watched her quietly, a small smile tugging at his lips as he handed her napkins, opening containers, doing the little things without saying much.
“Eat a little more,” he murmured at one point.
She blinked at him, dazed, and took another bite just because he asked.
“Good,” he said softly.
She didn’t last long.
A few more bites, a few more slow blinks, and then her head started nodding slightly, her body leaning unconsciously toward him again.
“Alright,” he chuckled under his breath, taking the container from her hands before she could drop it, “that’s enough.”
He set everything aside and pulled her back into him, guiding her gently until she was tucked against his chest again, the blanket pulled back up over both of them.
This time, she didn’t even try to stay awake.
Her body relaxed completely the moment she felt him behind her again, his arm wrapping securely around her middle, pulling her close like he wasn’t letting her go anywhere.
“Col…” she mumbled softly, barely audible.
“Yeah, baby?”
A pause.
“I’m sleepy…”
He smiled against her hair, pressing a soft kiss there.
“I know.”
Another small pause.
“..thank you.”
His grip tightened just a little, not enough to wake her, just enough to reassure.
“Always.”
Within seconds, her breathing slowed, evening out into something soft and steady as she drifted off completely, tucked into him like she belonged there.
And Colston?
He didn’t move.
Didn’t reach for his phone, didn’t turn the TV up, nothing.
He just stayed there, arm wrapped around her, chin resting lightly against her head, listening to her breathe.
Every now and then, his thumb would move again, tracing slow patterns against her side like he needed the reminder she was right there.
background: what you've all been waiting for....when y/n and colston find out that they're expecting during colston's last year of college, whats next?
(all pics from pinterest, all rights reserved)
word count: 3.7k..
notes: this is a blurb apart of this series :) first colston fic in awhile, literally pulled this shit out my ASS, between trying to chase a education and me being out more with my family & significant others, i am drained when it comes to writing sometimes, so ty to everyone who waited. i will double upload later tonight (most likely not). also note that dalia and colston do share a birthday BUT i decided to scrap colstons out for the sake of dalia.
warning: fluff..
It started loud.
“Maaa..ma!!”
Her voice echoed down the hallway, high-pitched, determined, and way too awake for how early it felt.
The sun had barely settled into the house, light just starting to spill through the windows, but Dalia was already up like she had somewhere important to be.
She stood in the middle of the hallway in her little pajamas, curls slightly flattened on one side from sleep, the rest puffed out in every direction. Her eyes were wide, alert, full of purpose.
“Mama! Up!” she called again, louder this time.
Y/N stirred in the bedroom down the hall, eyes barely opening as she registered the sound.
“..she’s up,” she mumbled into the pillow.
But Dalia wasn’t waiting.
Not today.
She turned, tiny feet padding against the hardwood as she made her way toward the stairs, gripping the railing like she had done a hundred times before.
Because she had.
Carefully.
One step.
Then another.
She climbed down with focus, wobbling slightly with each step but steady enough now that it didn’t scare anyone like it used to.
“Down,” she muttered to herself.
Then, when she reached the bottom, she paused.
Looked around.
And then she took off.
Fast.
Well..toddler fast.
Her little feet picked up speed as she waddled down the hallway, arms slightly out for balance, her body bouncing with every step.
“Dada!” she yelled.
She knew exactly where she was going.
The bedroom door at the end of the hall.
Closed.
But that didn’t matter.
She reached it and immediately started slapping it.
Smack. Smack.
“DADA! OPEN!”
Inside, Colston shifted slightly in bed, eyes still closed.
What the..”
Smack.
“DADA!”
He let out a low groan, dragging a hand over his face. “Man…”
Y/N sat up slowly beside him, already laughing under her breath. “She’s not playing today.”
“Clearly,” he muttered.
Another smack hit the door.
“OPEN! DADA!”
Colston shook his head, pushing himself up. “Alright, alright-”
He swung his legs off the bed, walking over as the banging continued.
The second he opened the door, Dalia stumbled forward slightly, catching herself just in time before looking up at him like she had just been waiting her whole life for that moment.
“Dada!” she said again, this time proud.
Colston blinked down at her, still waking up.
“…you breaking doors down now?” he asked.
She smiled.
Big.
Then immediately reached for him.
“Up.”
Y/N leaned against the headboard, watching the whole thing, shaking her head.
“She's been calling me first,” she said.
Dalia glanced back at her for half a second.
“Mama… come,” she added quickly, as she remembered.
Then turned right back to Colston.
“Up.”
He laughed, bending down to pick her up, settling her easily on his hip.
“You're bossing everybody around already,” he muttered.
She babbled something back, pointing down the hallway like she had a plan.
“Go.”
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Go!” she repeated.
Y/N slid out of bed slowly, stretching as she walked toward them.
“Today’s your day, huh?” she said softly.
Dalia looked between them.
Then clapped.
“Party!”
Both of them paused.
Then looked at each other.
Colston smirked slightly. “Yeah, she knows.”
Y/N laughed, stepping closer, brushing her hand gently over Dalia’s curls.
“You ready for your party?” she asked.
Dalia nodded aggressively.
“Yeah!”
And just like that, the day was centered around her.
Exactly how she wanted it.
By the time the clock crept closer to party time, the house had officially crossed over from busy… to chaos.
People were arriving early. Voices filled the downstairs. Doors opening and closing. Music testing in the background. The backyard is nearly perfect, half of it still being adjusted.
And upstairs, Y/N was in full survival mode.
“Come here,” she said, scooping Dalia up and setting her on the bed.
Dalia immediately tried to crawl away.
“Nope,” Y/N said, catching her quickly. “We’re not doing that.”
The outfit was already laid out, being soft, pretty, perfectly themed to her day, and Y/N moved fast, slipping it onto her while Dalia wiggled like she had somewhere better to be.
“Mama, no,” Dalia protested, kicking her legs slightly.
“Yes,” Y/N replied, not even pausing. “We have things to do today.”
The dress went on.
Shoes followed.
Dalia pouted.
But it was manageable.
Until the hair.
Y/N paused for half a second, already knowing what was coming.
“Don’t start,” she muttered under her breath.
She grabbed the brush.
And the moment it touched Dalia’s head, all hell broke loose.
“AHHHH!”
Dalia screamed like she was being harmed in ways that didn’t exist, twisting, grabbing at Y/N’s hand, trying to escape.
“I know, I know,” Y/N said quickly, trying to part her hair with precision and speed. “We gotta do it.”
“NOOOO!”
Dalia kicked her legs, tears forming instantly, voice loud enough to echo down the hallway.
Y/N’s patience being already thin snapped just a little.
“I don’t have time for this today, Dal,” she said firmly.
The shift was immediate.
Dalia froze.
Like something clicked.
Her cries stopped mid-breath.
She blinked up at her mom.
Y/N didn’t even question it.
She just worked faster with parting, smoothing, styling with practiced hands, finishing the look clean and neat.
“There,” she said, stepping back slightly. “Done.”
Dalia sat there.
Quiet.
Processing.
Then blinked again.
Like she had decided… okay.
Y/N exhaled softly.
“Good,” she muttered.
A knock came at the door, his mom Rachel.
“Y’all need help?” she asked gently.
Y/N didn’t hesitate.
“Yes,” she said immediately, lifting Dalia into her arms and passing her over. “Please take her before I lose my mind.”
Rachel laughed softly, taking Dalia with ease. “I got her.”
Dalia leaned into her, calm now, completely fine again like nothing had happened.
“Mama busy,” Rachel told her softly as they walked out.
“Busy,” Dalia repeated.
Y/N watched them go for half a second.
Then turned.
Because she still wasn’t ready.
The room was a blur of movement.
Makeup. Hair. Outfit.
She moved fast, adjusting everything, fixing her blouse, checking herself quickly in the mirror.
Her stomach felt tight.
Uncomfortable.
Bloated.
She pressed her hand there briefly, frowning.
“not today..,” she muttered again.
She grabbed her lip gloss, finishing up just as the sounds downstairs got louder.
Everything was happening.
Now.
When she stepped out into the hallway, Colston had just walked in through the front door.
And the second he saw her, he stopped in his tracks.
Just slightly.
“Well,” he said, looking her up and down. “You look hot.”
Before she could react, smack.
His hand landed lightly against her butt as he passed.
Y/N stopped walking immediately.
“..Colston,” she said.
He turned back, smirking slightly. “What?”
She looked at him.
Tired.
Overstimulated.
And not in the mood.
“I’m not in the mood,” she said plainly. “I’m bloated as hell and I’m late on my period.”
The smirk dropped instantly.
“oh..,” he said.
Y/N sighed, brushing past him, already heading downstairs.
“I don’t have time for you right now,” she added.
Colston stood there for a second, watching her go.
Then nodded slowly.
“Okay,” he muttered as he now he saw it.
The pressure.
Everything she had been carrying all morning.
And downstairs the party was already starting, Whether she was ready or not.
By the time everything was in motion, the backyard looked exactly how Y/N had imagined it.
Balloons swayed gently in the breeze, tables lined with decorations she had adjusted ten different times, food laid out neatly, music playing just loud enough to keep the energy up without drowning out conversation.
From the outside it looked like everything had come together naturally.
But Y/N, she felt like she was running on fumes.
Still, she smiled.
Because she had to.
Because the second Dalia stepped into the backyard and saw everything her entire face lit up.
“Party!” she yelled, clapping her hands, spinning in a small circle like she couldn’t even contain it. And just like that Y/N forced the smile to stay, because this wasn’t about her at all.
Dalia ran..well, waddled fast from person to person, showing off her outfit and her hair..
“Mama look!” she kept calling, even when Y/N was already watching.
“I see you,” Y/N said softly every time, voice warm, smile still in place.
Inside?
Her stomach twisted.
The heat didn’t help.
For April in Chicago, it was unusually warm, sun sitting heavy in the sky, no real breeze, the kind of warmth that clung to your skin and made everything feel just a little harder.
Y/N pressed her hand briefly against her stomach when no one was looking.
Dalia barely sat still long enough to eat, more interested in everything happening around her than the food in front of her.
Colston stayed close, helping where he could, picking Dalia up when she wandered too far, keeping the energy light.
“You good?” he asked Y/N at one point, low enough so only she could hear.
“I’m fine,” she said automatically.
He looked at her for a second longer.
Then nodded.
Because it wasn’t the moment.
The table cleared slightly, everyone gathering around, phones already out.
Dalia stood in front of her cake, eyes wide.
Locked in.
Because she remembered.
She knew what this was.
“Cake,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Y/N said softly, crouching beside her.
The candles were lit.
The singing started.
Voices loud, off-key, full of love.
Dalia clapped along, bouncing slightly, completely in her element.
But the second the candles went out she moved.
Fast.
Tiny hand shooting forward toward the cake like she had one goal in mind.
Y/N caught it instantly.
“Absolutely not,” she said, firm but still smiling.
Dalia blinked, confused, trying again.
“No,” Y/N repeated, gently pulling her hand back.
Colston laughed lightly beside them.
“Lighten up a little,” he said.
Y/N didn’t even look at him.
Didn’t respond.
Because right now, she didn’t have the energy.
Instead, she leaned closer to Dalia, her smile still perfectly in place for everyone watching.
“Wait,” she whispered softly into her ear. “You're gonna get some cake first, just not like that.”
Dalia blinked up at her, processing.
Then nodded slightly.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
Y/N kissed her cheek, still smiling outwardly.
But inside her stomach churned again.
The heat pressed down harder.
She stood slowly, adjusting her posture, ignoring the way her head felt just a little too light.
Ignoring Colston’s glance and everything except what mattered.
Dalia.. being happy.
Surrounded by people who loved her.
Y/N kept the smile on.
Kept moving.
Kept hosting.
Because even if she felt like she might collapse everything was finally perfect, and she wasn’t going to let anything take that away from her daughter.
When it was time for pictures, the backyard shifted again.
“Okay, everybody over here!” someone called.
Colston had Dalia on his hip, her attention already drifting between the camera and the frosting still on her fingers. She kept pointing at random people, laughing, completely unaware that this moment was supposed to be structured.
Y/N stood nearby for a second.
Smiling.
Nodding.
But the longer she stood there the worse it got inside.
Her throat tightened, a wave of nausea hitting her so fast it made her blink hard, her smile faltering for half a second.
“Hold on,” she murmured under her breath.
No one caught it.
Everyone was too busy.
“Colston, come closer..Dalia, look here!” the photographer called.
Y/N turned.
Fast.
And walked.
Then hurried.
Then she was running.
Inside, the house was quiet compared to the backyard.
Too quiet.
Her heels clicked unevenly against the floor as she rushed down the hallway, one hand pressed tightly to her mouth now, the other gripping the wall for balance.
“Please-” she whispered under her breath.
She barely made it.
The bathroom door slammed shut behind her as she dropped to her knees, grabbing onto the edge of the toilet just in time.
And then she threw up hard.
Her whole body tensed, shoulders shaking as it came in waves, her breath catching between each one. It wasn’t quick.
It wasn’t controlled.
It was bad.
“God-” she gasped softly, coughing slightly, trying to catch her breath.
But it didn’t stop.
Another wave hit almost immediately, her grip tightening as she leaned forward again, her entire body reacting like it had no choice.
Tears blurred her vision.
Her head spun.
And she just stayed there.
The pictures kept going in the backyard.
“Alright, now just family!” someone called.
Colston adjusted Dalia slightly, still smiling, still playing along, unaware.
Dalia clapped again, pointing at the camera.
“Cheese!” someone yelled.
“Cheese!” Dalia echoed, proud.
The moment kept moving.
Without her.
Except Rachel.
She noticed.
Because she always did and her eyes scanned the group once.
Then again and saw that Y/N wasn’t there.
Rachel’s expression shifted slightly, subtle but immediate.
She leaned toward Cayden quietly.
“Take over for me,” she said, nodding toward the camera. “Make sure she’s in some of the pictures later for instagram.”
Cayden glanced at her, then nodded. “I got it.”
Rachel didn’t waste another second.
She turned and walked toward the house.
Inside, the hallway was quiet.
Too quiet.
Rachel followed instinct, moving quickly but calmly, her hand already reaching for the first bathroom door she passed.
Locked.
She knocked lightly.
“Y/N?” she called softly.
No answer.
But then a sound.
Faint.
From further down.
Rachel moved again, opening the next door and there she was.
On the floor.
Still leaned over.
Still shaking slightly.
Rachel’s face softened instantly.
“Oh, baby,” she said, stepping in quickly, closing the door behind her.
Y/N barely looked up, wiping her mouth weakly, her breathing uneven.
“I-” she started, but stopped, another small wave hitting her.
Rachel moved without hesitation, kneeling down beside her, gently pulling her hair back with one hand, the other rubbing slow circles along her back.
“It’s okay,” Rachel murmured. “I got you.”
Y/N shook her head slightly, voice low, embarrassed, exhausted.
“I didn’t even make it out there,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry about that,” Rachel said softly. “They're taking pictures. Cayden’s handling it.”
Y/N closed her eyes briefly, her body still trying to recover, her stomach not fully settled yet.
“I feel awful,” she admitted.
“It’s alright,” she said again. “Just breathe.”
Y/N stopped pushing it back.
She just sat there.
Letting someone else take care of her for a second.
While outside the party went on.
Unaware.
But inside everything slowed down.
Exactly where she needed it to.
The bathroom stayed quiet except for the faint sounds of the party outside full of laughter, music, people calling out for pictures, but inside, it felt like a completely different world.
Y/N sat back slightly now, her body still weak, one hand resting against her stomach as she tried to steady her breathing. Rachel stayed beside her, calm, grounded, her hand still moving gently along Y/N’s back in slow, reassuring circles.
“You’re okay,” Rachel murmured softly.
Y/N nodded faintly, but her face said otherwise.
“I feel… off,” she admitted, voice low, almost like she didn’t want to fully say it out loud.
Rachel tilted her head slightly, studying her more closely now. “Off how?”
Y/N hesitated.
Her fingers tightened slightly against her leg.
Then she exhaled slowly.
“I’m late,” she said quietly.
Rachel didn’t interrupt.
Just listened.
Y/N swallowed, her voice dropping even more. “On my period. I’m late.”
The words sat there for a second.
Heavy.
Real.
“And I didn’t say anything,” Y/N continued, shaking her head slightly. “Everything’s been so… busy. With Dalia, with him, with everything. He’s always moving, always gone or focused on something and I just..” she paused, pressing her lips together. “I didn’t want to add anything else.”
Rachel’s expression softened even more.
Not surprised.
Not judgmental.
Just understanding.
“You been carrying that by yourself?” she asked gently.
Y/N nodded.
“Yeah.”
A quiet moment passed between them.
Then Rachel slowly stood up, glancing around the bathroom.
“Hold on,” she said softly.
She moved toward the cabinets, opening one, then another one carefully, not intrusive, just… looking.
Y/N blinked, watching her.
“What are you-”
Rachel paused.
Then reached in.
Pulled something out.
A small box.
She turned back around, holding it out.
“A spare?” she asked lightly.
Y/N’s eyes dropped to it.
A pregnancy test.
She froze for a second.
“I forgot that was in there,” she admitted quietly.
Rachel stepped closer, placing it gently in her hand.
“Then let’s not sit here guessing,” she said.
Y/N stared at it.
Her fingers tightening around the box.
Rachel didn’t rush her.
Didn’t pressure her.
She just gave her a small, steady look.
“I’ll step out,” Rachel added softly. “Take your time.”
Y/N nodded slowly, still looking down at it.
“…okay.”
Rachel gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before turning and heading toward the door.
But before she left she paused then looked back once.
“You don’t have to do everything alone,” she said quietly.
Then she stepped out.
Outside, the party was still going.
Cameras flashing.
Colston stood near the table, Dalia in his arms again, talking to a few people while she pointed at something across the yard, completely distracted.
Rachel walked up to him calmly.
He glanced at her. “You good?”
She nodded once.
Then said, simply, “Y/N needs you in the bathroom.”
Colston’s expression shifted immediately.
The smile dropped.
Concern replacing it just as fast.
“What?” he asked, already adjusting his hold on Dalia.
“She’s inside,” Rachel said gently. “Go.”
He didn’t ask anything else.
Didn’t hesitate.
He passed Dalia off to Cayden quickly.
“Hold her,” he said.
Then he was already moving.
Walking fast toward the house.
Colston didn’t slow down once he stepped inside.
The noise of the party dulled behind him as he moved quickly down the hallway, his mind already racing through possibilities. Y/N didn’t just leave like that, especially not today.
He reached the bathroom door.
Paused just long enough to knock.
“Y/N?” he called, voice lower now, controlled but urgent.
“Come in.”
He pushed the door open gently.
And the first thing he saw was her sitting on the edge of the tub, quietly.
And in her hand a test.
He stepped in, closing the door behind him softly.
“What’s going on?” he asked, already moving closer.
Y/N didn’t answer right away.
She just looked at him.
Eyes wide.
Still processing.
Then slowly she lifted her hand.
Showing him.
Colston’s gaze dropped.
Focused.
And for a second everything else disappeared.
“..oh,” he said under his breath.
Because it was clear.
No guessing.
No confusion.
Positive.
He looked back up at her.
She hadn’t moved.
Hadn’t said anything.
Just sat there like she didn’t know what to do with the information sitting in her hand.
“I didn’t know how to tell you,” she said finally, her voice quiet, almost fragile. “I didn’t even know if I was-”
She stopped.
Swallowed.
“I’ve been late,” she admitted. “And then today I just felt so sick and I-” her voice cracked slightly. “I didn’t want to say anything until I knew.”
Colston didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t react big.
Didn’t panic.
He just stepped closer.
Slow.
Steady.
Then crouched in front of her.
“Hey,” he said softly.
Her eyes flickered up to his.
“I’m not mad,” he added immediately.
That landed first.
Because she needed to hear that.
Her shoulders dropped just slightly.
“I just-” she started again, shaking her head. “Everything’s been so much and I didn’t want to add-”
“You not adding nothing,” he cut in gently.
She blinked at him.
“You hear me?” he said, a little firmer now, but still calm. “You don’t gotta carry that by yourself.”
Her eyes filled slightly, but she nodded.
He reached out, taking the test from her hand for a second, looking at it again, like he needed to see it twice.
Then he exhaled slowly.
“…okay,” he murmured.
Not overwhelmed.
Not shut down.
Just… taking it in.
He set it gently on the counter.
Then looked back at her.
“How you feel?” he asked.
She let out a shaky breath. “Scared.”
He nodded once.
“That’s fair,” he said.
A small pause.
“We're good though,” he added quietly.
Her eyes searched his face.
“…we are?” she asked.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah,” he said. “We good.”
Something in her softened.
Just a little.
Enough.
He reached up, brushing a strand of hair back from her face, his thumb lingering there for a second.
“You okay to go back out?” he asked.
She hesitated.
Then nodded slowly. “Yeah… I think so.”
He stood, offering his hand.
“Come on,” he said.
She took it.
Let him help her up.
And for a second she leaned into him.
He steadied her without question.
No words.
Just presence.
When they stepped back outside, the noise returned immediately.
Music.
Laughter.
People still moving, still celebrating like nothing had changed, because to them nothing even happened..
But to Y/N and Colston?
Everything felt just a little different now.
He kept his hand at her back as they walked out, grounding, steady.
“You ready?” he murmured.
She nodded, taking a small breath.
“Yeah.”
Across the yard Dalia spotted them instantly.
“Mama! Dada!” she yelled, clapping.
And just like that the moment shifted again.
Y/N smiled.
This time, a little more real.
Because even with everything she had just found out, her daughter still mattered.
They walked back toward the group, slipping into place.
“Alright, we need mom in this one!” someone called.
“There she is!” another voice added.
Colston stood beside her, one arm naturally wrapping around her waist as Dalia was placed between them.
“Look here!” the photographer said.
Dalia pointed at the camera again.
“Cheese!”
Y/N laughed softly.
Colston glanced down at her for half a second.
Then back at the camera.
And for the first time since walking back out they both smiled.
Together.
Like they always did even when everything was changing for the better.
ynloveland
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@/ynloveland: my baby is 2 🤍🎀
i don’t even know where to start because it feels like i just met you yesterday and was crying over you and at the same time it feels like you’ve been my whole life forever.
from the moment i brought you into this world, everything changed. i didn’t know what i was doing, i was scared, i was tired, but i knew one thing for sure. i was going to love you with everything in me. these past two years haven’t been perfect, but they’ve been real. late nights, early mornings, learning you while learning myself. growing together. figuring it out together.
you made me stronger in ways i didn’t think i could be. you made your dad softer in ways i didn’t think he could be 😭
watching you become your own little person with the biggest personality, the loudest voice, and the funniest attitude… yeah, you're definitely your daddy’s child with no dna test needed.
you love your dada BAD 😭 and you got his whole face and his big head but i’ll let him have that one.
but you’re my baby first. always.
happy 2nd birthday dalia loveland 🤍
mama loves you more than anything in this world.
@_colstonloveland_: my girls forever 🤍, i love y’all more than anything.
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_colstonloveland_
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@/_colstonloveland_ : my mini me turned 2 when i turned 22. i knew she was gonna be just like me from the start even though i was the most nervous dad ever… same face, same attitude, same stubbornness, and yes, she's already bougie and spoiled, already running everything, already got me wrapped around her finger and she's only 2.
we gave her a party she deserved this weekend and she loved every second of it.
happy birthday baby girl 🤍
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