on here i'll post fics for multiple fandoms, AUs, and whatever else im feeling! …this ends up being a lot of niche characters lol (tangerine my beloved<3)
if you want to send in a request, go ahead :) i love reading/answering asks and just chatting about whatever!
i generally only write character x readers with gn!reader or fem!reader. i also try my best to not include physical descriptions for reader and if there is any specific description used for a fic it should be tagged in the notes section of the post!
enjoy<3
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guys sorry for not posting in so long, these past few weeks have been ROUGH ☝️😔
i feel like i’ve been hit with the ao3 curse aND YET I HAVENT EVEN POSTED ANY OF MY FICS ON THERE (yet 👀)
anyways, unfortunately i don’t know when the requests in my inbox will be completed 😔 im hoping soon, but i’ve got a lot going on with my family right now and that takes priority for the moment
hiii, i just have a quick question. i was wondering when you’ll be getting to the requests? absolutely no rush whatsoever and i hope everything is okay❤️🩹 wish you well and i can’t wait to read your next work!! :))
heyo! sorry, yeah, i’ve just been a little busy but im all good!
i have a decent amount of requests that i will get around to☝️😔 i just haven’t had a lot of time to write recently. im planning to write through chronologically as to who’s sent in reqs when (& also i love the requests you’ve sent in and am excited to write them when i get a chance!!)
hoping to get around to them soon!! sorry for being so inactive on this blog and thank you for the well wishes<3
PSA to the people who currently have requests in my inbox: sorry i’ve been neglecting writing them ☝️😔
there’s some really good reqs that im excited to write!! but i’ve just been focusing on a few of my ongoing series first✨
THANK YOU again for sending them in bc i’ve been reading them and im like “ooooh im so excited to write this!!🥰” and im hoping to get around to writing them soon<3
★ summary: after finding yourself wrapped up in the world of hitmen, you slowly find yourself falling for one
★ notes: fem!reader, civillian!reader, bisexual!tangerine mention👀, accidental snuggling, mutual pining, you go to the bar & play pool :), smut, they're both intoxicated but not like drunk or anything, p in v, unprotected sex, (somewhat) innocent!reader, reader's a lil insecure
★ cw(s): alcohol / drinking, smut, 18+ MDNI !
★ wc: 4k words
★ author’s note: alright this is my first time actually writing smut so fingers crossed this is half decent (lmao). hoping to have part 3 out soon! enjoy<3
[CHAPTER ONE] ★ TANGERINE MASTERLIST
─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──
The next morning, you wake up in a tangle of limbs. Your eyes gently flutter open as you sense the morning sunlight and you slowly start to register the world around you. You’re quick to realize that somehow in the middle of the night your arms found their way around Tangerine, cheek brushing close to his chest.
“Shit…” you murmur and gently attempt to pull yourself away. A flush of heat rushes to your cheeks, feeling embarrassed from snuggling up to him.
Tangerine blinks his eyes open, clearly still a bit tired but awake and aware enough to speak. “Morning, sweetheart…” The tone of his voice is rough with sleep. “Didn’t realize you were such a cuddler.”
“Sorry…sorry, I didn’t mean…” you sit up a bit beside him, trying to detach yourself. “I usually curl up with my pillow, and I guess I was just so exhausted that my brain thought…” You groan softly and shake your head. “Sorry.”
He laughs softly at your excuses and runs a hand through his unruly curls. “Darlin’ I’m not sure what you’re apologizing for. I sure as hell ain’t complaining about waking up with a pretty thing like you wrapped ‘round me all night.”
Your cheeks warm slightly, even if you suspect he’s just messing with you. You decide instead to change the subject. “How’s your neck feeling?”
A bit thrown off by your concern, Tangerine moves his hand from his hair to the bandage on his neck and traces the edges.
“Sore.” He shrugs gently, “Itches a bit. Been through worse though.”
“We can change the bandages out in a little while,” you suggest. “Might help with the itching.” You smile softly back at him in an attempt to ease any tension before leaning over to grab your phone from the nightstand.
“What time is it, anyway?” He asks with a yawn.
“Uh, almost ten.”
“Mm,” he rubs his head into the pillow beneath it. “Guess I slept longer than I usually would’ve.”
“Probably a good thing considering…” Your eyes glance over to his neck.
“Yeah…maybe.” He huffs a small laugh as he notices your eyes trailing back to the device in your hand. There’s a brief lull as you tap on the phone screen and he considers that maybe, just maybe, you’ve finally elected to ignore him.
“You plan on doing that all day, love?”
Your eyes peak up at the comment. “Oh, uh, sorry. I’m just working on cancelling things. Flights and hotels.”
“Oh,” his eyes soften as he watches you. “When was your return flight scheduled?”
“In a few days,” you reply and explain. “But since I’ve decided I’d rather make sure you actually heal up, I won’t really be needing it.”
“Well, that’s very generous of you, but you shouldn’t let me ruin your trip.”
“Who said anything about ruining my trip?” you smile back politely. “It’s fine.”
Tangerine seems doubtful as he glances back. “I’m serious. You deserve a proper vacation, not some bloody nanny gig in its stead.”
You laugh softly back. “I’d say I’m more like your nurse.”
“That makes it worse, you do realize that, right?”
You roll your eyes right back and move to get up from the bed. Tangerine sighs softly as he watches you head to the ensuite bathroom.
“I’m getting dressed, then we’ll replace those bandages, okay?” You call back before closing the door behind you.
Tangerine listens to the sound of water coming from the shower and rolls over, cramming a pillow over his head.
— ★ —
Most of the day is spent in the confines of the suite. You help Tangerine with his bandages with little to no issue (a few obscenities shared, but that’s to be expected with him). He drags his feet but eventually gets dressed. Lemon comes by to check in with the both of you around midday, but the visit is fairly brief.
Tangerine’s brother does however take the opportunity to have a grand laugh at the discovery that you two got stuck in the couple’s suite.
“No, fuckin’ way.” He practically doubles over in a fit of laughter. “Ladybug, really thought that?”
Tangerine stares back with a scowl on his face, arms crossed. “Yeah, I know, bloody hilarious.” He nods along with a sarcastic tone.
Lemon wipes a tear from his eye and glances over to you. “You know, you could do a lot better than this tosser, right?”
Before you can get a word in, Tangerine whines. “Hey, wanker! I’m right ‘ere.”
“And am I wrong?” Lemon smiles back.
“Yeah, far off the bloody mark. I’m plenty fit.”
A small snort escapes Lemon. Tangerine shoves him a bit.
“I’m serious. I’ve pulled plenty of fit birds, and blokes for that matter too, alright?”
You decide it’s best to stay out of the argument and let the two of them squabble on their own for a little while longer.
After one too many jabs from his brother, Tangerine shoves Lemon out on his way and the two of you spend the rest of the day sitting on the bed, watching trashy tv and munching on the snacks from the kitchenette.
Sooner or later, the sun slowly starts to set, and you glance at your phone to see it’s close to 5 o’clock.
“Hey, Tan?”
He glances over attentively. “Yeah, love?”
“We should probably get dinner soon, right?” you mention as you sit up a bit on the bed.
He follows suit, hand reaching for the menu on the tableside. “Yeah, I can call in some room service.”
“Actually,” you smile back. “I spied a bar downstairs when we checked in that might be good to try.”
Tangerine eyes you and gives a small smile. “You fancy a drink?”
“Perhaps.”
— ★ —
The bar is fairly sparse when the two of you get there, the early evening crowd small. There’s a few spare patrons sitting in a booth, one or two sitting at the bar itself, but nothing too busy. The space is fairly nice, somewhat upscale like the hotel’s style but still dimly lit and cozy.
Tangerine guides you, a careful hand on your lower back as he leads you to a set of barstools. Once you’re settled, he drops into the seat beside you and flags down the bartender. “What’re you thinking, sweetheart?”
You hum softly and answer back, “I guess I’ll start with a rum and coke.”
He nods back in acknowledgement before turning to the bartender. “A rum and coke for the lady, and I’ll have a beer. Whatever you got on tap, I ain’t picky.”
The bartender walks off to prepare the drinks and Tangerine’s gaze falls easily back to you. He lets out a soft sigh. “Nice and quiet in here,” he says.
“Yeah,” you smile and nod politely back.
Tangerine glances around the bar in an attempt to find something to talk about. “You…come to places like this often?”
“Kyoto hotel bars?” You giggle and tease back.
He just smirks back and grumbles playfully. “No, I’m asking if you fancy a pub time to time.”
You hum and find an answer. “I guess.”
“Yeah?” Tangerine eyes you curiously. There’s a hint of nervousness in his expression, nearly imperceptible. “You, uh, got a bloke at home taking you out often or…”
There’s a silent question in his comment and you watch as he swallows just a bit.
“No,” you giggle softly back. “Nothing like that.”
The tension in his shoulders loosens just a bit.
The bartender returns soon after and sets the drinks down in front of the two of you. Tangerine nods in thanks and there’s a brief lull as you each take sips from your respective glasses.
It’s your turn to struggle through finding something to say. “So what about you?”
“What about me?” Tangerine smiles back as he sets down his glass on the countertop.
“Do you go out to bars like this often?” You ask softly.
He hums a moment, “Well, for work, I guess. Good meeting spot, or to unwind after a job.”
“What about outside of work?”
“You mean like for pleasure?” He smirks.
You nod innocently back.
“Every once and a while, I guess,” he replies, eyes glancing past you to the back of the bar.
You sip on your drink and let the comfortable silence ruminate for a moment. There’s this odd feeling between the two of you that’s been there since this morning, since you woke up in his arms. Sure, at the time it was embarrassing but slowly through the day, as you tended to his wound and laid with him watching cheesy movies and laughed with him at the ridiculous dialogue, some strange sense of comfort had grown between you two.
If you were being completely honest, it started all the way back on that stupid bullet train, when you had silently entrusted him to keep you safe through the chaos. And it’s followed you all the way here to this dimly lit bar, the feeling resonating in your chest as you observe the way the yellow-tinted lights reflect in his warm eyes.
The silence persists until Tangerine breaks it by clearing his throat. You're unsure if it’s his attempt at drawing you back to the moment or another attempt to dispel his own nerves.
“You play pool, love?” His eyes drift from the back to your eyes.
You take a moment but give a response soon enough. “I mean, I know how to, sure.”
He shifts a bit, ready to stand from the barstool. “You fancy a game?”
“I don’t know,” you laugh softly. “Can’t exactly guarantee I’m any good.”
Tangerine chuckles and gets up with a small eyeroll. “Come on. I’ll go easy on ya.” Without waiting for a response, he takes his beer off the bartop as he leads you over to the back. The glass gets sat down on an empty table nearby and he picks up a cue stick.
You follow suit, grabbing a cue for yourself.
He just smiles back over when he hears you give a small grumble. “Relax, it’s just a friendly game.”
“What?” you teasingly respond, “Are we not playing for something?”
His smirk widens at your response. “Maybe. Why?” He walks over to stand directly in front of you. “You wanna make a bet?”
“Uh, I don’t know…” you reply, not expecting him to take it somewhat seriously. “What would you wager?”
Tangerine’s eyes glance up to the ceiling, as if assessing his options before he gives an answer.
“How about…if I win, you give me a kiss?”
You look back at him, a bit wide-eyed, but the alcohol helps calm any potential nerves. “And if I win?”
He smiles right back. “Then, you can have anything you want from me, love.”
“I’ll take that bet.”
“Atta girl.”
You roll your eyes a bit and help set up the rack. He has to be joking…
The two of you settle into a game that feels more fun than anything really competitive. He’s clearly more skilled, but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment. You both order more drinks as the game progresses and the night continues on, giggling at each shot and score.
You just barely notice the way Tangerine gets a bit distracted before any shot when your arm brushes against him accidentally. And then there’s the way his smile seems to ever so slightly widen when he hears your small sounds of excitement when you manage to make a good shot.
Eventually, it’s down to Tangerine and the 8 ball– his chance to steal the win. He studies the position of the balls closely and considers his options before calling the pocket.
“Alright, final blow,” he smiles over at you. “All I need’s a clean shot and I win.”
“Or you fail and I sink it on my turn,” you suggest back and finish off your third drink.
He gives a shark scoff. “You’re a cocky little thing.”
His focus moves to line up the shot. A soft breath out, he prepares to hit. With a crack, he shoots the cue ball on its way, it hits the 8 ball with precision and glides across the table. In an instant, the ball flies into the corner pocket.
He wins the game.
“Damn…” you breathe out softly, honestly impressed at his ability. “Good job, I guess.”
Tangerine grins and steps a bit closer. “Thanks, love. You were a pretty good opponent.”
“Don’t lie,” you huff a laugh back. “I’m not any good at this.”
“Yeah…I guess you were kinda shit.”
The two of you giggle a moment, before the sound fades and your eyes meet his. There’s a second of silence before he speaks again.
“Now about that prize…”
Maybe it’s the liquor in your system or the way he’s been staring at you all night, but within seconds, you're stumbling over your steps and leaning into a kiss. It’s messy and impulsive, a bit heated, but none of that matters in the moment, because it feels just right.
One of Tangerine’s hands finds your hip while the other cradles your jaw. His lips move over yours, a soft, almost desperate, noise leaving him as your hands find a place to rest against his chest.
He can feel the steady pace of your heart as he holds you close and dear, letting the action speak for itself. Time seems to stand still (potentially another effect from the alcohol feeding through your veins) as the two of you savor the moment.
But then you both hear the sound of someone clearing their through.
He breaks the kiss, begrudgingly pulling away just long enough for your eyes to flutter open.
Still a bit dazed, you glance over to see the bartender. Tangerine doesn’t seem amused at the interruption.
“The hell do you want?” He says gruffly, his hand still perched on your hip.
The bartender looks between the both of you. “Sorry sir, but I’m going to have to ask you to keep any public displays of affection out of the bar. We’re not that kind of establishment.”
“Didn’t realize we were breaking any rules.” Tangerine bites back, ready to argue further until you interrupt.
“I think what he means is, we’d like to close out our tab.”
— ★ —
The elevator ride back up the room is dead silent.
There’s a strange feeling in the air from the natural interruption. Your pulse is still racing. Tangerine seems a bit flushed too. And yet neither of you have said a word.
This is uncharted territory. A feeling and circumstance neither of you feel ready to address.
The two of you walk down the hall like soldiers, yet still somewhat uncoordinated. Tangerine retrieves a room key from his pocket, letting the two of you in. You both stop near the entrance.
As soon as you enter, your eyes are on him. “So…”
“C’mere.”
Before you can even comprehend, he’s grabbing you gently by the waist again and pulling you in close. Your lips naturally gravitate back to his and eyes flutter shut. He devours your mouth, taking whatever you’ll give him.
A few breathy sounds drift between the two of you as you both give into the moment. His hands move to the back of your waist, slowly starting to push up the hem of your shirt to expose the skin below. The feeling of his fingertips against you is simply electric.
There’s a small whine that he swallows and his hands travel further up until they breach the edge of your bra, skimming over the fabric.
“May I?” Tangerine asks gruffly, pulling back just enough to speak.
His lips hover over yours and you hum back. “Mhm…”
Whether it’s the alcohol or his touch alone that has you so hypnotized is anyone’s guess and he’s in no mood to question it. He pulls your shirt over your head and deposits it to the floor, his hands moving up over your sides as he drinks in the sight. “Christ, you’re gorgeous…”
Hearing the compliment, you smile back.
His hands find the clasp of your bra and unhook it with ease. The straps slide over your shoulders and the garment to joins the pile of clothing gathering on the floor. “Been wanting to do that a while now.” He rasps.
“Oh really now?” you giggle a bit.
“You have no idea, sweetheart,” he murmurs as he helps you with the rest of your clothes. His eyes rake over you as he drinks in every detail like he’s trying to memorize it. “I mean, goddamn, just look at you.”
You roll your eyes a bit, an amused laughter following. “Okay, stop it…”
Tangerine shakes his head and pulls you in closer. “No chance in hell.” His hands slide down to your hips, grabbing at your thighs, and he starts lifting you.
“Jesus–” you squeal a bit in surprise as he hoists you up.
Giving a small grunt, he carries you across the room. Your back soon reaches the soft mattress as he sets you down and hovers near the end of the bed. You prop yourself on your elbows to watch him as he fiddles with his belt buckle.
He makes quick work of his trousers and button down, soon leaving him in just his boxer briefs, arousal evident.
Your eyes trail down, glancing over the way his body is a tapestry of small scars and tattoos. You search the planes of his biceps and toned abs. “Jesus…” you mutter to yourself. That’s when a certain feeling of uncertainty settles in your gut and you can’t help the question that falls from your lips.
“Are you sure about this?”
Your tone is unsteady, almost like you don’t know why you voiced it in the first place. But then again, maybe it’s because you're staring at a man built like Adonis, while in the back of your mind you’re busy trying to recall the last time you shaved.
Tangerine strides over to the bed and smiles as he leans over. “Ain’t ever been more sure about something in my life.”
That makes your heart beat harder for sure. You glance back up meeting his eye and gently lead him into another kiss.
He kisses back eagerly, tongue slipping through to tangle with yours. His hands first travel to your hips, giving a gentle squeeze before he pulls away to take care of his boxers.
Soon he’s climbing onto the bed with you and locking his lips with yours as he hovers over you. His cock brushes between your legs, hard, heavy, and aching. One of his hands moves to tangle in your hair as his lips move to kiss along your jaw.
You whine softly as you feel him press down against your clit, the feeling amplified by the attentive nature of his lips. His mouth moves lower, down to your collarbone.
“Told you,” he mutters, “Gorgeous.”
His lips move over yours again as he starts pushing himself inside the space between your thighs. He groans as you take him in, feeling the walls of your heat clench around his length. Your hands move to his shoulders, reaching the skin of his back as your bodies press closer and closer together.
He takes it slow at first, making sure you're comfortable with every single inch of him filling you up. After hearing the breathy tone of your soft murmur, he starts moving at a slow pace, rolling his hips in a steady rhythm. Tangerine watches you intently, mentally noting every slight change in your expression and every little sound you make.
“Fuck…” you moan out softly as he moves at a torturous pace. He just smiles down at you, watching the way your head lolls against the pillow and your eyes flutter shut.
He begins to pick up the pace, and he shutters a bit at the feeling of you pulsing around him at each stroke. “Goddamn, angel…” One of his hands moves to steady your hip as the other helps him keep balance over you.
Tangerine pushes his hips against yours in deep snaps. His eyes stay trained on your face as he watches and listens to your reactions. “Want to see those pretty eyes of yours,” he whispers.
Your eyes blink back open, gaze focusing on him. It all feels so good, the way he ruts against you, and your hands grip his shoulders.
He grunts back and you whine. Tangerine keeps steady and purrs with a small cocky smirk playing on his lips. “That’s it…”
“Tan…” You moan back, breath ragged.
Tangerine pants and doubles his efforts as he shoves his hips against yours. “You're damn close, aren’t you, sweetheart?”
You whimper back, “Ah…yes…” Your fingers grip his skin and your moans build as he picks up the pace. “Yes, yes…ahh…”
“Just a little more,” he demands gruffly, giving a slightly sharper snap of his hips. His cock plunges in deeper and deeper with each thrust. “Give it to me, darlin’.”
You moan out louder with each thrust until you're squeezing him. Your body pulses with the feeling of finally reaching the climax. The sound of moans mix with fragments of his name as you let the wave of ecstasy wade over you.
He holds you tighter as he lets you ride out the pleasure beneath him. His pace grows rougher as he struggles to keep control in chasing his own release.
“Come on, come on, right there…” His voice grows ragged as his movement grows sloppier. Soon though, he feels himself tipping over the edge. One last hard thrust forward and he’s gushing out, pistoning in his cum with just a few final strokes.
Tangerine buries his head into the crux of your neck with a low, guttural noise. The feeling of release washes over him as the two of you lay there catching your breath. He stays tucked within you for a moment longer.
“Christ.” He takes a few deep breaths, trying to regain his bearings.
“Mhm…” You mumble back and glance down at him.
He raises his head just enough to meet your eyes. His chest still rising and falling like yours, his adrenaline is pounding through his veins. “You okay? I wasn’t too rough, was I?”
“No, no…” You shake your head lightly. “Nothing like that.”
He nods gently back and finally pulls out of you fully, moving to lay beside you on the bed. “Goddamn, that was good,” he mutters gruffly.
You smile in response, laying content beside him.
He grunts a bit as his back reaches the mattress. “Think those little nails of yours left a mark,” he grumbles.
“Sorry,” you glance over at him apologetically. “I didn’t mean to–”
A smug smirk spreads across his face again. “Not complaining, sweetheart. Just surprised a sweet thing like you has claws.”
Tangerine climbs over to you, pulling the comforter up over the both of you. His hands grab hold of you without a second thought, maneuvering you so you're pressed right up against his body, head settled against his chest. His arms wrap around your waist, holding you close as can be. It’s clear he’s still basking in his own little afterglow of pleasure.
You hum softly as he holds you, resting against him without protest. Your eyes slowly start to droop closed and he presses a soft kiss to the top of your head. He speaks in a voice that’s so quiet it’s close to inaudible.
“Sleep well.”
Eyes shut, you choose to ignore the warmth in your stomach at his seemingly compassionate actions.
★ summary: you may or may not have feelings for adrian, but unfortunately peacemaker is not exactly the best wingman
★ notes: fem!reader, reader is a part of the 11th street kids, friends to lovers, mutual pining, stalker!adrian (my beloved), chris meddles in the affairs of your crush, takes place somewhere in season 2 (but no specific plot relevance)
★ cw(s): alcohol, mentions of the threesome™️, basically just canon typical stuff, suggestive ending
★ wc: 3.5k words
★ author’s note: im thinking of writing a (smutty) part two to this eventually😏 ...anyways, enjoy :)
ADRIAN CHASE / VIGILANTE MASTERLIST
─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──
“So…you’ve been hanging out with Adrian a lot lately, right?”
It’s Saturday afternoon, a few drinks in hand and some WigWam record playing in the background, you’re at Chris’ house. Of course the topic of Adrian Chase was bound to come up.
You and Adrian had been getting closer, and as much as you tried to deny it, you were beginning to develop some sort of feelings towards the psycho. Chris, Harcourt, Ads, even John could tell there was at least something going on.
And yet it’s been months and no such news of a date, or kiss, or alcohol induced hookup.
Problem is: you don’t want to get your heart broken. No matter how many times Adrian flutters those puppydog eyes at you, there’s no chance you were going to be the one to admit anything. Every choice you’ve ever made since joining the 11th Street Kids was made with careful precision and planning ahead. You weren’t going to make a move without knowing without a doubt that your feelings are reciprocated.
And of course, you weren’t going to let Chris talk you into doing something stupid.
“Yeah,” you answer back in nonchalance and take a sip from the bottle in your hand. “What about it?”
Chris gives you a look and leans back on the couch. “Nothing. Just think it’s funny how he acts around you.”
There’s a small smirk on his face. You ignore it.
“Adrian’s…an odd bird. He’s like that around everyone.”
“No kidding,” Chris laughs back. “But you have to admit he’s a lot weirder whenever you’re around.”
“How so?” You glance curiously at him and take another swig of your drink.
Chris leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “For one thing, he never shuts up about you.”
You roll your eyes right back, “Okay, well he never shuts up about you either, Mr.Peacemaker.”
“Fair enough,” he says in response to your dismissive tone. “But when it comes to you, Vij acts like you hung the fucking moon or some shit.” He takes a sip of his beer and glances back with a knowing look. “Almost seems like he has a crush on you.”
“Oh my god. Do not start.”
“Come on, is the thought really that far off the mark?”
“Chris, he’s just an odd guy. It’s nothing like that.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah, sure.” Chris nods along before getting up to grab another beer. He’s clearly unconvinced.
You double down. “Do you seriously think Adrian of all people even has the capacity to have a crush? You and I both know he’s not exactly ‘in tune’ with his emotions.”
“Oh, I know he’s not.” Rejoining you on the couch, Chris leans back against the cushions as he focuses on your face. “But I think you’d be surprised how much that guy feels, even if he’s not the best at expressing it. Trust me, the man feels stuff.”
Chris pauses for a moment to crack open the cap of the bottle, almost contemplating something before saying your name softly. “Just…take my word for it, okay? He is into you.”
Your eyes glance up to meet Chris’ as you analyze the sincerity of his tone. “Did he say something to you?” You ask gently.
There’s a second of hesitation before he speaks. “Not exactly,” Chris says slowly, “but he’s made some pretty telling comments. And the way he looks at you when he thinks no one’s looking? Trust me, he’s down pretty damn bad.”
It’s not like Chris has ever been spectacular at reading other people in the time you’ve known him, so you glance at him for a second before pressing. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, he’s always checking you out. He’s not even subtle about it either.” His smile grows as he continues, “Like, remember when you were wearing that black dress to one of our hangouts? He spent the whole night staring at your legs like they were made of gold.”
You groan softly and stare back at him, “Yeah, but that’s how you men are. It’s not like you didn’t stare too. I caught you…several times.”
“Hey,” Chris holds up his hands in surrender, “my eyes were strictly above the waistline, thank you very much. Adrian though…let’s just say I had more than enough reason to elbow him in the ribs a few times that night. No subtlety.”
You roll your eyes for the umpteenth time and groan with another sip of your drink.
Chris lowers his hands and studies you with a watchful eye. “So…just to clarify here, Adrian likes you and you’re choosing to do nothing about it?” His eyebrow raises as he glances back at you for a response.
“I don’t like Adrian. Not like that.” You defend for what feels like the billionth time this evening.
“Okay…” Chris leans back against the couch in nonchalance and shrugs. “So you wouldn’t care at all if he started dating someone else?”
A small snort of a laugh escapes you. You know what he’s trying to do and it’s not going to work. “Yeah. That’d be fine.”
He nods his head along as he watches you. “Yeah? You’d be fine with that?”
“Just peachy.”
“Uh-huh. And that’s why you’re gripping that bottle like it personally offended you?”
You loosen your grip, not even noticing. “I am fine. And even if I wasn’t, it’s not like there’s a long list of other girls he’s talking to either.”
“Wonder why that is?” Chris mutters before smiling. “Although…he did mention this girl at work one time.”
“What?” You glance back at him, only half entertaining the notion. It’s so obviously a lie…right?
“Oh yeah,” He nods back and his grin widens. “He said she mentioned something about wanting him to ‘fuck his brains out’...”
You laugh right back at his attempt to goad you. “Oh my god, that’s such bullshit.”
“No, really, I’m being serious,” Chris doubles down. “He told me just before the threesome I had with him during the whole butterflies fiasco.”
That gives you pause.
“You can ask him yourself if you think I’m lying,” he continues to ramble on. “Unless you’re too scared to face the fact that you’re jealous.”
“I am not jealous,” you reply, shaking your head and trying to ignore the thought of your two friends in that situation.
“Oh, come on,” He glares back with a knowing look.
“Stop it, Chris,” you exclaim back and slam your drink down on the coffee table. “He can do whatever he damn well pleases, because I am not interested. And even if I were, which I am not, then there would be no reason to have those stupid emotions, because there is no way in a million years that he actually feels them too. Not like I do. Okay?”
Chris just watches you, and you can practically hear the protest rising in his throat before you beat him to the punch.
“He doesn’t.” You stare back a moment before sighing.
There’s a brief moment of silence as Chris settles back into a softer tone. “I’m just saying, you may want to talk to him about it. The poor kid’s suffering in silence.” He takes a sip of his beer before adding, “And trust me, you don’t want him bottling that shit up for too long.”
“Okay, yeah, fine…” you reply and lean back in your seat.
“Good.” Chris gives a small sigh of relief.
There’s a brief lull, before you glance curiously back at him.
“I feel like we breezed over the threesome part of that conversation a bit too quickly.”
Chris’ eyes bore into yours. “That’s what you took from our conversation?”
“It’s a pretty glaring detail.”
“Well, if you want details then–”
“NO! No…” You stop him quickly and glare back. “Definintely not.”
Chris shrugs back and sips his beer. “Your loss.”
You scoff and decide to change the subject. “I think it’s time to talk about you and Harcourt. You doing anything about that?”
He seems to freeze at the change in subject. “It’s…well, it’s complicated.”
“Tale as old as time.”
“Okay, laugh it up,” he huffs back. “But we’re not talking about me right now. We’re talking about you and your inability to grow a pair.”
You huff softly back, “I’d rather we talk about neither.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
— ★ —
Later that night, Chris’ words are long gone from your head. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself: forget.
You go ahead and put on your comfiest pajamas and curl up in bed, swiping through on your phone for a bit while the soft blanket over you soothes your body and mind.
Then…THUD.
Your body moves faster than your mind as you sit up and look around your room for the source of the sound. A sense of fear settles in your chest. There’s a small groan and your eyes focus on the direction of the window.
Carefully, you grab your phone in one hand and a hefty metal water bottle in the other as a makeshift weapon as you get up from the bed slowly. Your feet pad over quietly in the direction of the noise and your heart races, feeling like you’re stuck in some horror movie.
Arm raised up, you grip the handle of the water bottle and prepare to at least give a good fight until…
You see Adrian tapping on the window, waving and smiling.
With a groan, you drop your stuff and open the window in a huff.
“What the hell are you doing on my fire escape?”
He just smiles right back. “I was on patrol and I saw your window and honestly, you should get a lock or something on there ‘cause–”
“Adrian, I live on the third floor.”
“So?” He stares back with that wide eyed stare, like he’s making an obvious point.
Sighing, you decide it’s not worth the argument. “Let’s get to the point. It’s like midnight. I need to go to bed.”
“Oh come on,” he groans back. “You can’t just kick me out.”
“I can and I will, stalker.”
“I am not a stalker,” he whines back. “And besides, you wouldn’t throw me out because you’re in love with me.”
You freeze and stare back. “Who the hell told you that?”
“Chris.”
Goddamnit, Chris.
“Well…he lied to you.”
Adrian huffs a boisterous laugh back. “Yeah, right. Why would my best friend lie to me?”
You sigh out and attempt to keep your nerves in check. “He was just…joking with you.” That’s what you land on and hope he’ll believe.
Adrian blinks back silently, but your mind is racing. This isn’t how you wanted him to find out, more importantly you didn’t want him to find out. And so now you’re left hoping and begging to the universe he’ll just drop it.
With a small soft breath, you add one more word hoping to convince him.
“We’re good friends, Adrian. That’s it.”
Adrian’s gaze doesn’t waver. He’s always been impossible to read.
“Right.” He finally says.
The silence between you two stretches before his quiet voice sounds again. “You sure? Because I could have sworn…”
“I’m sure.” Your eyes stay on his as you nod.
Adrian swallows. “Okay.”
— ★ —
There’s no word further of that night for sometime. In fact, you don’t even lay eyes on Adrian for at least a week after that, if not longer. No phone calls, texts, or surprise drop-bys…and honestly it’s a bit concerning considering how overly enthusiastic he’s always been.
The first time you see him again is when the whole group gathers for a hangout at Harcourt’s place. And there’s still a small thought in your mind wondering if you messed everything up.
You carry in a case of beer and set it down on the kitchen counter. Harcourt and Adebayo are busy talking, John is on his phone trying to tune out Adrian, and Chris is sitting down on the couch on the other side of the room. You notice that every couple seconds Adrian seems to glance over briefly, before his eyes move to the ceiling or surrounding area.
Eventually, you decide to go talk to Chris and settle down onto the couch beside him.
“Hey, Peacemaker,” you say, somewhat jokingly.
He glances over and gives a smile as you hand him a beer. “Hey, thanks. What’s up?”
As you lean back against the cushions your eyes drift over to Adrian, who’s attempting once more to look at you without being noticed. You decide to rip off the bandaid.
“Did you tell Adrian about our conversation?”
“Yeah…I did.” Chris stammers a bit but ultimately decides to fess up. “Why? Did he say something?”
You sigh and stare up at the popcorn moulding on the ceiling. “Well he came over to my house via the fire escape.”
Chris sits up. “What?”
You just groan back and give a small glare. “Why did you have to do that? You know how he gets. And now everything’s all weird between us after I told him I didn’t like him like that–”
“Whoa. Hey…” He stalls your rambling. “Why’d you tell him that?”
“Because he put me on the spot!” You defend in a lowered voice. “And I know you’re all certain of how he feels, but he’s just so unpredictable and I didn’t feel like getting my feelings crushed last night.”
“Well it sure sounds like you crushed his.” Chris grumbles back and leans against the couch.
You glare back. Chris relents.
“Sorry,” his tone softens. “I thought I was being helpful, you know? Like I was…giving you two a nudge in the right direction.” There’s a brief lull before Chris looks over at you curiously. “Why’d you lie to him?”
With a grumble, your head meets your hands. “I don’t know. I didn’t say anything bad just that we’re good friends and that’s it.”
Chris huffs a laugh. “That’s essentially like saying ‘Thanks but no thanks, loser.’”
“Well, whatever,” you huff back. “It’s not like he came out and said ‘Hey, I have feelings for you.’”
“Yeah, because he’s Adrian, and that’s his way of being direct.”
You just sigh again and lean back, hoping the couch will swallow you whole. There’s a moment of silence between the two of you before Chris moves to get up off the couch.
“I may just have the solution to all your problems.” He smiles. And before you can object or question him, he’s walking up to Adrian.
Though you’d rather him stop with the meddling, you decide to just ignore it and enjoy the rest of the night not worrying.
— ★ —
The rest of the evening goes a lot smoother with a bit of alcohol. You’re not completely sloshed or anything, just tipsy enough to feel the steady buzz.
About an hour passes and Adrian hasn’t said so much as a word to you, aside from a hello at the start of the night. You’re not exactly keeping a tally, but something does still feel odd. Chris stays glued to his side and you stay perched on the couch, opting to catch up with Ads and Harcourt.
The thought of leaving early does cross your mind once or twice but you stay. After you’ve run through a few topics and shared a few laughs, you excuse yourself to go get a breath of fresh air on the roof.
You head out the apartment door and eventually walk out onto the roof where the group of you all had gathered last time. The weather’s a bit brisk, winter threatening to start soon, or else your sure the event would have taken place out here again.
Evergreen’s a small town so there’s not a lot to take in as far as a view, but you enjoy it well enough as you lean against the railing. The sun just barely peaking out, you sigh softly and sip the remaining contents of your drink until the bottle’s empty.
A few minutes of peaceful quiet pass until you hear the door to the roof open again. Soft footsteps approach as someone walks over to the railing to stand beside you. You don’t have to hear his voice to know that it’s Adrian.
“Hey.” He offers up gently. Despite the attempt to sound casual, there’s a slight slur to his words, the effects of the alcohol clearly evident.
“Hi.” You reply back politely.
Adrian hesitates for a second before he speaks again. “Chris said you came up here.”
You huff a small laugh, mostly to yourself. “I’m sure he did.” There’s no doubt that this is part of Chris’ aforementioned ‘plan.’ You just try your best to stay polite. “Yeah, I just needed some air.”
“Makes sense.” He says back as he leans against the railing and fiddles with his hands.
He lets out a breath before he finally looks over at you, his voice quieter this time. “About the other night…”
Glancing over at him, you speak before he can get another word out. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t mean–” Your eyes find his and weirdly he doesn’t seem upset or angry.
Adrian immediately shakes his head dismissively to halt any apologies. “No, you don’t have to- I know you didn’t…” He lets out a soft sigh and collects his thoughts before continuing. “I just wanted to say that I get it. Honestly, I do. You’re…you’ve been a really good friend to me, and– fuck…” He grumbles softly, unable to get the words out.
“Ade…” You glance back at him carefully and his eyes peek up to stare back. There’s a beat before he continues.
“I just…really like being around you…” That’s all he can manage, and your heartbeat picks up.
“Yeah?” You whisper back gently, taking a small step closer.
“Yeah…”
You smile just a bit. “I really like being around you too.”
Adrian smiles right back, those familiar puppy dog eyes staring at you. “I just, uh…I guess, I thought that after the other night, you…didn’t want me around any more.”
“What?” You give a look of genuine surprise.
“Yeah…” His eyes drift off to the view again as he regains his bearings. “And, like, I didn’t want you to get tired of me, so…I decided to fix the problem for you.”
“Adrian.”
His eyes train back on you immediately at the sound of his name falling from your lips.
“There’s not–” you sigh. “You’re not a problem.”
He stays quiet and lets you continue. Your heart is hammering at this point. There’s a strange feeling twisting in your gut after seeing the look in his eyes. It’s not often you see Adrian this vulnerable. With a soft breath out, you decide to gain some courage yourself.
“If anything, I’m the problem.”
Adrian watches you, his face contorting into some look of confusion.
“Chris wasn’t lying,” you continue. “I lied.”
“What?” His voice comes out soft.
“I do care about you, Adrian. More than…more than I should honestly, but…yeah.” You finally gather your nerves enough to look back at him, and his expression is just as unreadable as ever. For a second, you wonder if he just doesn’t understand what you’re saying. There’s a small sting in your chest at the thought of having to say it outright.
“So you are in love with me?” He questions back in a deadpan tone.
Instead of denying it or lying again, you just nod back and wait for his reaction.
Adrian blinks back for a brief moment and then he’s smiling. “Oh thank god,” He breathes out a sigh of relief. “I’ve been obsessed with you for like, months, and honestly I was only at your apartment the other day because I sometimes like to drop by and make sure you’re safe, which Chris says is completely normal so–”
In an instant your lips are on his. He freezes at first, like he’s unsure if this is really happening, before he melts into the feeling. His hands meet your waist as he pulls you in tighter.
Your hands settle on his shoulders and a small breathy sound leaves your lips. The gentle kiss slowly turns into something more hungry and needy. Adrian murmurs against your lips, his drunken state amplifying the satisfaction he feels at finally being able to be this close with you.
“You smell nice…like strawberries or something…” he mumbles between kisses.
You smile and tease back. “You’re really buzzed right now, huh?”
His hand gently moves up under the hem of your shirt as he ignores your question, and you pull away just a bit with a small giggle.
“I think you’re a little too drunk to be doing that…”
“Nu-uh,” he whines, “I’m perfectly fine.” He smiles back and you can feel him swaying in his stance.
Your hands hold onto his shoulders and you just smile back. Even if he won’t admit to being wasted, you’d rather continue this sometime when he’d actually be able to remember it.
“How about we raincheck and get you some water, okay?”
